Slide - Jill Hathaway

Slide is $7.43 for the kindle. This novel was free when I downloaded it. This story is a murder mystery with a paranormal twist.

Sylvia Bell is almost a normal teenage girl. Everyone thinks Vee has narcolepsy, which can be embarrassing, but when Vee succumbs to her affliction, she's doing more than sleeping. When Vee passes out, she's sliding. When a friend of Vee's sister Mattie commits suicide, Vee knows it was murder because she had slid into the murderer. The trouble is proving it was murder without exposing her ability. This is a great young adult to any age novel. Highly recommended.

Flesh and Bone - Jefferson Bass

Flesh and Bone is a Body Farm novel. This book is currently $6.83 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. If you keep looking you'd be surprised with the books you can find for free. This one is an outstanding murder mystery.

Dr. Bill Brockton is a forensic anthropologist. Bill founded and manages the Body Farm, run by the University of Tennessee. Bill is helping with a murder case that requires a body be posed in the Body Farm to determine when the victim died, and exercises his forensic skills to determine the weapon used. Bill never dreamed that instead of trying to find a murderer he was about to be accused of being one. This is a great mystery. Very highly recommended.

Corpus Callosum - Erika Price

Corpus Callosum is free for the kindle. This is a strange book, but it grows on you. What if dead didn't have to mean dead any longer?

Josephine Porter was a 30 year old firefighter. Joey died while trying to rescue two people from a burning building. The building collapsed on her. But Joey didn't stay dead. Her twin sister Jeanette had her Brightboxed. Was this a blessing or a curse. It's not clear that anyone is sure, even Joey. This story takes a while to get traction, but you can't put it down once it gets going. Highly recommended.

Lifesphere INC: Acquisition - Talitha Kalago

Lifesphere INC: Acquisition is free for the kindle. This story takes place in a severely stratified far future dystopian society. This is a great book for young adults. This novel is the first in a series. The other books are not available yet.

Eli is an orphan who's spent his life scavenging on the rim. His dream is to save enough money to purchase a meka and fight his way to the topside. Eli runs into Squall Owens while trying to find a rumored meka seller. Squall is from the blueline. She's wheelchair bound, but Squall has a real family, and her own meka. Eli will find that having a meka isn't as simple as he'd thought, and that getting one can be even more dangerous than dodging falling garbage on the rim. This is a great young adult science fiction story. Very highly recommended.

The Tank Lords - David Drake

The Tank Lords is free for the kindle. If you like military science fiction you'll love this book. It's a collection of Hammer's Slammer stories in chronological story sequence.

Colonel Alois Hammer heads the mercenary armored force known as Hammer's Slammers. When a planetary government wants to win a war they call on Colonel Hammer. This is a series of stories that include everything from epic battles to small skirmishes. The Slammer's weapons are awesome engines of war, but the people who man them are only human. Very highly recommended.

Unicorn Western - Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt

Unicorn Western is free for the kindle. It may be overpriced. It depends on how you like your westerns.

Clint Gulliver and his unicorn Edward have settled in the little town of Solace. Clint is a Marshal. Clint and Edward have managed to tame Solace, but Solace is in the Sands, and the magic is leaking out of the Sands. This book makes me think of nothing as much as a Stephen King Gunslinger wanna be. Notice I wrote wanna be. This book is the first in a series, but I won't be pursuing the others. Not my kind of western. Not recommended.

Star Soldiers - Andre Norton

Star Soldiers is free for the kindle. This download is actually two novels packaged together, Star Guard and Star Rangers. The two stories are separated by 4,000 years of galactic history, but compliment each other perfectly.

In Star Guard, Arch Swordsman Third Class Kana Karr is a Terran. Terrans have been forced into the role of mercenaries by Galactic Central Control. Kana is about to find that being forced into service as a soldier is not all Terrans have to worry about. Maybe it's time for Central Control to learn what Terrans are really capable of.

In Star Rangers, Ranger Sergeant Kartr is the ranking ranger who survived the crash of Patrol Scout Starfire. The ship came down on a planet that's not on any starmaps, located in a distant arm of the galaxy. The remaining crew must fend for themselves and find a way to live on a plant that, at first glance, seems to be primitive and uninhabited. In the end, Kartr and the others will have to fight for a home on this planet, and discover just how serendipitous the galaxy can be.

This is some amazing classic science fiction by one of the masters of the art. Very highly recommended.

Way Out West - Blanche Marriott

Way Out West is free for the kindle. This book is a western of sorts, but it's mostly a romance novel. Oh well.

Callie Sumner has been drifting for the last few years. At 25, Callie is ready to settle down, but first she has to get away from her latest boyfriend. Callie figures hiding out with a job at the Way Out West fantasy park should do it. Then Callie meets Rand. While Callie is working at Way Out West as a saloon girl, Rand is a guest playing the part of a gambler. Who is Rand and is he really the kind of man Callie could fall for? It's a romance novel so take a guess. I did enjoy the book. There's some wild west action to keep it interesting, and a villain to put the damsel in distress. There's also plenty of the romance stuff. Highly recommended.

1632 (Ring of Fire) - Eric Flint

1632 (Ring of Fire) is historical science fiction that's free for the kindle. That's amazing, because this is one of the best books I've ever read, free or not. This is literally an alternate universe novel. Imagine a six mile circle of modern West Virginia plunked down in the middle of 17th century Germany. Someone already did.

Mike Stearn is head of the local union in Grantville, West Virginia. It's the summer of 2000, and Mike's sister just got married. The whole town has collected in the local high school for the wedding reception, when there's a blinding flash of light. So begins an American town's adventure in the year of 1632. Modern technology and ideas clash with 17th century European politics and religion. Or do they? This is a great story that combines history and science fiction with an alternate universe that will not be anything like the universe it split off from. Whether that will be good or bad is in the telling of the tale. There are great characters, great battles, and great courage to spare. There is also plenty of humor to bind them together into a story I couldn't put down. Very highly recommended.

Brilliance - Marcus Sakey

Brilliance is $4.99 for the kindle, but Amazon prime members can borrow it for free. How would you feel, as a norm, if you had to compete with supermen, supermen called brilliants?

Nick Cooper works for Equitable Services. A secretive branch of the Department of Analysis and Response (DAR). DAR was formed to try and keep a handle on brilliants, and Equitable Services is the sting on the wasp. The thing is, Nick is a brilliant. Actually, one percent of the population are now born brilliant and there is a war brewing. Who's behind this war? Nick is about to find out. I couldn't put this book down. This novel combines a great story with great characters and plenty of action. Very highly recommended. This is a great stand-alone book, but of course there's a sequel.

Toward a New Beginning - R. William Rogers

Toward a New Beginning is the first novel in the Arkansas Valley series. This book is free for the kindle. This western falls into the category of Christian fiction.

In the late 1880s, Sam Bartlett and his wife Jay decided to head west with their son Tom. They had a good life in Independence Missouri, but Sam was hankering for something more, and as a family they decided to make the trip. They joined a wagon train and headed for the Arkansas Valley. Indians and Mexican bandits combined with swollen rivers, dry plains and stormy weather to make the trip hard and dangerous. The Bartlett's and the other families in the wagon train used their courage, brains, and a strong Christian faith to keep heading west. Highly recommended.

The Long Midnight Of Barney Thomson - Douglas Lindsay

The Long Midnight Of Barney Thomson is the first book in the Barney Thomson series. This novel is free for the kindle. This is a serial killer mystery with a bizarre twist.

Barney Thomson is a barber. Barney is old school. He's been cutting hair for 20 years, but he doesn't get as many clients as the other barbers in the shop where he works. His accidental solution to this problem could very well be his undoing. This is a hilarious tongue-in-cheek murder mystery with characters that almost can't be believed. You never know what's going to happen next, but it never fails to be good. This novel takes place in Scotland, so some references may be obscure, but it's worth sussing them out. Highly recommended.

An Untamed Land - Lauraine Snelling

An Untamed Land is the first novel in the Red River of the North series. This book is free for the kindle. When people these days think of the challenge required to move out of their parent's home, or move to a new state for work or school, it would do them good to reflect on the sacrifice immigrants made to come to this country from across the ocean. This book explores that kind of courage.

Ingeborg Bjorklund is the main character in this novel. Ingeborg was an immigrant from Norway. In 1880 Ingeborg, her step-son Thorliff, her husband Roald, his brother Carl, Carl's wife Kaaren, and Kaaren's newborn daughter Gunny, all arrived at New York city on their trip to the Dakota territory. Their journey across the ocean was grueling. Their trip across America to their new home on the prairie was long and tedious. Life on the prairie was hard and dangerous. In the 1880s people didn't come to America to get things for free. They came here to carve out things for themselves with their hard work and courage. This story is an inspiration to anyone who's ancestors sacrificed to immigrate to America for the freedom it provided then, and still provides today. Very highly recommended.

The Big Blind - Nicolette Pierce

The Big Blind is the first novel in the Nadia Wolf series. This book is free for the kindle. This story has poker, mystery, murder, and lots of unrequited lust.

Nadia Wolf is a poker player. Nadia lives in an apartment over a Las Vegas wedding chapel. She helps with weddings in the evenings and plays poker during the day. Nadia's goal in life is to win the world series of poker. Her goal keeps getting sidetracked by men and murder. Hopefully not hers, although someone is working on that. A great tongue in cheek murder mystery. Highly recommended. Warning: there is a cliff hanger of sorts. The next book beckons.

Dance With A Gunfighter - Joanne Pence

Dance With A Gunfighter is $4.99 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. This is another classic western set in the post-civil war era.

Gabriella Devere was a young girl of 16 when she first met the gunslinger Jess McLowry. Gabe danced with Jess at the second annual Jackson City Arizona founding day dance. That was in 1876. They next met in 1880 when Jess stopped Gabe from shooting one of the outlaws who murdered her father and brothers. The adventures that Gabe and Jess share throughout this story cover gunfights, outlaws, Apaches, and more. This book has plenty of action and clearly more than a touch of romance. This is a great western. Very highly recommended.

Florida Heat - Rainy Kirkland, Robyn Maize

Florida Heat is the first novel in the Florida Heat Murder Mystery Series. This book is free for the kindle. Murder, kidnapping, and bird smuggling make an interesting mystery mix.

Jo Cazimer is a probation officer. When one of her clients misses his appointment, she discovers she can skip the warrant because he's dead. Jo's best friend, Kate Snow, is a police detective assigned to the case. Jo and Kate get pulled into a series of crimes that don't appear to be related, but eventually will threaten their lives and converge on one master criminal. Beware, there is a cliff hanger at the end. Some murders are still to be solved, so a killer is still on the loose. Highly recommended.

Sagebrush - William Wayne Dicksion

Sagebrush is free for the kindle. This book is a classic western from start to finish.

Michael McBain was 12 years old when the wagon train his family was traveling with was attacked by Comanches and both his parents were killed. Michael survived because he was trapped under their overturned wagon. Michael was able to escape the Comanches and lived alone on the prairie for years. Michael vowed to avenge is parents death. Eventually Michael joined with some mountain men he rescued from the Comanches, and with their help he began to carryout a promise his father had made to a dying ranch owner. Plenty of adventure and some romance. The writing seems a little stilted, but the story comes through just fine. Highly recommended.

Deadly Blessings - Julie Hyzy

Deadly Blessings is the first book in the Alex St. James Mystery series. This novel is free for the kindle. This story would be good at any price.

Alex St. James is a researcher for the Chicago based Midwest Focus Television News Magazine. Alex is working a story that could be an award winner, but it could also get her killed. If she's not careful, this may be the last story she ever researches. Great suspense, great characters, and a healthy dose of unrequited romance. Very highly recommended.

Six from Greeley - Josh Langston

Six from Greeley is free for the kindle. This is a book of western related short stories that all tie together. They're quite good short stories.

Greeley is a town in Texas. It started out as the town respectable folks would avoid. It eventually got better, but not much. These short stories start in the time of the civil war and stretch to 1975. Read them in order, because the threads that bind them together make the collection a great read. Very highly recommended.

A Witness Above - Andy Straka

A Witness Above is book one in the Frank Pavlicek Mystery Series. This book is free for the kindle. If you like a good murder mystery this has plenty of murders and mystery.

Frank Pavlicek was a homicide detective in New York city. Frank and his partner Jake Toronto left the police department under a cloud, but they settled in Virginia and Frank became a P.I. Thirteen years after NY, Frank discovers a dead body while flying his hawk, and the past comes back to hit him hard. Frank's daughter knows the deceased, and the tangled mess this causes is going to take hard work and some luck to unravel. This is a great story with plenty of dead bodies and lots of twists and turns. Very highly recommended.

The Krone Experiment - J. Craig Wheeler

The Krone Experiment is free for the kindle. This is a great hard science fiction read, and the price is right.

Robert Issacs is the Deputy Director of Scientific Intelligence for the CIA. When a Russian aircraft carrier is damaged by some unknown projectile, the culprit is assumed to be the USA. Tensions mount as Issacs pulls together a team to try and figure out what caused the damage to the aircraft carrier, as well as what the Russians are going to do next. What appears to be a separate issue is also taking some of Issacs attention, and it's a good thing. The real cause of the damage may be the USA after all. This is some great science fiction. Be aware the kindle formatting leaves much to be desired. Sometimes it's really hard to detect the change of threads except by context. In spite of the formatting, this story is well told and completely engrossing. Very highly recommended.

Out of Time - Monique Martin

Out of Time is book one in the Out of Time series. This book is free for the kindle. It's a time travel, romance, vampire, mystery novel. I know that sounds confusing, but this mix of genres works just fine for this story.

Simon Cross is the professor of occult studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. Elizabeth West is Simon's graduate teaching assistant. Lizzy is working toward her Masters in Occult Studies. When Simon receives a box of his grandfather's possessions, after his aunt's death, he discovers his grandfather's old pocket watch. Turns out this watch doesn't just display the time, it can change it. Simon and Lizzy accidentally embark on an adventure that takes them through time and space. Plenty of surprises, danger, mystery, and yes, romance. Very highly recommended.

The Battle of Verril - Joseph Lallo

The Battle of Verril is the third and final novel in The Book of Deacon trilogy. This book is $2.99 for the kindle. I great finish to an epic trilogy.

Myranda and the rest of the Chosen are aided by Deacon and the Undermine in their final battle to throw the D'karon off their world and establish a lasting peace. The stakes are high and not all the Chosen will survive the last battle. I great ending for the book and the trilogy. Very highly recommended.

The Great Convergence - Joseph Lallo

The Great Convergence is the second novel in The Book of Deacon trilogy. This book is $2.99 for the kindle.

Myranda pursues Lain out into the world beyond Entwell. Her goal is to convince him to join with the other Chosen for the great convergence. Can Myranda find Lain, and more importantly, can she find the other Chosen before the D'karon capture or kill them? More epic battles and new characters keep the tale moving at a rapid pace. Very highly recommended.

Redliners - David Drake

Redliners is free for the kindle. This is an amazing work of science fiction. You get more aliens and action in one novel than in some whole series.

The Unity has been at war with the Kalendru for a long time. Company C41 was dropped on Maxus 377 in operation Active Cloak, which was supposed to be a surprise attack. The surprise didn't go the way it was planned. Now everyone in C41, from Major Farrell to the lowest striker, is redlined. What does the Unity do with them? How about use them for security for a colonization project on Bezant 459. It turns out nothing is ever that straightforward for C41. Aliens and action abound. The jungle is alive takes on a whole new meaning for the Bezant colonists and C41. I could not put this book down. Every page, if not every paragraph, has a new threat and more action. Some of the best science fiction I've read in a long time. Very highly recommended.

Dead End - Barry Friedman

Dead End is free for the kindle. This is a murder mystery, and a very good one. It's just a bonus that it's free.

Al Maharos is a homicide detective with the Youngstown Ohio police department. Al starts out investigating the murder of a workman's comp lawyer. The lawyer's body was left at a dead end road along I-77. While following up on this murder Al investigates a possible connect to a couple of murders in the Canton Ohio jurisdiction, also along I-77, and also committed on the seventh of the month. Al eventually teams up with Stark County sheriff’s deputy Karen Vandergrift. Al and Karen work the murders with the goal of stopping the next murder on July seventh. Can they find the killer before he kills again? This is a solid police thriller, with some very likable characters, and a truly twisted villain. Very highly recommended.

The Book of Deacon - Joseph Lallo

The Book of Deacon is the first novel in Book of Deacon trilogy. This book is still free for the kindle. The other two books in the trilogy are only $2.99, and I'll be reading them. I'm canceling netflix and sticking to books. This is the series of books that pushed me over the edge.

Myranda has been drifting from place to place for most of her life. The Perpetual War between the kingdom of Tressor and the Northern Alliance had been raging for 150 years when Myranda was born. She's seen her entire family succumb to the conflict. Myranda is for peace, and in a land where no living soul has ever known peace, that makes Myranda an outcast.

While seeking shelter from a storm, Myranda stumbles on the site of a battle between a warrior and a dragon. There Myranda finds a magnificent sword. The fate of the world now seems to hinge on Myranda and the sword. Magic, marvelous creatures, and a world on the edge, make for a story I couldn't put down. I'll definitely read the other books in this trilogy. Very highly recommended.

The Grave Gourmet - Alexander Campion

The Grave Gourmet is a Capucine Culinary Mystery. This book is $9.19 for the kindle, but was free when I downloaded it. If you like murder mysteries with a big dose of humor this book is for you. Be prepared for fashion, food, and Paris.

Capucine LeTellier is a police detective. Capucine's background placed her in financial investigations, but she longs for a chance to dig into a real crime. When a murder occurs in a fancy Paris restaurant she is given a chance, because her husband is a well know restaurant critic. Capucine starts slow, but as the investigation continues she proves herself up to the task. Humor and food spice up this murder mystery. A little too much fashion and fancy for my taste, but the mystery part was just fine. Highly recommended.

The Tower - Simon Toyne

The Tower is the third novel in the Sanctus Trilogy. This book is $11.04 for the kindle. It's well worth the price. I had to read them all.

Liv is doing her best to discover the meaning of the prophecy that she's caught up in. What does the end of days really mean? At the same time Gabriel is fighting for his life in the Citadel, as the virus that began there is slowly spreading. In a new thread, FBI Agent Shepherd is trying to solve the problem of sabotaged NASA telescopes and the murder of scientists. All threads converge at the new Eden when the end of days arrives. Very highly recommended.

Head To Head - Linda Ladd

Head To Head is a Claire Morgan novel. This book is $1.99 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. What starts out as a country murder mystery quickly turns in to a serious serial killer thriller. Try to say that three times fast.

Claire Morgan is a homicide detective in Canton County Missouri, the Lake of the Ozarks. When a young starlet turns up dead, the owner of the resort, and the starlet's psychiatrist, Dr. Nicholas Black, becomes Claire's number one suspect. This story has plenty of action, suspense, and some serious romance. It also has bodies starting to pile up, and Claire has to be careful to stay off that pile. Very highly recommended.

The Key - Simon Toyne

The Key is book two in the Sanctus Trilogy. This book is $8.06 for the kindle. Had to read it. This trilogy is that good.

In Sanctus Liv and Gabriel survived the release of the sacrament. In The Key Liv and Gabriel realize that Liv has become the key and that she must get to the Eden before time runs out and the world as we know it ends. More suspense and action as this amazing story continues. Very highly recommended.

The Creatures of Man - Howard L. Myers

The Creatures of Man is free for the kindle. This book would be a bargain even if they charged for it. It contains a great series of 19 hard science fiction stories. Some short and some long. All worth reading.

None of the stories in this book are stinkers. They take place far into Earth's future. Can you imagine a butterfly with intelligence? Can you imagine a non-human telepathic intelligence that rules an entire planetary system? Can you imagine a future where money is in units of admiration? These stories should be read in order, because some follow the long standing econo-war between the Lontastan Federation and the Primgran Commonality. I enjoyed every tale. Very highly recommended.

Sanctus - Simon Toyne

Sanctus is the first book in the Sanctus Trilogy. This book is $8.54 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. I don't normally pay for books, but I will be paying for the rest of this trilogy.

Liv Adamsen is a reporter on the crime beat at a large New Jersey paper. Liv never dreamed that thousands of miles away, in Ruin Turkey, her brother was about to start her on an adventure that would change her life forever. This book trumps the best of Dan Brown. An amazing cast of characters, a great ending, and a religious mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. I will gladly pay for the rest of this trilogy. Very highly recommended.

Gears of a Mad God - Brent Nichols

Gears of a Mad God is a Steampunk Lovecraft Adventure. This book is free for the kindle. This is the first in a series of books based in the early 1920s. Steam was still king. The Lovecraft connection is tenuous.

Colleen Garman is not a proper young lady. She like to dig into the gears and the grease, and get her hands dirty. When Colleen's uncle Roderick dies she makes the three day trip to Vancouver. Roderick was her last living relative, and she feels compelled to put his affairs in order. What Colleen finds in Vancouver will change her life forever. Colleen is about to be embroiled in kidnapping, cults, and murder. A fairly short book, but long on adventure. Highly recommended.

Angel's Ink - Jocelynn Drake

Angel's Ink is the first book in the Asylum Tales. This book is $8.89 for the kindle, but was free when I downloaded it. Tattoos are more than just decoration in this world. Sometimes too much more.

Gage runs a tattoo parlor called Asylum. His two employees are Trixie and Bronx. Trixie is an elf and Bronx is a troll. Of course Gage is a warlock who gave up the life. Right off you know this isn't a normal tattoo parlor. Gage takes on a tattoo job that takes a turn for the worse. Gage is going to have to die to fix this problem, or die if he doesn't. His life is full of tough choices. This is an excellent story. It gets a bit racy at times, so it's not for kids. It is a great romp through a world where magic is normal and staying out of trouble is just not an option for Gage. Too bad the sequel isn't free or I'd be reading it already. Very highly recommended.

Storybound - Marissa Burt

Storybound is $6.83 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. For all those readers who imagine themselves as part of the story, this book might change your mind about that being a good thing.

Una Fairchild has been shuffled from one foster home to another since she was too little to remember. When she finds a book titled "The Tale of Una Fairchild," she has to read it. That's when she finds herself pulled into the story. The question is how does she get out? Especially when she's confronted with an angry dragon. This is an excellent young adult or younger book. Be aware it has a steep cliff hanger at the end as there is a sequel to this book. Highly recommended.

Black Hole Sun - David Macinnis Gill

Black Hole Sun is $6.64 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. This is a science fiction shoot 'em up in the classic tradition.

Durango is a chief regulator. Mars is a tough place to survive, much less live, and the regulators are supposed to be the good guys. Durango shares his body with an AI named Mimi. This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "talking to yourself." Durango's second in command is Vienne, and if anything she's tougher than Durango. Their mission is to keep a mining colony from being overrun by the cannibalistic Draeu. This mission is going to be a challenge that could eat them alive. This is a great book. Plenty of action and some great characters. Very highly recommended.

The Discovery of Socket Greeny - Tony Bertauski

The Discovery of Socket Greeny is free for the kindle. This is definitely a book for young adults, but I enjoyed reading it. If you're a gamer it should be right up your alley.

Socket Greeny is just a high school kid. Socket and his friends like hanging out in virtualmode. One day Socket begins to see things in virtualmode that his friends can't. This is when Socket finds out he's special in a way he never imagined. Socket is special in a way that may help him save the world. Interesting twists and turns, but like lots of teenage stories there is way too much angst. Still highly recommended.

The Penal Colony - Richard Herley

The Penal Colony is $3.99 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. Think Lord of the Flies, but with adults. This is a book I didn't want to put down.

Anthony John Routledge was convicted of a rape and murder he didn't commit. He's resigned to prison, but he wakes up one summer day to find he's been declared a Category Z and transported to the island penal colony of Sert. Sert is the worst of Britain's illegal penal colonies. Routledge realizes his life is over. There is no return from Sert. The question is can he adjust to life on the island? First he has to survive his initiation, which is literally kill or be killed. This is an excellent book. Very highly recommended.

Dire Means - Geoffrey Neil

Dire Means is $2.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This book explores just how far you can stretch the end justifying the means.

Mark Denny is a computer technician. He works for himself and has clients all over the Santa Monica area. Mark is also a good guy. He's a vegetarian because he's against killing. He helps people that need help, including the homeless. Mark is about to become a hero, and that's not a good thing.

People are disappearing in Santa Monica. Vanishing into thin air it seems. These people all have one thing in common. They're rude, bordering on cruel, to homeless people. Mark gets caught up in this wave of kidnappings and murders, and the question is, can he stop the people responsible before he becomes another casualty in their grand scheme. The degree to which Mark is a whiny liberal do-gooder detracts from the story, but the suspense kept me reading. The ending was worth the effort. Highly recommended.

Dark Matter - Brett Adams

Dark Matter is $2.99 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded the book. You have to keep your eyes open. Super powers come in many different forms.

Rasputin Lowdermilk is ready to commit suicide. He's on the way to kill himself when he's hit by a car. When Rasputin, or Monk as his friends call him, comes out of his coma he discovers his mind has changed in ways he can't explain. Monk can remember everything he's ever seen or heard, and his mind keeps changing.

Gottfried Schürmann was a Nazi in WWII. When he wakes up in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, in the present day, Gottfried, or Cain as he calls himself, finds he's managed to survive decades of hibernation, and gained new powers that few humans have ever mastered. Cain intends to master them.

What these two men have in common is hard to follow at first, but the answers are woven into this tale. This book starts out slow, but builds to a very satisfying ending. Highly recommended.

Superhero - Victor Methos

Superhero is a thriller with a twist. This book is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. Imagine a super villain shows up in town. How do you get a super hero to thwart the villain? Read this book and find out.

Jack Kane retired from the DEA. Jack decided his family and sanity were more important than keeping a trickle of drugs from people who were clamoring for it. Just as Jack is starting to adjust to civilian life again, Agamemnon shows up, the eight foot tall bullet proof leader of the Myrs gang. Jack is caught in the middle of a gang battle and decides someone has to stop the Myrs and Agamemnon. Jack has no idea what kind of effort on his part that's going to take. The story has lots of action and thrills, but the end is totally hokey and will remind you of Star Wars at it's worst. Read it and you'll see what I mean. Highly recommended.

Read For Free

Reading is my favorite pastime. At least when the weather doesn't permit fishing. I like to read for free and I'm going to tell you how. If you live close to a library you can read for free simply by getting a library card. If no libraries are close, the internet gives you lots of choices. I'll demonstrate two.

The kindle is Amazon's version of an ereader. It's the one I prefer. The Amazon website lists free kindle apps for just about any device you can imagine. Phones, tablets, laptops, and PCs are all covered, in all the major systems from Apple to Windows. You can download an app for your favorite device and you have a free ereader for kindle books.

The nook is Barnes & Nobles version of an ereader. The Barnes & Noble website has a list of free nook apps that let you read nook books for lots of devices. Not as many as the kindle, but they probably have you covered. Download one and you have a free ereader for nook books. But how much are the books you say? Well, there are tons of free books too. It's easy to find them if you know a simple trick. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble allow you to search their ebooks by genre. For Amazon, you select kindle store for the search, type science fiction in the search box, and click on Go (click on the pictures to open them up and see the whole screen capture):

You can see from this screen shot that there are over 77K results. The sort was by "new and popular" so this search finds books that cost money. You can change that easily. Just change the sort by to "price: low to high." Now you see free books. For this search on Amazon the first 15 pages of results (240 books) were free. I stopped clicking next at that point.

The Barnes & Noble website works the same way. Select NOOK Books as your area to search, type science fiction in the search box, and click on Search.

The default sort criteria is "top matches" so these books cost money too. Just change the sort by to "price - low to high" and you see the free books. Barnes & Noble shows over 96K results for this search and the first 240 results are free here as well. Again, I stopped hitting next at that point:

So if you like to read, but you don't like to spend money, this is one way to go. Granted, some free books are stinkers, but they're free. Check the reviews and see how many stars a book has before you download it. You can always stop reading after the first chapter and you're not wasting any money.

I've been reading ebooks for years. I buy a paper book once in a while, but most of the time they just sit and collect dust. My kindle, nook, tablet, and computers are the way I read these days.

If you have any questions just leave me comments and I'll try to answer them.

Good reading.

Tankbread - Paul Mannering

Tankbread is $5.99 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. This book is plenty good enough to pay for.

It's been 10 years since humans lost the war against zombies. The remaining humans now produce clones called tankbread. Tankbread is produced so zombies will leave humans alone, and humans can maintain a dangerous balance of peace. A human courier is hired to retrieve a delivery for a zombie boss named Soo-Yong. The courier can't know that he'll discover the true nature of tankbread on his mission, and that tankbread may hold the only hope humanity has of surviving as a species. This is an awesome story. The nightmare world of Australia in the grip of the zombie hoards is described in chilling detail. The tension can be cut with a sword, just like zombie necks. Very highly recommended to anyone with a strong stomach.

Origin - J.A. Konrath, Jack Kilborn

Origin is $3.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This book is about as scary as they come.

Something was discovered back in 1906 while they were digging the Panama canal. That something has been stored in New Mexico ever since. Now it's awake, and things are about to get interesting. This book keeps you tensed up all the way to the end, and you might need help to remember to breathe. Very highly recommended.

The Taken - Vicki Pettersson

The Taken is the first book in the Celestial Blues series. This book is $4.99 for the kindle. It was free when I downloaded it. You just have to be on the lookout for bargains. Free is the only bargain I care about.

Katherine Craig is a reporter. Kit and her photographer best friend Nicole are trying to expose a prostitution ring with ties to the Las Vegas elite. While trying to meet a contact, Nicole is murdered and Kit is devastated.

Griffin Shaw was a tough guy private eye until he was murdered in 1960. Grif then became a Centurion. Centurions help escort those recently murdered to the Everlast. Grif was a little too accommodating on Nicole's pickup, and now he's back in the flesh, and a P.I. again.

Kit and Grif team up to keep Kit alive and catch the people responsible for Nicole's murder. This story is part crime mystery, part romance, and part supernatural adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Very highly recommended.

The Black Bullet - Tom Lowe

The Black Bullet is a Sean O'Brien mystery. This book is $2.99 for the kindle, but free for Amazon prime members. This thriller has murders to solve from 1945 to the present day. Plenty of action and an ending that leaves you smiling.

Sean O’Brien runs a charter fishing boat. He used to be a homicide cop and before that a soldier, but now it's calm seas. At least until his anchor snags on something that will cause Sean more trouble then he's seen in a long time. From Nazi's to nukes, this is a great mystery. Very highly recommended.