What I've Read

Matanzas Bay - Parker Francis

2013-06-18T01:44:00.000-04:00

Matanzas Bay is a Quint Mitchell Mystery. This book is $2.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This is a great mystery with twists right up to the very satisfying ending.

Quint Mitchell is a private eye. In his spare time Quint volunteers with an archaeological survey in his town of St. Augustine Florida. When Quint digs up a legless body, and the body belongs to St. Augustine’s vice mayor, a whole lot of trouble starts coming his way. Quint is working to clear his friend from murder charges, but he has to live long enough to do so. Very highly recommended.

Vigilante - Claude Bouchard

2013-06-16T23:29:00.000-04:00

Vigilante is the first book in the Vigilante Series, but the novel stands on its own. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but it's free for Amazon prime members. Revenge is sweet, no matter how you serve it.

This book follows the killings of the criminal known as the Vigilante. The police and their consultants are trying to stop him, but they keep running into dead ends. Revenge is the Vigilante's initial motive, but he's just trying to do what the cops can't, and he does it very well. Plenty of action and suspense. A great thriller. Highly recommended.

Snowbound - Blake Crouch

2013-06-11T21:35:00.000-04:00

Snowbound is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. Don't let the title throw you, since this story starts in the Sonora desert. This book is a killer thriller right to the end.

Will, Rachael, and Devlin Innis are a pretty normal family. The cloud of Devlin's cystic fibrosis is always hanging over their heads, but they're happy and dealing. Then one night Rachael doesn't come home. Will and Devlin are forced to flee their house in Arizona to keep what's left of their family together. What happened to Rachael is a mystery they can't solve, especially while they're on the run.

Then FBI agent Kalyn Sharp shows up on Will and Devlin's doorstep and their lives take another drastic turn. Can Will, Devlin, and Kalyn discover what happened to Rachael after five long years? Is Rachael dead or alive? This story has twists and turns it's hard to keep up with, but it's so enjoyable to try. I great mystery. Very highly recommended.

A Lonely Resurrection - Barry Eisler

2013-06-09T10:48:00.000-04:00

A Lonely Resurrection is a John Rain novel previously published as Hard Rain/Blood From Blood. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. If you've never read a Rain novel give this one a try. It will stand on its own.

John Rain is a Japanese/American assassin. John got his start in Vietnam and moved on to the CIA and then free lance work. John is trying to get out of the business, but he keeps getting pulled back in by his past. With all the people trying to kill John, he has to be very careful. The question is, can he count on his friends to be careful too? The author describes a Japan that is chilling in its level of corruption. This book has plenty of action, women, and of course killing. It's a little wordier than I prefer, but still highly recommended.

Dirty Martini - J.A. Konrath

2013-06-05T22:05:00.000-04:00

Dirty Martini is the fourth Jack Daniels Mystery. It stands all by itself though. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. Murder by poison may be less bloody, but you're just as dead.

Chicago police Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels isn't having a good day. Her partner is transferring out of homicide and she gets called away in the middle of her boyfriend's proposal. Jack's day gets a lot worse before it gets better. The Chemist has started poisoning people at random, or so it seems. Jack is put in charge of the investigation and the Chemist takes that personal. Jack has to escape his attempts to killer her, and catch him before he wipes out most of Chicago's finest. This is a great detective story, with a heroine and villain who keep it interesting all the way to the end. Very highly recommended.

Outer Bounds: Fortune's Rising - Sara King

2013-06-05T12:21:00.000-04:00

Outer Bounds: Fortune's Rising is $4.99 for the kindle. This is some real shoot 'em up science fiction. Hang on tight.

Magali and Anna Landborn are virtually slaves in yolk factory 14 on the planet Fortune. The United Space Coalition drafts young and old alike as eggers, but almost nobody survives their five years of dealing with shriekers. Magali is an adult and Anna is only seven, but both sisters are destined to be players in what will hopefully be the revolution that allows Fortune to break free of the Coalition. This is an awesome science fiction smorgasbord. Strange and deadly creatures, cyborgs, and enough action to make your head spin. There will be a sequel eventually, and I'm going to pay money to read that book. Very highly recommended.

The Big Bend - Gary Showalter

2013-06-05T11:54:00.000-04:00

The Big Bend is $3.00 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. If you like boats, this is a book you'll love.

Terry Rankin is the owner of Rankin Personal Security Services. He's ex-military police and ex-Pennsylvania state police. Terry's got a meeting with a wife who wants out of her marriage, but this potential client is not someone he wants to work for. Unfortunately, circumstances are going to change Terry's point of view fast. Actually, his whole life is in for some big changes. This book has more murders than you can keep track of, and lots of the action takes place on the water. If Terry can stay alive, and out of the hospital, he might have a chance of catching the killer. He might even get the girl. This is a book I couldn't put down. Very highly recommended.

The Ninth District - Douglas Dorow

2013-05-30T13:15:00.001-04:00

The Ninth District is $3.49 for the kindle. The ninth district federal reserve bank of Minneapolis has never been robbed. At least not yet.

Jack Miller is an FBI special agent. As a senior agent, Jack is assigned to help a new agent, Ross Fruen, with a string of bank robberies carried out by a masked man known as "the governor." When Jack and Ross get close, the governor does whatever it takes to avoid capture and pull off his ultimate bank job. This novel was a little light in some areas, and the ending was kind of an anti-climax, but still a good detective story. Highly recommended.

Darker Things - Rob Cornell

2013-05-30T00:36:00.000-04:00

Darker Things is the first book in the Lockman Chronicles. This novel is $4.99 for the kindle. Paranormal gets stranger all the time, but that's a good thing.

Craig Lockman used to be a government agent. His job was defending the country against an enemy most people didn't know existed. Then Craig was retired and he vanished. Craig hasn't heard his real name in 15 years, until a young girl shows up on his doorstep. She could be his daughter. Hopefully they'll live long enough to find out for sure. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, imps, and some monsters not even named, populate the world Craig used to live in. Now he's forced back into that world with a daughter to defend and an old enemy to defeat. This book has more than enough action, and death around every corner. Very highly recommended.

Touched - A.J. Aalto

2013-05-27T13:50:00.000-04:00

Touched is the first book in the Marnie Baranuik Files series. It's a stand-alone novel though. This title is 99 cents for the kindle. The things I like about this book outweigh the things I don't, but it was close.

Marnie Baranuik has a Ph.D. in preternatural biology and she's a practicing witch. Marnie's also the daysitter to 435 year old vampire, who's passed on the gifts of empathy and touch. All this makes Marnie a very sought after psychic. Fame has it's drawbacks though. Marnie is the target of some very dangerous people. People who are determined to end her life, since Marnie already retired from her career. Demons, witches, ghouls, vampires, and just plain humans are after Marnie. How, and if, she survives make a tale it's hard to put down. Highly recommended.

I really like this story. The author has come up with some great new wrinkles on the paranormal theme that make it very interesting, but there are issues that almost made me quit reading more than once. First is the author's raging case of logorrhea. It can take pages for the characters in this book to get from one room to the next. The Reader's Digest Condensed version of this novel would be the size of a Jehovah's Witness pamphlet, but much more interesting. Second is the cheesy analogies. For example, "like trying to pick a wet watermelon seed off a Formica table." The effectiveness of this particular analogy is called to question, since the next part of the sentence had to explain what it meant. Third is the angst filled introspection. Marnie is so whiny and insecure it's hard to understand how she could become a character of any importance. Yet she is, and by the end of the book I was rooting for her, if for no other reason than she would stop whining. The story itself was so good I still highly recommend this book.

Rogue's Honor - Brenda Hiatt

2013-05-25T13:29:00.000-04:00

Rogue's Honor is the first book in the Saint of Seven Dials series. This book is 99 cents for the kindle. I really enjoyed this story. It takes place in 1816 London, but murder, intrigue, sex, and romance are not limited by time period.

Lady Pearl Moreston is the daughter of the Duke of Oakshire. Pearl is determined to avoid marriage until she reaches the age of 21. At that point she'll inherit the Fairbourne estate free and clear and can put her ideas on social reform to the test. Her step-mother is equally determined to find a way to marry Pearl off to some lord so her son will inherit Fairbourne. Since Lady Pearl is a reformer, she decides to see how the commoners live. When she disguises herself as a kitchen maid, she crosses paths with the notorious thief, the Saint of the Seven Dials. The two are instantly drawn to each other, but continue to lie to protect themselves and those they hold dear. Will they eventually be able to overcome their class differences? Will they survive the intrigue that surrounds them? I great period piece, with plenty of twists and turns. Be aware there are some pretty steamy scenes. Very highly recommended.

Shaken - Susan Hatler

2013-05-22T13:23:00.000-04:00

Shaken is $3.99 for the kindle. It's book one in the Mind Reader series. There's some serious teenage angst in this novel, but the story rises above it.

Kylie Bates is a typical 4.0 GPA junior in high school. Kylie's Mom died when she was four, so it's just her and her Dad. Kylie has trouble talking to boys, but she's focused on her grades, so that's not too big a problem. Then suddenly Kylie discovers she can read people's minds. Even when she doesn't want to. Kylie makes lots of other discoveries too, like she has relatives she never even knew about, her best friend has been lying to her, and her Dad may have been holding out on her all these years. This story has plenty of smart mouth teenage girl dialog, but there's action, suspense, and a budding teenage romance. Highly recommended.

Engulfed - Kathleen M. Cosgrove

2013-05-21T10:21:00.000-04:00

Engulfed is 99 cents for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This novel is a great murder mystery and so much more. Prepare to laugh your butt off, and not be able to put down this book.

Maggie Finn is a 50 something reporter (gossip columnist) from Albuquerque. Maggie's in Florida to help her parents move from a house to an assisted living facility called Shell Harbor. She hates the heat, the humidity, and the rain. Basically she hates Florida. While Maggie is at the Shells, checking out the facility, a body is discovered. Or at least the parts not still in an alligator are discovered. Maggie's secret desire to be an investigative reporter takes over and the adventure begins. Con men, drug dealers, drag queens, mob assassins, aging hippies, and cute police detectives all keep this boisterous murder mystery going. Even when Maggie is close to dying, and that seems to happen a lot, the humor keeps on coming. This is a read everyone should enjoy. Very highly recommended.

Torch Ginger - Toby Neal

2013-05-19T11:23:00.000-04:00

Torch Ginger is the second book in the Lei Crime series, but it stands on its own. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. The Hawaiian island of Kaua'i seems like a paradise, until you notice the people disappearing.

Leilani Texeira is a detective on the Kaua'i island police force. She's running from an engagement that ended badly, and trying hard to make her promotion to detective work. Lei's past comes back to haunt her in more ways than one, and she discovers a case that could make her career. First Lei has to hang onto case, and then she has to live through it. I great detective story in a beautiful setting. Very highly recommended.

Deathscape - Dana Marton

2013-05-18T11:42:00.000-04:00

Deathscape is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. The title is perfect for this book. Read it and find out why.

Ashley Price is an artist. Ashley is struggling with a near-death experience that's left her unable to care for her five year old daughter, and stifled her ability to paint the kinds of pieces she's known for. Ashley has visions of dead people that she's compelled to paint. Then one night she finishes another tortured portrait and realizes the person in this painting isn't dead. He's buried alive, and on her property.

Jack Sullivan is a police detective. Jack is obsessed with the serial killer known as Brady Blackwell. Jack is getting close, and Blackwell knows it. The solution is to eliminate Jack.

This is an excellent book. There's plenty of suspense, mystery, and an unlikely romance between Ashley and Jack. Warning, there are some explicit passages, but the book for the most part is a murder mystery that kept me reading late into the night. Very highly recommended.

The Touch - Lisa Olsen

2013-05-17T13:42:00.000-04:00

The Touch is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This mystery is a little scary, a little funny, a little romance, and a lot of paranormal.

Lexi Morgan is an artist. She also has the touch. Lexi gets impressions from things she touches with her hands, so she wears gloves all the time. When Lexi's sister and niece need help, Lexi takes off the gloves. The trouble is Lexi's touch doesn't always show her what she expects.

Gabriel Ryan is a police detective. Gabriel and Lexi collide working a missing persons case. Lexi could help Gabriel, but how does she get a pragmatic police detective to believe in her touch? This is a great book with lots of suspense and danger, and plenty of sparks flying between Lexi and Gabriel. Very highly recommended.

The Hunting Tree Book One - Ike Hamill

2013-05-14T23:40:00.000-04:00

The Hunting Tree - Book One is 99 cents for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This is not a book that has a sequel, or the first book in a series. This is the first part of the book. If you don't intend to get the other two parts you won't have a complete book. It's not a cliff hanger. The story just stops a third of the way through. Too bad this wasn't made clear before I downloaded the first part. The second and third parts are not free.

This story has three separate threads that don't seem to have any connection. Maybe that will be made clear in one of the other parts. The first thread follows a prehistoric man called Crooked Tree. His whole family, or tribe, leap to their death, but Crooked Tree doesn't die. The second thread follows Davey. He's seven years old and has some issues. Staying clean appears to be one of them. The third thread follows three paranormal investigators; Mike, Gary, and Katie. They appear to have found some interesting entities, but they don't know what to do with them. The first two threads are interesting, but not compelling. The third thread has some good scary stuff, but the book as a whole is just disjointed at the end of the first part. I'm not going to bother to read the other two parts. Not recommended.

Noble Beginnings - L.T. Ryan

2013-05-12T11:23:00.000-04:00

Noble Beginnings is the first book in the Jack Noble series. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This story is the beginning of what could be a great series.

Jack Noble is a Marine. Jack is serving with a CIA team in Iraq, six months after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack. Jack and his fellow Marine, Riley (Bear) Logan, are two Marines supporting a four man CIA team. When they put a stop to the CIA mistreatment of some Iraqi civilians, their troubles start. Jack and Bear are in for the ride of their lives. It's going to be a bumpy ride and short lives if they can't find out who's pulling the strings behind the people trying to eliminate them. This story has plenty of action, suspense, and thrills. I'm looking forward to the next Jack Noble book. Very highly recommended.

Play Dead - Anne Frasier

2013-05-10T15:57:00.001-04:00

Play Dead is $4.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This book will send shivers down your spine.

Elise Sandburg is a detective on the Savannah police department. Elise was born and raised in Savannah. David Gould is also a Savannah police detective. David is ex-FBI and a yankee through and through. Elise and David are trying to solve a series of murders where the victims are not always dead. At least not a first. This story is hard to put down. Partly because you just don't want to turn off the light. Very highly recommended.

The Good Daughter: A Mafia Story - Diana Layne

2013-05-08T11:45:00.000-04:00

The Good Daughter: A Mafia Story is $2.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. What would your father have to do for you to want him dead?

Marisa Peruzzo is the daughter of Carlo Peruzzo, the head of the Peruzzo crime family. She's determined to bring down her father and is willing to do whatever it takes. Dave Armstrong is an FBI agent. Dave's also focused on Carlo Peruzzo. Marisa and Dave will have to work together, but they may not have the same final goal. Dave wants Carlo in prison. Marisa wants her father in hell. Plenty of action and suspense. Many strong characters, both good and bad. Highly recommended.

Only Human - Chris Reher

2013-05-05T10:56:00.000-04:00

Only Human is the first book in the Targon Tales series. This book is $3.95 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This is a real shoot 'em up science fiction romp.

Nova Whiteside isn't just a pilot. She's a hunter class pilot, with serious combat experience. She's been stuck on Myra for eight months in retraining mode and is getting bored. She's about to get unbored in a serious way when she's promoted to Vanguard.

Major Tychon is is Delphian. When Nova is assigned as his Vanguard copilot she's apprehensive because Humans and Delphians don't always get along. Tychon is a level three spanner though, and the thought of exploring uncharted jumpsites appeals to Nova's sense of adventure. Little does Nova know that she and Tychon will get along just fine, and have more adventure than she could hope for. In fact, Nova and Tychon may just save the entire universe from destruction. Very highly recommended.

Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle - Marie Harbon

2013-04-29T07:08:00.000-04:00

Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle is the first novel in the five part Seven Point Eight series. This book 99 cents for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. The cliff hanger at the end of this novel is steep.

Paul Eldridge is a university lecturer in physics. Max Richardson is a business man. Max engages Paul to research the philosophical and spiritual implications of physics. Max hires Paul to search for the human soul. Max and Paul work with people who have special skills; telepaths, mediums, psychics, and remote viewers. One in particular, Tahra Mamoun, becomes the focus of Max and Paul's research and personal life. Can this band of explorers find the answer to the human soul?

This story is compelling. However, it's also disjointed. The continual change of reference from person to person, and switching back and forth from live narrative to journal notes, can be confusing. There are characters injected into the story that are out of time and not explained. This could be to provide mystery, but confusion was the result. I recommend this book, especially if you intend to complete the series. Just be aware it will take more than one novel in the series for things to become clear.

Shadows & Secrets - Chautona Havig

2013-04-27T17:04:00.000-04:00

Shadows & Secrets is book one in the Annals of Wynnewood series. This book is free for the kindle. This story is full of secrets and adventures.

Philip Ward is 12 years old, and still a boy by any standard. Philip is apprenticed to the village fletcher. The Ge-sceaft is a cloaked creature of mystery. It lives with the village midwife and roams the woods and fields around village of Wynnewood. The Ge-sceaft is blamed for all the village woes, because everyone is afraid of it, and it's easy to blame what you fear. Philip and the Ge-sceaft become friends. Their adventures lead them to dragons and pirates, and in the end to perhaps saving the entire village from disaster. This is a great book for young and old alike. Very highly recommended.

Peter and the Vampires - Darren Pillsbury

2013-04-24T06:12:00.000-04:00

Peter and the Vampires is the first volume in the Peter and the Monsters series. This book is free for the kindle. These stories will be great for any kids in the family. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I'm just a big kid anyway.

Peter Normal is a 10 year old kid from California. When things get rough, Peter, his two year old sister Beth, and his Mom have to move back home to his Grandfather Flannagan's house in Duskerville. Duskerville is just a small town, but it has big problems. Peter meets the kid next door, Dill, and together they fight off all kinds of monsters. This book is a great series of stories that make you laugh and make you gasp. Both, as Dill would say, will almost make you pee your pants. Very highly recommended.

Created, The Destroyer - Richard Sapir, Warren Murphy

2013-04-22T11:13:00.002-04:00

Created, The Destroyer is the first book in the Destroyer series. This book is free for the kindle. This story reads like a graphic novel, but without the graphics. Once you adjust to the cadence it's a great read.

Remo Williams is a cop and he's is on death row. Remo's been framed for a murder he didn't commit. What Remo doesn't know is he's been recruited for CURE, an organization so secret nobody knows about it but the president. If he can survive being recruited, Remo is going to be CURE's first assassin. Remo is going to be The Destroyer. Very highly recommended.