Suspense – Lit World Interviews

Get Two Images of God: Quest and also Discontent #FREE!

Author Brian P. Sheets releases his two book series Two Images of God: Quest and Two Images of God: Discontent today for Free on Kindle.

Two Images of God: Quest

The conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims is not just imaginary.

It’s very real.

In Book 1 of the Two Images of God series, Quest explores the search for peaceful co-existence between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism by revealing people who are more focused on the character of an individual rather than their religious affiliation. Members of clergy, science, medicine, and education come together to explore a common viewpoint that provides a basis for communication.

But, their comradery is short-lived as their blissful coexistence is abruptly halted by militant forces bent on seeing them destroyed. Following a deadly attack at their archaeological site in Israel, will their new-found friendships last? Or, will they revert back to the prejudices of their native religious beliefs?

Two Images of God-Quest begins a journey of discovery, gaining speed like a heavily laden train, until it arrives at breakneck pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Two Images of God: Discontent

The explosion was deafening. Then, utter silence.

A baby’s whimper broke the still air. One by one, people began to move, reawakened to the Samaritan need to go to the aid of the baby in distress.

Then, quiet once again.

In this rapid-fire sequel to Two Images of God-Quest (Book 1), the author reveals a brewing conflict between the Western Alliance and the Islamic World Order, a new coalition promising global destruction. Recognizing the danger of mutual annihilation, will the leaders of the opposing armies pursue peace or war? Or, will they be overthrown by subordinates seething with hatred and a desire for total control?

Written to parallel the same time period as Book 1 in the Two Images of God series, Two Images of God-Discontent (Book 2) provides the backstory for the climax in Quest. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, with an ending you will not expect!

Get Two Images of God: Quest at Amazon for Kindle by clicking the image below.

Get Two Images of God: Discontent at Amazon for Kindle by clicking the image below.

Murder Without Pity #Bookreview

Title: Murder Without Pity
Author: Steve Haberman
File Size: 623KB
Print Length: 319
Publication Date: May 5, 2012
Sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Formats: Kindle
Goodreads
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime

Murder Without Pity is a slow-moving suspense, told in a way that makes you want to turn the pages and keep going. If I had the chance to read it in one night, then I probably would have. It wasn’t even the mystery portion of this novel that I enjoyed so much, although I enjoyed trying to solve the crime before reaching the ending. While I had a few suspects in mind, I feel that there could have been a little more foreshadowing or red herrings to help solve the mystery. As a mystery author myself, I certainly understand how hard it is to throw in red herrings without giving the plot away. There were, however, enough twists to keep me yearning for more.

This story was much more than just solving the strange murder of a man. The investigator, Stanislas Cassel, spends a good amount of his time interacting with the people of France, hoping they either won’t judge him or they just don’t know that he’s the grandson of a French propagandist for the Nazis during their WWII operation. This part of his family’s past mortifies him, so Cassel attempts to avoid anything political and hopes no one will recognize him. Of course, we all know that’s not always possible. And as Cassel continues his investigation, he finds himself in the midst of a larger wickedness beyond the small crimes he prefers to investigate.

This wasn’t a book where you can easily skim a few words here and there…let’s face it, we all tend to do that, whether we mean to do so or not. If you’re focusing on solving the mystery, then it’s possible something would be missing between the lines on the pages. Even reading carefully, I’m sure I missed a thing or two. And if you’re only along for the ride to enjoy the beautiful scenery that’s portrayed, then skipping around will force you to miss out. I’ve never been to France, and as someone who would like to one of these days, I felt I had a good idea of what Paris was like during the time this story takes place. The writing splayed across my mind as though I was watching a movie. It was so beautifully descriptive, whether it was about the thick fog smothering the city or Cassel’s thoughts.

I would most certainly enjoy reading more from this author.

Overall rating: 4 of 5 stars

Biography

A University of Texas graduate, Steve Haberman pursued legal studies at UCLA before embarking on a career as a legal assistant. Profitable stock market investments made travel abroad possible, and he has since visited Europe extensively and frequently, including London, Paris, Prague, Berlin, as well as Milan and Budapest. Many of these feature as settings in his two e-book novels. “Murder Without Pity,” a murder mystery with tragic echoes from the past, occurs in Paris. “The Killing Ploy” (with heavy overtones of “fake news” before that was topical) is set partially in several Continental capitals. His two works in progress, “Darkness and Blood,” the sequel to “The Killing Ploy,” and “Winston Churchill’s Renegade Spy” also use foreign locales. He is presently planning another three month trip abroad for research on a fifth thriller, this one set in the post World War II apocalyptic ruin of the German capital.

*For more book reviews, click here.*

Bully Boy Blue #bookreview @nicholl06

Title: Bully Boy Blue
Author: John Nicholl
Print Length: 62
Publication Date: April 1, 2017
Sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Formats: Kindle, Paperback
Goodreads
Genres: Thriller, Psychological thriller, suspense, novella

Bully Boy Blue is a short psychological thriller by John Nicholl, author of White is the Coldest Colour and When Evil Calls Your Name. This novella takes only an hour, maybe an hour and a half to read for several reasons. One, it’s only 62 pages, and two, it’s extremely engaging. From the beginning, we get inside the head of the wife (Kathy), who is married to an abusive husband. Like many abusive husbands, only Kathy gets to see his dark side.

As usual, John Nicholl weaves the tale in a way that forces us to become a part of the story. There’s sympathy for Kathy, who has no one but her sister to turn to, there’s hatred for her husband with his hateful slurs and degrading abuse toward his wife, and there are people that surround them that you just want to slap for their ignorance.

I could tell how the story would end, but it pleased me just the same. With every piece of his writing (I’ve read and enjoyed them all), John Nicholl grows and digs deeper into your psyche. And the titles he comes up with is always pure genius. Well worth the read! My only complaint is I want more!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

*For more reviews, click here.*

Biography

John Nicholl, an ex police officer, child protection social worker and lecturer, has written three dark psychological suspense thrillers, each of which have been Amazon international bestsellers, reaching # 1 in multiple categories in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Australia, Canada and the USA. John is always happy to hear from readers, bloggers or the media, and can be contacted via his author website at: http://www.johnnicholl.com. Rights enquiries should be directed to Mr Toby Mundy – Literary agent at TMA.

Book Reviewers Wanted!!

Hey, guys! I’m looking for some reviewers willing to add one or two of my books to their queue! The first novel, The Murder of Manny Grimes, needs five reviewers, while its sequel, Blood Runs Cold, needs ten. They are both standalone novels. They both have a slight Christian slant, as well as paranormal, but neither are heavy on those topics.

Blood Runs Cold is now available and it would be great if I could scrounge up some reviews on both Goodreads and Amazon, as well as your blog. So far, my early readers has said Blood Runs Cold is just as good, if not better, than its predecessor, which has had 14 awesome reviews.

Contact me at angelakaysbooks@gmail.com if you are interested in reading one or even both stories.

The Murder of Manny Grimes–5 reviewers

Blood Runs Cold–10 reviewers

The format, unfortunately, is PDF, as I do not have a mobi file. However, it can still be read on your e-readers just like the kindle/nook version.

I would greatly appreciate your help in this matter!

Angela

When three young boys stumble into Lieutenant Jim DeLong’s life one night during a winter storm, they claim they’ve seen a dead body by the swing sets of the Columbia County Elementary School. After he investigates, DeLong sees no evidence, not even a body. But were the boys telling the truth?

With the help of his oldest friend and mentor, former Naval investigator Russ Calhoun, DeLong sets out to find whether Manny Grimes is alive or dead. The further away he gets to the bottom of the mystery, the closer he comes to realize that his own life is falling apart.

Delving deeper into the murder of Manny Grimes, Lieutenant DeLong begins to unravel, losing his sense of control, falling into old temptations he spent years to overcome. Will he be able to move past his own demons and untangle the web of lies before it’s too late?

A young woman has been murdered at the Savannah Rapids
Pavilion and Lieutenant Jim DeLong realizes at first sight this
case will be the most difficult one of his career. DeLong is immediately swept into the memories of his childhood and dark
secrets he’s longed to forget. The victim is his sister-in-law, and old thoughts he’s fought to delete will be resurrected whether he likes it or not. With no clear motive, DeLong questions his ability on whether he’s able to remain objective.

#BookReview of The Red Line by @WaltGreggAuthor

The Red Line

By Walt Gregg

Available on Amazon by clicking HERE.

A story with its beginnings pulled from the headlines of today and realistic events that could happen, The Red Line gives a scary look at a what if of the near future.

First of all, I liked the book overall. The pacing was good, and everything was well developed. However, for my own personal taste there was almost too much detail. I know the author intends to give a comprehensive covering of all the aspects of the what if scenario but I personally didn’t need to know the shot by shot coverage.

That being said, it was done well and you could feel the tension in each scene. There is definite realism in the story. I like that we don’t get all sunshine and roses throughout the book. We do get realities of war even when it hurts, and that hurt is to the plus of the author’s talent. You feel the losses that take place. I would recommend this book to anyone that really gets into war stories and likes to feel the action.

I recommend this book to anyone who really gets into a good war story with real events occurring.

“Blood Runs Cold” ~ From the Author of “The Murder of Manny Grimes”

I’ve recently submitted my second novel to my publisher at ThomasMax Publishing. With it being my second book, I’m both excited and extremely nervous! My debut, The Murder of Manny Grimes, was released last year, mid-September. I’ve spent seven years sweating over my manuscript, wondering if I’d ever get it published. Finally, it happened, and my “baby” is now available on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble for paperback/e-book. It has had some amazing reviews so far. I hope they keep on comin’!

Sometimes, you live with a group of characters for so long, they become a part of you.

A few readers asked me about a sequel, and I thought, “Why not?” Initially, I hadn’t planned on writing a sequel. However, I was curious as to how my protagonist, Lieutenant Jim DeLong would handle his job and home life. If you’ve read Manny Grimes, you already know that circumstances threatened DeLong’s very existence. Did he overcome his temptations? Well, if you haven’t read the book, I’m not telling! Shhhhh!

And now, Blood Runs Cold is born.

This next case DeLong will be involved with will be the most difficult of his career. It’s full of mystery, intrigue, new characters, as well as old. We’ll learn even more about DeLong–more than he wants us to know. But sometimes, secrets have a way of coming out! No one knows this like our beloved protagonist.

My publisher is working on preparing the book for publication. I don’t know the exact date it’ll be released. My hope is by the end of May or early June. You’ll be kept updated for sure! If you would like to pre-order a signed copy of Blood Runs Cold (or even The Murder of Manny Grimes), I will be selling them for $14–shipping included. If you’d like to order both, I’m offering them for $20! Again, shipping is included.

A New Case. An Old Memory.

A young woman has been murdered at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion and Lieutenant Jim DeLong realizes at first sight this case will be the most difficult one of his career. DeLong is immediately swept into the memories of his childhood and dark secrets he’s longed to forget. With no clear motive, DeLong questions his ability on whether he’s able to remain objective.

Check out my video for The Murder of Manny Grimes.
Check out my video for Blood Runs Cold.

Like me on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter: @angelakaysbooks

Biography

Equipped with a professional writing degree from Augusta State University, Angela Kay is a southern lady who spends her days and nights dreaming up new ways to solve dark murders of normal people.

Angela Kay was one of 23 across the United States to win a 2009 playwright contest for her one-act entitled “Digging Deeper.” Because of this, she was able to spend a week in Atlanta at the Horizon Theater Company.

She lives in Augusta, Georgia with her crazy calico, Maggie.

Spotlight on Indie Author @AngelaKaysBooks. The Murder of Manny Grimes.

Today’s Spotlight Author is our very own Angela Kay! A new Indie Author as well as one of our busiest book reviewers here at LWI.

1. How did you come up with the idea for your novel the Murder of Manny Grimes?

I started writing it during my final semester of college. I was taking a writing course where we were to write the first thirty pages of a novel. I didn’t really have an inspiration strike…I just started writing and the plot seemed to unfold. My professor and students alike

loved the beginning of the story. Because of my passion of writing, I continued the first draft with the hopes of getting it published one day.

2. For aspiring writers out there, tell us how long it took you from idea to publishing your novel? Tell us about the process of how it all came about.

It took me seven years to perfect it. I finished the first draft in a year. I was excited because it was the first full length novel I finished. For the most part, I’d only written short stories. After that, I began to edit my book, and it was a major headache. I must have changed the direction of the story three or four times. I took a lot of breaks from it…more than I should have. Finally, by the many rocks God tossed my way, I finished my final draft. And just as I finished, I came across an awesome editor who didn’t mind fixing a few kinks. I played around with the idea of submitting my completed novel to a bunch of agents, but the truth is, it’s a dog eat dog world out there. I didn’t have patience for a bunch of no’s. Even when I was ready to send it off, I was hard on myself about whether it’s good or not. After considering my options, I went the route of starting as an Indie author. My publisher is a long time friend of a friend, so I trusted him. After I got my beloved books in my hands, I knew I did the right thing.

3. What kind of research did you do for the novel?

The setting used to take place in New York, but someone a long time ago told me it sounds as though it’s in Augusta, Ga (where I currently reside). That got me a bit worried because the setting relies a lot on the aftermath of a bad snowstorm. I mean, it is the south, where we hardly see one flake. I went online to see whether it was possible (although I knew it’d be okay since it’s fiction and anything was possible). I was glad to find that in 1973 we were hit with sixteen inches of snow. Although it was a long time, it satisfied me. The other researching I did was try and get the investigation as close to real as possible. I spoke to several police officers, primarily lieutenants, since my main character is a lieutenant. They were kind enough to answer any and all questions.

4. When I read a book I sometimes like to have a visual of characters. What actors would play your main characters in a movie?

Lt. Jim DeLong: Michael Fassbender. He’s a little older than DeLong, but I think he’d be good for it.

Russ Calhoun: Possibly Dean Winters

5. What are you working on now?

I’m currently editing the sequel to “Manny Grimes,” and plan to release it in a few months. I also have an FBI thriller ready to be edited and another book I’ve almost completed. I’m only doing suspense now, however, I’m starting to dabble with a bit of romance–I already have an idea for a saga.

6. I know you edit the work of other authors, how can people contact you for your services?

My website: https://angelakaysbooks.com/angela-kays-editing/

7. What do you think is the one thing that drives your main character to do what he does?

Lieutenant Jim DeLong is passion-driven. I think when he gets something in his mind, he can’t seem to let it go. It’s also somewhat of a release while he’s dealing with personal issues outside of work.

8. If you could’ve written any other book than your own, what would it be and why?

Probably “Pride and Prejudice.” I love that book so much. It’s in a complete different era and I get swept away in the character’s lives.

Is there a way people can get an autographed copy of your book?

Sure! They can email me for more information at angelakaysbooks@gmail.com. I sell signed copies of my book for $14 even. That includes shipping and handling. You can check out my book by clicking on these links: Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Website: angelakaysbooks.com

Like me on Facebook: Angela Kay’s Books

To learn how to receive a FREE PDF copy of The Murder of Manny Grimes, click HERE!

Reviews Needed For My Debut Novel!

My debut novel, The Murder of Manny Grimes, came out September 20, 2016. As you can expect, as someone who wanted to be an author ever since she could hold a pen, I was exhilarated.

I’m currently working on the sequel to Manny Grimes and plan on sending it to my publisher within the next few months. I’m also in the process of completing a few more works. Writing certainly keeps me busy! Happily, so.

Anyway, Manny Grimes has nine reviews on Amazon (two 4 stars and seven 5 stars). I’m in the search for some more honest reviews. So, if you’re interested in reviewing my debut novel, feel free to contact me at angelakaysbooks @ gmail .com. For the FIRST TEN inquirers, I will send you a free pdf copy.

Here is the synopsis of my suspense/thriller:

When three young boys stumble into Lieutenant Jim DeLong’s life one night during a winter storm, they claim they’ve seen a dead body by the swing sets of the Columbia County Elementary School. After he investigates, DeLong sees no evidence, not even a body.

But were the boys telling the truth?

With the help of his oldest friend and mentor, former Naval investigator Russ Calhoun, DeLong sets out to find whether Manny Grimes is alive or dead. The further away he gets to the bottom of the mystery, the closer he comes to realize that his own life is falling apart.

Delving deeper into the murder of Manny Grimes, Lieutenant DeLong begins to unravel, losing his sense of control, falling into old temptations he spent years to overcome.

Will he be able to move past his own demons and untangle the web of lies before it’s too late?

A few notes of the contents: It’s clean writing, meaning no sex or bad language…it’s at the most hinted. There is a touch of paranormal to the story, but not overly so.

Thanks and happy reading! I would also appreciate it very much if you’d support me by liking my FB page and/or following me on Twitter! The links are down below.

Angela Kay

Website: angelakaysbooks.com

Like me on Facebook: Angela Kay’s Books

Follow me on Twitter: @angelakaysbooks

Altar of Resistance by Samuel Marquis.

Altar of Resistance

by Samuel Marquis

Fiction: Historical Thriller/Suspense/Espionage. 368 Pages Print. Mount Sopris Publishing (January 24, 2017)

Author Biography

Samuel Marquis is a bestselling, award-winning suspense author. His books include “The Slush Pile Brigade,” “Blind Thrust,” “The Coalition,” and “Bodyguard of Deception.” He works by day as a VP-Hydrogeologist with an environmental firm in Boulder, Colorado, and by night as an iconoclastic spinner of historical and modern suspense yarns. He also has a deep and abiding interest in military history and intelligence, specifically related to the Golden Age of Piracy, Plains Indian Wars, World War II, and the current War on Terror.

Former Colorado Governor Roy Romer said, “Blind Thrust kept me up until 1 a.m. two nights in a row. I could not put it down. An intriguing mystery that intertwined geology, fracking, and places in Colorado that I know well. Great fun.” Kirkus Reviews proclaimed The Coalition an “entertaining thriller” and declared that “Marquis has written a tight plot with genuine suspense.” James Patterson compared The Coalition to The Day After Tomorrow, the classic thriller by Allan Folsom; and Donald Maas, author of Writing 21st Century Fiction and two novels, compared The Coalition to the classic political assassination thriller The Day of the Jackal.

Book Review

Espionage, intrigue, romance, battle, and more. Altar of Resistance has a difficult time finding one genre to fall into.

To start off with I see myself reading this one again. And I don’t read books more than once very often these days. This is the second of Sam Marquis’ WWII Trilogy, all standalone books, and it’s going to be hard to beat. That third one is going to have to be something else to surpass this one.

Altar of Resistance by Sam Marquis is about the Occupation and Liberation of Rome in 1943-44 Italy. The story is told through the viewpoints of four main characters: Pope Pius XII (sometimes called Hitler’s Pope), SS Colonel Wilhelm Hollman (a character based on fact), US Army Special Services member John Bridger, and Roman Resistance fighter Teresa Di Domenico. The last two are fictional characters, but in the book share a secret with the SS Colonel.

Having been a World History teacher and taken a semester of Nazi/Fascism class I know a little bit about WWII and what happened in Italy. Marquis uses factual events to give his story life or maybe he adds fiction to the facts to make it easier to handle. You read and decide which. Either way you look at it, he brings the subject to life.

We don’t get just a superficial story from Marquis to create a thrilling read. He gives us layers to add dimensions to each character, even the minor ones. He even has you like the Nazi torturer/interrogator at one point. I think Marquis’s fiction elements actually make sense in context of history. We see the Pope silent against atrocities not only throughout Europe but in his own city. Marquis gives us reasons why. SS Colonel Hollmann is based on fact as far as his existence but how he is used and his complexity is believable. He is perhaps my favorite character in the book. John Bridger is a tough Army commando who kills without hesitation but tries to keep his humanity. And Teresa is her father’s daughter, but which father does this good Catholic girl take after?

We see the war and the battle for Rome from every possible level and realize not one could achieve success without the other. We see how a girl leads to the success of the Allies in Italy, not a farfetched idea. We see how love exists and even sprouts during great turmoil, and how it doesn’t die regardless of tragedy.

There are no bogged down moments during this read. I didn’t find myself having a difficult time making my way through a passage to get to the next. The only parts that even remotely slowed me down were later chapters involving the Pope, but that is in part due to the success of the author in the character’s portrayal. Got to love a Pope but man can he be frustrating at times.

The only bad thing about the book is not knowing the future of all the characters. Sam Marquis does give us details of the factual characters and what happens to them, but the fictitious ones perhaps are left unknown because we may seem them some other time?

I’ve read all but one of Sam Marquis’ books. This is his best one yet. If you’ve never read historical fiction, this is a way to start. So far this is my book of the year and I’ve read four so far. It’s going to be difficult to top this one. It had all the elements to keep me engaged.

Review by: Ronovan Hester

Get the next #1 Bestselling book at:

Visit #1 Bestselling Author Samuel Marquis at http://samuelmarquisbooks.com/.

Connect with Samuel Marquis on:

#Book #Review Illusions of Magic by J. B. Rivard.

Illusions of Magic: Love and Intrigue in 1933 Chicago

by J. B. Rivard

Fiction: Historical/Mystery/Thriller/Suspense. 233 Pages Print. Gray Dog Press (April 17, 2016)

Author Biography

J.B. RIVARD: As a young child, J.B. Rivard began drawing by copying newspaper comics. In his teens, he drew illustrations for his high school’s award-winning yearbook. He attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and his artworks have appeared in more than fifty juried exhibitions, earning many prizes and awards. He’s an artist-member of the Salmagundi Club of New York City. The author draws on wide experience—he served in the U.S. Navy, graduated from the University of Florida, worked as a newspaper reporter, a magazine writer, and on the engineering staff of a U.S. National Laboratory where he wrote and co-authored many technical reports. His broad background supports an array of significant publications, from short stories to song lyrics, from essays to novels. Learn More @ http://www.illusionsofmagic.com/. (The author has a special limited time offer on his home page you need to check out.)

Book Review

Illusions of Magic: Love and Intrigue in 1933 Chicago by J.B. Rivard is a historical novel with the assassination attempt on then President-elect Franklin Roosevelt’s life as one aspect. NICK ZETNER is a magician who finds himself working among the criminal elements of 1933 Chicago to make money as the Depression and the film industry make the need for a magician act less desirable. Little does he realize that a romance from 20 years ago will play an important role in the dangerous mess he finds himself in or that the errant bullet that missed Roosevelt and hit the mayor of Chicago instead would bring him even more danger.

Illusions of Magic is a fast paced read. If you start it in the morning on a weekend, you’ll likely finish it in one day. The style is 1930s gangster movie with a touch of romance, and some historical reveals and glimpses into how politics and crime worked, sometimes hand in hand, in 1930s Chicago. You’ll even imagine yourself seeing images flash across a movie screen in black and white as you read the book. It helps that the author also includes an occasional illustration to let you know what certain characters look like or the atmosphere of a scene is. I really enjoyed the clothing styles and the cars.

Instead of a one dimensional crime drama we have the inclusion of a romance with mystery attached to it from the main character, Nick Zetner’s, past. All things are connected in the book, which you don’t realize at first and might only notice after the fact. But everything from the discovery of an old bicycle bell to the assassination of the mayor of Chicago has significance. At first the book seems like a lot lighter fare but turns into something with more layers to it than expected.

I was expecting a little more to do with magic, because of the title, but you won’t find it in this book. Perhaps a sequel could have Zetner again delving into the underworld of Chicago and using magic to trick his way out of bad situations. But you don’t miss the magic here once into the story. I only mention it now so you don’t go into the book expecting to find tricks galore.

I recommend this book for history lovers or old movie buffs who want that nostalgic feeling in an enjoyable and fast paced format.

Review by: Ronovan Hester

Get Illusions of Magic @:

Visit Author and Artist J. B. Rivard @: http://illusionsofmagic.com/

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Murder on the Strike of Five #BookReview

Title: Murder on the Strike of Five
Author: MP Peacock
Print Length: 324
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: August 22, 2016
Sold by Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
Formats: Kindle
Goodreads
Genres: Suspense, Thriller, Crime

Synopsis:

Moscow, Russia, February 1917. As the tinder-box of Revolution ignites, Inspector Vladimir Lesnoy gets a vital lead in an investigation he has been working on for years – the case of a brutal serial killer. Aboard the Trans-Siberian Express, Lesnoy is intrigued by his fellow passengers who all seem to have secrets to hide. While the train rumbles through the cold, bleak Siberian landscape, tensions start to simmer and romance blossoms. When murder strikes, all the first-class passengers come under suspicion and it soon becomes clear that each one of them had the motive to kill, as well as the means and the opportunity. A classic whodunnit set in a time of social upheaval, which will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie.

My Review:

The serial murders are told mainly as a back story, through various letters over the course of several years, as well as brief scenes with Inspector Lesnoy hunting for his killer. The Potato Sack Killer had been striking throughout Russia for at least ten years, leaving Lesnoy and his people perplexed.

During the aging years, we walk through time, learning about Sophia’s friendship and devotion to Countess Tatiana. When Sophia and Tatiana’s father realizes that the countess is in danger, the young girls are sent away to board the train out of Moscow. However, their troubles don’t end there. A murder is committed aboard the train and each of the first-class passengers has the means and opportunity, as well as a motive.

I found that the plot moved steadily and was intriguing. The storytelling was tightly written, ending quite well. It really does give you an Agatha Christie feel. The characters were very well-developed, their conversations interesting. The narrative painted a beautiful picture to make it seem as though you were being swept away in the story. I could almost hear the locomotion in my mind’s eye. My favorite narrative scene was the beginning of chapter fifteen where we get the first sense of the train moving along the Siberian landscape.

If you are a fan of dark crime and enjoy Agatha Christie, I highly recommend that you add Murder on the Strike of Five to your reading queue.

Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars

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#BookReview of Cluster of Lies by @SamMarquisBooks

Cluster of Lies

by Samuel Marquis

Fiction: Thriller/Suspense/Environmental/Action. 326 Pages (PRINT). Mount Sopris Publishing (September 15, 2016)

Author Biography

Samuel Marquis is a bestselling, award-winning suspense author. His books include “The Slush Pile Brigade,” “Blind Thrust,” “The Coalition,” and “Bodyguard of Deception.” He works by day as a VP–Hydrogeologist with an environmental firm in Boulder, Colorado, and by night as a spinner of historical and modern suspense yarns. He holds a Master of Science degree in Geology, is a Registered Professional Geologist in eleven states, and is a recognized expert in groundwater contaminant hydrogeology, having served as a hydrogeologic expert witness in several class-action litigation cases.

Book Description

In this second thriller in the Joe Higheagle Environmental Sleuth Series, mysterious deaths are taking place in the Rocky Mountain region outside Denver, Colorado. Joe Higheagle–a full-blooded Cheyenne geologist who has recently become an overnight celebrity for bringing down a billionaire corporate polluter–is hired to investigate Dakota Ranch, where four boys have recently died from a rare form of brain cancer, and Silverado Knolls, a glitzy soon-to-be-built development. He quickly finds himself entangled in an environmental cancer cluster investigation as well as a murderous conspiracy in which friend and foe are indistinguishable and a series of seemingly impenetrable roadblocks are thrown in his path.

Book Review

Cluster of Lies is a well plotted, fast paced, story of conscious versus greed. Marquis brings back Environmental Geologist Joseph Higheagle in what seems to be a simple case of reading reports and giving a high paying client his professional opinion, but if it were that simple, I wouldn’t be talking about it. Higheagle has to deal with some deep moments during the book that involve a lot of people. Keep quiet, go public, threaten, what should he do? The problems he faces involves a woman he’s falling for and her son that has developed cancer, most likely due to illegal dumping on the planned community they live in. Another problem is the man apparently responsible for it is the woman’s ex-lover.

Marquis gives us a great supporting cast with the telling of five main stories all linked together through Higheagle and the illegal waste dumping.

I liked Higheagles romantic interest and her son. It was a well used plot tool to discuss issues that one would want to know about while reading the book.

The antagonist of the book is more complex and disturbed than you think at first. Marquis surprised me with this one.

I read this one in about a day. It’s that fast paced and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Review by: Ronovan Hester

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Interview with Steven James @readstevenjames

I had the honor of interviewing national bestselling author, Steven James. He is known as the “master of storytelling,” and for a very good reason. Ever since I happened upon The Rook, book two of his Patrick Bowers Files, he’s been my favorite author.

I’d like to thank Mr. James from the bottom of my heart for taking his time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions.

1) What did you enjoy most about writing Curse?
In Curse, several new characters are introduced into the series. For me, since I don’t outline my books, it’s always exciting to see who shows up on the page and what they’re like. In this book, maybe my favorite character ended up being a girl who was blind. I consulted with a girl who’d been born blind, asking her what her nightmares are like since she has never seen anything. That journey and what I ended up including in the book was fascinating to me.

2) What do you like to read in your free time?
Even though I like to write thrillers, I tend to read more literary fiction, philosophy, and poetry, as well as books on the craft of writing. I still love suspenseful and scary stories, but lately I’ve tended to watch these in film instead of read them in books.

3) What are your hobbies?
I live near the Appalachian mountains, and so I love to get out to trail run or even play disc golf. Besides eating Cheetos, drinking coffee, and binge-watching on weekends, I like to play basketball with my friends and moonlighting writing poetry that will probably never end up in print.

4) Do you have a ritual you use while writing? (During commercials, certain music, etc)
I almost always write standing up. I tend to listen to trance or EDM. I do best working in long stretches, rather than working at a project here and there throughout the day. Give me ten hours in a row over 5 hours spread out throughout the day and I’ll be happy.

5) What is your writing space like?
My basement.

6) Do you have a favorite book you’ve written?
As far as novels, I think my favorite might be The Rook or Checkmate. I also wrote some inspirational nonfiction books, and I believe my favorite of those is called Story: Recapture the Mystery.

7) Where do you get your inspiration?
From everything. I’m always thinking of ideas, jotting down thoughts of dialogue on scraps of paper, receipts, notebooks. Typically at the end of the day, I have far too many ideas to write the next day, and it sort of keeps cascading like that. I keep thinking someday I’ll catch up, but at this rate, that won’t happen for another two or three hundred years.

Biography

Steven James is a national bestselling novelist whose award-winning, pulse-pounding thrillers continue to gain wide critical acclaim and a growing fan base.

Suspense Magazine, who named Steven’s book THE BISHOP their Book of the Year, says that he “sets the new standard in suspense writing.” Publishers Weekly calls him a “master storyteller at the peak of his game.” And RT Book Reviews promises, “the nail-biting suspense will rivet you.”

Equipped with a unique Master’s Degree in Storytelling, Steven has taught writing and storytelling on four continents over the past two decades, speaking more than two thousand times at events spanning the globe.

Steven’s groundbreaking book on the art of fiction writing, STORY TRUMPS STRUCTURE, won a Storytelling World award. Widely-recognized for his story crafting expertise, he has twice served as a Master CraftFest instructor at ThrillerFest, North America’s premier training event for suspense writers.

Respected by some of the top thriller writers in the world, Steven deftly weaves intense stories of psychological suspense with deep philosophical insights. As critically-acclaimed novelist Ann Tatlock put it, “Steven James gives us a captivating look at the fine line between good and evil in the human heart.”

After consulting with a former undercover FBI agent and doing extensive research on cybercrimes, Steven wrote his latest thriller, EVERY CROOKED PATH—a taut, twist-filled page turner that is available now wherever books are sold.

If you’ve never met environmental criminologist and geospatial investigator Patrick Bowers, EVERY CROOKED PATH is the perfect chance to dive into the series and find out what fans and critics everywhere are raving about.

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#BookReview of Outsourced by Eric J. Gates.

Outsourced

by Eric J. Gates

Fiction: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Conspiracy. 364 Pages (Print). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 18, 2014)

Author Biography

Eric J. Gates has had a curious life filled with the stuff of thriller novels. Writing Operating Systems for Supercomputers, cracking cryptographic codes under extreme pressure using only paper and pen and teaching cyberwarfare to spies are just a few of the moments he’s willing to recall. He is an ex-International Consultant who has travelled extensively worldwide, speaks several languages, and has had articles and papers published in technical magazines in six different countries, as well as radio and TV spots. His specialty, Information Technology Security, has brought him into contact with the Military and Intelligence communities on numerous occasions. He is also an expert martial artist, holding 14 black belt degrees in distinct disciplines. He has taught his skills to Police and Military personnel, as well as to the public. He now writes thriller novels, drawing on his experiences with the confidential and secret worlds that surround us.

Book Description

Outsourced is a Thriller based in New York City encompassing the storylines of four primary characters, two competing thriller novelists, an Intelligence Agent, and an Assassin as they all try to gain control of ‘the device’.

Book Review

Nic Stiles and Phil Beasley are two writers who are publicly at war with each other in the world of thriller novels. The truth of their relationship unfolds as the story plays out. One thing they have in common is ‘the device’, an object that can make things happen for the owner. It sounds too good to be true and it is. Nic and Phil use their writer talents to face off against the US government and the assassin who owned the device before they did. The problem is, nothing turns out quite the way either intends for it to. Nic and Phil just want to be rid of the thing. The assassin wants revenge and the device back. The government wants it to use against another world power.

Gates weaves all the stories together in a fast paced read that is easy to follow. The only thing that may pull you out of the story and remind you that you are reading is the British spellings of words in the American setting. Normally I go through a book without it bothering me but there are a few times where I am definitely taken out of the world the author has created and reminded I’m reading a book. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the story, but if you have a problem with that sort of thing, like some British readers don’t like it when American writers don’t use British spellings in British settings, then just know there are some cases you’ll notice.

Review by: Ronovan Hester

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#BookReview of Blind Thrust by @SamMarquisBooks

Blind Thrust

by Samuel Marquis

Fiction: Thriller/Suspense/Environmental/Action. 307 Pages (PRINT). Mount Sopris Publishing (October 1, 2015)

Author Biography

Samuel Marquis is a bestselling, award-winning suspense author. His books include “The Slush Pile Brigade,” “Blind Thrust,” “The Coalition,” and “Bodyguard of Deception.” He works by day as a VP–Hydrogeologist with an environmental firm in Boulder, Colorado, and by night as a spinner of historical and modern suspense yarns. He holds a Master of Science degree in Geology, is a Registered Professional Geologist in eleven states, and is a recognized expert in groundwater contaminant hydrogeology, having served as a hydrogeologic expert witness in several class-action litigation cases.

Book Description

Blind Thrust by Samuel Marquis is a suspense/thriller set in Colorado that paints a picture of what could happen when greed overrides common sense. That’s a simple way of saying it. But then, I’m a simple speaking kind of guy. Environmental Geologist Joseph Higheagle has a problem, keep his mouth shut and keep a nice paying job, or go with his conscience and do what’s right for thousands of people.

The choice might sound easy but when you factor in a billionaire bad guy, corrupt senators, evil security bad boys and a hired assassin sent to shut you up, you might think twice, at least.

Book Review

In this first Joseph Higheagle adventure Sam Marquis does a great job introducing the core of the main character, as well as his grandfather/father figure Chief John Higheagle, a retired lawyer who now lives with him and acts as his sounding board when the young Higheagle is faced with moral forks in the road.

Combine that with some great supporting characters like the EPA agent Nina Curry, a romantic interest for HIgheagle, the younger one, not the old chief, and the USGS director Nickerson and you have a great story that’s well developed and fast paced.

You might not think an environmental thriller would be very thrilling, but Marquis puts his years of experience as a geologist to work and it is very apparent in the technical speak that’s in the book. Sometimes that sort of becomes a bit heavy and repetitive but I see it as being legitimate to the conversations occurring.

One thing I like about the antagonists in a Marquis novel is that they are not one dimensional. You almost see the humanity side of them and in Blind Thrust it’s very apparent. Charles Quantrill is a powerful man that ends up in a situation that he never saw coming, but that doesn’t make it any better nor does it make him any less guilty.

I read this one in about two days. It’s that fast paced and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Review by: Ronovan Hester

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#BookReview of Waterkill by Mark Donovan.

Waterkill

By Mark Donovan

Fiction: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Technothriller/Terrorism. 302 Pages Print. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Author Biography

Mark Donovan is the author of the thriller novels “Nano Surveillance” and “Waterkill”. He has also authored 32 eBooks and 2,000+ articles on a wide variety of home improvement topics through his website HomeAdditionPlus.com. Many of his articles are nationally syndicated. He currently resides in New Hampshire, where he has spent his career working in various high tech engineering and marketing positions. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA, and holds a private pilot’s license, and seven U.S. patents associated with sensor and communication technologies.

BookReview

Waterkill is the second book in the Dave Henson series and a Terroristic TechnoThriller by Mark Donovan, author of Nano Surveillance, book 1 in the series. In Waterkill, we have Dave Henson going head to head with the Al-Qaeda terrorist Aref Zarin, a techno savvy villain with a new form of terror weapon that makes nuclear weapons obsolete. Along the way Henson runs into an old friend with a new mission and travels from Germany to Iran and around the world. All in an attempt to stop the deaths of over a million innocent people.

When Mark offered the book for review I couldn’t say no. It’s a paperback, not an ecopy and a thriller. How could I say no? The first chapters were a bit slow and hard for me to get into at first. So I stopped. I don’t force myself to read a book or it’ll be a bad review. Then I decided it was time to read and emailed Mark I was getting ready. He told me he had hired a professional editor who spent over a month editing the book and that thrilled me. I read the book, then looked at the edits and I have to say, it was money well spent and Mark has done his work justice.

The story is fast paced after the initial chapters setting up the story. You have the terrorists, the special forces teams, tech gadgets, the beautiful but not helpless damsel in distress. Did I mention gadgets? Mark brings some serious tech knowhow to the storyline. If these things exist, and I am not doubting some do, there is some seriously cool stuff going on in the world. Mark also does a good job of creating a sense of urgency in the story and an ending that just makes sense. He takes the hot topics of today and handles them very carefully and does a great job not overly sensationalizing them to get a cheap punch for his story. You learn a little about people in this book that may help open your eyes just a little bit.

Review by: Ronovan Hester

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Help an Indie Author out.

We have several authors that work here on LWI. We’re all Indie Authors and you know what that means. Out of our own pockets for everything.

First time Author, Angela Kay is trying to raise funds for her novel The Murder of Manny Grimes. But she’s doing something I’ve never seen before, although it’s probably been done. She’s giving away stuff at each level of donation.

Click the link to check it out and if you can’t donate at one of the levels, any amount helps. We all know that if everyone that saw this gave just a little then it would be done in no time.

You can see a mock up of her cover below.

Now back to editing her book.

Ronovan

https://www.gofundme.com/manny-grimes-novel

Making Dreams Come True

As most of you know, I’ve been working toward publishing my book. As I said in my last post, I’m starting with independent publishing. Here is a tidbit of my debut novel, The Murder of Manny Grimes:

When three young boys stumble into Lieutenant Jim DeLong’s life one night during a winter storm, they claim they’ve seen a dead body by the swing sets of the Columbia County Elementary School. After he investigates, DeLong sees no evidence, not even a body.

But were the boys telling the truth?

With the help of his oldest friend and mentor, former Naval investigator Russ Calhoun, DeLong sets out to find whether Manny Grimes is alive or dead. The further away he gets to the bottom of the mystery, the closer he comes to realize that his own marriage is falling apart.

Delving deeper into the murder of Manny Grimes, Lieutenant DeLong begins to unravel, losing his sense of control, falling into old temptations he spent years to overcome.

Will he be able to move past his own demons and untangle the web of lies before it’s too late?

I’m excited to be talking to a publisher already. However, I’m trying to raise money to offset the costs of publishing my book. As of right now, it’s a major risk for me because I’m unemployed and haven’t been able to find a job. At the same time, I want to start shooting for my dreams. During this difficult jobless time, the thought of my dream beginning to come true is what’s keeping me going.

You may not know me, but I would like to ask for your help in making this as easy and worry-free as possible. Any amount of a donation helps. Beginning at $25, you get a copy of my book (I know, I know…$25 is a lot, but it’s for a good cause!). I also have other giveaways, depending on how much you pledge. When you click the link below you will see all of them!

I have a goal, which includes some funds for marketing for my debut novel, but I hope to earn at least $2000 as soon as possible to get what needs to be done now. My publisher is a trusted indie publisher a personal friend has known for years and is involved in the Southeastern Writer’s Association.

Ronovan can vouch for my authenticity, for those of you who are unsure of giving to a complete stranger. You may contact me for more information (and if you’d like, ‘like’ my FB page, Angela Kay’s Books.) Thank you for your support!

Angela Kay

Click Here: The Murder of Manny Grimes Fundraiser

Bodyguard of Deception by Samuel Marquis.

Bodyguard of Deception

by Samuel Marquis

Fiction: Historical Thriller/Suspense/Espionage. 336 Pages Print. Mount Sopris Publishing (March 20, 2016)

Author Biography

Book Review

Bodyguard of Deception is a suspenseful historical thriller by Samuel Marquis, author of two #1 selling books: The Slush Pile Brigade, which any author should read, and Blind Thrust, both of which I may just be buying shortly, when I have the cash, in order to see how to do it the right way. In Bodyguard of Deception we have the closing months of WWII in Europe and two brothers who are fighting for the same goal, but in different ways. German spy Erik von Walburg has a mission given by ‘The Desert Fox’ himself Erwin Rommel. If successful, the war will end in a way unexpected but beneficial to those involved. Erik ends up with allies in his assignment. One is his brother, U-boat Captain Wolfgang von Walburn, the prototypical Nazi ideal, the “scourge of the North Seas” and the other ally, a woman thousands of miles away without knowledge of any of the goings on of the two at odds brothers.

Samuel Marquis’ historical thriller, Bodyguard of Deception, the fourth thriller from the #1 Bestselling author, is a well-researched, intricately plotted tale of suspense, intrigue and surprises you never see coming, all beginning in May of 1944, days before D-Day. Reading about the German spy Erik von Walburg I could not help but hope for his success. With each chapter the characters become more complex with events making their former routine lives anything but ordinary, and their decisions less reflex than before. Ideals and mantras no longer rule the day. As a former history teacher and now historian/author, I was thrilled at the nods to historical figures throughout the novel. Fans of master spy teller of tales, John le Carré, and John Gardner’s Herbie Krueger series and the Secret Generations series will enjoy this first episode in what is touted as book one in a WWII Trilogy, with the next installment with a release date of January 2017.

I don’t take much time off from my own writing of novels these days, but this was well worth it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Review by: Ronovan Hester

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New #free book and an #audiobook

Hi all:

I thought I’d take a chance to update you on what I’ve been up to recently, apart from reading and blogging.

I have recently published the prequel to my psychological thriller Escaping Psychiatry (by the way, it’s on special offer until the end of the month), and I’ve been sharing it in my blog. It’s now available FREE in most places (if not, please report that you’ve seen a cheaper price). I was trying to write the next story in the series, but this one decided it had to be written first.

Escaping Psychiatry. Beginnings by Olga Núñez Miret

How far would a writer go for a killer story? This is the question psychiatrist Mary Miller must answer to solve the first mystery/thriller of her career. You can get to know the main characters of this psychological thriller series for FREE and test your own acumen and intuition in this novella about the price of ambition.

Dr Mary Miller is a young psychiatrist suffering a crisis of vocation. Her friend Phil, a criminalist lawyer working in New York, invites her to visit him and consult on the case of a writer accused of a serious assault. His victim had been harassing him and accusing him of stealing his story, which he’d transformed into a best-selling book. The author denies the allegation and claims it was self-defence. When the victim dies, things get complicated. The threshold between truth and fiction becomes blurred and secrets and lies unfold.

Escaping Psychiatry. Beginnings is the prequel to Escaping Psychiatry a volume collecting three stories where Mary and her psychiatric expertise are called to help in a variety of cases, from religious and race affairs, to the murder of a policeman, and in the last case she gets closer than ever to a serial killer.

If you enjoy this novella, don’t forget to check Mary’s further adventures. And there are more to come.

AMAZON (e-book) KOBO NOOK APPLE SCRIBD

PAGE FOUNDRY

I have also been posting some of my books in ACX to get them converted into audiobooks and Family, Lust and Cameras has now an audiobook version. This is quite a short, and dark revenge thriller, about weird family relationships and voyeurism (you’ll never look at a webcam the same way!) and I’m very pleased with the narrator, LaDawn Black, who brings a completely different interpretation to the story.

Family, Lust and Cameras Audiobook narrated by LaDawn Black

Family, Lust and Cameras by Olga Núñez Miret. Narrated by LaDawn Black

Do you enjoy spying on others? Do you think it’s harmless?

Pat thought she’d left her past behind and started a new life. But one doesn’t get rid of voyeurism, obsessions and family quite that easily. Sometimes one has to adopt drastic measures to survive the harassment of a man, particularly a man like Herman. And this time Pat is determined to win, whatever the price.

In this world where technology dominates our lives, we’re never alone and privacy doesn’t exist, this novella more than a work of fiction is a warning about the dangers that haunt us in our own homes. How far would you be prepared to go to get revenge from somebody intent on controlling your life?

Author and psychiatrist Olga Núñez Miret brings us another story where the character’s motives and the inner-workings of their brains will keep you guessing. Brief, tense and with no flourishes, the story will keep you reading non-stop till the end.

If you’re fans of ‘Psycho’, ‘Peeping Tom’ and ‘Single White Female’ and are fascinated and repelled in equal degree by ‘Big Brother’ this adult story will get you hooked.

What would happen if your life became The rear window? How far would you be prepared to go to get revenge from somebody intent on controlling your life?

The audiobook version, narrated by LaDawn Black brings the action and its disturbing effects, even closer home.

Audible.com Audible. co.uk Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Apple (i-Tunes)

If you want to listen to a sample in Sound Cloud:

And if you prefer a You-Tube video:

Thanks so much for reading, and if you get to check any of the books, remember to leave a comment. And of course, share, like and CLICK!

Olga Núñez Miret

@OlgaNM7

http://www.authortranslatorolga.com

http://www.OlgaNM.com

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The Red Line

By Walt Gregg

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A New Case. An Old Memory.

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To learn how to receive a FREE PDF copy of The Murder of Manny Grimes, click HERE!

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Get Illusions of Magic @:

Visit Author and Artist J. B. Rivard @: http://illusionsofmagic.com/

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