Category: Reviews

  • AGED in CHARCOAL: A Stu Fletcher, PI Mystery Novel by Jeffrey Ridenour – Noir, Mystery, Detective Mystery

    AGED in CHARCOAL: A Stu Fletcher, PI Mystery Novel by Jeffrey Ridenour – Noir, Mystery, Detective Mystery

    Aged in Charcoal by Jeffrey Ridenour is a classic hardboiled detective novel set in 1960s Bay area California. This novel features dirty cops, bribes, an inept justice system, and Stu Fletcher, an ex-cop turned detective, who despite his jaded outlook wants to do the right thing.

    Fletcher has been hired by Maggie Ogilvy following her husband’s apparent suicide to find his long-lost sister, Bernie. Maggie doesn’t let Fletcher know what she plans to do once Bernie is found, only that she wants to know her whereabouts. It seems to have been her husband’s last wish to see his sister because Charles Ogilvy—a wildly successful architect who had his eye on running for lieutenant governor before his death, strangely didn’t leave behind any sort of suicide note. Instead, his last writing was a note to himself reading: “Find Bern. Must apologize.”

    With nothing much more to go on, Fletcher finds himself embarking on what feels like a wild goose chase and more than once realizes he has run into a wall and must backtrack. He soon gets the idea to ask a local artist to draw pictures of Bernie, each one progressively aging her so that he may be able to show people what she possibly looks like now. But the closer he seems to get to finding Bernie, the farther away he gets from what is to be expected from a case like this. Along the way, Fletcher also has to contend with the local mob and soon finds himself in mortal danger.

    This is the first book in the Stu Fletcher, PI thriller series. And while Ridenour unravels his story at a leisurely pace where nothing seems to happen quickly in the world of private investigating, the plot doesn’t want for twists and turns. This mystery uses slang from the time period in which it’s set, the ‘60s, and as such, some modern readers may cringe at some of the time-authentic slang. What readers will also find is a large cast of characters who serve to flesh out the setting, and an often-stark writing style that wastes no time in getting right to the point.

    Aged in Charcoal reveals the seedy underbelly of the justice system—from dirty cops to inefficient courts. And in the end, the only good ending may be the justice you make for yourself.

    Aged in Charcoal won First Place in the CIBA 2017 Clue Awards for Mystery novels.

     

     

     

  • The PLACE of QUARANTINE by Vadim Babenko – Astronomy of the Universe, Russian Dramas/Plays, System Theory & Physics, Sci-Fi

    The PLACE of QUARANTINE by Vadim Babenko – Astronomy of the Universe, Russian Dramas/Plays, System Theory & Physics, Sci-Fi

    Theo awakens to a sound, which he likens to that of a trembling copper string. He finds himself midway up a stairway and realizes that the sound emanates from an ordinary fluorescent tube, about to burn out. He climbs to the next floor, where a door is open. A woman introduces herself as Elsa and welcomes him in.

    Not remembering anything, or knowing where he is, Theo asks Elsa. Her answer confounds him. He is in their apartment, in a place called Quarantine. In support of her response, she hands him a laminated paper that reads, “WELCOME. YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED CORPOREAL DEATH FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE DEATH OF THE BODY IS NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS YOU MIGHT THINK. THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR.” Really? Theo goes cold. Memories begin to emerge—a gunshot and terrifying pain, a woman in tears, the old streets of Bern. Then it all fades.

    Vadim Babenko, Russian-born physicist and businessman, left his former careers behind to become a writer of fiction—in The Place of Quarantine, thought-provoking fiction that begs us to consider what the reality of life truly is. In this effort, he draws on principles from the work of renowned researchers, such as Italian physicist Giuseppe Vitiello, to support the protagonist, Theo’s work, in particular, his concept of “the application of quantum field theory to the modeling of human memory and intelligence.”

    Yes, science plays a significant role in this book, but it’s a supportive role, a means to an end: our consideration of the possibilities of life beyond that which we experience on Earth, and of the regeneration of our knowledge and memories, and their further development to benefit the inhabitants of the place of a subsequent life. Theo is assigned an advisor/mentor/friend, called Nestor, to help him with the task of reviving the memories of his renowned, but uncompleted research on Earth. His knowledge and intelligence are needed in Quarantine and perhaps beyond. Since the particular vocabulary of physics and metaphysics is not familiar to many of us, a glossary of the terminology is at the reader’s fingertips.

    The science, however, is interwoven with the stories of characters from Theo’s very international first life—in particular, a beautiful young Asian woman, Tina, whom he met and loved in Bangkok and yearns for even in Quarantine; and a Russian businessman named Ivan Brevich, who is consumed with revenging the murder of his beloved wife, Nok. In Quarantine, his roommate Elsa adds a human element to his life, making his breakfast of coffee, fried eggs, and toast, and generally being his companion, although as phantom beings in a world of images. Nestor, who is but a face, with a voice, on the wall screen, is a friend as well as an advisor and research colleague.

    As Theo comes to believe in what his research is telling him, he becomes increasingly obsessed with finding Tina, if not in Quarantine, then in whatever life awaits him next, if indeed one does. Can he be satisfied with continuing his work for the benefit of Quarantine, or must he try to prove his belief by taking the chance to move on?

  • BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate – Historical Fiction, Child Trafficking, Family Saga

    BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate – Historical Fiction, Child Trafficking, Family Saga

    For three decades (1920-50), the Tennessee Children’s Home Society (Memphis) appeared to be an above-board adoption agency but was actually a center for child trafficking. Under Georgia Tann’s greedy leadership, dozens of impoverished children were literally snatched from their mothers’ arms at birth, provided forged identify papers and sold to the highest bidder. What could be the harm? These “river rats” would have lives they could never have dreamed of in their affluent new homes.

    In this historical fiction novel, Lisa Wingate has done the world a great service by laying bare the life-long abuse, trauma, and despair that the “orphans” and their helpless parents endured (through large doses of willful blindness, the remaining records were not unsealed until 1995 – far too late for most chances of reunion).

    Wingate readily spans the generational gap by employing two women, bouncing back and forth between what was and what is. Rill Foss (eventually to become May Weathers and finally May Crandall) relives the brutal abduction from the Arcadia (riverboat home) to the grim reality of the children’s home before ending up after a long life in a nursing home. Living a life of privilege due to family pedigree, Avery Stafford uses her considerable legal skills to ferret out the truth as to why her dementia-suffering grandmother seems to be holding back a family secret – one that could well scuttle her father’s chances for re-election to the Senate.

    With that narrative technique put into play, readers will be intrigued to see if they can put the pieces of this familial puzzle together before the principals do.

    Real-life Georgia Tann is fictionally recreated and given a most believable tone as the ruthless baby-snatcher-for-cash. Her staff members include a nasty mix of Mrs. Murphy, a vicious matron who delights in all manner of threats and punishment alongside her pathetic cousin, Riggs, who tries to lure the prettiest of the girls into his lair and bed. All three of these failed humans can turn on the charm at the drop of a potential “buyer.” Not surprisingly, even forced adoption seems better than staying in the squalid conditions of their “rescue” home.

    By the time the skeletons finally escape the closet, it is truly disturbing what those who ought to have known better and have never gone to bed hungry will do in the name of “improving” the lives of our most vulnerable souls. Surely those days are over…

  • THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN by Hallie Ephron – Literary Mystery, Family Saga, Aging Parents

    THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN by Hallie Ephron – Literary Mystery, Family Saga, Aging Parents

    Evie Ferrante is busy assembling her first exhibit as Senior Curator of the Five Burroughs Historical Society. It’s a big deal and she’s up for the challenge. She’s overseeing the placement of a B-25 airplane engine which had been found at the bottom of an elevator shaft in the Empire State Building. It happened to land there after a crash in the ’40s. The theme of the exhibit is how fire and disaster shaped New York City.

    As Fate would have it, that’s when disaster pays Evie a call in the form of a text message from her sister Ginger, It’s Mom. Call me.

    And what a disaster it is.

    Evie must drop everything to fly out and help her sister sort through their dysfunctional alcoholic mother’s life. As Ginger deals with Mom at the hospital, Evie deals with her mother’s house, which is much worse than she feared. Outside, it’s tagged with graffiti and the stairs have almost rotted through. Inside, it’s like a homeless encampment, filled with garbage, dead food containers, empty liquor bottles, cockroaches, moths, spiders, and reeking of decay. Evie digs in. As she cleans, she searches her mother’s records trying to assess her financial and insurance situations and stumbles upon envelopes stuffed with cash, thousands of dollars just lying around.

    Where did the money come from, and why is it just sitting there?

    Ephron is a talented writer and does a splendid job of creating a sense of place with richly drawn characters embroiled in realistic predicaments. At its heart, the story is a mystery wrapped around an issue so many now face, caretaking for parents in physical and mental decline, and the burden and stress it puts on families. We feel it, we recognize it, we understand it. Ephron is writing fiction with a gravitas rooted in reality and that’s why her books are so good.

    The story unfolds naturally and isn’t force. One mystery seems to lead to another linking the lives of the two main characters and none of their problems are trivial or easily solved. And as in most good stories, things only seem to get worse the deeper you dig, until it seems there’s no way out.

    There was an Old Woman is a contemplation of where we are in a society, our relationships within our families, and the struggle we all face.

     

  • BLESSINGS and CURSES by Judy Kelly – Christian Mystery, Mystery/Suspense, Contemporary Romance

    BLESSINGS and CURSES by Judy Kelly – Christian Mystery, Mystery/Suspense, Contemporary Romance

    Olivia Douglass has completed her college coursework in religious education and is set to graduate. Her adoptive parents and sister and will be on hand for the occasion along with her steady beau, Claude. But she harbors a painful secret: contrary to their expectations, she has decided not to go on to become a priest, even though she has been preparing to do so for several years.

    Since childhood, it seems, Olivia has felt a curse upon her, some wickedness that follows her, making her unworthy of a religious profession. That feeling has returned at this crucial juncture to cast a shadow over her plans. Understanding, but unsure she should give up her plans, Olivia’s parish priest sends her on an errand of mercy – to pray with Leon, a man on death row with only two weeks to live.

    Assisted by fellow church member Wesley Johns, meeting the prisoner proves far more difficult than Olivia had imagined. She persists, though, and tries to access the spiritual nature of this hate-filled man who kidnapped and slaughtered numerous women and children. As Olivia gets to know Leon better, she simultaneously forms a friendship with Wesley, and they discover that they have a link, Wesley shares in the curse that envelops her—and like her, longs for a way out.

    At the same time, her parents’ reaction to Olivia meeting and praying with Leon is odd and rather disturbing. On top of that, her sister begins to reveal signs of her own cursed and tormented life. Finally, Olivia will confront her ghosts, and theirs, in a brave and daring move.

    Author Judy Kelly writes with skill and intelligence, building her plot step by step so that even when the reader begins to think that the outcome is inevitable, a twist crops up to turn the tale in yet a new direction. Visits to the prison have a knowledgeable feel, and the character of Leon is vividly depicted as he at first crudely and violently rejects Olivia’s help, then gradually comes to accept and welcome her, and finally accedes to her spiritual support on the next to last day of his life.

    Kelly draws her characters with depth, from the twisted psychology of a serial killer to Olivia’s growing tenderness toward Wesley, and with it, the revelations prodding her about Claude’s dark side.

    Blessings and Curses combines themes of romantic love, family ties, religious aspirations and coming of age with a slowly unfolding, at times terrifying glimpse of genuine evil.

     

  • SUPPOSE: A Lillian Dove Mystery by D. J. Adamson – Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Female Lead

    SUPPOSE: A Lillian Dove Mystery by D. J. Adamson – Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Female Lead

    M&M Blue and Gold 1st Place Badge ImageIn this enticing second installment of D. J. Adamson’s Lillian Dove Mystery series, big city problems wind up in a small town in the Midwest threatening not only the safety and integrity of the community, but bringing imminent danger to the life of one woman who is just trying to move beyond her rocky past and navigate toward a more positive future.

    Trying to get your life back on track may be a little tricky when you’re a recovering alcoholic five years sober, and you’ve just inherited a house and the local AAA Discount Liquor Store. Here in Frytown, Iowa, Lillian Dove is clearly aware that “life has its ironies,” but she’s determined to make the best of recent circumstances. With her cat Bacardi, she’s been residing at her mother Dahlia’s condo in Lake’s Edge Senior Residential Complex, while the feisty woman is in a nearby convalescent home hell-bent on getting out.

    Lillian’s also been involved with the local Frytown Police Chief, a man she felt offered love and security, though unfortunately he also happens to be married. While sobriety and the unexpected new business acquisition have boosted her spirits, Lillian is haunted by the suicide of her best friend Cressie, a former addict who forced Lillian to face her own issues.

    Suddenly, Cressie’s onetime ne’er do well boyfriend is threatening to blackmail Lillian, claiming to have video proof that she was responsible for Cressie’s death. Lillian knows his demands are bogus, but when his dead body is discovered at the condo, she’s determined to uncover the truth and clear her own name.

    Within this well-crafted storyline, the murder investigation is linked to a border-crossing drug operation that stems from a multi-million-dollar Chicago firm, and a CEO involved in illegal money laundering. As Federal Agents and the local Police Department unite to catch the criminals, Lillian finds herself in harm’s way when she’s unwittingly dragged into the high-risk probe. From murder and a suspicious flash drive to vandalism, kidnapping, and surprise revelations, Lillian embarks on a winding, roller-coaster ride.

    For those unfamiliar with Adamson’s evolving mystery series, a passing mention of Lillian’s having been a prior witness to an arson case that resulted in near dire consequences for both Lillian and her mother, helps bring readers up to speed and also confirms Lillian’s seemingly magnetic draw to trouble.

    While chapter/segment titles indicate this story plays out over a short span of a few days, Adamson broadens the platform with a full range of characters and action. From the local mayor being accused of bigamy and a dispatch operator who equates to “Town Gossipedia”, to the ghost of Lillian’s benefactor assuring her that “everything will be fine” and the pirate-costumed nurse just trying to keep the ornery senior patients in line, all add engaging humor and lightness to the narrative in contrast with the greater tension and drama.

    Like all good mysteries, Adamson creates a tale riddled with questions. Intertwined with bantering dialogue and heated conversations, Lillian’s self-imposed ponderings about recent events help draw us into the heart and mind of the central character. As a soul-searching individual coming to grips with the past, Lillian’s dream states offer a glimpse of her lost childhood and her fractured life. Adamson clearly has an eye for detail. Whether exposed in the sharp visuals of a crime scene, or revealed in the aromatic constants of a nursing home environment perfumed by the fragrance of “urine, unwashed bodies, and the Wednesday night meatloaf special,” the writing paints a colorful, and vivid picture.

    Through the character of Lillian Dove, readers are introduced to a flawed, but tenacious female heroine who is genuinely likable. Suppose is a mystery filled with small-town heart, yet big city edge, unexpected excitement, and a touch of humor. Together they prove a smart, and winning combination.

    Suppose won First Place in the  2017 CIBA M&M Awards!

     

  • The 2020 CANDIDATE by Lloyd Bruce Miller – Political, Presidential Bid, Non-Fiction

    The 2020 CANDIDATE by Lloyd Bruce Miller – Political, Presidential Bid, Non-Fiction

    There are so many hopefuls gearing up for the United States 2020 election, what’s one more?

    Meet Lloyd Bruce Miller, 75-year-old who wants your vote. Or not. You see, Mr. Miller is a complicated man. Crazy, some may say – and why not, for he calls himself ‘crazy’ several times throughout his bid for the presidency.

    In all actuality, it is uncertain whether or not Mr. Miller is indeed throwing his hat into the ring for 2020. He realizes he’s a “nobody” but goes on to comment that if “Trump could win, I don’t see why I, or anyone for that matter, couldn’t be a valid candidate.” By the way, Mr. Bruce did make a run for mayor of New York City back in 2009, he even registered, but Michael Bloomberg stole the election from underneath him. It’s as simple as that.

    Reading through his 10,962-word bid for the 2020 Presidency (this is, the point of fact, what Mr. Miller’s book is all about), we begin to wonder who this man is. Where did he come from? He helps us out on page 24 by stating that “…(he) doesn’t really want to be president. (He’s) a fictional character in a story or novel.” We should all think of him in this way.

    And yet, he has these thoughts…  “I am a lunatic of some sort, a screwball in a novel. My name is Harold. That’s enough for you to know, at least for now.” He goes on to say, “The man who wrote something called ‘Utopia’, Thomas Moore I believe, must have been also a little crazy, like me.” Further along, he gives himself the title, “Harold the madman.”

    From my perspective, there is nothing unusual for a politician to be a ‘madman.’ Most politicians have to be a little off in order to open themselves up to ridicule and public display. That being said, should you wish to cast your vote for Harold the Madman in 2020, you should know what he stands for, what his policies are, and how he approaches things.

    Here’s a head’s up, Harold the Madman is not ‘politically correct’ in any fashion. Reading through his bid, here is what I’ve discovered:

     

    1. Criminal Justice System. Criminals should be treated with respect and reasoned with. Therefore, no prison terms in years; prison terms should be measured by if the individual has had a real change.
    2. Bullies have a right to bully. It’s a matter of protecting their Freedom of Speech. Victims of the so-called bullying should “toughen up.” (I warned you…) But, even so this is the age of “Jordan Petersen” and his penchant for political incorrectness that attracts both support and criticism.
    3. #Metoo. It is, according to Harold the Madman, wrong for a woman to ruin a man’s career simply because he touched her. It’s up to women to tell men what behavior is right or wrong. He arrives at this because “100 French actresses came forward opposed to the Me, too, movement*.” Also, according to HtM, “women and men play sexually with each other.” He is also from the “Mad Men” era, much like that uncle we all have and care for but disagree with at Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps Harold the Madman isn’t a misnomer after all, but perchance a lingering after effect?
    4. Freedom of speech is the foundation of a free society; therefore, people have the right to talk about wanting to kill themselves, wanting to kill other people, etc. Because the only way to help these people is to talk to them and reason with them. HtM is opposed to the Suicide Hotline, and they are monitored by the government, and the government is more interested in collecting information about you to aid in your arrest**.
    5. Foreign policy. Because HtM doesn’t have a lot of experience with foreign policy, he is going to leave it in the hands of the military. He believes in compromise and Manifest Destiny. This allows for the policy he proposes next: Because we cannot fit “the entire population of the whole world into the area of the current United States… you are welcome to join us, but now, your land is our land, part of the United States under the jurisdiction of our federal government.” At first, HtM will focus on friendly democracies like “… Mexico, Canada, Israel, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, France, Germany…” and extend the invitation to become part of the United States. Undoubtedly, HtM will find support for his foreign policy platform as I did see a red truck the other day with “I LOVE WALLS” painted across both sides of it.
    6. “Compromise is actually the force which enabled the human race to survive over the centuries. Without compromise, no nation could even be formed or last a day. Compromise, more than anything else, is the basis of human society.” This is when HtM starts to make some sense and I found myself nodding my head in agreement—just when I was shaking my head in confoundedness on some of his other platforms.

     

    While it is true that there certainly is much in his proposition to scratch your head about and ponder over, the true beauty of The 2020 Candidate is the freedom by which its author can express his opinions. That, after all, is the American Way.

    And then in his closing remarks, he recommends that we all need to talk to each other and get to know each other on an individual basis. Because there are so many variations of us communication is key—if not the most important agenda of his bid.

    In closing, if you choose to read Harold the Madman’s bid for the presidency, please read it through to the end. It’s not so “mad” after all…

    All things considered, Lloyd Bruce Miller, a.k.a. Harold the Madman, is a unique character and perhaps someone with whom one might like to sit down for a conversation and a pint at Samwise Gamgee’s Old Gaffer’s table at the Green Dragon.

    **This is not our view at Chanticleer Reviews. Suicide Hotline is a vital service in our society, one we could scarcely do without. So if you are thinking of doing something dangerous to yourself or someone else, we strongly encourage you to reach out to this service at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or call them at 800-273-8255

  • SUICIDE TANGO: My Year Killin’ it with a Shrink by Tripsy South – Teen Suicide, Psychology, Satire

    SUICIDE TANGO: My Year Killin’ it with a Shrink by Tripsy South – Teen Suicide, Psychology, Satire

    A novelistic look at the serious issue of teen suicide, Suicide Tango walks us through the relationship between a young woman who wants to end it all and the psychiatrist who wants to keep her alive.

    Doctor Jon Moore, a-just-okay-psychiatrist considers himself an expert on the issues surrounding teen suicide. One day a tall, beautiful girl, Tripsy South, strolls into his office without an appointment, lights a hooter (a joint) and tells him she has only a year to live. She intends to get rid of herself sometime soon. Her attitude is defiant with the overarching theme apparent: she is sick of her life.

    Exploring who South is and who she might become takes one year, 52 sessions all recorded, even the ones South sleeps through. Moore points out that going from infancy to physical adulthood in only fifteen years is a massive endeavor that some may view as cataclysmic. The notion of suicide might provide solace to someone trapped in that maelstrom, especially since, to the young, it’s hard to envision a future beyond the moment. There is much opposition expressed to over-medicating and “big pharma,” and a leaning toward a simpler, more eclectic view of mental deviation through the vexing, ever-changing personality of South.

    She is styled as an “indigo child,” more perceptive than her peers and more intelligent. These differences cause her to experience painful social alienation. At times the doctor becomes the student, and the patient becomes the teacher. South suggests, for example, that people like her need to talk to people like her – potentially suicidal peers. And by the time her therapy year has been successfully completed, Moore’s life has been upturned and needs examining.

    This is a well-written book that slaps the reader upside the head with the snark of a young woman thinking of doing the most devastating act possible. And while the Suicide Tango is classified as Satire, it must be noted that Tripsy’s longing to commit suicide and her observations about it seem intensely honest and therefore able to speak to teen readers.

    South presents a few practical ideas that may resonate with those who are at war with themselves. She is brash, unapologetic, and in-your-face in a way that demands and holds your attention, uncomfortable as that may be.

    The best observation is from the dedication page: “…for Every Beautiful Soul who struggles with personal demons and, on occasion, slays the fuck out of ‘em.” Amen, Tripsy South. A-men.

     


     

  • 100 DAYS of TERROR by Larry Temple – Terrorism/Thriller, Suspense/Thriller, Conspiracy Thriller

    100 DAYS of TERROR by Larry Temple – Terrorism/Thriller, Suspense/Thriller, Conspiracy Thriller

    The suspense in Larry Temple’s excellent, haunting, global thriller, 100 Days of Terror, begins as a seed planted in the minds of the main characters and the reader. A torched car is found in a field in New Jersey. Residents in a town in Idaho wake to find green water gushing from their faucets. A small college town in West Texas is vandalized. And, then, three trucks explode on a highway in Los Angeles, and the clues linking the explosion to the other incidents are undeniable. The FBI knows that these aren’t random acts of isolated violence but an escalating series of terrorist incidents designed to disrupt life in America. During the next few months, multiple bridges will be bombed, airports will close, many highways will be unnavigable, communities will suffer power outages, and groups of children will stop attending school. The Dow Jones Industrial Average will steadily drop and the entire nation will be wondering what and where the next attack will be. Who is wreaking this havoc on America?  To determine that answer, however, another question must be asked:  Why?

    At the heart of it all is Noah Reardon, an FBI agent in his thirties who saw plenty of violence during three years in Afghanistan with the Joint Special Operations Command. It is in America, though, where he has suffered egregious personal loss and is now getting through his days in an alcoholic haze. His boss, the gruff, no-nonsense McCullum has his reasons for not firing Reardon. Laura Spencer, Reardon’s partner, is protective of him, even while she chastises him for constantly over-sleeping and reeking of booze. Reardon has a personal connection to the events at hand; it was his stolen car that was found torched and abandoned in New Jersey. Could this have something to do with his liaison officer and close friend in Afghanistan, Abdul?  After all, it was Abdul who told him, “Anyone who attempts to contradict or interfere with America’s drive for money and power are terrorists in your mind.” But, no; this can’t have anything to do with Abdul, the man who died in an explosion, the man who saved Reardon’s life. Or can it?  Temple does an extraordinary job of keeping the reader guessing. Clues, the name of the game, are planted, but what to make of them?  A sinister series of riddles are at play.

    As a whole, the novel is a thoroughly engrossing meditation on what people can survive. The attacks aren’t leveled at the entire nation; they take place in an exact time and region of the country. Citizens will learn that they can keep going after local destructions. That doesn’t mean they emerge unscathed, however. They are forever changed by suspense-filled days, by hours wondering where and when the next attack will occur. If an explosion occurs nearby, can they relax for a moment and assume the next one won’t happen in their city, on their street? What is the true aim of terrorism?  To eliminate people or to make fear such a constant in their lives that they stop living; they exist only to run for cover when the next attack occurs. When there is no end in sight for certain yet unpredictable violence, people are trapped in a cycle of action and reaction. “Normal” is no longer part of the national vocabulary.

    The ending packs a huge wallop, a kick to the gut that will leave you gasping for breath. It causes the reader to stop and reconsider every question raised in a narrative that moves forward and back in time, giving us a composite of Reardon’s life, a mosaic of the good and the bad, the wonderful and the painful. Like the best fiction, it will leave the reader asking the question, “What would I do?”  Read this powerful thriller for yourself and see if you can supply the answer.

    5 Star Best Book Chanticleer Reviews round silver sticker

     

     

  • BRITFIELD and the LOST CROWN by C. R. Stewart – Action/Adventure, Coming of Age, Mystery/Caper

    BRITFIELD and the LOST CROWN by C. R. Stewart – Action/Adventure, Coming of Age, Mystery/Caper

    Tom and Sarah are best friends who reside in a dilapidated English orphanage housed in a 16th-century castle. Only this castle isn’t the kind that inspires romance or chivalry; Weatherly orphanage is run like a maximum-security prison where children are forced to work, creating goods that are sold in the local village.

    Many orphans have tried to get beyond Weatherly’s gates and have failed. Mr. Speckle, a scurrilous caretaker, prowls the grounds, keeping constant surveillance, ensuring the children are working and staying in their place. But Tom is a daring lad, often going on “raids” to steal books from the private library of Weatherly’s owners for his friends to read. Mr. and Mrs. Grievous, a dreadful pair who frown upon any sort of learning, run the orphanage.

    One day, Tom and Sarah resolve to get out of Weatherly – forever. Ahead of them, the path is long, twisting, and dangerous, filled with a whirlwind tour through the English countryside. Here, author Stewart sharpens his focus and showcases the beauty and mystery of Great Britain. Readers will discover the places that are dear to the author’s heart as Tom and Sarah travel far and wide, including places such as the Midlands, Canterbury, Windsor Castle London and many more. But trouble is always nipping at Tom and Sarah’s heels, and when the renowned Detective Gowerstone takes up the case, the pair are nearly captured. They only escape by commandeering a hot-air balloon!

    As we follow them on their clandestine route, we begin to learn more about who Tom might be—and why some highly placed operatives would like to see him eliminated altogether. It all goes back 150 years to the disappearance of the mysterious Britfield dynasty and the ascendancy of Queen Victoria, leaving one to wonder, Did the wrong person get the crown?

    Britfield and the Lost Crown delivers as a detailed and intriguing first-in-series read that is sure to capture the attention of the middle grade and young adult crowd and those who love the Y/A action and adventure genre. Readers journey through the English cities and countryside beautifully rendered in the narrative. The book also includes maps and intelligent background information about the setting and history with access to online illustrations and commentaries on castles, villages, and towns where our heroes visit. Overall, Britfield weaves plot, texture, storytelling, and fascinating characters into a winning combination and enriching experience for adventure fans.