Review: Amazing Climax Concludes Deadly Portfolio!

Image by Simen S via Flickr

Deadly Portfolio:


A Killing in Hedge Funds


By John J. Hohn












Money can make some people do crazy things and sometimes you get caught up into thinking it is the basis for happiness--wrong! 

Rene McAllister is one of those women--you know the kind. She's not really liked, but she is married to a nice, successful man and so friends put up with her most of the time. But even her husband realized that he had more friends when Rene wasn't with him...

But everybody still thought it had been an accident when she was found drowned during a holiday party. When it was discovered nobody had seen her, her husband asked everybody to start looking for her, even though most had been ready to leave. 

It was later discovered that only one young man had seen her--actually two individuals near the water. Jeremy Sherman, however, was a suspected user and distributor of drugs and was part of a major investigation. In fact, the local police were being encouraged to close the McAllister death case as an accident so that it would not interfere with that upcoming bust.

Detective James Raker, however, was slowly building a case of murder for Mrs. McAllister, although he was not being supported by higher police officials because of Mr. McAllister's position, as well as other affluent members of that community.

But when Jeremy Sherman is found dead, seemingly by an overdose, Raker finds it all too coincidental and continues to ask those questions that made everybody nervous...

Soon it was discovered that Rene McAllister had lost a half-a-million dollars in a Hedge Fund. Her husband had been preparing for the settlement of her estate and only then had discovered the acquisition and the subsequent loss. Mrs. McAllister had begun to handle her own financial activities and had already started planning to relocate management of her funds. Had she really done something so stupid?

And, if so, then why didn't the financial advisors prevent her from doing so?

McAllister was quick to raise the issue with Mathew Wirth, head of his financial firm. Soon McAllister started talking to Detective Raker, requesting assistance with another type of investigation--forgery?

Detective Raker was ready, he was sure he had the answer to not just Rene McAllister's murder, but to the Sherman death as well, but could he prove it? How much was he willing to put on the line, given nobody seemed to want his answer to what was happening!

John J. Hohn takes us on a journey behind the scenes in the potentially deadly high-finance arena where huge amounts of money can be lost, never to be returned. Are you a risk taker? Maybe not for a Hedge Fund, but do you invest your money for the potential of a high return? Then this financial thriller is a must for you!

I especially enjoyed Detective Raker's character as he took pieces of information and arrived at who the responsible individual was. But nobody will be prepared for the ending--unless you peeked! Hohn's final twist takes his book beyond a great murder mystery/police procedural and into a fascinating fable! You won't want to miss this one!

Book Received Via
Bostick Communications

G. A. Bixler 

Review: Check out the Reviews Offered at The Write Place at the Write Time!

REVIEW by Nicole M. Bouchard~

Amongst the deep roots of The Red Garden, Hoffman creates fruitful blossoms that last through the ages.  In her latest novel, Hoffman deftly transitions the reader through centuries of history in the rural town of Blackwell, MA.  Beginning with the narrow survival of the town's founders through the help of the fiercely determined Hallie Brady, the town evolves through the seasons, growing, fading and beginning anew much like the mysterious red garden where the soil and plants carry a blood-red stain.







REVIEW by Nicole M. Bouchard~

The latest anthology from editor, Kate Bernheimer, breathes entirely new philosophies into age-old fairy tale literature from across the globe.  With contributors such as Joy Williams, Jonathon Keats, Gregory Maguire (forward), John Updike, Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates and Kevin Brockhmeier, adventure is sure as the reader walks the long hall of forty fairy tales and chooses, at his or her whim, a door to open.


Click to Read Full Reviews!

Review: Upcountry - Sometimes Murder Can Be Wonderful!

Upcountry


By R. M. Doyon


It's strange to claim that a book is wonderful when the two main characters are involved in murder. But I'm saying it--this book is beautifully written and beautiful to read. Upcountry by R. M. Doyon was inspired by true events and Doyon has created characters that come alive as if the activities are happening as we read. There is no way readers will not be immediately pulled into the story and claiming your full attention right to the very last page. Somehow I predicted what that ending would be, but it still left me smiling and content when I closed the book! If you love true-life drama, you are going to love Upcountry.

On the other hand, this book is so intertwined and full of secrets that it is hard to share the storyline without giving too much away, so I'm choosing to share about the characters.

Jane and Joanne are fraternal twin sisters. Joanne stayed at home and married right out of high school, while Jane left their home town, working her way into a high position handling PR for the Governor of the State and assisting him to run for the presidency of the United States.

Their father is living next door to Joanne; their mother died of cancer. Her funeral was one of the few times that brought Jane back home, but not for long. Jane had purposely pulled away from the family and the pain and anger she had felt in her hometown.

But once again, her Dad had sent her a holiday card, as he had done for every single holiday since she had left, and for this Thanksgiving, she decided to visit the family, rather than spend the time with her lover, who had planned to seek her commitment to marriage during their time together.

Her coming home did not just disrupt those potential plans, however. Before the Thanksgiving day was over, Jane had committed murder!

And when she grabbed the shotgun to leave, she took her sister with her! During their time moving away from the scene of the crime, Joanne played and sang in a bar, Jane used the shotgun to bust into an amusement park where the twins rode all of the rides before escaping from the police who were coming, and Joanne drove a snowmobile away from the cabin where they had been staying, directly toward the four police cars coming, which included a high jump over the last car on the road!

But there were more tears than thrills as the two sisters shared the secrets that had kept them apart for so long...

This is a special book that I hope you don't miss! It's about family, forgiveness, and love measured against the evil that lives within some of those people we share our lives with. It's a good triumphs type of book, with all the issues tied up in a bow when you finish, even if some of the packages bring sorrow rather than joy... Highly recommended for all and a perfect book to read during the start of this New Year!

Book Received Via
Facebook Reviewers Roundup

G. A. Bixler

Have you Found The Write Place? Now's The Time!

Winter's Majesty...

Welcome all weary world travelers, old friends and new, to the winter issue ofThe Write Place At the Write Time.  Close the door to the harsh, ice-laced winds behind you and come inside.  Feel free to remove your boots and coat, hat and gloves, cares or sorrows over in the mud room.  Make yourself comfortable there by the window in the library so you can watch the diamond snow from a cozy spot away from the cold.  Accept this blanket, tea, and plate of patisseries with our compliments.  


"Silver Edged Clouds" by Jesse Blanchard 


Will greet you on the Author Interview Page... I love the inclusion of beautiful art work in each quarterly edition, don't you?




Blanchard Interview by Denise Bouchard


No one personifies this ‘make it or break it’ spirit more than Bob and Melinda Blanchard.  


This issue, their gift to us is the straight-forward answers of what was, what is, and what’s next for them.  They are the most genuine, warmest individuals you will ever come across.  For the person who has everything, consider giving them the gift of Live What You Love for the holidays or grab it for yourself if you’re ready to live the uncommon life.  


Listen in on Denise's Discussion!


Seeya There!

Review: Dawn of Illumination Closes Mind-Boggling Trilogy by R. B. Holbrook!

Image by Striking Photography by Bo Insogna via Flickr

Oracle's Legacy: Dawn of Illumination


By R. B. Holbrook




Yes, there is no doubt about it - this Trilogy is Mind-Boggling!




If you want your scifi imagination teased to the limit, you should be reading Oracle's Legacy! There was just no way that I didn't want to read the Dawn of Illumination which, as the back cover says, you need to "brace yourself" for the conclusion of this fascinating trilogy of books.

Ok, here's my thought on this last book...If you haven't read the first two, don't bother--you will be totally lost in the storyline, even if you can enjoy the drama and "fireworks." This trilogy is not light reading...it is not a trilogy that you are going to sit and read in a weekend, even if you've read three books in one weekend, which I have! Check out my reviews of the first two!

Children of Sun
Shadow of Fate

The complexity and breadth of the world created by Holbrook surpasses anything else I've read. I don't profess to be a super scifi fan, but comparing this trilogy in my opinion will be impossible--it is uniquely a "one of a kind."

Fortunately, an extensive glossary from "Fundamentals of Structure History & Modern Ideology" is provided in the back of each book. If you wanted to read this last book immediately, I'd recommend you read that first to at least acquaint yourself with the world now that the Structure has been uncovered. After all, you may one day become enlightened as well and will want to know about each House!

The one issue that hit me the most in this last book is the significance of child abuse in the Structure. Undoubtedly the pain experienced has somehow prepared the children for their later roles, at least those that were born for specific jobs in the Illumination. Indeed pain is a part of the lives of these humans, so be prepared...

But love is also there, even for Chaos...

Chaos is a one-of-a-kind female and was created to potentially be the end of the world. But along the way in her life, along with all the hurt and pain, she has also been greatly loved. In fact, she is loved by the man who will be the salvation of the world. Yes, she loves him in return!

All of the previous planning has been done and the major players are ready. And, if they are not, Chaos uses her power to share/make them ready! For what she had to do, she needed help and she went to the House of Blade to get it. Of course that was not an easy thing to do--she had previously had to kill some from that House and revenge was what they wanted.

But Chaos has a way about her...she's waaaaay scary to look at. Her eyes, though she is now blind, swirl in circles of multiple colors, so it is difficult to interact with her. But little by little she gains acceptance for a small team of body guards. Their job will be to keep her safe; her job is to find and eliminate those Pillars that have banded together for their own desires...

The only problem is that Chaos is now almost completely "energy." So, if she is to become ill, for instance, and faint, she might cause tornados and other storms that greatly damage the earth. On the other hand, the Pillars are doing it just to gain more power!

You see, the Structure has been on earth since before we were. Or at least they came at the same time; however, they have acted in the background, helping to save the planet, but now it is getting too dangerous and the Structure is allowing what is called the "Foundation" (normal humans) to learn about their existence.

So, simply, the Dawn of Illumination is "out with the bad" and "in with the good." To become enlightened, strong emotions of hate, envy, etc. becomes extremely dangerous... Enlightened is a slow process where we strip away our own limited perspective and allow ourselves to begin understanding the balance among all things and how everything is connected. Key components include an open-minded approach and wide-eyed wonder. At that point, humans can begin to harness energy...

What say you? Are you game? Will you seek enlightenment now that we are at the Dawn of that ability? For me, I've always enjoyed that statement at the beginning of Star Trek: I want to go where no man has gone before...Read and learn...  Read and be enlightened... Read and get Excitedly Enlightened!

Book Received Via
Bostick Communications

G.A. Bixler

Review: Consider if you will...The First book from Daniel Palmer Out This Month! Free Copy - Check it Out!

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Consider if you will a professional man named Charlie. He's a successful man who now works in a major company since his new program, InVision, proved to be so successful. He now heads the Magellan Team with five senior managers, with whom he does his morning meeting during a brisk walk. He is determined to move up the ladder at SoluCent by knowing when and how to make the important decisions to keep his group functioning at top performance. Of course, it is his managers who really does the dirty jobs like firing anybody who causes the least problem. But everybody knows that it is always the top guy who is responsible...

Delirious


By Daniel Palmer


One thing Charlie kept to himself. There was mental illness in his family--his father and his brother. His mother cared for his brother and essentially their lives were separated and Charlie liked it that way. He had been hurt many times in his early years and still was somewhat afraid of his brother.

But then his mother was hospitalized and Charlie and his brother were both called there...

That was also about the same time that Ann Pedersen called him...

After explaining who she was and why she had called him, Ann told Charlie that one of the VPs at SoluCent was going to make a presentation at an upcoming meeting to oppose moving forward with InVision. Later she sent him the time, place and agenda. Charlie realized that he had to act fast if he was going to continued to be employed. He did what he thought he had to do--he crashed the meeting between the President and his VPs!

Unfortunately for Charlie, the agenda for that meeting proved to be false... And when he and others tried to find Ann Pedersen, it was discovered that she not only did not work there, but they couldn't find her at all.

He also started finding notes written in his handwriting that were written as if to himself; e.g., "If not yourself, then who can you believe?" (p. 21). Other notes would tell him to look for something at a certain place and when Charlie went to the place, he would find something about which he knew nothing. And then he was led to the body of the SoluCent Security Chief who had been present when he was fired; he was just the first on the murder list he had written, which also included his direct supervisor, the VP that he had been told was not supporting him, and the President!

On the job, an audit of his performance was made. They found he had been visiting porn sites, all showing the access had been made using his badge, network and email. And then an email to a major competitor from Charlie was found!

At first Charlie believed that the corporation itself was trying to set it up to fire him, so that the major money from InVision would not have to be paid to him. But after being closer to his brother because of his mother, he had to remember what his brother had done to him while growing up and wonder. He realized that it was very possible that his being around his brother was causing him just as much stress as it was Charlie!

In desperation, Charlie contacted the only psychiatrist with whom he had ever had contact--his brother's. Of course she would never be able to treat him, but both realized a mutual attraction, and she made the mistake of at least spending time to listen to what was happening. She then tried to refer him to another...

Charlie could not accept that he, too, might have become mentally ill, even with his family relationships. But as he tried to investigate on his own, he finds himself continuing to question if he had experienced job burnout, had become like his father and brother--had become a murderer!

I love psychological suspense, but this book is almost horror, it is scary! For those of us who value control in our lives, we watch this successful man lose his job, be thrust into close contact with an abusive brother and slowly be hunted by, seemingly, another part of himself who is out to kill anybody who has harmed him while taunting him with the results. There is only one way readers can keep up with all of the possibilities, and even then, if you are right (I was), it doesn't matter because each twist makes you reconsider, wonder...and shudder at the possibilities...

If it's not the best I've read, I sure can't think of another as exciting and suspenseful! I promise you--if you like psychological suspense, this is a MUST-READ...and yes, Daniel is Michael Palmer's son, but you'll soon remember Daniel without thinking of his father!

Book Received Via
Bostick Communications

G. A. Bixler

Extra Bonus - Check out Review and Interview by Ruby Moon-Houldson, writer for Roddenberry.Com, and scifi author:

Earth Realm Reviews!  Note that the review/interview covers four entries due to space limitations:
     http://bbs.roddenberry.com/showthread.php?t=4057

     http://bbs.roddenberry.com/showthread.php?t=4058

     http://bbs.roddenberry.com/showthread.php?t=4059

Available January 25; Pre-Order Now...








And that's not all! A Free Copy of Delirious will be won by a random commenter to my review! It must be submitted here at Book Reader's Heaven so I'll be sure to find the comment!