Review: The Tell-All by Libby Howard

  The Tell-All

by Libby Howard

Life at sixty isn't quite what Kay Carrera expected. She's working as a skip-tracer for a PI who is desperate to land his own reality TV show. She has a new roommate who arrived with more than the usual amount of baggage. And her attempts at knitting are less than stellar – way less than stellar. Worse, the cataract surgery that restored her sight has also delivered an unexpected and disturbing side-effect. Kay sees ghosts. And when the dead turn to her for help, she just can't say no.

My Take:

Kay Carrera is getting life redefined at sixty, the hard way.  Her husband she's spent her life with has recently passed after suffering for years after a terrible accident. She's picked up a job as a skip-tracer for a PI, one who'd rather be a star. In order to keep her house, she's had to take on boarders... ones with problems of their own. She's had cataract surgery too, which cleared things up a lot, but gave her an unexpected side-effect - she's seeing ghosts. In the small town of Locust Point, there's not a lot of excitement... but all of that is about to change too.

With the discovery of a prostitution ring in their small town, things get really dicey, especially when the Madam turns up dead. And the ghost in Kay's eye is asking for help to solve the murder.

 

Content:

Drug Content:

PG-13 - There's a significant amount of drinking in this, mainly social drinking, but there's also a keg party where teens are drinking. The main character chides herself over how often she's seen with alcohol by her new tenant.

Violence:

PG - This is a murder mystery, so somebody is killed. Not a lot of blood and gore though.

Language:

G - The language in this book is squeaky clean. 

Adult Content:

R - Sorry to pop an R on this one, as there's no real sexual content on screen at all. This isn't erotica, which I don't review. But there's a prostitution ring that was operating in the city, and there are a ton of kinks discussed in some detail in the book, or at least defined. People can be pretty sick. 

Christian content:

Nada. There's one mention of praying, but it's to a goddess, and likely that's in jest. That having been said, there's some value here in at least the desire of a dad to hold his family together, and love of family. There's an instance where someone puts themselves in harm's way for someone else. There's also an undercurrent of persistence and diligence in getting to the bottom of an injustice. As many of us have had to do, Kay deals with a recent death of a loved one with grace and a few tears. Death is something all of us have to deal with here, and this book touches on grief well.

Final analysis:

I'll drop a warning here that there's a few short passages in here that might be triggers for some. But the writing in this novel is entertaining, witty, and engrossing. It rolls across the pages as a comfortable cozy mystery with a bit of spice and sauce, and I found it hard to put down. I liked the character development and even through all the sauce and sass there were some real moments. Five Stars!

About the Author

Libby Howard lives in a little house in the woods with her sons and two exuberant bloodhounds. She occasionally knits, occasionally bakes, and occasionally manages to do a load of laundry. Most of her writing is done in a bar where she can combine work with people-watching, a decent micro-brew, and a plate of Old Bay wings.

Review: Not Alone by Gaelyn Whitley Keith

Not Alone
by Gaelyn Whitley Keith

Find a comfortable chair and spend a few hours with Joe-and if you're blessed in a magnificent way, you may encounter a world that can change your life forever. Have a good visit! Have any of you suffered an injustice, been overlooked, ignored, rejected? Has anyone been denied, repudiated, negated, humiliated, devastated, infuriated, frustrated, or transgressed upon? You're a good person. So why have people disrespected, slighted, wounded, snubbed, oppressed, held down, discriminated against, beaten down, distressed, tortured, haunted, bullied, teased, tormented or talked smack about you? Why? And when it was over, did you think... I don't deserve this! Why me? I'm a good person! If someone is going to get divorced, have a heart attack, be mugged or raped, blown up by a terrorist, lose a limb in an accident, be swindled, slandered, foreclosed on, or fired, don't you think it should happen to someone who deserves it? It should never happen to me! I'm a good person! Well, if any of this has happened to you, I just want you to know that Joseph Michael Moretti has found the answer! www.TruthWins.com

My Take:
Joe Moretti has it all - a beautiful wife, a thriving business, a lovely home on the beach, and five kids who are successfully launched into life. He has a strong faith in God and a stellar future.

But in the spiritual realm, Satan has maligned him and petitioned God to remove the hedge of protection around the life of Joe and his family, and when he loses it all, Joe will curse God to His face. So God gives Satan carte blanc to attack Joe and his family, but denies him freedom to take his life. Will Joe retain his faith, or turn his back on God?

Content:

Drug Content:

PG - There is some heavy drinking at a party or two. 

Violence:

R+ - There is a very bloody scene where demon-driven Satan worshippers do something horrific to multiple people. One is beheaded, there is torture mentioned. There is rape and murder in that scene. The aftermath scene is described somewhat but not in explicit detail.

Language:

PG-13 - There's a significant amount of cussing, from demons, and from Christians as well. The F-bomb is not dropped, that I recall.

Adult Content:

PG-13 - As mentioned above, there's rape, torture, and murder briefly described. The description is somewhat disjointed but still disturbing. Several scenes occur where married couples have sex, but the description doesn't get too graphic.

Christian content:

This is a retelling of the story of Job, with a few twists. It has a bit of scripture in it, and the characters struggle with their faith under tremendous pressure. The depiction of the spiritual world is given as much airtime as the physical realm, and the battles between the angels and demons are violent and compelling. The characters are Catholic and seek help from a priest. Some of his advice is sound. There's a substantial amount of content that points to Word of Faith teaching. Parts of this novel are very dark, and delve into questions of sanity, evil, God's sovereignty, Satan's purpose and power, and our power over our circumstances and his attacks.

Final analysis:

There are parts of this novel that could use a good edit, but the characters and their struggles are very real, the questions raised and stakes compelling. The battles in the spiritual realm and the minions that wage them were exciting but a bit confusing. For the most part, this book was a good look into the circumstances, psychology, and spiritual struggle contained in Job, and as such has merit and value. I found the pace a bit slow. The settings were realistic, the emotions raw; four stars

Review: Bent, Not Broken (The Death Watchers Book 1) by Suki Sather

Bent, Not Broken (The Death Watchers Book 1)
by Suki Sather

Delaney is an ordinary college student with good grades and a bright future in anthropology and a part-time job at the mall with her best friend for as long as she can remember. She loves music and is working to master Krav Magra. Her loving adoptive parents and three foster sisters are the center of her very routine, normal life.
Delaney also struggles with strange dreams and feeling lost and afraid, and though her Death Watcher is always right next to her, she has no clue he is there in the shadows protecting her, or the truths about her past that make it so important for her to be shielded in the stability and normalcy those who love her crusade to maintain around her.
The fight has only just begun in a war that has raged since the birth of humanity.
Can darkness conquer the light or will Delaney awaken and decide that ordinary is truly over rated?

My Take:
Let's start by saying this book is definitely not YA, and has a very strong sexual tension running throughout. While I would not label it erotica, it's not something I'd hand a 15yo to enjoy. There are graphic scenes of torture, murder, decapitations, and a few scenes of physical torture and sexual abuse. There are two long erotic scenes that culminate in sex. The things the characters survive in this book are not survivable, unless you have a magical talent at healing. Which, fortunately for them, they do. As Iago says in Return of Jafar, "you'd be surprised what you can live through."

The tension between Delaney and Malik is palpable throughout, and it's obvious that they have a 'history' that she doesn't remember, and he does. As her memory has been repeatedly wiped to prevent her from being tracked, she doesn't remember their past, and he's tortured by the memory of a love he can't have, a forbidden love with a girl that doesn't know he exists. He protects her constantly, and she can't even see him; she only senses the hint of cinnamon in the air.

The baddies in this book are very very bad. The goodies, well, they're mostly just 'not so bad'. The combination becomes very dark, and Delaney starts to wonder whether she will destroy everyone she cares about before she gains control of the incredible power buried inside.

Content:

Violence:
R - As I stated earlier, there's a lot. Head smashing, chest crushing, impaling, decapitation, blood everywhere. There were many graphic scenes of bloody violence, ones people would not normally survive, and often didn't. There's a good bit of dying, as it appears to be an ages-old war between many paranormally empowered classes of semi-demi-gods.

Language:
R - There's a liberal dose of profanity in this book, with several F-bombs dropped throughout.

Adult Content:
R+ - There are two sex scenes that are borderline erotica, and a lot of sexual tension and language throughout. It's discussed that one female victim is repeatedly abused sexually by the baddies. I won't label the book erotica, as that's not what the book is centered on, but the two main characters have quite a lot of interest in each other when not fighting for their lives.

Christian content:
There's none. The book appears to be based on mystic Indian folklore and shaman beliefs, though it's not readily apparent until late in the book. There is a place where the main bad guy is described, making him out to be similar to the Grim Reaper gone rogue. Hell is discussed and demons, and there's a long discussion about the Creators, or Spirit People, who started the whole thing off and created the hybrids, and the tribes they started it with. The characters in the book are, for the most part, hybrid humans with animal DNA with special paranormal powers mixed in. It's sort of a cross between Brother Bear, Heroes, and the Avengers. They don't age or die easily, and have the ability to teleport or remain invisible, have super-strength or other paranormal powers.

Final analysis:

I love a good book with powered people struggling to survive in a high-stakes game against other powered people bent on their destruction for no particularly good reason, other than, well, nothing better to do. I may have missed the part where we find out why Isabeau and Caleb want everyone dead so badly. My impression was that they just really didn't like them very much...

There are a significant number of POV shifts that caused a bit of confusion while reading, and enough class names and nicknames for the powered hybrids to add to that. There were a noticeable number of typos. There were some places where the plot dragged a bit.  All in all, however, the plot was intriguing, the stakes high, the characters believable, the action fast-paced. It's definitely not YA, set clearly by content into Adult Fiction. It's a good read, but the issues above kept this reader from considering it a real page turner, as I'd hoped. Four Stars.

About the Author:
For more information on the Death Watcher series and the world Suki Sather created please check out sukisather.com

You can connect with Suki Sather on Facebook and Twitter.

Review: The Extraordinary Temptation by Patrick McCusker

The Extraordinary Temptation
by Patrick McCusker

While on a routine sewer line dig near a thousand-year-old monastery in Ireland, the crew unearth an unmarked cubic meter of white marble. Young archaeologist Ed Weaver, assigned to the dig, finds funding from a Texas billionaire, arranges for the marble cube to be broken and its contents stolen.

Ed's girlfriend Jennie is murdered in process of the theft, and he is bent on finding the murderer, retrieving the stolen contents, and bringing the perpetrators to justice. But how can you trace a stolen artifact when you don't even know what was stolen?

Bill Bronoski, the Texas billionaire, discovers that the stolen artifact is none other than the Crown of Thorns placed on the head of Jesus Christ. Attached to a thorn is a tiny piece of mummified flesh, and Bill uses a team of experts in his biotech labs to attempt to clone Christ.



My Take:
The idea behind this book is both riveting and revolting. From the perspective of a Christian, murder and theft pale in comparison to the heinous blasphemy of attempting to clone the Savior. The author reflected this in the extreme deliberation the antagonist went through before taking advantage of the singular opportunity his crime provided. The protagonist, Ed, uses his wits and training and his expert contacts to prove who was behind the murder of Jennie and theft of the artifact, even determining through evidence what was stolen. The pursuit by Ed and the struggles the biotech team have to accomplish the impossible make for a reasonable read. But, it didn't end there...

Content:

Drug Content:
PG-13 - There's a bit of drinking in this book, and several references to hallucinogens.

Violence:
R - The murder of Jennie is not very graphic, but there is a fatal automobile accident that is described in horrific detail. There is a description of a raider attack in a flashback that is quite graphic.

Language:
R - The Lord's name is taken in vain throughout the book, several characters seem to have difficulty communicating without it... The F-bomb is dropped a few times, and there is a scattering of other curse words here and there. The language was obviously intentional to depict the characters as they are.

Adult Content:
R - One of Ed's American friends spices up each contact with oblique and direct innuendos, sometimes even hinting at bestiality. There are multiple references to women as objects. I do not recall any actual sex scenes.

Christian content:
Sigh. From a Christian perspective, the book gives a clear and winning testimony of the deity of Christ, of His power and Godship. Of God's eternal power, omniscience and omnipotence. Evil spirits are very present and allowed to attack and harass the antagonist and the staff on his ranch.

On the other hand, it also depicts all other beliefs and paths as equally valid and saving, which does not agree with Christ's own claims to be the only Way (John 14:6) (John 15:5). While the book's request that the church return to simple origins and eschew opulence is valid, some of its points don't align with scripture.

Final analysis:

The first half of this book was an excellent and engaging read. I was riveted by the action and struggle of Ed to discover the truth, of the scientists in their attempts to do the impossible, even the terrorizing of the villain. The book could have been a five-star if it had ended when Ed retrieved the crown, or with Bill's punishment. Unfortunately, it didn't end there, and the second half of the book devolved into a second coming advented by the cloning, and a message to the global church by God to simplify and go back to its roots. This was almost a book in itself, when it could have been a few chapters, even though it spanned a few decades. I loved the first half of this book, and really wanted to like it as a whole, but just couldn't. Three Stars. (Really, three and a half, but I'm not given that option...)


About The Author:

Patrick McCusker is a published author, lecturer and nature conservationist.

My first book "Planet Dancing" is about conserving nature on large scale and was published by Open Gate Press, London in 2011.

My second book entitled "FEAR" is an American Medical thriller with a young Japanese-American doctor as the heroine. The story opens in China but then moves to the USA, Boston in particular. Something in a river that flows through Harbin, a city in NE China, is killing people: not just killing them but reducing them to dry husks.

My latest release, "The Extraordinary Temptation" is a science fiction medical thriller where a piece of mummified skin is discovered in a medieval monastic settlement in Ireland. A wealthy American attempts to clone a human from this flesh and unsettling things happen to all those who become involved in this work.

I have won a number of prizes for short stories and at the moment I am attempting to write a stage play. I expect it will be a complete disaster - but here's hoping!

When I was younger I lived in the USA and Canada. While in Canada I stayed for four months in a First Nation's village. I tasted real clam chowder on Vancouver Island and Florida introduced him to my first bowl of homily grits.

I now live in Wicklow, Ireland, with a lump of a cat that chases big rabbits without success. But she insists on prowling the one hectare garden that one day ...!

Contact me, or the cat to collaborate at: mccusker.patrick@gmail.com

Review: The Ghost Box by Mike Duran

The Ghost Box
By Mike Duran

Reagan Moon -- paranormal reporter, terminal underachiever, and staunch cynic of the human race. The only ghosts he really believes in are the ones in his own head.

But his world is about to get an upgrade.

When Moon is hired by a reclusive tycoon to investigate the events surrounding his girlfriend's tragic death, he learns of an impending apocalypse about to flatten Los Angeles. Seems that the Summu Nura, ancient gods from a parallel dimension, are looking for a new stomping ground. And Hollyweird is ground zero. What's worse, Reagan Moon is the only one who can stop them.

With the help of an occult archivist and a carefree guardian angel, Moon is forced to confront an invisible world of toxic parasites and dimensional outriders. But no amount of magic can save him from the monster that awaits… inside him.

From the first page of this pre-Apocalyptic thriller to the last, the wry wit and non-stop action kept me nailed to the pages. Characters such as Matisse the Mad Spaniard, 'Blondie' the not-so-mindless bodyguard and messenger, Bernard the guardian angel, and Jimmy the police detective, add life and breadth to this cross between Ghostbusters and Guardians of the Galaxy. Ok, that comparison might be reaching a bit.

Content:

Violence:
There's a bit, and it can get graphic. It's not gratuitous, but some people end up dying in a pool of blood. One gets stabbed to death by a magic wand.

Language:
PG-13, I'd say. There are some expletives occurring sporadically about. The F-bomb is never used.

Adult Content:
PG. Romance is hinted at but never explored.

Christian content:
Belief seems to be a central theme to this book. What that belief is in, other than an afterlife, and angels, is not driven far. A central object in the story is a Tau, or T-shaped cross which a relic from early Christendom. There's nothing preachy about this book.

Final analysis:

A riveting read from cover to cover. Action, adventure, and humor abound. The mouthy sarcasm and wit of the main character remind me of Spidey. I found it very entertaining, and a bit uplifting. I gave it five stars.

About the Author

Mike Duran is a novelist, a blogger, and speaker, whose short stories, essays, and commentary have appeared in Relief Journal, Relevant Online, Rue Morgue magazine, Zombies! magazine, and other print and digital outlets. He is the author of the supernatural thriller THE RESURRECTION (Realms 2011) which was a finalist in the 2011 INSPY awards, SUBTERRANEA (Blue Crescent Press Oct 2012), and other novels and novellas.

He is an ordained minister and resides in SoCal with his wife and four grown children. You can read more about him at his website, MikeDuran.com