Strategies For Finding A Way Out Of The Bully Maze / Meriam Wilhelm

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Non-Fiction

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

“Meriam is a retired educator with over 37 years of experience in the field of education from pre-school through college. Her last 13 years were spent in her favorite job; an elementary school principal in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District in California. Married to her husband for 33 years and the mother of 3, Meriam brings a balanced approach to the many challenges parents face as they navigate through their child’s elementary school years.”

For more, check out Wilhelm's Smashwords interview.

Description:

“Bullying happens and it hurts both the victim and the bully. Understanding both sides of the bullying coin is critical to making change in schools and communities. Successfully shepherding a child out of their role as victim or bully requires the coordinated efforts of parents, coaches, educators and other involved adults working together to foster a greater understanding of the many facets of bullying. Be it the head of the bully or the tail of the victim, the ultimate goal is to stop bullying while promoting healthy behaviors in our children.

Recognizing warning signs and empowering children with strategies, skills and language can effectively neutralize bullying behaviors while promoting healthy social interaction skills between kids.

Bullies can change and victims can find their voice with the help of adults using the right tools. This book provides insights, tips and techniques to resolve bullying and to effectively lead children out of The Bullying Maze.”

Appraisal:

I knew in the last several years that bullying had become an issue which many schools were implementing programs to combat. It isn’t a new problem, but in the past the methods of dealing with it were less than optimal. (Consider the cliché of someone who is being victimized by a bully beating them up after school addressing the problem by learning to fight back, answering violence with violence.) Reading The Bully Maze I found that I was correct in thinking addressing the issue of bullying was a good thing, but that I also had a view that was way too limited, both of what bullying is (it isn’t always physical) and it’s potential long term effects, for example that many bullies continue bullying as adults (I could name a couple managers I’ve worked for here).

In this book Wilhelm gives a good working definition for what qualifies as bullying, some hints for parents to recognize if their children are being victimized by bullies or are bullying others, and some specific ideas to address the problem, if there is one. I especially like that she addresses the issue from both sides, not only considering the bully and ways to address the root cause for them acting out, but also ways for the victim to react to alleviate the bullying in a non-violent fashion.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of proofing and copyediting misses.

Rating: **** Four stars

Paul Carter Is A Dead Man / Ryan Bracha

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Genre: Dystopian

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

Ryan Bracha started out in film, writing and directing his first feature. He wrote the follow up whilst living in Paris. More recently the author turned to novels and novellas. His debut, Strangers Are Just Friends You Haven’t Killed Yet, was three years in the making. He lives in Yorkshire with his wife and a cat.

Description:

Britain in an alternative near future is run as a dictatorship. The government, run by Prime Minister Robert Lodge, controls everything through the Network, a version of the world wide web. Criminals are judged by the public, often receiving death sentences for the smallest of misdemeanors.

Enter Paul Carter, originally a man who embraced the new order for personal gain, but he killed a man, seen by all over the Network. Now a licensed gang, the Network Cutting Crew, is hunting him down. Carter evades capture and links up with a small group of people living outside the law and he unwittingly becomes a resistance leader, fighting for a return of old Britain.

The problem is his cousin is put on trial and more than likely will be executed, Carter has just 24 hours to free him.

Appraisal:

Paul Carter is a Dead Man is a major departure for Bracha. If you’ve read any of the author’s previous work you will be aware he tends to write challenging, often swear word laden novels people either love or hate.

Here there is no swearing, in fact in future Britain it is banned and is a punishable offence. Citizens use alternative, standard words to express themselves. In addition there is a style change, a mix of first person / present tense (Carter) and third person / past tense. It works well and has the benefit of keeping the pace clipping along throughout.

There’s also the dystopian angle, New Britain is not too dissimilar from today. Social network dominated (although to a greater extent). Modern, but tightly controlled. The vestiges of government, but a dictatorship. Free choice is very limited, about the only element a citizen can do freely is vote on public trials. Scotland is no longer part of New Britain, having resisted the changes. It’s walled off, lawless and exiled from the Network. No one really knows what goes on there.

Really, peeling back all of the above, this is an age old story of one man and his friends against the establishment, trying to make the world a better place for people he will ultimately never meet. Carter is initially unwilling to be put in this position, and rails against it, mainly driven by the desire to free his cousin, then save his friends.

The author is not someone short of confidence, but this is a stiff project to undertake. Paul Carter… is part of a trilogy and I look forward to seeing the other installments.

FYI:

Nothing of note.

Format/Typo Issues:

Nothing of note.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

The Hacktivist / R. J. Webster

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Technothriller

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

R.J. Webster, is an Information Security expert with years of experience in the field and two masters degrees in information technology.

Description:

“Young, passionate and radicalized after exposure to the poverty in Haiti, Jack becomes a hacker for a cause. He learns about botnets, rootkits, crimeware creation kits, anti-forensics and cryptography. He eventually tries to leverage it to help the poor. If the money trail leads to charities, how can he ever be caught?

The Hacktivist is the story of the evolution of a hacker but it is also a primer on information security topics. It provides a high level description of the techniques used to hack our computers and the tools we can use to protect ourselves and our internet financial transactions. After reading this book, one should have a good understanding of what it really means to use a credit card on the Internet.

Ten percent of the proceeds from this book will go to Partners in Health to help the poor in Haiti.”

Appraisal:

This review is probably going to seem contradictory. That’s because it is. I’ll start with an appraisal of The Hactivist as a fictional story, where it has some issues. Then I’m going to argue that reading it might still be a good idea.

The issues I found begin with a lot of grammar, spelling, and other proofing problems. I spotted more than double the number of these kinds of issues I’ll allow before considering it a serious problem. Although a lot of these are one particular mistake, words that should be compound as two separate words, which I suspect most readers wouldn’t be bothered by, there were more than enough remaining even if I were to ignore this issue. They include homophone errors (magnet vs magnate, are vs our, etc), wrong and missing words, incorrect spellings.

Another issue was repetition, usually of technical background or backstory. A couple examples are a discussion of how a hacker might spread a virus using the autorun feature on a thumb drive and an explanation of a group that openly works to find ways around “digital forensics” (techniques used, usually by governmental agencies, to discover what you’ve done on your computer). There were other issues that occasionally cropped up like showing instead of telling and giving unneeded information about a character that bogged the story down.

The last item I’m going to discuss is both positive and negative (here’s where I start contradicting myself). There is a lot of technical information spread throughout the book. Enough that, were I to find this much detail in how something worked in another context, I’d complain. For purposes of what was needed for the story it was too much. But as a “primer on information security topics,” a goal the author is upfront about in his book description, this information is good. And I’d argue that for anyone who owns or uses a computer (that would be all of you) this is information you need. I’d guess many people would prefer getting it as part of an often entertaining story.

Format/Typo Issues:

A large number of proofing and copyediting misses.

Rating: *** Three stars

Goodwill Tour / Keith Maginn

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Travel Memoir

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

“Keith Maginn was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the youngest of four kids. He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, as an Evans Scholar. After earning a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Keith relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, to work for AmeriCorps (a service organization like the Peace Corps, but within the United States) and for Knoxville Habitat for Humanity.

Keith recently moved back to Cincinnati after living nearly ten years in Tennessee. He likes to be around family and friends and has eight nieces and nephews that he adores. He loves playing and watching many sports and also enjoys live music, writing, meditation, yoga and reading.”

Description:

“In mid-July of 2011, Keith Maginn, and his friend, Emily, set off from Cincinnati, Ohio, on a 3,000-mile road-trip through several southeastern states. The pair stopped in Memphis, New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston, Asheville and smaller towns in between. Goodwill Tour: Paying It Forward is a travelogue detailing a philanthropic experiment in this incredible country the two call home.

What makes their trip unique—and Maginn’s book fresh—is that sightseeing wasn’t their sole purpose. Emily and Keith were determined to spread kindness as they worked to make a difference in the lives of others along the way. They gave their own money to hand-picked strangers, who then had to pay the money forward to someone else.”

Appraisal:

The idea of what I call a “travel quest,” travel with a measurable goal of some kind, is one I understand. It may be something many have done, for example visit all fifty of the United States, or much less common (one book I read recently involved riding a bicycle around the world). Goodwill Tour involves what at first blush seems a relatively simple quest, to visit a list of cities and give money to strangers with the proviso that these people would pass the money on to someone in need, paying it forward.

Of course, even the simplest trips can have complications (just working out the logistics and specifics of this trip from a high level idea and in a short time, was impressive). Following the author, Keith, and his friend, Emily, on the trip was fun and inspiring. I enjoyed hearing about their experiences doing some of the typical touristy things in each city, but obviously what is unique about this book is their struggle to find the right recipient for their money. It turns out to be more difficult than you’d think since they attempted to vet the person chosen. In several cities we also get a glimpse at the characteristics of the city off the typical tourist trail as Keith and Emily interact with residents and charitable organizations.

While I enjoyed reading Goodwill Tour, I have one quibble that, depending on the reader, might cut the other way. This was several sections that quoted other travel books (most of which I’ve read and are good) to illustrate something. They served their purpose, but there were times when I wished the author had told us in his own words rather than relying on others so much.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues with typos.

A small number of hyphens in the middle of words where not needed. (For an example, you can see this using the look inside function on Amazon where ‘involve’ shows as ‘in-volve.’ However, this issue, while happening more than a handful of times, it isn’t many more than that.)

Rating: **** Four stars

A Reason to Live / Matthew Iden

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Mystery/Police Procedural

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Availability    

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

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Matthew Iden writes fantasy, science fiction, horror, thrillers, crime fiction, and contemporary literary fiction with a psychological twist.

An eclectic resume--he's held jobs with the US Postal Service, international non-profit groups, a short stint with the Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska and time with the globe-spanning Semester at Sea program--has given him inspiration for short stories and novel ideas, while trips to Iceland, Patagonia, and Antarctica haven't hurt in the creative juices department, either. A post-graduate education in English Literature wasn't necessary, but it helped define what he didn't want to do with his life and let him read a great deal of good books.”

For more, visit the author’s website.

Description:

“In the late nineties, a bad cop killed a good woman and DC Homicide detective Marty Singer got to watch as the murderer walked out of the courtroom a free man.

Twelve years later, the victim's daughter comes to Marty begging for help: the killer is stalking her now.

There's just one problem: Marty's retired...and he's retired because he's battling cancer. But with a second shot at the killer--and a first chance at redemption--Marty's just found A Reason to Live.”

Appraisal:

I’d barely started reading A Reason to Believe when I hit this paragraph.

I was killing time at a coffee shop, slouched in an overstuffed chair that had been beaten into submission years earlier. The café—I don't know the name, Middle Grounds or Mean Bean or something precious—was a grungy, brown stain of a place flanked by a failing Cajun restaurant on one side and a check-cashing store on the other. A crowd of Hispanic guys hung around out front looking simultaneously aimless and expectant, hoping their next job was about to pull up to the curb. I looked up from my cup and stared at the girl who'd called me by name. She was slim, with delicate brown hair worn past the shoulders and intense, dark eyes set in a face so pale Poe would've written stories about it.

I was impressed. In a single evocative paragraph I understood the coffee shop, the neighborhood it was in, the crowd outside (which figures into a later scene), a lot about the narrator Marty, and not only pictured the girl who’d approached him, but was curious about what she wanted. I was hooked. And I stayed hooked.

The premise, that a murderer who escaped punishment has returned and is stalking the original victim’s daughter, is a good one that gives the protagonist, Marty, a chance at some kind of redemption. That Marty is retired because he has cancer complicates things in a couple of ways. First, although this is much like a police procedural, technically Marty isn’t even a cop anymore, so he doesn’t have ready access to the resources he had in the past. Then his chemotherapy treatment interferes with his ability to do much of anything some days, so detecting is out of the question.

This is the first of a series with at least three more books already available. I’m not sure if that means chemo goes well, but I’m eager to find out what his next case turns out to be.

FYI:

Adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Don't Kill The Messenger / Joel Pierson

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Paranormal Suspense

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

“Joel Pierson is the author of numerous award-winning plays for audio
and stage, including French Quarter, The Children's Zoo, The Vigil, Cow
Tipping, and Mourning Lori. He also co-authored the novelization
of French Quarter. How he has time to write is anyone's guess, as he
spends his days as editorial manager at the world's largest print-on-demand
publishing company. Additionally, he is artistic director of
Mind's Ear Audio Productions, the producers of several popular audio
theatre titles and the official audio guided tour of Arlington National
Cemetery. If that weren't enough, he also writes for the newspaper and
a local lifestyles magazine in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana.
He stays grounded and relatively sane with the help of his wife (and
frequent co-author) Dana, and his three ridiculously loving dogs.”

Description:

For a number of years, Tristan has been receiving psychic messages accompanied by great physical pain. The pain continues until he follows the directions he’s given (under a time constraint), which lead him to a place of impending doom for some victim. His job is to warn the victim so they can save themselves if they choose.

Appraisal:

The premise is an interesting one, offering the author the chance to include diverse scenes and characters (because the ‘message’ can be about anyone). This kept the action fresh and the situations interesting. 

The writing is light and easy on the eye. The character, Tristan, is likeable, often amusing. The story focuses on one of the ‘victims’ he’s sent to save, Rebecca, who he finds working in a Florida strip club. She’s also a well-drawn character and the interaction between her and Tristan is well executed. The story basically follows their journey—physically, spiritually and romantically.

The end was a little disappointing. A tad too much ‘deus’ was needed to tie off the threads, and the true nature of Tristan’s psychic mission isn’t revealed. Future installments are planned, so that’s probably why.

All in all, a fun fast read.

Format/Typo Issues:

No typos. One sex scene—nicely done, not too graphic, but neither is it YA-suitable.

Rating: **** Four stars

Invasion of Privacy / Jim Liston

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Genre: Crime / Noir

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Availability    

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

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Author:

Jim Liston grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and spent most of his early adult years traveling as a drummer in rock bands. More recently he has been developing and building websites. Jim writes short stories and flash fiction. Invasion of Privacy is his first novel.

You can learn more about the author at his website.

Description:

A collection of short stories and flash fiction.

Appraisal:

The book opens with the title story, Invasion of Privacy. Jim runs a computer sales shop, he goes to the store to meet his wife, but finds her dying. He suspects the spider tattooed man who was leaving as he arrived fatally stabbed her. The police are no help so Jim, a computer geek, develops a software program to hunt for the killer, using webcams to spy into his customer’s world.

Invasion of Privacy runs through just over half the book. It was reasonably written, the premise on the borderline of acceptability. There are a small number of characters that are somewhat fleshed out, but could have been broader. I struggled somewhat with the story and how the supporting cast appeared to help Jim in his quest. Eventually the killer is caught and he doesn’t really play true to form. A supposedly cold-hearted killer he’s eventually shown to be weak and self-absorbed.

Thereafter the stories are significantly shorter, some no more than a few pages long. It jars somewhat, having just read such a comparatively lengthy narrative. For example A Novel Murder, the main character (unnamed) is on a bus and overhears a man sat behind him talking about killing someone. The person reports the man to the police. However, it’s revealed that the man is an author plotting a book, rather than a killing. I guess it’s a twist, but it didn’t make me sit up.

And that’s about the shape of it. The stories are okay, but don’t stick in the memory. They’re over before they start. Okay, that’s flash fiction, but overall the book left me unfulfilled. Hence the comparatively short review. Not much to read, not much to say.

FYI:

Nothing of mention.

Format/Typo Issues:

Repeat word usage, needs editing out.

Rating: ** Two Stars

Coyote Still Going: Native American Legends and Contemporary Stories / Ty Nolan

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Native American Myths/ Legends/ Culture

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Availability    

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

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Ty Nolan is a professional storyteller and a therapist. He was asked to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professors how to use Storytelling to more effectively communicate complex concepts about technology to a general audience. Most recently he has worked with the National Science Foundation's Flagship Project, Synergy.

He currently lives in Arizona near South Mountain Community College, where one can be certified as a storyteller at one of the only Storytelling Institutes in the United States.

Description:

“Here are some Stories (Traditional Native Legends) and some stories (personal history.)... Coyote Still Going retells the mostly Sahaptin and Twana traditional legends I was taught by my relatives. It's also a memoir of how I have told these stories from Mr. Rogers' program to International AIDS Conferences, as well as with children around the world.

Many Native Nations begin a Coyote legend with some variation of “Coyote Was Going There.” Trust me—Coyote? Still Going. It’s about time ebooks caught up with that crazy Trickster. ”

Appraisal:

In this collection of Native American legends, Ty Nolan explains the spiritual aspect of each story and how the stories are used as teaching and healing tools for the soul. He is a true Storyteller in every aspect of this title. This is an amazing read and what makes it amazing are the personal stories Mr. Nolan shares along with the retelling of the traditional Native American Stories. He teaches us to listen with not only our ears but our hearts as he shares his Native culture with active links throughout the book. He could have just incorporated pictures but this way encourages us to explore more on our own.

Mr. Nolan has also included Native American foods and recipes to go with each story, because storytelling is a celebration and Native American celebrations always include food. I found his way of getting us to look at life with different eyes fascinating. “One of the powers of the Best Stories is helping you remember who you truly are.”

The retelling of the legends are relatively short, highly entertaining, and enlightening. One of my favorites was the story, Roots and Wings. It is the story of a Chief who continually boosts that his son would grow up to be a great Chief and a powerful Medicine Man. The moral was poignant and carries a truth that all parents should heed.

I hope to see more of these traditional Stories with Nolan’s unique spin in the future. I think Ty Nolan has done a great service for all peoples by writing down and sharing these oral histories of his culture with all of us. I would also like to thank him for including his personal experiences with these stories, by the end of this novella he felt like a friend I would like to know.

FYI:

There are several active links included with the stories. Most links led to pictures of artifacts and artwork while others were to web pages for more information or further research. These may be more fully appreciated in color on a Kindle Fire. I read on the Kindle Paperwhite and was still able to appreciate the photos in black and white.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing errors. However, for some reason two of the embedded links did not work.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Folds in the Map / Jeff Bauer

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Memoir/Travel Narrative

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Availability    

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

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Jeff Bauer is a community organizer, public policy advocate, and writer based in Saint Paul, MN. His blog, onlybiggerthinking.com, has been read by nearly 10,000 people in over 50 countries. Folds in the Map is his first book. In addition to his work as a writer, Jeff recently lead a successful advocacy effort, in his role as Director of Public Policy at The Family Partnership, to pass a nation-leading Safe Harbor law in Minnesota to protect children from sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. He lives in a tiny house on St. Paul's West Side with his wife, Diane.”

Description:

Jeff Bauer “embarks on an earnest, touching journey to discover the places where we feel most connected as human beings – to each other, to nature, and to the world around us. From the bottom of a bomb crater in Laos, to a refugee camp on the Sudanese border, to the side of a Panamanian volcano, and back home again to the frozen January streets of Minnesota.”

Appraisal:

Amazon currently has this book categorized a couple different ways, as “self-help/personal transformation” and in a category with “spirituality/personal growth and inspiration” at the detail end of the category string. I’ve chosen to call it a memoir or travel narrative. All of these attempts to put a label on Folds in the Map are accurate, yet misleading.

These are a collection of essays that, while inspirational, don’t really fit what I picture when I think of a book with the labels used on Amazon. And while most take place in a specific place with the nature of the culture and events that happen playing a large role, both of my picks are also misleading.

However, many of the reasons you might read a book in any of the possible categories we might try pigeon holing Folds in the Map into, fit it well. For example, to gain a better understanding of the human condition, both how we are different and how we are the same. Possibly understanding the connectedness of the world and where we fit in it (or how the author answers that for himself). I could pick a few very minor nits (for example the use of the phrase “dear reader” in a few spots, which has been a cliché forever), but on balance, I found this to be an enjoyable read for what it is, even if that isn’t easy to categorize.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Kiss Her Goodbye / Allan Guthrie

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Genre: Crime

Approximate word count:  65-70,000 words

Availability    

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

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Allan Guthrie developed a taste for writing at school. He is now the author of five award-winning novels. When not writing Allan is a literary agent and co-founded the e-publisher, Blasted Heath. Born on the Orkney Islands, Allan now lives in Edinburgh with his wife.

Description:

Joe Hope sorts problems out, usually by the application of violence with a baseball bat, on behalf of his loan shark boss, Cooper. But for once it’s Joe that has the problem, first his daughter, Gemma, commits suicide. Joe immediately flies to the Orkneys where she’s been living at a writer’s retreat with a relative, Adam. But as soon as he arrives Joe is arrested. The accusation? The murder of his wife, battered to death with Joe’s work tool.

But, there are further complications, Gemma kept a diary in which she’d revealed the reason behind her death – she’d been raped by someone she called ‘Daddy’. But for once Joe is innocent and he sets out to track down the killer.

Appraisal:

This is a straightforward, no-nonsense, high quality crime novel which focuses on anti-hero Joe Hope. It’s a well plotted, well written and a very satisfying read. One of the strongest aspects of this novel are the characters. All are well drawn, believable and have a part to play.

First is Joe himself. He’s not the most pleasant of people, sorting out non-payers on behalf of Cooper, often beating them senseless. Joe even keeps a baseball bat in his car. He has a terrible relationship with his wife and instead spends time with a prostitute, Tina (Joe pays her, but interestingly it’s for no more than company) or in the dubious company of Cooper, seemingly his only friend. But despite everything he does have a degree of morality – Joe won’t kill people – interesting, considering murder is the crime he’s accused of. Also of note is that Joe is clearly intelligent, he had been taking a degree before dropping out to work for Cooper, who himself was training to be a lawyer.

Which leads us to Cooper. He’s thoroughly unpleasant and loyal only to himself, and maybe his young son. No one else matters. Tina the prostitute is an interesting character, literally hard-nosed and lived a tough life. They’re ably backed up by Adam (who’s initially wet and useless, but finds some backbone) and Joe’s youthful lawyer, Ronald Brewer.

The plot is also very strong, several story arcs brought together for a satisfying conclusion where everyone gets what they deserved. Joe receives several shocks (on top of the suicide and murder) and perpetually seems to be in an almost constant state of turmoil and flux.

The story is mainly set in Edinburgh. It’s seedy and grim, but then again the characters themselves live this kind of existence – loan shark, thug and prostitute. The scenes suit the narrative. The pace is high and maintained throughout, it’s a real page turner and enjoyable to boot (or should I say bat).

FYI:

Swearing and violence.

Format/Typo Issues:

None.

Rating: ***** 5 Stars