"Dead and Gone", by John W. Mefford

Dark Horizon

Alex& Ozzie book #1

A new series with familiar characters for us to enjoy and I certainty did. In this fresh suspense mystery Mr. Mefford has Alex, an FBI veteran, teamed with her brother, Ozzie, in a new venture, their own PI firm in Austin.

A wicked new drug is on the loose and overdoses are running rampant. Alex and Ozzie are asked by an affected family to go after the drug dealers who gave their kids the pills. They did not hesitate but doing so may put their lives on the line…..

As always Mr. Mefford gave us suspense and teased us all along while Alex and Ozzie are on the job. I was so captivated with the comings and goings that I simply stayed and follow the heroes till the very end. The case is not only what is captivating squeezing some personal drama in the characters' lives was the right formulae.

Alex has doubts about Brad’s (husband) fidelity and navigates her personal drama while trying not to put her mission in peril. She is very conflicted but Ozzie gives her the support needed. But the past has a way to crush you……and the story ends with Brad on the run…..why?. And the drug situation?.....well….

Maybe the next installment “Dead Silence” will give us more….what a teaser.

Nicely done

Thank you, Mr. Mefford you made my day.

"The President is Missing", by Bill Clinton

A Political Thriller

Published in 2018, former U.S. President teamed up with the renown novelist James Patterson to give us a story that topped the best seller list for weeks. Although at the time some argued that the story missed the mark, commented negatively on the prose and the absurdity of the plot. Reading some years later I admit to have enjoyed every moment of this highly fictionized thriller. I took it for what it was…a fiction but could something similar happen today?

Told from the first-person perspective, the story follows U.S. president Jonathan Lincoln Duncan as he races against time to find a traitor in his cabinet, preventing a massive cyberattack from crippling the country’s economics, infrastructure and defenses. If “Dark Ages” is deployed it would destroy the United States. President Duncan will do everything for this not to happen.

Of course, this is the James Patterson we know too well but through the narrative we see the influence the former President had. The book is filled with knowledge of the American political system. Together they have weaved a story with all the essential ingredients to have us engaged for hours. I definitely had a hard time putting this book down even if it is somewhat farfetched. So much action, suspense and the well-rounded main characters and the diverse mix of supportive ones helped to push this story forward, not a dull moment from start to finish.

Reading “The president is Missing” is not taxing. The style is simply said in everyday words, the whole experience is read in short chapters and is wrapped up with no fanfare.

I like this story crazy has it sounds but can something like this happens one day?

"The Department", by Jacqueline Faber

A psychological thriller

The Department is a dark academic thriller, a story that delves into the mysterious disappearance of a college student and the secrets unearthed by a struggling philosophy professor.

This story is said through the dual perspectives of Lucia and Neil, the two important figures in this story.

Nothing is going well for Professor Neil Weber: his wife left him, his academic research is going nowhere and is prospect of tenure is on the line…..Until Lucia Vanotti disappears, a college student at Neil’s university. What happened to her and why does Neil care about finding her?....

From the campus classrooms to sex dens we follow how their world descend into obsession and delusion while they uncover what drive them to behave the ways they never could have imagined.

Although I enjoyed the insights and thought- provoking moments I found this story to be way too long and dragging too much, it moves at a slow crawl and keep this tempo till the very last page…I had a hard time keeping with it and was so happy seeing the end coming.

The characters have a dark past and nothing is positive. This story is a trip into the disturbed world of a illusioned professor and a female student…A story written and said many times…

Indeed I did not enjoy this thriller but maybe you will so don’t take my words for it, have a look for yourselves.

I received a copy of this book from Oceanview Publishing for my thoughts: this is the way I see it

"Storm Warning", by Elizabeth Goddard

Hidden Bay book #1

This brand-new series by one of my favourite authors is one fast-paced drama that kept my attention till I flipped the last page.

The story in a few words:

After a disturbing accident that left photographer Remi Grant struggling to remember she needed to get away and focus on the now. The perfect place to hide is on the Rocky Washington coast working at a lodge. There, twice her life was saved by Hawke Beckett, a former military pilot, with a past of his own and both are forced into survival mode…who wants Remi and Hawk eliminated…..

My thought:

I know from the get-go that I would love this book Ms. Goddard never miss a beat and has a knack to keep me at the edge of my seat. This latest was no exception, so many things going on, so many twists and turns it is almost impossible to foresee the next move. The mystery is very suspenseful and exciting. Who wanted to kill Remi and what was her dark secret?

Although Hawke wanted to forget his botch mission crossing path with Remi was all he needed and all the reasons he shouldn’t be helping her…..and chemistry between the two couldn’t be better and nature did its course….awe…

I enjoyed the remote location, the diversions created by the villains, and the delightful whodunit saga for our enjoyment.

Another excellent story by a master storyteller. Well-said and done.

I received this ARC from the publisher Revell via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it

"Looking at Women Looking at War", by Victoria Amelina

A War and Justice Diary

With a foreword by Margarite Atwood

Victoria Amelia was writing a novel when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 2022. She became a war crimes researcher and the chronicler of women like herself who joined de resistance. The heroines in this book are a prominent lawyer Evgenia, Yulia a librarian and Olexsandra a Nobel Peace prize winner. Amelia was documenting the war, photographed ruins and recorded testimonies….till June 27th when a Russian cruise missile hit the restaurant where she had stopped for a bite…she died on July 1st at thirty seven….she left behind her unedited notes.

Written by a poet, this book is also a work of literature but foremost a powerful look at courage of resistance.

The first section of her diary was completed before her death and the second section consist of unfinished notes and paragraphs. The second part is very fragmented and very distracting to a point I skipped some passages. Having said this, it doesn’t remove that Amelia was one of Ukraine’s most celebrated young writers and her dairy is very honest and intimate.

It is a difficult read, poignantly detailed on the experiences by many Ukrainians and the atrocities suffered by the population during the conflict, Ms. Amelina brigs us up close to the reality of war.

Most reviewers loved this book well I am an exception for my part I stand on the fence still trying to evaluate my feelings. Not loving it yet not disliking it.

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

"Origin", by Dan Brown

Robert Langdon Book #5

“Where do we come from? Where are we going?

Traveling to Spain at the request of Edmond Kirsh, Dr. Langdon finds himself once again wrapped up in a global-scale event that could have huge ramification on the world’s religions. At the Bilbao Museum he meets with futurist Edmund Kirsh (a friend) who plans to release a message that will change the face of science. But the event goes tragically wrong leaving Langdon to track down his friend’s discovery and unveil it to the world…..

“Where do we come from? Where are we going?

This story has extensive research on art, architecture and history plus gives us plenty of puzzles, clues, religious symbolisms and technological lingo. To entertain us Langdon even gets assistance from an AI that outdid Siri and Alexa by miles (km).

The format, style and tone are similar to Mr. Browns other books so if you liked him before you still will, otherwise you know what to do. I read all of his book and I will keep doing so when a new one comes out.

A bit frustrating, the author makes us wait the entire book for the “reveal” toying with us with the world religions’ extinction and the “forces” trying to suppress the message from coming out. “Origin” is a huge race against time to save the world from impending doom.

Although, it has an interesting premise it is really slow moving and being a huge book near 550 pages one has to generate excitement to the reader in order for him to stay tuned and interested to the end. Yes, we do have action, murders, conspiracy and suspense but the length and pacing doesn’t allow to stay riveted to every word and I was happy to flip the last page. Having say this…I still enjoy this conspiracy theory and Dan Brown is a master imagining this type of stories (prophecies).