Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Sassy SciFi Based Upon Present Earth Violence! I Would Vote "yes"!

Oil painting of Coney IslandImage via Wikipedia
Coney Island must have been a favorite place for some of the
women who first landed on the planet where they would
spend their future - separate from all males from earth!
Tritcheon Hash


By Sue Lange




Interested in a futuristic sassy little scifi? Check out Tritcheon Hash, which is titled after the main female character, a top pilot on the planet called Coney Island.


Now Coney Island, normally called just the Island, might seem a strange name for a planet, but then, this is not just any planet--it is the "female" side of the Human Race that at one time lived on Earth...


It is now the 31st century and the sexes have been split for many decades and I can certainly understand why! The domestic abuse, violence and continuous wars had led to only one solution for women--Leave!


Interestingly Coney Island is a thriving, respected planet that is favored by surrounding planets and species. They don't like to deal with human men. Much of earth is gone--destroyed by war or bad treatment of the environment, including spaces that were contaminated and are just now being able to begin to be cleansed.




Of course all of the inventions that are available are exciting "possibilities." My favorite was on earth, and provided for the air to be cleansed of pollutants and then they were used to make things. Men are mostly meat eaters and vegetables, etc., are used mostly to feed the animals.

But men are also now divided between the aggressors and pacifists! Obviously all men were not interested in constant war-like lives. One of those pacifists fell in love with Tritcheon!

It happened during a training program of young military individuals from both planets. Yes, the Island has a military component, useful for planetary exploration and interactions, etc., as opposed to aggression.Earth officials had been trying to begin reunification and the women were at least willing to discuss options. The only real contact between the two planets was the annual exchange of sperm for the male children...

Now Tritcheon has been selected to explore what was really happening on earth, as opposed to what they were being told and she made it there. But she had trouble landing and was discovered almost immediately. The commander's group who found her was all for keeping her confined but fortunately she escaped that, although she was able to see the treatment of prisoners as they wandered through yards trying to find food... Tritcheon finds her former friend and is able to proceed openly in exploring the condition of the earth at that time...and also enjoying a little of the intimate contact that had not taken place since the sexes had split.

Many readers have called this a satire--perhaps. I tend to consider it as a possible "realistic" futuristic novel. As we watch on television, young girls fighting at schools or "just playing..." and even on reality television! What I see is that the females are picking up and using the aggressive behavior more than ever before. I am afraid of what our future holds. Satire or Wake-up Call?!!! I'm ready to move to Coney Island...

Now in Kindle--if you have children, you owe it to them to consider this one...

Book Received Via
FB Reviewers Roundup

GABixlerReviews

About Sue...


TRITCHEON HASH named one of the 
BEST BOOKS OF 2011
By Kirkus Reviews
"Against a vivid sci-fi backdrop, Lange brings 

a light touch to heavy material, with a fast-pace, 
funny story to boot."  Kirkus 






Sue Lange is a founding member of Book View Café (BVC), the authors’ collective that includes over 30 published writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Vonda N. McIntyre, Patricia Rice, and Sherwood Smith.

Lange’s first novel, Tritcheon Hash, was published in 2003 by Metropolis Ink. Her second novel, We, Robots, was published by Aqueduct Press in 2007. In 2009, BVC released a collection of her previously published short stories entitled “Uncategorized.” Then in 2010, BVC released her literary science fiction novel, .The Textile Planet.

A popular speaker in SF and literary circles, Sue has been featured at the Nebula Awards, Readercon, the Library of Congress, SF Signal's Mind Meld, the Prydonians of Princeton and unique fundraisers such as Author and A Movie in support of Cinema 16:9 an independent theater imporant for its historic Art Deco features Sue Lange's Engaging Sci-Fi Short Stories Come to Life in the Form of Live Theatre.

Lange lives in Pennsylvania with her partner, two cats, a dog, four sinks, two showers, and a bidet. Click on the Title of this article to visit Sue's site! Friend her at Facebook and at Reviewers Roundup There!

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Close of Trilogy by Alexandrea Weis Wonderfully Satisfying!





To My Senses


By Alexandrea Weis




When I had the chance to review Sacrifice, the final book in a trilogy and began to read....well, after about 20 pages, I just stopped. I knew I would not be satisfied if I didn't formally meet David Alexander, the artist who created the series of paintings that featured Nicci Beauvoir, the main female character. So I took the time to purchase this first novel--and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the love affair between Nicci and David!

Of course, there was considerable drama and suspense beyond the romance! For one, David was already involved with someone--she happened to be acting as his "patron" during his stay in New Orleans but she also happened to be the main competitor to the family scrap metal business run by her father and would have been hers one day, if she wanted it. Instead, Nicci had decided to study to become a nurse while she continued her real love to have a writing life. I might point out now that Weis has done an excellent presentation of the city of New Orleans, both before and after Katrina struck and the devastation of that time period. Readers are brought intimately into the life style, the food as well as the delightful characters she has created to tell her story! Bravo!

As the relationship with David becomes more serious, however, she realizes that David seems to know quite a bit about her father's business as well as that of his patron and while she tries to learn more, she succumbs to the family members to match her with an appropriate member of society, introducing her to Dr. Michael Fagle, who, she later discovers is quite different from the man he presents to his wealthy clients and friends with whom he seeks acceptance.

Nicci is so devastated by what has happened between her and David, that she has no concern for her life and is slowly walked into a situation with Michael that she does not want nor has the strength to escape...

Readers will quickly become both empathic as well as sympathetic as Nicci struggles to deal with all that is claiming her attention, while her emotions are caught back with David...The ending will catch readers off guard completely and will be just as dramatic to them as it was to Nicci! Having come backwards to this novel, I highly recommend that potential readers start with this book. You will see that other reviewers were also complelled to ensure they read this first book...and end with Sacrifice this is the latest and final! Kudos to Weis for an outstanding 3-book story, in my opinion!

Please take the time to read my review of Recovery here at Book Reader's Heaven if you haven't previously read Alexandrea Weis! 


http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-novel-set-in-karina-ravaged-new.html




Sacrifice


By Alexandrea Weis


By now readers of the trilogy will find that Nicci Beauvoir had been pulled into David Alexander's business and asked by his boss to work with one of his co-workers to find out who had murdered David...They conducted the investigation (in Recovery) while pretending that Nicci and Dallas August had fallen madly in love.


And indeed they were moving in that direction, even to the extent of living together...


But when Nicci comes back to New Orleans for her cousin's wedding, she sees a man in a crowd that she believes is David Alexander! Only she knows that she has continued to love David like no other man, even though she has become intimatey involved with Dallas. Dallas is now to a point that he wants to make final plans to spend the rest of his life with Nicci as his wife...Sometimes, even Nicci has thought she should marry him...


Even though it is unlikely that David was not murdered, especially since Nicci saw him at the morgue, she has no choice--she must make sure! In the back of her mind, she remembered that she had really not seen David's face clearly. Hope sprang once again! She would not give up until she was absolutely sure this time!


In doing so, however, she must go even deeper into the business that David was in--let me just say that it wasn't entirely legal...



And new paintings of Jenny (the series created by David with Nicci as the one and only model) have been on the market! And Nicci knows that she did not sit for them! Are they forgeries? Or is David painting them? Only Nicci can help document these new paintings as created by Alexander...and she is dangerously caught in the clutches of those who are trying to sell them... While Dallas is trying unsuccessfully to keep her out of the whole mess that has restarted!

"Sex is always part of the plan for getting anything out of a man, Nicci. You're a woman who has bedded at least two men I know who have had sizable sexual appetites. Use your experiences with David and Dallas to lure Gregory Caston to give up his secrets. Just get me what I need and don't let your principles stand in the way. He took a step toward the car in front of him. "Get in and I will have Gerard take you home." he directed in a cold tone..."
I love a completely satisfying ending, don't you? Nicci had been caught most of her life by family and then men who tried to possess her to own her, to make decisions for her future. But by doing that, all of these individuals had refused to learn and know the true Nicci! Readers will know all by the time they finish Sacrifice! And I guarantee though each book is a great read separately, you will be only totally satisfied by reading the trilogy. I know, I had to go back and start at the beginning before I even would begin to read Sacrifice! A truly exceptional romantic suspense set in the remarkable New Orleans! What more can I say?!

GABixlerReviews



Biography

Alexandrea Weis is a registered nurse from New Orleans who has been published in several nursing journals and textbooks. She has been writing novels and screenplays for over twenty years. Her first novel, To My Senses, was a finalist for commercial fiction in Eric Hofer Book Awards, a finalist for romance in the Foreword Magazine book of the Year awards, and a finalist for romance in the USA Book Awards. Her second novel, Recovery, won the Gold Medal for best romantic suspense from The Reader's Favorite Book Awards and was named best Romantic Suspense by the NABE Pinnacle Book Awards in 2011.Buyer Group International, an independent production company in Austin, has optioned the motion picture rights for Recovery.Her third book, Sacrifice, closes out the Nicci Beauvoir Series. Her fourth book, highlighting her love of rehabbing wildlife, called Broken Wings comes out in Dec 2011.

Ms. Weis is also a permitted wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and when she is not writing, Ms. Weis is rescuing orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives outside of New Orleans with her husband and a menagerie of pets.

Blog site: http://alexandreaweiscom.blogspot.com/
website: http://alexandreaweis.com

Friday, February 24, 2012

Love Adventure? Check Out Mystery Merged with Mountains!

English: Aerial view of AconcaguaImage via Wikipedia
"We arrived at Casa de Piedra shortly after noon the next day.
It had been an easy hike, the trail well marked through the
snow. The rise in elevation was only a big over 1500 feet,
not demanding at all. We'd followed a dry river valley most
of the way and so far had only caught glimpses of the majestic
vistas for which the Andes are so noted. The route I'd taken
previously had been far more panoramic, even in the first days.
But from the right location here you could see Aconcagua
looming 12,000 feet above us. It was imposing, "bigger than
God," one of the climbers noted. The Polish Glacier, which
would be our route, was clearly visible on its west side,
facing the valley from which we would approach it..."
Murder on Aconcagua:


A Summit Murder Mystery


By Charles G. Irion
  and Ronald J. Watkins




Those of you who enjoy winter sports and maybe even have had your sights on climbing some of the highest mountains around will be thrilled to learn of the Summit Murder Mystery series! Together the two authors have both professional and actual experience to create a realistic escape to the summit of the highest mountains in the world: Everest, Elbrus, Mt. McKinley, Puncak Jaya, Aconcagua, Vinson Massif, and Kilimanjaro.





Readers will learn of the climbing experience itself, seeing both the dangers and the exhilaration in accomplishing  a major physically challenging feat...especially in the winter! Other than the professionals who hosted the climb, Scott Devlon was the only other experienced climber and he had also been brought into a surveillance job during the trip. At least Scott had been on this mountain before and had some knowledge; however, climbing during this time of the year was a lot more dangerous. Would he have tried it if there wasn't another reason for him to be there?

In fact, Devlon wasn't sure that there was anybody here who were climbing just for the pure adventure of it!

Because Aconcagua was known to be haunted...

And legend claimed that there were still descendants of the Incas when they had been driven from their home by the Spanish invaders. It was also said that there was much gold, and idols that could give great power and prosperity. But nobody knew where this city was--it was considered a "sacred place..."

But many people also lived near Aconcagua and had traveled in the area...and with the right amount of money were willing to sell anything! It was known that a number of powerful men were seeking the idols, but who was there on behalf of those political giants and who was there to steal and artifacts? The ramifications of finding and claiming ownership over these precious artifacts, if they were really found, could mean significant political disruption in the area!

The search for, finding and death that came there on Aconcagua--was it worth it? And if the idols were found where were they now?

The authors give readers an intimate look into struggling for oxygen as the mountaineers went further up into freezing temperatures, through blizzards, fighting injuries, especially to their feet... adventure lovers will be thrilled! Mystery lovers will enjoy the hunt, learning what was found and looking toward what will occur in the next book! Exhilarating setting with an exciting treasure hunt! What more could you ask for?! Highly recommended!

Book Received from
Irion Books, Inc.

GABixlerReviews

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield Series One of Best Available!

A protected witness guarded by U.S. Marshals.Image via Wikipedia
"Jane took two steps and turned on the bottom step to face
them. She could see that they still hadn't grasped what she
was. To them she was a lady lawyer, and they planned to
push past her and endure her look of disdain.
The first one was easy, probably because he was bigger
and faster than the other two. He didn't seem to be aware
that she could possibly be a lethal opponent. He charged
ahead, barely seeing her as he dashed to the steps. All Jane
had to do was sidestep, trip him, place one hand on his
spine and the other on the back of his head to direct his
face downward into the steps. Her push increased his
momentum enough so he hit hard and lay still.
The second man was the one who had grasped Shelby's
arm in front of the elevator, so he was ready. He didn't
try to get around her, but went straight for her with both
his hands up, preparing to throw a punch. Jane knew she
couldn't fight toe-to-toe against a male opponent who
outweighed her by a hundred pounds, so she never did...
Poison Flower:


 A Jane Whitefield Novel


By Thomas Perry




I've enjoyed the stories of Jane Whitefield before, but Perry's latest has to be the most action-packed novel I've read in a long time--it seemed something major was happening on every page. Exciting, intoxicating talent and integrity of one woman. In fact, the whole series has been always fresh and original. If you enjoy having a strong female lead character to admire, Perry is one of the experts in creating Jane Whitefield!

Jane Whitefield makes her clients disappear, only she doesn't work for the government's witness protection program. In fact, most of her actions are either borderline or directly against the law...because the law doesn't always protect the innocent... When individuals are desperate, needing help the get out of an impossible situation, somehow she can be found... She uses all the modern skills available, but is grounded in the ancient traditions of her Seneca ancestors, finding the strength within her of the lone warrior on the quest...




This time, an innocent man has been framed for murder and Jane has been asked to help him break out of jail and help him disappear...and she did exactly that!

But there were more than just police guarding this man and when she succeeded in getting him away, they were right there watching and prepared to chase her down. Her client got away, but these men claimed to be police and she stopped, only to have them kidnap her. Once they had her, they wanted only one thing--where was James Shelby headed, where was she to meet him? She realized that the real killer wanted to ensure he was never found, no matter what it took!

It was only through her warrior training that she succeeded in enduring and coming through the torture that they had begun. For the first time, she would have scars received through her rescue activities... She did get away, but that only began a wild chase that required every bit of wit and stamina to keep Jane going, to reach her client, and, by the way, picking up another request from a woman to take her away from her husband. You've just got to love and admire this woman!

One happening I had missed was that Jane got married sometime in another novel! This addition added a warmer side to Jane, but showed just how much she endured this time when she finally got home and he saw the damage to her body...Her fear was only that he would no longer love and want her...

The best of Thomas Perry went into his latest which is due out in March. If you've enjoyed Perry before, then I'd have to add this as a must-read for all fans! Never read him? Start with this one if you enjoy female driven action-packed adventure. This is a Winner!

Book received via
Amazon Vine


GABixlerReviews



About the Author
Thomas Perry was born in Tonawanda, New York in 1947. He received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1969 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Rochester in 1974. He has worked as a park maintenance man, factory laborer, commercial fisherman, university administrator and teacher, and a writer and producer of prime time network television shows.  He lives in Southern California.  
Perry is the author of 20 novels including the Jane Whitefield series (Vanishing Act, Dance for the Dead, Shadow Woman, The Face Changers, Blood Money,Runner, and Poison Flower), Death Benefits, and Pursuit, the first recipient of the Gumshoe Award for best novel.  
He won the Edgar for The Butcher’s Boy, and Metzger’s Dog was a New York Times Notable Book. The Independent Mystery Booksellers’ Association included Vanishing Act in its “100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century,” and Nightlife was a New York Times bestseller. 
Metzger’s Dog was voted one of NPR’s 100 Killer Thrillers--Best Thrillers Ever. Strip was chosen as a  New York Times Notable Crime Book for 2010, and The Informant was a New York Times Notable Crime Book for 2011.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

If You're Not Into SitCom Humor...Don't Bother...

Trail of the Spellmans


By Lisa Lutz


I promise, I didn't know that this book was primarily the humor genre--I don't seem to have a sense of humor like many have, so I don't usually read the genre. I thought the book was about PI's and there was a few cases that were interesting, although all of them involved following people, except one client who had OCD and used the private investigator as a backup to make sure someone was dealing with his compulsions so he wouldn't lose his job. None of the situations take much to figure out--I had all of them resolved after the first introduction of each case...

The book was well written although the majority was about the Spellman family itself and the ongoing drama that apparently revolves around the members. The story is told from the point of view of the daughter, Isabel, who clearly has a handle on how the investigative business should be run, but also clearly, contrary to the back cover's statement, is just as dysfunctional as the rest of those who live there. I must admit that the writer's use of footnoting was, for me, completely frustrating from the reader's standpoint since the footnotes were merely attempts to increase the humor, which it didn't, in my opinion. For me, it just increased reading time and was disruptive.

Let me tell you a little more about the cases covered:

Two parents hired them to follow their daughter who had entered college, to keep track of her activities.
A wife hired them to follow her husband and keep her informed where he was and when he was to return home.
A brother hired them to follow his sister and report back to him.

But the investigator assigned the first case, made up false reports to turn in...get the idea of strange actions. Of course the investigator is the youngest daughter in the family and to punish her for what she did, had her car taken away from her, without anybody explaining why...Funny? You decide...

Isabel did have a basic and healthy attitude about how the job should be done, although the ending action was, in my opinion, quite unethical and, quite naturally backfired on her.

Sorry, I didn't even smile once. Some of the scenes were sad, such as with the client who had OCD and while Isabel did explain everything to him, they did do as much as could be expected as private investigators. I guess I have to admit that most of it was boring for me, since I don't find making fun of dysfunctional family members something that should be done. On the other hand, knowing that many people do enjoy sitcom type of humor, the book itself was fast-paced, except for the footnotes, and certainly should be considered by those who routinely enjoy the humor genre...

You decide...

Book Received Via
Amazon Vine


GABixlerReviews

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Mother/Son Authors Create YA Paranormal Fantasy Gem!

Русский: Архангел Гавриил из оглавного деисусн...Image via Wikipedia
..."Now it came about, when men began to multiply
on the face of the land, and daughters were born to
them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters
of men were beautiful; and they took wives for
themselves...The Nephilim were on the earth in
those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God
came in to the daughers of men, and they bore
children to them. Those were the mighty men who
were of old, men of renown..."

forbidden...


by Syrie James &
  Ryan M. James




All things in heaven and earth seem to be most popular to teens and others who enjoy paranormal fantasy and forbidden is a welcome addition! Lovers of The Guardian Series, by Ruby Moon-Houldson, together with a dash of TV's "The Charmed Ones" will undoubtedly enjoy the latest from Syrie James. For me, it was a flashback but updated contemporary revisit of the love between heavenly beings and humans that I found in The Guardian Series...so I loved it!

Claire Brennan has finally turned 16, becoming a woman, and gaining so very much more! She didn't immediately know what was happening, but fortunately she had two close friends who were there during one of the first times she was affected and so she wasn't as afraid as she could have been. Doing a little research online made them realize that Claire had had a psychic vision. But what had happened and why now? She didn't connect it but finally she was given the word--she had "awakened..."

In the meantime, a new student had come to school. Alec MacKenzie had come to Emerson Academy to hide! And the first day met Claire. Almost immediately she noticed something was different about him. She also had noticed he was quite good-looking, but she'd had a crush on another boy for so long, that she didn't immediately consider Alec. But he was considering her and even her best friends realized it! Neither knew what fate had done to them, in bringing them together...




Claire knew little about her past, including who her father was, so her investigation took her into her mother's room, to use her new power to possible find out more...and she did, but she still didn't share with her mother!

And then one day there was a near-death accident and Alec had saved Claire and her friends. Only Claire saw what had actually happened, though. Alec had performed with superior strength to save them--more than possible for a human? Could he be a vampire?! Her friends laughed when she proposed that, but were even more surprised when they all discovered the truth!

When Alec's godfather gets more involved, so does a lovely lady who comes to Claire psychically and who she later discovers in a hospital in a coma! But even unconscious, she worked to save Claire when she was hunted!

Many very cool scenarios make this book exciting, timely as it moved right into high school activities, including choir, prom, selection of a king/queen court, etc. and pulls in a heavenly host of cool characters! Although there are visions of violence, little actually takes place--some of these characters just won't die!

Young adults who have enjoyed the Twilight series will be just as intrigued with what I hope will become a new series. Highly recommended.

Book received via
Wunderkind PR


GABixlerReviews
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Mother/Son Authors Create YA Paranormal Fantasy Gem!

Русский: Архангел Гавриил из оглавного деисусн...Image via Wikipedia
..."Now it came about, when men began to multiply
on the face of the land, and daughters were born to
them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters
of men were beautiful; and they took wives for
themselves...The Nephilim were on the earth in
those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God
came in to the daughers of men, and they bore
children to them. Those were the mighty men who
were of old, men of renown..."

forbidden...


by Syrie James &
  Ryan M. James




All things in heaven and earth seem to be most popular to teens and others who enjoy paranormal fantasy and forbidden is a welcome addition! Lovers of The Guardian Series, by Ruby Moon-Houldson, together with a dash of TV's "The Charmed Ones" will undoubtedly enjoy the latest from Syrie James. For me, it was a flashback but updated contemporary revisit of the love between heavenly beings and humans that I found in The Guardian Series...so I loved it!

Claire Brennan has finally turned 16, becoming a woman, and gaining so very much more! She didn't immediately know what was happening, but fortunately she had two close friends who were there during one of the first times she was affected and so she wasn't as afraid as she could have been. Doing a little research online made them realize that Claire had had a psychic vision. But what had happened and why now? She didn't connect it but finally she was given the word--she had "awakened..."

In the meantime, a new student had come to school. Alec MacKenzie had come to Emerson Academy to hide! And the first day met Claire. Almost immediately she noticed something was different about him. She also had noticed he was quite good-looking, but she'd had a crush on another boy for so long, that she didn't immediately consider Alec. But he was considering her and even her best friends realized it! Neither knew what fate had done to them, in bringing them together...




Claire knew little about her past, including who her father was, so her investigation took her into her mother's room, to use her new power to possible find out more...and she did, but she still didn't share with her mother!

And then one day there was a near-death accident and Alec had saved Claire and her friends. Only Claire saw what had actually happened, though. Alec had performed with superior strength to save them--more than possible for a human? Could he be a vampire?! Her friends laughed when she proposed that, but were even more surprised when they all discovered the truth!

When Alec's godfather gets more involved, so does a lovely lady who comes to Claire psychically and who she later discovers in a hospital in a coma! But even unconscious, she worked to save Claire when she was hunted!

Many very cool scenarios make this book exciting, timely as it moved right into high school activities, including choir, prom, selection of a king/queen court, etc. and pulls in a heavenly host of cool characters! Although there are visions of violence, little actually takes place--some of these characters just won't die!

Young adults who have enjoyed the Twilight series will be just as intrigued with what I hope will become a new series. Highly recommended.

Book received via
Wunderkind PR


GABixlerReviews
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Michael Palmer's Latest Out Today!!!

English: corn fields in the summerImage via Wikipedia
:"If you are reading this letter, then I am dead...This letter is
a confession of sorts. It does, in my death, what I could not
bring myself to do while I was alive...finally to tell the truth
about..."
Oath Of Office


By Michael Palmer




Whoooa! Palmer's latest has a feel of horror...and you'd never guess why!


Dr. Lou Welcome  has great empathy for medical personnel who, for whatever reason, gets hooked on alcohol or other type of substance, including drugs.

Mainly because he's been there...

In fact, part of his own rehabilitation has been to work with others who have the same type of problems. One of those men was John Meacham--and he has just gone on a rampage, killing everybody in his office, including two patients! Lou's boss wants to know what happened, but Lou wanted to know what had happened for his own reasons--he knew Meacham had been clean! So what could have set him off?

You would think that now we are going to investigate how he might have obtained some illegal substance, taking it without even realizing it perhaps. But what that substance is and where his investigation leads is much more scary than some type of new drug...  Especially as other people also begin doing illogical activities..

.

Welcome begins his investigation by learning that Meacham had said only one thing, "No Witnesses!" As he pieced things together, he learned that he had become angry with a dangerously obese patient and got her so upset that she had ran out of the office. With Meacham's last words being "No witnesses" Welcome had to assume that Meacham feared that a complaint would be made against him and he would lose his license permanently. That seemed to make a little sense, except that, Roberta Jennings, the woman he had verbally attacked, was still alive...Meacham was not acting rationally in killing everybody else except her.

In the meantime, in Washington D.C. the President of the United States once again had not shown up for an event that was sponsored by the First Lady. She was very interested in a food program for children. Obviously disturbed, she nevertheless went on with the program, but received a message about an old friend, the former Secretary of Agriculture, who had been fired. She had always felt he had been framed and so went to a secret meeting to learn more... And, she learned more than she had ever expected! 

Welcome's investigation took him to Meacham's home town next to talk to his wife Carolyn. Meacham had died and now he was riding with Carolyn, only to have her begin to act strangely. She became fixated on a car ahead of them with a back light missing...chasing after it to prevent an accident, only to cause them to have one themselves!

More and more strange behavior was identified and it seemed to be most happening there in the town where the Meacham's had lived.

When they began to think it may be something around that town, it all began to come together, but what was it and how were they going to identify what it was and who was involved?

Reading about what people were doing in that town adds the feelings of horror...doing the exact opposite of what would really be the most logical thing to do...Michael Palmer has topped his other books in this one! The realism of the plot is so potentially possible and probable that you can't help but be hooked, turning the pages, wanting to know more, but becoming even more horrified as  more is discovered! Could it really happen? Not the exact activities within this novel, but something else? This one will leave you afraid...and will not be easily dismissed or forgotten. And how is the President and his family involved?!

Forewarned is forearmed? Palmer is sharing a potential reality for all of us. Even if it's fiction, you need to read this one, in my opinion... A thriller like no other!

GABixlerReviews




MICHAEL PALMER is the author of sixteen novels of medical suspense, all international bestsellers. His books have been translated into thirty-five languages. In addition, Palmer is an associate director of the Massachusetts Medical Society Physician Health Services, devoted to helping physicians troubled by mental illness, physical illness, behavioral issues, and chemical dependency. He lived in eastern Massachusetts.




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Monday, February 13, 2012

Time Travel Romance Merges with Paranormal for Wonderful Tale...

English: Caerlaverock Castle Romantic scottish...Image via Wikipedia
The year is 1602 when Neil and Mora return to Scotland,
along with Fergus who at the last minute had chosen to jump
through the time portal as well...and thankfully he did because
he had brought his gadgets and had already saved Neil's life
once! Now they were on their way to the castle of The
MacDonald. Their research and Neil's memories were fast
 coming as he came closer and closer to where Naill was
imprisoned. In fact, Neil was taking on all of the pain and
suffering, need for food and water that Naill was experiencing!

Somewhere My Lass


By Beth Tressel






I enjoy the paranormal and Tressel brings in much to like! Not only do we have time travel, but a number of psychics to add to the fun! Of course, it might also have been just a bit of magic from the ancient Celtics?


Our main character, from the past, is Mora Campbell, who is found at the scene of the murder of the housekeeper for Neil MacKenzie. The problem, of course, is who is she, where did she come from, and why is she dressed in clothes that are clearly from another country and from long ago...




When Mora awakens she identifies herself as Neil's betrothed! Although she calls him Niall... and says that she was chased there by The MacDonald! In the meantime, Neil and everybody else thinks she has been hurt during the chase and is apparently the relative of his housekeeper they had been expecting...

However, as Mora shares about her life, Neil begins to pick up memories nudged by what she tells him about their relationship--that they were to marry, but he had disappeared and now she was to marry his younger brother...

Neil's friend and business partner Fergus is one of the most likable characters...he's a brilliant nerd that uses all things electronic...never leaving his home, using lighting to create night skies to sleep under and all the electronic gadgets that can possibly be used for "some" reason. Mora, of course, thinks he's a magician. It is his mother that is psychic and helps them locate "the portal"

The well-written fantasy is almost a fairy tale; merging the present together with the past in a seamless movement, using what they had brought from the present to help Mora be reunited to Naill in 1602...

Of course that meant that if history was changed, then Neil of the present would no longer exist!

There really wasn't any choice...by that time, Neil loved Mora and would do anything to make her happy...
Tressel gives us a dangerous adventure, suspense, a little Fergus humor, but most of all provides a story of unending love that does last... But wait!?! What about The MacDonald?!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Surely romance lovers will find it a wonderful way to spend the weekend! Highly
recommended!

GABixlerReviews



 About BethBeth Trissel

I’m a historical/light paranormal romance author with the Wild Rose Press. I have seven releases out with more to follow. Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley with children and multiple animals. The rich history of Virginia and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration.
My fascination with Colonial America, particularly stirring tales of the frontier and the Shawnee Indians, is an early and abiding one. My English, Scot-Irish ancestors had interactions with this tribe, including family members taken captive. These accounts inspired my passion. Intrigued with all things Celtic, much of my writing features these early Scot-Irish forebears who settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and surrounding mountains, spreading into Tennessee and the Carolinas.

This absorption with Colonial America also extends to the high drama of the Revolution. My ancestors fought and loved on both sides of that sweeping conflict. My research into the Southern face of the war was partly inspired by my great-great-great grandfather, Sam Houston, uncle of the famous Sam, who kept a journal of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, 1781, that is used by historians today.

Moreover, I am ever intrigued by ghost stories, and Virginia has more tales than any other state. I find myself asking if the folk who’ve gone before us are truly gone, or do some still have unfinished business in this realm? And what of the young lovers whose time was tragically cut short, do they somehow find a way? Love conquers all, so I answer ‘yes.’ 
Thus began my ‘Somewhere’ series. In book two of that series, Somewhere My Lass, I journeyed back to 1602 Scotland and more deeply explored my Scottish roots.  In Red Bird’s Song (out fall of 2010) I honed in on my early American roots in a story featuring the Scots-Irish and an Indian attack that happened to my ancestors in the colonial Virginia frontier.  More recently, I ventured back into my British ancestry with my first historical set in England, Into the Lion’s Heart.

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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Turning Back to Yesterdays...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Gang
A King in a Court of Fools


By Larry Enright




Do you remember "Our Gang"? Or maybe you are a fan of  "A Christmas Story" and, like my sister, watch it over and over every year? Yes, I'm one of those individuals who believe that the past was a happier, more friendly time.  We weren't afraid to go off on our own to explore the surrounding neighborhood or the woods nearby. Even better, our parents thought nothing of allowing us to go!

Larry Enright has done an amazing job in capturing all those early moments for us to remember as he introduces the Caswell Gang to us. Interestingly, he presents the story from the youngest member of the Gang:
"...That leaves you with me to piece this together. You have to keep in mind that I was only in first grade at the time, so my reading skills were limited. Simple chapter books were easy, but not six grade Tom-ese...How did we get our hands on Tom's secret journal?..."
Of course most of the group are siblings, with the oldest boy the leader; but it is apparent that, just as we remember it, our friends were just like family members and we cherished that bond. If you are a Baby Boomer, you will find yourself remembering. Another plus for me was that the setting is nearby Pittsburgh, where memories of the steel mills as we traveled still are clear in my mind.

If you are younger and have at least once heard, "Oh, the good ole days..." and never quite believed it...then I highly recommend you consider this story. It pulls you in and I read it in a day, while spending a little time remembering as well!



Enright certainly has a wonderful memory...or maybe we all would if we stopped to remember more about our early life. Curiously, you wonder how much is fiction or how much is from his own story. Perhaps that is not important, because it is so well written that you think he might have been keeping a journal, as is included in the story...and just pulled that journal out one day and molded it into a novel...Realistic and memorably full of yesterdays...I thoroughly enjoyed the day he provided.

And, in addition, a mystery is even included! And just as the characters did, I pictured being Nancy Drew or working with the Hardy Boys to solve the mystery surrounding "The Pink Lady" whose car the Gang found in the woods, together with the clothes and even the wallet of the owner. What had happened to her? The Caswell Gang is on the trail--but then the car is gone! But that doesn't stop them. In fact, it gets them further into action, meeting and making friends with a veteran neighbor and stopping to help him with the chores that he could no longer handle himself... 

But they persist until the crime has been totally solved! 

This is a wonderful book for children--but I have to say that many adults will be the ones that truly will be thankful for the time spent enjoying their youth once again...I loved it!










Biography

Larry Enright was born to Irish Catholic first-generation immigrants and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After college, he moved to the Philadelphia area where he has filled his life with many careers including teacher, musician, computer programmer, researcher, and writer.

He has published three novels: the best seller "Four Years from Home" (09/2010),
"A King in a Court of Fools" (09/2011), and "Buffalo Nickel Christmas" (11/2011).







GABixlerReviews
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