Reprise Review: One Good Eclair: A Nutrition Mafia Mystery by Maria Schneider

 Genre: Cozy Mystery/Contemporary Fiction

Description:

“Ivy is determined to make her living as a nutritionist, but her family has other plans. When that family is the mafia, and one of them has gone missing, all other jobs are summarily pushed aside. Or else.

Ivy can’t trust anyone outside of the family, but Slate is not only willing to help, he’s the last person to have seen her uncle alive. It only makes sense to keep her eye and gun on Slate while they hunt for clues. Watching him is easy because Slate is more than happy to keep her close, but is he leading her away from her uncle or truly helping?

Ivy can’t cook her way out of this mess, but she has a recipe or two for dealing with disaster—if she can just put the fires out before she gets burned!”

Author:

“Maria E. Schneider: A few years ago, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I gathered up my computer, memory cards (because you definitely want to back this stuff up!), and dictionary. It’s a slow journey, one with pitfalls, cliffs, boulders and every now and then a peaceful meadow with a clear brook. Surprisingly, the peaceful meadows aren’t publishing credits, they are just moments where I’m doing what I want to do, where the writing is clicking, where my characters are fascinating and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Feel free to check out her website, Bear Mountain Books, for her many other books. Or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

I have read several of Ms. Schneider’s fantasy novels and enjoyed them. I don’t believe I have read any of her cozy mysteries though. Fact is, I haven’t read many mysteries at all. However, I am enjoying the genre.

Ivy is trying to establish herself as a nutritionist. However, she moonlights for her Uncle Tom doing odd jobs when she isn’t working. She is probably the most stable person in her family, but trouble seems to follow her. When her uncle goes missing Ivy is left to figure out if there is a connection between her uncle, a bleeding man trying to pick the lock on her uncle’s patio door, gun shots shattering the same sliding patio door, and a murder down the street all in the same evening.

Ivy isn’t sure she can trust anyone but close family, but she keeps bleeding man at gun point as they escape uncle’s house after the gun shots are fired. She’s suspects bleeding man was the last one to see Uncle Tom before he disappeared and she wants answers. It’s a suspenseful captivating story that involves crooked cops, a loan shark, and a computer genius. Ms. Schneider doesn’t miss a beat weaving the tale as Ivy flounders while trying to connect the dots. There are twists which involve an unscrupulous cousin, a mixed breed terrier, a K-9 German Shepard, marijuana-laden chocolate cake batter, an adorable bloodhound puppy, a cat, and a surprising ally. 

One Good Eclair is the first book of Ms. Schneider’s Nutrition Mafia Mystery series. You’ll find intrigue, suspense, humor, and a little romance. I can’t wait to see more escapades involving Ivy and her family.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

One Good Eclair is the first book of Ms. Schneider’s Nutrition Mafia Mystery series. As a bonus there are a couple of Ivy’s recipes at the end of the book.

Original review published March 8, 2017

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing or formatting issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Review: Queensborough Rock by Stephen Shaiken

 

Genre: Historical Literary Fiction

Description:

“It’s 1971. Jack Bernstein is a struggling young rock ’n’ roll manager in New York City. Instead of a fancy office in Manhattan, a flashy car and backstage passes, he operates out of a basement apartment in working-class Queens, driving a cranky eight-year-old Volvo as he trolls third-string venues for hidden talent. He suffers enormous betrayal when Manhattan agents or “sharks” steal his talent. Jack finances a demo tape for his top talent by borrowing from a loanshark and pawning a friend’s guitar. When the tape fails to land a deal, Jack’s last hope is an offer from a friendly Queens mobster: manage his obnoxious nephew as best he can and doors will open. New York City in the late sixties and early seventies comes alive with all its intensity.”

Author:

A native of New York City, Stephen Shaiken had a long career as an attorney in New York and San Francisco before retiring. He now splits his time between Tampa, Florida and Bangkok, Thailand, the latter being the setting for his first three books, a series of thrillers.

Appraisal:

This was a fun read for a lot of reasons. First, we’ve got Jack Bernstein, a young man still figuring life out who wants to make a career out of managing rock’n’roll bands. He was a fun character to follow around. The setting in time and place also adds a lot to the story. New York, mainly Queens, means we’ve got mobsters and loansharks, as well as lots of potential fans and opportunity, but also lots of competition. The time was a good one for music and lots of the big names from the 60s and early 70s get their name dropped in appropriate contexts in the story, which will give those old enough to remember that time a bit of a flashback (no, not that kind of flashback), and will hopefully resonate with the younger crowd as well. Then throw in a couple chances Jack takes that could backfire badly if things don’t come together quickly, just to turn up the intensity level, and you’ve got an engaging read that any music fan should enjoy.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and proofreading issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 95-100,000 words

Review: Planned Obsolescence by Lorin Brandon

 

Genre: Religious Satire

Description:

“The most hopelessly enslaved consider themselves free...

A mysterious, ancient manuscript is found two miles underground in a goldmine. Archaeologists are fascinated, and the story gains the attention of the Vatican.

Archaeologist Dr. Manuel Consuelo is intrigued by the artifact, and believes it will divulge information never previously accessible to humans. This other-worldly manuscript will confirm his notions, once he is finally able to examine it, under the watchful eye of the Vatican.

However, his conclusions outrage the clergy. Is humanity free, or are we the subjects of invisible overlords? Is control exerted on this earth through the reign of kings, priests and dictators, as shills for the overlords?

In this remarkable novel, author Lorin Brandon imagines human existence in a different light; one that establishes our true existence and allows us to imagine greater freedoms, instead of complacent control and manipulation. Perhaps this artifact possesses the potential to enable humanity to envision a more liberated, truthful existence.”

Author:

I was unable to find any information about the author.

Appraisal:

This novel is designed to make you think. It imagines that the world is controlled by what are described as “overlords.” We humans on earth are the equivalent to livestock to these overlords who use religion as a means of controlling their flock. But when an ancient manuscript is discovered that explains this, as you might expect, it causes some concern in the halls of power.

I enjoyed what I’ll describe as the main story thread, what was happening on the surface, the conflict between the scientists of academia and religious leadership, in this case the pope and other high ranking Vatican officials. That part of the story is full of conflict, obviously fictional, but easy to imagine and it makes a good story. But I probably enjoyed even more what I’ll call the subtle critique of religion, the logic (or lack thereof) behind it, and the ideas that might make a person who is religious question their beliefs. Or maybe not. I expect different people will react in different ways to the underlying questions raised by this story, and that’s okay. It will get you thinking, regardless of what you conclude.

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: 75-80,000 Words

Reprise Review: Being Travis by Melissa Bowersock

 

Genre: Science Fiction/Historical Fiction/Time Travel

Description:

“Two years ago, a weird trick of time sent Travis Merrill spiraling from 2016 to the year 1877. Committed now to his life in frontier Arizona, Travis is married with a child on the way and is homesteading a ranch. His knowledge of the future, however, keeps him at odds with his neighbors, his friends… and his wife. He finds it more and more difficult to protect his home without alienating his family, yet he can’t ignore what he knows is – and will be – true.”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of genres: action/adventure, paranormal, biography, fantasy, romance, spiritual and satire. She has been both traditionally and independently published, and is a regular contributor to the superblog Indies Unlimited. For more information, visit her website.”

Appraisal:

In the first book of this series, Finding Travis, the main character (in case you haven't guessed, a man named Travis), is transported back in time. In the first book he was adapting to his new environment, trying not to raise too many red flags, and wondering how, when, or whether he could get back to modern times. But then he fell in love and you know how that can mess with plans.

Being Travis picks up a couple years later. Travis is married, moving a few miles away from the army camp where he landed in the first book to settle down with his pregnant wife.

I typically find books and stories with a time travel element to be interesting thought experiments. When the person has gone Back to the Future it introduces some interesting things to consider. How does the person deal with advancements in knowledge that they're privy to, but the rest of their cohorts aren't? What things can they do safely without changing the future in some way that they'll regret? This book has some of that, as well as plenty of tense moments, balanced out by some feel good moments, and even a run in with a historical figure. It was a fun and entertaining read as well as provoking a bit of thought. I'm looking forward to the next series installment.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Although the second in a series and a situation where I think this story would be more enjoyable if a person has read the series opener, those who choose to read this as a standalone should be able to follow the story reasonably well.

Original review published March 14, 2017

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Review: Suddenly Deadly by Lo Monaco

 

Genre: Detective Mystery

Description:

“Terry is hired by Naydeen, to find her cousin, Wayne. Naydeen’s brother, Artie, has been murdered and she needs to tell Wayne what happened. Artie’s lover, Sean, an old friend of Terry’s, has been arrested for Artie’s murder and begs Terry to find the real killer. He says the police don’t know that Artie had a carry-on bag full of money in his closet and he’s scared silly thinking that it was money from drugs.

When Terry finds Wayne, he’s terrified and says Naydeen only hired Terry to find him so Naydeen could kill him.

Can Terry find who killed Artie? Or is Sean really guilty? Has Naydeen used Terry to find Wayne to kill him?

Things become even further tangled by Terry's growing feelings toward Wayne and the questioning of her own abilities to unravel a convoluted and confusing case of deceit, betrayal and death.”

Author:

A Californian who lived in Italy for 16 years, has worked as an opera singer as well as a fingerprint technician for the local sheriff and a group counselor for juvenile offenders, Lo Monaco has lived an interesting life thus far. This is the third installment in the Terry Strong, PI, mystery series.

Appraisal:

An engaging mystery that kept me guessing to the end. Terry Strong starts out with one goal, to find Wayne, the cousin of her client Naydeen. She wants Terry to find him to let him know that Naydeen’s brother, Artie, was murdered by his lover. Terry realizes Sean, the accused murderer, is an old friend she’d lost touch with. Before long she’s questioning whether Sean is actually the murderer and wondering whether her client is telling the truth about what is going on. It isn’t long before Terry’s no longer trying to solve the mystery she was hired to (that didn’t take long to nail down), but instead trying to determine who killed Artie. She doesn’t lack in viable suspects and at some point I thought every one of them was the most likely, starting with Sean when we first find out about the murder and that he’s in custody, to the actual culprit. I don’t think it is a spoiler to say Terry finds the guilty party, but getting there keeps her guessing and will keep you guessing and entertained.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

This is the third book in this series, but it stands alone. I didn’t feel I was not following the story in spite of not having read the first two in the series.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: The Vast Clear Blue by Karen Winters Schwartz

 Genre: Contemporary fiction

Description:

Mark arrives in Belize, and almost at once becomes a catalyst for change among a love triangle of ex-pats already in country.

Belize is a big part of this book, to the extent one feels it could not have been set anywhere else. Only a flawed paradise like this could enable the way of life enjoyed by Kendal, Aaron and Charlie. When Mark blows in on a permanent bender, bringing with him a whiff of the real world, he precipitates an unravelling of the way of life the three other ex-pats have evolved together over a decade.

Author:

Schwartz’s publicity tells us, “Karen Winters Schwartz’s professional writing career began in 2010, when the first of three widely praised novels, Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?, Reis’s Pieces, and The Chocolate Debacle were issued by Goodman Beck Publishing. Red Adept Publishing released Legend of the Lost Ass in 2020, and her latest novel The Vast Clear Blue in January 2023. Both these last are richly emotional stories about love and relationships and take place in the exotic setting of Belize.

Schwartz now splits her time between Arizona USA, a small village in Belize, and traveling the world in search of the many creatures with whom she has the honor of sharing this world.”

For more, visit the author’s website. 

Appraisal:

The beautiful setting is rendered in some detail (but not so much as to waylay pace) and great affection. It is a place the author knows well. Her previous book was set there too.

The characters are attractively realised through what they say and do, and an occasional internal monologue. Their lives are slow and simple: and yet much happens. They are special, unique, people: and yet they are just like everyone else. I felt that an amalgam of the four of them (including the beer sodden Mark) would together make the ideal person one would like to be (although I wouldn’t want Mark’s liver). There is such warmth, loving, depth of understanding, caring and encouragement going on here. There is no sense of angst, rivalry, or jealousy such as underpins most relationships. Could such an emotional paradise ever actually exist? Even in a geographical paradise like this? Well, there is always the snake, in any Eden.

The action of the book is like the careful placing of jigsaw puzzle pieces. The construction is very skillful, and the finished picture has been a very satisfying read.

This would, indeed, be a 5* book for me, except for the Author’s Note which ends each chapter. I found the intrusion of the author in this way threw me out of the book every time. I had to read them (on your behalf) and could not understand why the author felt a need to include any of them, or why her publisher let her. The book, as is, is novella length, so perhaps it was decided to extend it to its current length through this ploy.

Fortunately for you, you don’t have to contend with the Author’s Notes: you can skip right over them and enjoy a cracking novel. And I recommend you do.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Plenty of F-bombs.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Reprise Review: Chaos Unbound (The Metis Files Book 2) by Brian S. Leon

 

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mythology/Contemporary

Description:

“The hunter becomes the hunted.

Framed for the murder of a high ranking member of the Unseelie Court of Fae, Steve Dore–also known as Diomedes, Guardian and protector of mankind–goes on the run. He’s determined to uncover the real culprit and clear his name.

But the assassination may be the beginning of a more sinister plot that involves not just the Fae and Humankind, but all the races of the world. And what if the real assassin is a boogeyman even the Fae don't believe is real?”

Author:

“Brian S. Leon is truly a jack of all trades and a master of none. He writes just to do something with all the useless degrees and skills he’s accumulated over the years. Most of them have no practical application in civilized society, anyway. His interests include mythology and fishing, in pursuit of which he has explored jungles and museums, oceans and seas all over the world.

His credentials include an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami and a master’s degree from San Diego State University, plus extensive postgraduate work in evolutionary biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied animals most people aren’t even aware exist and theories no one really cares about anyway… Brian currently resides in San Diego, California.”

Learn more at Brian's website, or follow his series page on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Steve Dore runs a private fishing tour business in San Diego. After a particularly strange day of dodging several selkies on a fishing tour with clients on board, Steve knows something is up. When his friend Ned, the Titan God of the Sea--Nereus--, greats him at the dock with a warning and rushes Steve off the boat. Steve learns his alter-ego, Diomedes, has been accused of murdering Lord Indronivay, a high ranking member of the Unseelie Court. To make things worse, Goibniu -- chief bladesmith for the Seelie Court – has been murdered as well. Now the race is on as every Unseelie and Seelie fae around the world are after Diomedes to bring him to justice.

The plot is fast moving. Diomedes' friend Duma, a Peri fae, is sent by Athena to assist Diomedes in clearing his name. Duma knows how to read the energy of the ley lines to the portals of the Telluric Pathways, known as the Ways, to speed through the human or Fairy realms searching for a mythic half-breed fae. 

Chaos Unbound is full of non-stop action and bloody battles as Diomedes and Duma try to unravel the conspiracy while eluding both fae courts to clear Diomedes of two death-worthy crimes he didn’t commit. The plot is a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns with the introduction of many unsavory fae monsters and a few unexpected allies. Their foray into the vampire realm was a startling surprise to me, which may give you nightmares. I wasn’t expecting that. *shivers*

Duma is an interesting character. He is more laid back than his brother, Ab, and he added bits of humor in this tension filled story. Diomedes’ self-deprecating humor is always funny for such a hero-type figure. I was glad to see Sarah Wright make an appearance as well. I’m glad to see her forcing the issue for a more inclusive relationship with Diomedes. This addition to The Metis Files series is entertaining on many different levels and it was easy to become enthralled with all the elements. I also believe enough background material is covered so Chaos Unbound could be read as a stand-alone novel.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Chaos Unbound is book two in The Metis Files series, book one is Havoc Rising. Contains adult language with several F-bombs.

Original review published March 1, 2017

Format/Typo Issues:

I believe I was given an advanced readers copy, however I found no significant proofing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 115-120,000 words

Review: Murder So Sweet by Dave Vizard

Genre: Crime Fiction

Description:

“When bodies start to turn up on the rich farmlands of Michigan’s Thumb region, news reporter Nick Steele jumps on the trail of a serial killing family from Bay City. The victims, who come from cities across mid-Michigan, share one thing in common. As the reporter closes in on the murderous family, the cold-blooded killers are stopped in their tracks by the unlikeliest of smoking gun. Follow Nick Steele as he unravels the details of a murder wrapped in a murder mystery in this fast-paced novel you won’t want to put down.”

Author:

“Dave Vizard is a former award winning newspaper and magazine writer and editor. He has taught journalism and writing at the college level. Each of his murder mysteries is rooted in Michigan and revolves around the exploits of news reporter Nick Steele.”

Vizard and his wife live in Michigan’s Thumb region where his book take place.

Appraisal:

This is the second Nick Steele book I’ve read. My first (the fifth of Vizard’s books featuring Nick Steele) took place in Key West, Florida, so this is my first time reading one that is happening in Steele’s home territory. The rural area in what they call the “thumb” of Michigan and the culture of that area figure into this story and make it distinct from a lot of crime fiction or murder mysteries you might read. Actually, the normal “mystery” in a book like this, the whodunit part, is something the reader knows fairly early on in this book. But that doesn’t mean the tension is over, both because we don’t know if the authorities are going to figure who is committing the murders, on some level for part of the book the reader might have ambiguous feelings as to whether they even want the murderer caught.

All of this makes for an interesting read that keeps the reader engaged throughout. Just to keep things interesting, a teaser at the end might have you wishing for the next book in the series to come quickly.

FYI:

Although this author has several books featuring reporter Nick Steele, each book stands alone. Reading the prior books isn’t necessary in order to understand what is going on in the current story.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

My review is based on a pre-publication copy and may not be reflective of the final product, so I didn’t evaluate in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words