Title – Surrogate
Author – Regis Sheehan
Genre – Thriller
298 Amazon Pages
No. 10 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 3/27/2020
'Bear' – Paul Michael Medved – Special Forces warrior – undercover cop.
Bear is the main character in this story which also fits well in the Action/Adventure genre. There is a large cast of supporting characters, but none approach main character status.
In the military, Bear advanced to the bad assed group known as SOG, Studies and Observations Group of the Military Assistance Command - Vietnam. The covert military unit ran clandestine operations in Laos and North Vietnam. Their kill rate was high, and their casualty rate was just as high.
After the military, Bear was engrained in undercover narcotics work in Pittsburg until he accepted an assignment with the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency in Florida. DEA agent Lara McMillan headed a team intent on bringing ultra violent Haitian drug lord Herve Villafranca to justice. But to do that he needed to be enticed to step foot on American soil.
Bear wound up in Haiti and met Villafranca's sister, Ileana a key player in Villafranca's take down.
The action was intense as Bear infiltrated the drug lord's empire where his undercover role could be exposed at any time.
Editing encompassed several missing, extra, misspelled and wrong words but isn't terrible.
I enjoyed this story and recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Regis Sheehan
Genre – Thriller
298 Amazon Pages
No. 10 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 3/27/2020
'Bear' – Paul Michael Medved – Special Forces warrior – undercover cop.
Bear is the main character in this story which also fits well in the Action/Adventure genre. There is a large cast of supporting characters, but none approach main character status.
In the military, Bear advanced to the bad assed group known as SOG, Studies and Observations Group of the Military Assistance Command - Vietnam. The covert military unit ran clandestine operations in Laos and North Vietnam. Their kill rate was high, and their casualty rate was just as high.
After the military, Bear was engrained in undercover narcotics work in Pittsburg until he accepted an assignment with the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency in Florida. DEA agent Lara McMillan headed a team intent on bringing ultra violent Haitian drug lord Herve Villafranca to justice. But to do that he needed to be enticed to step foot on American soil.
Bear wound up in Haiti and met Villafranca's sister, Ileana a key player in Villafranca's take down.
The action was intense as Bear infiltrated the drug lord's empire where his undercover role could be exposed at any time.
Editing encompassed several missing, extra, misspelled and wrong words but isn't terrible.
I enjoyed this story and recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Faithless Elector
Author – James McCrone
Genre – Suspense, Thriller, Political
191 Amazon Pages
No. 09 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 3/20/2020
Main Characters
Duncan Calder, age 47, is a professor of Political Science. He teaches American Politics at the Univ. of Washington at Seattle.
Imogen Trager age 35, is a FBI agent and a past student of Prof. Calder.
Matthew Yamashita is a grad student under Calder.
Jerry Ingram is a friend of Matthew's and a reporter for the Washington Post.
Matthew Yamashita has a project to track how individual members of the Electoral College vote. When seven of those delegates die in accidents in a two month period, he suspects a conspiracy is in play to shift the election results for the next President of the USA. He contacts his friend Jerry Ingram to look into his allegations. The next day Jerry dies in a car wreck.
Then Matthew is 'accidentally' run over while on his bicycle.
Duncan is then drawn into the thriller when Matthew's keys and his laptop computer are both unexpectedly missing from the accident site as are other articles from Matthew's room.
Soon Duncan experiences break ins at his home and office and suspects he is under surveillance by someone.
Out of desperation, he contacts the only person he knows at the FBI, Imogen Trager.
Then the plot becomes even more intense as the action escalates non-stop with the bad guys chasing Duncan and Imogen at every turn.
The editing, sentence structure and character development are good.
There was one issue with continuity: when Duncan went to visit the character Novaczeck he signed the log book at the guard station at the entrance. Yet no one knew who the unknown visitor was for quite some time.
I enjoyed this story, and the plot involving the little understood political angle was fresh and unusual.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – James McCrone
Genre – Suspense, Thriller, Political
191 Amazon Pages
No. 09 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 3/20/2020
Main Characters
Duncan Calder, age 47, is a professor of Political Science. He teaches American Politics at the Univ. of Washington at Seattle.
Imogen Trager age 35, is a FBI agent and a past student of Prof. Calder.
Matthew Yamashita is a grad student under Calder.
Jerry Ingram is a friend of Matthew's and a reporter for the Washington Post.
Matthew Yamashita has a project to track how individual members of the Electoral College vote. When seven of those delegates die in accidents in a two month period, he suspects a conspiracy is in play to shift the election results for the next President of the USA. He contacts his friend Jerry Ingram to look into his allegations. The next day Jerry dies in a car wreck.
Then Matthew is 'accidentally' run over while on his bicycle.
Duncan is then drawn into the thriller when Matthew's keys and his laptop computer are both unexpectedly missing from the accident site as are other articles from Matthew's room.
Soon Duncan experiences break ins at his home and office and suspects he is under surveillance by someone.
Out of desperation, he contacts the only person he knows at the FBI, Imogen Trager.
Then the plot becomes even more intense as the action escalates non-stop with the bad guys chasing Duncan and Imogen at every turn.
The editing, sentence structure and character development are good.
There was one issue with continuity: when Duncan went to visit the character Novaczeck he signed the log book at the guard station at the entrance. Yet no one knew who the unknown visitor was for quite some time.
I enjoyed this story, and the plot involving the little understood political angle was fresh and unusual.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Armor #1 The Battle of North Africa
Author – Craig DiLouie
Genre – Military
Word Count 41,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. – 08- 2020
Posted 3/14/2020
My Impressions: All the bloody horrors of war are on display here.
Main Characters:
Sgt. John Austin – tank commander
PFC Anthony Russo – tank driver
PFC Amos Swanson – main gun loader
PFC Eugene Clay – assistant driver and .30 caliber bow gunner
Corporal Charles Wade - gunner
Tank 34 affectionately known as ‘Boomer’ is an M-4 Sherman tank in company ‘B’ of the third platoon of the 1st armored Division, 6th armored Regiment, 1st Battalion. The story is set in Africa in WWII. where the tanks go up against Rommel’s tank forces. German troops have larger tanks and more powerful armament.
The story is a fictional account of a green bunch of men struggling to work together for the good of the team. All of them, except Sgt. Austin, question what the hell made them volunteer to be there. Weather conditions are grim, senior officers are incompetent and the German enemy is capable and shrewd. Amid constant bickering and deep resentment of each other, the group gradually develops into a capable fighting force. An element of coming of age is in the story as the crew learns to appreciate the strengths of other members and to minimize the impact of the verbal jabs they each make.
The editing and sentence structure are fair at best. Commas are the biggest bugaboo, but there are other issues too.
Character development is excellent. I came to know and care for all the main characters.
Details are superb and research is evident.
The plot is based on historical events with fictional characters woven into the story.
If you’re a fan of military action, you’ll likely enjoy the story. If you abhor any mention of war and killing skip it.
The editing issues drag it down to a weak four star rating. It is carried entirely by the story telling and writing.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Craig DiLouie
Genre – Military
Word Count 41,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. – 08- 2020
Posted 3/14/2020
My Impressions: All the bloody horrors of war are on display here.
Main Characters:
Sgt. John Austin – tank commander
PFC Anthony Russo – tank driver
PFC Amos Swanson – main gun loader
PFC Eugene Clay – assistant driver and .30 caliber bow gunner
Corporal Charles Wade - gunner
Tank 34 affectionately known as ‘Boomer’ is an M-4 Sherman tank in company ‘B’ of the third platoon of the 1st armored Division, 6th armored Regiment, 1st Battalion. The story is set in Africa in WWII. where the tanks go up against Rommel’s tank forces. German troops have larger tanks and more powerful armament.
The story is a fictional account of a green bunch of men struggling to work together for the good of the team. All of them, except Sgt. Austin, question what the hell made them volunteer to be there. Weather conditions are grim, senior officers are incompetent and the German enemy is capable and shrewd. Amid constant bickering and deep resentment of each other, the group gradually develops into a capable fighting force. An element of coming of age is in the story as the crew learns to appreciate the strengths of other members and to minimize the impact of the verbal jabs they each make.
The editing and sentence structure are fair at best. Commas are the biggest bugaboo, but there are other issues too.
Character development is excellent. I came to know and care for all the main characters.
Details are superb and research is evident.
The plot is based on historical events with fictional characters woven into the story.
If you’re a fan of military action, you’ll likely enjoy the story. If you abhor any mention of war and killing skip it.
The editing issues drag it down to a weak four star rating. It is carried entirely by the story telling and writing.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Forbidden Rescue
Author – Edward T. Milligan
Genre – Detective Thriller
Word Count 58,500
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 07-2020
Posted 3/6/2020
My Impressions: Action filled, unrequited love, inept authorities.
Main Characters:
Blake Cutter – Federal agent with the State Bureau of Investigation in Georgia.
Alex McBain- Blake’s best friend and fellow agent.
Penelope Lane – Lead suspect in the murders of two people. Blake is in love with her.
The previous book Past the Line ended with Penelope Lane falling from a seven story building.
Forbidden Rescue opens with Penelope in the hospital ICU receiving emergency surgeries for the injuries she sustained. Before she can be released, the hospital is attacked, and she is taken prisoner by Blake’s nemesis mobster Bennie DeSalvo
Blake pressures his supervisors to let him lead a hostage rescue mission to save the woman he loves. Eventually he is turned down and takes matters into his own hands. He persuades a group of agents and police officers to assist him in an unauthorized raid on a warehouse complex where Penelope is held captive. The raid goes badly but Penelope is freed.
After her release from the hospital and then a trial for murder, Penelope is remanded to a psychiatric hospital for twenty years.
Blake is still drawn to her and assumes personal responsibility for her safety. She believes the mob is still after her and Blake is torn to decide whether she is paranoid or if there is a real threat.
Blake goes off the deep end is suspended after taking steps to free her from confinement.
From there the story become even more intense.
The editing, sentence structure, and character development are well done.
The plot is intense and continues the story from the initial book.
There is some minor cursing.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Edward T. Milligan
Genre – Detective Thriller
Word Count 58,500
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 07-2020
Posted 3/6/2020
My Impressions: Action filled, unrequited love, inept authorities.
Main Characters:
Blake Cutter – Federal agent with the State Bureau of Investigation in Georgia.
Alex McBain- Blake’s best friend and fellow agent.
Penelope Lane – Lead suspect in the murders of two people. Blake is in love with her.
The previous book Past the Line ended with Penelope Lane falling from a seven story building.
Forbidden Rescue opens with Penelope in the hospital ICU receiving emergency surgeries for the injuries she sustained. Before she can be released, the hospital is attacked, and she is taken prisoner by Blake’s nemesis mobster Bennie DeSalvo
Blake pressures his supervisors to let him lead a hostage rescue mission to save the woman he loves. Eventually he is turned down and takes matters into his own hands. He persuades a group of agents and police officers to assist him in an unauthorized raid on a warehouse complex where Penelope is held captive. The raid goes badly but Penelope is freed.
After her release from the hospital and then a trial for murder, Penelope is remanded to a psychiatric hospital for twenty years.
Blake is still drawn to her and assumes personal responsibility for her safety. She believes the mob is still after her and Blake is torn to decide whether she is paranoid or if there is a real threat.
Blake goes off the deep end is suspended after taking steps to free her from confinement.
From there the story become even more intense.
The editing, sentence structure, and character development are well done.
The plot is intense and continues the story from the initial book.
There is some minor cursing.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title –The Deadly Puzzle
Author – D.B. Silvis
Genre – MST
287 Amazon Pages, 85,879 words
No. 06 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 2/28/2020
There is occasional cursing and sexual situations plus extreme violence. If you are adverse to those don't read it. If you choose to read it, don't give it a low review rating for the reasons cautioned here. You were clearly warned.
My impressions: gory, lots of violence, blood and pain, diverse characters.
Main Characters:
Jake Wayde, ex marine, tough P.I.
Donald 'Tiny' Barnes, charter boat captain, Jake's friend.
Betti Dennis, Jake's girlfriend.
Lt. Kelly, peanut addicted Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Policeman.
Dr. Frederick Rhineman, brilliant research chemist, racist, puzzle player.
Puzzle of Death has a large, interesting cast of support characters; there is a U.S. Senator an ambassador, FBI agents, Detroit mobsters, multiple torturers/killers, and Iranian secret agents.
After his death, Dr. Frederick Rhineman sets in motion a complex plot involving his twelve most hated people. They are pitted against each other to collect a prize of ten million dollars and a newly developed chemical formula that many nations would pay extreme amounts of money for. Each of the people the Doctor has a grudge against receives a letter containing a puzzle piece. The person who collects Rhineman's twelve hand cut puzzle pieces with written clues attached is the winner. Or are they?
The plot is complex and has more turns than a coiled rattlesnake. Some of the characters are found to not be what they initially seem.
If you like to read about mean, murderous women there is a goodly dose of those.
I enjoyed the story and recommend it to readers who can stand the stench of violent death.
The lack of professional editing hurts the book's rating. There are missing, extra and misspelled words.
Quotation marks are missing in several instances plus several occurrences of mixed past and present tense.
The plot is excellent, and sentence structure and character development are okay.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – D.B. Silvis
Genre – MST
287 Amazon Pages, 85,879 words
No. 06 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 2/28/2020
There is occasional cursing and sexual situations plus extreme violence. If you are adverse to those don't read it. If you choose to read it, don't give it a low review rating for the reasons cautioned here. You were clearly warned.
My impressions: gory, lots of violence, blood and pain, diverse characters.
Main Characters:
Jake Wayde, ex marine, tough P.I.
Donald 'Tiny' Barnes, charter boat captain, Jake's friend.
Betti Dennis, Jake's girlfriend.
Lt. Kelly, peanut addicted Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Policeman.
Dr. Frederick Rhineman, brilliant research chemist, racist, puzzle player.
Puzzle of Death has a large, interesting cast of support characters; there is a U.S. Senator an ambassador, FBI agents, Detroit mobsters, multiple torturers/killers, and Iranian secret agents.
After his death, Dr. Frederick Rhineman sets in motion a complex plot involving his twelve most hated people. They are pitted against each other to collect a prize of ten million dollars and a newly developed chemical formula that many nations would pay extreme amounts of money for. Each of the people the Doctor has a grudge against receives a letter containing a puzzle piece. The person who collects Rhineman's twelve hand cut puzzle pieces with written clues attached is the winner. Or are they?
The plot is complex and has more turns than a coiled rattlesnake. Some of the characters are found to not be what they initially seem.
If you like to read about mean, murderous women there is a goodly dose of those.
I enjoyed the story and recommend it to readers who can stand the stench of violent death.
The lack of professional editing hurts the book's rating. There are missing, extra and misspelled words.
Quotation marks are missing in several instances plus several occurrences of mixed past and present tense.
The plot is excellent, and sentence structure and character development are okay.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title: Tattoo
Author: JG Alva
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime
320 Pages @ Amazon
No. 05 - 2020
Rating: four stars out of five
Posted 2/22/2020
Tattoo contains some cursing plus torture scenes, necrophilia, and grisly, gory acts of murder.
My impressions: borders on horror, intense, frightening, gruesome, imaginative, well written.
Sutton Mills is the main character, a mysterious enigma who has a knack for locating missing people.
Dr. Robin Sails is a psychotherapist whose sister is abducted, presumably by the Head Hunter.
A serial killer nicknamed The Head Hunter is leaving decapitated, tortured bodies of young women around Bristol, England. Clues from the killer are provided in the form of tattoos inked on the arms of the corpses.
Sutton agrees to search for Dr. Sails abducted sister. Of course, she insists on tagging along and gets in his way at every turn.
As Sutton runs down leads, he is followed then attacked. Then some of the people he contacted and interviewed suddenly disappear. Working with policeman Sean Bocksham gives Sutton access to information he otherwise wouldn't be privy to. The overriding question of the story is whether Sutton will find Robin's sister before she loses her head.
Editing is fair to good; the author consistently uses passed in place of past, a minor easily fixed error if he'd check a dictionary.
Character development is thorough and above average. Details are abundant and the plot, while gruesome and horrifying, is excellent and well thought-out.
Several questions that arise are left unanswered. Near the end Sean questioned why he wasn't alerted of a need for police intervention. Robin had supposedly been calling him frequently, but no explanation was given for the discrepancy.
For readers who aren't turned off by the abundant violence and perversion, I recommend Tattoo for an intense, scary read.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: JG Alva
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime
320 Pages @ Amazon
No. 05 - 2020
Rating: four stars out of five
Posted 2/22/2020
Tattoo contains some cursing plus torture scenes, necrophilia, and grisly, gory acts of murder.
My impressions: borders on horror, intense, frightening, gruesome, imaginative, well written.
Sutton Mills is the main character, a mysterious enigma who has a knack for locating missing people.
Dr. Robin Sails is a psychotherapist whose sister is abducted, presumably by the Head Hunter.
A serial killer nicknamed The Head Hunter is leaving decapitated, tortured bodies of young women around Bristol, England. Clues from the killer are provided in the form of tattoos inked on the arms of the corpses.
Sutton agrees to search for Dr. Sails abducted sister. Of course, she insists on tagging along and gets in his way at every turn.
As Sutton runs down leads, he is followed then attacked. Then some of the people he contacted and interviewed suddenly disappear. Working with policeman Sean Bocksham gives Sutton access to information he otherwise wouldn't be privy to. The overriding question of the story is whether Sutton will find Robin's sister before she loses her head.
Editing is fair to good; the author consistently uses passed in place of past, a minor easily fixed error if he'd check a dictionary.
Character development is thorough and above average. Details are abundant and the plot, while gruesome and horrifying, is excellent and well thought-out.
Several questions that arise are left unanswered. Near the end Sean questioned why he wasn't alerted of a need for police intervention. Robin had supposedly been calling him frequently, but no explanation was given for the discrepancy.
For readers who aren't turned off by the abundant violence and perversion, I recommend Tattoo for an intense, scary read.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title: Blackspoon
Author: Daniel Eagleton
Genre: Thriller
201 pages
No. 04 - 2020
5 stars out of 5.
Posted 2/14/2020
RAF member Charlie Wetherspoon flew from Afghanistan with five kilos of heroin taped to his roiling stomach. He'd agreed to be a drug mule for a fee of $10,000. But then, Charlie got greedy. However, more money wouldn't erase the mess Charlie soon found himself being dragged into. Charlie's pathetic, short sighted focus blinded him to coming events as they exploded around him. Soon he was in the sights of the military, the police, and drug dealers.
The writing style, pace, and slang used in the story are U.K. English. The story telling is crisp and well done while being depressing.
The story is free of obvious editing errors and the plot is dark and dangerous. You can sense from the beginning that things are not going to end well for Charlie's pathetic, dreg of society character.
Charlie and the lazy, crazy sub-characters are well developed to where I'd not want to waste any time getting to know them.
Sentence structure was out of the norm of American English authors but typical and acceptable for UK writing. The plot was fresh and held my interest; but at times I wanted to put the book down because there are no heroes here. Losers and criminals abound, and it was hard to accept the dismal futures of those characters. But those people have a life too, and it was realistically portrayed in Blackspoon.
This review was made in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: Daniel Eagleton
Genre: Thriller
201 pages
No. 04 - 2020
5 stars out of 5.
Posted 2/14/2020
RAF member Charlie Wetherspoon flew from Afghanistan with five kilos of heroin taped to his roiling stomach. He'd agreed to be a drug mule for a fee of $10,000. But then, Charlie got greedy. However, more money wouldn't erase the mess Charlie soon found himself being dragged into. Charlie's pathetic, short sighted focus blinded him to coming events as they exploded around him. Soon he was in the sights of the military, the police, and drug dealers.
The writing style, pace, and slang used in the story are U.K. English. The story telling is crisp and well done while being depressing.
The story is free of obvious editing errors and the plot is dark and dangerous. You can sense from the beginning that things are not going to end well for Charlie's pathetic, dreg of society character.
Charlie and the lazy, crazy sub-characters are well developed to where I'd not want to waste any time getting to know them.
Sentence structure was out of the norm of American English authors but typical and acceptable for UK writing. The plot was fresh and held my interest; but at times I wanted to put the book down because there are no heroes here. Losers and criminals abound, and it was hard to accept the dismal futures of those characters. But those people have a life too, and it was realistically portrayed in Blackspoon.
This review was made in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
,Title: Bad Analysis
Author – Colin Knight
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
326 Pages
No. 03 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 2/8/2020
Craig Wilson is an analyst with Canada's Integrated Terrorism Center
Morris Marshall is the head of the English Defense League, a radical right wing racist organization.
Anthony Mitton-Wells is a highly respected, wealthy, fanatical, domestic terrorist.
My impressions: terrifying, possible, fanatics, high placed domestic terrorist, despicable thugs.
It took a while for me to get into this plot, but then I was engrossed to the end. I even stayed up past midnight to finish it. Racist hatred is the central theme and manipulation of the losers at the bottom of the economy is the means of implementing a major act of violence to rid England of all immigrants, especially Muslims.
Of course, it takes a sick minded but intelligent, wealthy, high placed person or small group of people to put an outrageous plan like this in action, so we have the upper and lower classes uniting in an evil plot.
Craig Wilson is the experienced and respected analyst who has a bureaucrat for a boss instead of a professional who has advanced through the organization gaining a background in what Craig is most proficient at.
The guts of the story lays out Craig's fears of terrorist slipping through their nets due to bad analysis of available information or management's inept, micromanagement of his conclusions. Craig's fears soon prove to be real and he has to put his career on the line to force people above him to listen before thousands of victims are injured or killed.
The plot is well thought out and maintains intensity from start to finish.
The flaws are occasional, common editing errors. If those issues don't turn you off the story gets a 5 star rating based on the strong intense plot. If perfect editing is a must for you, knock the rating down a bit.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Colin Knight
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
326 Pages
No. 03 - 2020
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 2/8/2020
Craig Wilson is an analyst with Canada's Integrated Terrorism Center
Morris Marshall is the head of the English Defense League, a radical right wing racist organization.
Anthony Mitton-Wells is a highly respected, wealthy, fanatical, domestic terrorist.
My impressions: terrifying, possible, fanatics, high placed domestic terrorist, despicable thugs.
It took a while for me to get into this plot, but then I was engrossed to the end. I even stayed up past midnight to finish it. Racist hatred is the central theme and manipulation of the losers at the bottom of the economy is the means of implementing a major act of violence to rid England of all immigrants, especially Muslims.
Of course, it takes a sick minded but intelligent, wealthy, high placed person or small group of people to put an outrageous plan like this in action, so we have the upper and lower classes uniting in an evil plot.
Craig Wilson is the experienced and respected analyst who has a bureaucrat for a boss instead of a professional who has advanced through the organization gaining a background in what Craig is most proficient at.
The guts of the story lays out Craig's fears of terrorist slipping through their nets due to bad analysis of available information or management's inept, micromanagement of his conclusions. Craig's fears soon prove to be real and he has to put his career on the line to force people above him to listen before thousands of victims are injured or killed.
The plot is well thought out and maintains intensity from start to finish.
The flaws are occasional, common editing errors. If those issues don't turn you off the story gets a 5 star rating based on the strong intense plot. If perfect editing is a must for you, knock the rating down a bit.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title: Dead Poor
Author: Ian Wingrove
Genre – Detective, Crime, Thriller, Near Future
286 pages
No. 02 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 2/5/2020
My impressions: futuristic, sci-fi, weird, morally corrupt, self-indulgent, heartless, brilliant, greedy.
Dead Poor has a large cast of characters, most of whom are despicable scoundrels. A small group of elite university brats form The Right Club. They propose to have the government move poor people to secure camps where they can be separated from the 'good people', closely supervised, provided with proper blue collar work, and removed from the welfare rolls.
But when a member of the group experiences violence at the hands of the dregs of society, they enter into a revenge pact that overshadows all of their original goals or ideals. They are then quick to exercise behavior worse and more extreme than that of people they have railed and plotted against.
Dead Poor is well written and, while not perfect, has few editing errors for its length. There are a half dozen each of missing words and wrong words used.
The story is told in two time frames identified by different date systems. That was confusing at first but soon became apparent.
The plot is complex and skips forward and back often enough to befuddle the reader if they don't follow closely.
These characters were well developed and the writing is intelligent and sophisticated.
The plot is fresh and complex as is the writing style.
Since there are elements of futuristic scifi, electronic and mechanical gadgets from the author's imagination are abundant.
Note! There are graphically detailed descriptions of torture that may offend the squeamish.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: Ian Wingrove
Genre – Detective, Crime, Thriller, Near Future
286 pages
No. 02 - 2020
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 2/5/2020
My impressions: futuristic, sci-fi, weird, morally corrupt, self-indulgent, heartless, brilliant, greedy.
Dead Poor has a large cast of characters, most of whom are despicable scoundrels. A small group of elite university brats form The Right Club. They propose to have the government move poor people to secure camps where they can be separated from the 'good people', closely supervised, provided with proper blue collar work, and removed from the welfare rolls.
But when a member of the group experiences violence at the hands of the dregs of society, they enter into a revenge pact that overshadows all of their original goals or ideals. They are then quick to exercise behavior worse and more extreme than that of people they have railed and plotted against.
Dead Poor is well written and, while not perfect, has few editing errors for its length. There are a half dozen each of missing words and wrong words used.
The story is told in two time frames identified by different date systems. That was confusing at first but soon became apparent.
The plot is complex and skips forward and back often enough to befuddle the reader if they don't follow closely.
These characters were well developed and the writing is intelligent and sophisticated.
The plot is fresh and complex as is the writing style.
Since there are elements of futuristic scifi, electronic and mechanical gadgets from the author's imagination are abundant.
Note! There are graphically detailed descriptions of torture that may offend the squeamish.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
The Java Gold
Robert Kingsley
Action, Historical Fiction
244 Pages
No. 01 - 2020
Rating Four stars out of five
Posted 1/12/2020
I enjoyed this war story set in and past WWII in the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas.
The main character is Peter Van der Voort. He is supported by a cast of hundreds, both protagonist and antagonist.
The main story is fiction, but it is wrapped within accurate historical data of the war effort.
The story opens with the precursors to the defeat of the Dutch land and naval forces by the superior and ruthless Japanese wave that rolled over the entire region.
Peter is introduced when he and his flight crew are hand picked to sneak a precious cargo out of Java ahead of the invading Japanese army. But through a series of mishaps, bad planning, and unexpected causalities his mission goes awry, and he ditches the valuable cargo. From that point on there is one harrowing adventure after another.
Peter is separated from his lover Lizzie as they experience danger, discrimination, and betrayal. But both endure and manage to continue well past the end of the war.
Character development is good especially considering the large cast of characters. The plot is complex and the author's attention to details and research are exemplary.
There are a few minor editing errors, mostly missing words, and a few instances where past and present tense are mingled in the same sentences. Overall, the editing is good but not flawless.
I highly recommend this story for action/adventure and WWII fans.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews
Robert Kingsley
Action, Historical Fiction
244 Pages
No. 01 - 2020
Rating Four stars out of five
Posted 1/12/2020
I enjoyed this war story set in and past WWII in the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas.
The main character is Peter Van der Voort. He is supported by a cast of hundreds, both protagonist and antagonist.
The main story is fiction, but it is wrapped within accurate historical data of the war effort.
The story opens with the precursors to the defeat of the Dutch land and naval forces by the superior and ruthless Japanese wave that rolled over the entire region.
Peter is introduced when he and his flight crew are hand picked to sneak a precious cargo out of Java ahead of the invading Japanese army. But through a series of mishaps, bad planning, and unexpected causalities his mission goes awry, and he ditches the valuable cargo. From that point on there is one harrowing adventure after another.
Peter is separated from his lover Lizzie as they experience danger, discrimination, and betrayal. But both endure and manage to continue well past the end of the war.
Character development is good especially considering the large cast of characters. The plot is complex and the author's attention to details and research are exemplary.
There are a few minor editing errors, mostly missing words, and a few instances where past and present tense are mingled in the same sentences. Overall, the editing is good but not flawless.
I highly recommend this story for action/adventure and WWII fans.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews
Title: The Quiet Ones
Author: Betsy Reavley
Genre: Psychological Thriller
58,000 Words
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 44 – 2019
Posted: 12/27/2019
My overall impressions: dark, morbid, sulking, dirty, psychotic, slovenly, weird, haunting, irresponsible.
Josie is a slender thirty six year old ginger haired, lazy slob married to Charlie Brewers. He is the more stable and reliable of the two and is twenty years her senior. From the beginning I didn't like Josie. Her mood changes were erratic, sudden and extreme. The slightest negative thought or deed set off her self-centered bitch behavior. I mostly felt sorry for Charlie and wondered how he could stand to stay with her.
At halfway through the book, I questioned why I was continuing to plow through the ugly repetitive scenes. At about three quarters of the book the real story began to unfold, but it isn't pretty.
Josie was adopted at birth by a wealthy family. Problems there shaped and scarred her teen and adult life.
When Josie and her birth mother Ailene finally met it opened a whole new set of insecurities and new issues for her to deal with. Of course, in most cases she lashed out and dealt with the problems as the emotional wreck she was. At this point my interest piqued and I was eager to learn more. The only break in continuity I noted was here. Why didn't Ailene recognize Charlie's full name? I would have thought it was burned into her memory.
From there on the plot held surprising twist and turns and left me wondering how any sane person could continue to function under the burden of Josie's past. The answer is, a sane person couldn't cope with it. By then I understood why the author had spent so much time building Josie's character and painting the picture of her that evolved.
I won't give The Quiet Ones a strong recommendation, but it is a good read for those who can stand the morbidity.
Those who don't want cursing or perversion in the books they read should skip this. Many F- bombs are thrown and incest plays a large part in shaping Josie's mental state.
The writing style is harsh and intense and character development is thorough to the point of being overpowering. Abundant research is evident in the details entwined throughout the plot.
On the negative side, editing is fair with missing, misspelled and wrong words used. It's definitely not terrible, but it's not without fault.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: Betsy Reavley
Genre: Psychological Thriller
58,000 Words
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 44 – 2019
Posted: 12/27/2019
My overall impressions: dark, morbid, sulking, dirty, psychotic, slovenly, weird, haunting, irresponsible.
Josie is a slender thirty six year old ginger haired, lazy slob married to Charlie Brewers. He is the more stable and reliable of the two and is twenty years her senior. From the beginning I didn't like Josie. Her mood changes were erratic, sudden and extreme. The slightest negative thought or deed set off her self-centered bitch behavior. I mostly felt sorry for Charlie and wondered how he could stand to stay with her.
At halfway through the book, I questioned why I was continuing to plow through the ugly repetitive scenes. At about three quarters of the book the real story began to unfold, but it isn't pretty.
Josie was adopted at birth by a wealthy family. Problems there shaped and scarred her teen and adult life.
When Josie and her birth mother Ailene finally met it opened a whole new set of insecurities and new issues for her to deal with. Of course, in most cases she lashed out and dealt with the problems as the emotional wreck she was. At this point my interest piqued and I was eager to learn more. The only break in continuity I noted was here. Why didn't Ailene recognize Charlie's full name? I would have thought it was burned into her memory.
From there on the plot held surprising twist and turns and left me wondering how any sane person could continue to function under the burden of Josie's past. The answer is, a sane person couldn't cope with it. By then I understood why the author had spent so much time building Josie's character and painting the picture of her that evolved.
I won't give The Quiet Ones a strong recommendation, but it is a good read for those who can stand the morbidity.
Those who don't want cursing or perversion in the books they read should skip this. Many F- bombs are thrown and incest plays a large part in shaping Josie's mental state.
The writing style is harsh and intense and character development is thorough to the point of being overpowering. Abundant research is evident in the details entwined throughout the plot.
On the negative side, editing is fair with missing, misspelled and wrong words used. It's definitely not terrible, but it's not without fault.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Final Absolution
Author – John Fike
Genre – Thriller
Word Count 70,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 45 - 2019
Posted 12/20/2019
My Impressions: Dark plot, no hero’s or winners
Main Characters:
John – Young man with high potential who enters the priesthood after a devastating personal loss.
Dave – John’s best friend who becomes a drug runner, then a boss.
Maria – John’s girlfriend and crucial pawn as the story unfolds.
Red – A sassy redhead whose inquisitiveness marks her for death.
Final Absolution is a dark glimpse at life in the inner city. Unfortunately there are no winners in this story. If you’re looking for heroes or salvation look elsewhere. But that doesn’t mean the story isn’t intriguing; it held my interest as I read on to see what life would dump on the main characters next. And dump it did.
Dave’s greed causes him to ignore his inner warnings when he falls in with Mr. Cain—remember the biblical characters Cain and Abel—an evil drug boss. Under pressure of being framed for a murder he didn’t commit; Dave is ordered to kill a young woman who eavesdropped on him and Mr. Cain and witnessed a handgun being passed to Dave.
The attempted murder occurs but has unintended consequences involving Dave and his best friend John.
John is devastated by the third death in a year of a person he loved deeply. Finally he recovers his composure and trains to be a Catholic priest. But John’s mind can’t put the loss of the last person he loved behind him and he suffers horribly.
The editing and sentence structure are the only flaws of this intriguing tale, and it’s not terrible.
Character development is in depth and paints vivid portraits of the main characters.
The plot is a bit quirky
I strongly recommend Final Absolution for all readers of the Thriller genre.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – John Fike
Genre – Thriller
Word Count 70,000
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 45 - 2019
Posted 12/20/2019
My Impressions: Dark plot, no hero’s or winners
Main Characters:
John – Young man with high potential who enters the priesthood after a devastating personal loss.
Dave – John’s best friend who becomes a drug runner, then a boss.
Maria – John’s girlfriend and crucial pawn as the story unfolds.
Red – A sassy redhead whose inquisitiveness marks her for death.
Final Absolution is a dark glimpse at life in the inner city. Unfortunately there are no winners in this story. If you’re looking for heroes or salvation look elsewhere. But that doesn’t mean the story isn’t intriguing; it held my interest as I read on to see what life would dump on the main characters next. And dump it did.
Dave’s greed causes him to ignore his inner warnings when he falls in with Mr. Cain—remember the biblical characters Cain and Abel—an evil drug boss. Under pressure of being framed for a murder he didn’t commit; Dave is ordered to kill a young woman who eavesdropped on him and Mr. Cain and witnessed a handgun being passed to Dave.
The attempted murder occurs but has unintended consequences involving Dave and his best friend John.
John is devastated by the third death in a year of a person he loved deeply. Finally he recovers his composure and trains to be a Catholic priest. But John’s mind can’t put the loss of the last person he loved behind him and he suffers horribly.
The editing and sentence structure are the only flaws of this intriguing tale, and it’s not terrible.
Character development is in depth and paints vivid portraits of the main characters.
The plot is a bit quirky
I strongly recommend Final Absolution for all readers of the Thriller genre.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Measure of Ella
Author – Toni Bird Jones
Genre – Action/Adventure, Thriller
Word Count 94,000
Rating Five stars out of five
No. 41 - 2019
Posted 12-13-2019
My Impressions: Excellent sea story with smuggling, murder, and betrayal
Main Characters:
Ella Morgan – Chef and ship’s cook.
Rich – Entomologist and ship’s captain when delivering boats or smuggling drugs.
Davis – Man of mystery and Emma’s lover.
Carlos and Burke – Misfits signed on as crew with Rich and Ella.
Ella Morgan counted on funds from the sale of her dead father’s tugboat to make her dream of opening her own restaurant a reality. She is devastated to learn the boat has fallen into extreme disrepair during her father’s last years and is now worthless.
She has served as the ship’s cook and deck hand on boats being delivered to their owners. Along with the news of her evaporated inheritance, she learns Davis her lover had been murdered by pirates as he was sailing a boat back to the U.S while smuggling drugs.
Unfortunately for Ella, she is naive and trusting and doesn’t recognize the danger of the people she had made friends with. When Rich queries her about joining him on a drug run, she adamantly refuses. But then she has second thoughts; her dream of owing an upscale restaurant causes her to ignore the danger and agree to make the drug run.
Ella quickly learns the dangers involved in multimillion dollar drug smuggling and glimpses the extreme betrayal committed by people she thought were no threat.
The accounts of the crew’s experiences during major storms are well written and exciting.
The editing and sentence structure are excellent with only minor issues.
Character Development is clear and detailed.
The story’s plot is detailed and weaves the writer’s past experience and research into a gripping, action filled tale.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Toni Bird Jones
Genre – Action/Adventure, Thriller
Word Count 94,000
Rating Five stars out of five
No. 41 - 2019
Posted 12-13-2019
My Impressions: Excellent sea story with smuggling, murder, and betrayal
Main Characters:
Ella Morgan – Chef and ship’s cook.
Rich – Entomologist and ship’s captain when delivering boats or smuggling drugs.
Davis – Man of mystery and Emma’s lover.
Carlos and Burke – Misfits signed on as crew with Rich and Ella.
Ella Morgan counted on funds from the sale of her dead father’s tugboat to make her dream of opening her own restaurant a reality. She is devastated to learn the boat has fallen into extreme disrepair during her father’s last years and is now worthless.
She has served as the ship’s cook and deck hand on boats being delivered to their owners. Along with the news of her evaporated inheritance, she learns Davis her lover had been murdered by pirates as he was sailing a boat back to the U.S while smuggling drugs.
Unfortunately for Ella, she is naive and trusting and doesn’t recognize the danger of the people she had made friends with. When Rich queries her about joining him on a drug run, she adamantly refuses. But then she has second thoughts; her dream of owing an upscale restaurant causes her to ignore the danger and agree to make the drug run.
Ella quickly learns the dangers involved in multimillion dollar drug smuggling and glimpses the extreme betrayal committed by people she thought were no threat.
The accounts of the crew’s experiences during major storms are well written and exciting.
The editing and sentence structure are excellent with only minor issues.
Character Development is clear and detailed.
The story’s plot is detailed and weaves the writer’s past experience and research into a gripping, action filled tale.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Crossing the Line
Author – Joy Slaughter
Genre – Action Adventure-Medical, Romance
Word Count 82,000
Rating Four stars out of five
No. 40 - 2019
Posted 12/7/2019
My Impressions: Well written, girly romance
Main Characters:
Megan Henderson – EMT, married to abusive husband Todd.
Nathan Thompson – EMT, War veteran, amputee, Megan’s good friend/ boyfriend.
Todd Henderson – Policeman, Megan’s abusive husband.
Several other support characters.
Although I strictly avoid reading romance novels, I started this based on it being presented as an action/ adventure story. It is first and foremost a romance story with some action scenes. The story is well written in spite of a number of editing errors. But it is still better than many self-published novels by indie authors.
Megan Henderson is in a dangerous marriage with an abusive police officer. Todd is both physically and mentally abusive. Megan stays in the marriage because of a loyalty pledge she feels a need to fulfill.
Nathan Thompson enters her life as her EMS partner. She and the other emergency response personnel are concerned Nathan won’t be able to carry his end of the load in stressful and physically demanding situations.
Megan and Nathan are much alike in that both are fighting personal demons alone while trying to work a stressful job. Nathan’s military experiences still haunt him through PTSD attacks. Soon they learn to rely on each other, and situations put them in close contact where feelings for each other bloom.
Then they go through numerous up and downs where Megan suffers with guilt for cheating on her husband and Nathan encourages her to leave the marriage relationship and give herself over to him. Back and forth, indecision, guilt, etc.
Many females like this genre, but I find it boring. If a person is in a bad situation, get out of it and start over before the abuser commits murder.
The editing and sentence structure are not terrible but there are issues.
Character Development is good with detailed descriptions of who and what the characters are.
Medical and EMS details exhibit professional knowledge or well organized research.
The plot is standard boy meets girl, girl rejects boy, yada, yada yada.
In spite of my dislike for this genre I judged it truthfully and honestly and gave it a good rating because it is well written.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Joy Slaughter
Genre – Action Adventure-Medical, Romance
Word Count 82,000
Rating Four stars out of five
No. 40 - 2019
Posted 12/7/2019
My Impressions: Well written, girly romance
Main Characters:
Megan Henderson – EMT, married to abusive husband Todd.
Nathan Thompson – EMT, War veteran, amputee, Megan’s good friend/ boyfriend.
Todd Henderson – Policeman, Megan’s abusive husband.
Several other support characters.
Although I strictly avoid reading romance novels, I started this based on it being presented as an action/ adventure story. It is first and foremost a romance story with some action scenes. The story is well written in spite of a number of editing errors. But it is still better than many self-published novels by indie authors.
Megan Henderson is in a dangerous marriage with an abusive police officer. Todd is both physically and mentally abusive. Megan stays in the marriage because of a loyalty pledge she feels a need to fulfill.
Nathan Thompson enters her life as her EMS partner. She and the other emergency response personnel are concerned Nathan won’t be able to carry his end of the load in stressful and physically demanding situations.
Megan and Nathan are much alike in that both are fighting personal demons alone while trying to work a stressful job. Nathan’s military experiences still haunt him through PTSD attacks. Soon they learn to rely on each other, and situations put them in close contact where feelings for each other bloom.
Then they go through numerous up and downs where Megan suffers with guilt for cheating on her husband and Nathan encourages her to leave the marriage relationship and give herself over to him. Back and forth, indecision, guilt, etc.
Many females like this genre, but I find it boring. If a person is in a bad situation, get out of it and start over before the abuser commits murder.
The editing and sentence structure are not terrible but there are issues.
Character Development is good with detailed descriptions of who and what the characters are.
Medical and EMS details exhibit professional knowledge or well organized research.
The plot is standard boy meets girl, girl rejects boy, yada, yada yada.
In spite of my dislike for this genre I judged it truthfully and honestly and gave it a good rating because it is well written.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Tropical Doubts
Author – David Myles Robinson
Genre – Legal thriller
Word Count 81,000
Rating five stars out of five
No. 39 - 2019
Posted 11/30/2019
My Impressions: Excellent plot and writing. The story is set in Honolulu Hawaii
Main Characters:
Pancho McMartain – Criminal defense lawyer.
Manny Delacruz – Local farmer and husband of Giselle.
Giselle Delacruz – Poet and wife of Manny. A botched surgery leaves her in a permanent vegetated state.
Drew Tulafono- Investigator and Pancho’s best friend and surfing buddy.
Dr. Padma Dasari – Expert witness and Pahcho’s girlfriend.
Pancho McMartin believes his parents from the sixties hippy generation named him Pancho during an LSD trip. His self-esteem is suffering from the loss of three straight criminal defense cases. Adding to his despair is the loss of the woman he loved because she got a job offer she couldn’t refuse and left him and Hawaii.
But when old and dear friends need help, the husband turns to Pancho to fight a personal injury case. Pancho’s job is made more difficult when his client Manny Delacruz is charged with murdering the doctor Manny feels put his wife in a permanent vegetated state. He even went to the doctor’s office and made threats to harm the doctor shortly before the man was poisoned and died.
A major plot twist closes the story when the doctor’s murderer is revealed.
The story has abundant softcore sex, nothing graphically described, and frequent cursing.
Hawaiian words are used throughout and are not in the dictionary. So the reader is left to guess at the meaning by the context they are used in.
The editing and sentence structure are better than most indie published books but not perfect.
Character development is good for all main characters.
Details show a high level of knowledge or research in the medical and legal fields to produce a realistic and believable plot.
The writing style is fast paced and intriguing.
I enjoyed Tropical Doubt and recommend it. Even with its faults, I was able to stretch and give the story a five rating.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – David Myles Robinson
Genre – Legal thriller
Word Count 81,000
Rating five stars out of five
No. 39 - 2019
Posted 11/30/2019
My Impressions: Excellent plot and writing. The story is set in Honolulu Hawaii
Main Characters:
Pancho McMartain – Criminal defense lawyer.
Manny Delacruz – Local farmer and husband of Giselle.
Giselle Delacruz – Poet and wife of Manny. A botched surgery leaves her in a permanent vegetated state.
Drew Tulafono- Investigator and Pancho’s best friend and surfing buddy.
Dr. Padma Dasari – Expert witness and Pahcho’s girlfriend.
Pancho McMartin believes his parents from the sixties hippy generation named him Pancho during an LSD trip. His self-esteem is suffering from the loss of three straight criminal defense cases. Adding to his despair is the loss of the woman he loved because she got a job offer she couldn’t refuse and left him and Hawaii.
But when old and dear friends need help, the husband turns to Pancho to fight a personal injury case. Pancho’s job is made more difficult when his client Manny Delacruz is charged with murdering the doctor Manny feels put his wife in a permanent vegetated state. He even went to the doctor’s office and made threats to harm the doctor shortly before the man was poisoned and died.
A major plot twist closes the story when the doctor’s murderer is revealed.
The story has abundant softcore sex, nothing graphically described, and frequent cursing.
Hawaiian words are used throughout and are not in the dictionary. So the reader is left to guess at the meaning by the context they are used in.
The editing and sentence structure are better than most indie published books but not perfect.
Character development is good for all main characters.
Details show a high level of knowledge or research in the medical and legal fields to produce a realistic and believable plot.
The writing style is fast paced and intriguing.
I enjoyed Tropical Doubt and recommend it. Even with its faults, I was able to stretch and give the story a five rating.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title: Point of Attraction
Author: Margaret Van Der Wolf
Genre: Mystery and Detective, Cozy
Word Count: 75,950 words
Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5.0
No. 38 - 2019
Posted 11/22/2019
Point of Attraction was a great surprise for me. Not being a fervent reader of cozy romantic stories, I was pleased to find an actual thriller plot that could have stood on it's own without the cozy angle. The two genres came together with feeling, high levels of emotion and action to culminate in an engrossing read.
Georgie Gainsworth is the main character. She owns a beauty solon where she also provides haircuts to men. Her primary hobby is writing novels.
Mason Montgomery is a policeman and aspiring writer who signs up for a writing class.
You can surely imagine where their point of contact begins and where this is going.
Georgie is a widow. She clings to the memory of the perfect husband and her deceased mother. Before her death, the mother made a Raggedy Ann doll for Georgie so she would always remember that her mother was spiritually there for her.
But then the doll is suddenly stolen, Georgie is almost the victim of a hit and run, and the mystery grows and darkens the farther the plot develops.
The cast of charming but chaotic characters are described and developed with precision and feeling. Some of her friends are over the top kooks, but they love Georgie and would protect her with their lives.
The writing style is crisp and descriptive and flows smoothly throughout.
I recommend this book for all who read the mixed genre.
That's the good part, but the book is not without fault in other respects.
That old bugaboo, editing, reared its ugly head and detracted from the overall fine writing. There are missing words, extra words, misspelled words, and misused words. They are not in abundance considering the length of the novel, but they are there and they are noticeable. I suspect this is self edited because silly little errors slipped through: using past for passed, he's for his.
Point of Attraction still deserves a high rating because the plot, the characters, and the writing are strong.
The book is rated 4 stars and I recommend it.
This is an unsolicited review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: Margaret Van Der Wolf
Genre: Mystery and Detective, Cozy
Word Count: 75,950 words
Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5.0
No. 38 - 2019
Posted 11/22/2019
Point of Attraction was a great surprise for me. Not being a fervent reader of cozy romantic stories, I was pleased to find an actual thriller plot that could have stood on it's own without the cozy angle. The two genres came together with feeling, high levels of emotion and action to culminate in an engrossing read.
Georgie Gainsworth is the main character. She owns a beauty solon where she also provides haircuts to men. Her primary hobby is writing novels.
Mason Montgomery is a policeman and aspiring writer who signs up for a writing class.
You can surely imagine where their point of contact begins and where this is going.
Georgie is a widow. She clings to the memory of the perfect husband and her deceased mother. Before her death, the mother made a Raggedy Ann doll for Georgie so she would always remember that her mother was spiritually there for her.
But then the doll is suddenly stolen, Georgie is almost the victim of a hit and run, and the mystery grows and darkens the farther the plot develops.
The cast of charming but chaotic characters are described and developed with precision and feeling. Some of her friends are over the top kooks, but they love Georgie and would protect her with their lives.
The writing style is crisp and descriptive and flows smoothly throughout.
I recommend this book for all who read the mixed genre.
That's the good part, but the book is not without fault in other respects.
That old bugaboo, editing, reared its ugly head and detracted from the overall fine writing. There are missing words, extra words, misspelled words, and misused words. They are not in abundance considering the length of the novel, but they are there and they are noticeable. I suspect this is self edited because silly little errors slipped through: using past for passed, he's for his.
Point of Attraction still deserves a high rating because the plot, the characters, and the writing are strong.
The book is rated 4 stars and I recommend it.
This is an unsolicited review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title: Young Blood
Author: Brett Wallach
Genre - Mystery
128 pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 37 - 2019
Posted: 11/16/2019
This story has so many issues I've had a serious problem rating it. On one hand, the writing and editing are good, but then there's the plot itself. The first half of the book centers on forty-five-year-old Phil Allman trying to rationalize to himself, and to the reader, that chasing after a fifteen-year-old girl doesn't make him a pedophile. Due to my staunch Judeo-Christian upbringing, he lost that argument from the get-go. Phil is an ex-cop and presently has a Private Investigator's license. He works primarily at chasing down cheating spouses.
Since his divorce, Phil's search for a mate has been abysmal. All of his partners, in his eyes, have turned out to be overweight, ugly and stupid. Of course, Phil feels he deserves much better than the rejects he's trolled for on dating sites.
His infatuation for the high school student, Marci, quickly turns to love, and they're soon married with the blessing of her mother. (Mom probably places Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry on pedestals.)
Halfway through the story we finally get to the Mystery portion. As the story progressed, I felt Phil's reactions to the unfolding situation painted him as a weak-kneed wimp, afraid to confront his child bride. He vacillated between 'gonna kill the bastard' to doing nothing.
The young girl refused to discuss any details of the sordid plot she's involved in and our loony protagonist accepted her behavior in the name of unrequited love. Finally, he used his investigative skills to check up on her and learned the identity of the person manipulating his wife.
When the story shifted to oral sex incest by intimidation, Phil finally shifted gears to vigilantism and partially redeemed himself in my eyes.
The subject matter of Young Blood is disturbing, and therein lies the problem. Phil's loving relationship with his Lolita like wife doesn't compare in vileness to a plot involving the abduction, rape, torture and brutal murder of youngsters by a pedophile serial killer. Toward the end, incest was also thrown in on top of Phil's own questionable behavior.
I don't recommend this story for readers easily offended by gutter language, sexual perversion and justifiable murder. But I won't trash it either; there is nothing mechanically wrong with it, and the two lovers eventually rode off into the sunset in their May-September relationship. That's the reason it get's a 4 star rating. My final words are, buyer beware. This is definitely not a story for everyone.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: Brett Wallach
Genre - Mystery
128 pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 37 - 2019
Posted: 11/16/2019
This story has so many issues I've had a serious problem rating it. On one hand, the writing and editing are good, but then there's the plot itself. The first half of the book centers on forty-five-year-old Phil Allman trying to rationalize to himself, and to the reader, that chasing after a fifteen-year-old girl doesn't make him a pedophile. Due to my staunch Judeo-Christian upbringing, he lost that argument from the get-go. Phil is an ex-cop and presently has a Private Investigator's license. He works primarily at chasing down cheating spouses.
Since his divorce, Phil's search for a mate has been abysmal. All of his partners, in his eyes, have turned out to be overweight, ugly and stupid. Of course, Phil feels he deserves much better than the rejects he's trolled for on dating sites.
His infatuation for the high school student, Marci, quickly turns to love, and they're soon married with the blessing of her mother. (Mom probably places Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry on pedestals.)
Halfway through the story we finally get to the Mystery portion. As the story progressed, I felt Phil's reactions to the unfolding situation painted him as a weak-kneed wimp, afraid to confront his child bride. He vacillated between 'gonna kill the bastard' to doing nothing.
The young girl refused to discuss any details of the sordid plot she's involved in and our loony protagonist accepted her behavior in the name of unrequited love. Finally, he used his investigative skills to check up on her and learned the identity of the person manipulating his wife.
When the story shifted to oral sex incest by intimidation, Phil finally shifted gears to vigilantism and partially redeemed himself in my eyes.
The subject matter of Young Blood is disturbing, and therein lies the problem. Phil's loving relationship with his Lolita like wife doesn't compare in vileness to a plot involving the abduction, rape, torture and brutal murder of youngsters by a pedophile serial killer. Toward the end, incest was also thrown in on top of Phil's own questionable behavior.
I don't recommend this story for readers easily offended by gutter language, sexual perversion and justifiable murder. But I won't trash it either; there is nothing mechanically wrong with it, and the two lovers eventually rode off into the sunset in their May-September relationship. That's the reason it get's a 4 star rating. My final words are, buyer beware. This is definitely not a story for everyone.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title: Mapping the Glades
Author: David Burton
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
81,520 Words and 290 pages
Rating - 4 stars out of 5
No. 36 – 2019
Posted: 11/13/2019
Harrison Park is the main character in Mapping the Glades. The story is set in Florida where he lives in self-imposed isolation. Harrison is an ex-undercover DEA agent turned crime writer. Throughout the story we learn of the guilt, hate and shame he has fought after leaving the DEA and since the death of his wife.
Pauly Allister is Harrison's stepson who returned home after living several years in California.
Tracy Manning is Pauly's lovely stripper, prostitute girlfriend who lives wild and crosses the wrong man.
Raul Geoshay is the wrong man to cross; he's pure evil and the perfect antagonist in the plot.
What I liked in this story is the interesting storyline that moved almost non-stop. The action was intense and the winning side switched back and forth like a Ping-Pong ball in a tournament.
The characters are developed so the reader knows exactly who and what they are. It's done over time of course, because it's not all presented in an info dump.
Undercurrents of past loves and deeds linger in the background as a multitude of characters attempt to position themselves for the love or revenge they crave.
The story is well written with infrequent editing errors
What I didn't like about Mapping the Glades is the way several scenes ran together without separation.
There were also several outright errors in the writing. At one point a woman is handcuffed with her arms behind her and around a large post, and then she wipes her hair out of her face.
At the scene of an accident on a bridge a man slides off the elevated deck, into the water with a black book in his hands. Nothing was mentioned of it being ruined by the water or how Pauly and Tracy took possession of it.
The name Spencer was substituted several times for the character Simone, simply a poor editing oversight.
Readers who are offended by depictions of frequent sexual situations, extreme violence, rape, incest, torture and cursing should take note that it occurs often here.
Overall, I enjoyed Mapping the Glades and recommend it for hardcore crime and mystery fans.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: David Burton
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
81,520 Words and 290 pages
Rating - 4 stars out of 5
No. 36 – 2019
Posted: 11/13/2019
Harrison Park is the main character in Mapping the Glades. The story is set in Florida where he lives in self-imposed isolation. Harrison is an ex-undercover DEA agent turned crime writer. Throughout the story we learn of the guilt, hate and shame he has fought after leaving the DEA and since the death of his wife.
Pauly Allister is Harrison's stepson who returned home after living several years in California.
Tracy Manning is Pauly's lovely stripper, prostitute girlfriend who lives wild and crosses the wrong man.
Raul Geoshay is the wrong man to cross; he's pure evil and the perfect antagonist in the plot.
What I liked in this story is the interesting storyline that moved almost non-stop. The action was intense and the winning side switched back and forth like a Ping-Pong ball in a tournament.
The characters are developed so the reader knows exactly who and what they are. It's done over time of course, because it's not all presented in an info dump.
Undercurrents of past loves and deeds linger in the background as a multitude of characters attempt to position themselves for the love or revenge they crave.
The story is well written with infrequent editing errors
What I didn't like about Mapping the Glades is the way several scenes ran together without separation.
There were also several outright errors in the writing. At one point a woman is handcuffed with her arms behind her and around a large post, and then she wipes her hair out of her face.
At the scene of an accident on a bridge a man slides off the elevated deck, into the water with a black book in his hands. Nothing was mentioned of it being ruined by the water or how Pauly and Tracy took possession of it.
The name Spencer was substituted several times for the character Simone, simply a poor editing oversight.
Readers who are offended by depictions of frequent sexual situations, extreme violence, rape, incest, torture and cursing should take note that it occurs often here.
Overall, I enjoyed Mapping the Glades and recommend it for hardcore crime and mystery fans.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title: Killing the Man
Author: Kenneth B. Humphrey
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
95,330 Words and 556 pages
Rating 4 stars our of 5
No. 35 – 2019
Posted: 11/2/2019
I can only assume the book's title is meant to be a double entente. Killing the Man is the name of a conspiracy in the plot, but could also refer to Rick Killing, the Man. And who and what Rick Killing is captures the entire story.
Rick Johann Killing, Loss Prevention Mgr. at a major big box store – 24 Y.O. He's an ex-sports star who ran away from a career as a professional football player because of his fear of fame and failure.
Maya, Rick's wife is stubborn and acts like a vindictive child at home or in public. In living with Rick it's easy to understand why she does.
I didn't care about either character. Rick is an obnoxious smart aleck whom I felt no compassion for.
At 70% the entire story was about Rick and his attitudes and personal issues. His antagonistic character was that of a fifteen year old. The main theme of the story is more of a coming of age tale about a man whose personal issues have screwed up his entire life.
Rick stumbles upon a racial conspiracy no one else can see or wants to believe. The discovery of a racial/crime plot in his hometown brings out a higher level of pride and motivation.
From there the plot gradually swings from Rick's problems to an unbelievable plot to change the foundations of the USA. Fortunately, through his acts to protect his friends and loved ones, he finds redemption at the end.
The writing is well done, sentence structure is good, and the editing is far above average. There was a problem adjusting to the author's style. Dialog would be given, and then Rick's internal thoughts would follow without being flagged with italics. After a few pages I accepted it.
Character development for the main characters was good.
On the downside, some of the action scenes were a bit contrived. The biggest example being that the police would never have condoned or been involved in the takedown portrayed at the end.
The beginning chapters of the book paint Rick as a imperfect, smart mouthed ass, and makes it hard to take him seriously or have compassion for him. It was hard for me to stay with the story because I disliked the character. However, by the end Rick found a purpose and broke out of the shell he had built around himself.
I can't recommend Killing the Man highly, but it turned out to be a good read.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: Kenneth B. Humphrey
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
95,330 Words and 556 pages
Rating 4 stars our of 5
No. 35 – 2019
Posted: 11/2/2019
I can only assume the book's title is meant to be a double entente. Killing the Man is the name of a conspiracy in the plot, but could also refer to Rick Killing, the Man. And who and what Rick Killing is captures the entire story.
Rick Johann Killing, Loss Prevention Mgr. at a major big box store – 24 Y.O. He's an ex-sports star who ran away from a career as a professional football player because of his fear of fame and failure.
Maya, Rick's wife is stubborn and acts like a vindictive child at home or in public. In living with Rick it's easy to understand why she does.
I didn't care about either character. Rick is an obnoxious smart aleck whom I felt no compassion for.
At 70% the entire story was about Rick and his attitudes and personal issues. His antagonistic character was that of a fifteen year old. The main theme of the story is more of a coming of age tale about a man whose personal issues have screwed up his entire life.
Rick stumbles upon a racial conspiracy no one else can see or wants to believe. The discovery of a racial/crime plot in his hometown brings out a higher level of pride and motivation.
From there the plot gradually swings from Rick's problems to an unbelievable plot to change the foundations of the USA. Fortunately, through his acts to protect his friends and loved ones, he finds redemption at the end.
The writing is well done, sentence structure is good, and the editing is far above average. There was a problem adjusting to the author's style. Dialog would be given, and then Rick's internal thoughts would follow without being flagged with italics. After a few pages I accepted it.
Character development for the main characters was good.
On the downside, some of the action scenes were a bit contrived. The biggest example being that the police would never have condoned or been involved in the takedown portrayed at the end.
The beginning chapters of the book paint Rick as a imperfect, smart mouthed ass, and makes it hard to take him seriously or have compassion for him. It was hard for me to stay with the story because I disliked the character. However, by the end Rick found a purpose and broke out of the shell he had built around himself.
I can't recommend Killing the Man highly, but it turned out to be a good read.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Sky Fall Conspiracy
Author – Joseph Bendoski
Genre – Thriller, Espionage, historical psychological.
Word Count 80,700
Rating Five stars out of five
No. 21 - 2019
Posted 10/26/2019
My Impressions: brutal, lies & manipulation, mind bending propaganda, world domination.
Main Characters:
Wm. Stephenson – Scientist, British Spy Master
Silas Cooper – Intelligent, highly motivated union busting thug.
Alan Wallace – Scientist in propaganda.
Brahms – German military officer in charge of propaganda.
Vera Atkins – French saboteur.
Hadley Cantril – Scientist hired to find the secret behind the War of the Worlds radio scare.
In 1938 on the Mercury Theater on the Air, Orson Wells broadcast an adaptation of H.G. Wells fictional novel, War of the Worlds. The radio program caused pandemonium across the U.S as listeners believed the Earth was being attacked by aliens. The impact was so big it served as the basis for this story The Sky Fall Conspi8racy.
Germany was perfecting mind changing propaganda throughout the county to bend the people’s minds to mistrust and hate all Jews. Large radio speakers were placed throughout German playing Nazi propaganda for several years. Two Canadians, Wm. Stephenson and Alan Wallace, have studied the extent and success of the Nazi plan to make Germans hate their Jewish neighbors.
Gradually readers are introduced to the antagonists. Silas Cooper is a violent, murdering union breaker who strives for absolution of his despicable sins through forgiveness by God through the Catholic Church. He doesn’t stop his evil ways; he just wants forgiveness.
The next evil doer is Brahms. He’s the second man in charge of the Nazi propaganda machine. Both men want the secret of how millions of people were so deeply influenced in the space of a one hour radio broadcast. Both see it as the ultimate weapon to adjust people’s minds and bring them under the control of either a group of greedy industrialists or the Nazis seeking world domination.
Hadley Contril is hired by the U.S. government to head a team to discover the secrets of the War of the Worlds broadcast and learn how the pandemonium was triggered.
Stephenson, Wallace and Atkins are determined to prevent both antagonist from reaching their goal. The actions of all parties are extremely involved and complex.
Details of propaganda techniques are given ahead of each chapter. Those are extremely interesting and frightening. Those same techniques are used today in advertising and sales.
The editing and sentence structure are good.
Details are a bit thin, but adequate if readers pay attention.
Character development is adequate to good for the lead characters.
The action scenes are a bit unreal but the intricacies of the rest of the story overshadow them.
The plot is fresh and intriguing.
I enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Joseph Bendoski
Genre – Thriller, Espionage, historical psychological.
Word Count 80,700
Rating Five stars out of five
No. 21 - 2019
Posted 10/26/2019
My Impressions: brutal, lies & manipulation, mind bending propaganda, world domination.
Main Characters:
Wm. Stephenson – Scientist, British Spy Master
Silas Cooper – Intelligent, highly motivated union busting thug.
Alan Wallace – Scientist in propaganda.
Brahms – German military officer in charge of propaganda.
Vera Atkins – French saboteur.
Hadley Cantril – Scientist hired to find the secret behind the War of the Worlds radio scare.
In 1938 on the Mercury Theater on the Air, Orson Wells broadcast an adaptation of H.G. Wells fictional novel, War of the Worlds. The radio program caused pandemonium across the U.S as listeners believed the Earth was being attacked by aliens. The impact was so big it served as the basis for this story The Sky Fall Conspi8racy.
Germany was perfecting mind changing propaganda throughout the county to bend the people’s minds to mistrust and hate all Jews. Large radio speakers were placed throughout German playing Nazi propaganda for several years. Two Canadians, Wm. Stephenson and Alan Wallace, have studied the extent and success of the Nazi plan to make Germans hate their Jewish neighbors.
Gradually readers are introduced to the antagonists. Silas Cooper is a violent, murdering union breaker who strives for absolution of his despicable sins through forgiveness by God through the Catholic Church. He doesn’t stop his evil ways; he just wants forgiveness.
The next evil doer is Brahms. He’s the second man in charge of the Nazi propaganda machine. Both men want the secret of how millions of people were so deeply influenced in the space of a one hour radio broadcast. Both see it as the ultimate weapon to adjust people’s minds and bring them under the control of either a group of greedy industrialists or the Nazis seeking world domination.
Hadley Contril is hired by the U.S. government to head a team to discover the secrets of the War of the Worlds broadcast and learn how the pandemonium was triggered.
Stephenson, Wallace and Atkins are determined to prevent both antagonist from reaching their goal. The actions of all parties are extremely involved and complex.
Details of propaganda techniques are given ahead of each chapter. Those are extremely interesting and frightening. Those same techniques are used today in advertising and sales.
The editing and sentence structure are good.
Details are a bit thin, but adequate if readers pay attention.
Character development is adequate to good for the lead characters.
The action scenes are a bit unreal but the intricacies of the rest of the story overshadow them.
The plot is fresh and intriguing.
I enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Past The Line
Author – E. T. Milligan
Genre – Police Detective
Word Count 66,500
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 34 - 2019
Posted 10/18/2019
My Impressions: A strong story of corruption and its consequences.
Main Characters:
Blake Cutter – Miami homicide detective.
Phil Drummond – Bullet, Georgia, real estate developer.
Dorothy Drummond – Phil’s wife.
Penelope Lane – Phil’s girlfriend
Olivess Norton – A mulatto waitress who learns of Phil’s slave owner ancestor’s barbaric actions.
Past The Line opens with Miami Policeman of the Year Blake Cutter leaving an awards ceremony with his wife Jeannie. She goes to their car while he lingers inside the hotel. Minutes later his car explodes, and Jeannie is killed. Blake knows the bomb was intended to kill him for his successful investigations of organized crime in the area. He suspects criminal boss Bennie DeSalvo is behind his wife’s death.
Move forward one year to Bullet, Georgia. Blake Cutter is now a federal agent with the SBI investigating criminal activity in that area. His is assigned to investigate the murder of Phillip Drummond, a local real estate developer.
Phil was murdered late at night on a beach while waiting to meet with Bennie DeSalvo. While waiting, he became nauseous and wondered if the mulatto waitress who served him a drink might have put something besides alcohol in it.
Weeks prior to Phil’s death he visited his casual girlfriend Penelope Lane She’s an easy lay but is tired of being taken for granted. She decides to inform Dorothy Drummond of the affair and the shenanigans her husband Phil is pulling.
When Dorothy learns Phil has forged her signature on land transfer papers, she is livid and determined to stop him at any cost.
Then we have Olivess Norton, a young African American woman who hates Phil for the lack of respect he shows her and other people of color. When she learns of his ancestor’s barbaric actions to her slave ancestors she is determined to get even with the racist pig.
Three people have serious grudges against Phil Drummond. But did one of them hate him enough to kill him? That’s the question Blake strives to answer while fighting his own personal demons.
The editing and sentence structure are very good.
Character Development is thorough and in-depth.
Details are plentiful and the plot is complex and entertaining.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – E. T. Milligan
Genre – Police Detective
Word Count 66,500
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 34 - 2019
Posted 10/18/2019
My Impressions: A strong story of corruption and its consequences.
Main Characters:
Blake Cutter – Miami homicide detective.
Phil Drummond – Bullet, Georgia, real estate developer.
Dorothy Drummond – Phil’s wife.
Penelope Lane – Phil’s girlfriend
Olivess Norton – A mulatto waitress who learns of Phil’s slave owner ancestor’s barbaric actions.
Past The Line opens with Miami Policeman of the Year Blake Cutter leaving an awards ceremony with his wife Jeannie. She goes to their car while he lingers inside the hotel. Minutes later his car explodes, and Jeannie is killed. Blake knows the bomb was intended to kill him for his successful investigations of organized crime in the area. He suspects criminal boss Bennie DeSalvo is behind his wife’s death.
Move forward one year to Bullet, Georgia. Blake Cutter is now a federal agent with the SBI investigating criminal activity in that area. His is assigned to investigate the murder of Phillip Drummond, a local real estate developer.
Phil was murdered late at night on a beach while waiting to meet with Bennie DeSalvo. While waiting, he became nauseous and wondered if the mulatto waitress who served him a drink might have put something besides alcohol in it.
Weeks prior to Phil’s death he visited his casual girlfriend Penelope Lane She’s an easy lay but is tired of being taken for granted. She decides to inform Dorothy Drummond of the affair and the shenanigans her husband Phil is pulling.
When Dorothy learns Phil has forged her signature on land transfer papers, she is livid and determined to stop him at any cost.
Then we have Olivess Norton, a young African American woman who hates Phil for the lack of respect he shows her and other people of color. When she learns of his ancestor’s barbaric actions to her slave ancestors she is determined to get even with the racist pig.
Three people have serious grudges against Phil Drummond. But did one of them hate him enough to kill him? That’s the question Blake strives to answer while fighting his own personal demons.
The editing and sentence structure are very good.
Character Development is thorough and in-depth.
Details are plentiful and the plot is complex and entertaining.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
