They say a great actor is one that excels at drama as well
as comedy. I believe the same is true for writers. Here we have a writer who is
as comfortable writing an epic story set in biblical times (The Third Servant)
as he is writing this sassy crime thriller. In Marcy Pantano he has created a
woman after my own heart; sassy, intelligent, independent but not without her
flaws. She has overcome a bad marriage and a nasty divorce that left her penniless,
but Marcy picked herself up, started her own consultancy and now dates a hot
young photographer. Her help is being sought by the public prosecutor when a
mutual friend is being accused of murder. He is lying about his whereabouts to
the authorities. Is he protecting someone even though the truth might clear
him? The story is mainly character driven and there is an interesting sub-plot
involving the ex-husband. The actual solving of the crime is a bit sudden, but
this didn’t take away from the fun read this is; there is plenty of other
things besides the murder going on. The best bit about this book is the depth
to which the author explores his main character. We get to know this woman intimately;
what makes her tick, what ticks her off and what gets her hot under her bib
overalls. I would love to have Marcy along for a girl’s night out. This is the
first of a series of books and I would certainly like to read what Ms. Pantano
gets up to next. I would like to read more in general of this author, as I have
no doubt that whatever genre he tackles next, he will do it well.I give this 5 stars.
Writing the books was the easy part....now the struggle to let the world know they're there....
Friday 25 September 2015
Sunday 13 September 2015
Hedonism
This week I had a very enjoyable two reads. Two books that
delve into the things that make life so enjoyable (alcohol) but also so
unbearable (the hangover) just a few hour later. People must have thought I was
quite mad laughing to myself on the beach and at work. (Passengers glancing
nervously at me hoping I’m not on their flight) Both books got a well-deserved 5
star.
The Redemption of the Unorthodox Gentleman by Joe Osborne
This book was very funny and will appeal to people who like
Harold and Kumar go to white castle and comedies of this genre. This is the
second of a series, but it stands perfectly on its own. The book is written in
the first person and we never get a mention of his name, but the book is called
the redemption of the unorthodox gentleman. However our narrator is anything
but a gentleman. Dependant on his mother for work and his rent he is hardly a
pillar of the community. Things get from bad to worse; his mother sacks him
when she walks into the laundry room and sees him pleasuring himself, during
work time! Our ‘Hero’ sets out on a quest to find honourable employment. He
finds a job at the public pool as an assistant canteen manager, but his
troubles are far from over. This book has a great cast of characters, each one
more obnoxious and reprehensible than the other. There is Carl, his mother’s sleazy boyfriend
who manages to become a local celebrity due to some fine form in the local lawn
bowling championship. His nemesis; Otis the alcoholic funeral director who owns
the place next to the swimming pool, who is out to destroy the gentleman’s
fledgling career. This book is original, silly and not for the easily offended.
I can’t explain why it’s funny, but trust me, it just is. I recently read a few
books by new Canadian writers (Silas Payton and Nico Laeser) and there is definitely
something in the water that brings forth original thought and creativity. Keep
on writing Canada!
Thai Hangover Cures; The Handsome man guide to preventing and managing hangovers
Even though this book is aimed at restoring the handsome man
to his prime, this beautiful lady didn’t take offense but instead learned a few
things. I like that this book is not judgemental. Some of us like to go out,
have few drinks that can turn into too many. This book explains clearly, but
also in a funny and tongue in cheek way, what a hangover is and what are the
best ways to remedy it. I like the section on prevention and learned a few
things that will hopefully reduce the headaches. There are some wonderful recipes
for cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and some juices that can be
enjoyed even when not suffering the symptoms of over indulgence. I also liked
that the book is peppered with quotes from well known authors related to
drinking. I believe that at the moment the book is only available on kindle,
but it would be nice to have it sitting in print next to the blender and juicer
for daily reference.
Monday 7 September 2015
Murderous Little Darlings - A Tale of Vampires - Book One: A Tale of Vampires - Book One by John Hennessy
The book promo is going well, so far I managed to sell about 60 books and the countdown runs till the 9th. The next couple of weeks will reveal the full impact, but it's encouraging. I also reached another milestone in getting over a 1000 twitter followers. I still have to be convinced about twitter. I spend many hours doing tweets and retweets and met some interesting people, but as regards to book sales, well I think it is probably a waste of time. I'll sit on that fence a little longer and tweet on:)
Now back to my cup of tea; vampires. This was an interesting one and some new fresh ideas here. It was a short story, but one that will be part of a seven book series. Five stars.
Murderous Little Darlings - A Tale of Vampires - Book One: A Tale of Vampires - Book One by John Hennessy
Now back to my cup of tea; vampires. This was an interesting one and some new fresh ideas here. It was a short story, but one that will be part of a seven book series. Five stars.
Murderous Little Darlings - A Tale of Vampires - Book One: A Tale of Vampires - Book One by John Hennessy
What a tasty morsel this was. It was very short and I’ve
would have liked to get my fangs into something a bit longer, but the good news
is that this is part one of seven. This excellent short story starts a
promising series.
John Hennessy very cleverly messes with his readers minds. Firstly
his characters are young children; they have the faces of angels but are
capable of gruesome and violent acts. Marcus the oldest of the three siblings
has fully embraced his vampire nature and tries to get his siblings to follow
his lead. His brother is easily manipulated, but his sister objects. Here the
author messes with us again by throwing doubt on the assumption that Marcus is
a vampire. Is he just a disturbed young boy that thinks he is a vampire? Vampires
are just a myth, right? Marcus, despite his young age, is a manipulative
character and I found him quite chilling. People who like things clear cut and
logical might have a problem here, but I took it as a story told from the
perspective of the children. You get three kids in separate rooms and you get
three completely different stories and two will be far removed from the truth. (At
times this might even be a little trippy.) The ending was unexpected but a
little sudden. I do hope that in the next stories we will delve a bit deeper
into the lives and backgrounds of the three siblings (or that the reader gets
further messed with). A different take on the vampire genre and certainly
something I want to read more of.
Sunday 6 September 2015
Pale Horse (Urban Knights book3) by James Roby
I've been running another free offer for Language in the Blood (sorry about posting a bit late, it only has an hour to go.) I've only used free media for the promotion and sure enough it hasn't been as successful as the previous one. so top marks to the choosybookworm site as for value for money. There is still time to get your hands on Blood Ties which is on a Kindle countdown for 99c until the 9th of September. I'm using Booksend for the promotion (a hefty 60$) but the rewards are already rolling in and I think it will prove a good investment.
So onto the review. Unfortunately another case of decent book shame about the editing. a four star.
Pale Horse (UrbanKnights Book 3) by James Roby
So onto the review. Unfortunately another case of decent book shame about the editing. a four star.
Pale Horse (UrbanKnights Book 3) by James Roby
This is a testosterone fuelled boys own adventure. Dialogue
laden with manly banter, military jargon and weaponry mentions. Jason Noble
makes a good action hero; trying to run his own detective agency, but there
when his country needs him.
The plot is an interesting one; the CIA infects a dangerous
international arms dealer with a man made Ebola virus. The man is then released
in the hope he will trail the virus back to his organisation. They lose track
of the criminal but then suspect he has resurfaced in Detroit, putting the
lives of thousands at risk when the virus becomes contagious in a few more
days. The race against time starts and Jason Noble is hired to help the various
government agencies in tracking this man down. He agrees despite his team’s
reservations, they are non too keen to work with the military, it even leads to
his friend and partner Eric, to resign.
I downloaded this book as a kindle free deal even though it
is the third in the urban knights’ series. There are some mentions to earlier
events, but this book works fine as a stand alone. The female characters are a
bit of an aside and not very developed, this book is all about the action.
There are a number of issues to do with editing and formatting, but I've contacted the writer and he is aware of them now. I hope a more polish version will be uploaded soon, but these issues have not
affected my rating. Enjoyable action packed read.
Wednesday 26 August 2015
Going Under: A Bill Roberts Thriller by Silas Payton
I do like a good thriller and this one was a very enjoyable read. 5*
Going Under: A Bill Roberts Thriller by Silas Payton on Amazon.com
Going Under: A Bill Roberts Thriller by Silas Payton on Amazon.com
There are many crime thrillers out there and some are of a
very high standard, so does this book hold its own and does it bring something
new to the genre? I say a resounding yes to both. The story moves at a fast
pace and has a good plot, that I found believable and held my attention. It is
well written and contains a good mixture of action, dialogue and humour.
So what’s different? It is set in Toronto, Canada and makes
a nice change from the mean streets of LA or New York. Then there is Bill
Roberts himself, he’s not the hard drinking world weary type we read too much
of. Bill is a dedicated detective who lost his wife two years earlier. He
regrets not spending more time with her before she died, but his work has
always been his life. He has a good relationship with his colleagues, Bill
Roberts wit and the banter between them provides much of the comedy. I liked
that Bill is not perfect. In one instance he falls of a treadmill as he needs
to get back into shape. There is also a French speaking biker gang involved,
and here is maybe an opportunity missed; the dual language must make things
complicated for the police in Canada as I know not everyone is bilingual. This
might be a snippet for the follow up, which I certainly look forwards too. I
recommend this breath of fresh Canadian air.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)