Friday, February 28, 2014

The Hero, The Sword and The Dragons - Craig Halloran

The Hero, The Sword and The Dragons is the first book in the Chronicles of Dragon series. This is actually a novella. The subsequent books in the series are full length novels. This story is free for the kindle.

Nath Dragon looks like a man, a big burly champion of a man, but he was born a dragon. He has to earn his scales, and he's been trying to do so for 200 years. Nath's father, the king of the dragons, has been patiently waiting. Nath and his friend, Brenwar the dwarf, set out to earn Nath's scales. It turns out that not all scales are the same, and Nath's task is not going to be easy.

This is a good series for young adults, or even younger. There's some violence, but no cursing and no sex. There are ten books in the series so far, but only this first one is free. Highly recommended.

Big Lake - Nick Russell

Big Lake is a murder mystery with more twists than a southern Indiana back road. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but it's also one of nine full length novels in the Killer Thriller Collection that's available for only 99 cents.

Jim Weber is the sheriff in Big Lake Arizona. When an armored car robbery results in the death of Jim's brother-in-law, he vows to catch the killer. While the investigation is going on, bodies keep piling up, almost as fast as suspects. Jim has to solve this one before more people die, and while he still has a job. You could get dizzy trying to figure out who the killer is, and the reader has a clue that Jim doesn't. Suspense, action, and some good laughs, but a little complicated. Highly recommended.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

The 19th Element - John L. Betcher

The 19th Element is the first novel in the James Becker series. This book is $6.49 for the kindle, but it's also one of nine full length novels in the Killer Thriller Collection that's available for only 99 cents.

James L. Becker, Attorney-at-Law, lives in the small town of Red Wing Minnesota. Beck wasn't always a lawyer. Beck spent over 20 years in military intelligence, and he didn't sit behind a desk. When a professor from the University of Minnesota washes up on the bank of the Mississippi River, just north of Red Wing, Beck's curiosity gets the better of him. Turns out that's a good thing. Beck may be the only person standing between the country and an Al Qaeda engineered nuclear disaster. This is a great book. The suspense holds right down to the wire. Very highly recommended.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Steal the Dragon - Patricia Briggs

Steal the Dragon is a fantasy novel from an age when magic, of many kinds, was still active in the world. Patricia Briggs never disappoints.

Rialla is a horse trainer for the mercenaries of Sianim. When the Sianim spymaster requested her presence, she thought it might be because she was fluent in Darranian. Rialla was partly right. The main reason was that Rialla had been a Darranian slave. If she accepts the spymaster's assignment, Rialla will have to become a slave again. Can she take on that role to keep a war at bay? Rialla is more than meets the eye, and this task is more than the spymaster, and Rialla, thought it would be. Much more. Very highly recommended.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

When Demons Walk - Patricia Briggs

When Demons Walk is a stand-alone fantasy novel from Patricia Briggs. This story takes place in a land where war has torn families and countries apart. Wizards are supposed to be a thing of the past, but you need a wizard to fight a demon.

When war swept through Southwood, Shamera was the daughter of the captain of the guard. The Cybellians defeated Southwood, and the conquerors were not kind. Now that the war has been over for twelve years, Sham is a thief, living in Purgatory, the most dangerous slum in the capital city of Landsend. Sham is not just a thief. She's also a wizard. Sham's mentor is killed by a demon. When that demon begins to slay members of the ruling class, Sham is enlisted to help the current ruler of Southwood, Lord Kerim, with fighting the demon in any way possible. Even though Kerim doesn't believe in magic. This is a great fantasy novel. It's full of suspense, danger, humor, and a touch of romance. Very highly recommended.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Traces of Kara - Melissa Foster

Traces of Kara is a psychological thriller. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but it's also one of nine full length novels in the Killer Thriller Collection that's available for only 99 cents.

Kara Knight is ready to escape her home town of Williamsport Maryland. Kara is a loner, who doesn't seem to fit in. She's applied to nursing school in North Carolina, and is looking forward to getting out of town. But Kara's past is about to come back to haunt her. And to make matters worse, it's a past Kara can't even remember. Who is Marissa? This novel has plenty of suspense and mystery, but towards the end, the author went too long. The section of the book that should have kept readers on the edge of their seat, became monotonous and frustrating to me. The book is still good, but not great. Recommended.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

The Devil's Deep - Michael Wallace

The Devil's Deep is a murder mystery that travels from snowy Vermont to steamy Costa Rica. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but it's also one of nine full length novels in the Killer Thriller Collection that's available for only 99 cents.

Wesley Pilson is a Harvard Law student. Wes is also a twin, and his twin brother Eric is mentally handicapped. Eric is housed in a long-term care facility, Riverwood Care Center. Wes suspects Eric's being mistreated, so Wes applies for a job at the facility. Wes can't know the chain of events this will initiate. A chain of events that will link Wes to murders from the past, murders in the present, and possibly his own murder. This is a great read. Plenty of action, suspense, and just a touch of romance. Very highly recommended.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Halo Effect - MJ Rose

The Halo Effect - is a novel in the Butterfield Institute series. This is a standalone story though. This book is $4.99 for the kindle, but it's also one of nine full length novels in the Killer Thriller Collection that's available for only 99 cents.

Dr. Morgan Snow is a sex therapist. Morgan volunteers one day a week to counsel prostitutes in prison. There's a serial killer in New York who's preying on prostitutes. Morgan had to identify the body of one client already, and other bodies are piling up. Then one of Morgan's patients, a very high priced call girl, goes missing. Morgan is doing her best to find her client, help the police find the killer, and not break her doctor/patient confidentiality. The trouble is the killer is about to find Morgan. Lots of suspense, mystery, and some steamy romance. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

American Crow - Jack Lacey

American Crow is the first novel in the Missing Series. This book is 99 cents for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. This is a gritty detective story that ranges from England to Kentucky and back.

Sibelius Blake is a private detective working out of London. Blake prefers the term tracer. His specialty is tracking down missing persons. Blake has suffered a devastating personal loss, but his boss has convinced him to take a job tracing a missing 18 year old British girl to America. Blake's learned that simple jobs are never as simple as they seem. The first trick is getting back into America. Then Blake will concentrate on finding the girl, and staying alive while he does it. This book has plenty of suspense, action, and more than enough dead bodies. This is an amazing story. The only downside is, even though they're Americans, some characters still use parochial British English, and when the author tries to add American idioms to the dialog, he misses by a mile. Still, very highly recommended.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Heller's Revenge - JD Nixon

Heller's Revenge is the second novel in the Heller series. These books should be read in order. This is not a murder mystery, although there are murders. This is not a detective story, although there is some detecting going on. This is not a romance, although it's written for adults. This is a ribald romp through the life of a woman who took a job as a security officer.

Tilly Chalmers is still the only woman working for Heller's Security & Surveillance. Tilly enjoys her work some days and doesn't others. She's trying to balance her flirtatious relationship with her boss Heller, and her boyfriend Will. Tilly also has to deal with the adversarial relationship between her homicide detective brother Brian and her boss. In this book Tilly's engaged in assignments that challenger her, anger her, and almost get her killed more than once. The whole story is leavened with a hefty dose of humor. Very highly recommended.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Tainted Souls - Steven J. Wangsness

Tainted Souls is free for the kindle. This is a stand-alone detective novel. What do you do, when you have to cross the line to get to the bad guys?

Rick Frost is a detective on the Santa Isidora police force. Rick used to be a LAPD detective, but after a case when bad, a small town force seemed like a better idea. Rick is frustrated that bad things have happened, but he's been powerless to stop them, or bring the bad guys to justice. Now it's starting again. This time Rick may have to try something different. This is a great story with good characters, plenty of suspense, and some interesting twists. The ending is just about perfect. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Liberty Intrigue - Tom Grace

The Liberty Intrigue is not free, but it's worth every penny I paid for it and more. This novel is a conservative's dream. If you want to feel good about how the 2012 election should have gone, you have to read this story. I only hope this book is used as a blueprint for the 2016 election.

Ross Egan is just an engineer. Ross is trying his best to keep a power plant running, as a civil war is about to break out, in the African country of Dutannuru. What he does in that small African country will change his life, and the world. No spoilers here. Read it yourself. I spent so much time grinning while I read this story, my face got sore. This is the best book I've read in a long time. Very highly recommended.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Phantoms In Philadelphia - Amalie Vantana

Phantoms In Philadelphia is the first novel in the Phantom Knights series. This book is free for the kindle. If you like 19th century historical novels you might like this story.

Bess Martin is 19 years old. She plays the part of a demure daughter and sister, but she's actually the head of a spy ring called the Phantoms. Along with her brother Jack, Bess is determined to find and defeat the organization known as Levitas. There is plenty of action and suspense. There is also plenty of boring high society posturing and awkward attempts at romance. I finished the book because of the action and suspense. I'm still not sure it was worth it. If you're really into the way American society worked in the early 1800s, you'll probably enjoy that part of the story. Recommended with that caveat.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Never Go Back - Lee Child

Never Go Back is the 18th Jack Reacher novel. Now that I'm caught up, I have to wait for Child to write another. Meanwhile withdrawal sets in.

Jack Reacher has been heading back to Virginia for some time. Trouble keeps getting in his way, but Reacher finally makes it. The problem is, the woman he's going back to Virginia to take to dinner, isn't there. She's been setup, and so has Reacher. If they work together they might just survive to get that dinner. The odds are long, but Reacher never lets the odds bother him. Another great adventure with plenty of action and suspense. Reading doesn't get any better than this. Very highly recommended.