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Scream by Scream by
Mark Stone thinks his biggest problem is finding a way to reconcile with his estranged wife. That is until he hears screams during a phone conversation with his friend. Not the ear piercing high mewls...
Blood Brothers by Blood Brothers by
Blood Brothers is Rick Acker’s sequel to Deadman’s Rule where attorney Ben Corbin finds himself in the middle of a high stakes battle between brothers Karl and Gunnar Bjornsen. Once partners in Bjornsen...
By Reason Of Insanity by By Reason Of Insanity by
By Reason of Insanity opens with a series of kidnappings and murders in Virginia Beach where Catherine O’Rourke, reporter for The Tidewater Times, captivates her audience with breaking information...

Action filled, Germ keeps readers on the edge of their seat. | Posted January-08-2009
Imagine the Ebola virus spreading like the flu, then add a twist. The virus was programmed to hunt you down and kill you by targeting your DNA. And if not you, then thousands around you.

Robert Liparulo not only imagined this scenario, but entertains us with a fast moving thriller filled with the gruesome details of what such a virus could do in the hands of the wrong people.

The book follows FBI investigator Julia Matheson with the help of Dr. Allen Parker as she traces the virus to it’s origin. She must stop this deadly problem before it stops her or worse yet, a terrorist group unleashes it in an attack we could only imagine in our worst nightmares.

If you can get past the gruesome opening chapter, and I hope you do, the book will keep you mesmerized. Action filled, Germ keeps readers on the edge of their seat. Liparulo provides technical details to make the plot believable yet keeps it entertaining. He tosses twists and turns in when you least expect them and keeps the story moving at a fast pace. Strong dialogue rounds out this novel and makes it a keeper.


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Robert Liparulo does what he does best in Deadfall: creates a mind-bending thriller that doesn’t stop until the last page. | Posted January-08-2009
In Deadfall, a psychopathic terrorist with a stolen, ultra-sophisticated laser weapon sets out to wreak havoc on the innocent small town of Fiddler Falls in the Canadian wilderness. Selected for the remote and at times of the year, unreachable location, Fiddler Falls is easily controlled by Declan Gabriel Page, his laser weapon, and his band of oddball associates including his fifteen-year-old little brother.

At the same time, four businessmen, escaping their own turmoil back home, set off for a vacation very near Fiddler Falls. Expecting the quiet and solitude to refresh and renew their spirits they soon find themselves not only running from the same weapon, but faced with the decision to stay and help the residents of Fiddler Falls, or flee to save themselves. Though they don’t know it at the time, their decision could well decide the fate of the entire town of Fiddler Falls.

In true Robert Liparulo form, Deadfall opens with a gory scene that burns an unforgettable picture in your brain, one that repels you at first, but then compels you to read the book, hoping that the perpetrator of the ugly evil is eradicated or at the very least contained. From that point on, the characters engaged in nonstop action carry the book to the conclusion, while the reader hopes for a positive outcome but doesn’t discover until the very end whether Liparulo gives him one or not.

Deadfall succeeds as a thriller in that Liparulo makes the reader believe that his horrifying, truly unbelievable scenario really could happen. And not just happen anywhere or to anyone, but could one day appear in your neighborhood if not stopped. The reader has a vested interest in bringing the ‘bad guys’ to justice.

Don’t expect Deadfall to race to the end like Germ, instead slow down and savor Liparulo’s characters and their interactions on the journey. It is through these everyday characters and their personal struggles that he connects with the reader. You find yourself rooting for the ‘good guys’ to overcome and lament with them in their setbacks. You also find yourself waiting not so patiently for Declan’s evil band of warriors to wise up, to tire of his insanity, and to mutiny.

But do they mutiny? Do the ‘good guys’ win in the end? Are the residents of Fiddler Falls saved or does evil prevail? You’ll have to pick up a copy of Deadfall to answer these questions, but when you do be prepared for that Liparulo signature first chapter and a book that won’t let you put it down.


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A must read | Posted January-08-2009

Demon: A Memoir is the first work of fiction by Tosca Lee. In Demon, book editor Clay comes face to face with a fallen angel named Lucian. Lucian wanting to tell his story, chooses Clay who is hungry to write a best selling novel and sets upon him like the plague.
Lucian appears before Clay whenever and wherever he chooses, sometimes pre-warning Clay through the use of his computer calendar program and sometimes appearing where Clay least expects him. Lucian not only surprises Clay, but as a shape shifter of sorts, he takes on different human forms for every interaction so Clay can never recognize Lucian by sight.

As the story unfolds, Clay literally lives to hear Lucian tell his story of the angels fall from grace and the motivation behind demons in our world today—lives to get Lucian’s story on paper and in print, bringing fame and fortune to himself. Clay loses focus, forgets about his job, his life and finds himself adrift and failing in the game of life. Soon, Lucian’s story becomes Clay’s story, the very ending holding the potential to affect Clay’s eternal life.

Demon is one Christian novel that has generated many reviews touting the book. Terms like unique, a work of art, stunning, original, and mind-twisting are bandied about. Though Tosca Lee must appreciate and enjoy these reviews, not having read Demon myself, I imagined how this praise might work against her. Before I even opened the cover of Demon, the book had so much to live up to that I didn’t think it could possibly climb even half the length of the ladder of praise.

So with an open mind, I started Demon. I hadn’t finished the first chapter before I admired the strong prose—Lee’s wonderful way with words. As a writer, I appreciated the quality of her writing, her unique turn of a phrase. The story was unique not one to be found on the shelves in current Christian fiction.

But did the book live up to its press?

Yes, I have to say it lived up to and in one aspect even surpassed the reviews I’ve read. It wasn’t the superb writing, the pacing, or even the creativity that made Demon a winner for me, but it was the contemplative message that set my mind in motion and even months later continues to wrestle with the spiritual truths portrayed through this work of fiction. So if you want to read a well crafted novel that leaves you no option but to ponder the meaning of life, this is the novel for you.





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This is an author who never disappoints | Posted January-08-2009
Jake Williams to wakes up one critical morning during Spring Break with in his car, his clothes bloodied, and a gun on the floor. Jake doesn’t remember how he got there and wills it out of his mind. But do his college buddies follow suit or do they carry the truth away at graduation? That’s the question Jake seeks an answer for as he takes on the mission of finding his school buddy, Alec, who’s disappeared with a wealthy businessman’s daughter.
In present time, we follow a concise timeline to meet the buddies that Jake ran with in college. He seeks them out one by one to discover if anyone has heard from Alec. Thrasher alternates this present time hunt with a detailed look at the past where Thrasher reveals Jakes fun-seeking senior year, building up chapter by chapter to the fateful bloody morning.
Thrasher uses changes in point of view to differentiate between the time periods. I have to admit the change in POV caught me off guard. I enjoy reading first person and when Thrasher switched to third person, I had to remind myself that Jake was not speaking about himself in the third person, a dorky trait to be sure. But it was worth the effort to lay the changes aside and immerse myself in the plot, which for the most part moves along and definitely reaches a surprising yet satisfying ending.
Mystery aside, Thrasher uses real life, real people to draw the reader in. His characters are appealing and quirky. He shows us that those who think they have everything in their spiritual lives figured out often end up in the same throws of uncertainty as those who toss their faith aside for a time and reclaim it when life throws a curveball; that few of us ever figure it out, ever attain a level of spiritual trust that gives us ultimate peace 365 days per year.
For me the spiritual take away is, live real, live honest, but live for God. If you do, you’ll provide a much more compelling witness than if you profess to have it all together. God can use your failures, your mistakes, and ultimately your new life in Christ to bring others close to him.
I highly recommend this book.


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I loved this book | Posted January-08-2009
Lorena McCourtney’s latest character Andi McConnell bursts onto the fiction scene in Your Chariot Awaits. As the book opens, Andi turns sixty, loses her job at the local insurance company due to a merger, and breaks up with her boyfriend. Oh, and if that isn’t enough to make any woman seek her bed with a box of bonbons and a chick flick, Andi inherits a shiny limousine from her uncle and before she can decide what to do with it, a dead body is found in the truck. Not just any body, but that of her recently estranged boyfriend, Jerry who she threatened with a shovel in front of her neighbors.

Andi soon becomes a prime suspect in the murder and has no choice but to investigate to clear her name. She teams up with her new acquaintance and potential future love interest, Fitz. Though Fitz’s more than willing to help Andi solve the murder, his only qualification for the job is the role of a detective that he played on an old television show. What follows is a bumbling search for the killer, leaving you laughing and smiling all the way through.

Though Andi is older than many protagonists in today’s fiction market, McCourtney writes Andi in a way that all generations of readers can relate to her. She’s spunky, vulnerable, and shares the same fears we all deal with everyday. Even I, an avowed computer nerd, embraced the woman who doesn’t own even one computer. Really. Not one.

In addition to the fun read and enjoyable characters, McCourtney weaves in a strong spiritual message. She exposes the non-believer Andi to Christianity through a warm, pregnant twenty-something neighbor who encourages but never preaches. And, the unlikely friendship between the two women is believably written and natural despite the years difference in age.

So if you’re looking for a well written cozy mystery, one that makes you laugh and smile, pick up McCourtney’s Your Chariot Awaits. You won’t be disappointed.



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Bestselling author, Steven James has mastered the thriller, and with only two fiction books under his belt, has surpassed many of the big name thriller authors. | Posted January-08-2009

As in The Pawn, The Rook finds FBI geographic profiler Patrick Bowers hot on a serial case, this one seemingly involving only arson. But before long the stakes ratchet up to include kidnapping, suicide, murder, taunting video tapes, a challenging deadline, and a serial killer of surprising identity. And fueling it all is a biotech weapon, one of the world’s most deadly devices and one of the military’s darkest secrets. I want to give you more specifics about the plot, but I am forcing myself to stop here as I don’t want to ruin the page turning surprises you will encounter in this almost five hundred page thrill ride.

Bestselling author, Steven James has mastered the thriller, and with only two fiction books under his belt, has surpassed many of the big name thriller authors. Clearly James understands the concept of the BIG novel as in both The Pawn and The Rook, you couldn’t ask for a more aggressive, big, and I mean really big plot. As a writer I admire his ability to think on such a high level, his unique plot lines, and his diligent research.

Equally important as the race to the end plot are the characters James has richly developed. My favorite parts of the book involve the interplay between Tessa and Patrick. James gave us a glimpse of this tumultuous relationship in The Pawn, but in The Rook, Tessa is more of a starring player. James has captured the wit, sarcasm, and emotions of a teenager, though I have to say, Tessa like everything else in this book is not what she seems on the surface.

I am one of the plethora of readers who loved The Pawn, but before I read The Rook I had the chance to sit down with Steven James for an interview. As the book unfolded and the plot built, I kept remembering what he told me in the interview—all the technology he expertly used in The Rook exists today and all that is left is for someone to put it together and make the weapon. Wow, did this up the thrill of reading the book for me. And hopefully it will for you as you listen to my INTERVIEW with Steven James.







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Christy Barritt pens a quirky mystery to die for | Posted January-08-2009
A crime scene cleaner who wants to be a forensic scientist.
A hidden gun that only a tenacious cleaner can find.
Repeated attempts on the cleaner’s life.

Add these together with a witty and fun personality and you have Gabby St. Claire the protagonist in Hazardous Duty, as she sets out to solve the murder of a politician’s wife. A murder the police believe has already been solved and a murder they ask Gabby to keep her nose out of. But Gabby not only doesn’t keep her nose out of it, she sinks into solving the murder until she’s up to her eyeballs in danger.

Captivating, entertaining, and downright funny, this book will keep you reading until the satisfying ending. Unique characters capture your heart and have you rooting for them from the beginning. Gabby St. Claire is truly a breath of fresh air.

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One of my 2008 favorites!! | Posted January-08-2009



In Suspicious Minds crime scene cleaner Gabby St. Clair is back, larger than life and up to her cleaning eyeballs in another murder. Not only do we get to see the quirky yet lovable Gabby again, but the cast of oddball neighbors hold starring roles in the book as well. Add a new love interest in the form of surfer dude, Chad Davis and you’ve got a zany mystery that no one could resist.



I certainly couldn’t. I zipped through the fun murder mystery in a night and sat forlornly waiting for another. What? Murder fun? If you think murder can’t be a hoot, Barritt proves you wrong when Gabby branches out from crime scene cleaning to crawl space mold remediation. But the moldiest thing she discovers in the disgusting spider infested space is the body of Elvis. Yes, Elvis. A tribute artist, that is.




Gabby, the wannabe forensic investigator and soon to be one if she finishes college, can’t help but investigate the murder. And if that isn’t enough to keep her busy, one Chad Davis surfer and retired morgue attendant turned crime scene cleaner gives Gabby a run for her cleaning business.




Suspicious Minds is the second book in The Squeaky Clean Mystery series from Christy Barritt. Barritt has penned a terrific second novel that combines a strong mystery, boat loads of humor, and romance. Gabby is a loveable, witty, and caring character. But Barritt doesn’t leave us merely with a fun read, she brings non-Christian (Gabby is gonna get me for this) closer to faith and along the way shows believers how they might be misconstrued by seekers. And there’s a more serious thread about loneliness running through the book as well.




Please run, don’t walk to your nearest book store and pick up Suspicious Minds and if you haven’t read Hazardous Duty, the first in the series, snatch up one of those as well. You’ll race right through them and like me, sit in longing for the third book.







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Linda Hall has provided her faithful readers with a novel rich in descriptions, filled with real and unique characters, and a mystery that keeps you turning the pages. | Posted January-08-2009
Black Ice, the second book in the Fog Point Series brings back Fog Point’s quirky cast of characters that we all came to care about in Dark Water. Black Ice opens with Fog Points’ local busybody Lenore Featherjohn’s discovery of a young girl frozen outside her bed and breakfast entrance. Fearing her sons involvement in the murder of this unknown girl, Lenore moves the body, and positions the girl’s hands together as if in prayer. Lenore’s decision to alter the body’s location and position the hands fuels the local gossip and draws media attention, as they ask, are the folded hands a sign that she is an angel? Does she have mysterious healing powers? Who is she? Who killed her and why?



Thus begins a mystery that involves a cast of thoroughly developed Fog Point characters that includes the resident minister, his wife, and his adopted daughter, along with the local PI team of Jake Rikker and May Williams. But Hall doesn’t stop with the locals, as she delves into the girl’s past and through varied points of view she brings us characters who unravel the far reaching mystery.



A fan of Linda Hall’s writing for years, it wasn’t difficult for me to thoroughly enjoy Black Ice. I am drawn to Hall’s work because of her rich characters and her ability to engage them in fast moving yet intricate plots. Black Ice is no exception. Hall breaks the stereotype of a minister’s wife with Amy who battles her burgeoning unbelief and gives us a glimpse into the real life of a minister’s wife. Hall takes Lenore Featherjohn, a woman who would fall under the ‘extra grace required’ category, and shows us what God sees in her, reminds us that no one is unimportant to God. All in all, Hall provides us with real people faced with real problems who happen to be caught up in a mystery that needs solving.



Though you don’t need to read Dark Water to understand Black Ice, you might want to pick up Dark Water first so you can enjoy the books in the order Hall has released them. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.





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If you love Romantic Suspense, with the October release of Shadows in the Mirror you have cause to celebrate. | Posted January-08-2009
Multi-published author Linda Hall pens her first Romantic Suspense title, Shadows in the Mirror where we join Marylee Simson after she's moved back to what she thinks is her home town of Burlington to learn more about her past.



As a young child, Marylee's parents died in a mysterious car accident and she relocated to Portland, Or with her Aunt Rose who had until the day she died, remained secretive about the details of the accident. So secretive and worried that someone might be after Marylee, that she warned her never to return to Burlington, no matter what.



Needing to discover who she really is, Marylee ignores Aunt Rose's advice and moves to Burlington where she takes over the local craft shop. With only one clue in her possession, a photo of her parents, she also begins her search for the truth behind their death and clues to her heritage. Marylee starts her search by showing the picture to local residents setting off a chain reaction that ends with Marylee's very life in danger. Still, Marylee persists and gains the help of photographer Evan Baxter who she reluctantly falls for along the journey of discovery.



A huge fan of Linda Hall's work, I was uncertain why she would want to branch out in her writing when I'd already enjoyed all of her published novels. I said to myself when the book arrived, "Why, Linda? Why change a good thing?" Still, I put aside my skepticism over her change and read the book as I would any other of her works.



And I'm glad I did. In Shadows in the Mirror, Hall has done an excellent job or marrying her skills in character development and suspenseful plots with a strong romance element. Shadows in the Mirror provided me with a fast moving, yet intriguing mystery to keep me reading until the very last page and yet provided just the right amount of romance to satisfy the Romantic Suspense reader but not overpower the work for others.



So, I say to Linda, it's okay if you chose to change, even without asking me, LOL, and I say to the readers, if you love Romantic Suspense, with the October release of Shadows in the Mirror you have cause to celebrate, as another strong Romantic Suspense author has been added to the must read list.




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