Required Reading

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Books I have authored.

Many times I receive books for FREE to give them an honest review. I do not get paid to give a good or bad review. Spotlights are promotional and should be regarded as advertising for the book spotlighted. Regardless of where or how I got a book, my review will be as honest as I can make it.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

A-List by D. P. Lyle

This is another Jake Longly novel.  Jake is a retired big league pitcher who is enamored with Nicole who he feels is out of his league. (pun intended)  They “work” as P.I. with Ray, Jake’s dad, and Pancake, Jake’s childhood friend.  This time they are sent to the Big Easy to get an A-List actor out of a murder charge.

Lyle provides a good solid plot with good character studies and sufficient action.  I enjoyed the sexy twins (no doubt based on a faint childhood memory of some sexy twins) and the clueless gangster spawn, sadly also reminiscent of a childhood memory.

This was a good, fun read.

I recommend it.


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Spotlight on Off the Grid, the new mystery by Robert McCaw
















]Spotlight on Off the Grid, the new mystery by Robert McCaw (Oceanview Publishing; July 2, 2019; https://robertbmccaw.com/).

A scrap of cloth fluttering in the wind leads Hilo police Chief Detective Koa Kāne to the tortured remains of an unfortunate soul left to burn in the path of an advancing lava flow. For Koa, it’s the second gruesome homicide of the day, and he soon discovers the murders are linked. These grisly crimes on Hawaiʻi’s Big Island could rewrite history―or cost Chief Detective Koa Kāne his career.

The dead, a reclusive couple living off the grid, turn out to be mysterious fugitives. The CIA, the Chinese government, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, attempt to thwart Koa’s investigation and obscure the victims’ true identities. Undeterred by mounting political pressure, Koa pursues the truth only to find himself drawn into a web of international intrigue.

While Koa investigates, the Big Island scrambles to prepare for the biggest and most explosive political rally in its history. Despite police resources stretched to the breaking point, Koa uncovers a government conspiracy so shocking its exposure topples senior officials far beyond Hawaiʻi’s shores.

New York Times best-selling author Linda Fairstein noted: “Off the Grid is a gripping thriller that grabs the reader by the throat in the opening scenes and doesn’t let go until the dramatic conclusion. If you don’t know McCaw, this crime novel is the place to start―grisly murders, smart cops and agents, and a unique sense of place on the island of Hawaii.”

About the author:
Robert McCaw grew up in a military family traveling the world. After graduating from Georgetown University, he served as a lieutenant in the US Army before earning his law degree from the University of Virginia. Thereafter he practiced as a partner in a major international law firm in Washington, DC, and New York City—and maintained a home on the Big Island of Hawai’i. McCaw brings a unique authenticity to his Koa Kāne Hawaiian mystery novels in both his law enforcement expertise and his ability to portray the richness of Hawai’i’s history, culture, and people. McCaw lives in New York City and La Jolla, California, with his wife, Calli.

Praise for Off the Grid:
“In Off the Grid, Robert McCaw has fashioned the year's most original mystery-thriller set, appropriately enough, in the equally original setting of Hawai‘i. He crafts a relentlessly riveting tale that races out of the gate and never lets up for a single minute or page.
”―Jon Land, USA Today best-selling author

“This one sizzles with tension and twists that entertain and magnetize. Danger and drama abide, with a wonderful, devil-may-care hero. Robert McCaw has the touch.”
―Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author

“Off the Grid is a gripping thriller that grabs the reader by the throat in the opening scenes and doesn’t let go until the dramatic conclusion. If you don’t know McCaw, this crime novel is the place to start―grisly murders, smart cops and agents, and a unique sense of place on the island of Hawaii.”
―Linda Fairstein, New York Times best-selling author



This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Impulse by Catherine Coulter

Rafaella is a journalist with a murky background.   Marcus is a resort manager who may or may not be a criminal.  Dominick is a amoral arms dealer.   The interaction of these three in sex and treachery provides the meat of this plot.

This was the sultriest of the Coulter books I have read.   There were times I thought I had grabbed a romance novel by mistake.  The plot was really a pie filling  love story between Rafaella and Marcus with all the rest being the dough for the pie.


I enjoyed it but it was my least favorite Coulter so far. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Friday, May 17, 2019

Spotlight on Justice Makes a Killing by Ed Rucker


JUSTICE MAKES A KILLING, NEW LEGAL THRILLER
BY PROMINENT L.A. DEFENSE LAWYER, ED RUCKER,
TO BE PUBLISHED JULY 1, 2019

New York, NY, February 2019 – For decades, Ed Rucker was one of our most prominent criminal defense lawyers, until his retirement. During his career, he represented numerous high profile clients, including John Orr, the greatest serial arsonist in American history, a trial memorialized in Fire Lover, by Joseph Wambaugh; Laurianne Sconce, the matriarch of the Lamb Funeral Home, whose trial that was the subject of the book Ashes, by James Joseph; Eddie Nash, a prominent nightclub owner, who was portrayed in the film, Boogie Nights; and William Harris, a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, who kidnapped Patty Hearst. His Bobby Earl novels have been praised for their authenticity, as well as gripping suspense. Now Chickadee Prince Books is proud to announce that it will publish Rucker’s latest Bobby Earl novel, JUSTICE MAKES A KILLING, in July 2019.

A heart-stopping thriller, Justice finds Rucker’s fictional defense lawyer facing his most daunting murder case yet, one that involves a beautiful lawyer accused of a passion killing, as well as a conspiracy that might implicate the multi-billion-dollar private prison industry.

Justice has already picked up significant pre-publication acclaim. Kirkus Reviews calls Justice “A thoroughly enjoyable page-turner….. The classic courtroom drama at the heart of this story is perfectly orchestrated, and the seemingly impossible odds make Earl’s masterful handling of evidence, witnesses, opposing counsel, the jury, and the judge wonderfully satisfying to read.”

Says fellow CPB author Alon Preiss, “While Ed always tells a great story, his thrillers excel because of their politics and social substance — they are thrilling, but they also have something to say about America.” Adds Rucker, “It’s more interesting for the reader when I weave into the story an issue that impacts our legal system. In my first book, I touched on the prosecution’s use of professional informants. In Justice Makes a Killing, I explore the world of the for-profit private prisons our State and federal governments use to house prison inmates, a system that warps justice.”

About the Publisher: Chickadee Prince Books is a young Brooklyn small press, which publishes only acclaimed fiction and non-fiction, of all genres. CPB is the publisher of the acclaimed new space opera, Probability Shadow by Mark Laporta, and The Last At-Bat of Shoeless Joe, the new sports novel by Emmy-nominated, Amazon bestselling author, Granville Wyche Burgess, among many others.



Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Noir Fatale edited by Larry Correia

I’m not overly fond of short stories but these were good.   They pay homage to the days of yore, the sultry females that populated the hard core, busted flush private dicks of yesteryear.

The main difference with these stories is that the fem fatale is the prime mover rather  than a secondary character.   Much like some of the insect world where after loving the lover loses his head quite literally or literately.   Old style stories with a scifi flair. 

I enjoyed the stories. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Friday, May 10, 2019

Murder Knocks Twice by Susanna Calkins

This is an old style murder mystery.  Set in Prohibition in Chicago, a young woman, Gina, takes a questionable job to support she and her ailing father.  She soon finds the speakeasy environment is quite cozy with violence.

The author does a very good job setting the scene and the times.  Her story telling feels authentic.   The characterizations and language take you to a quirky period of American history.

Gina is a modern woman in a not so modern time.   Adept with her hands and electric repair she is hard nosed and unwilling to look the other way on scenarios that would sensibly be ignored for her own safety.

A good old-fashioned mystery.


I enjoyed it.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.