Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: K. Hess

SEED of CONTROL: Generations to Execute by Lawrence Verigin – a relevant global thriller

A ruthless international cartel aims to control the world’s food supply and destroy anyone who gets in their way in this latest action-packed — OMG! this could really happen — global thriller from the author of award-winning Dark Seed.

Author Lawrence Verigin returns with his memorable cast of characters in this sequel in his enthralling thriller/suspense series that focuses on GMOs (genetically modified foods) and the international companies that control their ever-increasing impact on the world’s food supply.

When affable investigative reporter Nick Barnes responds to an urgent request from one of his old colleagues, Summer Perkins, and sets out to meet her in a rundown San Francisco dive bar, he doesn’t expect to find her murdered corpse waiting for him in a darkened booth. With his investigative instincts kicking in hard, Nick returns home and starts making calls trying to discover what story Summer might have been working on that could have gotten her killed.

In short order, Nick’s curiosity puts him squarely in the sights of the ruthless industrialist cartel. His life—along with that of several of his colleagues—is now threatened. Meanwhile, the local cop who is in charge of the investigation into Summer’s murder seems to be getting nowhere fast.

At the urging of his friends, Nick goes into hiding. A wealthy Texas businessman, who has had past personal ties to the cartel and has seen the error of his ways, comes to his aid.

The suspense builds as Nick and his cohorts are chased from one safe house to the next as they try to stay one step ahead of the cartel’s ruthless killers while they frantically work to uncover the scientific evidence they will need to expose the environmental carnage and famine that the genetically modified seeds will wreak upon the world’s population.

Extensively researched, Seed of Control is an engrossing suspense thriller that comes with a timely warning about the possibly devastating effects genetically modified plants can have on the world’s fragile environment. The work is a powerful warning about the perils of allowing a few monolithic corporations to control the world’s supply of seeds, their only motive being profit rather than the health and survival of third and fourth-world at-risk populations.

As the powerful cartel raises the stakes with their unlimited resources and ruthlessness, Nick becomes more determined than ever to expose their secret agenda and their means of implementing it.

Verigin’s Seed of Control global-thriller is about a conspiracy plan of unimaginable destruction. This riveting and timely novel brims with international intrigue and surprising plot twists. Highly recommended.

November 3, 2016
VALENTINE’S DAY by April Kelly, — a Rick Valentine Mystery, Book 1

A clever plot, engaging characters, and a solid dose of self-deprecating humor make this detective mystery unique and a highly entertaining read.

Rick Valentine, a twenty-something, newly minted private investigator, is discovering that setting up one’s own PI business isn’t all that easy.

Clients aren’t lining up outside his office door and those who do come are more interested in having him find their lost cat than solve a real crime. Rick doesn’t exactly have an instinct for the business, either—once he’s stumbled onto a crime, he’s more likely to dig himself deeper with the bad guys than help put them behind bars. In fact, most of the people in Rick’s life seem to spend their time looking out for him, making sure that he survives to fight another day.

However, readers don’t make it very many pages into this cleverly written novel before realizing that there is far more going on behind the scenes than first appears to be the case.

A past employer who keeps Rick afloat by tossing him odd jobs here and there might also be connected with the death of Rick’s father. His “receptionist” no longer acts like a receptionist at all, instead exhibiting an alarming proficiency at handling a very large, very lethal gun.

Are these two drawing Rick into a life-threatening situation, keeping tabs on him for some reason having to do with his past, or helping him survive as he builds his business? And why are there two truly scary, murderous thugs suddenly looking for him?

April Kelly begins this first novel in her Rick Valentine Mystery series by gently introducing the reader to quirky, humorous characters and carefully laying the foundation for a more complex plot that is tied to past events in the main character’s life. After settling into thinking you are reading just another humorous cozy mystery, you suddenly realize you are hooked, thoroughly enjoying yourself, and unable to put the book down. This is fun! Clues pile upon clues, nothing is as it seemed in the beginning; Rick’s past is far more mysterious than it originally appeared to be and all those entertaining people you met early on have become compelling characters you truly care about.

Kelly has used her background as a television writer to skillfully develop a far more entertaining mystery novel than is typical of the genre. Valentine’s Day is highly recommended for those who love a good whodunit, endearing characters, and some laugh-out-loud moments.

June 7, 2016
DAUGHTER OF DESTINY: BOOK 1 OF GUINEVERE’S TALE by Nicole Evelina, the Grand Prize Best Book

Guinevere asks us, the readers, to listen to her words in the prologue of Daughter of Destiny, book one in The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy. She implores, “I will take back my voice and speak the truth of what happened.” So shall the lies be revealed and Camelot’s former glory restored.”

Daughter of Destiny is the first of three historical fiction novels narrated by Guinevere in the series of Guinevere’s Tale, by Nicole Evelina. Her tale begins during her young turbulent childhood in fifth-century Britain. It is a time of struggling to come to grips with her special powers. She’s studying to become a priestess, competing against her future lifelong enemy Morgana, and coping with the politics and violence ravaging her homeland in England’s fifth century. The novel follows Guinevere as she is separated from her family in Northgallis, during her early years in Avalon. It follows her training in the magical arts and eventual return to her war-ravaged homeland.

This is no amateur first attempt at writing a novel—Evelina’s writing is lyrical and powerful. Her natural talent for storytelling is obvious from the first page as she captivates the reader with her tale told from Guinevere’s engaging perspective.

Even more impressive is the author’s extensive research behind the series. Her knowledge is evident as she constructs a richly-drawn fictional world of fantastical landscapes and sorcery. She immerses the reader in legend, magic, and tragic love, all set against the backdrop of misty Avalon. The author clearly loves her subject and passes on that passion through her telling of Guinevere’s story.

What makes this series brilliant, however, is that Evelina takes Guinevere’s story far beyond its common historical re-telling. Guinevere is not merely a woman destroyed by her own weaknesses in loving the wrong man, as history would like us to believe. She is also a woman of power, intelligence, and special gifts who, from her early childhood and beyond, strives to use her talents to help her own people.

Guinevere is an independent woman of strength and fortitude, who finds herself at odds with a world in which her gifts are a liability, and her passions put her and her homeland at great risk. Evelina’s account is a riveting and captivating page-turner.

This first offering by Evelina is rich and stunning, easily comparable to novels by other bestselling historical fiction authors. She has done her research and created a world that is compelling, historically accurate, and a realistic portrayal of the times balanced with the mystic and the magical.

This reviewer highly recommends Daughter of Destiny to fans of Arthurian and Avalonia tales, historical fiction, political intrigue, and heroic journeys.

The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy won the 2021 Series Grand Prize Award for Best Fiction Book Series.

May 25, 2016
BANISHED THREADS by Kaylin McFarren – a standout romantic thriller

Chase and Rachel travel to England on board the Stargazer, intent on enjoying a week of vacation and receiving her uncle’s blessing for their marriage. Though this should be a joyous time for the couple, all is not well.

Rachel is four months into a difficult and unintended pregnancy, and she’s feeling ambivalent about becoming a mother. Chase, though pleased about the baby, is having mixed feelings about his proposal of marriage, regardless of how much he loves Rachel. Rachel is acting distant, and he’s wondering whether a marriage with someone who doesn’t seem as committed as he is has any hope of succeeding.

In addition to his troubled thoughts surrounding their relationship, Chase knows he faces an uphill battle with regard to receiving Paul Lyon’s blessing. Paul blames Chase for the drowning death of his brother, Rachel’s father, and odds are good that he’ll never forgive Chase. Chase is well aware that Rachel holds the power to persuade her uncle to approve of their marriage, but to do that, she’ll have to convince him that she’s truly in love with Chase, a fact even Chase isn’t all that confident of.

When a thief makes off with a priceless collection of paintings from Paul Lyon’s estate, Chase seizes on the opportunity to help solve the crime and win back the good graces of his soon-to-be uncle-in-law. But the theft becomes complicated by unsolved murders, both in the present and from the past. The police are taking a close look at Paul Lyons and his wife, Sara, for those murders, and Chase is terrified that Rachel and the baby will be the killer’s next victims.

In Banished Threads, McFarren proves that relationships can be just as treacherous as international treasure hunting, and that evil exists everywhere, not just in the form of the criminal organizations. McFarren has a gift for portraying complex family dynamics, the baggage people bring into relationships, and the unintended consequences of dysfunctional behavior.

The author deftly immerses the reader in those complex relationships, revealing the real killer in a surprise ending that will leave the reader gasping. Family secrets, a need for revenge, the heat of romance, a cerebral intriguing plot, and a ticking clock with a killer who needs to exact a unique form of revenge makes Banished Threads a gripping psychological thriller.

March 27, 2016
HIGHER GROUND by McKendree Long, third novel in Western series

In 1870, we meet up with Boss Melton and Dobey Walls during a trip to Kansas where, intent on vengeance, they are on the trail of a man named Penn. Penn and Red are the two remaining survivors of a gang of six white men who raped Dobey’s wife and killed her mother, Boss’s wife. The hunt takes Dobey and Boss to Hays, Kansas, where they are in the right place at the right time to save Wild Bill Hickok’s life. The men then head for Abilene on the train, still intent on killing Penn. Big William, left behind to tend the wagon and horses, creates two fake graves for Dobey and Boss at Boot Hill, hoping to head off the Pinkerton agents, who are still on their trail for the theft of the Yankee payroll just after the war.

Those who have read McKendree Long’s first two novels will recognize these characters and events, and will once again have the opportunity to visit with such old friends as the Watsons in Santa Fe, Dobey’s mother, and Count Baranov. From the daily adventures of the men, to an edge-of-your-seat, blow-by-blow account of the Battle of Little Big Horn, (aka Custer’s Last Stand), the author combines his wonderful talent for storytelling with in-depth historical research, placing the reader right beside these men in their final days.

Long’s ability to represent the vernacular of the time and his clear-eyed vision of the historical events leading up to Little Big Horn, will enthrall as well as educate.

Walls and Melton embody the best of human values, exemplified through the valor of their actions, their honesty, and their determination to fight for what they believe to be just and right. These men leap off the page, remaining memorable long after the reader finishes the book.

But above all, this is the story of men who meet and become friends, and whose characters are shaped by a series of dramatic historical events that defined our country.

This novel goes beyond the typically simplistic view of the Civil War, delving into the divided loyalties of the homesteaders in the American West who found their families and friends fighting on opposite sides of the war. Long accurately portrays the dangers and shifting alliances of the Old West during the war, exposing the reader to a very different view of the war’s effects on the western states.

No Good Like It Is, Dog Soldier Moon, and Higher Ground create an award-winning trilogy of stories about the Civil War-era Western frontier that will leave readers feeling as if they spent many a pleasant hour with a cast of admirable and memorable characters who tell of their adventures and journeys.

February 15, 2016
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY PTSD by Christopher Oelerich, a guide for PTSD sufferers

“I went away to war one person and came back another, and in my wildest dreams would never have chosen to be the one who came back.” – Christopher Oelerich

Thus begins this heartfelt discussion of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by a military veteran who has spent his life helping others deal with the debilitating symptoms associated with the disorder. Christopher Oelerich relates his own personal history, beginning from when he was drafted into the military during the Vietnam War, and continuing through his return to civilian life and his own rocky road to recovery.

Oelerich eschews political correctness in favor of blunt talk mixed with detailed, empowering strategies that have worked for him, as well as for the military veterans and homeless he has helped over the years.

PTSD is defined as an anxiety disorder that can be brought on by various types of traumatic events, such as combat in war, extreme natural disasters (hurricanes, tsunamis) or terrorist attacks, the psychological aftermath of which manifests in a range of symptoms—nightmares and flashbacks, alcoholism, drug use, and phantom pain, to name only a few. Because of these varied symptoms, Oelerich points out that the disorder can easily be—and often is—misdiagnosed by physicians. PTSD also affects women at twice the rate of men, a fact little understood by the general public.

Oelerich believes that the most important, brutal truth he has learned over the years is that if you are suffering from PTSD, and don’t care to help yourself, no one else will either. Once you accept that underlying truth, he advocates that you must also be willing to employ the discipline and mental toughness required to get through the long process of healing.

He shares strategies that he has used and also ones that he has implemented in his work with vets and the homeless to deal with PTSD in the hope they will be able to lead more productive and meaningful lives. Mixing discipline, advice about dealing with problems one at a time, the healing power of prayer, and many of the tenets employed in drug and alcohol abuse programs, the author crafts a comprehensive program to effectively survive and deal with the disorder.

The author has given PTSD sufferers a gift by providing an honest account of his own struggles, as well as what he did to eventually overcome them. For those who suffer from PTSD, understanding that they are not alone and that they can help themselves is a huge step toward embracing a recovery program. Oelerich, who has experienced combat and traumatic events, wrote this book as a “How To” guide for combat soldiers, like himself, who suffer from PTSD.

Merry Christmas and a Happy PTSD by Chris Oelerich is highly recommended for those who suffer from PTSD, for the family members and friends of those who suffer, and for those who are simply interested in having a greater understanding beyond what is reported in the popular press about this debilitating disorder. Oelerich’s methods to overcome PTSD are plain-spoken and practical, with an overall message of optimism for those with PTSD.

This is a very personal, no-holds-barred, yet ultimately, empowering discussion of PTSD and its effects on those who suffer from it. The author hopes that Merry Christmas and a Happy PTSD will be used as a tool to reduce PTSD symptoms in others who suffer from it so that they, too, can live healthier and happier lives.

December 16, 2015
VILLA of DECEIT: a Novel of Ancient Rome by Ron Singerton

Ron Singerton’s “Villa of Deceit” cleverly portrays the transition from the Roman Republic, which had a complex constitution with checks and balances, to the rise of the imperial dynasty of the Roman Empire, which would rule the next four hundred years with an iron hand, by using the microcosm of a Roman family to reflect the changes and undercurrents that were beginning to change the course of Western Civilization.

The book opens with young Gaius, the hero of the story, intending to celebrate the last night of the Ludi Flores festival with his good friend Appian Dio. But that afternoon, he makes the mistake of attempting to intervene on behalf of a young slave Gaius’s tyrannical father, Toronius, is unfairly punishing. Gaius fails, earning the wrath of his father, and is also injured during the altercation. For Gaius, the incident is further proof of what he has known for some time: Toronius is a brutal man with few scruples, and in Gaius’ eyes, unfit to head the family or the family’s trade.

However, the laws of first century B.C. Rome are of no help in deterring a man such as Toronius. And Gaius’s young mother, who escapes the suffocating rule of her husband by looking after her own interests, is no ally to her son. Not long after the incident with the young slave, Gaius falls in love with a female slave brought into the household. To save her from his father, Gaius convinces her to flee with him and is disinherited as a result. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, leaving Gaius alone with young son.

In Gaius, the author gives us a highly sympathetic character who, though young, is intelligent and moral enough to draw conclusions about such unfair treatment of slaves, and brave enough to make difficult decisions in order to strive to live his life by a better standard. Forced into choices that carry consequences by the limited options available in those times, Gaius leaves the infant with a relative and joins the merciless military to try his luck at becoming a Roman Legionnaire.

Singerton has done his research, and he paints a very accurate portrait of life for young men during first century B.C. Rome. Fathers demand that they come of age early in life, measuring their manhood and stamina by the number of women they bed in one night, and the amount of fear that they are able to strike into the hearts and minds of others.

In 70 B.C. Rome, slaves and prostitutes are to be used and then discarded when no longer needed. A slave’s life has little value and is easily replaced by more prisoners who would be taken in the next cold-blooded military conquest. Imported to Roman households from far away lands, slave were young children, and the women who were sorted as to their best use in the eyes of their captors. Those captured who were of little use were instantly put to death. The Roman Empire would continue to conquer and expand its undisputed rule across three continents for the next four hundred years.

“Villa of Deceit: a Novel of Ancient Rome” by Ron Singerton will keep readers turning the pages as the author vividly conveys the brutality and wanton disregard of life on and off the battlefield in this cleverly plotted historical novel that speaks to a time that would affect Western Civilization for the next millennium.

October 30, 2015
DESTINY’S SECOND CHANCE by Kate Vale, a heartwarming women’s fiction novel

Two decades ago, librarian Isabella Campbell made the wrenching decision as a young, unwed mother to put her newborn child up for adoption. Though Bella wanted to keep her daughter, her rigid and disapproving parents insisted that a child needed both a mother and a father, not a single, inexperienced, teenage mother. Bella reluctantly agreed, but only if she was allowed to receive regular updates from the adoptive parents. The parents complied for a short period of time, but then Bella heard nothing more from them.

Upon returning home from a business trip, Bella finds a letter from her daughter’s adoptive father, Nolan Harris, giving her permission to contact Destiny, who is now twenty-one. Bella is instantly thrown into emotional turmoil, thrilled yet very apprehensive. Would Destiny even want to meet or talk to her? Had her daughter’s adoptive mother, who had always disapproved of keeping Bella in their lives, continue to be a roadblock? And why had Nolan Harris chosen this moment in time to contact her after all these years?

With a deft hand, author Kate Vale weaves this stressful, yet welcome complication into the daily events of Bella’s busy life—the distressing illness of a close friend who runs a local bookstore, the difficult relationship with her mother, who has never let Bella forget about her “little mistake”, and, of course, the new romantic interest in Bella’s life, Gavin, the nephew of her elderly ill friend. The result is a compelling novel rich in detail, heart-warming in its delicate yet realistic portrayal of the impact of adoption on all the lives it touches.

Vale has a real talent for drawing characters one wants to get to know, and for understanding the emotional impact of the events that shape our lives. Destiny’s Second Chance draws the reader in from the very beginning, providing a thoughtful and satisfying story about people who feel like close friends.

Life is messy, and life-altering decisions are never just good or bad, but rather create a mixture of emotions that run the gamut from satisfaction that one perhaps made the right decision, to guilt or despair over the toll that decision has taken in the intervening years. Vale understands this, and has described these conflicting emotions beautifully.

This book will stay with readers long after they put it down. Highly recommended for those who enjoy women’s fiction and stories of family relationships.

October 20, 2015
BLUE: a novel by Kayce Stevens Hughlett – transcends genres with its complexity of story and psychological suspense

This lyrically written, beautiful story of three emotionally broken yet connected women begins in present day, illustrating the current struggles each faces to simply hold it together and get through each day. The tale then slowly unravels—as these women’s lives unravel—to reveal the mystery in their past that connects them.

We meet Izabel—a young woman who arrived on Shaw Island in Washington State without any memory of her life up to that point. Taken in and cared for by the nuns, she then trained as a doula, a birthing coach. Izabel now lives on Orcas Island and is a valued member of the community, but it soon becomes apparent that she is struggling with the re-emergence of repressed memories.

As those memories surface, her current life begins to deteriorate: She dreams of a teenage girl, experiences birthing pains after a particularly difficult night with one of her clients, and almost melts down in a coffee shop when a name mentioned by a friend sounds horribly familiar. Izabel knows that she must deal with whatever is happening to her and turns to a close friend and mentor for help.

Not far away in Seattle, we meet Monica, a single, clinically depressed woman with a closeted addiction. Her life is unraveling, and she has no idea how to put it back together. Through a sequence of events she meets Jack, a psychotherapist, who cares deeply about her and supports her as she grapples with overcoming her problems.

And Daisy dreams in shades of blue about the fantastical world of Tausi in which creatures talk about philosophy and an evil master is plotting her demise. Is she having a near death experience? Or is she really dreaming? Where is she?

Kayce Stevens Hughlett has used her extensive background in therapy and as a life coach to create a novel about the deeply rooted psychological connections between all of us. Blue is a story that is at times wonderfully whimsical, and at others, poignant, heartfelt, and even suspenseful.

But most of all, it is an uplifting tale about how three women who have spent years only half alive and struggling, and who, with the help of a supportive network of friends, eventually deal with past traumas and are able to find their way back to each other.

Blue transcends genres with its complexity of story and psychological suspense. It would not be a surprise if it appears on Oprah’s Book Club list. A poignant, inspiring tale of three women, emotionally damaged by the events of their lives, who ultimately find their way back to each other.

October 2, 2015
MURDER AT THE LEOPARD by R.M. Vassari and Lucia Olivia Lampe, a historical mystery novel

Many times, collaborative efforts by authors—especially with regard to their debut novel—suffer from fledgling attempts to master both the craft and the melding of two writing styles. Not so for this stunningly well-written, debut historical mystery.

Murder at The Leopard, the first book in the Vespers Series set in Palermo, Italy during the thirteenth century, brings to life a fascinating time in European history. Vassari and Lampe have captured the essence of this era, providing a wonderfully complex tale of greed, past betrayals, revenge, and murder.

With a deft hand and a talent for storytelling, the authors introduce you to a rich cast of characters, from local tavern owners to spies under the employ of a despot ruler. A simple farmer and his very pregnant wife travel to Palermo, hoping that God will grant their wish for a boy.

A long-lost brother, an old crusader who has returned home after decades and harbors old secrets, accompanies them. A wealthy merchant sends his ne’er-do-well nephew to guide them on their journey whilst placing him under orders to spy on King Charles’ preparations for war. Local tavern and inn owners hope for good commerce during the upcoming Holy Week celebrations. Against this backdrop, an engaging and entertaining murder mystery unfolds.

The main heroes of the Vespers Series are the tavern owners Ysabella de Rogerio and her charming husband Amodeus. In this first novel, they’ve timed the opening night of their new neighborhood tavern with Holy Week, to take advantage of the pilgrims who are flooding into Palermo. Unfortunately, the religious holiday also brings together old enemies, and the celebrations at The Leopard quickly turn serious when a wealthy merchant, Ludovico, is murdered. The sheriff arrives, and after a brief investigation, wrongfully arrests Amodeus for the crime.

Soon after, a second murder occurs, further jeopardizing the reputation of The Leopard and the life savings Ysabella and Amodeus have poured into their tavern.

It’s up to Ysabella to prove Amodeus is innocent, find the real killer, and save their business. As she begins to dig deeper into the lives of those involved, she uncovers past betrayals, greed, a thirst for revenge that hasn’t faded in the forty years since the Crusades, and even the dirty deeds of spies working to topple the current king.

Vassari and Lampe have employed accurate historical detail—along with likable and complex characters that quickly become old friends—to give readers an entertaining and engaging read from the very first page. Highly recommended for those who love historical fiction or a good rousing mystery!

September 23, 2015