Wilson uses some quotes from books–mystery and otherwise–to illustrate his sections. There’s a lot of great information here, from the description of how an emergency room is arranged and operated, to the same for an autoposy, to numbers for ways in which people die by suicide, homicide and accidents. This is part of the Writer’s Digest “Howdunnit” series–aids for the mystery writer when constructing a story. One of the best things about this book (cause, to be honest, there are a LOT of best things) is that it is a clean read! The only language I noted was the word “stupid” used once and twice it was said that a character “cursed.” (Bad language is a pet peeve of mine, and I am always super happy when a book has clean language.Cause of Death: A Writer’s Guide to Death, Murder, & Forensic Medicine, Keith D. Book!!!!!!!! Eeek, it was so good!!!!😀 I was hooked from the very first sentence, and it kept my interest all the way till the end!!!!!!!! I didn’t want to put it down!!! (Which is pretty amazing considering that there are even some short stories that I pause in the middle of and return to later.) I was impressed at how well-written this story was!! And I absolutely loved the characters, the plot, and the theme of this story!! Lyla and Finn, trying to escape city officials while questioning if their actions are worth it-this storyline is wonderful and perfect for the middle-grade genre! I also loved the images inside!! They were designed amazingly well and were a neat touch for this book!! (And can we just talk about how amazing the cover looks?) If you like christian fiction with meaningful take-aways or Middle Grade reads, I recommend this. The bio said it was 19th Century but it was hard to get a good feel for it.Īll in all, this was an enjoyable read and a great debut! This is perfect for one of those quick and casual books one might look for for a break in-between series. Lastly, it was difficult to get an idea of the time period and setting. The writing style was very simple but I'm fully taking into account that this is geared for Middle Grade readers. I had to go back and reread the last sentence of the previous one a few times to remember what happened last. I did think that there were some rather abrupt gaps between chapters.

The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were great additions and made the reading more fun. While I couldn't 100% connect with our courageous MC, Lyla- my heart dropped with every betrayal she faced. I liked the Biblical themes of using our gifts rather than ignoring or wasting them and the importance of helping others despite the cost. My first read by this author and I was pleasantly pleased with the content.

An Apprentice Escapes by Lillian Keith