The OC by D. P. Lyle

This is an unlikely crew of private detectives. Nicole, beautiful a talented writer and Jake a retired MLB pitcher are asked to help Megan, a TV reporter, with her stalker.

Nicole has had stalkers of her own so she and Jake go from Alabama to OC.   They find that Megan’s stalker is accelerating and they call in their partners, Ray, ex-CIA maybe, and Pancake a very large, very physical computer gear head.

The stalking gets out of hand and the four PIs are pushed to their limits.

Jake is, again, given the opportunity to use his pitching skills in a surprising manner.

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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Gale Force by Owen Laukkanen

This was a very interesting look a how sea-going salvage tugs operate. It was also a study in interpersonal relationships and how they can be impacted by the lure of riches.

Gale Force, book title, ship name, and company name wer all  Makenzie Rhodes love.  She grew up on the ship and after her father’s untimely demise she became Captain.   Her insecurities prevented her from following in her father’s footsteps until an opportunity arose that forced her to face them.

A large cargo ship needed to be salvaged and perhaps saved before it caused an ecological disaster.  Adding to the plot is the theft of millions of bearer bonds from the Japanese Yakuza and a botched romance between principal characters.

This was a well-done and intricate plot.  I particularly liked the way the author neatly wrapped everything up.   I like when that is done.  

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Sign of the Blood by Laurence O'Bryan

O'Bryan did an excellent job on showing Roman history. I enjoyed the fictionalized account as one of my favorite courses and High School was Latin to where we got to read The Chronicles of Caesar. O'Bryan provided personal touches with his characters. I recommend 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Apostle by Brad Thor

Scot Harvath is back as a private citizen who is tasked by a wealthy woman and the President to retrieve a kidnap victim in Afghanistan.

There is a dual plot with Scot in Afghanistan and Elise Campbell, a Secret Service agent in the USA.  The dual plot is about 75% Harvath and 25% Campbell.   The Campbell part rings too true for comfort.  Politicians and bad behavior is hardly fiction.  Harvath part provides plenty of action and surprising respect for the Afghan people, not the Taliban or other terrorists but the common Afghan people.

I enjoyed the book and 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Midnight Line by Lee Child

  

Apparently I've reviewed this book before, it seemed familiar but I liked it both times.  

Reacher does headbutt but there was very little of the normal Reacher smackdowns.  I saw this book as a major criticism as to how our veterans are treated.  The story revolves around a wounded veteran, a sibling and drug addiction.

The abuse of oxycontin is well documented.  The crackdown on oxy has driven addicts back to unregulated street drugs.  Child addresses this concern from the perspective of a wounded veteran dealing with addiction.   I enjoy Child’s work and I found this book far more thought provoking than usual.   Jack Reacher and his action adventure are still there but there is more meat to this book than just entertainment.

I enjoyed the book and 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

COMMITTED: A Memoir of Madness in the Family--A Guest Post by Author PAOLINA MILANA

SHIFTING THE SCRIPT OF INSANITY

By Paolina Milana

My mom and my younger sister were both diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. From the age of about ten, my life and that of my family revolved around mental illness. In my early twenties, when my father died, I took on the role of primary caregiver. I kept secret from the outside world the fact that insanity had taken root in my family tree, and I was tasked with tending its garden. As strong as I was and as much as I appeared a success from the outside looking in, I struggled to stay sane while surrounded with madness.

The story I was living, the beliefs I held, the shame I felt nearly did me in.

I had to shift my script. 

The title of my book COMMITTED reflects the reimagining of my world with words and beliefs that would take on a new perspective and multi-layered meanings. For example, “committed” held varied definitions, all of which held true:

1. Feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated—As in, “She’s committed to her role as a caregiver.”

2. To carry out or perpetrate (a mistake, crime, or immoral act)—As in, “She committed such acts of desperation.”

3. Sending (someone) to be confined in a psychiatric hospital—As in, “She had her mom and sister committed.”

After decades of serving as caregiver to crazy, without question, I had joined the ranks of those whom society would say needed to be committed. The questions of “What was normal?” and “Who really could be called crazy?” were now joined by “How did being committed to a cause or a person or a belief have the potential to lead one to actually getting committed for psychiatric care?”

I didn’t and don’t have all the answers. What I do know, however, is that every one of us is “crazy” or has the potential for becoming so. There will be times when we will align with what might be considered “normal,” and times when we will fall outside of society’s accepted scope. Our passions and commitments may blur boundaries to the point where we may be the ones who need to be committed. And, at times, those who find themselves clinically diagnosed, labeled as insane and actually committed could be the sanest among us.

The definitions we assign, the beliefs and stories we tell ourselves, the insistence of what should be and that it can only be black or white: That is the insanity and what causes us to suffer.

Shifting the script is when we can see and accept all sides as part of the whole and are at peace with both the light and the dark. The reality is that we ebb and flow along the spectrum of everything that makes us human. Our power isn’t in being perfect but in exposing our flaws, ending the stigma that comes with them, and no longer fearing the darkness but embracing 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned