Title – Lost Time
Author – Winona Kent
Genre – Mystery, Amateur P.I.
Word Count 68,000
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 36- 2020
Posted 9/18/2020
My Impressions: Good cozy mystery in the vein of Miss Marple.
Main Characters:
Jason ‘Figgis’ Davy – Fortyish musician, amateur sleuth.
Mandy Green – Jason’s seventy year old mother, half of the Figgis/Green band.
Duncan Stopher – Mysterious person driving an investigation of a long missing teenager.
Pippa Gladstone – sixteen year old girl who went missing in 1974.
A large cast of support characters.
Jason Davy agrees to perform in a last band tour with his mother, Mandy Green. She is a founding member of the Figgis Green band. Her husband is dead, so her son, Jason, has agreed to replace his father on the final tour. Jason is also an amateur sleuth with a reputation for finding missing people.
Most of the story concerns the band members practicing and arguing incessantly. Jason also has a culinary chronical blog where he posts pictures and details of all his meals. I found that boring and silly.
During a break, Jason is approached at a restaurant by a man who identifies himself as Duncan Stopher. He petitions Jason to search for a young girl who disappeared when sixteen years of age in 1974. A short time later the same man is found murdered, but his name is not Duncan Stopher. Jason planned to refuse the case but is intrigued that the dead man assumed an identity to approach him. With his curiosity aroused, Jason starts his investigation. Soon after Jason is attacked when he enters his hotel room. The thug is surprised when Jason beats the hell out of him. Then mysterious people appear to clean the room and dispose of the attacker.
The story is more of a cozy mystery in the vein of Miss Marple than a hardcore murder mystery.
Toward the end, a plot is exposed that will unravel plans of a person aspiring to high office.
Before the ending Jason has to deal with thugs, the police, and Britain’s M15 intelligence service.
The story contains some hardcore cursing and no sex scenes.
The editing and sentence structure are unusually good.
Character Development is good for the main characters and okay for support characters.
Details and research are good and carry the story
The plot is fresh, intricate, and complex but too involved in the workings of a band for my taste.
The writing style is relaxed but contains many false leads and conflicting evidence.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Winona Kent
Genre – Mystery, Amateur P.I.
Word Count 68,000
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 36- 2020
Posted 9/18/2020
My Impressions: Good cozy mystery in the vein of Miss Marple.
Main Characters:
Jason ‘Figgis’ Davy – Fortyish musician, amateur sleuth.
Mandy Green – Jason’s seventy year old mother, half of the Figgis/Green band.
Duncan Stopher – Mysterious person driving an investigation of a long missing teenager.
Pippa Gladstone – sixteen year old girl who went missing in 1974.
A large cast of support characters.
Jason Davy agrees to perform in a last band tour with his mother, Mandy Green. She is a founding member of the Figgis Green band. Her husband is dead, so her son, Jason, has agreed to replace his father on the final tour. Jason is also an amateur sleuth with a reputation for finding missing people.
Most of the story concerns the band members practicing and arguing incessantly. Jason also has a culinary chronical blog where he posts pictures and details of all his meals. I found that boring and silly.
During a break, Jason is approached at a restaurant by a man who identifies himself as Duncan Stopher. He petitions Jason to search for a young girl who disappeared when sixteen years of age in 1974. A short time later the same man is found murdered, but his name is not Duncan Stopher. Jason planned to refuse the case but is intrigued that the dead man assumed an identity to approach him. With his curiosity aroused, Jason starts his investigation. Soon after Jason is attacked when he enters his hotel room. The thug is surprised when Jason beats the hell out of him. Then mysterious people appear to clean the room and dispose of the attacker.
The story is more of a cozy mystery in the vein of Miss Marple than a hardcore murder mystery.
Toward the end, a plot is exposed that will unravel plans of a person aspiring to high office.
Before the ending Jason has to deal with thugs, the police, and Britain’s M15 intelligence service.
The story contains some hardcore cursing and no sex scenes.
The editing and sentence structure are unusually good.
Character Development is good for the main characters and okay for support characters.
Details and research are good and carry the story
The plot is fresh, intricate, and complex but too involved in the workings of a band for my taste.
The writing style is relaxed but contains many false leads and conflicting evidence.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Short Cut
(The Reluctant Hustler, Book 2)
Author – J. Gregory Smith
Genre – Crime - Thriller
Word Count 80,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 32 - 2020
Posted 9/10/2020
My Impressions: Exciting, tongue in cheek, lots of action.
Main Characters:
Kyle Logan – Works for a military contractor in Afghanistan
Rollie – Kyle’s seventy year old friend, ex- Marine sniper
Ryan Buckley – Hustler supreme, worked with Kyle, set him up with hustles without telling him.
Bettle Bentley – Nice guy, easily taken advantage of.
V.P. – Hacker supreme
Sandy – Kyles girlfriend who operates a physical fitness training business.
Kyle was injured in a deal put together by his crooked friend Ryan Buckley. That scam blew up with Kyle’s wife being captured and Kyle almost being killed. Ryan did die, but no one is talking about it. Most of his acquaintances believe he is still alive but has gone into hiding.
Kyle learns Ryan set him up to take over the many nefarious schemes Ryan already had in place. Those provide lots of money and abundant danger. But then Kyle learns Ryan was a sort of modern day Robbing Hood who protected and helped many people.
Kyle’s wife and he divorced after she was captured, and he was knifed. But don’t feel sorry for him: he has a new girlfriend; but she has a problem too. Her landlord has raised her rent and used a crooked doctor to refer new patients to her physical training business. Kyle soon learns Dr. Bones is also a horrible slum landlord.
As the story gains traction, Kyle learns Tom, another of Ryan’s crew is involved in a plot to bring a large fortune in diamonds here from Iraq for a wealthy Iraqi called Mr. Beautiful. Kyle is supposed to be up to speed on the details and in charge of the illegal operation but knows nothing about it.
In the end, Kyle outmaneuvers all the bad guys with the help of people on Ryan’s contact list and all ends well.
The story is filled with good guys, thugs, an Irish gang, and black ops characters.
I enjoyed the story because it’s fast paced and funny at times.
The editing is poorly done, but sentence structure is passable.
Character development is adequate for the main characters.
Details are adequate to carry the story.
The plot is different and interesting.
The writing style is wordy but easy to read.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
(The Reluctant Hustler, Book 2)
Author – J. Gregory Smith
Genre – Crime - Thriller
Word Count 80,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 32 - 2020
Posted 9/10/2020
My Impressions: Exciting, tongue in cheek, lots of action.
Main Characters:
Kyle Logan – Works for a military contractor in Afghanistan
Rollie – Kyle’s seventy year old friend, ex- Marine sniper
Ryan Buckley – Hustler supreme, worked with Kyle, set him up with hustles without telling him.
Bettle Bentley – Nice guy, easily taken advantage of.
V.P. – Hacker supreme
Sandy – Kyles girlfriend who operates a physical fitness training business.
Kyle was injured in a deal put together by his crooked friend Ryan Buckley. That scam blew up with Kyle’s wife being captured and Kyle almost being killed. Ryan did die, but no one is talking about it. Most of his acquaintances believe he is still alive but has gone into hiding.
Kyle learns Ryan set him up to take over the many nefarious schemes Ryan already had in place. Those provide lots of money and abundant danger. But then Kyle learns Ryan was a sort of modern day Robbing Hood who protected and helped many people.
Kyle’s wife and he divorced after she was captured, and he was knifed. But don’t feel sorry for him: he has a new girlfriend; but she has a problem too. Her landlord has raised her rent and used a crooked doctor to refer new patients to her physical training business. Kyle soon learns Dr. Bones is also a horrible slum landlord.
As the story gains traction, Kyle learns Tom, another of Ryan’s crew is involved in a plot to bring a large fortune in diamonds here from Iraq for a wealthy Iraqi called Mr. Beautiful. Kyle is supposed to be up to speed on the details and in charge of the illegal operation but knows nothing about it.
In the end, Kyle outmaneuvers all the bad guys with the help of people on Ryan’s contact list and all ends well.
The story is filled with good guys, thugs, an Irish gang, and black ops characters.
I enjoyed the story because it’s fast paced and funny at times.
The editing is poorly done, but sentence structure is passable.
Character development is adequate for the main characters.
Details are adequate to carry the story.
The plot is different and interesting.
The writing style is wordy but easy to read.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Strange Karma
Author – Willow Healy
Genre – Adventure-Thriller-Mystery
Word Count 71,270
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 30 - 2020
Posted 9/5/2020
My Impressions: Excellent tale of subterfuge and greed, great characters and plot
Main Characters:
Cynthia Graham – Twenty-seven-year-old descendant of Andrew Irving who died climbing Mt. Everest in 1923.
Dorje – Nepal Sherpa mountain climber, businessman, village elder. Ex-British Gurkha soldier.
Paul Bellame – Cynthis’s dad’s billionaire boss who wants to possess her.
Jon White – Professor on a mountain clime to the top of Ama Dablam mountain.
Ang – Thief wanting to make Dorje’s families’ mountain trekking business fail.
Alden Droiter – Engineer on an airport expansion project, friend of Dorje.
The Foreigner - An evil, mysterious foreign national intent on becoming wealthy through crime.
Cynthia Graham has had a troubled life. Her mother died in a house fire when she was eight, and she grew up knowing her father was a habitual gambler who constantly weaseled money from her to pay his debts. She was also disappointed in his choice of girlfriends who were her age or younger. Her father was a weak worm manipulated by his billionaire employer who wanted to own Cynthia. The father pushed her to again date Paul so he can milk money from her after she is married to Paul
She was shocked when a letter arrived from a British barrister stating her grandmother on her mother’s side made her the sole heir to her estate. Cynthia travelled to England to claim her inheritance: a small amount of money and a rural cottage. In the cottage, she read letters sent by her grandfather to her grandmother and followed clues to discover a large, uncut red diamond. She was an instant millionaire. Her grandfather, Andrew Young, sent the diamond to his love, Emma, days before he died while attempting to scale Mt. Everest.
Curious about her grandfather, she booked a climb on nearby Mt. Ama Dablam in sight of Mt. Everest but easier to climb. She intended to write a book about her grandfather’s failed 1923 attempt to scale Mt. Everest based on local color.
While in Nepal she met Dorje the climb leader and was attracted to the forty-two-year-old mountain man.
Unknown to Cynthia, a dastardly thief has learned of the existence of another large, red diamond. Her diamond The Foreigner, as he is known, intends to steal Cynthia’s diamond and murder her.
Toward the end there is heavy religious mysticism concerning the Buddhist monks and an old Sherpa.
The editing is poor. I struggled to justify a five star rating and did so on the strength of the plot and story-telling.
The sentence structure is good with few exceptions.
Character development provides a through insight into the main characters and several support characters.
Details of the 1923 mountain expedition and the present scenes are well covered.
Research is evident in the information concerning mountain climbing in general.
The plot is fresh and exciting with danger and conflict galore
The writing style is fast, intense, and well-written.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Willow Healy
Genre – Adventure-Thriller-Mystery
Word Count 71,270
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 30 - 2020
Posted 9/5/2020
My Impressions: Excellent tale of subterfuge and greed, great characters and plot
Main Characters:
Cynthia Graham – Twenty-seven-year-old descendant of Andrew Irving who died climbing Mt. Everest in 1923.
Dorje – Nepal Sherpa mountain climber, businessman, village elder. Ex-British Gurkha soldier.
Paul Bellame – Cynthis’s dad’s billionaire boss who wants to possess her.
Jon White – Professor on a mountain clime to the top of Ama Dablam mountain.
Ang – Thief wanting to make Dorje’s families’ mountain trekking business fail.
Alden Droiter – Engineer on an airport expansion project, friend of Dorje.
The Foreigner - An evil, mysterious foreign national intent on becoming wealthy through crime.
Cynthia Graham has had a troubled life. Her mother died in a house fire when she was eight, and she grew up knowing her father was a habitual gambler who constantly weaseled money from her to pay his debts. She was also disappointed in his choice of girlfriends who were her age or younger. Her father was a weak worm manipulated by his billionaire employer who wanted to own Cynthia. The father pushed her to again date Paul so he can milk money from her after she is married to Paul
She was shocked when a letter arrived from a British barrister stating her grandmother on her mother’s side made her the sole heir to her estate. Cynthia travelled to England to claim her inheritance: a small amount of money and a rural cottage. In the cottage, she read letters sent by her grandfather to her grandmother and followed clues to discover a large, uncut red diamond. She was an instant millionaire. Her grandfather, Andrew Young, sent the diamond to his love, Emma, days before he died while attempting to scale Mt. Everest.
Curious about her grandfather, she booked a climb on nearby Mt. Ama Dablam in sight of Mt. Everest but easier to climb. She intended to write a book about her grandfather’s failed 1923 attempt to scale Mt. Everest based on local color.
While in Nepal she met Dorje the climb leader and was attracted to the forty-two-year-old mountain man.
Unknown to Cynthia, a dastardly thief has learned of the existence of another large, red diamond. Her diamond The Foreigner, as he is known, intends to steal Cynthia’s diamond and murder her.
Toward the end there is heavy religious mysticism concerning the Buddhist monks and an old Sherpa.
The editing is poor. I struggled to justify a five star rating and did so on the strength of the plot and story-telling.
The sentence structure is good with few exceptions.
Character development provides a through insight into the main characters and several support characters.
Details of the 1923 mountain expedition and the present scenes are well covered.
Research is evident in the information concerning mountain climbing in general.
The plot is fresh and exciting with danger and conflict galore
The writing style is fast, intense, and well-written.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Roads Chosen
Author – Ben Carlyle
Genre – Crime Thriller
Word Count 118,000
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 22-1 - 2020
Posted 8/31/2020
Main Characters:
Sam Mitchell – British citizen and world traveler
Rebecca Liscombe – Sam’s lover.
Boris Voikcvich –Sam’s friend and a smuggler of material goods and damaged people.
A large part of The Roads Chosen follows Samir Mozhar (Sam Mitchell) as he walks and hitches rides across The Republic of Kazakhstan while traveling the ancient Silk Road; it’s a network of trade routes stretching from China to Southern Europe. Sam ran away from his lover in London and travelled for six years before taking a job with an oil services company. While there he uncovered a network of financial transactions involving money laundering leading to a well organized, murderous, worldwide Russian mafia organization. The heads of the criminal group are ex-KGB members from Russia who are proficient in the use of harsh interrogation methods and murder.
When Sam’s meddling is discovered he tries to escape. He avoids the police but is injured. Sam contacts a friend in Russia, Boris Voikcvich. Boris and his entire family are smugglers of stolen materials and damaged citizens. Many survivors of Russian mafia have been brutalized, raped, or tortured. Boris’s family is part of a large, well organized underground railroad giving sanctuary and hope to the mentally and physically broken flotsam left by the criminals.
The criminals want Sam at all cost because he has evidence of their money laundering. His picture is posted countrywide on TV and in newspapers stating he is wanted for rape and murder. This, of course, puts Boris and his family along with their co-conspirators in danger as Sam is hidden and nursed back to good health.
The plot is complex, and readers need to pay close attention to subtle clues throughout.
Much of the story focuses on Russian and Kazakhstan history and social order.
The editing and sentence structure are crisp and professional.
Character development is through for the main characters.
Details are abundant, descriptive, and carefully laid out for disciplined readers.
Research of Russian life and surrounding details are apparent.
The plot is complex and extremely involved with a huge cast of characters.
There is minor, infrequent cursing.
I heartily recommend this exciting story of foreign intrigue for fans of complex international thrillers.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Ben Carlyle
Genre – Crime Thriller
Word Count 118,000
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 22-1 - 2020
Posted 8/31/2020
Main Characters:
Sam Mitchell – British citizen and world traveler
Rebecca Liscombe – Sam’s lover.
Boris Voikcvich –Sam’s friend and a smuggler of material goods and damaged people.
A large part of The Roads Chosen follows Samir Mozhar (Sam Mitchell) as he walks and hitches rides across The Republic of Kazakhstan while traveling the ancient Silk Road; it’s a network of trade routes stretching from China to Southern Europe. Sam ran away from his lover in London and travelled for six years before taking a job with an oil services company. While there he uncovered a network of financial transactions involving money laundering leading to a well organized, murderous, worldwide Russian mafia organization. The heads of the criminal group are ex-KGB members from Russia who are proficient in the use of harsh interrogation methods and murder.
When Sam’s meddling is discovered he tries to escape. He avoids the police but is injured. Sam contacts a friend in Russia, Boris Voikcvich. Boris and his entire family are smugglers of stolen materials and damaged citizens. Many survivors of Russian mafia have been brutalized, raped, or tortured. Boris’s family is part of a large, well organized underground railroad giving sanctuary and hope to the mentally and physically broken flotsam left by the criminals.
The criminals want Sam at all cost because he has evidence of their money laundering. His picture is posted countrywide on TV and in newspapers stating he is wanted for rape and murder. This, of course, puts Boris and his family along with their co-conspirators in danger as Sam is hidden and nursed back to good health.
The plot is complex, and readers need to pay close attention to subtle clues throughout.
Much of the story focuses on Russian and Kazakhstan history and social order.
The editing and sentence structure are crisp and professional.
Character development is through for the main characters.
Details are abundant, descriptive, and carefully laid out for disciplined readers.
Research of Russian life and surrounding details are apparent.
The plot is complex and extremely involved with a huge cast of characters.
There is minor, infrequent cursing.
I heartily recommend this exciting story of foreign intrigue for fans of complex international thrillers.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Moonshiner's Justice
Author – Jeremy Perry
Genre – Action/Adventure
147 Amazon Pages (about 45,000 words)
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 33 - 2020
Posted 8/29/2020
This is a novella length story set in 1923 in eastern Kentucky.
My impressions: loving caring family members, self-sufficient, hard independent people, vigilante justice,
Main Characters:
Frank Jamison – bootlegger.
Raymond Jamison – Frank’s 13 year old son.
Ansel Jamison – Frank’s father.
Clyde Brown – Frank’s good friend.
Moonshiner’s Justice is an excellent story of greed, betrayal, and revenge. Frank is identified to the Federal Infernal Revenue officers as an illegal whiskey producer. He is known and respected throughout the rural area where his family lives for producing the best white lightening ever sold in a quart jar. But his fame and notoriety has drawn the attention of greedy folks who want his business. Two Internal Revenue agents confront Frank as they are destroying his still and arrest him. He is charged, convicted, and sent to prison.
The matriarch of this close family arrives to watch over his son’s family. This is when the main action of the story begins to occur.
But the crime plot is only one part of this tale. In the midst of this proud, loving family is Raymond’s coming of age journey as he deals with loss, betrayal, and the responsibility of manhood.
I can proudly highly recommend this heartfelt story.
The editing is excellent, almost perfect. Sentence structure is above the norm also.
Character Development is good, especially for novella length story.
Details are adequate for a tale told mainly in the forest.
The plot is simple but endearing. Much emphasis is placed on the Jamison family’s relationships and principles.
The writing style is simple but crisp.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Jeremy Perry
Genre – Action/Adventure
147 Amazon Pages (about 45,000 words)
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 33 - 2020
Posted 8/29/2020
This is a novella length story set in 1923 in eastern Kentucky.
My impressions: loving caring family members, self-sufficient, hard independent people, vigilante justice,
Main Characters:
Frank Jamison – bootlegger.
Raymond Jamison – Frank’s 13 year old son.
Ansel Jamison – Frank’s father.
Clyde Brown – Frank’s good friend.
Moonshiner’s Justice is an excellent story of greed, betrayal, and revenge. Frank is identified to the Federal Infernal Revenue officers as an illegal whiskey producer. He is known and respected throughout the rural area where his family lives for producing the best white lightening ever sold in a quart jar. But his fame and notoriety has drawn the attention of greedy folks who want his business. Two Internal Revenue agents confront Frank as they are destroying his still and arrest him. He is charged, convicted, and sent to prison.
The matriarch of this close family arrives to watch over his son’s family. This is when the main action of the story begins to occur.
But the crime plot is only one part of this tale. In the midst of this proud, loving family is Raymond’s coming of age journey as he deals with loss, betrayal, and the responsibility of manhood.
I can proudly highly recommend this heartfelt story.
The editing is excellent, almost perfect. Sentence structure is above the norm also.
Character Development is good, especially for novella length story.
Details are adequate for a tale told mainly in the forest.
The plot is simple but endearing. Much emphasis is placed on the Jamison family’s relationships and principles.
The writing style is simple but crisp.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Lost in Wildwood
Author – Jason Ryan Dale
Genre – M, S, T.
276 Amazon Pages
No. 31 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 8-25-2020
My Impressions: intense, desperate, brutal, bottom feeders, slime bums, liar, mental case, weird.
The main character, and the only one worth mentioning, is 21-year-old Joshua Keogh. He’s a burglar and murderer who spouts poetry to a girl he’s attracted to. She is nice to him but doesn’t want a relationship with him.
Joshua was tutored in the art of residential burglary by his addicted father. He attempted to attend college but dropped out because he wasn’t interested. He is a loner and never feels comfortable in large groups, especially if strangers are present.
He has close friends but can turn on them viciously if he feels threatened. He can also be talked into dangerous things he knows he shouldn’t be involved in. Eventually that leads him to the inner circle of the local crime bosses. When the police take an interest in him, he reviews his list of friends and acquaintances to determine who might have been responsible for fingering him. The ending left me wanting to know more.
Joshua is intelligent and caring about his family, but I felt he exhibited traits of a sociopath and at times of a psychopath.
The editing, sentence structure and character development of Joshua are good.
Details are sparse but adequate to the story.
The plot is complex and delves into a flawed young man who has been taught to be a cold thief.
The writing style is wordy and overly sophisticated for the crowd of characters created. Frequent flashbacks of back story are inserted to explain why Joshua has developed the ways he has.
Some of the prose was too complicated and painted confused, erratic pictures instead of instilling clear images in my min. Examples:
, both their faces hanging loose over angry eyes.
The wind was whispering its secrets to the leaves, and they responded with hundreds of sighing green voices.
They were the kind of dark, unwavering eyes that held the bearer’s intelligence and wisdom somewhere in the iris.
This story was interesting in a perverse way as a character study of an intelligent man with deep emotional issues.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Jason Ryan Dale
Genre – M, S, T.
276 Amazon Pages
No. 31 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 8-25-2020
My Impressions: intense, desperate, brutal, bottom feeders, slime bums, liar, mental case, weird.
The main character, and the only one worth mentioning, is 21-year-old Joshua Keogh. He’s a burglar and murderer who spouts poetry to a girl he’s attracted to. She is nice to him but doesn’t want a relationship with him.
Joshua was tutored in the art of residential burglary by his addicted father. He attempted to attend college but dropped out because he wasn’t interested. He is a loner and never feels comfortable in large groups, especially if strangers are present.
He has close friends but can turn on them viciously if he feels threatened. He can also be talked into dangerous things he knows he shouldn’t be involved in. Eventually that leads him to the inner circle of the local crime bosses. When the police take an interest in him, he reviews his list of friends and acquaintances to determine who might have been responsible for fingering him. The ending left me wanting to know more.
Joshua is intelligent and caring about his family, but I felt he exhibited traits of a sociopath and at times of a psychopath.
The editing, sentence structure and character development of Joshua are good.
Details are sparse but adequate to the story.
The plot is complex and delves into a flawed young man who has been taught to be a cold thief.
The writing style is wordy and overly sophisticated for the crowd of characters created. Frequent flashbacks of back story are inserted to explain why Joshua has developed the ways he has.
Some of the prose was too complicated and painted confused, erratic pictures instead of instilling clear images in my min. Examples:
, both their faces hanging loose over angry eyes.
The wind was whispering its secrets to the leaves, and they responded with hundreds of sighing green voices.
They were the kind of dark, unwavering eyes that held the bearer’s intelligence and wisdom somewhere in the iris.
This story was interesting in a perverse way as a character study of an intelligent man with deep emotional issues.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Spree, A Jon Steadman thriller
Author – Nelli Neeman
Genre – Thriller
Word Count 92,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 41 - 2020
Posted 8/14/2020
My Impressions: I place Spree between a thriller and a cozy thriller.
Main Characters:
Jon Steadman – College student with PTSD
Melanie Ridgefield – Jon’s girlfriend
Grannie Eunice – Jon’s grandmother.
Gabe Lewis – Jon’s best friend
Dr. Theresa Lavi – Jewish professor
SAC Doug Matthews - FBI
Jon Steadman and his pal Gabe Lewis survive a terrorist attack at a Boston college. His fiancé wasn’t as lucky and died in a massive, flaming blast. Fast forward several years to when Jon and Gabe decide to write a paper based on the earlier attack. They are aware of several similar attacks around the country and wonder if they are related
Their investigation takes them and Jon’s new girlfriend in search of information to tie the attacks together. The amateur sleuths procure two items of DNA evidence and take them to FBI agent Doug Matthews. Doug is not interested in the student’s wild theory about a possible conspiracy of terrorist randomly attacking colleges. With unbridled enthusiasm, they contact a geneticist professor to have extensive DNA testing done. The professor tells them of an expert in Israel who may be able to help them more than he can. But his findings are unexpected news and spurs them on.
Gabe flies to Israel and contacts Dr. Theresa Lavi.
As the investigation picks up steam, people are put in danger and others are attacked and murdered; people purported to be good guys turn out to be evil and others are too close to the students to be suspect.
The editing and sentence structure need the major input of a professional editor.
Character development is good for the main characters and adequate for the support characters.
Details are skimpy for most action scenes as if the author is not familiar with the mechanics.
Timely research is evident in the information of the several locations in the story.
The plot is fresh and interesting but misses at fulling the promises of the story telling.
The writing style is wordy but manages to pull the reader into the story.
The action scenes are poorly thought out and feel contrived.to reach an outcome without the needed choreography.
I enjoyed the story despite of its faults but struggled with giving it a four star rating.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Nelli Neeman
Genre – Thriller
Word Count 92,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 41 - 2020
Posted 8/14/2020
My Impressions: I place Spree between a thriller and a cozy thriller.
Main Characters:
Jon Steadman – College student with PTSD
Melanie Ridgefield – Jon’s girlfriend
Grannie Eunice – Jon’s grandmother.
Gabe Lewis – Jon’s best friend
Dr. Theresa Lavi – Jewish professor
SAC Doug Matthews - FBI
Jon Steadman and his pal Gabe Lewis survive a terrorist attack at a Boston college. His fiancé wasn’t as lucky and died in a massive, flaming blast. Fast forward several years to when Jon and Gabe decide to write a paper based on the earlier attack. They are aware of several similar attacks around the country and wonder if they are related
Their investigation takes them and Jon’s new girlfriend in search of information to tie the attacks together. The amateur sleuths procure two items of DNA evidence and take them to FBI agent Doug Matthews. Doug is not interested in the student’s wild theory about a possible conspiracy of terrorist randomly attacking colleges. With unbridled enthusiasm, they contact a geneticist professor to have extensive DNA testing done. The professor tells them of an expert in Israel who may be able to help them more than he can. But his findings are unexpected news and spurs them on.
Gabe flies to Israel and contacts Dr. Theresa Lavi.
As the investigation picks up steam, people are put in danger and others are attacked and murdered; people purported to be good guys turn out to be evil and others are too close to the students to be suspect.
The editing and sentence structure need the major input of a professional editor.
Character development is good for the main characters and adequate for the support characters.
Details are skimpy for most action scenes as if the author is not familiar with the mechanics.
Timely research is evident in the information of the several locations in the story.
The plot is fresh and interesting but misses at fulling the promises of the story telling.
The writing style is wordy but manages to pull the reader into the story.
The action scenes are poorly thought out and feel contrived.to reach an outcome without the needed choreography.
I enjoyed the story despite of its faults but struggled with giving it a four star rating.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Becoming the Wolf
Author – R.H. Neil
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
402 Amazon Pages
No. 29 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 8/7/2020
The story is set in St. Jude, Ohio, near Cincinnati.
Becoming the Wolf doesn’t list Science Fiction as one of its genres, but it plays a huge roll in the plot.
J. D. Ward is a farm boy who joined the military and then became a policeman. In a fight with two huge, tough assailants, he is severely injured and ends up in a secret government program where he become a present-day version of the bionic man.
J. D. s police partner is Tank, an older, experienced, large black officer. Together, they fight a hillbilly gang of vicious drug dealers from Kentucky.
J. D.s wife, Lucy plays a strong support role
The action is plentiful and the abuse J. D.s body absorbs via his encounters with the thugs is unbelievable. But it contributes to the tension and conflict throughout the story.
The emotional scenes between J. D. and several other characters are sure to pull you in and cause you to relate to the characters.
The editing, sentence structure and character development are top grade.
Research is evident in the usage of an abandoned section of underground subway tunnels actually abandoned in Cincinnati in the 1920s. Those and prohibition era smuggling tunnels provide a way for the White Wolf and the demented gang leader, Goliath Wholf to move about undetected under the city.
My main disappointment with the story is J.D.s obsessive introspection about the violent actions he inflicts on gang members trying to kill him. It went on far too long for my taste.
I can recommend the story for those who can endure the violence knowing the good guy will win and the diabolical low-lifes will be outwitted and out fought.
This is the first story in an ongoing series featuring the White Wolf.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – R.H. Neil
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
402 Amazon Pages
No. 29 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 8/7/2020
The story is set in St. Jude, Ohio, near Cincinnati.
Becoming the Wolf doesn’t list Science Fiction as one of its genres, but it plays a huge roll in the plot.
J. D. Ward is a farm boy who joined the military and then became a policeman. In a fight with two huge, tough assailants, he is severely injured and ends up in a secret government program where he become a present-day version of the bionic man.
J. D. s police partner is Tank, an older, experienced, large black officer. Together, they fight a hillbilly gang of vicious drug dealers from Kentucky.
J. D.s wife, Lucy plays a strong support role
The action is plentiful and the abuse J. D.s body absorbs via his encounters with the thugs is unbelievable. But it contributes to the tension and conflict throughout the story.
The emotional scenes between J. D. and several other characters are sure to pull you in and cause you to relate to the characters.
The editing, sentence structure and character development are top grade.
Research is evident in the usage of an abandoned section of underground subway tunnels actually abandoned in Cincinnati in the 1920s. Those and prohibition era smuggling tunnels provide a way for the White Wolf and the demented gang leader, Goliath Wholf to move about undetected under the city.
My main disappointment with the story is J.D.s obsessive introspection about the violent actions he inflicts on gang members trying to kill him. It went on far too long for my taste.
I can recommend the story for those who can endure the violence knowing the good guy will win and the diabolical low-lifes will be outwitted and out fought.
This is the first story in an ongoing series featuring the White Wolf.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Public Information
Author – Rolf Margenau
Genre – War, Coming of Age
407 Amazon Pages
No. 26 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 8/3/2020
The primary character in Public Information is Wylie Cypher.
There are many supporting characters who drift in and out of the story but have little lasting impact on his future. They are just friends and acquaintances of Wylie to carry the story. He is who and what the plot is about.
This is truly a coming of age story. When Wylie nearly flunks out of college, he and his father devise a plan for him to take time off from studies and earn money for future enrollment. His aim is to join the Army with the condition he will be sent to classes to learn the Russian language. They figure he will be sent to California or Europe and miss the ‘Police Action’ being conducted in Korea.
While in boot camp, Wylie discovers he has a rare talent for marksmanship with any of the weapon available to the Infantry. He is soon recognized as an expert marksman and sharpshooter. This is a cherished ability to the boot camp instructors and officers who want Wylie in the infantry ranks where his shooting proficiency can be put to good use. So Wylie eventually ends up on a troop ship headed for Korea.
Before he gets to his assigned infantry unit he is plucked from that assignment and sent to the 53rd Division Headquarters to be a reporter. There the story of Wylie’s coming of age really begins.
In his new role, Wylie has ample time to write to his girlfriend back home and confirm his undying love for her. There is no way for him to know how much his situation will change from week to week or how events will affect him and cause him to grow, develop, and mature.
The cast of characters he encounters in the Army are a bizarre bunch who fall into trouble as routinely as waking up. Anyone who has been in any branch of the military will relate to the characters and situations depicted in Public Information.
I enjoyed it and recommend Public Information.
The editing is very good but not perfect. Sentence structure is good. Character development is good for the important supporting characters.
The plot is fresh and extensive research is evident.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Rolf Margenau
Genre – War, Coming of Age
407 Amazon Pages
No. 26 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 8/3/2020
The primary character in Public Information is Wylie Cypher.
There are many supporting characters who drift in and out of the story but have little lasting impact on his future. They are just friends and acquaintances of Wylie to carry the story. He is who and what the plot is about.
This is truly a coming of age story. When Wylie nearly flunks out of college, he and his father devise a plan for him to take time off from studies and earn money for future enrollment. His aim is to join the Army with the condition he will be sent to classes to learn the Russian language. They figure he will be sent to California or Europe and miss the ‘Police Action’ being conducted in Korea.
While in boot camp, Wylie discovers he has a rare talent for marksmanship with any of the weapon available to the Infantry. He is soon recognized as an expert marksman and sharpshooter. This is a cherished ability to the boot camp instructors and officers who want Wylie in the infantry ranks where his shooting proficiency can be put to good use. So Wylie eventually ends up on a troop ship headed for Korea.
Before he gets to his assigned infantry unit he is plucked from that assignment and sent to the 53rd Division Headquarters to be a reporter. There the story of Wylie’s coming of age really begins.
In his new role, Wylie has ample time to write to his girlfriend back home and confirm his undying love for her. There is no way for him to know how much his situation will change from week to week or how events will affect him and cause him to grow, develop, and mature.
The cast of characters he encounters in the Army are a bizarre bunch who fall into trouble as routinely as waking up. Anyone who has been in any branch of the military will relate to the characters and situations depicted in Public Information.
I enjoyed it and recommend Public Information.
The editing is very good but not perfect. Sentence structure is good. Character development is good for the important supporting characters.
The plot is fresh and extensive research is evident.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Chaos
Author – D.J. Schuette
Genre – Thriller
Amazon Pages
No. 25 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 7/24/2020
Definition of Chaos: Complete disorder and confusion.
My impressions: cruel, sick, sadistic, extreme violence, brilliant, capable psychopath, evil incarnate.
Main Characters:
Nicholas Keegan – FBI, forensic criminologist
Aleksandr Zorin – serial killer, diabolical murderer.
Chaos takes place across the USA, but the main action narrows down to the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area.
A new computer program created by FBI agent Nicholas Keegan allows information about serious crimes to be cross referenced to detect those that are possibly attributable to a single serial killer. As the number of similar crimes starts to grow, Nicholas is repulsed by the intense pain inflicted by the psychopath killer they have uncovered.
But Nicholas has his own personal issues to deal with; his wife is expecting their first child and resents his job always taking priority. She craves more quality time with him while she fully supports his efforts to stop the diabolical killer. That alone has a major impact on the story’s conclusion.
Nicholas eventually meets Zorin and is intrigued to learn the antagonist knows so much about his personal life.
This is a difficult story to review without giving away the direction the plot takes to its terrific conclusion. I can only say it is one of the best stories I’ve read, if you can stomach the gory descriptions of the horrific crimes perpetrated on the killer’s victims. There are great investigative exchanges and deductions
The editing and sentence structure are excellent as is character development. There are multiple support characters who, of course, are not developed fully because they come and go as needed.
The writing style is powerful and full of conflict and the plot is a fresh look at the typical serial killer novel.
Thorough research is evident in the depth of details revealed in the sadistic murders.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it, but readers who object to detailed, horrific torture that is inflicted to cause slow, painful deaths should chose to pass on these vivid portrayals.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – D.J. Schuette
Genre – Thriller
Amazon Pages
No. 25 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 7/24/2020
Definition of Chaos: Complete disorder and confusion.
My impressions: cruel, sick, sadistic, extreme violence, brilliant, capable psychopath, evil incarnate.
Main Characters:
Nicholas Keegan – FBI, forensic criminologist
Aleksandr Zorin – serial killer, diabolical murderer.
Chaos takes place across the USA, but the main action narrows down to the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area.
A new computer program created by FBI agent Nicholas Keegan allows information about serious crimes to be cross referenced to detect those that are possibly attributable to a single serial killer. As the number of similar crimes starts to grow, Nicholas is repulsed by the intense pain inflicted by the psychopath killer they have uncovered.
But Nicholas has his own personal issues to deal with; his wife is expecting their first child and resents his job always taking priority. She craves more quality time with him while she fully supports his efforts to stop the diabolical killer. That alone has a major impact on the story’s conclusion.
Nicholas eventually meets Zorin and is intrigued to learn the antagonist knows so much about his personal life.
This is a difficult story to review without giving away the direction the plot takes to its terrific conclusion. I can only say it is one of the best stories I’ve read, if you can stomach the gory descriptions of the horrific crimes perpetrated on the killer’s victims. There are great investigative exchanges and deductions
The editing and sentence structure are excellent as is character development. There are multiple support characters who, of course, are not developed fully because they come and go as needed.
The writing style is powerful and full of conflict and the plot is a fresh look at the typical serial killer novel.
Thorough research is evident in the depth of details revealed in the sadistic murders.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it, but readers who object to detailed, horrific torture that is inflicted to cause slow, painful deaths should chose to pass on these vivid portrayals.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Tony Tucci
Author – John Leonard
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
252 Amazon Pages
No. 28 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 7/17/2020
Tony Tucci – 60, small time hood until he saves the life of a rising Mafia boss.
Mario Conti – 78, Mafia Don who befriended Tony.
Maria Conti – 58, Mario’s wife.
Dante Conti – 36, Mario and Maria’s son, a real obnoxious bum.
Jake Crowley – 42, Special Agent, Homeland Security.
Tony Tucci is a close associate of mob boss Mario Conti, but he is not a made man in the Italian mob. Mario’s health is failing, and he depends on Tony for advice. Mario has taken control of his legitimate construction company away from Tony and put his hot headed, corrupt son Dante in charge. Dante is a throwback to the 1920s Mafiosos who blatantly broke the law, made many enemies, lived larger than life, and killed anyone in their way.
Years before, Tony was severely injured when he saved Mario from an ambush. He walks with a gimpy leg and has been relegated to the position of family driver.
Tony learns of a plot Dante is involved in to steal stinger missiles from an Army Armory and sell them through a middleman to the head of a Mexican drug cartel.
Suspicion causes Tony to get involved and almost costs him his life after the true buyers are identified.
The plot of Tony Tucci is compelling, and we learn Tony is respected by the people around him because he is honest and compassionate. He solves problems for people he barely knows with subtle pressure because it’s the right thing to do. He is not a violent man by nature.
The editing, sentence structure, and character development are good to very good.
Details and research are good
The plot is involved and covers a lot of ground.
The writing style is complex and intense.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – John Leonard
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
252 Amazon Pages
No. 28 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 7/17/2020
Tony Tucci – 60, small time hood until he saves the life of a rising Mafia boss.
Mario Conti – 78, Mafia Don who befriended Tony.
Maria Conti – 58, Mario’s wife.
Dante Conti – 36, Mario and Maria’s son, a real obnoxious bum.
Jake Crowley – 42, Special Agent, Homeland Security.
Tony Tucci is a close associate of mob boss Mario Conti, but he is not a made man in the Italian mob. Mario’s health is failing, and he depends on Tony for advice. Mario has taken control of his legitimate construction company away from Tony and put his hot headed, corrupt son Dante in charge. Dante is a throwback to the 1920s Mafiosos who blatantly broke the law, made many enemies, lived larger than life, and killed anyone in their way.
Years before, Tony was severely injured when he saved Mario from an ambush. He walks with a gimpy leg and has been relegated to the position of family driver.
Tony learns of a plot Dante is involved in to steal stinger missiles from an Army Armory and sell them through a middleman to the head of a Mexican drug cartel.
Suspicion causes Tony to get involved and almost costs him his life after the true buyers are identified.
The plot of Tony Tucci is compelling, and we learn Tony is respected by the people around him because he is honest and compassionate. He solves problems for people he barely knows with subtle pressure because it’s the right thing to do. He is not a violent man by nature.
The editing, sentence structure, and character development are good to very good.
Details and research are good
The plot is involved and covers a lot of ground.
The writing style is complex and intense.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – When The Reaper Comes
Author – John DeBoer
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
295 Amazon Pages
No. 27 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 7/11/2020
My impressions: Frightening, religious fanatics, well written & edited, strong characters, vigilante justice.
Main Characters:
Cliff Evans – decapitated by American Radical Muslim terrorist who is then sent back to the USA.
Adam Taylor – age 38 ex-Navy Seal, working for Global Security Guardian.
Mario Martinez – age 37, Adam’s friend and partner.
Peter Crandall - NSA analyst.
Amira Bahar – Lebanese, NSA analyst.
Angela Martin – Participant in terrorist plot until she had second thoughts.
Yusuf Khouri – American born Radical Muslim terrorist.
Brian Callahan – Rock Musician who publicly offended the Islamic religion and is targeted by ISIS terrorist.
The story begins in Erbil Iraq as Adam and Mario provide security for CNN reporter Maxwell Rice. There are enlightening scenes of the security detail before Adam and Mario return to the US on vacation. While at home Adam and a friend pick up two women in a bar. He is attracted to Angela and wants to date her again. She confesses to him that she is involved in a terrorist plot to take place in his hometown of Spring Lake, New Jersey and regrets agreeing to participate.
From there the plot picks up speed and has more twist and turns than a winding mountain road. The good guys and the bad guys keep revising their plans to react to the opposition. The terrorist spot Adam and learn his identity. With that information, they target his parents’ home to punish him for trying to abort their plans.
As expected, there is a united effort between the local police and sheriff’s departments, the state police, FBI and U.S. Marshalls. And still the terrorists elude them until the very end. Adam then ensured the terrorist leader wouldn’t escape punishment.
I enjoyed this fast-paced story and recommend it. My negative impression is that the ending seemed a little weak concerning Amira’s actions and her future.
The editing and sentence structure are excellent. Character development is thorough and compelling.
The plot is standard good guys vs. the evil terrorist but is presented well.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – John DeBoer
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
295 Amazon Pages
No. 27 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 7/11/2020
My impressions: Frightening, religious fanatics, well written & edited, strong characters, vigilante justice.
Main Characters:
Cliff Evans – decapitated by American Radical Muslim terrorist who is then sent back to the USA.
Adam Taylor – age 38 ex-Navy Seal, working for Global Security Guardian.
Mario Martinez – age 37, Adam’s friend and partner.
Peter Crandall - NSA analyst.
Amira Bahar – Lebanese, NSA analyst.
Angela Martin – Participant in terrorist plot until she had second thoughts.
Yusuf Khouri – American born Radical Muslim terrorist.
Brian Callahan – Rock Musician who publicly offended the Islamic religion and is targeted by ISIS terrorist.
The story begins in Erbil Iraq as Adam and Mario provide security for CNN reporter Maxwell Rice. There are enlightening scenes of the security detail before Adam and Mario return to the US on vacation. While at home Adam and a friend pick up two women in a bar. He is attracted to Angela and wants to date her again. She confesses to him that she is involved in a terrorist plot to take place in his hometown of Spring Lake, New Jersey and regrets agreeing to participate.
From there the plot picks up speed and has more twist and turns than a winding mountain road. The good guys and the bad guys keep revising their plans to react to the opposition. The terrorist spot Adam and learn his identity. With that information, they target his parents’ home to punish him for trying to abort their plans.
As expected, there is a united effort between the local police and sheriff’s departments, the state police, FBI and U.S. Marshalls. And still the terrorists elude them until the very end. Adam then ensured the terrorist leader wouldn’t escape punishment.
I enjoyed this fast-paced story and recommend it. My negative impression is that the ending seemed a little weak concerning Amira’s actions and her future.
The editing and sentence structure are excellent. Character development is thorough and compelling.
The plot is standard good guys vs. the evil terrorist but is presented well.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Student
Author – Frank Weisener
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
288 Amazon Pages
No. 24 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 7/3/2020
My impressions: double dealing, sick antagonist, good guy/ bad guy mental case, weird,
The main characters:
Sabine Sander, the missing student from Germany.
Benjamin Walker, age 23 also from Germany with a weird past.
Professor Robert Martin, at Florida International University.
Sandra Restrepo, victim.
Jerome Water, Miami detective.
Eric Poole, Miami detective.
Franco Tamargo, private investigator, ex-detective.
The cast of characters in The Student is large but interesting. Surprises and conflict are abundant. The plot involves the discovery of several female bodies floating in the bay near Miami, Florida. Both were students at FIU. And then German student Sabine Sander goes missing.
There are many flashbacks to cover the complex backstories that explain the history of several characters.
Ex-detective and now private investigator Franco Tamargo is hired by the brother of Sabine Sander to locate her and expose her abductor. Franco’s character is likable and the primary one I felt an attachment to. Later that feeling transferred to Detective Jerome Water.
The story flips back and forth between characters and backstory and is easy to follow if the reader pays attention.
The ending was a surprise and hinted that Sabine might still be in danger from a nutcase.
The courtroom scene near the end didn’t seem realistic. DNA from semen would have swayed the ending.
The editing is good word wise, but many sentences need restructuring.
Character development is good as it is aided by the backstory insertions.
The writing style is wordy, stiff, repetitious and needs more conjunctions. I grew tired of seeing I am repeatedly when I’m would have been more natural.
The word SOME was overused to the point of being boring: some of this, some of that made the sentences ambiguous instead of tight and specific.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Frank Weisener
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
288 Amazon Pages
No. 24 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 7/3/2020
My impressions: double dealing, sick antagonist, good guy/ bad guy mental case, weird,
The main characters:
Sabine Sander, the missing student from Germany.
Benjamin Walker, age 23 also from Germany with a weird past.
Professor Robert Martin, at Florida International University.
Sandra Restrepo, victim.
Jerome Water, Miami detective.
Eric Poole, Miami detective.
Franco Tamargo, private investigator, ex-detective.
The cast of characters in The Student is large but interesting. Surprises and conflict are abundant. The plot involves the discovery of several female bodies floating in the bay near Miami, Florida. Both were students at FIU. And then German student Sabine Sander goes missing.
There are many flashbacks to cover the complex backstories that explain the history of several characters.
Ex-detective and now private investigator Franco Tamargo is hired by the brother of Sabine Sander to locate her and expose her abductor. Franco’s character is likable and the primary one I felt an attachment to. Later that feeling transferred to Detective Jerome Water.
The story flips back and forth between characters and backstory and is easy to follow if the reader pays attention.
The ending was a surprise and hinted that Sabine might still be in danger from a nutcase.
The courtroom scene near the end didn’t seem realistic. DNA from semen would have swayed the ending.
The editing is good word wise, but many sentences need restructuring.
Character development is good as it is aided by the backstory insertions.
The writing style is wordy, stiff, repetitious and needs more conjunctions. I grew tired of seeing I am repeatedly when I’m would have been more natural.
The word SOME was overused to the point of being boring: some of this, some of that made the sentences ambiguous instead of tight and specific.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The World Without Flags
Author – Ben Lyle Bedard
Genre – Horror – Post Apocalypse
Word Count 125,000
Rating 5 Stars out of 5
No. 23 - 2020
Posted 6-27-2020
My Impressions: Gross descriptions of worm infestations, coming of age story, betrayal.
Main Characters:
Kestrel – Seventeen-year-old girl
Eric – Kestrel’s mentor, age 28
Pest – A young man from the Homestead where a small group of survivors live.
The World Without Flags is so gross I want to give it a three star rating, but the story deserves five stars. The entire world has been decimated by a disease called the WORM. Microscopic worms enter humans through the water, then grow and eat them from the inside out. As the worms grow they are visible in their victims eyes, ears, nose and mouth. In the later stages the victims bleed from their eyes. (I warned you it was gross.) Some victims die while others ‘crack’ and enter a violent zombie like state where they scratch or bite humans and pass the disease on.
A group of about forty humans live at the Homestead in central Maine. The Worm has been inactive for a decade but suddenly is again being transmitted and wiping out entire postapocalyptic settlements.
Kestrel lives with Eric at the Homestead but without intimate contact. They’re simply friends; he is her mentor. Then Eric is infected, and the plot turns to Kestrel trying to keep him alive while everyone else wants to kill him to prevent him from spreading the disease. Almost every page then centers on Eric’s condition and descriptions of worms poking out of every opening and blood flowing from his eyes.
The plot throws Kestrel and Eric into constant conflict and danger from unexpected sources. Then she learned a person considered a friend had betrayed every survivor for personal gain.
War is approaching this batch of survivors as two factions vie to recreate a central governing body. People will be forced to chose sides or be attacked and killed.
I compare the level of constant debilitating despair in The World Without Flags to We the Living by Ayn Rand.
The story is about 90% to 95% narrative in first person told from Kestrel’s point of view.
The editing and sentence structure are good with minor errors.
Character Development is good for the main characters and some support characters.
Details of this imaginary world are complete and clear.
The plot is a fresh but gory take on the zombie apocalypse.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Ben Lyle Bedard
Genre – Horror – Post Apocalypse
Word Count 125,000
Rating 5 Stars out of 5
No. 23 - 2020
Posted 6-27-2020
My Impressions: Gross descriptions of worm infestations, coming of age story, betrayal.
Main Characters:
Kestrel – Seventeen-year-old girl
Eric – Kestrel’s mentor, age 28
Pest – A young man from the Homestead where a small group of survivors live.
The World Without Flags is so gross I want to give it a three star rating, but the story deserves five stars. The entire world has been decimated by a disease called the WORM. Microscopic worms enter humans through the water, then grow and eat them from the inside out. As the worms grow they are visible in their victims eyes, ears, nose and mouth. In the later stages the victims bleed from their eyes. (I warned you it was gross.) Some victims die while others ‘crack’ and enter a violent zombie like state where they scratch or bite humans and pass the disease on.
A group of about forty humans live at the Homestead in central Maine. The Worm has been inactive for a decade but suddenly is again being transmitted and wiping out entire postapocalyptic settlements.
Kestrel lives with Eric at the Homestead but without intimate contact. They’re simply friends; he is her mentor. Then Eric is infected, and the plot turns to Kestrel trying to keep him alive while everyone else wants to kill him to prevent him from spreading the disease. Almost every page then centers on Eric’s condition and descriptions of worms poking out of every opening and blood flowing from his eyes.
The plot throws Kestrel and Eric into constant conflict and danger from unexpected sources. Then she learned a person considered a friend had betrayed every survivor for personal gain.
War is approaching this batch of survivors as two factions vie to recreate a central governing body. People will be forced to chose sides or be attacked and killed.
I compare the level of constant debilitating despair in The World Without Flags to We the Living by Ayn Rand.
The story is about 90% to 95% narrative in first person told from Kestrel’s point of view.
The editing and sentence structure are good with minor errors.
Character Development is good for the main characters and some support characters.
Details of this imaginary world are complete and clear.
The plot is a fresh but gory take on the zombie apocalypse.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Burden of Darkness
Author – Barry Finlay
Genre – Suspense/Thriller
Word Count 76,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 21 - 2020
Posted 6/12/2020
My Impressions: Deals with PTSD, good whacko antagonist, use of evidence trail to killer, killer drones.
Main Characters:
Nathan Harris – 46 year old FBI Consultant
Marcie Kane – Nathan’s wife
Owen Strand – Disgruntled serial killer
FBI agent Nathan Harris suffers from PTSD. He was away from his wife when an assassin placed a bomb at a dinner to murder her, The President of the United States and many others. Marcie saved most of the attendees while Nathan was locked out of the room and couldn’t get back in. His emotional issues of failure are one story line while a serial killer is the other. Personally I grew weary of Nathan’s issue and wanted to focus on the serial killer where the action was. The title reveals the author's primary plot.
Owen Strand was a high school classmate of Marcie Kane. He had a crush on her and was routinely rejected as he attempted to be her friend and boyfriend; that was rejection number one. Rejection number two was when his business partner pushed him out of the company they founded and then sued him. He took a job as an electrical engineer with another company where he was recently fired for stealing parts from the company. Rejection number three. Finally after having severe headaches for some time, Owen was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on his brain and given one year to live. Owen, being the total loser he is, and having nothing to lose, decided to get even with everyone who, in his mind, had screwed him over his entire life.
Editing is good but not professionally perfect.
Sentence structures are passable, but several need to be reorganized for clarity.
Character Development is good for the main characters
Details are acceptable but not overdone.
Research is lacking in the explosion of horizontal propane tanks.
The plot has a fresh twist in the manner Owen choses to attack his targets.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Barry Finlay
Genre – Suspense/Thriller
Word Count 76,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 21 - 2020
Posted 6/12/2020
My Impressions: Deals with PTSD, good whacko antagonist, use of evidence trail to killer, killer drones.
Main Characters:
Nathan Harris – 46 year old FBI Consultant
Marcie Kane – Nathan’s wife
Owen Strand – Disgruntled serial killer
FBI agent Nathan Harris suffers from PTSD. He was away from his wife when an assassin placed a bomb at a dinner to murder her, The President of the United States and many others. Marcie saved most of the attendees while Nathan was locked out of the room and couldn’t get back in. His emotional issues of failure are one story line while a serial killer is the other. Personally I grew weary of Nathan’s issue and wanted to focus on the serial killer where the action was. The title reveals the author's primary plot.
Owen Strand was a high school classmate of Marcie Kane. He had a crush on her and was routinely rejected as he attempted to be her friend and boyfriend; that was rejection number one. Rejection number two was when his business partner pushed him out of the company they founded and then sued him. He took a job as an electrical engineer with another company where he was recently fired for stealing parts from the company. Rejection number three. Finally after having severe headaches for some time, Owen was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on his brain and given one year to live. Owen, being the total loser he is, and having nothing to lose, decided to get even with everyone who, in his mind, had screwed him over his entire life.
Editing is good but not professionally perfect.
Sentence structures are passable, but several need to be reorganized for clarity.
Character Development is good for the main characters
Details are acceptable but not overdone.
Research is lacking in the explosion of horizontal propane tanks.
The plot has a fresh twist in the manner Owen choses to attack his targets.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
a Title – The Blonde Heiress
Author – Robert Schobernd
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Vigilante
Word Count 50,300
No. 20 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 6/5/2020
Main Characters:
Carter A. Johnson, ex-cop who is hired as a vigilante.
Harrison J. Withers, the mysterious man who contacts Carter to join a vigilante group.
Mayna Mortinson, ex-video porn star, a widow until she married her defense attorney.
Edward J. Smalley, defense attorney, Mayna’s current husband
The novella length story opens with Carter A. Johnson awaiting a jury’s decision to send him to prison or find him innocent. Of course, he is innocent and leaves the court to submit his resignation from the Los Angeles Police Department.
While on a train headed out of town, he is contacted by Harrison J. Withers who hints at a job offer to be presented when they meet. Before meeting Harrison Carter plots to get even with the five police officers who framed him. And get even he does.
His first case with the vigilante group is to investigate the murders of two people and the court decision to free the wife accused of the murders. He quickly gets a gut feeling that things aren’t as they appear. When Mayna, the blonde heiress, dies mysteriously he knows he is on the trail of a sadistic murderer. But knowing who the killer is and having evidence to present to a prosecutor are two different things. In the end, Carter gets his man and resorts to vigilante justice to prevent the killer from leaving the country.
I enjoyed the plot and the story and recommend it to those readers who are not put off by vigilante justice or descriptions of violent murders.
The editing, sentence structure, and character development are good.
There are enough details to carry the plot and paint a clear picture of the characters and surroundings.
Research of Las Vegas and the surrounding area is apparent.
The plot is fast paced and interesting.
The writing style is crisp and fast moving.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Robert Schobernd
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Vigilante
Word Count 50,300
No. 20 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 6/5/2020
Main Characters:
Carter A. Johnson, ex-cop who is hired as a vigilante.
Harrison J. Withers, the mysterious man who contacts Carter to join a vigilante group.
Mayna Mortinson, ex-video porn star, a widow until she married her defense attorney.
Edward J. Smalley, defense attorney, Mayna’s current husband
The novella length story opens with Carter A. Johnson awaiting a jury’s decision to send him to prison or find him innocent. Of course, he is innocent and leaves the court to submit his resignation from the Los Angeles Police Department.
While on a train headed out of town, he is contacted by Harrison J. Withers who hints at a job offer to be presented when they meet. Before meeting Harrison Carter plots to get even with the five police officers who framed him. And get even he does.
His first case with the vigilante group is to investigate the murders of two people and the court decision to free the wife accused of the murders. He quickly gets a gut feeling that things aren’t as they appear. When Mayna, the blonde heiress, dies mysteriously he knows he is on the trail of a sadistic murderer. But knowing who the killer is and having evidence to present to a prosecutor are two different things. In the end, Carter gets his man and resorts to vigilante justice to prevent the killer from leaving the country.
I enjoyed the plot and the story and recommend it to those readers who are not put off by vigilante justice or descriptions of violent murders.
The editing, sentence structure, and character development are good.
There are enough details to carry the plot and paint a clear picture of the characters and surroundings.
Research of Las Vegas and the surrounding area is apparent.
The plot is fast paced and interesting.
The writing style is crisp and fast moving.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Road to War
Author – Steven Burgauer
Genre – Military
350 Amazon Pages
No. 19 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 5/28/2020
The main character is Wm. Frodsham.
The Road to War is told as narrative, by Bill. It starts when he is seventeen. The US has just been attacked at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. From there we follow him through the first half of the book as he enlists in the Army and travels through boot camp then various Army bases recounting his experiences. The tale is loaded with new, changing characters and records many incidents Bill is involved in.
Eventually his unit is assigned to England to prepare for the invasion of France at Normandy.
Details of the battle while landing on Omaha Beach show the horror, personal fear, and frustration of war. And it doesn’t get much better for the next year.
The author stressed at the beginning of the story that he received a large amount of information written from memory by Wm. Frodsham fifty years after the war ended. Several errors were discovered concerning issues that could be fact checked against those recounted by Mr. Frodsham.
While reading, I felt some of the happenings recorded might have been embellished to favor Mr. Frodsham, but in no way do I mean to lessen the overall achievements and experiences Mr. Frodsham lived through. It is clear he was a man of high intelligence and motivation who survived unimaginable trials one could be subjected to.
The editing and sentence structure are good.
Thorough research is apparent, and details are abundant.
I recommend this story for readers who want to experience what a young man lived through in World War II.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Steven Burgauer
Genre – Military
350 Amazon Pages
No. 19 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 5/28/2020
The main character is Wm. Frodsham.
The Road to War is told as narrative, by Bill. It starts when he is seventeen. The US has just been attacked at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. From there we follow him through the first half of the book as he enlists in the Army and travels through boot camp then various Army bases recounting his experiences. The tale is loaded with new, changing characters and records many incidents Bill is involved in.
Eventually his unit is assigned to England to prepare for the invasion of France at Normandy.
Details of the battle while landing on Omaha Beach show the horror, personal fear, and frustration of war. And it doesn’t get much better for the next year.
The author stressed at the beginning of the story that he received a large amount of information written from memory by Wm. Frodsham fifty years after the war ended. Several errors were discovered concerning issues that could be fact checked against those recounted by Mr. Frodsham.
While reading, I felt some of the happenings recorded might have been embellished to favor Mr. Frodsham, but in no way do I mean to lessen the overall achievements and experiences Mr. Frodsham lived through. It is clear he was a man of high intelligence and motivation who survived unimaginable trials one could be subjected to.
The editing and sentence structure are good.
Thorough research is apparent, and details are abundant.
I recommend this story for readers who want to experience what a young man lived through in World War II.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Serenity
Author – Craig Hart
Genre – Thriller
162 Amazon Pages
No. 18 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 5/22/2020
My impression: I liked it, I liked it, I liked it.
The Main Characters
Shelby Alexander is a sixty year old ex-boxer and then a 'fixer' who worked for clients of dubious legality.
Carly, his thirty year old girl friend
Leslie, Shelby's nosey, intruding, manipulative, loving daughter.
Mack, Shelby's retired cop and friend
The Ellis clan: Harper, Shepherd and Gannon, the local sexist, onery, violent murderous drug dealers.
Shelby is enjoying his retirement in upper Michigan. He's drinking a little too much beer and coffee and getting a little pudgy but having sex regularly. All to his only daughter's consternation. Wait till Leslie learns she and Carly are the same age. Then one dark night, Shelby finds a local woman lying in the snow outside his barn. He takes her inside and tries to warm her but she dies. He later learns she'd not been lost in the dark but had been attacked.
From there Shelby is drawn into a web of violence, backstabbing and ambushes by unknown killers. Luckily for him, Shelby's past makes him no stranger to violence and death.
The plot is involved and intense but leaves room for humor.
The editing, sentence structure and character development is first class
This story has some of everything I like in a crime story, mild cursing, non-detailed or graphic sex and intelligently written violence.
The action and fight scenes are well detailed and choreographed.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Craig Hart
Genre – Thriller
162 Amazon Pages
No. 18 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 5/22/2020
My impression: I liked it, I liked it, I liked it.
The Main Characters
Shelby Alexander is a sixty year old ex-boxer and then a 'fixer' who worked for clients of dubious legality.
Carly, his thirty year old girl friend
Leslie, Shelby's nosey, intruding, manipulative, loving daughter.
Mack, Shelby's retired cop and friend
The Ellis clan: Harper, Shepherd and Gannon, the local sexist, onery, violent murderous drug dealers.
Shelby is enjoying his retirement in upper Michigan. He's drinking a little too much beer and coffee and getting a little pudgy but having sex regularly. All to his only daughter's consternation. Wait till Leslie learns she and Carly are the same age. Then one dark night, Shelby finds a local woman lying in the snow outside his barn. He takes her inside and tries to warm her but she dies. He later learns she'd not been lost in the dark but had been attacked.
From there Shelby is drawn into a web of violence, backstabbing and ambushes by unknown killers. Luckily for him, Shelby's past makes him no stranger to violence and death.
The plot is involved and intense but leaves room for humor.
The editing, sentence structure and character development is first class
This story has some of everything I like in a crime story, mild cursing, non-detailed or graphic sex and intelligently written violence.
The action and fight scenes are well detailed and choreographed.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Blood Sacrament
Author – T.K. Laverents
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Crime Thriller
366 Amazon Page, 83,000 words
No. 11 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 5/15/2020
Lt. Patrick McConnell : Homicide Detective in California
Diego 'Dizzy' Zambrano : homeless man and Patrick's friend who is running from himself.
The Blondi Man : Peter Sewell a schizophrenic Catholic priest who becomes a psychotic killer
LT. McConnell not only has a case involving Catholic Priest having their throats cut, he has a crooked police Captain on his back who wants him fired from the department.
The crooked Captain wants the priest murders cleared from the roster and demands that a homeless man named Dizzy be charged with the murders whether he's guilty or not. Lt. McConnell objects and resist making the arrest and is suspended for his lack of action.
At first the killings appear to be random, but then a pattern emerges and the sick individual behind the murders is identified through good police work.
But knowing the identity of the killer doesn't prevent other homicides from occurring.
And then McConnell learns there are other dangers besides the ones he's planned for.
The editing left many words missing where they were needed to complete the sentence.
Character development is good with the main and supporting characters.
Details were adequate but not overdone.
The plot is complex with many surprises
Note! All Corvettes are two door sports cars, they don't have rear doors.
I enjoyed this story and recommend it to readers of crime genres.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – T.K. Laverents
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Crime Thriller
366 Amazon Page, 83,000 words
No. 11 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 5/15/2020
Lt. Patrick McConnell : Homicide Detective in California
Diego 'Dizzy' Zambrano : homeless man and Patrick's friend who is running from himself.
The Blondi Man : Peter Sewell a schizophrenic Catholic priest who becomes a psychotic killer
LT. McConnell not only has a case involving Catholic Priest having their throats cut, he has a crooked police Captain on his back who wants him fired from the department.
The crooked Captain wants the priest murders cleared from the roster and demands that a homeless man named Dizzy be charged with the murders whether he's guilty or not. Lt. McConnell objects and resist making the arrest and is suspended for his lack of action.
At first the killings appear to be random, but then a pattern emerges and the sick individual behind the murders is identified through good police work.
But knowing the identity of the killer doesn't prevent other homicides from occurring.
And then McConnell learns there are other dangers besides the ones he's planned for.
The editing left many words missing where they were needed to complete the sentence.
Character development is good with the main and supporting characters.
Details were adequate but not overdone.
The plot is complex with many surprises
Note! All Corvettes are two door sports cars, they don't have rear doors.
I enjoyed this story and recommend it to readers of crime genres.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Shelter From The Devil
Author – John Richardson
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
105 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 16 - 2020
Posted 5/9/2020
My impressions: dark, brooding, satanic, revenge, murder, vigilante, brutal, evil.
In Russia, Christian Droz was about to propose to his longtime girlfriend Anna when she died in an accidental gas explosion at her apartment. After much suffering over his loss of the woman he loved, rumors that she was murdered are heard.
At Anna's funeral Christian is aghast of a fearful gravedigger at the graveyard. Later the gravedigger takes Christian under his care and assumes the lead in guiding Christian in his quest for revenge. Together they attack, interrogate, and murder criminals who lead them to the man who ultimately caused Anna's death.
The plot is well conceived and intense. The story is well written, and the main characters are vastly different: one is the ex-KGB soldier labeled the Devil of Kandahar, the other a naive, peaceful young man in love with Anna. But soon, under the Devil's guidance, the young man lives for revenge and becomes a murderer.
The story is dark and haunting, and the settings are dismal. The picture it paints is one of darkness and suffering in a land of despair and hopelessness.
The story is barely novella length, I'm guessing approximately 30,000 to 35,000 words.
The editing and sentence structure are good. The writing is dark and foreboding.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – John Richardson
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
105 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 16 - 2020
Posted 5/9/2020
My impressions: dark, brooding, satanic, revenge, murder, vigilante, brutal, evil.
In Russia, Christian Droz was about to propose to his longtime girlfriend Anna when she died in an accidental gas explosion at her apartment. After much suffering over his loss of the woman he loved, rumors that she was murdered are heard.
At Anna's funeral Christian is aghast of a fearful gravedigger at the graveyard. Later the gravedigger takes Christian under his care and assumes the lead in guiding Christian in his quest for revenge. Together they attack, interrogate, and murder criminals who lead them to the man who ultimately caused Anna's death.
The plot is well conceived and intense. The story is well written, and the main characters are vastly different: one is the ex-KGB soldier labeled the Devil of Kandahar, the other a naive, peaceful young man in love with Anna. But soon, under the Devil's guidance, the young man lives for revenge and becomes a murderer.
The story is dark and haunting, and the settings are dismal. The picture it paints is one of darkness and suffering in a land of despair and hopelessness.
The story is barely novella length, I'm guessing approximately 30,000 to 35,000 words.
The editing and sentence structure are good. The writing is dark and foreboding.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – First Kill: An Eli Quinn Mystery
Author – Robert Roy Britt
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
134 Amazon Pages
No. 15 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 5/1/2020
Eli Quinn, detective
Solo, German Sheppard, Eli's protector
Samantha Marcos, reporter, Eli's girlfriend
When a popular real estate agent disappears, his daughter hires Eli to investigate.
Quickly Eli learns that in his small city sex parties are taking place where partners are swapped. The missing agent and his wife are involved. Is this related to his disappearance?
Soon after intervening at one of the small sex gatherings, Eli is attacked, and the action begins.
The fight scenes are intense, and the 'good' characters are easy to like.
The editing and sentence structure are good.
Character development is good enough for a novella length story.
Details are okay, mostly carried over from the previous story, Drone.
The simple plot is okay and kept me interested.
The writing style is laid back but crisp.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Robert Roy Britt
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
134 Amazon Pages
No. 15 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 5/1/2020
Eli Quinn, detective
Solo, German Sheppard, Eli's protector
Samantha Marcos, reporter, Eli's girlfriend
When a popular real estate agent disappears, his daughter hires Eli to investigate.
Quickly Eli learns that in his small city sex parties are taking place where partners are swapped. The missing agent and his wife are involved. Is this related to his disappearance?
Soon after intervening at one of the small sex gatherings, Eli is attacked, and the action begins.
The fight scenes are intense, and the 'good' characters are easy to like.
The editing and sentence structure are good.
Character development is good enough for a novella length story.
Details are okay, mostly carried over from the previous story, Drone.
The simple plot is okay and kept me interested.
The writing style is laid back but crisp.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
