"Lust of Life", by Sean-Paul Thomas

I have been giving an updated version of this book by the author for my thoughts, thank you Mr. Thomas, this is the way I see it....

The story in a few words:

A young man diagnosed with terminal brain cancer gives death and treatments the finger (the cover picture says it all) decides to rebel against society and go out with a bang by living his wildest fantasies before the lights go out...

My thoughts:

Ouf.....graphic sex scenes, bad language, Scottish dialect and violence galore not a book all would enjoy and one that took me out of my comfort zone by a long shot. The first part I didn’t enjoy I contemplated abandoning it but a promise is a promise I had to read it till the end. Glad I did in some ways, things turned around page 70, Liam’s sexual sprees tapered down and the story became more interesting when our protagonist falls in love with a beautiful young lady who turned out to be a high end escort and decided to go all out to impress her. While Ian goes about his escapades around Edinburg the author meticulously and vividly presents us with the topography of the city. I enjoyed this average Joe turning into a vigilante who gets involved with the seedy side, his comical storming of a church disrupting the preacher, his revenge on his step-father and how he fooled the car salesman. Some well-put together stories where Ian didn’t have to think about the consequences of his actions.... but looming in the background is the terminal illness that haunted him and kept re-emerging throughout the book. Facing a Doomsday outcome what would one do?

Of course the story is so ludicrous it made me laugh more then I want to admit but did I like passing time reading it...hum debatable...Sorry Sean-Paul maybe next time...and to answer your request...both endings are good with me...:)

"A Matter of Life and Death", by Phillip Margolin

Book# 4 in the Robin Lockwood series

This legal thriller brings Robin Lockwood to defend Joe Lattimore accused of murder after burglarizing a house. The victim was the wife of prominent Judge Anthony Carasco. Lattimore fingerprints and bloody gloves were discovered at the scene, an airtight case for the District Attorney. But Robin is not convinced at all, she suspects that her client has been framed...now she needed to prove it.

This is one legal thriller I put at the top of my list for its presentation. It focusses more on how the accused came to get into hot waters and less the interactions in the courtroom. I love passing time reading it and had such a hard time setting it aside to do my chores. The story is action packed and very gripping from start to finish. The Lattimore’s troubles all started after he agreed to fight in a no-holds illegal bar bout where his opponent died leaving him at the mercy of the fight’s organizers who took advantage of his situation...big time.

The plot is strong and moves along at a steady pace. It is clearly written to depict courtroom drama without overdoing it, not a simple task but Mr. Margolin did this expertly making his book a real pleasure. Every word is simple and uncomplicated. The police work is smoothly blended in to add suspense and to bring us into the bowels of the legal system: fingerprints and DNA, evidences that can incarcerate someone whether responsible or not.

I also appreciated how the author has incorporated in his suspense interesting insight into gender reassignment and the struggles the person caught in this dilemma goes through. Subdued and well done.

Although I picked up “A Matter of Life and Death” at this point I didn’t feel lost at all, it reads beautifully as a stand-alone.

In a few words:

Well-plotted drama vividly said and played out by a cast of wonderful characters.

I received this ARC from St-Martin’s Press via Netgalley for my thoughts, this is the way I see it.

"Her Silent Spring", by Melinda Woodhall

A Veronica Lee Thriller book#4

Although part of a series “Her Silent Spring” can be read on its own so no worries to start here. But be warned once into the story you will be held captive till the very last page. This latest is an attention grabber from start to finish and an excellent continuation of the series.

Veronica Lee is a “She Wolfe” on a hunt and will not give up when human traffickers, predators or killers are connected somehow to someone she knows or come anywhere close to Willow Bay. This latest starts with the discovery of a body in Skylake, the victim is Skylar’s mother who had disappeared a long time ago. Skylar is Veronica’s half-sister daughter of the evil human Donavan Locke.

The plot is tightly written and moves back and forth from Willow Bay Florida to Skylake Kentucky seeking for answers. Veronica is not alone she has her sidekick Hunter to help things move along. Both are invested in finding the truth but this came at a cost....friends got hurt and others died....What makes this read captivating is that I kept trying to outguess who could the real killer be knowing too well that Ms. Woodhall wouldn’t open her cards that easily to her readers . Boy did she do a good job at outwitting me with this one...lol.

I said this before:

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 copy of this book and I leave a voluntary review, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

"Fatal Intent", by Tammy Euliano

“Fatal Intent” is a medical thriller that deals with the end-of-life issues, the DNR orders and the difficult decisions that love ones, attending physicians and nurses have to face. In fact “Playing God” is always difficult when one pulls the plug on a respirator and allows the end of life to occur. This is the fictional story of anesthesiologist Dr. Kate Downey who became aware that several patients were dying after what had been minor surgeries. Kate decided to look into the matter but some people in the hospital hierarchy did not support her investigation into the matter....

The narration slowly set the stage and picks up speed at the right moment to intrigue and engage us. Although I admit the huge cast of characters is a challenge to keep track of but that aside the drama is written in such a way that those not familiar with the medical jargon can easily follow the plot. For excitement, the story has a fair share of twists and turns to keep us going and guessing till the very end. This is a gripping read and an interesting subject of euthanasia or mercy killing and those who are willing to do the deed for a buck.

Kate is not alone in her mission to flush the person behind the incidents Christian O’Donnell, a lawyer and the son of one of the victim offers to help her find the truth and the culprit. Will they be able to get to the bottom...yes drip by drip well placed clues will give the duo the final solution....with a bang no less...The climax reveals the killer but what I did not see coming was by the manner in which it was done. Excellent.

I enjoyed reading this book

My thanks to Oceanview Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

"Wicked Greed", by John W. Mefford

Greed thriller #3

A shadow of death swallows up one beautiful young lady after another…and no one can stop it.... in the end, lives will be forever changed. And one will not survive......grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Michael, the main character, continues to work hard at the newspaper when he find himself investigating horrible murders of young women, each had massive slashes to the throat... gruesome scenes hard to swallow ...

With a powerful prose peppered with details we are taken on a wild spin of evil, greed and corruption. The scene setting is as brutal as it is necessary although we do have some comic relief in this tense story. It starts slowly and I wondered where the story was going at first but it didn’t take too long before the greed of flesh and lust was most prominent. Of course we have a side story in the mix I wondered at what point the two stories would mesh. Too entrenched by then I kept pushing forward eager to figure out who was behind all this. But Mr. Mefford had other things in mind that divulging too early the outcome teasing us till the very last moment.

In few words

In “Wicked Greed” we are in a complex plot doubled with intricate subplot everything wrapped nicely and played out with compelling characters. A fabulous story that had me turning pages quickly from start to finish.

Thank you Mr.Mefford for the opportunity to read this book.

"The Four Winds", by Kristin Hannah

Texas 1934

Set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras...the Great Depression Ms. Hannah brings Dust Bowl migration to life in her riveting story of love, courage and sacrifice. “The Four Wings” tells how Elsa Martinelli worked hard to care for her children Loreda and Anthony when her husband Rafe abandoned them. With her children, Elsa left the Texas farm for California...the land of opportunities...but what the family lived through was not what they had wished for....

This historical fiction is one that whisked me away into another time and place not only with its uplifting read but also for its richness of words and excellent portrayal of the American Dream seen through the eyes of a strong-willed woman whose actions will change the life of generations to come. What a great timing for this book being published during the pandemic a time when workers are out of work and some are losing all they have. During the depression people had little or no help at all from their governments.

This is heart-wrenching and a tear jerking story from the opening page till the story warps up. Close to 500 pages of a very exhausting read. What we have are pages after pages of griefs, suffering, tragedies, despair, hunger and most of all the feeling of powerlessness.….. and a story of the ultra-rich taking advantage of people in need...sounds familiar. Plus ça change plus c’est pareil. Well said...well-done.

At the end of the book Ms. Hannah tell us that she took writer’s liberties in enhancing her narrative to make reading most pleasant and she did it with finesse and excellence...

I received this ARC from St-Martin’s via NetGalleys