Category Archives: Reviews

Lucky Isn’t So Lucky Is He?

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Getting Lucky

Getting lucky by Bob Sanchez

My office is above Robby’s Auto and I feel it is an appropriate place. There is a car graveyard behind the building and Webster Investigations is built on ruined lives.

My wife, Molly had asked for a divorce and right after that I had shot a drug addict. I was on suspension when Patrolman Mike Poirier pushed me past the breaking point and I punched him. I had been a police officer, but had belted him in front of way too many witnesses and was asked for my resignation.

It was Thanksgiving weekend and I figured no one would be coming into the office, so I would try to clean it up a bit. The building left a lot to be desired.

In walked a woman asking for Clayton Webster, that was me. She introduced herself as Bonita Esquivez and told me her husband was missing. He had been gone since last night and she was afraid he may be hurt. Why would she think that?

She pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills and asked when I could start. They had come here from Miami, so I couldn’t help but wonder why they would stop here, in Lowell, Massachusetts.

She said a black officer at the precinct had given her my name. I figured that must be Lieutenant Willis Chubb. I picked up a cup of coffee for him and went to his office. He confirmed it was him who sent her. He warned me to be careful with her, you know, the femme  fatale are always trouble.

I started with the hotel bartender. His roommate Chicken Man told me he had seen a man hitting on another man’s wife. The man punched him and Chicken Man said he helped him outside. He left him puking by the canal. Could he have fallen in and drowned? When I left, Chicken Man came down right after and jumped in his car, a beat up Volvo. I had seen one when I was with Bonita earlier and looked at the license plate – EJAQL8. I wouldn’t forget that.

I went around asking more questions, but couldn’t find out anything. I went looking along the canal to see if I could find a sign of Lucky. I recognized Choop, from when I was on the force, and yelled for him to wait up. I wanted to talk to him. He was looking down at the canal and I wondered if he saw something. He ran and lost his footing, falling in the canal. The cold water jolted my system as I dove into the canal. He almost strangled me as I tried to save him and I had to knock him out.

My next step would be to check out hotbed motels and the city bars.

Bonita called me to thank me for the box of chocolates, but I told her I didn’t send them. Ibox of chocolates Pictures, Images and Photos heard her vomiting, as she was trying to talk to me on the phone.  I called the front desk and told them to get up there in a hurry.When I got there, I checked the box. It said, with compliments from Webster Investigations. I could see tiny holes in the bottom of the candies. She wouldn’t let me call the police. I was now really motivated to find Lucky.

Bonita had said her husband might be with his cousin, Carlos Chavez, in Boston. I told her I was headed there and she said not to leave without her. She had to go back to the hotel first. She found that her purse had been ransacked and her gun was missing. Nothing else was touched. I had to find a safe place for her.

I headed to Boston on my own. While I was there, I was knocked out and robbed. I figured someone didn’t want me to find Chavez.

I found out Bonita had lied to me. No big surprise there. Bonita had told me Lucky was in the jewelry business, but I found out he was dealing in porn.  Bonita had sent me to the warehouse where I was attacked. Bonita had been out at 2:00 am. What does she really want from me?

 

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    3 STARS – Would Recommend To Others

I liked the cover. Anything with water and vibrant colors catches my attention. The title is appropriate and could have more than one meaning.

The book was detailed and well written. The storyline was easy to follow. I always like these kinds of books. No big surprises.

The femme fatale, as usual, lies and can never be trusted. You don’t know who or what to believe.

Lucky was scum, abusing his wife and stepchild. The plot dealt with the seedy parts of life. How low could someone go? Lucky was pretty low. Who cared if he died?

The blurb caught my attention because of Boston and Lowell,  Massachusetts. They are places very familiar to me and I am always drawn to a book that has a location I know.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Sanchez was born in New Orleans, grew up and worked in Massachusetts, and lives with his wife and two cats in New Mexico. Bob has published three novels: When Pigs Fly, Getting Lucky, and Little Mountain. He actively participates in several writers’ groups, edits nonfiction reviews for The Internet Review of Books, and maintains or contributes to several blogs.

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/bob.sanchez1

Website:  bobsanchez1.blogspot.com

To order one of the books below, simply click on the cover.

Giveaway/Review of Revamp

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Revamp by Beck Sherman

Revamp
Three days of darkness, then all hell breaks loose.

My name is Emma Spade and this is my story.

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Finals were a killer, but now I was off to Los Angeles to check out graduate schools. All I had to do was turn in my term paper, and I was running late. I tore over to Professor Winnie’s office. When I went in, I was shocked. He looked half dead. I asked if he was okay and he asked me if they’d come. I asked him who?  “Them”, he said. “Death.”

I awoke from the nightmare and was afraid to open my eyes. I could feel something was wrong and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what. I knew it to be true before I saw it – I was alone on the plane. I realized we had landed, but why didn’t anyone wake me?

Everyone knows LAX is one of the busiest airports in the world – so, where was everyone? Luggage was left sitting everywhere I looked, with clothes spilling out. It looked like the bags had walked in by themselves and started to unpack.  Was it terrorists?

I heard a ringing phone and ran to answer it. There had to be a person on the other end of the line. It quit, right as I got there. How many times has that happened to you? How can the quiet be so loud?

I had so many questions running through my mind, as I tried to make sense of what was happening, or should I say, not happening, around me. When things are bad, of course there is no cell service, but I was able to call my boyfriend, Sullivan, from a pay phone. He hadn’t seen any TV, but had heard nothing about anything going on in LA.

I heard the approach of heavy footsteps and hung up the phone. Five men came up to me. I was six feet tall and still had to look up at them. The leader, I named him Burns, asked me if I was traveling alone. I told him yes and was led to a room that looked more like a jail cell.

Burns introduced the man sitting at the table as Mr. Meyers. He began asking me questions. He told me because he liked me (yeah, right, he didn’t even know me) he was going to tell me the truth – it was bio-terrorism. Of course, I knew it was a  lie. I didn’t know what the truth was, so I lied right back. I lied about everything.

Before I knew it, he pulled out a gun and shot me with a dart. He pulled on a pair of gloves, smacked me around, grabbed my hair and drug me into a room with an exam table. There was blood all over everything. He came at me again. I grabbed his balls, squeezing as hard as I could, and gouged at his eyes until they popped out of his head. Blood and gore was oozing down his face and over my hands. I tipped over the table and grabbed the biggest scalpel I could find. But he didn’t move.

Even though I couldn’t walk, my legs were useless, I was able to crawl out the window and fall into the parking garage. But now what? I couldn’t walk, couldn’t use my legs at all.crows Pictures, Images and Photos

I awoke in the morning, after hiding out in a car all night, and I was able to walk. I snuck out of the parking garage and found a cab with the keys in it. I began driving down the empty road, there were only crows in sight. I ran out of gas at LaBrea and Venice, but this was my first trip to LA, so I still didn’t know where I was.

I entered the house, hoping to wash off the blood and guts that were covering me. Maybe even find some help. I heard something in the closet. The question was, should I jerk it open or do it slow?

It was a dog. I  was afraid to move, afraid it might rip my throat out. Instead, it licked my face. I could see it was starving, its ribs showing. I named him Schizo.  I stepped on and broke what looked like a handmade cross, Schizo grabbed it and ran for the door. He was telling me it was time to go. Schizo was acting like Cujo – it was a good thing I listened to him. Little did I know, he had saved my life.

I ran into Cooper and I didn’t know whether to be glad or not, but Schizo seemed to like him. So that had to be good, right? We spent the night in a church and in the morning headed out to find others “like us”.

I told him I had to call my mom, he said that they were all dead and I’d better to get  used to it. I had no idea why he said it, but would soon find out.

Cooper Knox: He was at home, because his father had leukemia and he had decided not not go to med school. He needed to keep the business running to be able to afford the treatment his father needed.

Rojas was picking him up and taking him to work while his car was in the shop. On the way he noticed traffic was much lighter than usual.They had heard on the radio that there was a flu epidemic. But Rojas said that his Grandma was pretty sure it was the end of the world, because the blackout had let the darkness in.

crows Pictures, Images and PhotosThey got out of the car at the work-site, there were a lot of crows flying overhead. It creeped them out. It began to rain, so they decided to call it a day and headed home. He arrived and walked into a nightmare he never could have imagined. He grabbed his girlfriend Mel and ran out of the house. A van pulled up and the people inside told us to get in. After some hesitation we did. It didn’t seem like we really had much of a choice. They found out Mel had been bitten and before he could do anything, they opened the door and kicked her out.

After I met Scott, he told me to forget everything I knew – because it was all wrong. As he told me about the UVF, and himself, we headed to the “base”.

Scott had been recruited in the CIA and  moved to LA where he met his wife, Mary. When the blackout came, he had to tell Mary their son was taken because of him. Scott had been an assassin, but was promoted to handler and his boss, Mr. Frank proceeded to tell him about his father and Project Sunset. It was the Company’s best kept secret.

We had arrived at Sleepy Storage, our new home.

Ever since I got here, I thought to expect the worse. I had no idea how bad it was going to get.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

It really surprised me that I could rate a vampire book so high but I just can’t say enough about it.

Both covers are eye-catching. Colorful and simple. The title was short and catchy. I like things that are simple, yet relate to the story.

The writing was outstanding and the details extensive. I haven’t read anything like this before. It was very novel and unique to me. I couldn’t quit reading. It was hard to stay awake, but I just had to know what would happen to Emma. The last quarter of the book just flew by for me.

It was war, but not like any war every fought before. I really had no idea where the book was going. The whole thing was a great surprise.

How could you wrap your head around it, if it was happening to you? What would be going through your mind? Your mind would struggle to make sense of the insensible.

The characters were well defined. Their personalities, feelings and emotion were well developed making me able to feel for them and care about them. I wanted good things to happen for them, but then I would think – hey, wait a minute, you can’t do that.

I laughed when she talked about the stuff in her luggage getting frisky and producing offspring.

The end was…………….well, you’re going to have to read it for yourself, but it will leave you saying, WHAT? It sure did me.

Beck Sherman gave me this book because Laura (at fuonlyknew) and I approached her about doing a tag-team and working together to promote her book. We both like it so much, we wanted to share it with as many others as we could reach.

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos    Giveaway:   Beck Sherman has been gracious enough to offer up 3 ebooks for this giveaway. It is International and, as always, easy to enter. Ends September 30,2012.

Just, leave a comment with your email address.

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Be sure and tweet it out to share  with your friends and followers, not required.

As always, it is very much appreciated, but not required, if you follow me on twitter and my blog.

To have another chance to win, copy and paste fuonlyknew.

About the Author

Beck Sherman was born and raised in Massachusetts. Beck attended Syracuse University undergrad, has a master’s degree in photojournalism from the University of Westminster, London, and when not writing, enjoys exploring abandoned insane asylums and photo-documenting the things that go bump in the night, when they’re kind enough to pose.


To order, simply click on the cover.

Giveaway and Review of Wormwood by D H Nevins @dhnevins

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After this fantastic trailer, which is so descriptive of the world devastation in the book, please continue reading for my review.

Wormwood by D H Nevins

 

 Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I was walking along Cedar Creek Trail, my usual route. All of a sudden, the wind blew like an omen of doom, the ground felt like a roller coaster under my feet and as rocks fell around me, I ran, trying to find a safe place to hide. As I reached the cliff, the ground there was stable, but I looked down and saw lava, smoke, and ash.Total destruction.

As I reached the fire pit I would sit around with the campers I brought as a guide, I saw it was still alive, telling me someone was there. As I looked around, I saw him – Tiamat.

I remembered the first time we met. I had taken a corporate group out hiking the trails in Pinecrest National Park. Of course, there had to be one moron in the group, that would be Brian, constantly hitting on me. So when we came to the stream for the last team challenge, I removed one of the rocks. Petty? Perhaps. Gotta get your revenge where you can find it. After we crossed the stream, wet but no worse for wear, I told them about water and fire safety and that they would have to fend for themselves for food. Everyone was to be ready to go in the morning. I would be just across the stream from them, but only call me if it’s an emergency. I cleaned myself up and headed to Lookout Peak to watch the sunset. Someone was already there. It was Tiamat.

Before she could stop herself, she asked, “What have you done?” “It’s not what I have done. It’s what I must do.” There was something about him, an aura of sadness and danger.

I hit my head and blacked out. I didn’t remember what happened. How did I get up here to Lookout Peak? I looked around at the total devastation and I remembered Tiamat, standing as if he was God, as if he was the one making it happen.

I found him, buried in sand and unconscious. He had pushed me out of the way and taken the hit, but where were the boulders? Why was there all this sand?

It had been ten years since I had seen. He looked the same. I tried to reach out to touch him, and he quickly jerked away. Why wouldn’t he let me touch him? At times I swear he wanted to reach out and touch me, then he would run away.

I asked him about the boulders. He told me he’d show me how he did it, but he couldn’t tell me how. It wasn’t his story to tell. Why was he so cryptic about everything? Acting like there is this big, huge secret he has to keep.

He told me to remember ten years back and what he had told me, it hadn’t changed. When I asked if he was good or evil, he told me he thought he was good, but people would probably consider his actions evil. I asked what good would come from destroying the forest, he told me it wasn’t just the forest. It was everywhere, the whole world.

Why had he saved her, why not just let her die? Was there a reason he had to save her, even  though he was torn about it? He was asking himself these questions. Maybe God has his own plan and Tiamat wasn’t clued in on it.

Judgment Day? Every moment I thought, why is he keeping me alive? When will he kill me?

What was left of the world? What about survivors? Was he human, alien, demon or angel?

Has God forsaken us? Is he punishing us? What would you think? Do angels have feelings? Can angels be evil?

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos      5 STARS – WOULD BUY IT FOR THEM (LOL)

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I won this book through fuonlyknew’s blog. I would like to thank Laura and D. H.Nevins for the giveaway. Laura still talks about the book, though she read it a while ago, so I had to move it up on my list to see what she was raving about.

Right off, the cover grabbed me. I didn’t know what to think of the title, but as you read the book, you will find out what it means.

The writing was very good. Starts out fast and holds your attention throughout. The description of the devastation made me able to visualize the world around them. I can’t find the words to describe it myself, but D. H. did a great job of it.

The actions of Tiamat will make you question things yourself. Is God a kind, gentle person, or is he vengeful and vindictive? And what about angels?

I was torn between a 4 or 5 rating, then I remembered, as I was reading I kept thinking of Supernatural. I watch the reruns on TV most mornings. This book reminded a lot of how God and the Angels treated humans on the show. If you’ve watched it, you’ll know exactly what I mean. God has his own agenda and the angels will follow it, us humans are along for the ride.

The relationship between Kali and Tiamat, and Tiamat and God, was creative and complex. Raises more questions than answers. I am sure most everyone has asked “Why Me?” more than once.

The biodegradable soap made me chuckle along with Kali. He was thoughtful, like when he supplied her with toiletries and clothes, but stood away from her emotionally and physically.

The things that happened to her, could make the strongest person give in to the misery, horror, devastation, desolation, abuse………..

   Giveaway:  D.H.Nevins is offering 5 ebooks for this giveaway. It is international and easy to enter. Just leave a comment and your email address.

Giveaway is over.

About the Author

D.H. Nevins was born in Toronto and currently lives in a quiet area of Ontario, surrounded by forests and lakes. By day, she is a personable, friendly school teacher. By night, she silently chuckles as she writes about destroying the world. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, camping, flying around on her motorcycle or dabbling in live theatre.

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook  /  Goodreads

Click on the cover to get your Amazon copy of Wormwood by D H Nevins.

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Deeper Evil by Vickie McKeehan

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Deeper Evil by Vickie McKeehan

Deeper Evil

Spoiler alert:   If you haven’t read Just Evil, there will be some information included in this review that will give away some of the plot. I have tried to keep it to a minimum, because even though it’s a trilogy, I feel the books could be stand alone. Each book covers the life of one of the women. And if I only read one of the books and not the others, I would still feel that I was glad I to have read it.

He was parked outside the Book and Bean in San Madrid, right back where he started.  He knew Baylee Scott was running the store this morning and that she was alone with Sarah, her baby daughter. When he got up, he had a feeling that something was going to happen. He knew to pay attention when his gut was talking to him.

He is a mystery within the mystery.

It had all started with the death of Noah’s parents back in 1969.

Frank Geller still had to account for his part in the murder. Jessica, Eva and Sumner had already paid  the ultimate price.

Now that Kit and Jake Boston are a couple, and both of them are murder suspects, Baylee figured most of the customers were there to see Kit.

Since Kit’s kidnapping, the media had flipped their verdict from guilty to innocent. Kit had been saved by the stranger and he had left his calling card, a gold cowboy.

Baylee was afraid that with all that had happened to Kit, it would bring the media attention back to her. She had done her best to keep a low profile.

Collin had been crazy enough to kidnap Kit, what would Connor, his brother do if he knew Baylee was still in town?

Baylee had left town when she found out she was pregnant with Sarah. She had been staying with a friend of hers in Denver, until she found out her father was dying of cancer. She had told no one, not even Kit and Quinn why she had left. Since being back, she had rented a guest cottage from Gloria in Agora Hills, hoping Connor wouldn’t find her, even worse find out about Sarah.

Dylan Burke, VP of Billing-Pro Software, was on his way to drop off some computer equipment to Jake, who was the CEO and his best friend. They had been hiding out at Kit’s house since the kidnapping. Dylan had an ulterior motive, Baylee Scott. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since he’d first met her. He was daydreaming as he drove and didn’t notice he’d passed through town. He turned back and stopped outside the Book and Bean.

When he entered the store, he saw Sarah first and watched as she tried to reach her toy. When Baylee saw him, he told her he was running an errand for Jake and just stopped by for some of her delicious chocolate cake.

They had a good laugh when she told him the media left because of an anonymous phone call, telling them a mega superstar had to be rescued when he tried to surf off Malibu, and was rushed to the hospital. Who could possibly have called it in? She hadn’t grown up in Hollywood without learning something.

Baylee held Sarah as she cut the cake and Dylan offered to take the baby. When she asked him if he knew what he was doing, he said “What’s to handle….First you pick up them up by their legs, swing them around a couple times….” Had me cracking up. I like that even though the plot was heavy there was plenty of humor to be found.

All of a sudden her face turned white and she told him to take Sarah and leave immediately. He didn’t ask questions, just did what she said. As he walked by the store window he looked in, only to see Connor Boyd. Dylan quickly called Jake and told him to get here as soon as possible. Baylee needed help. As Jake and Kit drove to the store, Dylan was talking to him on his cell phone, telling him how terrified Baylee was that Connor would see Sarah and that’s why he had to leave her alone with him.

Baylee had known this moment would come.  Collin had come by the store before and recognized her, so she had known it was only a matter of time before he told Connor. He had told her to never tell anyone about their being together, even if it was only once.

When Jake and Kit came in, Connor quickly started telling the story that he was there to explain to Kit how she should feel grateful that Collin rescued her. How everyone had it wrong, Collin wasn’t the bad guy. Yeah, right.

Baylee knew it was time for her to explain what was going on, why she had left. Kit thought Baylee had an affair with Connor and jumped on her, saying how evil all three of Boyd brothers were, and how they had tried to keep Quinn from Cade. So how could she do it Baylee went on to tell her what really happened.

Connor had drugged her, raped her and left her alone in the hotel room. He had called her later saying what a great time he’d had.  After finding herself pregnant and with weeks of threatening phone calls from Connor, she left town without telling anyone anything. The Boyd’s had so much power, they could do whatever they wanted and not have to pay the price, so to try and fight them would be useless.

It was Dylan’s idea for Baylee and Sarah to stay with him.  They would pretend they were a couple and make people believe Sarah belonged to him. They admitted to each other they had feelings, but agreed to take it slow.

Frank Geller had just returned from his honeymoon, this was his fifth marriage. There had been three funerals while he was gone, his two sisters and Connor’s father. Connor brought up to Frank, that of the four original partners in the law firm, hePistol Pictures, Images and Photos was the only one left. The vendetta that took them out wouldn’t be over until he got his. When Connor brought up the subject of the gun, Frank said for all they knew the gun was long gone, the gun that was used in the murder that got them the money to start the Boyd’s law firm.

They didn’t know they were overheard, but Trevor Dane had bugged the house. There was only one more person left that was responsible for killing Noah’s, his mentor, parents back in 1969, Frank Geller.

No one knew that Noah had lived through his imprisonment by the Viet Cong. Trevor was the only one who knew Noah’s story and when Noah found out he had cancer, he knew he’d never be able to make them pay, but Trevor could. He would avenge him because he knew the evil was deeper than Noah had known.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    5+ STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

The cover is awesome. I always love trees, especially so with this series because of how the plot keeps TREE Pictures, Images and Photosbranching out, yet still comes back to the root of the story – the murder of Noah’s parents and the three women whose lives it affected. A complex and twisted plot. The branches weave around the women, engulfing them and all those whose lives they touch.

I just couldn’t put it down. Made myself because my eyes were starting to cross. I have tried to ration the books, there is one more, Ending Evil. I love the characters so much, I am going to hate when it is over. I feel like they are my friends, and I will miss them dearly.

The friendship of the girls is something to strive for. More than once I was on the verge of tears for all the terrible things done to them and still being done, through no fault of their own. A friendship like theirs is to be treasured. It lasts for a lifetime. How many friends are there for you, no matter what?

Characters were so real, you will love them or hate them, but they will make you feel emotions that will stay with you long after the story is over. I’m not a huge fan of romance, but the love and care the characters had for each other was so real, that I could only hope that they would find the one, their soul mate. I wanted them to be happy and have the dream we all want, someone who loves us unconditionally, by our side through thick and thin.

When Reece gave Jake and Dylan the finger I laughed out loud. So realistic, I could picture it in my mind, like a film unrolling.

I loved when Dylan said he was a regular Magnum PI, I used to watch that show all the time. It help’s me to relate to the character by defining his personality.

A masterpiece work of suspense, mystery, thriller and romance.

About the Author

Just Evil was given Coffee Time Romance and More’s highest rating plus a CTRR award.

Vickie created her first character when she was four years old and came up with her imaginary friend, Marty. Together the two battled, they slayed, they conquered. She and Marty managed to get into plenty of trouble and usually had to come up with a clever way out of it. From the Marty experience a fertile imagination was born.

Today she’s graduated to more grownup characters. And after spending years sitting in a cubicle, writing boring corporate communiques all the while day-dreaming about stories beyond those dreary walls, she finally decided to let her mind run free.

The Evil Trilogy sprang from that.

Though she was born and bred in Texas, she now lives in her adopted home state of California, near the ocean she loves.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5389410.Vickie_McKeehan

https://www.facebook.com/VickieMcKeehan

To order any of they books listed above, simply click on the cover of the book desired.

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Review of Cowboys and Scumbags

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Cowboys and Scumbags by Eric Michael Moberg

Cowboys and Scumbags

When I got the call to report to Human Resources, I thought great, my transfer. “Denied.”

The Chief wanted me out there on a horse, busting scumbags in Golden Gate Park. Because I was black, gay and a cop, they thought I was perfect for the job. Maybe for them.

Being from Oklahoma, everyone thought I was a Cowboy.  I hated horses, I wanted to be in a car. Even more, I wanted to be a judge.

I lived with Grandma and we argued like a couple of eight year olds.

Grandma talked to her teddy bear – Luke. She would sit topless (had had a mastectomy), eating pistachios and watching TV. She would arouse herself with her own sexual descriptions, then call Lars, her boyfriend, who is supposedly in the Swedish Mafia to come over for some nooky.

When she said my sister, Maisha, was coming to live with us, I thought great, that’s all I need. She is a real prima donna rapper, and ballerina.

Weasel, my neighbor, had his daughter over for visitation. She wanted to make cookies, but Weasel was out of sugar and the grocery store didn’t open until nine o’clock. So he  went next door to borrow a cup.

Grandma answered the door with a gun, because she saw it was the drug dealer from next door. She shot first, nine times, and never asked a question.

Who is the guy in the  red cowboy boots? Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos   3 STARS – Would Recommend To Others

I won this book in a Goodreads First Read Giveaway. I would like to thank Eric for signing it for me. I like the cover, but it was the title that drew me in.

I debated between a two and three rating, but because I found myself laughing so much and being able to visualize scenes as they were happening, I gave it a three. When I looked at is as comedic, it took on a Three Stooges kind of flavor.

This is a fun romp through the mind of a gay, black cop, who wants to be somewhere else and be someone else. It is a quick read, with plenty of laughter.

I could just picture the texting of his sister, who apparently thinks the world revolves around her. She was so self-centered, she never gave anyone else a thought, unless she felt they could do something for her.

The Grandma is so far out there, I don’t know if she even exists on planet earth. I could just picture her, sitting in her chair, talking to “Luke” instead of Marcus, as if he wasn’t even there. Eating her pistachios, topless. I’m sitting here smiling as I think of it.

The characters twisted the facts of the plot to read the way they wanted it to, all the while Marcus is just along for the ride.

If you’ve got a couple of hours, or a couple of minutes here, a couple of minutes there, this one is for you. Light, easy reading. Some editing errors, but didn’t interrupt the flow of reading.

These are only some of the books by Eric Michael Moberg. To order, simply click on the cover below

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THIS BOOK WILL BREAK YOUR HEART!!

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Where’s My Son by John C. Dalglish

Where's My Son?

Katie’s mom had come with a gift for the nursery. As Katie was trying out the rocker, she was seized with an excruciating pain, followed quickly by another. Wade picked her up and Shirley, Katie’s mother, ran to start the van. This was their third trip to the hospital, but the first two babies didn’t survive. The baby was in terrible trouble. Even though she was only six months along, they were going to do a C-section. Wade and Katie looked at each other with anguish, tormented by the thought they could lose this baby, also.

When he saw his baby son, he was blue. The neo-natal team stabilized him and took him to NICU. All he could do was stand in shock, unable to think, afraid the baby wouldn’t make teary eyes Pictures, Images and Photosit. When he was allowed to see his wife, they held each other as the pain and agony racked their bodies, the tears flowing freely.

Michael was trying to get the perfect picture of Tammy with Kristian, their baby son. When she got up to go in the house, Michael headed off to work. Tammy changed Kristian’s diaper and laid him down for a nap. She knew she should take one while she had the chance, so she laid down on the couch and promptly fell asleep.

When Michael came home and saw her still asleep, he woke her. She thought he was home early, because the baby would have awakened her if he had been gone for hours. Michael went to the cracked door, pushed it all the way open and shouted for Tammy. Kristian was gone.

Tammy ran from room to room, but Kristian could not have gotten up and walked out by himself, he was only three months old. Michael called 911.

Jason, the police officer on duty, answered the call and immediately put out an  Amber Alert. He believed the baby had been kidnapped and the parents were not involved. Two and a half years later and the investigation had gone cold. Seemed everyone, including Tammy, had given up ever finding Kristian.

They kept trying for another baby, but while trying, she found out she had ovarian cancer – the diagnosis was terminal. She had taken the blow with little reaction, pretty much having given up. She wouldn’t fight the disease. It was almost a relief to know she was going to die and end her torment.

Someone was going to pay. First his son was taken from him, now his wife. After she died, his mission – find his son.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

Won in Goodreads First Read Giveaway. The author was gracious enough to sign it for me. Thank you. I was happy I won it and wanted to get to it right away. The cover caught my eye, led me through the open door to the horror on the other side, but the title is what drew me in first and it speaks for itself.

Where’s my son? is a quick read and I loved the book. As I was reading along, I thought it would be a three rating. The last half of the book was full of so much anguish and despair, I had to change it to a four rating. If it would have had more depth and detail it definitely would have been a five rating. It was well written, with few editing errors.

Can Jason Save Michael from himself?

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Would you want revenge for the death of your wife and the loss of your child? What would you do if you felt you had nothing to live for?  What would anger and rage drive you to do? Feeling an overwhelming sense of loss, with nothing left to lose and wanting to make them pay, could you stay rational? Would insanity take over? The ending broke my heart, even though I couldn’t see it happening any other way.

Eye-Tearz Pictures, Images and PhotosI read a lot of murder/crime/mystery books and consider it pretty hard to get to me. I love to watch  CSI, Bones, NCIS  and all the other murder shows on TV. For being a short book, it was so intense and heartbreaking, by the time I closed the cover, I had tears in my eyes.

About the author

I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and adopted when I was just a baby.(Some may see the connection in my first book)
I lost my father at 13 and my mother remarried when I was 16, moving us to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
It was there that I met my wife of 30 years, Beverly, and became the father of three wonderful sons.
We moved to Missouri in 1989 and are still here. I became an American citizen in 1991.
I started my first book when I was 18 but it never got completed. Encouraged by my wife, I tried again and have loved every minute.
I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do writing them.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about my writing.

jdalglish7@gmail.com OR @JohnCDalglish(Twitter) or my webpage (jcdalglish.webs.com)

God Bless, John

Also by John C. Dalglish

“BLOODSTAIN”

“FOR MY BROTHER” AUG/2012

To order any of the books below, simply click on the cover.

Who’s Afraid Of A Little Kitty Kat?

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9 Lives by George M. Moser

Nine Lives

Is it true cats have 9 lives?

A cat has nine lives – three to play – three to stray – and three to stay.

Author Unknown

Jenny could remember when her and Michael first met at the library. She was studying and he was with his friends, drunk. She told him the name of her dormitory house, the Mayflower, thinking he’d never remember. But he did. When she turned up pregnant, he was happy.

Jenny had called Michael at work telling him about the cat JR had found under the deck. It didn’t seem to be able to find its way out and needed rescuing.

He had a 66 blue Ford Mustang Shelby GT his dad had given him and he called it his cat’s meow. How ironic that would prove to be. While Michael and Max, his lab, were trying to scare the cat out its hiding place, it made a run for it. A chase ensued. Unfortunately, his attempt to catch the cat was a complete failure and he accidentally killed it. He hurriedly disposed of it before Jenny could see what happened.

Near the Valley of Kings in the Sahara Desert was an excavation site. Among the artifacts were small mummies of cats or maybe small dogs. Marty McAndrews was heading up the dig. He had accidentally stumbled upon the site and began digging illegally thinking to get the permit if they found anything.

Marty had found 250 cat mummies They were usually buried because they were loved or someone wanted to protect them. The door they had come across had a warning telling them not to go in, but Marty would anyway. He felt there was a great treasure inside, just waiting for him to come and take it.

They had not gotten the necessary paperwork done and Mohamed was trying to get Marty to slow down, use caution. Money would not buy them out of trouble this time, even though Marty’s arrogance had always allowed him to have his way before.

Michael called Shaun, Jenny’s brother, to come over and when he did, he gave him the cat in a plastic bag and told him to get rid of it. He was drunk, but took it to the forest preserve thinking it was a perfect place to dump it. He thought he heard it move, but nothing happened so he threw it in the bushes and left, not realizing a cop had seen him.

Cats, Animated Pictures, Images and Photos

After Shaun had left, the cop went to see what he had done. The saying “curiosity killed the cat and satisfaction brought it back,”, proved so true. Unfortunately for Steven Case. He opened the bag, sure the cat was dead, but it hissed and spat at him before he could pull his gun and shoot it.

Michael was waiting for Jenny to finish dressing for the block party. A cat jumped on the ledge outside the window. It looked like the one he killed,, but he knew it couldn’t be.

Everywhere he turned he saw the cat with its head bashed in and its funky eye, except now he brought a friend. He must be imagining it.

Ever since Michael got his promotion and accidentally killed the cat, his life began going downhill. He had been scratched by the cat and the scratches had become infected. He was getting rabies shots, just in case, but had told no one about it. Not even his wife.
fortune teller Pictures, Images and Photos

The fortune-teller at the party told him about the cat in the garbage and Krista, the town hussy. She mentioned other things, but Michael was not really paying attention. Who believed in fortune-tellers anyway?

His first day of work in his new position turned into a nightmare. When he left work he decided to stop for a bit to eat before heading home. He sat down by his favorite statue, Picasso, in the center of Daley Plaza. Cats began appearing from everywhere. As he ran, he kept turning back and saw all the cats still chasing him, but where were all the people? It was like in a dream, where you’re running as fast as you can, but it feels like slow motion.

The fortune-teller, Zara, had written down Reland, His car was parked on Ireland, was she behind this?  There was a man in the parking structure in a long black coat. His hat covered his face, just like the fortune-teller had mentioned. When lightning flashed, he saw the man was deathly pale with catlike eyes and fang-like teeth. Cats were swirling all around him. The man and cats vanished into thin air, but written on the windshield was Valafar. What or who was that?

He was caught in a nightmare and it just kept getting worse. Everywhere he went, the cats were there attacking him and getting meaner and meaner.

“Look, why would I take a cat from the zoo and release him into the Wagon, only to kill the damn thing in a blender? Sounds like a book to me.” Made me laugh, even through the gruesomeness.

“Snakes! I hate snakes” copied from Indian Jones.

funky blinking cat eyes Pictures, Images and Photos

Sneak up on prey – efficient, silent.

I think cats are already creepy, so go ahead and add a supernatural one. LOL

Techniques – stalk, run, pounce, ambush .

What’s not creepy about that?

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

Won on Goodreads First Read Giveaway. The author was gracious enough to sign it for me. Thank you. I have been wanting to read this book ever since it arrived in the mail, but I just got to it.

The cover is eye-catching. If I had been in the library, I would have pulled it off the shelf without even looking further. If I saw it in the book store, I definitely would have investigated further. And after reading the book blurb, I would have bought it. The blurb  put a smile on my face, but I’m not sure if it was appropriate considering the gruesomeness and horror of the book, even though I’m smiling as I write this.

What happens when you forget your dreams? So many people grow up and trade their dreams for the things it takes just to survive and provide for your family.

It seemed Michael did like most of us, put aside his dreams and entered the “real world”. But who’s to say what is right or wrong when you are talking about the rest of your life. Sometimes there will be a moment in our lives that will lead us to the path we wanted to take in the beginning.

He talked about pulling a Bruce Willis in Die Hard, strapping the gun to his back. Only real life isn’t like in the movies.

I really like that I couldn’t figure out what was going to happen next. The tension created by the anticipation of the cat’s attack kept building throughout the book. More than once I found myself saying to myself don’t turn around, don’t go there, don’t open the bag. I could feel the chills running up and down my spine and the hairs rising on the back of my neck as the cats stalked him, creeping around, unafraid and so bold.

Right up there with Stephen King and Dean Koontz, who are two of my favorite horror writers.

This is a caracal cat – one of the Kings of terror in 9 Lives.

About The Author

George M. Moser graduated from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa with a degree in Business Finance. He enjoyed a successful career in real estate in the Chicago area and became an active and upstanding member of the community, making charitable donations to local hospitals, churches and community projects. He lives with his wife and children just outside Chicago and spends his free time writing. Nine Lives is his first novel and he is currently working on a further two titles.

Website:    http://www.gmmoser.com

Author Profile Page:   http://www.gmmoser.com/the-author.html
  To order, simply click on the cover.

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Review of Changes by Charles Colyott

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Changes – A Randall Lee Mystery by Charles Colyott

Changes -- A Randall Lee Mystery

 

Photobucket

 

Yu Bei: Preparation.

Qi Shi: Begin.

Even after everything that has happened, I still practice Tai Chi every morning.

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I had heard the phone ring while doing my morning routine, but I let the answering machine pick it up. When I checked it, I found there were two calls from some cop, a Detective Knox. Said he had a few questions for me. After my shower, I grabbed another beer and headed down to the shop. I had told the detective to come on by in twenty minutes or so.

When a guy dressed like a character from Miami Vice walked in, I knew it was him. He was surprised that I was Caucasian. With a name like Randall Lee and  me running an Asian store, he thought I would be Asian.

When I was kicked off the police force, I opened a shop dealing with Asian remedies for health problems and treatments, such as acupuncture. I had grown up in Hong Kong, and during my time there, I had become proficient in both.

He told me there had been a murder of a Chinese prostitute and he needed a translator. No one would talk to him. The body had been found at the Taste of Asia shop in the bad part of town.  I could tell it had been staged as a mock funeral and they wanted her more than dead, they wanted her damned.

When I saw the body, she looked like a Smurf. The coroner said she probably died from a crushed larynx, but I knew he was wrong. Every blood vessel had burst. I told Knox I had seen something like this before. She was blue from head to toe because she was bruised, not  cyanotic.

Martial arts have some very specialized strikes. Things legends are made of. I showed them a pushing move that would compress and shatter the ribs, pop the lungs like balloons and crush the heart. The blood has nowhere to go, so it shoots outward and soaks into the muscles and tissues. If they were to check back later, they would see the blood had settled underneath her body. He had also missed that she was pregnant.

To me it was an assassination. A murder for hire. Who could be responsible? The Triad? It was unusual for something Triad related to happen in St. Louis.

When I returned to the store, Tracy and her friend were waiting. She had taken my business card and called back later to make an appointment. She had hurt her knee and was willing to give me the benefit of the doubt in treating it. She closed her eyes and I inserted the needle. She was amazed when she opened her eyes and saw I had done it and she never even felt it. I was having some very lewd thoughts about her and trying hard not to let them show.

When Knox stopped by the next day, he said Madam Chong, at the spa had kept saying deem mock. I told him it was just superstition, you know, the Death Touch. A secret deadly art. You touch someone in certain areas and they die hours later.  They had found her dead this morning. Heart attack. Yeah, right. With her dead, the investigation halted. When he left, he slipped me a copy of Mei Ling’s file. I guess, we both felt the same way, we weren’t done.

When I looked through my files, I saw where Madam Chong had come in for treatment. I had  never treated her for any heart problem. Back to the coroner’s office. Again I had to do his job for him. I showed him the one point that someone would have used to cause a heart attack and it wasn’t due to any martial arts. There was a hole in her elbow where someone had injected her with something. There was also adhesive around her mouth and wrists. I figured she was injected with Potassium, air or something similar, that couldn’t be traced.

Now we had two murders, one flashy and one not so much. One was planned and one was sloppy. Two different killers. Knox asked me why I would want to help and I, more or less, said why not.

Tracy came back for a check up and I sure was checking her out. I was old enough to be her father but was not having fatherly thoughts. I knew I couldn’t ask her out, but was surprised when she made the first move. I surprised myself even more by saying yes.

Triads are the Chinese Mafia. They start recruiting at a very young age. When I lived in Hong Kong, I used to get beat up a lot. One day a kid took a baseball bat to me. Someone stepped in to stop it. They called Wu Cai, a famous doctor, who used acupuncture, massage, and some herbs that allowed me to hide it from my dad.

I hung out at his place and bugged him so much, he took me under his wing. It all started with learning how to stand. I had to learn how to be still. I had to learn in stages, by standing I learned to relax, then I moved to a posture, then another posture. As I progressed he added Taoist texts and herbalism.

Tai chi is a health exercise, but Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art. It means Supreme Ultimate Boxing. It is an internal form of martial arts. There are meridians and acupuncture points, which are ways energy moves through the body, that can be used for or against you.

I never meant to get Tracy involved in the investigation, but she had served Mei Ling when she had come into the Outer Limit, the club Tracy worked at. She wasn’t likely to forget, because she paid with a hundred-dollar bill and told her to keep the change. Tracy and I became an item and she spent many a night at my place.

I told her how Mei Ling was killed. There are really two types of martial arts. External, like King Fu and Karate, rely on outer strength. The bigger guy usually wins. Internal, of which Tai Chi Chuan is the most well-known, uses kinetic energy, so it bounces around on the inside tearing someone up and breaking bones.

When they found Mei Ling’s apartment, they found a suitcase full of twenty-dollar bills four inches deep. What was going on with her? Blackmail? Selling inside information to the Eight Tigers? I found out she had another apartment in San Francisco. So I hopped on a plane to check it out. It looked like she had just walked out and was coming right back.

That was when Daniel found me. He took me to meet Tony Lau, her fiance. He was the son of Jimmy Yi Lau the boss of the Eight Tigers Society. They ran most of the rackets in San Francisco. The Taste of Asia parlors where Mei Ling worked belonged to him. But Tony was an artist and just didn’t seem the type to go around killing people. Could it be a revenge hit? But revenge for what?

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos     4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

The cover was very creative. Charles seems to have a knack for choosing cool covers. The title was appropriate, when you figure all the changes Randall went through as the book progressed.

It was well written and the plot was varied and detailed. Mixing humor with the martial arts, kept something very technical light and fun to read. The mystery and suspense lasted throughout the book, keeping me guessing as to who the real killer was.

When he talks about a carpet picnic (a picnic on the living room floor) it brought to mind Friday nights at my house when I was a kid. It was grocery night and after my parents got home from the store, my mother would spread a blanket on the floor and we were allowed to pick whatever snacks we wanted while we watched TV. We had a big family, so this was always a treat.

I loved his description of her cat –  looked like a wrinkly miniature gargoyle. It was a Sphynx, hairless and felt like a warm, dry peach. LOL

The characters were well-developed. The details Charles provided allowed me to picture each character as if I were actually seeing them. I like that Randall and Tracy hooked up even though there was such a large age difference. Made it seem very realistic. Who we love is out of our hands sometimes. It’s something we can’t control.

I don’t think there was a page, except in the very beginning, when Randall wasn’t beaten, battered, bruised, banged up, or broken. He appeared inept at times, as he stumbled his way through, not giving up until the mystery was solved.

I have read Black, by Charles, and this is quite different. I definitely will be looking for more books in the Randall Lee mystery series.

About the Author

Charles Colyott lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere (Illinois) with his wife, 2 daughters, cats, and a herd of llamas and alpacas. He is surrounded by so much cuteness it’s very difficult for him to develop any street cred as a dark and gritty writer. Nevertheless, he has appeared in Read by Dawn II, Dark Recesses Press, Withersin magazine, Horror Library Volumes III & IV, Terrible Beauty, Fearful Symmetry, and Zippered Flesh, among other places. He also teaches a beginner level Tai Chi Ch’uan class in which no one has died (yet) of the death touch.

You can get in touch with him on Facebook, or email him at charlescolyott@gmail.com.
Unlike his llamas, he does not spit.

Twitter:        @charlescolyott
Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charle…
Website:     http://charlescolyott.wordpress.com/
Email:         charlescolyott@gmail.com

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Winners of Dark Passage: Chosen by M. L. Woolley

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I hope everyone had a good Labor Day and took the time just to enjoy yourselves.

Thank you to all who stopped by and entered the giveaway.

If you didn’t win and would like to order the book, simply click on the cover above.

I had a great response and would like to thank all who stopped by my blog. I hope you will continue to visit. I will be contacting the winners shortly and passing on your contact information to M. L. Woolley. Thanks again for your participation and enjoy the great read.

Now for what you have been waiting for. The winners are:

Paperback winner:   Jennifer Brelman

Ebook winners are:

April Grant

Ritesh

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adelesymonds

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The Monster Has Arrived In the Delta – Review

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Delta Legend by Kelan O’Connell

BLURB

When I first picked this book up all I saw was a monster in the water, super, right up my alley. I love these stories. As I read along, it became apparent it was much more than that. Kelan did a great job with the small town descriptions and details of the people lives that brings them together to save their town and themselves, detailing their acts of heroism, growth and change, bringing out the best in people.

Calvin was mechanically inclined and from early on he had been able to make broken things work, to take something apart and put it back to working order. He was the McGyver of the Ghetto.

He knew it was wrong to go out with Rashawn, his childhood friend, but he did it anyway. Rashawn had talked him in to hot wiring his Escalade, said it was his ride and he wanted it back. It had been impounded. Of course, they got busted. Angela, Calvin’s mother didn’t expect this kind of problem from Calvin because he had a mind of his own and didn’t follow the pack. She knew it had to be because of his loyalty to Rashawn. In Juvenile court, the judge told Calvin cocaine had been found in the car.

Angela was sending him away for the summer. His Uncle Samuel had a place in the Delta and he was to go there and give him a hand in his shop. Angela kept his Ipod and cellphone and put him on the bus to the Delta.

Samuel wasn’t too sure about having Calvin for the summer, but what could he do? He had a soft spot for his niece and her take no prisoners attitude. Calvin, with his mechanical abilities, might come in handy at Samuel’s Maritime Repair Shop.

When Samuel picked up Calvin at the Greyhound Terminal, he offered his hand. He liked that Calvin had a good handshake. It said a lot about him. He knew Calvin would feel like he had come to the end of the earth, but he hoped he would come to love the Delta just like Samuel had.

Samuel turned suddenly and drove down a dirt road to a produce stand. He thought Calvin would follow him out of the truck, but he ended up introducing him to the Cheng’s through the truck window. Mei-Li worked the stand with her mother and was happy to have a distraction. Dent, Mei-Li’s younger brother, quickly won Calvin over. As they pulled away from the stand, Calvin couldn’t help but look back and saw Mei-Li watching as they drove away.

Calvin and Jess were sitting in the cafe when someone came roaring up to the gas dock in their boat. It was obvious something was very wrong. They were shouting at the sheriff that he had to come see what they found – a woman’s mutilated head. As they tore off heading to Desperation Slough, Jess led Calvin on a tour of the marina.

A picture of California's Sacramento-San Joaqu...
A picture of California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, with Suisun Bay at left-center and the Carquinez Strait at far left (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jess took Calvin out on the water in the ski boat. When he radioed his mother to let her know, she knew he would be heading out to Desperation Slough. Calvin liked the speed of the boat as he sat on the back of the seat. Not bad, he thought.

As they passed a huge freighter, they rode the wake, flying through the air. Speed, machine, water. Calvin was really beginning to enjoy the day.

They kept going toward the Slough passing the rich boys on the way and came up on the Casa del Agua, which was overdue back at the marina. Jess thought it looked empty, but it was one of theirs and late, so they stopped to check it out. There was music playing and melted drinks and the dingy was gone, so Jess just figured they left the boat for lunch and headed on to Desperation Slough. As they reached the area of the Sheriff’s boat, Jess kept his distance, but picked up the binoculars to watch the sheriff scooping things from the water – body parts. As he watched, he saw them pull something red from the water and realized it was the dingy from the Casa del Agua. Jess called Sergeant Ray Cruz and told him he thought it was the rich Vegas couple who had rented the Casa del Agua. Jess figured it wasn’t a boat accident, there was no way a propeller would chop them up like that.

Crawfish : Single vector lobster isolated on white background.

When Heustus left the Crawdaddy Club drunk, Danny had kept his keys. He didn’t realize Huestus had a spare in his pocket. As he zigzagged down the road trying to light a cigarette, he didn’t see the turn and drove right into the levee. He was so drunk he got out to check under the hood, not realizing he was standing in water. The lights were still on and he saw something unusual in the water that sobered him up. He dove through the window of the car, but before he could pull his legs in, he was pulled back out of the car.

As Calvin settled in, he found it wasn’t so bad. He liked working in the shop, alone, late at night. He even got used to the quiet, with just the hum of the insects.

As Samuel finished up his phone call, Calvin was prowling around in the back of the shop. He uncovered an old Yamaha Wave Runner. Samuel told him he could have it to work on as long as the paying jobs came first. He told Calvin that Jess could probably help him, if he needed it. Jess invited Calvin skiing and used the loan of the tools to get him to show up. When Mei-Li arrived he tried to back out, but she was not going to have it. Jess smiled to himself as he started the boat.

When they came back in another dead body was being bagged. They were beginning to add up.

A lot of the kids would be going to One Plank –  the huge summer party. Even though some were forbidden to go, they snuck out anyway. Ray had the sheriff’s boat out , just close enough, in case of an emergency. Him and Burt, his deputy, were patrolling the area, but saw nothing unusual. He knew what was going on, had been at the party himself many years ago. It was harmless enough, just kids letting off steam.

Three of the kids wandered off on their own to a secluded cove. They were skinny dipping and playing Marco Polo. When Stocky jumped off the diving raft, he jumped right into the monster’s  mouth. What was it? The screaming brought the rest of the kids to the cove.

When the creature attacked them, Calvin couldn’t figure out why it didn’t eat them – the monster and Mei-Li were eye to eye and it left them to return to the cove.

Then Mei-Li took them to her grandfather who proceeded to tell them about the legend.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    5 STARS

I won this book in a Giveaway on fuonlyknew’s blog. Thank you Kelan and Laura for the giveaway. It included some good swag.

I love creature stories, so it’s easy for me to rate this one very high. The cover was over the top. Simple, yet complex, as you delve into the eye trying to see what’s there. The cover and title related well to the book, it’s important to me that they do.

I really got a feel for the small town setting, where the cafe seemed to be the focal point and you could hear what was going on. The cops even hung out there. I used to visit a small southern town in Mississippi, and their local hangout was a gas station, where everyone would meet, drink colas and play checkers. Very quaint.

Characters were well developed, seemed very real, and I could picture them in my mind. I could relate to them. Some of the characters were hateful and disgusting, others so much like your next door neighbor. Just living their lives. When Kelan described Huestes as a Weeble, I busted out laughing . It brought back memories of buying them for my son when he was young. Can’t you just picture Huestes? “Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.”

Laid a good base in the first half to crank it out in the second half.The suspense kept building and I kept waiting for the creature to appear. Every time someone went near the water, I was waiting for the monster to get them. Just like Jaws. Don’t go in the water. How many times do you have to be told, don’t go in the water. LOL!

Just like the  Loch Ness Monster,  Bigfoot, Aliens……would you believe it if someone was trying to tell you what happened if you weren’t there to see it for yourself?

There were two surprises at the end, one I saw coming and I figured Kelan threw that one in to distract me from the other one, which I didn’t see coming. lol  Even though there is a Book II, this tied things up nicely, while leaving it open enough to continue the story. I can hardly wait to find out what happens next, so I hope you are busy writing, Kelan.

The history leading to the legend was well-developed and detailed, going in to depth about Chinese history in relation to building the Transcontinental Railroad System and the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta.

I can absolutely see this as a movie. As I was reading along, the scenes played out in my mind as the story unfolded. I saw the ending as if I was watching it.

ABOUT KELAN O’Connell

As a young adult, Kelan O’Connell spent her summers aboard a family houseboat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Apparently, she still harbors suspicions about those deep murky waters. Though she’s been writing in one form or another since the age of 20, Delta Legend is her debut Young Adult Crossover novel.

Kelan began writing in college, creating character monologues as a way to stand out in auditions while also cranking out sketch comedy. She holds a degree in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University and has worked in the Entertainment Industry in Northern California and Los Angeles, among her many other day jobs.

She currently lives in Northern California with her partner, Sound Engineer/Producer Tom Size, and the incredibly spoiled pets of Camp Runamuck.

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/Kelan_OConnell

Be sure to visit Kelan’s blog: http://kelanoconnell.blogspot.com

and the Delta Legend website: http://deltalegend.com

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