Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Reviews

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
I, ANGUS: Book 4 of the Eternity Series by Mike Hartner – historical fiction

Immediately, readers are swept up in an adventure taking place in Northern Scotland during these harrowing times. The English have invaded and land is bereft with broken homes and broken families. In particular the story follows the war-ravaged life of fifteen-year-old, Angus Mackenzie. As the first pages of the book unfold Angus is tasked with leaving the safety of his family’s castle to deliver a message from his father to a neighboring king.

The trip is not an easy one nor is it without profound dangers. Twists and turns occur not only on the trail, but in the journey itself. Eventually Angus makes it to neighboring castle and comes upon Angela, the daughter of the king he was to deliver his father’s message to. Angela is alone in the castle. The return of her father’s rider-less horse one day, was an ominous sign.

What ensues is the pairs quest to find her father. As the story unfolds these two teens who have been through so much, fall in love in the midst of dark times and terrible hardships. Their travels in search of her father lead them to a battlefield and a cave where they take up temporary residence and nurse wounded soldiers back to health. Thus begins Angus’ personal journey as he grapples with challenges and trials that will test him and shape him.

Mike Hartner delivers in a young-adult book that is rich in historical details and large on adventure.The author does an exceptional job of making readers care about his main character, Angus. They become emotionally attached to Angus as a young adult and invested in the story as he progresses through middle aged adulthood. Utilizing war torn Scotland as the backdrop Mike Hartner has delivered a gem of a historical fiction novel certain to please many a young adult reader.

I, Angus is another addition to author Mike Hartner’s The Eternity Series. Each of the books tells its own story so they can be read as stand-alone volumes. The author presents a main character readers will become emotionally invested in. Set in war torn Scotland and rich in medieval lore with castles and kings and knights, this story will surely please many young adult readers.

November 3, 2016
MATEGUAS ISLAND: A novel of Terror and Suspense (Book 1)- by Linda Watkins

The author, Linda Watkins, brings a magical, edge-of-your-seat horror in the first book of her series, “Mateguas Island.” This is an engrossing tale that will captivate readers from start to its climatic finish with remarkable character development and a thoroughly gripping plot.

The story begins when Bill and Karen Anderson land on Mateguas Island in dire straits. Bill has lost his job due to an indiscretion and as a result, lost the house in California, and the lifestyle Karen enjoyed. If Bill’s aunt hadn’t willed her island home to him, he and Karen would be living on the streets. The night of their arrival, a blustery storm hits the small island and sets the dark stage for the story.

Karen is deeply dismayed by the loss of their high-end home and her comfortable life. She struggles with the close-knit community, the rusty old car she now drives, the non-existent stores, an inferior school system in which she must place their twin daughters, and a husband with whom she struggles to find common ground. In fact, the only that keeps her from leaving is the anguish it would cause their children. If the book were simply about that, you will probably find the story pretty run of the mill. It’s what is operating in the background that makes this tale special.

In essence, Mateguas Island, is a classic suspense-thriller-horror tale. The story ebbs and flows, dropping hints of something not quite right on the island, and in the home. The twin daughters find a locked box in their room with odd carvings etched in the surface. Bill finds aged drawings on the foundation walls in the home’s basement. The school kids tell the girls their inherited home is haunted, the neighbors tell them a horrific tale. The suspense builds slowly but, tantalizing purposefully as the supporting characters reveal the island’s secrets.

The stories of the Native American Indians who once dwelled upon the island feel real and honest. When mysterious events begin occurring around the property, the relationship between the two main characters, Bill and Karen, fairs no better. Watkins subtly introduces the beautiful island school teacher, Maggie, and handsome local fisherman, Dex, who, in their own way, add additional turmoil to Bill and Karen’s already strained marriage.

Linda Watkins is a gifted author who creates believable characters and paints a story with every scene. This book is a must read for fans of American Gothic and suspense novels!

November 1, 2016
WOUNDED WARRIOR, WOUNDED WIFE: NOT JUST SURVIVING, BUT THRIVING – by Barbara McNally — a ground-breaking initiative

The critical issues surrounding post-traumatic stress among America’s wounded warriors is expanded here to include the challenges and concerns of military wives and families.

Barbara McNally was working as a physical therapist when she watched helplessly as a man jumped off a bridge to his death. Feeling involved in his tragedy, she learned he was a wounded veteran. The experience spurred her to find out more about PTS and its effects on those who have participated in war.

Gradually her attention focused on the plight of the wives of these wounded military survivors. This led to the creation of the Barbara McNally Foundation, dedicated to developing helpful strategies for those women she calls Fighters, who may never have been in the military, never been outside the US, but who struggle to bring a depressed, angry, and/or physically debilitated veteran back to a semblance of normal functioning, back to the role of parent, partner and lover.

Her treatment plan, called SPA (Support, Purpose, Appreciation) brings these women together for a day or two of pampering—relaxation, massage, and a chance to talk with others in their same situation. For some, a SPA retreat is their first day away from the caregiver role in months or even years since their wounded partner returned.

As women were able to vent with one another in the SPA atmosphere, their stories surfaced, some with happy endings, others still unresolved. These stories comprise much of McNally’s book, grouped in terms of the different ways that PTS can present itself: anger, coldness, and guilt are major emotional signs; in cases of physical injury, there are the pains and fears associated with prosthetic limbs, and the agonizingly slow recovery from traumatic brain injury. One wife had to deal with her husband’s increasing bouts of anger that grew into an alcohol addiction and finally into a suicide attempt. Another recounts waking up as her husband tried to strangle her, though he denied it later. Some stories highlight women’s efforts to recoup a sensual, satisfying sex life with a husband who, for physical or psychological reasons, does not feel able.

The author says that the most important aspect of SPA is “self-care.” While the returned warrior may be offered various therapies, caregivers rarely have this choice, yet they need and indeed deserve time and attention for themselves. She also urges women to consider their options—to pursue their own careers, to leave or stay in a violent situation—objectively, without guilt.

Along with the stories, McNally has assembled a substantial appendix offering lists of governmental, nonprofit and charitable agencies that help wounded warriors. There is also a study guide with questions relating to phases of PTS, making this book an excellent educational resource for individuals or groups. The author’s sincere wish is that the information she has gathered will be useful to the “wounded wives” and “hidden helpers” of those who have been injured mentally or physically while serving in the military.

A ground-breaking initiative, Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife, by Barbara McNally, offers advice and hope to those who are trying to understand and cope with war’s many aftershocks.

October 26, 2016
I’M KONA LOVE YOU FOREVER: Book 6 of the ISLANDS of ALOHA MYSTERY Series by Joann Bassett

Sixth in the eight-book Aloha Mystery Series, “I’m Kona Love You Forever,” fits well into this highly entertaining cozy mystery sequence with locales of the islands of Hawaii. Most importantly, it shares a wonderfully executed stand-alone mystery, something so crucial in any excellent amateur sleuth series.

Lili and David, both just months under 18, go to “Let’s Get Maui’d,” a wedding planning shop owned by Pali Moon, the protagonist of the series. The couple have set a wedding date three weeks away. They come armed with their birth certificates. David’s is certified, Lili’s is a copy. But Hawaiian law requires a certified copy of birth certificates in order for those under 18 to wed. Pali steps in and contacts a friend who works in the Maui Vital Records office to speed up the more than a month wait for a formal request so that the kids can marry on their chosen date.

That’s when Pali discovers the birth certificate copy Lili holds is that of a girl who died at birth. “In early January it fell to me to tell the bride she was dead.”

Pali is a sucker for young love and vows to help the kids out. As she digs further to track down Lili’s actual birth certificate and obtain a corrected copy, she goes to Kona, the place of Lili’s birth. The mystery only deepens and Pali uncovers so much more than anyone anticipates. Family secrets and deaths complicate the situation. What has Pali gotten herself into?

Readers meet the people in Pali’s life (some of whom are quite quirky), along with Lili’s and David’s families and friends. JoAnn Bassett excels in bringing these characters to life and interspersing the vivid descriptions to immerse us into the Hawaiian locales.

Subtle references to prior stories add a seamless continuation of the series, while not confusing the present story. This story certainly ensnares the readers in its mystery while immersing them in Hawaiian culture.

The realistic dialogue, dashes of humor, and interesting subplots speed the progression of the main plot, which has plot twists that keep readers both guessing and involved within the story. The author does not disappoint with the surprising conclusion of this murder mystery. The rich sights and exquisite sounds – the overall experience of Kona on the island of Hawaii – the Big Island – are yours for the taking and enjoying from your favorite reading perch.

October 21, 2016
OLD EARTH by Gary Grossman – an ancient secret, a secret society, intrigue and espionage

A historical fiction thriller in the vein of “The DaVinci Code.” An ancient secret, safe-guarded for 400 years discovered. A fast-paced thrill ride with a secret society determined to keep the discovery hidden from mankind.

Old Earth is a gripping tale of historical intrigue and espionage that leads readers on a journey that spans 400 years. The book weaves science, politics and religion into a high-octane thriller. With locations ranging from a cave in Montana to Vatican City, Grossman has created a tale that often leaves you wondering if you are reading a work of fiction or an actual historical account.

As the book opens, the year is 1601 and you find yourself crawling through a cave in Italy with none other than world renowned scientist Galileo Galilei. He discovers a mysterious black “wall” buried deep within the cave, something that will have implications later in the story and will impact many people. The composition of the wall fascinates Galileo as it absorbs all light and is covered in odd markings. In fact, this discovery plays a role (in Grossman’s telling) in Galileo being accused of heresy by the Catholic Church. What Galileo fears more than repercussions from the Catholic Church is the unprecedented turmoil on all fronts, including religious and secular governments, that will befall mankind if his discovery is revealed.

The plot thickens as a secret society of powerful individuals is formed to safeguard this secret — a secret so big that, if revealed, will cause society to fall apart — for 400 years.

Fast forward to the present when a group of students, led by Professor Quinn McCauley, is on an archaeological dig in Montana with high hopes of finding dinosaur bones. What they unearth instead is the well-guarded secret Galileo discovered some 400 years before, a black wall. When the secret society reveals itself, Dr. McCauley finds his life in danger. What ensues is a thrilling global quest for the truth that makes for a page-turning read.

The book does have spots that take some effort to wade through. This mainly occurs during the early stages of the book where a fair amount of time is spent setting the stage for the story and developing characters. However, the reader’s persistence will be well rewarded in the end.

October 18, 2016
The UNEVEN ROAD: Book Two of First Light by Linda Cardillo — a coming of age novel

Ringing with the changes from the deceptively placid 1950s to the turbulent 1960s, from the picturesque New England island of Martha’s Vineyard to the bloody jungles of Viet Nam, The Uneven Road is a sophisticated coming-of-age novel that intersects with historical events of this period.

The second book of Linda Cardillo’s award-winning series, First Light, is written with verve and intelligence. Cardillo carefully constructs The Uneven Road with rich characterizations, diverging and interlocking plot elements, and fine attention to detail that explores family dynamics and the search for individual identity.

This gripping saga continues when Izzy, Mae and Tobias’ seven-year-old daughter, contracts polio. Their twelve-year-old boy, Josiah, feels responsible not only for his sister’s pain, but all the troubles in his small world. Jo’s conflicted feelings escalate when he realizes that Mae’s island property, Innisfree, will be sold to pay for Izzy’s surgery. Even though he loves Izzy and wants her to walk without crutches, his parent’s cold-blooded willingness to part with Innisfree drives Jo to smash an important symbol of his past, the ceremonial Wampanoag drum bestowed on him by Tobias, and then runs away to Boston, where he stays with his Irish uncle, a policeman. Finally he enlists in the army, winding up as a medic on the killing fields of Viet Nam.

Cardillo’s precise writing adds credibility to the vivid scenes that take place in Viet Nam where Jo struggles with the necessity to kill the enemy while charged with saving lives. Later, the author, again, deftly describes Jo’s very different experiences when he returns to the US, where he hangs out in a commune. No matter, Jo maintains his family contact mostly through Izzy, now in college on the mainland. Back on Chappy, Mae, going through her own changes, longs to see her son again. His journey home with Izzy and her friend Grace will re-connect him with his people, both Irish and Native American, and reveals to him that he and his mother are more alike than they ever thought possible.

Captivatingly infused with often raw emotions and haunting memories of race, heritage, culture, and family dynamics, The Uneven Road, scatters its characters over time and place and draws them back together again with enduring values of family love and respect for heritage.

October 13, 2016
TIME TRAVEL TRAILER by Karen Musser Nortman – a quick fun read to take you on an armchair vacation

When Lynne McBrier acquires a vintage camping trailer, she can’t imagine that her camping trips will be journeys not just to new places, but to former times.

Struggling to raise rebellious teenaged daughter Dinah after separating from her husband Kurt, Lynne buys the 1937 camper on impulse from her old friend Ben, who used it to take trips with his now deceased wife, Minnie. Dinah, who like most adolescent girls considers anything her mother wants her to do as boring, agrees reluctantly to go on one sentimental weekend camping trip before Lynne converts the trailer into an office.

It’s pretty cozy as Lynne and Dinah settle into a local campground and tuck in for the night. But when they wake up, things around them have changed—there are no big trees, no paved roads, and the large cement bathhouse is gone, in its place, two wooden outhouses.

They are forced to realize that, impossible as it seems, the trailer has transported them back in time; people talk to them about their fear of Russian spies, and everyone is dressed in outmoded costumes. Certain clues to the transformation allow them to reverse the process and return to 2014. They agree not to talk about their misadventure.

But Lynne secretly takes a time trip on her own and Dinah wants to visit the past once more, having become obsessed with classic books about time travel. Each jump lands them in a different portion of the twentieth century. Lynne tries to get the truth about the trailer from Ben, but he is in hospital, raving incomprehensibly about Minnie. Then Lynne and Kurt are forced together to test the mysteries of time travel when Dinah goes missing, almost certainly carried away by the camper.

Author Karen Musser Nortman has cleverly constructed this fantasy with many small but important particulars. Mother and daughter, whose testy relationship is realistically portrayed, visit a vintage store to get mid-century clothes and add an old-fashioned radio and other details to the camper so they’ll seem plausible to people they encounter in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Reminders of historical events—teen hobos in the Great Depression, Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile, the McCarthy hearings—contribute authenticity to the story, while touches like the strong family similarity in appearance and rebellious temperament between Dinah and her then teen-aged ancestor add poignancy.

Well-drawn characters, tight plotting and the alluring possibility of returning to, and possibly changing, the past make The Time Travel Trailer an engaging, mind-tickling trip makes for a fun armchair vacation.

October 12, 2016
The ORDER of the LILY by Catherine A. Wilson and Catherine T. Wilson, a captivating and breathtaking14c tale

Twin sisters separated at birth, one cosseted in a lavish lifestyle, the other hidden away behind convent walls meet through letters. In Book 1, The Lily and the Lion, the sisters Cécile d’Armagnac and Catherine Pembroke begin to puzzle out the political reasons behind the separation. They finally are united, but soon their lives are threatened by the power-hungry William Montagu, Earl of Salisbury. Separation being safer than staying together, the sisters part ways once more, this time as fugitives.

This second installment opens with Cécile and Catherine on the run with their protectors, the knights Simon Marshall and Gillet de Bellegarde. Cécile, having sacrificed her virginity to Edward, the Black Prince, to save her sister’s life, lies in the hull of an England-bound ship, sick from pregnancy and the rough seas. When the Prince’s men commandeer the vessel, Catherine quickly returns the favor by masquerading as Cécile. She’s whisked away to the Prince, while her sister continues to England.

Lovers’ misunderstandings ensue in the two kingdoms. Cécile and Gillet spar prettily at his Kent family estate, passion and jealousy taking turns as her belly blooms and lovers both threatening and tempting appear. Catherine, on the other hand, quietly falls for Simon, who masks his affection as he keeps her safe from the Prince’s lustful eye. Catherine’s charade lasts only until Salisbury uncovers the truth, compelling Catherine and her cadre of protectors to find a way to escape.

Their route, however, carries its own agenda. Simon takes Catherine first to a monastery, and then on to the Paris seat of the Knights Templar, as he continues his quest to find the missing, mysterious Lady of Scotland. It’s a subplot that fits into the sisters’ breathtaking saga when the Earl of Salisbury appears, seeking the Lady as well as Catherine. The chase ends at her beginnings, at the convent in which she grew up. Danger quelled for the time being, relationships are allowed to blossom, both for Catherine and for Cécile, whose day of happiness is embellished by an unspoken mission Gillet must attend in the near future.

This teaser caps a string of events that carry the story forward with expert pacing, passionate entanglements, and a rich language full of clever colloquialisms and a good deal of humor. In contrast, however, the scenes of subjugation remind us of the maltreatment of women that was common and condoned by society. Early in the tale, Cécile is shocked to see Gillet’s sister-in-law routinely beaten by her husband, and then horrified to find her encased in a scold’s bridle. Cécile’s attempt to help the woman results in being subjected to harsh punishment for interfering.

If there’s one positive outcome to this horrible subjugation is that Cécile stands up against injustice–no matter what the cost. And that is the arc of Book 2: the sisters finding their power in a cruel era of patriarchal oppression. To witness this maturation shines a hopeful light on the third book of the series, The Gilded Crown. The authors have written a captivating and historically accurate story with characters that are vividly portrayed.

Historical romantics of all ages will enjoy this rollicking affair that continues the story of spirited twins who do battle with cruel relatives, nefarious noblemen, misunderstood suitors, and above all, the constraints on women’s power in 14th-century England and France.

October 10, 2016
DEATH at the END of the ROAD by John Morsell – an Alaskan murder mystery

If you enjoy being transported to the last frontier, and want to be taken for a dramatic plot ride on a boat called the Otterly Ridiculous, with DEA agents, a character named The Mole, and a couple of dead bodies, then you’re in for a treat with John Morsell’s novel “Death at the End of the Road.” A semi-retired biologist and environmental consultant, Morsell draws from his more than 30 years working and living in Alaska to craft this engaging and well-written piece of mystery fiction.

As the story goes, Charlie Skyler, a boat-dwelling eco-tour guide and some of his unusual comrades, get tangled up in an adventure that involves murder, an eccentric drug lord, psychopathic assassins, and mysterious government agents. What makes the book even more compelling and appropriate, is that it’s set in Homer, Alaska, population 5,000, a small town known as a docking station for artists, fishermen, and ex-hippies.

Often tagged “quirky,” Homer also has been referred to as “the end of the road” due to its geographical location on the Kenai Peninsula about a 220-mile drive south of Anchorage. And perhaps you know Homer from hometown notables like singer Jewel or writer Tom Bodett (it’s his voice in the ads for Motel 6). See? It’s quirky.

With a knack for storytelling, first-time author Morsell is especially adept with dialogue, one of the most challenging aspects of fiction. Rather than revealing his characters through straight narrative, Morsell resorts to lively banter, in this case between two federal agents, one of whom is cranky, and an easy-going caretaker:

“Do you mind if we look around?” [Agent Milford] Beverly asked. “Actually, we have a search warrant, so it doesn’t matter whether you mind or not,” Agent March interjected.
“Help yourselves. You can spend the whole winter here if you want,” Don [the caretaker] said as he handed Beverly a ring of keys and winked lasciviously.

In some instances, Morsell shows further literary talent by employing alliteration (“The Lieutenant signaled the spooked soldiers…”). Also, he uses metaphor to disguise what could otherwise be construed as explicit language, as in this episode between two characters, one of whom has consumed a bit of herb:

“Frank was not at all interested in the details of Brett’s horrible night. After colorfully suggesting that Brett perform[s] various anatomically impossible acts, he told Brett to make himself permanently scarce by leaving the state or possibly the country, implying that if either he or the authorities caught him he would likely not be long for this world.”

Originally from Wisconsin, Morsell has taken a circuitous (read: quirky) route to fiction himself. In the mid-1970s, he moved to Alaska to work as a Field Environmental Specialist for the company building the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline and ended up staying for 30 years. He eventually formed his own small consulting company researching fish and aquatic habitats and went on to travel extensively throughout all regions of Alaska. Today, he lives in Washington state with his wife.

“The characters are loosely based on actual people and events,” Morsell said in an interview on The Whatcom Wordsmith podcast. Further inspiration came in the form of Seldovia, another Alaskan city with its natural beauty, as in this passage halfway through the novel:

“…Facing north toward the mouth of Seldovia Bay, Kate could see across Cook Inlet to the other side, where two volcanic peaks were visible, sunlight glinting off their snowy slopes. Artistic wisps of remnant fog completed the picture. A sea otter floated off the bow in casual nonchalance. A dozen gulls squabbled over a piece of food.”

A delightful suspense with splashes of humor, and some romance, “Death at the End of the Road” is a book you won’t want to miss, especially if you yearn to live vicariously through characters of nontraditional lifestyles and appreciate the natural scenery of one of the most beautiful places in the US.

September 23, 2016