Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Crime thriller

  • TOURIST TRAPPED by K. J. Klemme — a madcap international mystery

    TOURIST TRAPPED by K. J. Klemme — a madcap international mystery

    Can a spunky female attorney and her computer-geek sidekick survive the violence of paid kidnappers and cold-blooded murderers, a dangerously deranged mother and her captive children, the vicious plotting of a twisted psychopath, a traitorous fiancé, and at times the worst enemy of all—their own reluctance to let go and let love work its magic?

    Amanda Sloane, high-profile Chicago divorce lawyer, gets a panic call from her estranged father, Don, telling her that her half-sister Rebecca and her fiancé have disappeared in Cancun, Mexico. Don wants Amanda to help find her. Amanda, forced to recall how Don abandoned her and her mother, is reluctant. But even as she tries to avoid the situation, friends begin to tell her how good-hearted she is, even though she is usually seen, and often sees herself, as relationship destroyer, someone who “goes through men like Starbucks goes through coffee cups.”

    Acting on the newfound wish to do the right thing for what little family she has, she heads for Cancun, dragging her nerdy co-hort Chad Cooper along to deal with her clients at long distance, under her always strict supervision.

    Before long they’re in Mexico desperately hunting for Rebecca, despite minimal cooperation from the local police, some temptations of the lush natural surroundings, the call of a long-lost love, and a plethora of clues that, as Chad diligently and correctly points out, just don’t add up. To complicate matters, under Cancun’s romantic spell Amanda thinks she might be falling for Chad even though she has a fiancé back home who wants her help in getting him elected, and Chad has a wife he never talks about.

    Then Chad is called away to Portland where he secretly has his own person-hunt. Amanda is left battling bad guys, and being stalked by a powerful, politically motivated psychopath who wants her gone by whatever means.

    In Klemme’s deft hands, regret may be tempered by reconciliation, trust may push aside the shadows of treachery, and the seeming end of the story forms a new beginning. Tourist Trapped, designed as Part One of a trilogy, is a madcap, fast-paced international mystery that pits multi-layered villainy against inexperienced, but spirited, sleuthing with a back-beat of newly minted love.

  • HOW the MIGHTY FALL by E. J. Chadwell, an enthralling murder mystery

    HOW the MIGHTY FALL by E. J. Chadwell, an enthralling murder mystery

    A great mystery has readers so immersed in the action that the book’s pages fly by as readers look to determine the murderer. However, readers can only be captivated by such a narrative if it contains a clever plot, dynamic characters, the right dose of clues together with red herrings, subplots that enhance the story, and a logical, yet unexpected ending which readers try to attain as they read.

    How the Mighty Fall is a story with a plot and denouement that qualifies as a top-drawer mystery.

    The story starts engulfed in action. Connie Ross is hosting a party onboard her yacht that readers immediately learn is her sanctuary.

    “Inexplicably drowsy, Ross had been forced to leave her party. She now held tightly onto the rail as she bobbed and weaved in time with the churning waters.”

    “She relaxed her grip, however, when a familiar voice offered help by massaging her back and getting her to relax. Ross drifts as she relaxes, releases her hold on the rail, when ‘one forceful push against her back sent Ross over the rail.’ ”

    Home on maternity leave, Officer Gigi Mirabelli gets a middle of the night call from Jimmy Frail, Chief of Detectives, who cancels the rest of her two months leave to put her back on duty for the high-profile missing person’s case of Connie Ross, the media mogul. She will collaborate with Harry Burns, a homicide detective.

    Although not yet confirmed, authorities suspect murder. Connie’s celebrity status makes the case one which authorities want to be resolved quickly. The press will keep the case front and center, making its resolution a high priority.

    Mirabelli and Burns do not fit into any stereotype of detectives on a missing person or a murder case. Their physical description, dialogue, and actions highlight their differences as they seek to solve the mystery. Readers will subtly learn more about them in the course of the action, with bits of their personal lives that explain their unique approach to the case, and just enough humor that makes the discovery pleasurable.

    Who is Connie Ross?  As the story develops, the author shows readers the many sides of this powerful woman. Who would want to kill her? Readers discover along with Mirabelli and Burns that the list of her enemies is a very long one.

    The author executes the mystery with excellent characterization of all the characters, with superb dialogue, and with a strong clever plot that never fails to hold reader interest. The intriguing clues have readers working with Mirabelli and Burns to solve the mystery; Chadwell adds just the right amount of captivating twists and turns to keep her readers pondering the solution. The not easily determined ending is powerful.

    An enthralling murder mystery that is set in the city that never sleeps.

  • CHASING NATHAN by Jeanette Hubbard, a humorous suspense novel

    CHASING NATHAN by Jeanette Hubbard, a humorous suspense novel

    An epic convoy of bad men, good guys, tough women, and international operatives who zigzag across the Oregon wilderness chasing a truck-load of marijuana briquettes, a million bucks in cash, and one lovable border collie in this fast-paced satire by Jeanette Hubbard.

    Claudie, independent and relationship-weary, encounters Nathan, an affable bookstore owner, when the two camp side-by-side in what should be an idyllic woodsy retreat. Sparks of mutual interest waft over grilled salmon and chilled sauterne, until a nasty character named Hammer in a clapped-out truck decides to park nearby, barely squeezing in among the boulders. He’s loud and foul-mouthed, and he abuses his border collie. 

    The next morning, Nathan and his Winnebago are gone, along with Hammer – only the broken-down truck and the nervous collie remain. Claudie, a bit miffed at Nathan’s defection and suspecting foul play, stows the mistreated canine in her car and buzzes off to find the nearest lawman. Little does she realize that she has become part of a massive dope deal gone wrong, with Nathan and his old female friend Dani, an espionage expert, in the thick of it.  

    Claudie will learn a lot about Nathan, who, it turns out, is not just the jolly bookworm he appears to be; and there’s a lot Nathan will discover about the surprisingly intrepid Claudie. She worries about Nathan as she fends off the weirdos trying to take her dog away, while Nathan thinks of her fondly even as he makes a daring escape from the violent Hammer and his evil twin Sprocket.

    Author Jeanette Hubbard introduced Claudie, a seasoned sixty-something, in her first novel, Secrets, Lies and Champagne Highs. In this rollicking sequel, Hubbard displays her knowledge of highways, weaponry, dopers, and spies. Chasing Nathan criss-crosses genres: part hippie, biker, road-tripper’s fantasy, part thriller with intellectual undertones, love interest, and liberal lacings of humor.

    Claudie appeals as a gutsy heroine with one hand on the steering wheel, the other flipping a bird at the thugs who try and fail to grab the collie. But she has her smarmy side, too, secretly admitting that despite her best defenses against a new romance, Nathan makes her feel all warm and fuzzy.

    Chasing Nathan has a non-stop plot that celebrates the back roads, the great Northwest, and two saucy seniors who can flirt, fight, and floor the accelerator as the situation demands.

  • THE BLEAK: a Sam Dyke Investigations, Book 4 by Keith Dixon

    THE BLEAK: a Sam Dyke Investigations, Book 4 by Keith Dixon

    “The ninth rule of private detection states that you should never take on a client you think might be nuts. I wasn’t entirely convinced this was the case with the woman who’d called me that morning, but I was certainly tending that way.”

    Sam Dyke is a private investigator whom you can’t help but enjoy getting to know. Readers will quickly get to understand Dyke’s character by his sharing of his detective tenets.

    The case involves a distraught female named Margaret, who is deeply concerned over the recent behavior of her boss Nathan. Though apprehensive, Dyke takes on her case anyway even if it goes against his better judgement.

    What unfolds is a fast-paced thriller based in England, specifically in Crewe, where a number of questionable suicides have taken place. One of these suicides turns out to be Margaret’s boss.

    Dyke shares more of his detective axioms: “I’ve found that once I start a case it tends to move quickly. I hadn’t exactly started on this— whatever “it” turned out to be— but things still moved along at a click.”

    Sam’s focus rests upon the research facility where Nathan worked. In fact, Sam is asked by the CEO of the company to look into Nathan’s death as well. This was not well received by some of the employees. “Why are you letting Dyke into all this? He’s a little toe-rag who shouldn’t be truffling around looking for something that he won’t find.”

    Sam faces near silence and some pretty stiff push-back from some of those whom he interviews: “What do you think you’re going to find, exactly? What do you think people are going to tell you?”

    Sam counters with “I won’t know until they tell me. That’s the way it is in this game. One minute, complete ignorance, the next, enlightenment. Private detection is almost a spiritual act.”

    A real sense of danger and suspense culminates in some fairly intense moments for our main character. At times you are left wondering if Sam Dyke has taken on his last case.

    When Sam interview’s Nathan’s wife, Isobel, what she tells him gives him grave reason for concern. “In the last eighteen months I watched my husband change from someone who enjoyed his life, enjoyed his work and enjoyed whatever spare time he had left to spend with me. He changed into someone whom I barely recognized. He didn’t eat well. He didn’t sleep well. He spent more time at the office than any sane man should.”

    As the story progresses you learn of the bleak. Who or what is the bleak? You’re going to have to read this well-crafted detective tale to find out. Keith Dixon has given readers a thrill ride in this fast-paced story of hidden truths waiting to be discovered.

    Keith Dixon’s winning protagonist is Sam Dyke; a gritty British detective who can take as well as give. Fans of hard-boiled detective series are going to revel in following the cases of Sam Dyke, Investigations.

  • RAVEN’S REDEMPTION by John Trudel — a cybertech paranormal thriller

    RAVEN’S REDEMPTION by John Trudel — a cybertech paranormal thriller

    Raven’s Redemption begins where Raven’s Run left off: Josie is recovering in a hospital in Oregon, and Raven, recuperating at a coastal estate in rugged Northern California. He feels responsible for putting her life in jeopardy. Josie is a sensitive paranormal who can do ‘remote viewings’ – but viewings involving violence, remote or otherwise, weaken her to the point of death.

    Raven is an undercover operative who tries to protect her. He receives his next mission from Goldfarb, his boss: Josie’s untraceable extraction from the medical facility. What none of them know is that sinister forces are at work to make sure Josie never gets out alive.

    Her services are desperately needed again, and this mission cannot fail: she is a non-expendable government asset. It’s a simple grab-the-girl and run – or should be – but when animal activists become involved, chaos reigns, and not everyone makes it out intact.

    The story shifts to another hospital – this time the President of the United States is hospitalized in a secret facility after being irreparably poisoned. After a brief period of rest and recuperation for Josie and Raven, Josie is tasked to work her viewings around the condition of the president. While in her viewing state, she encounters a dark force so powerful and evil she cannot penetrate it – and is afraid it would swallow her very life force if she got too close.

    Should the president die, this force, aptly named “The Abyss”, will be unleashed on the world, and with no stopping it. Unfortunately, all envisioned paths to the future lead to his death!

    Goldfarb’s team is able to use Josie’s information to track down those who want the president dead, but the real problem is knowing who is directing their actions, and why. Some familiar villains appear in this book – we get to be entertained with Vogel’s thick German accent and lack of empathy – and some new ones, who seem familiar enough that we might have read about them in the newspaper or seen a report on television.

    In between the heart-stopping, rag-tag, under-funded operations to rescue damsels and flush out the bad guys, Trudel gives us past examples of breaches of security in history to make plausible actions taken in his story. He relates the legend of General Blackjack Pershing’s pig-blood solution to jihad, though the historical authenticity of this event has been challenged where criticism of Islam is politically incorrect.  Occurring over a century ago, the incident – which has been neither proven nor disproved – provides a richer backdrop to the actions of an unanticipated (and unwitting) ally during a chilling nighttime raid.

    In light of recent terrorist events that leave us wondering “how could this have happened?” Trudel offers up examples of enemies hiding in plain sight, of churches that aren’t the peaceful sanctuaries one might expect, and of plans for evil that are much better funded than their defensive counterparts.

    Raven’s character is becoming less rogue. He is listening more to Josie rather than acting brashly every time. She desperately wants out of the business they’re in – “one more mission and we’ll retire” – how many times have you heard that one? This reader doesn’t remotely foresee a true retirement happening any time soon!

    Those who read Raven’s Run will be satisfied with this riveting sequel, but those who are new to Trudel’s work will enjoy it on its own if they are a fan of political intrigue, firearms technology – both new and old, espionage and a bit of other-worldliness to make this a true paranormal thriller.

     

  • BANISHED THREADS by Kaylin McFarren – a standout romantic thriller

    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.

  • WAKE ME UP by Justin Bog — a psychological mystery/suspense literary work

    WAKE ME UP by Justin Bog — a psychological mystery/suspense literary work

    A teenage boy lies in a coma, mentally reliving the events leading up to his attack by a gang of classmates on a random wilding spree.

    From his hospital bed, Chris Bullet suffers the aftermath of being cornered, mocked, and bludgeoned by boys who have correctly sensed his vulnerability (from their viewpoint)—he is gay, though Chris tries to hide it.  Comatose, Chris “sees” through closed eyes the hidden actions, fears, loves, and guilt of those whose lives intersect his.

    Why did Ellis, the boy Chris secretly desired, join his attackers?  Why is Geoff, Chris’ lawyer father, so depressed, and indeed, suicidal? Why does Chris’ poetess/professor mother clamp the lid so tightly on her feelings? In the middle of this triangle, is a visiting writer named Deepika who begins an affair with Geoff, is going to have his “love” child, Chris’s half-sibling. All the while, Deepika may be running away from her own fate. Somehow, Chris walks in the minds of these people and others, slowly comprehending what led to his attack. At times he accesses an alter ego, the main character in Deepika’s latest collection of short fiction—Sai, a quick-witted, openly gay newspaper reporter.

    The genius of author Justin’s Bog’s first full-length novel is that though everything Chris “knows” and recounts in his inner monologue is mysterious, maybe mystical, there is no hint of hocus-pocus, nor of the vague disjointed dream sequences one might expect from an unconscious protagonist.

    In the brief lead-up and denouement we see reality clearly: the attack and the aftermath. In between, everything that “happens” to Chris in his shut-off state is just as real and just as believable–but impossible. It would be hard to identify a literary precedent for this method of construction—Franz Kafka, perhaps, meets Lewis Carroll.

    Bog’s Wake Me Up is a mind-tickling read, combining a headline-grabbing story (defenseless boy battered to mental oblivion by brutish thugs), an over-arching theme (how do we as a society handle hate crime?), and a line-up of complex characters subtly analyzed and connected in the mind of a brilliant, hypersensitive, but comatose adolescent.

    Wake Me Up is a trip through the brain of an injured teenage boy whose supercharged perceptions expose the secret sins of those he wants to love and hopes to believe in.

  • The CLUE Awards for Suspense/Thriller Fiction 2015 First Place Category Winners

    The CLUE Awards for Suspense/Thriller Fiction 2015 First Place Category Winners

    Thriller Suspense Fiction AwardThe CLUE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of  Suspense/Thriller Fiction. The CLUE Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

    We are pleased to announce the 2015 CLUE Awards Official First Place Category Winners. Good Luck to them as they compete for the 2015 CLUE Grand Prize Award.

    Global Thrillers 2015

    Please note that Global Thrillers and Lab Lit fiction entries were moved to the newly offered Global Thrillers Awards 2016.

     

    Congratulations to the 2015 CLUE Awards First In Category Award Winning Suspense/Thriller Fiction Novels:

    • Blended Genre: Timothy S. Johnston – The Tanner Sequence
    • Suspense/Thriller: K. J. Klemme – Tourist Trapped
    • Mystery/Crime: Patrick M. Garry – Blind Spots
    • Manuscript Mystery/Crime: Scott D. Smith – Guilty Deeds
    • Espionage/Spy: Michele Daniel – The Red Circle
    • Contemporary Suspense:  Christine Benedict – Anonymous 
    • Mystery:  Lonna Enox – Blood Relations
    • Historical/Vintage Thriller: Michael Scheffel – St. Louis Affair: The Adventures of Herbert Falken
    • Legal/Medical/Police Procedural: Laurie Stevens for The Mask of Midnight
    • Courtroom Drama: Hubert Crouch for The Word
    • True Crime: Zach Fortier for CurbChek Reload
    • International Mystery & Crime: Marian Exall – A Dangerous Descent

    More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

    cac16The CLUE First Place  Category award winners will compete for the CLUE Grand Prize Award for the 2015 Suspense/Thriller Fiction Novel. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 30, 2016 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

    The First In Category award winning titles will receive an award package including a complimentary Chanticleer Book Review of the winning title, digital award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

    We are now accepting entries into the 2017 CLUE Awards. The deadline is September 30, 2016.  Click here for more information or to enter.

    Congratulations to those who made the CLUE Awards 2015 FIRST PLACE official listing.

    More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2015 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Ten genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

    Who will take home the $1,000 purse this coming April at the Chanticleer Awards Gala and Banquet?

  • The CLUE Awards for Thriller/Suspense Novels 2015 – Official Finalist Listing

    The CLUE Awards for Thriller/Suspense Novels 2015 – Official Finalist Listing

    Thriller Suspense Fiction AwardThe CLUE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genres of  Thriller and Suspense Novels. The CLUE Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

    More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2015 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 30, 2016!

    The CLUE Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres  are:

    • Suspense/Thriller
    • Detective/Crime
    • Private Eye/Noir
    • Legal/Medical/Police Procedural
    • Spy/Espionage
    • 2015 — Amateur Sleuth/Cozy

    The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions and Awards Packages.

    This is the OFFICIAL FINALIST POSTING of Authors and Titles that have made it to the Short-list of the CLUE 2015 Novel Writing Contest.

    • CG Fewston for  A Time to Love in Tehran
    • K. J. Klemme for Tourist Trapped
    • Patrick M. Garry for Blind Spots
    • Shirley Worley for Easy Money
    • Sue Barnard for The Unkindest Cut of All
    • Michael A Smith for The Money Game
    • Timothy S. Johnston for The Void; The Freezer;  &  The Furnace
    • J.G. Schwartz for Inventing Madness
    • Timothy Smith for The Red House on the Hill
    • Antonio Commisso for Silent Partner
    • Dave Edlund for Relentless Savage
    • Joe Young for Indian Country
    • Hannah Warren for The Cottage on the Border
    • Gary Grossman for Old Earth
    • Joe Corso for Lafitte’s Treasure
    • Laurie Stevens for The Mask of Midnight
    • Virgil Alexander for The Baleful Owl
    • Matt Stewart for The Man from KNEW News
    • DL Koontz for Edging through Darkness
    • Mark Pople for Rogers Park
    • Ivan Light for Deadly Secret of the Lusitania
    • Megan Davidson for The Thundering
    • Carol Hedges for Death & Dominion
    • Lucy Carol for Hot Scheming Mess
    • John T. Young for The Princess of Poland
    • Keith Tittle for A Matter of Justice
    • Scott D. Smith for Guilty Deeds
    • K. J. Klemme for Tourist Trapped
    • Mimi Barbour for Special Agent Maximilian
    • Michele Daniel for The Red Circle
    • Zach Fortier for Landed on Black; Hero to Zero; Street Creds
    • Lonna Enox  for Blood Relations
    • Rian Everest for The Tangerine Tigress & The Tangerine Trio
    • M. L. Rowland for Murder on the Horizon
    • Ken Oder for The Closing & Old Wounds to the Heart
    • Marilyn Ida Horowitz for The Book of Zen
    • Christine Benedict for Anonymous
    • Debra Erfert for Relative Evil
    • Joan Hall Hovey for The Deepest Dark
    • S.J. Dunn for Angry Enough to Kill
    • Hubert Crouch for The Word
    • Kent Politsch for Blood Anger
    • Stephen Kaminski for Murder, She Floats
    • Tom Dalgliesh for  All Corpses on Deck
    • D. J. Adamson for Outre
    • J.A. Faura for Apex Predator
    • N.G. West for Nine Days to Evil
    • Vanessa Leigh Hoffman for Treasure
    • Chief John J. Mandeville for Pine Village Co-op Murders and Sherlockito
    • J.J. Chow for Seniors Sleuth
    • Vinnie Hansen for Black Beans & Venom
    • Marian Exall for  A Dangerous Descent

    The CLUE Finalists will compete for the CLUE Awards First In Category Positions, which consists of Four Judging Rounds.  First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the CLUE GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize of $250 or $500 dollars in editorial services. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.   

    • All First In Category Award Winners will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.
    • First In Category winners will compete for the CLUE Awards Grand Prize Award for the $250 purse and the CLUE Grand Prize Ribbon and badges.
    • TEN genre Grand Prize winning titles will compete for the $1,000 purse for CBR Best Book and Overall Grand Prize.
    • A coveted Chanticleer Book Review valued at $345 dollars U.S. CBR reviews will be published in the Chanticleer Reviews magazine in chronological order as to posting.
    • A CBR Blue Ribbon to use in promotion at book signings and book festivals
    • Digital award stickers for on-line promotion
    • Adhesive book stickers
    • Shelf-talkers and other promotional items
    • Promotion in print and on-line media
    • Review of book distributed to on-line sites and printed media publications
    • Review, cover art, and author synopsis listed in CBR’s newsletter
    • Default First in Category winners will not be declared. Contests are based on merit and writing craft in all of the Chanticleer Writing Competitions.

    As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com. 

    Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest! 

    Good Luck to all of the CLUE Finalists as they compete for the coveted First Place Category  positions.

    First In Category announcements will be made in our social media postings as the results come in.

    The CLUE Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category winners will be announced and recognized at the April 30th, 2016 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash. 

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2016 CLUE Awards writing competitions for Western Fiction. Please click here for more information or to enter the contests.

     

  • SMALL TOWN STORM by Elise K. Ackers – a chilling and dark contemporary thriller

    SMALL TOWN STORM by Elise K. Ackers – a chilling and dark contemporary thriller

    Aptly titled, Elise K. Ackers’s Small Town Storm is an intriguing and electric mystery set in contemporary Olinda, Australia. Jordan Hill and Erica Lawrence were inseparable childhood best friends until one fateful night when Erica’s family was torn apart and Erica disappeared without a trace.

    Jordan has always assumed she died. Nineteen years later, Jordan is the new senior constable in his hometown. He has several issues to contend with, including catching up on the small town gossip he has missed out on over the years while living in Melbourne. But when he runs into Erica, a ghost from his past, things take a turn for the worse.

    Erica, too, is newly returned to Olinda, taking a position as a veterinarian in the same town where she disappeared from all those many years ago. Jordan, who has spent years devastated by her supposed death, is shocked and angry when he encounters her—doesn’t she understand the pain she caused him? Erica, too, is saddened by Jordan’s less than warm response. To make matters worse, a murder has shaken the peaceful town and Erica is the sole suspect. Erica and Jordan must put aside their differences in order to find answers.

    Ackers takes a fascinating premise and enlivens it with sparkling dialogue, small town details, and excellent characterization. Readers will be immediately captivated by both the mystery plot and the burgeoning romance between Erica and Jordan.

    Additional layers of intrigue surrounding why Erica left town nineteen years before and what happened to her family add depth and complexity to the plot. Even secondary characters are well-drawn, lending the story an authentic voice and making the menacing plot palpable and chilling. The novel moves at a brisk pace ratcheting up the suspense level to a crescendo on all fronts. Fans of mysteries and suspense novels will be sure to be captivated by Small Town Storm, but be warned that this is a darker mystery complete with serial killers and gruesome acts.

    Fans of mysteries and suspense novels will surely be captivated by the engrossing Small Town Storm, an intriguing and well written mystery page-turner that will have you double-checking your locks and looking over your shoulder. Elise K. Ackers is certainly one to watch.