Payback in Death by J D Robb – #BookReview – #policeprocedurals

An Eve Dallas Novel

Book Blurb:

A retired colleague’s suspicious death puts Lt. Eve Dallas on the case in Payback in Death, the electrifying new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb.

Lt. Eve Dallas is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.

An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note—Eve’s gut says it’s a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback—and she will not rest until the case is closed.

My Review:

Hard to believe you can write fifty-seven of these and still have it be fresh and exciting—but seems it is. The last time I read and reviewed one of this series was Golden in Death released in February of 2020. Of course, J D Robb is a pseudonym for Nora Roberts—the latter being her romance series—this one more serious. Back then, Roarke was a significant other that I couldn’t decide if I liked or not.

Perhaps he’s mellowed.

This unique police procedural is also set in 2061 and as in my last review, I didn’t see a whole lot of difference in the forty-plus years to contemporary police procedurals, albeit a few changes in technology.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas, protagonist, and now hubby Roarke have just returned from a vacation. No rest here at all when she is called in the middle of the night to a possible suicide of a retired IA police captain. Yeah…no. She doesn’t think so! And as an internal affairs captain, the list of those who might want him dead is as long as he served.

Eve follows her gut while also sticking to the book. Roarke seems more supportive this time, not quite so annoying, offering his opinions gleaned from years of his own experience. Eve’s partner, Delia Peabody gets more print time, initiating and taking on more responsibility. I like the support characters. They add a strong sense of department intelligence and professionalism.

What shines through is the procedures, the laws that hamper or control their actions, particularly in the investigation of other officers. Payback, being the theme of this novel, pings back and forth in the narrative, along with the sense of responsibility to victims, relationships, and reverence.

It’s well-plotted, generally fast-paced with twists and few interruptions off the main plot (romance). If you enjoy police procedurals, particularly one from a few decades hence, you’d enjoy peeking into future crimes.

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

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
ASIN: B0BQGJ182N
Print Length: 364 pages
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Source: Local library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: J.D. ROBB is the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is the author of over 200 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

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.

Christmas tree

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Susan Wiggs – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

The ultimate holiday gift from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs: a delightful novel about a Christmas transport of rescue puppies that’s guaranteed to warm readers’ hearts.

Brenda Malloy wants nothing to do with Christmas ever again. Last year, Brenda and her husband rushed their beloved dog Tim to the emergency vet on Christmas eve. The good news: Tim survived after the vet cleared the obstruction–a pair of women’s lace undies. The bad news: the undies were not Brenda’s.

A year after the breakup, Brenda has put her life back together. She’s trained for a marathon, is writing a children’s novel, and she’s found purpose and healing as a volunteer with a dog rescue organization in Houston, Texas. The rescue partners with a program in Avalon, New York–a small, snowy town deep in the Catskills. Now Brenda is arranging the transport of rescued dogs from Houston to Avalon—just in time for a merry Christmas with their forever families. Brenda’s friends worry about her driving a van two thousand miles with twelve dogs in crates, but she shrugs off their concern. How hard can it be? She knows the way, and she’s just looking to escape the Christmas overload for a while.

But a blinding snowstorm, an escaped mutt, and a life-saving encounter with Adam Bellamy—a single dad and paramedic—means Brenda has to stay in Avalon longer than she planned. As she drops off each precious pup at their new homes, some of the comfort and joy of the season begins to creep up on Brenda despite her determination to avoid the holidays. Perhaps you can bring Christmas into your heart after all…if you have the right furry friends to guide the way.

My Review:

Yes, this time of year, it’s understood there’ll be sweet Christmasy winter-time romance stories, dripping with sentiment, and time-honored storylines. Add in twelve dogs and it’s bound to be a winner.

Brenda Malloy has been soured on Christmas—there’s been more than one tragedy with that timing—and she views each coming Christmas with a sinking heart. Brenda, however, has an outlet that she’s found satisfying revolving around a dog rescue. So far, her biggest challenge is the paperwork involved in gleaning good applications and pairing them with appropriate dogs looking for their furever homes.

While being an advocate for the doggos, she generally works out of her home. This year she’s been volunteered to help drive twelve dogs (including her own) to the northern regions for placement in time for Christmas. The trip went beautifully until the winter storm hit just outside of their destination resulting in a serious accident with her co-worker in the hospital and one canine escapee.

As luck would have it, the eye-candy paramedic (Adam) who rescued her is also the recipient of one of the dogs intended for his son—he’s divorced. Also, luckily, his mother is another recipient and she is very well to do, advocates in her own way offering bath and bedroom quarters while Brenda waits out the storm and their van is restored to serviceable.

Lately, I can’t seem to avoid romances, some of which have gotten quite steamy. This one stayed more generally G-rated while Brenda fought her ideas of the north, the weather, the town, and her attraction to the EMT. She managed to connect with the recipients of the dogs and deliver them to almost all the right people, finding one slight mismatch that she resolved well. The reader is treated to a little info regarding the dogs and the homes they went to and for about the first 75% or so of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed.

Then, I’m not sure what happened. While the first two-thirds was well-paced, well-plotted, and engaging, the last third got gooey, bogging down with the romance (her refusal to accept an insta-love), with a drop in reading level from adult to adolescent.

Well, grrrr….

Undaunted though and because I enjoy books about dogs, I’ll look for other novels by this author. In the meantime, if a simple romance with predictable storyline is your jam, you may very well enjoy this one.

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

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Friendship Fiction, Holiday Fiction, Christmas Holiday Romance eBooks
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: ‎ 0063253518
ASIN: B0BSFRMS2R
Print Length: 254
Publication Date: October 17, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Susan Wiggs - author — Susan Wiggs – author

The Author: [Amazon] I like to believe I am the person my dogs think I am.

I phone my parents every day, as they are elderly and adorable, and they read me stories every day of my freakishly normal childhood. I was a writer before I learned to read, by creating scribbles on paper and dictating the stories to my saintly mother. You can see examples here: https://plus.google.com/u/1/photos/104585203815605467940/albums/5587379107269629729?banner=pwa&partnerid=pwrd1.

Untold eons later, I still read and write everyday and I’ve gotten very good at it. I live in a ridiculously gorgeous place in the world–an island in Puget Sound, Washington where we have a lot of the same flowers you grow in the UK. But bigger slugs. Much bigger slugs.

I have lots more to tell you, so please join me on Facebook and check out pictures of my dogs and tell me what’s on your mind. https://www.facebook.com/susanwiggs

[Goodreads] Susan Wiggs‘s life is all about family, friends…and fiction. She lives at the water’s edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers’ group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field’s End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world’s top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She’s been featured in the national media, including NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with “refreshingly honest emotion,” and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is “one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book.” Booklist characterizes her books as “real and true and unforgettable.” She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual “Best Of” lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal – #Audiobook Review – #Women’sFiction

Book Blurb:

In this sumptuous novel, Barbara O’Neal offers readers a celebration of food, family, and love as a woman searches for the elusive ingredient we’re all hoping to find…

It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for—the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is—and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is worth the risk.

My Review:

Damaged main character Elena Alvarez horribly down on her luck manages to land a coveted position of chef in a struggling upscale restaurant in Aspen, a posh ski area of Colorado. Okay, she does have some real cred, but recent history describes a horrific accident in which she alone is the survivor, losing both her boyfriend and sisters.

Her new boss is Julian Liswood, a divorced player with a young daughter who relocated to Aspen hoping to find a wholesome area for his daughter to grow up and himself yet another unique and singularly successful upper-class restaurant. (Yes, he’s filthy rich.) To this end, he pretty much hands over the restaurant, menu and all, to untried, untested, and physically limited Elena.

I must admit that once again I was suckered in by a cover with a dog on it, who does prove a fun character, btw. Elena was raised by her abuela and is therefore capable of speaking with much of the Mexican staff (many of whom might or might not be working legally in the US). She has replaced the chef apparent who exudes attitude.

I was intrigued by the blurb, and although I’m not a Foodie, do not watch cooking shows, and limit my time in the kitchen, thought it sounded like an interesting book.

The atmosphere of Aspen is detailed beautifully as a year-round mountain resort. Indeed, the recipes as recited with complete directions all sound pretty good. There were themes of ghosts, immigration politics, physical challenges, male-dominated service field, and romance both straight and gay.

It was the straight romance that went from romantic to pornographic that shut me down. Intimacy descriptions became graphic. Too bad, as the storyline was an interesting one and tackled some serious issues. The conclusion didn’t provide anything not already expected.

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

Book Details:

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Women’s Literature & Fiction
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
ASIN: B0CL12HM6P
Listening Length: 12 hrs 43 mins
Narrator: Moniqua Plante, Jacob York
Publication Date: November 28, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Lost Recipe for Happiness [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Rosepoint Publishing: Three stars

The Author: Barbara O’Neal is the author of more than a dozen award-winning, bestselling novels, including the runaway bestseller, When We Believed in Mermaids, which has been published in more than 20 countries and spent many months on the Amazon Charts, as well as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller lists. Barbara lives on the beach in rugged Oregon with her husband, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent and their zoo of cats and dogs. You can find more information on her newsletter and where to find her on social media at barbaraoneal.com.

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.

Christmas tree

Rivers of Wrath by Jean Grainger – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Cullen’s Celtic Cabaret – Book 3

in Historical Irish Fiction

Book Blurb:

When Cullen’s Celtic Cabaret rolls into a sleepy Irish seaside town, their eccentric and theatrical presence stirs up a flurry of excitement—the public clamouring to buy tickets for the greatest show in Ireland.

Set against the backdrop of a relentless war for Ireland’s freedom, the stakes are higher than ever for Peter Cullen and his troupe as they try to stay out of the conflict. But as they soon discover, that’s a luxury nobody can afford. As well as fighting the forces of occupation, some people are using this time of chaos to settle old scores, and it seems the cabaret has gathered some sinister enemies. With danger lurking around every corner, Peter must fight to protect all he’s worked so hard to build.

Rivers of Wrath is the third book in the Cullen’s Celtic Cabaret Series.

My Review:

Ah, the Roaring Twenties and the continuing saga of Cullen’s Cabaret. The performers are lead by Peter, one of the original members who include Nick, Enzo, and Two Soups. May married Peter and they are expecting their first child. She found her niche in administration while Peter continues to orchestrate the program.

This episode clamps down on much of the troubles of the time, the mayhem created by the Black and Tans. May’s brother, David, has never been the same since his return from the war. Peter’s sister Maggie joins the cabaret and they finally acknowledge Nick’s aristocratic status with an extended visit to Brockleton, the estate he inherited and accepted effectively blocking his cousin Harvey from controlling the property. Aida makes an extreme sacrifice.

From escalating political tensions to interpersonal tensions between members of the cabaret, the storyline builds the tension and adds twists and turns the reader doesn’t expect.

There continues to be deceit and deception while the plot veers into left-center field. Impossible to predict the author’s next move, only that her well plotted narratives will reveal an emotive, heart-rending conclusion in Book 4—whether or not it’s the avenue you’d prefer traveling.

Such a dark and immersive departure from her loving, supportive family dramas, this one digs deeper into the darker side of the deadly struggles between the Irish and the English and paints a stark realistic picture of Ireland during the twenties.

I thoroughly enjoyed Book 2, A Beautiful Ferocity that ended with a cliff-hanger and knew Book 3 was going to get serious. Then I received a review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Irish Fiction, Historical British & Irish Literature, Women’s Sagas
ASIN: B0CJFVCLHR
Print Length: 312 pages
Publication Date: November 28, 2023
Source: Author
Title Links: Rivers of Wrath [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK

The Author: JEAN GRAINGER – USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

SELECTED BY BOOKBUB READERS IN TOP 19 OF HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS.

WINNER OF THE 2016 AUTHOR’S CIRCLE HISTORICAL NOVEL OF EXCELLENCE

Hello and thanks for taking time out to check out my page. If you’re wondering what you’re getting with my books then think of the late great Maeve Binchy but sometimes with a historical twist. I was born in Cork, Ireland in 1971 and I come from a large family of storytellers, so much so that we had to have ‘The Talking Spoon’, only the person holding the spoon could talk!

I have worked as a history lecturer at University, a teacher of English, History and Drama in secondary school, a playwright, and a tour guide of my beloved Ireland. I am married to the lovely Diarmuid and we have four children. We live in a 200 year old stone cottage in Mid-Cork with my family and the world’s smallest dogs, called Scrappy and Scoobi..

My experiences leading groups, mainly from the United States, led me to write my first novel, ‘The Tour’. My observances of the often funny, sometimes sad but always interesting events on tours fascinated me. People really did confide the most extraordinary things, the safety of strangers I suppose. It’s a fictional story set on a tour bus but many of the characters are based on people I met over the years.

[Truncated]

Many of the people who have reviewed my books have said that you get to know the characters and really become attached to them, that’s wonderful for me to hear because that’s how I feel about them too. I grew up on Maeve Binchy and Deirdre Purcell and I aspired to being like them. If you buy one of my books I’m very grateful and I really hope you enjoy it. If you do, or even if you don’t, please take the time to post a review. Writing is a source of constant contentment to me and I am so fortunate to have the time and the inclination to do it, but to read a review written by a reader really does make my day.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Trans-Mongolian Express by David L Robbins – #BookReview – #HistoricalRussianFiction

Book Blurb:

In the harrowing aftermath of Chernobyl’s meltdown in 1986, the fate of Eastern Europe hangs by a thread.

From Beijing, American radiation scientist Lara, once a thorn in the Russian mob’s side, is drawn back into the shadows of the Soviet Union on the Trans-Mongolian Express. She isn’t alone. Anton, a Soviet scientist exiled for predicting Chernobyl’s catastrophe, is on a quest to expose the truth. Amidst them, Timur, a Chechen giant fueled by vengeance, plots to destroy the already crumbling Soviet Union.

Suddenly, a murder on the remote tracks of the Gobi thrusts them into a deadly game of cat and mouse. As Chief Sheriff Bat races to solve the murder, their lives are thrown into jeopardy. Lara finds an unexpected ally in Gang, a reluctant assassin sent to end her life, and an illicit romance blooms amidst the chaos. But Gang isn’t the only killer onboard. A hidden menace lurks, threatening to unravel all their plans.

In this electrifying ride across a historical backdrop, suspense and passion collide in an unyielding dance of survival and redemption. Who will survive the Trans-Mongolian Express?

His Review:

The Trans-Mongolian Express travels one of the longest rail tracks in the world. The route is from Vladivostok to Moscow. The train utilizes multiple engines and one can see some of the loneliest and most desolate areas on the planet.

The accident at Chernobyl is being hidden by the Soviet Union. An American Scientist is being sent by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission to identify the problem and offer her expertise in containing the damage caused by the nuclear reactor failure.

The Russians, however, have disavowed the accident and are allowing nobody to get within miles of Chernobyl. Assassins have been placed on the train to make sure she does not make it to Chernobyl. Traveling incognito cannot hide her from the government. (Maybe the Geiger Counter she is carrying is a dead giveaway?)

The Russians want to have their secret of the accident hidden from the world. Large waves of radioactivity are hard to hide, however! The ”Express” stops at many locations across the continent. More than three people are sent to stop her from disclosing the truth to the world and she becomes attracted to one of the killers. He has fallen in love with her as well and will allow no one to get close to her. But can he protect her from the killers and the KGB? Only time will tell. Should she reach Moscow, the KGB has additional operatives to eliminate the threat of her disclosure.

C E Williams This author writes a very interesting and compelling book. The action is multi-dimensional and keeps one’s attention until the end. It reads like a romance novel in the middle of an espionage saga. Enjoy! 4.5 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 point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Russian Fiction, Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Military Thrillers
Publisher: Adler Entertainment Trust LLC
ASIN: B0CL9BGQM2
Print Length: 447 pages
Publication Date: January 17, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): Trans-Mongolian Express [Amazon]

The Author: David L. Robbins was born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 10, 1954. He grew up in Sandston, a small town east of Richmond out by the airport; his father was among the first to sit behind the new radar scope in the air traffic control tower. Both his parents, Sam and Carol, were veterans of WWII. Sam saw action in the Pacific, especially at Pearl Harbor.

In 1976, David graduated with a B.A. in Theater and Speech from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Having little actual theatrical talent, he didn’t know what to do for a living. David decided to attend what he calls the “great catch-basin of unfocused over-achievers”: law school. He received his Juris Doctorate at William and Mary in 1980, then practiced environmental law in Columbia, S.C. for precisely a year (his father demanded back the money for law school if David practiced for less than one year – he quit two weeks before the anniversary but got Sam to agree that the two weeks’ vacation David had accumulated could be included). David decided to attend Psychology school, having an affinity for people’s stories and a fascination with woe. However, while waiting for admisison in 1981, he began a successful freelance writing career. He began writing fiction in 1997, and has since published twelve novels. He’s currently working on the thirteenth, the fourth in his U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen series, as well as several scripts for the stage and screen. He has won awards for his essays and screenplays, and has had three stage plays produced.

David is an accomplished guitarist, studying the works of James Taylor and Latin classical. At six feet six inches tall, he stays active with his sailboat, shooting sporting clays, weightlifting, traveling to research his novels. He is the founder of the James River Writers (Jamesriverwriters.org) a non-profit group in his hometown of Richmond that helps aspiring writers and students work and learn together as a writing community. He also co-founded The Podium Foundation (thepodiumfoundation.org), a non-profit which brings writing and critical reasoning programs to the students of Richmond’s city high schools, as well as support programs for city educators. Most recently, David is the creator of The Mighty Pen Project, an intensive writing program for Virginia’s military veterans and their families, in partnership with the Virginia War Memorial. He also teaches advanced creative writing as a visiting professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Honors College. David resides in Richmond, near the James River.

To learn more, or to contact David, please go to authordavidlrobbins.com.

Have a great weekend!