"Her Day to Die", by Melinda Woodhall

A Veronica Lee Thriller book #5

Veronica Lee, our fearless woman sleuth and loveable investigative journalist is once again the target of a serial killer. She has been on the front line for Channel 10 TV for some time exposing the Syndicate and their Boss for a series of horrific murders...they want to silence her once and for all. But on today’s news is a man known as the “Hangman” she needs to give all her attention to him....and from then on we are into a very captivating hunt....

I love how Ms. Woodhall set the stage for her story slowly but steadily adding intrigue and suspense along from dripping clues that leads and teases us in finding the whodunit to suddenly switch direction in order to keep us guessing and tuned in this the last drop unveils everything. The intertwining stories and the many threads are smoothly blended to make a story so captivating that I simply stayed prisoner glued to the pages till the surprising ending. What a page turner that gives us a fresh, fast-paced and well written story.

What not to love with the main characters, they are developing nicely and a joy to follow. We also have recurring ones from previous stories and of course the introduction of new ones to entertain us and they do an excellent job in doing so.

This book could be a stand-alone although I am glad to have been following the series from the start.

Fabulously enjoyable read

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

"From Ashes to Song", by Hilary Hauck

This story inspired by true events is one of ordinary people that left their country during the great wave of immigration to start in a new life in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. This fictional portrayal of two young people who represent those who ventured from the vineyard in Italy for what they thoughts would be a better life in America. What they faced is hardship in the shanty towns and the danger in the coal mines. This is the story of Pietro, a maestro clarinetist and Assunta whose beautiful voice was the inspiration for his music.

The story span from 1911 to the 1950’s and touches: love, loss, heartache, happiness, sadness, all aspect of life one must face. The story is elegantly written and meanders a lot from page one till the wrap up in order to pull us into the mindset of the time. It is an emotional journey; the days are incredibly hard for them but their will to success made them stronger. Pietro music is so well describes I could almost hear it....the snippets nicely ties everything together. The characterisation is fairly realistic; the author has captured skillfully the time and place and has penned a fictional story that will please most.

So why did “From Ashes to Song”, not pique my interest and hold me captive from start to finish? Why did I find this story somewhat boring? Maybe, the lack of intensity in the progression of the story that simply was plugging along and said in an even tone that did not totally agree with me but again this is only my opinion.

I received a copy of this book from Sunbury Press via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.

"Recoil" by Ty Patterson

Zeb Carter Short Stories book #3

This is another thrilling covert-ops suspense action novella with Zeb and his Crew in the middle of the action in LA. Yes, the usual they can’t catch a break even when on vacation they have to save the day. This time thwarting the kidnapping of a mother and a young girl is on the agenda. Of course less than 60 pages the action is fast and furious with lots of big bang and all the good things fans have come to expect. Like any short stories this one also ends too fast but what a great read when time is not on your side.

This is a fun and quick read and a short escape from reality. Till next time thank you Mr. Patterson