Blood Echo / Melissa Simonson

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

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Author:

“Melissa has been writing for four years and started mainly out of weekend boredom. She’s a self-professed caffeine addict and a terrible driver; she has a weird fascination with rosary beads, complicated cocktails, and Diet Coke.”

Simonson and her four year-old son live in Southern California.

For more, visit her blog.

Description:

“Obsession is the dark side of love.

Iris Avery and her best friend, Estella, spend their time drowning in the empty excesses indulged in by their crowd of Upper East Side snobs until Estella’s sudden, shocking death.

Iris searches for answers in everything from philanthropy to hypnotherapy, feeling her existence is nothing more than a dark half-life full of guilt and repentance, but finds only endless questions. And several of them revolve around her when she discovers she’s connected to a high-profile murder.

Later, Iris begins hearing Estella’s voice whispering cryptic commentary in her head, and she can’t help but wonder if the hypnotherapy has been helping or hurting. Is her friend trying to warn her about something?

Bizarre packages pile up on her doorstep, and their meaning is obvious: Iris’s secrets aren’t so secret after all.”

Appraisal:

The first word that comes to mind to describe Blood Echo is different. (And different, in this context, is good.) I may be wrong, but when I try to think of another book that combines a thriller (it would be more accurate to call it a psychological thriller) with a touch of supernatural in this way I draw a blank. As a reader it led me to interpret some things (and I’m being purposely vague) differently than I might have, were it not for the suspension of disbelief that I was readily able to accomplish due to other parts of the story. (That may be so vague the author won’t know what I’m saying. If nothing else, it should be intriguing.)

The protagonist, Iris, is suffering due to the death of her best friend, Estella. How she deals with this and the fallout from friends, family, and persons unknown is the main story conflict. Although there were hints, the story has a big twist at the halfway point, when Iris reveals something major. I took a note at that point that simply said, “oh my.” But then I started to question whether that was real. What is “real” versus what isn’t turns out murkier than I thought. It kept me guessing where the story was going and how it would resolve to the absolute end.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

If you're interested in checking out other stops on the Blood Echo blog tour, visit this page.

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The Late Greats / Nick Quantrill

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Genre: Detective / Mystery

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

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Author:

Nick Quantrill was born and raised in the industrial English city of Hull. He’s a prolific short story writer but has also produced two full-length crime novels with protagonist PI Joe Geraghty. A third is in process.

For more information on Nick go to his website.

Description:

New Holland were one of the most successful bands of the 90’s until they broke up in acrimonious circumstances. But now, they’re back. Joe Geraghty PI, against his better judgement, takes what should be a simple job for their manager Kane Major, liaising between the band and a journalist with exclusive access to them.

Then the lead singer and band’s engine, Greg Tasker, disappears and Geraghty is under pressure to find him before it’s too late.

Appraisal:

This is a story that gets better and better as it proceeds. Initially the premise looks simple enough, lead singer and lynchpin of New Holland has disappeared. Without him the band cannot exist and their guarded manager, Major, is increasingly desperate for Tasker to be found. Joe soon tracks him down, unfortunately he’s been murdered.

As more revelations about Tasker and the band occur, Joe finds himself deeper and deeper into trouble with less and less control over events. With it, The Late Greats becomes an increasingly complex and intriguing story – the reader becomes more involved as Joe does. It’s subtly done and turns into a real page turner as all the story strands are brought together.

The characters are very good. Joe is still haunted by the death of his wife. At heart a good guy who wants to do the best by people, whatever trouble that ultimately brings him. Kane Major is at the opposite end of the scale, someone who only looks out for himself and pushes Joe hard despite his reservations. There’s also the reporter, Julia Gowans, who’s somewhere between the two and is somewhat of an enigma until the end. Finally Trevor Bilton, local hard nut, and a cast of supporting characters, each with a piece of the jigsaw in their hands.

The action is located in Hull, an industrial town in Northern England where the author lives. Not your typical place for a novel but Quantrill paints it well and uses the landscape, whether it’s the city itself or windswept bleak countryside, as an effective backdrop.

If you like slow-burn, intelligent detective fiction, track down Quantrill’s Geraghty novels.

FYI:

A small amount of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small amount of repeat wording.

Rating: **** Four Stars

#Free for your #Kindle, 4/11/2013

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What the Dark Brings by Edward Lorn

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First Time Killer by Alan Orloff & Zak Allen

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Slayer's Kiss: The Shadow Slayer by Cassi Carver

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New Blood (Melrose Part 1) by Paul Dorset

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The Worth of Things / David Henderson

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Coming of Age

Approximate word count: 105-110,000 words

Availability    

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Author:

What little information available about David Henderson can be found on his Goodreads page. He also has a blog, housed on Goodreads, with a couple posts at this time. This is his first novel. He previously published Broken Christmas, a small  collection of short Christmas stories.

Description:

“Sex, Drugs and Spring Break ’85: 12 awesome days and 5 totally bogus ones.

In 1985 when Daniel Bowman borrowed the keys to his mother’s minivan and set out with his friends for Fort Lauderdale he didn’t know where his travels would lead. Spring Break was supposed to be about getting wasted and chasing girls; he never anticipated a life-changing journey.

The Worth of Things, a firsthand account of the seventeen days when Daniel Bowman grew up—right after he married the stripper.”

Appraisal:

Boy meets stripper. Boy marries stripper. Isn’t that every boy’s dream? Okay, maybe not. It wasn’t Daniel Bowman’s, either. But that’s what happened when Daniel, more for a laugh and a bit of an adventure, did that. His Spring Break adventure turns out to be more than he bargained for, although probably not for the reasons you’d guess.

The Worth of Things suffered from insufficient proofing, with too many typos, missing words, homophone errors and such, including calling the “Oriental Blossom,” the name of the club where Daniel met his wife-to-be, the “Orange Blossom” multiple times. Yet even while tripping over these issues I found myself wanting to see where this story went. A crew of twenty-somethings on Spring Break in Florida are going to be prone to trouble. That part was predictable, but how Daniel’s marriage would play out wasn’t, nor was the book’s ending. I won’t call the ending perfect- it definitely wasn’t that- but it was a very strong ending that was both what I expected and not.

FYI:

Adult language and situation.

Format/Typo Issues:

A large number of copyediting and proofreading misses.

Rating: *** Three stars

Oracle of Philadelphia / Elizabeth Corrigan

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Fantasy

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Availability   

Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: NO Paper: YES

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Author:

“Elizabeth Corrigan has degrees in English and psychology and has spent several years working as a data analyst in various branches of the healthcare industry. She lives in Maryland with two cats and a purple Smart Car.”

For more, visit the author's website.

Description:

Carrie’s story is unique, she can not only read your mind she can see and read your soul. She had been damned by the actions of others thousands of years ago and the only reason Carrie wasn’t burning in Hell was that her ka, or life force, was unable to separate from her body. Her soul had been sold to Lucifer, and he is quite proud of his prize. After a several millennia Carrie finally finds a soul pure enough to fight for. Sebastian is not seeking redemption; he sold his soul for the greater good and is willing to pay the price. Carrie takes it upon herself to find a way to renegotiate his contract with the demon Keziel. To do this she must travel into the depths of hell and parley with the demons that control its pathways. As the cost of her journey rises, Carrie must determine how much she is willing to sacrifice to save one good soul.

Appraisal:

Elizabeth Corrigan did an excellent job developing her characters and she has taken minor liberties with some myths to make a more entertaining story, however she has tried to keep historical accuracy. I believe she succeeded. Carrie’s story is unique and I could appreciate how she lived her life. She has two long time friends who check in with her, the first of these is the demon Bedlam. He truly is chaos in the most fun way and he is not a bad guy. Here is the way she describes their first meeting:

I detected neither the sanctimoniousness of the angels nor the malicious cruelty of the demons. Instead, I felt a spiral of rotating emotions that left me dizzy enough that I had to put my hand against a stone pillar for a moment to steady myself… The man’s current emotional state similarly seemed to lack any center, though it cycled around guilt, confusion, anger, and a firm desire to be distracted from those three emotions…

Bedlam says:

“Okay, so here’s my problem. You know how sometimes you start doing something, and it seems like a good idea at the time, but then suddenly there are dead bodies everywhere, and you’re not quite sure how that happened?” …

I would love to be able to share the story here, but Bedlam rambles, then continues with:

“Now, let me say right here that it was all supposed to be a joke. I really didn’t expect them to take it quite so literally. These were people who held on to their religion through generations of persecution and slavery. And a gold cow? Their religious texts say that God made them in His own image, so I thought they’d be pretty quick to dismiss that one.” “Not so much?” I asked. He shook his head.

Through all the years Bedlam has been a true friend to Carrie and has done everything in his power to protect her. Her other true friend is the earth-bound angel Gabriel who has stolen her heart, but he seems to love her no more than the rest of mankind. The story is fast moving and highly entertaining with a lot of thought provoking material. It was a fun roller coaster ride while it lasted. It would be very interesting to see how this journey affects the rest of Carrie’s existence.

Format/Typo Issues:

My review is based on an advance reader copy of this book, so I’m unable to judge this area.

Rating: ***** Five stars

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Ash: Return of the Beast / Gary Val Tenuta

Reviewed by: JA Gill

Genre: Crime Thriller/Horror

Availability    

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Author:

Gary Val Tenuta lives in The Evergreen State and has written for Fate Magazine, a publication about the paranormal. A father of two, Tenuta’s interests in the occult and numerology date back to the early ‘90s. According to his website, Tenuta’s debut novel Ezekiel Code spent time on Amazon’s Bestseller list. Ash: Return of the Beast is his second novel.

Description:

Jumping off from the sensational and contradicting events surrounding the death of Aleister “The Great Beast 666” Crowley, one of the most famous occultists in history, Ash: Return of the Beast is a detective story about fame and power and the dark arts.

Appraisal:

There is a lot to like about Gary Val Tenuta’s Ash: Return of the Beast. This second novel from the author of Ezekiel Code is a competent crime thriller with satanic overtones—nothing like the threat of devil worshipers summoning Sumerian demigods across the spectral plane to shake up a standard police procedural. Tenuta is clearly well versed in the esoteric knowledge of the occult—his enthusiasm for the topic is palpable on the page—and he cleverly uses one of the main characters as a foil to get the information across without sounding pedantic. “A week ago—hell, even just a day ago—he would have thought that was crazy talk,” admits a recently converted detective.

Most crime thrillers reside in the natural world, where the methodical application of logic and evidence gathering—“You know my methods, Watson”—are ritualized, even fetishized. In Ash the killer and cops are neither devious nor particularly clever, just dogged, which is not to say unhurried, in going through the motions of their respective tradecraft. “Using this code you just calculate the alphanumeric value of any word or phrase,” says a special agent versed in the occult. And voilà! For the universe Tenuta creates is only mysterious and coincidental to those who don’t know the rules. To those who do, fate is everything, and by hewing to standard operating procedures—from within an ancient text of demonology or following a hunch—answers reveal themselves.

Tenuta’s enthusiasm for the subject matter (a self-described “dweller of realms outside the box”) makes for an indulging read, but one cannot help notice the niggling, perhaps unavoidable, contradiction at the heart of the story. The unfathomable chaos and utter destruction to be loosed upon the world are literally held at bay behind a “to-do” list, downright bureaucratic in its superficiality: drink this goop, chant this esoteric verse, wear this robe, etc. As easily pickable as the door to other worlds is to unlock, it strains credibility to then wonder why it isn’t continually flung open. It is not that Tenuta’s good guys should always prevail, as readers will find, but that there is something un-Sherlockian in them—that no matter what side you’re fighting for—to botch things up at the eleventh hour. 

FYI:

Trigger warning: some graphic rapes scenes

Format/Typo Issues:

none

Rating: **** Four stars

Tapped / Lynne Cantwell

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Contemporary/ World Mythology

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability   

Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: YES

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Author:

Ms. Cantwell is a contributing author at IndiesUnlimited where she shares her knowledge about Indie publishing and promotion. Her Pipe Woman Chronicles include four volumes to date Seized, Fissured, Tapped, and Gravid. She is now working on the fifth book in this series Annealed. You can connect with her at her blog or on Facebook.

Description:

“Naomi Witherspoon, chosen by a Lakota Indian goddess to mediate a truce in heaven, is in the midst of a number of down-to-earth problems. She hasn’t heard from her boyfriend, Joseph, in weeks. She has also been attacked recently by a man channeling an Aztec jaguar god. Her best friend Shannon thinks she ought to get out of town for awhile – but what Shannon proposes is a road trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to track down Naomi’s father, who doesn’t know she exists. Naomi agrees to go, but the additional stress literally makes her sick.”

Appraisal:

I am inexplicably drawn to Native American stories and wolves. This story has both and so much more. As we join Shannon and Naomi on a working vacation, we are educated about the Pine Ridge Reservation, the battle at Wounded Knee, and how the wolf works in the Lakota tradition. I thought it all blended well as Naomi starts to feel connected to her own Native American roots. It is a heartwarming journey as she gets to know her extended family and we get to see into the process of her new mediating vocation as it is implemented into the judicial system on the reservation. She is excellent at her job, the Goddess has chosen well.

The plot takes a not so surprising turn into Celtic mythos; we were told Shannon was part fae in Seized. She is now taking on a larger role in the whole scheme as the confrontation with Jehovah draws closer. I love the way all belief systems are being blended together in this series, we are all one. I also liked the fact that George, Joseph’s friend, has now been drawn more into the story. It will be interesting to see if he takes on a larger role or if he is, as he seems, just a friend.

Jack, what can I say about Jack except that he is a tool? He needs to be watched and monitored constantly; he is not free of his demon yet. However, he does seem to have a conscience, every now and then, so perhaps there may be hope for him. There is exciting news announced in this installment and a turn at the end of this story that will hook you for the next book.

FYI:

This book contains adult language and situations that may be offensive to some.

Format/Typo Issues:

Excellent editing, I found no issues with editing or formatting.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Fissured (The Pipe Woman Chronicles) / Lynne Cantwell

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Contemporary/ World Mythology

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability   

Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: YES

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Author:

Lynne Cantwell has a master's degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University; she is a former broadcast journalist who is working a day job as a legal secretary. Ms. Cantwell is also a contributing author at IndiesUnlimited where she shares her knowledge about Indie publishing and promotion. Her Pipe Woman Chronicles include four volumes to date Seized, Fissured, Tapped, and Gravid. She is now working on the fifth book in this series Annealed. You can connect with her at her blog or on Facebook.

Description:

“It’s not bad enough that Naomi Witherspoon is second-guessing her relationship with her new boyfriend, Ute shapeshifter Joseph Curtis. Now she’s been attacked by a jaguar in downtown Denver. And somebody has built a hydraulic fracturing operation down the road from their friend Charlie’s ranch. An independent filmmaker named Jack Rivers has conveniently appeared, and is documenting Charlie’s problems with the fracking operation. Naomi thinks Jack might be the Investigator – the fourth member of the team a Lakota Indian goddess set up to help Naomi broker peace between Jehovah and the pagan pantheons – but Jack seems more interested in causing trouble among Naomi, Joseph, and her best friend Shannon, than in helping out their team.”

Appraisal:

I am going to have to rave here. I love this series. Ms. Cantwell wastes no time drawing readers into Naomi’s insecurities. She is intelligent, levelheaded, and independent, but she has overwhelming odds against her in all aspects of her life that are bleeding into one another. It’s completely understandable and I was totally immersed in all of Naomi’s dilemmas. Ms. Cantwell does an excellent job with first person POV and her descriptive prose had me right there beside Naomi, experiencing what she saw and felt. I also learned a bit about hydraulic fracturing, scary stuff by the way.

The plot moves at a realistic pace and kept me reading all through the night. Jack Rivers was an interesting villain that brought Aztec gods into the mix of Ute, Lakota, Greek, Nordic, and Christian mythos. He was the perfect antagonist to hate. We will have to keep a close eye on him. I like the way Ms. Cantwell challenges all different belief systems, and of course, the goddess directing Naomi never answers a direct question. So, the plot seems more character driven because they must use their free will to puzzle out their own answers.

I love the relationship between Naomi and her best friend Shannon. She is the perfect sounding board and everyone needs a friend like her. The emotional tension in this book is high all the way to the end. The romantic element between Joseph and Naomi is a unique journey that has swept me away; I am mesmerized by their relationship. It seems that Joseph is dealing with some insecurity, also. Although there is not a cliffhanger ending per se, I would have to say there is an emotional issue that is soothed, but not resolved. I am hooked and ready for the next book.

FYI:

This book contains adult language and situations that may be offensive to some.

Format/Typo Issues:

Excellent editing. I found no issues with editing or formatting.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Writing Great Emails is Not Art, 9 Ways to Get There / Gisela Hausmann

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Non-Fiction

Approximate word count: 5-6,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

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Author:

Hausmann is an Austrian motivational consultant and author. For more, visit her website.

Description:

The average office worker in the US receives 100 emails each day. Getting your email noticed and acted on matters. In this short ebook, the author describes techniques for getting your emails noticed and some of the unspoken rules and etiquette of email.

Appraisal:

According to the author, the typical office worker in the US receives an average of 100 emails each day, spending between 1/4 and 1/3 of our day “dealing with emails.” The idea behind this book is that in order for you to be able to maximize your own performance you need to be one of the people whose emails don’t get pushed off or ignored in the daily avalanche of electronic communications that those you’re corresponding with are receiving.

Of the nine suggestions, chances are some you’re already doing (but we can all use positive reinforcement) while others you probably aren’t. Most are easy to validate if you consider which of the emails you receive get the quickest responses from you. Only one do I question (having to do with the best subject lines), which doesn’t seem to conform to my experience (although it isn’t a technique I’ve used often) nor one that I believe changes the way I respond. But I’m not certain and will be experimenting with it in the future.

Although generally minor issues (missing or extra words in a sentence, singular/plural mismatches, and typos), for its length, this book had more proofing errors than I like to see.

Format/Typo Issues:

A large number of typos and other proofing errors, although most are relatively minor.

Rating: *** Three stars

The Cops of Manchester / Col Bury

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Genre: Crime/Short Story Collection

Approximate word count: 15-20,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO

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Author:

Col Bury was born and still lives in his hometown of Manchester. He is the editor of crime magazine Thrillers, Killers ‘n’ Chillers. Col has been widely published in a number of anthologies and collections and the critically acclaimed short story collection, Manchester 6. Col is a Manchester City fan, which just shows you can’t have everything.

You can learn more about the author on his blog.

Description:

The Cops of Manchester is a collection of twelve short stories on life as a cop in Manchester England.

Appraisal:

Col Bury is an author closely associated with the Brit Grit genre – epitomized by tough, no-nonsense writing – and The Cops of Manchester clearly fits smack bang in the middle of it. The stories within vary significantly in length and stretch along the continuum from humorous to hard. As the title implies all are based in Manchester and have police officers at the core of each story.

The collection starts with Broken, only a matter of pages and a brutal image of life betrayed.

Death Message is a longer, much lighter tale where a probationary Constable has to deliver notice of the demise of a member of the public to a relative. However, he makes a fundamental error which is on one hand funny, the other incredibly incompetent (and believable).

Frantic is short and shocking. A paedophile is living in the area and an off-duty policeman is shopping with his children. It’s a quite disturbing ‘what if’ tale that would deliver a shiver to any parent.

The Writing on The Wall is a nasty story. A couple buy a house and uncover scores on the wall. I won’t say any more in case of giving it away. It’s sad and harsh.

Eyes Wide Shut is a cracker, one of the best in the collection. A policeman is tied to a chair by a local man who accuses him and his partner of raping his prostitute daughter. The policeman tries to talk his way out of a certain death.

Mopping Up is a story that deserves turning into a full length novel. A vigilante (The Hoodie Hunter) is mopping up local crime, literally knocking off the criminals. The police are trying their hardest to catch him, but without success. This short covers the vigilante taking out a small gang. Neatly written from several perspectives.

Overall a good collection that showcases the author’s obvious talent.

FYI:

Adult language and situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

None.

Rating: **** Four Stars