"Gorilla Tango', by Warren Stelman

From Businessman to Convicted Felon and Surviving the US Prison System

I’m a Canadian in a Us prison. I robbed old people and got caught.

With these opening words Mr. Stelman narrates a story of personal redemption, spiritual growth and survival. It is a compelling remembrance of incarceration. He once owned a digital signage company and was a respectable Montreal entrepreneur till the day all came crashing down, then he moved to the Dominican Republic where he became involved in a sweepstakes scam that stole money from the elderly. Interpol got the better of him, got caught and ended up in a Santo Domingo jail. Months later extradited to the US where he spend more than five years in federal prison. . His prison name was Canada.

Mr. Stelman describes his crimes, capture, trial process and prison time in great details as well as his daily life and how he had to adapt to survive in a brutal, violent and unforgiving world. According to Canada it was a journey through hell. Said in the first person he paints himself honestly and plainly as a convicted felon his tone has frankness to it when he tells us about his prison businesses and his relationships with his family. He says a lot in his mémoirs and his words are deep in prison jargon, lots of swear language. It got to me after a while but prison is prison we have to accept this.

I was intrigued by this man and his story and I found his openness to be touching but do I empathize with him ...no way he did the crime ruined 100s of lives. How easy targets make those entering multiple sweepstakes he calls them “dreamers” and telling them they won will get them every time....he deserved every bit of what he got....He knew better....

Now home he deserves to have his life back.....

Although hard to read, no doubt this book is a page-tuner hard to put down and a pretty good read.

"The Lost", by Jeffrey B. Burton

A Mace Reid K-9 Mystery, book# 3

The stars in this latest are Vira, an extraordinary cadaver dog, and her handler Mason” Mace” Reid.

The story brings us to Glencoe, Illinois. A home invasion turned kidnapping, the billionaire financier was assaulted, left behind while his wife and young daughter were taken for ransom. FBI and Reid with his specialized pack of cadaver dogs are brought to the scene. After a short time, Vira finds the dead body of the mother ....now everyone is on high alert to find the daughter....and the suspense begins...

It is also good to know that Mace works with the Chicago Police department and has a budding romantic interest with Detective Kippy Gimm...why not.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I love how the author seamlessly combined an amateur sleuth mystery with a police procedural while giving spotlight to the strong connection between the handler and his dogs. Vira’s mind borders on the paranormal; her ability to locate not only dead bodies but also picks up on the perpetrator’s scent at the site. Not a dull moment in this terrific mystery filled with twists and turns, action galore. I particularly love the narrative; the story is told with a touch of humour and does not bog down with frivolity or non-essential elements: it goes right to the point. The writing style is very engaging, so much so that I hated to put this book down. What about a clever plot: so intriguing, original and very intense. The theme covers a large range of topics from murder, assault, abduction, corruption, blackmail, deceit and relationships. Oh yes, maybe the Bratva also.. What is not to like...

Great story I am looking forward to the next saga..
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I received a copy of this book from St-Martin Press via Netgalley for my thoughts.

"Abiding Conviction", by Stephen M. Murphy

Book # 3 in the Dutch Francis legal thriller

In a few words:

Lawyer Dutch Francis faces and impossible situation: search for your missing wife or defend your high-profile client. Dutch is defending a Judge accusing of killing his wife. Just as the trial is about to begin, his wife Ginnie Turner, a TV broadcaster goes missing...

My thoughts:

What would you do if you were in his shoes?

Courtroom drama and thrillers I absolutely love them. So dialogue oriented and I enjoy reading the banter that usually comes with them. Although this one has some it felt a little short and missed sharpness. Defending your client while worrying about your wife can’t be easy. So the legal scenes went fast and the preliminary hearing happened the next day. Can that be possible in real life? Experts say it doesn’t. Ok. I will give a break considering this is minor.

The story has fillers and the courtroom scenes were short but what gave this book thrills is Ginnie got kidnapped. I would say “Abiding Conviction” has two stories within a story and Dutch Francis happens to be the main character. Ginnie story is well said and exciting as for the Judge, his defense was a bit disappointing.

It may seem that I didn’t like book, far from it, although not perfect this thriller packs one hell of a story in its 293 pages or so. In all, the experience wasn’t bad at all. I enjoyed most parts and stayed with it till the very last page.

Although this book is part of a series it stands well on its own. Will I read more books from this series, indeed I will.

I received a copy of this book from Oceanview Publishing via Netgalley for my thoughts.