I love romantic suspense novels, so reading Defending Kiernan by P J Fala was a joy. Sure, the premise is familiar…a lady in distress and the hunkalicious man that will come to her rescue. When a cute kid is added to the picture, it becomes that much more enjoyable.
I love that Defending Kiernan is a lead in to a new GHOST series that is a perfect fit for me.
Defending Kiernan moves along at a steady pace, supplying plenty of suspense and danger along the way. The characters hold their own. We even have a touch of the paranormal, adding a little something extra.
I feel I am being a bit generous in the rating, but that’s because I love the genre and I am able to overlook some of the issues with the writing. I feel the story could have been developed more and the characters become more complex. That being said, I am looking forward to some GHOST stories in the future.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
All Keirnan Vickers ever wanted was to be a teacher. Having realized that dream, she’s focusing on helping the local library with desperately needed repairs so she has a place to host her growing reading program. Just when her life is beginning to look like a storybook, an enemy of her father’s threatens her very existence.
Single father Dane Copeland has known his share of heartaches. He put love on the back burner to finish his career as a special operative with the Army and raise his daughter. Fate intervenes when he meets Keirnan, who brings a new zest for life and the promise of a new start. But it all comes crashing down when she is kidnapped and local law enforcement is unable, or unwilling, to mount a rescue.
Partnering with Auggie Vickers, GHOST is born, and all of their lives are irreparably changed as the details behind Keirnan’s abduction are revealed and time becomes their enemy.
First published April 21, 2020 by Rolling Thunder Publishing
ABOUT P J FALA
USA Today Bestselling Author
Writing has been a desire my whole life. Once I found the courage to write, life changed for me in the most profound way. Bringing stories to readers that I’d enjoy reading and creating characters that are flawed, but lovable is such a joy.
When not writing, I’m with my family doing something fun. My husband, Gene, and I are bikers and enjoy riding to new locations, meeting new people and generally enjoying this fabulous country we live in.
I come from a family of veterans. My grandfather, father, brother, two sons, and one daughter-in-law are all veterans. Needless to say, I am proud to be an American and proud of the service my amazing family has given. In trying to give back, I’ve started a foundation, Authors4Veterans, with my friend and fellow author, Stacey Joy Netzel. Our charities will rotate but will always support our military and their families.
I know it might sound odd, but I love serial killers….I mean reading about serial killers. I love getting into their minds, searching for the reasons they do the things they do…and Wayne Adam Ford deserves a close look and the sentence that was handed down to him. I am also intrigued by the legalities. Why does it take years?
I got ticked off at those who felt empathy for him. I don’t believe there was anything wrong with him, other than he is a monster that gets off on killing women. I believe that he was able to manipulate people, never letting them see the real him, until they take their last breath.
Body Parts has been updated by Caitlin Rother and I think she did have some things I didn’t like. The story was easy to follow along, but I don’t believe it was family or a brain injury that was the cause of him being a serial killer. That is where the nature or nurture question comes into play. I am not an expert, so I can’t say what is what, but I feel they will use whatever excuse they can come up with to make themselves less of a monster.
My thanks go out to Caitlin Rother for the opportunity to read and review Body Parts.
3 Stars
BOOK BLURB:
BODY PARTS takes a deep psychological look at serial killer Wayne Adam Ford. A long-haul trucker, Ford confessed to picking up dozens of prostitutes and troubled women along California roads. He tortured and repeatedly choked them during sex, revived them with CPR, then did it again. Only four of them didn’t survive, he said, claiming that was an accident. After dismembering two of his victims, he dumped their bodies in the California Aqueduct and other waterways in Humboldt, Kern, San Joaquin, and San Bernardino Counties. Ford’s complex death penalty case made national news because he is one of the only serial killers to turn himself in and help authorities identify his victims. He was recently transferred from death row at San Quentin to a state prison in San Luis Obispo.
Originally released in March 2009, this new edition of BODY PARTS has been updated with 32 pages of new developments about the identification of Kerry Anne Cummings, Ford’s first victim, whom he dismembered and who went unidentified for 25 years. If there is such a thing as a happy ending to a book about a serial killer, this is it. The new material takes the reader through the investigative process involved in solving a cold case like this one so many years after the fact. Kerry now has her name back and her family has closure after so many years of not knowing what happened to her, after being prevented from reporting her missing to police because she was using drugs. Rother is the first to interview the Cummings family about Kerry and her troubled life before she went missing in late 1997.
Overall, the book is based on exclusive information Rother uncovered during her extensive research and exclusive interviews with Ford’s father and brother. She also interviewed, the prosecutor, sheriff’s detectives from all four counties, the defense’s sole investigator, and a woman who survived after being raped and tortured by Ford. By obtaining a court order to release sealed court files and digging through boxes of evidence and investigators’ reports, Rother was able to paint comprehensive and compelling portraits of Ford, his family and his victims. Rother’s book shows readers how Ford’s family dynamics, his severe head injury, his bouts of mental illness, and his compulsive sexual perversions led to his tragic killing spree, tearful confessions, and dramatic trial.
This is a re-release with 32 pages of new developments about the recent identification of Ford’s first victim, Kerry Anne Cummings, through genetic genealogy 25 years after her murder. So, now she has her name back and her family has closure.
Kathie Cummings had recently moved from the Seattle area to the small town of Addy in northeastern, Washington, after leaving a job with the University of Washington as the director of operations in finance and research.
The new number Detective Fridley tried for Kathie went to voice mail, so he left her a message, saying that he was calling from the sheriff’s department in Eureka.
Kathie immediately assumed that he was calling about her long-missing sister, Kerry, though she was expecting him to say that Kerry had overdosed, and they had finally identified her. But when they connected, she didn’t mention any preconceived notions. “I let him do the talking,” she recalled.
“I’m calling about an unusual situation,” he told her. “Can I ask if you have any family members who are missing?”
“Yes, I do, my sister.”
“How long has she been missing?”
“Since 1997 or 1996,” Kathie said, feeling a little dizzy from the stress of the call and unable to remember exactly.
“Does your sister have any identifying marks?”
“She has a ring of flowers around her left ankle, a nose piercing, and her ears are pierced.”
“Can you tell me, did your sister ever give birth?”
“Not to my awareness,” she said, but inside, she was thinking, oh, s***. She knew he was talking about Kerry, so she started to panic, jumbling the chronology of events in her mind. There’s a baby out there. No, there’s an adult now.
Just the thought of a baby she never knew about broke her heart, especially not knowing if the child had lived.
“We may have connected her DNA to a close relative,” Fridley told Kathie, clearly trying to be sensitive and careful with his words. “Jeff Cummings, do you know him?”
“Yes, he’s my cousin.”
“I would like to talk to you about what we know, but first we’ll need to get DNA confirmation that the person that we have here matches your sister.”
Hearing that said so directly, Kathie felt faint. “I’d been expecting it, but I hadn’t been expecting it that day,” she recalled.
“What do we need to do?” she asked. “We need to get a copy of your DNA and compare it to the DNA that we have.”
After determining the location of the nearest police agency, Fridley said he would arrange for her to get tested.
Over the next three days, Kathie went even further down the rabbit hole than Jeff had. Not only did she read all the news stories she could find, but she listened to podcasts and downloaded the first edition of this book, published in 2009, on her Kindle.
“When I searched on the internet and all those pages came up with him, I went into complete shock. I never imagined, honestly, that this would be the kind of information and news I would get.”
She had to read this book three times, because she couldn’t absorb all the gruesome details on the first go. “The first time I just read through it, and I could hardly remember what I read, other than a few identifying markers that convinced me that this was the right person. I went back for pieces that I missed, [thinking], what did I read? I just kept going through it.”
She kept wondering why Ford had started off “so gruesome,” by cutting up her sister so violently, but then didn’t do the same thing to his next victims, other than slicing off the woman’s breast that was in his pocket when he surrendered.
“Knowing my sister, she was willing to be intimate with him,” Kathie said. Based on her last conversation with Kerry, when she “was more wasted than any other conversation I’d had with her, I figured she was on something new, so he suggested, ‘Let’s try this,’ and she said, ‘Okay, whatever,’” until she choked, passed out, and died.
– Excerpted from Body Parts by Caitlyn Rother, Citadel Press, 2025. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 15 books, ranging from narrative non-fiction crime to thrillers and memoir. Among her recent titles is an updated edition of BODY PARTS with 32 pages of new developments about the Wayne Adam Ford case, and DEATH ON OCEAN BOULEVARD, the story of the Rebecca Zahau death case. Coming out in June is DOWN TO THE BONE, about the McStay family murders, and in 2026, DOPAMINE FIX, the first in a two-book deal for a new crime fiction series with Thomas & Mercer. An award-winning investigative reporter for 19 years, Rother’s stories have been published in Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The San Diego Union Tribune, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and The Daily Beast. Her more than 250 TV, radio and podcast appearances include 20/20, People Magazine Investigates, Crime Watch Daily, Australia’s World News, and numerous shows on Netflix, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, HLN and REELZ. A popular public speaker, she also works as a writing-research coach-consultant and website designer. For fun, she binges on limited series, swims, and plays keyboards and sings in a jazzy bluesy trio called In the Lounge with her partner. Rother earned a bachelor’s in psychology from UC Berkeley and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.
Shawn David Brink writes some of the best Christian Horror fiction I have read. He never fails to have me tearing through the pages, having to know how the story ends. Pets For Legion is another hit. The battle between good and evil is fierce. The feeling of menace lurks on every page. The story flows smoothly, quickly, having me feeling like I can’t wait for what happens next. It pulls me along like a toddler with a string toy. I love Shawn David Brink’s ability to give me a unique look into the world of Christian horror.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
When local school paraprofessional Sasha James rescues a child from a mysterious assailant, she unknowingly marks herself as the next target. To survive this supernatural foe, she will need to search deeper than the physical, pray for power beyond the natural, and fight like there’s no tomorrow.
Genre: Christian, Fiction, Horror
242 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2021 by by Tell-Tale Publishing Group
Anyone that knows me, knows I love my vampires. It doesn’t matter whether they are sparkly or horrific, bring ’em on. When Patricia J Esposito offered me a chance to read her novel, Beside The Darker Shore, I was happy to oblige. It sounded different than the norm and I am always on the lookout for something different.
Governor David Gedden is responsible for the state’s vampire community. He has an obsession with Stephen Salando, an immortal dhampir. How far will he go to have Stephen? Will he become a killer himself? Will he become an ally with the community’s archrival?
Beside The Darker Shore by Patricia J Esposito is a m/m romance, but it is so much more than that. It’s a tale of love and obsession and corruption of a man who espouses truth. If you like dark, brooding vampires, this could be for you.
I really wanted to love Beside The Darker Shore by Patricia J Esposito, but it missed the mark, for me. The writing flowed and the tale was interesting, keeping me reading til the last page was read, but I didn’t find myself lost in the characters or the story. This is Patricia’s first novel and I have high hopes for her in the future. I’ll have my eye on her.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
What might the ethical Governor David Gedden give up for one man’s exquisite beauty? It’s terrifying to consider when the man is a destructive blood prostitute and David is responsible for the state’s peaceful vampire community. Blood sales in Boston are up, blood taxes support a thriving new nightlife, neighborhoods have been refurbished, and deaths by vampires have plummeted. David is assured reelection. However, the blood addict Stephen Salando has returned from exile with one unalterable plan: to turn the good governor into a vampire. Stephen is an immortal dhampir, whose beauty obliterates reason, who rouses in David a fierce desire he’s ignored his whole life. For David to have Stephen, he must ally with the community’s archrival. To have him, he must become a potential killer himself.
Genre: Fiction, Horror, MM Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural Vampires
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2011 by Eternal Press
ABOUT PATRICIA J ESPOSITO
I’ve been a writer of edgy paranormal fiction for most of my life, but always knew I had a romantic heart. My most recent fiction and poetry reflect that enduring quest for love and joy beneath the human struggle. I’ve had numerous stories and poems published in anthologies and magazines, received honorable mentions in “year’s best” anthologies, and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I work as a copy editor for law books and textbooks, when I’m not spending time with family, friends, books and music, or I’m off exploring the intoxicating realms of the imagination and chasing muses. Beside the Darker Shore is my first novel.
Omniviolence by Jones Worthington is one of those books that makes me wonder if it will ever become our reality. It all begins with Jackson Cross, a teenager that has nothing better to do than visit a slaysite, killing strangers with a drone. Kills are paid in crypto currency. Once his accounts are hacked, he is on the run with the hitman hired to take him out. Joseph “Bones” Carboni has had a change of heart and the race is on.
In this rapidly changing world of technology, it’s hard to predict our future. I love novels that make me think about…and, at times, fear what is to come.
Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington are an amazing duo. Omniviolence may not be my favorite novel by the authors, but it may be yours. How about it? Is anarchy and the downfall of our world as we know it of interest to you? Could you imagine our world becoming the Wild West with the weapons we have available to us? Who would be safe?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Omniviolence by Jones Worthington.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Jackson Cross kills strangers with nothing more than a drone and a computer in exchange for crypto—all from his mother’s basement.
When his accounts are scythed, and he’s pegged at the top of the most popular slaysite, Jackson is ejected from his virtual comfort zone and forced to go on the run.
Joseph “Bones” Carboni is an old-school mafia hitman with a lot of demons and one big problem: he’s developed a conscience. When tasked with slaying fifteen-year-old Jackson, Joe breaks rank. Now, he must decide if playing the hero is worth having a target on his own back.
Attacked from all sides and struggling to survive in a world where your elderly neighbor or an angry kid on social media can be your executioner, neither Joe nor Jackson realize they’ve become entangled in a global power struggle that could change what it means to be human.
* * *
This near-future speculative fiction thriller with a dose of satire explores the consequences of the democratization of technology, cryptocurrency replacing fiat, cancel-culture bleeding into the streets, the total disbanding of government, and the disenfranchisement of the next Generation—Generation Alpha.
A gripping tale of vengeance and redemption, this story plunges into the heart of our rapidly changing world and values, revealing a terrifyingly real and imminent future for humanity. We are on the brink of omniviolence.
A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu Jones has served in patrol, narcotics, criminal investigations, as an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. Recently, Jones served for three years with a U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force – hunting the worst of the worst.
A Dragon Award Nominee, Jones is the author of multiple sci-fi/action/thriller novels, including the multi-award-winning It Takes Death To Reach A Star duology and Condition Black, written with co-author Gareth Worthington(Children of the Fifth Sun, A Time for Monsters).
Known for his infectious storytelling and blistering action, Jones strives to create thought-provoking reading experiences that challenge the status quo. When he’s not chasing bad guys or writing epic stories, he can be found planning his next adventure to some remote or exotic place.
www.stujonesfiction.com
ABOUT GARETH WORTHINGTON
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Gareth Worthington holds a degree in marine biology, a PhD in Endocrinology, an executive MBA, is Board Certified in Medical Affairs, and currently works for the Pharmaceutical industry educating the World’s doctors on new cancer therapies.
Gareth is an authority in ancient history, has hand-tagged sharks in California, and trained in various martial arts, including Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai at the EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and 2FIGHT Switzerland.
He is an award-winning author and member of the International Thriller Writers Association, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the British Science Fiction Association.
Born in England, Gareth has lived around the world from Asia, to Europe to the USA. Wherever he goes, he endeavors to continue his philanthropic work with various charities.
Gareth is represented by Renee Fountain and Italia Gandolfo at Gandolfo Helin Fountain Literary, New York.
For Peace And Purpose by Ethan Warrener is the second book in The Tucker Clan Saga apocalyptic and dystopian fiction series. Ella is the star of the show and her world is growing more dark and dangerous by the minute.
The Reverend is a character I love to hate. He may believe his way is the right way, but I see him manipulating religion to fit in a way that profits himself. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him. LOL
Omar, the outsider is back again. I can’t figure out what his game is and wonder if he will be the death of the Tucker clan or someone that will help them.
There are lots of peripheral characters that have important parts to play. As with most apocalyptic and dystopian novels, there are the haves and the have nots. Slavery even rears its ugly head. We have genetically altered beings and I’m not sure if there is a person around that is completely human, that hasn’t been modified in some way.
The series took thirteen years to write and I am thankful that Ethan Warrener stuck with it. I love apocalyptic and dystopian novels, and always wonder how authors come up with such fabulous ideas. The Tucker Clan Saga is a trilogy and I can hardly wait to find out how Ethan will bring it to it’s conclusion.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of For Peace And Purpose by Ethan Warrener.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Things used to be simpler.
Now, as the Tuckers’ enemies hatch a secret plot for revenge, as a shadowy entity stalks the surrounding woods, and as new players enter the scene, Ella Holland’s world grows darker, more dangerous, and more twisted. The lines between good and evil, native and foreigner, friend and foe become ever more blurred in the Tucker clan’s struggle for peace and purpose.
Can Ella navigate this increasingly complicated world while still holding onto her convictions? Can she save those she loves without sacrificing her soul?
Ethan Warrener grew up in Southwest Missouri, which resembles West Virginia if you really squint. If he’s not writing or teaching, he’s spending any extra free time with his wife and kids or playing too many video games. As you might expect from a Midwesterner, he’s an occasional farmer, a regular churchgoer, and a huge metalhead. For Home and Hearth is his first novel fit to see the light of day.
OMG. Mimi Jean Pamfiloff had me in stitches, from the beginning of Dragon In Boots, to the very end. The characters, both human and those drawn from the imagination of Mimi’s mind, are fascinating and complex.
Jacqueline is the main character and there is more to her than even she knows. She runs a sanctuary for misfit critters and her biggest worry is making enough money to take care of them. That is how she finds herself working at a strip club and meeting characters that will change her life forever.
Mimi’s ability to create unique stories and characters is off the charts. Every time I grab one of her books, I know I am in for a treat. I eagerly begin reading and find it impossible to stop until the last page is read.
My thanks go out to Mimi Jean Pamfiloff and Paper & Silver, Inc for the opportunity to read Dragon In Boots.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From New York Times bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes Dragon in Boots, a Paranormal Rom-Com with way too much baby oil, awkward dirty dancing, and a scorching hot love.
MEET DASH: MALE STRIPPER, ANIMAL LOVER, AND…DRAGON?
JACQUELIN
Jacquelin would do anything to save her struggling animal sanctuary—including bartending at a strip club, enduring drunken bachelorette parties, and putting up with her weirdo boss, who’s obsessed with all things pink.
But nothing could prepare her for Dash: the club’s star performer with abs you could grate cheese on and an ego bigger than his, ahem, moves.
From the moment Dash struts onto the stage, Jacquelin can’t decide if she wants to throw her drink at him or pour it over her head. “Is it just me, or is it scorching hot in here?”
When the women in the audience start acting like wild animals, Jacquelin knows something strange is going on.
Is Dash’s off-the-charts charisma driving her mad, or is there more to him than meets the abs?
DAMIEN
Damien, the immortal tailor, has tackled demonic fashion emergencies, violent vampires, and unhinged deities. But convincing Dash—a male stripper and, oh yeah, the last male dragon on Earth—to embrace his scaly destiny? That’s next-level absurd.
But Damien would do anything to win back Sky, the love of his life, who is, well, dead and needs a new body—something only a deranged goddess can arrange. A goddess who wants an army of dragons for her war.
Can Damien nudge the reluctant dragon into the mating game? Or will Damien lose the ghostly love of his life forever?
DASH
I’m the world’s greatest stripper. Not a dragon. Pass the baby oil.
Expected publication: February 25, 2025 by Paper & Silver, Inc.
ABOUT MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF
MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a New York Times bestselling author who’s sold over one million books around the world. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dreams.
Mimi lives with her Latin lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and their three spunky dragons (really, just very tiny dogs with big attitudes) Snowy, Mini, and Mack, in the vampire-unfriendly state of Arizona.
She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.
Second Chance by R M Demeester is a quick read. I have read some of her other books, so I didn’t hesitate to grab this one. There are some despicable characters and I love it when I have some villains that I can wish the worst for. Nicholas, I didn’t think much of him and I was hoping that Piper would show him the door. I wanted her to develop a backbone and tell them all where to go.
Second Chance is not one of my favorite R M Demeester books,, but it kept me interested enough to have to know how things would shake out for Piper. I was satisfied with the ending and I’m moving on to The Name Once Erased, the third book in The Girl Once Known series.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Second Chance by R M Demeester.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
When a second chance turns into something much more…Piper Happ’s dead-end life turns into the ultimate nightmare when her roommate and upstairs neighbor are both murdered.To further complicate things, Piper’s former best friend Nicolas is back in town. In high school, Piper would have done anything for him — until he moved across the country without warning or explanation. Against Piper’s better judgment, she seeks comfort and support from Nicolas, as she might be the killer’s next target.He wants a second chance, but she isn’t sure she wants to risk a second heartbreak.With a murderer on the loose, and danger lurking in every corner, is she putting just her heart in jeopardy — or her life as well?
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2020
ABOUT R M DEMEESTER
R.M. Demeester, from Saskatchewan, loves being a mom, reading books, and writing. She’s been writing since she was very young. Today, she’s known for her stories in women’s fiction, romantic suspense, and thrillers. She also has a rescue dog named Gainer, a chocolate lab who passed away recently, but is still very much loved and missed. Her newest book, “The Girl Once Known”, comes out in February 2024.
The Name Once Erased is the conclusion to the trilogy, The Girl Once Known by R M Demeester. The series does need to be read in order.
The Girl Once Known series is character driven, told from multiple characters points of view. To me, it helps see things from different characters perspective, finding out their motivations for the things they do, and some of those things are down right ugly. Why do the characters think that secrets are best kept hidden? The past always comes back to haunt them. It’s better to face life head on, instead of carrying excess baggage.
Mira is the main character throughout the series and it was fascinating watching her grow and develop into a complex character that always tries to do the right thing.
I want to thank R M Demeester for the opportunity to read the entire series. If you love character driven stories, this is a series you don’t want to miss.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
SECRETS HAVE A WAY OF SURFACING…
Mira believes she has her family’s dysfunction under control—until her grandmother’s funeral stirs up long-buried questions. She has always believed her father’s side of the family is more stable than her mother’s, despite his past indiscretions. But an ancestry test links him to a hidden relative he swears he doesn’t know.
Determined to uncover the truth, Mira digs deeper. But someone is desperate to bury the past, along with her family name. Mira wants the secrets, betrayals, and old wounds to end with her—even if it means risking everything she her marriage, her children, and the family name she’s fighting to save.
After The Girl Once Known and The Bond Once Broken, the series reaches its thrilling conclusion in The Name Once Erased.
Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 28, 2025
ABOUT R M DEMEESTER
R.M. Demeester, from Saskatchewan, loves being a mom, reading books, and writing. She’s been writing since she was very young. Today, she’s known for her stories in women’s fiction, romantic suspense, and thrillers. She also has a rescue dog named Gainer, a chocolate lab who passed away recently, but is still very much loved and missed. Her newest book, “The Girl Once Known”, comes out in February 2024.
Will Logan and his friends expose the lies that have haunted him for years, or will they be Dragged Down Deep into the swampy, secretive underbelly of a town that guards its mysteries with deadly intent?
Title: Dragged Down Deep
Author: Michael Okon
Pages: 331
Genre: Action Adventure/Monster
Logan Osborne has spent his life chasing the shadows of the past.
As a child, he watched helplessly as his father was snatched from a fishing boat by what he swore was a mermaid. No one believed him then. No one believes him now.
Determined to prove that mythical creatures exist, Logan is drawn back to the small coastal town where his nightmares began after another mysterious disappearance stirs the waters.
Teaming up with his pragmatic colleague Elliot Sheppard and his fiercely loyal friend Penny Swanson, Logan dives headfirst into an adventure packed with danger and deception. As they dig deeper, the trio faces resistance at every turn—a secretive agency with its own agenda, a suspiciously unhelpful police force, and Logan’s old flame, who may know more than she’s letting on.
What they uncover is far darker and more terrifying than Logan ever imagined: the truth about his father, the secrets of Minatuck, and the horrifying reality of the Mermaid of the Hamptons.
Will Logan and his friends expose the lies that have haunted him for years, or will they be Dragged Down Deep into the swampy, secretive underbelly of a town that guards its mysteries with deadly intent?
I have read a couple other Michael Okon novels and loved them, so grabbing a copy of Dragged Down Deep was a no brainer. His novels are not your run of the mill creature features or paranoramal stories. They stretch the imagination and I love it.
Dragged Down Deep is about mermaids…or is it? Logan Osburne saw the mermaid, when she snatched his father from their fishing boat. No one believes him. Would you?
Logan is a scientist, but not your run of the mill type of scientist. He searches for those creatures of legend, like the Thunderbird and…
Now, he’s older and he’s going home to prove once and for all that mermaids are real. People and animals are missing. Why are the police doing more of a cover up than an investigation? And…who are the men in black?
Michael Okon’s books never take me where I expect to go, and that is true for Dragged Down Deep. Above the water, in the water, below the water, there is danger. That doesn’t stop Logan, Elliot and Penny from doing their own investigation. They ignore the danger and return time and time again.
Dragged Down Deep by Michael Okon is a fast paced thriller with a mystery buried deep in the town’s history. Michael’s books that I have read have been stand alone, all in one story books, but I see where he could make this a series. There are plenty of legends out there to by proven true or false.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dragged Down Deep by Michael Okon.
5 Stars
Book Excerpt
The creature was indistinct in the dark night. A howl split the air, the noise somewhere between the lolling of a cow and with the shrillness of a siren. It traveled through Logan, making the fillings in his teeth hurt. If an elephant and a Tasmanian devil had a baby, it would have sounded like this, Logan thought inanely.
It began to move purposely toward them, its arms outstretched. Its eyes shone like blazing yellow neon, mesmerizing them. There was no place to hide in the tidal pool. Logan spun, pushing Elliot toward the parking lot.
“That was no turtle,” Elliot gasped.
Logan ran, his heart pumping feeling like it would jump from his chest. “Run!” he yelled.
They splashed heavily in the shallows; their feet weighted with water. Clamoring through the tide, Logan slipped, Elliot pulled him under the armpit propelling him forward. Their clothes were drenched, glued to their perspiring bodies, their feet heavy with trapped fronds and weeds. They made it onto the beach.
Logan was afraid to look behind them. “Move this way!” Logan pointed to a perimeter of shrubs lining the sand.
They took off, their arms slashed by the tall grasses. Elliot clutched his phone. He turned for a second, but Logan grabbed the back of his shirt to drag him through the reeds. “Not now, you idiot!” Logan screamed.
They could hear the heavy splashes of the creature following them. They burst out of the grasses, running at full speed onto the sandy area toward the car. The reassuring outline of the jeep greeted them at the same time a club grazed Logan’s shoulder.
Logan heard Elliot grunt with pain, the distinct sound of a fist meeting flesh echoing in the still night. Ham-sized hands gripped Logan’s shoulder, spinning him to plant a fist that landed under his right eye. The night went silent but for the sound of the roaring of the blood in his head. He felt the trickle of blood leak onto his lips after his nose connected with what felt like a brick wall. He was on his knees, looking down at two sets of biker boots, silver skulls dangling over the insteps right in front of him.
Logan caught sight of another pair of footwear, polished traditional lace-ups. He pushed himself up on all fours, reaching out and grabbing the legs connected to those shoes. He clutched a handful of beige trousers, the gabardine material slipping in his hand. He recognized the uniform. He felt rock-hard muscles underneath the pants leg. His assaulter kicked, Logan’s head snapping back to see a field of spinning stars. Their attackers were laughing. Logan was outraged.
They wouldn’t be laughing when the mermaid from hell pounced on them, he thought grogilly. He opened his mouth to let them know they were about to be surprised by the alleged wild dog or imaginary alligator but decided he’d have more satisfaction watching them wrestle with whatever was following them from the marsh.
A strong hand picked him up by the hair and another pounded his ribcage. He winced, his vision blurred, trying to see when the creature from the Black Lagoon would arrive like the cavalry.
Except that pursuer never arrived. It appeared that the monster had more brains than he and Elliot put together.
Logan listened vainly for whatever was following them to break through the marsh, but it must have been scared off. He chose that time to swing wildly, his fist finding a face that must have been hewn of stone. The impact stunned him more than the beating his ribs were taking. His arm went numb from knuckles to elbow.
His cheek landed in the dirt while Elliot was thrown against the car wheel. A baseball bat made contact with the windshield, showering them with shards of glass. The bat sailed through the air to smash the side mirror. More glass rained down on them.
Logan lay on his face, every bone in his body aching, his head heavy. He heard new footfalls, lighter one, followed by the sound of a plank of wood connecting with a body.
“Ow!” one of his attackers howled.
Next he heard several grunts, and the hard slam of bodies falling.
Logan picked up his head, his vision fuzzy to see two figures in wetsuits beating the crap out of his assailants. Tilting his head, he squeezed his eyes, discerning one was decidedly curvy and feminine. “Penny?” he asked, the word garbled by his swelling lips.
Running feet penetrated the fog that was swallowing his brain. Everything sounded muffled, as if he could barely hear it. There was a loud ringing in his ears.
“Done,” a woman’s voice came to him from far away. “Cowards,” she spat.
“What do you want to do with these too?” a male voice asked.
“Leave them. They’re harmless.”
“The boss isn’t going to be happy.”
“I said leave them,” the voice commanded.
Logan tried to rise, groaned and fell down into the wet sand. “Elliot?” his voice a thread.
“He’s coming around. We have to go!” a man’s barked.
The cold touch of a wetsuit made his skin goosebump as a person knelt next to him. He tried to roll over. Logan felt a soft hand brush back his hair. “Stop tilting at windmills, you silly man. Go back to school.” He caught sight of a smile with a mole on the upper lip.
Logan felt the blood drain from his head as it fell onto a cushion of grass.
“Did you see them?” Logan spit out a mouthful of dirt. He was sprawled on a small mound and couldn’t move.
“My eye is swollen shut,” Elliot’s voice was gravelly. “I feel like I got hit by a train. Am I imagining it, or were we rescued by the creature?”
“It wasn’t the creature.” Logan was breathless with the effort, wondering if he should share what he thought. “I think it was Aimee.”
“Aimee!” Elliot coughed. “What’s she doing here?”
Logan ignored the question; he was wondering the same thing.
Rising painfully to his knees he crawled over to where Elliot was propped against the wheel of the jeep. “Anything broken?”
“Only my pride. I feel like I’m trapped in an eighties crime drama. What are you doing?” he asked Logan, who was pulling his phone from his pocket with a battered hand.
“I’m calling the police.”
“I think that was the police,” Elliot retorted weakly. “What happened to your mermaid?”
Logan growled, “She’s not my mermaid.”
“Did you get any pictures?” Logan asked.
“Let me see with my good eye.” Elliot squinted as he looked at his screen. “Nothing good. Maybe it was one of those goons setting us up.”
Logan shrugged. “I couldn’t see much, but I know it was that monster, Mitch and his playmates,” he paused and continued, “And Aimee and some other guy.”
“You think she was working with them?”
Logan shook his head. “No, they beat the crap out of them. Mitch practically crawled out of here.”
“Are you sure it was Aimee? This is a major complication.”
Logan didn’t answer. He spoke into his phone. “Pen? Can you swing by the marsh, and Penny… don’t say anything to anyone.”
– Excerpted from Dragged Down Deep by Michael Okon, Chelshire Publishing, 2024. Reprinted with permission.
Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres, including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure, and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling in his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.
Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.
