Reprise Review: The Way of the River by Randy Kadish

Genre: Memoir

Description:

“The Way of the River is a collection of memoirs and autobiographical stories that reflect Randy Kadish's long journey of fishing and spiritual recovery. The journey, often difficult, often gratifying, began when he finally admitted to himself that he couldn't communicate, and that his life had become unmanageable.”

Author:

Randy Kadish’s writing has appeared in flyfishing journals and magazines. His stories often combine his love of fishing with people struggling to do good while fighting their demons. Kadish’s fishing tips and more information about his book and stories can be found on his website.

Appraisal:

Most of my life, I’ve divided books into three categories, which I’ve read for three disparate reasons. Fiction was for entertainment. Non-fiction was divided into the more technical, which was for learning, and those that were biographical, to re-live things I’ve experienced in the past and to live vicariously those I haven’t. The latter were also good for comparing the thinking and motivations of other humans, both as a means to understand others and to help understand myself. I’ve since realized that benefits overlap more than my explanations would indicate, but as a broad brush definition, I think they’re valid.

My reason for bringing this up is twofold. The first is that Randy Kadish’s writing I’d read prior to this was fiction, yet it was one of those exceptions, where in addition to entertainment, there was a lesson to be learned about the human condition buried in there if you were interested. My second thought is that, in the past (before the days of indie publishing), most memoirs I was aware of were by someone famous (or possibly infamous). While they might be inspirational (maybe a rags to riches story), they were also about people who, because of that fame, were harder to relate to, even if their name made the book more marketable.

I’ve found I can relate to the memoirs from people whose lives are more mainstream. Kadish is much more like you or I than one of those more famous memoirists. That Kadish and I are both male and about the same age might help too. This book is a series of essays where he works through the things that bother him about his life so far, regrets for choices not made and paths not taken. Each is done against the backdrop of his avocation of flyfishing, with his challenges on the river or stream often helping illuminate something about his life. It resonated for me, though I’ve never cast a fly in my entire life.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: The Way of the River by Randy Kadish was a nominee in the Memoir category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran October 19, 2012

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Review: Storm Walk by Melissa Bowersock

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Paranormal

Description:

“Los Angeles has been besieged with relentless rain for weeks. There has been massive flooding, swift-water rescues, and an entire warehouse has collapsed from the weight of catastrophic rainfall, resulting in the death of six people. When medium Sam Firecloud is asked to connect with the only ‘witnesses’—the victims—he finds more questions than answers. He and his partner, Lacey Fitzpatrick, must take on the police, the insurance company and the architectural firm as they realize that things are not as they seem. Sam and Lacey aren’t experts in any of the associated fields, but they do know one thing—the dead don’t lie.”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres: biography, contemporary, western, action, romance, fantasy, paranormal and spiritual. She has been both traditionally and independently published and is a regular contributor to the superblog Indies Unlimited. She has a tattoo on the inside of her left wrist that says IMAGINE. In her next life, she plans to be an astronaut. She lives in a small community in northern Arizona with her husband and an Airedale terrier. She also writes under the pen name Amber Flame.”

Learn more about Ms. Bowersock and her other books on her website or on Facebook. For an up close look at A Lacy Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud Mystery Series check out Firecloud’s exclusive website.

Appraisal:

In Storm Walk, Sam Firecloud is asked, by a warehouse owner, to investigate why the ceiling collapsed during torrential rain fall, killing six of his employees. The insurance company is calling it an act of God and therefore they are refusing the owner’s claim. Storm Walk is different from the other stories in this series because there are no earthbound ghosts to help move on after this tragedy.

It’s Lacey’s job to investigate the building specs, blue prints, and question the architects of the warehouse to figure out what went so devastatingly wrong with this building. No one wants to accept the culpability for the roof’s failure. Lacey and Sam are both out of their element with this jigsaw puzzle. Lacey has always been in touch with her intuition, which makes her an excellent investigator. To solve this mystery, Sam and Lacey need to figure out the right questions to ask to find the answers they seek.

In other news, there is teenaged drama on the home front. Daniel’s girlfriend, Tori, has broken up with him. So, he is all sulky and angsty, making everyone around him miserable as well. Tori is a smart young lady, and I give her kudos for standing up for her convictions. Perhaps Daniel won’t be so flippant with female feelings in the future.

I love how strong family relationships are portrayed in Ms. Bowersock’s stories. It’s not just Sam and Lacey’s relationship with his kids, or Sam and Lacey’s relationship with the kids’ mother and stepfather. Also victims’ families, or the ghosts’ relatives often figure in as well. All elements of relationships past and present are always handled with care and respect.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

  

FYI:

Storm Walk is book eighteen in Ms. Bowersock’s, A LACEY FITZPATRICK and SAM FIRECLOUD MYSTERY SERIES.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 25-30,000 words

Review: 7 1/2 Habits To Help You Become More Humorous, Happier & Healthier by David Jacobson

Genre: Self-Help/Non-Fiction

Description:

“This book reveals the mysteries to improving your sense of humor to be happier, healthier, have better relationships and make you a more humorous person. This funny, uplifting and endearing book will teach you the secrets of using humor to decrease stress, cope with adversity and enhance the good times. It tells the story of one man's rise from the depths of illness and chronic pain to the heights of success attributable to his daily humor habits. He explains his discovery of how the simple use of HUMOR can transform your life and the world you live in.”

Author:

David Jacobson is both an author, professional speaker, and a mental health professional. His ideas about how humor can help us cope with life’s struggles is based on his professional training and his personal life experiences, including dealing with severe arthritis and chronic pain for most of his adult life.

For more, visit Mr Jacobson’s website.

Appraisal:

“People that think I’m strange don’t realize I’m just being funny and people that think I’m being funny don’t realize I’m strange.”

As someone who has been called a “smart” ahhh … we’ll go with “smart aleck” more than a time or two, I understood and agreed with where this book was coming from fairly easily. To me, that quote above gets to the heart of it. If you use humor as a means of coping with life, as Jacobson suggests in this book, you’ll be perceived by others as funny or strange, and both perceptions will have validity. But the key is, you’ll be coping in a much healthier way than many others do.

As with any humor (which permeates this book, in spite of also being quite serious) you’ll find some jokes that work for you and some that don’t as well. Personally, the never-ending front matter before the book’s core content started, while obviously intended to be humorous, almost had me abandoning the book before I was even started. I’m glad I persevered. But most of the humor worked for me and helped drive home the lesson or points he was making. He’s not only telling you how humor can be used in life to help cope with difficulties to be healthier and happier, but demonstrating ways to use humor in a positive manner. Although I was a believer in the overall point before reading this book, that belief is now solidified even more.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Review: Of Gods and Sorrow by Christine Rains

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Description:

“Stopping the undead will seem like child's play when the Cult of Ammut comes calling.

Even after losing most of her adopted family, Erin Driscol continues to console clients at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home. Keeping the funeral business working smoothly is no longer the walk in the graveyard it used to be. Grieving demons are fighting in the halls. Eyeballs are showing up in teapots. And a so-called psychic and member of the Cult of Ammut claims Erin's boss Cort is a god. All Erin wants is a friend to lean on and a sense of normalcy. But as the cult kills people and repeatedly attacks the funeral home, she must stand strong or lose Cort to the Lake of Fire.”

Author:

“Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She's married to her best friend and fellow geek living in south-central Indiana. They have one son who is too smart for his parents' own good and loves to pretend he's Batman. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has one novel and several novellas and short stories published. Her newest urban fantasy series, Totem, is complete at nine books.”

To learn more about Ms. Rains you can visit her blog or follow her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Erin Driscol continues her service at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home with the only surviving son, Cort Putzkammer. Cort is overwhelmed with the business and grief from losing his family. When the Cult of Ammut discovers Cort has the blood of Ammut, they believe that their god, Ammut has returned. This secret cult will do everything they can to possess their god.

While Abdiel, head of security, tries to head off the cult, Erin is there to help. However, she wants to make friends with Ri, a Futakuchi demon about her age. As the bodies of people, and demons who are deemed not worthy by the cult start to pile up Abdiel and Erin are left with no real clues. Until Adriana Tessler an Azebaan demon and skilled investigator joins with them.

The plot twists are an emotional rollercoaster, and the story is complicated by misinformation. On this journey Erin learns more about herself and Abdiel. He is an Allu demon who are brutal unemotional assassins, but there is more to Abdiel than meets the eye. It’s a delight to watch him develop more human feelings. He made me swoon. But back to the book, the big showdown was full of action and death, at times it looked dicey for our heroes. Could they rescue Cort, who was under the control of the cult in a magical trance between life and death? 

Of Gods and Sorrow is an excellent second book in this series. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us next. I have an emotional connection with all of characters connected to Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

  

FYI:

Of Gods and Sorrow is book 2 in Ms. Rains, OF BLOOD AND SORROW Series. Adult language, there are several F-bombs dropped.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: The Antiquities Dealer: a David Greenberg Mystery, Book 1 by Ed Protzel

Genre: History/Mystery

Description:

The Amazon blurb says: “When Miriam Solomon, the love of David Greenberg’s life, phones him at his antiquities gallery in St. Louis, the black hole at the center of his heart shudders. Twenty years earlier, Miriam had inexplicably run off to Israel with his best friend, Solly, a brilliant but nerdy young scientist. Now she tells David that Solly has committed suicide and she needs his aid on a secret research project Solly left unfinished: to acquire the one remaining nail from the crucifixion of Jesus. Is she telling the truth? And why does that nail have such significance?” (One wonders that anyone would need to ask why a nail from the Crucifixion would have significance. But blurbs – even my own – are not strangers to hyperbole …)

Author:

The author has lived much of his life in St Louis, which figures largely in this book. He lived for a while in the Gaslight Square area of that city, among its wackier citizens, some of which colourful characters have probably found their way into this book. He writes with authority of students working their way through college by gambling (including playing chess). As well as this novel, he has published the first two parts of his DarkHorse trilogy of novels and the third is due out this year. He spent several years producing screenplays in LA, looking for the big break which never quite came. He has a Master’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Appraisal:

This book hits the ground running. David Greenberg, the narrator, is a cultural, urban Jew of the darkly witty and ironical sort. It quickly becomes apparent that he has no self-control where Miriam is concerned, so of course he agrees to help her acquire The Significant Nail. I cannot tell you why she needs it, as that would be a massive spoiler. But trust me when I say the reason is a doozie. As is the McGuffin constructed out of the chess Game of the Century played between Bobby Fischer and Donald Byrne in 1956. There is also (of course) a secret society in Israel which runs its own university, possibly a Second Coming, and a red-neck Christian preacher who is quite happy to use strong arm tactics to meet the potential New Jesus. There is, as you can see, plenty of plot.

There are a few infelicities in said plot. I found these irksome: the twin assassins with identical birthmarks; that people kept attempting to flee to safety in cars which they knew carried tracking devices placed there by their enemies; the ease with which Swiss bank account details were acquired and bandied about. There is an increasing flabbiness as the story approaches its endgame, leading to some implausibilities (a bit of a surprise as this is Protzel’s fourth novel: it makes one wonder what sort of editing is provided by Touchpoint Press). But by that time I was sufficiently intrigued by what was playing out to skip over the less well-focussed bits.

This is the second history and mystery using the Crucifixion story which I have read this year. It is fruitful ground for fiction writers. Both novels are thought-provoking and relevant in the twenty-first century. Inevitably there are nods to Dan Brown here, in the arcana and the sudden flashes of imaginative and unpleasant violence, although the protagonist is both wittier and more passive than Robert Langdon (and the violence is less extreme).

The McGuffin is well used and well explained in the story. It is explained again, unnecessarily, in an addendum to the story. The standard (presumably) chess notation used in both renditions did not format readably on a Kindle using the file I was working from.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 100-105,000 words

Reprise Review: Memoirs from the Asylum by Kenneth Weene

Genre: General Fiction

Description:

Several streams of narrative flow together in this panoptic examination of life, death, and all the madness in between.

Author:

A New Englander by birth and disposition, Ken Weene was trained as a minister and psychologist and has worked as both an educator and psychotherapist. Now in semi-retirement, he lives with his wife in Arizona.

Check out Mr. Weene’s Amazon Author page for more of his books.

Appraisal:

I must admit that I didn’t have very high expectations going into this. Like most books by unfamiliar authors, I could only hope for the best while preparing for the worst. Luckily for this cynic, however, Memoirs from the Asylum turned out to be well worth the time spent reading it.

The title seems purposefully ironic. Merriam-Webster defines “asylum” as “an inviolable place of refuge and protection,” but could such a place actually exist? With 58 chapters divided between a mental institution and the equally mad world beyond its walls, this book would seem to answer “no.” In the narrator’s repeated references to his raging uncle’s depiction of a foundering ship, forever unfinished upon its easel, the overall message seems to be that “there is no asylum, no sanctuary, only the endless gray of the tossing seas of the endless paintings of our endurance.”

Paradoxically, the only asylum to be found anywhere is within the patients themselves, even as they become prisoners to their own tormented thoughts. Regardless of their individual limitations and psychoses, they can each take solace in whatever measure of freedom still exists in their heads – provided it hasn’t been completely cut, shocked, or drugged out of them already.

Marilyn for instance, the resident catatonic, hasn’t moved a muscle in years. Instead, “she sits inert in her room. She stares at the crack in the wall opposite her bed. She stares at nothing, and she sees the world.” It is a world inhabited by her childhood sweetheart, her dead mother and brother, and their beloved family dog, taking turns in each others’ roles while perpetually morphing into penises, balls of excrement, and various other objects across a range of fantastical scenarios.

The scatological motif is fitting, given how the patients are typically treated – like crap. One callous orderly “look[ed] more like he should [have been] working in a steel mill or chopping down trees,” the narrator tells us. “but there are no mills, mines, or forests, not around here. We’re the industry, the factory: human waste management at its most medical.”

If they’re not written off or forgotten altogether, the patients are routinely abused by those in position to do so. This is what inevitably happens wherever power is exercised over those with few, if any, rights as human beings. With the exception of one empathetic doctor and a handful of workers, most of the staff seem more interested in pushing pills and preparing budget reports than providing any kind of real care.

Mind you, the patients aren’t the only loons in this bin. Everyone else gets to go home at the end of the day, but given the pathological nature of the world outside, it comes as no surprise that they all have certain “issues” of their own. Everyone is crazy, but everyone knows this deep down. The world itself is an insane asylum, but once again, there is no point in telling this to those of us forced to live in it. Weene is adept at showing this, though, and he does so with a panache that would make the narrator’s departed cousin, Stan, whoop for the sheer joy of it.

The book comes to a rather predictable conclusion, but that’s probably just because there’s no other conclusion to be drawn. Upon his release, it doesn’t take our narrator long to rediscover all of the awful, maddening things that led him to commit himself in the first place. What keeps him going is “the possibility of something better, of something however fragile rising from momentary glory, from a lavender and apricot moment of joy.” The book isn’t quite as flowery as all that, or even as dismal as the image of the foundering ship mentioned earlier. It’s a lot of different, contrary things, but what else should we expect from a book about insanity?

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: Memoirs from the Asylum by Kenneth Weene was a nominee in the Contemporary Fiction category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran June 26, 2012

Format/Typo Issues:

The Kindle version I read could do with a major formatting overhaul.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Arthur Graham

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Undercover Siren by Ellen Mint

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Mystery/Speculative Fiction

Description:

“He was only supposed to be a job. Why can't she walk away?

Colton Davies, an ex-Marine turned cop, stumbles across a damsel in distress while working the beat and rushes to her aid. Unbeknownst to him, Kristen Trevelyan isn’t an old classmate who accidentally locked her keys in the car, but a spy working for a classified agency. She’s tasked with getting close to the police officer, but she never anticipated how close they’d become.”

Author:

“Ellen Mint adores the adorkable heroes who charm with their shy smiles and heroines that pack a punch. She recently won the Top Ten Handmaid's Challenge on Wattpad where hers was chosen by Margaret Atwood herself. Along with her husband and black lab, she spends a lot of time with her skeletons -- don't worry, they're just Halloween props.”

Appraisal:

Basically, this is a story of two broken people, in their thirties, looking for love and acceptance, which neither think they deserve. Lies and pride on both their parts get in the way of their relationship.

Ms. Mink has developed a war torn culture in which to weave racism, betrayal, espionage, intrigue, and romance. Then she throws in a large threatening fantasy element. This aspect becomes the fundamental storyline, which everything revolves around. Kristen feels like the weight of saving the world lies solely on her shoulders. Colton feels like it is his duty to try to protect Kristen, which is almost laughable. But, Colton has issues with Kristen that he won’t let rest. Colton spoke a little about being a Marine. However, towards the end of the book Colton said he was in the Army. Now that I’m getting picky I have to add a few other word oddities the author chose to use. Noses were describes as; puckering, curling, crumple, and crinkled inward. My nose can’t do any of those things. Also, here a few sentences quoted that I came across:

“…her lips began to crumble into what looked like tears.”

“That didn’t stop the woman from cranking her ruby red lips wide in a blinding smile.”

“Colton whiffled his lips while falling back into the seat.”

“Colton moaned while reverberating his forehead against the mirror.”

“Which was probably why he’d been suckered to his couch for the past three months.”

“Shrugging with a small swagger on her lips…”

“…and she smiled in her stomach.”

There is a decent, multi-faceted story here, but it requires a thorough editing job to polish up and remove the thesaurus puke.

Buy now from:     Amazon US     Amazon UK

FYI:

Undercover Siren is book 1 in Ellen Mint’s, Inquisition Series. This novel contains graphic sex scenes, violence, and lots of gore.

Format/Typo Issues:

Besides the regular missing, extra, or wrong words, are the problems I listed above in my review. The copy I received to review needs a good editor.

Rating: ** Two Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 160-165,000 words

Reprise Review: The Stars Twinkle Brightly by Mary Fam

Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book

Description:

“The story of an eight-year-old boy who discovers he has cancer. The author transforms an otherwise unpleasant topic into an uplifting and useful resource for parents and children dealing with cancer. The boy’s triumph over cancer leaves the reader feeling joyful and comforted and serves as a testimony to the power of perseverance and love. The story promises to provide a positive perspective on the many negatives of childhood cancer. The illustrations give life to the boy’s courage and determination in a colourful and cheerful way!”

Author:

“Mary E. Fam, an Educator, has taught students of all ages locally and abroad. She also serves her community as a Youth Mentor. In addition to her Master's thesis/dissertation ‘The Social and Academic Effects of Bullying’ (Fam, 2006), Mary has published various articles on teaching tools that promote student success and been involved in curriculum development at elementary and secondary levels. She is a member of numerous educational organizations that specialize in professional development for teachers and excellence in Education.”

Appraisal:

I gave The Princess, my nine year-old granddaughter, several children's books to read and then quizzed her about them afterwards. Two were Mary Fam's books, The Idea Tree and The Stars Twinkle Brightly. As soon as I mentioned the first of these in our Q&A session, she smiled and with excitement in her voice said, "I really like this author."

When The Princess said, "I really like this author," she was talking about both books. This one received an A++ from her, as well as getting the nod when asked to pick her favorite of the two. When I asked her favorite part, I was surprised that her answer was the beginning. She then quoted the first line of the book from memory, "The stars twinkle brightly when the night is quiet and calm." It makes sense that catching the attention of a young reader from the beginning matters at least as much as with older readers and there was something about this opening line that hooked her.

However, the story, about an eight year-old diagnosed with cancer, obviously interested The Princess as well. She related to the challenges the protagonist of this story went through to some she'd gone through, and she commented in comparison to the girl with cancer in this story, her experience hadn't been so bad.

When I read it, I agreed; it was a good story, and would be especially well suited to a child of this age who is going through this experience or knows someone who is. (The author went through this when a child, which lends authenticity to the story.) If The Princess' reaction is a good indication, the target audience is also capable of relating the story to their own lives and experiences.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Although I noticed at least one word using UK spelling conventions (colour) and there might be others I missed, it didn’t seem to be an issue for The Princess, which is how it should be. I’ve noticed that she, and I’m guessing many young readers, who are still developing skills in spelling and constantly increasing their vocabularies through their reading, don’t get hung up on such trivial matters as they focus on the story and work out what words they haven’t encountered before are and what they mean.

Added for Reprise Review: The Stars Twinkle Brightly by Mary Fam was a nominee in the Children’s Books category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran October 25, 2012.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl with input from The Princess

Approximate word count: 2,100-2,200 words

Review: Where Are They? by Steven Lazaroff Mark Rodger

Genre: Non-Fiction/Astronomy

Description:

“Does Alien life exist out there? The purpose of this book is not to take one side or the other in that argument. It is to explore the present state of knowledge and to say where humanity now stands on the question of whether or not we are alone in the universe. Because there isn't the slightest doubt: that is a question that has occupied humans since they became human, and it's a question that shows no sign of going away.

And if there are intelligent beings elsewhere in the universe - where are they?”

Author:

“Lifelong friends, Mark Rodger and Steven Lazaroff have studied, researched and debated the Fermi Paradox, the possible existence of extraterrestrial life, and the SETI program that is searching it out. Amateur UFOlogists, historians and explorers, they have applied their research skills and passion to attempt to explain, in layman’s terms, the hunt for life amongst the stars, and to attempt to explain why Humanity may not yet have had contact with alien life.

 Steven Lazaroff lives in Montreal, Quebec.

 Mark Rodger is from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

 Both are unapologetic Canadians.”

Appraisal:

As the description points out, the question that has occupied humans since there have been humans is whether we are alone in the universe. Are there other intelligent beings living out there somewhere. The authors explain the science and theories in an understandable way that a normal person should be able to easily grasp. Of course, as is often the case, even the basic question isn’t as straightforward as we might think. What does it take to qualify as an intelligent being? If we found robots that possessed artificial intelligence that was on par with our own, would that count? And if we did find something like that, how could those robots have come into existence to begin with? All good questions. Read the book and you’ll get some possible answers to these and many others you might not have even thought of yet.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Smokey Eyes: Cold Cream Murders by Barbara Silkstone

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Humor/Woman Sleuth

Description:

“Olive and Lizzy’s Cold Cream shop on the beach is jumping—business couldn’t be better. But when land shark mogul Brent Toast is found floating in the Starfish Cove marina, with his sneer-side up and a knife in his chest, the prime suspect—among his many enemies—is his brassy daughter-in-law. Can Olive & Lizzy save their friend or will this be the end of the Loud Mouth of the South?”

Author:

“Barbara Silkstone's most current series is Florence Nightingale Comedy Mysteries...The Giggling Corpse, The Killer Corset, and The Cheeky Coroner. Cozies all.

Silkstone is the best-selling author of both Regency Pride and Prejudice variations, including the popular the MISTER DARCY SERIES OF COMEDIC MYSTERIES ~ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE contemporary variations. All her books are light-hearted adventures based on Jane Austen's timeless tales of love denied and love discovered. ‘Feel good’ tales to warm your heart.

She is also the author of the Wendy Darlin Comedy Mystery series. Five coffee-snorting tales that combine cozy with outrageous adventures.”

For more from Barbara, visit her website and her Facebook page.

Appraisal:

Nancy Nemo, a local restaurant owner, buys herself a sailboat for her fiftieth birthday. Olive finds herself on the boat's maiden voyage around the cove, which should have been a fun time, everyone else is having fun. However, Olive is sure she’s going to end up as shark bait as all of her water phobias swirl in her mind. After making it back to the dock Olive discovers she left her bag on Nancy’s boat and has to return to retrieve it. With a misstep boarding she finds herself clinging to the side of the boat. When Brent Toast’s body floats by with a knife in his chest, Olive finds her voice to scream. Brent Toast is a money hungry land mogul with many enemies.

Ms. Silkstone introduces a few new quirky characters as she weaves Olive’s cold cream business with her armature sleuthing savvy, and her psychological finesse to clear Jamie Toast of her father-in-law’s murder. Smokey Eyes is a multi-layered story as Kal, the local detective, advises Olive to stay clear and let him handle the investigation for her own safety since word has gotten out that she may have seen the killers eyes through the fog. With Lizzy and WonderDog at her side, Olive ignores Kal’s advice. Tension builds as pieces of the puzzle come together as Olive eliminates suspects as only she can. In the midst of murder mystery there seems to be a problem with Nonna’s cold cream recipe. In her haste to reproduce the cold cream, Olive overlooked a key ingredient that turns Nonna’s miracle cold cream into a magical cold cream.

Ms. Silkstone has a delightful way of playing with words that make her stories entertaining and easy to read. Her characters are realistic, intelligent, and loveable. With exception to the evil-doers who are shrewd and not so easy to spot. If you enjoy clever, smartly written cozy mysteries you are sure to find Ms. Silkstone worth your time. As a bonus there is a Smokey eyeshadow recipe at the end of the book.

Buy now from:    Amazon US     Amazon UK

FYI:

Smokey Eyes is Book 2 in Ms. Silkstone’s, COLD CREAM MURDERS series.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words