#nottobemissed – Page 43 – Rosepoint Publishing

Under Pressure (An FBI K-9 Novel Book 6) by Sara Driscoll –#BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, are drawn into a case that involves a fortune in uncut gems, and an enemy whose power and ruthlessness know no bounds . . .

Diamonds are no one’s best friend when the jewels in question are smuggled conflict gems. Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, have undertaken many search-and-rescue missions, but this case has an unusual twist. A Philadelphia syndicate is importing diamonds from war-torn African nations and selling them with fake certificates to Stateside dealers. Agent Finn Pierce of the Organized Crime Program is embedded with the syndicate, but being caught with a wire or tracking device would mean instant execution. If Meg, her partner Brian Foster, and their dogs can track Pierce to a deal location, they can break the smuggling chain while maintaining Pierce’s cover.

With the syndicate monitoring every move, it’s a risky operation with more players than Meg and Brian first assumed—on both sides of the law. And when one of their own gets caught in the line of fire, the team embarks on a desperate rescue mission, knowing that mere seconds are all that separate life and death . . .

My Review:

Yes, I do love this series and thrilled to snag Book 6, Under Pressure. Each novel is unique but getting into the storyline with Meg Jennings and her black lab, Hawk, always brings a smile to my face as I get to greet an impressive, independent old friend once again and live vicariously the choreographed work between handler and K9. The support characters, including her sister Cara, are all smart, young professionals.

In this well-plotted narrative, Meg and Hawk as well as their handler partner Brian and his K9 are asked to work outside their usual Search and Rescue team when they are requested to work a cross-division collaboration involving a Philadelphia syndicate. They’ve implanted an agent into the mob, but are having problems with logistics and timing without blowing his cover. They are hoping the dogs will be able to track the players responsible for the buys of conflict diamonds hitting the local market. (Each of the chapters provide a lesson in diamond jargon—fascinating tidbits of info.)

I love how the authors strike a perfect balance between the lives of the main characters and their service animals with that of the current operation. Their lives become immersive, real.

The operation is not wholly successful at first—trial and error. Timing is key. But Meg is made and she is attacked shortly thereafter. Maybe there is something more than the mob here and they’ll have to track the source. Then an unofficial member of their team goes missing.

The novel never flags, slows down, no sags in the middle. There are action packed scenes, the dogs are in the thick of it, and the tension ramps up as further discoveries are made and pieces come together.

The conclusion, gritty and gripping, is satisfying. There is more than one theme here, the bond between the handler and their canine, the amazing intelligence of a service K9, and that a family can be comprised not just of blood relatives but those closely bonded by circumstance. The novel is an easy one to fly through—you don’t want to put it down!

I’ve read Storm Rising (Book 3), No Man’s Land (Book 4), and most recently Leave No Trace (Book 5), and loved them all. Really, you can begin with Book 6, as this is a series you don’t have to start at the beginning, each can function as a standalone. I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author(s) and Kensington Books (thank you!) through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts. Currently on pre-order—go ahead and get on the list!

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Animal Mysteries, Police Procedurals, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Kensington Books
ASIN: B08Y65J3CG
Print Length: 267 pages
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Jen J Danna - author — Jen J Danna – author

Sara Driscoll - author(s) — Sara Driscoll – author(s)

The Authors: Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna and Ann Vanderlaan, authors of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries. Jen is an infectious disease researcher at a cutting edge Canadian university near Toronto, but loves to spend her free time writing the thrilling and mysterious. Ann lives in central Texas

with five rescued pit bulls, including Kane, now a certified therapy dog. She also trains with Kane for competitive nose work. You can follow the latest news on the FBI K-9 Mysteries at saradriscollauthor.com.

The Girl You Killed by Leslie Wolfe – #BlogTour #BookReview #Giveaway

in Conspiracy Thrillers

The Girl You Killed by Leslie Wolfe

I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for The Girl You Killed by Leslie Wolfe on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!

Book Details

Psychological Thriller, Domestic, Legal
Stand-Alone Novel
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Italics Publishing (October 5, 2021)
Number of Pages – 302
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09CN54114

Book Blurb

Andrea Brafford’s life is nearly perfect. A passionate marine biologist, happily married to Craig, the man she loves, recently moved into a home commensurate with their success to enjoy a life many others only dream about, in one of Houston’s most desirable suburbs. But only a few months later, a trial that dramatically polarizes their town names Craig Brafford as a defendant in the murder of his young wife, shattering the serenity of the peaceful community.

Andi’s name is on everyone’s lips, her relationships exposed and torn to shreds in a highly publicized case that has everyone’s eyes glued to the internet. Andrea’s life remains a mystery that investigators and public opinion equally fail to solve. Was she the happy, devoted wife she’d made everyone believe she was?

Only she can answer that question.

The best-selling author of Dawn Girl is back with a suspenseful, gripping psychological thriller. Fans of Celeste Ng, Alex Michaelides, and Liane Moriarty will enjoy The Girl You Killed, an addictive psychological thriller that will keep readers enthralled until the last page.

Andrea Brafford is a graduate marine biologist working on a doctorate. She is married to Craig, has a gorgeous home in a desirable area of Houston, and just interviewed for the job of her dreams—sure she nailed it. And? She just discovered she is pregnant.

She is over the moon with excitement about the baby—but not so sure hubby Craig will be. He’s deep in high end real estate, working feverishly to include in his client list the “whales” of the area bringing in exclusive clients with the big bucks. He has repeatedly groomed her in hosting elite dinner parties with the select invitee list (providing eye candy), subbing as chef, staging, and general go-fer duties.

Unfortunately, she did not get that coveted job at her alma mater, nor any of the ensuing positions sought. Why not?

The author skillfully builds the tension, developing Andi as a very sympathic character and Craig as a rapidly declining supportive husband. Andi is passionate about the ocean and much as she’s trying to support Craig, would love nothing more than to work as she’s been trained.

The well-plotted psychological thriller weaves forward motion into the drama with each chapter, the storyline never sags, and the way she concludes chapters with portions of court testimony builds the suspense. This doesn’t look like it will end well!

There were times I questioned Andi’s decisions—how in the face of info she’s gleaned—could she still create plausible excuses. How could that end well? Is she blind?

Stop with the Stepford thing already! Blinded by love, maybe, but not wholly stupid, nor justifying actions with all her faculties.

The pace continues to speed up, keeping the reader glued to the pages and flipping. Shocking twists, compelling, and unique. Greatly enjoyed the intelligent writing style. Loved that final twist at the conclusion–wondered when that would happen!

My first novel by this author. I’ll be looking for more.

Giveaway

Sign up for your chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card on this Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Author: Leslie Wolfe is a bestselling author whose novels break the mold of traditional thrillers. She creates unforgettable, brilliant, strong women heroes who deliver fast-paced, satisfying suspense, backed up by extensive background research in technology and psychology.

Leslie released the first novel, Executive, in October 2011. Since then, she has written many more, continuing to break down barriers of traditional thrillers. Her style of fast-paced suspense, backed up by extensive background research in technology and psychology, has made Leslie one of the most read authors in the genre and she has created an array of unforgettable, brilliant and strong women heroes along the way.

A recently released standalone and an addictive, heart-stopping psychological thriller, The Girl You Killed will appeal to fans of The Undoing, The Silent Patient, or Little Fires Everywhere. Reminiscent of the television drama Criminal Minds, her series of books featuring the fierce and relentless FBI Agent Tess Winnett would be of great interest to readers of James Patterson, Melinda Leigh, and David Baldacci crime thrillers. Fans of Kendra Elliot and Robert Dugoni suspenseful mysteries would love the Las Vegas Crime series, featuring the tension-filled relationship between Baxter and Holt. Finally, her Alex Hoffmann series of political and espionage action adventure will enthrall readers of Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, and Lee Child.

Leslie has received much acclaim for her work, including inquiries from Hollywood, and her books offer something that is different and tangible, with readers becoming invested in not only the main characters and plot but also with the ruthless minds of the killers she creates.

A complete list of Leslie’s titles is available at LeslieWolfe.com/books.

Leslie enjoys engaging with readers every day and would love to hear from you. Become an insider: gain early access to previews of Leslie’s new novels.

Email: LW@WolfeNovels.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfenovels
Follow Leslie on Amazon: http://bit.ly/WolfeAuthor
Follow Leslie on BookBub: http://bit.ly/wolfebb
Website: LeslieWolfe.com
Visit Leslie’s Amazon store: http://bit.ly/WolfeAll

Purchase Link – Amazon

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

October 27 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW,
October 27 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
October 28 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST
October 29 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
October 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 31 – off
November 1 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 2 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 2 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
November 3 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST
November 3 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
November 4 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
November 5 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
November 6 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 7 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
November 7 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
November 8 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHTNovember 9 – fundinmental – REVIEW

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this cozy mystery!

V Williams

Count to Three by T R Ragan – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

For a private investigator on the trail of a missing girl, every second counts in a gripping thriller by New York Times bestselling author T.R. Ragan.

On her first day of kindergarten, five-year-old Tinsley disappeared without a trace…

Five agonizing years later, her divorced mother, Dani Callahan, is a private investigator. She and Quinn Sullivan, a promising young assistant determined to prove herself, are devoted to helping others find missing loved ones. And for Dani, finding Tinsley is still a never-ending obsession.

Their newest case is Ali Cross, a teenager who vanished off a Sacramento street while walking home. A troubled boy’s eyewitness testimony to Ali’s abduction provides their only clues. And as their search for Ali gets underway, new information about Tinsley’s disappearance begins to surface too.

As their investigations lead down two twisting paths, disturbing secrets are revealed and new victims find themselves in mortal danger. Time is running out, and the hunt is only getting grimmer.

His Review:

Dani considered herself a very good mother. So how had her daughter Tinsley disappeared so quickly? She had gone to elementary school to pick her up and she had been taken by another woman five minutes earlier. How could that be possible? Now the most important case of her young private investigator career was the recovery of her own daughter.

Ali is preparing to go into school and is abducted right outside the building. Quinn observes her being pushed into a white van but is unable to reach her in time to stop the abduction. Frantic searches are begun for both Tinsley and Ali. They have fallen off the face of the earth.

TR Regan has a great way of spinning a yarn. I found myself immediately invested in the struggles of Dani and Ali. The deeper into the investigation Dani goes, the more frustrated as a reader I became. Having someone disappear in broad daylight in downtown Sacramento seems incredible but certainly possible. Sacramento is a big city and people tend to mind their own business.

Missing persons are not always on the top of the investigator’s agenda. Murder and other violent crimes take center stage. The young senior in high school could have simply run away from an abusive home life. The cases soon go on the back burner of the investigators task list. Meanwhile the victims are suspended in the animation that is these types of crimes.

The perpetrators are two very different types of criminal but the resultant angst is very similar. As a reader I found myself wound up in the investigation and becoming very angry at the criminals. TR wraps them in the confusing morass that is their psyches.

Read this book and enjoy the way TR Ragan develops her villains. You will not be disappointed. 5 stars – CE Williams

We’ve both read T R Ragan books in two different series now and have never failed to love them (see our links to previous reviews below). We received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are his honest opinions (this time). Currently on pre-order.

Book Details:

Genre: Kidnapping Thrillers, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: ‎ 1542093945
ASIN: B08LD3LNS6
Print Length: 283 pages
Publication Date: December 14, 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: Count to Three [Amazon]

The Author: T.R. Ragan (Theresa Ragan) has sold over three million books and is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling mystery and thriller author.

Readers interested in signing up for a monthly newsletter or getting their name in a TR RAGAN book should check out her website at http://www.trragan.com

Facebook • Twitter • Instagram: @trraganauthor

LIZZY GARDNER SERIES
Abducted
Dead Weight
A Dark Mind
Obsessed
Almost Dead
Evil Never Dies

FAITH MCMANN TRILOGY
Furious
Outrage
Wrath

JESSIE COLE SERIES
Her Last Day (My 4.5 star review here)
Deadly Recall
Deranged
Buried Deep (My 5 star review here)

SAWYER BROOKS SERIES
Don’t Make a Sound – 6/20
Out of Her Mind – 11/20
No Going Back – 1/21 (His 5 star review here)

Unwitting (Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 2) by Deven Greene – #BookReview – #medicalthrillers – @DGreeneauthor

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Dr. Erica Rosen’s world is turned upside down after a suicide bomber explodes amidst a large crowd entering Oracle Park baseball stadium, near her San Francisco home. Many are killed or injured, and police have no leads in solving the case.

Erica becomes involved after a teacher of young autistic men calls her. The teacher believes her students are involved in the bombing but is afraid to contact law enforcement. She reaches out to Erica, who has experience with special needs children.

Erica arrives at the school but finds the police already there and a young autistic man doing a jigsaw puzzle, oblivious to his murdered teacher on the floor. The young man has information about the mastermind behind the bombing but has limited ability to speak. Erica is determined to protect him, prevent further bombings, and find his missing classmates.

His Review:

Deven Greene has masterfully written an intriguing novel of terrorist intrigue in the “City by the Bay.”

Dr. Erica Rosen is a very empathetic pediatrician and is director of the county pediatric clinic in San Francisco. Her patients come from all economic classes and are never turned away. The clinic is robust and her days are hectic from 9 AM until 6 PM.

She also does some work with clinics treating autistic individuals from sixteen to twenty-one. One of the clinics is called Bright Lights and works with non-violent young men. Their reaction to new and frightening situations is with a seemingly non-awareness of what is happening. She has been called to the clinic by its’ director. When she arrives, the clinic is crawling with police and the director is dead.

Suspected is a young man who is sitting at a table putting together a puzzle seemingly oblivious to the event that occurred. Don Brock had been hired to help train the young men in the facility. All except the young man at the table were missing. Who would do such a thing?

San Francisco’s Oracle Park had just had a suicide bomber kill or wound a number of baseball enthusiasts. Very little is left to identify the bomber or glean a motive. Concourse cameras revealed a young man blithefully walking with little concern of what was to happen.

The resultant investigation is an integral part of the story. Other bombings are tied to the young men who had been residents of Bright Lights. The story is woven with Dr. Rosen and her husband’s life and family. The cohesiveness of the family unit and relationship between the generations add an endearing quality to the story and an odd juxtaposition to the tragic events that occurred.

CE Williams I received Book 1, Unnatural, of the Erica Rosen MD Trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed her debut novel. I highly recommend her sophomore novel as an exciting mystery but also as a glance into the dynamic of a typical Chinese refugee family. Available Now! 5 stars – CE Williams

We received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are his honest opinions.

Book Details:

Genre: Medical Thrillers, Genetic Engineering Science Fiction eBooks
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ASIN: B09CFHJDBR
Print Length: October 21, 2021
Publication Date: 248 pages
Source: Direct author contact
Title Link: Unwitting [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble

The Author: Fiction writer Deven Greene lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Ever since childhood, the author has been interested in science. After working as a biochemist, Deven went back to school and became a pathologist. When writing fiction, the author usually incorporates elements of medicine or science. Deven has penned several short stories. Unnatural, Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 1 is the first novel the author has published. The two sequels are in the works.

Find Ms Green on Twitter
And on her website

These Silent Woods: A Novel by Kimi Cunningham Grant –#BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

“The thing about grace is that you don’t deserve it. You can’t earn it. You can only accept it. Or not.”

Book Blurb:

A father and daughter living in the remote Appalachian mountains must reckon with the ghosts of their past in Kimi Cunningham Grant’s These Silent Woods, a mesmerizing novel of suspense.

No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world.

For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. And that’s exactly the way Cooper wants it, because he’s got a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin’s shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she’s starting to push back against the sheltered life Cooper has created for her—and he’s still haunted by the painful truth of what it took to get them there.

The only people who know they exist are a mysterious local hermit named Scotland, and Cooper’s old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them food and supplies. But this year, Jake doesn’t show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is. Suddenly, the boundaries of their safe haven have blurred—and when a stranger wanders into their woods, Finch’s growing obsession with her could put them all in danger. After a shocking disappearance threatens to upend the only life Finch has ever known, Cooper is forced to decide whether to keep hiding—or finally face the sins of his past.

Vividly atmospheric and masterfully tense, These Silent Woods is a poignant story of survival, sacrifice, and how far a father will go when faced with losing it all.

My Review:

Not sure how I bumbled into this one. It’s not lost on me—Finch—(in this case) the young daughter and relationship of father-daughter of classic Harper Lee fame. (And I must admit difficulty in separating the name from this narrative.) This gripping literary novel, of course, only borrows the unusual name. There is the strongly bonded connection but is otherwise quite the opposite in character and plot.

Cooper and Finch have lived in severe isolation in the Appalachian woods. Off the grid, off the track, off almost any public connection. But there are two: Jake, Cooper’s former army buddy and the owner of the cabin, and Scotland. And then two events happen almost simultaneously that will have a strong, irreversible impact on their sheltered lives. First, this is the first year in eight that Jake has not shown up with a laundry list of household essentials; groceries, supplies they cannot grow or sustain themselves. And in his stead is Jake’s sister, Marie.

And then there is the discovery of a beautiful young woman on their land next to national forestry land wielding a camera.

Scotland has always been a problem. From the beginning. Popping up at odd times, a nuisance, a pseudo-neighbor who watches, sees, and knows all about Cooper and Finch. His secret, their history. Cooper finds the man detestable while Finch loves him and is always delighted to see him. The two have a special connection.

Finch is precocious. A natural in the woods, schooled at home by her dad, she has never set foot in a store or a school. Knows only what she has gleaned from nature and the books in the cabin.

But their sanctuary is careening to an exposé and soon decisions must be made. Cooper is torn. For eight years he has protected, nurtured, and cherished his daughter and this moral choice is tearing him apart. The very essence of his teachings tested. Can he abandon all that now to continue a life that can’t be reconciled to the decision or bow to it and change possibly lose her?

Cooper made some bad decisions. He can’t afford for them to be discovered or all is lost. It’s a rather slow suspenseful building of the conundrum, a calamity of timing. Raw, emotional, tension-filled, with no apparent solution.

The author is a master storyteller, weaving her well-developed characters through Cooper’s POV, his wartime experience and trauma, the loss of Jake, his wife, the sacrifices he has made. He will NOT lose his daughter as well. Heartbreaking turmoil and beauty in the prose. The decision is made.

And then taken out of his hands.

The conclusion whips the mind around, at a loss to understand what just happened. And while I understand what did happen, I’m not totally understanding the why. Nor was it more fully explained to my satisfaction in the epilogue, which settled most loose strings (though perhaps it was enough for many readers). My mind is still reeling. Currently on pre-order. Queue up for yours!

A novel worthy of many a book club debate and one that will stick with you for some time. Most heartily recommended.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley (thank you!) that in no way influenced this review, nor could they warn of the impact. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Literary Fiction, Coming of Age Fiction
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: ‎ 1250793394
ASIN: B08R2JNYLX
Print Length: 279 pages
Publication Date: November 16 2021
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Kimi Cunningham Grant is the author of two books. Silver Like Dust is a memoir chronicling her Japanese-American grandparents and their internment during World War II. Her second book, Fallen Mountains, is a literary mystery set in a small town in Pennsylvania, where fracking has just begun. Kimi is a two-time winner of a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Prize in Poetry and a recipient of a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts fellowship in creative nonfiction. Her poems and essays have appeared in Fathom, Literary Mama, RATTLE, Poet Lore, and Whitefish Review. She studied English at Bucknell University and Messiah College. She lives, writes, and teaches in Pennsylvania. You can find her at https://www.kimicunninghamgrant.com.

Silent Title Books – Are Any of These on Your #TBR ?

Rosepoint Pub-Silent title books

Silent book titles are popular lately—I currently have four—two already read and reviewed, two on the radar. Seems they come in waves—before “silent” was “secret.” Must be a title trigger. [Thumbnails below are linked to the Goodreads entry.]

First read and reviewed the middle of September by the CE was Silent Witness by Carolyn Arnold. He gave it five stars and it was not the first book by the author we’d read. Ms Arnold does a great job with a #policeprocedural and this one is rated at 4.6 stars on Goodreads.

The second read and reviewed the first week of October also by the CE was Silent Island by Dana Perry. He gave four stars for this police procedural also rated at four stars on Goodreads.

Next up will be my read (if I can keep it away from the CE during his recuperation), These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant. Due to be released on October 26, this mystery-thriller is expected to be a humdinger with over 330 ratings already on Goodreads riding at just over four stars.

Of course, one of my favorite authors, Robert Dugoni, will be releasing The Silent Sisters next year on February 22, a Tuesday, of course. This is part of the Charles Jenkins series, Book 3, International Mystery and Crime currently running over four stars on Goodreads. We both read Book 2, The Last Agent in April, 2020 (five massive stars!). (And I read the Tracy Crosswhite series.)

Funny how often titles seem to run a similar theme, but then I tend to read mystery/thriller. Maybe no surprise. Do any of these titles interest you? Have you read or have them on your #tbr? Hopefully, I interested you in one!

Enjoy your weekend!

PS: Okay, yeah, I knew there was another “silent” and after trying to find it and giving up, got the approval from St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books) for Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino, A Detective Galileo Novel (Detective Galileo Series Book 4), International Mystery and Crime. It is scheduled to release December 14, 2021. It is apparently ahead of the game on Goodreads at over 275 ratings with an average of four stars. You might want to check this one out as well.

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Can you pick a winner? #TuesdayBookBlog

Can you pick a winner?

The official start of the autumn season begins tomorrow.

Along with the beginning of the Fall comes the annual push for Goodreads Choice Awards nominees. With over 5.6M votes cast, the winners of the 12^th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards were announced last December 2020. The opening round began late October. This is the only major book awards decided by readers. Decided.

So, I must ask you: If there are three rounds of books to vote, the opening round, the semifinal round, and the final round, where do the books to vote on come from in the first place? (Not from the readers?)

No, from Goodreads.

According to their analyzation of “millions of books added, rates, and reviewed” on Goodreads, fifteen books are initially nominated in each category.

Books published between November 18, 2020 through November 17, 2021 will be eligible this year. And these books are based on an average rating of 3.5 or “higher at the time of launch.” Ouch! At the time of launch! (Must have had major buzz at launch!)

There are twenty categories, in everything from General Fiction to Picture Books. A book can be nominated in one of the specific genre categories as well as the debut novel category. If you’ve been following my blog, you know my favorite category is Mystery & Thriller. Yes, I voted if I saw a book I read and liked.

The categories in which I chose a nominee were Best Fiction, Historical, Memoir & Autobiography, and Mystery & Thriller. Of those, I had my picks hit third or better my ratings three stars to five, and I had a total of six winners.

The breakdown is as follows: (Links below to my blog review.)

Rosepoint Publishing Goodreads Choice Award picks

In An Instant
The Pull of the Stars
Green Lights
The Sun Down Motel
The Searcher
One by One

Have you been keeping a tally of your favorite books by month or quarter? Will you vote? I have been fortunate in that I’ve gotten several of the above from NetGalley as well as the audiobooks from my local library audiobook selections and obviously I was not in agreement with many readers. How did you fare in your selection of the winners?

Are you looking for a few of your favorites to show up on this year’s list?

Autumn at Rosepoint Pub

Gamblers, Fools, and Fate On the Road to Key West by Michael Reisig – a #BookReview – #traveladventures – #TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Rating: Five stars

Book Blurb:

Once again, The Hole In The Coral Wall Gang is up to their eyeballs in wild misadventure and incredible circumstance!

The hundred-year-old Coiba Penal Colony off the coast of Panama is an island swarming with convicts, inside and outside the prison walls, and yet, by the strangest of fates, this extraordinary tropical isle possesses an ancient, incredibly valuable secret that could change the world.

Kansas and Will along with their team, find themselves challenging this strange island while trying to dodge wild desperadatos, prison soldiers, and a crazed island commandant.

If that weren’t enough, there’s the South Florida mafia, who also want what the team has discovered. Then there are the two hired crazies from the bizarre “Last Resort” chasing Will and Kansas because they failed to die in a timely fashion, and didn’t pay their bill.

Startling! Clever! And very funny in places.

THIS IS ALSO A GREAT STAND ALONE READ

My Review:

I love it when author Michael Reisig comes out with another novel in his On the Road to Key West series! I know I’ll always get an exciting journey along with the Hole in the Coral Wall Gang to some exotic location for an unusual treasure, this time involving terraformation. And who doesn’t enjoy treasure hunting?

All the favorites are included beside Will and Kansas, the main characters. Crazy Eddie, Cody and Travis are back (I love these guys). Their offspring Tax and Jing along with Jing’s amazing hawk Cielo is included. In this narrative we are introduced to Diego Tarras and the singularly torturous Coiba Island Penitentiary off the western coast of Panama. (And btw, this was a real facility, built in 1919.)

“It was like de Garden of Eden run by the devil.”

Then the wild and fertile imagination of the author takes over and another richly drawn tale is borne of tangible components, the island prison, and the flora and fauna.

“Diego stared at him. ‘Because this is Central America, amigo, not Texas. I would be dead two days after they confirmed what I have.’”

Of course the Gang is going to want to be part of this adventure and together they plan an…extraction. In your heart, however, you know there will be the bad guys and these guys are not just bad, they are heinous bad. Atrociously bad—and seems they will stop at nothing. Sheesh!

It may be the “magic juice” that’ll keeps you reading, the amazing characters, or the outrageously descriptive jungle, but I’ve always found Reisig’s writing style to be immensely poignant, his sense of humor lively, and his obvious love of man and animals endearing.

I’ve read most of Reisig’s novels and enjoyed each and every one, including the last Gods, Guns, and Money and thought each was better than the former. The characters are richly drawn, infused with charm and wit while the dialogue is fresh and natural in the wild adventures you’ve come to expect in a Reisig novel.

As always, a delightful escapade, one that fills my head with sights and sounds, heart-pounding exploits, the intelligence of animals, and the themes of love and life. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommended. Just Released, get your copy and escape into adventure!

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Caribbean & Latin American Fiction, Sea Adventures Fiction, Travel Adventure Fiction
Publisher: Clear Creek Press

ASIN : B09FN8L8ZD

Print Length: 235 pages
Publication Date: September 8, 2021
Source: Author’s ARC
Title Link: Amazon

The Author: Michael Reisig has been writing professionally for 20 years. He is a former Caribbean adventurer turned newspaper editor, award-winning columnist, and best-selling novelist.

After high school and college in Florida, he relocated to the Florida Keys. He established a commercial diving business, got his pilot’s license, and traveled extensively throughout the southern hemisphere, diving, treasure hunting, and adventuring.

Reisig claims he has been thrown out of more countries in the Caribbean Basin that most people ever visit, and he admits that a great many of the situations and the characters in his novels are authentic – but nothing makes a great read like experience…

He now lives in the mountains of Arkansas, where he hunts and fishes, and writes, but he still escapes to the Caribbean for an occasional adventure.