Review: Alpha by Stephen L. Brayton

 Genre: Mystery/Action-Thriller

Description:

“How well do we ever know anyone? Even someone we might be falling in love with…

On a rainy October morning, Mallory Petersen, private detective and martial artist, discovers the corpse of her boyfriend, Bobby Furillo, in front of her office in Des Moines, Iowa.

Bucking police authority and continually attacked by unknown adversaries, Mallory discovers Bobby’s devastating secrets. Each new revelation puts Mallory in deeper peril from powerful and dangerous people, but she won’t stop until she learns the truth.”

Author:

“Stephen L. Brayton is a Sixth Degree Black Belt and certified instructor with over 30 years experience in The American Taekwondo Association.

He began writing as a child; his first short story concerned a true incident about his reactions to discipline. During high school, he wrote for the school newspaper and was a photographer for the yearbook. For a Mass Media class, he wrote and edited a video project.

In college, he began a personal journal for a writing class; said journal is ongoing. He was also a reporter for the college newspaper.

During his early twenties, while working for a Kewanee, Illinois radio station, he wrote a fantasy based story and a trilogy for a comic book.

He has been involved broadcasting, trucking, hospitality, newspaper graphic design, and a pre-press camera operator at a publishing company.

He has written numerous short stories both horror and mystery.”

Appraisal:

This is an interesting story and is structured in an interesting way. The “interesting way” it is structured is that it switches back and forth between two times, one that it calls “now” and the other “then.” We start the story in the “now” time with Mallory, our protagonist who is a private investigator and martial arts instructor, getting asked a question by Lawrence, Mallory’s current boyfriend. Lawrence is a police officer from a city a couple hours away from where Mallory lives and is spending a weekend at her place. The question Lawrence asks is “tell me a story about one of your toughest cases.” Mallory does and oh, what a story it is. The story switches to “then” (some period in the past when this case was happening) and Mallory begins to tell Lawrence about the case that starts when she discovers the corpse of her then boyfriend in front of her office.

The story goes back and forth between then and now with Lawrence and Mallory getting to know each other better in the “now” while their discussion provides a bit of foreshadowing in a unique way for the “then” part of the story, which is where Mallory tells the full story of what the police and Mallory, who does her own investigation, find while searching for the person responsible for her boyfriend’s death. What Mallory finds is a lot of things she’d have never guessed and a lot more involved than anyone would have anticipated. It’s an intense story, only made more so by Mallory often getting into situations that require her martial arts skills to get through them relatively unscathed.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an ARC (advanced review 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

Review: You Are Not Here by Eric Czuleger

 Genre: Travel Memoir/Non-Fiction/History/Politics

Description:

“American journalist Eric Czuleger dives into the twilight zone of statecraft by living in unrecognized nations in order to discover what a country really is. He begins his journey as a third-grade teacher in Iraqi Kurdistan at the height of the Kurdish independence movement. Banned by Turkey, he pivots to Kosovo where he reports during the nation's 10 year anniversary celebration. Moving on to The Black Hole of Europe, Transnistria, he arrives in time for the Russian election. Finally, Czuleger infiltrates the world's first crypto-anarchist nation, Liberland, where he parties with Bitcoin millionaires and falls into his most challenging position yet: Liberland Ambassador to Somaliland. There, in the never ending desert, he discovers the real cost of drawing a new line in the sand.

You Are Not Here: Travels Through Countries that Don't Exist is part history lesson, memoir, and adventure travelog in the tradition of Bill Bryson, Louis Theroux, and Anthony Bourdain.”

Author:

Eric Czuleger is a playwright with several plays to his credit that have been produced from coast to coast. A former Peace Corps volunteer and the son of a USA Today bestselling novelist, Czuleger has two novels he’s written that are available as well as his most recent release, a travel memoir.

Appraisal:

I’ve been a fan of travel memoirs for many decades. As an avid traveler I find myself comparing the travel memoir author’s experience with my own, if they visit a place I’ve been, and travel with them vicariously if it is a place I haven’t been. Some of the experiences I read about I’m unlikely to experience by myself. I guarantee I’m never going to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, but have read multiple books to experience it vicariously. I feel extremely safe saying that those things Eric Czuleger experienced and the places he visited that are chronicled in this book are not things I will ever experience or places I’m likely to visit, but I can definitely learn from his experience. And I did.

The places Eric traveled to and chronicled in this book are places that see themselves as a country, just like the United States, Canada, or France is a country, but few, if any of the other countries in the world agree. Eric experiences the unique culture of these places, sometimes disconcerting and possibly a bit on the dangerous side. He observes the people and does what he can to get a feel for the impact of this country’s status with the rest of the world on its people. The theme running through the entire book is an attempt to decide exactly what it is that makes a country a country. Will he come up with the ultimate answer that we’ll all agree with? I’ll let you read and decide. Whatever the answer to that question, his exploration and consideration of this was an interesting exercise that got me thinking a lot about not only countries that might not be an actual country, but also about the differences, both good and not so good, to those places that clearly are countries.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on a pre-release ARC (advance reader copy) and I can’t gauge the final product based on this version.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

Reprise Review: Chasing Fireflies by Imogen Rose

 Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Young Adult/Coming of Age

Description:

“It’s that nothing age—too young to actually do anything but old enough to want to do everything. So, we wait, always chasing tomorrow. But sometimes, there is no tomorrow. That realization hit me hard, a real epiphany. I knew I had to do something to make it all worthwhile, and not just for myself. But also for her.”

Author:

Dr. Imogen Rose is an immunologist turned full-time author. Her two series (Portal Chronicles and Bonfire Chronicles) feature paranormal characters aimed at young adults. Chasing Fireflies is a departure, with nary a demon, troll, or any other creature you won’t find in the real world.

Appraisal:

On the surface this is a fun story about teenage hijinks, but lurking in the background is a consideration of some of life’s big questions. The story focuses on three teens. Atticus who prefers to go by the nickname Fitz is the protagonist, but two girls, Maddie and Tamsin, figure prominently in the story as well. When a schoolmate dies these three decide to honor her in their own unique way. In the planning and execution of this tribute (details would be a bit of a spoiler) Fitz and his sidekicks gain a fuller, more mature perspective on life. Yeah, they grow up just a bit. While an obvious fit for the young adult reader, it's a story that will appeal to an older crowd, too. Even grandfathers like me.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Original review published April 26, 2017

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on a pre-release copy and I’m unable to judge the final production version in this area.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: Fast Cash by J. Gregory Smith

 Genre: Crime Fiction/Thriller

Description:

“Hustlers Without Borders

Overseas scammers swindle an elderly Philadelphia woman out of her life’s savings. Soon after, the crooks use her stolen information to target her friends and neighbors in a relentless plague of cons. After getting nowhere with the local authorities, she takes her case to Kyle Logan and his crew of misfits who look after the neighborhood by operating outside the law with their own code of justice.

They’ve never gone after criminals outside of the country before and Kyle knows they’ll need to enlist help on the ground if they’re going to have a chance to recover any stolen funds. What he doesn’t realize is that their new allies may be more dangerous than their foes.

Meanwhile, closer to home, Kyle sees a disturbing invasion of cut-rate home contractors who sell themselves with the zeal of a cult. Called Sweat Equity, the business has formed a partnership with the city government amid glowing praise from the media. When Kyle digs deeper, he learns why the group refuses to take no for an answer and that the group is more than willing to add blood to the sweat.”

Author:

J. Gregory Smith used to work in public relations before he began writing full time. He has several books in thrill and mystery genres, some self-published and at least one published by Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint.

Appraisal:

This is a mix of crime fiction and thriller. The “good guys” in this story are technically criminals since they’re operating outside the law, but they’re doing this to counteract criminals who are taking advantage of vulnerable people. The “bad guys” are two sets of people, one set is outside the country while the other is close to home. This mix of different criminals, different crimes, different techniques being used to take advantage of their victims, and different approaches to helping and protecting the victims makes for an interesting story with lots of variety that drew me in and kept me engaged to the end.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

A minimal amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

Although the number of issues didn’t reach the level at which it is reflected in my overall rating, this book did have more proofreading issues that didn’t get caught than I like to see.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: Fall from Grace by Beth Orsoff

 Genre: Women’s Fiction

Description:

“No one ever thinks the unthinkable will happen.

When Grace Hughes’ family was murdered outside their suburban home the police told her it was a tragic accident. Just another madman with a gun. Happens every day in America. One year later and still overwhelmed by grief, Grace struggles to make sense of her shattered world and finds herself spiraling into a dark place.

Then Grace meets two abandoned children in desperate need of help and she discovers a newfound sense of purpose. But as she starts to heal, secrets about her husband’s past unfold. Grace begins to wonder, were her family’s deaths really a tragic accident or something more sinister?

Fall From Grace is a life-affirming, emotionally charged novel that will have you rooting for the heroine through every unexpected twist and turn.”

Author:

When Beth’s parents told her they didn’t send her to college to be a professional lifeguard, she moved to California and enrolled in USC Law School to become an entertainment lawyer. She also became a regular attendee of the UCLA Extension Writers Program workshops. She lives in Los Angeles with her daughter.

To find out more about Beth visit her web site.

https://bethorsoff.com/

Appraisal:

I guess calling this women’s fiction makes sense. Wikipedia defines the genre as being “an umbrella term for women-centered books that focus on women's life experience that are marketed to female readers” and this book definitely fits that description. However, I think the label probably makes some men shy away and by doing so, they’re missing out. One of the things I love about reading is giving the reader a chance to imagine themselves in someone else’s shoes, experiencing that fictional person’s life. That can be a long way from the reader’s real life, maybe in the future or in a different world imagined by a fantasy author, or maybe just imagining yourself in the place of Grace, the protagonist of this story, who could easily be much like the lady down the block or maybe from the other side of town. My point is that woman’s fiction has stories that I think a guy could relate to on some level and I’ve enjoyed reading women’s fiction for a lot more years than I’ve realized that was what it was called.

Regardless of your gender, I’m sure you’ll be happy not to be in Grace’s place. Sure, she’s in a good position in some ways. Money doesn’t seem to be a problem and you’ll see why. It isn’t only because she is an attorney. The problem is that when the book starts, she’s in a hospital due to a mental health crisis. Why that is and getting past what brought on that crisis is at the root of the story here. I found myself caring about Grace and wanting to see how she dealt with her issues, for some reason always assuming that she would. The more I got to know her, the more I loved her. I suspect if you give this a try, you’ll feel the same. Grace also gets involved in the lives of a couple kids with issues of their own who you’ll care about and hope Grace can help them out as well as dealing with her own pain. Of course, this is the first book of a planned trilogy and now I find myself over-eager to dive into that second installment. I can’t wait to see where Grace’s story goes next.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Once Upon an Ever After compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

Genre: Adult Fairy Tales/Short Story Anthology

Description:

600 or so stories were submitted for inclusion in the Gilded Glass: Twisted Myths and Shattered Fairy Tales anthology published by WordFire Press in 2022, but there was only room for 24 stories in the anthology. A lot of very good material had to be rejected. Booth creamed off the best and packaged it up into three anthologies: this one and, I think (they don’t advertise their kinship), Where Spirits Linger and Refracted Reflections. All the anthologies are short and inexpensive: ideal for reading on the commute or in bed.

Author:

Kaye Lynne Booth is a busy American indie author, poet, and facilitator of the writings of others. She has compiled a number of anthologies, mostly in the adult, modern fairy tale, fantasy, dark fantasy, SF and western genres. She has several enthusiastic writers working with her on her “Writing to be Read” blogsite. The writers featured on the blog appear regularly in the anthologies. There seems to be a thriving cottage industry involving these people, with – perhaps – opportunities for other emerging writers exploring genre fiction, mash-ups and other fringe creations.

Appraisal:

Gathering up these eleven stories and giving them a second chance was certainly worth doing. They richly deserve it. All the authors are young and female. (Each story is followed by a brief CV of its author.)  Their youth gives the work freshness. They recast established folk tales with enquiring minds, which brings a sparkle to the new work. That they are all women is also refreshing. Most fairy stories are – like so much of our literary heritage – written by men. Sure, women and girls appear in the traditional tales but, as we all know girls, patriarchy is – historically – never generous to women: they have no agency, unless they are wicked; if they are wicked they come to a bad end. And transgender people were unacknowledged when stories like the original Cinderella were first told.

Some of the stories are laugh out loud funny. All are witty. Some have happy endings, some do not. Some are based on stories of the Greek gods. Some laud the continuity of human kindness through history. Some deal with our destruction of our planet. Cliches are given a thorough pummelling.

The authors come from the USA, Canada, South Africa, Britain, Northern Ireland and Scotland. They are gay, straight and non-binary.

There is a great deal of variety here. It could be argued that three stories about magic mirrors out of a total of eleven stories is over-plenty about mirrors – but then one realises how different each mirror story is, and realises why there was room for all three of them.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A few.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 35-40,000 words

Reprise Review: A Company of Roses by Megan Goodenough

 Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Description:

This is a treasure hunt in the ‘history and mystery’ genre. Cas is sidekick to charismatic, beautiful Lacey. Lacey goes missing, leaving behind a trail of destruction and a set of enigmatic clues to an Elizabethan treasure. Cas will have to find a courage and resourcefulness she's never known before if she's going to find the treasure and, with it, save her friend.

Cas races across Brighton, London and some stunning English landscape (you could follow her progress on a map) searching for and solving Lacey’s clues. The clues include appearances from Mary Shelley, Ada Lovelace, Queen Elizabeth I and other strong women from British history with whom you may be less familiar.

The end of the journey is more personal than Cas could have imagined as she finally unearths the British Government’s most well-kept secret, and faces the organisation sworn to protect it.

Author:

Megan Goodenough is a British author, a graduate of York University with a degree in archaeology. She’s been short-listed for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award, long-listed for the TS Eliot Award and won competitions with BBC Writers Room. This is her first novel.

Appraisal:

I enjoyed this a lot – to the point where I couldn’t put it down. If you like historical mysteries this will appeal to you. If you enjoy Dan Brown’s clever clues (especially if you find the violent deaths and severed body parts in his books a tad superfluous) you will enjoy this. As you can see above, Goodenough’s expertise is in areas which feed the creation of this sort of novel. Readers familiar with the British Tudor dynasty will be aware that Tudor works of art were chockful of symbols. Her research (even – or perhaps particularly – if it has led to imaginary artefacts) is first class yet her learning is placed lightly on the page. Goodenough draws strong, engaging female characters. She leavens the book’s action with wit and humour, and even permits her characters some introspection when time serves. The result is a real page-turner.

The book is set in the present. The two female protagonists are young, talented artists. Cas is drifting through her life, intending to get a grip on it soon. Or maybe not. Then suddenly she has to shape up much more quickly than she intended. So, the book is as much a rite of passage as it is a thriller.

Cas and Lacey are delightfully believable. I have had a relationship like that. I have had that revelation about it. Cas’s vacillation about Reuben (the single major male character) also rings true. How Cas handles a gun made me think the author picked one up for the first time as research for this book and put the experience accurately on the page. Cas’s dead gran is beautifully drawn: a character from beyond the grave, but none the less potent for that.

Up until the end I thought that the prologue was an unnecessary give away. It isn’t, it’s a clue. The motivation for finding that which is lost changes two-thirds of the way through. At first I thought it was wobbly plotting. It isn’t, it’s a change of motivation which shows the heroine (for she is more than a protagonist) becoming a finer human being.

For readers in the US (which is most of you, I think) brace yourself for British spellings. But as a quid pro quo you get descriptions of British places that only a Briton in love with them could provide. The Great Court at the British Museum is the standout example (it is stunning and she does it justice: trust me, I’ve been many times) and there are a number of others.

If the book has a flaw, it is that some of the information fed to the reader at the beginning of the book isn’t very helpful until one reaches the end.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Original review published April 19, 2017

Format/Typo Issues:

There was a susurration of little typos in the file I read. Hopefully these have been hunted down and eradicated in the published versions.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words

Review: The Forgotten Sons of Wyoming by Brady Koch

 

Genre: Psychological Suspense/Mystery

Description:

“The men at Trinity Ranch all have something in common: none of them can remember how they arrived there or the terrible secret they all share.”

Author:

Prior to this series Brady Koch had authored three collections of short fiction. This is the second book in the “All Our Forgotten Futures” series with two more slated for release in 2023.

For more about Brady Koch visit his blog.

Appraisal:

For those who are reading this series in order this second book of the series might seem different from the first, but ultimately it isn’t and the similarities become more and more obvious as the book progresses. Like the first, the author describes it as psychological suspense. This installment has a bit of mystery and both have a smidgen of what I’d describe as near future science fiction with a mild dystopian leaning thrown into the mix.

This book is different from the first in the series with the bit of mystery thrown into the mix. The mystery comes down to Asher, the main character, trying to answer three questions. “Why am I here, where did I come from, and why can’t I remember?” Most of Asher’s cohorts who work at Trinity Ranch, a cattle ranch and meat packing plant, have the same questions. In fact, outside of management and their onsite preacher, no one seems to have a clue to the answers. At least not at first. How some of these answers come out and what those answers are kept me guessing to the end. I’ll summarize this by saying that if you read and liked the first book in the series, I think you’ll like this one too. If you haven’t read either, but like suspense and mystery with a few bits of other genres thrown into the stew, give it a try.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

While part of a series this book stands alone. Although I recommend both books I’ve read thus far, the order you read them doesn’t matter.

Format/Typo Issues:

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

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words