SHERLOCK SAM AND THE MISSING HEIRLOOM IN KATONG - A.J. Low

Straight up, I love Sherlock Sam.  Almost immediately, this book reminded me of the Encyclopedia Brown books I devoured as a kid (though this is a full-length book, as opposed to a collection of short mysteries) - and if this first-in-the-series is any indication, Sherlock Sam is just as deserving of as much fame and attention from fans around the world.  The story: Samuel Tan Cher Lock (aka Sherlock Sam), lover of maths and mysteries, is a stocky/slightly chunky young boy in Singapore who, along with his newly-created (and often sarcastic) robot named Watson, fancies himself a detective ... who soon gets his first case when Auntie Kim Lian's heirloom cookbook, in her family for generations, disappears.  Following clues and logic with equal measure, Sherlock Sam and Watson - along with Sam's sister Wendy and his schoolmate Jimmy - set out to find the precious heirloom so Auntie Kim Lian can keep making the delicious dishes Sam so loves to eat.  The mystery and Sam's detection are logical and easy for young readers to follow along with, and the book's cast of characters are easy to like.  The fact the books are to be set in Singapore, with an Asian lead/characters populating them, was a first for this reader and hugely appreciated; there's even an index in the back, complete with definitions, for words and phrases (English or not) used in the book, educating the reader about a different culture and customs, as well.  A warm, welcomed and lighthearted addition to the children's section of any bookstore.  ****1/2

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

YARNED AND DANGEROUS - Sadie Hartwell

Josie Blair works as a low-level fashion designer in New York City, her dream job since childhood even though her current boss is a bit of a cad who's recently fired her ... just in time for Josie's mother to request a favor.  Back in Dorset Falls, Connecticut - where Josie lived for a number of years as a teen - her great uncle Eb has just lost his wife in a car accident that also left him laid up in a wheelchair.  As Josie's mom is heading off to a pre-planned cruise, it falls to Josie to return back to the town she was glad to leave, and not only help Eb but also aid in shutting down the downtown Dorset Falls yarn store she owned, Miss Marple Knits.  As suspected, her old hometown hasn't exactly prospered any more in recent years, leaving Josie anxious to just get the shop closed and get her uncle well so she can go home to the big city - but almost soon as she arrives, the dead body of a member of the local women's knitting group is found in the shop, pulling Josie into the local drama and mysteries both big and small.  It was tough for me to get into this first-in-a-series novel for about twenty pages, but once in and meeting more of the characters in the small town, I really grew to like Josie and company quite a bit, as well as find myself drawn into the mysterious goings on.  As is the case with me and many cozies lately, however, I found the ending very anticlimactic; the solution, I feel, was presented too early - or, at least, things should have been wound up faster once the murderer was revealed.  That said, I do look forward to giving Josie and Dorset Falls another try, because Hartwell does well in creating characters you care about.  ***1/2

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.