"Play Dead", by John W. Mefford

Alex & Ozzie

Dark Horizon Book# 6

Ozzie’s daughter has been it by a car and almost killed when Ozzie’s best friend came calling for help, his niece had disappeared without a trace and needed Ozzie expertise finding her, Ozzie had no choice but to look for her and bring her back home. With the help of Alex, his sister and most trusted business partner, they set out chasing a trail that led them far from home and soon fond themselves in a web of buried secrets, old grudges and enemies with long memories who would kill to protect their empire.

The clock keeps ticking…..

What an exciting story this one is with its relentless pacing throughout and multiple peaks and valleys to keep us on our toes all through it is hard not to say this is Mr. Mefford at his best. So much is going on, trouble always find a way to Alex and Ozzie and for them getting out of it is always a challenge that entertains us. What an intense story this one is I was glued to every word and crossing my fingers rooting for a good outcome but Mr. Mefford had a surprise…. A shocking ending.

What a mix: missing niece, drug cartels, human trafficking, a roller coaster ride and lots and lots of mayhem….and characters extraordinaire….

Well- said and well-done Mr. Mefford thank you for the hours of entertainment.

"The Girl on the Beach", by Carol Snow

The story in a few words:

A missing child tears a family apart

Sonia and Graham Starr have everything going for them, a glamorous couple, her an entrepreneur and he a handsome painter with a zest for life. They had everything till the day Roxie, their precious little girl, disappears into the Pacific Ocean one August afternoon…..Months later when Roxie’s nanny plagued by guilt returns to the Starr’s beach house the family drama turns into a roller coaster ride…

My thoughts in a few words:

This psychological thriller had my brain spinning in circle trying to keep up with it. It is definitely originally said switching back and forth at each chapter telling what happened” Before” and then “After” the incident slowly unraveling the Starr secrets and it went on and on this way till the very end. My head is still spinning….No doubts the presentation is original and it is well said although this format didn’t appeal to me and failed to hold my full attention. I thought abandoning it many times but no I stayed with it till the conclusion which I still have trouble figuring what happened. Too many characters, too many back and forth, too many what not and voilà I still wonder what I read.

Ok don’t take my words many have giving this story high praise so as always, I urge you to judge for yourself, you may love it or as I, not so much.

My thanks to Fauzia Burke, Founder of FSB Associates for this ARC in exchange for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.

"A Spy in Saigon", by Nancy Cole Silverman

A Kat Lawson Mystery

Travel writer and undercover operative, Kat Lawson, is sent to Vietnam her mission is to deliver cash and passports to a top operative when her mission turns awry……. what comes next…. will knock you over.

Another great read that moved along like a read-life story. A page- tuner mystery at its best. The descriptions and the detailed of Vietnam sounded so realistic I thought I was there following every move Kat was facing. Ms. Silverman knows how to set a strong sense of time and place to make her espionage engrossing. Yes, its fast-paced, not a dull moment and of course events happened to derail us.

The plot is skillfully written with well drawn characters, the perfect adventure combining history, mystery and espionage….and love…maybe….Although, threaded through the lines is a darker side: the trafficking of children, a black market made volatile since the collapse of Soviet influence and treatment of children of American GIs.

What elevated “A Spy in Saigon” beyond the conventional thriller is the unmistakable trepidation of lived memory. Kat was an Air Force wife during the war and memories resurfaced with force, the memory of loosing her husband MIA since…

This is a well-crafted story with some tender moments. Excellent read.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review