Review – Damaged: Life. Death. Memory. Uncertainty @MichaelGeczi #damaged

Posted on April 9, 2026 by fundinmental

MY REVIEW

I have read some of Michael Geczi’s work and enjoyed his stories very much, so I was excited to get a glimpse of his new novel, Damaged: Life. Death. Memory. Uncertainty.

Shay Landon, a former Special Agent In Charge of the Minneapolis Field Office had been on leave for nine months, following the death of his partner. People had told Jacoby Overton, the new Special Agent In Charge, that Shay had a talent for seeing things others didn’t, so he was hoping his return to work would be fortuitous.

Michael Geczi delves into some difficult issues. The mind is a complex organ and it works hard to protect itself. Shay Landon will find himself in some uncertain situations. Can he trust that his memories are true? He works hard to hide the issues that are plaguing him. I was right there at his side as he struggles….

I’m not sure how I thought the story would end, but I didn’t see that coming. In hindsight, it seems obvious and that’s all I’m saying. Well done, Michael.

My thanks go out to Michael Geczi for the opportunity to review Damaged: Life. Death. Memory. Uncertainty.

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

“Damaged.” Life. Death. Memory. Uncertainty.

Perfect for fans of Dennis Lehane and Tana French.

Shay Landon, former SAC at the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office, has wrapped up nine months of mandatory leave following the death of his former partner and Assistant Special Agent in Charge.

In theory, time well spent on counseling, rest, and confronting discrepancies in his recollections of the death of his colleague, compared with the official record. In reality, trapped in therapy, lying to his doctors and his wife, second‑guessed by the Bureau, and haunted by a version of events no one else seems to share.

Today is scheduled to be his first day back at the office – not as the boss any longer, but in a special consulting role. No gun, no command, no field work. Just “analysis.” He kisses his wife, Cara, goodbye, heads into the dark garage to get in his car, and readies himself for his new beginning.

It’s too soon, however. He’s not ready. The world has tilted.

And there are mirrors everywhere reflecting back on him.

Genre: Fiction, Police Procedural, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2026 by Tierra Buena Publishing

ABOUT MICHAEL GECZI (from Amazon)

Former Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Associated Press and Dallas Morning News writer and editor; Wall Street executive; best-selling author; communications/crisis consultant and university instructor (University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism). Also author of Futures: The Anti-Inflation Investment. Lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife, Lisa.

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Review – Pointless by Michael Geczi @MichaelGeczi #pointless

Posted on July 7, 2025 by fundinmental

GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

I have read several of Michael Geczi’s books and loved them. Pointless did not disappoint. It’s rare when the villain is exposed from the opening pages, but it works, revealing his motivation for revenge. We start out with a car wreck, then move to poison laced bottles, then on to the assassination of the FBI agent put in charge of the investigation. Each piece of the puzzle is carefully planned. The mystery is muddled and characters are betrayed. Who’s doing what to who? Michael Geczi keeps the answer close.

Project Les Talionis – An Eye For An Eye

We have a diverse group of characters, and not all will survive. As the body count increases, so does the level of suspense. The pacing of Pointless keeps the story moving at a steady clip. The suspense mounts as we approach the final pages, and, no sooner do I breathe a sigh of relief…The ending is worth a star of its own, because as much as I hate it, I love it.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

POINTLESS – THE FIRST BOOK IN THE REVENGE, UNHINGED SERIES!

Poison-laced bottles of water are sent to three states in the U.S Southwest. A bottling plant employee is killed in a questionable traffic accident. The first illnesses – and the initial death – surface, and the FBI takes over the cases.

Just as the perps planned.

The agent in charge is assassinated, and Senior Special Agent Kari Dineh, a rising star, is put in charge. She’s encouraged to include a former agent, a felon she helped drive out of the agency years earlier, as an advisor. The case immediately takes on political overtones, spurred by poems sent by the perps, opportunistic pundits rallying pro- and anti-FBI supporters, and aggressive media reporting.

Violence erupts and cities burn.

Dineh, a brilliant investigator, at first struggles with her new role, as memories of misogyny and Indigenous prejudice resurface. But she overcomes them, ultimately figuring out the real intentions of the criminal group behind the crimes.

However, the U.S.’s 50-50 split on the rule of law is above her pay grade.

REVENGE IS A RATIONALIZATION, NOT A MOTIVATION.

Genre:
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2025 by Tierra Buena Publishing

ABOUT MICHAEL GECZI (from Amazon)

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Twists And Turns – Review – Then She Died by Michael Geczi @MichaelGeczi

Posted on February 7, 2025 by fundinmental

Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love a villain that I can have empathy for, a character that tugs at my heartstrings. Michael Geczi has created a complex character that brought out all kinds of emotions. Will Post is a serial killer. After the murders of three people, he high tails it out of town, leaving Chicago for the Berkshires. And that is where his life takes on a more positive spin. He meets Val. He has a somewhat normal life while he was with her. My heart broke for him, when she passed away. He’s lost and he heads back to Chicago.

When Michael Geczi finally reveals Will’s past, I can’t help but think, what a fabulous, very complex character he has created. The emotional and psychological torture he goes through is debilitating, his psyche looking for ways to survive.

Then She Died by Michael Geczi is the fifth book in the serial killer anthology, but it can standalone. It a fast paced, intense thriller that is unputdownable.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Then She Dies by Michael Geczi.

GOODREADS BLURB

FIFTH BOOK IN THE SERIAL KILLER ANTHOLOGY! CAN BE READ AS STANDALONE.

Emotional and psychological episodes are nothing new for Will Post. He’s got a lifetime of experience. More than anyone would want or believe.

But he doesn’t have any experience dealing with his recent killing of three people, and that’s his newest challenge, along with haunting hallucinations and delusions. His hit the road, get out of Chicago, and hide and figure things out in the Berkshire Mountains in Western Massachusetts.

For a year, it works out well. He lives as a recluse, stays out of sight, and develops a new routine. Then he meets Val. They fall in love, move in together, and share a near-perfect life for several years … until she gets sick. And then passes away.

The episodes return, and Post inexplicitly decides to return to Chicago. Perhaps he can learn how to forgive himself and even heal. Chicago is no panacea, however. Chicago PD Detective Tanner Osborn is looking into the three killings, now ignored cold cases, determined to learn more.

Post faces other issues, as well, some dating back to his heartbreaking childhood, new ones tied to his return to Chicago, and others signaling a significant and intensifying psychological break. And then there’s the voice in his head providing specific – and often conflicting – instructions.

Then She Died is a fast-moving and deeply penetrating look at the highs and lows surrounding life, love, death … and the always-important truism that actions – conscious and unconscious – have consequences.

Genre: Fiction, Psychological, Serial Killer, Suspense, Thriller
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2025 by Tierra Buena Publishing
Serial Killer Anthology #5 StandAlone

ABOUT MICHAEL GECZI (from Amazon)

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Review – The Compass Killer by Michael Geczi @MichaelGeczi

Posted on September 25, 2024 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Compass Killer is part of The Serial Killer Anthology, which will include five books, by Michael Geczi. Each book has a unique focus and The Compass Killer is about a serial killer, Travis Newsom, who has a last wish. He wants to know more about the people he killed and all those around them who were affects. Of course, I know you can’t believe what a psychopath says, but Reverend Stan McLogan feels by helping the serial killer get what he wants, he can find out about other killings. Quid pro quo. He is interested in learning more about their emotions and spirituality of those on death row.

I love reading about serial killers, but I don’t know if the why of their killings is ever answered. I love trying to decipher their motivations, which can probably never be known.

As the deadline approaches for his execution, I can’t help but think he deserves what is coming for him. As the clock ticks down, I can only think he has overstayed his welcome on this earth. Will he give the Reverend the list of his victims before he is put to death?

We learn about his killings, how his victims were chosen and how they died, leaving a compass on top of their bodies. All except one, why was that different.

As I approached the final pages of The Compass Killer by Michael Geczi, I was surprised at the fabulous ending. I never saw it coming. Well done, Michael.

I want to thank Michael for the opportunity to read and review The Compass Killer by Michael Geczi.

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

The new addition to The Serial Killer Anthology! Get it today!

Facing execution, Arizona death-row inmate Travis Newsom, “The Compass Killer,” has a last wish: he tells Rev. Stan McLogan he wants to learn more before he’s dead about the families and friends of his victims as well as the family he abandoned. McLogan thinks it’s a great opportunity to identify additional victims that Newsom may have killed beyond the ones he left small round compasses on in 1998 after murdering them. He asks his friend, Santa Monica Detective Nour El Masry, if she’ll help with the research.

The task is far from straightforward, however. McLogan’s prison discussions with Newsom take surprising psychological twists and turns, reflecting both men’s own agendas. El Masry’s research raises questions about Newsom’s background and what he’s sharing. And Arizona politics put the execution at risk.

As deadlines approach, McLogan questions his involvement with the prisoner, and Newsom discovers the young minister is a formidable adversary and not the naïve soft touch he imagined. El Masry, meanwhile, finds new information about the origins of Newsom’s life of lies and violence.

The Compass Killer, the fourth book in the Serial Killer Anthology, brings together elements of the series’ three previous stories: The Deadly Samaritan (McLogan’s parents and a 1992 serial killer case); Killer Dead, Victim Alive (Santa Monica Detectives Greg Nichols and Mollie Granger), and Hunting a Cat in Dogtown (Nour El Masry, Nichols and Granger).

ABOUT MICHAEL GECZI (from Amazon)

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MY MICHAEL GECZI REVIEWS

Killer Dead Victim Alive

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Review – Killer Dead Victim Alive by Michael Geczi @MichaelGeczi

Posted on December 20, 2023 by fundinmental

Amazon / Kindle Umlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I jumped between a three and a four rating for Killer Dead Victim Alive by Michael Geczi. I love serial killers…I mean reading about serial killers. But, that’s not all that drew me to the novel. A good title and the tropical content of the cover spoke to me.

We are on the beach near Santa Monica Pier and what do I spy? Why it’s Keith John Victor, serial killer. What??????

Mollie Granger and Greg Nichols, detectives in the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Santa Monica Police Department are on the case. Keith Victor had killed six people and a missing person, Chrissy Weeks, is attributed to him. Is she deal or alive? We shall see. And we do. She walks into the police department with a story that won’t hold water.

Mollie is hard working, has sharp instincts and is always asking questions. I loved this description from a colleague:

….her pupils were shaped like question marks because her eyes always “”looked like they wanted to now more.”

Her significant other, Gwen Seward, is an African America lawyer specializing in civil rights, while Mollie is a white police officer. Not only are they gay, but they will have to deal with racial differences and how they look at life. Many of Gwen’s clients have been profiled by police and the question remains…are the guilty or innocent?

The biggest question…who killed the serial killer? I quickly discovered who, but the motive remained hidden and I loved how Michael Geczi led me to the answer, step by step.

K J…hmmm. I wonder what part she plays in the abduction of the women and Chrissy. Her super power is being invisible, blending into the scenery, living in the shadows. How sad. Life has not been kind to K J and neither is Michael Geczi.

I love how some criminals think they are smarter than those out to catch them and I’m not sure what narcissistic game Chrissy is playing.

Funny what a small world we live in, with lines crisscrossing our lives, woven into a pattern not easily seen. Was it fate or Karma that brought Keith and Chrissy together?

Killer Dead Victim Alive by Michael Geczi was a wild ride. We got, not just one dysfunctional, dangerous villain, but two. Even when I think I know what’s going on Michael manages to pull a surprise out of his hat.

I didn’t get my hand on the first book in this series of books about serial killers, The Deadly Samaritan, but I hope to be there for the next one. Michael Geczi left the surprise ending open and I love it, so maybe….things are not always as they seem and our time in Santa Monica is not over.

GOODREADS BLURB

“Killer Dead, Victim Alive””If you’re a fan of Freida McFadden, David Baldacci, or Harlan Coben, you’ll find this book captivating and imaginative.”

The serial killer is dead; the expected seventh victim is alive, and the Santa Monica detectives and the FBI agents are shaking their heads.“Who-done-it” meets “why-done-it.” The A twisty mystery, spiked with psychological and cultural implications, all playing out in sun-drenched Santa Monica.Police Detectives Mollie Granger and Greg Nichols respond to a call near the world-famous pier. A dead male, shot in the forehead at close range, is posed in the sand. He’s Keith Victor, a serial killer who’s murdered six persons and kidnapped a possible seventh, Chrissy Weeks.Meanwhile, six miles away, Weeks walks into a police station, says, “I think you’ve been looking for me,” and claims Victor dropped her off outside an hour earlier. Quite the trick, given the coroner says Victor’s been dead for thirty-six hours. Weeks, a narcissist with a complex backstory, views most people as chess pieces to be played. And she’s playing at mega speed, even though her never-ending lies and moves – some of which backfire – quickly turn her into a suspect from a victim.The case comes at a difficult time for Granger, a middle-class white cop having relationship problems with Gwen Seward, a wealthy African-American civil rights attorney. They’ve drifted apart since the George Floyd murder shined a bright light on their differences and challenges. They’ve even tabled plans for marriage and kids.Granger focuses on Weeks even as she and Seward attempt to repair their relationship. In the process, the detective learns that families, love, truth, and understanding overcome personal and professional challenges and bring unexpected second chances.