DartFrog Books

Kirkus Review:

A law professor gets caught up in intrigue connected with a campus shooter and Nazi-looted art in this debut novel.

Nell Hatley—a 30-something professor at Coppersmith University Law School, near Cincinnati, in her tenure year—arrives late to a faculty meeting and to mayhem: a gun-wielding woman pushes her way inside and starts firing. Nell heroically tackles the shooter, getting a kick in the head. One professor, Lawrence McIntosh, is shot dead and another, Hardik Gruziet, grazed by Marlyse Revinson, a first-year law student whom Nell vaguely remembers. Disturbingly, a handwritten note in Revinson’s pocket bears three names: McIntosh, Gruziet—and Hatley. The investigation soon starts looking fishy: though failing grades are blamed for Revinson’s breakdown, Nell knows she entered a B grade—which mysteriously became an F. And why was McIntosh brought in as an expert witness on an art theft case, not his specialty? And who is responsible for torpedoing Nell’s tenure chances? At the center of the mystery is a Monet painting, Girl with Egg Basket, once owned by the Rosenthals and stolen by Nazis. Nell investigates with help from her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Luca Giardano, a rising star at a Washington, D.C., law firm, and the Mouse, Luca’s wickedly smart paralegal (and a formidable young woman). As Nell and her allies get closer to the truth, the story builds to a dangerous confrontation. In his thriller, Crane (Antitrust [Aspen Treatise], 2014, etc.), a law professor at the University of Michigan, proves an able storyteller, mixing humor, suspense, and a little romance, plus history, travel, well-explained legal issues, and a fine appreciation for university politics. His characters are well-rounded, and the Mouse—a law school dropout with great resources—is an especially delightful creation, fun to watch as she adopts various personae to winkle out information. Nell’s memories of a childhood friend, in whose tragedy she feels guiltily complicit, gives her compassion for Revinson and drives her determination to uncover the truth. This, along with serious matters of theft and murder, helps balance the book’s often comic tone. Nicely done.

Entertaining, humorous, exhilarating, and featuring impressive characters, this legal thriller turns out to be a winner.

Pacific Book Review

Too Much MacTiggle is an illustrated children’s book, separated into chapters, by the very clever author Antionette Melendez about a puppy with all of the mischief and tail- wagging playfulness puppies are famous for.

With a too-big nose and his droopy left ear and his too short and stubby legs, Too Too Much, named for getting into way too much trouble, is the most playful puppy in the pet store. Playful to a fault! Since he is so much trouble, nobody wants to buy him due to his overzealous puppy personality. Spilling water, knocking things over and even opening the cages of the other pets, the pet store owner, Mr. Teeply, ultimately has no choice but to give Too Too Much away – for FREE!

Mr. and Mrs. MacTiggle are an elderly couple that always wanted a puppy but couldn’t afford one. Then one day they notice an ad in the paper for a FREE PUPPY! So off they went to the pet store to see what might be their new member of their family, and with a loving heart took Too Too Much home.

Once at their home, they realized why Too Too Much got his name, as he was way Too Too Much of a Puppy! Spilling water, digging up prize winning daisies in the backyard, and eating Mrs. MacTiggle’s crunchy peanut butter snickerdoodle cookies were all the mischief Too Too Much could get into. But he had a good side as well, as he was a good “finder,” helping old Mr. MacTiggle find his sunglasses and other items the forgetfulness of his elder age often resulted in his misplacing items around his house.

So Too Too Much was given 3 chances of forgiveness until the MacTiggles decide they have to give the puppy back to the pet storeowner because he’s too much of a problem puppy. Do they give him back? Do they keep Too Too Much?

These storyline events create a wonderful suspense in this children’s book keeping the pages turning with playful episodes of imaginative situations and fuzzy pet kindness. Illustrated with emotions of nervousness, looks of love and sensory awareness of new smells and sounds, Too Much MacTiggle will tickle a child’s fancy and drift their minds into the playful world of puppyhood.

A “must” for any family library with youngsters, Too Too Much will wag his way into your heart, as he is too too cute of a puppy and the MacTiggles are too too perfect a home for their newly adopted puppy.