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 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 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...
Brandt Dodson keeps you reading through the night | Posted September-29-2008
The Lost Sheep by Brandt Dodson is the fourth book in his Colton Parker Mystery Series and the first Brandt Dodson book I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The book starts fast and builds speed along the way as private detective Colton Parker searches for his fifteen-year-old runaway daughter Callie. Though Callie leaves Parker a message not to look for her, Parker sees it as a plea to chase after her and he won’t rest until he brings her home.
Fearing that his daughter has become involved with prostitution, Parker follows his leads, journeys to Las Vegas and straight into the smarmy underworld of prostitution and the occult. Following clue after clue and with the help of a former brothel owner Marty and his girlfriend, FBI agent Mary Christopher, Parker takes the reader on a realistic journey through the side of Las Vegas that we seldom see or want to acknowledge.
Colton Parker, an ex cop with a hard-edged view of life, on the surface fits all the old stereotypes of a gumshoe. Unlike these stereotypes, Dodson gives Parker added dimension bringing out his struggle between doing the right and often legal thing or bringing his daughter home. As a reader, we can identify with this struggle, with his love for his daughter and we cheer for Parker even when he makes a bad choice.
But Dodson doesn’t stop here. He powerfully weaves a spiritual thread through the Las Vegas scenes, showing Parker how God never leaves The Lost Sheep. Though Vegas is an incredibly odd place to find such a thread, the setting makes the message so real, so practical to every person living, that Dodson successfully brings the message of salvation to everyone.
As I said, this is my first Brandt Dodson novel. Don’t know how I missed them in the past. I certainly won’t in the future. My only regret is that I didn’t start with the first novel in the series and work my way through them in chronological order. But even this won’t stop me from going back and enjoying the others. I hope we see many more Colton Parker novels in the future.
A debut thriller that has it all—excellent prose, characters and a spiritual message that stays with you when you put the book down, and a hair-raising plot to tie it all together. | Posted September-29-2008
Hide and seek an innocent game kids play, right? Right. Until a bizarre animal joins in the fun and viciously attacks one of the players. In The Hunted, young Caleb Sanders learns this lesson the hard way. He sneaks into an abandoned basement, the perfect place to hide from his buddies, and is brutally mauled by an unidentified animal. At first it appears as if he is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but soon you begin to ask if there is more to Caleb’s attack. Has God put him in the beast’s path for a special purpose? A purpose beyond belief and one that only Caleb’s uncle can figure out?
When Joe Sanders learns of his nephew’s attack, Joe rushes to Caleb’s side. The boy sinks into a coma and Joe vows to find the animal that hurt Caleb no matter the cost. But has Joe spoken too soon? Can he imagine the cost that will be exacted? Does he have the internal fortitude to confront his past, confront his guilt over his brother’s death, and finally unload his emotional baggage in time to save Caleb?
And just as important, how will he face the woman he’d left behind years ago without any explanation? Not that he has a choice. He has to see her again as she is now the Chief of Police for Dark Hills and is in charge of the investigation. In a search for the beast, Maggie and Joe are thrown together and buried feelings rise to the surface. But Maggie holds a secret that stands in the way of rekindling their relationship and in the way of finding the beast that is now attacking and killing other residents of the small town.
Can Joe unlock Maggie’s secret before other’s are killed? Can he find and stop the beast? And can he forgive himself and learn to trust God again, even when faced with his own mortality? Oh, and does Caleb survive—come out of his coma? These are all questions that you will want the answers to once to start reading The Hunted.
Mike Dellosso has penned a supernatural thriller that is as much spellbinding as it is a study in human frailties and the need for God. The plot is simple really—animal attacks, man searches for and hunts down animal. It is the powerful human struggles over faith, past mistakes, and forgiveness that really makes this a special book. One that even those who don’t enjoy supernatural stories should take the time to read.
Dellosso’s writing is strong, exceptional really, especially for a first book. His descriptions, similes and metaphors are unique and worth savoring. His characters are deep, have individual voices and are so real, you are certain that you personally know them by the time the story ends. And the author’s faith and relationship with God comes shining through in his characters.
When I read fiction, I read with two hats on. One a reader, the other a writer. It is not often when both sides are not only satisfied by a book, but excited about it as well. The Hunted is one of those rare books that met and exceeded the expectations of both sides. This is especially surprising as I never read supernatural stories. And for those of you out there who don’t read fantasy or visionary books because you can’t wrap your head around such a world, trust me. You can be a full-fledged skeptic and still enjoy The Hunted. Pick it up now. You won’t be disappointed.
Another fine thriller from Bronleewe | Posted September-29-2008
In Matt Bronleewe’s Illuminated sequel, House of Wolves, we find archeobibliologist August Adams’s life seemingly returning to more mundane matters after his wild ride in Illuminated. House of Wolves opens with August filling in for a wayward speaker on career day at his son’s school. For today’s stint, August has brought along an exquisite copy of the historic book, The Gospels of Henry the Lion. Certain the book is a copy sent from his father, August has no qualms about displaying it among the children.
This opening is an endearing scene that ends with August suspecting the book is not a copy but the twelfth century original. The realization is not hard to reach when a school security guard is murdered and members of the secret society, the Black Vehm try to run down August and Charlie to steal the book. This is the first of many chases through the streets to capture not only Charlie and August, but August’s ex-wife April and his father as well. Couple this action with Nazi secrets buried in the Antarctic ice, a family effort to solve a hidden puzzle, and you have a larger than life thriller. I have specifically withheld more details to keep from spoiling the plot for you.
Like Illuminated, House of Wolves is a fast moving read. But in House of Wolves, Bronlewee has fleshed out his main characters, and I found the family dynamics irresistible. The chemistry between father and son is engaging and charming, and of course, we read eagerly to see if August and April will ever get back together.
The writing is crisp with unique descriptions. The many action scenes are tight and fast moving, keeping the story racing forward. Bronleewe’s historical details are very complete and proof of his tireless research.
A thriller with great action | Posted September-29-2008
Matt Bronleewe has taken on a very ambitious endeavor with the subject matter of his first novel, Illuminated. The premise; in the hand-painted illuminations of Johannes Gutenberg’s Bibles, lies centuries-old puzzles. A secret, that if properly deciphered, could lead to unimaginable wealth. And who better to decipher it than former archaeobibliologist, August Adams.
August, along with a recently procured Guttenberg original, boards flight 1213. He wants only to deliver the book to his client for a very lucrative fee and finally have enough money to reclaim his crumbling life. Unfortunately for August, Xandria, the charming woman seated next to him, wants the bible, too. She, however, won’t pay for it. Not in cash, anyway, but with the blood of August’s son if August doesn’t comply with her demands. She tasks August not only with giving her the book, but he must also decipher the hidden codes on her timetable.
Xandria, with a satellite phone in hand, controls the son’s kidnappers on the ground and August’s moves on the plane. While August flies high above and remains clueless to the activities on the ground, his son and ex-wife keep Xandria’s compatriots running in fast-paced suspenseful scenes.
Bronleewe succeeds in many aspects of his first novel. His action scenes are tight and fast moving. In fact, I found the first chapter written so well that it ensured I would read on. His bad guys, are the baddest. His plot is large and thrilling. His historical details are very complete, though, not an avid fan of history, I would have liked less historical detail of the bibles in the airplane scenes and more action involving August.
My favorite parts of the book were the action scenes. They kept me reading and riveted, but I that I found several of Bronleewe’s scenes with Stanley, The Cleaner, to be too gruesome and gory to read. I particularly enjoyed the scenes near the end where I got to know each of the family members and came to care for them in a way that I had not until that point. Their chemistry and family dynamics were irresistible and I would love to see a sequel with August and his family reunited and working together to solve a mystery.
A legal thriller with love, family, faith, and hope | Posted September-29-2008
James Scott Bell is a master storyteller. He finds a great balance between characterization and plot that keeps the reader caring about his characters while unable to put down the book from the pace of his stories. No Legal Grounds follows this well-balanced formula and is guaranteed to keep you up until you finish it.
In this legal thriller, Attorney Sam Trask finds himself and his family victimized by an old college acquaintance Nicky Oberlin. At first, Nicky’s desire to reconnect with Trask seems innocent enough but soon places Trask in a fight for life. When Trask and his family’s lives are threatened, he follows the legal route trying to protect his family. When this fails, Trask toys with taking protection into his own hands. In his struggle, we can see how easy it might be to follow the wrong path and become a vigilante. Especially when Bell paints a picture of complete failure and despair in Trask’s life.
The book also follows the rebellion of Trask’s teenage daughter, Heather. She leaves home to find her way in the music business, succumbing to many temptations that would keep her parents awake at night if they knew what she was up to. The dynamics between Trask, his wife, and daughter are very realistically portrayed and give insight on how difficult it is to raise a teenager today. Through all of this, Trask questions his faith while Heather begins to find her way to faith.
I have read many of Bell’s books and have never been disappointed in any of them. As a writer, he gives me concrete examples of how to craft a novel. His characters always resonate with me, in that he creates ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations, giving me the chance to take this journey with them and ponder what I would do in their shoes without the pain in my own life.
I have always enjoyed legal thrillers. No Legal Grounds has its share of legal jargon that keeps the story true to the genre, but the difference in this book than many other legal thrillers is that the life outside the courtroom is the real story. Love, family, faith, and hope are the threads that kept me reading No Legal Grounds. Pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.
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