If you are looking for a fabulous and informative crime and thriller blog to follow, look no further. I have been a follower of Sue Coletta’s for some time now, so I was super excited to get my hands on Marred and Cleaved.
I just finished MARRED and it blew me away, so there was no way I was going to wait to read CLEAVED. I have to have more!
I love anything to do with water, and when I saw the Marine Patrol and Fish & Game would be involved, I became even more excited. I know what water can do to a dead body and I’m looking forward to finding out who put it there.
Sue starts her books out with a bang and I am gasping for breath right along with Sage. Then, Sue takes it to an even darker place and I excited to see how it will play out.
I feel as if the characters have become my friends and I worry for them as the serial killer adds body after body and the action continues non stop.
Sage has great instincts and after all she has been through, she listens to them.
Frankie has become my favorite character. She is humorous, brash, dresses as if she’s going out on the town instead of to a crime scene, hates authority and is quick with a sharp retort. Niko doesn’t think she would be good as the Sheriff because of these faults, so he is constantly grooming someone else to take his place when he quits.
Niko’s team has a Keystone Kop, Mayberry feel to them, but they are coming together, making constant progress.
The serial killer is back with a vengeance and I wonder if it is the same one…or is there more than one.
Sue Coletta takes us to a very dark place with a kidnapping that would make any of us cringe and rage at the villain and the world.
I love how creative Sue is in coming up with new ways for the serial killer to torture and kill his victims, really making them suffer and beg for death. She never thinks the evil is bad enough, so she piles on more and more and more…
Her ability to create so much tension and angst, at times left me white knuckled, gripping my Kindle so tight my hands hurt, making me want to reach through the screen and take matters into my own hands.
I voluntarily reviewed Marred by Sue Coletta.
5 STARS
Author Sage Quintano writes about crime. Her husband Niko investigates it.
Together they make an unstoppable team. But no one counted on a
twisted serial killer, who stalks their sleepy community, uproots
their happy home, and splits the threads that bonds their family
unit.
Darkness swallows the Quintanos whole—ensnared by a ruthless killer out for
blood. Why he focused on Sage remains a mystery, but he won’t stop
till she dies like the others.
Women impaled by deer antlers, bodies encased in oil drums, nursery rhymes,
and the Suicide King. What connects these cryptic clues? For Sage and
Niko, the truth may be more terrifying than they ever imagined.
Marred by Sue Coletta starts out with a baby’s funeral and a severely broken woman who is pissed off at herself and the world because of it. I can’t help but wonder WHY.
Sage is broken in more ways than one…blaming herself for her unborn baby’s death even though she had been tortured by a serial killer and was lucky to even be alive. She is MARRED for life and now I understand why.
NOW, he’s back, terrorizing her and she has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
I cannot imagine what she has been through, though Sue Coletta’s writing makes me become totally engrossed in her story, filled with details that draw a too vivid picture in my mind. I think it is time she takes matters into her own hands and let him know she will not cow down…this time. I love when the character has been through a traumatic, life changing experience, and the past comes back to haunt them, demanding they take action to defend themselves.
Sage is a bestselling author, writing crime novels, and this adds an extra element, making it even more interesting. Does her writing bring the killer even closer, thinking of her as a challenge? She keeps secrets, pushing people away, even keeping her husband at arm’s length. She writes about crime and her husband investigates the.
The murders are described in detail and they are brutal, savage. The more gruesome the better for me. LOL I guess I am a little twisted myself.
The body count rises.
I’m almost at 50% and I see what you are doing Sue. I know what you set me up for and I think it’s going to get ugly. I am pissed off at both of them for not communicating, but if they did we wouldn’t be in this dark place, with a sense of urgency and danger making me want to read faster and slower all at the same time, savoring the story.
There is a touch of the paranormal, rape, brutal and mind numbing torture. Why do women and society place blame on the vivctim, when it is the villain’s fault?
At times I am so angry with Niko that I want to reach into my Kindle and slap him upside the head, cuss him out, and tell him, “It’s not about YOU!”
Having a couple of critters adds another element that I love. They’d put their lives on the line for her.
Uh oh, I am glad that what I was thinking at 50% was wrong. Sue…you did a great job of yanking my chain and it takes a lot to lead me down the wrong path. Fabulous!
Deputy Sheriff Frankie, a female, is becoming a favorite character for me. To say she is rough around the edges is putting it mildly. She is aggressive and a bit raunchy, but I wouldn’t want any one else by my side in a time of crises.
WOW, Sue. You can sure spin a tale that has a lot of suspense that keeps my emotions raging as I struggle to take a calming breath before moving on to more of the same. You twisted and turned the story, keeping plenty of surprises coming my way.
Marred is the first book in the Grafton County series. One villain is taken care of, but you will want to read more of the series, because one remains.
I voluntarily reviewed Marred by Sue Coletta.
5 STARS
When a serial killer breaks into the home of bestselling author, Sage
Quintano, she barely escapes with her life. Her husband, Niko, a
homicide detective, insists they move to rural New Hampshire, where
he accepts a position as Grafton County Sheriff. Sage buries secrets
from that night—secrets she swears to take to her deathbed.
Three years of anguish and painful memories pass, and a grisly murder case
lands on Niko’s desk. A strange caller begins tormenting Sage—she
can’t outrun the past.
When Sage’s twin sister suddenly goes missing, Sage searches Niko’s
case files and discovers similarities to the Boston killer. A
sadistic psychopath is preying on innocent women, marring their
bodies in unspeakable ways. And now, he has her sister.
Cryptic clues. Hidden messages. Is the killer hinting at his identity? Or is
he trying to lure Sage into a deadly trap to end his reign of terror
with a matching set of corpses?
Member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International
Thriller Writers, Sue Coletta is an award-winning, multi-published
author in numerous anthologies and her forensics articles have
appeared in InSinC Quarterly. In addition to her popular crime
resource blog, Sue co-hosts the radio show “Partners In Crime”
on Writestream Radio Network every third Tuesday of the month from 1
– 3 p.m. EDT/EST (see details at www.suecoletta.com).
She’s also the communications manager for the Serial Killer Project
and Forensic Science, and founder of #ACrimeChat on Twitter.
She runs a popular crime website and blog, where she shares crime tips,
police jargon, the mind of serial killers, and anything and
everything in between. If you search her achieves, you’ll find posts
from guests that work in law enforcement, forensics, coroner,
undercover operatives, firearm experts…crime, crime, and more
crime.
For readers, she has the Crime Lover’s Lounge, where subscribers will be
the first to know about free giveaways, contests, and have inside
access to deleted scenes. As an added bonus, members get to play in
the lounge. Your secret code will unlock the virtual door. Inside,
like-minded folks discuss their favorite crime novels, solve
mindbender and mystery puzzles, and/or relax and chat. Most
importantly, everyone has a lot of fun.
Sue lives in northern New Hampshire with her husband, where her house is
surrounded by wildlife…bear, moose, deer, even mountain lions have
been spotted. Course, Sue would love to snuggle with them, but her
husband frowns on the idea.
I was one of the herd, led down the predictable path, forgetting to read between the lines…Slapped me in the face, woke me up!
The Roma Series continues in Corporate Citizen by Gabriel Valjan and I must say, this is the best one yet. We have action and murder from the opening pages.
I am so glad I stuck with this series. Gabriel Valjan’s writing style was difficult for me to read in the beginning, but now that we are on familiar ground it has become easier…more than that, it has become fantastic.
The complex characters have captured me as they struggle to have a normal life while solving dangerous mysteries. I am very concerned for all of them. I am afraid they may not all make it out of the book alive. Especially Nate, a new member of their team. What will become of him?
I am wondering who Loki really is…and the Magician? What are their objectives? Why are they feeding her info? And the bigger question…Is it good or bad?
Murder is always a component in the Roma series, but the conspiracy is what hooks me. Now…enter a designer drug…or two. Krokodiles. Barneys.
Bianca is the main character, but all the others are vital to the story. I do wonder if her love life will survive through all her and Dante’s trials and tribulations.
WOW. I am on page 236, approaching the end and everything is becoming clearer. I can see why things were so tangled and convoluted that I didn’t see where Gabriel Valjan was taking me.
I am thinking…I must reread this series and if you believe in conspiracies, like I do, and want to find out how misdirection and rogue government agents can affect your life, you will want to read this too!
Gabriel Valjan did an awesome job of leading me around in circles, so I didn’t see the outcome. I WAS one of the herd, led down the predictable path, forgetting to read between the lines. I was smacked in the face! Could this really happen? Is it happening now?
OMG…DAMMIT…I came to the end, but Bianca’s story is far from over. I’m ready for it! Where is it?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Corporate Citizen from Gabriel Valjan.
A call for help from an old friend lands Bianca and the crew back in Boston. On a timeout with Dante, due to revelations in the aftermath of the showdown in Naples, Bianca is drawn to a mysterious new ally who understands the traumas of her past, and has some very real trauma of his own. Murder, designer drugs, and a hacker named Magician challenge our team, and Bianca learns that leaving Rendition behind might be much harder than she thinks.
ABOUT GABRIEL VALJAN
Gabriel Valjan lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the Roma Series, available from Winter Goose Publishing. Gabriel has also written numerous short stories and essays found online and in print.
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.
~~~~~~
I have tried to come up with a way to make things simpler for myself when it comes to choosing my next novel to share. This is what I have come up with.
I am starting with the first author on *this* bookshelf and…
“Mr. Chau. Prepare to bring Sorceress online. Flood nutrient womb. Prepare bacteria for injection.”
SYNOPSIS
Commander Rochelle “Rocky” Jackson is aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan when the “unsinkable” naval vessel and its entire fleet are attacked from the depths and sunk. As Rocky struggles to stay alive, a monstrous mechanical steel stingray surfaces, plowing through the seas it now commands.
A U.S. Navy-designed futuristic nuclear stealth submarine the length of a football field in the shape of a giant stingray. Simon Covah, a brilliant scientist whose entire family were the victims of terrorism has hijacked the sub. Believing violence is a disease, Covah aims to use the Goliath and its cache of nuclear weapons to dictate policy to the world regarding the removal of oppressive regimes and nuclear weapons.
Could the threat of violence forge a lasting peace?
But there is another player in this life-and-death chess match. Unbeknownst to Covah and the Goliath crews, Sorceress, the Goliath’s biochemical computer brain has become self-aware.
And that computer brain is developing its own agenda.
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 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.
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?
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.
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