Pathological by Vincent Zandri
Published by StoneHouse Ink
ISBN-13: 2940011815508

Pathological by Vincent Zandri
Published by StoneHouse Ink
ISBN-13: 2940011815508

Bryce Loring Must Die by Bill Walker
Published by Bill Walker
ISBN 0011077166
ISBN13: 2940011077166
At the request of the author, an EBook edition was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (borrowed from B&N): When Riley Harper discovers his old neighborhood bully is now a successful executive within his own company, Riley decides Bryce must pay for all the cruel acts he committed against him and his friends. He decides that Bryce Loring Must Die! In this Digital Short, Bill Walker delivers a taste of suspense and black humor.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I have to be honest and tell you that I didn’t know what to expect with this type of read for 2 very different reasons. The first being, that this is considered a “digital short” and didn’t know what to perceive it would be like in relation to a novel. The second being, that I had read and reviewed 2 previous works by this author of a very different genre, so I was very skeptical since this being a suspense. I reviewed A Note from an Old Acquaintance and was honored to have been asked to read his manuscript of Titanic 2012. I didn’t know if I should use the same guidelines that I use for rating novels, but after completing Bryce Loring Must Die!, it was clear. Within the first few sentences I was hooked. The descriptive writing style and dialogue allowed me to have a very vivid visual of the story line right down to feeling the exact same emotions that the character was feeling. The suspense unnerving. However, since it was a “short”, it left me with wanting more. He has shown that as an author, he has an abundance of talent to be able to write extraordinary books of totally different genres. I am hoping that Mr. Walker has plans for a suspense novel!!!!

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

Bryce Loring Must Die by Bill Walker
Published by Bill Walker
ISBN 0011077166
ISBN13: 2940011077166
At the request of the author, an EBook edition was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (borrowed from B&N): When Riley Harper discovers his old neighborhood bully is now a successful executive within his own company, Riley decides Bryce must pay for all the cruel acts he committed against him and his friends. He decides that Bryce Loring Must Die! In this Digital Short, Bill Walker delivers a taste of suspense and black humor.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I have to be honest and tell you that I didn’t know what to expect with this type of read for 2 very different reasons. The first being, that this is considered a “digital short” and didn’t know what to perceive it would be like in relation to a novel. The second being, that I had read and reviewed 2 previous works by this author of a very different genre, so I was very skeptical since this being a suspense. I reviewed A Note from an Old Acquaintance and was honored to have been asked to read his manuscript of Titanic 2012. I didn’t know if I should use the same guidelines that I use for rating novels, but after completing Bryce Loring Must Die!, it was clear. Within the first few sentences I was hooked. The descriptive writing style and dialogue allowed me to have a very vivid visual of the story line right down to feeling the exact same emotions that the character was feeling. The suspense unnerving. However, since it was a “short”, it left me with wanting more. He has shown that as an author, he has an abundance of talent to be able to write extraordinary books of totally different genres. I am hoping that Mr. Walker has plans for a suspense novel!!!!

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

First of State by Robert Greer (ARC)
Published by North Atlantic Books
ISBN 978-1556439155
At the request of Caitlin Hamilton Marketing & Publicity, an ARC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (back of book): Robert Greer’s latest novel-a prequel to his CJ Floyd mystery series-takes readers back in time to a very different CJ Floyd. It’s 1972, and the twenty-two-year-old decorated war vet has recently returned to Denver from Vietnam with post-traumatic stress disorder. Navigating depression, he finds a friend in World War II vet and amputee Wiley Ames, who shares his passion for rare and valuable western memorabilia.
  When Ames and a mysterious Chinese man are found murdered, CJ’s already fragile world threatens to collapse. His attempts to find his friend’s killer are thwarted at every turn, and finally joins his Uncle Ike’s business as a bail bondsman and bounty hunter. Five years later one of Ames’s treasured antique license plates turns up at a Denver flea market and CJ is once again off and running. The trail to Wiley Ames’s murderer leads CJ down a dark path strewn with backstabbing antique dealers, conniving friends and relatives of Ames’s, and a shadowy musician. Equally a white-knuckle-ride murder mystery and a tale of a traumatized young man coming to terms with his past.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: This was the first time reading this author, and it being the prequel, has piqued my curiosity as to the rest of the series. The characters became life like whereas I instantly liked the 2 main characters CJ and his uncle Ike, even with their flaws. Set in the 1970s, CJ just back from Viet Nam, the plot touched upon Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, which I feel that Dr. Greer gave credibility for the veterans that suffer from this disease. The writing was descriptive where I could picture in my mind the scenarios of crimes and suspects that CJ investigated. The story line did move forward but at times not as fast as I would have liked. I enjoyed the characters more than the basic plot, and because of that I am quite interested in reading more of CJ Floyd and how his character evolves and develops over the years.

First of State by Robert Greer (ARC)
Published by North Atlantic Books
ISBN 978-1556439155
At the request of Caitlin Hamilton Marketing & Publicity, an ARC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (back of book): Robert Greer’s latest novel-a prequel to his CJ Floyd mystery series-takes readers back in time to a very different CJ Floyd. It’s 1972, and the twenty-two-year-old decorated war vet has recently returned to Denver from Vietnam with post-traumatic stress disorder. Navigating depression, he finds a friend in World War II vet and amputee Wiley Ames, who shares his passion for rare and valuable western memorabilia.
  When Ames and a mysterious Chinese man are found murdered, CJ’s already fragile world threatens to collapse. His attempts to find his friend’s killer are thwarted at every turn, and finally joins his Uncle Ike’s business as a bail bondsman and bounty hunter. Five years later one of Ames’s treasured antique license plates turns up at a Denver flea market and CJ is once again off and running. The trail to Wiley Ames’s murderer leads CJ down a dark path strewn with backstabbing antique dealers, conniving friends and relatives of Ames’s, and a shadowy musician. Equally a white-knuckle-ride murder mystery and a tale of a traumatized young man coming to terms with his past.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: This was the first time reading this author, and it being the prequel, has piqued my curiosity as to the rest of the series. The characters became life like whereas I instantly liked the 2 main characters CJ and his uncle Ike, even with their flaws. Set in the 1970s, CJ just back from Viet Nam, the plot touched upon Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, which I feel that Dr. Greer gave credibility for the veterans that suffer from this disease. The writing was descriptive where I could picture in my mind the scenarios of crimes and suspects that CJ investigated. The story line did move forward but at times not as fast as I would have liked. I enjoyed the characters more than the basic plot, and because of that I am quite interested in reading more of CJ Floyd and how his character evolves and develops over the years.

Last Writes by Sheila Lowe
Published by New American Library
(Division of Penguin Group)
ISBN 978-0-451-23110-9
At the request of Kaye Publicity, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (back of book): Claudia’s friend Kelly learns that she’s an aunt where her estranged half sister, Erin, shows up at her home in desperate need of help. Erin and her husband have been living quiet lives as members of the Temple of Brighter Light in an isolated compound. But now her husband and young child ave disappeared, leaving behind a cryptic note with a terrifying message.
  Seizing an opportunity to use her special skills as a forensic hand-writing expert, Claudia becomes one of the few outsiders ever to be invited inside the temple’s compound. She has only a few days to uncover the truth about Kelly’s missing niece before the prophecy of a secret ancient parchment can be fulfilled and a child’s life is written off for good…..
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I have to be upfront and honest regarding 2 issues. When I first accepted the request to read Last Writes, I thought it was going to be an easy and fun cozy mystery but I was wrong!!. It also took me some time to finish, but to the author’s credit, it was because of being bogged down with real life, and not the story. Matter of fact, this should have taken me just a few days to read because it was a page turner. It was a fast paced story line with some twists and turns that had me guessing throughout the book to the very last page. The ending a total surprise!!! The author’s writing style was fluid and expressive, to the point, that it felt like I was visualizing a movie in my mind. The references to the science of forensic handwriting quite interesting. This was the first book that I have read by Ms. Lowe but have already put her previous novels on my to be read list.

Last Writes by Sheila Lowe
Published by New American Library
(Division of Penguin Group)
ISBN 978-0-451-23110-9
At the request of Kaye Publicity, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (back of book): Claudia’s friend Kelly learns that she’s an aunt where her estranged half sister, Erin, shows up at her home in desperate need of help. Erin and her husband have been living quiet lives as members of the Temple of Brighter Light in an isolated compound. But now her husband and young child ave disappeared, leaving behind a cryptic note with a terrifying message.
  Seizing an opportunity to use her special skills as a forensic hand-writing expert, Claudia becomes one of the few outsiders ever to be invited inside the temple’s compound. She has only a few days to uncover the truth about Kelly’s missing niece before the prophecy of a secret ancient parchment can be fulfilled and a child’s life is written off for good…..
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I have to be upfront and honest regarding 2 issues. When I first accepted the request to read Last Writes, I thought it was going to be an easy and fun cozy mystery but I was wrong!!. It also took me some time to finish, but to the author’s credit, it was because of being bogged down with real life, and not the story. Matter of fact, this should have taken me just a few days to read because it was a page turner. It was a fast paced story line with some twists and turns that had me guessing throughout the book to the very last page. The ending a total surprise!!! The author’s writing style was fluid and expressive, to the point, that it felt like I was visualizing a movie in my mind. The references to the science of forensic handwriting quite interesting. This was the first book that I have read by Ms. Lowe but have already put her previous novels on my to be read list.