Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Mystery Suspense

BELIEVE by Annaliese Darr — Magical Realism & Mysteries

Spring O’Flaherty has an unusual problem. From childhood she’s been not only clairvoyant, but also able to see auras. These are not just faint, she can see them if she squints auras, but vibrant auras, dark auras, life force fading auras –a virtual kaleidoscope of energies always swirling.

Fortunately, she comes from a loving and religious family that understands her special talents and helps her deal with them the best that they can. Her father is a preacher in the Blue Ridge mountain country of western Virginia, and often takes the family on revival trips and her mother doesn’t discount her daughter’s unique “gift.”

Even with her family’s support, Spring has some terrifying experiences in her youth that made her suppress her powers and reject God. (“Holding the person you love as he bleeds out is enough to turn anyone into a cynic,” she tells her mom.) She walks away from the painful past and works hard to build a normal life, becoming an attorney in Atlanta where she tries to block her “gift.” Her new world disdains and disavows the mysterious, intangible forces, which suits Spring just fine.

That is, until she meets Jed Collinsworth, a charming, handsome, and well-bred Southern gentleman who is also a top-level district attorney from a wealthy family. When her dream comes true and he asks her to marry him, she then begins to balk from fear that learning of her powers will not only repel Jed personally, but that worries that her “gift” becomes public knowledge that it might ruin his career.

So, she seeks help from a psychologist, who takes her back to the beginning. Through revisiting her memories, she starts to integrate who she was with whom she is, while hoping to find a way to live with her gift, and trying to be honest with the man she loves without scaring him off or ruining his career.

Annaliese Darr, the author, writes of the Appalachian culture of tent revivals, blue grass & gospel music, and beliefs in “psychic gifts” and the old ways with a deftness and clarity that juxtaposes Spring’s new life chapter in the big city. Darr’s dialogue and characters are refreshing and captivating while her heartwarming story encompasses mystery and murder.

The novel is split between her backstory, brought out through the counseling sessions, and the front story of how she deals with Jed and her powers (“I could feel the noose of destiny tightening around my neck”). The narrative is straightforward with no ruffles and flourishes, but is written sometimes with witty and loving banter and sometimes it is written with palpable sadness that steps the reader through a complex tale and time switches without confusion. Darr balances the mystery of “what happened?” with “what happens next?” as she capably builds the suspense and tension on several fronts.

Spring’s refusal to tell Jed her secret is frustrating to him and to her—especially because Jed is someone whom we, the readers, can believe can deal with it. However, at the point her hesitation turns implausible, we recognize the true battle Spring is fighting. Readers will find themselves rooting for Spring (and for Jed) and for the bad guys to get what they so justly deserve in this very special story that will touch your heart and pull you in.

August 22, 2016
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.

August 5, 2016
FRAGMENTS OF YOUR SOUL by E.S Erbsland, a thought-provoking fantasy novel

Shape-shifters, runes, and mystical creatures all collide to create an engaging story in E.S. Erbsland’s fantasy novel Fragments of your Soul. Lovers of the fantasy genre and anything relating to magic will not be disappointed by this compelling plot-line.

The tale begins by showing the protagonist, Arvid, a woman who is almost thirty, feeling trapped by a mundane life. Her desire is granted to her when she falls through a portal into an alternate dimension. The utter weirdness of her new dwelling is dangerous and repugnant. Grieving for her mother, she longs for all that is familiar. She burns with livid anger at the “gods” who created these portals, but claim they don’t know how to un-create them … or send someone back.

Instead of showing the demanded reverence for these gods, she shows contempt and fury. To her, the concept that the gods are good and deserve obedience is utterly false. The story reveals fragments of one powerful male character’s soul little by little as he interacts with Arvid. She has something he needs to accomplish his goal. Is he good? Will he help her? Or is he ruled by a devious heart?

Readers watch magic powers develop within some characters, and learn about runes, the written language of this world––and runes which are tools used to create magic. We meet gods, humans, demons, cave worms, dwarves, giants, and shape-shifters. Immersed in this new foreign world, the reader experiences Arvid’s adventures eliciting fear, loss, pain, horror, anger, guilt, and love.

The Shadow World designed in the novel creates vivid pictures of a place totally foreign to readers, but one that our imagination accepts. Nonetheless, readers will be drawn in by how realistic the world is. Each word engages the five senses and racks up an emotional response that creates an unbreakable connection to the protagonist. Readers will wonder if they could endure Arvid’s tragedy, and they will hope that she will pull through.

Arvid doesn’t give up on her quest to return home, but at times she comes close to defeat. Readers will cringe when they measure her courage against their own. While she navigates through ordeals, reader empathy grows for her exhaustion in the fight, for the bitter cold, and for her loneliness. Arvid’s goals and motivations are clear, driving her through tremendous hardships. The characters interacting with Arvid let us know who she is and how she thinks.

Readers can also expect to be enthralled by the carefully crafted plot. Unexpected conflict boils and simmers throughout the novel and seduces readers into turning the next page. Many settings and characters exist in the story, but they are so well introduced that the reader maintains a vivid picture and remembers them when referenced again. The multiple types of beings and their interactions reveal how the Shadow World functions.

Erbsland has crafted a thought-provoking novel that will engross readers of fantasy and beyond. This reviewer looks forward to continuing reading this riveting story in the second novel of the Mirror Worlds series.
Reviewer’s Note: This book is recommended for readers over seventeen due to some brief sexual content.

June 16, 2016
PORTIA BENCH by Robert Boyd, a horror thriller novel

Ill-fated Clint Matheson. He lands what looks like the stellar job of his career—managing construction of a new highway across British Columbia, in time for the Expo 86 World’s Fair in Vancouver—only to find the highway must cross Portia Bench–a tableland that is ideal for a roadway.

However, it is actually a graveyard. Centuries ago, a First Nations chief lost his bride there in an earthquake, and in his grief he forever cursed the land. Later, a horrible train wreck took more lives, including those of circus animals. So when Clint’s team starts surveying this cursed ground, spirits awake, and start fighting back.

Survey teams are slaughtered when crew members suddenly go berserk. Surviving crew members see bewildering visions and hear incomprehensible noises. Clint, who learns of the legends from a contemporary chief and his daughter, plus a museum director knowledgeable about the Kootenay Central Railway, finds that maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss the legend of the curse, especially once he starts seeing some of the visions himself.

But Clint can’t make his bosses believe, and they refuse his begging to reroute the highway. He has to find some way to stop the spirits from going crazy and get the road built. Meanwhile, crew after crew comes to grief. Even nature conspires to set back the project, with harsh winters and mysterious wildfires.

The story takes on a Grade-B-horror-movie flavor as the body count rises as an entire work crew is murdered. The plot of this story is about supposed progress interfering with a cursed landscape and unleashing primeval forces. Clint has to wrestle with some serious conflicting interests along with finding himself romantically distracted by Chief Edwin’s daughter, Cindy.

The most intriguing aspect of Portia Bench is the regional history brought to life by the author, who clearly has done his homework, and knows from experience the hardships of building roads across the high backcountry of western Canada. The central mystery of the story is: Will Clint be able to come up with a solution, or will the spirits wipe everyone out? The odds are against Clint and he must risk all to find a way.

June 2, 2016
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.

June 2, 2016
THE MANIPULATER by Steve Lundin, a near-future darkly humourous satire

In the very near future, as portrayed in Steve Lundin’s darkly comic satire, The Manipulator, the marketing industry has taken over the world by turning it into a data-driven surveillance ruled technocracy. Jack Vance, Lundin’s protagonist, is the product of this high-tech environment that is socially and morally bankrupt. A smart and worldly guy, Jack prides himself in the kind of quick thinking that can keep him a nanosecond or two ahead of his enemies and competitors.

Jack was on the fast track to becoming the brightest star in New York City’s media universe until a critical lapse in judgement crashes his career and his reputation. However, Jack’s back. This time in Chicago, with his own company and a plan.

As a self-diagnosed sociopath, Jack will be the first to tell you that he’s more than qualified to tangle with the best of this brave new world’s hidden persuader elite. He lives to sell, to conjure up that next bigger and better promotion from which he can get a fix for his addiction to the thrill of closing a deal. And Jack has just taken on the ultimate deal. His new venture, Blowfish, is a winner-takes-all marketing firm run on the premise that the higher the risk the higher the return.

Lundin, the author, draws from his background as a journalist and marketing expert to weave an ultra-contemporary and entertaining story of greed, excess, and the insatiable nature of the human condition. From Jack’s self-designed corporate “War Room” – a “Glen Garry Glen Ross” style employee think-tank where jobs are constantly on the line – to his drug and alcohol-induced decision-making processes, Jack is every inch the anti-hero that readers love to hate, but don’t. Think “Mad Men’s” Don Draper on Ritalin-enhanced premium vodka with an arsenal of the latest black-market techno gizmos, access to the freshly minted data, and, of course, while being smartly attired at all times.

With his Blowfish team grinding numbers and probabilities in the background, Jack devises a scheme to launch their client’s mobile network onto the world stage by using the audience draw of the Super Bowl. In Jack’s mind, pitting the surefire new hit “Some Will Die,” a hyper-reality show– Jack’s brainchild – in which morbidly obese contestants sign on to lose half their body weight in a short period of time, or die trying–against the much “tamer” SuperBowl can’t miss. Or can it? It is a risky gambit that will either put Jack and his staff on the streets, or set them up for life,

Yes, winners receive riches and fame, but it’s the losers, along with the show’s Russian task-master host, Vlad Berber, who provide the entertainment fodder for the show’s twisted audience.

With a fast-paced story line and a rich cast of characters, this award-winning winning novel offers a uniquely hilarious, but scary, perspective on the how the businesses of public relations and marketing can take technology to its precipice to take advantage of a media addicted public. Lundin’s clever blending of fact and fiction alternately tempts and taunts the reader with Vlad’s prophetic question, “Are you comfortable with the edge?” Highly recommended.

May 12, 2016
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.

April 25, 2016
E-Book Sales as Core of Your Books’ Marketing Plan by James Wells
The eBook market is a huge opportunity, especially for indie authors.

If you’re not focusing on eBook sales as a core part of your marketing plan, you’re missing out.

When I published my first novel The Great Symmetry, I printed a few hundred copies and imagined that it would be a great success if I sold them out. I had no idea where I would find the vast majority of my readers.

Just a year later, about 95% of my sales are eBooks. Every day, readers are buying my book on Amazon and other sites from all over the world.

To get traction in the eBook market, I tried out new things, made plenty of mistakes, and then had a series of increasing successes. I’m grateful to the authors who helped along the way. Now I’m distilling the most important lessons to help other authors.

At the upcoming Chanticleer Authors Conference, I’ll be presenting a series of three sessions about eBook publishing. The content won’t focus on mechanics like eBook file formats – that’s boring and you can figure out that stuff easily. Rather, we’ll dig into the most important decisions facing an author in the eBook market. The sessions are:
- eBook Publishing 101: Designing your points of sale (such as your Amazon page) to convert browsers into buyers.
- eBook Publishing 102: Getting readers to your points of sale. We’ll emphasize the most cost-effective tool around – the discount promotion.
- eBook Publishing 103: Advanced topics such as series planning, reader magnets, and more.
An overarching theme of all of these sessions is that your eBooks are a central part of your offering.

For some types of book (especially genre fiction by indie authors), it’s the most important channel for you. This means you should plan ahead for your eBook. For instance, some cover designs look wonderful in print, but are failures online – we’ll discuss how to avoid that pitfall. There may even be reasons to modify the text of your novel to sell well as an eBook.

It’s ironic because I don’t even like reading eBooks myself. I only just gave in and bought a Kindle last week. But my preference doesn’t matter to the market – your priority as an author should be to make your book available, and well positioned, in the channels where the readers are found. These days, that means eBooks.

Note from Kiffer Brown

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James R Wells, Science Fiction Author

I would like to thank James R. Wells, the author of The Great Symmetry for sharing his knowledge and experience with the Chanticleer Community.

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April 25, 2016
GHOSTS OF MATEGUAS by Linda Watkins, haunting American Gothic

Spellbindingly dark and suspenseful, Ghosts of Mateguas will captivate gothic fans and keep thriller addicts on the edge of their seats.

An old and wizened Native American shaman reveals what the ancient ones knew: Mateguas Island is steeped in spiritual power. He speaks of the positive effects of the swirling vortexes that lie on and around the island, but also warns that “The same healing energy, when disturbed by outside influences, can create vortexes that have the opposite effect.” He continues to explain that there’s a terrible evil on Mateguas, and it has manifested itself in a toad-like creature known as the Aglebemu – an entity that is an omen of tragedy to come.

The story has characters compelled to return to mysterious Mateguas by their previous forays on the island. Watkins pulls readers into the story to question and investigate secrets of the island: What is this island hiding? Why do people seem to be drawn back to it despite problems that have occurred there for each of them? Many questions are answered as Watkins deftly weaves them together in this eerie saga.

When the protagonist’s son begins displaying odd behaviors, she begins to wonder if he could be the legendary Blessed Boy. Could this boy, who began displaying unbelievable powers upon coming to Mateguas, be a legend come alive? What does the Blessed Boy have in store for the islanders?

This suspense-thriller is a follow-up to the previous two titles: Mateguas Island and Return to Mateguas Island. Linda Watkins continues to engross readers in her compelling world of supernatural intrigue with this third thriller novel, Ghosts of Mateguas.

Although it’s not required to enjoy the storyline, I recommend reading the first two books in the series first to become well-acquainted with the intriguing characters. Even though I read the third book out of sequence, I had an entertaining and scary time exploring its contemporary American gothic world. I am looking forward now to reading the prequels for the series’ full impact. This romantic thriller novel contains some sexual content that may not be suitable for readers under the age of 18.

Ghosts of Mateguas Island is a haunting novel packed with realistic characters and unpredictable twists placed on the backdrop of a spooky, magical island. As one of the main characters states in the book: “Welcome to my world…Strange paths no one else can find, evil spirits…it’s a wonder we’re not all in the loony bin.” This gripping saga is highly recommended for horror and Gothic fiction enthusiasts and those who enjoy romantic thrillers.

April 13, 2016
SHAKESPEARE’S CHANGELING by Syril Levin Kline — the Shakespeare Debate

A debate has long existed among Shakespearean scholars about the authenticity of the playwright’s works. Author Syril Levin Kline is well versed in this subject. Kline presents a credible version of what might have happened back in the 1500s to account for the belief that someone other than William Shakespeare wrote his famous plays.

The novel’s premise arises from a decree of the time that no aristocracy may debase themselves by being involved in commoner pursuits, such as the theater. That doesn’t work for Lord Oxford, a passionate poet and playwright, who is also passionate about Queen Elizabeth. They secretly marry and conceive an heir to the throne, which haunts them beyond their deaths. But because of their liaison in life, Queen Elizabeth allows Oxford to indulge in his art behind the mask of another’s name.

That person is Oxford’s devoted secretary, William Shaxper—an ambitious nobody enamored with the theater, who weasels into Oxford’s graces and rises from “bucolic obscurity” to Oxford’s business partner and official impostor. The ruse lasts for decades; and even when old Shaxper is dying, he is unable to confess his role because of the constant twists and turns of the times.

What times they were—war, plague, rebellion, court intrigues, tortures, and hangings for sins and alliances that changed with the wind. In this era, plays, which we know today as just another medium of entertainment, were used as political weapons. So the masquerade risked dangerous consequences.

The story is told from Shaxper’s viewpoint with occasional switches to other key players. These shifts allow the plot to proceed sequentially and build suspense. The writing is adept, and the narrative is compelling.

The novel is enriched with extracts from Shakespeare’s works and supported by meticulous research. It takes the reader back centuries to the origin of our literary culture, at the same time amusing us with human strengths and frailties that haven’t changed a whit, and presenting serious societal issues to think about.

Shakespeare’s Changeling is Elizabethan historical fiction at its finest—intriguing, entertaining, and erudite. Kline makes a strong case for this alternative viewpoint to this lively debate.

April 7, 2016