Barnes & Noble – Page 17 – Rosepoint Publishing

You’ll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan #AudiobookReview #WomenSleuthMysteries

Angelhart Investigations Book 1

If you love getting in on a new series with Book 1, you may want to check this one out.

Book Blurb:

Nothing brings family together like crime. In the first book in the thrilling new Angelhart series from New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan, private investigator Margot Angelhart helps clients the law overlooks, but when she takes on a case more dangerous than she imagined, teaming up with her estranged siblings may be her only hope for survival.

Working alone as a private investigator is tough. Estranged from her PI family, Margo Angelhart does what she must to get by—including taking on sordid cases that pay the bills, even if she’d rather be helping those the justice system has failed.

That is, until a cheating husband case she’s working intersects with her siblings’ corporate espionage investigation, forcing Margo to cooperate with the Angelhart firm. Now, as the siblings compare notes, it’s clear they need to work together before a white-collar crime escalates to murder.

With far more questions than answers and a key suspect on the run, they’ll need the whole family to pitch in. But as they investigate the ever-twisting mystery, Margo isn’t sharing everything. Can she learn to trust her family and heal their once-close relationship before her secrets put those she loves most in danger?

My Review:

The author introduces us to the Angelhart family in a new series. Not my first experience with the author but thought I’d try again with the first in a new series as I usually come in well after the characters are established with history.

Margo is a PI, estranged from the family. The dynamic with the family is strained and I had a hard time engaging with Margo’s character, discovering the separation from the family business was possibly explained in a prequel that I didn’t read it.

This narrative splits and creates a sub-plot. As the blurb describes, one of Margo’s cases and her siblings intersect. Margo is also trying to help a woman escape a dangerous situation with her husband. Add the dissension between Margo, her family, and why her dad is in prison and the storyline gets complex. She’s sure he didn’t commit the crime and can’t understand why her family won’t back her in working to clear his name.

There may be too many threads packed into the storyline—it becomes a bit convoluted—and working on separate plot points, found myself disassociating from the audio and not staying tuned.

The chapters bounce between different characters POV. Sometimes that works well for me. While it gives the reader more inside info into the thought processes of the characters, it became just too much in this case. The point seems to be setting them up for further inclusion in additional installments. I did enjoy the descriptions of the Phoenix area since we spent a year in Goodyear and got to understand the real beauty of the area.

Too many holes for me, bouncing POVs, switching plot threads, setting the stage for the next installment, and the conclusion left me with unanswered questions. I had somewhat the same experience with the writing style in The Wrong Victim last year. Again it seems, I want more potency in the main thread, more tension, faster pace, suspense.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Women Sleuth Mysteries, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
ASIN: B0CT479PLS
Listening Length: 10 hrs 31 mins
Narrator: Hillary Huber
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: You’ll Never Find Me [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of more than forty thrillers and numerous short stories. She was nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers, had multiple nominations and two Daphne du Maurier Awards, and is a five-time RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense. Allison believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids and writes three books a year. Originally from northern California, in 2019 she and her husband relocated to Arizona where they enjoy baseball Spring Training, hiking, and spending time with their kids, grandson, and assorted pets.

Happy Thursday!

Battle Annie by Trish MacEnulty #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

The Queen of Hell’s Kitchen

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

No woman in Hell’s Kitchen is as tough as Battle Annie. Known as the sweetheart of the notorious Gopher gang, Annie makes a living as a brick hurler and brawler, always working for the highest bidder during the railroad strikes of the 1890s. An orphaned girl named Cora endures the brutal life of a guttersnipe on the street. Her only hope for survival is serving as Annie’s helper during the brawls.

After an encounter with the famous socialist Eugene Debs, Annie has second thoughts about hurling bricks against striking workers. Those second thoughts lead to trouble when a rival comes for Annie’s throne and a powerful railroad executive wants more from Annie than he’s paid for. When she’s falsely accused of murder, Annie flees New York with Cora in tow. Hiding in plain sight, they pass themselves off as a respectable milliner and her orphaned niece. But eventually Annie’s past catches up to her and she must run again or face the electric chair. Cora will need to shed the trappings of her new life in order to save Annie, but Hell’s Kitchen is in her blood. Without anyone around to guide her, will she abandon Annie and return to a desperate life in the rookery where she was once a guttersnipe? And will Annie be executed for a crime she didn’t commit?

My Review:

Absolutely loved this unique novel showcasing Battle Annie (Annie Walsh), who becomes queen of the Battle Row Ladies (Lady Gophers) Social and Athletic Club of Hell’s Kitchen of New York. She organized other women of the streets in the job of brawling—throwing bricks and creating general mayhem. Annie sells her business to the highest bidder in the battle between the unions and the railroad barons. She learned from the best, her pa, convicted and sent to prison for a murder he didn’t commit.

Annie has a smart, fighting spirit and living in the rookeries has organized a gang of hundreds of women. They speak in a special lingo.

Life takes a risky turn when she meets Eugene Debs, honorary member of the union.

“Mr. Debs, you can’t squeeze blood out of turnip and you can’t squeeze pity out of a tenement rat..”

“Annie, I do have to present myself in a certain way to accomplish union business, but believe this: While there is a lower class I am in it, while there is a criminal element I am of it, while there is a soul in prison I am not free.”

He talks her into brawling for the union side against Webb and the railroad. Webb proves to be a powerful enemy, particularly when she refuses his favors. Discovery of his body leads the police back to Annie. With the help of Debs, she manages to escape, taking with her one of her guttersnipes, Cora, desperate for Annie’s food, protection, and street knowledge.

Relocated to Baltimore, she has a new name and assumes the role of respectable society lady. And that disguise works well years enough that Cora grows into a beautiful young woman and has learned to love the new respectable society their successful millinery has brought.

“The main rules here are never swear, never get angry, always be cheerful.”

POVs switch from Annie to Cora and Cora divulges she’s on the search for her sister—separated when they hit the streets.

But can the Pinkerton’s be far behind?

No sag in this narrative. It’s descriptive of both locations to the point where it’s easier to breathe once out of the slums of Hell’s Kitchen. I loved the support characters in Baltimore, and both Annie and Cora are well-developed, defined in their roles. Humorous to watch how awkwardly Annie assumes the role of milliner and devoted aunt to Cora who quickly discovers she loves the new well-heeled society. Very well-researched and further explained in Author’s Notes following a satisfying conclusion.

If you enjoy historical fiction, you can’t help but love this one and if you don’t, it’s an absorbing and entertaining story. You’ll enjoy it either way.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Historical Mysteries
ASIN: B0D3J28Q2S
Print Length: 212 pages
Publication Date: September 3, 2024 Happy Publication Day!
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Trish MacEnulty grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, and earned degrees from the University of Florida and Florida State University. For 20 years, she lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was a Professor of English at Johnson & Wales University, teaching writing and film classes. She now lives in Florida with her husband, cat, and two dogs and teaches journalism. In addition to her historical novels, she has written novels, stories, plays, and a memoir under the name “Pat MacEnulty.” She currently writes book reviews and features for The Historical Novel Review.

Check out her website for book club visits, reader guides for her historical fiction, upcoming events, book news and more: https://trishmacenulty.com.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Big Love and War Horse: a novel by Shallen Anne Chitwood #BookReview #HistoricalLiteraryFiction

Book Blurb:

In the wake of the Great Depression, during the 1942 bombings off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Deacon family has lost the life they knew before the Second World War. As the family and their closest friends struggle to make sense of the secrets they keep from one another, their dogs—Big Love and War Horse—help them find the strength and endurance to survive the aftermath of devastating loss and adversity.

Abandoned by their father, Luke, after the sudden death of their mother, fifteen-year-old Jonas and his younger sister Kay are coming of age in a world shrouded in secrecy and uncertainty. Luke’s sister Linnie steps in to help mend the broken family, but haunted by her own hidden truths, her life is shattered by the past.
Through the intimate perspectives of the Deacon family and their dogs, this intricately woven tale of tragedy and love reminds us of the power of the human spirit to rise above seemingly impossible circumstances.

My Review:

Yes, of course, I grabbed this book because of the promise of dogs in the story—sweet cover.

The promise is kept and this turns out to be a great book with a fairly unique plot, the premise of the life of the dogs living with their humans in Autumn of 1942 in North Carolina. The family has been beset with a recent tragedy that has threatened to tear the remaining family members apart.

Jonas at fifteen, his sister a couple years younger, lost their mother to suicide and then their father in an inability to cope finding solace only in a bottle. The two have been left almost wholly on their own, learning to survive, and preparing for a harsh winter.

Told largely in the POV of the dogs as they observe their humans grappling with the changes to the family dynamic, Big Love, a old Great Pyrenees, and War Horse, a Doberman puppy too big to succeed as a Marine war dog, the reader is privy to the private struggles of the kids.

Their aunt comes around to check on the kids and later becomes a bigger part of the family. She has secrets and struggles of her own. The father eventually comes back and tries to make up to the kids, Jonas now bitter and angry at having been left to survive on their own. The reconciliation is slow and deeply moving, poignant.

The novel evokes many emotions as it navigates the grief, anger and profound confusion over the loss. The writing style is simple, sometimes reminding you it’s a debut author, while still managing a beautiful narrative.

A lot going on in this novel with twists and turns and themes of love, loss, murder, suicide, and reconciliation. I loved the interpretation of the circumstances by the dogs who do their best to take care of their humans while strongly conveying a canine sensibility to the situation rather than going anthropomorphic.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Thriller Suspense Literary Fiction, Women’s Literary Fiction, Historical Literary Fiction
ASIN: B0D6RR9Z77
Print Length: 208 pages
Publication Date: June 10, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Shallen Anne Chitwood is the recipient of the Literary Titan’s Book Award for her debut novel Big Love and War Horse. She was born and raised in the Midwest. The time she spent on her grandparents’ farm down South and the stories she heard as a young girl influenced her writing and her way of life. After earning her Master of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University, she moved to Tennessee, where she and her husband live on their own farm. When she isn’t writing stories or poetry, Shallen can be found in the garden or tending to her furry and feathered friends.

Chill--It's Sunday

Echoes of Memory by Sara Driscoll #AudiobookReview #AmateurSleuth #standalone

Book Blurb:

Quinn Fleming, a San Diego florist grappling with post-traumatic amnesia, is the only witness to a murder … and the only one who can solve it—in a brand-new thrilling mystery from Sara Driscoll, author of the FBI K-9 novels!

After surviving a terrible attack, Quinn Fleming has recovered in every way but one—her ability to retain new memories. Now, months later, it appears to the outside world as if the San Diego florist’s life is back to normal. But Quinn is barely holding on, relying on a notebook she carries with her at all times, a record of her entire existence since the assault.

So when she witnesses a murder in the shadowy alley behind the florist shop, Quinn immediately writes down every terrifying detail of the incident before her amnesia wipes it away.

By the time the police arrive, there’s no body, no crime scene, and no clues. The killing seems as erased from reality as it is from Quinn’s mind … until the flashbacks begin.

Suddenly, fragments of memories are surfacing—mere glimpses of that horrible night, but enough to convince Quinn that somewhere, locked in her subconscious, is the key to solving the case … and she’s not the only one who knows. Somebody else has realized Quinn is a threat that needs to be eliminated. Now, with her life on the line and only her notes to guide her, Quinn sets out to find a killer she doesn’t remember, but can’t forget …

My Review:

Quinn Fleming has been left with a traumatic brain injury from an attack that she recovered from physically. She is now fully functional and working at a florist shop. She’s been left with the inability to retain short-term memories, however. Having reconciled to this new self, she has learned to live with it by immediately writing notes to herself and she keeps a journal.

One evening as she was closing the shop and tossing trash in the dumpster behind the store, she realized she was not alone in the alley. She witnesses what she believes to be a murder, victim of foul play, and also knew if she didn’t write her observations immediately, they’d be lost to her by the time she could give a complete statement to the police.

Unfortunately, when the police arrive, they do not find a body nor evidence of an attack. She apparently has history with Detective Reyes, however, and Detective Reyes learned how to keep Quinn’s involvement in the moment and tease out details. The question was: were the perps aware there was a witness?

I must confess I’ve read many of the author’s books and jumped on this just seeing her name. I didn’t realize it was a standalone and quickly understood it was not one of my favorite FBI K-9 series. I recently read Lockdown, Book 3 of the NYPD Negotiators series and enjoyed it, but still, it’s hard to beat one of her FBI K-9 novels.

The storyline seemed a slow burn for me. There was a lot of dialogue between Quinn and the detective, explanation of her brain injury, description of the elaborate system of notes she’d made and kept for herself so she could function somewhat normally.

While I enjoy the intelligence of her narratives, I guess I’ve gotten used to more activity, faster pace. The main character is well developed and I marveled at the patience the detective employed in gleaning out the tiniest memory from Quinn, but at times it was also a bit exasperating. Good book, yeah.

Interesting, yeah.

Unique, okay.

If you are a solid diehard fan of the author, then you may appreciate the burn. I am a fan, but obviously chose my favs early on and color me a bit disappointed if there are no dogs involved.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth, Women Sleuth Mysteries, Suspense
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B0D2LRKGRS
Listening Length: 11 hrs 9 mins
Narrator: Cynthia Farrell
Publication Date: July 23, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Echoes of Memory – Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna, coauthor of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries and author of the FBI K-9s and the NYPD Negotiators. After over thirty years in infectious diseases research, Jen hung up her lab coat to concentrate on her real love—writing “exceptional” thrillers (Publishers Weekly). She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and lives with her husband and four rescued cats outside of Toronto, Ontario. You can follow the latest news on her books, including the FBI K-9s, at http://www.saradriscollauthor.com.

Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

My Review:

I can’t help it. I really enjoy dual timeline novels. The storyline of this novel starts in Appalachia during the 30s with five sisters, one of whom, Birdie, is a midwife.

The Jenkins sisters have a small farm in the mountains that manage to eke out just enough to sustain them through the worst. It is late one night when they are alerted about something or someone in the woods and upon investigating discover a young girl, pregnant and with a gunshot wound. They manage to save both she and her baby.

About thirty years later, the death of Walker Wylie’s father sets off a journey he never imagined. His mother divulges he was adopted and they knew very little of the circumstances of his birth.

Not a new or unique plot but the location of the southern mountains and the earlier time places you square in the cabin with the sisters as they nurse Songbird back to health and then the birth of her baby.

Wylie enlists the help of another midwife to find his birth parents. Wylie is apparently very well off having a successful singing career, but takes the time to see the journey of discovery through.

The characters are well drawn, although I was not able to engage with Wylie as much as the sisters. He does mellow out somewhat by the conclusion. There are themes of unwed teen pregnancy, Christian values, family (without the familial connection), and sacrifice.

The pace slows somewhat with the backstory of Wylie, but everything comes together beautifully, if not unexpectedly. A sweet story of adoption and love.

I received a digital copy of this book from my local library that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Religious Historical Fiction
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
ASIN: B0BX14RV95
Print Length: 339 pages
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award in Fiction, and UNDER THE TULIP TREE, a Christy Award and Selah Award finalist. As a woman of mixed heritage–her father’s family is Hispanic and her mother’s roots go back to Germany–she has always celebrated diversity and feels it’s important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction.

With both her sons grown, Michelle and her husband make their home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about.

Michelle loves hearing from readers! Connect with her at http://www.MichelleShocklee.com

#ThrowbackThursday

Zephyr Trails by Nicki Ehrlich #BookReview #HistoricalFiction

Book Blurb:

The fine line between friends and enemies blurs as Ellis Cady sets out to reach the new frontier of post-Civil War America.
After waiting out winter at the Cady ranch in southern Missouri, hope blooms in the Spring of 1866. Ellis receives news of a mysterious man arriving in St. Louis. Will she find her father alive and well, or finally put his memory to rest?

Grasping at the illusive promise of her father’s whereabouts, Ellis is distracted by the intrepid trick rider, Jimmie, a woman who rides with Levi Jack’s Wild West Exhibition. Then, talk of reinstating a messenger service akin to the Pony Express rekindles a faded dream. Since the war’s devastation, important letters and messages still need to get through a Western landscape governed by Indians and outlaws. When an untimely epidemic threatens, Ellis finds herself back in the saddle, a young woman and her horse on a perilous trail.

My Review:

Zephyr Trails actually continues the story of Ellis Cady of Book 1 who discovers herself left alone with missing and passed family following the end of the Civil War. After the loss of her twin brother, she assumes his identity to more safely travel alone, cutting her hair and wearing male clothing. She is an accomplished horsewoman, so few note the small feminine tells she works hard to disguise.

Ellis is seeking her father, said to have finished out the war in a POW camp, as she pushes west toward remote relatives and her ultimate goal of settling west. As she studies her options and refines her skills, she takes on a number of jobs, working with a Wild West show and signing up for Pony Express rides.

Ellis is torn. She is picking up clues about her father and possibly finding avenues to the west while her aunt and uncle invite her to remain on their ranch in Missouri. I liked her connection to the characters in the Wild West show but obviously the plot could not sustain a storyline with her work in a show that doesn’t further her overriding goal.

I had a bit of a problem with the pace, which seemed to bog down a couple times, stalling while she grapples with her next course of action. The thread with the father becomes difficult, exhibiting PTSD symptoms. She struggles with her own identity, stubbornly independent. There are a couple reoccurring character relationships that appear to savor a connection without her apparent interest. (Maybe next installment?)

Did she find her father and re-establish some semblance of family? Or will she find her way west?

The CE read Ellis River in September, 2022, and loved it. I read Zephyr Trails as a standalone, perhaps would have been better had I started with Ellis River? I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Parenting & Relationships, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bay Feather Books
ISBN-13: ‎979-8985997422
ASIN: B0D6X9DS4M
Print Length: 321 pages
Publication Date: June 24, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Nicki Ehrlich grew up in Southern Illinois before attending college at the University of Denver and later, Idaho State University, where she graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy/English. After living ten “horse-rich” years in Idaho, she moved on to Oregon, and later Washington, where she realized she had unwittingly traveled the Oregon Trail.

While living in the Pacific Northwest, Nicki continued to write fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, Ellis River, is the 2023 winner of the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book – fiction. The novel was also a finalist for the Eric Hoffer First Horizons Award, and received an Honorable Mention for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize. Nicki has won additional awards for her poetry and creative writing, including the Writer’s Digest Annual Poetry Awards and the Ray Fabrizio Memorial Award. Nicki holds a Certificate in Creative Writing from Monterey Peninsula College and is a member of the Central Coast branch of the California Writers Club. She also holds a Coast Guard Captain’s License and currently lives on California’s inspiring central coast where she is at work on the sequel to Ellis River.

You can find Nicki at: NickiEhrlich.com, Instagram, and Goodreads.

The Broken Truth: A Thriller by Reavis Wortham #BookReview #ContemporaryWesternFiction

Tucker Snow Thrillers

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

The endless Texas landscape hides all manner of sins…

Special Agent Tucker Snow knows there’s big money roaming the fields under the wide Texas sky—and the cattle rustlers committing large-scale thefts on remote ranches know it, too. But when a prominent local rancher dies unexpectedly and his property is quietly sold to an unknown buyer, Tucker suspects there’s something more sinister going on in his jurisdiction than the usual steal-and-resell racket. Still raw after the tragic death of his wife and young daughter, the lawman can’t bear the thought of more innocent lives destroyed by people whose greed poisons everything around them.

Working alongside his brother, Harley, Tucker uncovers a dark ring of organized crime that goes well beyond cattle rustling—a breed of deception and greed that has turned into a silent killer and will take down anyone who crosses its path. The question is whether Tuck and Harley will be able to shut it down before it finds the people they love the most…

His Review:

Ah the wild West and cattle rustling, memories of my childhood. Rustlers tracking across the prairies, sleeping under the open stars and collecting $10 to $20 a head on the animals delivered to a railhead. But that thieving life still plagues the country today with rustlers bagging up to $1,000 per head for these animals.

Tucker Snow is a special ranger for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assn. He shows up at most stock sales and verifies the shipping tickets with the stock actually brought to market. Trying to catch cattle thieves is a full time and very dangerous job. With a horse trailer full of 10 or 12 head of animals the payoff is over $10,000. Many of these animals may have no brands or other identifying marks and the ownership is declared by possession.

Tucker’s brother Harley often assists him tracking lost shipments. He has a quick wit and even quicker temper. Together they team up to reduce the amount of thefts. The drivers of the getaway trailers are often very skilled. They also utilize decoy vehicles and intervention teams to separate Harley and Tucker from their goals. The banter between them is hilarious as they continue to track the bandits.

Revis has woven this story into a very believable narrative. State and Federal authorities often assist in capturing the thieves. Large-scale profits attract high-level, cold-blooded thieves. Consortiums grow and the biggest thieves get the richest. Can Tucker and Harley thwart these thieves? Enjoy! 5 stars – CE Williams

I read Hard Country last year and really enjoyed the writing style of the author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Contemporary Western Fiction, Organized Crime
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 1728256739
ASIN: B0CMC3J2QY
Print Length: 375 pages
Publication Date: August 20, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: As a boy, award-winning writer, Reavis Z. Wortham hunted and fished the river bottoms near Chicota, Texas, the inspiration for the fictional setting for The Rock Hole and The Red River Mystery Series. He was born in Paris, Texas, but lived in Dallas. “We grew up in the city and went to school there, but every Friday evening my parents put us in the car and made the 120-mile drive to Chicota, where we truly lived at my grandparents’ place in the country until Sunday evening, when we came back to the city. Our real home was that little scratch farm in Lamar County.”

Author Reavis Z. Wortham’s first novel, The Rock Hole, is described by Kirkus Reviews as “an unpretentious gem written to the hilt and harrowing in its unpredictability.” Kirkus also listed it as one of the “Top 12 Mysteries of 2011.”

[Truncated]

Reavis also penned Doreen’s 24 HR Eat Gas Now Café. More than 2,500 newspaper and magazine articles bear the byline of this award-winning Texas writer. The Rock Hole was a finalist in the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award presented by the Independent Book Publishers Association, is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Writers’ League of Texas, International Association of Crime Writers (North American Branch), and International Thriller Writers.

He lives with his wife, Shana, in northeast Texas.

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Reading or Listening with Covid #BookReviews #TuesdayBookBlog

As mentioned last Sunday, day nine of the Covid infection, it was thought I might have lost several pounds. My son brought out his scale and discovered I had—ten pounds. He kept saying it looked like that, but was both a surprise and rather shocking to see him right. Loss of ten pounds in nine days? I knew I was getting weaker, but didn’t imagine. In the meantime, the CE lost…maybe eight? (He wasn’t sure.) And our son has now tested positive for it as well.

However, it’s been a long time since I could just lay around and read (or listen—when my eyes wouldn’t cooperate), and I’ve definitely chalked up a number of books. Both of the following were great reads and the first, The Blind Devotion of Imogene: The Misadventures of Imogene Taylor by David Putnam was an absolute hoot. The second, On Wahoo Reef, a Blacktip Island Novel, is the second in the series by Tim W Jackson. I read Blacktip Island back in October 2016 and loved it—unique plot, quirky well-developed characters.

The Blind Devotion of Imogene

Book Blurb:

In 1973, Imogene Taylor is seventy-five years old, on parole for murder, and works at a store that sells dented canned goods. Twelve years earlier, she went to prison for killing her love-of-her-life-husband, Wayne. She called it an accident. The judge and jury called it murder. Imogene’s parole agent is constantly on her case, looking to send her back to prison.

During her time in prison, Imogene had to vent her angst at someone and sent the sitting Presidents (during the ten years in prison) threatening letters bringing her to the attention of the Secret Service. She does extensive research and writes a novel, Peekaboo POTUS, about the assassination of a US President. She sends the book “over the transom” to one publisher. The publisher, after being unable to contact Imogene, comes looking for her.

The Cigar, an organized crime gangster, walks into Dentco, where Imogene works, and extorts the store for protection money. Pay up or get firebombed. The entire strip center is under this threat.

At the same time, Imogene’s neighbor dies of natural causes and leaves a hoarder’s mess to his daughter, Suzanne. Imogene helps Suz clear out a pyramid of boxes filled with junk in the garage. At the bottom of the pile, they find a box with a dead woman who has been hidden for many years.

Imogene must dodge an overzealous parole agent while dealing with a dead woman in the neighbor’s garage. She’s on parole for murder, so she can’t report it to the police. No one would believe her. Imogene and Suz think the woman in the box is Suz’s long-estranged mother. Rather than reveal Suz’s father as the probable killer, Imogene convinces Suz to bury her mom under the avocado tree in the backyard. Until Thelma, Suz’s mother, appears after reading the obituary.

It’s a race to uncover the real killer as Imogene dodges gangsters, family members, and a publisher on her quest to find the truth.

My Thoughts:

Oh my God. This whacked-out book…it’s a first for me.

A 75-year-old protagonist recently released from prison for killing her husband? (It was an accident!)

Imogene is out on parole working at Dentco. Yes, it sells dented goods, is situated in a less fortunate area of the city, and she has to stay on the good side of her parole officer for one more year—she needs this job! Something the parole officer is working very hard to keep from happening.

Imogene is one of those people who seem to attract mayhem. Trouble finds her no matter how innocent she is. Part of the problem stems from the time she spent in prison penning threatening letters to POTUS, eventually writing a book she called Peekaboo POTUS. It gets their attention and a coveted place on the “crazy” list.

Separate is the introduction to “The Cigar”, a local street thug bent on providing “protection” to those already struggling shop owners in the grimy strip center. Imogene has several friends, her next-door neighbor for one, and Ange, her erstwhile philosophical bunkmate in prison who still intrudes often into Imogene’s ear.

This thing may go over the top more than once, but it provides some hilarious scenes, quirky characters, outrageous dialogue, unexpected twists, and relief from laying in bed with the flu. 5 stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Publisher: Level Best Books
ASIN: B0CYHQ3N5M
Listening Length: 282 pages
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): The Blind Devotion of Imogene [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble

The Author: Visit Davidputnambooks.com and also check out “David Putnam”‘s Bruno Johnson series.

D.W. Putnam is a pen name for David Putnam.

On Wahoo Reef: A Blacktip Island Novel

Book Blurb:

Northern Exposure meets Margaritaville in this comic Caribbean romp.

Wally Breight’s a miserable-in-his-job P.R. executive who dreams of escaping to happily-ever-after in the Caribbean. When he stumbles across a run-down scuba diving operation for sale on Blacktip Island, he snaps it up and settles into paradise. But paradise has other ideas. His dive boat’s a lemon. His business partner proves the age of piracy isn’t dead. Scuba guests are scarce. And a free-spirited dive mistress might party him into an early grave. If Wally can’t get a handle on paradise, pronto, he’ll be leaving Blacktip Island faster than a coconut in a hurricane.

My Thoughts:

It’s those thirties when many men take stock of their lives, bored, and don’t like what they see. But Wally Breight has given up his career, home in the US, and security to snap up a diving business on this Blacktip Island.

Typical of the author, he plunges his main character into hot water immediately when reality of the floundering business hits home. It’s not like even the boat is sea worthy, but he does manage to find two employees that skip soon as they’re paid for greener waters. The man is pathetically naïve and what money he brings to the business begins to sift through his fingers like…(um) water.

I love the characters! They are strange and unpredictable, the circumstances outrageous, the decisions…stupid less than well considered. What’s with this guy?

It’s pure escapism. Fun, simple, fast read, descriptions of the island almost have you packing for tropical climes (I said almost). Looking for something different, light-hearted, and twisty fun? Those who enjoy action, adventure, root for the underdog type tales, this is for you. 4.5 stars

Book Details:

Genre: Suspense Action Fiction, Crime Action & Adventure, Mystery Action Fiction
Publisher: Devonshire House Press
ASIN: B0CW1HM6H6
Print Length: 249 pages
Publication Date: May 17, 2024
Source: Author
Title: On Wahoo Reef [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble

The Author: Tim W. Jackson started kindergarten in Indonesia, graduated high school in Egypt and was educated everywhere in between. His first taste of scuba diving came at the age of six when he sneaked breaths off his dad’s double-hose regulator in the deep end of the pool. Later, as a former journalist armed with a newly-minted master’s degree in creative writing, he discovered he was qualified to be a bartender, a waiter or a PhD student. Instead he chose Secret Option D: run off to the Cayman Islands to work as a scuba instructor and boat captain by day and write fiction at night. Two decades later, he still wishes that was half as interesting as it sounds. Or even a quarter . . .

Jackson is the award-winning author of the comic Caribbean novels Blacktip Island and The Secret of Rosalita Flats, as well as The Blacktip Times humor blog. His “Tales from Blacktip Island” short stories have been published in literary journals worldwide. He is currently concocting his next Blacktip Island novel and still enjoys scuba diving with his dad’s old double-hose reg.

If you’d like to stalk Tim online, visit his website (www.timwjackson.com), the Blacktip Times (www.blacktipisland.com) or follow him on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/timwjacksonauthor/) and Twitter (@timwjax).