Why Would You Write a Letter and Never Send It – Once Removed by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on July 16, 2016 by fundinmental

I first became familiar with Ken La Salle when I read his hilarious tale of Cookies: Sluts of the Snack World. As I read more of his work, I think there is no genre that he cannot conquer.

Now…I would like to share his latest: Once Removed by Ken La Salle.

The cover makes me curious, but also I begin to wonder…why were the letters hidden? Why were they never sent?

Let’s investigate further, shall we?

BLURB

You never really know a man… until he’s dead.

After Terence Montez dies in a seemingly incomprehensible suicide, his family is left to sort out the emptiness he leaves behind. Terry’s wife, Isabelle, however, wants nothing more than to return to her normal life. She wants to see her daughter, Iris, back to school and lose herself in her work.

And then, they find the first letter, a love letter Terry has left behind, stashed away with no apparent intention to be found.

One letter turns into two and three and more, each one a seemingly innocuous expression of love, each one hidden away in nooks and corners around the Montez home.

Once Isabelle and Iris see patterns in the letters, they begin to suspect a disturbing intention behind them all. Each new letter fuels the fire of mystery leading Isabelle and Iris across the suburbs and shopping malls of Orange County, California, where they uncover one incredible secret after another.

As the mystery slowly builds to its fiery conclusion, Isabelle discovers the horrible truth about a life she never knew and a death she could never fathom.

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE (From Amazon)

Author and Playwright, Ken La Salle grew up in Santa Ana, California and has remained in the surrounding area his entire life. He was raised with strong, blue collar roots, which have given him a progressive and environmentalist view. As a result, you’ll find many of his stories touching those areas both geographically and philosophically. His passion is intense humor, meaningful drama, and finding answers to the questions that define our lives.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Goodreads

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Cookies: Sluts of the Snack World

Heaven Enough

Wormfood Island

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Friday 56 #92 & BB #68 – The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King #StephenKing

Posted on July 15, 2016 by fundinmental

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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The Blue Angels are back in town and gearing up for the beach show this weekend. Mr Wonderful snuck off to practice without me and this is what he came home with.

Check it out!

Fat Albert is their support plane and starts off the show.

Flying over Pensacola Pier.

In Formation. I love that you can see them inside the jets.

I love the vapor running over the plane.

If you would like to see them in action, visit Fundimonium for more.

What have you been up to this week?

~~~

Are you a dragon lover?

I don’t think there is anyone that hasn’t heard of Stephen King, but have you read this epic fantasy of dragons, princes and evil wizards?

MY FRIDAY 56

In Peter’s cool gaze he saw the very possible derailment of all his plans and careful work. More and more Flagg came to believe that getting rid of Peter was a necessity.

(page65 in paperback)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a King with two sons.

Add me to Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB:

~~~

The cover above is for the paperback copy. The cover below is for the ebook copy.

Which cover do you like best? Why?

~~~

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
To see all my Review, go HERE.
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Teaser Tuesday #67 – The Ice Bridge @KathrynG64

Posted on May 2, 2016 by fundinmental

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TeaserTuesdays-ADailyRhythm3 Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of booksandabeat.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a prolific writer and likes her imagination run free through many genres. The Ice Bridge looks deliciously wicked and I am always game for ghost and murder on an island…any island. But this is an island I am familiar with, Mackinac Island. I am originally from Michigan and have visited the island, so this story is one on my must read list. I never did see any ghosts or a murder, but it could have happened. 😈

I love the cover with the big splat of blood. I wonder where it came from, don’t you?

Add me to Goodreads

MY TEASE

Hannah, where are you? What’s happened to you? Please God, let her be okay.

(42% in Kindle)

GOODREADS BLURB

She’ll fall in love again…with a man and the island. Charlotte returns to her Aunt Bess and Mackinac Island, a quaint retreat that welcomes summer tourists and allows no cars to renew herself and write about the island’s ghosts.She’s come to help Bess with her heartache, an ended love with Shaun, and to renew a friendship with neighbor Hannah. In winter Mackinac closes down and everyone looks forward to the ice bridge that freezes across the Straits of Mackinac. Until Hannah disappears into the icy waters crossing it.Everyone says it’s an accident. But Charlotte and her admirer cop friend, Mac, don’t think so. Something isn’t right. Hannah was too smart to go off the path. So it’s murder…but why…how…by whom?In the end, it’s Mac-and perhaps Hannah’s ghost-who saves Charlotte and Bess’s lives when the killer decides they’re too close to the truth and tries to kill them, too.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
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Friday 56 #82 & BB #58 – The Pardon by James Grippando

Posted on April 29, 2016 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

Next up on the shelf is The Pardon by James Grippando.

MY FRIDAY 56

“The why’d you hire me?”

Neil smiled wryly. “Because you were the son of Harold Swyteck. And I could think of no better way to piss of the future law-and-order governor than to have his son come work for a long-haired leftover from a lost generation.

(page 56 in paperback)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

The vigil had begun at dusk, and it would last all night. Clouds had moved in after midnight, blocking out the full moon. It was as if heaven had closed its omniscient eye in sorrow or just plain indifference. Another six hours of darkness and waiting and the red morning sun would rise over the pine trees and palms of northeast Florida. Then, at precisely 7:00 AM, Raul Fernandez would be put to death.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

In this stunning debut novel, which combines the breakneck pace of John Grisham’s “The Firm” with the murderous suspense of James Patterson’s “Along Came a Spider,” an estranged father and son must find common ground to survive the machinations of a psychopath bent on serving his own twisted vision of justice.

~~~

None of the available covers match my paperback.

I am a “cover girl”.

Which cover do you like best?

~~~

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Review & Giveaway – The Ebola Game by Glenn Shepard

Posted on April 14, 2016 by fundinmental

The Ebola Game

by Glenn Shepard

on Tour April 2016

MY REVIEW

This is the third book in the Dr Scott James Thriller series. I have not read the first book in the series, but if you are just starting out, I would recommend beginning the series with Book I, The Missile Game.

I have been following Dr Scott James journey through hell and the action never stops in this horrific tale of zombies, terrorists, kidnapping and plague.

I am familiar with the characters and wonder what Glenn Shepard will do to them in The Ebola Game, which starts out with a bang…I mean a huge explosion at the hospital where Dr Scott James works. The bomb brought more than an explosion, it brought the Ebola virus. At the same time, a threat is delivered to Elizabeth at their home.

I found myself confused at times. I would have loved the story to be fleshed out. I think I needed more to fill in some of the blanks and add to the suspense.

I love James and Elizabeth, and especially JakJak. They all go above and beyond the doctor’s oath, putting their lives on the line to save the world. I love the twisted ending that leaves the story wide open for the next book.

I received a copy of The Ebola Game by Glenn Shepard in return for an honest review.

3 Stars

ISIS terrorists are trying to start an Ebola epidemic in America.

Only Scott James is immune.

“The Ebola Game just keeps coming at you and at you. Incredible.” -John Haslett

A BOMB

A bomb explodes at a local hospital.

A DOCTOR

Dr. Scott James must race through twists and turns to find a cure for a deadly biological weapon.

A PATHOGEN

A quarantined group of people await Dr. James’ help.

SANFIA, VODOUN BOKOR

Sanfia is the most powerful Vodoun priestess in Haiti. She may have the cure.

ELIZABETH, THE WILDCARD

Beautiful Elizabeth is one of the most notorious freelance operatives in the world. Scott James will need her unique genius to stop the epidemic.

“Scott, a biological weapon just exploded on your doorstep. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery/Suspense, Medical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Published by: Mystery House

Publication Date: Jan 2016

Number of Pages: 205

ISBN: 0997134917 (ISBN-13: 978-0997134919)

Series: The Dr. Scott James Thriller Series, 3rd (Each is a Stand Alone Novel)

Purchase Links:

Read an excerpt:

Conference Room
Hospital Administrator’s Offices
9:30 a.m.

Dr. Reed called and said that he wanted to update hospital leaders on his team’s findings and give further instructions. I called the operator and had her contact the Executive Committee, a governing body comprised of the department heads, committee chairmen, and all the assistant hospital administrators quarantined in the hospital. The group assembled within fifteen minutes. The two from the CDC were the only ones in the room in hazmat suits and helmets.

Dr. Reed gave his report: “Ebola virus was definitively diagnosed by electron microscopy.”

Everyone groaned, even though they knew before this report came in that it was Ebola. Then, he gave what he called the “good news.” The vast majority of the patients who had been in the hospital at the time of the explosion, as well as most of the doctors, nurses, and people in maintenance and facilities, were not exposed and could be released from quarantine to return to their homes. I began to applaud and the other members of the executive committee followed.

Reed was resuming his talk when my telephone rang. I looked to see that the caller was the Mayor’s Office. I answered in a quiet voice, “Dr. James.”

It was Mayor LaShaun Washington. “I know you are in a meeting with Dr. Reed and your staff. I’m going to call back in a minute on Skype so I can teleconference with your entire group.”

I paused for a moment to comprehend his demand, and hung up. I opened Skype on my computer. The large screen at the end of conference room went from black to a picture of Mayor Washington and a group of people sitting at a conference table.

The Mayor spoke: “Dr. James, you will recognize everyone in my panel, the Jackson City City Council, and of course the City Attorney, Ms. Marks.

“Dr. James. This conference is called into emergency session. Now, let’s get right to the point: Dr. James, did you receive a message from a terrorist group that mentioned ‘Ebola?’”

“What?”

“Dr. James: Did you, or did you not, receive a message from a known terrorist organization in the last twenty-four hours? The Jackson City Police have the article in their possession. You are a terrorist. You affiliate with terrorists, you’ve been the center of multiple attacks, and why the FBI has allowed you to carry on, purely in the interest of having another informant—”

“I am not a terrorist, sir!”

“Dr. James—you are out of order here. This is an emergency meeting. Let’s get to the second point, of which this body has just been informed: You are immune to Ebola. Is that correct?”

“What?”

Reed stepped forward and said through his mask, “We have not informed Dr. James of that yet. We just got the results. Frankly I’m a little shocked that you know.”

“I assure you Dr. Reed, this body will be involved in every aspect of this ongoing tragedy. Dr. James, we find it all just a little too convenient that the epidemic you have created here in the United States is something that you also just happen to be immune to—”

“I didn’t create anything!” I screamed. “What are you talking about! It’s Omar Farok! He’s doing all this!”

“Dr. James! That’s enough! That is enough! That is enough! Now … The FBI will be taking you into custody shortly. We are cooperating thoroughly in their investigation. This body is going to make sure that the federal authorities do the right thing and indict you for conspiracy. You are directly responsible for a number of terrorist attacks and your connection with certain cults is well known. The City Council has passed a binding resolution that relieves you of your position at The Jackson City Hospital. Permanently. We are also considering civil action against you and your group.”

“Why don’t you just banish me from the city! You’re a dictator, right?”

“Dr. James.”

“Just throw me out of my own home! You are a dictator, right?”

“Dr. James. That’s enough.”

I turned and looked at the scornful stares of my hospital staff. Many of these doctors had been my friends for many years. I had grown up with so many of them. But no one spoke a word in my defense.

Author Bio:

Glenn Shepard’s first novel, Surge, was written while he was still a surgical resident at Vanderbilt. In the following years he wrote The Hart Virus, a one-thousand-page epic about the AIDS crisis, as well as three other novels. In 2012, he created “Dr. Scott James,” his Fugitive-like action-hero, and began publishing a series. The first volume of the Dr. Scott James series was The Missile Game, followed shortly afterward by The Zombie Game. The third of the series, The Ebola Game, is due out in December, 2015. Though the books contain many of the same characters, they don’t have to be read in order. Each can be read as a stand-alone.

Learn More About Glenn:

Tour Participants:

Don’t Miss Your Chance To Win The Ebola Game:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Glenn Shepard. There will be 2 US winners of one (1) eBook copy of The Ebola Game by Glenn Shepard. The giveaway begins on April 1st and runs through April 30th, 2016.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
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Friday 56 #76 & BB #52 – Deep Water by S V Date

Posted on March 18, 2016 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

Next up on the shelf is Deep Water by S V Date, author of Smokeout.

No question, I grabbed this because of the cover…and title!

Book design by Meighan Cavanaugh

MY FRIDAY 56

“Oh, right,” Armstrong agreed. “They contract for their own police and fire protection, they can build their own airport, without state approval, or set up their own power grid or even build a nuclear power plant. They sure as hell don’t have to let me monitor their environmental compliance. They do, though, have to follow the general laws of Florida. So if I can show they’re violating water-quality laws, I can get a subpoena and bust ’em. I’m waiting on some water samples from a CI. If they show what I think they’ll show, then I can leak you the whole kit and caboodle You put it in the paper.”

(page 56 in hardcover)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

The blue sea kayak glided silently through tea-colored water as Irlo “Bobby” King let the paddle rest against his chest. Somewhere in the thick morning mist, not so far ahead now, was the lone acacia tree that, according to his earlier reconnaissance, marked the southern boundary of Africaland.

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

Smokeout’s bitingly entertaining portrait of a misbehaving Florida state legislature drew raves for both its inventiveness and timeliness, and the Providence Journal declared, “Carl Hiaasen may have an heir apparent.” Now, Date takes out after another cherished state institution, and the results are every bit as subversive.

In the “ideal” designed community of Serenity, Florida, pride of the late theme-park king Waldo Whipple, things are far from ideal. The houses are listing, the regulations are onerous, the mayor is lecherous, and the occasional Wild Dominion animal has started turning up dead. Graffiti is sprouting in odd places-“Serenityites Arise!” and “WWWS: What Would Waldo Say?”-and when a reporter begins poking around, he quickly discovers that Waldo’s successors have a decidedly different vision for America’s Hometown-and if certain people don’t stop interfering with it, animals won’t be the only things that start turning up dead. . . .

Filled with wicked humor and razor-sharp plotting, Deep Water is delightfully twisted-and maybe more plausible than any of us would like to think.

~~~

I am a “cover girl”.

What do you like or dislike about the cover?

~~~

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
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Monday Mini Review – Blindsighted by @SlaughterKarin

Posted on March 14, 2016 by fundinmental

Karin Slaughter is a thriller and suspense writer that I have been reading for years and Blindsighted amazed and thrilled me beyond my expectations.

Blindsighted is the first book of her new The Grant County Thriller Series. I look forward to reading many more.

MY REVIEW

Blindsighted begins in a small Georgia town when a college professor is found murdered.

WOW! The level of violence and depravity of the villain filled me with anger and disgust, yet the writing drew me in…deeper and deeper.

I love Sara, but her character is predictable, whereas Lena captivated me with her independence, strength and inability to let her defenses down and let people close. Sara is a pediatrician and and coroner. I love the “Bones” aspect, there is room for more than one.

The flawed, realistic characters are ones I want to meet…again and again.

The mystery and suspense builds, making it hard to put the book down…

Blindsighted is the first book of her new The Grant County Thriller Series. I look forward to reading many more.

5 Stars

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.
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Monday Mini – Danger in the Shadows #DeeHenderson

Posted on February 22, 2016 by fundinmental

Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson is a prequel to the O’Malley Series, and all I can say is WOW! If this is the kickoff, I can hardly wait to continue.

Such a simple cover for a not so simple story.

I won this book in a giveaway. Lucky me.

MY REVIEW

Are you afraid of the dark?

Sara is terrified!

The suspense is high from the opening pages of Dangers in the Shadow by Dee Henderson. Romance is budding…and the mystery of her stalker hangs over her head.

Imagine…security, changing your routines every time you walk out the door,constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering if today would be the day…

Dee Henderson’s writing makes me able to see and feel Sara’s terror. I love that she also writes lovely picture books for children and is a bestselling author for novels of murdered children. I think it shows her wonderful ability to shift focus from the good to the bad.

Dangers in the Shadows is an inspirational suspense novel that did it’s job well. I kept waiting for IT to happen. I know it has to!

The romance was slow to develop, just like most real life instances. This read as if it could be a true story and if you are a suspense/thriller lover, like me, you won’t want to miss Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson.

4 Stars

BLURB

From Goodreads: Sara is terrified. She’s doing the one thing she cannot afford to do: fall in love with former pro-football player Adam Black, a man everyone knows. Sara’s been hidden away in the witness protection program, her safety dependent on staying invisible—and loving Adam could get her killed! Introducing the O’Malleys, an inspirational group of seven, all abandoned or orphaned as teens, who have made the choice to become a loyal and committed family. They have chosen their own surname, O’Malley, and have stood by each other through moments of joy and heartache. Their stories are told in CBA best-selling, inspirational romantic suspense novels that rock your heart and restore strength and hope to your spirit.

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I am a “cover girl”.

Cover design by Ron Kaufmann and Dean H Renniger

What do you think?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

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

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Friday 56 #71 & BB #47 – Fountain Society @wescraven

Posted on February 12, 2016 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~Next up on the list is Fountain Society by Wes Craven.

Wes Craven also directed Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Will Fountain Society scare your pants off?

The hardcover is super cool.

The man’s head is three dimensional, making it super creepy.

MY FRIDAY 56

“Maybe not,” said the banker. “You’ll have a club in your hands then and you’ll be twice as dangerous.”

(page 56 in hardcover)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

The cell held fifteen men. It was ten by twelve and stank of sweat, filth and fear. The only amenity offered was a hole in the center of the concrete floor which served as a toilet.

Why they are in the cell, I can’t tell ya.

GOODREADS BLURB

The brilliant Dr. Peter Jance, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, is only weeks away from succumbing to cancer. But a top-secret government organization known as the Fountain Society gives Peter a new lease on life by transplanting his brain into the body of his much younger clone. When the brand-new Peter becomes disgusted with the immorality of the project and wants out, he finds himself on the run for his very life.

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I am a “cover girl”.

Jacket Design by Timothy Hsu and Jackie Seow

What does the cover say to you? I shared two, which do you like the best?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

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Friday 56 #70 & BB #46 – The Scarpetta Factor @1pcornwell

Posted on February 5, 2016 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

Next up on the list is The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell.

I have been a huge fan of Patricia’s for many years and I couldn’t resist grabbing this. I cannot give it a rating because, quite frankly, I read it some time ago.

There are so many books and so little time, whether I will reread this again or not…

MY FRIDAY 56

The card’s red envelope was blank, nothing on it, not Benton’s name or Scarpetta’s or Dodie Hodge’s.

(page 56 in hardcover)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

A frigid wind gusted in from the East River, snatching at Dr Kay Scarpetta’s coat as she walked quickly along 30th Street.

I must say, I am disappointed that neither the 56 or the book’s beginning did anything for me, but here they are. I hope you will check it out anyway.

GOODREADS BLURB

It is the week before Christmas. A tanking economy has prompted Dr. Kay Scarpetta-despite her busy schedule and her continuing work as the senior forensic analyst for CNN- to offer her services pro bono to New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In no time at all, her increased visibility seems to precipitate a string of unexpected and unsettling events. She is asked live on the air about the sensational case of Hannah Starr, who has vanished and is presumed dead. Moments later during the same telecast, she receives a startling call-in from a former psychiatric patient of Benton Wesley’s. When she returns after the show to the apartment where she and Benton live, she finds an ominous package-possibly a bomb-waiting for her at the front desk. Soon the apparent threat on Scarpetta’s life finds her embroiled in a surreal plot that includes a famous actor accused of an unthinkable sex crime and the disappearance of a beautiful millionairess with whom Lucy seems to have shared a secret past.

Scarpetta’s CNN producer wants her to launch a TV show called The Scarpetta Factor. Given the bizarre events already in play, she fears that her growing fame will generate the illusion that she has a “special factor,” a mythical ability to solve all her cases. She wonders if she will end up like other TV personalities: her own stereotype.

The Scarpetta Factor, the seventeenth in the series, finds the familiar cast of characters together again in New York. Marino is working for the NYPD; Benton Wesley uses his forensic psychological expertise at Kirby and Bellevue; and Lucy continues to dazzle with her expertise in forensic computer investigations as she works yet another case with NY prosecutor Jaime Berger.

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I am a “cover girl”.

Jacket Design by Richard Hasselberger

What does the cover say to you?
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