Blind psychiatrist Mark Angelotti has just enrolled in a drug trial that holds out hope of restoring his eyesight when he again becomes entangled in a case that is rocking the Chicago legal community.
After defending the manufacturer of the powerful antipsychotic drug Lucitrol against product-liability claims, attorney Jane Barrett has become somewhat of an expert on the controversial medication. So when her lover, investigative journalist Rory Gallagher, collapses from a fatal dose of the same drug, it falls to Hallie Sanchez, Barrett’s oldest friend, to defend her on murder charges.
Amid growing doubts about her friend’s innocence, Hallie recruits Mark Angelotti to help her discredit the testimony of a crucial eyewitness. The pair succeeds in obtaining Barrett’s release, but at a dreadful price.
Mark sets out to investigate who else may have wanted the journalist out of the way. As he gets closer to the truth, he realizes the killer is still on the loose. But two questions remain for Mark: Will the drug trial succeed in restoring his eyesight? More important, will he live long enough to see this case to its end?
•••••••••••••
REVIEW:DANTE’S POISON is the second instalment in Lynne Raimondo’s contemporary, mystery Mark Angelotti suspense series focusing on sight impaired Chicago psychiatrist and amateur investigator Mark Angelotti. Although this is the second book in the series, each book focuses on a different investigation and case with some of the characters over lapping between the stories.
The premise follows Mark as he investigates the murder of the Chicago Sun Times sleaze ball reporter Rory Gallagher and his connections to a controversial antipsychotic drug known as Lucitrol. When power attorney Jane Barrett (and Rory’s lover) is fingered and charged with the murder, Mark’s path of clues will find him the subject of an attack that will leave his friend Hallie in a coma and Mark setting his sights on a billion dollar drug company with too many secrets to hide. Add unethical and questionable sales reps and, Mark will soon discover that he is closer to the truth than he had ever surmised.
Our hero Mark Angelotti is a man who is mired in guilt-struggling with the demise of his marriage, a son he barely knows, the loss of his eye sight and a guilt so dark he will never be able to forgive or forget.
Lynne Raimondo pulls the reader into a storyline that is richly detailed in psychiatric and medical terminology-from bio medical ethics to prescription side effects; from diagnostics to treatment DANTE’S POISON is a storyline that focuses on corporate greed, big pharma, psychotic killers, jilted lovers, betrayal and revenge. The Windy City of Chicago is not one to play second fiddle and positions itself-front and center-in a storyline that will find our intrepid sleuth making his way through the sights and sounds of a city where he loves to live.
The secondary characters are an eclectic mix of friends from both the medical and legal fields. The world building finds Mark taking small steps towards a potential future all the while focusing on what he has lost and why.
DANTE’S POISON is a remarkable storyline that looks at the controversial side of prescription medications and medical ethics; an imaginative tale about a sociopathic mind and the lengths one will go to to avenge the past; and an intimate look at a man whose own past is darker than the world in which he now lives.
A woman finding her way. After a devastating divorce, an emotionally skittish Rayne Masterson swears off men and vows to devote her life to her passion, horses.
A man with insatiable desires. Trent Newbury is an expert rider who is arrogant, brash, and has a ruthless reputation for getting any woman he desires.
As the new riding master at Southland Stables, Trent is eager to make sure all of his riders are the best they can be. But when he meets Rayne, he takes a special interest in taming the beautiful woman’s stubborn nature. Slowly and deliberately, he weakens her defenses with his charm and beguiling good looks. And just when he thinks he has won Rayne’s trust, his philandering past threatens to pull them apart.
She thought no man could ever touch her heart, until she met…The Riding Master.
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REVIEW:THE RIDING MASTER is the second instalment in Alexandrea Weis’s adult, contemporary romance series. This is Rayne Masterson Greer and Trent Newbury’s story with a ‘tie in’ to Alexandrea’sCover To Coversstoryline.
The premise focuses on Rayne and Trent’s building relationship and Rayne’s inability to trust. Rayne’s marriage ended when she caught her husband in bed with a much younger woman and she has had issues of trust ever since. Trent is the new riding master at Southland Stables where Rayne teaches the younger children to ride and their attraction to one another is immediate. With Rayne’s inability to trust and Trent’s history with innumerable women, Rayne’s afraid of losing her heart to a man who makes it very easy for her to love.
The relationship between Rayne and Trent begins as friends but moves to lovers within a short period of time. Rayne’s lack of experience in the bedroom is fueled by the knowledge that Trent is a man who knows what he wants and he wants Rayne for his very own. But the past has a funny way of sneaking into the present when both Rayne and Trent’s exes show up to the same party where Rayne will be introduced to Trent’s co-workers and friends. Perhaps there is someone working behind the scenes to ensure Trent and Rayne never get together.
The secondary characters are colorful and Rayne’s emotions are fueled by their one on one conversations. Rayne is a stubborn and sometimes frustrating woman whose self image and self esteem have been damaged by her previous marriage. Add an alcoholic mother and the death of her father and we see a woman who has had very little to enjoy-her horse and her dog are the only true constants in her life.
Trent is a man of wealth and experience. Sure of himself and what it is he wants, Trent pursues our heroine but Rayne continues to push Trent away at every opportunity until she may have pushed him too far.
Alexandrea Weis writes a beautiful storyline of betrayal and trust; hope and love; second chances and a happily ever after. There is a small ‘tie-in’ to Weis’s COVER TO COVERS storyline that gives THE RIDING MASTER a familiarity to the readers. Alexandrea will continue to add the ‘tie-ins’ in future storylines and we hope we see a little more about each of the couples introduced throughout the ‘series’.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Alexandrea Weis began writing at the age of eight. In college she studied nursing and went on to teach at a local university. After several years in the medical field, she decided to pick up the pen once again and began her first novel,To My Senses. Since that time she has published several novels. Her work has been critically acclaimed, she has won several national awards for writing, and has been continually growing in popularity.
Alexandrea Weis is also a certified/permitted wildlife rehabber with the La. Wildlife and Fisheries. When she is not writing, she rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She is married; they live in New Orleans .
Alexandrea is offering an ecopy of THE RIDING MASTER to one (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.
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3. LIKE us onFACEBOOKand then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.
Bomb Squad NYC: Incident #1 and Incident #2 by J.E.Fishman-reviews
A DANGER TO HIMSELF AND OTHERS (Bomb Squad NYC Incident 1) by J.E. Fishman Release Date March 4, 2014 Genre: Suspense, mystery, fiction, law enforcement
Is Bomb Squad Detective Manuel Diaz a danger to himself and others?
Detective Manny Diaz, a former Army explosives expert, is already skating on the edge of his own sanity when veterans start dying from bombings in front of armed forces recruiting stations around New York. Diaz won’t believe these events are suicides. If he’s right, he’ll have to risk everything—not just his mental health, but also his very life—to prevent a homeless Army veteran from becoming the next victim.
REVIEW:A DANGER TO HIMSELF AND OTHERS is the first instalment in J.E. Fishman’s contemporary crime thriller series Bomb Squad NYC. Each book focuses on the members of the NYC Bomb Squad. This is Detective Manny Diaz’s story-a former vet whose personal life is spiraling out of control along with his most recent assignment. When not one but two disabled military veterans blow themselves up outside an army recruiting office, the bomb squad must consider whether the incidents have started a string of suicides or something much more sinister is at work. A Danger to Himself and Others is not just the title but also a look at the psychological profile of both hero and villain.
The focus of the storyline is the investigation into what appears to be two suicide bombings within 72 hours of one another. With Manny’s contacts in the military the NYC bomb squad begin to ferret out the information required to eliminate suspects and connect our victims to one another. When there appears to be no one or nothing connecting the bombings, Manny digs deeper to discover that each of the veterans had one person in common-now it appears there is still one veteran unaccounted for.
J.E. Fishman writes an intense and passionate storyline that is rich in detail, twists and turns, technical expertise and suspense. We are pulled into the daily drama and anxiety of the NYC Bomb Squad where the smallest detail cannot be ignored. Following the 9/11 attacks, NYC is on high alert and the Bomb Squad is the first to be called when anything appears out of the ordinary. A DANGER TO HIMSELF AND OTHERS reveals that life in the NYC Bomb Squad is anything –but ordinary.
A DANGER TO HIMSELF AND OTHERS is a well-paced, compelling storyline that reveals the intricate inner workings of law enforcement and the drama that is their private and professional lives. No one is without some sort of demon or personal hell and in this the storylines become one with the members of the squad. The characters are colorful, believable, sometimes controversial and add a realistic quality to the story.
Reading Order 1. A Danger to Himself and Others NYC Bomb Squad Incident 1 2. Death March NYC Bomb Squad: Incident 2 (March 18, 2014) 3. The Long Black Hand: NYC Bomb Squad Incident 3 (April 2, 2014)
Copy supplied by the publisher.
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DEATH MARCH (Bomb Squad NYC: Incident 2) by J.E. Fishman Release Date March 18, 2014 Genre: Suspense, mystery, fiction, law enforcement
It’s the eve of the famed Thanksgiving Day Parade when a credible tip comes in from national intelligence sources: Abu al Djenne, a master bomb maker from the radical Islamist group known as Sons of Bilal, plans to disrupt the event in spectacular fashion while causing mass casualties. The mayor won’t cancel the parade, so it largely falls to the NYPD bomb techs to protect millions of spectators strung along the two-and-a-half-mile parade route.
Only hours before the parade will begin, explosions start going off, forcing Bomb Squad techs to scramble to investigate. Meanwhile, Djenne’s girlfriend has discovered his “martyr” tape and turned it over to the police. Does the tape reveal enough to save the day?
With all of New York law enforcement scrambling to avert a tragedy, Sergeant Sandy Kahn becomes convinced that Djenne’s girlfriend holds the key. He tails her to the gate of an industrial facility in New Jersey, only to be left wondering what’s going on inside the surrounding fence. Will he crack the case before hundreds of thousands lose their lives in the greatest conflagration New York has ever seen?
REVIEW:DEATH MARCH is the second instalment in J.E.Fishman’s contemporary crime thriller series Bomb Squad NYC. Each book focuses on the members of the NYC Bomb Squad. Death March does not particularly focus on one individual but several of the bomb squad members. When a call from a CIA operative in the Middle East warns of a potential terrorist attack during the New York Thanksgiving Day parade, the NYC Bomb Squad gather all of their people as they hunt for any potential threat and the person most likely to pull off such a feat.
The focus of the storyline will find the men of the NYC Bomb Squad searching for master bomb maker Abu al Djenne. When his ‘girlfriend’ turns over a major piece of evidence the squad begins a meticulous building by building exploration looking for any threatening packages, explosives or ammunition. When their search turns up nothing of importance, Sergeant Sander Kahn calls in to the Squad with important information-Djenne’s girlfriend has been sighted at a gas and petroleum refinery.
JE Fishman pulls the reader into a storyline of mystery, suspense and intrigue. He combines the possibility of another deadly attack against the people of New York with all of the hallmarks of a terrorist organization. The reality of the situation is not lost on the reader when JE Fishman uses an American national holiday as the targeted date and site.
Several of the previous storyline characters play a minor secondary role, if only by way of a mention or reference. We watch as the canine unit is pulled into a dangerous situation as well as the love that is not lost between an officer and his dog. The situations are made that much more real when family is brought in to give a sense of drama and the effects on relationships and love.
DEATH MARCH is another intense and powerful storyline that will resonate with many people especially those who have experienced the 9/11 attacks and the continuous threats of terrorist organizations. The novel is well paced but faltered when it lingered too long on the terrorist development and story. I would have liked to have read more about the Bomb Squad and police investigation. The storyline intensified with the discovery of the ‘what’ and ‘how’ Djenne intended to bring New York to its’ knees.
Description: In a decrepit, long-empty New York building, Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, there are two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it. He summons his wife immediately—and by the time she’s done with the crime scene, there are twelve murders to be solved.
The place once housed a makeshift shelter for troubled teenagers, back in the mid-2040s, and Eve tracks down the people who ran it. Between their recollections and the work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the remains. They are all young girls. A tattooed tough girl who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well-to-do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.
Then Eve discovers a connection between the victims and someone she knows. And she grows even more determined to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary—and the evil concealed in one human heart.
Review:
Concealed in Death is the 38th novel in J.D. Robb’s In Death series. Most of you already know that I am a In Death fanatic, and have read all 38 of the books, and all of the novellas, which Nora (she is J.D. Robb) writes a few times a year. I love that that I can get my In Death fix without too long to wait (no less than 3 times a year, including the novellas). Now to my review.
Concealed in Death begins with Roarke, who is and always will be the best and swoonworthy male character in the literary world. Roarke has just purchased a broken down building, and while reviewing with his staff of what he wants done, he helps start the wrecking ball going by knocking down part of a wall. Of course, we knew something would happen, this is after all a murder mystery, and it is Eve Dallas, our fabulous murder detective. Roarke calls in his wife, as behind that wall they found two bodies.
Before Eve, Peabody, and the rest of the police crew are done, there will be 12 bodies found, all bones, and all young girls between 12-15 years old. What will make it a difficult case is that the murders took place 15 years ago. We get to meet a new interesting character, Garnet DeWinter, the new forensic anthropologist. There is an immediate clash of personalities between Eve & Garnet that will continue throughout the book, as they are both strong independent women at the top of their field. Should be interesting where this will go in future books.
While the bodies are slowly being identified Eve, her civilian consultant (Roarke), and Peabody delve deep into the history of the old building (The Sanctuary), which was a home for troubled, wayward children/runaways. As is usual with Eve, we get to find out about the dead girls, at least some of them, such as Shelby, who was the leader of a group of girls. The story revolves around her, and her friends, who are mostly dead.
With all the years past, and no clues, Eve will slowly begin to put the pieces together. Having had her own troubled childhood, will help Eve put herself in those children’s eyes. We meet the people who ran The Sanctuary, Philly (Philadelphia) and Nash (Nashville) Jones, a brother and sister team, who had closed the The Sanctuary years before, as it was falling apart, and thanks to a benefactor, moved to a new, bigger and more exclusive building.
This was a different type of case then normal for the In Death series, with lots of details as they continue to dig into the past. There was no tense murder that we normally witness or a horrible villain that we had to endure. It was a sad story that came to life for us to see. But it was an excellent story, one that kept your attention and one you had no idea who the murderer was. The ending was filled with many surprises, and as I said before, totally different then usually done in this series, very well done.
As is with all the In Death books, there are always two stories that mesh together: the murder(s)/villians and there is Eve & Roarke. They are such a great couple together, and their love for one another is just beautiful, sexy, heartwarming, and fun. They are truly partners in every sense of the word. 38 books later, we can see Eve becoming more content in her life, letting her horrific past go, and opening up more to friends and family. At the same time, Eve the cop, is still a tough, rough, in your face heroine, and that will never change. She will always stand for the dead. Concealed in Death is another wonderful addition to this fantastic series, which I pray continues for another 40 more.
Love saved her soul . . . but the shadows of the past condemn her. Lanore McIlvrae is the kind of woman who will do anything for love. Including imprisoning the man who loves her behind a wall of brick and stone.
She had no choice but to entomb Adair, her nemesis, to save Jonathan, the boy she grew up with in a remote Maine town in the early 1800s and the man she thought she would be with forever. But Adair had other plans for her. He used his mysterious, otherworldly powers to give her eternal life, but Lanore learned too late that there was a price for this gift: to spend eternity with him. And though he is handsome and charming, behind Adair’s seductive facade is the stuff of nightmares. He is a monster in the flesh, and he wants Lanore to love him for all of time.
Now, two hundred years after imprisoning Adair, Lanore is trying to atone for her sins. She has given away the treasures she’s collected over her many lifetimes in order to purge her past and clear the way for a future with her new lover, Luke Findley. But, while viewing these items at an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Lanore suddenly is aware that the thing she’s been dreading for two hundred years has caught up to her: Adair has escaped from his prison. He’s free; and he will come looking for her. And she has no idea how she will save herself.
••••••••••••••••••••••
NOTE:The Taker series must be read in order or important information will not be understood.
REVIEW: THE RECKONING is the second full length novel in Alma Katsu’s dark and richly detailed paranormal, historical fiction, horror-esque series focusing on Lanore McIlvrae and Adair-the man who claimed her life and made her an immortal. Like the first book in the series-The Taker- The Reckoning is divided into three sections, told from first to third person points of view. This is not a story of vampires and blood but a story of centuries old magic, alchemy and the sins of life everlasting-til the end.
Alma Katsu’s wonderfully decadent imagination takes the reader on a journey of one woman’s fight for her freedom from the man who wants the only woman he can never have. Adair is an enigma-a man of wealth and power, but a power that comes from the ancient magical tomes of a physic long thought gone. But some of Adair’s secrets have been uncovered and Lanny hopes to stay one step ahead of the man who seeks revenge and reprisal for two centuries of imprisonment at the hands of the woman he cannot live without.
Lanore McIlvrae is a naïve woman who has truly loved only one man in her entire existence but that love was never shared or returned. Jonathan is beautiful, handsome and the epitome of every man and woman’s dream but with it comes a self centered ego that will never allow him to love anyone beyond that of what he is capable of giving himself.
Lanore is too trusting in her endeavor to seek help from the ‘other’ people who have succumbed to Adair’s charms and powers and in this, Lanny will fall victim to Adair once again. To save the people that she loves, she will be forced to make a choice that, in the end, will push away the man who is willing to die for the woman that he also loves.
Alma Katsu pulls the reader into the dark and dangerous sensual world of one man’s obsession, love, desire and need for the woman known as Lanore McIlvrae. Adair’s passion for immortality is tempered by the circumstances that have forced him into a prison not of his making and it is that passion that will have Adair focusing on the ultimate revenge against Lanny for her crimes against the man and his broken heart. His need for Lanny overpowers any sense of morality and with it comes the desire to destroy anything and anyone who stands in his way.
THE RECKONING continues to build on the story that began in The Taker and the story will come full circle with the release of The Descent on January 7, 2014. There are many questions left unanswered and many more yet to be addressed but with Alma’s ability to weave a tale of obsession and the fine line between love and hate, we know that the final instalment in Lanny and Adair’s story will be epic as Adair has willingly allowed Lanny to walk away with both his heart and possibly his soul.
Reviewed by Sandy
ClickHEREfor our review of THE TAKER (The Taker #1) by Alma Katsu
Officer Brett Reed will do anything to gain custody of his five-year-old daughter, Quinn. But when a judge grants Brett’s drug-addicted ex-wife custody and slaps him with a protective order for losing his temper, he fears for Quinn’s safety. Who will protect her now?
When Quinn is found abandoned on the streets, she’s placed in a temporary foster home until Child Protective Services can complete an assessment. It should only take a few days.
But a lot can happen in a few days.
Especially when there’s a deranged psychopath on the loose, someone who’s attacking pedophiles, someone who wants to protect children like Quinn, and someone who’s planting body parts in geocaching sites.
Cache a Predator is a novel about a father’s love, justice, and the unhinged game of hide-the-cache.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
REVIEW: Let me begin by letting you know this book is such a thrilling read! That said; let’s get into the premise and beginning of the story.
I don’t want to give too much away, but we’re dealing with abuse (physical and sexual) and its aftermath years down the road and how it affects the lives it touches, I know – not a wonderful subject, but this is really well done. The story begins with the narration of a person going a crime…describing feelings, past and present, what they’re doing now and the whole scene. The crime is an interesting one, breaking into a mausoleum and cutting off the male member of a dead abuser…then taking that and sealing it in a plastic bag and hiding in in a geocache location. Geocaching is an interesting hiking activity of a sort of treasure hunt game people are playing all over the world…Google it!
This is an intricate story or stories as it deals with different people and their lives all touched by the same or similar situations and the aftermath. The main character in this twisty thrilling tale is Brett Reed. Brett spent twelve years trying to “rescue” Ali, his ex-wife from herself and her issues from her past, but some people just won’t be saved. However, they managed to produce Quinn, a wonderful little girl who loves her parents. Circumstances have Brett wound up in knots trying to gain custody of his daughter, while trying not to harm her mother any further than she already is! You really feel the frustration that courts and their “snail-pace” can and do inflict.
Brett is also a police officer and he and his partner draw the case of the “whacker”, who is now whacking live sex offenders in their area and geocaching their members as well!
Due to complications, I would need to write my own novel to describe; Quinn is placed in Child Protective Services (CPS) care to keep her safe until custody can be determined by the courts, after she is found wondering the streets of the neighborhood in the middle of the night. This brings into play the lovely Dr. Sarah Grinwald, a psychologist and part-time case worker for CPS. She’s to assess Quinn, Ali and Brett and make a recommendation to the courts as to custody and what would be in Quinn’s best interests.
Sarah is a very good psychologist, but also a wonderful human being! The sparks between Brett and Sarah are immediate, but very slow and cautious. Now the fun begins! This story takes off on many levels as crimes, personal issues, and more wind into a marvelously compelling and thrilling tale.
While I’m not a lover of abuse stories, I found this intriguing tale compelling and strangely uplifting. I think this was mostly due to the well written dialog and plot of this story. It’s inspirational, slightly sensual, and very realistically written. I have to say I just loved it and wanted more! This was definitely worth the read!! Enjoy, I did!
Copy supplied by the author
Reviewed by Georgianna
TRC: Hi Michelle and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of CACHE A PREDATOR.
We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?
Michelle: I’m a fulltime writer and blogger, encouraging adults and teens on their writing journey. My blog is called RANDOM WRITING RANTS.
I’m a sucker for emotional stories, sometimes called an empath. I feel other people’s pain. It’s my sensitive side that fuels the passion for my character’s plights, often giving me the ability to show readers the other side of the story.
I grew up in the burbs of Detroit with five brothers. No sisters. Each time my mom brought the boy bundle home I cried, certain my mom liked boys better than girls. But when my brothers pitched in with the cooking, cleaning, and babysitting—without drama, I discovered having brothers wasn’t so bad. They even taught me how to take direct criticism without flinching, which might come in handy with book reviews.
I’m living my dream—writing every day and thanking God for the stories He puts in my path. When I’m not writing I’m winning ugly on the tennis court. I’m known as “Queen of the Rim Shots.” No joke. It’s ugly.
My debut novel, Cache a Predator is a geocaching mystery and an Amazon bestseller in the thriller/crime category.
Scattered Links, a Young Adult novel about a Russian orphan, is slated to be released January 2014.
TRC: July 30 2013 saw the release of your suspense/mystery novel CACHE A PREDATOR. Would you please tell us something about the premise?
Michelle: It’s a geocaching mystery about a cop who wants custody of his five-year-old daughter. But first he has to convince the judge, child protective services, and a deranged vigilante that he’s a good dad.
TRC: Do you have plans for a series of novels focusing on Officer Brett Reed and his murder investigations or is this a stand alone novel?
Michelle: Although this is a stand-alone novel, several readers have commented that they’d love for the story to continue, so I might have to consider a series.
TRC: If you could virtually cast the leading characters of CACHE A PREDATOR, which actors or models would best represent your ideal image or character muse?
Michelle: Confession—I have no clue. I’m really bad at knowing the names of actors and actresses. Isn’t that pitiful? Maybe if they wore nametags on their foreheads I could remember! I know, it’s embarrassing. My friends make fun of me about not knowing who the big ones are.
However, I have a Pinterest board of CACHE a PREDATOR and photos of what I think the characters might look like.
TRC: What is the significance of the novel title-CACHE a PREDATOR and its relationship to the storyline?
Michelle: In the sport “geocaching” hikers find hidden cache boxes in their communities. They use GPS devices to find the coordinates of where the cache boxes are hidden. In this novel, the “cache” is a predator’s body part, thus “Cache a Predator.” But it’s a play on words too—meant to sound like “Catch a Predator.” The vigilante targets pedophiles and plants a “piece” of them in the cache boxes.
TRC: Who or what was the influence behind the storyline and Officer Brett Reed?
Michelle: I knew a dad who was going through a divorce and he worried the female judge would grant his ex-wife custody of their son. His raw emotion helped feed this story. I also think that there are a lot of great dads out there who are married to women who struggle with addictions, but you don’t hear about them as often as you do men with addictions.
When a friend of mine suggested I write a geocaching mystery I had no clue what geocaching was. But once I researched this sport I was totally intrigued. That led me to thinking, “Who would plant body parts in these cache boxes?” I decided it would be someone who liked to play games and had a backstory that would lend itself to targeting pedophiles–who seemed the least likeable people.
TRC: We have read where a number of readers were caught off-guard with the storyline content in the initial pages of the novel. What ‘warnings’ or information would you like to impart to your readers and followers regarding the imagery or details of the storyline?
Michelle: The first chapter is tough for readers because they’re in the mind of the vigilante—a person who’s been sexually abused and wants to right wrongs, wants to protect other children from abuse. It’s gross because the vigilante targets pedophiles and slices a body part—the part that causes the most damage in children.
I’ve thought of rewriting that first chapter, but it’s important to see what drives the story. Maiming pedophiles is something that people have thought about, but no one has ever written about. I understand why it’s difficult for some readers to read, but if they can get past the first chapter it’s not bad thereafter.
There are 35 five-star reviews at Amazon so many readers have gotten past that first chapter.
TRC: When writing a storyline, do your characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?
Michelle: It’s a little of both. Characters have specific flaws and strengths so who they are dictates what they do and how they speak. However, the outline to the story is something that I loosely plan. I want the characters to show the readers a certain story, so I have to orchestrate that a little and put obstacles in the character’s way.
TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?
Michelle: Great question. How do you? Ha!
Typically there’s a perfect ending. What the characters do is a result of their personalities and their predicaments. It leads to the ending that best fits. Sometimes it’s not what the readers want to see though. Sometimes the main character dies and the reader is disappointed, but if it fits the story then it works.
TRC: Are you a plotter or a panster (‘write by the seat of your pants’)?
Michelle: A little of both. I like to have a loose outline so I know the beginning and the ending, but I might not have the middle plot points figured out. For instance, I’m writing a mid-grade novel about a boy who has to save the canine race and a centaur showed up, a mythological creature who’s an immortal half man/half horse. It’s a supernatural story so it fit, but that creature came out of nowhere. Two months ago I didn’t even know what a centaur was. So, you see, if I had everything figured out to the “Nth” degree it wouldn’t allow for any creativity.
TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?
Michelle: I love this question, and I totally believe this is the reason readers keep reading or close the book before they finish. If the hero doesn’t sacrifice something, or if the writer doesn’t make me care for the character, then I’m not going to be interested in finishing the novel.
In Cache a Predator I wanted readers to feel sorry for Brett Reed. He’s a great guy who wants custody of his five-year-old daughter to keep her safe from a drug-addicted mother. He only wants what’s best for his little girl. But he has a temper. That’s one of his flaws. He doesn’t see eye-to-eye with a judge who thinks the child is better off with her mother.
But I also want the reader to feel sorry for the vigilante. I think they do by the end of the book, but not in that first chapter. Ha!
In my next novel, Scattered Links, readers feel sorry for Oksana because they see her on the streets in Russia with an abusive aunt. The first 500 words of this novel won $1000 in the Aspiring Writers Contest with The Reading Room a few weeks ago. Literary agent Catherine Drayton requested the full novel for consideration too! (She’s the BOOK THIEF’s agent.) I think the reason this novel won was because readers cared about Oksana. They felt sorry for her right away. (At least, I hope they did!)
TRC: Many writers bounce ideas with family and friends. With whom do you bounce ideas?
Michelle: I have a group of writer friends I “bounce” with. We meet once a week. But one of my favorite “bouncers” is a young mom, Janelle Leonard, in upstate New York—far from my Indiana home. I met her online. We PM at Facebook. Last week we spoke on the phone for the first time and I loved it! I feel like we’re sisters with a different mother. Wait, actually, I could be her mother I’m so much older than her. Ha! But she reads a ton of Young Adult and writes in that genre, so I find her helpful. I love her writing voice—it’s very different than mine so I appreciate it. I like to encourage her too, and listen to her ideas because she’s an amazing and creative woman.
TRC: On what are you currently working?
Michelle: I’m in the final edits of my young adult contemporary novel, SCATTERED LINKS. It’s a multicultural novel set in Russia and then the US. It’s about a teen who’s abandoned in an orphanage before she says goodbye to her Mama or tells her a secret that haunts her.
TRC: Would you like to add anything else?
Michelle: Thanks for asking great questions and giving me the opportunity to be at the READING CAFÉ!
LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite Food –Crunchy asparagus sushi
Favorite TV Show –I don’t watch much TV, just mostly FOX news. But Robin Roberts from Good Morning America is awesome too. It’s not that I don’t like to watch TV, it’s just that I enjoy writing and reading more.
Last Movie You Saw –Superman. I loved the Christian elements.
Dark or Milk chocolate –Milk Chocolate
Favorite Flower –Yellow daisies
Secret Celebrity Crush – I don’t really have one. I know. I’m weird.
Pet Peeve –Indie authors who don’t hire a developmental editor or line-editor for their novels. They give other “Indie” authors a bad name when they publish novels with typos, grammar errors, and plot problems.
TRC: Thank you Michelle for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of CACHE A PREDATOR. We wish you all the best.
A series of anonymous threats intended for others puts a man—and everyone he loves—in the path of a relentless killer
Daniel Brasher has always been something of a disappointment to his old-money aristocratic San Francisco mother. Daniel left his high-paying job as a money manager to marry his community organizer wife and work at a job he loves, leading group counseling sessions with recently paroled ex-cons. Now he’s ready to move on and start a private practice.
But before he leaves, he finds an envelope in his department mailbox—one intended for someone else that was placed in his slot by accident. Inside it is an unsigned piece of paper, a note that says only “admit what you’ve done or you will bleed for it. you have ’til november 15 at midnite.” The deadline has already passed and the person to whom the envelope was addressed was brutally murdered. But this first warning is only the beginning.
Soon, Daniel finds more warnings in his office mail, to people that the police cannot track down, and to victims that cannot be saved. Daniel’s efforts, however, have alerted the killer to his involvement and next he gets a threat of his own. Now, with the clock ticking, Daniel—with no clue what he’s supposed to have done or to what action he must confess—must somehow appease, or outwit, a seemingly unstoppable killer.
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REVIEW: TELL NO LIES is a contemporary mystery storyline of murder and suspense. This is my first Gregg Hurwitz novel.
The focus is on thirty something Daniel Brasher. Growing up privileged Daniel thumbed his nose at his family’s prestige and wealth and ventured into the world of psychology, group counseling with one-time rapists and thieves. A married man in a loving and committed relationship with his wife, three times per week Daniel leads and challenges a group of ex-cons and parolees to look within themselves at the who and what in their lives. But soon, Daniel will find himself on the receiving end of mysterious envelopes containing misdirected threats of murder and revenge. The messages are cryptic, threatening and contain deadlines for action.
We are introduced to the colorful and diverse group members through a series of one on one interactions where each participant must face the reality of what they have done and how to make amends. And in doing so, the reader as well as our hero will discover that not everyone is who he or she pretends to be. Everyone has a secret to tell.
As the storyline unfolds our hero Daniel is thrust into a world of grisly murders and psychotic killers. The local police detectives have nothing on Daniel as he seems to be able to ferret out the next victim before the authorities have time to blink and in doing so, Daniel places himself into a position where the killer begins to pull Daniel into the mystery that is unfolding before his eyes. But all too soon, the threats become personal and through a series of his own investigations Daniel will discover that the killer intends to make Daniel suffer in the same way the killer has suffered in the past.
This is a story of murder and revenge; a story where the killer believes he has been betrayed down to the deepest part of his soul; and a story where one man’s grief turns ugly with the need to avenge a death that he believes could have been prevented if not for the money behind the rich and powerful. Tell No Lies is also a study of the sociological implications of who has the power over life and death; and the greed of big money, big business and big medicine.
Gregg Hurwitz pulls the reader into a storyline of twists and turns. There is limited foul language; the murder scenes are not as graphically descriptive as are some other storylines I have read, but they do leave nothing to the imagination. The group of counseling characters are an interesting mix of cons, thieves, gang bangers and screw ups who through one reason or another have an axe to grind about how society and the ‘man’ have ruined their lives. And in the end, each will face their demons and come out of the sessions for better or for worse.
TELL NO LIES is a dark tale where one man’s choices will snowball into a story of revenge: where money and power have all of the control; and where the lives of everyone you love will hang in the balance when horrendous grief knows no boundaries or ends.
Tell No Lies takes the reader on a trail of mysterious messages, missing bodies, murder victims and revenge. Gregg Hurwitz writes an interesting story that will captivate the mystery lover in all readers.
Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twelve novels, most recently They’re Watching, You’re Next, The Survivor and Tell No Lies. His books have been nominated for numerous awards, shortlisted twice for best novel of the year by International Thriller Writers, nominated for CWA’s Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, chosen as feature selections for all four major literary book clubs, honored as Book Sense Picks, nominated for the Galaxy National Book Award, and translated into twenty two languages.
Gregg has written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios, and written, developed, and produced television (including ABC’s “V”) for various networks. He is also a New York Times Bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). He has published numerous academic articles on Shakespeare, taught fiction writing in the USC English Department, and guest lectured for UCLA, and for Harvard in the United States and internationally. In the course of researching his thrillers, he has sneaked onto demolition ranges with Navy SEALs, swum with sharks in the Galápagos, and gone undercover into mind-control cults.
Hurwitz grew up in the Bay Area. While completing a BA from Harvard and a master’s from Trinity College, Oxford in Shakespearean tragedy, he wrote his first novel. He was the undergraduate scholar-athlete of the year at Harvard for his pole-vaulting exploits, and played college soccer in England, where he was a Knox fellow. He now lives in L.A. where he continues to play soccer, frequently injuring himself.
The third installment in the sexy Inside Out erotic romance series—in the seductive tradition of Fifty Shades of Grey.
You’ve discovered Rebecca’s secrets. You’ve discovered Sara’s secrets. Now Sara will discover “his” deepest, darkest secrets…but will those secrets bind them together–or tear them apart?
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REVIEW: REVEALING US is the third installment in Lisa Renee Jones’s sexy contemporary, erotic romance Inside Out series. In the previous two installments Sara McMillan found and had read a series of journals written by a young woman who was once employed by the same man with whom Sara is now working. Hoping to find some clue about Rebecca’s disappearance, Sara searches for answers in the sometimes less than revealing journals about the ‘what’ and the ‘who’ in Rebecca’s life. And Sara’s almost obsessive need to uncover the truth will put her in harm’s way and threaten her relationship with Chris Merit- the man that she loves.
Revealing Us picks up where Being Me left off and in doing so, Sara must make a decision that quite possibly could affect the rest of her life. But Sara continues to struggle with her need to uncover the truth and with her best friend Ella still missing, Sara will push forward until hidden secrets and painful pasts are revealed. With the man that she loves bordering the edge of control, Sara will push the boundaries until the truth is finally revealed.
Once again, Lisa Renee Jones pulls the reader into a storyline of mystery and suspense; heartbreak and sorrow; love and revenge. Revealing Us has a different feel to the story than the previous installments as it centers on Chris Merit’s past and the potential for disaster in both his personal and private life as well as Sara’s need to find out what happened to her best friend after she unexpectedly disappeared while on vacation in France.
Revealing Us is not the end but the beginning of a new direction in the series. With the focus of the series branching out in several directions, Lisa adds another connection to her dark heroes, her lost heroines and a lifestyle that lays hidden behind closed doors and in secret rooms. And in the end, everything and everyone can be traced back to a young woman who wanted to be loved but found out the hard way that you don’t always get what you want.
Revealing Us and The Inside Out series is a story of suspense and mystery, painful secrets, love and loss. Lisa writes a story that lures the reader into the seductive world of erotic pleasure and pain, and a lifestyle where moving on does not necessarily mean letting go.
READING ORDER: 1. If I Were You (Inside Out #1) 2. Rebecca’s Lost Journals (Novellas) -The Seduction -The Contract -His Submissive -My Master 3. Being Me 4. Behind Closed Doors (online serial novellas) 5. The Master Undone (novella) (August 2013) 6. Revealing Us (September 2013)
ABOUT THE BOOK:
