There isn’t much to do in Little Current, Abby Parker’s hometown. Desperate to escape her alcoholic mother and absentee father’s drama, Abby Parker takes her dog Riley for a walk near the local tourist attraction, Victorian Town, a restored settlement from the 1800s. When Riley unearths a silver filigree ring engraved with the initials “BB,” Abby doesn’t hesitate to slip the ring onto her finger. In a haze of white, Abby is transported back to 1876.
Abby’s strange clothes and unfamiliar words quickly warrant a visit to the town doctor, Albert Edgecombe, where she meets Martha, his teenage daughter. With Martha’s kindness and easy nature, the girls form a fast friendship despite Abby’s confusion and constant questions. Soon she realizes when the ring is removed from her finger, she returns to her own time. Though warned repeatedly by her modern friend Jess, Abby cannot resist returning to 1876 and Martha’s family. Martha’s older sister, Elizabeth, seemingly left town though no one can confirm her leaving. The mystery of the missing Edgecombe sibling and a connection to the local blacksmith, Ben Dunstone, piques Abby’s interest until she can’t resist defying the laws of nature and returning frequently. However, the ring’s power is draining, and Abby will soon have to choose between the twenty-first century and the new family she has found.
The place of women in 1876 creates an issue for Abby and a theme within the novel. Abby is clearly a modern girl, independent and opinionated. In typical late-teen fashion, she arrives unabashed and uncensored in the quiet Victorian town. Even after she finally understands her “transport,” she refuses complete conformity, continuing instead to both shock and scandalize Martha Edgecombe. Her struggles exemplify most women’s lives and are symbolized in many ways by the simple task of dressing to fit in. In a time of corset, pantalettes, and bustles, Abby is a “shorty-short” girl. Just as she fights her garments in what should be an easy task–dressing for the day–she fights the notion that women should settle, not in their attire and certainly not in their life choices. When Martha mentions women’s roles, those of mother and wife, Abby scoffs and is even disgusted by the suggestion that that should be a good life for a woman. Repeated references to the fairytale Cinderella and Abby’s refusal to want the rescue of a handsome prince highlights her feelings and her appreciation of the place of modern women.
Friendship is another important notion within the novel. Jess, Abby’s modern bestie, is a significant part of Abby’s life. Abby has little to no family support; her mother is an alcoholic, while her father stays gone most of the time. Even Abby’s brothers, who are adults, are absent from Abby’s life. Other than her sheltie, Riley, Abby is alone. Jess is her only real human connection until she develops a close bond with Martha. Both friendships mean more to Abby than anything. She turns to Jess for advice in her time travels. Martha becomes a sister to her when the Edgecombe family welcomes Abby into their family after her abrupt arrival in 1876.
Abby’s closeness to Martha keeps her returning to the past, though her chances of being stuck there increase with each trip. Moreover, she is hurting Jess by venturing into the past. This pull keeps bringing Abby back to the present even when she begins to feel drawn to the past. Though she must eventually choose between Jess and Martha, both girls have a firm claim on Abby’s heartstrings and give her the family she chooses instead of the one into which she was born.
Abby’s sense of purpose is an admirable trait that gives her character a strong, heroic feel. Abby cannot let go of Elizabeth’s disappearance. She refuses to stay safely tucked into her own time when a possible murderer is wandering around in the distant past. Nearly from the first trip, Abby feels she was “chosen” for a reason and beyond determined to discover what that might be even at significant physical and mental risk to herself. What begins as a mystery becomes a rescue mission when Abby finds her friends’ fate through historical documents. Abby cannot leave the fate of Martha and Ben to chance.
Victorian Town won First in Category in the CIBA 2019 Dante Rossetti Awards for Young Adult fiction novels.
Kari Bovée’s Peccadillo at the Palace, the second book in the Annie Oakley Mystery series, is a historical, mystery thriller extraordinaire. Fans of both genres will thrill at Bovée’s complex plot that keeps us guessing from its action-packed beginning to the satisfying reveal at the end.
The book opens with the Honorable Colonel Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show to England on a voyage to perform for Queen Victoria. They are not on the high seas long, when Annie’s beloved horse, Buck, jumps overboard. Her husband and the Queen’s loyal servant, Mr. Bhakta, jump in to save the horse, or was Mr. Bhakta already dead before he reached the water? Thus, begins the mystery of who killed Mr. Bhakta, leaving all to wonder, is the Queen safe?
Someone wanted the Queen’s man dead, and he is, but was it a matter of racism, intrigue, or an accident? Annie’s search for clues points her in several directions, but is it the doctor, or the woman dressed in rags with the posh accent, or the crass American businessman and his floozy wife? All have motive. Even Annie’s husband has motive with his Irish background and ties to the Fenians and the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Annie rushes through her days, trying to find clues and care for her husband who fell ill on the voyage and isn’t recovering. Is her husband’s illness seasickness, flu, or something else? Her husband forbids her to search for clues, fearing that Annie will get herself in over her head, but “Little Miss Sure shot” has no fear – as long as she’s packing her pistols.
Annie follows her leads from the ship, the State of Nebraska, to the show’s camp at the Earl’s Court, the market, and the Queen’s court. In a sea of suspects, everyone looks guilty. But, are Annie’s hunches always right?
This wild romp through England’s royal court is sure to thrill readers as tantalizing clues lead us astray; even as the body count rises and suspects are murdered.
Peccadillo at the Palace by Kari Bovée is a page-turner from beginning to end, so much so, that Bovée took home the Grand Prize in the CIBA 2019 GOETHE Awards for Historical Fiction. Readers will burn the midnight oil with this one. Highly recommended.
A marvelous, riveting whodunit with a complicated hero in Annie Oakley at the helm. A perfect read for mystery lovers and one we love. Highly recommended.
Danger surfaces like a crocodile, sudden, unavoidable, and with deadly consequences in N.L. Holmes’ latest novel, The Crocodile Makes No Sound.
Politics now touch the lives of Lord Hani’s cherished family members, dear friends, and, ultimately, the society of this fragile Egyptian New Kingdom. But it’s Lord Hani’s diplomatic skills that hang in the balance and are put to the test.
Trusted allies are few and hard to recognize. The winds of change sometimes blow apart past loyalties, or so it may appear. Hani must rely on his wits and ingenuity, but will that be enough?
Hani’s beloved hometown of Waset has eerily emptied as much of the population has migrated to the highly acclaimed sparkling new capital. With his conflicting beliefs, Hani attempts to keep a low profile with his new government and urges his family to do the same for their own safety.
These are perilous times. But when his brother-in-law goes missing after being interrogated, the family fears he’s dead. In a move that Hani sees as suspicious, the king orders him to host a delegation at his home until the king can prepare to receive them. Are Hani and his family under increased scrutiny?
Under this cloud, Hani is summoned to the Beloved Royal Wife at the new capital, who entrusts him with her dark secret and pleads for his help. She is being blackmailed, and the clock is ticking before her fears will be realized. Hani is cautious, knowing he must not take any action that could stir the king’s ire. Yet he can see not only the danger to this young princess but also the broader implications to the new society if these revelations surface. He is compelled to investigate. When his suspect turns up murdered, Hani plunges deeper into a dark and menacing scheme.
Fun and memorable characters highlight the artful books by this author. While Hani probes the politics, he’s also surrounded by fascinating adventures driven by others. His daughter studies with a curious doctor in the capital. The trials and tribulations of her internship are, at times, concerning. Hani’s son follows in his father’s footsteps as a scribe, but discontent with his work suggests he may pursue a new life goal, but is that a wise decision? Beloved and trusted assistant Maya, and Hani’s daughter are newlyweds adjusting to married life and their dreams together. And longtime friend Ptah-mes and his wife struggle to choose sides in this politically charged time. They each work to decide what it is they truly believe.
N.L. Holmes blends extensive knowledge of this period in ancient Egypt and vivid imagination into a page-turning mystery spicy enough to capture any mystery and historical fiction lovers’ attention. Here we have an author who understands human nature and how that drives motives and actions to create an extraordinary story.
The captivating plot is punctuated with Hani’s delightful and insightful aphorisms. The Crocodile Makes No Sound, and there’s nowhere to hide.
In a propelling follow-up to Karl G. Larew’s captivating novella Catari, where love, history, and family drama become intertwined within an investigative murder mystery, the story continues in Darlene, an artfully crafted literary sequel.
Having uncovered the mystery of Catari’s death, inquisitive BFFs and comrades Maxwell Roux and Darlene Wolfe reunite to deal with the conflict-driven wrath of Catari’s stepfather, Hugh Fontane, and her half-brother Jeffrey. They seek to gain control over the Fontano family estate, as well as Catari’s reputation. However, the historic Italian villa and burial crypt have been left in Max and Darlene’s hands, as per the wishes and dictum of Catari’s baronial grandfather’s will.
Early on, readers learn that Max had a former relationship with Catari. Bisexual Darlene, who lives as a lesbian, was also involved with Catari. Clearly, the unique friendship delivers an interesting trio, though now with Catari’s passing, the remaining duo seems duty-bound to keep their relationship at a platonic level, because Darlene wishes to remain a committed lesbian; however, desires undoubtedly bubble beneath the surface. Initially, Larew weaves charming hand-holding and shared beds, with Darlene robed in oversized PJs, to suggest proper, old-fashioned decorum, yet the sensation of underlying lust and desire prevails.
Catari’s family members’ intentions are brought to light via written correspondence, agitated encounters, and lively meetings that reveal the father and son desire to turn the villa and family crypt into a tourist rental site and attraction for ghost hunters. The Fontanes levy their plans with threats to expose Catari’s romance with Darlene and slander her reputation with untruths regarding risqué photos, problematic drinking, and “casting couch” insinuations.
Larew’s sophisticated narrative style quickly draws readers into the story. He allows Max to break the fourth wall and ask the audience difficult questions about ESP, ghosts, and sex. From the straight-forward opening directive that asks, “Do you believe in precognition?” to admonishments to readers hoping to glimpse Max and Darlene’s potential sexual interludes, Larew also allows Max to go further with intimate asides. The use of these creative tropes helps create a tangible atmosphere and hook readers immediately.
There is a certain air of old-world formality in Larew’s language and intonation that speaks directly to these central characters’ refinement. With Max’s love of music and Darlene’s career in the field, classical and operatic references are well placed throughout the story. From Caruso’s “Pour un Baiser” (For a kiss) announced as a bookend in Max’s life, to the strains of “La Bohème,” music suggests itself as a fitting landscape for the Catari, Darlene, Max three-fold drama. Indeed, such melodies offer a complimentary balm for the emotional upheaval of these characters and their situations.
Against detailed backdrops of New York apartments, shared meals at ethnic eateries, and the sprawling estate in Italy, Max and Darlene navigate their way through the mire of tensions, threats, questions, and concerns in their effort to preserve the sanctity of the villa, and uphold the legacy of their beloved Catari.
Darlene is clearly a provocative and arresting work that can stand freely on its own. With notable characters and well-defined interactions, the familial drama proves a delightful and compelling read. Those who want more may wish to pick up Catari, the novella that started it all.
We’ve long said that we are leaders in digital and technology. This is who we are! Now, because of our new living situation, i.e. COVID19, digital platforms and marketing tips are even more important to creating and sustaining our author platforms and building our readership.
What we need is strategy – and a bit of know-how to make our efforts pay off. We all want to sell books. We all want to be writing and connecting with our audiences. While thinking about this today, Kiffer and I thought we would revisit one of our most helpful posts about Book Marketing. Michelle Cox’s, Hot Marketing Tips are Shared in the 10 Question Author Interview with MICHELLE COX – Author Interviews, Marketing, Craft of Writing. Here’s an author who knows what she’s talking about.
Michelle Cox is one of the panelists on A Multi-prong Approach to Book Marketing with Paul Hanson of Village Books, Michelle Cox – Historical Fiction, J.I. Rogers – Science Fiction, and Tina Sloan, contemporary thriller author and actress that is scheduled for Sunday, Sept 13, 2020 at VCAC.
After reading this post, you feel you would like some new information, I would like to invite you to our VCAC starting next week, September 8 – 13, 2020, where experts, like bestselling authors Robert Dugoni, J.D. Barker, top film producer Scott Steindorff, author /actor Chris Humphreys, Amy Stapleton and Wayne Richard from CHATABLES, and Paul Cutsinger from ALEXA, Anita Michalski and Jonathan Hurley from Hindenburg Systems – and so many, many more experts (click here to see a complete list of our Headliners, Presenters, and Faculty) who will go into depth about book marketing in today’s new world. We even have Tana Hope to show us how to take care of yourself. We all need that, right?
Here’s your official invitation to VCAC20: click here.
And now, back to Michelle Cox…
Mystery & Mayhem Book Awards Grand Prize winner Michelle Cox graciously shares her writing life and knowledge with us along with some hot marketing tips and tools! Read on!
“When I finally decided to try writing, the creativity within me, that divine essence, finally found its true home. I’m happiest when I’m creating, and I hope I can keep writing for a long time.” – Michelle Cox
Michelle Cox, award-winning author, at work in her writing lair
Chanticleer: Thanks for coming by, Michelle. Tell us what genre best describes your work? And, what led you to write in this genre?
Cox: Well, that’s a great question! I usually at least place as a semi-finalist in three different categories at the Chanticleer awards, for example, so that should be a pretty good indication.
My series is set during the 1930s in Chicago, so that qualifies it to be historical fiction, but it’s also mystery and romance. I guess “romantic-suspense” would be the best way to describe the series, but without the bare-chested guys on the cover.
They always say to write what you would want to read, and this is it! I set the series set in my favorite era; added a little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance; flavored it with the haves- and the have-nots of the era, as well as a touch of the English aristocracy; and then stocked it with lots of characters and subplots weaving in and out . . . sheer heaven!
Chanticleer: And that’s why we love you and your books! What do you do when you’re not writing? Tells us a little about your hobbies.
Cox: I no longer have any! I used to have hobbies before writing took over my life. If I do have a few minutes here and there, I still love to garden and bake, but my real love, however, is board games. I’m a fanatic and have become a sort of a collector now.
Playing games with Michelle Cox! Did the butler do it?
Chanti: That sounds like a lot of fun! So, how do you approach your writing day?
Cox: As soon as my kids get on the bus at 6:50 am, I make my second cup of coffee and sit down at my desk. I’m not allowed to do any social media, though I do always do a quick email check to see, you know, if I won the Pulitzer or something (it’s always no), and then I start working on whatever manuscript I’m currently on. My brain is its crispest early in the morning, so I have to use that time for the work that takes the most concentration. There’s something to be said about productivity when you know you only have a limited time to write. There’s no room for writer’s block or procrastination. When you know you only have so much time, you have a way of just sitting down and doing it.
When I reach whatever my writing goal is for that day, I spend the next five to seven hours (until the kids come home) doing marketing and PR—anything from writing the blog or the newsletter or articles or interviews, taping podcasts, setting up events, answering email, attending to social media, etc. It’s really a full-time job, though, sadly, the actual writing, the part I love, is the part I get to spend the least on.
Chanti: Marketing pays off, right? Name five of your favorite authors and describe how they influence your work.
Cox: My series is known for the plethora of rich characters scattered throughout and the big saga-like plots. I was definitely influenced in this by my early favorites: Louisa May Alcott, Catherine Cookson, and Charles Dickens. My other two favorites would be Anthony Trollope and Jane Austin for their subtlety in character and their overall ability to use language so beautifully.
Chanti: I cannot argue with your choices. These are delicious authors – and novels!
I know you gave us a snapshot of your work-day earlier, but could you give us your best marketing tips, what’s worked to sell more books, gain notoriety, and expand your literary footprint.
Cox: Wow! That’s a great question, but so hard to answer. All marketing is pretty elusive, isn’t it? It’s a constant process of throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. It’s also important to remember that what works for one person, might not work for everyone. It’s not an exact science. If it were, we’d all be rich!
But, in general, here are some good marketing tips that I have found to work:
Try to figure out where your readers are. Most of my readers, for example, are on Facebook, so that’s where I spend most of my social media time.
Think of yourself as a brand and try to match your posts accordingly. I post things about myself or the book or writing, but mostly old recipes, period drama news, or old stories from the past (which constitute my blog). Also, I’m very careful never to post anything religious or political. This is a business, and the more you see yourself that way and follow basic business protocols, the more successful you’ll be.
Try to build your newsletter list by offering a freebie (such as free story, writing tips, a webinar, a prequel). Personally, I do it by running contests with really big prize packages. I make sure to state that the contest winner will be picked only from my newsletter subscribers. I pay a designer to create a beautiful graphic of the prizes, post it on FB, and then boost the post. Not only does this get me a lot of new subscribers (sometimes thousands), but it exposes the series to new readers as well!
Build your network. Join online author groups (I am part of a fabulous private FB group organized by my publisher, She Writes Press. We all share ideas, marketing tips, and offer support and advice, especially to the newer authors just coming on board. It’s a collective wealth of information.) or real-world groups in your area. Don’t be jealous of the success of others, but help each other as much as possible. As my publisher, Brooke Warner has said, “There’s room for everyone at the table.”
Show up at other authors events, write reviews, help promote whenever possible. Go to conferences to meet not just readers, but other authors who can potentially help you. Remember that you are a business, and you need to do work within your community to begin standing out.
For example, my publisher and I overprinted Book 2 of my series, so, as per my contract, when the first year of publication had passed, I was faced with having to pay a storage fee for these extra books (a couple of thousand), have them shipped to my garage, or have them destroyed. I decided, instead, to send them to libraries and conference organizers. It was a lot of work and expense, but it got my book into the hands of hundreds, if not thousands, of potential readers, and hopefully, they’ll come back for more and buy the rest of the series. You have to be willing to take risks.
Also in this category would be to try to get a Bookbub deal, which, as we all know is really tough. Again, for Book 2 of the series, we submitted four times, trying to get a deal with the book being priced at .99 cents. I finally decided to offer it for free, and we cleverly put a buy link to book 3 at the end of Book 2. Bookbub then offered me a deal, and I had over 55,000 downloads in one day! Hopefully, a lot of those people will go on to buy Book 3 at full price.
Lastly, if the first book of your series is free, either permanently or occasionally, you can join Book Funnel, in which you “bundle” your book with others of a similar genre with each author promoting the bundle to their social network, which exposes your series to a whole new crop of readers. Readers are able to download your free book in exchange for their email address. So not only are you getting readers hooked on your series (hopefully!), but you’re building your subscriber/newsletter list.
Chanti: You could teach a Master Class on this at CAC20! Let’s chat about this later.
Chanti: What are you working on now? What can we look forward to seeing next from you?
Cox: Book 5 of the series is currently in production and scheduled to be released in Spring 2020. I said I was going to take a break from the series after that, but I admit, I’ve already started sketching out Book 6 – I can’t help it!
But what’s really exciting is a new stand-alone novel, The Love You Take, that I wrote, also based partially on a true story and set in Chicago in the 1930s. It’s a really fabulous book if I do say so, about a “backward” girl who has to go and live at a home for “bad girls” after she unwittingly becomes pregnant. I’m currently querying agents for it.
Chanti: Sounds intriguing. Please keep us updated. Who’s the perfect reader for your book?
Cox: Though some men enjoy my books, the primary audience is women. Anyone who loves Downton Abbey;Upstairs, Downstairs;Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, the old black and white films, like The Thin Man . . . basically any period drama or old movie . . . will love my series. I can’t tell you how many people have written to me to tell me that the series is so visual, that reading it was like watching a movie. It’s delightful escapism; people tell me all the time they feel like they’ve been transported back in time after reading them.
Chanti: I know that’s why we read your books #delightful! What is the most important thing a reader can do for an author?
Cox: Tell a friend! Research shows that the number one thing that influences people to buy books is word-of-mouth. If you like a book, recommend it to friends or your book club. The second best thing is to write a review! People seem wary of doing this, telling me that they’re nervous about what to write.
“Nonsense!” I say.
A review can be one sentence: “This was a great book; I enjoyed it!”
There. Done.
You don’t have to go into a lengthy reworking of the synopsis (why do people do this?) or delve into symbolism or themes or whatever. Just give your one-sentence opinion!
Chanti: I’ve been telling my non-writing friends this for years… Do you ever experience writer’s block? What do you do to overcome it?
Cox: Not really! I have a lot of story ideas in my head, and thus I usually have the opposite problem. This is where outlining can really help. If you have a pretty weighty outline sketched out, then when you sit down to write each day, you pretty much already know what you’re supposed to write that day. Likewise, I enjoy taking an evening walk (or I try to, anyway!), during which I think about tomorrow’s chapter and what needs to go into it. Sometimes I even voice record if I have a really good idea or some strands of dialog. There’s something about walking—moving the legs back and forth, back and forth—that seems to stimulate something in the brain. They say that Dickens used to walk the streets of London for hours in the wee hours of the night. Now I know why!
Chanti: Time to reflect and let your mind wander. Movement really does help with this. What excites you most about writing?
Cox: Creating something out of nothing. I’ve always been a really creative person. Looking back, I see now that I’ve always been striving to create, and for a long time it took on many different forms. As a kid, I was always trying to illustrate Louisa May Alcott’s books or write little fan fiction stories based on Jo March. As I got older, it took the form of gardening and decorating the house, and then baking and then creating elaborate kids’ birthday party invitations! When I finally decided to try writing (long story), the creativity within me, that divine essence, finally found its true home. I’m happiest when I’m creating, and I hope I can keep writing for a long time.
Chanti: We hope you do, too, Michelle. What a fabulous interview! Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Speaking of sharing, if you like what you’ve read, please “like, comment, and share!” Sharing is caring, baby!
The CIBA Grand Prize Winners
Michelle Cox is a multi-award-winning author who recently spent some time with us at CAC19. This year was particularly special because Michelle won the CIBA 2018 Grand Prize for Mystery & Mayhem Awards!
and took 1st Place in the Chatelaine Awards for Romantic Fiction – both awards are in honor of her book, A Promise Given. We will probably never stop celebrating this – it’s just too much fun!
To find out what Michelle’s up to next, Find and Follow her here:
The Selah Branch combines two surprising stories into one enthralling whole.
It begins with a ripped from the headlines feel, diving deeply into issues of race, class, poverty, and hopelessness in Selah Branch, WV. A town whose brighter future of uplift, integration, opportunity, and prosperity was wiped out one summer night in 1953 when a chemical explosion destroyed the promising university town and replaced it with a hazardous waste site. Like Chernobyl, only with a smaller footprint and chemical residue substituting for nuclear waste. But just as deadly.
The story views Selah Branch through the eyes of Kenia Dezy, an African-American public health student on a summer practicum. She’s to determine if a simple app can steer people towards healthier food choices and better health outcomes in a town empty of jobs, filled with poverty and hopelessness, marooned in the middle of a food desert.
At first, the current state of Selah Branch and its sharp contrast with the hopefulness of its past confuses Kenia. Then she finds herself there, in that past, with the ability to re-write the history that she sees as already written in her present.
A past that contains not the tragic accident that everyone believes destroyed the town, but instead a deliberate act of sabotage designed to eliminate the beacon of hope and integration, Selah Branch. The participants mostly wanted to obliterate a place where blacks and white really were treated equally. Although some wanted to end a centuries-long family feud by murdering the bodies and the dreams of those they despised.
It is up to Kenia to use her un-schedulable, unplannable trips to that past nexus point to change the future. But there are descendants of that past who are just as willing to kill to maintain the status quo. Even if it only brings them death and destruction.
These are two great plots that shouldn’t blend well together, and yet they do, as all of the action in both the past and the present is seen through Kenia’s sharp eyes. The reader experiences her despair at the conditions in the 21st century Selah Branch and feels both with and for Kenia as she comes to the depressing conclusion that no matter how much she wants to, there are some things she simply cannot do. The situation they are living in is just too big for one person to even make a dent in, no matter how well-intentioned she might be.
And as a well-educated and relatively affluent black woman in a poverty-stricken, rural, mostly white town, Kenia is confronted with the contradiction of her economic privilege and racial and gendered lack of it at the same time.
The reader feels for Kenia’s hopelessness in the present and is swept away with her into a past where there is one desperate chance to make things better. Kenia’s journey in 1953 becomes a dangerous but determined thrill ride, facing enemies at every turn while finding surprising friends along her fast and furious way.
Readers can’t help but be caught up in Kenia’s there and back again quest to change the past and shift the present, to bring about a hope for a brighter future. Readers will cheer for her and despair with her, but they will desire, more than anything, that she succeeds.
The Selah Branch won 1st Place in the CIBA 2018 CYGNUS Awards for Science Fiction novels.
Facing the Dragon by Philip Derrick explores the Vietnam War era through the eyes of an extraordinary high school student named Jim Peterson, who at fifteen made the varsity football team as a freshman. He’s intelligent as well as physically fit as he begins his journey in the backseat of a station wagon with his sister on their way to a family vacation, seemingly a typical teenager.
In the first couple of pages, his dad picks up a hitchhiker in an Army uniform, and the story takes off from there. Jim ends up separated from his family and tries to reunite with them in the Carlsbad Caverns; instead, he is the only witness to their murders.
Jim watches in horror as their bodies are disposed of in the Deep Pit of the Carlsbad Caverns, and shortly thereafter makes the decision to become the young soldier and follow the murderer to Vietnam where he will enact his revenge for his family.
Thus begins the shift to the extraordinary world of military life for our high school freshman, from a boy on vacation with his family to a young man on a mission as sleuth and soldier. The seamless way Derrick identifies the patches and medals given by the military provide clues about Jim’s father, PFC Travis Nickels, and the mystery man Ross, in a unique and interesting manner.
We learn about the importance of a crossed-double sword and a parachute on a patch. We learn a great deal about paying attention to the tiniest detail on a patch to help find clues, which our hero does several times. These subtle clues build interest in the story. The stakes are high for Jim, who takes matters into his own hands and follows the suspect to Vietnam, believing that based on the man’s patches, finding him in Vietnam won’t be an issue.
It seemed implausible for a fifteen-year-old to be deployed with the paperwork of another soldier. Jim Peterson becomes PFC Travis Nickels. Our quick-minded protagonist lies when he has to and loses important fingerprint documents at crucial checkpoints. If a corporal thinks he’s an imbecile, he doesn’t care as long as he obtains his objective.
Derrick takes us through bases and onto transports that finally bring us to the landscape of the Vietnam War, up close and personal. We are with Jim as mines are exploding all around him, as Huey helicopters are blown out of the sky right above his head, as he catches malaria and is assigned the foulest job for getting sick, which Sargent Strode believes he’s done on purpose.
We can feel the sweat trickling down backs, smell the foul orders, and see the bark split as bullets hit the trees around him.
Derrick splits the POV between Ross and the man who Jim is impersonating, taking us back to WWII Germany. The research Derrick had to do to pull this off is mind-boggling. Ross, a German soldier, the same age/era as Jim’s father, lies about who he is to escape Germany, enlists in the US military, and begins a quest to enact revenge for his brother. He is the foil to Jim who takes Nickel’s place, goes to Vietnam, to seek revenge for his family.
Theirs becomes a twisted relationship of coincidences, but a fascinating one as the truth unfolds in the tiniest hints and innuendos. The tension on every page is palpable, as Nickels finds himself fighting in a war, where race riots in Vietnam erupt off the page like something off our news feeds today. The unpopularity of the Vietnam War and the soldiers who fought in it are also examined, as well as the division in attitudes the war caused at home. The author leaves no controversial topic left unexamined.
This novel will keep readers turning pages and reading into the night. Derrick sprinkles so many interesting facts about the US military, the Vietnam War, WWII after the fall and the liberation of one concentration camp in particular. Derrick shows the daily grind of humping through the jungle, the mind-numbing boredom of waiting for battle, and then the chaos in the very-all-too-real life or death battles.
Philip Derrick does not disappoint in this military thriller. He takes us on a wild ride that hangs just this side of “what the hell?” He’s a talented author with a deft ability to capture the historical and logistical aspects of this story without losing credibility or the reader’s confidence. Facing the Dragon is a book for all readers, not just those who love a great mystery/thriller or historical war story. One of our favorites!
Facing the Dragon won First Place in the CIBAs 2018 CLUE Awards for mystery/thriller novels.
Get ready for an uproarious galactic adventure in Patricia Crumpler’s Death and Disorder: A Vivian Wexler Galactic Mystery. The titular character Vivian Wexler gets to the bottom of every mystery that comes her way. The adventure starts with Vivian in transit to the planet Sorasol, home to a peaceful species that has recently seen a string of murders and suicides.
Aboard the transportation ship, she runs into her old school flame Douglas (Dee) heading to the same planet as a translator, but after Vivian masterfully solves the case, all is not as well as it seems. A talent-enhancing parasite, lurking inside Vivian’s bosom, feeds off of what humans and many other species in the galaxy crave, coffee. Who could blame them? When Vivian is offered a position as a Galactic Agent, can she keep the coffee hungry creature at bay long enough to solve the mystery at hand?
The cover design of Death and Disorder suggests that the story will be a wild space adventure, and it does not disappoint. Patricia Crumpler establishes the world quickly within the first chapter through descriptive details of all the sights, sounds, and smells that Vivian is experiencing, which will make the reader feel like they are right alongside for the ride. Humor is also another thing that Crumpler does well. There is a lot of humor and even laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout the novel, which keeps the tone of the book more fun and adventurous.
Crumpler packs a lot of story into this short novel, and that leaves a few things unexplored. The plot takes a sharp right turn, and the story-telling prowess of Crumpler will have readers happily following along. The sudden shift in the plot makes Death and Disorder feel like a collection of interlocking short stories featuring the same character put together rather than a start-to-finish novel. That being said, the story holds and does a fantastic job keeping its humor and sense of adventure strong until the end. Death and Disorder is sufficiently wrapped up by the closing page but leaves just enough unsaid and unanswered things to suggest Vivian Wexler’s series of galactic shenanigans will continue. And we are so glad they will!
A space opera that never really takes itself too seriously Patricia Crumpler’s Death and Disorder is a fun, action-packed adventure across the galaxy absolutely worth going on.
Cancer survivor Pete Morrissette wants to spend the remainder of his life relaxing beside the heated pool or strolling through the gardens at the up-scale assisted living retirement community. Instead, he’s “doing time” in FMC Devens, a federal prison hospital.
How did mild, friendly Pete Morrisette end up the scapegoat in a con that duped Massachusetts’s Lottery out of nearly $5,000,000? While everyone in prison claims they are innocent, Pete truly is. Even one of the prosecuting attorneys can see that, but someone has to answer for the dirty deed, and Pete is an easy target.
In Gerard Shirar’s latest suspense legal thriller, eighty-eight-year-old Pete is the perfect everyman. After leading a relatively quiet life, Pete plans on leading a relatively quiet retirement. A father, a husband, and an all-around decent man, nothing exciting or monumental ever happened in Pete’s average, upper-middle-class life. But all that changed when his wife of fifty-three years died. Pete moved to Brook Haven, a retirement home catering to a senior intellectual set, and, as one may expect, he soon became bored.
When Manfred Toomey, a former big-wig businessman, moves into Brook Haven and establishes a gambling club, he befriends Pete. And when Toomey approaches him about organizing a lottery-playing group to raise money for a charity organization, Pete cautiously agrees. Pete is smart – but not smart enough to trust his instincts. His desire to help struggling families quiets his suspicions about the legality of what he’s been asked to do – and his common sense. He wants to help but ends up as a pawn for the Mafioso. Big money walks free while the once hard-working father and husband takes the fall to appease a misplaced need for justice – the appearance of it anyway.
Shirar creates a compelling case in Pete’s story, so neatly fitting together that it’s frightening in its plausibility. He builds a resilient and relatable character in Pete, one who tells his story through an engaging second-person point of view journal from prison. Growing old isn’t for sissies, and through it all, Pete chooses to see his own story as “God’s lottery” and deals with whatever “fate and time” have given him.
Just like Shirar’s other works, readers will find an intricate study of human nature and the vulnerability of those we care most about in this mystery thriller. Pete Morrisette’s story feels as if it could have been ripped from the pages of newspapers today as countless elderly are duped by those who would prey upon them. And that’s what makes The Lottery Game a must-read.
Gerard Shirar is a Finalist in the 2020 Mystery and Mayhem Awards for When the Rules Don’t Apply.
A complex murder mystery always requires a little spice. In Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery, that extra seasoning is provided by the casting of an Indian American woman as the amateur sleuth, despite her realistic fears for her personal safety.
Professor Rekha Rao is no Bollywood Mighty Girl. She’s a whip-smart American-born 32-year-old college instructor who must deal with her own PTSD after the murder of her father and her unstoppable passion for releasing the man wrongly convicted of her father’s slaying. That obsession is the reason Rekha was dismissed from her old teaching position. The scene is set for deep, personal involvement in the murder of a colleague, a fellow professor who is killed. And a rare, centuries-old statue excavated from an archeological dig in India is the murder weapon.
When Rekha, an expert in the art of ancient India, is asked by the Pasadena police for some background on the statue of Durga, a well-known goddess in India’s rich religious tapestry, she’s not content to limit her investigation to the narrow role assigned to her. Despite the handsome police detective’s warning to not continue the investigation, she turns over every rock to look for answers. She soon uncovers a galaxy of possible suspects: friends, colleagues, and students – many of whom may have motives to see harm done to the seemingly beloved professor. Art theft, a closeted gay man, a hidden affair, and even a little cross-dressing make their way into the mountain of evidence as Rekha works through territory that the police have not yet uncovered.
Rekha Rao is a well-drawn character with many facets to her personality. Her Indian heritage is evident in her food tastes, decorations, and family values. Still, she is clearly a modern American woman making her way in a very different culture. Rekha sets out to solve the mystery despite the fear that someone is stalking her – even as she stalks them.
Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery will also provide readers with a glimpse into the religious history of India’s gods and rich mythology. This is one of the hidden treats that makes the novel an enjoyable read for mystery lovers everywhere.
Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery won the Grand Prize for Mystery & Mayhem in the 2019 CIBAs!
There isn’t much to do in Little Current, Abby Parker’s hometown. Desperate to escape her alcoholic mother and absentee father’s drama, Abby Parker takes her dog Riley for a walk near the local tourist attraction, Victorian Town, a restored settlement from the 1800s. When Riley unearths a silver filigree ring engraved with the initials “BB,” Abby doesn’t hesitate to slip the ring onto her finger. In a haze of white, Abby is transported back to 1876.
Kari Bovée’s Peccadillo at the Palace, the second book in the Annie Oakley Mystery series, is a historical, mystery thriller extraordinaire. Fans of both genres will thrill at Bovée’s complex plot that keeps us guessing from its action-packed beginning to the satisfying reveal at the end.
For example, my publisher and I overprinted Book 2 of my series, so, as per my contract, when the first year of publication had passed, I was faced with having to pay a storage fee for these extra books (a couple of thousand), have them shipped to my garage, or have them destroyed. I decided, instead, to send them to libraries and conference organizers. It was a lot of work and expense, but it got my book into the hands of hundreds, if not thousands, of potential readers, and hopefully, they’ll come back for more and buy the rest of the series. You have to be willing to take risks.
The Selah Branch combines two surprising stories into one enthralling whole.
Facing the Dragon by Philip Derrick explores the Vietnam War era through the eyes of an extraordinary high school student named Jim Peterson, who at fifteen made the varsity football team as a freshman. He’s intelligent as well as physically fit as he begins his journey in the backseat of a station wagon with his sister on their way to a family vacation, seemingly a typical teenager.
