Monday, August 29, 2011

Saving Rachel - Locke, John

Saving Rachel is a Donovan Creed Novel. Creed has a unique way of looking at life. Come to think of it, he has a unique way of looking at death.



Who is Rachel? This book is written from an interesting perspective. First we see events unfold from the viewpoint of Rachel's husband. Then later the perspective changes to that of Donovan Creed. The transition from confused to lucid is quite a shift. As always when Creed is involved, action, danger, death, and humor combine to make an excellent tale. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Wicked Day - Bunn, Christopher

The Wicked Day is the third and final book in the Tormay Trilogy. If you read the first two books and liked them, you'll like this one too. This story is a good ending to the series.



This final book reveals most of the mysteries the first two books presented. The action is fierce, the suspense is intense, and humor is still a thread that ties the story together. This is a very good trilogy. Very highly recommended.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Shadow at the Gate - Bunn, Christopher

The Shadow at the Gate is the second book in the Tormay Trilogy. This novel continues the suspense and adventure from The Hawk And His Boy.



Jute is on the move. The city of Hearne has become too dangerous for him to stay. And you won't believe who's guarding his life. Earth, Sea, Wind, and Fire are all fighting for their lives and that of the entire world. The dark is closing in. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Shattergrave Knights - Haendler, David M.

The Shattergrave Knights is the story of Jack and Olive Merriwether. They're 14 year old twins living a peaceful life in the little town of Muddy Hollow as members of the Protectorate. Then a Protectorate witch hunter comes to town they discover they're not who they thought they were. Their world is about to turn upside down.



Jack and Olive have a family tradition they weren't aware of. They're the last of the Shattergrave Knights and they have a lot to learn, and learn fast, if they're going to survive. Jack and Olive live in a fascinating world with magic, dragons, and a government that specializes in suppressing the population. They're going to change that or die trying. Highly recommended.

Good first book, but you don't get turkey bacon by shooting a turkey :)

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Promises in Death - Robb J.D.

Promises in Death is Robb's 28th Lt. Eve Dallas book. It's 50 years in the future and the worst criminals are now housed off-planet. But off-planet doesn't mean out-of-touch.



Lt. Dallas is shocked to turn over a murder victim and discover it's another cop. One she knows. Why detective Coltraine was murdered with her own weapon is a long and complicated tale, and there's no better person to root out the answers than Lt. Eve Dallas. Another great murder mystery. Very highly recommended.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Stealing Faces - Prescott, Michael

Stealing Faces is about a serial killer hiding in plain sight. It's about a woman who's on the run, and who has to confront her biggest fear to break free. It's about a cop who learns to put the past behind him go with his gut.



Kaylie, or Elizabeth or one of the other names she's hidden behind for the past 12 years, has figured it out. When the body with no face was discovered in the Arizona desert, she realized who the killer was and decided she was done hiding. If the police can't catch him, she's going to take things into her own hands.

Dr. John Cray has discovered he has a woman stalker. This amuses him since he's spent the last 12 years hunting and killing women. He's going to turn the tables and become the stalker.

Detective Shepherd is convinced he's dealing with another crazy person, like the man who killed his wife. But it doesn't quite feel right. He keeps pushing, but will he push hard and fast enough.

This is a great story that keeps you turning the pages late into the night. The characters are interesting and believable. Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Wayfarer King - May, K.C.

The Wayfarer King is the second and final book in the Kinshield Saga. Gavin has accepted his role as king and has to discover how to be a true wayfarer in order to close the rift between realms and bring peace to his kingdom.



I great ending to the Kinshield Saga. Gavin comes into his own and may have even found himself a queen to share his rule. But the evil Ravenkind is still on the loose and is making good on his promise to go after Gavin's family. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Lethal Experiment - Locke, John

Lethal Experiment is a Donovan Creed novel. Locke does it again with another story of the slightly amoral Creed and his cohorts. It says something about his world when Donovan Creed won't even drink from a glass his friends poured, if they don't taste it first.



Creed is still working part-time for little Victor and it's beginning to have an effect on him. Could he have a conscience after all? Will he get married? Will he get killed? Read the book and find out. It's well worth the time. Very highly recommended.

The Hawk And His Boy - Bunn, Christopher

The Hawk And His Boy is the first book in the Tormay Trilogy. Once again, a 99 cent book that's excellent.



Jute is a young thief. He's tasked with helping to steal a box that can't be opened. His life changes forever when the box opens for him. Jute is only one player in this story of a land filled with magic, where the darkness is beginning to creep back across the borders. Very highly recommended.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Follow the Stone - Locke, John

Follow the Stone is a western with an interesting premise. Ex-gunslinger Emmett Love is paid to help women travel from parts east to Dodge, where they can make a good living as ladies of the evening. He also escorts mail-order brides to their new homes. Emmett is extremely practical and completely cowboy. The way he looks at it, if you need to shoot a woman a little to shut her up you do it.



Emmett and his partners, Shrug and Rose, are planning to move a herd of women west for fun and profit. They stumble on a mail-order bride who was forced to head out on foot, and pick up the other women at various brothels. The characters are all interesting and the trip has plenty of surprises. Locke has shown he can work in multiple genres, and at 99 cents a book I plan to read lots of his stories. Very highly recommended.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Kinshield Legacy - May, K.C.

The Kinshield Legacy is the first book in the Kinshield Saga. Here's more proof that you can find a great book for the kindle for 99 cents. In the world May describes, magic plays an important role. The main character, warrant knight Gavin Kinshield, is reluctant to admit that his magical powers are growing, and accept the role he's expected to fill. Fate doesn't seem to be giving him a choice.



Gavin likes his simple life and wants to avoid too much responsibility. He's had tragedy in his past but he's a good honest man who enjoys his role as a keeper of the law and defender of the people. After 200 years, what the country needs is a king, but Gavin is sure he's not king material. He just can't seem to resist solving the runes and collecting the jewels that were designed to select the next king. This book kept me turning pages when I should have been sleeping. Highly recommended.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Caribbean Moon - Murcer, Rick

Caribbean Moon is a Manny Williams novel. Manny Williams is a cop from Lansing Michigan. A big chunk of the Lansing police department is going on a Caribbean cruise and they're bringing along a killer.



I'm trying to stick to a reading austerity program and read 99 cent novels on my kindle. There are many to choose from. This was a bad choice.

While the idea of a killer stalking police officers on their vacation is interesting, this novel is a prime candidate for the Reader's Digest Condensed program. The attempted colorful descriptions that pepper this story are distracting, and at times laughable. This first quote is while the police are pondering a particularly gruesome murder scene:

"Finally, Alex stopped making love to his mocha latte and broke the silence."

Hear are a couple more examples:

"The java’s aroma slinked to his wide nose and teased it like a tantalizing performer in a high-class strip club."

"Determination coated her face like fresh snow on a winter’s day."

It's kind of hard to take a murder mystery serious with this kind of verbiage being thrown around like bad garnish on mediocre a salad. See there, I can do it too :)

Was it worth the 99 cents? Nope. Did I finish it to see if they caught the killer. Yes. Still not recommended.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Burn Out - Hohenstein, Traci

Burn Out is Hohenstein's debut novel. The protagonist is Rachel Scott. Rachel started an organization called Florida Omni Search when her four year old daughter went missing. In this book Rachel's organization is helping search for a missing firefighter who left two daughters and a husband behind.



Firefighter Samantha Collins disappears during a warehouse fire and the only trace is her helmet. Her husband is a police captain, but he's in jail for drugs. Her two daughters are left with their grandmother. The grandmother calls in Florida Omni Search to help find her daughter Sam. The search takes a number if interesting turns and why Sam is missing is in doubt to the end. A good first effort. The novel is a little stilted. It reads like a true crime story more than a novel at times. It was still a good read. Recommended.

Hammered - Hearne, Kevin

Hammered is the third book in the Iron Druid Chronicles. The title is appropriate when you consider that Thor is the big villain in this story.



Atticus is trying to avoid killing any more gods, but Thor has ticked off a whole lot of people. Atticus is finally forced to agree to tackle the Norse god of thunder. At least he's rounded up some interesting allies. This is going to be epic. Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Hexed - Hearne, Kevin

Hexed is the second novel in the Iron Druid Chronicles series. In addition to some nasties that escaped him in the first book in this series, Atticus has to worry about witches he's clashed with before. A long time before.



Atticus usually doesn't want anything to do with witches. However, the local coven are the lesser of two evils so he's going to have to make nice. He's going to need the local witches to help him take care of some out-of-town witches that have a grudge to settle with him. If he just didn't have to deal with a fallen angel, some nasty bacchanals, and a couple of pesky goddesses first. Very highly recommended.