"Countdown", by Lynette Eason

Extreme Measure, #4

In a few words:

Raina Price needed to escape a dangerous stalker, she change her name and disappeared. But eventually the past finally caught up with her. US marshal Vincent Corelli’s job is hunt down fugitives and protect those who are assigned to him. He vows to protect Raina at all cost and working together to solve the mystery of her past but will Raina live long enough .....

My thoughts:

Although part of a series this novel stands well on its own.

The plot is engaging enough but not as suspenseful as in the previous novels penned by Miss Eason. Nevertheless as the story unfolds we have nail-biting scenes to capture our interest and hold us captive till the conclusion. I knew Raina from the previous stories so it was not a surprise she wanted to stay low key. But when a young teenager was interviewed on TV it started a chain of dangerous and deadly events that propelled the story forward. The pacing stayed smooth sailing from then on. The story is also richly layered with just the right amount of romance: Raina and Vincent have great chemistry. It is fun to follow how they interact with each other. Although not overly done, faith in God is the catalyst that gave Raina and Vincent the opportunity to get closer to each other.

“Countdown” gives us a bit of everything: drama, excitement, romance and some suspense along with a god cast of characters. Well-done and well-said.

I received this ARC from Revel via Netgalley for my thoughts

"The Last Letter from London", by Pam Lecky

Her Secret War book #3

As the war rages MI5 agent Sarah Gillespie is tasked with handling Adeline Vermier, a double agent from Paris. Adeline’s mission is to code letter that would help the Allies defeat the Germans, in return she wants her boyfriend be rescued from Nazi occupied France. Adeline is a very volatile woman and with no reason she could double-cross MI5 leaving Sarah in a bind....When a secret mission brings them to Lisbon, they must tread carefully.....what happens next? A very captivating journey through uncertainty...

The story is filled with intrigue, deception and sadness all said in a romantic tone. The plot has a strong emphasis on Sarah’s romance and her tumultuous relationship with Tony. The pacing is steady and moves back and forth between the mission and Sarah’s romantic indecisions. As for Adeline her credibility is questionable for most part. MI5 never knew if she would turn on them and destroy all they were hoping to achieve. But her action made for good intrigue and suspense from her first appearance till we reach the conclusion. Sarah took back stage and was not the strong character I would have hoped to see. Her part a bit too subdued for my taste. Tony needed a boot to open up with his feelings but Sarah manages to give it to him by the end...haha.

I love the plot it is gripping and thrilling. It kept me on edge since it was hard to see what the outcome would be. Will the mission fall apart and thousands would die or will it succeed. In a few words: not a bad book if you are a spy lover in a ww11 setting.

Thank you Avon Books Uk and Netgalley for this ARC

"Primer", by Ty Patterson

Cutter Grogan Thrillers book # 7

The escapades by Cutter Grogan are till this day a pleasure to read even if this is the 7th , the story is fresh and exciting. I particularly like that the author not only gives us a lot of action but has a good story behind all the hunt, killings, kidnaping and the beautiful people that are key to make this series a success: my favourite of all Mr. Patterson endeavour. Over the top indeed, super hero no less and thank goodness the female players are smart not dimwit sexy objects. This book is captivating, the plot very intense and yes all players from other series join in the save Cutter from getting killed. We have all the characters in one spot how nice seeing them doing their parts.

Did I pique your interest if yes in a few works what to expect:

NYPD Gina Difiore and FBI Peyton Quindica Cutter’s closest friends came to him for help. He couldn’t refuse. As he begins, he is soon deep into a multi gang war with international ties mastering in kidnapping and human trafficking, very dangerous people to deal with. Cutter finds himself in the middle of a huge brouhaha and up the creek till his buddy Zeb Carter and his merry gang showed up to save him. Add some twists to the non-stop action and a very special girl to save make for a very exciting thriller. Well penned to give us a roller- coaster ride from start to finish.

Thank you, Mr. Patterson this story captivated it me for hours.

"Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas" by Vicki Delany

A Year Round Christmas Mystery book #6

Vicki Delany is giving us another cozy, witty and captivating holiday mystery with her protagonist, Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures and amateur sleuth extraordinaire.

The small-town of Rudolph, N.Y. is humming with holiday cheers and ghosts of Christmases past and future, hot chocolate and gingerbread cookie no matter the weather. The local amateur dramatic society is preparing a special musical production but rivalries between the artists threatens the production...this is not a happy set. Pressure is on and everything collapse when Paula, a member is found dead in Merry’s store...

By taking us a wild adventure to find who wanted Paula dead, this soft mystery has a lot going on to please us. First we have the preparation of the town’s Christmas Carol production with its many colourful players and the drama they bring to the table. Then we have the murder investigation done by the authorities as well as from our amateur sleuth. There are a lot of suspects and we get to know all of them. It wouldn’t be a good holiday story without pooches included, we also have them.

I read in the past some books from this author and always thought Ms. Delany had a gift of immersing her readers by giving us tidbit to munch on in order to pique our interest in finding the whodunit. I was surprise to discover who it was. She also gives us a warm feeling with her smooth style, a good story and an appealing cast of characters.

Not having read the previous book in this series did not take away from my enjoyment, this latest stands well by itself.

“Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas” is a relaxing read to loose ourselves in.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC

"Deadly Depths", by John F. Dobbyn

You need to suspend your skepticism if you want to enjoy this over the top thriller featuring former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, Matthew Shane, now professor at Hawthorne University Law School in Massachusetts. As easy a job as one can have till his friend archeology professor Barrington Holmes was found dead in his office of what is believe to be a suicide. To avoid a scandal Matthew is asked by the university’s president to investigate. But a note left behind suggests that Holmes may have been murdered by a shadowy organisation called the Monkey’s Paw Society, a 5 member secret society bent on locating some kind of pirate treasure.....Matt sets out to find who they are and what is their end game......and the hunt is on...
The search for answer and the hidden treasure turned out to be a very complicated adventure: a professor dodging assassins, bombs, an ancient curse stretching back to the days of colonial conquest, piracy on the high seas and slave trade. One by one society members are losing their lives. ...what is happening?

While Matt’s quest takes him to beautiful and diverse locations: New Orleans, Montreal, Marseille and Jamaica we are into never ending suspense, very exciting. We have a large sidebar into Captain Henry Morgan sea activities which I took to be a bit long to read although on its own is very interesting as well as were the breath taking accounts of some famous privateers exploits and the Spanish Conquistadors. The depiction of history was active and very interesting. How true the descriptions were, probably not all of them, but told in a captivating manner nevertheless from start to finish. I mind never wavered I stay tuned till the conclusion.

The third person narrative is very well done and dynamic. The dialogue in some way seems outdated and too formal reflects well in this kind of story. We have a plot that is very imaginative and mostly entertaining. I would categorize “Deadly Deaths” as a mix between an Indiana Jones adventure and James Bond life style: fine dining, lots of money and beautiful girl....what is not to like.

My thanks to Oceanview Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC

"China Code", by Jeffrey E. Seay

NCIS Special Agent Ruben Carver, Book #2

Special Agent Ruben Carver new mission sends him to Shanghai to locate and neutralize a hacker who been getting classified military critical technologies. During his investigation Carver discovers a parallel operation funded by an international cabal known as The Board leaded by a dangerous woman adversary known internationally as Qu....and the fun begins.

I like this one even if I had no idea what the first books was all about I fit in right away and enjoy this very intense action suspense drama. It is a roller coaster ride from start to finish. Lots of entertaining action, gory at times but the protagonist has skills everyone can envy: he is one tough cookie. We need to pay close attention; there are many tough characters to content with, Qu and her men, the driver and all those who cross their paths. It was easy to get lost on unfamiliar names. Nicely done is the action sequence it doesn’t drag at all and easily kept me on edge and entertained. Definitely and good read.

"The Last Gunfighter of Space", by Ty Patterson

Cade Stryker Book #1

The year is 5050 AD in a far far away a planet in the Icarus Galaxy, Calara is where millions who survived the decimation of earth established themselves. But life hasn’t turned out to their liking...AI rule over them. Humans are rebelling....and then enter Cade Stryker, a thief, who trades with anyone, anywhere, sails everywhere with Andy, his ship; a kind of Andromeda....fate of humans may lie in the hands of Cade Stryker.....or not.

Full disclosure...sci-fi is by far not my favourite genre my review may reflect my feelings. I received the two books in the series from the author Zion of years ago and I put them at the bottom of my very long pile of books to read knowing this genre wasn’t for me but since it was giving in good faith and Ty Patterson has become one of my favourite authors through the years I knew I had to give this series a go and I am happy to say that Ty stopped this endeavor after writing the second book...Thank you.

In simple words: creative license indeed, imagination overboard and ridiculous encounters. It starts so so but petered out mid-way with silly fantasy elements: dried plasma to fuel the spaceship, ships with invisible hulls, give me a break... This story is complete nonsense from the first page till the very end. The characterization is totally nonappealing... Ok. I hate it but well done are Ty signature gun fights and good guy/bad guys chases that peppered the pages. Ty Patterson other series are by far a better buy....

"The Enemy Within", by John W. Mefford

A Jack Whitfield Thriller Book # 2

This is a gripping international intrigue and a winner in my books. Jack in this mission will face the world’s most notorious terrorist. Terror strikes across Europe, bombs explode at outdoor venues. Jack and his squad need to pinpoint who may be behind this....clues bring them to the Chinese Communist Party and the carnage has to end at any cost...

Being a huge fan of this author I hate to miss any of his creation. Yes creation that offers us excitement with never ending action...maybe too much but fun, fun, fun. The characters are well-define and recurring ones get better and better as new installments are added. When describing locations, the author paints vivid details pulling you into the scenes with finest. It is very hard not to push forward flipping pages to see the outcome...yes surprises await at every page. These high-speed chases around the globe will no doubts please adventure seekers. The many twists and turns are a real roller-coaster ride, Jack and his squad are continuously blindsided and almost killed by criminals...but they survive for us to enjoy their next escapade into criminality.....

Found in all of Mr. Mefford’s thrillers: exiting story filled with gun play, action characters to drive the plot, realistic narration and active dialogue (not necessary clean) and many subplots going on at the same time.

The Jack Whitfield series is very dynamic and one easy to get hooked on.

Ms. Mefford once again you outdid yourself. Thank you for the hours of enjoyment.