Required Reading

Life is complicated enough without getting into hotwater with federal agencies so: TAKE NOTE Many things I review I got at no charge in exchange for an honest review. Consider this as informing you that ALL things I review may have been gotten at no charge. Realistically about 60% but in order to keep things above board just assume that I got the stuff free. I do not collect information on my readers. If cookies or other tracking stuff is used on my blogs it is due to BLOGGER not ME. Apparently the European Union's new rules state I need to inform you if cookies are being use. If they are it isn't byu me, consider yourself INFORMED.
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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.

Saturday, June 29, 2019

Off the Grid by Robert McCaw


This book is set in Hawaii.  The main protagonist is Chief Detective Koa who is trying to avoid politics and solve crimes. 

The murder of two invisible, off the grid people leads Koa down political paths he normally avoids at all costs.   Holding a secret of his own, Koa, does his best to bring justice to all.  When he discovers some of the mysterious victims secrets, he finds that Alice’s rabbit hole holds nothing over the spiraling plot he discovers.

The author paints a somewhat different picture of Hawaii.   Generally speaking shows such as Hawaii 50 show sparkling beaches and beautiful people.   McCaw shows that there is poverty, politics and crime hidden under the ubiquitous leis. 

I enjoyed the book and Koa’s implacable tenacity.  


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, June 24, 2019

Spotlight on Lions of the Sky by Francesco “Paco” Chierici













Top Gun for the new millennium, Lions of the Sky propels the reader into a realm in which friendship, loyalty, and skill are tested, battles won and lost in an instant, and lives irrevocably changed in the time it takes to plug in your afterburners.

Sam Richardson is a fighter pilot’s pilot, a reluctant legend with a gut-eating secret. He is in the last span of his tour as an instructor, yearning to get back to the real action of the Fleet, when he is ordered to take on one last class—a class that will force him to confront his carefully quarantined demons.

Brash, carefree, and naturally gifted, Keely Silvers is the embodiment of all that grates on him. After years of single-minded dedication, she and her classmates can see the finish line. They are months away from achieving their life-long dream, flying Navy F/A-18 fighters. They are smart and hard-working, but they’re just kids with expensive new toys. They’re eager to rush through training and escape to the freedom of the world beyond, a world they view as a playground full of fast jets and exotic locales.

But Sam knows there is a darker side to the profession he loves. There is trouble brewing in the East with global implications. If they make it past him they will be cast into a dangerous world where enemy planes cruise the skies over the South China Sea like sharks, loaded with real weapons and hidden intentions.


About the author:
Francesco “Paco” Chierici is the author of Lions of the Sky. During his active duty career in the US Navy, Chierici flew A-6E Intruders and F-14A Tomcats, deployed to conflict zones from Somalia to Iraq and was stationed aboard carriers including the USS Ranger, Nimitz and Kitty Hawk. Unable to give up dogfighting, he flew the F-5 Tiger II for a further ten years as a Bandit concurrent with his employment as a commercial pilot. Throughout his military career, Paco accumulated nearly 3,000 tactical hours, 400 carrier landings, a Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Star, and three Strike/Flight Air Medals. Chierici’s writing has appeared in Aviation Classics magazine, AOPA magazine, and Fighter Sweep. He also created and produced the award-winning naval aviation documentary, Speed and Angels. Currently a 737 captain, Chierici can often be found in the skies above California flying a Yak-50 with a group of likeminded G-hounds to get his dogfighting fix. He lives in Northern California with his wife Hillary, and two children.

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

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Deep Water Blues by Fred Waitzkin

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book.   It is a character study of both the author and the main protagonist, Bobby.   The author is a fan of the Bahamas and sailing or perhaps fishing more than sailing.   Bobby’s story is fictional but Rum Cay, the story’s location, has had a tumultuous history.

Larger than life Bobby turned his island port into a destination by sheer personality.   That led to some problems particularly when Dennis, a questionable character, arrived.

This really is a good character study.   There is also some karma involved.

I enjoyed the book.

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, June 14, 2019

The Last Second by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison


The characters in this book were not familiar to be but neither was J.T. Ellison.  I had to Google to find out who she was.  Apparently, this is part of a series, a Brit in the FBI.   Regardless of pedigree, the book was enjoyable.   An astronaut has a near death experience in orbit.  She reports her escape from the peril was facilitated by aliens.  The resulting turmoil leads to her dismissal from the program and fuels her desire for revenge.

Jean-Pierre Broussard, a billionaire and a treasure hunter is seeking the Holy Grail.   His search and Dr. Nevaeh Patel’s for revenge and redemption coincide.

Mike, Michaela, Caine and her partner, Nicholas the Brit, are drawn into the mystery due to their friendship with Grant whose current posting is guarding Jean-Pierre as he searches for the Holy Grail.
Believe it or not these seemingly incongruous events are pulled together into an acceptable action adventure.


I enjoyed the book. 

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

Sunday, June 9, 2019

A Shattered Lens by Layton Green

Going for the jugular, Layton Green goes both ways!  Now that I have your attention, he writes equally well in two distinct genres, urbanish fantasy and old fashioned, teeth jarring mysteries.  This book features Preach, a former wild child, prison chaplain, big city homicide detective and now small town police detective.  Preach is forced to confront his own past, deal with perfidy on several levels, face personal domestic unrest and solve a murder.

Green provides a wealth of color for his protagonist.   Preach demonstrates realistic feelings and temptations tempered by a well-honed sense of survival cynicism.   A common platitude is that you can never go home again.  Preach is home and finding that although you may return, things are never the same. 

Preach’s attachment to Blue rang my chord.   Troubled kids seldom can find an advocate.   My only dissatisfaction was Ari’s inability to overcome her own insecurities  and support Preach when he needed it.  

The ruthlessness of the villains is taken right out of today’s headlines.  Green does a great slight of hand with the ending.  

I have read, I think, all of Layton Green’s books and I have never been disappointed.

I recommend this and all his books.


This is a follow up to Written in Blood but they can be read in any order and stand alone beautifully. 

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

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Grave Descend by Michael Crichton

 This is apparently an early work for Crichton.  It was short but good.   James McGregor is a diver who is hired to examine a sunken yacht.  All is not as it seems.

McGregor has a stalwart sidekick, Yeoman.   He is loyal and muscle centric.   Yeoman is the hard guy to McGregor’s cynical and not as physical presence.   There are sharks, bikini clad women and mafia hoods populating the book.   A color cast of characters and an interesting plot.

I enjoyed it, while it is a bit simplistic and not up to Crichton’s later standards it was still enjoyable. 

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