#actionthriller – Rosepoint Publishing

Sea of Death by Mark Nolan #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Jake Wolfe Thrillers Book 8

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

We’ve not missed one book in this series and as it’s one we both enjoy, we chose this novel as another buddy read.

Book Blurb:

American covert operative Jake Wolfe cruises his motor yacht to Mexico’s Sea of Cortez and hunts for a rogue cartel assassin who will soon meet up with a narco submarine delivering military grade weapons to the Baja Peninsula. Jake’s mission is to find and capture the arms dealer, along with the supply of AK-47 rifles, armor-piercing ammunition, and rocket-propelled grenades destined for criminal gangs that will use them to terrorize local citizens.

Jake and his former war dog, Cody, search the city streets of La Paz and find shocking hidden criminal activity going on behind closed doors. When Jake shuts down one of the assassin’s trafficking enterprises, he sets off a war with the killer that can only end with one of them dead.

On this mission, Jake brings Dr. Sarah Chance, his girlfriend and Cody’s veterinarian, along for the wild ride. Although Sarah is in mortal danger every day, she wants to be Captain Jake’s First Mate on his motor yacht Far Niente and to help protect Cody.

Sea of Death is part of a series but may be read as a standalone novel.

My Review:

These are always fun to get into and never fail to deliver a fast, intelligent, and easy read.

This installment has Jake cruising in the Sea of Cortez with Sarah and Cody, his retired military K-9 on a mission to catch an assassin and a narco dealer delivering heavy-duty weapons to Baja. Jake is cooperating with Mexico, carries a US marshall’s badge, and connects with local authorities to help find the assassin, capture, and deliver the dealers and their cargo.

Jake is smart, combat experienced, and together with his equal on four feet and fur manage to stay a step ahead of his targets. These are multi-layered episodes and complex and there is always something to learn as they’ve been well researched.

Written simply, the storyline includes a sense of humor and emotion, balanced with a dollop of romance and travelogue experience. I do love Cody—such a special dog—and he can be formidable when he wants.

The installment is fast, can be violent, but rewarding as well and one could hope there might be these hardy individuals working to curb the influx of guns and drugs into our country—something both countries can agree on.

His Review:

Is there such a thing as a quiet cruise in the Sea of Cortez? With the large number of drug smugglers and opportunists, the answer is no. Cartels have become very sophisticated and they attempt to control all shipping through this area. This is the gateway to the very lucrative U.S. drug market.

Jake Wolfe is aboard his 60-foot motor yacht, Far Niente; parked at the marina in Cabo San Lucas. He has an agreement with the Mexican Government to assist in controlling the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. The drug dealers are well aware of his mission and there are multiple targets on his back; as well as bounties for the people who capture or kill him and put Far Niente out of business.

Mark Nolan’s writing style keeps the reader enthusiastically engaged and the book is hard to put down. With his girlfriend Sarah, along with Cody his retired service dog, they are usually only minutes ahead of his hunters. Each of the three characters has integral contributions to the outcome of the book. This makes the read very enjoyable. 5 stars – CE Williams

The duo of Jake and Cody (along with Sarah now) are engaging, intelligent, fast, cunning, and capable, but tender and generous at the same time! The CE read the last several and I figured it was my turn as I enjoy these action thrillers as well. These can be read as a standalone and all are recommended.

We received a review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are our honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Action Fiction, Assassination Thrillers, Action Thriller Fiction
ASIN: B0DLFX6YL4
Print Length: 322 pages
Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Source: Author

Title Links:

Sea of Death – Amazon-US

Amazon-UK

The Author: Mark Nolan is an Amazon bestselling novelist who writes exciting action-adventure thrillers about the reluctant assassin Jake Wolfe and his adopted war dog, Cody. Subscribe to his reader newsletter at marknolan dot com for updates, specials, and news. Click the FOLLOW button near Mark’s author photo, and Amazon will notify you when a new book is available.

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Keepers: A Mystery (Mace Reid K-9 Mystery Book 2) by Jeffrey B Burton – a #BookReview – #animalfiction

“I love a dog. He does nothing for political reasons.” – Will Rogers

Book Blurb:

Jeffrey B. Burton’s The Keepers is the next installment of the Mace Reid K9 series, featuring golden retriever cadaver dog Vira and her handler, Mason Reid.

Mason “Mace” Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection—that is, he trains dogs to hunt for dead bodies. He calls his pack of cadaver dogs The Finders, and his prize pupil is a golden retriever named Vira.

When Mace Reid and Vira are called in to search Washington Park at three o’clock in the morning, what they find has them running for their very lives. The trail of murder and mayhem Mace and CPD Officer Kippy Gimm have been following leads them to uncover treachery and corruption at the highest level, and their discoveries do not bode well for them . . . nor for the Windy City itself.

The Keepers is an exciting, fast-paced mystery filled with courageous dogs you’ll want to root for.

My Review:

Progagonist Mace Reid lives near Chicago and specializes in training cadaver dogs. Human Remains Detection. His alpha right now is a golden retriever he named Elvira—Vira for short. He is often called to Chicago for searches and that is what brought him to Washington Park in the middle of the night. (Living near Chicago and still finding it a fascinating city with such a reputation for dishonest government, and finding these books are loaded with smart, intuitive dogs pulls me in. This series doesn’t disappoint.)

“Many question whether ours is a city that can be saved. Others question whether it deserves to be.”

“…you either run Chicago…or Chicago runs you.”

I actually got to start with Book 1, The Finders, and was hooked immediately. Main characters and support characters alike, including the canine variety, all have well developed three-dimensional personalities. I love Vira, but still feel bad about Sam (Samantha—a GSD) from Book 1, now recuperating from injuries. And, by-the-way, this could function fine as a standalone, you’ll get info along the way that will catch you up if you missed Book 1.

Not too much “cozy” (in the classic genre sense) about this cozy animal mystery—it’s a solid, hard-hitting action thriller from the first chapter. These are well-plotted and fast-paced narratives. Mace is not your ideal hero—he’s divorced, drinks some, swears, and tends to vomit when extremely scared. Not damaged—just not Superman material—but he loves his dogs. Five of them. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Must love dogs.” His new “just friends only” girl is CPD officer Kippy Gimm.

“There is honor in being a dog.” – Aristotle

The thing is, Vira is “gifted.” Or perhaps Mace is just so well tuned in to his alpha now, he knows when she is signaling more than just a dead body. Vira is also very protective. Which is good, because Mace and Kippy quickly get in well over their heads in this one with the systemic corruption of the government providing a powerful catalyst to flee the Windy City. NOW!

A complex two-level plot, the first of which is put to bed fairly easily while the second simmers into an explosive boil. I like that the dogs aren’t just background—their training and senses are explored and explained. Their specialized talents clarified and they have jobs to do and do them.

This entry to the series is hard-hitting, serious, and at times raw, profane, with eye-popping comprehension. There are murders, description of torture, and language. There is some weakness in Mace this time that I don’t remember in the first book. He is now more likely “every” man—real, sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes exhibiting a sense of humor. But he is definitely emerging as a real person. Sometimes I like him—sometimes I don’t. But I do love those dogs and my heart lurched at Maggie’s injury.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary uncorrected digital galley of this book from the author. These are my honest thoughts. This book will be released next year. You can get place a pre-order now through your favorite retailer.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Animal Fiction, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Cozy Animal Mysteries
Publisher: Minotaur Books

ASIN : B08FZB2D45

Print Length: 288 pages
Publication Date: To be released June 29, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jeffrey B. Burton was born in Long Beach, California, grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and received his BA in Journalism at the University of Minnesota. THE FINDERS, the first in Burton’s K-9 mystery series, came out in June of 2020 (St. Martin’s Press). THE KEEPERS, the second in his K-9 series, comes out in June of 2021.

Novels in Burton’s Agent Drew Cady mystery series include: THE CHESSMAN (MacAdam/Cage, 2012; paperback Harlequin Suspense, 2015), THE LYNCHPIN (MP Publishing, 2015), and THE EULOGIST (The Permanent Press, 2017). His short stories have appeared in dozens of magazines.

Jeff is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and the Horror Writers Association. He lives in St. Paul with his wife, daughter, an irate Pomeranian named Lucy, and a goofball/sweetheart of a Beagle named Milo.

Visit http://www.jeffreybburton.com to see more about Jeff’s novels and short stories.