Tag Archives: Thriller

Don’t Open the Door by Allison Brennan – a Review

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Don’t Open the Door by Allison Brennan – a Review

 

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Description:
A child is shot while playing video games at home. His mother will stop at nothing to find out who did it—and why.

After their ten-year-old son, Chase, was senselessly murdered, Regan’s life unraveled. Her corporate lawyer husband, Grant, blamed the death on Regan’s work as a US marshal. Unable to reconcile their grief, they divorced, and Regan quit her job and moved away.

Now she’s back after a voice mail from her former boss Tommy said he had important news to share about Chase’s killing. Regan is stunned to learn Tommy is dead too. When she reaches out to Grant, his panicked reaction raises her suspicions. Then a lawyer with ties to her ex also turns up murdered, and the police make Grant their top suspect.

Unsure of his guilt or innocence, Regan risks everything to find Grant before the police do so she can finally get the answers to all that has haunted her since losing Chase. But the truth is not even close to what she imagines—and now she fears she has no one to trust.

 

 

Review:

Don’t Open the Door by Allison Brennan is the 2nd book in her Regan Merritt series.  Allison Brennan has become one of my must-read suspense thriller authors, as she never fails to give us exciting, tense and non-stop action throughout the entire book. 

We met Regan Merritt, in the first book (The Sorority Murders), and in Don’t Open the Door, we learn more about Regan, and how her life totally changed, due to the murder of her young son almost a year ago.  Regan quit her job as a US Marshall, she and her husband, Grant divorced, and she moved back home near her father.  Regan remained close friends with her US Marshall ex-partner, Tommy, who privately continued to investigate her son’s murder. 

Regan gets a voice message from Tommy, claiming that he knew who really killed her son, which he plans to prove was an accidental hit on her son, but the true target was her ex-husband, Grant. Before she could get in touch with him, Regan learns that Tommy was murdered at his home. Regan comes back for Tommy’s funeral, and stays at his house, determined to find his killer, especially with all the evidence that Tommy found was now missing. 

Regan learns that Tommy met with Grant a few times, and wants to know why.  Grant has been trying to avoid Regan, but when he learns that he was the true target, he panics; and when Grant’s girlfriend is murdered, he runs away.  Slowly, Regan begins to discover new clues, with some pieces starting fall into place, leading to a conspiracy and her becoming closer to the truth.  Regan realizes that Grant’s life is in danger and she hurries to find him; she also knows that those behind the conspiracy will be going after her too.

Don’t Open the Door was an excellent, action filled, suspense thriller with so many twists and turns throughout. From start to finish, this is an extremely complicated story, with a number of people involved in the murders.  I cannot say too much more, as it would ruin it for you.  Don’t Open the Door was a great and exciting read, which was very well written by Allison Brennan.  If you like suspense thrillers, you need to read this book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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The Fall of Faith by Jeff Berney-a review

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The Fall of Faith by Jeff Berney-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 30, 2022

How strong is your faith?
“The Fall of Faith” is a gritty domestic thriller about love, faith and the consequences of doing whatever it takes to survive. The book follows Jimmy, a trucker on his last run who has nothing to go home to. When his truck breaks down in Eden, Missouri, Jimmy learns the hard way that the small town is nothing like its biblical namesake. And he soon finds himself falling in love with a local woman as danger closes in on him from every angle.

Will he find love at long last? Will he make it out of Eden alive? Or will he lose his life along with his faith?

Faith comes in many forms. It can take years to find and seconds to lose. And nothing, not money nor even morality, can help you hold onto it once it begins to slip away.

How far would you be willing to go to regain your faith in something bigger than yourself?

That’s the question a cast of crazy, colorful characters confronts as Jimmy, a lost trucker, seeks redemption after a chance encounter with a stripper whose seductive secret threatens to unravel a town full of sin and deeply buried lies.

•••••

REVIEW:THE FALL OF FAITH by Jeff Berney is a contemporary, adult, dark thriller focusing on a truck driver named Jimmy, and the people of a small town called Eden, somewhere on the border between Kansas and Missouri.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers

Told from third person perspective THE FALL OF FAITH focuses on truck driver Jimmy. On his last day, and last run for the Walmart Corporation, Jimmy falls victim to a hooker, a stripper, a hit and run, and the destruction of his truck as he heads out of town to make his final run. Landing in Eden, a small town somewhere on the border between Kansas and Missouri, Jimmy finds himself wondering if he has entered an alternate reality as the freakish and outlandish behaviors give rise to near death experiences and physical attacks. From the bizarre to the curious, the unusual and the peculiar, the eccentric and odd people of Eden are a mix of inbreeding, anti-social, drug addicted and alcoholic citizens. Feeling like a prisoner in body and mind, Jimmy struggles to move forward, especially when he discovers that his truck is now a hostage of a questionable mechanic, the town is inundated with the curiousity seeking alien sinkholes, and our hero has fallen in love with a stripper who knows she will never be able to leave Eden on her own or alive.

An offbeat collection of deviant and exceptional people make up the town of Eden: from stripper KC, Kenny the bartender, Beryl the store clerk, bike riding Reggie Dandle the Transvestite, Roland the ‘headless’ cop, the homeless Mayor, Vic the mortician that doubles as the town doctor with tendencies towards depravity, Father Dominick, and a motherless child, Jimmy finds himself walking a path towards the end.

THE FALL OF FAITH is a haunting, gritty and dark mix of ‘Twin Peaks’ meets ‘Hotel California’ meets ‘American Horror Story’. Explanations defy, the reality of the unreal cannot be denied; Jimmy is but a memory to anyone who cared; was it fate or something else that brought Jimmy to Eden?

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz – a Review

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Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz – a Review

 

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Description:
Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.
 
After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women’s mysterious tipster.
 
Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

 

 

Review:

Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz is the first book in her new the Lost Night Files series.  We meet our heroine, Pallas Llewellyn, from the start.  Many months ago, Pallas was staying at the Lucent Springs Hotel, when an earthquake and fire literally destroyed the hotel. Pallas, and two other women came out of this with no memory of being there; as well as each having enhanced paranormal abilities.  Pallas joins with the other two ladies, Talia March and Amelia Rivers to start a podcast called the Lost Night Files; investigating strange unexpected events, or cold cases.

During a podcast, someone gives a tip, and Pallas decides to travel to Carnelian, California to investigate the abandoned asylum. When she steps into the building, she is shaken by the dark energy, and meets a stranger, who happens to be the person with the tip.

Ambrose Drake, our hero, has also had a bad experience at a Carnelian Sleep Clinic, and swears that someone was murdered, since during sleep treatment, he heard a scream. No one believes him, saying it was a dream nightmare. Ambrose tells Pallas, he cannot remember that one night in the clinic, but it still haunts him; and he wants her to help him investigate what really happened.

At first Pallas, doesn’t believe Ambrose, until she feels his psychic energies, and realizes he too has had lost a night, which he cannot remember. They join together to learn more about what happened at the asylum; interviewing people and learning more, which could involve others. Was there a connection about both incidents, and who was behind it? 

What follows is an exciting and compelling storyline, that had me unable to put the book down.  Slowly, Pallas and Ambrose begin to not only feel the psychic energies between them, but slow build romance begins.  As they get more information, the danger escalates, as they become targets to whomever wants to stop them. Sleep No More was so well written by Jayne Ann Krentz, with wonderful characters, filled with nonstop action, in a fantastic paranormal mystery.  To tell too much more would be spoilers, and I do not want to ruin the story for you.  I look forward to the next two books in this trilogy, with both Talia and Amelia having their own storylines.  I suggest you read Sleep No More, as it was a great read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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The Widow by Kaira Rouda-Review and Interview with the Author

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The Widow by Kaira Rouda-Review and Interview with the Author

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N Paper/ Chapters/Indigo Paper /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 1, 2022

Jody Asher had a plan. Her charismatic husband, Martin, would be a political icon. She, the charming wife, would fuel his success. For fifteen congressional terms, they were the golden couple on the Hill. Life was good. Until he wasn’t.

Martin’s secret affair with a young staffer doesn’t bother Jody personally. But professionally? It’s a legacy killer. Soon a reporter gets word of this scandal in the making, and Martin’s indiscretions threaten to ruin everything Jody has accomplished.

When Martin suddenly dies, it’s a chance to change the narrative—but the reporter won’t let go of his lead. As the balance of power shifts in the Asher house and on the Hill, it’s time for Jody to take control. And there’s nothing the ruthless widow won’t do to secure the future she’s entitled to. Even if she has a secret of her own.

•••••

REVIEW: THE WIDOW by Kaira Rouda is a stand alone, contemporary, adult political suspense story line focusing on Congressman Martin Asher, his social climbing wife Jody, and Washington Think Tank operator Mimi Smith.

Told from three first person perspectives (Martin, Jody and Mimi) THE WIDOW follows in the wake of the death of Congressman Martin Asher, an elected official facing the downfall of a rapidly building scandal. In the weeks before his only daughter’s lavish nuptials, Martin Asher takes ill and succumbs to his ailment on the day of the wedding. In an effort to keep her position as part of the political machine of Washington DC, Jody Asher invokes the Widow’s Succession Mandate, a little used practice that allows a widow to succeed or run for office upon the death of their politician spouse. Jody, ever the manipulator and power hungry politician’s wife, uses every dirty tactic available at her disposal but Jody has overestimated her popularity and her husband’s reputation on Capitol Hill. Facing down an aggressive,investigative reporter, a Think Tank manipulator whose own secrets are dangerous and dark, and a past shrouded in secrets and lies, Jody must tread carefully, in an effort to get what she believes she rightfully deserves.

THE WIDOW is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, manipulation and collusion. The fight for control is dirty; power is manipulated and abused; the political machine is deceitful, unethical and unscrupulous. Back room deals are the norm; blackmail is rampant; illegal and controversial deals are an everyday occurrence, and no one is above the ultimate betrayal. THE WIDOW is gritty and intriguing story of fiction; an up close and eye opening look at the what ifs, the probabilities, and the disturbing reality / unreality of the people in charge; the characters are relentless and destructive -politicians are a different breed of people, their humanity and hearts are non-existent.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

TRC:  Hi Kaira and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of THE WIDOW.

Kaira Rouda:  Thank you. I’m excited about this one, and hope everyone enjoys my first political thriller.

TRC:  We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Social Media Links: Amazon Author Page/ Goodreads/ Website/ Twitter/ Facebook/ Instagram/

Kaira Rouda: Sure. I live in Southern California with my husband and two dogs. We are lucky that all four of our 20-something kids live in various parts of Southern California, too. I’m a Pickleball fanatic and I’m so happy to be living near the beach.

TRC:  Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Kaira Rouda: My dad is a professor and an author, business books, and my mom is an elementary school teacher, so our home was filled with books. In elementary school, my third grade teacher asked us to write to the person we wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote to Robert McCloskey, of Make Way for Ducklings fame. I knew then I wanted to be an author. My first published book was in fifth grade. My librarian, Mrs. Gardier, lamented my story and put it on the shelf for checkout. I was thrilled.

TRC:  What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing your stories?

Kaira Rouda: I’m impatient, and my background is marketing. So the speed of publishing – the very slow process involved in bringing a book to life — is something I’ve struggled with. But I’m so grateful to be doing the career I dreamed of as a child.

TRC:  Would you please tell us something about the premise of THE WIDOW?

Kaira Rouda: The Widow’s premise is based on the tradition of The Widow’s Mandate. When a sitting member of congress dies in office, their spouse is often appointed by the governor (senate) or runs for the seat in a special election (house) to complete the term. The tradition is the way the first women began to serve in congress. In fact, statistically speaking, for women aspiring to serve in congress, the best husband has been a dead husband. I thought that was a good starting point for a political thriller.

TRC:  Are any of the events in THE WIDOW based in reality?

Kaira Rouda: Some of the settings are based on real events I had the chance to attend while we were in DC: The Congressional Dialogue Dinners at the gorgeous Library of Congress, the First Lady’s Luncheon, The Congressional Club. Congressman Asher’s office set up is based on the office my husband had. If you’re referring to the plot points, those are all my imagination. Although I will say Chinese spies are everywhere in DC, and there are a lot of stories about corrupt lobbyists.

TRC:  How do you keep the plot(s) unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Kaira Rouda: I’m a pantser, who writes by the seat of her pants. I don’t plot. So I just let my characters loose on the page and hope for the best.

TRC:  Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Kaira Rouda: I do think people judge a book by its cover — thus the expression!

TRC:  When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Kaira Rouda: The characters are in charge.

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 writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Kaira Rouda: Characters, even the killers, need to have relatable traits. I hope my characters are the kind you love to hate, at least some of them. The ones up to no good.

TRC:  Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Kaira Rouda: No. I write with no music, no noise. I’m not a cafe writer, either. I like to be at my desk, by myself.

TRC:  Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Kaira Rouda: My agents are great first readers, and my friend Andrea Katz of Great Thoughts is a fabulous brainstorming partner.

TRC:  What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Kaira Rouda: I’m not sure. Do you know? 😀

TRC:  What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Kaira Rouda: I love to hula hoop. And, I’m afraid of heights. Oh, and I’m shy, but people never think I am.

TRC:  On what are you currently working?

Kaira Rouda: I’m in edits on my next novel, BENEATH THE SURFACE, out September 2023. So excited.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Cheese

Favorite Dessert
Cheese

Favorite TV Show
Just binge watched LOOT. Loved it. Huge fan of Succession.

Last Movie You Saw
A Simple Favor. So good.

Dark or Milk Chocolate
I am one of the few people in the world that does not like chocolate. Halloween was tough growing up!

Secret Celebrity Crush
Cheryl Hines

Last Vacation Destination
Hawaii

Do you have any pets?
Two dogs! Mine is a shipoo named Tucker. He’s thirteen and my right-hand man. My husband’s dog is a crazy bernedoodle named Cali, who is a year and a half.

Last book you read
Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

Thank you Kaira for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on your new release.

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You Can Hide (Laurel Snow Thriller 2) by Rebecca Zanetti-review

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You Can Hide (Laurel Snow Thriller 2) by Rebecca Zanetti-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 29, 2022

Set against the atmospheric backdrop of rural Pacific Northwest, New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti’s thrilling suspense series follows FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow as she strives to navigate her complicated family life when her newly discovered sociopathic half-sister becomes the target of a dangerous killer. The Blacklist meets The Profiler meets Justified in this fast, page-turning thriller that will have readers guessing until the very end!

What do you do when a sociopath loves you? Rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow is about to find out …

Calling Laurel Snow’s relationship with her newly discovered half-sister challenging is an understatement. Not only does Laurel suspect Abigail is behind the mysterious disappearance of their father, but her erratic behavior also makes life in Laurel’s small hometown interesting, to say the least. Still, when Abigail claims someone is now out to kill her, Laurel’s instinct to protect her sister goes into overdrive. Then things get even more dicey as dead bodies start turning up in the icy waters of the Sauk River and there’s only one connection among them: Abigail . . .

Having Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers bringing in those bodies with his dive team only complicates matters. Huck is as impulsive and fiery as Laurel is coolly analytical, which makes their alliance risky at best. But standing up to such a demonically brilliant killer is going to take all the help Laurel can get. Because Laurel’s attempt to save her troubled sister’s life might cost her own .

••••

REVIEW: YOU CAN HIDE is the second instalment in Rebecca Zanetti’s contemporary, adult LAUREL SNOW suspense thriller focusing on FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow. YOU CAN HIDE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as their is an ongoing plot line throughout.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several third person perspectives YOU CAN HIDE follows FBI profiler Laurel Snow as she is temporarily posted to Genesis Valley and Witch Creek in Northern Washington State where she, and Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers find themselves focusing on the possibility of another serial killer. When Huck and Laurel begin their investigation, a pattern emerges wherein all of the victims are intelligent women with doctorate degrees. As our couple dig deeper into the lives of the victims, secrets reveal a possible connection to Laurel’s half-sister Abigail, a woman whose own proclivities are not as they appear. With the number of murder suspects and victims growing at an alarming rate, Laurel is at a loss, frustrated with the lies that are impeding their murder investigation. Everyone is suspect; the motives are numerous; the behavior is questionable from the Mayor to the local high school bad boys. The small town lives and mentality begin to shake Laurel at her core but when she and Huck become the target of the killer, Laurel thinks she knows who is controlling from the top.

Meanwhile, Laurel’s relationship with Huck Rivers becomes fodder for the local gossips and podcaster. Laurel appears to be on the autism spectrum, a woman with several degrees and doctorates who struggles with basic day to day interactions, often missing clues about her own personal behavior. Huck struggles with issues of PTSD. A former sniper, Huck wanted a quieter life but life in Washington State is anything but calm.

YOU CAN HIDE is a slow building story line that keeps you on the edge of your seat; an intriguing story of secrets and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, manipulation and obsession, frustration and murder. The dramatic premise is thrilling, compelling and captivating; the characters are numerous, determined and desperate.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one YOU CAN RUN

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED by Mark Nolan-Review & Giveaway Tour

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THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED by Mark Nolan-review & giveaway tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 29, 2022

One month ago, four college girls were abducted. Three were brutally murdered. One girl escaped.

Angie Taylor was traumatized and shocked speechless.
The police think she killed her friends, and then had a mental breakdown.
Her psychiatrist believes she has an emotionally unstable personality disorder.

Can she ever speak up and describe the killer’s face to a police sketch artist?
Is the murderer stalking her right now, eager to finish what he started?
Everyone in the city is on edge, fearing the worst, not sure what to believe.

A visit from a determined FBI agent shakes things up and raises the stakes. FBI Special Agent Brenda Reynolds of the VSRT must investigate whether the mysterious silent girl is a victim, a killer, or has gone insane.

••••••

REVIEW: THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED by Mark Nolan is a contemporary, adult, suspense thriller focusing on the hunt for a killer. THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED is a cross-over story line with the author’s JAKE WOLFE series.

Told from third person perspective THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED follows in the aftermath of the abduction of four college friends in Miami Florida: Angie Taylor escaped and her three friends are found murdered in the back of Angie’s car. Desperate for help, Angie Taylor flags down a police car heading towards the scene, only to find herself the lone suspect in the murder of her friends when she is found with a weapon, coated in blood. Arrested, incarcerated, and assaulted by the people left in charge, Angie withdraws into herself, refusing to speak or acknowledge anyone’s existence for the next several weeks. With the help of Evelyn, a concerned nurse, FBI Special Agent Brenda Reynolds of the VSRT (Victim Services Response Team) contacts former combat Marine, Above Top Secret Black Ops specialist and attorney Jake Wolfe, and his Marine IED detector dog Cody (Jake Wolfe series) when it is discovered that Angie comes to life with visiting therapy dog Waffles. With the help of Jake and Cody, Angie makes a slow but long overdue recovery, and helps in the search for clues to the man who killed her friends but there is something or someone more sinister behind the kidnappings and murder of Angie’s friends, and another search of the crime scenes reveals the possibility of several more abductions or murders in the area.

THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, desperation and obsession, drama and murder. The premise is dramatic, edgy and haunting but I struggled with some believability, and the amount of negligence at the hands of law enforcement and medical personnel involved in the case; the characters are animated and determined. At this point, I am going to presume THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED is the start of a new series featuring FBI Special Agent Brenda Reynolds as the story ends with Brenda heading to her next assignment.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow:Goodreads/ Website/ Facebook / Twitter/ Amazon Author Page

Mark Nolan began his writing career as a successful entrepreneur who created news stories for businesses that were featured in The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Parade, Reader’s Digest and The Associated Press. Nolan was born in San Francisco, grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has also lived in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. He has raised two great kids and one very smart retriever dog. He is currently writing book 5 in the Jake Wolfe and Cody series. He tries to make time every day to answer emails from readers. You can reach him and subscribe to his newsletter at marknolan.com.
NOW FOR THE AUTHOR’S GIVEAWAY
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BLAST (Ben Blackshaw) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review & Giveaway

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BLAST (Ben Blackshaw 6) by Robert Blake Whitehill-Review and Giveaway


Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 24, 2022

Ben Blackshaw discovers a murdered woman’s corpse frozen in the Chesapeake Bay. All the signs point to her being crew on a massive Liquid Natural Gas transport ship that’s trapped in the channel ice. Blackshaw, his wife LuAnna, his friend Knocker Ellis, and a band of neighbors take different paths to solve the mystery before a thaw frees the ship to sail off with all the evidence, or destroy Washington, D.C. and the Chesapeake fishery, in a single fiery blast

••••••

REVIEW: BLAST is the sixth instalment in Robert Blake Whitehill’s contemporary, adult BEN BLACKSHAW military, suspense, thriller series focusing on retired US Navy SEAL Ben Blackshaw, his wife, former Natural Resources police officer LuAnna, and his eclectic company of cloak and dagger investigators, former military personnel and first responders. BLAST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from third person perspective, following numerous intersecting paths BLAST focuses on the discovery of several bodies encased in ice. Winter in Chesapeake Bay is dark and dangerous but Ben and his fellow residents including Vietnam veteran Knocker Ellis Hogan, have stumbled upon nine bodies, all frozen in the ice, all with apparent bullet wounds and injuries. Further investigation reveals a large tanker, trapped in the ice, a tanker whose cargo and location are too far off course. As Ben and Ellis begin a search for the truth including a clandestine exploration of the ice-jammed tanker, a group known as Faction takes aim at our story hero. From the FBI to rogue assassins and hired muscle, Ben, LuAnna and Ellis find themselves at the mercy of Mother Nature, and a potential bio-terrorist determined to take down the eco-system in Chesapeake Bay.

The large ensemble of secondary and supporting characters include FBI Special Agent Molly Wilde, and her husband Pershing Lowry, executive Assistant director for Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence; Sonny and Mary Wright; gun toting Reverend Mosby, as well as several members of different government agencies. The requisite evil has many faces.

BLAST is an intriguing, thrilling, and thought provoking yet cautionary tale of what ifs: of home-grown terrorism, power and control. The character driven premise is dramatic, detailed and intense; the characters are animated and unconventional-the camaraderie between the Smith Island residents is dynamic and incredible-they work together like the proverbial ‘well-oiled machine’.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Deadrise
Nitro Express
Tap Rack Bang
Geronimo Hotshot
Dog and Bitch Island

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow Robert: Facebook / Website / Twitter /

Robert Blake WhitehillRobert Blake Whitehill was born into a Quaker family in Mardela Springs, just outside Salisbury on Maryland’s Eastern Shore peninsula. The family home lay next to the pond that powered a colonial-era relic, the Barren Creek Mill. He grew up sailing the Chesapeake Bay, and one of her most beautiful tributaries, the Chester River.

After graduating from Westtown School Whitehill stayed in Pennsylvania to earn his B.A. in creative writing at Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges. Later he trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. As with David Mamet, exhaustive studies of the best English language drama for the stage and screen transformed an aspiring actor into a passionate writer.

An early focus on feature screenwriting earned Whitehill film festival wins at the Hudson Valley Film Festival, and the Hamptons International Film Festival where he also received an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship for his script U.X.O. (Unexploded Ordnance). His feature script Blue Rinse, co-written with Andrea Shane is currently under option with producer Bill Jarblum (Charley Bartlett, The Little Traitor, Cloudburst), with Olympia Dukakis to star, and Thom Fitzgerald slated to direct.

While writing many highly rated episodes of Discovery/Times Channel’s The New Detectives, Daring Capers, and The Bureau, he served as the Vice President of Independent Film Acquisitions for the groundbreaking Centerseat.com, developing and managing their Independent Film Channel.

His first thriller in the Ben Blackshaw series, Deadrise, was named by Cyrus Webb to the Conversations Book Club Top 100 Books of 2012. His second book in the series, Nitro Express, was named to the Conversations Book Club Top 50 Books of Fiction of 2013.

Movie studio HatLine Productions is optioning the first two books, as well as the third title in the series, Tap Rack Bang, for development into feature films.

Whitehill lives in New Jersey with his wife and son. For a number of years, he has worked with the Montclair Ambulance Unit as an emergency medical technician.

When not sailing, or knocking around the sky in a Cessna 152, Whitehill is a contributing writer to Chesapeake Bay Magazine

Robert Blake Whitehill is graciously offering a signed paper copy (US only) of BLAST to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE and Follow Robert Blake Whitehill on Facebook

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7. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

8. Paperback giveaway is open to US only

9. Giveaway runs from November 24-29, 2022

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A Christmas Deliverance by Anne Perry – a Review

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A Christmas Deliverance by Anne Perry – a Review

 

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Description:
Scuff has come a long way from his time as a penniless orphan scraping together a living on the banks of the Thames. Now he’s studying medicine at a free clinic run by Dr. Crowe, a thoughtful if stoic mentor. But lately Crowe has been distracted, having witnessed an altercation between a wealthy former patient of his named Ellie–a woman that he not only treated but developed unacknowledged feelings for–and her controlling fiancé. It seems someone is forcing Ellie to marry the man. When Crowe’s emotions come flooding back, he sets out to uncover the troubling connection between Ellie, her father, and her betrothed.

With Crowe engrossed in his investigation just weeks before the holidays, Scuff is left to run the clinic on his own, treating London’s poor and vulnerable. In the holiday spirit, he offers Mattie, a young girl in need, a warm place to stay as the winter chill sweeps through the city. Together, Scuff and Mattie must also fend off the police, who are growing suspicious of Crowe’s amateur sleuthing. Will Crowe be able to help Ellie, and will Scuff be able to ensure that he and Mattie–and all of their patients–have a safe and peaceful Christmas?

 

 

Review:

A Christmas Deliverance by Anne Perry is a stand-alone novella, that is set in her mystery series, William and Hester Monk.  The story starts off with Dr. Crowe attending the wounds of a young girl, Mattie, as he fixes her damaged finger. Crowe operates a free medical clinic, mostly for the poor in its vicinity; with people paying mostly for the service with food, as well as occasional donations that help Crowe to purchase the medicines and equipment needed.  His assistant Scuff, has been learning everything about medicine, to help Crowe, his mentor, in handling the many patients that cannot afford to pay.  Scuff is the adopted son of William and Hester Monk (the other series), and he plays a major role in this story.

One day, Crowe arrives at a scene where a young woman is trapped under a carriage with a severe injury to her leg.  He manages to get her to his clinic to treat and cleanse the injury.  The young woman is Ellie Hollister, who is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Her father is not pleased she is in this clinic for the poor, but with advice from his doctors, he allows her to remain for a few days.  Crowe was enamored by Ellie, but understands that she is out of his class.  A year later, he sees Ellie from a distance, having an argument with another man, who ends up slapping her.  Crowe comes to her rescue, and is shocked to discover that the man is her fiancée.  Crowe decides he needs to investigate why would Ellie would want to marry a man that abuses her.

With Crowe out of the office a lot to investigate the wealthy men Dolan and Hollister, Scuff is left to run the clinic mostly on his sown.  Young Mattie brings her kitten to Scuff, who realizes that Mattie is homeless, and offers her a warm place to stay with her kitten, Rosie, as well as give both of them food.  Mattie also helps out Scuff, with cleansing tools, and together they fend off the police, who are suspicious about Crowe’s investigations

What follows is Crowe using his connections throughout the town to learn more of why Ellie is being forced to marry Paul Dolan, an evil and abusive man. He learns about a fire, a dead man and the Dolan family possibly blackmailing Ellie’s father. As we race to the finish, Crowe visits Inspector Monk, to explain his findings, with an exciting dangerous finale.  A Christmas Deliverance was a well written mystery by Anne Perry.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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