Book # 3 in the Jenny Wilson Mystery
Although part of a series this book stands very well by itself. Not having read the two first installments I found the author did a marvelous job situating his readers with small background snippets of whom and where his protagonist Parks Canada warden Jenny Wilson and secondary players come from. In this latest Jenny left Canada to join an American colleague in Namibian to assist the authorities in stopping the loss of rhinos to poaching.
Namibian is an important part of this story, its well-researched social and political climate at the forefront. The narrative is rich in knowledge of the place, its people and animals. All is said in a good pace with plenty of action. “In Rhino We Trust” is a plight of wildlife to be saved from those who are being supplied by international criminal gangs with equipment to track and kill them for their horns. The scarcity of rhinos today drives the price higher and higher, what an incentive for those wanting to pad their pockets at the expense of wildlife ….This story of an anti-poaching team who put their lives on the line to protect these animals is heartwarming. Mr. Butler in his tone shows the love he has for wildlife and has penned an original and suspenseful story populated with a strong cast of characters to tell us.
This fiction leaves a strong message behind its words….well-said
I receive this ARC from the publisher DunDurn Press via NetGalleys for my thoughts.
Mapwalkers book #2
Ms. Penn’s stories are a blend of psychology and the supernatural written in a fast-paced style. No doubts in my mind, she is in her elements writing dark fantasy thrillers. “Map of Plagues” chronicles further the journeys started in “Map of Shadows”, although you could easily fit right in if you start with book#2, it would be preferable to read book #1 first.
Leave all your believes behind and let yourself be transported along with the Mapwalker team across the Borderlands in a race against time to find the missing pieces of a map before the Shadow Cartographers get a hold of them and use their power against Earthside.
I am not a huge fan of fantasy and I usually stay away from reading them but what pushes me to read books written by this author is the richness of her words. Each movement is vividly painted, dark and full of lively descriptions. The author definitely has some wicked creative skills. Did I like this story, not really, too weird and way over the top for my enjoyment. Having said this, you may want to be pulled into a world filled with blood, gore, human sacrifice and creepy characters “Map of Plagues” provides all the elements to do so. Be careful, the world Ms. Penn has created weaves a spell that will hold you captive till you turn the last page….whether you love the story or not.
For myself I stay on the fence with this one.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.
This is an enjoyable romantic suspense set in the mountainous region of north-eastern Afghanistan and tells the story of a snow leopard biologist (Axelle Dehn) who becomes the prey when cold war secrets threaten to expose a modern-day spy ring, and it is also of an elite British soldier (Ty Dempsey) who is forced to choose between his country and his heart.
With flash-backs to the Russian occupation and terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland during the 1970’s the story sails smoothly through its mix of action, military manoeuvers, love and most of all danger. The rhythm is steady and the tone is chilling at times especially when Axelle needs to end the poaching of her beloved snow leopard. At the same time, Ty and his team are on the hunt for one of the most sought after Russian terrorist. And then their paths crosses….and we are into a harrowing fight for survival with many twists and turns to keep us on the edge of our seat.
The chemistry between Ty and Axelle is entertaining… really boy meet girl and awe love is the air…..nothing special….but hey it make for a good read. I admit Axelle got on my nerves at times….but she finally got her act together and I did not dislike her by the end. Ty, well he is the macho military and a guy in love with a damsel in distress who will go to no end to make sure she is safe…awe budding romance.
Overall this story is worth passing time with if you like a soft mystery with a tad of mushy romance…and accept the many clichés along the way you will also enjoy it….……
Set in the 1960’s during the time of school desegregation in the South USA, “Dying Embers” tell the story of love, hate and tragedy of six young people clinging to their friendship while racial bigotry rages around them.
Told from the teenage boys’ point of views, this moving story takes us through the struggles of both blacks and whites youths as they have to deal with the realities of desegregation and the white racists’ hatred. Mr. Trust excels in portraying the racial attitudes of the time and creating a reading experience that has held me captive till the last page. I do remember the time of the civil rights movements and the many race riots in the 60’s. It was also the time of the Vietnam War, a time when America was in turmoil inside and outside its borders. The story is well- written to bring out the personalities of each character in roles so realistic and so close to history. How the change in the law had affected all segment of society is cleverly used in this fiction to make us realize how complex and dangerous the situation was during that time.
Mr. Trust has a fantastic way with words and has provided another atmospheric novel hard to put down. Some may think the tempo is on the slow side, but I think the author wanted for us to understand the human strengths and frailties and did so through his characters.
Alex Trout Thriller #9
Redemption Thriller #21
John W. Mefford writes stories with such intensity and to the edge of your seat suspense it is very hard not to be deeply captivated following his protagonist in her mission. Alex Trout is the main character here although Mr. Mefford smoothly weaves in Ivy Nash, the main player, in the Ivy Nash series. “Back at You” brings together two very exciting badass females in journeys that only they can face.
There are two separate threads to follow for most of the thriller till the two paths intersects near the end. Thread one: Alex is at the forefront and in thread two Ivy takes center stage. Both stories are told in alternating chapters and cover the same subject:
What every parent dreads: the abduction of a child.
Alex gets the call and is forced to carry out the wished of the captors. As we follow her on her treacherous journey we are kept on the edge of our seat, adrenaline pumping following her every move. Alex is threatened at every turn and faces one hurdle after the other…even a gun pointed at her face…
While in San Antonio an Amber Alert is set off. Ivy springs into action and is soon on the trail of the assailant trying to find the missing girl. The tension is so palpable following her every move and to see how she tackles the many difficulties thrown her way, no doubts this made for one exciting read.
Alex and Ivy finally met and everything meshed beautifully by the end ….I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to see if both would succeed…of course they did.
What a roller-coaster ride….well-done …. of course M. Mefford's books are right up my alley..
Zeb Carter book # 4
I have been a member of Ty’s launch team for years now and I still love his stories. Ty has 5 well thought out series some ideas taken from his highly fertile imagination and some from current and past events. One thing they have in common: all are graphic and layered with thrilling action and played out with a great cast. With each thriller we see how close the members are with each other, and how they will go to no end if anyone of them gets in trouble. Zeb Carter takes center stage in the Zeb Carter series but the team is close by.
Each thriller has a fresh spin and is as exciting as the previous one. Ty hasn’t lost his touch in providing us a fast-paced, action packed and the many twists that make us relentlessly turning pages. It is also difficult to figure out how everything will turn out by the end. Although we do have many clues, the plot keeps us thinking and guessing till the very end. This latest is no exception.
“Terror”, book #4, in the Zeb Carter series has a plot true in today’s world: all over the world single wolfs are sent to kill innocent people thus threatening the fabric of societies. Zeb Carter and his team need to thwart the actions of anarchists before it is too late….what follows is explosive action…..
This thriller certainly can be read on its own merits Mr. Patterson does give some background on his team to situate us without overloading the narrative with too many details. But as always I suggest starting with book #1.
I had a hard time putting this book down and zipped through it in no time. Well done Mr. Patterson and thank you for the ARC.
A Sherri Travis Mystery # 5.5
I hate to say this very tiny tiny book was not what I expected. Containing 14 pages of nothing this was more an introduction to her series by giving us snippets of her style and what you could expect in her protagonist. This type of offer was in style a few years back and most of us avid readers hated it, now it seems less authors do this and prefer offering novella instead….much better. This was a huge disappointment….
This is the story of Rose Dennis, a grandmother in her sixties, who wakes up in an Alzheimer unit at a nursing home. But Rose’s mind is fine, who has committed her is the question?… She does not linger with whom, what and the how, and soon a plan emerge: avoid all medication and stage an escape…. Rose on the lam is at the heart of this story and following one crazy lady trying to find who put her away is sometime funny and sometime unbelievable…...
This sounded like an interesting read and it did for the first few chapters then it got weird and ridiculous. Elderly woman climbing on a roof, sliding down the tiles, jumping out windows, kung-fu Jane at her best was not what I thought this book was all about. Some may think her action was hilarious I did not. I was hoping to see through the voice and eyes of Rose the issues of aging and dementia and how we react and treat them. I also wanted to know what a person of sound mind may do when they are wrongly housed in a nursing home. “What Rose Forgot” turned out to be a comedy at its worst…maybe it was the serious subject taken lightly that didn’t work for me. The characterization was cartoonish and I never connected with any of them. This story wasn’t my cup of tea and by far. I wanted to abandon this story many times but I stuck with it till the end…definitely not for me but it may be for you….a lot of readers have enjoyed it….
Thanks to the publisher St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this complimentary book. All opinions expressed are my own.
