Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Reviews

The FREEZER: The Tanner Sequence, Book 2 by Timothy S. Johnston – Mystery/Thriller, Sci-Fi, Space Colonization

There are mysteries to solve and ticking time bombs to defuse in Timothy Johnston’s second book in The Tanner Sequence. Readers, grab onto your seats for richly crafted, multi-genre novel in a world set 400 years into the future.

Homicide Detective Lieutenant Kyle Tanner has been diverted from a trip to Pluto with his soul mate (Shaheen) to investigate a murder at Ceres, a base on the largest asteroid in The Belt. A doctor is dead, one of three that had recently transferred from a research station called The Freezer on Europa, a moon of Jupiter. An autopsy reveals the doctor died of an aneurysm of his aorta – natural causes. The case is solved almost before it starts, and Tanner can catch the next shuttle to Pluto to join his love. Then word comes that Shaheen is dead, having just suffered a catastrophic aneurysm of her aorta.

One death by a rare medical condition is unlucky. Two within days is more than suspicious.

Tanner orders a new autopsy on the doctor. Remnants of an exploded nano-bot are discovered. The death was not natural; it was murder. And the murderer has also taken his love, Shaheen. (Or was she collateral damage from an attempt on his life?) He orders a medical scan on himself. Inside his aorta, next to his heart, a nano-bot slowly saws at the walls of his largest artery. Doctors tell him he has four days left. Four days to find a killer. Four days to find a way to disable the bot systematically killing him (ticking time bomb.)

He suspects the two colleagues of the slain doctor from The Freezer. And he suspects the answers he seeks are linked to their time at the research facility on Europa. Once at Europa, with his two suspects in tow, Tanner finds resistance, hostility, and secrets no one wants to be revealed.

All the while his time is running out.

The Freezer is well written, and the characters are fleshed out in a world where claustrophobia and a constant chill from living on a frozen, hostile world dependent on airlocks and environmental suits for survival, are routine. For science fiction lovers, the new world of the future is masterfully crafted, and the reader is there, in Tanner’s shoes half a solar system away. For mystery lovers, there are plot twists, lies, misdirection to wade through, and secrets to be revealed in pursuit of the truth. So many secrets. For thriller lovers, the clock is ticking. Tanner has four days to unravel the truth hidden in The Freezer to solve the crime and save his own life.

Just when you think you have everything figured out, Johnston piles on more, and more, and more.

January 11, 2018
MURDER OFF the BEATEN PATH (A Search and Rescue Mystery) by M.L. Rowland – Female Sleuth, Cozy Mystery, Women’s Adventure, Search and Rescue

It’s an uncommon mystery novel that delivers a really good whodunit and yet makes the central character’s passion for her avocation, in this instance the world of mountain search and rescue teams, an equally good reason for reading a book from cover to cover.

M.L. Rowland knows her stuff in the field of S&R and authorship. You’ll never again see a TV news report of someone caught in a mountain disaster—trapped after a rock slide or pinned in their car after plunging off a high-altitude road—without remembering the riveting account of Gracie Kincaid as she and her experienced, professional rescue team make their way down a dangerous cliff at night to recover the body of a crash victim, only to discover that the victim is a dear friend of hers.

It’s a dark portrait.

You’ll know everything Gracie sees, feels, hears. Virtually no detail escapes her, whether it’s the seedy Christian camp where she works in the mountains of Southern California as a rope climbing instructor, on the trail of the suspicious, nasty, even venal brothers who run the camp, or her heartbreaking chores as an experienced senior member of a mountain search and rescue team. But it’s her experiences as a senior member of her team at work, that sets this book apart from other cozy mysteries. It’s possible to get these details from book-learning, but the writer’s personal experience in this field clearly shines through.

While Gracie excels in her public service passion, not the same can be said about the rest of her life. A former advertising exec, she’s wandered from place to place until she has settled into a small cabin in the mountains of Southern California. A rich Brit that she rescued on a previous mission wants to wrap her up with a bow. They have great passionate sex—only hinted at here—but his world is not her world. And then the fellow Searcher, who captures her mind, but, alas, not her heart.

The third man in her life, certainly not by choice, is an utter creep. Her scary encounter with him, richly detailed, is a convincing portrayal of a monster.

The mystery itself is rich and satisfying: the story of a woman, told in the third person as a narrative, who obsesses over the suspicious death of a friend and co-worker at the camp and her search to uncover the terrible secret her friend discovered before she died when her car plunged over a cliff on a tortuous narrow mountain road. What she discovers is a web of drug-dealing, parental abuse, and the dark secret of what is really going on with the children attending the camp. A strange and sorrowful juxtaposition the camp makes against the pristine surrounding landscape.

The portrait that emerges is of a smart, well-trained but hardly invulnerable woman whose occasional forays into her personal life seem less successful than her dedication to her work. Her life may be messy, but, isn’t everyone’s? Murder Off the Beaten Path manages the literary trick of being both a good mystery and a well-drawn portrait of a woman any reader might want nearby if found in dire need of being rescued in the mountains.

Recommended.

January 8, 2018
ZILLY: A MODERN DAY FABLE by Kelly Parks Snider – Children’s/Middle Grade, Anti-Bullying, Self-Esteem

Children’s books fall into many categories: picture books, early readers, books that teach the alphabet, colors etc. Zilly is a message book, presented with a poignant story, engaging artwork, and timely message.

Zilly is an “out of the ordinary flyer” whose bumpy, flip-flop flying style garners criticism from the other flyers. It doesn’t help that her best friend who is always on the scene to offer support and encouragement, happens to be a goat named Mingle.

When Zilly sees a large billboard that announces, “flying lessons for flyers who want to fit in” Zilly wants to try out. But this will require her to change from her free-spirited flips, zips, and bumpiness. The billboard also says: “no goats allowed.”

Zilly falls for the message that she needs to conform to be beautiful like the other flyers and even snubs Mingle in order to fit in. But, on the day of her try-outs, she doesn’t measure up and Zilly is ready to hide away until she hears the voice of her best friend cheering for her.

In Zilly, Parks Snider presents a positive message of being yourself when our society, through constant media messaging and peer pressure, attempts to get young people to be anything but themselves. Zilly has a timely theme and comes with discussion questions that children will benefit from considering – some questions may have to be modified for younger children.

Kelly Parks Snider has created a colorful, thoughtful book that has the power to teach children of all ages that most important lesson we all need to learn: being yourself is good enough. The artwork in it is mixed media, with visual textures and eye-catching colors that will catch – and keep – readers’ attention. Parks Snider adds that her decision to create the book “… on old paper bags – allow[s] for additional discussions about creativity, repurposing stuff and that being creative and innovative doesn’t have to be expensive.”

Kelly Parks Snider is passionate about this message and channeled her passion and artistic vision into a wonderful project called the Project Girl workshops in Madison, Wisconsin, aimed at tween and early teen girls. The workshops combined art, media awareness, and activism. It culminated in The Project Girl Exhibition which was accompanied by the publication of The Project Girl Workbook-A Guide to Un-Mediafying Your Life. which includes art and stories from Snider and artwork from some of the workshop participants whose works were in the exhibition.

Find out more about this 2012 initiative and follow the author at projectgirl.org, www.zillybooks.com, and www.kellyparkssnider.com

January 6, 2018
The SPIRIT SHIELD SAGA: SEER of SOULS by Susan Faw – Epic Fantasy, Mythology & Folklore, Coming of Age Y/A

Be ready for Susan Faw’s grand adventure, where she serves up a world in which humans and the not-quite-human Primordials must make peace and work in harmony against a common foe. This young adult novel, liberally seasoned with mysticism and magic, incorporates themes from mythology, folk/fairytale, and legend, with an Adonis-like hero, a battle between good and evil, and the restoration of a monarchy to its rightful ruler.

Seventeen-year-old Cayden Tiernan, a seemingly simple shepherd boy, lives on a farm with his twin sister and father in far reaches of the kingdom of Cathair near the Land of the Primordials, somewhere between the sea and the capital city. These demi-god twins are blissfully unaware of their true identities and their pre-ordained destiny. They take their supernatural gifts and abilities for granted, never questioning their purpose or station in life – or the prophesy proclaiming a savior will appear to free the kingdom from the unholy grasp of Queen Alcina. They only know they have a special bond, a psychic connection, and perceive their differences from other people in their world – although, the perception is small at this point, and not clearly defined.

The spurious Queen Alcina seeks to circumvent the prophesied appearance of the savior destined to free the Cathairians from her onerous rule by drafting all young men from seventeen to twenty-five to serve in her legions. Her edict loosens the winds of change. Unrest and rumors of treason begin to blow across the land.

The story takes off when Cayden volunteers for the army to deflect being arrested for the justified murder of an evil soldier. By doing this, he triggers events that take him on a hero’s journey into a dangerous world where mystical beings and abounding magic rub shoulders with the familiar world of his youth.

Faw’s alternate world echoes the medieval period in human history and utilizes a coming-of-age plot structure with an engaging and adept storytelling sensibility. Fans will be thrilled to learn that Seer of Souls is the first book in The Spirit Shield Saga. Faw shines brightly as a keen, larger-than-life storyteller and deserves the praise and accolades she is receiving for this series. Seer of Souls contains epic villains and courageous heroes, hints of burgeoning young love, graphic violence, and mind-stretching magic, a promising read that will draw a strong audience from Y/A readers.

December 26, 2017
The INNOCENT DEAD, Sam Dyke Investigations, Book 7 by Keith Dixon – International Crime Thriller, Hard Boiled Mystery

Award-winning English author Keith Dixon creates another scary scenario to add to his Sam Dyke Investigations series. This time, he tackles terrorism and makes it personal.

When private eye Dyke gets a call to the home of businessman Mark Ware, he has no idea he is going to visit an enormous mansion. But the secrets hidden there are even more incredible than the décor. As told by Mark and his stunningly beautiful wife Bobbie, their ten-year-old son has been kidnapped. Yet, there is no demand for ransom to date, and the crime took place several days before.

So why was no one called until now? And what was the role of the evasive housekeeper who would have known the whereabouts of everyone in the house, or of the chauffeur who, though an ex-cop, did nothing to stop little Luke from being dragged from the family limo?

And if the kidnappers want no money, what exactly are they after?

To ferret out the answers to these questions, Dyke calls on his son Dan and his faithful assistant Belinda. Dan’s a computer wizard and Belinda, well, Belinda is a one-woman deadly weapon. Although the two don’t appreciate the expectation that they will be available to assist Dyke whenever he calls–day or night—they always are there to help.

The deeper they delve, the more questions arise, leading to a bloody murder, an international drug cartel and a very mysterious character named Church who spends his days voluntarily leading discussion groups on religion. But which religion? And what else does he do with his time? Once nearly every clue has been uncovered, Dyke realizes he may need to pull the plug on the operation and get his backup to safety. Then Dan disappears, and Sam knows he’s in for the long haul, do or die.

Dixon’s somewhat surly, often cocksure crime fighter, Dyke, is a marvelous creation. His investigative skills rival that of any intellectual British parlor sleuth, while his tendency to get in the face of dangerous characters shows he is no stranger to backroom brawls. Throw in a few sarcastic zingers to add humor to some otherwise very tense moments—and you have the essence of Dixon’s anti-hero. There’s no word out of place in this practiced writer’s prose; he knows how to pressurize a plot to the point of near explosion, then reins it all in and sweeps up the loose ends. Recommended.

December 26, 2017
MISTRESS SUFFRAGETTE by Diana Forbes – Victorian Historical Fiction, Suffragette Movement, Political

Against a backdrop of the Gilded Age, Mistress Suffragette follows a young woman as she fights with society and herself to find genuine freedom.

New York debutante Penelope Stanton is on the verge of marrying Sam, a business acquaintance of her father, but when her father’s business endeavors begin to fail, Sam drops her. Her family will soon be in dire straits if they can’t marry Penelope off or find her a good job. At a dance, she meets Edwin Post, an older, married man, who forces himself on her—and she must admit, his kisses drive her wild.

Torn by so many conflicting options, Penelope impulsively runs off to Boston with her old school chum Lucinda, to look for work and break free from obstructive social custom. In Boston, they meet Verdana, a brawny bloomer-wearer who draws Penelope into the movement for women’s rights. Soon Penelope finds that Verdana has forged an unconventional relationship with none other than her ex, Sam.

Then Penelope’s mother joins them, and a strange ménage is formed. Verdana and Penelope get work as speakers for women’s suffrage, demonstrating the freedom of Verdana’s “rational” trousers contrasted with Penelope’s “irrational” corsets and flounces. On a bicycle ride, they run, literally, into a radical Jewish artist, John Sloan, who moves in with them while recovering from his bruises. Penelope is attracted to John, while fearing he may be a fraud.

Meanwhile, Edwin is still pursuing her, driving her half mad with lust and indecision, and the whole gang is being stalked by a menacing neighbor who hates suffragettes, forcing Penelope to prove her secret skill with a pistol. All the chaos turns out to be good for Penelope, who is increasingly able to separate her negative feelings from her positive convictions, learning to say no—and someday, perhaps, yes.

Diana Forbes is a New Yorker who writes historical fiction with gusto. She has clearly researched the era, adding details about the styles, current events, medicines and other small but enjoyable touches. But her central focus is on leading her heroine through the bends and switchbacks of a well-devised plot. While all her characters are intriguing, Penelope will be especially recognizable and appealing to modern females as she grapples with the strictures of a time when women were the virtual chattel of the males in their lives. Penelope experiences love, lust, and everything in between, balanced by a strong sense of reason unusual in one so young.

December 18, 2017
SONG MAGICK: A SONGMAKER NOVEL by Elisabeth Hamill – Science Fiction/Fantasy, Y/A, Sword & Sorcery

Exiled from her beloved home and her family, seventeen-year-old bard, Telyn Songmaker, starts a journey of mystical proportions that will test all that her spirit and strength can endure. Ultimately, she will become the only hope for the return of magick to the realm, if she can fulfill the hidden legend through her Song Magick–it’s a novel of adventure and love by Elisabeth Hamill.

The stakes are high; this is not rabbit-out-of-a-hat magic. Magick spells will harness energies that change people and their environment. Using her songs to spin magick, Telyn learns from experience the brutal consequences that accidental spells can bring.

When she meets up with a group of the King’s dedicated Tauron, guardians of the enchanted woods, they band together in a desperate quest to restore love and enchantment to the realm. The future depends on changes that only magick can deliver. But has Telyn honed her skills to achieve the required magick of the legendary seed-voice? Is this young bard really the legend that the realm has been waiting for?

When the mysterious Mithrais, Westwarden of the Tauron, is drawn to Telyn’s campsite by her beautiful harp playing, there are more sparks in the air than just from the campfire. When Mithrais takes his leave and returns to his vigilant guard watch within the woods, Telyn is attacked by three assassins. She fights valiantly, yet one of the swordsmen holds her down and another raises his weapon to slice off her hand.

Hamill weaves her lyrical language as a master musician, and the effect is magic, bringing her readers on a soulful quest, through a budding romance, and witness cherished friendships in the midst of impossible dangers. Suspense artfully builds along the journey, the fast-paced hand-to-hand combat scenes thrill, and the description of the final challenge is breathtaking.

Fans will be pleased to learn that Song Magick is the first book in the Songmaker two-book series. Truthsong is the second and well-worth the read. Hamill also writes adult science fiction and fantasy.

Heroic Science-Fiction/Fantasy at its lyrical best as the fate of the realm rests on one young bard’s ability to bring back the mystical, magical music of long ago. Even though Telyn Songmaker is young and powerful, can she muster the strength and courage to reclaim the Song Magick of Legend and vanquish evil from the realm?

December 18, 2017
The ONE APART by Justine Avery – Metaphysical & Visionary, Literary, Family Saga

A perfect blend of realism, fantasy, and deep spirituality awaits those who open Justine Avery’s novel, The One Apart. It is what readers bring to the novel – faiths, belief systems, philosophical dilemmas – that will influence and shape their perceptions of this fascinating and compelling read. Avery’s book, like life, is full of instruction for those who want to be fully aware.

Aware of what?

Everything—including awareness itself.

This is certainly the case for the main character, Aaron, a remarkable boy who lives with his mother, Sancha, and his grandmother, Maria. Although she’d planned to give Aaron up for adoption, Sancha bonds so deeply with her son at birth that she can’t fathom life without him. His grandmother realizes his uniqueness, too, as the newborn communicates with her through blinking his eyes. He makes astonishing progress through developmental milestones, walking and reading within the first months of life.

As a toddler, he speaks with the wisdom of a timeless soul. Maria suspects that these physical and mental feats indicate that her grandson is chosen for a special purpose, but she hopes he’ll live as normal a life as possible. He’s distracted, however, by a malevolence that only he can see. As Aaron comes of age, he strives to act normal and blend in, but his very few close friends and girlfriend notice his preoccupation, his never being fully present in this world.

There’s a reason for Aaron’s constant distraction, for his never feeling a part of this life; he is connected to “the Apart,” the other-worldly dimension that is both removed from human existence, “corporeality,” but ever at hand. Since childhood, he has sensed that his true name is Tres and that his existence as Aaron is somewhat play-acting. His hyper-awareness alerts him to his “OnLooker,” a sort of guardian angel who’s a liaison between Aaron and the sagacious luminary beings of the Apart that consult and advise on Aaron’s tutelage.

Much of the book involves Aaron learning, with the instruction of his OnLooker, how to fully experience awareness, to understand that every moment is this moment despite previous lives and the variety of life’s experiences. At a critical juncture in the novel, Aaron is given a choice, one that will impact his own existence dramatically but also that of all other beings. The author adroitly merges Aaron’s worldly existence and his relation to the realm of the Apart in a poignant and satisfying conclusion to the novel.

This is a quiet book, one that allows the reader the time and space to experience life with its main characters. The stillness is at times deeply peaceful, at other times eerie and ominous. The novel illustrates the power of compassion and empathy, but also the chilling consequences when power is exercised for self-serving purposes.

While the character of Aaron has similarities to various religious and mythic figures, the author has also imbued him with a uniqueness and a relevance to our times. This book will stay with you long after you finish it, a hallmark of excellent literature. Justine Avery’s The One Apart inspires deep contemplation of self, community, and individual and collective purpose.

December 13, 2017
SACRED RIVER: a HIMALAYAN JOURNEY by Debu Majumdar – Mystery, Literary, Multicultural, Spiritual Journey

A tour de force of India’s history, religion, culture, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and politics are neatly packaged as a mystery, await the lucky readers of Debu Majumdar’s latest novel, Sacred River: A Himalayan Journey. All elements of this foundational novel are experienced through a well-developed cast of characters, wealthy and poor, educated and illiterate, as they make pilgrimages to the source of Ganges River.

The River itself is a character in that it exerts the greatest influence on those who travel to its origin in the Himalayan mountains. In its waters, truths are revealed, and those who ponder its depths must acknowledge how they have lived their lives. The Ganges is the great equalizer; she washes the indigent and the affluent alike. Characters learn that money cannot buy enlightenment, and those who have lived the simplest lives may be much further down the spiritual path than those who’ve had every material advantage.

Majumdar does a splendid job of giving each character a complete history before individual plots merge into a full and rich narrative. It’s as if he has taken tributaries of a river and studied their routes before entwining them with the flow, force, and beauty of a majestic river. From bonded servant to landed gentry, foreigner to outcast, all will be deeply affected by their journeys.

This is the set up to a fascinating mystery. It unfolds as the reader learns about the SMS, the Sarva Mangal Society, a philanthropic organization that advocates education for all Indians and the removal of social barriers. Its staff believes that implementing the ancient ideals of India will lay the foundation for a new society, one in which the constant injustices done to the poor will finally halt. Its chief financial officer, Sevanathan Chetti, despairs, however, as to whether enough funds can be raised to continue its important work. He and his associate wonder where the wealth of India has gone. As speculation of a golden hoard hidden in the sacred temples arises, Chetti and his associate scheme to locate and plunder treasure for a noble cause.

An engrossing and tense subplot unfurls, one that will ensnare a temple swami along with some of the pilgrims to the Ganges. This adventure, which culminates in an enormously suspenseful climax, is an effective counterpoint to the serene and meditative aspects of the novel.

Majumdar’s prose is rich and spectacularly vivid. Locations are very important in this novel, and his descriptive writing is superb. Readers will feel they are in a marketplace, on the side of the mountain, in a temple, and bathed in light and water. Especially lovely are the passages noting religious rituals and the spiritual significance of the Ganges. The author weaves in Indian legends and morality stories, artfully juxtaposing parallels between ancient tales and his characters’ modern lives. There’s such a breadth of consideration for every aspect of Indian culture that it’s easy to imagine this novel being included on college syllabi for classes related to Hinduism.

This book is a must-read for anyone with interest in Indian life and culture. Indeed, the author joyfully admits that one could read the book as a travelogue, and we agree! When readers finish this novel, we predict they will experience a deep longing to journey to the Himalayas to see “the maiden in the mountains,” that most sacred river, the Ganges.

“Money cannot buy enlightenment, but for those who struggle to reclaim one nation’s equality, gold is the currency that will drive two overzealous men on a journey to uncover hidden treasure for the benefit of all. A rich and spectacularly vivid, multi-faceted literary mystery for seekers and skeptics alike.” – Chanticleer Reviews

December 13, 2017
TWISTED THREADS by Kaylin McFarren – Thriller/Suspense, Steamy Romance, Action/Adventure

Interested in a holiday cruise? Surround yourself with luxury, romance, secrets and multiple murders while traveling through the Caribbean with author Kaylin McFarren in her new sexy, action-packed book, Twisted Threads. There is only one assignment for a Japanese crime lord’s favorite assassin: take out a dastardly couple in less than ten days. But can Akira Hamada complete her mission without losing her head and heart during her most steamy and complicated hit thus far?

It isn’t part of the assignment to fall in love with someone close to murder suspects, Sara and Paul Lyons, but then Akira has never been bound by rules. Devon returns Akira’s feelings with all his being. However, there are notorious secrets between them, and now this surging romance is putting his life at risk as well. With no avenue for escape, multiple disappearances and murders increase the onboard tension. And that’s not all. Descriptions of the steamy scenes behind closed doors are beyond intense, with exhilarating adult situations and language.

So, will Akira successfully hit her assigned targets? Will she find out who is murdering cruise guests before becoming the secret assassin’s next victim? If Devon and Akira survive this murder mystery and the truth is revealed, will their hot romance flounder? There is only one way to answer these questions, and we are confident readers will be delighted in picking up Twisted Threads and finding out for themselves.

There is only one assignment for Mitsui-san’s favorite assassin, but can Akira complete the mission without losing her head and heart? Get on-board for Kaylin McFarren’s most steamy and complicated assassination suspense thriller so far!

December 4, 2017