Debut Novel – Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate #twentysevenminutes #NetGalley #ashleytate

Posted on January 30, 2024 by fundinmental

I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate.

MY REVIEW

Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is her debut novel and one of those stories that I wanted to love. I bounced back and forth, between a three and a four. I always up the rating when that happens.

My biggest complaint was the repetition. At two thirds of the way through, it became tedious, but, I understand why it was done that way. Shifting from different points of view and past to present and back again, it was inevitable. It never stopped me from having a need to know the ending and did create tension, making me read faster to find out the truth and why it was such a big secret.

Wyatt became the most intriguing character to me. I loved the twist and my heart broke for June. Through no fault of her own, I feel she suffered the most. I cannot tell you all the whys. You will have to find out for yourself.

As the truth comes to light and the secrets are revealed, I felt many emotions. Anger at the liars and the ones that chose to cover up. Empathy for June, the one I feel who struggled the most and paid the biggest price. Satisfaction that those who deserve it were haunted by their part in the cover up and the price they paid for keeping their secret for ten long years.

Karma…

We have a Conversation with the Author at the end of the book and a Reading Group Guide.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

In this stunning and propulsive debut, a town grieves the loss of a young girl—but some fight to keep the truth about her death a secret.

The question

For the last ten years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe? If he’d called sooner, she might still be alive.

The secret

As the anniversary of Phoebe’s death approaches, Grant is consumed by memories of that night on the bridge and everything he lost: his future, his reputation, his little sister. And the secret he’s been keeping all these years is suffocating him. But he and Phoebe weren’t the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there. She knows what happened—and she will do anything to help Grant keep his secret.

The truth

Everyone in West Wilmer remembers Phoebe, but only June remembers that another person was lost that night. Her brother Wyatt has been missing for ten years and now June is alone—no family, no friends. Until someone appears at her door. Someone who may know where Wyatt went all those years ago. Someone who knows what really happened on the bridge that night. Someone who is ready to tell the truth.

Taking place over three days and culminating in a shocking twist that will leave you breathless, Twenty-Seven Minutes is a gripping story about what happens when grief becomes unbearable, dark secrets are unearthed, and the horrifying truth is revealed.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 23, 2024 by Poisoned Pen Press

ABOUT ASHLEY TATE

Ashley Tate is a Canadian author. TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES is her first novel.

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Artwork & Guest Post for Green Shoots by Ben Westwood @benwestwood #ecologicalthriller

Posted on January 26, 2023 by fundinmental

The beautiful cover caught my eye. The title made me curious. And this line from the blurb finished me off:

Green Shoots is a story of grief and revenge, a gripping crime thriller with an ecological heart.

I reviewed Green Shoots by Ben Westwood on November 16, 2022. Everything about his book spoke to me and I was amazed at Ben Westwood’s ability to pen such a fabulous debut novel. So….I decided to spotlight the artwork and cover that knocked my socks off.

You can see my 5 STAR review HERE.

Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

The artwork has always been central to my novel Green Shoots, not least because the ideas for the cover and the mural came before I had even started writing the book.

I’ve always been obsessed with the color green. It’s my favorite color and I’ve always had a lot of green in my house – from the carpet to blankets and clothing. Of course, it’s the color of nature and the environment, and bathing in green light is supposed to be great for the soul. I always find myself drawn to natural surroundings to feel better.

Calling the book Green Shoots did present some problems though – it doesn’t sound like a thriller. It sounds like a nature book or possibly an economics book – “green shoots of recovery” etc. This is why the central image of blood dripping off green shoots is so important and ended up on the cover. With that image, I feel the story is defined – it’s an eco-thriller, which expresses a love of nature under the shadow of violent crimes. The image itself only appears in the book once – in the video that the killer releases globally, which in effect expresses his manifesto.

“Out of their ashes, green shoots will grow” – these words were a sort of mantra and again they came to me before even writing the book. As I was writing the first couple of chapters, I knew that I wanted the killer to leave that message at the crime scenes. But as I was writing, I realized it would be far more interesting to have a visual representation of the words rather than leaving them simply written. That’s how the idea of the mural came about. I liked the idea that the words came from somewhere else, repeated by the killer rather than actually coined by him. When I repeated the sentence to myself, I clearly visualized ashes and death on the left and rebirth on the right. I then pictured a mural with the detail of this image.

It’s described in chapter 3 of the book: “On the left is a scene of scorched earth, blackened tree stumps, skulls and bones, merging into thick forest on the right with toucans, monkeys and indigenous children. The graffiti written in white in the soil below reads: ‘De sus cenizas crecerán brotes verdes’. My Spanish is good enough to know it means: ‘Out of their ashes, green shoots will grow.’ ”

The mural first appears as a photograph in the first crime scene, but appears later in the book as an actual mural in South America. Its appearance is never fully explained and that was deliberate – I have always admired subversive pop-up artists such as Banksy and I had that idea in mind.

When the book was finished, I knew there was still some creative work to do. I wanted someone to actually paint the mural – not on a wall but as a painting. I have no painting talent at all so I found an artist – my friend Anna Walker, who lives local to me in Sussex, England. Over a couple of months she moved from sketches to completing the painting. It now hangs on my wall. It’s big – over a meter wide and dominates by living room.

The words and their accompanying images very much define the book. It is a book about hope coming from despair – both personally for John and for the world at large.

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New Release- City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita @IrisYamashita #CityUnderOneRoof #NetGalley

Posted on December 28, 2022 by fundinmental

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read Iris Yamashita’s debut novel, City Under One Roof.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love finding new author’s and sharing their debut novels, like Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita.

A blizzard in a small town in Alaska. Oh yeah, I am intrigued from the getgo. THEN, add 205 residents that all live in the same highrise. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

A boot with a foot. A hand. Washed up on shore. I have seen TV shows about the body parts that wash ashore in the Northwest. Really creepy and using this topic to get Cara to the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, with her own reasons for wanting to investigate, begins the mystery and danger that is to follow.

I shiver as she drives through the tunnel. It is one way and switches directions every half hour. I felt a bit claustrophic with her. Two and a half miles. I get creeped out in the drive through car wash. LOL

The highrise used to be an army post, with tunnels because of the weather and to keep from being seen. Of course, kids are going to explore and even though I think I would be creeped out, I would have to explore too.

All towns have secrets, but small towns make it much harder to keep them. Everyone knows everyone. They live and breathe in the same space.

The descriptions of the highrise and the people are richly detailed. It made it easy for me to paint pictures in my mind. I love odd characters and City Under One Roof has its fair share. Are they on the run?

I could hear the wind howling, I could feel the icy cold.

Told, mainly, from three characters point of view: Cara, who is a detective from Anchorage, Alasksa, Amy, who is the teenager that found the body parts, and Lonnie, who came to live in the high rise after leaving a mental institution. She is one of the best characters, her and Denny. And Susie, always hanging out in the hallway.

City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita has all the elements I look for in a thriller, a fabulous location and the storm is a bonus, great characters, danger, intrigue and mystery.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita.

GOODREADS BLURB

A stranded detective tries to solve a murder in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone lives in a single high-rise building, in this gripping debut by an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter.

When a local teenager discovers a severed hand and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.

After a blizzard causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and suspicious residents of the town—all 205 of whom live in the same high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the investigation is upended by fearsome gang members from a nearby native village.

Haunted by her past, Cara soon discovers that everyone in this town has something to hide. Will she be able to unravel their secrets before she unravels?”

ABOUT IRIS YAMASHITA

Iris is the Academy Award nominated writer for the movie LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, directed by Clint Eastwood. The film received a Golden Globe award for “Best Foreign Language Film” and was nominated for 4 Oscars®, including Best Original Screenplay. Her debut novel, CITY UNDER ONE ROOF, the first in a mystery series, will be released by Berkley Group in January, 2023.

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Gorgeous Cover Lured Me In – Green Shoots by Ben Westwood @benwestwood

Posted on November 16, 2022 by fundinmental

Green Shoots by Ben Westwood is his debut novel. I loved it soooo much. I want to thank Book Sirens and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the opportunity to read and review Green Shoots by Ben Westwood.

The beautiful cover caught my eye. The title made me curious. And this line from the blurb finished me off:

Green Shoots is a story of grief and revenge, a gripping crime thriller with an ecological heart.

Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Green Shoots is Ben Westwood’s debut novel and it blew me away. Green Shoots is very well written with a storyline that captured me, making me flip pages as my emotions ran wild. Reap what you sow may be an appropriate description for these characters that worship the almighty dollar. I loved everything about Green Shoots by Ben Westwood.

Nightmares haunt him. He wants to die. He visualizes it. I’ve heard people mention, when they first wake up, there is a moment when all seems normal, then reality smacks them in the face, and their sorrow and despair hit them. John’s wife dies in South America and he feels he is not being told the truth. He has to know.

A USB drive. A file folder named Blakely. A voice on the phone breathes life into John, an investigative reporter. But, is the voice that of a good person? Made me think of Dexter and that is always a good thing.

A message: Out of their ashes, green shoots will grow.

I love books that deal with real life problems. Ecological fiction novels like Green Shoots grab me and never let me go. It gets all my emotions roiling, sadness, anger, despair, hope…logging, deforestation, mining, poisoned water, habitat loss…for animals and indigenous people.

By 7% I was fully invested in John’s story. As he checks out his wife’s blog, he realizes her research into ecotourism, community projects and good practice morphed into something sinister. Anger breathes life into John, and my rage escalated too.

He found his love in Ecuador, now he is going back to find out who or what took her away from him. There is danger from many sources.

So much of the book read like an expose, a documentary, with some fiction thrown in. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer…and sometimes they are eliminated because they are in the way. Definitely thought provoking.

I used to watch Whale Wars and when I read Green Shoots it made me think of it, the lengths the people would go to save a whale or butcher a whale, was an eye opener. Sure we all hear about it, but how often do we see it? Definitely a thought provoking novel.

It is hard for me not to go on a rant, but it is not about me. It is about John and his story.

If a debut novel can have such a WOW factor, I am eager to see what Ben will write next.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Green Shoots by Ben Westwood.

GOODREADS BLURB

OUT OF THEIR ASHES, GREEN SHOOTS WILL GROW

Green Shoots is a story of grief and revenge, a gripping crime thriller with an ecological heart.

Brought back from the brink of suicide by a mysterious phone call, grieving journalist John Adamson is desperate to know the truth about his wife Christina’s death in South America. The man on the phone gives John clues to what really happened, but also tips him off to investigate a spate of deaths of businessmen, all found with the same cryptic message: “Out of their ashes, green shoots will grow.” From the protest-filled streets of London to the ravaged jungles of Ecuador, John is unwittingly drawn into a lethal plot, but who is behind these murders and what is the connection to his wife’s death?

ABOUT BEN WESTWOOD

Ben Westwood is a journalist, author, lecturer and performer with more than 20 years’ experience in the media and education. His first novel, the eco-thriller Green Shoots, is available now.

Ben is a former Daily Telegraph journalist and has written several travel guidebooks on destinations from Ecuador, Galapagos and Peru to London. He currently combines freelance writing with lecturing at University of Brighton. Ben is also an experienced musician and has released two albums as a singer-songwriter.

Website / Twitter / Instagram

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A Wonderful Surprise in Shakespeare Burning by Charisse Moritz #CharisseMoritz

Posted on February 6, 2020 by fundinmental

I was looking for more about Charisse Moritz because I loved this story, but it seems this is her debut novel and the only book I found…so far. I sure hope she is busy writing the next one, because I love this one!

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Charisse Moritz blew me away with her debut novel and I am eager to read more of her work. I hope she is busy writing.

High school. Do you remember those days? Were you one of the popular ones? Or did you march to your own drummer?

It took me a minute or two to get started, but as personalities began to emerge, it played like a movie in my mind.

He has fallen a long way from the varsity hockey captain he used to be. His grandma wastes no words, telling it like it is, but has him asking the question, “What do I need?” His name is Shake LeCasse. They call him Shakespeare. Ever since the accident, his life has went to hell. Survivor’s guilt keeps him paralyzed. I feel Cleo is going to shake him up good. I quickly grew to love her.

Cleo feels a kinship with him and it grows. She thinks he’s hot. She gets a taste of what she wants before common sense rears it ugly head and reins her in. Cleo is deep, soft and hard, feisty…she ‘borrows’ things, pops in and out like a fairy, Now you she her, now you don’t.

…I can hear his heart beat. Funny how they all sound the same. Even the broken ones.

We have some laughs along the way, along with all the teenage angst that high school entails.

The more I read, the more I loved watching the characters learn and grow, each filling a hole in the others lives that no one else can. I love the snarky, witty dialogue.

“I’m going to kill him. Then I’m going to revive his ass, just so I can kill him again.”

Well…Shakespeare Burning is not a book I would normally pick up to read, but I am so glad I did. Branching out from my normal reads paid off in spades! I am so glad Charisse Moritz reached out to me and after I read the fantastic blurb that tweaked my interest, I had to know more. Something about it talked to me.

The book, the story, the wonderful characters drew me deeper and deeper into a story of loss, grief, sorrow, need, faith, loyalty and love.

I voluntarily read an ARC of Shakespeare Burning by Charisse Moritz.

GOODREADS BLURB

He’s the boy who wants to disappear.

One mistake and seventeen-year-old Shake LeCasse lost everything. Now there’s no going back and no way to move forward. The once-popular Varsity hockey captain is living in the basement of a grandmother he barely knows, ditching school, avoiding friends and working hard on self-destruction.

She’s the girl nobody sees.

Cleo Lee survives however she can. Lie, cheat, steal, whatever it takes, and saving Mr. Popular isn’t part of the plan. Telling him the truth about the night that destroyed his life is downright dangerous. She needs to keep quiet, be smart and let the guy she’s been half in love with since middle school throw away a future she’d do anything to have. Too bad she sucks at playing it safe.

ABOUT CHARISSE MORTIZ (from Amazon)

Emily Award Finalist and Melody Of Love Award Finalist, Charisse Moritz divides her life between upstate NY and northern Florida. When not barricaded inside her writing cave or enjoying every possible minute with her husband and three kids, you’ll find her listening to 60’s music, singing off key and looking for new reads.

Her debut book, Shakespeare Burning was released in July 2019 and is available in digital and print.

https://charissemoritz.com

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Giveaway – A Cunning Plan by Astrid Arditi #CunningTour @astrid_arditi @MasqTours.

Posted on September 22, 2016 by fundinmental

Title: A Cunning Plan

Author: Astrid Arditi

Publication Dates: June 8, 2016

Genre: Romantic Suspense

MY REVIEW

A Cunning Plan by Astrid Arditi is her debut novel. I am not afraid to try a new author, in fact, I am always on the lookout for one. You never know where that hidden gem may come from and I found one here.

The cover is so pretty, but it was the blurb that really grabbed me.

A woman scorned does not bode well for Tom.

The first pages had me cracking up, all the while thinking, the bitch is crazy. 😈

I want to jump into the pages and punch both their lights out. Tom is a douche and Sloane is a wimp. He really needs to man up. Ethan, hmmm, a hunky IRS agent and Sloane’s life gets more interesting…and humorous once he enters the story.

I cursed and laughed my way through a Cunning Plan by Astrid Arditi. Her writing makes me think of Janet Evanovich. The more I read, the more I couldn’t help but laugh at her misconceptions and naivety. She is one of us…a real person with all her insecurities alive and well.

The two little girls are cute as hell with tons of personality, lovable bundles of joy.

And we cannot forget Sloane’s trusty sidekick, Claudia. She reminded me of Rosie on Will and Grace, if you have ever watched the TV show, you can imagine her personality ‘shining’ through.

A Cunning Plan by Astrid Arditi is a funfilled romp, full of mystery and romance, with delightful and heart-grabbing characters. Seeing this is Astrid’s entrance in the writing world, I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with next.

I received an ARC of A Cunning Plan from Astrid Arditi in return for an honest review.sted:

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Determined to put her family back together, Sloane Harper stalks her ex husband and his annoyingly stunning mistress, Kate Stappleton. But she’s not the only one.

Handsome IRS agent Ethan Cunning is surveying Kate too, but for entirely different reasons. He is attempting to nail Kate’s playboy boss.

Ethan and Sloane decide to help each other, which sends Sloane’s wobbly life spinning out of control. She’ll have to face danger, humiliation, and – scariest of all – the dating scene, to lure her daughters’ father home.

Losing control was the best thing to happen to Sloane…until it turned lethal.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | GoodReads

Author Bio

Astrid Arditi was born from a French father and Swedish mother. She lived in Paris and Rome before moving to London with her husband and daughter back in 2013.

After dabbling in journalism, interning at Glamour magazine, and teaching kindergarten, Arditi returned to her first love: writing.

She now splits her time between raising her kids (a brand new baby boy just joined the family) and making up stories.

A Cunning Plan is Arditi’s first published work.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

Two (2) $25 Amazon G.C. Ends 9/30. Open Internationally. Void where Prohibited.

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One Sentence Review – Your Name, In Fire by Kera Emory Connor Black @KeraEmory

Posted on September 3, 2016 by fundinmental

I have read so many books and don’t have time to do long reviews for all of them, but I do want to share my thoughts. So…here is my…

One Sentence Review

For a change, it was the title, Your Name, In fire by Kera Emory, that caught my attention first, usually it’s the cover. Not to say I don’t love this cover…I mean, look at the the elements…is that wings around the heart?

What do you think?

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Your Name, In Fire by Kera Emory is a fresh approach to the tried and true vampire tale, with the horror not being slasher bright but haunting, lurking, subtle, insidious, keeping the suspense at a high level.

4 Stars

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Run and Run Fast – Review – The Beast of Bradley Downs by Stephanie O’Hanlon

Posted on June 23, 2015 by fundinmental

The title for The Beast of Bradley Downs by Stephanie O’Hanlon caught my eye, but it was the cover that finished me off. I love horror and this looked like a good one.

Check out this awesomely creepy cover for yourself. Simple, but it says so much.

Add me to Goodreads now.

The Beast of Bradley Downs by Stephanie O’Hanlon

Publisher: Damnation Books, LLC (May 1, 2015)

Cover Art: Dawne Dominique

MY REVIEW

The Beast of Bradley Downs by Stephanie O’Hanlon is a fantastically good debut horror novel loaded with action from the getgo.

Karoline Hale lives in the small town of Bradley Downs. The legend of mysterious deaths and the burning of the town were rationalized by its citizens, because no way could they conceive the truth. She had pale skin and her lipstick was a red slash across her face. She loves horror movies, but she doesn’t want to be in one.

Mitch is her best friend, but he would like to be more. The question is, does she? Sometimes the one you love is right in front of you, but you don’t see it.

She is on the run…from IT. Is that IT in the shadows? Is that IT making that noise? Is that ITs crunching footsteps behind her? Is that IT exhaling ITs hot breathe on her neck?

Stephanie O’Hanlon uses all the horror trickes, including my, er…favorite, the monster under the bed, reaching out to grab my foot…I mean YOUR foot. 🙂

The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I kept waiting, waiting, knowing it was coming, just didn’t know when. Uh oh, she’s way too happy and it’s Halloween.

My biggest problem was buying the fact that the townspeople blew off the danger to everyone after numerous gruesome deaths. But, as I thought about real life, don’t we refuse to see the unexplainable? Besides, it is fiction and sometimes we need to let some things slide to make the story better. I let it play through my mind like a movie.

A lot of the story is predictable, but beware, every once in a while Stephanie will throw a surprise at you. The suspense of the threat of attack was felt throughout The Beast of Bradley Downs. I had a feeling that something I didn’t want to happen would, and darn it Stephanie, you did it! I feel that made the book even better, though I didn’t like it. LOL I had a feeling I knew the ending…yeah, right. Stephanie did it again. The ending knocked me for a loop and it was most definitely not what I thought it would be. I love that. How often does that happen to you? I will be looking for more of her work.

I received The Beast of Bradley Downs from Stephanie O’Hanlon in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Can Beauty outrun the Beast?

Karoline Hale is on the run. After witnessing her boyfriend get killed she abandons everything she once knew for a new life consisting of bus tickets and hotel rooms, a duffel bag full of old clothes, and a shotgun.

She isn’t running from any ordinary killer. She is running from the Beast of Bradley Downs—a creature that kills without judgment and is hunting Karoline. She can only run for so long before she needs to gather her strength and face the Beast that howls under the wind, prowls the night, and cannot be killed by modern means.

ABOUT STEPHANIE O’HANLON

Stephanie O’Hanlon graduated from the Toronto Film School in 2008 with aspirations of starting a career in film, but found herself drawn to writing.

Combining her love for writing and history, her preferred genre is historical romance, as seen in her EP title Affaire de Coeur, though she has also enjoyed the paranormal romance genre, as seen with her EP re-release Out of my Grave. Check out her New Adult horror title The Beast of Bradley Downs, now available from Damnation Books!

Now a full time writer, she lives in Ontario, Canada with her dogs, Judas & Dante, and beloved cats, Nevermore & Willow.

Keep an eye out for the first installment in her The Raven Series, A Swan Song for the Raven, to be released by Eternal Press.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Cover links to Amazon (I am an affiliate)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Friday 56 #42 & BB #18 ~ Tiger Paw by Charles A Cornell

Posted on March 6, 2015 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it..

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~~~~~

TIGER PAW by Charles A Cornell

I read this book some time ago, but it is so awesome, I wanted to share it with you!

You can read my review here.

Check out this awesome cover!

Isn’t it gorgeous and very creatively done?

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY 56

“So they were victims from the start?”

“Carleton created IPO’s for them, turned a spectacular profit and everyone in the game won. Greed greased the wheels and the machine accelerated. It became a feeding frenzy.

“Just when we got in way over our heads, he dumped his stock – big time – and began short selling behind our backs.”

“You mean ugly enough to kill?”

(56% on Kindle)

BOOK BEGINNINGS

New York City was paralyzed four blocks either side of Broadway, all the way from Central Park to Wall Street. What had started as a relatively small Occupy Wall Street demonstration had now grown to over one million people – one million very determined people.

People without a clear mission.

Except to be angry.

Very angry.

~~~~~~

SYNOPSIS

As a serial killer wreaks havoc on Wall Street, dismantling a corrupt financier’s empire one body at a time, FBI profiler Scott Forrester uncovers the deadly secret of a demon-worshipping Hindu cult that is determined to change the very fabric of society. Firmly in their assassin’s crosshairs, Scott Forrester is forced underground to stop the killing spree. But will he survive the deal he must make with the Devil to thwart their satanic plan?

Royal Palm Literary Award Winner for Best Thriller of 2012 –from the Florida Writers Association
Best Indie Thriller Nominee – Kindle Book Reviews

“A great variation to the thriller genre…the author blended a detective storyline with a thread of the esoteric which makes it stand out from other thrillers. The ending leaves you guessing… a well thought out story, with lots of action. Recommended for all lovers of thrillers and action books.” – Midwest Book Review

“5 Stars! – This book had my juices flowing-my heart pounding, blood boiling, anger, rage, PISSED OFF. It had me thinking of all kinds of things. So applicable to what is going on today. Believable. For a debut novel, I was really impressed.” – Sherry Fundin, Fundinmental Book Reviews

“This book goes far beyond a 5 STAR rating! Charles A. Cornell is a magnificent storyteller and his debut novel is brilliant. Tiger Paw was a very tumultuous read for me. It touches on everything that’s wrong in government and Wall Street. I can imagine the challenge he faces when writing the next novels. It will be hard to top this.” – Laura Thomas, FU Only Knew Book Reviews

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Review & Giveaway ~ Turnabout & Shallow Secrets by Rick Ollerman

Posted on March 5, 2015 by fundinmental

Turnabout & Shallow Secrets

by Rick Ollerman

Genre: Crime

Published by: Stark House Press

Publication Date: September 26, 2014

Number of Pages: 389 – the “book” contains 2 novels

ISBN: 978-1933586472

More: This is a set of two books featuring Crime.
These include strong language.

Purchase Links:

MY REVIEW

I love the simple cover, the colors and palm trees spoke to me. Murder and crime are my game, so I was excited to read this twofer. I thought it was two separate mysteries, but it is really one long book. I am going to review it that way.

This noir detective story started out with a splat. Rick’s description of what it’s like to fall (or to be pushed) out of an airplane, with no parachute, counting down the seconds until you hit, knowing you are going to die, had me white knuckled as I read. With a start like that, I am eager to read on. So I did.

Frankie O’Neil sets out to determine what really happened to his best friend. He never believed he committed suicide and he would not let the deed go unpunished. If something happened to me, I would love to have a friend like him.

O’Neil had retired from the police force because it was so hard on his wife. He loved her and did not want to lose her. He knew getting involved in this investigation would take its toll on their marriage, but it was something he had to do. He has a plan, but there are two police officers who are determined to be kept in the loop, dogging him at every turn.

This is in the early days of computers and his friend, Tim Clayton had a consulting business. He had taught O’Neil the ropes and he had started his own consulting business.

Reed is a naive and innocent kid he recruits to help him with the investigation. I love the kid. Poor Katy is caught in the middle.

Five years later, B J Donnelly is busted with a thirteen year old girl in his trunk and he drops O’Neil’s name. They try to keep O’Neil out of the investigation. He had been running the Sun Coast Murders Task Force, but Detective Sergeant James Robinson will be running it now and every time O’Neil turns around, James is there.

O’Neil has become a suspect and once accused, it doesn’t matter much if you are guilty or not. The stigma will follow you everywhere you go. Your life will be ruined.

Now it’s eight years later and there is another body. How could that be if Donnelly was the guilty party? Guess there is only one thing for him to do, and that’s to solve it himself. I knew that, but I am happy to ride along with him as we dodge the dirt and corruption. When you don’t know who to trust, trust no one.

There is more going on than meets the eye. I had my suspicions. I am so glad I did not quit reading after finishing Turnabout and went right on to read Shallow Secrets. Yes, there are secrets. Suspense, oh yeah. Fear, oh yeah. Twists and turns that kept letting me relax for a moment, thinking the story is over, then knocking me for a loop, again and again.

I would highly recommend the debut twofer, Turnabout and Shallow Secrets, by Rick Ollerman.

I received a signed first edition paperback in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Remember those old Ace paperbacks, with two actioners in one volume? Stark House is reviving them, with the current offering holding all the slam-bang anyone might want.

In Turnabout, ex-cop Frankie O’Neil is skeptical when a friend’s death is ruled a suicide. He uncovers a crime unknown to the Ace masters: computer theft. These crooks have friends with guns, and halfway along the novel becomes a series of cliffhangers that hit another memory: movie serials. Will Frankie escape in time? Find out in the next chapter. You won’t stop until you know.

Shallow Secrets moves slower, with a subtext: the power of chance to provoke horrors, then avenge them. Cop James Robinson doesn’t just know the accused killer. They’re roommates. The coincidence ruins his career. Then there are fresh killings, and Robinson is “a person of interest.” Near the end, Robinson almost tells a woman that “there wasn’t anything they could do to make the world safe” from murders. But coincidence can bring them down, as when someone sees something he’s not supposed to.

– from Don Crinklaw

EXCERPT

When they touched down in Miami, Gene could have passed out in relief. In a superhuman test of will, he forced himself through the cattle call of customs without drawing attention to himself. From there he almost ran to the nearest rest room and claimed the first open toilet as his own. He had pains in his gut now, his lower abdomen, and he swallowed two Ex-Lax tablets as he lowered himself onto the toilet.

It was a very unpleasant feeling when the first one came out, goose bumps breaking out across his thighs and arms, but Gene almost cried he was so thankful. He counted carefully, not wanting to get up until every last one of those damned things was pushed through his body, never relaxing, always afraid that any one of them might rupture, get caught on something on the way out, just before it cleared his asshole. Never again, he thought. His days as a mule were over.

Finally, the last condom exited his spent body and Gene slumped forward, exhausted. He had to spend some more time waiting for the effects of the laxatives to subside, but he didn’t mind. It was over and he had made it. He was tired and stinking of dried sweat and public bathroom, but he had brought the drugs in. All he had to do now was pick those little white torpedoes out of the toilet and boogie on back to Everglades City. To Midge and his knife and that damned spooky necklace.

Gene finally stood up and looked over his shoulder. It was hard to imagine how much money that ugly mess was worth. He took a half step forward and bent over to pull up his pants then stumbled and fell into the door of the tiny cubicle. The whoosh of water from the flushing toilet sent a bolt of electrified panic down his spine.

On his knees he turned and dove towards the toilet bowl in time to see the last wad of crumpled tissue get sucked into the hole at the bottom. In a futile gesture he grabbed for it, grabbed for anything, jamming his hand up to the wrist into the small opening.

Oh my fucking lord, Gene thought as he looked up at the piping coming out of the wall. What the fuck happened? There was no way to flush the damned thing, no goddamned lever to pull. Christ! he swore again. He hadn’t done anything!

He pulled his hand out of the toilet and wiped it in his shirt as he got to his feet. Staring in disbelief, he finished fastening his pants as he took a step back toward the door. Again the toilet flushed itself.

The damned thing was like the automatic doors to the terminal! It flushed itself when he moved away from it! How the hell was he supposed to know, God damn it? Nobody ever told him anything about fucking automatic toilets.

Author Bio:

Rick Ollerman made his first dollar from writing when a crossword magazine printed a question he’d sent. Later he went on to hold world records for various large skydives, appear in photo spreads in LIFE magazine and The National Enquirer, can be seen on an inspirational poster during the opening credits of a popular TV show, and has been interviewed on CNN. He also had a full-screen shot as an extra in the film Purple Rain. His writing has appeared in technical and sporting magazines and he has edited and proofread many books, and written introductions for a dozen more. Notably in 2014 he sold a short story and an essay to Noir Riot and his first two books, Turnabout and Shallow Secrets, were published by Stark House Press in September.

Catch Up:

Grab you copy at Amazon.

Tour Participants:

1. 3/02 Guest Post & Showcase @ Our Wolves Den
2. 3/05 Review @ fundinmental
3. 3/09 Review @ 3 Partners in Shopping
4. 3/10 Review @ Tea and A Book
5. 3/16 Guest Post @ Writers and Authors
6. 3/16 Review @ Deal Sharing Aunt
7. 3/19 Review @ Vics Media Room
8. 3/22 Review @ Quirky Book Reviews
9. 3/25 Showcase @ Mommabears Book Blog?
10. 3/29 Radio Interview @ Suspense Magazine
11. 3/31 Showcase @ Ryder Islingtons Blog

GIVEAWAY

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Rick Ollerman. There will be three winners of 3 sets of – 1) Signed book plus a 2) signed, limited chapbook of two essays on paperback original writers that served as introductions to other books. The giveaway begins on Feb 28th, 2015 and runs through April 3rd, 2015.

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