Dragon Lady Step Aside For Natalie – Review

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

Natalie's Revenge (Frank Renzi, #3)

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.

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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 proverbAll 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.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos    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

Susan Fleet  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

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos  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.

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BTS Tour Presents The Protectors

Come join us on this review tour and see what everyone thinks of this book!!! Reviews Only. For links to the other tour participants, look at the bottom of the post.

The Protectors by Bernard Lee DeLeo

The Protectors has it all: political intrigue and corruption, gangbangers, drugs, terrorists – and that’s just the bad guys. But sometimes even the good guys walk a line that can become blurred. Are they now a bad guy too?

Ellie and Connor responded to a call of a disturbance. After subduing and arresting the couple, Ellie spotted a half-naked boy running down the street. The man chasing him carried a sap. She scooped up the boy as Connor went after the man.

The boy said his name was Billie, but because Fred didn’t do birthdays, he didn’t know how old he was. He told Ellie that he had been with Fred a long time. He, also, told Ellie and Connor that there were more kids. The monsters had them.

Haunted

Ellie and Connor knew they couldn’t wait for backup. Once the “monsters” realized Fred had been gone too long, they would pull up stakes and leave. Ellie knew there was no stopping Connor.

Connor did what he does best and brought the children out. He not only killed Fred, he killed the others too. But Ellie was happy he did. Connor had taken the law into his own hands, but what if we all did that? Would it be anarchy? Would we end up like the Wild West, where everyone had a gun and wasn’t afraid to use it?

Dr Morrison went on a ride along with Ellie and Connor to assess Connor actions. She had no idea what she was getting into.

Ellie and Connor were given leave to go out on their off hours and catch parolees who had just gotten out of prison. They knew they would be at the same place doing the same thing.

At 4:00 in the morning, they made a drug bust. Councilman Stennis came to them, telling them to stop what they were doing. They knew it was highly unusual for a politician to come to the station, especially at 4:00 in the morning, and start throwing threats around. Then they found out his son was one of the kids they busted for drugs. Ellie recorded him on camera. They knew it wouldn’t bode well for them, so they took it to their boss. Donaldson backed them, but warned them there was only so much he could do. Be sure to COA.

As the plot develops, Ellie and Connor find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into a situation that is beyond their control. They find themselves involved with the FBI and terrorists. They get in way over their heads, with no on but their boss, Donaldson, on their side. Who could they trust?

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

The cover and title both caught my attention. I thought it was right up my alley

The story started strong and stayed that way. After the incident with the kids, I wondered where the story would go, but I was not to be disappointed. I could feel the suspense building as Ellie and Connor were drawn deeper and deeper into a world of political intrigue, disgusting criminals, gangbangers, drug dealers and terrorists that would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

The dialogue was, at times, down right hilarious. The banter between Ellie and Connor made me think of Lisbon and Jane in The Mentalist and Temperance and Booth in Bones, only on steroids. I think you must have  a sense of humor when dealing with the dredges of society. I was happily surprised when the light touch in the writing style took the story to the level it did.

Connor was army special forces and used his skills to achieve his goals and to save their life, and others, over and over again. I love these books, even though you know it can’t be like that in real life. The guy would be crucified because of the deaths. It seems the justice system caters more to the criminal than the victim.

I loved Ellie and Connor. They were unique individuals. Jules came into her own, after hanging with them. I couldn’t figure out if Connor would end up with Ellie or Jules. Boy was I in for a shock.

I love vigilantes. Death Wish has always been one of my favorite series. I can’t even begin to count how many times I have watched it. Charles Bronson is the man. lol But Connor didn’t go looking for it, he just took care of business when it crossed his path.

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review. I can hardly wait to read more from Bernard Lee DeLeo.

My Favorite Quotes

“I’ll hit you so hard your whole family will pass out in pain.” Made me burst out laughing.

“The kids made me start thinking about how I want folks to look at us. I don’t care anymore to visit someone to tell them we found the people who broke into their business or house and robbed them blind. I want them to wave at us from their house or business as we go by because we prevent the gangbangers, drug dealers, and thugs from terrorizing them.”

“I’m so PC, if Santa’s sleigh ever pauses on Christmas Eve over my house it’s so Rudolph can take a piss on my roof.”

“You know my mom feeds on the mention of marriage like a cockroach in a sugar bowl.”

I’m not leaving you two! I’ve read horror novels. The monster always gets the idiot who goes for help.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I own a one man automotive repair shop in Oakland, CA. I write adventure fiction and have thirteen of my novels offered for Amazon Kindle. My three latest novels are: COLD BLOODED published by Wild Child Publishing, HARD CASE published by RJ Parker Publishing, and THE PROTECTORS published by RJ Parker Publishing. My new paranormal novel LANCELOT was released in October of 2012. I published my humorous paranormal romance, LAYLA, in November of 2012. I served aboard the USS Ranger (CVA61) from 1969 until November of 1972. I earned an AA degree in Auto Technology from Chabot College in Hayward, CA, and a BA degree in English from Cal State Hayward. My hobbies are basketball, backpacking, and scuba diving. My favorite dive spot is Point Lobos near Pacific Grove, CA.

To order a copy of the book, simply click on the cover.

FOLLOW THE TOUR, LINKS BELOW:

November 13: So Many Books, So Little Time
November 20: Bad Barbs Place

November 27: Close Encounters With the Night Kind
December 3: Fundinmental
December 10: Chronicles of a Book Addict
December 17: Stefani’s World of Words
December 30: Bookend 2 Bookend