The Puzzle (Sophies Promises Book 1)

I found it both too complicated and too simple in plotting. This is just a personal quirk of mine - I always seem to have a hard time keeping track of character motivations and relationships in particular in this genre, which is why I tend to avoid it. On the other hand, I found the solution to the mystery a bit too pat after all the complications.

Overall though, I thought it was very enjoyable with good writing, and I look forward to the next installment. The opening scene in Ellen Crosby's first Sophie Medina novel had me hooked, and I stayed hooked with her excellent story and pacing. When I learned that Nick was a CIA operative, I felt a twinge of unease because I am not a fan of spy thrillers, so I am happy to say that the espionage never went overboard in Multiple Exposure.

Crosby's characters are another reason why i was hooked. Sophie is one smart woman, and she thinks well on her feet-- which is a necessity when you're being shadowed by sp The opening scene in Ellen Crosby's first Sophie Medina novel had me hooked, and I stayed hooked with her excellent story and pacing. Sophie is one smart woman, and she thinks well on her feet-- which is a necessity when you're being shadowed by spies, agents, oligarch's thugs, etc.

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Except for one slight glitch with a purse, Sophie doesn't do dumb stuff either. Her supporting cast is a strong one as well-- her stepfather Harry and her mother as well as her closest friends, Father Jack and Grace, add depth to an engrossing story. Even Washington, DC is a marvelous character. Throughout Sophie's travels in the city, I learned some fascinating facts about our nation's capital while I was being entertained. I was in a little slice of fiction heaven, and I look forward to reading Sophie's next adventure in Ghost Image. Apr 24, Barbara rated it really liked it Shelves: Not usually into espionage or undercover operatives as the theme of a book.

While Sophie knows her husband is CIA, he never reveals or discusses his cases with her. Nick is seemingly kidnapp Not usually into espionage or undercover operatives as the theme of a book. Nick is seemingly kidnapped and possibly killed. Sophie discovers this when she comes home one night from her assignment as an investigative news photographer. However, as the book progresses, Nick is apparently alive and has murdered his boss as well as another person. Not usually what I seek out in books. However, this book caught me and held me in for the ride.

I really enjoyed the read.

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After finding out that her husband is missing, Sophie travels to Washington D. Searching for the truth turns out to be more difficult and dangerous than Sophie had bargained for. Sophie was an easy character to like. She is smart and very determined to uncover the truth about her husband no matter what it takes. Things begin to pick up in the story after a chapter or two for me. There are Faberge eggs, conspiracies, lies, and political intrigue that do more than a good enough job at keeping the story interesting and entertaining.

This is the first book I have read from this author, but I enjoyed reading it. Aug 03, Anne rated it really liked it. In this tautly plotted suspense novel, she's grasped it. Photojournalist Sophie Medina moves from London to Washington, as her missing husband surfaces briefly in Vienna, Moscow, and a troubled former Soviet republic. Crosby portrays the places in her novel with a sure and accura In her last two Wine Country mysteries, Ellen Crosby seemed to be reaching for a larger canvas, as Lucie Montgomery's adventures took her to Washington in The Viognier Vendetta and to California in The Sauvignon Secret.

Crosby portrays the places in her novel with a sure and accurate hand, including fascinating details about topics from oil exploration to Carl Faberge's long relationship with the Romanovs.

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As in her previous books, her characters are vivid, memorable, and believable. She conveys a sense of menace and threat with little overt violence, and weaves the disparate strands of political and economic intrigue into a surprising and satisfying denouement. Nov 02, Kathy rated it it was amazing. Ellen Crosby, author of the Wine country mysteries, starts a new series.

I liked the wine books but this one is much more gripping. It's more of an espionage story than a murder mystery and it keeps moving every page. You can't put it down. Sophie Medina comes home to London to find her husband has disappeared. At first it seems like a vicious kidnapping but as time goes on it becomes possible that he disappeared on his own.

And among all this is a fantastic travelogue of Washington. Although I've been there multiple times there was so much mentioned that I was not aware of. I have to go back. Apr 08, Hannah added it. The first in what I hope to be many more Sophie Medina mysteries, Multiple Exposure begins in London when Sophie's husband Nick mysteriously disappears in what looks to have been a violent kidnapping. Ellen Crosby draws us into the story of Sophie, and international photojournalist as we travel with her from London to Washington, DC.

Crosby treats us to an intricate tale of the international art world, a first hand look at the Washington that only those in the international and diplomatic co The first in what I hope to be many more Sophie Medina mysteries, Multiple Exposure begins in London when Sophie's husband Nick mysteriously disappears in what looks to have been a violent kidnapping. Crosby treats us to an intricate tale of the international art world, a first hand look at the Washington that only those in the international and diplomatic community have access to.

I really enjoyed this book and kept thinking what an movie it would make! I'm lucky enough to have been given a pre pub copy of the sequel, Ghost Image, and reading that now! Aug 02, David V. Started it on Main character is a female photojournalist, not a spy, so there are no big "shoot-em-ups," no big car chases, no parachuting into enemy territory, no midnight resues of fallen comrades; there's just a clever and brave woman in this psychological thrillerand Faberge eggs, and Russian millionaires, and less than wonderful Congressman, and a Vespa motorscooter always wanted one of those!

Sophie Medina is a memorable heroine. With an already established list of mysteries set in the Virginia wine country, Ellen Crosby tries her hand at the enigmatic world of international espionage with Multiple Exposure, the first installment in a brand new mystery series featuring the bold and inquisitive photojournalist Sophie Medina.

Senate—seamlessly blends fact with fiction to establish a fast With an already established list of mysteries set in the Virginia wine country, Ellen Crosby tries her hand at the enigmatic world of international espionage with Multiple Exposure, the first installment in a brand new mystery series featuring the bold and inquisitive photojournalist Sophie Medina. Senate—seamlessly blends fact with fiction to establish a fast-paced mystery that is as creative as it is well researched.

Oct 02, Judy rated it really liked it. I had the absolute pleasure of reading "Multiple Exposure" while spending a week in Washington, D. This is the beginning of a promising new series by Ellen Crosby, whose successful series in Virginia wine country was good for six novels. I love the new and resourceful heroine, Sophie Medina, a photojournalist who prowls the city on her Vespa. Crosby was generous with her detailed locations for the book: Good characters, pacing, plotting.

I look forward to the sequel s. Feb 18, Wendy rated it really liked it. As a former photographer, now retired, I really wanted to like this book. It was mildly intriguing with the mystery of where is the husband, what happened in college among several of the characters, etc. However, it never totally grabbed me and i thought she wasn't distraught enough about the missing husband and having to move from London, UK back to the Washington D. I am very intrigued however how she's going to make this photographer character into a series. Jul 23, Lois rated it really liked it.

Set primarily in Washington, D. The story centers around Sophie trying to build a new life while doing what she can to rescue her husband without knowing whom to trust. Fast-paced and well-plotted, I look forward to more in this series. This was a very well done mystery! I have read most of Ellen Crosby's other books and found more depth to this story. The mix of personal story and the political intrigue kept me interested.

Sounds like this may be the beginning of a new series for her. I really liked Sophie and hope to read more about her in the future! There are no discussion topics on this book yet. After living overseas for many years, she now lives in the Washington, DC suburbs of northern Virginia. More information at www. Other books in the series. Sophie Medina 2 books. Books by Ellen Crosby. Trivia About Multiple Exposure No trivia or quizzes yet. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account.

Sometimes they were not in the mood to read words, and this book was a great reprieve. They loved trying to guess what would happen next. Ahh manga, you allude me, but ALAS, this book may have changed my mind!: Other stories in The Birth of Kitaro draw heavily from Japanese folklore, with Kitaro taking on legendary Japanese yokai like the Nopperabo and Makura Gaeshi, and fighting the monstrous recurring villain Gyuki.

I hated math facts, but loved pondering through a long algebra equation. This book is for kids who feel the same way: As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone—from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads—winds up marveling at what numbers can do.

A child suffering from ennui…but they say boredom is a catalyst for the imagination: But on the other side, things seem different.

40 Must-Read Books for Kids Who Love Puzzles

Milo visits the Island of Conclusions you get there by jumping , learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. Another brilliant Brazilian author: In the grace of their telling, these stories hold unusual delights for the reader.

I recommend this book to only special people. People I know love words as much as I do. Know what a pangram is? A wonderful, wonderful book for lovers of words.

Peter took his love for words and turned it to organizing ideas and finding exactly the right word to express just what he thought. His lists grew and grew, eventually turning into one of the most important reference books of all time. This book has everything that is wonderful- math, art, mystery, and magic: Ara, the twelve-year old daughter to the Sultan, finds herself in the center of a political intrigue when her eunuch tutor is magically transformed by the evil Wazir.

Can a little girl save her friend and tutor with the help of a Sufi mathemagician? Intertwined in a mystery of math, art and magic, Ara races to find the seven broken symmetries before time runs out. Will she succeed or will the Alhambra fall and with it all that she loves? And will the stone lions awaken in time to help her? This book is full of strange and wonderful things: Feelings too complex for words are rendered into an imaginary landscape where the child wanders, oblivious to the glimmer of promise in the shape of a tiny red leaf.

Full of thoughtfulness and complexity: Twists in the middles of stories rather than at their ends tend to say: Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson An unputdownable novel about a woman who loses her memory every night as she sleeps, and wakes each next morning remembering nothing. The author expertly leads the reader to assume that there is a binary choice in terms of who and what to suspect, and then reveals at the last moment that there is a third and even more terrifying possibility…. Halfway through this story of an adopted young woman determined to trace her biological parents, there is a twist that made me leap up off my sun-lounger and yell at random holiday makers that they needed to read this book urgently.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn This brilliant thriller contains a meta-twist, devised and inflicted by a central character within the novel rather than the author herself. It works exceptionally well. The last line, which underscores how profoundly the reader has been fooled, sent a shiver down my spine.