Monday, October 31, 2011

Blind Pursuit - Prescott, Michael

Blind Pursuit is about a serial killer who wants to be cured. So he kidnaps a therapist to cure him. It's not quite that simple. Another 99 cent bargain for the kindle.



Erin Reilly is a psychologist. She's kidnapped and help captive somewhere in a basement. Her captor wants to be cured of his compulsion to kill women. To burn them to death. Erin's twin Annie is the only one who really believes her sister is missing. Can she convince someone to help or will she have to find Erin on her own? There are many interesting twists and turns in this novel. You never quite catch your breath. The ending is great. Very highly recommended.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Just Run - Culver, Chris

Just Run is a novel about two people running for their lives. Both are running from people who want to kill them, but one is running toward revenge. This is another 99 cent bargain.



Renee Carter is a math professor. Her life is shattered when a colleague is murdered on campus and her laptop is stolen. Trent Schaefer is a detective with the Ohio State Police. He's called in to investigate the campus murder, and is responsible for Renee because she's a witness. Then people start trying to kill them, they're blamed for a murder, and they have to run for their lives. This is a real page turner. There are some places where better editing would have been a plus, but the twists and turns keep you guessing. I never saw the ending coming. Highly recommended.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Catastrophe Scroll - Massie, Gordon & LaFleur, James & Dalglish, Rich

The Catastrophe Scroll is the last book in The Crisis Trilogy. I read this book only because I'd already purchased it before I read the second book, The Chaos Pendulum, and because I had to see what kind of ending this psychedelic trilogy would produce.



Now Caesar's ex-wife Annie becomes the scroll. Then she loses her mind. Caesar now is going back and forth in time instead of realms, and the world is being slowly destroyed by Annie. This stuff is starting to read like Revelations in the New Testament. You almost need a translator. And since I hope nobody else has to read this I'll spoil the ending. Both Caesar and Annie die but the world is saved. The ending is just as bad as the rest of the book. No editor should have let this be published. I can't believe I read it. Highly NOT recommended.

The Chaos Pendulum - Massie, Gordon & LaFleur, James & Dalglish, Rich

The Chaos Pendulum is book two in The Crisis Trilogy. I hate to say it but the writing is deteriorating.



In book one, The Crisis Artifact, Caesar finds the artifact and then becomes the artifact. This book crosses the line from coherent wild possibility into some pretty absurd wild imagination. Caesar is flashing back and forth between realms and the world appears to be coming to an end. There are three authors and it's like they send in their parts and don't communicate. Sorry but I can't recommend this one. If this is the kind of stuff that 711 Press is going to be putting out it should be 911 Press.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Crisis Artifact - Massie, Gordon & LaFleur, James & Dalglish, Rich

The Crisis Artifact is the first book in the Crisis Trilogy. The books in this trilogy are more like novellas in length, but a lot of story's packed into them.



Caesar Guevara was an archeologist. Then he was seriously injured and his daughter killed in an accident while on a dig in the jungles of Peru. Now he's a derelict living in east LA, but that's about to change. Caesar is about to find what he's spent years looking for, or it's about to find him. Not the best flow or dialog, but the story is good and keeps you turning pages. Recommended.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

WIRED - Richards, Douglas E.

WIRED is a novel about bioengineering taken to the extreme. What if humans could use 100% of their brains? This kindle book is only 79 cents. An amazing bargain.



David Desh is an ex-special forces warrior pulled in by his old CO to capture the most deadly terrorist threat to the world. That threat is Kira Miller, a brilliant scientist and complete psychopath. Or is she? What exactly is the mission and who is the villain? Can David figure this mystery out in time to stop the end of the human race as we know it? Very highly recommended.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Power of Six - Lore, Pittacus

The Power of Six is the second book in the Lorien Legacies series. Things are really starting to heat up for the the Loriens in this novel.

Just a warning. This kindle book is formatted with special features for the kindle app in the Apple market. That means it doesn't look quite right on the standard kindle. A fact that I'm very disappointed about. That is not reflected in my review recommendation though. It is something I hope Amazon will correct and then re-release the book for the standard kindle hardware.



Number 4, Number 6, Sam, and BK all manged to get out of Paradise alive. Staying that way is getting difficult. In a separate thread Number 7 surfaces in Spain and she has a whole different set of problems to deal with. The Magadorians are building up forces to defeat the Loriens who've banded together. More action and adventure than the first book in the series. Very highly recommended.

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Abbey - Culver, Chris

The Abbey is a murder mystery that takes place in good old Indiana. Indianapolis and the suburbs to be exact. This is another fine example of a 99 cent kindle book that's as good or better than novels costing 10 times more.



Ash Rashid is a detective sergeant in the Indianapolis police department. He's married with a four year old daughter and he's Muslim. When his niece is murdered, even though it's not his case, he takes an active interest. Ash soon gets entangled in a criminal conspiracy that puts him at odds with the bad guys and the police. There are dead bodies piling up, and if Ash isn't careful he and his family could add to the list. Very highly recommended.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Dark at the End - Wilson, F. Paul

The Dark at the End is the final book in the Repairman Jack series. But it's not the final book where Jack plays an important part.



This book follows the others in the series like one continuous novel. The difference is this is the last in the series and I would have thought it would be a conclusion. Nope. Nightworld, the last book in The Adversary Cycle series, will be the conclusion to the Repairman Jack series as well.

Nightworld is not available on the kindle, and even a paperback will cost you almost $60 new. I guess I'm not finishing this series :) I highly recommend The Dark at the End, even though you'll still be hungry when you're done.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Spell Bound - Armstrong, Kelley

Spell Bound is the 12th book in the Women of the Otherworld series. It's nice to be able to follow a series with lots of characters who can switch from a main role to the supporting cast. This is a great series.



Savannah offered a desperate bargain and someone appears to have taken her up on it. Her powers have vanished. She's not dealing with being a normal mortal well. There is a lot going on in this story and the ending is good, but it's not a conclusion, it's just a beginning. Very highly recommended.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Now & Then - Locke, John

Now & Then is a Donovan Creed Novel. Locke has yet to disappoint me. He always provides something to surprise and please.



This time Creed finds himself in seaside resort and discovers a mystery he wants to stick around and solve. While solving it he has to deal with assassins and squirrels and some interesting town's people. The wrinkle is this story takes place in the present and 300 years in the past. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Nightwolf - Samuel, David

Nightwolf is a werewolf story with a twist, and it's a good twist. I'm looking forward to a sequel.



Danny Correll is a special kid. He's had a hard life. He never knew his Dad, and when he's nine his Mom dies and he's taken in by his uncle's family. This is a positive turning point in his life. Danny grows up to be a strong independent young man. On a hunting trip in Canada he has another turning point. I'll leave it to you to decide if it's for the better. The writing is a little stilted in places, and the ending seems to beg for a sequel, but I really enjoyed this book. Very highly recommended.

Bike Snob - BikeSnobNYC

Bike Snob: Systematically and Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling was written by the blogger BikeSnobNYC. Stick to blogging. Shorter is better for this kind of writing.



I enjoyed this book in dribs and drabs. If you were to read the parts as short essays or blog entries they would be more enjoyable. Trying to read this as a book was like eating your ice cream too fast. You get a blinding headache. Keeping that in mind, I recommend this book to people who consider themselves cyclists. Anyone else will scratch their head and use the book to prop up a table.