Monday, August 30, 2021

Review: The Cougar Candidate by Will Worsley

 


Genre: Political Fiction/Satire

Description:

“Five years after her humiliating re-election defeat, California's ex-governor Pitypander is still sulking in her seaside mansion, bingeing on romance novels, and ogling her pool boy, when she is hastily drafted to run for president.

Making a comeback won't be easy. Patty must overcome her husband's resistance, her rival's smear tactics, a Russian plot to wreck her campaign, and the most dangerous foe of all: her special fondness for young men.

When Jack Snap, a naive 22-year-old reporter, investigates a sex scandal in Patty's past, he unintentionally ignites her desire. The closer he gets to unearthing her misdeeds, the more recklessly infatuated she becomes. But if Patty doesn't stop Jack's search soon, her quest for the White House will end in disaster.

Can the befuddled politician get a grip on her midlife fantasies and foil the young reporter before he destroys her? Find out in this lighthearted satire about a candidate torn by conflicting urges, grasping for both power and passion--as her nation's future hangs in the balance.”

Author:

A full-time writer of fiction since 2016, Will Worsley had taken his two masters degrees in business and English and put them to work, working for a period as an editor for Time-Life books and another stint as a money manager. Both would have come into play in writing his first book, Investing in Vain, which was satirical fiction just like his latest work that will be discussed here.

For more visit Worsley’s website.

Appraisal:

Satire has a purpose, going over the top in the depiction of something as a way to show how close reality is coming to ridiculousness. As The Onion and other sources of political satire have found out recently, reality can sometime reach the point where it is tough to tell that something is satire and not real.

This book hits that fine line, going a touch over the top, but not so much that it feels like it couldn’t potentially be reality. We’ve seen plenty of male politicians going too far with females they interact or work with. That the premise of this book has a female as the candidate who is going too far, turning the cliché on its head, makes it that much better. I also liked that regardless of your political stances your reaction to Patty, the title character, isn’t likely to be much different. You’ll also find that neither candidate, Patty or her opponent, is likely to feel like a good choice.

Like all good satire this will get you thinking about real life, how out of touch many political leaders seem to be, and how we the people view them. I pondered on ways that the system works and ways that it doesn’t. Or you can ignore the serious subtext and just laugh. (Guaranteed to laugh, regardless.)

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Certainly some adult subjects are mentioned or alluded to in subtle ways, but things don’t get too explicit.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Friday, August 27, 2021

Reprise Review: Dark and Disturbed by Morgan Winters

 


Genre: Flash Fiction Collection

Description:

“This collection of 25 flash fiction stories features darkly humorous and sometimes creepy works ranging from a ten-year-old serial killer to talking woodland creatures. Each story includes a written prompt and a full-color photograph, so the reader can see how they were twisted to be dark and disturbed.”

Author:

“The nefarious Morgan Winters is a supervillain who writes dark flash fiction on those days when taking over the world just gets to be kind of a pain.

Morgan Winters is a pseudonym, or a ‘nom de plume’ if you will. You can try to find out more about him on his website or stalk him on Facebook, but you won’t be able to learn much… The best information about Mr. Winters is from his Guest Post on Indies Unlimited. There is also a highly entertaining interview at The Indie View by Mr. Winters.”

Appraisal:

I don’t normally read dark twisted stories or horror. However, I have found that taken in small doses, like these flash fiction pieces, they can be enjoyable. Each story in this collection is vastly different from the one before and stretches your imagination to wondrous limits and then leaves you to ponder the possibilities. I found all of these devilishly delightful, but not overly graphic, or profane.

Morgan Winters has gathered the Flash Fiction prompts and photos from the weekly IndiesUnlimited Flash Fiction Competition and presents them alongside his stories here. He doesn’t enter to win, purposely writing more words than the competition allows. Mr. Winters uses this vehicle to stretch his writing muscles so that one day he will be able to write his own magnum opus to share with the world. He disappeared for a while, but when I noticed he was back at his craft again I decided to pick-up this book to review. Hopefully he will stick around and gift us with more of his fiendishly scandalous words. I am looking forward to seeing more from this author.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

I read Dark and Disturbed on my Kindle Paperwhite, which shows the photos in black, white, and shades of gray. Original review posted May 16, 2016.

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Print Length: 83 pages

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Review: Vengeful Spirits by Sandy Wolters

 


Genre: Paranormal Mystery/Native American/Romance

Description:

“Nathan Gordon has been hired by a ranch owner to find his missing cowboys, and to also investigate several mysterious animal mutilations. The job brings him closer to the beautiful Navajo Medicine woman, he fell in love with at first sight. Yet, he can't quite bring himself to believe in some of their rituals. Not to mention terrifying spirits.

Bright Flower has known since she was a child, Nathan is the man she is destined to marry. However convincing her grandfather is harder than she thought it would be. Just when she and Nathan have his blessing, malevolent Skinwalkers target their loved ones, and threaten to take away all she and Nathan hold dear.

The battle they wage could end in a living hell, sending Nathan and Bright Flower to a fate worse than death.”

Author:

From Ms. Wolters’ Amazon Author page: “I've been an avid reader for years. To my husband's dismay, I have bookshelves full of books, rooms full of books, boxes full of books. My cars have books in them. I just can't seem to get rid of them after I read them. You just never know when you will want to read it again, right?

About two years ago, my husband gave me the dream gift, a Kindle. It was love at first sight and my first foray into the world of eBooks.  While I still have books everywhere, I no longer take ten or twelve books with me when I go on vacation. The only thing I need is my Kindle. It never leaves my purse.

My genre of choice is romance with a paranormal twist…The women in my books are strong individuals that have moments of weakness and frailty to work through.”

Appraisal:

Nathan Gordon, a former police officer who is employed as a security specialist, is the lead investigator assigned to determine what is happening on a large property in Arizona. Montana Rancher, John “Mac” MacAllister, is having disturbing events on his new property and he wants answers. His property borders a Navajo Reservation and they seem to understand the curse that has been placed on the land years ago.

In the meantime, Nathan has been having lucid dreams about what his friends are calling an Indian princess. When he sees her in person he is too shy to speak to her. Nathan learns she is the granddaughter of the tribe’s Shaman, Spirit Keeper. Bright Flower was not only Spirit Keeper’s granddaughter, she is also a Shaman. Bright Flower shares Nathan’s dreams and uses that time to teach him the Navajo ways. However, she has not taught him their rituals yet.

Dealing with angry spirits is a frightening experience for all, especially for white men who haven’t been raised knowing spirits are all around. As believers are gathered for the big attack on a particularly nasty spirit who is at the center of this mess. To fight all these evil spirits our small group of believers with some power of their own have to travel to where the activity is the strongest. The tensions are high, everyone is short on nerves, misunderstandings pop-up all over the place. Self-doubt sets in while waiting on real battle to begin, which just feeds the evil spirits.

Somehow Ms. Wolters is able to keep all the threads in Vengeful Spirits organized and didn’t drop even one, as far as I could tell. If you are looking for a well told story with lots of different elements, I would recommend this book. Each of the three books in Spirit Voices Series is a stand-alone book, but I can see I missed some character development because I didn’t read book 2, Ruthless Spirits. It kinda got mixed in the shuffle, luckily BigAl was able to locate it for me.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Vengeful Spirits is book 3 in Ms. Wolters, Spirit Voices Series.

There are a number of F-bombs dropped and some intimate scenes tastefully depicted.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Monday, August 23, 2021

Review: Silent Pretty Things by O.J. Lovaz

 


Genre: Suspense

Description:

“A small town…a prominent family…a secret. Only two people know the truth, and their silence will have murderous consequences.

Anna Goddard has spent a lifetime being the Good Daughter. Polished and primped into sleek, blond perfection, Anna learned from an early age that being a Goddard meant presenting a flawless façade to the world. But all that changes when Anna stumbles upon a private correspondence that leaves her reeling. With the help of Michael Donovan, a shy but charming local historian, Anna embarks on a journey to find the one thing her family has always denied: The Truth.

Propelled by her mission to protect those she loves, the young woman experiences a tantalizing taste of freedom. But in the process of unearthing the past, Anna and her family will expose a new threat so dangerous it could ruin them all.”

Author:

O.J. Lovaz is a husband and father who has lived in three states as well as Puerto Rico. He loves road tripping and exploring the world. A fan of reading, he also likes suspenseful movies, which probably came in handy while writing this book.

Appraisal:

There is a theory out there that there are a limited number of basic high-level plots and every story fits one of those patterns. There is certainly some truth in that and what sets books apart is in the differences in how they execute the patterns in a unique way. Even when you get to that lower level though a lot of stories keep some of the same elements with many books of a certain genre whether romance, thriller, mystery, or whatever using some of the same “tropes” or conventions. I’m sure someone could point out instances of those in this story, but it felt much more unique and different in the tale it told than I generally see, which was a positive for keeping me engaged, on edge, and eager to see where things went.

At the highest level most novels have what they call three acts, the first establishing the story world, introducing the characters and ending with establishing what the goal or conflict to be overcome in the book will be. The characters work towards that goal or resolving the conflict in the second act with something happening about two thirds of the way at the end of the third act that shakes things up, then things wind down to the conclusion.

This story fit that basic three-part structure, but all through the second act I was wondering where it was going to go. I wasn’t sure what the characters were going to find out, how they might accomplish their goal, and how they’d react when it happened. That’s because the story in the details were much different from any story I remember reading. (I’m being vague about the details because I don’t think any specifics are going to sound nearly as entertaining as I found the book to be.) The shakeup at the end of the third act definitely shook things up and although it wasn’t outside the realm of where I thought things might go, how the characters reacted and how things wound down (although plenty exciting, edge-of-the-seat entertaining, and even a bit stressful) wasn’t at all something I’d have expected. The ultimate conclusion, while probably not one any of the characters or the reader would have been hoping for, was still a fitting and even satisfying end.

I know, kind of vague there. But if you like suspense, exploring the stresses of familial relationships, and stories that go places you probably haven’t gone before, this book is for you.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

This review is based on an ARC (advance reader copy) and therefore I can’t judge the final product in this area.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Friday, August 20, 2021

Reprise Review: R.I.P. Robbie Silva by Tony Black

 


Genre: Crime/Noir

Description:

Jed Collins has been out of prison for only thirty minutes before he finds himself landed with a whole heap of problems. The first is Gail, a thoroughly sexy blonde with a bad history. Second is her brutal father, gangland boss Robbie Silva who promises a big payday for Jed but with a high risk. Throw Jed’s own difficult upbringing into the mix and you have an explosive cocktail that leads to violence, theft and murder…Jed is going to be lucky to stay alive and out of prison.

Author:

Tony Black is an award winning national journalist who covered a diverse range of stories from crime to nightclub reviews. Tony then moved into writing crime novels, with nine now published to critical acclaim.

More information can be found about Tony Black on his website.

Appraisal:

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, a master class in the genre. It was punchy, gritty and tough - just how excellent noir should be. The fast-paced, violent action in RIP Robbie Silva starts immediately when protagonist Jed, a likeable just ex-con, meets troubled Gail. The story gallops along, taking the reader along for a wild ride that doesn’t let up until the final sentence.

As a result I had to read RIP Robbie Silva in a single sitting, getting myself into all kinds of trouble with the family because I ignored them for a couple of hours. However, it was worth it. I spent the time happily savouring the gritty Edinburgh location, seedy ambiance and the machinations of the troubled characters as they struggled with themselves and each other. A scattering of local vernacular through the story added to the weighty atmosphere without being distracting or off putting.

Here’s an example of the style:

‘The barmaid was in her bad fifties, bat-wings and a corned-beef complexion. Her over-dyed black hair was scraped back in a tight scrunchie and showed at least an inch of grey roots; when she smiled at me I wanted to heave.’

A difficult subject underpins RIP Robbie Silva and is the reason Jed, despite deep misgivings, inexplicably finds himself drawn to Gail. In the explosive finale, Jed and Gail lay their demons to rest with a major plot twist I didn’t see coming.

If you want to learn how to quickly build a highly credible story, strong characters, and a real sense of place then read Tony Black. A great writer and a great story.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Frequent strong language. Original review posted December 31, 2012

Format/Typo Issues:

None

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Approximate word count: 20-25,000

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Review: Gates’ Bookstore by Jamila Stone

 


Genre: Murder Mystery/Women Sleuths

Description:

“Two break-ins. One body. Countless unanswered questions...

When Diane Gates’s father died, she opened a bookstore in his honor and left her criminology career behind. Her passion for literature earned Diane quick success, and Gates’ Bookstore fast became a popular stop for locals and visitors alike.

Arriving at work one day, Diane discovers a minor break-in has happened overnight. She believes it to be a petty, one-off occurrence, but days later it happens again.

And this time, there’s a body.

The circumstances are unmistakable: a young woman has been murdered, and suddenly the future of Diane’s bookstore hangs in the balance.

Joining forces with detective Eric Barnes, Diane can’t resist her forensics-filled past and decides to investigate the murder alongside him. What she couldn’t have predicted however, is that the more evidence they uncover, the more it all points to Diane herself.

As a damning case starts to back Diane into a corner, her partnership with Eric is put to the ultimate test as they race to piece together the clues.

Can Diane unravel this mystery before she lands behind bars?

Or will she just become another pawn in a serial-killer’s game?

The first book in the gripping Diane Gates series.”

Author:

"Jamila A Stone lives in Washington, D.C with her two dogs. Jamila is driven to tell stories without censorship and for the continued creativity in the world of literature. As an African American woman, she understands the lack of opportunity persons of color have to let their artistic creativity be seen on equal platforms, so she created her own publishing company called Black Glory Publishing House. She thinks not just of herself but of the current and future of literature namely increasing the diversity and inclusion within the literary community."

Appraisal:

To begin at the end, because it is not written in the book description, there is a huge cliffhanger.

Diane Gate is called back to her criminology expertise to unofficially investigate the murder that happened in her bookstore. The clues and leads found all point straight at Diane, and she can’t explain why or how. The case begins snowballing into a massive web of murder, conspiracy, lies, and hate.

If you enjoy a detailed, twisted, murder mystery with well-developed characters this may be the story you’ve been searching for. Check it out.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Gates’ Bookstore is book 1 in Jamila Stone’s, Diane Gates series. A few F-Bombs were dropped and the murders are graphic.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small amount of missing, wrong, or extra words. My larger concern was the amount of repetition.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words


Monday, August 16, 2021

Review: Butterfly Girl: A Heck Collins Mystery by Wayne Purdy


 Genre: Mystery

Description:

“A decade ago, Hector Collins was investigating the murder of a cross-dressing soldier while stationed in Afghanistan. The investigation cost him his career, an eye and his honour. The case was never solved.

Now, Heck has slipped into an easy life as a bouncer at a strip club, Pandora’s Box Gentleman’s Club. It’s a comfortable life, a life without responsibilities, danger, or commitments. That simple life is challenged when a trans girl is murdered and Heck lends his expertise to the investigation.

Together with Hazel, a tattooed stripper with her own criminal past, they attempt to unravel the true identity of the killer. Can they stop him before he kills again or will they be his next victims?”

Author:

By day, Wayne Purdy works as a transit operator in Pembroke, Ontario. But in his off hours he’s what he calls an aspiring writer. This is his second published novel.

Appraisal:

The two main characters in this story, Hector, called Heck for short, and Hazel have interesting pasts and in a lot of ways their current life doesn’t seem to fit what you’d expect from them based on their skills, experience, and smarts. But as you get to know them better, you also come to an understanding of the factors that led to their current situations. Heck is ex-military police, but about ten years ago found himself ousted from this career in the middle of a murder case. He’s now a bouncer at a strip club. Hazel is an intelligent single mother with a troubled past that has been holding her back, but is managing to survive working as a stripper at the same place as Heck. These characters and their life stories that slowly come out as they get to know each other and work on solving the mystery at the heart of this book adds a lot to the story.

That case that Heck was working when he got tossed from the military ten years ago also figures into the mystery today, causing a police detective in his current hometown who was one of his former peers in the military police to come to him when he recognizes a current case has a lot in common with that prior case. Heck can’t resist, jumping at the chance to dig into this now and over time involves Hazel in his investigation. I won’t say anything too specific about the mystery other than if the current murder was done by the same person who did the first, as seems almost surely the situation from the beginning, then the list of suspects gets whittled down to a fairly small number quickly, but figuring out which of the possible suspects did the crime (not to mention getting evidence), or if the base assumption that both were done by the same person is true, makes for lots of interesting investigation and problem solving as Heck and Hazel look for and fit together all the pieces of the puzzle.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

The author is from Canada and uses Canadian spelling conventions.

Some language and adult content.

This is the first of what looks to be a planned series featuring Heck Collins.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and other proofing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

Friday, August 13, 2021

Review: Viaticum by Patrick Morgan


 Genre: Thriller

Description:

“Paradise has a price...

It isn't just a job, it's his dream job. This is everything he's worked for and everything he deserves. One job offer, and Ethan Birch's life changes forever.

Given immense creative control, power, and perks, Ethan falls deeply under the company's spell. His Beverly Hills office is a modern mecca, complete with every imaginable convenience and delight. Employees walk around barefoot on floors of summer grass while flowering cornucopias bloom from the ceiling; a utopian fantasyland the likes of which he's never imagined.

But beneath this paradise, a dark conspiracy breathes. Ethan soon begins to realize that to have everything he's ever wanted, he'll have to sacrifice everything he's ever loved.”

Author:

“Patrick Morgan is a novelist, playwright, and poet. A graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in theatre, Patrick has always enjoyed telling stories in one form or another.

After having spent a long and memorable stint in Los Angeles, Patrick currently resides in Austin with his dog Cider.”

Appraisal:

This is a story that left me in a quandary. Am I glad I read it? Yes, absolutely. I was different. It was well written. It definitely kept me wondering where things were going and what was going to happen next. But in the end, I’m not sure quite what to make of it.

After Ethan Birch unexpectedly finds himself unemployed, the offer of a new job practically falls into his lap. On the surface everything about this job seems like a dream job. The work, the work place, most of the people he’d be working with. However, something about the situation doesn’t seem right and he resists as long as he can, but in the end decides to take the position. In many ways the job is what it seemed, a good job at a place with a largely positive, but kind of strange company culture. Then on a managerial retreat where Ethan and other top management are slated to figure out the solution to an unexpected issue things turn even stranger. At times some of what Ethan experiences feels almost supernatural, but possibly there were other factors at work that caused Ethan’s perceptions to be a bit off the wall. Then things start going downhill and where it ends for Ethan wasn’t at all where I thought it was going. I suspect there is a lesson in Ethan’s experience, but what I think that is might not be what you think it is. You’ll have to give it a read and decide for yourself.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

My review is based on an ARC (advance reader copy) so I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Review: The Reunion by Gary Wells

 


Genre: Historical Fiction

Description:

“Robin Williams liked to joke that if you can remember the Sixties, you weren’t really there. He was wrong.

Nick Taylor certainly remembers Coming of Age in the Age of Aquarius. But then Nick remembers everything, because he cannot forget anything. He is a freak. And it has got him in trouble now and again.

But Nick, a classic introvert, still decides to attend the 50th reunion of the Class of 1969 - last to graduate in the Sixties. Unsurprisingly, every person he sees triggers thoughts and memories. And so does who he does NOT see.THAT girl. Not at first …

Everybody has a THAT girl or THAT guy in high school. A first love. Requited or not. Will his first love show at the reunion? How many others wonder the same thing?

Maybe because classmates are the people we grew up with, we all have something of a shared bond, acceptance and trust with these people. Or with some of them, anyway.

The truth is, some people go to their class reunions to show they’re the same person. And others go just to show everybody they’re anything but the same person.

What does Nick think, what does he say and what do he and his classmates talk about? What do they remember from one of the most tumultuous times in history? Will Nick let that freak flag of a memory fly? Will it get him in trouble again?

Everybody thinks they know what happened in the Sixties … that it was all about free love, war protests, taking drugs and more …that’s what the history books tell you … and they’re just as wrong as Robin Williams. Because there was a lot more.

So what really happened all those years ago?”

Author:

“Gary Wells was a public relations professional specializing in media relations, crisis management and global communications. Earlier he was a journalist at daily newspapers in Kansas City, Cleveland and Jacksonville. He is a 1973 graduate of Kent State University with a BA in Journalism News. He is a member of the Overseas Press Club. He is a past chairman of the International Public Relations Network and a past chairman of the crisis practice of the Worldcom Public Relations Group. He is retired.”

Appraisal:

This was an interesting read that certainly got me thinking and remembering. I suspect most middle-aged or, even more so, those who are a bit older would react the same. Although this book is fiction, in many ways it reads like a memoir and as often happens with authors, especially in their first book, a lot of the author’s own life gets integrated in the story. Certainly comparing the life of Nick Taylor, the protagonist of this book, to the author’s biography, turns up a lot they have in common, including graduating from Kent State University after graduating from high school in 1969 (assuming four years in college), working first as a journalist and later going into the public relations field before retiring. I’m sure the author’s personal experiences in these areas are a lot of why the story feels real and credible.

Nick Taylor remembers everything and his mind is always going in multiple directions at once. Lyrics from songs are constantly popping into his head. Memories of things that have happened to him and his experiences throughout life are triggered by some random (or not so random) thing he sees or hears. While the story follows his experience attending his 50th high school reunion, the memories it triggers means that we learn all about Nick’s life. The story comes out jumbled, just like it pops into his brain. For example, he might run into an old friend, start talking to him or her, asking if they still live in the same town or work at the same place as they did the last time he saw them, and while we’re hearing them tell Nick the answer Nick’s telling us what is going through his mind as he is remembering a song that this person reminds him of or an experience he had with them in the past. Both stories are coming out at the same time with a few paragraphs of Nick’s memories, then a few paragraphs of the friends answer to Nick’s question. I’m sure this sounds strange, which it is. It probably also sounds hard to follow, which once I got into the flow of things it really wasn’t, as surprising as that is. The author does a good job of helping the reader follow the frequent transitions in time so that I found it easy to keep track of where we were most of the time.

In summary, an enjoyable, fun, and interesting read. If you’re a touch on the older side and have a fondness for music from the ‘60s, this book is definitely a good fit.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Monday, August 9, 2021

Reprise Review: White Girl by Grace Jelsnik


Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Adventure/Native American

Description:

“When her lifelong best friend, Maggie, entrusts a USB drive into Tashina’s care, she tells the rookie FBI agent to give it to an unknown David if anything happens to her. He’ll find her, Maggie assures her. Hours later, Maggie is dead, and Tashina’s family and friends are under surveillance. She has nowhere to run but to the home of her mother’s people, the Lakota Sioux on Pine Ridge Reservation. In her journey from California to South Dakota and back again, the half-Lakota Tashina learns not only what is on the USB drive but also what it means to be half-Indian and half-white in a world where both sides still nurse old grievances. A mission to honor a friend’s request becomes a period of discovery for the woman disparagingly called ‘white-girl.’”

Author:

“Grace Jelsnik lives in North Dakota with her husband of fifteen years, their three children, two dogs, and three cats. Her romances emphasize the give-and-take emotional interaction between two characters, addressing the sparks that lead to heat, not the heat itself. She takes pride in writing clean romances for both young and old readers, novels her daughter can one day read without embarrassment, and enjoys inserting comic elements into both plot and dialogue.”

To see more books by Ms. Jelsnik you can visit her Amazon Author page or Goodreads.

Appraisal:

I like to read stories that include Native American elements, more often than not mysticism is brought into play. That is not what you will find in this novel though. What you will get is a solid view of Sioux culture and history. Tashina’s parents recognized her warrior spirit at a young age and sent her to spend summers with her grandfather on the Pine Ridge Reservation so she could have a solid foundation in her Native American heritage. However, her cousins never let her forget they considered her a white girl because she wasn’t a full-blood Sioux. The story is told through Tashina’s point-of-view so we are given insight into her inner thoughts as she works through her inner dilemmas; justifying her FBI identity, her somewhat privileged white upbringing, and her Sioux heritage. I found these story arcs particularly engaging and fascinating.

Ms. Jelsnik has woven Tashina’s journey with a powerful story arc about a homeland terror plot that could have a global impact. This includes corporate espionage on the highest level as well as potential corruption in other federal agencies. Tashina’s only ally is a man named David she had never met. David is an unusual, interesting character. He was raised by a man who was not his father and who instilled discipline and loyalty to mold him into an ideal agent. Tashina has her suspicions as to which agency, she has good instincts that serve her well throughout the story. David was secretive and detached; he also had good instincts as well as survival training. He was quick to observe that Tashina was trapped between two cultures, being an Indian at heart but white in practice. Their relationship was guarded and felt realistic. Their dialogue was comical at times as they played off each other like an old married couple.

I don’t usually read political intrigue type novels full of espionage, but this one seemed well researched, plausible, and frightening. I wouldn’t call White Girl a relaxing read, but I did enjoy it and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it if this is a genre you enjoy.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Original review posted June 17, 2016.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues were noted.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words



Friday, August 6, 2021

Review: Operation Chaos by Kevin James Shay


Genre: Non-Fiction/Politics

Description:

“January 6, 2021, will live in infamy in American history, along with September 11, 2001, and other dates. For the first time in the country's history, a sitting president rallied a violent mob to try to overturn a legitimate election in a real-life horror story that saw the U.S. come close to falling into an authoritative nightmare.

While many blamed the Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol and even political opponents for the violence, Operation Chaos shows how the attack was a clandestine operation coordinated and supported by top Trump aides and even the president himself. In fact, the title of the book came from a dirty trick ploy that Trump and backers executed in early 2020 to disrupt Democratic Party primaries. After that operation failed, Trump and his schemers ratcheted up their dark activities by several levels, climaxing with Operation Occupy the Capitol, a campaign employed by grassroots GOP operatives at the urging of Trump and party leaders. The operations employed the trend of political extremist groups to work in leaderless cells, with top leaders issuing orders through code words and general social media and app messages to attempt to avoid legal prosecution.

To document this story, veteran journalist Kevin James Shay, who has worked in the Washington, D.C., area for almost two decades, poured over public documents from the FBI, police departments, federal, state, and local governments, and other government agencies. He reviewed hundreds of news articles, videos, broadcasts, studies, and reports, and interviewed sources himself. He analyzed posts on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media feeds. Approaching this story as a true crime tale involving chaotic deceit and deception that have been ongoing for years, he pieces together clues that help readers better understand how and why the tragedy occurred, uncovering fresh details and writing the story in a moving narrative that gives behind-the-scenes perspective.”

Author:

After graduating from the University of North Texas in 1981 Kevin James Shay did the obvious, started writing for magazines, newspapers, and other journalistic outlets. He’s also managed to write several books, some showing his interest in travel and others more in keeping with his vocation, covering subjects such as history, journalism, and politics.

For more, check out Shay’s posts on Medium.

Appraisal:

I think it would be fair to say that I have ambiguous feelings about this book. I’m also not sure if those ambiguous feelings are a good thing or a bad thing. We’ll start with what the book got best, at least from my point of view. It does a great job of documenting the invasion of the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 and the many pertinent factors and circumstances that led to this climactic event. It is also extensively footnoted so the reader will know where the author got much of the information he is presenting and you can gauge the credibility or potentially even go check out the source yourself if you wanted to dig deeper. One minor nit I’d pick with these footnotes is that I would have liked the footnotes in the ebook version to have been linked so that if a particular statement made me want to dig deeper, I could easily click (or tap with my finger since I’m using a Kindle) on the footnote to find the source, do whatever investigation I wanted to do, and then easily return to where I’d left off using the back function on my Kindle. But that’s a minor formatting concern, not a concern with the content itself.

Where the content is concerned, I found it very credible, but I’m also concerned that my personal biases might be at work in that regard. I was already aware of a large share of the things outlined here, however reviewing them all one right after the other en masse by reading this book drove home those conclusions I’d already come to. Those things I hadn’t already read about only reinforced those feelings. My suspicion is that those who have an opinion about these events that fits with mine would find this book to be a worthwhile read if they wanted a review of the facts and to possibly expand their knowledge about the factors involved.

For those who have an opinion the opposite of mine, reading this book with an open mind might lead them to a different conclusion, but I have my doubts. My main reason for thinking that is that the author’s bias comes through in a few ways that I think would make me concerned if I wasn’t in agreement with him. One representative example has to do with masks. During the coronavirus pandemic many states had rules regarding the wearing of masks in public places, especially inside buildings, but some states and situations even required masks be worn outside. Some people, those that leaned far right politically being one example (since the government wasn’t going to tell them what to do), had a tendency to ignore those rules during this time. The author constantly pointed out when a group of people was taking some action in the book that the participants were “mostly maskless.” It reached the point of overkill. Especially later when he described those invading the US Capitol saying that “many wore bandanas and masks, along with headgear, to better hide their identities from security cameras.” They may well have worn the masks for that reason and the masks they wore might not have been different from those most wore to minimize the spreading of germs, but I also knew that if they hadn’t worn the masks he’d have pointed that out as pertinent too. Not that these people deserve anyone to cut them any slack, but at least where the issue of masks is concerned, they could do no right.

In summary, if you think Trump instigated the invasion of the Capitol Building and you want to see all the evidence to support that in one place, this is a book for you. If you’ve got no opinion, you might give it a shot too. Others … I better not say any more.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Review: Anne of Oasis by Sharon Baltman

 


Genre: Woman’s Fiction/Psychological Fiction

Description:

“An eccentric seventy-year-old is obsessed with changing her life — or ending it. She bumbles through mysterious rituals with a talk-therapist, explodes secrets, re-jigs behaviours and embraces bliss in the arms of a woman who was right in front of her for fifty years.”

Author:

Author Sharon Baltman is a retired psychotherapist who lives in Toronto, Ontario when she’s not in her preferred place, hanging out on the beach in Mexico. She’s written lots of shorter works ranging from articles for the Globe and Mail, Toronto’s newspaper, to contributing to literary anthologies. Her first longer work was a memoir called Escape from the Bedside. This is her first novel.

Appraisal:

Although woman’s fiction, I found that the story here hit closer to home for me, a no-longer-very-young guy, more than I would have anticipated. The story revolves around Anne, a seventy-year-old woman who goes to a therapist for help in figuring out her life, both where she’s been and, more importantly, where she wants to go from here. I could see potentially anyone, at least any adult, enjoying this story and having it trigger thoughts about their own lives. I found that my age (a bit younger than Anne, but close enough) meant I could relate to a lot of the specific thoughts, feelings, and struggles she was going through, which added a lot to the story. I imagine most people would find some things that struck a chord with them in Anne’s life while other things wouldn’t fit (I luckily have a better relationship than Anne does with her kids, for example). One unique aspect of this story is how much of it is the reader figuratively sitting in Anne’s head, more involved in understanding and following her thoughts than on what’s happening in the world around her, the biggest exception being what her therapist has to say to her. But her story and her struggle to get to a better place kept me engaged throughout.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses Canadian spelling conventions.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 35-40,000 words

Monday, August 2, 2021

Reprise Review: Keeping Private Idaho by Rick Just

 


Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Satire

Description:

“Coyote never seems to learn. Yet, he never fails to teach, mostly through the error of his ways. He taught the Nez Perce that they came from the Heart of the Monster. Now, he is teaching modern day Idahoans, they have a monster in their heart. This is Private Idaho, a place that exists in the minds of accidental natives and territorial pranksters who take out their resentments on tourists and real estate speculators. They are anonymous and deadly. In this tale of the New West, where the cowboys are women and the Indians wear Rollerblades, be alert for exploding potatoes, the allure of mineshafts and the terrible finesse of chainsaws.”

Author:

“Rick Just is a native Idahoan who grew up on a ranch along the Blackfoot River. He is a former Marine, a whitewater kayaker, a sculptor, a sports car buff and the alpha male of his schnauzer pack. As a student, he served as editor of Boise State University's nationally acclaimed literary magazine, cold-drill. During Idaho's Centennial, Rick wrote and produced the official Centennial radio series, Idaho Snapshots, which aired daily on stations statewide. The program won the Governor's Take Pride in Idaho award and was honored in the national Take Pride in America program.”

To learn more about Mr. Just please visit his website.

Appraisal:

I’m a sometimes Idahoan with roots in the state going back several generations. About twenty years ago I was living elsewhere and suggested to a co-worker, another expat-Idahoan, that beyond the obvious differences between rural and more populous areas common in most states, that Idaho was actually three states (maybe I should have said regions to be less divisive) with their own distinct cultural norms. The first of these is The Panhandle (which is a cross between their close neighbors of Eastern Oregon and Western Montana, with a dash of right-wing extremism thrown in to keep things interesting). Next is the Mormon influenced Southeast, in many ways more of a far-northern outpost of Utah. Last, is the Southwest, with Boise, the only significant urban area and Sun Valley, the two places most likely known to people largely unacquainted with the Gem State.

Each of these areas is represented by at least one significant character in Keeping Private Idaho, and the diversity of the characters in the novel is reflective of reality. Thrown into the mix is Coyote of Native American mythology as another major character. The large cast of characters was difficult to track in the beginning. As the story progressed and each distinctive personality solidified in my mind, that became less of a problem.

One thing each area of the state has in common is tourism as a significant industry. The timeframe when the story takes place (the mid-90s) was also a period when Idaho, along with many other western states, experienced conflict, with rapid growth, an influx of “outsiders” moving in (many from California), and rapid appreciation in housing prices. At times this caused disagreements and clashes between the natives and the newcomers, with bumper stickers saying “Don’t Californicate Idaho” as one obvious outward representation of those opposed to the changes.

It’s against this backdrop that the story of Keeping Private Idaho is told. It’s a cautionary tale (luckily the modern day Monkey Wrench Gang depicted here was never reality). Part of me realized while reading that some things, like a rural rancher wishing her city cousins would get as nostalgic about bucking hay as they did during branding season, wouldn’t evoke the same knowing chuckle from everyone as it did for me. Some of the subtle humor (the names of the children in the Thompson family, for example) wouldn’t tickle the funny bone for everyone, like it did for me. (In fact, most people would probably have to have it explained to even realize there was humor there.)

However, Keeping Private Idaho also explores some universal themes, dealing with change and the concept of geographical and cultural roots, being the two that resonated most with me. I would expect those parts of the story to be entertaining and thought provoking for all readers, even those who have never been within a thousand miles of the state.

Buy now from:    Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Added for Reprise Review: Keeping Private Idaho by Rick Just was a nominee in the Contemporary/Literary/General category for B&P 2015 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran April 22, 2014.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words