#NewBook – Page 12 – Rosepoint Publishing

Up on the Woof Top by Spencer Quinn – #AudiobookReview – #AnimalFiction

Chet and Bernie Mysteries, Book 14

Book Blurb:

Chet the dog, “the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction” (Boston Globe) and his human partner Bernie Little find themselves high in the mountains this holiday season to help Dame Ariadne Carlisle, a renowned author of bestselling Christmas mysteries, find Rudy, her lead reindeer and good luck charm, who has gone missing.

At Kringle Ranch, Dame Ariadne’s expansive mountain spread, Chet discovers that he is not fond of reindeer. But the case turns out to be about much more than reindeer after Dame Ariadne’s personal assistant takes a long fall into Devil’s Purse, a deep mountain gorge. When our duo discovers that someone very close to Dame Ariadne was murdered in that same spot decades earlier, they start looking into that long ago unsolved crime.

But as they reach into the past, the past is also reaching out for them. Can they unlock the secrets of Dame Ariadne’s life before they too end up at the bottom of the gorge? Is Rudy somehow the key?

Up on the Woof Top is a brand-new holiday adventure in Spencer Quinn’s delightful New York Times and USA Today bestselling series that the Los Angeles Times called “nothing short of masterful.”

My Review:

I’d forgotten the fun of listening to Chet (the dog) interpret his life with Bernie as they go about business in the Little Detective Agency. Chet is a police test failure. Chet very much, like all good dogs, lives in the present, although he does have a good memory for his history with Bernie and loves him like no other.

It’s the dog’s thoughts and memories from previous jobs that are called to mind, often humorously, as only a dog might view the world. While we humans tend to anthropomorphize our pets, the pets tend to view their human in terms of pack mentality. Hopefully, the human is alpha. In this case, Chet often reminds the reader how smart Bernie is. That’s good, because their new job is to find the missing pet reindeer of an aging author. Bernie’s client, Ariadne Carlisle, is experiencing writer’s block—a no-no for an author and it’s the reindeer who serves as her muse.

It’s Christmas time in the Colorado mountains, the author’s main theme. She owns Kringle Ranch and Rudy is one of nine reindeer. She figures surely Chet with his sensitive nose, will be able to find Rudy—money is no object.

When Chet and Bernie find her personal assistant at the bottom of a gorge, however, the case swings into an unsolved murder case—that of Carlisle’s only real love. The plot line has changed. But that isn’t the only surprise. There are twists and some amazing well-developed characters who provide a fast-paced multi-layered storyline. Things are changing.

There are moments of give and take between man and dog that melt the heart and act like a balm for those (like myself) who have recently lost their own fur baby. The serious is interspersed with Chet’s comic pearls of wit and wisdom as he navigates the mysterious and often confusing world of his human and those with whom they meet on their missions. If you haven’t checked out one of these uniquely narrated mystery installments, this would be a good one to start.

I’ve enjoyed the books I’ve read or listened to (not in any order), the last one The Dog Who Knew Too Much last year. Jim Frangione does a great job of narration. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point five stars

Book Details:

Genre: Animal Fiction, Animal Cozy Mysteries, Private Investigator Mysteries
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B0C5P9QKV2
Listening Length: 8 hrs 13 mins
Narrator: Jim Frangione
Publication Date: October 17, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Up on the Woof Top [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Spencer Quinn lives on Cape Cod with his dog, Audrey. He is currently working on the next Chet and Bernie novel.

(Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of author Peter Abrahams.)

Happy Thursday!

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.

Game Over at Guild Hall by Amy Patricia Meade – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Pret’ Near Perfect Mystery #3

A Vermont Country Living Mystery Book 3

Book Blurb:

In rural Vermont, where hunting and trapping are a way of life, nothing is bigger than the annual wild game supper at Guild Hall. Stella can’t wait to sample the exotic dishes prepared by her neighbors, but when the longtime organizer of the supper falls dead, a victim of poisoning, Stella’s appetite—along with a roomful of suspects—vanishes. Then that same night someone ransacks the hall’s kitchen, presumably to destroy any evidence, and spots Stella snooping. Now she fears she may be the next target.

Certain the only way to save herself is to find the culprit, Stella digs into the victim’s life hoping to discover who might have wanted him dead. It turns out he’d made countless enemies over the years, as volunteers at the event were run ragged and hunters who wanted their food included were shunned. What’s more, Stella discovers the victim had unearthed a shameful and long-buried secret at the hall itself. With the list of possible suspects growing and her life in danger, Stella zeroes in on a clue that could break the case wide open—as long as she can stay out of the killer’s crosshairs . . .

My Review:

Yes, it’s a cozy mystery and one that I volunteered to read as it coincides with the season—also I loved that adorable and irresistible cover!

Set in the countryside of Vermont, the descriptions of the area are compelling, particularly in the fall when autumn colors turn breathtaking and the air becomes crisp with cooling winds and drying leaves.

“…I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…but if that runs out, I’ll drink the red.”

This storyline revolves around hunting—something the CE did for years (though not in Vermont). That aspect was also interesting for me with quick sketches of the various wild game the people in Vermont are open to hunt.

So it wasn’t so far-fetched that one of the activities of a small Vermont mountain town following the end of the tourist season would host a big annual wild game dinner. The problem is the event organizer who is poisoned about halfway into a three-seating dinner. Apparently, there were as many who loved the dinner as those who thought it had run its course.

The protagonist, Stella (and her Forest Service hubby Nick) manages to get into the middle of the mystery as with her keen eye for detail, she reveals several to the local law enforcement who (shockingly) welcomes her input. (Yes, it’s a cozy mystery and that would be different as well as the fact that she is happily married. For those who appreciate that…no romance distractions.)

Lots of suspects, per cozy mystery standards, small-town secrets, and loads of diverse characters.

It’s a fun, fast little romp into the charm of the local history, people, and activities of the area. The narrative is well-paced and the characters right out of rural America (although I must say I’m shocked they could legally offer road kill dishes). I loved the dog (of course I would).

Might be Book 3, but I think the way this reads would not be a problem to come in at this point and enjoy as a standalone. The narrative manages to veer fairly off-track with a motive you’d never have expected, much less the perp. Yes, it’s a gotcha! You can’t say it isn’t entertaining and if you enjoy cozies, especially a slightly unusual one (keeping your disbelief in check), you’ll enjoy this one.

I’d forgotten the unique writing style of this author. I read The Garden Club Murder for a blog tour back in 2019 and enjoyed it–a Tish Tarragon Mystery. (Of course I did–it had a Bichon on the cover.)

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

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Culinary Mystery, Cozy Culinary Mysteries
Publisher: Beyond the Page
ASIN: B0CLQ718G1
Print Length: 265 pages
Publication Date: November 14, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Author of the critically acclaimed Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, Amy Patricia Meade is a native of Long Island, NY where she cut her teeth on classic films and books featuring Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown.

After stints as an Operations Manager for a document imaging company and a freelance technical writer, Amy left the bright lights of New York city and headed north to pursue her creative writing career amidst the idyllic beauty of Vermont’s Green Mountains.

Now residing in Bristol, England Amy spends her time writing mysteries with a humorous or historical bent. When not writing – which is rare these days – Amy enjoys traveling, testing out new recipes, classic films, and exploring her new home.

Amy is a member of Sisters in Crime and The Crime Writers Association.

Christmas bough

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.

Subscribe to his reader newsletter at marknolan dot com for updates, specials, and news.

Click FOLLOW under Mark’s author photo, and Amazon will notify you when a new book is available.

http://www.marknolan.com/

Mission Churchill by Alex Abella – #BookReview – #BiographicalFiction

Book Blurb:

In 1933 Cuba, a deadly game of cat and mouse unfolds. An IRA sharpshooter, driven by vengeance and a relentless mission, has Winston Churchill in his crosshairs. But just as the assassin is about to strike, Churchill’s tenacious bodyguard, Walter Thompson, intervenes, forcing the killer into the shadows.

Years later, amid the fiery rain of the German Blitz on London, Thompson locks eyes with a ghost from Havana—the very same assassin. But now, the stakes are higher. As Thompson dives deeper into the city’s underworld, he uncovers a chilling conspiracy within the British government, threatening to topple Churchill and hand victory to Hitler.

Racing against time amidst the backdrop of a city in chaos, Thompson must decipher the twisted web of treachery to save his nation and the man he’s sworn to protect. But at what cost?

Dive into a high-octane thriller where history hangs in the balance, alliances are tested, and one man stands against the darkness.

His Review:

This book explores the lack of popularity of Sir Winston Churchill. It was inspired by another book by Warren Alder and James C. Humes titled “Target Churchill.” The poor treatment of the Irish by the British in the 18^th and 19^th centuries has left a hate for the aristocratic British by the people of Ireland. The Prime Minister was the target of disaffected Irishmen looking for revenge for the starvation of Irish citizens during the famine years. Even food sent from Irish settlers in the United States was subject to excessive tariffs and duties as well as outright seizing!

The story begins with an accidental meeting between an Irishman tasked with killing the man in a jewelry store in Havana, Cuba! At that time Churchill was a member of Parliament and had a number of detractors who could not understand why he did not simply sue for peace and let the Nazi’s have their way with continental Europe. Their desire for peace caused resentment because they felt that Britain could have avoided the bombing and destruction of many large cities including London, Liverpool, and Manchester.

The assassin, Marcus Riley, cannot believe his luck! Running into that hated man in a jewelry shop in Havana! His attempts are thwarted by a member of Scotland Yard named Thompson. Everywhere that Winston went, he was shadowed by Mr. Thompson. Rather than a quick slitting of Winston’s throat, Riley would use a new weapon specifically designed by the Germans to kill the Prime Minister at a very great distance!

Alex Abella has devised a very intriguing and intricate plot around the killing of the perceived enemy of Ireland. The orders come from Germany as do a very sophisticated new weapon. The scope on the weapon has the ability to make objects at 500 yards seem to be across the street. Another feature of the weapon is the scope’s ability of low light viewing of a subject as easily as daylight! From a distance of nearly half a mile, how can he miss?

The end result is an example of hate and revenge at their best! Churchill’s life hangs in the balance as does the fate of the free world. This book will captivate you as a reader and raise additional questions about that time in history. 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 British Fiction, Biographical Fiction, Historical British & Irish Literature
Publisher: Adler Entertainment Trusts LLC
ASIN: B0CL956SK2
Print Length: 276 pages
Publication Date: January 31, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): Mission Churchill [Amazon]

The Author: [Alex Abella] Papá was a poet. I am not.

But I am a writer–journalist, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, newswriter–I’ve tried practically everything that can be done with words upon a page, screen, or any medium, in all genres except poetry. So far.

The first time I ever wrote anything for publication–or so I thought–I was eight years old. Like most boys who want to be writers, I wrote an adventure story, about knights in armor, if I recall correctly. I thought someone somewhere would publish it but, alas, I had no agent so…

But seriously…the next time I pursued my writing obsession was in my late teens when I was determined to break into The New Yorker. I sent them a host of stories–none of which, mercifully, were published, nor have they survived.

Finally, success! I began writing film reviews for my school newspaper, The Columbia Spectator, and after graduation, became a magazine writer for a small publication in New York.

Moving to California, I joined The San Francisco Chronicle, but was fired the day after I wrote practically the entire front page. You need more ground strokes, said my editor. So I went to play for the electronic bullpen, becoming a reporter/newswriter/producer at KTVU-TV in the San Francisco Bay Area. While there I won an Emmy (group) for newswriting, was nominated for another Emmy for reporting, worked as a foreign correspondent in Central America, wrote a cookbook on bananas, drank too much, partied too much and was thoroughly miserable. I realized if I stayed a journalist I’d either burn out or commit suicide by age 50. So I quit the daily grind.

Since I speak fluent Spanish (I was born in Cuba, remember?) I became a court interpreter in Los Angeles. Based on that experience I wrote the thriller “The Killing of the Saints,” which, to my surprise, became a New York Times Notable Book. I wrote the movie adaptation of my novel for Paramount, then wrote something totally different, “The Great American,” a historical novel based on the true story of William Morgan, an Ohio-born, blond, blue-eyed American who became one of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution of 1959.

I wrote two follow-ups to Saints, “Dead of Night,” and ‘Final Acts,” then, shaken up by the tragedy of 9/11, I returned to journalism. My research on terrorism led me to co-write “Shadow Enemies: Hitler’s Secret Terrorist Plot against the United States,” about the band of saboteurs that Germany sent by U-boat to the U.S. in 1941. Finally, out of concern with the expansionist policies of the Bush Administration, and wanting to explore how the U.S. had become Rome, I wrote “Soldiers of Reason: The Rand Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire,” a study of the world’s most influential think tank, and how its scientists and theoreticians laid the foundation for the modern world we live in.

Over the past few years I’ve written three more novels, two of which I’ll soon be selling as ebooks, “More Than A Woman,” and “Tainted Love.”

Oh, and since I do have a life, in between books and jobs and obsessions I married a lovely woman, Armeen, whom I met at KTVU. I have three kids–ages 21, 16 and 9–and for now I am splitting my time between the lovely beachtown of Del Mar, California and the new Athens of the Western World, Los Angeles.

Hope to hear from you soon! Take care.
http://www.alexabella.com/
Alex [Goodreads]

Have a Great Sunday

Invisible No More by Scott Pitoniak and Rick Burton – #BookReview

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Wilmeth Sidat-Singh is the greatest athlete you’ve never heard of—and so much more. A rocket-armed passer on the football field, an ankle-breaking playmaker on the basketball court, he was also a scholar, civil rights pioneer, patriot, and one other thing—forgotten.

In this historical novel based on Sidat-Singh’s life, sportswriter Breanna Shelton stumbles upon the riveting story of the former Syracuse University star who was forced to hide his identity in order to take the field, leading to climactic moments when race and sports collided. As a young Black woman making her way in a profession not ready to fully accept her, Shelton immerses herself in the research, determined to resurrect an inspirational man who time left behind. Along the way, she finds courage and perseverance to transform herself and her career.

Post–civil rights era society still grapples with dispiriting obstacles that Sidat-Singh faced more than a half century earlier, when he was “passing” to play; serving as a Tuskegee Airman in World War II; and interacting with luminaries such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Grantland Rice, Sam Lacy, and Joe Louis.

This fictionalized account, as timely now as ever, honors an American hero whose life was cut short while serving a country that didn’t recognize him as a full-fledged citizen because of the color of his skin. After you read it, Sidat-Singh will be invisible no more.

His Review:

Children in Idaho were raised with admiration for the members of the Army Air Force. They were my heroes and I read of their accomplishments as often as I could. This novel gave me the opportunity to read about the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen and one in particular, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh. My upbringing did not include prejudice towards people of color, because there were no persons of color in my hometown.

Wilmeth was the star football player at the University of Syracuse. In his first game against the University of Maryland, he was not allowed to suit up to play in the game. The U of M would have forfeited the game if he was allowed to play. Syracuse lost its’ game that year because of the prejudicial benching of their star athlete. U of M had discovered he was black rather than Indian which his name implied.

Prejudice was rampant throughout the United States during the 20s, 30s, and 40s and Wilmeth struggled with the problem. He was gifted in many sports and was given a full scholarship to the school of his choice. Growing up in Upper Manhattan he was introduced to many of the great African American minds of his generation. Everything segregated was the tenor of the day and restroom facilities and drinking fountains were jealously guarded.

After excelling in sports and just about everything he attempted, Wilmeth signed up for training as a black aviator with the Tuskegee all-black training squadron. His ability in the air and seemingly impossible maneuvers with an aircraft helped to mold the Tuskegee Airmen into one of the best fighter pilot squadrons in America.

His death in a training accident broke my heart. Long years later, I met Charles Williams, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner when a lad in Boise, Idaho requested he get to meet them. These pilots were impressive gentlemen and I was honored to be able to shake their hands. I would have also liked to know this outstanding American! 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.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Biographical Fiction, Sports Fiction, Biographical Fiction
Publisher: Subplot Publishing
ISBN-10: ‎ 1637558635
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1637558638
ASIN: B0CK595VN2
Print Length: 336 pages
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Authors: A native of Rome, N.Y. and a magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University, Scott Pitoniak has been telling compelling, award-winning stories about people and the games they play for a half-century. He has spent 51 years in the newspaper business, including 25 as a reporter, feature writer and sports columnist for the Rochester, N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle, and has published more than 30 books and hundreds of magazine and website articles. Along the way, he has covered Olympics, Super Bowls, World Series, NCAA basketball tournaments, Stanley Cup playoffs and major golf tournaments.

Scott has received more than 100 national and regional journalism honors. His work, which often deals with the human side of sports, has been cited in “The Best American Sportswriting” anthology and he has been recognized as one of the nation’s top sportswriters by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Professional Football Writers of America, and Gannett, Inc.. Scott has been inducted into six Halls of Fame: Rochester’s Frontier Field Walk of Fame (1999); SU’s Newhouse School of Public Communications Gallery of Fame (2000); the Rome Sports Hall of Fame (2009); the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame (2013); the Camp Good Days and Special Times Ring of Honor (2016); and the Rochester Softball Hall of Fame (2021). He also was selected as a torchbearer for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Scott recently co-authored “Invisible No More,” a historical novel about a forgotten two-sport star athlete and Tuskegee Airman, and “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Buffalo Bills Sidelines, Locker Room and Press Box.” Scott also recently updated “Juke Box Hero,” a collaboration with rock ‘n’ roll legend Lou Gramm, the former lead singer and co-songwriter of the mega-hit group Foreigner.

Scott’s first children’s book, “Let’s Go Yankees! An Unforgettable Trip to the Ballpark,” was published in the summer of 2017 by Ascend Books.

Scott writes weekly sports columns for the Rochester Business Journal. He is a regular contributor to the Baseball Hall of Fame’s bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, served as a columnist for USA Today and Gannett News Service (syndicated to 150 newspapers nationwide), and provided on-air analyst for CBS television affiliates in Rochester and Buffalo. A frequent radio and television guest, locally and nationally, Scott was interviewed extensively for two documentaries – ESPN’s Sports Century profile of Maurice Stokes, and Orange Glory: The 20 Greatest Moments in Syracuse Basketball History.

Scott is passionate about giving back to his community. Through the years, he has mentored scores of students, taught journalism at the college level, and been heavily involved in several charities and community service organizations. He is past president and current board member of the Rochester Press-Radio Club, which raised and donated more than 800,000 dollars to local children’s charities during a 20-year span.

He also is in demand as a public speaker.

His hobbies include traveling, photography and historical research. His most cherished moments are spent with his wife, Beth, his grown children, Amy and Christopher, his granddaughters, Camryn and Peyton, and their energetic family cats, Liam and Sunny.

Rick Burton is the David B. Falk Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University and chief operating officer for Playbk Sports. Burton is a frequent contributor to publications such as Sports Business Journal and Sportico, and coauthor of numerous books, including Business the NHL Way; Forever Orange: The Story of Syracuse University; 20 Secrets to Success for NCAA Student-Athletes; and Sports Business Unplugged. His latest World War II historical thriller, Into the Gorge, was published by Subplot in June 2023.

Enjoy Your Sunday!

The Spy Coast: A Thriller by Tess Gerritsen – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Amazon Charts #14 this week

The Martini Club Book 1

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

A retired CIA operative in small-town Maine tackles the ghosts of her past in this fresh take on the spy thriller from New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen.

Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.

But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.

Complicating their efforts is Purity’s acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. More accustomed to dealing with rowdy tourists than homicide, Jo is puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information—and by her odd circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her at every turn.

As Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers, Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit a clandestine career that spanned the globe, from Bangkok to Istanbul, from London to Malta. The ghosts of her past have returned, but with the help of her friends—and the reluctant Jo Thibodeau—Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built.

My Review:

I love it when I discover an author new to me that has me digging into my library for more books, series, that I can plow into. This is one.

Even better, this is the first of a new series that left me anxious for the second. It’s a spy thriller that women, including “mature” women, can get into.

Maggie Bird is sixty and now a chicken farmer. She did a lot of research until she found this one little property—Blackberry Farm—it’s perfect. Even better, she has some likewise retired acquaintances close by with whom she gets together on a regular basis. They call themselves The Martini Club, ostensibly a book club. But is it really?

“Retired does not mean useless.”

Purity, Maine is a small village on the coast that has attracted its share of persons who would prefer not to be found. So when a body is dumped on her driveway, she has a strong feeling she’s been discovered and may have an idea who or why, but really? Sixteen years later?

I love these characters!

Maggie is magnificent. Don’t discount her because of her age. She was good at her former job and many of those instincts are still there. She’s smart, cool under fire, and capable. And she can easily handle Jo Thibodeau, the acting police chief.

The plot storyline goes back and forth with a switch of POVs and timeline and gradually adds colorful backstory that develops most of the main characters. There are support characters just as engaging and well-fleshed and as they become real so do the locations, particularly the isolated Maine winter setting.

It is a complex storyline with exotic location descriptions, despotic or empathetic characters, the business of the CIA and intelligence wrapped in a gripping, thoughtfully developed, and fast-paced novel.

You don’t have to love spy thrillers to love this creatively crafted narrative that is impossible to put down. I ripped through it and found the conclusion satisfying—loved how it was resolved. The action tumbles page by page—you have to know more!

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. I loved this one, start to finish, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Book Details:

Genre: Espionage Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: ‎ 0857505203
ASIN: B0C2F4V6BM
Print Length: 341 pages
Publication Date: November 1, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.

While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction and in 1987, her first novel, Call After Midnight, was published. It was just the first of 32 suspense novels that she’s written over a 36-year writing career. She also wrote a screenplay, “Adrift,” which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.

Tess’s 1996 medical thriller, Harvest, marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list and her novels have hit bestseller lists around the world ever since. Among her titles are Gravity, The Surgeon, Vanish, Listen to Me, and her upcoming spy thriller, The Spy Coast, which has just been optioned by Amazon Studios for a television series. Her books have been translated into 40 languages, and more than 40 million copies have been sold around the world.

Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TNT television series “Rizzoli & Isles,” starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.

She lives in Maine.

For more information on Tess Gerritsen and her novels, visit her website: http://www.tessgerritsen.com or
http://www.tessgerritsen.co.uk

#TuesdayBookBlog

More Than a Hashtag by Penny Poulsen Watson – #BookReview – #YALiteraryFiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

A teen discovers a dark secret . . .

Can he do what’s right, even when it all goes wrong?

High school freshmen, Tee and his best friend Chilly, depend on each other against bullies and girls that keep them guessing.

As sightings of a dangerous Cajun legend turn up, the boys must find the truth everyone else fears. When they uncover a threat to Chilly’s brother, they’re determined to save him. But can they unravel the mystery before it’s too late?

Tee must trust in his friendships and found family to navigate the murky waters of the bayou

. . . or become another victim of its shadows.

A modern classic in the tradition of Tom Sawyer and To Kill a Mockingbird, More Than a Hashtag transports readers to the charming and unique Louisiana Bayou, where Watson captures the essence of the South and tells a journey of courage, grief, and broken homes.

Grab a paddle and join Tee and Chilly today!

His Review:

Bayou country is a great place to grow up. The pace of life is laid back and the folks are welcoming and gregarious. Most folks don’t realize it, but the real driving force in the bayou is the women! Thomas Edison Hopper aka Hashtag is growing up in this environment and his mama and grandmother are the lights of his life.

His best friend and cohort Chilly, is always by his side. He is the best friend a guy could ever want. They went fishing together for the myriad of fish that lived in the swamps. Hashtag has many chores to do and the women folk make sure he does his jobs before any play. Cutting the older ladies’ lawns and keeping up the garden are a couple of his weekly chores. Miss a chore and you may wind up going to bed hungry!

On one of their exploring fishing trips, they happened upon an old seemingly abandoned property where drugs are being handled. The boys decide to investigate and turn the evidence over to the sheriff. They did not want their parish to sink into the morass that was a drug city. Gathering the evidence, however, puts them in real danger as the drug lord and his henchmen find out. Once their investigation is discovered their entire life is turned upside down

Penny Poulsen Watson is a very gifted writer with a real talent for spinning a yarn. She knits a delightful tale with wit and humor. Her characters are well developed and very believable. Love is apparent throughout the story between the characters, even though a good switching is called for. The catastrophe that is the investigation into the production of drugs in the parish is heartbreaking.

C E Williams I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good adventure with well-developed characters and a believable plot. Enjoy! 5 stars – CE Williams

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

Book Details:

Genre: Teen & Young Adult Nonfiction on Peer Pressure, Teen & Young Adult Literary Fiction
Publisher: PPW
ASIN: B0CJCQ72BM
Print Length: 408 pages
Publication Date: September 25, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Penny Poulsen Watson is a freelance writer, lyricist, poet and author of the novel, More than a Hashtag. She grew up in the Mountain West. She raised most of her children in Louisiana where she fell in love with the sweet and simple way of life. Although born in the West, it is southern skies, fireflies, magnolia trees and the smell of the bayou that live in her dreams.

She has been married to Allen Watson for 47 years. They are the parents of six children and seventeen beautiful grandchildren ranging from age 21 on down to 3 years old. Her family and her stable full of horses are the greatest loves of her life.

Happy Autumn Sunday