#bookreaders – Page 5 – Rosepoint Publishing

The Fury by Alex Michaelides – #BookReview – #suspensethrillers

in Murder Thrillers (Hardcover)

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense (Kindle)

Book Blurb:

This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.

His Review:

A mentally disturbed playwright is marooned on an island with the cast of his play. He is egocentric and his world revolves around his plays and the actors that bring them to life. He has fallen in love with the leading lady but unfortunately, she has another love interest. Why does this feel like a Greek tragedy?

The main character is an artist and a great writer in his mind. His narrative develops as the play progresses. All of the characters are involved in his play and as the work develops he becomes detached from reality. He writes the dialogue as the changes to the play develop.

Although the leading lady loves another, he is sure she will learn to love him if she just gives him the chance. The other man, however, seems to hang on and always spoils his plans. What can he do to become the leading man in her life?

I found this book to be slow at times and a little Edgar Allen Poe-ish in some of the scenes. He talks to himself and the reader as the plot develops and it does, indeed, defy the reader to keep up with the twists. 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Suspense Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Celadon Books
ISBN-10: ‎ 125075898X
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1250758989
ASIN: B0BXTB6HSN
Print Length: 295 pages
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Alex Michaelides was born and raised in Cyprus. He has an M.A. in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and an M.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. The Silent Patient was his first novel, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide. The rights have been sold in a record-breaking 51 countries, and the book has been optioned for film by Plan B. His second novel, The Maidens, was an instant New York Times bestseller and has been optioned for television by Miramax Television and Stone Village.

Enjoy Your Sunday!

Nothing But the Bones by Brian Panowich – #BookReview – #SmallTownandRuralFiction

Book Blurb:

With lyrical prose and hard-hitting depictions of the hardscrabble life in the rural south, Brian Panowich, author of Bull Mountain, Like Lions, and Hard Cash Valley, delivers a gripping new chapter in his tales of McFalls County in Nothing But the Bones.

In McFalls County, local crime boss Gareth Burroughs runs everything on the mountain. And Nelson “Nails” McKenna has been his enforcer since he was a teenager, though his heart’s not really in the dirty work. Then one night in a local roadhouse, Nails goes too far, defending a woman, and even Burroughs’s reach can’t get him out of this one. With a dead body and countless witnesses, Nails and the woman become fugitives on the run, and unlikely partners.

But on the road to Jacksonville, where a possible escape awaits, there’s more than one interested party on the pair’s trail, and the glimpse they had of getting away scot free suddenly seems elusive. In the end, Nails must make one final stand for his freedom—or pay with both of their lives.

His Review:

Nelson McKenna is a very big, handicapped young man. He finds himself the target of every bully in the community. The community is small and a gang decides to entertain themselves with the community dimwit. He makes up for the handicap though with a very large frame and muscles that don’t quit.

The bullies make the mistake of trying to rekindle their high school fun by taunting Nelson. His boss (Burroughs) catches them, however, and the lead perpetrator wounds up in very bad shape. Nelson is given the opportunity to take care of the bully permanently but is relieved of the duty when it is taken care of without him.

When he confronts the gang again, it is in defense of Kate. She leaves the building, but not before calling him “handsome.” Nobody ever called him that before.

The McKenna name is very big in the valley. Nelson [nicknamed Nails] tries to distance himself from his father and live his own life. Unfortunately, most of the town works for his family.

The perp that attacked the woman will cause a show down and the town is going to pin it on Nails. He is given a bag of money and told to leave town and never come back. Nelson throws everything he owns in the back seat of his pride and joy, an early 1990s Ford LTD, and leaves. Kate has hidden under his clothes in the back seat. He allows her to stay in the car as he heads south to Florida.

Kate appreciates the way that Nails protected her from the others. She wants to stay with him, the only man who has stood up for her in her entire life. The relationship between Nails and Kate begins on the road to Florida.

C E Williams This book is a fast-moving read and the characters make you admire them. Enjoy! 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my own opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Small Town & Rural Fiction, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ASIN: B0C39XZR6N
Print Length: 336 pages
Publication Date: April 16, 2034
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Brian lives in Georgia but he dreams of Parma. [Amazon]

Author’s website

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Rosepoint Reviews – December Recap – Welcome 2024!

Rosepoint Reviews-December Recap

After the Halloween snow, it warmed up and December was lovely with above normal temps. It was also rather dreary with gray skies. If it rains, that little Pom rescue we acquired in October balks at going out. She is currently “blowing her coat” which would normally require us to brush her every day. Easier said than done when she still prefers her crate over human companionship and any gentle uninvited encouragement is met with canine obstinance. So, yes, little progress from last month and will soon be three months. It can be discouraging.

The big push to get everything ready for Christmas took any spare time. Despite the extra projects, I continued to try using the little treadmill as I don’t particularly like getting in my steps when it’s raining either. The CE doesn’t like the machine—he continues to walk outside.

First I tried reading while walking. That left me dizzy. Then I tried listening to my audiobooks while walking and that quickly clashed with the CE’s choice of TV programs. Then I discovered trail guides—the problem is that they don’t communicate with my health apps. If I could get everything to “shake hands” it’d be a boon, but not so far. Except for turning pages, how do you exercise in the winter? Gym membership?

Of course, those cloudy, cold gray days I’d prefer to just curl up with a good book and not do anything but read, but that’s still not an option either. Anyway, between everything else, we reviewed thirteen books in December. Those we managed to read are below, and as always, links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase or source info.

Rosepoint Reviews-December Recap

Mission Target by Mark Nolan (CE review)
Rivers of Wrath by Jean Grainger
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (5* audiobook)
Ghost Team by Paul Heatley (5* CE review)
Game Over at Guild Hall by Amy Patricia Meade
The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal (audiobook)
Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy (CE review)
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Susan Wiggs
Up on the Woof Top by Spencer Quinn (audiobook)
The Rumor Game by Thomas Mullen (CE review)
Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl
Dead West by Matt Goldman (audiobook)
Pirate Trap by Matt Cost (CE review)

Favorite Book of the Month

The CE really enjoyed Ghost Team; I was blown away by Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True. I listened to the audiobook beautifully narrated by a large cast of impressive artists seamlessly integrated. Well-developed MC manipulated in a dark, intense thriller.

Book of the Month for December—None of This Is True

My Reading Challenges page…I read 157 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads and am still at a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley. Unfortunately, I barely made 50/50 this year in my Challenges, making the goal in Goodreads and Netgalley, failing miserably both the audiobook and historical fiction challenges where I thought I had solid confidence. Obviously, I’ll have to look at those category goals a little harder next year.

I’m taking a harder look at the blog in general, however, disappointed with performance this year and looking for answers. I want to update the blog home page, try again to introduce a recurring feature, add a couple pages, enlarge the font size (is this better or worse?), and still have more time for blog hopping. Is it possible given I’ve never been able to learn how to manage the block editor? Looking at free templates on WP, all are now using the block editor and I’m still limping along with the Classic Editor. I’m open to any suggestions—thank you!

As always, welcome to my new subscribers! I love your likes and comments.

Happy New Year!

Pirate Trap by Matt Cost – #BookReview – #Hard-BoiledMysteries

A Clay Wolfe Port Essex Mystery Book 5

Book Blurb:

Did Black Sam bury pirate treasure in Port Essex 300 years ago?

After finding an incredibly lucrative Spanish treasure in the Keys of Florida, Black Sam Bellamy decided to leave the pirate life and return to his true love in New England. Before being shipwrecked on the way to retrieve her, he hid his booty with the Chbo So Clan in Port Essex.

“Well, Mr. Wolfe, to get straight to the point, we want you to help us find a lost pirate treasure.”

Clay Wolfe had been slouched in the desk chair of his P.I. office, but now he straightened up and sat forward. His normally natty attire was ruffled, stubble dotted his face, and his eyes were red. “In Port Essex?”

Clay Wolfe, devastated by the death of his grandfather, is hired by an antiques dealer to find a long-lost pirate treasure and finds himself pitted against an unscrupulous sex doll businessman, a motorcycle gang, a greedy salvage boat operator, and other mysterious entities. Also recruited for this treasure hunt is Clay’s crew: Westy, Crystal, Murphy, Cloutier, and of course, Baylee Baker.

And the spark between Clay and his partner, Baylee, finally bursts into flame…

His Review:

Let’s face it, Clay is not welcome in this town. The Chief of Police has informed him that he is not welcome and to get out of town. He would have been thrown in jail but the Chief couldn’t come up with charges that he thought would stick! Clay is staying to clear a friend’s name. This is really being caught between a rock and a hard place!

Someone is killing what looks like random people in town. When the latest victims become a young mother with three small children, Clay vows to eliminate the killer! Being suspected of the killing really makes his job harder. Thank God he has some of his investigative staff to assist. However, working for Clay can put you into the cross-hairs as well—and do.

Matt has written another complicated and engaging narrative, well-paced and guaranteed to keep the readers on the edge of their seats. Enjoy! 4 stars – CE Williams

I greatly enjoyed the last book I read in this series, Cosmic Trap as well as his novels in the Mainely Mystery series. Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my unbiased thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Hard-Boiled Mysteries, Hard-Boiled Mystery, Private Investigator Mysteries
Publisher: Encircle Publications
ASIN: B0CPMCHWDG
Print Length: 302 pages
Publication Date: March 27, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Matt Cost was a history major at Trinity College. He owned a mystery bookstore, a video store, and a gym, before serving a ten-year sentence as a junior high school teacher. In 2014 he was released and began writing. And that’s what he does. He writes histories and mysteries.

Cost has published five books in the Mainely Mystery series. “Pirate Trap”, due out in March of 2024 is the fifth book in the Clay Wolfe Trap series.

For historical novels, Cost has published “At Every Hazard” and its sequel, “Love in a Time of Hate”, as well as “I am Cuba”. In April of 2023, Cost combined his love of histories and mysteries into a historical PI mystery set in 1923 Brooklyn, “Velma Gone Awry”.

Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. A chocolate Lab and a basset hound round out the mix. He now spends his days at the computer, writing.

Happy Holidays!

The Rumor Game by Thomas Mullen – #BookReview – #OrganizedCrimeThrillers

Book Blurb:

A determined reporter and a reluctant FBI agent face off against fascist elements in this gripping historical thriller set in World War II-era Boston.

Reporter Anne Lemire writes the Rumor Clinic, a newspaper column that disproves the many harmful rumors floating around town, some of them spread by Axis spies and others just gossip mixed with fear and ignorance. Tired of chasing silly rumors about Rosie Riveters’ safety on the job, she wants to write about something bigger.

Special Agent Devon Mulvey, one of the few Catholics at the FBI, spends his weekdays preventing industrial sabotage and his Sundays spying on clerics with suspect loyalties―and he spends his evenings wooing the many lonely women whose husbands are off at war.

When Anne’s story about Nazi propaganda intersects with Devon’s investigation into the death of a factory worker, the two are led down a dangerous trail of espionage, organized crime, and domestic fascism―one that implicates their own tangled pasts and threatens to engulf the city in violence.

With vibrant historical atmosphere and a riveting mystery that illuminates still-timely issues about disinformation and power, Thomas Mullen delivers another powerful thriller.

His Review:

Anne is a reporter for the Boston Star when she should be home keeping house and making babies! This was the attitude of most Americans at the start of WWII, but she was attempting to expose gun thefts and smuggling around the area. The major German immigrant population in the area felt that America should have allied with Germany, not England, during the War.

Anne discovers a case of M-1 rifles in a warehouse obviously stolen from a nearby military base. She is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and expose the culprits! This does not set well with the editor of her paper and most of the citizens of Boston. Their opinions are that she should be writing for the local gossip column and not reporting on such matters.

Thomas Mullen has written a very convincing tale of intrigue and espionage during the war. Some of the richer people in the area were making handsome profits by stealing and selling weapons to other countries. Anti-Semitism is rampant and Jew as well as German nationals and Japanese are restricted from working in Allied war industries.

The segregation of these people along with blacks who want to work in war related industries keeps the workforce mostly white males. However, the need to increase production seems to be stifling production and the war effort. Yes, although the Jews are a major population being decimated by Hitler, they are seen as money grubbing profiters during the war.

This book uncovers the long perceived notion of non-patriotism by these ethnic groups and the paranoia that was rampant in America during WWII. The book is well written and a very engaging and entertaining read. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my own opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Organized Crime Thrillers, Historical Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN-10: ‎ 1250842778
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1250842770
ASIN: B0C1X7FHM6
Print Length: 368 pages
Publication Date: February 27, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Thomas Mullen is the author of Darktown, an NPR Best Book of the Year, which has been shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Southern Book Prize, the Indies Choice Book Award, has been nominated for two Crime Writers Association Dagger Awards, and is being developed for television by Sony Pictures with executive producer Jamie Foxx; The Last Town on Earth, which was named Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA Today and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction; The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers; and The Revisionists. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and sons.

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Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy – #BookReview – Teen and YA Fiction

Book Blurb:

Six Muslim teens are falsely accused of a deadly attack in this timely and harrowing examination of America’s justice system, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas and Samira Ahmed.

As fireworks pop off at a rowdy Fourth of July bonfire party, an explosion off the California coast levels an oil rig—resulting in chaos and worse, murder.

At the center are six Muslim teens – six patriots, six strangers, and six suspects.

An old soul caught in the wrong place. An aspiring doctor. An influencer with a reputation to protect. A perfect daughter with secrets to hide. A soccer star headed for Stanford. An immigrant in love. Each with something to hide and everything to lose.

Faced with accusations of terrorism, The Six are caught in a political game that will pit them against each other in exchange for exoneration. They must choose: frame each other to guarantee their own independence or expose their secrets to earn back freedom for them all.

His Review:

Getting close to graduation, a group of potential graduates have a wild beach party–happens in most college and university towns across America. Zamzam was not going to go because she had a final in the morning. But her friends talked her into the party. Everyone was having a great time until the explosion!

The police showed up quickly and Que and Zamzam try to slip away. A night in jail will eat up all of her final cramming time. The police see them rushing away and arrest them for planting a bomb. They are totally amazed but the police reason that they are trying to escape because they had set the bomb and did not want to get caught.

Questioning is repeated and goes on for five straight hours. No amount of reasoning will talk the police into releasing her. Zamzam sees her full-boat scholarship to Princeton slipping away!

C E Williams This book is well written and shows the futility of trying to reason with a police force that has already decided you are guilty. The narrative is an aggravating but believable tome. Enjoy! 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my own opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four stars

Book Details:

Genre: Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Prejudice, Teen & Young Adult Religious Fiction eBooks, Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Prejudice & Racism
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ASIN: B0C9ZQVW9N
Print Length: 400 pages
Publication Date: March 12, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

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

Ream Shukairy - author — BioPic-Posted on Goodreads

The Author: Ream Shukairy is a Syrian American Muslim born and raised full-time in Orange County, California and part-time over summers in Syria. Whether in California or Syria, she feels at home where her family is and wherever there’s a beach. She has a talent for learning languages and is always on the search for the next place she can travel and flex her words. The daughter of immigrants, there isn’t a stereotype she won’t try her hardest to defy. She can be found reading at the beach, with her sisters watching anime, or playing volleyball really anywhere. She currently resides in Boston for graduate school.

https://www.reamshukairy.com/blog/15-facts-about-me

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Ghost Team by Paul Heatley – #BookReview – #militarythrillers

A Tom Rollins Thriller Book 11

in War & Military

Rosepoint Publishing: Five stars

Book Blurb:

Tom goes up against a powerful militia. Turns out they’re the least of his problems.

Tom Rollins gets news that an old Army buddy, Adam Lineker, has killed himself. But at the funeral, another friend confides that he doesn’t believe the suicide story – he thinks Adam was murdered.

Sticking around the small town of Samson to investigate, Tom goes up against the disinterested and hostile sheriff, and finds an ally in Adam’s therapist, herself an ex-deputy.

Tom soon discovers that Samson has a lot of unsavory elements. A militia is based nearby, and they’re intimidating the townsfolk. Mysterious strangers are tailing Tom and watching his every move.

But how does all this connect back to Adam? What was he involved in?

As he digs for the truth, Tom comes under increasing pressure from the militia. Undaunted, he pushes back. And only then realizes there are bigger players involved and the bloodthirsty and well-armed militia may actually be the least of his problems.

But Tom presses on, determined to find out what really happened to Adam. And when he does, there’ll be hell to pay.

His Review:

A military squad is pinned down in a trench in Afghanistan. Lorne Henkle, Adam’s buddy, is badly wounded by an RPG. He begs Adam to leave him and save himself. The U.S. military protocol is never to leave a fellow soldier behind. Despite begging from his buddy to leave him, Adam will have none of it.

That was a number of years ago. The pair have gone back home and are trying to make a life for their families. The road block is that the Taliban have sworn a blood oath to avenge their fellow soldiers killed by this pair!

The small town of Samson was very peaceful until the drug lord chose this location for the control center of his drug operations. Adam and Lorne became a real thorn in his side, but he has a convenient hit squad that should make quick work of eliminating the problem.

The squad of nine people is not expected to have a problem with them and they will take over the town as soon as the two are eliminated. The local sheriff seems incapable or unwilling to reduce the threat. He is close to retirement and is not going to die by trying to save these two American veterans!

This book is very well written and points out the problems faced by many veterans who come back home to a family that has changed and a community that could not give a flying farkle for them. The drug gang hit squad will not allow the town to be protected nor the business plan to fail but they did not count on special operations veterans! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Military Thrillers, War & Military Action Fiction, Action Thriller Fiction
Publisher: Inkubator Books
ASIN: B0CNYCJYH6
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: December 3, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): Ghost Team [Amazon]

The Author: Paul Heatley‘s books have been published by the likes of All Due Respect, Inkubator Books, Close To The Bone, and more. His short stories have appeared online and in print for publications such as Thuglit, Horror Sleaze Trash, Spelk, Near to the Knuckle, Shotgun Honey, the Crime Factory, and the Flash Fiction Offensive, among others.

His website can be found at PaulHeatley.com.

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Mission Target by Mark Nolan – #BookReview – #FinancialThrillers

(Jake Wolfe Thriller Book 7)

Book Blurb:

A mysterious criminal syndicate is importing massive quantities of a strange new drug that causes many users to drop dead, and there’s no antidote. Jake Wolfe discovers that the powerful drug is being used as a weapon, deployed by a hostile foreign entity fighting a secret war against US citizens.

It’s a race against time to hunt down and stop the conspirators threatening mass murder, but if anyone can possibly search and destroy the mission target, it has to be Jake and his highly intelligent K-9, Cody.

As the two Marine veterans get pulled deeper into a secret conspiracy, Jake becomes a target himself, and he’s shocked to discover the acts of treason involve people he never would have suspected.

Jake has tried to leave his secret work as an assassin behind him, but when duty calls, he once again takes up the fight.

Grab your copy of Mission Target and come along with America’s outlaw operatives, Jake and Cody, for a fast-paced and pulse-pounding action-filled thriller you can’t put down until the final page.

Mission Target is part of a series, but may be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

His Review:

Jake and his dog Cody receive a high-value target request from Washington. He is to eliminate a foreign agent who can cause irreparable harm to the intelligence community of the United States. After 9/11, the pressure on the covert community has become great and the duo needs to act quickly. They would have preferred being on Jake’s yacht in California.

The target has been mixing illegal chemicals into a pill that kills those who take it. War is fought on many fronts including signal intelligence, electrical intelligence, and clandestine operations. Our country was never in more danger than from this underworld group of killers. Profit is the motive and the fools who take the drugs are incidental casualties of the operation.

Stopping drug smuggling is very difficult. The criminals are highly sophisticated and well-versed in their line of work. Eliminating them is often the only way to slow the flow of illegal drugs into the country. Jake and his “devil dog” Cody are in constant danger because the bad guys are aware of their identities. Kill or be killed is often the only option.

Jake is committed to one woman, a veterinarian who is known simply as Dr. Sarah. She enjoys her relationship with her Marine veteran boyfriend and his faithful dog. She agrees to spend a few days with Jake and Cody off the coast of Sausalito, California but their nautical sojourn turns into a nightmare.

I am a fan of Nolan’s books and this one did not disappoint. At times my imagination is stretched because some of the situations would have required a security classification from the government. These scenarios, however, add a spice to these books. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Financial Thrillers, Mystery Action Fiction, Assassination Thrillers
ASIN: B0CJR3SFS1
Print Length: 416 pages
Publication Date: October 31, 2023
Source: Author
Title Link(s): Mission Target [Amazon]

The Author: Mark Nolan is an Amazon Bestselling Author and Kindle Unlimited All-Star. He enjoys hearing from readers, and is hard at work writing his next novel about Jake and Cody.