Prince of Conjurers by Laurie L. Bolanos Creates Life for the Phantom...After...Christine! And...With Bolanos You Get Lacour!

Between you and me, at that moment, the small strain of humanity that runs in my soul overpowered my own wants and desires. Her happiness mattered more than my own. And I let her go.

Christine.

When I set her free. I meant it. I had wanted to die. However, it did not take long for bitterness to take root in my heart. Die for love of her? I think not! She is mine. The life I wanted was disappearing with the golden-haired, perfect-featured vicomte...

It angers me how they rejoice in my timely departure. The relief in their embrace. The passion of their kisses revolts me. I want to kill them both!

But, I am a patient man.

"Leave Paris," their soft voices agree. Start their lives over, sail away. Passage to La Nouvelle-Orleans. I hear the word faintly as they believe they leave me to my endless slumber...

I will remain a man of my word.

Raoul may continue to have her heart, but I will have her immortal soul. I will collect what is mine. It belongs to me... I am the Prince of Conjurers.

~~~

Prince of Conjurers

By Laurie L. Bolanos

Like the author, I, too, had much empathy for Eric, the man who lost Christine in The Phantom of the Opera... So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read an alternative story about his life. One that picks up when he is thought dead and Christine and Raoul have ran off to be together... It is a quite plausible story that weaves in the main theme of The Phantom, but, clearly, takes off into a truly remarkable fantasy that uses reincarnation as the dominant theme... I thoroughly enjoyed it from cover and cover and highly recommend it for your consideration!

Eric heard the plan of Raoul, to move to New Orleans, and immediately started thinking... Eric, no longer the Phantom follows them. Now to be the Prince of Conjurers... The breadth and scope of the novel is, however, far more than I could have imagined and swirls like smoke in the air as time loses all meaning, readers are thrown into visions, or actual movement, into recent and the far past...

For now, Eric is in New Orleans, set on getting Christine away from Raoul, even if he has to kidnap her! He has already started his plan...

And with New Orleans, I am thrilled to offer the music of Barry Lacour from his latest CD "Heads-Up," to take us into the mood and setting of New Orleans, Louisiana...

His plan was genius.

Christine would be left alone most of the time, without anyone around to interfere. Nothing prevented him from the greatest, most magnificent endeavor, as if for once in his wretched existence, he was accepted into the greater design of life and it approved of his intentions. The way was being made clear for him with very little effort. He could not ask for more.

Well, maybe just a little...

~~~

In the year 2009, however, there is a lovely young woman who has just moved into a new home and is renovating the place herself. She is happy to be able to knock out walls, get her hands dirty, hammering and mumbling under her breath, "You low-down dirty dog!", as she pictures her ex-husband's face...then her ex-best friend Monika with whom said ex-husband was now living! Monika's betrayal hurt the most since they had been friends since high school.

She couldn't stop the memories from resurfacing. Her stomach churned at the recalling of Marvin Gaye's seductive voice drifting down the stairs from their bedroom. Marvin Gaye had always been a sign that her husband wanted her. She had assumed Simon must have called her office and found she had left for the day earlier than usual.

With her pulse racing, Julie climbed up the stairs, kicking off her shoes. It had been at least two weeks since they had made love. She pictured him waiting in bed for her as she took off her belt and headed for their bedroom.

"Hello, Baby," She pushed open the ajar door, posing seductively.

The rest of the memory came as snapshots. Messed up bed. Sheets hanging over the edge. Two wine glasses on the nightstand. Empty bottle lying on its side. Two sets of clothing crumpled on the floor. Running water in the bathroom. Muffled laughter. Her heart racing. Difficult breathing. Dread crushing her soul. Marvin Gaye singing on...

~~~

The novel begins to move back and forth between 2009 and 1898. Julie continues working on her home, absorbing the atmosphere of New Orleans, refusing to have her palm read by a local named Star, while meeting and becoming friends with a gay neighbor, while she demands that he keeps his lovers out of her apartment!

In the meantime, Eric is following Christine, even spying on her in their new home, and even following them to the opera, where he projects his whisper to her ear whispering, "Sing for me..."

Eric has purchased two different homes, one of which was called "The Devil's Mansion," where he plans to keep Christine. He goes to great expense to create an internal suite of rooms that look like a complete home, including interior sunlight... The remainder, exterior parts of the home, have...traps, traps to keep anybody else out...

Soon, he starts searching...for a vessel in which he will place Christine's soul... Enter Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen...and Naomi, a child-woman he has purchased from a Bordello, who he has selected to be the vessel... The only thing is that Marie wants Naomi for herself... As a virgin she would bring in much money...but there is much more behind her desire... Eric quickly marries Naomi so there will be no way that she can be claimed by anybody else...

"I have noticed the other
ladies decorate their headdresses.
 I thought you
might like these." The
brooches sparkled in his
hand as they reflected the
light in the room.
"Ooooh," Her eyes grew
big. "Those are for me?"
~~~

Eric leaned back in his carriage, hands behind his head with a satisfied grin that felt permanently etched on his face. The girl had accepted...
His reverie broken, Erik entered his house. Behind his closed door, he felt invigorated. The new day, the events of the past few hours, wiped away all fatigue. He ascended the stairs two at a time to his greenhouse of the roof. He wanted to work on his herbs. Marie's potion would have to be altered to suit his needs. He wasn't looking for a zombie, but a means to still the mind and body long enough to summon Christine's soul into it.

~~~

Unfortunately, one man, who had loved Naomi from her home town, would not give up so easily...

I should mention that Eric has learned much about the use of makeup materials which he uses to hide the scars on his face, ridding himself of the mask.  He has assumed a new name, Monsieur de la Croix... Quickly he is recognized as a man of means and becomes well known in the French Quarter... And then he took the big step... He sent Naomi to Christine's home, offering Naomi to help her--Christine was pregnant! Eric was enraged, until he learned that she had given him Eric's name...surely she still loved him... 

I would not even attempt to share about what that connection brought about, other than to say that Naomi and Christine became friends...

The man hesitated a moment then stepped closer to Armando, extending his hand. "My name is Heath."

Armando eagerly grabbed the man's hand, the multiple gaudy bracelets on his wrist jingled as they shook." Charmed, I'm sure."

"I couldn't help but admire your bracelet," Heath said, releasing Armando's hand. Armando stretched his arm out, turning his wrist up. "You like?"

Curious, Julie leaned over to get a look. Sure enough, among the many tacky pieces of gold costume jewelry was a dull silver bracelet with small silver balls and a silver charm. On the face of the charm was a complicated braided pattern of silk-like material in dark and light browns.

"Se-ma-j," Julie bit through clenched teeth, her voice elevating with each syllable. "What is he doing with my bracelet?"

~~~

As Julie is working on her home, she finds two things at two different times...and she meets a man in whom we could be interested. Unfortunately, he had been the one to notice a bracelet she'd found when it had been taken by her next door neighbor's friend. Shall we just say, she made quite a fuss about it. Then realized that she had totally lost control...and Heath had seen it all! While he still expressed interest in seeing the bracelet, she thought that was all that he was interested in... Still she did learn much more and realized that the bracelet was probably very valuable. Whenever she had a chance to see Heath, she happily agreed....

Meanwhile, interestingly, Eric finds that he is quite attracted to Naomi and feels he has made a great choice for the future. What he was surprised at, though, was that she was so kind and gentle and responded to him in a grateful, but, most, loving manner. He found himself responding to her--until he would catch himself realizing that she was not Christine. And Christine was His!

Then with rising dread, she remembered the ritual, the phone call, the darkness, and Heath worried by her side. He wasn't by her side now. The only sound she heard was the wood-burning fire.

Though her mind panicked, her body continued its slow, even breathing undisturbed by her emotions. This is not a hospital. Where am I? The more anxious Julie became, the more she felt the heaviness of her body...She heard a door slide open and footsteps. She inwardly held her breath although her body kept on breathing steadily. This is crazy! She willed herself even harder to wake up. Fight it! Fight!...

"Christine, I have missed you." The man's voice sounded pained.
Julie opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out. Her tongue felt thick and clumsy. She kept trying. She was determined to set the record straight.
"Not Christine." Her voice was a dry, rasping whisper.
The man leaned closer to her, and his breath warmed her ear. "What did you say?"
"Not Christine. Julie, Juliana Francois..."
~~~

Do you believe in reincarnation? Well, whether you do or not, be prepared for the longest line of reincarnated souls you may have ever experienced or read of! By the time I was coming to the conclusion of the book, I was amazed at how the book was ending--not only a surprise, but a thoroughly satisfactory one! But don't let me get ahead of things...because when voodoo is involved, sometimes it results in "Who Do?" You see at exactly the same time that Eric was working to conjure Christine into Naomi's body, Julie, in 2009, was working to learn about her own reincarnated past! You guessed it, Julie wound up in Naomi's body instead of Christine!

The secret pocket door slammed into place by the force of Erik's rage. Impossible! What trickery was this? The woman wouldn't have the ability to lie to him in her altered state, so he knew she spoke the truth. He paced the hall outside the chamber in fury. He wanted to charge into the room and shake the answers out of her, answers that would come because she was in no condition to respond to an interrogation.
A sudden rush of understanding gripped him like a vise. Now, not only did he not have Christine, but he had lost Naomi also. What had he done?
~~~

And that is where I shall leave you! The conjurer has gotten someone he hadn't conjured! Julie finds herself in 1898, inside of the woman who had once lived and held her soul. And all I'll say is that's when the fun begins for readers as a 2009 outspoken independent female meets male chauvinist Eric with an obsession for Christine, another woman, even though Julie, in Naomi's body, is now Eric's wife! Yikes! I loved it!

But that's just the beginning! How do you undo voodoo? 

Eric stood back within the wooded area on the north side of Congo Square. He had just spent an hour gazing through Christine's windows, watching her with her son and her husband. He had to be sure she was Christine and not Naomi. And she was, in every way, confirming for him that Naomi must be wherever the stranger had come from...

With expertise, the voodoo queen unraveled the reluctant snake that tried its best to stay anchored to her body and handed it over to a waiting follower. "See to it Zombie is put in his cage," she commanded. The crowd watched in utter silence as the man hurried away.

"Behold!" Marie called out while opening her arms to the crowd. "Even the son of the Devil seeks my counsel." A rise of whispers shot through the spectators. Encouraged by their reactions, she grabbed Erik's hand and raised it high into the air with her own. "I alone, Queen of Voodoo, can bring solace to the Prince of Darkness." Erik snatched his hand back with a scorching look, while Marie kept hers up to the level of her eyes.

Eric narrowed his eyes and hissed loud enough only for her ears. "My noose would find its mark around your neck, witch, if that was what I desired...

"I don't fear you," she sneered. You have sought me out, not I you."

He let his face harden. "Only to make you fix your sabotage..."

~~~

Dare you enter the world of Voodoo, conjuring, reincarnation, immortality, obsessed love, and more? Will Eric ever find the fulfillment of the love he had once felt for Christine, only to have her feelings ripped away by another man? Wow, you can't possibly imagine the answer given by Laurie L. Bolanos! Brilliant! Bravo to Bolanos, as well as her father, Barry Lacour... who has added to the mystic bounty that readers will find in Prince of Conjurers! Enjoy!


GABixlerReviews

Laurie L. Bolanos lives below sea level in a small cottage on the edge of a city shaped like a bowl. When given the opportunity, she doesn't mind hopping a few states over to enjoy Gulf breezes and to dip her toes in the ocean. She likes to take long walks on the beach, sip the occasional piña colada, and soak in the rays of the sun. No matter the venue, her preference is to be barefoot. However, she will bend to social expectations and don a pair of shoes when necessary. She enjoys attending a monthly drumming circle at which she was, in fact, told she has a "natural ability." Loving the vibrations of the drum, she has also invested time with tuning-fork therapy, although she has not yet been certified in the art. Laurie comes from an Italian family and can prove it with her DNA results from 23andMe which has confirmed that she is 40.4% Italian. Other nationalities need not feel left out as she also has French, German, British, Irish, Iberian, Balkan, Sardinian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi, Middle Eastern, West African, and Yakut ancestry, proving by her very existence that we are one world and should not be divided by race.

Laurie L. Bolanos was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to parents who are devout readers and passed that love on to her. In fact, she kept files on people throughout her childhood insisting that she would need the information as one day she would write a book. She graduated from Archbishop Chapelle High School in Metairie, Louisiana and went on to graduate from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana with a BA in English. She was an LPN for twelve years before returning to Delgado/Charity School of Nursing, graduating as an R.N. in January of 2006. She continues her nursing career while writing in her spare time. In between working and writing, she reads. There is nothing like the journey a good book can provide.

You've Got To Read Poison Makers by Jimmy Olsen when he takes us to The Dominican Republic and Haiti in the 70s!

"Your parents Mr. Espinosa-Jones," Mr. Yancy wheezed. "I'm about to send their only son in harm's way. This matter must be handled discreetly. I remind you again that Caamano is in the hills, our Presidente surrounded by political enemies, the nation remains suspicious of the U.S., and the energy crisis  threatens our new economy." He caught his breath. "These are more than headlines. If it's even whispered that the United States Ambassador was murdered here in his own residence, we may endure 1965 all over again. You see why I'm concerned?"
~
..."Tell me about Haiti... 
"Oh yes, Three reasons you must go to Haiti Mr. Espinosa- Jones," he told me. The first two are explained in this letter." He handed me a thick packet bound with clear packaging tape. "Explanations - one about voodoo
generally, another about zombies. 
Voodoo is always with us, but zombies? "And the third reason is the girl?" 
"Yes, You must meet her secretly. Too many eyes in this country. After you arrive, she'll make contact..."
~~~

Poison Makers

By Jimmy Olsen

I was going to stage a marathon of Olsen's books, but the first one I read this weekend, Poison Makers, I fell asleep reading last night and finished it first thing this morning! Couldn't wait to have you meet E.J. That's Sr. Espinoza-Jones that is, but by the time you've lived with him through the numerous near-death experiences, you'll think of him as a personal friend and easily call him E.J. In fact you might even call him an extraordinary hero... Wellll, part of the reason why I'm using those two words is because I can't tell you about all the things that got me so excited, else I'll be giving away too much...so maybe I'll throw in a few pics as hints! LOL

E.J, a mulatto whose mother came from Minnesota, is a scuba diving expert, but he also gets pulled into some investigations, although he's not a P.I., nor does he normally carry a gun. In fact, as I think about it, he must be a little bit crazy for doing some of the things he does! LOL... One minute I would be laughing and soon I'd be so scared for him that I literally had trouble breathing--especially when he was having the same trouble...

http://crabbymamma.blogspot.com
"There are stories about crabs, how
they've eaten the eyes from the
corpses of sailors. This crab seemed
large and curious, nibbling gently
at the wrinkled skin across my
stomach, preparing, I thought, to take
a serious bite. It didn't know how angry
I was, how cold and hungry after two
days in a hole. Or how patient I'd
become as it moved sideways along my
belly, keeping its claws pointed up
in defiance..."
~~~

That happens when you are under water, hopefully swimming to save your life, being attacked by crabs, who, upon being knocked out, quickly became dinner, and breakfast, and lunch, and... That wasn't so bad to imagine eating raw crab but when he worried about getting dehydrated and decided to...

Ok, let's go back to the beginning...E. J. was hired by an individual who becomes an intermediary for others, Mr. Yancy, to find out what happened to the Ambassador of the U.S. to  the Dominican Republic. When he's got up that morning, he had watched as the Marines were placing him on the plane to be flown back home.

Mr. Yancy was quick to point out the many political issues that required much discretion, then gave him a packet of materials about voodoo and zombies and told him about travel arrangements for him to travel to Haiti and meet with the Ambassador's daughter.

"He stopped cutting then and came around to face me. The
childlike chubbiness of his face lent his words all the more
gravity. "When I was in Nueva York to visit my brother we
went to a famous church, I forget the name, at the front was
a cross suspended by large chains. The cross was polished
wood. The Savior was not on it." he said. "Jesu-cristo is on
the cross here in Santo Domingo in my church, the church of
my father. Here we have also the blood. We paint it red.  This
is because we have seen the blood and know it is on our hands.
Do not go to Haiti, mi amigo. As the blood of Cristo is real,
evil is real. Lo autentico."
..."Cosme's fear of evil had made me nervous..."
~~~

Finding out who killed the Ambassador, if he indeed was murdered, made sense to E.J., but what was all this about voodoo and zombies? And why should he have to meet his daughter.So, of course, he went to his barber, to ask him what he knew about voodoo! Actually, the barber is an important character, so we do need to know what he said...
"Evil. Perverso."

Olivia Quist was not what E. J. had been expecting. She looked sophisticated, older, but verified that she was just 19. Even then, he couldn't help but feel the mutual attraction that seemed to be happening. But they had a job to do. Even though when they walked through the crowds and held hands, and there was a communion of sorts, E.J. knew he was playing with fire, especially since he was already involved and with a woman who was not to be forgotten so easily...

But Haiti gave him the creeps, especially after
they'd attended their first voodoo ceremony. But
that was just the beginning... Fortunately, E.J.
was a good friend of a local police officer and
they worked together on much of what was to be
done, so that the first death attempt by poison
had both of them taken to the hospital! That was calmly done by a couple who had worked in the Quist home--Dulce and Alejandro! A couple who clearly were out to kill E.J., and were nearly successful! The fascinating thing was that the entire island had been placed on alert, but this couple successfully followed them back to the States and then were back and still following. He later found out that they obviously had been given diplomatic passes, but that didn't explain why the police had not identified them as being wanted for attempted murder!

I wish I could tell you about the scene when E.J. walks into a restaurant nude and has lunch...

Or his maid having "curlers" in her hair during a party that were actually...

But, really, there is so much I want to tell you about this book that there is only one thing I can say--You've got to read it!

This author has a wonderful sense of humor tand slips these little scenes in between thrilling, breath-taking action scenes and what it does for readers is break the tension so much that you've just got to laugh out loud! LOL! Go ahead, I did often in this book, except when...the zombies were around...

And when they pounded the nails in E.J.'s coffin and I read what he was thinking, hearing the sounds and seeing the voodoo crowd standing above him through the cracks between boards...Well, that sure isn't a time to do anything but...

wait for the calvary!

Of course the Calvary was just two...and I so wish I could tell you about that delightful U.S. officer who was planning the next attack on Castro, while his horny wife from Borneo was planning for E.J. and her...

Bottom line, aside from the humorous interludes, this is a fascinating novel that has so many colorfully drawn characters who will grab readers and keep their attention riveted...I'm looking forward to the next in this series! Hear that, Jimmy Olsen! Get writing! And I'm hoping that E.J. and his unforgettable lover become closer next time! Plan for a delightfully entertaining read with Poison Makers!

Do you know how Zombies are made? I do?  NOW!

GABixlerReviews

Jimmy Olsen didn't start writing fiction until he was well past 40. In the tradition of American writers like Jack London and Louis L'Amour, Olsen spent much of his life seeking adventure. He began scuba diving in 1961 at age 13 and continues today. 

A machine-gunner in Vietnam, after two tours he settled down awhile, married, started a family and graduated college with a BS in English. Still at college, he published his first national story in a diving magazine. A year later he moved his family to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic where he taught at a private American school and started the Republic's first professional diving school, Scuba Dominican, C por A. Hearing rumors of shipwrecks and gold, Olsen and a small group of adventurers discovered the site of the French Man-O-War Imperial and several other vessels. 

After five years in the Caribbean, Olsen completed his MA at the University of Alabama and returned to writing, taking a job with a daily newspaper in Athens, Alabama for a year before becoming an editor back home in Minnesota. This lasted four years before the thirst for adventure overtook him again and he was back in the diving business, traveling to dive destinations from the Caribbean to the South Pacific. The snorkeling scene in Thing In Ditches comes directly from the author's own rich experiences. 

Jimmy Olsen has written two additional novels, Scuba, due to be released next year and YR-71, a Vietnam seafaring adventure set near Da Nang. In addition, he's completed 20 short stories, some set in his native Minnesota and others from around the globe. Several of these have recently been sold and will soon be in print. Olsen continues to travel extensively, returning to the Dominican Republic to dive his old haunts only hours before Hurricane Georges. Equally at home at the keyboard of a computer or his ancient Royal, Olsen spends his writing days in a north woods setting without even the basic comforts such as running water or electricity and at his modern office in the city. He has three children, now grown, and lives with his wife in Minnesota.

Jamie Freveletti Creates Suspenseful, Surprising Action-Packed Trip to Bermuda Triangle...

"Emma didn’t know what to say, but his words sent doubt through her. That Marwell was so certain they’d meet up with some creature that he’d arranged for a weapon made the danger all that more real. She shook off the feeling. She had one hundred people depending on her back at the lab to collect the mineral, and she didn’t believe for a moment that a sea monster lived in the blue holes. Whatever was there was physical and quantifiable and she expected it to be explained by science. Nonetheless, she wouldn’t scoff at Marwell. The world was filled with wonder, and even the things that science explained often awed her...The engines seized and the cruiser gave a violent lurch. Emma flew sideways and hit the opposite side with her back. Carrow slid across the deck and slammed into the cooler. The engines whined and their gears clanged. “Sounds like a rod is stuck in them,” Carrow said. Emma, on her knees now, scrambled back to the aft section. Carrow joined her to peer over the transom at the engines. The water behind the boat was black and churning, but the cruiser didn’t move. It was as if something was holding them in place, trying to pull them underwater. Emma tried to see what was obstructing the engines, but the oily, dark water reduced the visibility. The boat gave another violent lurch, the stern shuddered, and the rear of the boat started to lower into the whirlpool that was forming. 
“We’re sinking,” Carrow said.
!!!

Dead Asleep

By Jamie Freveletti

This is my first read for Jamie Freveletti, but not my last. I immediately was impressed with her leading lady for the series, Emma Caldridge, a chemist who owns a new, struggling business in her field of expertise, but also is a freelance operative for Darkview, a private security group about which I am sure there is lots more to know! It turns out for this story, she acts in both positions!

But that is not surprising since Voodoo was involved!

Actually, it includes much more, but Freveletti does a great job in molding everything together, creating a wild thriller which will keep you involved almost on each page!

“That, Mr. Carrow, is an understatement,” she said.
He once again offered her the bottle.
She took hold of it and downed another swallow
without bothering to clean the neck.
This one was even better.
She felt a pleasant buzz begin,
and even looking at the dead rooster didn’t seem so
awful. “Is your problem a chemical one?”
“You could say that.” Emma was getting a bit frustrated.
“Why don’t you just spell it out for me?”
He took a deep breath. “My drummer fell asleep.”
She shrugged. “And?” “And hasn’t woken up.
For over twenty-four hours.”
“Mr. Carrow . . .” “And if you’ve heard anything about
Rex Rain, you’ve heard the party stories,
I’m sure.” Emma had heard the stories about
Rex Rain and their legendary drug use.
Some of the more fantastic tales involved satanic ritual
and devil worship. She’d always dismissed
the tabloid reports as gossip of the worst type.
“Well the stories are, for the most part, true,”
Carrow said. “I don’t believe that.” Carrow looked
surprised.
“You don’t?” “Satanic ritual and selling your soul
to the devil for a number one hit? Nope.
Don’t believe it.” He smiled.
“Okay, well maybe that story
isn’t true, but Martin has been known to visit
mediums and conduct séances.
In fact we have a famous medium staying at the villa
right now. He also loves using the Ouija board.”
Carrow took a deep breath. “But honestly,
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him sleep this long.
I’ve seen him pass out, mind you,
but I don’t think I’ve seen him actually sleep...”
“You’d be better off calling Terra Cay’s doctor.
I presume there’s one on the island?”
“I’d rather you come. There’s a pile of powder
in the room that I can’t identify.”
The noise of the engine grew louder.
“Worried that the doctor will identify it
and then he’ll be busted?”
Carrow nodded. “That’s definitely part of it.
We’re here to party for the holiday, of course,
but also to record. I can’t afford to have him
hauled to the mainland to face charges,
but if I knew what it was, I’d just sweep it
under the rug and call the doctor.
What bothers me is that I don’t.”
He gave her a pointed look.
“And you can believe that I’ve seen it all
before, so if I don’t recognize it, it must be
real trouble..."
~~~

Emma was on a search for minerals that would help to reduce the aging process, but quite a number of people were opposed to her activities! First, she's traveled to a remote island that is right in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle...

And the minerals she's looking for are from what is called the blue holes, which is a place that none of the island residents will visit--you got it, there is some type of monster in the holes that pulls boats to the bottom!


Actually, readers never do discover what phenomenon  happens--all part of the Bermuda Triangle mystique, of course. But it certainly is something there since we see it capture first the boat on which Emma is working...and then the boat from which a killer is after her!

His name is Joseph--but he's not the first man who chases Emma and that man is a lot more scarier since he's holding a machete, his eyes focus toward the sky, and he can only move if told exactly what to do! And he has a wicked priestess controlling him...

Of course, neither one of these men are the man who is truly responsible for wanting her dead!


Because in addition to using the minerals from the blue holes for makeup, someone has already used the material to make something that is harmful--and mercenaries from all over the world want that new product!

Now if that wasn't enough, let me tell you that this island is inhabited by many very rich people. One of them is a rock musician who purchased the island under a different name in order to enjoy it in seclusion. But when he came to visit Emma, needing her professional help, she was immediately caught off guard...

Having heard the rumors about Rex Rain, she knew they were all into drugs and drinking. But when the leader said he had never seen the powder that was on the table near one of his band members, who had been asleep for over 24 hours, she knew she had to help!

And that was the first individual on the island who was infected...And Emma now had to try to figure out what was causing the sleep...

Because it was spreading!

Soon the island was quarantined!

Action packed, but full of potential issues that must be explored--voodoo, drugs, murder, monsters! Wow!

What a tropical paradise to visit! I loved this one... Such fun to move from one scene to another when you never know what is going to happen next!

The end was almost anti-climatic given the range of high points throughout this gem...But the ending was also quite satisfactory!

Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

Jamie Freveletti is a trial attorney, martial artist, and runner. Her debut thriller, Running from the Devil, was chosen as a "Notable Book" by the Independent Booksellers of America, awarded "Best First Novel" by the International Thriller Writers and awarded a Barry Award for "Best First Novel." It has been translated into three languages and was an international bestseller. Her second novel, Running Dark, released in June, 2010, hit both the Chicagoland and South Florida bestseller lists and her third, The Ninth Day released in September, 2011 and was chosen as one of the "Best Thrillers of 2011" by Suspense Magazine.
In January, 2011, she was tapped by the Estate of Robert Ludlum to write the next in the Covert One series. That novel, The Janus Reprisal, released on September 11, 2012. The fourth in her series, Dead Asleep released on October 30, 2012 and hit #1 on Amazon's kindle bestseller list.

She is an avid runner and holds a black belt in aikido, a Japanese martial art. After law school she lived in Geneva, Switzerland while obtaining a diploma in International Studies. Back in Chicago, she represented clients in areas ranging from class actions for mass salmonella poisoning to securities fraud.
She lives in Chicago with her family.

Trinity Game Thriller by Sean Chercover Has It All!

He read the username in the chat window.
PapaLegba. He didn't know anyone 
who went by that handle, but he 
knew what it meant.
Papa Legba was a prominent loa in voodoo
mythology. Guardian of the Crossroads,
facilitator of communication between the
material and spirit worlds, between the living
and the dead. A storyteller--and sometimes a
trickster.
Daniel types: This is Daniel Byrne.
Who am I speaking with?
After a few seconds, the person on the other
end wrote: And you will know the truth, and
the truth will make you free.
John 8:32. Who are you?
You seek the truth. Trinity is the Path. We
can help..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Legba

The Trinity Game


By Sean Chercover




There are a number of angles from which you could approach talking about this book. There are so many parts that could be explored--so many characters that play a significant role in this complex, unique, comprehensive novel...by that I mean that if you were thinking about a religious thriller, you might select a particular denomination or sect--not so...

So I'm choosing to hone in on Trinity himself...If some of you have my background, with a mother that followed Jimmy and Tammy, Jimmy Swaggart, etc., you will recognize other televangelists who've had a similar platform as Tim Trinity - the prosperity platform. One minister built a huge organization, including the establishment of a university named after him. You know, the interesting thing is that I don't think I've ever heard any major criticisms about that minister... Although others have fallen from grace for one reason or another, many times because of how they spent donated money.

Tim Trinity had a strong following at the beginning... But he was, indeed, all about the money...

He had always been a con man...

After his parents had died, Daniel Byrne had come to live with his uncle and, at first, had faithfully followed the teaching of his Uncle Tim... Until he was old enough to start questioning what he was seeing in reality...

Actually, I believe Daniel is really the main character, but, no matter, his uncle brought about the Trinity Game...even if he didn't plan to... Does that sound confusing? It should, because I'm trying not to give too much away...

Daniel had walked out of his uncle's life while he was still a teenager...and guess what, he walked right into a catholic church environment. He admitted he was looking for a "real" miracle...

And that church knew exactly how to use Daniel's quest...he was placed in a somewhat hidden job within the church. It was his job to be sent out across the world to "debunk" anybody who claimed that a miracle had occurred. And, before you think it, let me express my opinion that miracles do occur--but many are cons, scams...whatever you want to call it... In fact, Daniel, during his investigation of 721 cases, had never found a miracle.

Until the word spread that Tim Trinity was speaking in tongues...

There was concern about sending Daniel to investigate, but his "boss" knew that he was the best--and he was also one of the few within the Church that knew of Daniel's reasons for leaving his former home. So, he vouched for him and Daniel flew out to "debunk" his uncle--officially!

Instead, what he did, first, was, since he still loved the woman with whom he had been involved before he went to become a priest...And, with her present job as a journalist, he thought he could use it as an excuse to contact her...I'll let you find out about that relationship; however, she and her photographer did come to play a big part in Daniel's investigative efforts...only to conclude that Tim was not faking!

And worse, that he was making predictions, while speaking in tongues, that were all coming true...

All of which brought out the "witch-hunters" who were not happy with this development that could change--their worlds! Whew! What a story! The ending had both sad and happy results and, dare I say, just as God had planned??? It really doesn't matter whether you believe that's possible--this thriller has something for everybody, including   those who follow voodoo, Catholicism, protestants, heroes, gambling, miracles, love, or...the truth...I loved this one! For many reasons!


GABixlerReviews

SEAN’S BIO

Sean Chercover is a dual citizen, born to a Canadian father and an American mother. He grew up in Toronto and spent childhood summers in Georgia. After earning a Liberal Arts degree from Columbia College Chicago, he worked as a private investigator in Chicago and New Orleans. His other professions have included television writer, video editor, support diver, waiter, encyclopedia salesman, and some best forgotten. After a series of corporate PR writing gigs drove Sean insane, he settled down to write fiction in earnest.

He is the author of the crime novels BIG CITY BAD BLOOD,TRIGGER CITY, and THE TRINITY GAME, as well as short stories that have appeared in a number of anthologies. His work has received the Anthony, Shamus, CWA Dagger, Dilys, Crimespree, Gumshoe and Lovey awards, and has been shortlisted for the Edgar, MacAvity, Barry, ITW Thriller and Arthur Ellis.

He lives with his wife and son in Toronto, where you can find him running in the ravines with his bionic dog.