But it is also an entertaining and funny story! Seventeen murders down and now the Grammar Nazi Serial Killer is a guest on Courtney X’s dark web talk show. With its interview style format, author Ryan Suvaal unfolds a thriller of a tale of horror that will also make the “Grammar Nazi” in you laugh out loud (and wonder if maybe it isn’t time to brush up on your own skills.)
I couldn’t possibly give this story fewer than five stars. I wouldn’t dare.
This night will be no different. After “convincing” the seedy hotel manager of his current flop that he can stay another week without paying, Isaac retrieves his room key and goes to bed. But gunshots from the area of the front desk awaken him and he knows he’s been found again. He escapes from the first set of guards (the girls in black) through the use of his unique “talents” only to be trapped in an alley by Darkmore and more guards from the Newton Street facility.
The Lost Boy will give readers a better understanding of Isaac, a main character in The Mutant Rain series. It’s outstanding, and I have a much better picture of the boy that Isaac was.This series touches a broad range of reading interests (mystery, urban mystery, mutants, horror, sci-fi, dystopian, urban horror). There is something for almost everyone.
When they fail to return after 2 days, Aurora and Evaline head to New Hampton to find them leaving behind the weakest of the survivors and, unknown to them, one of Dr. Zhirkov’s secret moles. In the city, they meet up with a small group of survivors led by Detective Benjamin Farrow, Aurora’s former partner on the police force.
Integral to The Fall is the revelation of Dr. Zhirkov’s back story and that of his men, Vitaliy, Dmitri, and Victor. Readers get a much fuller picture of what Dr. Zhirkov is about and a better understanding of the extent of the mutation that is occurring throughout the world.The Fall continues the highly imaginative and entertaining tale by L.A. Frederick which began in The Rain. Part horror, mystery, AND romance, it is a dystopian story that’s got everything. However, I recommend readers begin with The Rain (The Mutant Rain #1) as well as the Mutant Origins short stories before tackling The Fall.
Our favorite Avon Lady is back!
With Donald Pinzolo in custody awaiting trial, you’d think that life would settle down for Betty Jones, her darling husband, George, and their two children. But this is wartime and George has received his notice to report for induction training and will be leaving soon. Daughter Nancy is coming into her own powers and is pressing her mother to teach her how to use them. NYPD Sergeant (and friend) Jacob Lawrence needs Betty’s help to catch a possible female serial killer. And Betty, herself, is under the scrutiny of the FBI who are trying to figure out just who (or what) she really is, determine how she fits in with numerous criminal schemes around town, and how to exploit her talents.In this episode, Betty confronts Jacob’s former girlfriend, Adina Sonberg, a key witness in the upcoming case against Pinzolo, to convince her to await her testimony at a safer location than her aging parents’ home, when she suddenly comes face to face with his deadly minions herself.
The Boudoir Butcher is a delightful start to another Betty Jones adventure. There are recurring characters and continuation of the Pinzolo storyline from Season 1 but some fun and interesting new faces as well and an intriguing new serial killer plot is introduced. The city setting and the flawlessly atmospheric 40s timeframe just add to the pleasure.I highly recommend the entire Avon Calling series but start reading from the beginning with Episode 1 - A Woman’s Work is Never Done for maximum enjoyment.
Successfully freeing two Cursed prisoners, Odin and Charon, from the torture chamber/dungeon of the House of Gisnu, Anu returns to Wil in the secret, secluded cabin. Exhausted, she falls into his arms. While the intimate night means everything to Wil, the next morning she tells him that she will not be leaving with him but will instead return to the castle and her guardian, Etlu. Anu has always loved Etlu, and her plan is to convince him to run away from it all, and live out their days together. But Etlu has other plans.
Continuing the story where it left off in Episode 2, this installment brings to life the shared history of Anu and Etlu, and really fleshes out some of the other characters especially that of Wil’s sister, Isabol. As the story is presented from multiple points of view, we are able to get a much more solid picture of who they are, how they fit into the story, and their relationships with everyone else.The plot is slow-building but with constant action as you begin to piece together this world and its history. Silverwood’s writing is vivid and exciting: you can feel the cold of the frigid Canadian north as well as the heat between Anu and Etlu.
This is not a standalone story. I can recommend the entire series so far with each episode read in sequence (and preferably with not a lot of time lag in between the reading of each!)
As she’d grown, Sloane relived that night over and over in her mind, and based on those memories always secretly feared that her father had murdered and hidden her mother’s body. As soon as high school graduation was over, Sloane had fled town without a word to anyone including Micah, the boy she’d been going with, and her best friend, Paige.
Sloane had gone to New York City and, luckily for her, was discovered by a kind and honest agent who launched her into a highly successful modeling career. Now at loose ends after her beloved mentor’s death, Sloane is going back home for the first time in 10 years to ferret out the truth of the night her mother disappeared.Sloane walked out without a word on the four most important people in her life: her father, her brother, her boyfriend, and her best friend – and must confront those relationships when she’s back in town. Her father and brother believe she’s back to ruin her father, now the town’s mayor, with her suspicions. Complicating matters, Micah and Paige had gotten together after her abrupt departure, had a child, and had only recently divorced.
With Micah now a police officer in town, and her father and brother both trying to block her probing into the past, Before We Were Strangers is tense, exciting, and provides a satisfying number of twists and turns. Part mystery, part thriller, part second-chance romance, author Brenda Novak has created an engrossing novel of what happened and who done it. Readers should be entertained!
Gary, the scion of a wealthy political family, rejected the privileged life laid out for him in order to practice in various legal aid offices, at first in an effort to tweak the nose of his politically-connected father. However, as time passed, the challenge of the cases and a soft spot for his clients, both human and AIs, kept him at it.
Along the way, he was disbarred, changed his name to Gary Legal, and opened his own private law office. The collection explains Gary’s backstory and those of his clients and are quite entertaining. They also explore some thought-provoking situations dealing with artificial intelligence.It is a very pleasant reading experience despite some typos overlooked during the editing process. I very much recommend this book to readers that enjoy light science fiction or maybe crime stories.
Angela and Brian Cagle were happy. An unlikely match, they had worked hard to make their marriage work, and when Bobbie was born, their happiness just expanded.
As Bobbie grows, he begins to exhibit some unusual traits. As an infant and toddler, he doesn’t develop speech as expected but babbles in an extraordinary way that the members of the Cagles’ charismatic church family claim is “speaking in tongues.” But the babbling doesn’t fit the known patterns for it to be glossolalia. Too, the boy doesn’t engage with others at all but has spells that come over him in which he repeatedly builds towers out of bits and pieces he finds at hand.Against Brian’s wishes, Angie takes the boy to the nearby university medical research hospital to try and determine why their son is the way his is. But when Homeland Security takes an inexplicable interest in Bobbie, too, Angela grabs the boy and flees leaving Brian and everyone she knows and loves behind.
Now, after a decade on the run, they are closing in and Bobbie’s father is with them. As Bobbie approaches his sixteenth birthday, things are starting to come together, leading them to a mysterious location in the West Virginia mountains.This story is definitely not over! The action was fast and tense and as much as Angie is in the dark about what is going on with her son, the reader is as well. Is the human race ready to evolve to a new level? Are aliens guiding our development? Is it God’s plan? The story is well written, entertaining, and fresh. Recommended for a variety of readers because this is a thriller, a mystery, and an epic scifi tale!
Food import company executive Sydney Clayton and her husband, Craig, have lived comfortably in the exclusive community of Forest River for 15 years. They had found the house of their dreams and renovated it bit by bit until it was perfect. Their only child, Amanda, was born there but with a two hour one-way commute each day they may be ready for a move closer to work and family. After all, with their schedules, they haven’t made close friends in the community until a blow up among the school moms guilts Sydney into becoming the PTA Treasurer.
As Sydney becomes more and more a part of the PTA moms, and an appealing young couple considers the unimaginably high price Craig has set on the house, the Clayton’s already tough decision to stay or relocate becomes harder and harder.Grossman has written a fun novel set in a small community where everyone knows everyone else’s business, the sharing of which escalates via the marvel of social media. It was entertaining to watch as Sydney is drawn into the drama that develops over the school year and her building relationship with the other moms especially with Jackie Martin, the local Queen B. First impressions are not always the truth of the matter. Sydney’s internal struggling with how much she should try and protect or insulate her daughter as she grows up may hit a chord with some readers, too. Although Sydney is the focus of Go On, Girl, the secondary characters shine as well. Recommended for readers of contemporary stories of family life.
This is a just a downright good story. I enjoy all the characters and I’m really ready to find out what happens next. The writing is excellent, the characters compelling, the plot engrossing, and the episodic nature of the books unfolding has me drumming my fingers … waiting.
Another consequence of the Criterion assistance was population control. The surviving human population must not outstrip the limited food and water resources the damaged planet could provide. Human female fertility is inhibited by bio-nano-probes carrying a fertility inhibitor chip which can only be unlocked by the Criterion advocates. Then when fertility is granted to a woman, only one child is allowed. Multiple births are interrupted in utero.
However, early in the Criterion occupation, a system for advancing the rebuilding efforts as well as saving these twins was developed and kept far away from the prying eyes of the advocates. Secret underground cities were established to work on a specific need or project element all geared toward getting humans off the Earth and into space. And when a twin was born, this forbidden second child was taken from its mother and smuggled into the underground hideaway to be raised and become a part of that community completely unaware of what was going on in the cities on the surface.Unaware, that is, until one set of twins comes face to face.
This is the first volume in a new sci-fi trilogy by D.L. Richardson, the author of the exciting Welcome to the Apocalypse series. Well written, the story reveals a future Earth with a terrifying backstory. The characters are interesting and relatable, and are involved in a twisty, turny tale with lots to keep the reader invested and guessing at what’s going to happen next. I look forward to the next installment, Earth Arrested, which certainly cannot come soon enough.
Time Crawlers is a collection of six interesting, entertaining, and different stories based in a variety of familiar (yet unfamiliar) settings and time periods on Earth. Each and every one of the stories is a winner! They can be read one at a time, quickly, between tasks or savored as a whole in one sitting.
Several of the stories use an interview-style format which proves very entertaining. The title tale, Time Crawlers, is presented in this way. Others are a straightforward telling.The first third of the book is Nark-Astra, a tale of magical revenge, intervention, and redemption between opposing kings. (I love the names Sayal has used for his characters. For me, they are quite exotic and intriguing. I like discovering how they are pronounced.)
As mentioned earlier, the stories are set in various time periods, some in distant future times with technology advanced beyond what we generally know today. Others, like Genie are a modern day encounter with a genie and her lamp. Quite fun!I recommend this book for readers that enjoy the short story format featuring science fiction and fantasy with a twist! I will definitely be looking for more tales from Mr. Varun Sayal.
You can almost smell the apples and pumpkin spice!
Fall has come to the area and the Kaye sisters, Georgie and Aleta, make a trip to an apple-picking farm. As select apples and chat about Halloween costume ideas, the body of a young man is discovered hanging in the barn. He is Tony Beaumont, the fiancé of Veronica Slute, the daughter of the owner of the farm, Xabat Slute.Although it appears a suicide, Georgie’s ex-husband, Detective Stan Toon of the Chicago Police Department is requested by the small local department to help in the proper investigation of the death. But Georgie notices some suspicious marks on the body and is convinced Tony was murdered. That and Maggie Hoffentop, a new crime scene photographer that is being a little too possessive of Stan’s attention keep the sisters on the hand to keep an eye on things.
Murder in the Apple Orchard is another cute and cozy mystery in the Pet Portraits Mystery series by Sandi Scott. As with all the books in the series, the dialogue is snappy and the characters sassy and fun. The mysteries will not strain your brain, just entertain. I recommend this book and this series to the cozy mystery lover and those that appreciate an amateur sleuth of a more mature age and outlook.
Each of the stories featured here were scary but not too horrific for the younger set. Each one featured a different creature and regular people dealing with the unnatural circumstances. I can easily see me pulling these stories out in the future to read aloud to grandchildren having a sleepover.
Other reviewers have compared them to the R.L. Stine books from their own youth or that of their children and although I agree, with each coming in at under 50 pages, I think they would have been more attractive to my reluctant (or too busy) readers in the family than the longer Goosebumps.I recommend these stories for the middle grade age group and parents who, like me, had a reader in the family that needed coaxing to complete their reading. I personally enjoyed reading one a night leading up to Halloween and have already sought out an additional handful to read in the future (Halloween or not!)
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
While scoping out the dessert offerings at the lodge, the sisters observe the resort manager, Joyce Reid, publicly and unmercifully dressing down Merv, the maintenance man. Afterwards they find out from hunky Park Ranger Luke Holt that Merv has been at the resort for over 20 years but has had a hard time coping since his wife passed away.
When Joyce’s body is discovered floating face down in the lake, the sisters learn that there isn’t a single staff member mourning her death. With hints of satanic goings-on in the woods and an attack on Aleta herself, the sisters, Georgie’s ex-husband Stan, and Ranger Luke (Aleta’s new beau) join forces to find the killer.In this eighth entry in Scott’s Pet Portraits cozy mystery series, Murder at the Bonfire focuses a little more attention on the relationships of the sisters rather than the build up and eventual solution of the murder. Georgie continues to struggle with her feelings for ex-husband, Stan, who left her in the lurch with children still at home when he went midlife crazy. She loves him but she’s still not over the hurt and memories of that betrayal. On the other hand, Aleta is starting to look forward rather than remaining sunk in a pleasant past and memories of her long and comfortable life with her deceased husband, William. The murder mystery is simple and straightforward. New characters and settings help in advancing this charming sisters’ story.
Recommended for cozy mystery readers and those that enjoy reading stories with older, but not necessarily elderly, protagonists figuring out what’s what.
Keke is a journalist working for the Echo newspaper still yearning for her big break – that career-making big story. She believes she’s finally found it when she receives an anonymous tip that of the Surrogate Sisters has been attacked and almost killed by a bomb planted inside their ultra-high security compound. And after meeting the young, injured SurroSister identified only as “Sigma,” she is determined to investigate what happened, uncover the truth about who would hurt the young woman, and, of course, break the story of a lifetime.
Along with her best friend, Kirsten, Keke calls upon her numerous high-tech (and underground) resources to get to the truth. However, what she uncovers goes much farther than she imagined and endangers everyone involved with her.Such a good story with a strange and wonderfully dystopian world created to serve as the backdrop for all the action, intrigue, and romance. The characters are fun and well developed and the action is continuous in this futuristic setting. This story made me go immediately to look for more in the series.
Originally imagined and developed to let the blind see, tiny, wireless cameras now roam the spaces and the lives of the residents of the U.S. filming lives and movements and broadcasting it all online for anyone to watch. The cameras’ inventor, Sam Ramone, had expanded the functionality from the medical arena to this total invasion of everyday life after massive home-grown terrorist attacks had been launched targeting thousands including his own children. Now, no one would ever be able to plan or execute such a threat again. However, Ramone never intended, nor imagined, the total invasion and televised results all in the name of entertainment. People were addicted to ‘the feeds’ as they were called: both appearing in them and viewing them. And now Ramone has had enough. But even as he works to undo the damage he made possible, he’s being watched himself.
In Feed 1, the first book in the Fooko series, author Nicole Grotepas has created a future U.S. where everyone is under constant scrutiny, and anyone can become ‘a star.’ Some watch ‘the feeds’ and vicariously share the lives of others. Some crave the attention of the viewers at the other end of ‘the feed’ and change their actions and their lives just to up the number of people following them. The story is peopled with regular characters that are feeling the pressure of the impact of ‘the feeds.’ But there are forces at work to keep the new status quo in place.This story is highly recommended for sci-fi readers and anyone that has ever found themselves lost down a YouTube rabbit hole for an untold amount of time.
I enjoyed all the characters introduced so far especially Anu, Etlu, and Wil, and will most definitely be looking for Devil Red, Episode Two to find out what happens next. I am still in the dark as to who or what the “Chosen” are and the back story remains shadowy for me. The “Cursed” seem to be werewolves of “shifters” of some kind. I am willing to keep reading under the ambiguity because I’ve enjoyed this author’s previous work, but it’s not comfortable, and this may not be for every reader of fantasy out there. But the writing is SO GOOD, the characters so compelling, and the plot keeps slowly unfolding, and for now, I’m happy.
In a grim future America, one company, RomaCorp, provides all goods and services to the city of New Eden. The city had become what it was after a bunch of young idealists had taken over the in-situ government with theories that sounded good on paper but, in practice, failed after a mere eighteen months. The leaders of New Eden had come on television one day and said everyone was just “on their own.” Now the population of the city was scraping by in a dirty existence to fund their next hookup to “the wire.”
Weber Rexall had been a soldier and then a cop when the collapse happened. Now he eked out a living doing exhibition fights where sometimes he played the part of the winner, sometimes the loser. Tonight he’s paired against Johnny “The Kid” Berger, and is scheduled to be the victor.Between his appearances in Raul’s basement fight ring, Rexall sidelines as a bodyguard for a data runner named Carroll. Carroll’s shop downloads critical or sensitive data into human data runners, and Rexall escorts them to the recipient of the data where it is uploaded and removed from the human carrier, a financially beneficial exchange for both the runner and the escort.
Rexall, impressed with Berger’s skills, includes him in this lucrative endeavor, but their very first job doesn’t go well, leaving the data runner dead, Carroll near death, and his shop destroyed by RomaCorp. With the help of a Serve-O named Simmer Jones, Rexall and Berger set out to make things right. Or at least as right as they can. Clocking in at a little over 100 pages, Jarrett Rush packs a lot of awesomeness into Chasing Filthy Lucre, this first story in the New Eden series. I loved the noir styling, the dark, itchy setting, and the characters that combine to tell a really good story. This is recommended for readers that like dystopian, urban storylines with all the grit and dirt and unsettling edginess.
By night, Leah King scavenges through the backways of her city and the surrounding wastelands for items that her father can trade for food, clothing, and other essentials. After one such foray, she finds herself in the middle of an attack on a young man by the Transport Authority (the city’s governing and enforcement entity.) As he lays dying, the young man pushes the leather bag he’s carrying toward Leah with a whispered “Please …” for her to take it.
Hoping for some good salvage, Leah takes it to her father. But when they open it, they find only one item – a green rectangular object resembling a circuit board encased entirely in clear plastic and marked with strange symbols. An exhausted Leah retreats to her bed, but before she can fall asleep, she overhears her father talking to someone on the phone and leave the house.Later, when he has still not returned, she slips out to try and find something she can salvage. She is caught stealing from the food wagon of an old Amish man who instead of turning her over to the Transport Authority officials urges her to keep the food and tells her where he can be found while he’s in the city should she get into any trouble.
She returns home to find it being ransacked by Transport Authority and her father, in their custody, being questioned and accused of being a member of TRACE, the terrorist organization currently fighting the Transport Authority. From what she overhears from the Transport Authority leader, Leah surmises they are looking for the strange object she’d gotten earlier.When everyone leaves, she removes it to her secret hiding place located in the tunnels beneath the city, evading a scarred-faced woman who doggedly tried to follow her as she made her way through the neighborhoods, market, and back alleys to her destination. Desperate to free her father from the Transport Authority, she goes to the temporary lodgings of the old Amish man where she learns the significance and purpose of the strange object.
This introductory story by Philip Harris is an exciting setup for his Leah King series. Though short, a lot of ground is covered in building Leah’s world and the characters that populate it. It is dark and gritty, and filled with shadows, intrigue, and danger starting with Leah running for her life in the very first scene. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Girl in the Wilderness. This book is recommended for those that like young adult post-apocalyptic/dystopian tales.