"Break", by Ty Patterson

Cutter Grogan Thrillers book #1

As a fan I know by now that Mr. Patterson has a fertile imagination and has no limits in order to entertain his fans. Moving away from his well-known “ Zeb Carter” series Mr. Patterson introduces his new lead man, Cutter Grogan a former Delta soldier, who calls himself a “Fixer”. Once again we are given a story very hard to put aside. This is a page-turner of a story that grabs you from the start and holds you captive till you reach the conclusion.

A concern mother requests the “Fixer” to help her to rescue her son from the clutches of a drug pushing gang. Cutter soon finds out the situation is by far more complicated that he thought when he gets involved with a white supremacist group and one of them is running for president...oh my my.....

This is a blistering opening for what will be a great series. Cutter leads us into a thrilling ride filled with twists in every direction while in a cameo appearance Zeb Carter’s team is there to save our intrepid new protagonist from being killed. The plot provides many thread lines that are all interconnected and easy to follow, I never lost track of what was going on. “Break” is a well-written thriller populated with excellent characters and to boot has a great story to tell. Nicely done.

I received a copy of this book for my honest thoughts.

"Her Winter of Darkness", by Melinda Woodhall

A Veronica Lee thriller

Book #3

Reading Melinda Woodhall’s thrillers are exciting and such a page turner very hard to put down. This latest continues the adventure that first started with the Mercy Harbor series and morphed into an even more thrilling read with the Veronica Lee series. I am a huge fan of hers and I am happy to be notified when one of her new book comes out. Seize the opportunity to read “Her Winter of Darkness”, the story gives us everything a thriller has to offer. No worries this third book can easily be read as a standalone but by now you know it would be far more enjoyable to read a series in sequence.

In this latest, reporter Veronica Lee investigates the story behind a human trafficking ring after receiving desperate plea for help was posted on her web site from a captive woman. The cry for help sets in motion a quest that brings out not only the hunted: the remorseless predator but also the hunters: federal marshal and small town police. But more importantly the chase opens a whole slew of questions: why as Ling Lee been hiding for decades? What is Diablo real identity? Will the authorities find the women before it is too late? How much corruption is there in the police? , will the devious mayor ever be disgraced?...I can go on and on...The answers are slowly revealed but in meantime what a thrill, so suspenseful I couldn’t help but rapidly flipping the pages I wanted so much to know the outcome. Reading this book I had a wide range of emotions: human trafficking, captivity, mental torture, murder will bring out deep feelings in everyone.

This drama covers a lot. It is a very well developed storyline. Smoothly said and packed with excellent characters...I simply love this book and I am looking forward to read more from Ms. Woodhall.

I received a free digital copy of this crime fiction. This is a voluntarily review, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

"The Brightest Fell", by Nupur Chowdhury

In the wake of a bloody civil war, we enter the world of Naijan, a fictional and futuristic country ruled alternately by the Birhani and the Zanya factions who had agree to share power over the population. The tale opens in the aftermath of a bomb-blast in the metro system of its capital city that left hundreds dead. The blast has created public rage and pressure on the Prime Minister to clear the use of Amven on criminals during the investigation....and so the game begins.....

The story is mostly set up to be a political thriller with plenty of corruption, disputes and resentments between the two factions. It also spins a dash of Sci-Fi around a miracle drug that would make terrorists docile. But the creator of the drug wants to keep the drug out of the hands of politicians even it means betraying his closes friends. Then, the story introduces us to some very colourful characters that have their own hidden agenda. The names of places and characters may be a challenge to remember but bear with it eventually it will all fit in. The characters do use slangs and expression some may use in their daily lives but not everyone, another challenge.....The witty and funny dialogues helps to keep the elements of suspense moving along at a fast pace. Some would say the story is dialogue heavy, indeed we do, pages after pages without a break. Dialogue driven story is a style I like, it makes for a lively read. A lot is going on: back stabbing, double crossing and plenty of unpredictable twists and turns.

This thriller is well-written, no choppy sentences, everything flows smoothly, the prose is of quality and the plot interesting, overall nicely done.

Thanks to the author, who provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The Price of Valor", by Susan May Warren

Global Search and Rescue #3

This contemporary romance novel continues with another saga of high rescue mission during a devastating catastrophe. The latest drama picks up a few loose threads from Marshall Family and deepens them along the way. The main players are Ham Jones, a former Navy DEAL, with his wife Signe, a CIA operative. We also have the participation of Orion and Jake with their sidekicks, the much loved heroes from the previous stories. The rescue drama takes place in beautiful Sicily near Mount Etna. “The Price of Valor” is the series finale. Because of the intricacies of this latest, I strongly recommend reading book #1 and #2 first.

What a roller coaster ride and what an exhausting read this turned out to be: one natural disaster after another, terror never gives up. This is one story filled with shock factors no one would want to live through. Oh yes, the plotline gives a lot more than a story around rescuing people it is principally a love story of man that would not give up on his wife. This is Ham’s story and it is deeply emotional.

In the second storyline we follow Orion and Jenny on their journey to forgiveness and along the way we have a life lessons and the love of God. We also find surprising turns along the way and some intense moments to keep us on our toes.

Sounds good...why didn’t it appeal to me more.

Answer: feels like a religious soap opera and the constant rehashing was too much.

By the end, the story was so bogged down by faith aspect that my mind had disconnected and it was time to move on.....

I received a copy from the Publisher Revell via First Reviewer Program for my thoughts

"Act of Revenge", by John Bishop

A Doc Brady Mystery Book# 3

This medical thriller is not only a solid read but a good mix of mystery, family and danger. This 3rd mystery stands on its own two feet and for the novice of this series not fear you can easily melt right in and enjoy every moment passing time with Doc Brady as he finds himself involved in events that have him in the middle of a mystery. In this 3rd act, Doc returns to investigating when Lou Edwards, a friend, finds himself accused of murder.

This story captured my attention from the beginning and never let go. It opens with the murder of Paul Thompson a wealthy owner of a renowned insurance co and follows up with an investigation into the main suspect doctor Lou Edwards who had recently lost his malpractice coverage insurance. The mystery also pulls in the many people around them.

The author is a medical doctor by profession and his knowledge and experience shine in his words of course we have an abundance of medical procedures mainly mammoplasty, rhytidectomy and other cosmetic surgery but all done with taste and not too graphic. Doc Brady is a fun character and likeable in every way. His wife and son play a good part in the mystery so does Tip the loveable pooch. We also have secretaries, house keepers and daughters in the picture to move forward this very captivating mystery which also includes some twists and turns to keep us on our toes. I kept flipping the pages following Doc Brady work throughout the story I so wanted to find out the whodunit ... Was it Lou or not? This was so exciting... What a surprising outcome....

I big thank you to Anna at Goodreads for bringing this book to my attention and also to NetGalley and Mantid Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Blind Vigil", by Matt Coyle

                                                                               

Rick Cahill series # 7

What a great read this turned out to be. Although this is the 7th book in the series I had no trouble getting into it from the get-go Matt Coyle gives us snippets of what happened to his protagonist without lingering on his past and has masterfully moved forward his storyline with a blend of hard-boiled, noirish and a breath of fresh life to the PI tradition.

Blinded by a gunshot wound to the face while working as a PI nine months ago Rick Cahill is still trying to start a new life. But when his one-time partner Moira MacFarlane asks for his help on a case he couldn’t refuse...as always when Rick is involved things always turns deadly....

Mr. Coyle captured masterfully Cahill dealing with the loss of his eyesight and how he carries himself in the dark: he counts steps and is reliant on his others sense to move around. The mystery if told from the point of view of a blind person. I do have a weak spot for a first person narrative definitely my preferred style by a long shot.

Without a murder we wouldn’t have a captivating mystery Oh yes, Shay gets killed and Turk, Cahill’s best friend is the main suspect ...but he doesn’t believe his friend could do such a thing...and we have police, lawyers, suspects, friends and oh yes the Invisible Man with the Dove underarm smell...all in the fray... to entertain us and they do captivate till the very last page.

“Blind Vigil”, is well-written, fast-paced, has amazing and diverse characters and is a page turner very hard to put down. Excellent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.