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The Active-Enzyme Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch by E.W. Hildick
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Rift Part 2 by Gene Luen Yang
Bad Luck Girl by Sarah Zettel
Blandings' Way by Eric Hodgins
Blue Moon by James Ponti
Bones Never Lie by Elizabeth MacLeod
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice by Mike Maihack
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
The Elevator Family by Douglas Evans
Ghostbusters, Volume 5: The New Ghostbusters by Erik Burnham
Good Harbor by Anita Diamant
The Grannyman by Judy Schachner
Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
I Am Pusheen the Cat by Claire Belton
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Lucky by Gabrielle Bell
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
Neighborhood Watch by Cammie McGovern
New American Poetry edited by Richard Monaco
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems
Sign of Foul Play by Penny Warner
Simon's Cat vs. the World by Simon Tofield
Sufficient Ransom by Sylvia Sarno
Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Tim Federle
xxxHolic 14 by CLAMP
xxxHolic 15 by CLAMP
Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston

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Comments for Neighborhood Watch

Neighborhood Watch: 09/08/14

cover art

Neighborhood Watch by Cammie McGovern is a mystery trying to be literary fiction. Librarian Betsy Treading has spent twelve years in prison for murder — a crime she confessed to committing even though she doesn't remember doing it. Now DNA evidence has exonerated her and for reasons that frankly baffle me, she's told by her lawyer to go back home and sniff around for clues.

Betsy tells her story in a series of flashbacks mixed in with her present day investigations. Those flash backs involve her time in prison — and how she won everyone's respect and admiration by being a damn good librarian (okay...), her tragic backstory, the events leading up to the murder and some other angsty stuff.

In her outlining of the characters, though, Betsy is about as subtle as a pile driver. She repeats lots of details and opinions. I suppose it's to show how on edge she is both with being released from prison (and a life she's gotten used to) and with facing her inner demons, she ends up telegraphing the identity of the murderer.

I got about a third of the way through the novel before I knew who had done it and way. With the mystery out of the way, there was no compelling reason to keep reading.

Two stars

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