Review & Guest Post-Shadow of Perception by Kristine Mason

Posted on August 13, 2013 by fundinmental

I saw the cover for Shadow of Perception (Core Trilogy, Book II_ by Kristine Mason and knew I had to participate in the tour. I was also lucky enough to get Shadow of Danger to review, another knock out cover and book you don’t want to miss. To see my 5 STAR Review, go HERE. Even though this is a trilogy, each book stands alone. But once you read one, you will want to read them all.

I have packed a lot into this post and I hope you will take the time to scroll through it all. I have included the blurb, an excerpt from the Bad Guy’s POV, a guest post from Kristine about her favorite character, my Review and a Giveaway. Plus a special little surprise at the end of the post for your musical enjoyment!

BUY LINKS

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

BLURB

What happens when negligent plastic surgeons receive a taste of their own medicine…?

Chicago investigative reporter, Eden Risk, receives an unmarked envelope containing a postcard ordering her to watch the enclosed DVD…or someone else dies. No Police. After Eden watches the DVD, a gruesome, horrifying surgery, she turns to the private criminal investigation agency, CORE, for help. Only she hadn’t expected that help to come with a catch. Her former lover, Hudson Patterson, has been assigned to the case.

Hudson would rather have another CORE agent handle the investigation. Two years ago, he’d screwed things up with Eden…bad. And as more DVDs arrive, Eden and Hudson find themselves not only knee-deep in a twisted investigation, but forced to deal with their past, and the love they’d tried to deny.

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EXCERPT

Bad Guy’s POV

The alarm on his watch beeped, reminding him what he’d already known. His patient would be waking soon, and by the low moan from the other room, he would have to act fast before the bastard regained full consciousness. Sure, he’d strapped the man down, but he didn’t want to miss the look on the shithead’s face when his eyes fluttered open, only to discover he’d just woken up in hell.

As he was about to exit the office, though, shame suddenly clouded his judgment. What he’d spent seven long years preparing for went beyond immoral and had his conscience battling with his anger and need for revenge. Sweat coated his skin and trickled down his back. His heart quickened and his head grew dizzy with the onslaught of a panic attack. Until he glanced at the letter he had framed and hung on the wall. The final contact he would ever have from his beloved daughter. While he’d memorized Eliza’s words, each bold and bubbly stroke of her script, he honed in on one line in particular for encouragement.

Make them listen, Daddy.

Another moan, this time even louder, filtered into the office. His head cleared, his heart slowed to normal, and an eerie calm settled over him.

“They’ll do more than listen, baby,” he whispered, rage suddenly sweeping away any thoughts of immorality or ethics or principles. Screw those things. Screw those quacks who had destroyed his daughter’s life.

Without hesitation he left the office and entered the main section of the thirty-by-fifty steel garage. He hadn’t needed the entire space and had chosen to fulfill his plans in the west corner of the building, where the lighting was best and the bathroom and utility sink were closest. Things would become messy after all.

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Kristine Mason – My favorite character…

I love flawed characters. I’m not talking about a random scar that makes the sexy, badass hero sexier. I’m talking about the flaws that run deeper than the physical. Give me characters that have internal issues. Maybe they have a learning disability they’re hiding, or they’re struggling with anxiety, fear, trust or rejection. Or maybe a character’s arrogance and how they treat others is their flaw. Regardless, I want these characters to be motivated. I want to be able to get inside their heads and understand why they act the way they do.

I have four kids (11, 10, 7 and 2). Between my family and career, I’m extremely busy. When I have the time to sit down and read I want to be engaged by the characters. I want to fall in love with the hero, be the heroine and, if there is a bad guy, be afraid.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I didn’t pick up my first romance novel until I was in my late twenties. Immediately hooked, I read a bazillion books before deciding to write one of my own. After the birth of my first son I needed something to keep my mind from turning to mush, and Sesame Street wasn’t cutting it. While that first book will never see the light of day, something good had come from writing it. I realized my passion, and had found a career that I love.

When I’m not writing contemporary romances and dark, romantic suspense novels (or reading them!) I’m chasing after my four kids and two neurotic dogs.

STALKING LINKS

FACE BOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE

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MY REVIEW of Shadow of Perception by Kristine Mason

“There’s no such thing as perfect, only perception.”

“Look at me Daddy.”

He was watching as the images crawled across the screen. Eliza in her cheerleading uniform. Eliza being crowned homecoming queen. Eliza on her first modeling assignment. Eliza DEAD. The note she left said, “Make them listen, Daddy.”

Well, they will listen now he thought, as he dropped off the first DVD to Eden Risk.

Eden is an investigative reporter and he knew she would make it right.

Eden knew she needed help. She contacted CORE,a private criminal investigation agency. Ian and Hudson were watching the DVD.The horror that was taking place was too obscene to comprehend. The violence and mutilation the victim suffered was one of the worst they had seen. When the torture stopped, the doctor looked into the camera.

“Eden, take care of yourself….While I’ve been watching you, someone else has been, too.”

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

The covers and tag lines for The Core Trilogy are so intriguing, I was hooked as soon as I laid eyes on them. I didn’t need anything else to make me want to pick up the books and read them as soon as I could get my hands on them.

After reading Shadow of Danger, the first book in the CORE “Shadow” Trilogy, my expectations are high. There are multiple storylines and Kristine kept the suspense at a very high level.

The violence and torture is very graphic. I was amazed at Kristine’s ability to describe the brutality so vividly. Maybe she should be a profiler. She sure got into the mind of this serial killer.

Eden – a confident and ambitious investigative reporter for , with dark secrets. She had a need to control everything in her life. Obsessive-Compulsive. Stubborn. Sexy. Her pets, Fabio the cat and Brutal the rat dog, are unique and show that under her hard exterior there is a heart.

Hudson – a Marine and a CIA operative, doing Black Ops work. Looked like a kickass biker dude. An air of danger surrounds him. Hmmm, I like that. He could be a GB- Golden Boy- or a DB – Douche Bag.

I am a dog lover and find it adds another element to the story. It makes the characters seem more human and easier to relate to. Kristine did a fantastic job of integrating the animals into the story and giving me some chuckles.

The relationships between the characters smack of reality. They fail to communicate, which causes all sorts of problems and I think we can all relate to that.

QUOTES

“……a front for some eighties big hair band.” “..that explains all those hot groupies folowing me around and throwing their g-strings at me.

“I’ve only seen cats that size at the zoo or in the jungle. What the hell is it? Besides big and ugly.”

“Don’t talk like that, putting her hand over the cats ears.” “He’s sensitive.”

“So sorry if I hurt your widdle feewings.” Then she flipped him the bird.

“Hell is exactly where you are…….Welcome.”

“Slow down, Speed Racer.” I laughed out loud. I remember watching the show all the time.

“..what’s wrong?” “I’ve never owned a week whacker.” “What would you weed whack anyway? The dead plants in your apartment?”

“God this is something out of Hellraiser.”

I love it when an author can integrate humor into such a dark and violent story.

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

Shadow of Vengeance, Book III of the CORE “Shadow” Trilogy is coming soon.

You will have to read the book to find out why I included The Pina Colada Song.

To pick up Kristine Mason’s books from Amazon, simply click on the cover.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

Rattleman by George D. Shuman

Posted on February 28, 2013 by fundinmental

I posted this during a tour a while back, but since then, a book trailer has come out. I also, forgot to add it to my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. So, take a look, check out the book and if you like, pick up a copy for yourself at the end of the post.

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Add to goodreads

.Rattleman

George D Shuman

From George D. Shuman who served twenty years with the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington DC, and whose international bestseller, ’18 Seconds’, is currently in production as a major Hollywood motion picture.

Better still, ‘Rattleman’ is George D. Shuman’s most gripping crime thriller yet.

The Rattleman knows every crevice, every creek, every cave, every ravine, every inch of his remote hunting grounds in the Appalachian Mountains.

He is a determined serial killer, always waiting for his next victim to cross his path.

When Park Ranger Jane Cameron literally stumbles across the remains of two of his victims, she discovers that she too has been caught in his trap.

And when the ‘Rattleman’s prey is at his mercy, she’s dead.

MY REVIEW OF RATTLEMAN BY GEORGE SHUMAN

Kirsten, a state police corporal and senior forensic technician, arrived to examine the woman’s head. It was all that was found on the edge of the icy river. It looked like it had been cut clean, but it could have been the ice that cut it. It was sent off to the lab to find out more.

As Marty sat at the General Store, talking with Hattie, he recalled another woman had disappeared not that far from here. He put in a request for the report. When it arrived, he found, she too, had five ear hole piercings. Were there more similarities?

Jane Cameron knew she wasn’t supposed to go off on her own, but it was too late to seek help and make it back by tonight. The girl was missing and a night could make a difference. What she found in the cave, made her realize she could be next. The next sound she hears tells her it is already too late.

One of their own was down and Marty would stop at nothing to find the killer.

Over a 15 year period, on Blood Mountain and the Appalachian Trail, too many women were coming up missing. It now involved Georgia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. What was happening to them? Was there a serial killer loose? The newspapers thought so and the Atlanta Constitution named him the Mountain State Butcher.

DEA agent Judy Wells had been given her first real case since coming back to work, after loosing her baby to SIDs and her husband walking out on her. She was meeting an informant in the Latora Crime family. It was one of the biggest cases in the city and she was anxious about her part in the investigation.

Judy had come back from a living hell, but was still having trouble. When she failed her qualification at the piston range, she had real cause for worry. The next time she was scheduled to qualify, she pretended to have the flu, but she could only put it off for so long. If she couldn’t shoot, she would lose her job, and her job was all she had left.

Jimmy Latora, Sr had died and his son had taken over, but he had no respect from the ranks. The informant was a Lieutenant in the Latora crime family. Carlisle, Jimmy’s son, had pissed him off, so he turned rat.

When the plane that was carrying the contraband crashed, Judy was sent to check it out.

Would it end up being the best thing that ever happened to her, or would it be her final downfall?

4 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

“God thinks I’m a cat. He likes to dangle things in front of me and then snatch them out of my reach.” I just had to put that in my review, because it made me bust out laughing when I read it.

The cover is awesome and creates an aura of mystery. The title, Rattleman, is very appropriate, and you will find out why when you read the book.

I love murder mysteries and find serial killers especially fascinating.

It is suspenseful and very well written, but something kept me from rating it higher. It lacked the WOW factor for me. It could have been longer and developed more of the story, gone deeper into details. I still loved the book and am happy to have it in my Kindle collection.

Marty seemed like a great guy, but living in the sticks is not for everyone. His fiance left him for someone else and moved to the big city. He liked his job and did it well.

Judy Wells was a tragic figure. If something in her life could go wrong, it would. Her husband had left her for someone else, shortly after their baby died from SIDS. She just couldn’t seem to get over it. When it affected her job, it put her life as a police woman in jeopardy. She would lose her job if she couldn’t pass her shooting qualifications.

The Rattleman was a psychotic killer that had no remorse and no intention of stopping. His victims were chosen because of them being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. He could travel freely, because no one missed him when he wasn’t there and he knew the woods like the back of his hand. There was only one way to stop him, and that was by catching or killing him.

I enjoyed the book, and would definitely pick up another one written by George D. Shuman.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

About George D. Shuman George Shuman is the international bestsellingauthor of the Sherry Moore series about a blind woman who can see 18 seconds from a dead person’s life, using her innate ability to track down their killers.

George’s first four Sherry Moore books are published by Simon & Schuster. ‘!8 Seconds’ is currently in production for a major Hollywood motion picture.

‘Rattleman’ is the first of George’s books to be published by Taylor Street. It too will be a major Hollywood motion picture.

Website

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos George D. Shuman is offering for the Giveaway 1 (one) ebook to a lucky commenter. International. Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:

What do you think about vigilantes? Would you want revenge if a family member were murdered?

CLOSED. THE WINNER IS ” LAURA THOMAS”.

Giveaway will end 3/4/2013.

To see all my Reviews, click HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, click HERE.

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Britains Worst Serial Killer Revealed (indiatimes.com)
Brands for serial killers (brandsandfilms.com)
Russian Police Arrest Serial Killer Known As A Psychic And ‘Wizard’ (disinfo.com)
Criminologist: Teenage Twins are Serial Killers (fox40.com)

Dragon Lady Step Aside For Natalie – Review

Posted on December 12, 2012 by fundinmental

Natalie’s Revenge – A Frank Renzi Novel by Susan Fleet

1988 – As soon as she woke up, she knew something was wrong.

Natalie was only ten, but she doubted her mom when she said she worked so late because she was a hostess at some fancy restaurant. Natalie was always home alone and never opened the door for anyone. When the doorbell rang, she looked out the peephole. It was a woman cop and she knew Natalie’s name. She went on to tell her that her mom was dead.

July 2008 – Renzi was called out in the middle of the night for a body with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. It was a hit. Renzi’s partner, Kenyon Miller was on his way. When he arrived, he told Renzi that he knew him. He was a bigwig at the new casino – The BABYLON.

The victim, Arnold, had been a good father, but a womanizer. He and his wife lived separate lives and it came out that he had a gambling problem. Could it be a disgruntled husband? A Business partner? His Wife? A Loan shark?

As they went over the security tapes from the Hotel Bienvenue, where Peterson was staying, Renzi saw her. She entered Peterson’s room. Her hat and sunglasses covered her face, but he noticed her walk, that she was fit and athletic. He also noticed a tattoo on her ankle. High priced hooker?

At the Sunshine Inn, June Carson was preparing to leave town. Her next stop was Circle K for travel supplies. She saw she was being watched by a guy in a cowboy hat. She left quickly, but he followed her, then called her name “Natalie”. It was an old classmate, Tex Conroy, from Pecos, Texas.. He had recognized her firebird pendant – her good luck charm. Not so good now. She knew what she had to do, get him off in an isolated place.

After her mother’s death, she was sent to her Uncle, Jerome Brixton in Pecos Texas. She liked to watch America’s Most Wanted and wondered what it would be like to run from the law. She researched her Vietnamese heritage and chose birds and mountains to protect herself. If she didn’t avenge her mother’s death, would angry spirits ruin her life?

Her cousin, Randy, called her slant eyes and gook. When she adopted a kitten, Randy killed it. She vowed she would make him pay.

Chinese proverb – All warfare is based on deception. Natalie learned Tae (strike) Kwon (strike with fist) Do (means way). She learned Jiapsul – pressure points. Part of the Tae Kwan Do oath was, “I shall be a champion of justice and freedom”.” She liked that. Justice for her mom. Freedom for herself. She learned to shoot guns because sometimes martial arts wouldn’t be enough.

As Renzi investigated Tex’s death in Pecos, the name Natale came up. She was accused of killing her cousin, Randy. He fell off a cliff at a family picnic. She wasn’t charged, but Renzi felt she was the one.

She knows he is closing in on her, but nothing was going to stop her from fulfilling her destiny.

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I love the cover. Red is very eye-catching and who doesn’t love a shoot ’em up female protagonist. She even holds the gun properly. The title speaks for itself. The “package” made me want to pick it up and read it the moment I got it.

New Orleans. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting New Orleans. I love to read about places I’ve been to and am so familiar with. It seems to add something extra.

Once Renzi got to Pecos, I read faster and faster, learning about Natalie and her life in Pecos. I could feel the suspense building as I wondered how Renzi would catch her and wishing he wouldn’t. Very well written. I was unable to put it down. I had to know what was going to happen to her.

I love when the character, whether a book, TV show or movie, has to seek justice for themselves, like Death Wish . I have watched them so many times, I feel like I know all the characters intimately. I loved all the Death wishes, so I knew I would love this book. Of course, if everyone did it, we’d be like the Wild West. I rooted for her to exact her revenge and get away with it, even though she might have went too far.

I loved that Natalie went about her life, doing what she had to do to accomplish her goal, made me feel more empathy for her. Stripping, hooking and sacrificing her life, so she could put things right. Feeling as if her heritage demanded it or she would be haunted for the rest of her life. She became an actess, a chameleon. She had seven words to live by – Be what they want you to be. She trusted no one and relied only on herself.

I loved her single-mindedness to achieve her goal and the sacrifices she made, but then what? She really wanted what we all want, but she needed answers to be able to move on. And after all she had done, how could she have a “normal” life?

How far would you go to make sure someone paid for destroying a loved one’s life? Would you be able to do whatever it takes to make them pay?

Loved it when Vobitch kicked Hammer out of his office. I loved the dialogue between Renzi, his partner Kenyon and his boss, Vobitch. A verbal jousting match. Sarcastic, back and forth bantering, like Lisbon and Jane on The Mentalist.

Multiple story lines throughout the plot. Renzi is in love with Kelly who is also a cop. Hurricane Gail is heading for New Orleans. Guess a lot of us know what that entails.

Ending? Loved it. I sat there with my mouth hanging open, thinking…….Let me………………… Nope, you’ll have to find out for yourself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Music & Mayhem is my game. Started my trumpet career in my teens, got into the mayhem later. My print journalist father taught me how to play pool in the police station. Maybe that’s how I discovered my dark side.

After gigging on trumpet in the Boston area for many years (while teaching at Brown University and Berklee College of Music), I moved to New Orleans, which became the setting for my crime thrillers. Scroll down and check the video trailers for DIVA and ABSOLUTION.

I survived Katrina, but moved back to Boston in 2010. On my website I post profiles of women musicians and just began a blog, DARK DEEDS, about serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides. Please come visit!!

SUSAN’S HANGOUTS

Website / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

Susan is offering 2 ebooks for the Giveaway – one for the US and one for the UK. Easy entry as always, just answer her question – New Orleans has many local coffee shops, but one is particularly famous. Not only that, I set one early scene at the coffee shop in Absolution, my first Frank Renzi mystery. What’s the name of the coffee shop? Have you ever been there? – and leave your email address.

Closed. Winners are Laura Thomas and Emily Guido.

Giveaway will run from 12/12 – 12/26.

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My Reviews for Natalie’s Books

Dragon Lady Step Aside For Natalie – Review

Is Winning the Lottery a Curse or a Blessing – Jackpot by Susan Fleet

Review of Diva by Susan Fleet

Review of Absolution by Susan Fleet

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

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look below or on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Giveaway and Review – A Lonely Vampire Looking For His Master Wreaks Havoc!

Posted on December 8, 2012 by fundinmental

Giveaway and Review

The Vampire Murders by Matthew Blake

Detective Fehkal was sent to investigate the murder of a Chinaman. Why was this case so special? Murders of Chinamen were a weekly occurrence in the Seattle Chinatown.

The man was decapitated and disemboweled. It was like nothing Fehkal had every seen before. The carnage and cruelty were beyond description. It looked like someone had chewed off his arms and legs, but the marks weren’t like any human teeth Fehkal knew of, and the limbs had been taken by whoever had done such a thing. As he examined the pool of blood surrounding the body, he noticed that it looked like it had been licked up, lapped up like a cat would do. He looked up at the ceiling and saw a name, Peytor Droysvich, was written in blood. It was still wet.The only witness was a young Chinese boy.

Fehkal’s boss, Chief Shaffer, had the Mayor hounding him to solve the murder, quickly. It was election time and the Mayor needed the Chinese vote.

The boy told Fehkal he saw a shadow, where a shadow couldn’t possible have been, outside the house. It looked like smoke and went through the window into the house. Then he heard screaming and other horribly weird sounds.

The next morning, Fehkkhal went to the library to do some research. In the archives, he found several references to Peytor. There had been a European vampire scare twenty years earlier. It had begun right after Peytor’s death in Serbia. Some family members died mysteriously and it was said that Peyotr was supposedly coming around, after he was dead, telling them how hungry he was.

As Fehkal left the library, Sally invited herself out to lunch with him. He’d always had his eye on her. He had thought of asking her out, but something always stopped him.

When he went into work, the Chief was waiting for him.The fingerprints that had been found at the murder scene were the same ones that were involved with three other murders. But the suspect had died more than a year ago.

The witness’s parents were murdered during the night. Fehkal knew the kid was good, that he didn’t do it. As he interrogated Xiao, Xiao told him what he had seen, when he came home from goofing off with this friends. The front door had been wide open. He looked in and saw a shadow. When the wind blew the door and banged him in the head, the shadow looked up. Xiao saw red eyes, then the shadow flew out the window.

Another night, another murder, two actually. The scene was even worse and a message had been left for Fehkal. Now it was personal.

“I know you’re trying to find me detective Fehkal. If you don’t’ stop, you’ll end up like these two.”

4 – Would Highly Recommend To Others

The cover is cool. The only way it could have been better, is if it was a man with a long black coat. The character, Fehkal, always walked the streets of Seattle, he had no car.

This is a novella that can easily be read in one sitting, preferably when you are alone at night – jumping at the settling of the house, wondering if something is trying to get in.The writing was very good and I raced through the pages.

For such a short book, it was packed with suspense. Had Fehkal looking over his shoulder as he walks the dark streets. I kept waiting for him to be attacked.

I loved it. I always like being surprised and that is pretty hard to do because I read so many books. But I was very surprised as it neared the end. I was really bummed and pissed off, but I thought about it and thought, WOW, that’s pretty good. Evoked a lot of emotion.

I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Blake lives in Spokane, Washington. He has been a fan of writing and reading horror since he was a boy. He keeps busy between writing and his three-year-old daughter. He was a soldier in the US Army and attained a degree in web development after his time in the service.

When he has free time he likes to play disc golf (a popular sport that a lot of people don’t know about, you should try it if you haven’t already,) and take long walks.

Follow Matthew Blake through the links below:

Website

Twitter

My Goodreads Review of Rose Blossoms at Midnight by Matthew Blake, click HERE.

GIVEAWAY

Matthew Blake is generously offering up for the giveaway 10, count them, 10 ebooks. The Giveaway is International, so come one, come all.

As always, it is easy to enter. Simply leave an email address so I can contact you and answer the question – Are you prepared for when the Vampires come flying through your window?

Closed. Because of the great response and it being the holidays, Matthew says EVERYONE is a Winner. If you have not heard from the author by 1/8/2013, please leave me a message here WITH YOUR EMAIL and I will forward it to him.

Giveaway runs from 12/8 – 1/2/2013.

Please tweet this out to your friends, family and followers, not required.

I love it when you follow me, but, also, not required.

To see all my Giveaways, click HERE.

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