#bookreviewers – Page 9 – Rosepoint Publishing

The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

An Alex Delaware Novel

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis confront a baffling, vicious double homicide that leads them to long-buried secrets worth killing for in the riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling “master of suspense” (Los Angeles Times).

LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis sees it all the time: Reinvention’s a way of life in a city fueled by fantasy. But try as you might to erase the person you once were, there are those who will never forget the past . . . and who can still find you.

A pool boy enters a secluded Bel Air property and discovers two bodies floating in the bright blue water: Gio Aggiunta, the playboy heir to an Italian shoe empire, and a gorgeous, even wealthier neighbor named Meagin March. A married neighbor.

An illicit affair stoking rage is a perfect motive. But a “double” in this neighborhood of gated estates isn’t something you see every day. The house is untouched. No forced entry, no forensic evidence. The case has “that feeling,” and when that happens, Milo turns to his friend, the brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware.

As Milo and Alex investigate both victims, they discover two troubled pasts. And as they dig deeper, Meagin March’s very identity begins to blur. Who was this glamorous but conflicted woman? Did her past catch up to her? Or did Gio’s family connections create a threat spanning two continents?

Chasing down the answers leads Alex and Milo on an exploration of L.A.’s darkest side as they contend with one of the most shocking cases of their careers and learn that that some secrets are best left buried in the past.

My Review:

Okay, my turn for an Alex Delaware series novel by Jonathan Kellerman (the CE can’t have them all), one of my favorite series and authors. There have been almost forty installments but as numerous as that sounds, each is fresh (could be read as a standalone) and I never get tired of his descriptive writing style.

There are actually two threads in this one, a minor thread about an adopted juvenile whose parents decide they no longer want him. (Knife to the heart!) The major plot involves a double homicide. Alex is a child psychologist but is frequently pulled into an investigation by his homicide detective buddy, Milo Sturgis, as is this one after they discover the death of two persons poolside in the LA area.

Dr. Delaware is exceptionally observant and his training makes him uniquely qualified to get into the scene, postulate how and in what order the crime might have gone down. The lady in question is older and married (not necessarily to the young male found in proximity), extremely rich through her marriage. He is likewise embarrassingly rich, the young son of an Italian shoe empire.

No question there are negative feelings for both victims at the beginning of the book. Spoiled rich kid—mysterious lady, hidden past. Hmmm. So, who was the target? The collateral damage?

Obviously a layered investigation, more so on Alex’s side, that begins with the process of elimination and a lot of hours and manpower spent in mindless scouring of everything from phone calls to birth records.

[Side bar: Of course, Alex has green eyes—surprise!—so does another character along with the explanation that only two percent of the world’s population have them. Them and the CE! (It always frosted me that I never got my mother’s beautiful blue eyes. So what would be the odds that my son would have the CE’s green eyes? Despite my m-i-l declaring it would be impossible—apparently not.)]

As Alex and Milo progress through interviews, the sentiment gradually begins to sway just a tad to neutral and by the end of the book strongly sympathetic to both victims. Gees, can a person ever catch a break?

As always, I enjoy the aesthetics and atmosphere of the LA area and surrounds, and the characters, both main and support are well-developed, engaging, and magnetic. Of course, Alex and Milo spark off each other, the perfect antithesis and their dynamic works. The child custody case might be heartbreaking, but the conclusion is a positive one—a win when you need it. Now, the painting of the Ghost Orchid…

These installments always leave me anticipating the next one, but gotta say, I really enjoyed this one a lot! The CE last read City of the Dead and I The Wedding Guest but this one wins the five stars. Recommended—a don’t miss!

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: Ghost Suspense, Ghost Mysteries, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ASIN: B0C4JBJBFG
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jonathan Kellerman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.

Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.

IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan’s former students, continues to break ground.

Jonathan’s first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.

In 1985, Jonathan’s first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children. [Goodreads]

#TuesdayBookBlog

Closure by Garrett Addison – #BookReview – #vigilantejustice

A page-turner psychological revenge crime thriller mystery

Book Blurb:

It’s hard to move on when vengeance takes over.

Bestselling author and clinical psychologist James Malter immediately attracts police suspicion when his terminally ill patients suddenly begin suiciding and harming others. His guilt seems even more likely when the seemingly innocent victims are found to be related to his sister’s acquitted killer many years earlier. With mounting casualties and a shadow threatening to derail his past and sully his career, Malter’s quest to uncover the truth will pit his longstanding belief in ‘moving on’ against his long-suppressed want for revenge.

His Review:

Regrettably, the police did not catch this despot in time. He spent a lifetime killing people in the most gruesome manner. The detective who finally outed him had found his sister’s body horribly mutilated with evidence of her horrendous execution. Pleads to let her die were ignored as the criminal reveled in his ability to make his victims writhe and suffer.

Finally captured, he is lying on his deathbed confronting his captor and some of the relatives of his victims. Oh yes, he was apologizing, but the deceased were given absolutely no mercy! How could anyone be so depraved as to subject other human beings to such cruelties?

This writer is very talented! He illuminated the subject with surgical precision and graphic detail. His writing would have garnered a five-star rating from me except that his topic was appalling! Writing with such illuminating clarity about a sadistic serial killer is, in my opinion, an unfortunate misuse of his talent. 3.5 stars – CE Williams

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book provided by the author. Unfortunately, this kind of subject is not for me.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Vigilante Justice, Vigilante Justice Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
ASIN: B0C3YNC8BJ
Print Length: 233 pages
Publication Date: August 29, 2023
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Garrett Addison is an Australian revenge author keen to bring something different to people’s reading. Forget your formulaic storylines and cliched characters, Garrett wants to sucker you in to something light, readable, enjoyable and ultimately help you discover (or rediscover) the joy of being totally immersed in a book.

Web: https://garrettaddison.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GarrettAddison
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettaddisonauthor

The Constant Soldier by William Ryan – #BookReview – Historical World War II Fiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Paul Brandt, a soldier in the German army, returns wounded and ashamed from the bloody chaos of the Eastern Front to find his village changed and in the dark shadow of an SS rest hut—a luxurious retreat for officers recuperating from their injuries and for those who manage the nearby concentration camps of Auschwitz. The hut is run with the help of a small group of female prisoners from the camps who, against all odds, have survived the war so far. When, by chance, Brandt glimpses one of these prisoners, he realizes he must find a way to access the hut. For inside is the woman to whom his fate has been tied since their arrest five years earlier, and now he must do all he can to protect her.

As the Russian offensive moves closer and partisans press from the surrounding woodlands, the days of this rest hut and its SS inhabitants are numbered. And while hope for Brandt and the female prisoners grows tantalizingly close, the danger is greater than ever. In a forest to the east, a young female Soviet tank driver awaits her orders to advance . . .

His Review:

Brant is a soldier wounded badly at the Russian front and has been given a discharge from the German army. He is considered a hero by many because of the arm that was lost and terrible burns received in battle. Although discharged, he is responsible for a rest facility for Germans back from the front. Officers mostly, who are in desperate need of rest and relaxation.

Before the war, Brandt attended university in Vienna. At 25, with the war starting, he no longer wishes to continue at the university and is swept up in the expansion of the German army. Assigned to the facility he is running are a number of women who are charged with cleaning the linens and preparing foods and other domestic chores required to keep the soldiers on leave comfortable. Among the women is one who he was romantically involved with before the war.

The town where the facility is located is near his father’s old family farm in Ukraine. The local mayor of the town has taken it as one of his responsibilities to help run the retreat as well. He is overweight and vicious in his treatment of the women and anyone else that he can push around. He reports to the camp commandant and makes everyone’s life miserable.

The constant threat of the Red Army pushing through the area is a constant concern. Brandt and the others feel there will be no mercy shown by the Russians toward them. The people from the surrounding area are frantically trying to head west towards the approaching American army to avoid being captured by the Russians. The situation has become desperate.

William Ryan has spun a very believable story of the frantic situation lived by the people in Eastern Europe nearing the end of WW II. The struggle for the basics of life and just to be alive is continuous and unremitting. The mental images and development of the characters in this book is illuminating, revealing, and gripping. Putting myself in their shoes made my appreciation of the tragedy of war and their survival more personal. 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 thoughts. The novel is highly recommended.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical World War II Fiction, 20^th Century Historical Romance
Publisher: Arcade
ISBN-10: ‎ 1956763783
ASIN: B0BTZWD21K
Publication date: ‎ November 7, 2023
Date First Available: ‎ January 1, 1970
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: William Ryan’s first novel in the Captain Korolev series, The Holy Thief, was shortlisted for a Crime Writer’s Association’s New Blood Dagger, a Barry Award, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award and The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. The second in the series, The Bloody Meadow, was shortlisted for the Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year and the third, The Twelfth Department, was also shortlisted for the Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year as well as the CWA’s Historical Fiction Dagger and was a Guardian Crime Novel of the Year..

The Constant Soldier, William’s fourth novel was described as “subtle, suspenseful and superb” by The Daily Mail and shortlisted for the HWA’s Gold Crown and the CWA’s Steel Dagger. A House of Ghosts, (as W.C. Ryan),was published in October 2018 and was described as “an intelligent, absorbing, exquisitely spooky mystery” by The Irish Times. The Winter Guest, published in January 2022, was called an “impeccably researched and utterly intriguing historical mystery that lays bare the societal fractures caused in Ireland’s fight for freedom” by the Irish Independent.

Visit http://www.william-ryan.com for more information.

Enjoy Your Sunday

Rosepoint Reviews – September Recap – Welcome October Autumn

Rosepoint Reviews - September Recap

Yes, September brought our long-awaited East Coast trip! While I did get some reviews scheduled, I relied on my little tablet and the “stick” to which I’d downloaded the activity for the month. Unfortunately, it didn’t work although I’d tried, tested, and thought I had it before we left.

Lincoln Memorial - DC — Lincoln Memorial

Our timing landed us in DC during their record-setting heat wave where walking the National Mall was a major test of the constitution of the physical kind. We planned to hit Philly, New York, Boston, Bar Harbor (my personal designation), Nova Scotia (the CE’s personal designation), Montreal (Canada), and Toronto (Canada). Hurricane Lee knocked Bar Harbor out, however, and we diverted to Plattsburgh IL, and a ferry ride—thence a quick and easy cross at the border into Canada.

Scaddabush Front Street Italian Restaurant, Toronto, Canada — Scaddabush Front Street Italian Restaurant in Toronto. So good we went back a second time.

We did experience a major downpour but nothing like New York just experienced with flooded subways. Our son did all the driving, the scenery was beautiful—much of it looked like home actually—except for the majestic skylines of the massive cities. My personal daily walking goal is 3,500 steps. Walking those cities achieved more than 21k steps one day, my equivalent of…10 miles? And there was always a lot of walking! Do you use a FitBit or equivalent; chronicle your steps? You’d think with all that walking I’d have shed some pounds. Nope. One—it was just one.

I mentioned last month our puppy adoption failure. Even with a lot of steps, could not keep up with a puppy. Still, back home and missing a dog’s joyous grin when we return home and a little couch buddy. I shouldn’t, but can’t help looking for an adult rescue.

If I was looking for some downtime, walking miles every day for almost three weeks wasn’t it, nor the backlog faced when we returned. Still trying to play catch up.

So a slow reading month—we read (or listened to) twelve books in September. These are still predominately from NetGalley, but more now from a variety of sources as we search for good, easy reading. (As always, links below are to my reviews that include purchase info.)

September Recap

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller (CE review)
Dying for a Daiquiri by Cindy Sample
A Superior Death by Nevada Barr (audiobook)
The Woman with a Purple Heart by Diane Hanks (5* CE review)
That Others May Live by Sara Driscoll (5* CE review)
Three Wise Men by Lou Bavou (CE review)
The Sorrowful Girl by Keenan Powell (5* CE review)
Tangled Webs by Maria McDonald
A Beautiful Ferocity by Jean Grainger (5* review)
One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni (5* CE review)
The Women by Kristin Hannah (5* review)
The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal

These included historical fiction, literary fiction, cozy mystery, and paranormal.

Favorite Book of the Month

Sorry, not sorry, but there is no contest here. Hands down, this month’s favorite (and will likely be the favorite of the year is The Women. Okay, you might accuse me of prejudice because we lived through that time—spent in nearby support—and heard that protest music echo in my head as I read. But I’d argue that the well-developed main character nailed the reality of the time—and perhaps could be applied to the present as well. Not due to release until February of 2024; I’d urge you to put it on your must-read list.

Book of the Month for September—The Women by Kristin Hannah.

My Reading Challenges page… I have 110 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads (at this point one book ahead of schedule) and still riding at a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley. Haven’t even looked at the Reading Challenges page. Soon…

Autumn is making herself known in crisp morning temps, changes of weather from erratic warm to very cool and back again. (In our neck of the woods, 80 will plummet 20 degrees shortly.) I do enjoy leaf peeping and did see the start of it on our trip. For me, though, it’s a harbinger of winter and I’m not a fan. As pretty as those northern states were, I couldn’t help but visualize and feel the snow and cold. I’ll proudly wear my Toronto sweatshirt, but I’ll be glad I’m no longer there.

Welcome, as always, to my new subscribers. I always appreciate those who read and comment.

One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni – #BookReview – #womensleuths

Tracy Crosswhite Book 10

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling series.

Detective Tracy Crosswhite draws a long-dormant serial killer out of hiding in a nerve-shattering novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

Tracy Crosswhite is reopening the investigation into Seattle’s Route 99 serial killer. After thirteen victims, he stopped hunting and the trail went cold, stirring public outrage. Now, nearly three decades after his first kill, Tracy is expected to finally bring closure to the victims’ families and redeem the Seattle PD’s reputation. Even if it means working with her nemesis, Captain Johnny Nolasco.

Lead detective of the original task force, Nolasco dares Tracy to do what he failed to: close the case. Forming an uneasy alliance, Tracy and Nolasco revisit old leads and pursue new evidence only to unearth high-level corruption and cover-ups as dangerous as the elusive killer himself. At the risk of being exposed, such deadly and powerful forces will go to extremes to stay in the shadows.

That’s just where Tracy and Nolasco are headed—to find the twisted truth behind a killer’s motives, his disappearance, and his chilling comeback.

His Review:

Tracy Crosswhite has risen quickly through the ranks of detective in Seattle. To be sure, the men in the department are not always supportive of fast-moving women. To level the playing field, she has been assigned to review old cold cases that were not solved. One case in particular regarding eleven hookers was never solved. There is a similarity between all of the deaths, a carved set of “Angels Wings” on the left shoulder of the victim.

The case is over 25 years old and suddenly the killer is striking again! This time the victims are middle-aged ladies who work in governmental positions in Seattle. They are no longer part of the marginalized segment of society. Their deaths are affecting the community in general and everyone is on edge. Tracy is pulled into the problem and is working with a senior detective who worked on the case over 25 years ago. His name is Johnnie Nolasco.

This criminal has been very careful and thorough! Why would he deviate from his former modus operandi and start killing middle-aged or retired former city employees? There is no apparent DNA material to help identify the killer. Tracy starts by going through the boxes of evidence collected on each of the murders and in one of the boxes makes a surprising find!

Working together Tracy and Johnnie slowly follow the evidence and develop a possible identity for the killer. The investigation is stymied at every turn by the lack of speed from various departments within the Seattle Police Department. They feel they have found a viable individual but are reluctant to name the person who is a bit too close to home.

Dugoni does not disappoint. The trail is convoluted and has more twists and turns than the road to Pike’s Peak. Read and enjoy this novel! 5 stars – CE Williams

[Note: The CE and I have shared a number of Dugoni’s books, including most recently Her Deadly Game, and greatly enjoyed it. As I’ve said before, around this house we like to say, “Of course it’s good, it’s a Dugoni.” They are consistently engaging, well-crafted, and well-plotted with relatable characters. This one is no exception. VW]

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

Book Details:

Genre: Serial Killer Thrillers, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: ‎ 1662500211
ASIN: B0B9T7K1F3
Print Length: 351 pages
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 8 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels including The 7th Canon, Damage Control, and the literary novels, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award and the critically acclaimed, The World Played Chess; as well as the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Several of his novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and a three-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Visit his website at http://www.robertdugoni.com, and follow him on twitter @robertdugoni and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni

Tangled Webs by Maria McDonald – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

A spellbinding new historical psychological mystery

Book Blurb

Two women take drastic action to protect the life they’ve built, in this gripping new novel set in early twentieth-century Belfast by the author of The Devil’s Own.

Jane Best and Agnes Williams are known in Belfast for taking in lodgers at Riverdale House, the business they started together after losing their husbands in the Anglo-Zulu War. For forty years, they’ve welcomed young women in need of a respectable place to stay in the city—including unfortunate cases like young Iris Seoin, who’s come here to get away from her abuser.

When a man shows up at the lodging house looking for Iris, he experiences a flash of recognition. He knows these two. He knows their past. And he knows what they’re hiding.

For Jane and Agnes, everything is at stake. But if they succeed in burying this blackmailer, will their secret stay buried with him?

My Review

Jane Best and Agnes Williams both experience the death of their husbands. While they had two very different backgrounds, neither could return to their former lives and agree on a new location with a business they could use to generate income as well as a stable home.

Each have their areas of expertise and soon they own and operate a safe lodging residence for ladies. Against the odds, however, an uncouth man from their former lives recognize them. What follows is a suspense-driven, well plotted mystery set in the latter 19^th century Ireland.

“…Home Rule means Rome Rule.”

I enjoyed the early account of their experience and later the struggle to create their lodging house. The antagonist is just nasty enough to stack the tension. Support characters and descriptions of the area and time create authenticity.

Several twists come as a surprise and plot re-direction. The prose provides light-hearted insight to the circumstances while the background turns darker.

A quick and easy read that adds spice to the suspense and generates the need to know more. Recommended!

Book Details

ASIN: ‎ B0CDCPFG9M
Publisher‏ : ‎ Bloodhound Books
Publication date‏ : ‎ September 1, 2023
Print length ‏ : ‎ 322 pages
Genre: LGBTQ+Genre Fiction, Lesbian Fiction
Source: Author
Title Link: A Superior Death [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four points

The Author: Originally from Belfast, Maria McDonald lives in Kildare, with her husband Gerry.

Maria is an avid reader who loves to write but only indulged in her passion for writing fiction after retirement. Since then, her short stories and articles have been published in Woman’s Way and Ireland’s Own, as well as numerous anthologies; Intermissions, Grattan Street Press Melbourne; Same page anthology, University College Cork; Fragments of Time, Amber Publishers. Maria is a founder member of Ink Tank Writing Group, based in Newbridge library and contributed to their anthologies, Timeless in Kildare and Let Me Tell You Something.

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Sorrowful Girl by Keenan Powell – #BookReview – Historical Irish Fiction

A Liam Barrett Gilded Age Novel

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Liam Barrett embodied the hopes and dreams of his family, bound for Harvard Law School. When his father unexpectedly dies, he gives up his plans and goes to work providing for his family in Adams, Massachusetts. As a policeman who abhors violence and who possesses an ability to calm agitated people, he strives to mediate disputes and keep peace in his community.

When a young Adams woman is found murdered near the estate of mill owner Alistair Cunningham, Cunningham pressures Liam to make a quick arrest. But Liam wants justice. As he fights to ensure that an innocent man is not railroaded, Liam uncovers a sinister plot forcing him to choose between his pacifist conviction and his duty to protect his town.

His Review:

Owen Sweeny comes into the local police office to report the finding of a young girl’s body found in the nearby woods. A good deed never goes unpunished. He is immediately thrown in jail as the prime suspect in her murder. The townspeople are expecting a lynching.

Liam Barrett is the local policeman appointed by the owner of the town’s factory to investigate the murder and hang the culprit. There is no evidence that Owen is the killer and he has a solid alibi. The plot thickens and the town’s tension is amplified as the investigation seems to stall.

This writer has devised a well-conceived crime with many false leads. The guilty party is not exposed until the end and I found myself totally in the dark, unable to guess the perp. I was impressed by the myriad of false leads leading to the climax. I heartily recommend this read to everyone who enjoys a good mystery. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and these are my own opinions.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Irish Fiction, Historical British & Irish Literature, Traditional Detective Mysteries
Publisher: Three Hooligans Press
ISBN-13: ‎ 979-8987149553
ASIN: B0C81KGNW3
Print Length: 271 pages
Publication Date: June 14, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): The Sorrowful Girl [Amazon]

The Author: Keenan Powell is the Agatha, Lefty, and Silver Falchion nominated author of the Maeve Malloy Mystery series.

Despite being one of original Dungeons and Dragons illustrators, art seemed an impractical pursuit – not an heiress, wouldn’t marry well, hated teaching – so she went to law school. The day after graduation, she moved to Alaska.

She is the author of the Maureen Gould Legal Thrillers, the Maeve Malloy Mysteries and numerous short stories.

Stretch out and relax--Enjoy your day.

Three Wise Men by Lou Bavou – #BookReview – #OccultUFOs

The answers to those profound questions about the Universe, Time, the Origin of Life and are we alone or not?

(Three Wise Book Series-Part 1)

Book Blurb:

Most science books are hard work!
So, this is a fact book with a fictional twist. It sets out to make science and religion more understandable and enjoyable to read, plus hopefully pose a few thought-provoking insights along the way.

It’s a novel way of explaining the science behind those profound questions we ponder on occasionally: What are the origins of the Universe and life? Are we alone in the Universe? When did Time begin? Does God exist? Is there an afterlife?

To make the science, which explores questions, more palatable, the scientific facts are presented as a dialogue between three fictional friends, who give factual commentaries on the above questions with a little humor added into the mix.

The narrative is set mainly in a Manhattan bar where the three friends meet every Friday after work. As a change of scenery, the friends also spend weekends at a hunting lodge.

The diverse social background of the three main characters; an investment banker with a scientific background, a pious Catholic of Irish descent and a down-to-earth Italian plumber, together with the insights given by the female proprietor of the bar, allows for a balance of views and opinions: from academic, religious and pragmatic perspectives on life.

Each chapter covers one of these profound questions, starting with the existence of God which naturally leads on to the reasons why people are religious. Having challenged the rationale behind religion, the book then counterbalances this with chapters on the origin, size and the end of the Universe. This then leads onto discussions on the link between space and time. The natural progression from the Universe and time leads onto a chapter on the origin of life including the possibility of life elsewhere. Finally, there’s a historical perspective on death and burials.

His Review:

Three friends are spending Christmas Eve at the local watering hole. Their conversations turn to the mysteries of the universe. Does God exist; How did the universe even happen; and is there other life in the cosmos? These are questions that mankind has been pondering for ions. Michael, Jess, and Gio bandy about these questions while enjoying various libations.

The author, Lou Bavou, has delved deeply into these questions while being at the least an agnostic. Belief in a God is fundamental to every religion on the planet. But there is no apparent proof that He even exists. Certainly, enlightened populations around the planet have developed theories and speculations about this question but is there tangible evidence?

Are there aliens or some other species living in the vast array of our universe? And are these aliens aware of our presence here on earth? SETI, the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence has pondered this question for over a decade. Maybe our planet’s location in the Milky Way Galaxy is akin to someone in a backwater yet discovered.

Time and distance make the discovery of our planet problematic! Even at the speed of light mankind cannot expect to explore habitable planets outside our solar system. The time is just not available for us as fragile creatures. This entire novel is a serious look at astronomy and philosophy and is a well-written treatise. 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review his book with no expectation for a review. These opinions are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four stars

Book Details:

Genre: Occult UFOs, UFOs, Astronomy
Publisher: Bavou
ASIN: B0C85CV31L
Print Length: 257 pages
Publication Date: June 14, 2023
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Lou Bavou is a unique new voice in the world of science books. With a strong education in math, physics and chemistry, he graduated with an honors degree from Birmingham University, UK. He spent a long career as a consultant engineer to the energy industry running his own small consultancy company with extensive travel and work around North America, Europe, Russia and Asia; learning about the local cultures and history. During his travels he has rubbed shoulders with oil rig ‘bears’, negotiated with Arabic oil ministers and been tailed by the Iraqi secret service and still found time to write numerous professional reports, papers and guidelines for the energy industry.

Lou recently decided to change direction and take-up writing full-time.

Nowadays, when he’s not researching his keen interests in astronomy and astrobiology, he spends time running a small holding. He still travels and has wild camped in the Sahara Desert, ice skated on the highest rink in the world in Kazakhstan, sheltered from major cyclones in China and Sri Lanka – and they say lightening never strikes twice, once nearly drowned in the River Thames and survived his wife’s meatballs, but still lives with her on the outskirts of SW London with their children of all ages.