suspense action fiction – Rosepoint Publishing

Reading or Listening with Covid #BookReviews #TuesdayBookBlog

As mentioned last Sunday, day nine of the Covid infection, it was thought I might have lost several pounds. My son brought out his scale and discovered I had—ten pounds. He kept saying it looked like that, but was both a surprise and rather shocking to see him right. Loss of ten pounds in nine days? I knew I was getting weaker, but didn’t imagine. In the meantime, the CE lost…maybe eight? (He wasn’t sure.) And our son has now tested positive for it as well.

However, it’s been a long time since I could just lay around and read (or listen—when my eyes wouldn’t cooperate), and I’ve definitely chalked up a number of books. Both of the following were great reads and the first, The Blind Devotion of Imogene: The Misadventures of Imogene Taylor by David Putnam was an absolute hoot. The second, On Wahoo Reef, a Blacktip Island Novel, is the second in the series by Tim W Jackson. I read Blacktip Island back in October 2016 and loved it—unique plot, quirky well-developed characters.

The Blind Devotion of Imogene

Book Blurb:

In 1973, Imogene Taylor is seventy-five years old, on parole for murder, and works at a store that sells dented canned goods. Twelve years earlier, she went to prison for killing her love-of-her-life-husband, Wayne. She called it an accident. The judge and jury called it murder. Imogene’s parole agent is constantly on her case, looking to send her back to prison.

During her time in prison, Imogene had to vent her angst at someone and sent the sitting Presidents (during the ten years in prison) threatening letters bringing her to the attention of the Secret Service. She does extensive research and writes a novel, Peekaboo POTUS, about the assassination of a US President. She sends the book “over the transom” to one publisher. The publisher, after being unable to contact Imogene, comes looking for her.

The Cigar, an organized crime gangster, walks into Dentco, where Imogene works, and extorts the store for protection money. Pay up or get firebombed. The entire strip center is under this threat.

At the same time, Imogene’s neighbor dies of natural causes and leaves a hoarder’s mess to his daughter, Suzanne. Imogene helps Suz clear out a pyramid of boxes filled with junk in the garage. At the bottom of the pile, they find a box with a dead woman who has been hidden for many years.

Imogene must dodge an overzealous parole agent while dealing with a dead woman in the neighbor’s garage. She’s on parole for murder, so she can’t report it to the police. No one would believe her. Imogene and Suz think the woman in the box is Suz’s long-estranged mother. Rather than reveal Suz’s father as the probable killer, Imogene convinces Suz to bury her mom under the avocado tree in the backyard. Until Thelma, Suz’s mother, appears after reading the obituary.

It’s a race to uncover the real killer as Imogene dodges gangsters, family members, and a publisher on her quest to find the truth.

My Thoughts:

Oh my God. This whacked-out book…it’s a first for me.

A 75-year-old protagonist recently released from prison for killing her husband? (It was an accident!)

Imogene is out on parole working at Dentco. Yes, it sells dented goods, is situated in a less fortunate area of the city, and she has to stay on the good side of her parole officer for one more year—she needs this job! Something the parole officer is working very hard to keep from happening.

Imogene is one of those people who seem to attract mayhem. Trouble finds her no matter how innocent she is. Part of the problem stems from the time she spent in prison penning threatening letters to POTUS, eventually writing a book she called Peekaboo POTUS. It gets their attention and a coveted place on the “crazy” list.

Separate is the introduction to “The Cigar”, a local street thug bent on providing “protection” to those already struggling shop owners in the grimy strip center. Imogene has several friends, her next-door neighbor for one, and Ange, her erstwhile philosophical bunkmate in prison who still intrudes often into Imogene’s ear.

This thing may go over the top more than once, but it provides some hilarious scenes, quirky characters, outrageous dialogue, unexpected twists, and relief from laying in bed with the flu. 5 stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Publisher: Level Best Books
ASIN: B0CYHQ3N5M
Listening Length: 282 pages
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): The Blind Devotion of Imogene [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble

The Author: Visit Davidputnambooks.com and also check out “David Putnam”‘s Bruno Johnson series.

D.W. Putnam is a pen name for David Putnam.

On Wahoo Reef: A Blacktip Island Novel

Book Blurb:

Northern Exposure meets Margaritaville in this comic Caribbean romp.

Wally Breight’s a miserable-in-his-job P.R. executive who dreams of escaping to happily-ever-after in the Caribbean. When he stumbles across a run-down scuba diving operation for sale on Blacktip Island, he snaps it up and settles into paradise. But paradise has other ideas. His dive boat’s a lemon. His business partner proves the age of piracy isn’t dead. Scuba guests are scarce. And a free-spirited dive mistress might party him into an early grave. If Wally can’t get a handle on paradise, pronto, he’ll be leaving Blacktip Island faster than a coconut in a hurricane.

My Thoughts:

It’s those thirties when many men take stock of their lives, bored, and don’t like what they see. But Wally Breight has given up his career, home in the US, and security to snap up a diving business on this Blacktip Island.

Typical of the author, he plunges his main character into hot water immediately when reality of the floundering business hits home. It’s not like even the boat is sea worthy, but he does manage to find two employees that skip soon as they’re paid for greener waters. The man is pathetically naïve and what money he brings to the business begins to sift through his fingers like…(um) water.

I love the characters! They are strange and unpredictable, the circumstances outrageous, the decisions…stupid less than well considered. What’s with this guy?

It’s pure escapism. Fun, simple, fast read, descriptions of the island almost have you packing for tropical climes (I said almost). Looking for something different, light-hearted, and twisty fun? Those who enjoy action, adventure, root for the underdog type tales, this is for you. 4.5 stars

Book Details:

Genre: Suspense Action Fiction, Crime Action & Adventure, Mystery Action Fiction
Publisher: Devonshire House Press
ASIN: B0CW1HM6H6
Print Length: 249 pages
Publication Date: May 17, 2024
Source: Author
Title: On Wahoo Reef [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble

The Author: Tim W. Jackson started kindergarten in Indonesia, graduated high school in Egypt and was educated everywhere in between. His first taste of scuba diving came at the age of six when he sneaked breaths off his dad’s double-hose regulator in the deep end of the pool. Later, as a former journalist armed with a newly-minted master’s degree in creative writing, he discovered he was qualified to be a bartender, a waiter or a PhD student. Instead he chose Secret Option D: run off to the Cayman Islands to work as a scuba instructor and boat captain by day and write fiction at night. Two decades later, he still wishes that was half as interesting as it sounds. Or even a quarter . . .

Jackson is the award-winning author of the comic Caribbean novels Blacktip Island and The Secret of Rosalita Flats, as well as The Blacktip Times humor blog. His “Tales from Blacktip Island” short stories have been published in literary journals worldwide. He is currently concocting his next Blacktip Island novel and still enjoys scuba diving with his dad’s old double-hose reg.

If you’d like to stalk Tim online, visit his website (www.timwjackson.com), the Blacktip Times (www.blacktipisland.com) or follow him on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/timwjacksonauthor/) and Twitter (@timwjax).

Plum Island by Nelson DeMille – #AudiobookReview – #TBT

“If your only tool is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.”

Book Blurb:

Wounded in the line of duty, NYPD homicide detective John Corey convalesces in the Long Island township of Southold, home to farmers, fishermen — and at least one killer. Tom and Judy Gordon, a young, attractive couple Corey knows, have been found on their patio, each with a bullet in the head. The local police chief, Sylvester Maxwell, wants Corey’s big-city expertise, but Maxwell gets more than he bargained for.

John Corey doesn’t like mysteries, which is why he likes to solve them. His investigations lead him into the lore, legends, and ancient secrets of northern Long Island — more deadly and more dangerous than he could ever have imagined. During his journey of discovery, he meets two remarkable women, Detective Beth Penrose and Mayflower descendant Emma Whitestone, both of whom change his life irrevocably. Ultimately, through his understanding of the murders, John Corey comes to understand himself.

Fast-paced and atmospheric, marked by entrancing characters, incandescent storytelling, and brilliant comic touches, Plum Island is Nelson DeMille at his thrill-inducing best.

My Review:

How have I not found this author before? And the book so right down my favorite genre alley. A protagonist that has the smarts, expertise of Connelly’s serious Harry Bosch and the wise-cracking but intelligent David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter. John Corey is a seasoned homicide detective convalescing on Long Island who transcends both with additional snarky, often sexual, acerbic comments.

“Do you know why Daughters of the American Revolution don’t have group sex?….

“Daughters of the American Revolution don’t have group sex because they don’t want to have to write all those thank you notes.”

It’s his delivery. Most of the time funny, though as a woman, can be offensive as well. Corey has seen it all, done it all, just doesn’t give a flying fig anymore. Whether another detective or supervisor, he’ll casually pull an unaffected Bosch. The thing is—he’s good at what he does.

In this case, he is asked by Southold Police to look into the double homicide of friends of his. As employees of Plum Island, they come under a heavily shielded rumor mill regarding the island said to study deadly animal diseases. Is it biological warfare? Perhaps something more on the opposite side of the microscopic bugs—a vaccine that could have made them billions. If so, did the deal go bad?

Corey doesn’t come off subtle as he pursues clues, posing and dismissing various scenarios—drugs maybe? He goes to Plum Island for a detailed canned lecture tour of the facility. Definitely an eye-opening tour into a major federal virus and bacterial research facility!

After confronting and eliminating most theories, he accidentally stumbles over another reason for the legal archeological digs on the island. Okay—it could happen. There are SOOO many entertaining stories, folklore, out there of treasures (including the one my grandfather wrote of on Cocos Island).

With all the theories, the interviews, and the characters, it is a fast-paced well-plotted storyline that entertains as well as informs. Twists and turns shine in the multi-faceted texture of the narrative, never a dull moment. Except for the side trip into the (rather ridiculous) romance, I enjoyed the police procedural aspect, the suspense, and the non-stop action.

My first experience with this author won’t be my last. Also, I’ve already found another audiobook narrated by Scott Brick who does an excellent job with this kind of novel. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Suspense Action Fiction, Mystery Action Fiction, Mystery Action & Adventure
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ASIN: B000FA5SMK
Listening Length: 19 hrs 43 mins
Narrator: Scott Brick
Publication Date: June 11, 2021
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Plum Island [Amazon]

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

The Author: Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille, then moved with his parents to Long Island. He graduated from Elmont Memorial High School, where he played football and ran track.

DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army where he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69). He saw action in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division and was decorated with the Air Medal, Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

After his discharge, DeMille returned to Hofstra University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History. He has three children, Lauren, Alexander, and James, and resides on Long Island.

DeMille’s first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978, and is still in print as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of American Mensa, The Authors Guild, and is past president of the Mystery Writers of America. He is also a member of International Thriller Writers and was chosen as ThrillerMaster of the Year 2015. He holds three honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University, Doctor of Literature from Long Island University, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Dowling College.

Nelson DeMille is the author of: By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General’s Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion’s Game, Up Country, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Gate House, The Lion, The Panther, The Quest, Radiant Angel, The Cuban Affair and The Deserter. He also co-authored Mayday with Thomas Block and has contributed short stories to anthologies, and book reviews and articles to magazines and newspapers.

The Narrator: Scott Brick is an American actor, writer and award-winning narrator of over 800 audiobooks. Audiobook narrator Scott Brick (2012). Born, (1966-01-30) January 30, 1966 (age 57). Santa Barbara, California, US. Occupation(s), Actor, Writer, Narrator. [Wikipedia]

#ThrowbackThursday

Final Second: A completely unputdownable action thriller (A Grant Fletcher Thriller Book 2) by John Ryder – a #BookReview Suspense Action Fiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five of Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Sometimes it takes a stranger to find a killer…

In a small farming town in rural Wisconsin—where generations of families have lived in peace for decades—no one expects trouble to come calling.

But then a farmer’s beautiful young wife is found brutally murdered, with a chilling calling card that suggests she’s just the first victim of a serial killer. And the FBI elect not to send one of their own. Instead they send a stranger to town—former Royal Marine turned mercenary, Grant Fletcher. And they’re giving him no choice. Find the killer. Because we know what you’ve done.

With the threat of the executioner’s chair hanging over him, Fletcher finds himself in an impossible situation—and a race against time. Catch a murderer whose killings are escalating with every day that passes. Or face certain death…

His Review:

Action packed suspense thriller centered around remote dairy ranches. working independently, Grant Fletcher is called in to help identify the killer of a FBI agents’ childhood friend. The agent is involved in a major case and cannot be directly involved at the onset. The killer is flaunting his kills by numbering each one. Her friend is #1.

Grant is on a short leash from the police on a possible murder charge himself. A mysterious person far above the FBI agents’ paygrade is pulling the strings. The local police department is poorly staffed and it is doubtful they will be able to find the killer. Grant has the specter of a trial over his head and going to prison, so he is given little support from the FBI while dodging the local police department.

The author, John Ryder, skillfully builds suspense while throwing in a few red herrings to salt the suspense. Aggravatingly, the local police department keeps getting in the well. An inkling of the reason for the murders begins to become apparent but the suspense builds after each new murder. Can Grant Fletcher find the killer before he is charged and arrested in his separate case? By number five, Grant’s time is running out and is looking at a deadline of next Monday.

The killings are centered in a particular area. His friend, Special Agent Zoey Quadrado, joins him near the end of the book as he narrows in on the killer. The killer has become brazen and does not care about the age of his targets, just the outcome. Hunting this killer becomes extremely dangerous as both Grant and Zoey become targets. CE Williams