Unusual, Fascinating Storyline in Twisted Threads by Kalin McFarren

...Blood sprayed over the mirror above the sink. She dropped her sheath and held the sword in front of her with both hands. The second man's face paled, and his jaw slacked. He remained motionless for endless seconds before charging at Akira with a knife stretched out before him. With one swift movement, she raised her sword above her head and brought it down hard and fast across his neck. She pulled the blade back, sending blood spraying across her face.

Another body left to the floor.

Akira could feel sweat gathering at the base of her spine. She wiped her eyes with her forearm to clear her vision. Tears threatened to break loose and destroy the fortification she'd built.

The voice was back in her head, moving her forward, keeping her from crumpling into a pitiful mess. Don't be a fool. Finish the job you were sent her to do.

She found two capsules in the outside pocket of her bag and popped them into her mouth. It took nearly a minute for the numbing effects to take hold. Then she set to work dragging bodies from the house and dropping them into the pit she had found in the woods. When she was finished, she stepped into the shower to wash the dirt and blood off a second time. After cleaning the bathroom floor and walls off a second time. After cleaning the bathroom floor and walls and scrubbing the living room thoroughly, she dumped all the evidence into the pit outside and set everything ablaze with a match and a bottle of Chateau Guirand. Her only salvation rested in the fact that Kurosaki's nearest neighbor lived too far away to witness the gruesome scene and strange smell filling the air.

A cool breeze touched her skin. Too cool. She looked down at herself and was instantly reminded of her nudity, which she had forgotten with the work she'd undertaken. A nervous laugh escaped her escaped her lips, and once more she found herself questioning her sanity...

~~~

Twisted Threads

The Threads Series

By Kaylin McFarren

I discovered this book and author on Authors Den where I have begun reviewing again...Got to say, first, that I would have really like to have started this series right from the beginning! I loved this story for multiple reasons... one of them personal...the book brought back memories of a wonderful cruise vacation I had, visiting Hell and other places... You see, the setting is on a cruise ship, where our main character has been sent to do her, hopefully, final job...

Akira Hamada, working under an assumed name, has been, in one way or another, imprisoned most of her life. She was taught to be and served as a geisha, and then in a different role, and, finally, was trained to become an assassin for a crime syndicate. Some of the work she had enjoyed... now... she was looking to create a new life. This was promised, if she would do one final job...

There was a murderer traveling on a cruise ship, but it had not yet been determined which of a couple, was the killer. A

Akira is controlled
by Kaito Mitsui

relative of the head of the syndicate had been killed and he wanted revenge! Akira was sent to determine the truth and then eliminate the threat. Another individual would travel with her as her father, but would be the one who cleaned up after the discovery had been made.

An older couple, traveling with their nephew and a personal physician is the target group. Akira plans immediately to make contact with the younger traveler to begin to gather information.

Devon Lyons had not wanted to be on this cruise! He was really not close to this elderly couple and was quite surprised to have been invited... even further to have his uncle share secret thoughts...

So when he met Akira, he was overjoyed to find himself admired by a young beautiful woman who was different than any other woman he had ever met. The early courtship interaction was fun to watch as Akira played the innocent young traveler from a far-away land... However, that relationship evolves over the week-long cruise... 

Devon is controlled
by killer

The book presents an erotic seduction that is well-written, unoffensive, and yet graphic in detail...and later when the danger is tightened and Akira, herself, is being hunted, there will be some scenes that occurred in a specially equipped room that apparently was used on many of the cruises. It is brief but includes torture. My only warning... 

But this is not the only activity to watch... Murders start to happen, with not much being done by a womanizing Captain, who is more concerned about keeping his playground available than in providing a safe environment...

And then "a watcher" creeps into the story... Who is it and what and who are being watched... 

The book is intriguing, unique, and is a great story to show east meeting west, as a "player" in America meets a woman from the far east, taught to beguile, to mesmerize... and, at the same time, taught to kill upon command...

The cruise characters are fun to meet and the side trips for the cruise are actually those you would visit in the Grand Cayman area... But the events that were occurring on this cruise were not the norm--even though the book includes statistics about the number of fatalities that occur on such trips, these deaths were not natural! 

McFarren has done an outstanding job of placing the reader on a cruise ship, dealing with the life of eating, pleasure, social events, entertainment, and tours...She has effectively used the ship's staff to bring readers into the setting, although she did place the majority in elite quarters, where I had something far less appealing on my trips...LOL But you really don't have to spend much time in your quarters...LOL

The merge of murder mystery and romance is well balanced and neither overpowers the book, so that both mystery/thriller fans as well as romance lovers will find this one for consideration. For me, I highly recommend it, for all those who enjoy a bit or erotica, which is quite appropriate for the story, with their suspense...


GABixlerReviews

KAYLIN MCFARREN has received more than 40 national literary awards, in addition to a prestigious Golden Heart Award nomination for Flaherty’s Crossing - a book she and her oldest daughter, Kristina McMorris, co-authored in 2008. Prior to embarking on her writing journey and developing the popular Threads action/adventure romance series, she poured her passion for creativity into her work as the director of a fine art gallery in the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon; she also served as a governor-appointed member of the Oregon Arts Commission. When she’s not traveling or spoiling her pups and three grandsons, she enjoys giving back to her community through participation and support of various charitable and educational organizations in the Pacific Northwest, and is currently the president of the Soulful Giving Foundation - a non-profit focused on cancer research, care and treatment at hospitals throughout Oregon.

Latest Paladine Novel Reveals Realities of Human Trafficking in Traffick Stop by Kenneth Eade

 “You may choose to look the other way 

but you can never say again that you did not know.” 

―  William Wilberforce

Porto Heli

From his little sailboat in the port he could see the horseshoe-shaped harbor of Porto Heli, a summer resort area packed with revelers and partiers, and more easily accessible to him than the party island of Mykonos.  It was about a 30-minute cruise.  His island was dark, quiet – like Robert was.  The sidewalks rolled up at 10 p.m.  Night life was practically non-existent.  

As he sat on the deck and looked out across the sea, he was drawn to the twinkling lights of Porto Heli like a fly to a porch light.  The lapping of the water against the little boats as they bobbed up and down, the sound that used to soothe him to sleep so many nights in the cabin of the bow of his boat, the Lana, now grated on his nerves like fingernails dragging against a chalkboard.  

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.  He started the motor of the Lana, cast off the mooring lines, and, just like that fly, headed straight for the light. It was a short ride that divided the two worlds; the one of the people by day and the other of the people by night.  The day people worked, played, laughed and ate, and then they slept, resting to start the cycle all over again.  
The night people, on the other hand, lived only for thrills, and their object was to have as much fun and pleasure as they could before the sun rose.  As he neared the harbor, he could hear the sounds of partying in the bars and began to ache with impatience – like a dog salivating for a bone.  He threw the fenders over the side, cut the motor and pulled alongside a concrete pier and a man came out, tossed him the mooring ropes and he quickly looped them over the cleats.  He locked up the boat, hopped off and handed the man a fifty euro bill. “I’ll probably be a few hours.” The man slipped the bill into his pocket and smiled a checkerboard smile of half a mouthful of stained teeth.  Robert had made his own price because it was late and the money would probably not be accounted for. “No problem.”
“Make sure nothing happens to my boat and there’ll be another fifty in it for you.” The man smiled again and nodded. Robert followed the sounds of the action like the pack of rats followed the Pied Piper of Hamelin.  His will was no longer his own; he had given it up to the beast, and it was the beast who would be calling the shots tonight.  It didn’t take long to find the best party.  He followed the pulsating beat of electronic music to Nikki Beach Resort.  As he came nearer, he could see what was a seaside patio for sun bathers by day had turned into a dance floor at night, illuminated by sparkling fountains of fire, casting flickering shadows against the dancers, most of them female. 
As Robert approached, he saw the bouncer, a big man with no neck, rustling a man out of the club.  The guy he was handling was well dressed, but he was obviously drunk, so the bouncer had the right to evict him.  But he didn’t stop after he had “bounced” the man.  He went a step further – a step too far.  He pushed him out onto the sidewalk, and the man fell.  The man struggled to get up, and, when he did, the bouncer kicked him down.  
This wasn’t Robert’s battle, so he decided to play it cool.  Unfortunately, however, the bouncer wasn’t content to end the drama with one kick.  Robert observed, quietly, while the bouncer continued to rough up the drunken man, pushing him around and slapping him down.  
Some people, of certain strength, take pleasure in pushing around others with none. The bouncer was probably a bully when he was a kid.  Now, he was a grown-up bully, and one with authority. “Hey, man, you kicked him out.  Why don’t you just let him go?” 
The bouncer looked up at Robert as if he had thrown down a gauntlet.  He had tasted blood and here was another fight.  
“You want a piece of this?”
 “No, man.  I’m just saying this guy’s had enough.” 
The big-necked man grabbed Robert by the collar and came nose to nose with him. Robert could feel his hot, bad breath against his face. “You will take your hands off me and do it now.” 
“Or what, big man?  You gonna beat me up?” The beef-neck began to laugh, tightening his grip.  Like a snake, Robert struck, pushing him back, then slamming him in the nose with a loud crack.  “Nobody touches me.” 
The man’s hand instinctively went to his nose, and then he looked at his bloody palms with anger.  He sized Robert up, hurt now only in his pride.  By that time, another bouncer had joined him.  They looked like two lion statues, the kind rich people put to mark the entrance of their driveways.  
The beast had been awakened in Robert, who stared them down with cold, shark-like eyes.  “Now let’s try this again.  I don’t want any trouble.  I’d like to have a drink, maybe meet some girls and try to get laid tonight.  
Or I can beat the living shit out of both of you.  I’ll get an equal amount of a different kind of satisfaction out of either activity.  It’s your move.”

~~~

Traffick Stop:
Paladine Political Thriller Series

By Kenneth Eade

I have great empathy for Robert Garcia, the main character of the Paladine Series... He, like others, who have been affected by PTSD have discovered that their mental stability have been permanently damaged and that, at times, the beast appears... 

Garcia called that part of him that could no longer be satisfied in retirement, fishing, the beast... Eade begins the book with what happens when this occurs... 

Sacrifice, charity, and concern for others has always been a characteristic of the human spirit.  But there is a wild, hungry, thirsty, selfish creature that lurks deep within the libido of each of us.  That id some of us ignore, others deny, and still others put a mask on it or lock it away so even they cannot release it.  But when the balance is tipped to its side, it can break any bonds that have tied it down, and we are powerless to stop it.  The result can be exhilarating, intoxicating, mind-blowing, or it can be deadly. 

Garcia had been restless for quite a while so that, one night, when the music reached him from a resort bar within close range, Robert took the bait and went looking...mainly for some company, noise, and hopefully meeting a willing woman... But...when he saw the club's bouncer's taking his fun from beating up a drunk being kicked out of the club, Garcia spoke up for the man receiving unnecessary violence... That's one of the things that has brought me to love this character... Yes, he's been mentally and emotionally damaged, but when the thirst comes he must quench, he always still has his moral code that aims it toward a deserving bad guy, of course!

Am I really seeing what this vid represents...?

By the way, he does go into the club and meets Joelle, who returns to the boat to spend the night with him... That's when Robert first met a woman who was under control as a sex slave and was guarded at all times except when she was "hired"  out for a short time period... Robert learns that night that she was soon to be sent to Syria to continue in another place, with the same restrictions... that they had control of her passport and that they threatened her with the lives of her family if she didn't follow their rules.

Robert tried to tell himself that it was not his business, that he couldn't do anything to save her, even though he pictured in his mind a plan to do just that...

And so when his old employer tracked him down through a friend who knew where he was, and Robert learned the story of why he was being asked to take another job... An American citizen was now in the hands of ISIS, serving as a sex slave...

“Then he told me an interesting story.  One of Williamson’s employees was a software engineer by the name of Rahbi Moghadam.  Rahbi had a daughter – Rasha.  When she was 19, she took a trip to Turkey to celebrate her graduation from junior college and her old man paid for it.  “What he didn’t know was that Rasha had been convinced by an ISIS recruiter to come to Syria to give humanitarian aid to civil war victims.” Robert nodded.  “My guess is that she disappeared?” 
“That’s right, malaka.  Her father spent a lot of time and money tracking her down, and the trail ended in Syria.  Rasha had been forced into a jihadi marriage to six ISIS fighters.  Her only purpose in life for an entire year was to be raped repeatedly by those jihadist assholes.”

~~~

Garcia realized he was ready... But first he checked out the new leader of that group and only then was he willing to meet to discuss what was needed...

This is another part of this series that Eade does exceptionally well... The planning, execution, and extraction plans for Garcia are brilliant in their creation... unless, of course, the author has decided to create a situation where Robert must use ingenuity and, this time, luck, to get him out of danger!

Which brings up another character that I also love. Those reading the series will remember the Russian warrior who Garcia met and vacationed with in the last book! In this book he shows up to save Garcia! Yes, we get to enjoy Garcia and Lyosha as they meet once again in Syria. When Garcia tells Lyosha why he is there...to deal with human traffickers, and hopefully free the women, which includes Russian women, before they were sold in auction... Lyosha immediately volunteers his Russian Warriors...

http://ahtribune.com/world/north-africa-south-west-asia/1221-yazidi-sex-slaves.html

Eade points out two issues that I was thankful to see (1) that the organization for whom he was working also financially supported trying to ensure help for the secondary victims of terrorism, the peace-loving and innocent Muslims living in the States who were blamed for the acts of extremists... and (2) that today's warriors, no matter what country they are from, will work together to rid our lives of extremists and criminals everywhere... if only for a short time when political ploys do not stop them!

Wow, I loved this book! Let's us hope that the discussions and appeals to congress that are now happening in America, actually "take care of business" like Paladine does! Thank you, Kenneth Eade, for providing us with hope that Paladine's work will be accomplished as effectively as if Paladine were leading the fight!

This is not just another thriller...it is more...Eade's political thrillers are taking us directly into the underbelly of the world and, even in fiction, showing us what is happening, and, in my mind, scaring you enough to become involved in whatever way you can...starting with ensuring you and your children take necessary measures to protect your family members. This is reality fiction, which happens to be an excellent, look at a major money-making activity that is increasing at unimaginable rates. Read this book to enjoy the hero, Paladine...but also to become even more aware of what human trafficking is doing to this world! Kudos to Kenneth Eade for tackling this major problem! I consider this a must-read, for anybody who cares about the victims... primarily women and children... who need help!


GABixlerReviews

Described by critics as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene," author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an award-winning, best-selling Top 100 thriller author, has been described by his peers as "one of the up-and-coming legal thriller writers of this generation." He is the 2015 winner of Best Legal Thriller from Beverly Hills Book Awards and the 2016 winner of a bronze medal in the category of Fiction, Mystery and Murder from the Reader's Favorite International Book Awards. His latest novel, "Paladine" is currently a quarter-finalist in Publisher's Weekly's BookLife Prize for Fiction. Eade has authored three fiction series: The "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series", the "Involuntary Spy Espionage Series" and the "Paladine Anti-Terrorism Series." He has written sixteen novels which have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. 

"I've been writing all my life, but began publishing my work out of a passion for the environment. My wife, Valentina, is a professional photographer, who worked for two years on an environmental exhibition called, "Bee Cause I Care" which was exhibited by the Prince Albert II Foundation and is now touring cities in France to bring awareness to the importance of pollinators and the dangers facing them. I penned a few articles on the subject for the Los Angeles Daily Journal and turned my research into my first book, "Bless the Bees." That passion continued with the publication of my novel, "An Involuntary Spy," which is an action thriller that also points to the dangers of genetically engineered food. Then I began publishing the "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series," which, in part, is based on actual experiences during my long career in law.

Thomas Perry's Latest, The Boyfriend, Provides Surprising Twist! ...And Nina...

"Do you remember a homicide from a month ago where a
young working girl got shot in an apartment in Encino? Her
name was Catherine Hamilton...
"Here's where we get to the tricky part. I'm asking because I
need to know about the guy who killed her--how he does things,
what he's got. If you tell me the truth in confidence, it will never
get reported. How much money was in her apartment when you
got there?"
"...Till said quietly, "I really want to go away now and leave you
alone. So tell me what I need and let me."
"...To make it clear, I was a really good homicide detective, and
people remember me. There are guys with stars on their collars
who owe me their lives. If I ask them to, they'll toss your house,
freeze your bank accounts, examine every deposit and
expenditure you've made...
"I figure you'll look at the card and ask around about me.
People will tell you that you can trust me."
~~~

The Boyfriend

By Thomas Perry


I have really enjoyed Perry's Jane Whitefield novels, and this was the first I had read other than from that series. Thomas Perry is an excellent writer and has created somewhat unusual thrillers with interesting characters. Jane Whitefield, for instance, is a Native American "guide" who helps people disappear.

In The Boyfriend, it is the character after which the book is named who steals the show...So much so that the ending just stops--The boyfriend is no more, therefore, there is nothing much to say. So that a forewarning.


On the other hand, that only covers a few pages, even if it leaves you saying, "What happened?" Personally, I think Nina is still hiding the last page...

The majority of the novel is full of action, surprises, and an intensive chase that runs through from the opening page.  Jack Till is a former homicide detective that is now working as a private investigator. It was almost imperative that Jack had a sound background and credentials, because this case moved all over the United States, with seemingly no rhyme or reason...and he needed to be accepted by the locals in order to gather information.

In fact, it was through an old friend that he got the biggest lead...that there were strawberry blond escorts that had received the same treatment as his client's daughter...

Like most of the parents whose daughters had been killed, they were not aware that their daughters had graduated college, only to become escorts, making more money than their degrees would have ever brought to them. But Catherine Hamilton's parents had loved her deeply and wanted, needed to know what had happened to her.

"The sex marketplace was huge and chaotic. The girls used many aliases--some ridiculous, some sweet, some crudely obscene. They often posted multiple ads on the same site with different sets of photographs, as though they were doing market research to see what appealed most to their customers. On every site were many ads that offered "specials" that were very cheap for various reasons--because it was Tuesday, or to celebrate a girl's return to town, her birthday, or the nearest holiday that was coming or had passed.
"As Till read, his familiarity with what prostitution was like was brought up to date. There were sites where customers posted reviews of each girl and commented on which acts they performed for their advertised fees, and whether they were cheerful, were polite, and gave fair value. He looked up the five girls and Catherine Hamilton on some of the sites, and found the reviews were still posted, even a year after some of them were dead. They were all highly rated. Could the killer have chosen his victims from these rating services? The company claimed to have no way to identify its customers.
"Finally, after weeks of staring at the computer screen for many hours a day, trying to follow every lead, Till found a girl who caused chills to move down the back of his neck.
"She said her name was Kyra. She had straight strawberry blond hair that hung down to the center of her back, and showed redder against her paper-white skin. The ad showed her standing in profile, giving a flirtatious sidelong glance
at the camera; lying on a bed; and sitting in a chair, wearing a lack bra, staring forthrightly into the camera.
She was wearing Catherine Hamilton's necklace...
~~~

It was fortunate that Till picked up on the jewelry that Catherine had worn. He was able to hone in and start tracking, hoping that he could get to the potential next victim. A girl name Kyra who had been wearing that same jewelry in her latest ads...

She was stunning...and Till discovered that he wanted to spend the time doing her usual activities as opposed to asking questions and moving on with his investigation. But finally he showed her the pictures of the other girls and talked her into leaving her apartment with him. Instead, she had called her boyfriend and he came, picked her up...and soon discarded her body just as he'd done with the others...

No matter how Till considered the various options for motive, for what this guy was really doing, things just didn't add up. And now another girlfriend had been killed. Why would she decide to call him? She had seemed to believe Till--enough for her to go with him. Why are women so stupid about men??

Well, there's no way that I'm going to go further into this story. I will tell you that the chase is just beginning! Before long, there are federal agencies involved and many more, but Till is still in there, moving ahead. When Catherine's parents had asked him who was the best, he finally admitted he was and took the case. And when you see him in action, you may realize that if anybody was going to get this intelligent man who had been way ahead of most of the chase, you'll know that it is Jack Till... 

Forget about the ending and enjoy every twist and turn that forces you through this maze that has been created by Thomas Perry... See the inner workings of not only the escort services, but another criminal activity that will leave you sizzling and joining with Till to stop it all!

By the way, Nina didn't mind letting my cats know that the abrupt ending was because of her. She claims that she is the most demanding cat around, it had been a long day, and she needed some lovin'. 

Of course, Ricci, my own nuisance, immediately told her how many books she sat on in any given week!

I left when Ricci's eyes started turning colors...

Highly Recommended!

GABixlerReviews

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. See More on His Web Site!

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4th in John Betcher Series My Favorite!

The Exiled Element
 Book 4: James Becker Series


By John L. Betcher




I've been a fan from the start of this series--loved every one of them...but...

His latest is exceptionally exciting and is my favorite so far!

Why? Simply because Beth had, what you might call, a starring role...

Oh sure, Beck is activity involved as well and, particularly, at the end when it's important. But Beth has been called back into active CIA service as a consultant and must travel to Egypt in order to complete this assignment.

Beth had been stationed in Egypt many years ago, but because of the woman that she was, one young Egyptian girl had remembered her. Now she had discovered important information and would talk to nobody but Beth, whose name for the CIA was Elizabeth Weston

Back home, James has gotten involved with the upcoming visit of a government official, who has not yet been identified. The banter between Gunner, Bull and Beck is characteristically, short, blunt, sarcastic...and funny...

And, although there was an excellent plan drawn up for security by Gunner, the Chief Deputy Sheriff, with their help, when the Senator actually arrived, spoke and then in leaving, decided to break the plan--well, he was dead soon thereafter. Killed by a professional hit.

Too late to help, the message that the young girl, Rasha, was delivering to Elizabeth was that there were plans to kill a congressional member. But since it had already happened, a decision was made to not only try to capture the assassin, but to determine who was behind hiring him.

One of the things I enjoy most from John Betcher is his character development, especially of those in the government. So it wasn't surprising that it was Elizabeth's bosses that had changed plans for her project in the middle and she had been captured! Because everything that had happened evolved from a theft of plans for an airplane like no other--but nobody wanted to admit that the theft had actually occurred!

Let me just say that when Beck did not receive his normal check-in from Beth, there was nothing that would stop him from finding her...Whew! It was great to watch the action!

Beck was too involved with righting wrongs this time to deliver too many of his zingers, but I do enjoy the byplay between he and Gunner or Bull... What do I mean? Well, check out my reviews of the first three books and you'll learn more, but especially that Betcher uses a Robert B. Parker approach to much of his dialogue. Kudos to him for keeping that style of dialogue writing alive, but for also developing a set of characters who are so naturally prone to say the things they do, that we love them more each time we meet them...

And, just a personal note to the author...anybody who makes Bull smile like he did "once" in this novel should be considered as a prime character to move to Red Wing in the future...Here's one reader who'd like to see Bull smiling more often!

Much more action and thrills in this latest, spotlighting issues that occur often in the governmental offices around the world, but it's the characters that keep me coming back wanting more. Beck is something else! I tip my "bonnet" to him! Highly recommended for great humorous dialogue, political intrigue and so much more...


GABixlerReviews

 John L. Betcher is a Minnesota author of fiction. His suspense/thrillers bring international intrigue to a unique setting in the Midwest. With more than 100,000 copies in print, his books have been welcomed with stellar reviews across the Web and in print media, and have held best seller slots in multiple categories on Amazon.










Check out my Reviews for Series!
Plus 1...
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-james-becker-mystery-might-be.html
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-19th-element-sets-james-becker.html
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-one-mans-searchcould-also-be.html
 (Not a James Becker Series book)
http://gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com/2011/07/james-becker-series-includes-funny.html

Larry Seeley Does It Again in Second Jack Sloan Novel!

Church in Juarez, Mexico - NARA - 516966 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

17 Degrees North:
 Take It To The Limit


By Larry Seeley




The problem when you look forward to a sequel of a series is that readers have to wait until the writer does his thing and gets it into our hands! But as soon as Larry Seeley had again published, I refreshed my memory of his first book, naturally by reading my review (click to check it out!) of Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves! There I confirmed that I had really liked the main character and loved the book.

Seeley has his own style of writing that I have come to appreciate after also enjoying his latest, 17 Degrees North. In his second novel, Jack Sloan is in an entirely different situation than in his first. He is somewhat more settled and he and Darlene are living on a small farm with an interest in a local bar/restaurant.

Everything was going along routinely when Jack was out one day riding and his horse stumbled.

And partially uncovered a large canvas bag that contained money--lots of it. A storm raged--what to do? So he took it with him, even though he already had the feeling he was making a mistake! Who did the bag belong to? How and why did it get way out where he had found it? Jack knew one thing--he didn't want the money and had to figure out what to do with it!

His main hesitation evolved around his past--he had an "encounter" with the FBI some time ago and didn't know whether they were still looking for him!

He was fairly close to one of the local officers, but the police chief and he didn't get along--mainly because the sheriff was a mean druggie, among other things...

So, for now, he would hold on to it, though neither he nor Darlene, once they had counted the money and knew somebody would be coming for it, wanted to be anywhere near what could only bring trouble their way!

But he did finally share with his police friend, Will, and learned that there had been a recent kidnapping and subsequent murder of the victim... The amount of money Jack had discovered matched the ransom, which an insurance company had provided. The whole affair, however, had everybody very confused as to why the victim had been killed after the money had been delivered.

In fact, it looked like the work of an assassin...

And as the investigation continues, Jack is pulled in, unwillingly, to work with an investigator from Juarez, Mexico, and an agent from the FBI. But somehow, the killer had traced the money directly to Jack's home and his employees and friends were shot, one clearly tortured. Jack knew his bringing the money home had caused this...

Now he was out for revenge!

Larry Seeley has done it again! A thriller that keeps the suspense high and the action ongoing! Jack is James Bond type but a more laid-back type of dude that may just look like the author??? Darlene is the perfect cool lady that not only stands behind her man, but gets along side of him when the fighting and shooting starts! Of course, when she sees the body of the bad guy she shot, she immediately regurgitates--but hey, a lady can only do so much! Anyway, these characters alone are worth getting to know, but the rest were also wonderfully created and perfect in the role each were given, including the assassin, who was quite...duplicitous...

Enjoy this one! Highly recommended


GABixlerReviews

About the Author
Born in 1939 and raised in a tiny Ohio town, Larry Seeley is the ex-CEO of the world's largest privately-owned training company and the former CEO of the gaming firm that built the first legal Native casino in Maritime Canada. A U.S. Army veteran, he lives in the high desert north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. His four children and eight grandchildren are scattered from California to Minnesota. He and his wife, Katie, watch over a small menagerie of dogs, cats, and chickens.