THE BURNING by Jonas Saul_Review

Review: THE BURNING by Jonas Saul Has there ever been a story like this one? If so, I've not read it. THE BURNING was my second incursion into the Jonas Saul universe [immediately following THE ELEMENTS] and I lapped up this unforgettable piece, constantly marveling. Yes, the detailed gore made me squirm and the implacability of the horror frightened me. Not recommended for the faint of heart; but if you take your horror both terrifying and inescapable, take this.

THE ELEMENTS by Jonas Saul

Review: THE ELEMENTS by Jonas Saul THE ELEMENTS is a powerfully intense piece, both emotionally and psychologically. The protagonist, a schizophrenic author, intermittently stays in an isolated cabin on writing retreat. He may or may not be in control of his perceptions and his memory. In the duration of the story he lives several different terrifying and spooky versions of one snowbound afternoon.

THE ACCIDENTAL EXORCIST by Joshua Graham_Review

Review: THE ACCIDENTAL EXORCIST by Joshua Graham Wow! Really unexpected--my first reading of Joshua Graham, and riveting. A forensic psychiatrist interviews a mother who suffocated her three children. Much more than the psychiatrist, a lapsed childhood Catholic, expected, confronts her. At the risk of losing peer respect, she begins to Investigate the paranormal, with astonishing consequences.

SILENCE OF THE CHIHUAHUAS by Waverly Curtis_Tour

The Silence of the Chihuahuas
by Waverly Curtis

Trying not to give any of the goodness away, this was a most enjoyable cozy read, a combination of three main cases to be solved.
~Laura’s Interests

Last year at Christmas I read a short story featuring Pepe, star of the Barking Detective mystery series, and I fell a little bit in love with the feisty little chihuahua. After reading The Silence of the Chihuahuas, the fifth full-length book in the series, he’s completely stolen my heart.
~Melissa’s Mocha, Mysteries & Meows

This is a truly action-packed story.
~Book Babble

The Silence of the Chihuahuas
(A Barking Detective Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Kensington (October 27, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1617730641
ASIN: B00P53E06M

 

 

Synopsis

“Savvy sleuths come in small packages…”

Pepe, aspiring P.I. Geri Sullivan’s muy clever Chihuahua, has stopped talking. But why now, with Geri’s best friend Brad missing and her ditzy sister in grave danger? Geri’s lost without Pepe’s dogged detective work, especially when a client of Brad’s expires under very murky circumstances.

Luckily, Pepe turns out to be an excelente blogger, and his nose for clues soon has the detective duo chasing down leads. But they’ll have to put a bite on crime quickly, because danger’s afoot – and it’s making tracks in their direction . . .

 

About The Authors –

Waverly Curtis is the joint pseudonym for mystery writing team Wavery Fitzgerald and Curtis Colbert.

Curt Colbert is the author of the Jake Rossiter and Miss Jenkins mysteries, a series of hardboiled, private detective novels set in 1940’s Seattle. The first book, Rat City, was nominated for a Shamus Award in 2001. A Seattle native, Curt is also a poet and an avid history buff. He is the editor of Seattle Noir, a collection of crime stories published in 2009. He was a judge for the Edgars in 2008 and is a member of the Mystery Writers of America. Curt and his wife, Stephanie, live in a Seattle suburb under the thrall of their cat, Esmeralda.

Waverly Fitzgerald is the author of three historical romances set in Victorian London under the name of Nancy Fitzgerald. Ever since her first novel was published in 1981, she has been teaching writing classes for adults at various venues including the UCLA Writers Program, the University of Washington Extension, and regional conferences. She currently teaches at and works for Richard Hugo House, the literary arts center in Seattle. Waverly also writes non-fiction, and has published a book called Slow Time: Recovering the Natural Rhythms of Life. She lives in an apartment in the heart of Seattle with her daughter, Shaw, and Shaw’s Chihuahua, Pepe.

Waverly and Curt met in a writing class in the late 1980s and have been working together ever since. Curt took Waverly’s novel writing class while he was writing his first novel. Waverly was his writing coach while he wrote his trio of historical mysteries set in Seattle. For about a year, they worked on twin novels in which Waverly’s protagonist, a female P.I. appeared as a sidekick in Curt’s novel about a hard-boiled Vietnam vet and vice versa. When Curt came up with the idea of a mystery featuring a talking Chihuahua named Pepe, Waverly asked if she could help and the collaboration began.

Pepe is an eight-year old Chihuahua, adopted by Waverly’s daughter Shaw, when he was a puppy. He likes stuffed toys, especially if they  squeak. He hates the rain, which is unfortunate since he lives in Seattle. Like his namesake character, he hates being dressed up and thinks he is much bigger than he is. Unlike his namesake, he has a sweet disposition and doesn’t talk much, but he does have his own Facebook page.

Curt loves to start chapters; Waverly finishes them. Curt loves to elaborate and Waverly likes to edit. Curt’s humor is broader while Waverly’s humor is more situational. Together they are an unstoppable mystery novel writing team. Visit them on Facebook on at www.thepepenovels.com.

Purchase Links
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REVIEW  SILENCE OF THE CHIHUAHUAS by Waverly Curtis

An inexpressibly delightful cozy animal mystery, SILENCE OF THE CHIHUAHUAS is also heart-touching. Our two protagonists, private investigator Geri, and her intuitive Chihuahua Pepe, are a perfect balance. Pepe can talk, and Geri knows it; but her insistence is getting her in the doghouse with people who can tamper with her life: her boss, and her therapist. Pepe wants Geri to develop self-confidence and faith in herself--so he stops talking, hoping she'll pick up the investigative slack. Meanwhile, Pepe writes a blog. But Geri needs all her intuition, instincts, and Pepe' s aid: her persistently missing sister may be captive in a psychiatric unit, and best friend Brad is unaccountably AWOL.

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SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES by Bryce Zabel_Tour

Review:

I've been a "What If?" person as long as I can remember: the kind of individual with a curious bent of mind who needs to examine the road not taken. So it's no wonder that alternative history is one of my lifelong interests. What If the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had been circumvented? What If Hitler occupied Britain? What If William the Conqueror didn't conquer? And so forth. Of course, one of the biggies of the last 50 years: what if JFK wasn't assassinated?

To make alternative history live, it must be believable, deeply researched, and well-written. I give you SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES. Mr. Zabel has the advantage of 5 decades of historians' studying the Kennedy Administration, and JFK himself. Many secrets have been opened that contemporaries of the Kennedy Brothers couldn't access. The result is not a pretty rendering of Kennedy's Camelot as an Arcadia; but it is compelling, and a keeper.SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES should be required reading for students and authors of alternative history.

Synopsis: What if Kennedy survived Dallas? President John F. Kennedy has lived through the ambush in Dealey Plaza. America holds its collective breath, seeing its president nearly executed in broad daylight. But as the country marches on, the office of the President finds itself under a much more insidious type of fire. Political scandal, an endless war, and a country coming apart at the seams take the 1960’s in a terrifying new direction, and both John and his attorney-general brother, Bobby, struggle to stay ahead of their enemies, political and otherwise, and steer America toward a greater future. Bryce Zabel is a master of the cover-up and the conspiracy, creating the Emmy-award winning series DARK SKIES. SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES is the first novel in the new Breakpoint series—each book exploring seminal moments in popular history and taking readers on a journey into a mirror world where events are both unexpected yet startlingly believable. This savvy, fiercely intelligent novel, perfect for readers of Harry Turtledove, brings together elements of political thriller and page-turning history, enthralling readers with a sharply written take on the America that was, and the America that could have been. "I have some experience with shattered timelines and altered realities but this one kept me guessing every page.” ~ Damon Lindelof, writer/producer of LOST, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS "Plausible development, building from what we know about what really did go on, and a whacking good story…SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES delivers on both, big-time. So hold on to your hats, folks. You’re in for quite a ride.” ~ Harry Turtledove, alternative history author, HOW FEW REMAIN Author Bio: BRYCE ZABEL: Writer/Producer - Journalist/Author Creator of Five Produced One-hour Drama Series... Chairman/CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences... Writer of a #1 Box Office Feature Film... Winner of the Writers Guild Award... PBS Investigative Reporter... CNN Correspondent... Nationally Published Book Author... Adjunct Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts... member of Directors Guild, Writers Guild... BZ Wordle 4 Worked with ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, HBO, Showtime, USA, SyFy, Disney, Warners, Columbia, SONY, Paramount, New Line, Twentieth, Universal, DreamWorks, Animal Planet, Hallmark, etc. Produced screenwriting credits include Atlantis, Mortal Kombat II, Pandemic, Dark Skies, The Crow, E.N.G., Blackbeard, Poseidon Adventure, Lois & Clark, M.A.N.T.I.S., L.A. Law, Victim of Love, Official Denial, etc. Appeared on Today Show, Primetime Emmys, E.T., Access, E!, Coast-to-Coast AM, Politically Incorrect, CNN, etc. Interviewed by Time, NY/LA Times, USA Catch Up:  http://www.brycezabel.com/​  https://twitter.com/brycezabel​  https://www.facebook.com/AfterDisclosure Book Details: Genre: Mystery, Alternate History Published by: Diversion Books Publication Date: November 3rd 2015 Number of Pages: 265 ISBN: 1626818290 (ISBN13: 9781626818293) Series: Breakpoint, 1 Purchase Links:  http://www.amazon.com/Surrounded-Enemies-Breakpoint-Bryce-Zabel/dp/1626818290​  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/surrounded-by-enemies-bryce-zabel/1122473224?ean=9781626818293​  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26074260-surrounded-by-enemies

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THE SEARCHER by Simon Toyne_Tour

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Review: THE SEARCHER by Simon Toyne

THE SEARCHER is so immediately engrossing, and time-consuming of my interest and attention, that I am ashamed I haven't been enjoying Mr. Coyne's earlier novels all along. I was captured from sentence one, and never turned loose Redemption, Arizona, a "founded" town birthed in greed and megalomania, is a microcosm of insanity, where the ethical and sane fare only poorly, if at all. Some of its more substantial denizens are hooked into an avenue of South-of-the-Border psychopathy, but then, greed arranges strange partnerships.

Synopsis: The author of the acclaimed Sanctus trilogy conjures an eerie epic of good and evil, retribution and redemption—the first novel in the mesmerizing Solomon Creed series in which a man with no memory of his past must save a lost soul in a small Arizona town. On a hilltop in the town of Redemption, Arizona, the townspeople gather at an old cemetery for the first time in decades to bury a local man. The somber occasion is suddenly disrupted by a thunderous explosion in the distant desert. A plane has crashed, and it’s pouring a pillar of black smoke into the air. As Sheriff Garth Morgan speeds toward the crash, he nearly hits a tall, pale man running down the road, with no shoes on his feet and no memory of who he is or how he got there. The only clues to his identity are a label in his handmade suit jacket and a book that’s been inscribed to him: both giving the name Solomon Creed. When Morgan tells Solomon that he is in Redemption, Arizona, Solomon begins to believe he’s here for a reason—to save a man he has never met . . . the man who was buried that morning. Miles away, three men scan the skies for an overdue plane carrying an important package. Spotting a black cloud in the distance, they suspect something has gone badly wrong, and that the man who has sent them will demand a heavy price if the package has been lost. To uncover the secret of his identity, Solomon Creed must uncover Redemption’s secrets too and learn the truth behind the death of the man he is there to save. But there are those who will do anything to stop him, men prepared to call on the darkest forces to prevent Solomon from seeing the light. Author Bio: Simon Toyne is the author of the Sanctus trilogy (Sanctus, The Key, and The Tower ). A writer, director, and producer in British television for twenty years, he worked on several award-winning shows, one of which won a BAFTA. He lives in England with his wife and family.   Find him online at:  http://www.simontoyne.net/​  https://twitter.com/simontoyne​  https://www.facebook.com/simon.toyne.writer Book Details: Genre: Thriller, Suspense Published by: William Morrow Publication Date: October 6th 2015 Number of Pages: 480 ISBN: 0062329723 (ISBN13: 9780062329721) Series: Solomon Creed #1 UK Title: Solomon Creed Purchase Links:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062329723​  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-searcher-simon-toyne/1120682440?ean=9780062329721​  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25678239-the-searcher

COVER SHOT by LynDee Walker_Tour

Cover Shot
by LynDee Walker

A definite edge of your seat ride that I will take again and again!
~Community Bookstop

You are instantly pulled in and captivated by a great story.
~Shelley’s Book Case

Cover Shot
A Headline in High Heels Mystery
5th in Series
Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Henery Press (November 10, 2015)
Paperback: 312 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1943390212
E-Book ASIN: B0147MGU2S

 

 

 

AGATHA NOMINATED SERIES

It’s been a slow news month in Richmond, and crime reporter Nichelle Clarke is enjoying the downtime when ominous messages and a dead body kick things into high gear. And that’s before the guy with the rifle takes a hospital full of people hostage.

Up to the top of her knee-high Prada boots in leads, Nichelle finds her favorite detectives under pressure to make an arrest, but it doesn’t add up—and ignoring the “why” of this story could cost Nichelle the most important person in her life.

With too much to lose, a shot at the story of a lifetime, and a missing bullet that might be the key, landing this headline could save the day, but can Nichelle dig up the truth before the killer buries her with it?

Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), book club recommendations.

Books in the Headlines in High Heels Mystery Series:

• FRONT PAGE FATALITY (#1)
• BURIED LEADS (#2)
• DATELINE MEMPHIS (novella after BURIED LEADS in HEARTACHE MOTEL)
• SMALL TOWN SPIN (#3)
• DEVIL IN THE DEADLINE (#4)
• COVER SHOT (#5)

About This Author

LynDee Walker’s award-winning journalistic work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the nation.

Her debut novel, FRONT PAGE FATALITY, is an amazon and Barnes & Noble #1 bestseller, and was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. DEVIL IN THE DEADLINE is the fourth in LynDee’s Headlines in High Heels mystery series. The fifth COVER SHOT is out November 2015.

LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is either playing with her children, working on her next novel, or admiring beautiful shoes she can’t wear.

 

Author Links

www.lyndeewalker.com

www.facebook.com/lyndeewalkerbooks

@LynDeeWalker

Purchase Links
Amazon B&N

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Review: COVER SHOT by LynDee Walker

COVER SHOT, the fifth in the HEADLINES IN HIGH HEELS series, features a feisty and determined protagonist in Richmond crime reporter Nichelle Clarke. An obsessive curiosity, competitive nature, and a burning intention to keep her editor from early retirement combine to propel Nichelle into spots where most angels would fear to tread. When a physician is apparently murdered, less than a year after his neighbor's wealthy husband died unexpectedly, Nichelle's nosy instincts are full tilt. The doctor's inexplicable Internet absence, and rumours of a private clinical trial he conducted after retirement from practicing and teaching oncology, turn up her investigative flame, and heat up readers' intrigue.