Title – My Father’s Son
Author – Robert Plotkin
Genre – Mystery, Suspense
Word Count - 70,000
Rating – Four stars out of five
No. 24 - 2021
Posted 6/12/2021
My Impressions: Liars, violence, murder, curiosity, good intentions.
Main Characters:
Cole Spear – His father is said to have been a criminal who committed suicide. 38 Y.O.
Jessica Spear – Cole’s mother, 77 Y.O.
Sarah – Cole’s girlfriend.
Ray Marcus – Ex-Army Officer, Iraq. Mental health field
Karen – Ray’s girlfriend.
The plot of My Father’s Son is presented in two parallel stories that merge at the very end.
Cole Spear has been told since childhood his father was a financial genius but a crook who stole money from his friends and partners. When on the verge of being caught, he was said to have committed suicide.
Cole is a mental health-care therapist who deals with other people’s problems daily. He ponders if he, like his father, might someday commit suicide too. His life’s personal mission is to find and validate the truth about his father.
Ray and Karen move to a new location and discover a box in the basement containing old pictures and a woman’s expensive wedding ring. Ray commits to locating any living heir and passing the heirloom to them. He has no idea of the snake pit he is about to enter to fulfill his good deed.
The two men on similar quests are drawn to like paths to reach the worthwhile goals they have set.
The editing is poorly done with extra commas, missing words, wrong words, and extra words throughout.
Several sentences need to be restructured for clarity.
The author frequently switches between past and present tense in the same sentence. It’s confusing at best.
The plot is unusual and is laden with mental health issues.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Robert Plotkin
Genre – Mystery, Suspense
Word Count - 70,000
Rating – Four stars out of five
No. 24 - 2021
Posted 6/12/2021
My Impressions: Liars, violence, murder, curiosity, good intentions.
Main Characters:
Cole Spear – His father is said to have been a criminal who committed suicide. 38 Y.O.
Jessica Spear – Cole’s mother, 77 Y.O.
Sarah – Cole’s girlfriend.
Ray Marcus – Ex-Army Officer, Iraq. Mental health field
Karen – Ray’s girlfriend.
The plot of My Father’s Son is presented in two parallel stories that merge at the very end.
Cole Spear has been told since childhood his father was a financial genius but a crook who stole money from his friends and partners. When on the verge of being caught, he was said to have committed suicide.
Cole is a mental health-care therapist who deals with other people’s problems daily. He ponders if he, like his father, might someday commit suicide too. His life’s personal mission is to find and validate the truth about his father.
Ray and Karen move to a new location and discover a box in the basement containing old pictures and a woman’s expensive wedding ring. Ray commits to locating any living heir and passing the heirloom to them. He has no idea of the snake pit he is about to enter to fulfill his good deed.
The two men on similar quests are drawn to like paths to reach the worthwhile goals they have set.
The editing is poorly done with extra commas, missing words, wrong words, and extra words throughout.
Several sentences need to be restructured for clarity.
The author frequently switches between past and present tense in the same sentence. It’s confusing at best.
The plot is unusual and is laden with mental health issues.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Rembrandt’s Angel
Author - Steven M. Moore
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
422 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 23 – 2021
Posted 6/4/2021
My Impressions: tongue in cheek, humor, lovers, caring, action, violence.
Main Characters:
Ester Brookstone – Scotland Yard agent over art thefts, age about 60.
Bastiann van Coevorden – Interpol agent, age about 40, Ester’s lover
Gerhardt Dunst – owns pharmaceutical companies. Chasing bioweapon to eliminate enemies of a Fourth Reich.
Karen Lietzke - art dealer, and leader of Nazi plot to rule the world.
Rembrandt’s Angel has strong undercurrents of satire. The interactions between Ester and other characters is entertaining and provides humor among the violent acts of resurgent Nazis in 2023 Germany.
Ester is an art expert and chases art thieves with a vengeance. Following a trail to verify the existence of the painting Rembrandt’s Angel stolen by Nazis in WWII, she and Bastiann travel across Europe and to South America dealing with Nazis, Islamic Terrorist and the leader of a drug cartel. They learn a fresh group of determined Nazis plan to rule the world with a Fourth Reich as their despotic idol Adolph Hitler attempted.
Ester has been married three times and survived all three husbands. She unashamedly loves her sex bouts and finds good sex as necessary as food and wine. Bastiann plays a support role as Dr. Watson did to Sherlock Holmes.
There are several minor errors in details and research. BMWs are not made in England but in Germany.
With bags over their heads for a ride in a helicopter, how could Ester know what the terrain was like?
Stainless Steel flatware does not corrode.
Ester and Bastian’s escape from a stone cellar was a bit contrived and unrealistic.
The editing and sentence structure are excellent.
Character development is good for the main characters.
The plot is fresh and pulls the reader in quickly.
Rembrandt’s Angel is not a great story but is thoroughly entertaining.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author - Steven M. Moore
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
422 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 23 – 2021
Posted 6/4/2021
My Impressions: tongue in cheek, humor, lovers, caring, action, violence.
Main Characters:
Ester Brookstone – Scotland Yard agent over art thefts, age about 60.
Bastiann van Coevorden – Interpol agent, age about 40, Ester’s lover
Gerhardt Dunst – owns pharmaceutical companies. Chasing bioweapon to eliminate enemies of a Fourth Reich.
Karen Lietzke - art dealer, and leader of Nazi plot to rule the world.
Rembrandt’s Angel has strong undercurrents of satire. The interactions between Ester and other characters is entertaining and provides humor among the violent acts of resurgent Nazis in 2023 Germany.
Ester is an art expert and chases art thieves with a vengeance. Following a trail to verify the existence of the painting Rembrandt’s Angel stolen by Nazis in WWII, she and Bastiann travel across Europe and to South America dealing with Nazis, Islamic Terrorist and the leader of a drug cartel. They learn a fresh group of determined Nazis plan to rule the world with a Fourth Reich as their despotic idol Adolph Hitler attempted.
Ester has been married three times and survived all three husbands. She unashamedly loves her sex bouts and finds good sex as necessary as food and wine. Bastiann plays a support role as Dr. Watson did to Sherlock Holmes.
There are several minor errors in details and research. BMWs are not made in England but in Germany.
With bags over their heads for a ride in a helicopter, how could Ester know what the terrain was like?
Stainless Steel flatware does not corrode.
Ester and Bastian’s escape from a stone cellar was a bit contrived and unrealistic.
The editing and sentence structure are excellent.
Character development is good for the main characters.
The plot is fresh and pulls the reader in quickly.
Rembrandt’s Angel is not a great story but is thoroughly entertaining.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The World Without Crows
Author – Ben Lyle Bedard
Genre – Horror, Apocalyptic
300 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 22 – 2021
Posted 5/29/2021
My Impressions: simple, emotional, psychological suffering, death, hope.
Main Characters:
Eric – age 16, escaping Athens, Ohio after the Vaca B epidemic, heading for the backwoods of Maine.
Birdy – age 8
Brad
Sarah
John
Sergio
Lucia
For those who shy away from anything supernatural, sci-fi, occult, I suggest you take a look at this apocalyptic plot. Zombies in these stories are only the catalyst to cause the interaction among the survivors of a world disaster. The remaining people are the heart of the story. If you can get past the thought of zombies, the important story is about relationships between the people Eric attaches himself to and the vicious gangs terrorizing the good guys.
This story is a coming of age tale of sixteen year old Eric. The world is overrun by zombies caused by the Vaca Beber, a white worm from Brazil that invades human bodies and destroys the brain. Eric is an immature, fat, nerd. After his mother dies from the worms’ effects, he starts a twelve hundred mile trek, on foot, across the country headed for Maine.
Eric is ill prepared for the arduous trip and must learn and mature as he goes. His adjustment to the growing attachments to new friends and then their loss is well written and draws sympathy to the young man.
I don’t normally read occult, sci-fi or horror stories, but find these apocalyptic tales interesting because of the relationships of the survivors.
The editing has a few word errors and in some instances the sentence structure needs work.
Character development is good for the main characters.
Details are sketchy.
The plot is interesting and fast paced.
Writing Style – simple, sometimes repetitive, unorganized and out of order.
There are several continuity issues. Multiple times Eric had no gun then suddenly had one without explanation.
There is abundant cursing in the story.
I enjoyed The World Without Crows and recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Ben Lyle Bedard
Genre – Horror, Apocalyptic
300 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 22 – 2021
Posted 5/29/2021
My Impressions: simple, emotional, psychological suffering, death, hope.
Main Characters:
Eric – age 16, escaping Athens, Ohio after the Vaca B epidemic, heading for the backwoods of Maine.
Birdy – age 8
Brad
Sarah
John
Sergio
Lucia
For those who shy away from anything supernatural, sci-fi, occult, I suggest you take a look at this apocalyptic plot. Zombies in these stories are only the catalyst to cause the interaction among the survivors of a world disaster. The remaining people are the heart of the story. If you can get past the thought of zombies, the important story is about relationships between the people Eric attaches himself to and the vicious gangs terrorizing the good guys.
This story is a coming of age tale of sixteen year old Eric. The world is overrun by zombies caused by the Vaca Beber, a white worm from Brazil that invades human bodies and destroys the brain. Eric is an immature, fat, nerd. After his mother dies from the worms’ effects, he starts a twelve hundred mile trek, on foot, across the country headed for Maine.
Eric is ill prepared for the arduous trip and must learn and mature as he goes. His adjustment to the growing attachments to new friends and then their loss is well written and draws sympathy to the young man.
I don’t normally read occult, sci-fi or horror stories, but find these apocalyptic tales interesting because of the relationships of the survivors.
The editing has a few word errors and in some instances the sentence structure needs work.
Character development is good for the main characters.
Details are sketchy.
The plot is interesting and fast paced.
Writing Style – simple, sometimes repetitive, unorganized and out of order.
There are several continuity issues. Multiple times Eric had no gun then suddenly had one without explanation.
There is abundant cursing in the story.
I enjoyed The World Without Crows and recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Three Monkey’s
Author – Robert Schobernd
Genre – Detective, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
77,800 Words
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 21-2021
Posted 5/22/2021
My impressions: hardcore, loving relationship, tenacious, violent, gruesome.
Main Characters:
Carter A. Johnson – vigilante turned private detective.
Kate Menke – vigilante turned private detective.
Deline Durand – wealthy author, lawyer, receptionist, girl Friday.
Paul Peltier – wealthy attorney, grandfather, radical Constitutionalist.
Anastasia Dubois – domestic-servant
Johnny Peltier – grandson of Paul Peltier
Capt. Harlee Davis – St. Louis, Missouri, Homicide Police Captain
The Three Monkeys takes place in and around St. Louis, Missouri.
The story opens with the discovery of three naked, mutilated bodies hung on the side of a barn a short distance from St. Louis.
Then the plot moves to the East Coast where vigilantes Carter and Kate are about to terminate a child trafficker who supplies children to pedophiles. Carter receives a cryptic message to stand down; the vigilante group has been compromised. Being Carter and Kate, they finish the job before retreating. A week later they meet with Harrison J. Withers and learn the circumstances causing the abandonment of the vigilante organization.
Out of a job, they are forced to make a career change. Months later the detective agency of J&M Investigations opens in St. Louis, Missouri. A new character is added to the series; Deline Durand is the enigmatic employee hired as the new agency’s receptionist. Her vibrant French character stands out and rivals those of Carter and Kate. Kate’s thought at Deline’s interview was ‘Somehow, we’ve managed to attract either Wonder Woman or the employee from hell.”
The agency’s first major case is The Three Monkeys. After many interviews and false leads, the investigators are left with two sets of suspects. One is Paul Peltier and his grandson Johnny.
After two threatening episodes, Deline is attacked and injured as she leaves the office. By then another new character has been introduced, Police Captain Harlee Davis is the detective’s tie to the St. Louis police department.
Eventually, there are more killings and the search narrows down to the final suspects. I’ve learned to appreciate the action scenes in this series. The actions are well planned and realistic.
The editing and sentence structure are far above average. Character development is thorough as colorful pictures of each person are painted.
The central plot involves gruesome murders and is offset by the romance between Kate and Carter.
The story contains mild sexual descriptions and minor cursing. Much of the bantering between lovers Carter and Kate is funny and lighthearted.
This series is one of my favorites and I can strongly recommend The Three Monkeys to crime thriller fans who are not turned off by the gory killings.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Robert Schobernd
Genre – Detective, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
77,800 Words
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 21-2021
Posted 5/22/2021
My impressions: hardcore, loving relationship, tenacious, violent, gruesome.
Main Characters:
Carter A. Johnson – vigilante turned private detective.
Kate Menke – vigilante turned private detective.
Deline Durand – wealthy author, lawyer, receptionist, girl Friday.
Paul Peltier – wealthy attorney, grandfather, radical Constitutionalist.
Anastasia Dubois – domestic-servant
Johnny Peltier – grandson of Paul Peltier
Capt. Harlee Davis – St. Louis, Missouri, Homicide Police Captain
The Three Monkeys takes place in and around St. Louis, Missouri.
The story opens with the discovery of three naked, mutilated bodies hung on the side of a barn a short distance from St. Louis.
Then the plot moves to the East Coast where vigilantes Carter and Kate are about to terminate a child trafficker who supplies children to pedophiles. Carter receives a cryptic message to stand down; the vigilante group has been compromised. Being Carter and Kate, they finish the job before retreating. A week later they meet with Harrison J. Withers and learn the circumstances causing the abandonment of the vigilante organization.
Out of a job, they are forced to make a career change. Months later the detective agency of J&M Investigations opens in St. Louis, Missouri. A new character is added to the series; Deline Durand is the enigmatic employee hired as the new agency’s receptionist. Her vibrant French character stands out and rivals those of Carter and Kate. Kate’s thought at Deline’s interview was ‘Somehow, we’ve managed to attract either Wonder Woman or the employee from hell.”
The agency’s first major case is The Three Monkeys. After many interviews and false leads, the investigators are left with two sets of suspects. One is Paul Peltier and his grandson Johnny.
After two threatening episodes, Deline is attacked and injured as she leaves the office. By then another new character has been introduced, Police Captain Harlee Davis is the detective’s tie to the St. Louis police department.
Eventually, there are more killings and the search narrows down to the final suspects. I’ve learned to appreciate the action scenes in this series. The actions are well planned and realistic.
The editing and sentence structure are far above average. Character development is thorough as colorful pictures of each person are painted.
The central plot involves gruesome murders and is offset by the romance between Kate and Carter.
The story contains mild sexual descriptions and minor cursing. Much of the bantering between lovers Carter and Kate is funny and lighthearted.
This series is one of my favorites and I can strongly recommend The Three Monkeys to crime thriller fans who are not turned off by the gory killings.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Sporting House Killing
Author – G. Reading Powell
Genre – Western Legal Thriller
Word Count - 85,000
Rating – Five Stars out of five
No. 20 - 2021
Posted 5/14/2021
My Impressions: Intense emotions played out against personal grief and prejudice.
Main Characters:
Catfish Calloway - Revered and reviled Waco Attorney.
Harley Calloway – Catfish’s son and lawyer.
Miss Peach – The Calloway’s secretary.
Cicero Sweet – Accused of murdering a prostitute.
Waco Texas, 1894. The ‘Reservation’, a zone set off in Waco where prostitution was legalized and licensed.
Cicero Sweet and a friend sneak away from Baylor College for a night of beer drinking and debauchery. Inside the whorehouse, his friend gets cold feet and leaves the establishment to wait outside for Cicero. When a gun shot is heard from inside the house of ill repute, the friend is terrified and runs back to Baylor.
The next morning, everyone learns Cicero is being charged with killing one of the prostitutes with her gun.
Cicero’s father, Henry Sweet, is a civil war comrade of Catfish Calloway and insist the lawyer take the case to prevent Cicero from being hung for murder. Catfish tries to beg off taking the case but is indebted to Henry.
Catfish, Harley and Miss Peach investigate but can not tie the crime to anyone but Cicero.
In court, Catfish’s behavior is erratic as his personal demons swamp his mind with past memories of an earlier murder case he lost.
The editing leaves many comma issues and several word problems, but it is not as terrible as most indie books are.
The sentence structures are well done.
Character development is above average.
Abundant details of the time frame indicate in depth research.
The plot is different and retains the distain for the ‘working girls’ even by the men who frequent them.
In spite of the editing shortfalls, I highly recommend this legal thriller set at the end of the old west era.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – G. Reading Powell
Genre – Western Legal Thriller
Word Count - 85,000
Rating – Five Stars out of five
No. 20 - 2021
Posted 5/14/2021
My Impressions: Intense emotions played out against personal grief and prejudice.
Main Characters:
Catfish Calloway - Revered and reviled Waco Attorney.
Harley Calloway – Catfish’s son and lawyer.
Miss Peach – The Calloway’s secretary.
Cicero Sweet – Accused of murdering a prostitute.
Waco Texas, 1894. The ‘Reservation’, a zone set off in Waco where prostitution was legalized and licensed.
Cicero Sweet and a friend sneak away from Baylor College for a night of beer drinking and debauchery. Inside the whorehouse, his friend gets cold feet and leaves the establishment to wait outside for Cicero. When a gun shot is heard from inside the house of ill repute, the friend is terrified and runs back to Baylor.
The next morning, everyone learns Cicero is being charged with killing one of the prostitutes with her gun.
Cicero’s father, Henry Sweet, is a civil war comrade of Catfish Calloway and insist the lawyer take the case to prevent Cicero from being hung for murder. Catfish tries to beg off taking the case but is indebted to Henry.
Catfish, Harley and Miss Peach investigate but can not tie the crime to anyone but Cicero.
In court, Catfish’s behavior is erratic as his personal demons swamp his mind with past memories of an earlier murder case he lost.
The editing leaves many comma issues and several word problems, but it is not as terrible as most indie books are.
The sentence structures are well done.
Character development is above average.
Abundant details of the time frame indicate in depth research.
The plot is different and retains the distain for the ‘working girls’ even by the men who frequent them.
In spite of the editing shortfalls, I highly recommend this legal thriller set at the end of the old west era.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – State of Redemption
Author – Richard McKeown
Genre – Crime, Suspense
Word Count - 122,000
Rating – Four stars out of Five
No. 19 - 2021
Posted 5/6/2021
My Impressions: Redemption vs. Punishment, Justice vs. Injustice, Truth vs. Cover-up
Main Characters:
Matt Matheny – Plagued by an ordeal he can’t shake.
Maryanne Carpenter – Matt’s friend and staunch supporter.
Tommy Branscum – District Attorney & potential State Governor with a dire secret in his past.
T. Bently Branscum III – Egotistical, controlling patriarch of an old New England family.
Father Mitch Potter – Catholic Priest with a sin to conceal.
Warren Andrews – Retired District Attorney who followed his religious belief.
Thirty years prior, Matt Matheny saw something his ten-year-old mind couldn’t fathom and a face he could never forget. By the age of forty, he had lost his only child; then his wife slowly succumbed to cancer. Seeking a fresh start, he moved back to his original home Milford, Vermont. Soon he met Maryanne, the daughter of a crusty, old neighbor across the street from the house he rented. Eventually, he confided in her the story of an event he’d witnessed when he was ten years old. Wondering what happened to the person he’d seen being attacked late at night, they soon learned a fifteen-year-old girl had been beaten to death during the attack Matt had witnessed thirty years prior.
By chance, he saw a photo of a seventeen-year-old local sports star from that same period. He was agast.
He and Maryanne began investigating on their own and soon incurred the wrath of the killer’s protector. Attending a funeral for a friend let him to meet with Warren Andrews who instilled in Matt the fact that he and Maryanne could be in danger for resurrecting the thirty-year-old crime and putting a face and name to the well-known and popular killer.
I highly recommend this excellent story despite its many editing and formatting flaws.
The editing is not terrible but is plagued by missing and extra commas throughout. Additionally, there are too many missing, extra, misspelled, and wrong words. Those are a shame because the quality of the story deserves better.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Richard McKeown
Genre – Crime, Suspense
Word Count - 122,000
Rating – Four stars out of Five
No. 19 - 2021
Posted 5/6/2021
My Impressions: Redemption vs. Punishment, Justice vs. Injustice, Truth vs. Cover-up
Main Characters:
Matt Matheny – Plagued by an ordeal he can’t shake.
Maryanne Carpenter – Matt’s friend and staunch supporter.
Tommy Branscum – District Attorney & potential State Governor with a dire secret in his past.
T. Bently Branscum III – Egotistical, controlling patriarch of an old New England family.
Father Mitch Potter – Catholic Priest with a sin to conceal.
Warren Andrews – Retired District Attorney who followed his religious belief.
Thirty years prior, Matt Matheny saw something his ten-year-old mind couldn’t fathom and a face he could never forget. By the age of forty, he had lost his only child; then his wife slowly succumbed to cancer. Seeking a fresh start, he moved back to his original home Milford, Vermont. Soon he met Maryanne, the daughter of a crusty, old neighbor across the street from the house he rented. Eventually, he confided in her the story of an event he’d witnessed when he was ten years old. Wondering what happened to the person he’d seen being attacked late at night, they soon learned a fifteen-year-old girl had been beaten to death during the attack Matt had witnessed thirty years prior.
By chance, he saw a photo of a seventeen-year-old local sports star from that same period. He was agast.
He and Maryanne began investigating on their own and soon incurred the wrath of the killer’s protector. Attending a funeral for a friend let him to meet with Warren Andrews who instilled in Matt the fact that he and Maryanne could be in danger for resurrecting the thirty-year-old crime and putting a face and name to the well-known and popular killer.
I highly recommend this excellent story despite its many editing and formatting flaws.
The editing is not terrible but is plagued by missing and extra commas throughout. Additionally, there are too many missing, extra, misspelled, and wrong words. Those are a shame because the quality of the story deserves better.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – For Better and Worse
Author – E.B. Roshan
Genre – Dystopian Romantic Suspense
Word Count - 51,000
Rating – 5 stars out of 5
No. 18 - 2021
Posted 4/30/2021
My Impressions: In depth look into a complex dystopian society, greed and hate mingled on both sides.
Main Characters:
Boris Merkovich
Anna Merkovich
Boris and Anna are expecting their first child in the strife filled city of Dor. The White Horse forces of Sevians are in combat with the Rayads of the Tur group. The two ethnic groups had fought and devastated sections of the city into abandoned war zones.
Boris owned and operated a restaurant until he was forced to close it. He and Anna try to avoid taking sides in the conflict surrounding them but are targeted by the White Horses because Boris keeps a man of Tur ethnic origin as his assistant for his business. They continue to operate the business from their home kitchen and provide food for wedding parties and other large gatherings.
After a catering job, the two lone caterers are harassed by a group of drunks who wet them with a hose and hurl disparaging, crude remarks at them. Boris loses his temper and attacks the leader of the troublemakers and puts him in the hospital in a coma he may or may not live through. From there the young couples’ affairs and relationship go downhill until Anna gives birth by herself at home while Boris is attacked by the White Horse thugs.
The editing is better than average but not as perfect as it can be. Sentence structure is good.
Character Development is thorough especially for the two main characters.
In depth details speak to thorough research.
The plot is simple but delves into the lives of two lovers in a war torn dystopian society.
I don’t normally review romance stories, but this story of two young people learning to adjust to each other while experiencing the strengths and weaknesses of their mate amid ethnic conflict is intriguing and well written.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – E.B. Roshan
Genre – Dystopian Romantic Suspense
Word Count - 51,000
Rating – 5 stars out of 5
No. 18 - 2021
Posted 4/30/2021
My Impressions: In depth look into a complex dystopian society, greed and hate mingled on both sides.
Main Characters:
Boris Merkovich
Anna Merkovich
Boris and Anna are expecting their first child in the strife filled city of Dor. The White Horse forces of Sevians are in combat with the Rayads of the Tur group. The two ethnic groups had fought and devastated sections of the city into abandoned war zones.
Boris owned and operated a restaurant until he was forced to close it. He and Anna try to avoid taking sides in the conflict surrounding them but are targeted by the White Horses because Boris keeps a man of Tur ethnic origin as his assistant for his business. They continue to operate the business from their home kitchen and provide food for wedding parties and other large gatherings.
After a catering job, the two lone caterers are harassed by a group of drunks who wet them with a hose and hurl disparaging, crude remarks at them. Boris loses his temper and attacks the leader of the troublemakers and puts him in the hospital in a coma he may or may not live through. From there the young couples’ affairs and relationship go downhill until Anna gives birth by herself at home while Boris is attacked by the White Horse thugs.
The editing is better than average but not as perfect as it can be. Sentence structure is good.
Character Development is thorough especially for the two main characters.
In depth details speak to thorough research.
The plot is simple but delves into the lives of two lovers in a war torn dystopian society.
I don’t normally review romance stories, but this story of two young people learning to adjust to each other while experiencing the strengths and weaknesses of their mate amid ethnic conflict is intriguing and well written.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Redemption of Charlie McCoy
Author – Christopher Wilsher
Genre – Crime Thriller
378 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No.17 – 2021
Posted 4/24/2021
My impressions: loner, serial failure, rationalization, liar, cold, sociopath
Main Characters:
Charlie McCoy – ex-Marine, small time hustler, burglar, 53 years old.
Amy McCoy – Charlie's thirteen year old daughter.
Mike De La Torre – FBI special agent
Charlie McCoy is pressured to repay a loan shark the money he owes after the shark's goons busted Charlie's right hand with hammer blows. He reluctantly agrees to break into a mob boss's home to steal a large sum of money and several computer discs; the job smells because it just seems too easy. The theft suddenly goes badly awry; luckily Charlie was leery and had a back up plan. Then Charlie is on the run from mob enforcers who want everything Charlie has stolen put back in the boss' possession.
But the mob isn't the only group chasing him. An FBI agent wants to know his whereabouts too, and Charlie is suspected of one then three counts of murder.
Charlie is a sociopath who easily blames everyone else for his problems and failures. He's also a loner who isn't able to relate to other people, even those he cares about; he's emotionally deficient.
His ex-wife has no use for him, until she needs him to keep their thirteen year old daughter for a few days. Then Charlie's life takes a definite turn for the worse. Precocious thirteen year old Amy challenges Charlie at every turn and confronts and condemns him each time the mobsters chasing him get near enough to almost catch them.
It's a rollicking non-stop confrontation as Amy constantly berates him for being an inept thief and a lousy father.
The ending held several surprises as Charlie pushed back against the crooks and the FBI.
The editing is very poor with missing, extra, misspelled and wrong words used.
Character development of the main characters is good and sentence structure is mostly good.
Details are adequate and thorough research is evident.
The plot is great with many unexpected twists.
I enjoyed The Redemption of Charlie McCoy and highly recommend it unless the editing would be a serious turnoff for the reader.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Christopher Wilsher
Genre – Crime Thriller
378 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No.17 – 2021
Posted 4/24/2021
My impressions: loner, serial failure, rationalization, liar, cold, sociopath
Main Characters:
Charlie McCoy – ex-Marine, small time hustler, burglar, 53 years old.
Amy McCoy – Charlie's thirteen year old daughter.
Mike De La Torre – FBI special agent
Charlie McCoy is pressured to repay a loan shark the money he owes after the shark's goons busted Charlie's right hand with hammer blows. He reluctantly agrees to break into a mob boss's home to steal a large sum of money and several computer discs; the job smells because it just seems too easy. The theft suddenly goes badly awry; luckily Charlie was leery and had a back up plan. Then Charlie is on the run from mob enforcers who want everything Charlie has stolen put back in the boss' possession.
But the mob isn't the only group chasing him. An FBI agent wants to know his whereabouts too, and Charlie is suspected of one then three counts of murder.
Charlie is a sociopath who easily blames everyone else for his problems and failures. He's also a loner who isn't able to relate to other people, even those he cares about; he's emotionally deficient.
His ex-wife has no use for him, until she needs him to keep their thirteen year old daughter for a few days. Then Charlie's life takes a definite turn for the worse. Precocious thirteen year old Amy challenges Charlie at every turn and confronts and condemns him each time the mobsters chasing him get near enough to almost catch them.
It's a rollicking non-stop confrontation as Amy constantly berates him for being an inept thief and a lousy father.
The ending held several surprises as Charlie pushed back against the crooks and the FBI.
The editing is very poor with missing, extra, misspelled and wrong words used.
Character development of the main characters is good and sentence structure is mostly good.
Details are adequate and thorough research is evident.
The plot is great with many unexpected twists.
I enjoyed The Redemption of Charlie McCoy and highly recommend it unless the editing would be a serious turnoff for the reader.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Man in the Leather Jacket: Predator Games
Author – Peter Boroch
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Hard Boiled
193 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 16 –2021
Posted 4/17/2021
My Impressions:
Porter – violent, irreverent, caring, suffering,
The Sandman – extremely violent, sadistic, pervert, psychopath.
Main Characters:
Ryan Porter – 30 years old, ex-military, private detective.
Mindy - 14 year old, homeless, cleans up in a strip club.
The Sandman – sadistic serial killer.
The first part of The Man in The Leather Jacket almost convinced me to stop reading it. The main character, Ryan Porter was presented as a tough, trouble seeking, antagonistic, drunken smart-mouth. Later, I was glad I stuck with it because while he was still a butt-wipe at times, I grew to like him. Then Mindy, the fourteen-year-old tough, antagonistic, smart-mouth met Ryan and attached herself to him, and she won me over.
There are other memorable characters in the story in support roles and they contributed to the emotional impact as they dealt with Ryan in Cheyenne Colorado.
Vague details revealed Ryan was the lone survivor of an attack on his squad in Iraq; he was wounded and captured and somehow escaped or was rescued; that was one of several issues that were very vague. His guilt of being the only survivor haunted him, along with teen-aged issues that caused his erratic, caustic behavior.
When a man disappeared, his sister hired Ryan to find him. A local serial killer, The Sandman, had been killing or causing people to disappear. There were several issues that were vague and left hanging. Maybe they will be resolved in sequels that are sure to follow.
It was bizarre that a detective would take a fourteen year old along while he searched for criminals, but in the end it worked and set the stage for her to become his full time partner. A stretch, but it worked well enough.
Research was sloppy. Airbags begin to deflate almost immediately upon activation. There was no reason for Porter to manually deflate a deployed airbag.
Cursing by most characters is excessive. There are frequent references to sex acts but without graphic details.
Overall, the story was engaging, and I enjoyed it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Peter Boroch
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Hard Boiled
193 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 16 –2021
Posted 4/17/2021
My Impressions:
Porter – violent, irreverent, caring, suffering,
The Sandman – extremely violent, sadistic, pervert, psychopath.
Main Characters:
Ryan Porter – 30 years old, ex-military, private detective.
Mindy - 14 year old, homeless, cleans up in a strip club.
The Sandman – sadistic serial killer.
The first part of The Man in The Leather Jacket almost convinced me to stop reading it. The main character, Ryan Porter was presented as a tough, trouble seeking, antagonistic, drunken smart-mouth. Later, I was glad I stuck with it because while he was still a butt-wipe at times, I grew to like him. Then Mindy, the fourteen-year-old tough, antagonistic, smart-mouth met Ryan and attached herself to him, and she won me over.
There are other memorable characters in the story in support roles and they contributed to the emotional impact as they dealt with Ryan in Cheyenne Colorado.
Vague details revealed Ryan was the lone survivor of an attack on his squad in Iraq; he was wounded and captured and somehow escaped or was rescued; that was one of several issues that were very vague. His guilt of being the only survivor haunted him, along with teen-aged issues that caused his erratic, caustic behavior.
When a man disappeared, his sister hired Ryan to find him. A local serial killer, The Sandman, had been killing or causing people to disappear. There were several issues that were vague and left hanging. Maybe they will be resolved in sequels that are sure to follow.
It was bizarre that a detective would take a fourteen year old along while he searched for criminals, but in the end it worked and set the stage for her to become his full time partner. A stretch, but it worked well enough.
Research was sloppy. Airbags begin to deflate almost immediately upon activation. There was no reason for Porter to manually deflate a deployed airbag.
Cursing by most characters is excessive. There are frequent references to sex acts but without graphic details.
Overall, the story was engaging, and I enjoyed it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Along the Guadalquivir
Author – Joseph R. Costa
Genre – Historical Fiction
Word Count - 79,500
Rating – Four stars out of Five
No. 15 - 2021
Posted April 10,2021
My Impressions: Excellent action in late sixteenth century Spain.
Main Characters:
Mateo – Army Lieutenant aboard a Spanish galleon.
Guillermo – Mateo’s true childhood friend.
Mencia – A date who rejects Mateo, then becomes a true friend of Mateo and Guillemo.
Luisa – Mateo’s Juliet to his Romeo.
Mateo is serving as a naval lieutenant on a late sixteenth century Spanish galleon escorting a fleet of ships carrying gold from the Indies to Spain. When the fleet is attacked by British ships, he experiences the horrors of brutal battle.
The scene shifts to Mateo at home with friends and family and reunification with his best friend Guillemo. Mateo is under pressure from his parents to marry and sire their grandchildren. His several arranged dates with prospective mates are comical and unproductive. Finally he meets Mencia, who flat out rejects him and all arrogant, self-centered males. He is enthralled with this outspoken girl who is a knife thrower, archer, and sword fighting tomboy. Mateo, Guillermo and Mencia quickly become best friends and much of the story revolves around their friendships and exciting adventures.
During his time in the Indies, Mateo gathered seeds for red peppers, beans, corn, tomatoes, and seed potatoes. A portion of the story deals with these new crops from the Americas as the Spaniards learn to grow them and acquire a taste for them.
The story is action packed as the trio of friends stand up to various rouges and show them “The Wrath of God”.
If the editing was as well done as the plot and storytelling this would rate a five star review.
The sentence structure is well done.
Character Development is good for the main characters and important support characters.
Details are abundant but come across as if a stage manager is behind the curtains yelling information to the actors.
Thorough and detailed research is apparent.
The plot is fresh and unusual.
The story does not contain any cursing or intimate sexual scenes but does have violence and murder.
I strongly recommend this story in spite of the flaws.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Joseph R. Costa
Genre – Historical Fiction
Word Count - 79,500
Rating – Four stars out of Five
No. 15 - 2021
Posted April 10,2021
My Impressions: Excellent action in late sixteenth century Spain.
Main Characters:
Mateo – Army Lieutenant aboard a Spanish galleon.
Guillermo – Mateo’s true childhood friend.
Mencia – A date who rejects Mateo, then becomes a true friend of Mateo and Guillemo.
Luisa – Mateo’s Juliet to his Romeo.
Mateo is serving as a naval lieutenant on a late sixteenth century Spanish galleon escorting a fleet of ships carrying gold from the Indies to Spain. When the fleet is attacked by British ships, he experiences the horrors of brutal battle.
The scene shifts to Mateo at home with friends and family and reunification with his best friend Guillemo. Mateo is under pressure from his parents to marry and sire their grandchildren. His several arranged dates with prospective mates are comical and unproductive. Finally he meets Mencia, who flat out rejects him and all arrogant, self-centered males. He is enthralled with this outspoken girl who is a knife thrower, archer, and sword fighting tomboy. Mateo, Guillermo and Mencia quickly become best friends and much of the story revolves around their friendships and exciting adventures.
During his time in the Indies, Mateo gathered seeds for red peppers, beans, corn, tomatoes, and seed potatoes. A portion of the story deals with these new crops from the Americas as the Spaniards learn to grow them and acquire a taste for them.
The story is action packed as the trio of friends stand up to various rouges and show them “The Wrath of God”.
If the editing was as well done as the plot and storytelling this would rate a five star review.
The sentence structure is well done.
Character Development is good for the main characters and important support characters.
Details are abundant but come across as if a stage manager is behind the curtains yelling information to the actors.
Thorough and detailed research is apparent.
The plot is fresh and unusual.
The story does not contain any cursing or intimate sexual scenes but does have violence and murder.
I strongly recommend this story in spite of the flaws.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Gambit
Author – Brad Carlson
Genre – Military, Political, Suspense, Thriller
316 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No.14 – 2021
Posted 4/2/2021
My impressions: thought provoking, possible, scary, terrorists.
Main Characters:
Colonel Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson – special forces - CIA
Danielle 'Dani' Yaniv – Mossad agent and nuclear engineer.
There are many characters in The Gambit', but only Stonewall and Dani impact the plot throughout. The story moves between Israel, Iran and the United States with characters from the armies and intelligence agencies of all three world powers. It's hard to describe the story with out including spoilers, but I'll try to limit them.
Israeli intelligence learns Iran is only weeks from fielding an atomic bomb. Air strikes by Israel with support from US aircraft carrier battle groups decimate Iran's nuclear facilities.
But Iran has anticipated these attacks that will slow their nuclear ambition for several years; conversely, they have been preparing to implement a bold plan that will bring the Great Satan, as thy call the US, to their knees for decades
The story switches to characters from all three countries as Iran moves to implement their attack and to Israeli and US agencies trying to uncover the plot and determine its scope and timeline.
The plot is thrilling, suspenseful and fast paced.
Now the bad news. I actually wanted to rate The Gambit six stars out of five, but I can't justify more than a four.
The editing is good but with word related exceptions.
Sentence structure and character development are fine.
Details and research are evident in the depth of information provided pertaining to the various military units and equipment.
The plot is fast paced, scary and intense.
The writing style is where the story breaks down. It is extremely wordy with weak words like pretty, about and some being so abundant they make statements weak and ambiguous. And the writing is so repetitive with the same words and phrases being used multiple times in the same sentence or paragraph.
Negative words like can't and haven't are used where can and have make more sense than the negatives implied.
Many scenes run together without a blank line to warn the reader of scene changes.
In spite of the above errors, I strongly recommend The Gambit for a thrilling read of a very possible world struggle.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Brad Carlson
Genre – Military, Political, Suspense, Thriller
316 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No.14 – 2021
Posted 4/2/2021
My impressions: thought provoking, possible, scary, terrorists.
Main Characters:
Colonel Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson – special forces - CIA
Danielle 'Dani' Yaniv – Mossad agent and nuclear engineer.
There are many characters in The Gambit', but only Stonewall and Dani impact the plot throughout. The story moves between Israel, Iran and the United States with characters from the armies and intelligence agencies of all three world powers. It's hard to describe the story with out including spoilers, but I'll try to limit them.
Israeli intelligence learns Iran is only weeks from fielding an atomic bomb. Air strikes by Israel with support from US aircraft carrier battle groups decimate Iran's nuclear facilities.
But Iran has anticipated these attacks that will slow their nuclear ambition for several years; conversely, they have been preparing to implement a bold plan that will bring the Great Satan, as thy call the US, to their knees for decades
The story switches to characters from all three countries as Iran moves to implement their attack and to Israeli and US agencies trying to uncover the plot and determine its scope and timeline.
The plot is thrilling, suspenseful and fast paced.
Now the bad news. I actually wanted to rate The Gambit six stars out of five, but I can't justify more than a four.
The editing is good but with word related exceptions.
Sentence structure and character development are fine.
Details and research are evident in the depth of information provided pertaining to the various military units and equipment.
The plot is fast paced, scary and intense.
The writing style is where the story breaks down. It is extremely wordy with weak words like pretty, about and some being so abundant they make statements weak and ambiguous. And the writing is so repetitive with the same words and phrases being used multiple times in the same sentence or paragraph.
Negative words like can't and haven't are used where can and have make more sense than the negatives implied.
Many scenes run together without a blank line to warn the reader of scene changes.
In spite of the above errors, I strongly recommend The Gambit for a thrilling read of a very possible world struggle.
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. 13 - 2021
Posted 3/27/2021
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.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Jeremy Perry
Genre – Action/Adventure
147 Amazon Pages (about 45,000 words)
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 13 - 2021
Posted 3/27/2021
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.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Sovereignty File
Author – Elizabeth Smith
Genre – Suspense Mystery
Word Count - 79,290
Rating – 5 Stars out of 5
No. 12 - 2021
Posted 3/19/2021
My Impressions: murder, blackmail, racism, revenge, prejudice
Main Characters:
Jonathan Burke - Reporter
Garrett Sloan – U.S. Senator running for the U.S. presidency.
Henry Clarkson – Mississippi Supreme Court Justice retired.
Franklin Carter – U.S. Representative retired, Sloan’s father-in-law, Allison’s father.
Lacey Pritchard – Burke’s ex-wife, psychotic.
Allison Sloan – Sloan’s wife, Carter’s daughter.
Dr. Peyton St. Clair – (Honey) history professor @ Mississippi Coast College.
The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission existed from 1956 to 1977; a secret, state-sponsored government agency that used spying, jury tampering, false imprisonment, and murder to crush the civil rights movement and preserve Mississippi’s racially segregated status.
Jonathan Burke was asked by ex-wife Lacey to interview Senator Garrett Sloan who seeks the presidency. He interviewed Sloan and judged him to be full of darkness, hate, and pure evil under his mask of dark good looks, style, and charisma.
Garrett’s wife, Allison, had provided Jonathan with a question about the Sovereignty Commission to be asked at the end of his interview. Later she told him a page from the Sovereignty File had been found in their hotel room that morning causing Garret and her father to become enraged. Apparently someone had information that could ruin Garrett’s chance of attaining the presidency and also put many prominent, old power brokers in prison and destroy their family names.
Jonathan’s investigation led him to the murder of a ten-year-old Negro girl who was abducted many years ago. She proved to be a key to bringing the commission members to justice.
During his search for information, Jonathan teamed up with Honey St. Clair, a history professor in charge of the Sovereignty File stored at her college. She joined Jonathan in his quest because she was intrigued by his mission (and with Jonathan).
The rest of the story is complex and full of twist and turns. The action is suspenseful and deadly.
The editing and sentence structure are far better than normal, but not perfect.
Character development is good and paints pictures of people ranging from outstanding to crooked to evil.
Details are in depth and show the amount of research done to flesh out the story.
The plot is fresh and complex and makes the reader want more to the end.
The writing style is fast paced and captures the essence of the southern coastal region.
I highly recommend this story of past racial prejudice and the forces that prolonged it’s demise.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Elizabeth Smith
Genre – Suspense Mystery
Word Count - 79,290
Rating – 5 Stars out of 5
No. 12 - 2021
Posted 3/19/2021
My Impressions: murder, blackmail, racism, revenge, prejudice
Main Characters:
Jonathan Burke - Reporter
Garrett Sloan – U.S. Senator running for the U.S. presidency.
Henry Clarkson – Mississippi Supreme Court Justice retired.
Franklin Carter – U.S. Representative retired, Sloan’s father-in-law, Allison’s father.
Lacey Pritchard – Burke’s ex-wife, psychotic.
Allison Sloan – Sloan’s wife, Carter’s daughter.
Dr. Peyton St. Clair – (Honey) history professor @ Mississippi Coast College.
The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission existed from 1956 to 1977; a secret, state-sponsored government agency that used spying, jury tampering, false imprisonment, and murder to crush the civil rights movement and preserve Mississippi’s racially segregated status.
Jonathan Burke was asked by ex-wife Lacey to interview Senator Garrett Sloan who seeks the presidency. He interviewed Sloan and judged him to be full of darkness, hate, and pure evil under his mask of dark good looks, style, and charisma.
Garrett’s wife, Allison, had provided Jonathan with a question about the Sovereignty Commission to be asked at the end of his interview. Later she told him a page from the Sovereignty File had been found in their hotel room that morning causing Garret and her father to become enraged. Apparently someone had information that could ruin Garrett’s chance of attaining the presidency and also put many prominent, old power brokers in prison and destroy their family names.
Jonathan’s investigation led him to the murder of a ten-year-old Negro girl who was abducted many years ago. She proved to be a key to bringing the commission members to justice.
During his search for information, Jonathan teamed up with Honey St. Clair, a history professor in charge of the Sovereignty File stored at her college. She joined Jonathan in his quest because she was intrigued by his mission (and with Jonathan).
The rest of the story is complex and full of twist and turns. The action is suspenseful and deadly.
The editing and sentence structure are far better than normal, but not perfect.
Character development is good and paints pictures of people ranging from outstanding to crooked to evil.
Details are in depth and show the amount of research done to flesh out the story.
The plot is fresh and complex and makes the reader want more to the end.
The writing style is fast paced and captures the essence of the southern coastal region.
I highly recommend this story of past racial prejudice and the forces that prolonged it’s demise.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Cape Abigail
Author – Robert Schobernd
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Hard Boiled
Word Count 97,000
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 11– 2021
Posted 3/13/2021
My impressions: framed, violence, rape, intimidation, romantic triangle, vigilante justice.
Main Characters:
Carter A. Johnson – vigilante investigator.
Kate Menke – vigilante investigator.
Mattie Boker – Carter’s girlfriend in Oregon.
Sharon Collins – Cape Abigail, Maine Police officer attracted to Carter.
Steve Snowe – Cape Abigail, Maine Police Sergeant.
Lynn Lancaster – both of her parents were convicted of committing three murders.
Frank Lehnen – husband of murder victim.
Fidel Elizondo – drug cartel assassin.
Fiona Wiesmann – exotic dancer and more.
The fictional seaside town of Cape Abigail, Maine is the setting for Cape Abigail in current times.
Carter Johnson is assigned by his vigilante group handler to look into the conviction of a husband and wife imprisoned for the premeditated murder of three people in the quaint, peaceful town.
Before leaving Oregon he and his current girlfriend Mattie have a serious discussion about their future relationship. Carter is not pleased with the direction they’re headed. In Cape Abigail, he comes to the aid of Police Officer Collins and then on the rebound from Mattie starts an affair with Collins.
The daughter of the convicted murders, Lynn Lancaster is adamant her parents are innocent until she suddenly becomes sullen and withdrawn and changes her position to accept their guilt. Carter asked for another investigator, preferably female, to get next to Lynn and learn what is troubling her. Kate Menke is sent to assist him and Carter finds himself dealing with three women he is attracted to.
As the investigation gets closer to the person actually behind the murders, Carter is attacked and then he and Kate are attacked. The action scenes are well orchestrated and believable. They pulled me into the story with the detailed accounts leading up to the scene’s conclusions. The final attack on Carter was cold and calculating and he barely escaped with all his parts. The assassins portrayed were well conceived and truly evil, each in their own way.
Through many twist and turns in the plot, the vigilantes eventually learned the identity of the antagonist and brought him to justice.
Both the editing and sentence structure are excellent.
The character development is thorough and detailed for all the main characters.
The plot is complex with more danger and turns than a coiled rattlesnake.
The writing style is to the point without a lot of extraneous detail that constitutes filler.
Thorough research is evident throughout the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot's fast, action filled pace plus Carter’s resolute handling of his feelings for each of his three love interests.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Robert Schobernd
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Hard Boiled
Word Count 97,000
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 11– 2021
Posted 3/13/2021
My impressions: framed, violence, rape, intimidation, romantic triangle, vigilante justice.
Main Characters:
Carter A. Johnson – vigilante investigator.
Kate Menke – vigilante investigator.
Mattie Boker – Carter’s girlfriend in Oregon.
Sharon Collins – Cape Abigail, Maine Police officer attracted to Carter.
Steve Snowe – Cape Abigail, Maine Police Sergeant.
Lynn Lancaster – both of her parents were convicted of committing three murders.
Frank Lehnen – husband of murder victim.
Fidel Elizondo – drug cartel assassin.
Fiona Wiesmann – exotic dancer and more.
The fictional seaside town of Cape Abigail, Maine is the setting for Cape Abigail in current times.
Carter Johnson is assigned by his vigilante group handler to look into the conviction of a husband and wife imprisoned for the premeditated murder of three people in the quaint, peaceful town.
Before leaving Oregon he and his current girlfriend Mattie have a serious discussion about their future relationship. Carter is not pleased with the direction they’re headed. In Cape Abigail, he comes to the aid of Police Officer Collins and then on the rebound from Mattie starts an affair with Collins.
The daughter of the convicted murders, Lynn Lancaster is adamant her parents are innocent until she suddenly becomes sullen and withdrawn and changes her position to accept their guilt. Carter asked for another investigator, preferably female, to get next to Lynn and learn what is troubling her. Kate Menke is sent to assist him and Carter finds himself dealing with three women he is attracted to.
As the investigation gets closer to the person actually behind the murders, Carter is attacked and then he and Kate are attacked. The action scenes are well orchestrated and believable. They pulled me into the story with the detailed accounts leading up to the scene’s conclusions. The final attack on Carter was cold and calculating and he barely escaped with all his parts. The assassins portrayed were well conceived and truly evil, each in their own way.
Through many twist and turns in the plot, the vigilantes eventually learned the identity of the antagonist and brought him to justice.
Both the editing and sentence structure are excellent.
The character development is thorough and detailed for all the main characters.
The plot is complex with more danger and turns than a coiled rattlesnake.
The writing style is to the point without a lot of extraneous detail that constitutes filler.
Thorough research is evident throughout the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot's fast, action filled pace plus Carter’s resolute handling of his feelings for each of his three love interests.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Solomon Bull
Author – Clayton Lindemuth
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
312 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No.10 – 2021
Posted 3/7/2021.
My impressions: intelligent, idealistic, unwavering, high principles, tenacious.
Main Characters:
Solomon Bull – Rebel, embraces challenges, proud of his Blackfoot heritage.
Cal Barrett – mysterious catalyst for Federal Government change.
What starts out as a bet between friends to lower the poll standing of a US Congressman turns into a passion to destroy his career publicly. When Solomon learns the man is a pedophile brutalizing a young Blackfoot boy, his original stunt becomes a full-blown passion.
At the same time, Solomon has been training for weeks to win Desert Dog; a brutal one day endurance race in the 110 + degree Arizona desert. In addition to the fit male competitors, he faces a team of five Amazons who will inflict pain and injuries on anyone who tries to keep them out of first place.
One of Solomon’s reasons for entering the race is to learn what happens to previous winners who have all disappeared from public view. The mysterious and enigmatic Cal Barrett sponsors the once yearly race from his compound in the desert. Finally, Solomon learns Barrett’s goal and how he plans to return government’s power back to the state level.
The editing is not bad, but there are errors.
Sentence structure is good and character development is good for the two main characters plus several sub characters to a lesser degree.
Research is evident in the details relating to endurance racing and the history of the defeat of the American Indian Nations by despicable white men.
The plot is fresh and complex in spite of the pages spent on Solomon’s self-introspection and American Indian history.
The writing style is wordy and preachy.
There are many characters in the story but only two of them really impact the plot and the ending.
I recommend Solomon Bull to readers who enjoy action adventure and detailed accounts of endurance training and other physical activities.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Clayton Lindemuth
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
312 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No.10 – 2021
Posted 3/7/2021.
My impressions: intelligent, idealistic, unwavering, high principles, tenacious.
Main Characters:
Solomon Bull – Rebel, embraces challenges, proud of his Blackfoot heritage.
Cal Barrett – mysterious catalyst for Federal Government change.
What starts out as a bet between friends to lower the poll standing of a US Congressman turns into a passion to destroy his career publicly. When Solomon learns the man is a pedophile brutalizing a young Blackfoot boy, his original stunt becomes a full-blown passion.
At the same time, Solomon has been training for weeks to win Desert Dog; a brutal one day endurance race in the 110 + degree Arizona desert. In addition to the fit male competitors, he faces a team of five Amazons who will inflict pain and injuries on anyone who tries to keep them out of first place.
One of Solomon’s reasons for entering the race is to learn what happens to previous winners who have all disappeared from public view. The mysterious and enigmatic Cal Barrett sponsors the once yearly race from his compound in the desert. Finally, Solomon learns Barrett’s goal and how he plans to return government’s power back to the state level.
The editing is not bad, but there are errors.
Sentence structure is good and character development is good for the two main characters plus several sub characters to a lesser degree.
Research is evident in the details relating to endurance racing and the history of the defeat of the American Indian Nations by despicable white men.
The plot is fresh and complex in spite of the pages spent on Solomon’s self-introspection and American Indian history.
The writing style is wordy and preachy.
There are many characters in the story but only two of them really impact the plot and the ending.
I recommend Solomon Bull to readers who enjoy action adventure and detailed accounts of endurance training and other physical activities.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – A Chosen Path
Author – Ben Carlyle
Genre – Thriller
Word Count - 111,527
Rating – Five stars out of five
No.9 - 2021
Posted 2/27/2021
My Impressions: An intriguing story of conflict between British intelligence, the Russian Mafia, and a fifth column organization deep within Russia since the Bolshevik revolution.
A Chosen Path is a continuation of The Roads Chosen and is the second book in a series.
Main Characters:
Sam Mitchell – world traveler, spy
Rebecca Liscombe – Sam’s girlfriend and member of an extremely wealthy family.
Edward Liscombe – Rebecca’s wealthy father with deep ties to the British Government.
Andrew Levenson-Phillips - Director-Support Services in the intelligence wing of the British government.
In The Roads Chosen, Sam Mitchel spent six years walking the Silk Roads of Asia. He uncovered Russian Mafia corruption and set out to expose the deeply rooted ex-members of the Russian KGB secret service who retained powerful positions in the criminal world. To punish Sam, the criminals assassinated his parents.
Book two, A Chosen Path covers Sam’s quest to avenge his parents’ deaths and bring the people who ordered it to justice. Not to arrest and conviction, but to justice.
The fifth column purveyors of justice he contacts prove their power by safely escorting Sam and his entourage into Russia and then back out.
The primary driving purpose of the underground group is to salvage broken and damaged citizens, often military conscripts, and escort them to safety.
Along the way the story reveals a wonderful and intriguing host of characters working together to the detriment of the ex-KGB criminal leaders.
The editing and sentence structure are professional grade.
Character Development is detailed for the main characters and many support characters.
Details and research carry the story and create a vivid image.
The plot is complex and involves many support characters.
The writing style involves the reader in deeply emotional dialog and actions.
I highly recommend this exciting tale of conflict but pay close attention or you’ll miss the subtle clues hidden along the way.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Ben Carlyle
Genre – Thriller
Word Count - 111,527
Rating – Five stars out of five
No.9 - 2021
Posted 2/27/2021
My Impressions: An intriguing story of conflict between British intelligence, the Russian Mafia, and a fifth column organization deep within Russia since the Bolshevik revolution.
A Chosen Path is a continuation of The Roads Chosen and is the second book in a series.
Main Characters:
Sam Mitchell – world traveler, spy
Rebecca Liscombe – Sam’s girlfriend and member of an extremely wealthy family.
Edward Liscombe – Rebecca’s wealthy father with deep ties to the British Government.
Andrew Levenson-Phillips - Director-Support Services in the intelligence wing of the British government.
In The Roads Chosen, Sam Mitchel spent six years walking the Silk Roads of Asia. He uncovered Russian Mafia corruption and set out to expose the deeply rooted ex-members of the Russian KGB secret service who retained powerful positions in the criminal world. To punish Sam, the criminals assassinated his parents.
Book two, A Chosen Path covers Sam’s quest to avenge his parents’ deaths and bring the people who ordered it to justice. Not to arrest and conviction, but to justice.
The fifth column purveyors of justice he contacts prove their power by safely escorting Sam and his entourage into Russia and then back out.
The primary driving purpose of the underground group is to salvage broken and damaged citizens, often military conscripts, and escort them to safety.
Along the way the story reveals a wonderful and intriguing host of characters working together to the detriment of the ex-KGB criminal leaders.
The editing and sentence structure are professional grade.
Character Development is detailed for the main characters and many support characters.
Details and research carry the story and create a vivid image.
The plot is complex and involves many support characters.
The writing style involves the reader in deeply emotional dialog and actions.
I highly recommend this exciting tale of conflict but pay close attention or you’ll miss the subtle clues hidden along the way.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Dire Covenants
Author – M. D. Ironz
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Police Procedural
310 Amazon Pages
No. 8 - 2021
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 2/20/2021
My impressions: Good partner interaction, complex plot with lots of surprises, lots of coffee drinking and smoking, brutal but original murder techniques.
Main Characters:
Det. Sgt. Donald Dombrowski, tough, old school detective.
Det. Katie Callahan, good three year detective with personal baggage.
Lt. Waters, the detective’s smoking addicted boss.
The main players in Dire Covenants have a strong working relationship. The two lead detectives, Dombrowski and Callahan have a strong rapport and trade good natured jabs at every opportunity.
The detective’s case begins when several officials of a residential Home Owners Association die after suffering strokes, and two other deaths are staged as suicides. When the medical examiner determines the strokes were induced and the deaths were murder the action takes off. Add in another official being tortured to death and the complexity ratchets up even more. Then throw in the off and on disappearance of the daughter of a central figure and the mysteries compound.
The editing is very good with only a few minor errors. Sentence structure is also good.
Character development of the main players is detailed. There are too many sub characters for that level of detail with them.
The plot is complex, and action is abundant.
A few failings: in a basement scene when the lights go out, too many complex moves are made by Callahan in the dark while action is taking place around her. Also, specialized equipment was anticipated to be needed in that scene and that seemed much too convenient and made the scene appear contrived.
Then there is the mother of the kidnap victim staying with her rat of a husband after his abysmal actions are exposed.
Finally, under research, the procedure for a so-called Columbian Necktie is a myth, as it is physically impossible to be performed at the throat, says Wikipedia.
Overall, I give a hearty recommendation to Dire Covenants.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – M. D. Ironz
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Police Procedural
310 Amazon Pages
No. 8 - 2021
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 2/20/2021
My impressions: Good partner interaction, complex plot with lots of surprises, lots of coffee drinking and smoking, brutal but original murder techniques.
Main Characters:
Det. Sgt. Donald Dombrowski, tough, old school detective.
Det. Katie Callahan, good three year detective with personal baggage.
Lt. Waters, the detective’s smoking addicted boss.
The main players in Dire Covenants have a strong working relationship. The two lead detectives, Dombrowski and Callahan have a strong rapport and trade good natured jabs at every opportunity.
The detective’s case begins when several officials of a residential Home Owners Association die after suffering strokes, and two other deaths are staged as suicides. When the medical examiner determines the strokes were induced and the deaths were murder the action takes off. Add in another official being tortured to death and the complexity ratchets up even more. Then throw in the off and on disappearance of the daughter of a central figure and the mysteries compound.
The editing is very good with only a few minor errors. Sentence structure is also good.
Character development of the main players is detailed. There are too many sub characters for that level of detail with them.
The plot is complex, and action is abundant.
A few failings: in a basement scene when the lights go out, too many complex moves are made by Callahan in the dark while action is taking place around her. Also, specialized equipment was anticipated to be needed in that scene and that seemed much too convenient and made the scene appear contrived.
Then there is the mother of the kidnap victim staying with her rat of a husband after his abysmal actions are exposed.
Finally, under research, the procedure for a so-called Columbian Necktie is a myth, as it is physically impossible to be performed at the throat, says Wikipedia.
Overall, I give a hearty recommendation to Dire Covenants.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Hanging Softly in the Night
Author – Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra
Genre – Detective/Mystery
Word Count - 108,500
Rating – 5 stars out of 5
No. 07 - 2021
Posted 2/12/2021
My Impressions: Professional writing, interesting, believable characters who interact well, intricate and complex plot.
Main Characters:
Lt. Detective Nick Larson – Struggling with internal demons after ex-wife committed suicide.
Detective Vic Sacco – Nick’s close friend and partner.
Ramos – Member of the investigative team
Laura Howard – Nick’s current girlfriend with her own deadly personal baggage.
Sandra Ward – Laura’s sister who wants to destroy her.
There are three story lines here. Nick is fighting personal demons after his ex-wife committed suicide while on the phone with him begging him to take her back. A second story line is his girlfriend’s psychopath sister who wants to destroy her and is in a psych ward. But even locked up the nutcase manages to corrupt Laura’s life. The main plot is a string of hangings deaths originally judged to be suicides. Nick isn’t buying the suicides; he and his investigative team chase leads to no avail and the deaths keep piling up. The interaction among his team members adds greatly to the story, Many people they interview are nutcases in their own right. Then the case is solved by a witness who just drops in their laps.
Laura’s demented sister is not resolved. Is she left hanging for a sequel? I hope so.
The editing and sentence structure are well done and just short of perfect.
Character Development is good for all important characters.
Research is evident in the story’s complex details.
The plot is complex, intense, and fast paced.
I enjoyed Hanging Softly in the Night and highly recommend it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra
Genre – Detective/Mystery
Word Count - 108,500
Rating – 5 stars out of 5
No. 07 - 2021
Posted 2/12/2021
My Impressions: Professional writing, interesting, believable characters who interact well, intricate and complex plot.
Main Characters:
Lt. Detective Nick Larson – Struggling with internal demons after ex-wife committed suicide.
Detective Vic Sacco – Nick’s close friend and partner.
Ramos – Member of the investigative team
Laura Howard – Nick’s current girlfriend with her own deadly personal baggage.
Sandra Ward – Laura’s sister who wants to destroy her.
There are three story lines here. Nick is fighting personal demons after his ex-wife committed suicide while on the phone with him begging him to take her back. A second story line is his girlfriend’s psychopath sister who wants to destroy her and is in a psych ward. But even locked up the nutcase manages to corrupt Laura’s life. The main plot is a string of hangings deaths originally judged to be suicides. Nick isn’t buying the suicides; he and his investigative team chase leads to no avail and the deaths keep piling up. The interaction among his team members adds greatly to the story, Many people they interview are nutcases in their own right. Then the case is solved by a witness who just drops in their laps.
Laura’s demented sister is not resolved. Is she left hanging for a sequel? I hope so.
The editing and sentence structure are well done and just short of perfect.
Character Development is good for all important characters.
Research is evident in the story’s complex details.
The plot is complex, intense, and fast paced.
I enjoyed Hanging Softly in the Night and highly recommend it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Day of the Tiger
Author Dallas Gorham
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
313 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 5 - 2021
Posted 2/6/2021
My impressions: violence, drugs, prostitutes, human trafficking, kidnapping, good cop, diabolical criminals.
Main Characters:
Carlos McCrary – ex detective, P.I.
Thomas “Tank” Tyler – retired football player, CPA, multi-millionaire.
Al Rice – destitute gambler, disgraced football player, irresponsible bum.
Doraleen Rice, Al’s mother.
Montgomery “Monster” Moffett – violent criminal
Al Rice is a drunken, drug addicted misfit with a past that haunts him and pushes him into escapism. In a stupid move, he swore on his mother’s life to repay a two hundred thousand dollar gambling debt he had no means of paying. The bad buy, Monster Moffett took Al at his word and set about collecting the money he was owed.
Day of the Tiger is a wild and dangerous ride into the world of drugs, forced prostitution, and strippers as Carlos and his friend Tank attempt to extricate Al from a sadistic criminal.
Some of the actions have to be read as tongue in cheek as the good guys would never get away with them in real life. They’d be caught and prosecuted the same as the crooks they chase. But it makes a fun, exciting read.
There is little cursing and no graphic sexual content.
I enjoyed reading Day of the Tiger and recommend it for fans of crime stories.
The editing and sentence structure are excellent, professional grade.
Character Development was in depth for the main characters.
The plot is intense, full of conflict and compelling.
The writing style is laid back and dwells a lot on friendships.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author Dallas Gorham
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
313 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 5 - 2021
Posted 2/6/2021
My impressions: violence, drugs, prostitutes, human trafficking, kidnapping, good cop, diabolical criminals.
Main Characters:
Carlos McCrary – ex detective, P.I.
Thomas “Tank” Tyler – retired football player, CPA, multi-millionaire.
Al Rice – destitute gambler, disgraced football player, irresponsible bum.
Doraleen Rice, Al’s mother.
Montgomery “Monster” Moffett – violent criminal
Al Rice is a drunken, drug addicted misfit with a past that haunts him and pushes him into escapism. In a stupid move, he swore on his mother’s life to repay a two hundred thousand dollar gambling debt he had no means of paying. The bad buy, Monster Moffett took Al at his word and set about collecting the money he was owed.
Day of the Tiger is a wild and dangerous ride into the world of drugs, forced prostitution, and strippers as Carlos and his friend Tank attempt to extricate Al from a sadistic criminal.
Some of the actions have to be read as tongue in cheek as the good guys would never get away with them in real life. They’d be caught and prosecuted the same as the crooks they chase. But it makes a fun, exciting read.
There is little cursing and no graphic sexual content.
I enjoyed reading Day of the Tiger and recommend it for fans of crime stories.
The editing and sentence structure are excellent, professional grade.
Character Development was in depth for the main characters.
The plot is intense, full of conflict and compelling.
The writing style is laid back and dwells a lot on friendships.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Only Gold
Author – Ethan Luke
Genre – Thriller
221 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 06 – 2021
Posted 1/30/2021
My impressions: gory, violent, excessive, loving relationship, redemption.
The main characters:
Atilius – a low-life thief with goodness buried deep within him.
Diana – an angelic female on earth to show Atilius the way to true love.
Braxes – evil incarnate, wealthy merchant and owner of slaves he feeds to the fighting pits for profit.
Early in the story Atilius steals from Braxes, is beaten nearly to death and left in a muddy alley to die. Diana finds him, nurses him back to health and they slowly fall in love.
Then after a devastating personal loss the story goes into overdrive when Atilius sells himself to Braxes to be a slave and fight in the pits. Is he only seeking death, or does he aspire to absolution? For over a year he fights and wins in one bloody, brutal match after another as he learns to care for and defend a small circle of fellow slave gladiators.
Even as he survives the brutality of the fighting pits to provide entertainment to the repulsive spectators who encourage the beastly acts inflicted on the armed combatants, he manages to incur the wrath of Braxes.
I recommend this story except for those who can't stomach the thought of hacking, stabbing, burning and other acts to maim or kill human beings.
The book's editing and sentence structure are very good.
Character development in The Only Gold is insightful and gritty.
Details and research are thorough and reflect the times of gladiators perfectly.
The plot is intense and convoluted and keeps the reader guessing as to what could possibly happen next.
The writing style is intense and carries the reader from despair to exhilaration and down again in a continuous circle.
The only failing I found was the identical scars inflicted on both Atilius and Diana when they were very young; it was never explained how that came to be or the connection between them.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Ethan Luke
Genre – Thriller
221 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 06 – 2021
Posted 1/30/2021
My impressions: gory, violent, excessive, loving relationship, redemption.
The main characters:
Atilius – a low-life thief with goodness buried deep within him.
Diana – an angelic female on earth to show Atilius the way to true love.
Braxes – evil incarnate, wealthy merchant and owner of slaves he feeds to the fighting pits for profit.
Early in the story Atilius steals from Braxes, is beaten nearly to death and left in a muddy alley to die. Diana finds him, nurses him back to health and they slowly fall in love.
Then after a devastating personal loss the story goes into overdrive when Atilius sells himself to Braxes to be a slave and fight in the pits. Is he only seeking death, or does he aspire to absolution? For over a year he fights and wins in one bloody, brutal match after another as he learns to care for and defend a small circle of fellow slave gladiators.
Even as he survives the brutality of the fighting pits to provide entertainment to the repulsive spectators who encourage the beastly acts inflicted on the armed combatants, he manages to incur the wrath of Braxes.
I recommend this story except for those who can't stomach the thought of hacking, stabbing, burning and other acts to maim or kill human beings.
The book's editing and sentence structure are very good.
Character development in The Only Gold is insightful and gritty.
Details and research are thorough and reflect the times of gladiators perfectly.
The plot is intense and convoluted and keeps the reader guessing as to what could possibly happen next.
The writing style is intense and carries the reader from despair to exhilaration and down again in a continuous circle.
The only failing I found was the identical scars inflicted on both Atilius and Diana when they were very young; it was never explained how that came to be or the connection between them.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Unnatural
Author – Deven Green
Genre – Medical Thriller, Romance
Word Count - 85900
Rating – Four stars out of Five
No. 04 - 2021
Posted 1/22/2021
My Impressions: Foreign intrigue, conflict, frequent action, romance.
Main Characters:
Erica Rosen M.D. – pediatrician.
Daisy Wong – Friend of Erica and co-conspirator.
Ms. Ting Chen – Chinese national with three children Wang Shu, Tang, Mingyu).
Lim Chen – Ting’s brother and a rebel against gene modification.
Ebba Lindgren – Friend and enabler of Ting Chen.
Dr. Erica Rosen treats Ting Chen’s daughter, Wang Shu, and notices the child has blue eyes. She assumes the child’s father is Caucasian. Later Ting’s three-year-old son, Tang is brought in after being hit by a car. Tests reveal he has abnormal hemoglobin levels. Ting insist Chinese assassins attacked the boy to murder him. No one believes her until a Chinese man posing as a doctor tries to get close to the boy. Ting pulls a gun on him and he runs off with a hostage. Later they learn the doctor whose I.D. badge the assassin stole was murdered.
Erica learns horrible details about what the Chinese government is doing to dominate the Olympics in the future. Their goal is to create super athletes to dominate all major sports categories. During the discussions, Erica learns Ting has a third child who is four-months-old and is still held in China. Ting was impregnated against her will with sperm from the head of the gene modification program for all three of her children.
Erica and Daisy plot to sneak into China, meet Lim, steal Ting’s second son, and record evidence of the illegal medical program. From there the conflict is intense and the action frequent. Along the way Erica and Lim become lovers and the story ends on a cliff hanger that will lead into book two.
During long dissertation of genes, DNA, and RNA, I skipped ahead because I found the details too technical and boring.
The story has an abundance of evil communist party members, assassins, and even pirates.
The editing and sentence structure are subpar and need help.
Character Development is thorough
Details are plentiful and research of gene sequencing and modification is evident.
The plot is fresh and horrifying.
The writing style is a bit slow with a lot of hand ringing and gnashing of teeth.
I enjoyed Unnatural in spite of the negatives listed.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Deven Green
Genre – Medical Thriller, Romance
Word Count - 85900
Rating – Four stars out of Five
No. 04 - 2021
Posted 1/22/2021
My Impressions: Foreign intrigue, conflict, frequent action, romance.
Main Characters:
Erica Rosen M.D. – pediatrician.
Daisy Wong – Friend of Erica and co-conspirator.
Ms. Ting Chen – Chinese national with three children Wang Shu, Tang, Mingyu).
Lim Chen – Ting’s brother and a rebel against gene modification.
Ebba Lindgren – Friend and enabler of Ting Chen.
Dr. Erica Rosen treats Ting Chen’s daughter, Wang Shu, and notices the child has blue eyes. She assumes the child’s father is Caucasian. Later Ting’s three-year-old son, Tang is brought in after being hit by a car. Tests reveal he has abnormal hemoglobin levels. Ting insist Chinese assassins attacked the boy to murder him. No one believes her until a Chinese man posing as a doctor tries to get close to the boy. Ting pulls a gun on him and he runs off with a hostage. Later they learn the doctor whose I.D. badge the assassin stole was murdered.
Erica learns horrible details about what the Chinese government is doing to dominate the Olympics in the future. Their goal is to create super athletes to dominate all major sports categories. During the discussions, Erica learns Ting has a third child who is four-months-old and is still held in China. Ting was impregnated against her will with sperm from the head of the gene modification program for all three of her children.
Erica and Daisy plot to sneak into China, meet Lim, steal Ting’s second son, and record evidence of the illegal medical program. From there the conflict is intense and the action frequent. Along the way Erica and Lim become lovers and the story ends on a cliff hanger that will lead into book two.
During long dissertation of genes, DNA, and RNA, I skipped ahead because I found the details too technical and boring.
The story has an abundance of evil communist party members, assassins, and even pirates.
The editing and sentence structure are subpar and need help.
Character Development is thorough
Details are plentiful and research of gene sequencing and modification is evident.
The plot is fresh and horrifying.
The writing style is a bit slow with a lot of hand ringing and gnashing of teeth.
I enjoyed Unnatural in spite of the negatives listed.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
