Tag: bookreview

November Road by Lou Berney

Title: November Road
Author: Lou Berney
Pub Date: 9-Oct-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

November Road by Lou Berney is a crime thriller centered around the assassination of JFK. Americans have long been fascinated by this mystery, myself included, and there seems to be more theories that you can shake a stick at.

In this fictional version of the assassination, a crime boss in New Orleans, Carlos Marcello, is the master mind behind the fatal shooting. He has personal reasons for wanting Kennedy dead. It is the crime of the century and it has been meticulously planned even down to getting rid of EVERYONE who has ties to the crime no matter how trivial.

Frank Guirdy has been a loyal employee to Carlos for most of his life. He has worked his way up in the crime organization and is now one of the top lieutenants. He is very valuable to Carlos…. until he is not. A little errand in Dallas to drop off a car for the boss two weeks prior to the assassination has made him expendable. Very expendable!

It does not take Carlos long to put two and two together. Since everyone, regardless of rank, who has a connection to the crime is being eliminated. He fears he is next and he runs. However, he finds that he is too memorable as a traveler alone and Carlos has a long arm. Therefore, it is fortuitous that he happens to run into Charlotte, a young mother with two young daughters, who is escaping her unpleasant life in Oklahoma. They become the perfect cover. Carlos’s agent will not be looking for a couple with two kids. But Paul Barone is not just any agent and he is very good at what he does. Now not only is Frank’s life in danger but also the lives of the innocents he has attached himself to.

What a great story. I loved the author’s take on the murder of JFK. The plot worked so well and it was paced to keep the reader interested without feeling rushed. And the ending, not what I expected but it was a perfect fit.

Still my favorite part was the main character Frank. I did not like him much at first, but as I got deeper into the story I started to connect with him. I can even say I felt sorry for him. This left me conflicted because you are not supposed to like a person like Frank. He has done horrible things and he is using Charlotte for his own personal gain. Yet, you want him to win because the only other option is Carlos to win and you do not want that either. Wisely, the author has Frank grow as a person; therefore, making him more likable.

The only thing I was not crazy about is when Frank’s meets up with his contact in Las Vegas. All the stuff that went on between them just did not seem to fit at well with the rest of the story. I know that it was a means to reach a desired conclusion but it felt clunky. In the end, it is such a minor thing I felt it did not impact my overall feelings about the book.

In short this was a well-executed, entertaining historical fiction. I recommend it to not only readers who love that genre but also to those that like thrillers and crime fiction.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Title: The Book of M
Author: Peng Shepherd
Pub. Date: 5-Jun-2018
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Book of M, by Peng Shepherd, is a quirky, out-there, grab you by-the-pants debut novel. I think it will be one of those books that will leave readers thinking long after the last page has been turned. I predict some will be so-so about it and some will love it. Personally, I fall into the former and I will explain why later.

Sometime in the near future it will happen. People will start to lose their shadows and with it they slowly lose their memories. With the loss of memories comes the ability to perform a deadly and dangerous magic. It starts slowly with one man in India and as it spreads across the globe whole societies began to collapse. Continue reading “The Book of M by Peng Shepherd”

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr

Title: The Wounded Shadow
Author: Patrick W. Carr
Pub. Date: 3-Apr-2018
Rating: 5 Stars

The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr is the third installment in the Darkwater Saga. It was a little slow going at first; but once I got into the story, I could not read fast enough. I predict this will be one of my favorites for the year.

There are so many things to say about this book I am not sure where to start. So, I am going to just jump right in with the world building, which has to be the most elaborate I think I have had the pleasure to read in a long time. In this way, it was reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The imagination, time and effort it took to construct this world is just mind boggling. The thought of how to keep it all straight while you are developing the plot is enough to give me a head ache.

Continue reading “The Wounded Shadow by Patrick W. Carr”

High Noon in Hollywood by Warren Adler

Title: High Noon in Hollywood
Author: Warren Adler
Pub. Date: 2017
Rating: 4 Stars

High Noon in Hollywood by Warren Adler is a down and dirty look inside of Tinseltown. It is what is left after the glitz and glitter have been stripped away from the surface and you are left with the seedy under belly of the beast we call Hollywood.

Zane Galvin has made a movie, Drowned Rats, an apt name since it has left him drowning in $5M of debt. To him it seems like every debt collector in Hollywood is after him and he is facing bankruptcy. He will never make another movie again. In addition, Mim, his budding actress girlfriend, is depending on him to jump start her career. Continue reading “High Noon in Hollywood by Warren Adler”

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

Title: As Bright as Heaven
Author: Susan Meissner
Pub. Date: 6-Feb-2018
Rating: 4 Stars

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner is a poignant story about a young family who moves from a small town in Pennsylvania to Philadelphia to begin a new, and hopefully better, life after the death of their youngest child. The story is told from four points of view, Pauline Bright and her three daughters, Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa.

When Thomas Bright’s Uncle, a permanent bachelor, asks him to move to Philadelphia to learn and take over his funeral pallor business, Tom sees it as a chance to lift his family out of poverty. With much hope, the family relocates and starts their new life. As everyone settles in to their new home in Philadelphia, the Great War in Europe is raging and the United States enters the conflict and Tom is called to serve his country. Not long after, the Spanish Flu makes it way to North America and to the city the Bright’s now call home. Continue reading “As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner”

Like Father Like Daughter by Christina Morgan

Title: Like Father Like Daughter
Author: Christina Morgan
Pub. Date: 12-July-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

Like Father Like Daughter has an opening scene that makes you want to devour this book. While I did not read it in one sitting it was close. The main character of Elizabeth “Libby” was so good. She was flawed in all the right ways and sometimes I just wanted to strangle her for making poor decisions. To me, things like this make a book a great read and not just a good read.

Libby Carter wakes up with a pounding headache to find her husband lying dead next to her. She cannot remember a thing about the previous evening.  Though her marriage was not perfect she loved her husband. She would never kill him. Would she? Continue reading “Like Father Like Daughter by Christina Morgan”

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Title: The Bear and The Nightingale Author: Katherine Arden Pub Date: 10-Jan-2017 My Rating: 4 Stars
Title: The Bear and The Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Pub Date: 10-Jan-2017
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden, is an adult fairy tale. The story draws heavily on folklore and fairy tales and is set during Russian medieval times when belief in demons and witches was still prolific. The story is beautifully crafted and the imagery is elegantly presented. I did find the first thirty or so pages a little slow, but once I made it through the beginning I was thoroughly entertained.

The story is about a young girl, Vasilisa, who is the second daughter of Pyotr Vladimirovich, a Russian lord. Vasilisa, like her mother, is able to see the old spirits that protect the home and hearth. Though Christianity is starting to take a foot hold, even in the remote northern wilderness of Russia, the belief in these spirts is still strong. When Father Konstantin, a new priest, comes to Vasilisa’a small village he preaches against the old ways and forbids the honoring of the old spirits. Without the spirit’s protection evil is allowed to gain a foothold and crops fail and some of the villagers die. Vailisa must find a way and the courage to protect those she loves from the evil that abounds. Continue reading “The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden”