Have you ever found out an astonishing fact about colleague or friend that makes you look at them in a whole new way? Maybe making you wonder if you ever really knew them? What if you found out these same bizarre facts about your own fiancée? Worse yet, you find these things out after she disappears and the police think you’re somehow responsible. That’s the place Vince DeLucca finds himself in Barbara Miller’s novel, Eye Walker. His only choice is to turn to Faith Miller, better known as Eye Walker, to find his missing fiancé.
Faith Walker knows Vince even before he reaches her remote cabin. How could she not? He has called, written and emailed her enough about Elizabeth, his fiancée. Still, she’s not buying, no matter how much money he brandishes. The last hunt for a missing child almost put her over the edge. In addition to being a forensic pathologist, she becomes the victim and sees through their eyes. In tribal parlay, she’s an eye walker. Faith is unsure of how many times she can be murdered.
Vince knows Faith is his last hope. Already he is saddled with a pair of mismatched cops. The male cop, Stuart, seems to have marginal interest in the case, simply as a wayward fiancée who has taken off for greener pastures, but the female cop, Fletcher, is dead certain he murdered Elizabeth. That’s why he is hiking through a wilderness to reach a pathologist who has amazing rate of solving cases. Unfortunately, the cases involved dead bodies and sometimes missing bodies, but he knows she has more than intuitive reasoning because he has special skills himself.
Faith and Vince, both strong-willed people, are in conflict because their goals are polar opposites. Vince wants Faith’s help, aware of her special ability, but Faith is resistant knowing that she might be outed as a psychic and it would hurt her professional credibility. Her compassionate nature is touched by Vince’s pain over the missing Elizabeth and she agrees to help, only to find herself pulled into a violent spiral that includes secret identities, serial murders, and explosion. The most surprising thing Faith uncovers is the growing attraction between her and Vince.
Vince likes the fact that Faith is independent and strong, and so do I. She is an observant, pro-active character who often saves both their lives. Vince, while being an astute businessman, allows himself to be misled in his relationship with Elizabeth, which gives him a vulnerable side. As secondary characters go, Fletcher menaces with her half-crazed intent to nail DeLucca. Stuart is a less flashy, but a more pleasant policeman. Maybe most memorable is the spirit wolf-dog who follows Faith intent on solving his own crime.
Eye Walker is a real page turner. I read it in one setting. I recommend it if you like your suspense with a touch of the paranormal.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© October 2009

Are you a suspense junkie? Maybe you’re interested in the twisted way the mind of a serial killer works? Perhaps you’re a Law and Order fan, and can’t get enough of the world of crime and punishment. Isn’t it odd how most of those genres feature a tough, grizzled male veteran cop or a young, gorgeous female detective—who is not only too young to know anything about life, but just way too young to be a detective? And why does it always have to be a cop or a former cop? Why not someone like you? After all, you’ve read enough crime novels, watched enough shows you could probably do the job, right? Tekla Dennison Miller allows the reader a chance to solve the motivations of a serial killer in the very ordinary personage of Celeste Brookstone in her novel, Inevitable Sentences.

Celeste Brookstone did not set out to be a crusader for abused women. In fact, she probably sees herself as a bad example staying with an abusive husband until he died, subjecting her daughter to that perverted version of love. Celeste often wonders if she left her husband if her beautiful daughter, Pillar, would still be alive and not dead at the hands of that killer, Chad Wilbanks. All the same, Celeste decides to take over an abandoned lighthouse and make it into a safe house for abused women. Somehow it seems fitting, especially done in her daughter’s memory. She also wants to be close to Hawk Haven where Chad Wilbanks is currently residing. She’s not done with him yet. Maybe the courts didn’t convict him for killing her daughter, but Celeste knows he’s guilty. Chad knows she knows and is amused, which makes it that much worse.

Chad Wilbanks is a babe magnet, despite the fact he is behind bars and branded a killer. He has his own website that attracts serial killer junkies; women who are convinced that he is misunderstood and that the love of a good woman would set him right. The "good woman" always refers to themselves. Chad encourages their letters and regular deposits to his bank account. He needs the money. He’ll be hitting the road soon courtesy of Lizzie Chatfield, the party girl cook the prison hired. No more four walls for him. No, Siree. No pacing the tiny area reliving each murder he committed. Oh no, he will be well out of his way—out of Michigan and the United States. He just needs to settle things with Celeste Brookstone. They have a long history together, even if she pretends not to know.

Max Whitefeather hates being in the hospital, but he hates even more being away from Celeste. It is more than a physical attraction. The former warden of Hawk Haven just knows he belongs by Celeste’s side. He is a worrier, no doubt about that. His concern about Hawk Haven landed him in the hospital and an early retirement. Being flat on your back gives you a great deal of time to think. He wonders if he should have told Celeste what he found out about Chad Wilbanks. Somehow it might be important. Then again, maybe it’s good he didn’t. He tries to reassure himself, but not successfully.

A frigid storm system blows into Upper Peninsula, upsetting life as most of the natives know it, and ending it for some. Celeste is called on to use the strength and wisdom she never knew she had to not only protect herself, but the women and children at the safe house. Max finds himself assuming the leadership role while escaping from the hospital with his former employee while Chad Wilbanks just escapes. It is definitely a cold and stormy night…not to mention deadly.

Inevitable Sentences works on every level. The characters are fully fleshed out, even the secondary characters. The motivations are good and believable. The setting is painted so well that it will leave the reader shivering. Celeste is an ordinary woman who is extraordinary when her moment comes. She’s not a karate-chopping vixen, but instead is a woman who wants to live and strike back at her daughter’s killer. All of the things the reader can identify with and applaud. The relationship between Max and Celeste is a mature love that is sometimes challenged by Max’s health. This is a bold move by the author, instead of having the man enter the scene with pistols in both hands.

Inevitable Sentences is the best book I’ve read in years and I read about a hundred books a year. So yes, it is good. It moves fast, no wasted words setting up the scene. Motivations are clear, no murky abstract themes. Best of all, the heroine is someone not unlike you or me, a woman who thinks life has passed her by for the most part, but suddenly finds there is a lot more left than she ever thought possible. All I can say is go Celeste and go Tekla. I have already recommended this book to several friends. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© May 2009

Beneath the sea lies a dark and terrible secret and it is one that could forever change the world. The race is on to find it and some will stop at nothing to get there first. This is the premise of Mark of the Devil, a new thriller by author William Kerr.

Mark of the Devil starts with hero Matt Berkeley deciding to help his friend, Steve Park. They need to spot the exact location of a storm-sunk barge off the coast of Florida. The Coast Guard wants it located and flagged as a shipping hazard. Matt goes diving to ascertain the position of the sunken vessel. He discovers a strange object sticking up out of the sand. Oddly, it looks as if something large lies buried there, beneath the barge itself.

The two men determine they are seeing a snorkel, and that it probably belongs to an old submarine, possibly one belonging to the Nazis of World War II. Together, they decide it is worth investigating further. But others, with secret interests, also now determine the same thing. And these others have power and influence on their side. A lot of it! They aren't afraid to use it. What's more, they'll go to any lengths to steal the secret that lies buried beneath the sea. Matt and Steve now discover they are caught up in something far bigger than they could ever have possibly imagined. What once seemed a simple diving job now is suddenly a quest, one that is a matter of life and death.

In Mark of the Devil, William Kerr starts his thriller off with a virtual bang. Right at the outset, starting with the prologue, Mr. Kerr grabs the reader, shakes them by their literary neck, and whisks them along, catching them up in a deep mystery. Mark of the Devil hooked me immediately.

Unfortunately, the pace of Mark of the Devil suddenly faltered for me, and with the very first chapter, too. Where the prologue was fast and exciting, afterwards, the rate of story development dropped off dramatically. At times, I felt I was just mentally plodding through Mark of the Devil, waiting for things to move once again.

The problem seemed a combination of a sudden wealth of background, an "info dump," as some authors refer to it, which William Kerr gives the reader in the very first part of Mark of the Devil. This, combined with an almost lackadaisical attitude on the part of the hero, acted to slow the story down for me -- too much. I would like to have seen the background parsed out more slowly and throughout the entire book. I feel the reader should receive the information in smaller bites, and between faster action scenes.

However, Mark of the Devil eventually picked up the pace once more. Events started moving much more swiftly. Again, I was hooked. William Kerr, it seems, is quite capable of writing a story that is a true thriller, one with real suspense, fast action, and a tantalizing mystery. I truly recommend Mark of the Devil by William Kerr, as a good, solid thriller. Given a bit of patience, I have no doubt that you will find Mark of the Devil a fine piece of suspense.
 
Reviewed By Rob Shelsky
© May 2009

I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the old axiom says nothing about titles. The only reason I picked up Kllrs by Phil Bowie was because there were no vowels in the title I was in the mood for a little escapism fun and guessed that Kllrs would be a suspenseful book with violence and murder. I was right.

John Hardin is a hard working, descent man with a past. He's coerced into helping a BATF agent find his brother, who is being held by the outlaw biker gang Satan's Ghosts. Motorcycles, airplanes, and a psychotic mastermind make Kllrs a fast-paced thriller.

Mr. Bowie has wonderful descriptions of riding motorcycles and flying Cessna airplanes that made me feel like I was right there. The story follows the fairly worn path of the thriller storyline, complete with evil mad genius, but the ending was a fun surprise.

This is Mr. Bowie's third book with John Hardin. While I hadn't read the first two books, I had no problem getting a feel for the characters. Reading this book was like befriending someone halfway through their life: you know something happened to them before you came along and if that history is important, they reveal it to you bit by bit. When the background information was parceled out, I didn't get bogged down with unnecessary detail. Instead, I got just enough information to move the story forward, and enough to make me curious about the other books.

I had a few nit picks that kept me from giving this book an extra quill: the characters had an annoying habit of referring to drinking water as staying hydrated; Kitty Birdsong was set up to do some amazing things in the book, but then nothing materialized; and one of the Native Americans characters bordered on the stereotypical sage who passes his wisdom to the white man and teaches him to run in the woods with moccasins.

However, what really bothered me was the info-dumping, stilted nature of the dialogue. Instead of being a smooth, easy way to deliver information, I was jarred out of the story because of how unnatural these people seemed when they spoke.

All in all, Kllrs by Phil Bowie is a good adventure for your morning commute or day at the beach. There is violence, but none of the descriptions are gruesome. You can have the vicarious thrill of flying a Cessna and still be home in time for dinner.

Reviewed by Cam Robbins
© May 2009

What could bring a fourteen-year-old girl to take her own life? And not in a quick manner either? It must take a long time to bleed to death. If I were that distraught, I'd want it over quickly.

Not so for Elizabeth Glass. It made no sense to Danielle Sawyer, either. Before she heads off to Utah to begin her career as a professional snow-boarder, she determines to find out what happened to Elizabeth in Desperado City, a novel by Rebecca Coleman.

Enter the players:

Sophie – Danielle's childhood friend who loves to be loved and now focuses mainly on scoring sex, and not just with her boyfriend Joey.

Nick – Sophie's older brother who, when not getting high with his sister or hunting sweet innocent under-aged girls to molest, is the leader of the local college Bible study group.

Joey – Wants to be a part of the FDNY, and will be moving to NYC after the summer when he's finished with Sophie—and whomever else he can cozy up to.

Ben – Wants to join the Marines. His father wants him to attend Yale and has even paid Ben's tuition in advance. Before Ben heads to either place, he mostly wants to get further in the game with his girl, Latvian lovely Irina.

Irina – She is the good Christian girl who is in America to work so she can send money home to her Mother who is dying of cancer, and to help her destitute family. She'll allow Ben most liberties but not all, retaining her virgin status. When her work visa ends, she'll go back home to work in the cloth factory until she can find another way to get back to America. Mail order bride is not beyond her possibilities.

Avery – Best friend of Danielle, whose family thinks he is in Manhattan is actually hiding out at Desperado City, the run down and failing theme park owned by his parents, and the place that happens to employ all of these people. Avery is a "recovering" cocaine addict whose last overdose was bad enough they had to open his chest to get his heart started again. Now he's back, on a mission from God.

Toby – Youngest brother of Avery, he's a good honest kid, the only one in the bunch. It was just his rotten luck that he found Elizabeth's body in the Haunted Hotel at Desperado City. His dad wants him to take over the park when he retires. Toby wants to join the Air Force and be a pilot. Toby checks in on Pops, his grandfather who was the original owner of Desperado City, now living in a retirement community. Toby keeps him informed and takes care of some of his needs.

Adam – long time best friend of Sophie, Adam only wishes that she'd dump Joey and give him some of what Joey takes for granted. He makes every opportunity to talk to her and do things for her.

Enough of the character list. What do all of these people have to do with the death of Elizabeth Glass? To be honest, at the 46th chapter, 243 pages into this 450-page novel, I had yet to see any connection. Each chapter thankfully begins with the name of the character whose turn it is to have the point of view. That was helpful. Elizabeth is mentioned in passing a few times but no real deducing or searching for truth is in evidence.

The book is written in present tense although there are flashback moments that confuse the timeline of the story. It reminds me of the popular movie St. Elmo's Fire. It could probably have left Elizabeth out of the story completely and been improved by the deletion. I kept waiting for more info on the suicide that never came until it was laid out in a matter of less than three pages.

Ms. Coleman's book would have benefited from structure, fewer characters with their own agendas, and more information presented earlier in the story connected with the dead girl. I did finally find out who did it, but it was almost like it was thrown in the middle of the book (oh, by the way, this is what happened) and forgotten as the characters went on with their own plans.

I apologize. I do not like to write reviews like this one but I saw no other way to be honest. If you enjoy the rambling journal of adolescents out to score drugs and each other, you may enjoy Desperado City. If you are looking for a murder mystery, you may want to pass.

Reviewed by MargeAnna Conrad
© April 2009

What could be better than to serve the bride on her special day? Making that day special and perfect is a daunting task, under normal circumstances. What would you do when the bride is an unhappy ghost from the Victorian age?

A haunted bridal salon -- this isn't something most people could even imagine, yet for Erica Peterson, owner of the Belle Brides bridal salon, this is a frightening reality. In Carol North's, Eternally His, Erica is a young proprietor of an upscale business, one that employs a sophisticated staff to cater to an exclusive clientele. However, she may also have one extra item added to her list for the business girl who has everything -- a real ghost! And, it may not be a friendly one.

Eternally His, by Carol North, starts with a bang and then is off and running. Erica Peterson has problems right at the outset. Showing up for work one morning, she notices a strange, yet eerily attractive mannequin in one of her salon's display windows. It is wearing a Victorian bridal gown. Then, just as Erica is about to enter the building, the security alarms go off. Police show up, including a handsome detective, Grant Stewart. Erica feels she knows him from somewhere else, but cannot place him. He, too, seems to feel the same way about her. Has she met him before and somehow can't remember, or is this just a weird, overwhelming sense of déjà vu? Moreover, which answer would be the more disquieting one? Either way, Erica and Grant feel a strong and inexplicable attraction for each other.

Then, staff members see the strangely alive mannequin in various places about the salon. They are frightened. Erica worries. She knows, although doesn't tell the detective, that other strange occurrences are going on as well, problems with wiring, a light in the tower window. Then later Grant sees the mannequin outside, still dressed in an ivory bridal gown. He feels a wave of suffocation pass over him. Why? Is the ghost evil? Is it something more? Then things happen rapidly from there. What the outcome of all this will be, is anybody's guess, but Eternally His, by Carol North, is more than just a simple ghost story, much more.

Author Carol North has another winner with Eternally His. It is an intriguing work, a gripping tale, one of paranormal suspense and romance, a real page-turner. One just doesn't want to know what is coming next -- one has to know. From the very first page, Eternally His grabs the reader's attention and better yet, seizes their imaginations. The book's main character, Erica Peterson is a sympathetic character, one whom readers will instantly identify with and feel for. And the plot, although we daren't reveal too much here, has some fascinating twists and turns that should surprise and thrill the reader.

I unreservedly recommend Eternally His by author, Carol North. In fact, I found this book so satisfying; I gave it a rating of 9 out of 10, the highest rating I've ever given to any book so far. And if that doesn't convince you to read Eternally His, then I don't know what would. I've said it earlier in this review, but I have to say it again here: it's a real winner. Don't miss this one, folks. Do yourself a big favor and buy this book.

Reviewed By Rob Shelsky
© December 2008

When The Women’s Murder Club television series was cancelled I was seriously upset because I loved the characters in this series. The television series was based on James Patterson’s book series of the same name. As a big fan of both his Alex Cross and Women’s Murder Club novels I was glad to see that one of these great series was brought to the television screen. So I jumped on the newest edition of this series to hit paperback.

The 6thTarget opens with a horrifying attack on a local ferryboat that leaves four people dead and Claire Washburn struggling for her life. Lt. Lindsay Boxer is heading the hunt to track down the killer. Lucky for her the whole attack was caught on film. So it’s only a matter of time before they put the madman behind bars but keeping him there is another thing. The killer turns out to be a homeless man who, when he sees Lindsay on TV asking for clues about the shooter, he turns himself in at her house. Assistant DA Yuki Castellano has to take the case to trial after her boss’s heart attack. Unfortunately the killer goes free due to mental defect.

Meanwhile, children are being taken and their nannies are being murdered. No ransom has been demanded and other than the mysterious instructions telling the parents not to contact the police, there is no clue as to the fate of the children. Lindsay and her new partner Rich Conklin track these five-year-old prodigies in music and mathematics unraveling the twisted scheme of child trafficking through a nanny agency. The agency travels from city to city opening and closing as the children are taken, and with "different" owners.

Add to the fact that Lindsay is going through quite a number of personal changes. She is returned to the streets as detective instead of sitting behind a desk. She has to come to some hard decisions about her long-distance relationship with boyfriend Joe. Both Lindsay and Joe have high profile, high stress jobs but is she using Joe’s job with Homeland Security to avoid true commitment, especially with Lindsay’s growing attraction to her new partner? She has a new male partner and there is potential for a relationship there as well.

The short chapters in this book move the reader through scene to scene, allowing the reader to read the book in short order. The crimes depicted in the book are taken from the front pages of today’s news full of serial killers, child abuse and seemingly quiet individuals who suddenly "snap" and destroy people. This is one of those books that will make you sit back and realize that danger lurks around every corner. Days later, this story is still on my mind and I am anxiously waiting for the next book in this series. If you love mysteries, police procedurals and female sleuths The 6thTarget is the book for you.

Reviewed by Theresa
© January 2009

What if you didn't know who you really were? What if you didn't know where you'd come from? What if all you knew was one wonderful hunk of a man, who could do anything, was your only link to your past and that he was totally dedicated to making you safe and happy? Would you be satisfied with that? I think I would be but such is not the case for Kira Gunn, the lucky, or unlucky, depending on where you stand, lady in Karen Wiesner's opening book of the Incognito Series, No Ordinary Love.

Kira has everything she wants. She is a multi-millionaire at the age of twenty five. She is highly intelligent and highly creative. She owns and runs her own fashion business, Kira Gunn Industries. Her sexy assistant, Vincent, is one of the hottest men on the planet and he sees to her every need, almost before she can realize she needs it.

The only thing she really lacks is a good night's sleep. Sleeping is only achieved in very short bursts because when she sleeps too deeply, the nightmares come and, in her younger days, the seizures. Once again, only the voice and the touch of Vincent can make the seizures go away. If her life is so dependent on this man, why doesn't she know anything about him? Who is he? Where did he come from that night when her father was killed? Why did he rescue her from that horrible white room? The time has come for Kira to know the truth.

Vincent Carson has spent the past fifteen years as protector, partner, and once she reached legal age, pseudo-lover to Kira. Pseudo in that he sees to her pleasure without seeking his own. He would do anything for Kira, especially to keep her safe. There are dangers out there in the world that want her. They've already taken her parents and left her an orphan. Now that Kira is asking, no demanding answers to her past, he'll have to work even harder to keep her from remembering, and seeking the dangers he's kept her safe from over the years. When she blocks him out of her life, he has to resort to his covert training to keep his promise to himself, the promise to keep her safe even at the cost of his own life.

Karen Wienser's exciting story of covert operations gone bad, operatives gone AWOL, and forbidden loves is an exciting ride through the world of the Network, an organization that is highly reminiscent of the IM Force, Mission: Impossible ™. That is probably why I was instantly drawn into the story. Ms. Wiesner drops the reader right in the middle of the action, grasps you firmly and the ride never slows.

I regret that the rating was not higher. The editing was not quite up to the standard it should have been. The story itself was excellent and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Wiesner.

No Ordinary Love is the first of the Incognito series. If it is any indication of the caliber of excitement and intrigue, I'll be heading over to Whiskey Creek Press to pick up the rest of the series.

Reviewed By MargeAnna Conrad
© December 2008
 

If you had a father who could no longer do his chosen profession, but you had the skills, would you do the job for him? Could you do it even if you totally despised the work? Could you do it if the safety of your country depended on it? Would that make the stakes higher and the job more worthy of doing? That is where Zoe Alexander finds herself in It Takes a Thief, the suspense thriller from Liz Wolfe.

Zeke Alexander is the best in the world. The world knows it and the CIA knows it. A subversive group known as the Dominion Order also knows it. What no one knows is that Zeke suffers from Parkinson's Disease. He's not ready to admit that he can't do his job but his daughter, Zoe, whom he trained in his profession since she was four years old, knows. When she overhears her employers, a branch of the CIA, talk about hiring her father, she knows she can't let him accept. She hates the fact that her father taught her, but she can't stand by silently while he gets into a dangerous situation. Zoe tells her employers that not only can her father not do the job, but also that she is the only one who can. Other than her father, Zoe Alexander is the best thief in the world.

In this suspenseful thriller, Ms. Wolfe leads us through the worlds of the CIA, the Dominion Order who is bent on making the world a better place for all whether they like it or not, and a terrorist group that is determined to eliminate most of the leadership of the United States via germ warfare at the inauguration of the new president. This is a nonstop story that carries the reader along at an "edge of your seat" pace. I had difficulty returning to my everyday life after spending time in Zoe's world.

I would recommend It Takes a Thief to those who love a good thriller, who can do without the heavy romance that most books hide their story behind, and who love it when the winner isn't clear until the last possible moment. I'll be looking for more from Liz Wolfe, and wouldn't mind additional adventures of Zoe Alexander.
 
Reviewed By MargeAnna Conrad
© December 2008
 

Dare to meet enigmatic aliens and sail along on a hazardous, ten-thousand year voyage to the stars. Make a disastrous return to an unfamiliar Earth, one run dangerously amok with bizarre evolution. Be warned! Leapfrog, by Steve Hendry, is definitely not for the timid reader, or those faint of heart.

Steve Hendry starts Leapfrog off with an action-packed bang and then continues in that vein. From the opening scene, where a great starship, humanity's best hope for finding an alien treasure-trove of knowledge, suffers a deadly military coup with resulting murder and mayhem, to a disastrous trip, and then a delayed return to a changed world, Leapfrog moves at a breathless pace. The main characters must not only face and survive a cruel military dictatorship aboard their own ship, one that betrays the hopes of Earth's own leaders and the mysterious aliens' wishes as well, but they then face a long and precarious voyage. It is to be one of hardships, tough decisions, and an uncertain outcome.

When our surviving heroes finally return to Earth, they find things so altered, so unbelievably different, that they have trouble even comprehending it all. The human survivors of the star voyage must now face their real test, to find out what happened, to deal with the consequences, and then to attempt to find a home for themselves on a deadly new Earth.

For me, the main story of Leapfrog is this tale of their fight for survival, not only in space, but more especially, on a planet they once dared to call home. When I mentioned this book was not for the faint of heart, I meant it! Leapfrog, by Steve Hendry, although science fiction, is also a horror and suspense story. This means there are grisly fight scenes, painted in with vivid and detailed descriptions by a more than competent author, and in virtually every chapter of Leapfrog, if not all of them. So be forewarned, if you don't like violence, even what some might deem excessive violence, you won't like Leapfrog.

Although at times I did think such violence was over-the-top, perhaps even somewhat gratuitous in nature, the depth of the characters, the dramatic descriptions, the fast-paced plot, and gritty feel of reality that Leapfrog evoked for me, more than compensated. So, if I had any real quibble about this novel, it is the way the author ended it. For me, personally, I found it just a little weak, but I leave that to the readers to ultimately judge for themselves. Besides, the plot is excellent and it kept me intrigued as to its outcome. This more than repays the reader for any possible and minor weakness of the ending.

Despite any such minor problems, overall, Steve Hendry's Leapfrog is a masterfully dark science fiction piece, one which will have readers sitting on the edge of their seats from beginning to end! If you have the nerve to read this novel, the intestinal fortitude, you are in for surprises. Leapfrog is a harrowing page-turner of a book. It is a story of shadowy and dangerous adventures. You will most certainly enjoy Leapfrog by Steve Hendry. I don't just recommend Steve Hendry's, Leapfrog -- I dare you to read it! Oh, and do keep the nerve tonic handy while you do!
 
Reviewed By Rob Shelsky
© September 2008

I usually do not read mysteries about serial killers. They are often too violent for my tastes. After reading P.D. Martin’s first book Body Count at the urging of my friends, there was enough of a twist in the development in the character of the lead protagonist that I actually enjoyed the book. The Murderers’ Club is the second installment in the series and I was hooked right from the opening prologue.

Sophie Anderson, an F.B.I. Profiler, has visions that see into the mind of killers. Her talent is uncontrollable and unpredictable. When invited to come to Arizona for a vacation by a police officer friend Daren Carter, Sophie, who is still suffering after effects from her previous case, is only too willing to have a break. The vacation suddenly ends when bodies start showing up at a university campus. Sophie is forced to use her terrifying gift in order to catch the killers.

Once again P.D. Martin has written a "keep you on the edge of your seat" thriller. Martin continues to add more depth to her characters. I particularly enjoy her character Sophie who struggles with and is reluctance to use her gift. The book is clearly written in two points of view, from the killers and the police perspectives. As a reader, I could see the whole story and watch how the two come together in order that the case is solved. Some suspension of belief regarding F.B.I. procedures is required and the author’s decision to purposely leave a loose end dangling irritated me a little, but the entire story of The Murderers' Club had enough twists and turns to satisfy me.

Reviewed by Lillian Porter
© May 2008

I first heard about The Sex Club on an online mystery list that I belong to. When I was offered a copy for review, I accepted. I read a lot of mysteries and I am always on the lookout for new authors. I have often read real clunkers but this was not the case with L.J. Sellers’ The Sex Club.

When a pipe bomb explodes at a birth control clinic and a young client is found dead in a dumpster, Kera Kollmorgan, a nurse working at the clinic, begins to search for the truth on her own. Bound by client confidentiality, Kera is unable to go to the police with information that she has. As she begins to uncover some new facts about a church club that the victim belonged to she finds herself becoming the target of the bomber. Detective Wade Jackson, fearing that his own daughter who was a friend of the victim may be in danger, finds his investigation blocked by strong political forces at every step.

L.J. Sellers has written a good debut mystery novel that explores religious fanaticism and its effects on the lives of various people. The characters are well developed, the plot plausible and well executed with an unexpected twist at the end. I enjoyed The Sex Club and look forward to reading more books by this talented author.

Reviewed By Lillian Porter
© May 2008

World War II ended with Germany defeated, Hitler dead, and thousands of Jews released from concentration camps. Gestapo members were tried as war criminals, while scientists were recruited by various nations. That seemed to be it, or was it? What if there was more? A document so terrible that years later, people are willing to kill to prevent it from becoming public? This is the plot of Robert Barr Smith’s novel, Blood Eagle.

More than a half-century ago, the death of an attractive, young woman, Geli Raubal, was ruled a suicide. Not a matter of importance, except the woman was Adolf Hitler’s niece and mistress. An electrician accidentally discovers the truth of the matter and decides to sell the information for a chance to emigrate to a new life. This starts the race for information.

American Tom Cooper is on a mission to avenge the death of his wife and child, who died in a bombing by an unknown terrorist while they were vacationing in Germany. Cooper manages to convince his old commander to make him a covert agent to run down the terrorist who slaughtered his family. Across the sea, Englishman Simon Berwick is equally determined to kill the terrorist responsible for his family’s demise. Both men are in a race against time, but in the same race are the Nazis and Russians. More than one person has died and more will follow.

Blood Eagle is a fast-paced novel with non-stop action and is populated with alpha males who are willing to do what needs to be done. Tom Cooper and Simon Berwick’s characters are fleshed out and given realistic emotions and motivations. Even the minor character of the electrician is fully rounded. The scenery is described in such detail you feel like you are there.

Blood Eagle is a suspenseful novel that will keep you up all night to finish it. I highly recommend it, especially if you happen to be a WWII buff.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© April 2008

I’m a fan of cop-dramas, thrillers and suspense-action stories. They get my blood pumping and my mind racing to solve the puzzle. When I’m in the middle of reading a good thriller, I start to think that I could do whatever the hero is doing. In a pinch, I’d be quick on my feet; I’d be able to talk down the bad guy or outwit him. Well, that’s what I’d like to think and books like A Play of Shadows by Geoff Geauterre feed that illusion.

Professor Ralph Tomthwaite, who considers himself average in every way, is pushed to do extraordinary things when his neighbor is mysteriously murdered and the whole affair is quickly covered up. Other characters in the book also turn into everyday heroes…so long as your everyday includes butlers and big bank accounts. A Play of Shadows has money and power in spades.

It also has characters in spades. So many characters, in fact, that I often lost count of who was who. Once Ralph realizes that an international crime syndicate killed his friend, he decides to kick them out of his home state of Connecticut. Now, I realize that crime syndicates have lots of players, but I don’t need to know all their names and backgrounds to appreciate when they’re taken down.

There were so many twists and turns in this book that I had trouble keeping up. The book opens with characters that we don’t see again until halfway through the book. And by the end, I still don’t understand those original characters’ motivation. The book also seems to be two in one. We have two heroes; one who fills the first half of the book and another whose escapades fill the second. While their stories are lightly interwoven, the book could have focused on one without detriment to the story. I enjoyed each character’s exploits individually, but the transition between them was awkward and I had trouble figuring out why we were transitioning at all.

The pace of A Play of Shadows is erratic. Generally, it goes at a fast clip. The chapters are set up almost as if the book were a movie, cutting between the good guys and the bad guys. This structure keeps the action going and builds suspense. However, in the middle of the suspense, Mr. Geauterre kills it with explanations—whether of Ralph’s philosophy lectures or details about what characters are doing in banks. Rather than giving me better insight, these explanations acted only as diversions and dampened my interest.

If you like books about men in cushy jobs finding their inner Rambo and you don’t mind keeping a running character list in your head, you’ll enjoy A Play of Shadows.

Reviewed by Cam Robbins
© April 2008

Whatever happened to colorful heroes like Indiana Jones, intrepid archaeologist, ready to charge into unknown jungles and forgotten tombs with the possibility of dying a horrible death? To most, it would appear such exciting and fully-rounded characters have gone the way of the western, but they would be wrong. Author Roberta Clark breathes life into the intelligent action hero by making him into a her, in her novel, The Golden Covenant.

If the sudden death of her father Gustav, a prominent archaeologist, in a plane crash wasn’t devastating enough for Katherine Nikulasson, then there are the rumors. Lawrence Halvern, investigative reporter, brings them to her door: maybe the plane crash wasn’t accidental and worse yet, maybe family friend, Sheppard Wilde is somehow involved.
The journalist in her knows she has to investigate if only to clear Wilde’s name.

The problem with an in-depth investigation is that someone doesn’t want Katherine investigating. The real question is who wants to keep Katherine from finding the golden ornaments that represent an ancient civilization that Gustav took from his latest dig. There is Enrique Quisette, leader of an international art smuggling syndicate who would like to get his hands on the golden ornaments. There is also Sheppard Wilde who appears to be the same dependable friend, but may be hiding something. Of course, the ornaments are missing and now Katherine is missing, too.

The Golden Covenant employs many varied characters and dispenses with them just as quickly. The main character Katherine doesn’t even make an appearance until chapter three, which is confusing to this reader because so many possible main characters have to be rejected in favor of Katherine. The settings were good and the dialogue was believable. The secondary characters were workable, but there was too much set-up for a character that is killed within the same chapter he was introduced.

The Golden Covenant is a fast-paced action adventure that should appeal to both male and female readers. The book picks up after the fourth chapter and all the major characters are in play. I recommend this book.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
January 2008