Book Review - Crime Fiction for Beginners - Gervase Shorter

Title: Crime Fiction for Beginners

Author: Gervace Shorter

Review: There is a lot going on in this book. I had a hard time at first with the transitions between the story and the other characters who were writing stories. I did figure it out and following was much easier from there. I found the stories the characters were writing as interesting or more so then the main story. I really want to know what happens in the Sci-fi story and I don’t really care for that genre.

The police story of a murder is the main story and the other stories come from the characters, who are also writers, involved in the murder in some way. Maybe a bit too much was going on for me to really get a good handle on the story as a whole and I must admit I missed the twist at the end and had to go back and read again to figure out what was going on. I enjoyed the characters and thought detective Wares had a good hold on the situation, she may make a great leading lady for a series.

Overall I enjoyed the story…but it took a bit too really get started.

Publisher: Published (first published September 7th 2011)

ISBN: B005LSDL9S

Copyright: 2011

Pages: ebook

Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It: Sent by the author for review.

Synopsis: The murder investigation Detective Inspector Harriet Ware is heading takes her into an unsuspected world where publishers wearily fend off a spate of unwanted manuscripts. Her suspects include would-be authors who live as much in the plots they are weaving as in the mundane world they actually inhabit. ‘Crime Fiction for Beginners’ is five novels in one with an unexpected twist at the end.

Author Biography: Born in England, Gervase spent his military service hunting terrorists through the forests of Mount Kenya. After studying medieval history at Oxford he caught the Transiberian train to Vladivostok on his way to Japan, where he lived for four years. He travelled back to Europe overland and then spent three years in Lisbon, moving in 1973 to Rio de Janeiro where he now divides his time between an apartment overlooking the lagoon and a farm 3,000 feet up in the mountains where he grows bananas, avocados, persimmon and pecan nuts. He is married with four adult children.

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Book Review - Death of a Kingfisher - MC Beaton

Title: Death of a Kingfisher

Author: MC Beaton

Review: The Death series are cozy mysteries featuring the every insightful small town copper Hamish Macbeth. He resides in the little Scottish village of Lochdubh, where, in spite of the group of quirky locals, he solves an inordinate amount of murders. The whole thing, like any good cozy, is more about the detective, the location, and the atmosphere that the community provides then it is about the crimes themselves. In the Death series MC Beaton has created a truly magnificent world for these murders to happen.. Think Murder She Wrote as an example of the genre.

Well Kingfisher starts out right on pace with the murder of a bird, the Kingfisher of the story. Hamish is charming, the location is beautiful, and the townsfolk all Twins Peak quirky like you expect; at least for the first three quarters of the book. Then the thing totally goes off the rails by killing people left and right, making Scarface appear to be a Pixar release in comparison. The next thing you know we are off to America with crazy ultra-rich, religious zealot bad guys. WTF!

I do not know what happened with this book, but maybe Mrs. Beaton should lay off the Red Bull.

Publisher: Published February 22nd 2012 by Grand Central Publishing

ISBN: 9780446547369

Copyright: 2012

Pages: 245

Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Where did I get the book: The local library.

Why I Read It: It’s a series I keep up with.

Synopsis: When Scotland is hit by the recession, Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices that the Highland people are forced to come up with inventive ways to lure tourists to their sleepy towns. The quaint village of Braikie doesn't have much to offer, other than a place of rare beauty called Buchan's Wood, which was bequeathed to the town. The savvy local tourist director renames the woods "The Fairy Glen," and has brochures printed with a beautiful photograph of a kingfisher rising from a pond on the cover.

It isn't long before coach tours begin to arrive. But just as the town's luck starts to turn, a kingfisher is found hanging from a branch in the woods with a noose around its neck. As a wave of vandalism threatens to ruin Braikie forever, the town turns to Hamish Macbeth. And when violence strikes again,the lawman's investigation quickly turns from animal cruelty to murder.

Author Biography: M. C. Beaton has been hailed as "the new Queen of Crime." She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries, which began with The Quiche of Death and also include As the Pig Turns and Busy Body, set in the English Cotswolds, as well as the Hamish Macbeth mysteries set in Scotland. She has also written historical romance novels and an Edwardian mystery series under the name Marion Chesney. Before writing her first novels, Beaton worked as a bookseller, a newspaper reporter, a fashion critic, and a waitress in a greasy spoon. Born in Scotland, she currently divides her time between Paris and a village in the Cotswolds. She was selected the British Guest of Honor for the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in 2006.

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Book Review - Redemption Day - Steve O'Brien

 This title is available free on Kindle April 15th - 19th - 2012  Link at the bottom.

Title:  Redemption Day

Author: Steve O’Brien

Review:   When it comes to political thriller genre, in the current marketplace, an author needs to step-up to the challenge because there are so many great political thriller authors out there. In that respect, I feel that Steve O'Brien fell a little short. The story starts out with Nick James, a contracted analyst for the Government, who is fired from his job one day and the next is wanted for the kidnapping of a Supreme Court Justice.  Nick James has to discover who is behind the kidnapping before the terrorists strike again.

The book promised action and intrigue but what was there instead was nonstop confusion with your typical political thriller characters. For example, Nick James goes from being an unemployed analyst to being wanted, to being held by terrorists, then goes to lead an investigation under the watchful eye of the FBI.  I felt like I was missing something from Nick's past that would take him from unemployed desk jockey to the status of lead investigator for an FBI investigation.

We are also introduced to Wesley, an investigating officer with the FBI, who suspects Nick of secretly working with the terrorists. Wesley is a hothead and very annoying though out the book, giving nothing but trouble for Javier, his boss.  Then there is Kate, Nick James girlfriend and attorney, who is also working the case and believes her boyfriend to be innocent regardless of the evidence against him.  Wesley's character gives Kate and Javier a lot of problems and almost becomes more of a distraction to the story than enhancing.  I also question where the rest of law enforcement was hiding because Nick was able to escape the police very easily when he was a wanted man.  I can't drive on a freeway without seeing a billboard of America's most wanted and he would have been number one on the list if he were suspected of kidnapping a Supreme Court Justice. 

My one question is why are all Militia's "right winged"? There are no "Left Wing" Militia's out there too?

I found it brave for Steve O'Brien to take on the topic of home grown terrorism because I feel it is sometimes a topic most political authors avoid. It hits so close to home and is very personal for Americans. There were a few editing problems, but I was able to easily look past them because the action was so fast paced.

In the end there are certain rules that need to be followed in this genre and Redemption Day just missed the mark.

Thanks go to Heidi for this review.

Publisher:  Published March 22nd 2012 by A & N Publishing

ISBN: 9780982073520

Copyright: 2012

Pages: 304

Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It:  Sent by The Cadence Group for review.

Synopsis: The terrorist to be feared is not one across the seas.

It is the one in your backyard; the one indistinguishable from your neighbors.

Redemption Day is a highly paced thriller set in Washington DC. The story is founded upon historical events  and documented teachings of the Posse Comitatus. The Posse was an anti-government militia group in the 1980’s that tried to convince farmers that banks could not lawfully foreclose on their properties. Their beliefs led to the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on a date of significance to the group—April 19.

 

Author Biography: Steve O'Brien is an award winning author and attorney. "Bullet Work" and "Elijah's Coin" were recipients of multiple literary awards, including Best Fiction, National Best Books Awards, and Best Novella, Next Generation Indie Book Awards. "Redemption" Day is his third novel.


Steve lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Becky; they have two children.

FYI:  A Note From the Author:   


April 19 has become a date marking horrific violence in this country's history.

The date is not well known like September 11 or December 7, the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Unlike dates that commemorate great military victories or the end of World Wars, April 19 is about a different kind of violence.

Violence between citizens of this nation and the government itself.

Like most traditions it began as a coincidence, but later transitioned into a date of significance for members of sovereign citizen groups like the Posse Comitatus.

It began in 1985. Jim Ellison was the leader of a sovereign group called CSA (The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord. On April 19, 1985, three hundred federal officers surrounded his compound in northern Arkansas. Ellison surrendered and was later convicted of conspiracy and weapons charges. Aside from traditional firearms, the federal officers rounded up hand grenades, plastic explosives, blasting caps, land mines and even a US Army anti-tank rocket. One of Ellison’s men, Richard Wayne Snell was charged with murder and his execution took place ten years later as fate would have it, on April 19.

April 19, 1993 the FBI stormed the Branch Davidian complex outside Waco Texas, killing seventy six members, including seventeen children. David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Davidian group was sought for illegal weapons charges, something sovereign groups adamantly believed was not a crime, but a right. This came on the heels of the Ruby Ridge shootings which had enraged members like Tim McVeigh. Terry Nichols and McVeigh saw Waco as yet another illegal intrusion by a corrupt government.

Following Waco, April 19 became a date of significance for sovereign groups. They would use the date as a symbol and cause to retaliate against the government.

On April 19, 1994 militia leader Linda Thompson issued a call for sovereign citizen groups  to assemble in Washington DC, armed and in uniform. The purpose of the assembly was the forced repeal of the Brady Bill and the arrest of Congressmen and Senators for treason. She identified herself as the acting adjutant general of the Unorganized Militia of the United States. Although later rescinded, her call to arms became known as the Thompson Ultimatum.

At nine pm April 19, 1995, CSA member, Richard Wayne Snell, was put to death by lethal injection in Arkansas. Twelve hours earlier, Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols had ignited a truck bomb outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City killing 168 people.

For McVeigh and Nichols the date was not a coincidence.

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Book Review - Last Will - Liza Marklund

Title:  Last Will

Author: Liza Marklund

Review:  All the excitement of the cutthroat world of modern scientific research.  I know that statement sounds silly, but Liza Marklund through her investigative journalist Annika Bengtzon brings the tension of the world alive.  When you are talking millions of dollars of research grants floating around, you are going to bring out the worst in a lot of people.

The mystery was solid, Nobel prize committee member is assassinated during the after party of the awards ceremony.  Who did it and why?  Annika, who was literally dancing next to the victim, was the best eyewitness.  Immediately she receives a gag order from the police, but that doesn’t stop her from digging into the case.

I do not think most people realize how much money is floating around the research world if your work is successful, and more importantly, first.  Put any random group of people in a situation wherein being first is the difference between wealth and poverty, you are going to see some dirty tricks.  Watch any reality show like Survivor and you will see the same behavior.  Having a PhD. will not make you play any nicer at all.  It makes you all the more nasty because you at least understand exactly what is at stake.

Liza Marklund has given us another solid Nordic Noir series featuring a compelling heroine.  Waiting for these books to be translated is sheer torture, it almost makes me want to give a try at learning Swedish.

Publisher: Atria  - April 10^th 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4516-0692-8

Copyright: 2006 (translated 2012)

Pages: 399

Quick Review: 4 ½ stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It:  Sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis: HOW FAR WILL A MADMAN GO TO ATTAIN THE ULTIMATE PRIZE? In the midst of a brutal Scandinavian winter, a member of the Nobel Prize committee is gunned down in the city of Stockholm. Reporter Annika Bengtzon, who made eye contact with the killer just seconds before the shots were fired, is the key witness. Because of the sensitivity of the crime, police issue a gag order on her immediately—and she is forced to figure out on her own why an American assassin known only as “the Kitten” ordered the hit. With her marriage falling to pieces and her job on the line, Annika quickly finds herself in the middle of a violent story of terror and death, the roots of which date back centuries. The research all leads her to the same man: a rich and famous industrialist responsible for one of the world’s most coveted gifts, who died a tragic and mysterious death. If Annika wants to learn the truth, she risks uncovering secrets that some will do anything to protect.

 

Author Biography: Scandinavia’s undisputed queen of crime fiction, Liza Marklund is the No. 1 international bestselling author of the Annika Bengtzon series.

Liza Marklund was born in 1962 in the small village of Pålmark, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden. She is an author, journalist, columnist, and goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She is also co-owner of Piratförlaget, one of Sweden’s most successful publishing houses. Since her debut in 1995, Liza Marklund has written eleven novels and two nonfiction books. Liza co-wrote the international bestseller The Postcard Killers with James Patterson, making her the second Swedish author ever to reach No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Her crime novels featuring the gutsy reporter Annika Bengtzon have sold more than 13 million copies in 30 languages to date.

Liza Marklund worked as an investigative news reporter for ten years and as an editor in print and television news for five. Today, she also makes documentaries for television and writes for various newspapers. Her topics are often women and children’s rights. Liza has made documentaries about children with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia and Russia, and a series about domestic violence, Take a Little Beating.

Liza is also a popular columnist since 20 years. Her columns have appeared in various Swedish and international newspapers and magazines, including Financial Times in the UK, Welt am Sonntag in Germany, Dagbladet Information in Denmark, and Ilta-Lehti in Finland. She is a regular columnist in Swedish tabloid Expressen and Norwegian daily Verdens Gang. Today, Liza and her family divide their time between Stockholm in Sweden and Marbella in southern Spain.      

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Guest Post and giveaway with author of Ordinary Wisdom by K. Blue

Author K. Blue sat down today to tell us a bit about herself and her book Ordinary Wisdom.  * One copy of the book is up for grabs...see the bottom of the post for details.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

The book was to be a Christmas gift to my family. I typically give gifts that are handcrafted or made, rather than purchased and I wanted to do something special. We had told these stories year after year and I felt like they would enjoy reading and sharing them with their friends.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My Mom…need I say more? <LOL>

Your biggest critic?

Me, me and…that would be… me.  In a way that is why this book ended up being what it was. In order to write about lessons and growth, you really have to know your own flaws. You have to know them, embrace them, laugh at them and ultimately learn from them. But it all starts with self awareness.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

Too many to count but, I would say I love to help causes that promote and help those individuals that work hard. People and organizations that lend a helping hand rather than provide a handout. I was raised on the premise to help someone, not do for them. I love work study programs. I also admire programs that teach women how to prepare for the workforce. Programs that help seniors become computer savvy. The Girl and Boy Scouts of America are also great programs. I try to help out where I can but, am always most passionate about organizations that promote pride in a job well done and self worth, rather than dependency.   

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

I am a bit fan of learning in general. This last year I studied to get a Learning Development and Training certification. I just posted the final project. I am hoping to get awarded the certification if all goes well. Keeping my fingers crossed! Certifications are a great way to increase your knowledge without committing to a long term degree.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

Re-read, revise, re-read, revise, worry, and question, beg for feedback, re-read, revise then step away from the computer. It sound funny but sometime I think we can over think things. The real art of finishing any project is knowing when to walk away and say, “DONE!” Most projects can go on forever, simply because we constantly want to make them better. Not a bad thing but, at some point we need to move on to bigger and better projects and leave others to memory and nostalgia. 

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

Self awareness. Knowing yourself goes a long way to helping you get by in this world. No matter how strong your support system is, the first, last and sometimes only person you can always count on is yourself. Knowing yourself really helps you get through those unexpected challenges.

Biggest weakness?

Self awareness.  Yes…yes…I know I just listed it as my biggest strength. The reality is self awareness is a duel edged sword. Knowing yourself IS a huge strength but it can also be a weakness. When you know yourself inside and out you tend to internalize things and take responsibility for more than you should. Like life itself, it is a balancing act.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

I would like to think the honesty, humor and positive nature of the book. The real goal was to have something that was enjoyable and fun but serious and meaningful as well. The world today is full of drama and chaos. I worked hard with this book to be honest, without letting the drama overwhelm the story. Invite the humor in, without letting hilarity stretch the truth. Hopefully that will come across and set this book apart.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

Can I cheat and say my Nook and a solar battery recharger? I am such a reader that one book would never do me. I think a Nook stocked with 3000 books might just be enough. Maybe…

What is your favorite past-time?

No surprise. I love to read. My idea of a perfect day is curling up in a warm bed reading, with my cat napping at my side.

 

About K. Blue

Ms. Blue was raised in a middle class American family with 3 brothers. Her father worked for a large corporation and her family moved quite a bit during her growing up years. From Indiana to New Jersey, Texas to Georgia, she has lived in many different areas of the country and had many different experiences. These experiences have given her a unique take on life which she enjoys sharing in her book Ordinary Wisdom.

You can visit K. Blue’s website at www.shareordinarywisdom.com

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