Thursday, January 29, 2015

A Rug To Die For - Fritz Damler

A Rug To Die For is a novel about Muslim prayer kilims, theft of antiquities, and murder. This book was free for the kindle when I downloaded it, but it's now $2.99.

Paul and Brin Trask are just minding their own business, in their house in Turkey, when an old friend drops by. Their friend simply shows them two antique kilims, but it starts a series of events that will be the death of many people, and threaten Paul and Brin's lives as well. This is like a travel novel with antique rugs and danger thrown in. It was a good story, but I lose interest fast in people who live in the third world, but still mostly have first world problems. Besides, unless you're really interested in collectible prayer rugs, most of this will be dry as dust. Still recommended for the suspense and action.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Tuesday's Child - Dale Mayer

Tuesday's Child is the first novel in the Psychic Visions series. This book is free for the kindle. It would be a bargain at full price.

Samantha Blair is an unwilling psychic. Every time he kills, Sam suffers and dies right along with his victim. When Sam goes to the police, to try and help them find the killer, she becomes a suspect. This terrific thriller has suspense, action, and some steamy romance too. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

If Nothing Changes - Donna White Glaser

If Nothing Changes is a Letty Whittaker 12 Step Mystery series short story. It was free for the kindle, but now it's not even clear how you can get it.

Letty Whittaker is an alcoholic. Letty is also a psychotherapist, and something of an amateur sleuth. When Letty finds a dead body at her AA group's Halloween party she can't resist snooping. Since this is a short story that's enough to get you interested. It is a very good short story. Try The Enemy We Know, the first novel in the series too. It's still free for the kindle. Both are highly recommended.

Devoured - Jason Brant

Devoured is the first novel in the Hunger series. This book is free for the kindle. At first I figured this was just another zombie book. I was wrong.

Lance York is an out-of-work network engineer. He just blew another job interview and now has to go home and explain it to his soon to be ex-wife. On the way home Lance saves a sick woman from being hit by a car and ends up in the hospital himself. It turns out there are a lot of sick people in the hospital. Sick people who will eventually become monsters hell bent on eating anyone who's not sick. Lance is fighting for his life and it's a desperate fight. Eventually Lance partners with Cassandra. Cassandra is an axe wielding hottie who seems to enjoy chopping off vladdies' heads. Vladdies is Cassandra's name for the evil nightmare creatures who are trying to wipe out humanity. This book starts out slow, but by the end I was on the edge of my seat. I stayed up way too late to finish it. Very highly recommended.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Wanted - Nick Stephenson

Wanted is the first novel in the Leopold Blake Thriller series. This book is free for the kindle.

Leopold Blake is rich, very rich. Leopold is in Paris when someone decides to frame him for murder. Leopold enlists old friends and new friends, but they may not be enough to keep him out of jail and breathing. Why does someone want Leopold out of the way? If he can solve that he might be able to figure out how to stay free and alive. This story has lots of action and suspense. It's definitely a thriller. Highly recommended.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Titans - Edward W. Robertson

Titans is a science fiction novel that spans the ages. This story proves that while everything is changing, some things always stay the same. This book is free for the kindle.

Rob Dunbar is a history professor. Rob's had other jobs. He's been a slave, a mercenary, a soldier, a merchant, and even a space pioneer. You can be lots of things when you've been alive over 3,000 years. Now Rob's experience is needed by some people who aren't even human, and even if they have to kidnap him, Rob is going to help them. This is an amazing tale. It covers history from Greece battling the Persians, to a war to keep the frontier of space free from corporate tyranny. I almost wish it had a sequel, but with the span of this book, we'll have to wait a few thousand more years. Very highly recommended.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Spurn - Jaymin Eve

Spurn is the second novel in the Walker Saga series. This book is not free, but the series is compelling.

Abby has transported to the planet Spurn to find the half-walker girl living on that planet. Unfortunately, Spurn is 95% water and Abby can't swim. Finding the new half-Walker is easy. Getting Talina back to First World is not nearly as simple. Some Walkers are just plain evil. Aside from the extremely annoying cliff hanger, highly recommended.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

First World - Jaymin Eve

First World is the first novel in the Walker Saga series. This book is free for the kindle.

It's 2035 and Abigail Swish is just another seventeen year old girl who grew up in compound 23 in New York city. The world is falling apart. There's no law and gangs run the city. Abby and her best friend Lucy are going to be on their own soon. Girls are kicked out of the compound when they turn eighteen. Except Abby is not a normal girl. Abby isn't human and she's not from Earth. In fact, it looks like it's going to be Abby's job to save Earth and the rest of the seven worlds, including First World. This story starts out like a typical post-apocalypse teen adventure and then it morphs into something much more interesting. Very highly recommended

Friday, January 16, 2015

Dark Realms - Kristen Middleton

Dark Realms is a series of novels or novellas by the author Kristen Middleton. This 600+ page collection is free for the kindle.

These six stories all have three things in common. They're about the supernatural, they have a big dose of teen angst, and there are no sex scenes. There is some pretty strong language though.

Wicked is about being kidnapped by vampires. Blur is about moving to a town with vampires. Enchanted Secrets is about finding out you're a witch, and so is your mother and your twin sister. Zombie Games is...well you don't need any more to figure that one out. The Coin Collector is about leprechauns. Venom is back to vampires and shape shifters.

Be warned that most of these stories are the first part of a series, and there are some wicked cliff hangers. Still, this is a good introduction to an author who does a pretty good job of keeping the reader interested. Recommended.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Mindspeak - Heather Sunseri

Mindspeak is the first novel in the Mindspeak series. This book is free for the kindle. Cliffhanger warning.

Lexi Matthews is seventeen. She's going to the elite boarding school Wellington, near Lexington Kentucky. Lexi goes to Wellington for the security. At least that's what she thinks, but there's much more going on at Wellington than Lexi is aware of. Lexi is about to discover things about herself she never imagined. This book is a teenage angst feast. The plot is intriguing. The execution is more like a soap opera. I'm especially annoyed at the cliffhanger that begs you to read the second book. Not happening. I like the concept, but not so much the implementation. Still recommended since it is free.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Anywhere But Here - Jason D. Morrow

Anywhere But Here is the first novel in the Starborn Ascension series. This book is free for the kindle. More zombies, but with an interesting twist.

Waverly was home with Hattie, her parent's housekeeper, when it started. Waverly and Hattie were the only ones to make it out alive. Waverly has survived three years of running. Three years of fighting the greyskins and the raiders, in search of someplace safe, someplace to call home. Waverly thought Crestwood would be that place.

Remi was at college at Elkhorn when it started. Elkhorn is now known as the epicenter. Remi made it out of town and survived on her own for three years. She also thought Crestwood would be a safe place. Waverly and Remi were both wrong. There's something even more sinister than greyskins and raiders.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. It does get a little confusing keeping the threads separate though. Still highly recommended.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Fresh Doubt - Eva Hudson

Fresh Doubt is the first novel in the Ingrid Skyberg FBI Thriller series. This book is free for the kindle.

FBI special agent Ingrid Skyberg is on temporary duty in the American embassy in London. When an American student dies under suspicious circumstances, Ingrid is called in to investigate. What Ingrid finds is even more suspicious. This isn't the first student to die, and she may not be the last. It's up to Ingrid to find out if the student was murdered, and if so who the killer is. This is a murder mystery with some interesting twists. Very highly recommended.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Knifepoint - Edward W. Robertson

Knifepoint is the third novel in the Breakers series. This book is $2.99 for the kindle. This is a great series. You should read the books in order: Breakers, Meltdown, and then Knifepoint.

Raina was the only person in her family to survive the plague. She was just 10 years old. Raina went feral for two years, until a couple found and adopted her. They wanted nothing but to live in peace, but the world is no longer a peaceful place. Now Raina will stop at nothing to avenge her father and rescue her mother.

Walt has been taking it easy in the jungles of Mexico for the last few years. Bringing down an alien mother-ship takes a lot out of a person. Now Walt's fame has pulled him back into the fight, but it's not clear which side he's been recruited for. It's not just humans versus aliens any longer.

Another great tale of human perseverance and perversity. Post-apocalypse doesn't provide a lot of easy choices. Action, suspense, and more great characters. Very highly recommended.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Melt Down - Edward W. Robertson

Melt Down is the second novel in the Breakers series. This book is $2.99 for the kindle. Money well spent.

Ness Hook is an introverted nerd who still lives at home with his Mom. Ness has an older brother Shawn who's the almost the opposite. When Shawn's mortgage drives him back into Mom's trailer Ness is crushed. But when the plague hits it's Shawn's SHTF plans that saves the brothers. When the aliens arrive all bets are off.

After five years, Tristan Carter is about to graduate from Berkley with a double major in music and communications. Jobs offers are not pouring in, and her parents are not letting Tristan move back in after graduation. When the plague hits, Tristan and her thirteen year old brother Alden don't have to worry about jobs or living at home. When the aliens arrive Tristan and Alden become lab rats.

This second novel in the Breakers series parallels the first. Tristan even crosses paths with Walt at one point. And of course the Hooks and the Carters converge in the end. This is another great story of humans fighting back from the brink of destruction. More bad humans, worse aliens, and a bittersweet ending. Very highly recommended. On to the third book.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

A Question of Will - Alex Albrinck

A Question of Will is the first novel in the Aliomenti series. This book is free for the kindle.

Will Stark is a complicated situation. Is he a business man philanthropist who's family is murdered, or is he a master of the Energy that sets the Aliomenti apart from the rest of humanity? It's not clear even Will knows, but those hunting Will don't seem to care. This story starts out interesting, becomes far fetched, and eventually evolves into the absurd. I read the whole book because I had to see where it was going, but the journey was not always pleasant. Eventually I found myself skimming whole pages of justification for the convoluted plot. Here's a hint. If you have to actually pen excuses for why your story is so twisted, maybe you are due for a rewrite. Too bad my first book of the new year was a stinker. I avoided any spoilers in case you're feeling masochistic, but this novel is not recommended.