Title – The Telltale Tattoo
Author – John L. DeBoer
Genre – Thriller
272 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 8/19/2022
No. 36 - 2022
My Impressions: murder, coverup, infidelity,
Main Characters:
Clay Archer – ex-soldier, detective.
Renee Taggart – Vince Taggart's wife and Clay's girlfriend.
Vince Taggart – ex-soldier, murderer, hedge fund manager running a Ponzi scheme.
Michael Gregory – ex-soldier, Vince's friend.
Nguyen Chinh – Vietnamese child who witnessed his mother's murder.
A murder witnessed by a six-year-old Vietnamese boy becomes his mission in life to find the American soldier who killed his mother. He remembers vividly a unique tattoo on the soldier's arm. The story moves easily between Vietnam, Malaysia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Florida, and Bimini.
Clay Archer is hired by Renee Taggart to gather evidence for her to divorce her wealthy husband, Vince Taggart. Gradually Clay is drawn into a much more serious case when he delves into Vince's war record and then meets Nguyen Chinh.
The main groups involved are the FBI, Mafia thugs and assassins, and Clay Archer.
There is abundant romance with sexual situations but no graphicly detailed hump and pump actions.
The story is a careful and skillful crafting of intrigue and conflict. The character descriptions are detailed and weave a clear picture of each one.
The editing is exemplary. I only found one wrong word used.
The plot is complex with many traps set and escapes made.
The writing style is fast paced and involves characters from good and honest to thieving and murderous.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Telltale Tattoo and highly recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – John L. DeBoer
Genre – Thriller
272 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 8/19/2022
No. 36 - 2022
My Impressions: murder, coverup, infidelity,
Main Characters:
Clay Archer – ex-soldier, detective.
Renee Taggart – Vince Taggart's wife and Clay's girlfriend.
Vince Taggart – ex-soldier, murderer, hedge fund manager running a Ponzi scheme.
Michael Gregory – ex-soldier, Vince's friend.
Nguyen Chinh – Vietnamese child who witnessed his mother's murder.
A murder witnessed by a six-year-old Vietnamese boy becomes his mission in life to find the American soldier who killed his mother. He remembers vividly a unique tattoo on the soldier's arm. The story moves easily between Vietnam, Malaysia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Florida, and Bimini.
Clay Archer is hired by Renee Taggart to gather evidence for her to divorce her wealthy husband, Vince Taggart. Gradually Clay is drawn into a much more serious case when he delves into Vince's war record and then meets Nguyen Chinh.
The main groups involved are the FBI, Mafia thugs and assassins, and Clay Archer.
There is abundant romance with sexual situations but no graphicly detailed hump and pump actions.
The story is a careful and skillful crafting of intrigue and conflict. The character descriptions are detailed and weave a clear picture of each one.
The editing is exemplary. I only found one wrong word used.
The plot is complex with many traps set and escapes made.
The writing style is fast paced and involves characters from good and honest to thieving and murderous.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Telltale Tattoo and highly recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Up and up
Author – Erik Sturm
Genre – Gritty Crime
Words 57,220
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 8/12/2022
No. 35 - 2022
My Impressions: Grim, harsh, vulgar.
Main Characters:
Rake/Chris – Transforms from nerdy teenager to investment banker.
Helene – Love interest of Rake and Cezek
Cezek – Sociopathic character who rises to be a wealthy property mogul.
Stacie – One of the groups teenaged friends.
Seth – One of the groups teenaged friends.
The story is set in Plumstead and London, England. In addition to the Gritty Crime genre selected by the author, I will add Coming of Age. The teenaged characters hang out together and share or hide their inner secrets and fears. Living close together seems to be the catalyst for their staying together, because they are a diverse group who constantly bickers and derides each other. Rake is the most normal of the group and Cezek is a total oddball with a deadly temper. Helene is an emotional wreck who chases after a man who is emotionally unstable and can't commit to her. Those three are the main characters throughout the story.
After the group separates to moves on to adult jobs, they drift apart and only meet sporadically on whims. When the financial crisis of 2008 hits, the group is impacted in unexpected ways that lead to the story's explosive conclusion.
The editing and sentence structure are exceptionally well done with minor exceptions.
Character Development is good for the three main characters and acceptable for others depending on the importance of their role.
Details are satisfactory.
The plot is unusual but interesting
There are several continuity issues but they are minor.
The story is a bit slow paced at first as the group's relationships are established and individual quirks, weaknesses and dark sides are developed. I enjoyed the story and recommend it to readers not turned off by excessive use of the’ ‘F word and sexual situations.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Erik Sturm
Genre – Gritty Crime
Words 57,220
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 8/12/2022
No. 35 - 2022
My Impressions: Grim, harsh, vulgar.
Main Characters:
Rake/Chris – Transforms from nerdy teenager to investment banker.
Helene – Love interest of Rake and Cezek
Cezek – Sociopathic character who rises to be a wealthy property mogul.
Stacie – One of the groups teenaged friends.
Seth – One of the groups teenaged friends.
The story is set in Plumstead and London, England. In addition to the Gritty Crime genre selected by the author, I will add Coming of Age. The teenaged characters hang out together and share or hide their inner secrets and fears. Living close together seems to be the catalyst for their staying together, because they are a diverse group who constantly bickers and derides each other. Rake is the most normal of the group and Cezek is a total oddball with a deadly temper. Helene is an emotional wreck who chases after a man who is emotionally unstable and can't commit to her. Those three are the main characters throughout the story.
After the group separates to moves on to adult jobs, they drift apart and only meet sporadically on whims. When the financial crisis of 2008 hits, the group is impacted in unexpected ways that lead to the story's explosive conclusion.
The editing and sentence structure are exceptionally well done with minor exceptions.
Character Development is good for the three main characters and acceptable for others depending on the importance of their role.
Details are satisfactory.
The plot is unusual but interesting
There are several continuity issues but they are minor.
The story is a bit slow paced at first as the group's relationships are established and individual quirks, weaknesses and dark sides are developed. I enjoyed the story and recommend it to readers not turned off by excessive use of the’ ‘F word and sexual situations.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Regardless of the Consequences
Author – Larry D. Lauritzen
Genre – Mystery Thriller
Word Count - 92,000
Rating – Four stars out of five
No. 32 - 2022
Posted 8/5/2022
My Impressions: Insightful tale of Native American living between to societies.
Main Characters:
Lance Tallbear – Native American sheriff’s deputy
Gray Eagle- Apache shaman, grandfather
Tommy Hawk – Young Apache half breed trying to adjust to the White world
Tom Kane – Corrupt CIA agent
Brad Henley – Washed up drunken FBI agent
General Harmon – Corrupt but patriotic string puller.
Sheriff Lance (like a native spear?) Tallbear is pulled into two murders that occurred seventy years ago. The mystery takes him from Arizona to California and involves thievery in Germany’s World War II Nazi government. When Tommy Hawk (tomahawk?) finds an old, crashed DE Havilland DH91 Albatross airplane, circa 1930s, on Arizona’s Superstition Mountain, Tallbear tackles a case seventy years old. After Tommy is caught with jewelry he took from the plane, Tallbear wonders what other secrets the boy might be concealing from him. When the FBI, CIA, and an old, retired army general get involved he has his hands full. Soon people involved in the case start being murdered as Tallbear searches for evidence
CIA agent Thomas Kane requests a drunken burnout FBI agent to assist him to investigate the case he claims is linked to national security. He and Henley served together in the CIA during Desert Storm. Henley transferred to the FBI after that. Tallbear can’t work with the inept and drunk FBI agent Henley, so he uses his shaman skills to dry him out in a Native American ritual.
The story is fast paced, and I recommend it.
The editing and sentence structure need lots of work.
Character development is detailed.
Details and research are full and descriptive
The plot is unique as Tallbear endeavors to trap a killer but is focused on the wrong one.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Larry D. Lauritzen
Genre – Mystery Thriller
Word Count - 92,000
Rating – Four stars out of five
No. 32 - 2022
Posted 8/5/2022
My Impressions: Insightful tale of Native American living between to societies.
Main Characters:
Lance Tallbear – Native American sheriff’s deputy
Gray Eagle- Apache shaman, grandfather
Tommy Hawk – Young Apache half breed trying to adjust to the White world
Tom Kane – Corrupt CIA agent
Brad Henley – Washed up drunken FBI agent
General Harmon – Corrupt but patriotic string puller.
Sheriff Lance (like a native spear?) Tallbear is pulled into two murders that occurred seventy years ago. The mystery takes him from Arizona to California and involves thievery in Germany’s World War II Nazi government. When Tommy Hawk (tomahawk?) finds an old, crashed DE Havilland DH91 Albatross airplane, circa 1930s, on Arizona’s Superstition Mountain, Tallbear tackles a case seventy years old. After Tommy is caught with jewelry he took from the plane, Tallbear wonders what other secrets the boy might be concealing from him. When the FBI, CIA, and an old, retired army general get involved he has his hands full. Soon people involved in the case start being murdered as Tallbear searches for evidence
CIA agent Thomas Kane requests a drunken burnout FBI agent to assist him to investigate the case he claims is linked to national security. He and Henley served together in the CIA during Desert Storm. Henley transferred to the FBI after that. Tallbear can’t work with the inept and drunk FBI agent Henley, so he uses his shaman skills to dry him out in a Native American ritual.
The story is fast paced, and I recommend it.
The editing and sentence structure need lots of work.
Character development is detailed.
Details and research are full and descriptive
The plot is unique as Tallbear endeavors to trap a killer but is focused on the wrong one.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Yellow Jacket
Author – Fred Wescura
Genre – Political mystery
Word Count – 61,900
Rating – Four stars out of five
No. 31 - 2022
Posted 7/29/2022
My Impressions: Interesting story of murder by a redneck sociopath, but a political hit piece on conservatives.
Main Characters:
Ernest Milanova – High school student
Gus Milanova – Ernest’s grandfather
Dick Weslowski – Florida detective.
Katie Johnson - Detective
Nate Hudson – Detective.
Mac Nagle – Detective.
Heath Hemley – Low life white supremist idiot.
Several storylines at the opening evolve into the main plot. All involve illegal use of firearms. In the main plot a redneck sociopath foolishly acts out the rants of several of his buddies in a radical right organization. In attacking a young rapper, the group feels targeted them for ridicule, the shooter involves several people before he sprays bullets into a car with four passengers. His target is hit as well as the target’s girlfriend. The eighteen-year-old driver is fatally shot. The fourth person was just entering the car, heard the initial shots, and dove to the ground and escaped harm. When the shooting stopped, he looked at the speeding car turning a corner and saw the shooter and a strange looking gun as it was pulled back.
In a bizarre turn of events, the shooter, Heath, and the witness, Ernest, run into each other nine hundred miles away. Heath is an idiot and captures Ernest because he is trespassing and confines him in a cellar. Heath doesn’t fully recognize Ernest as the witness. Then he decides to hold the boy and extract a ransom for his return.
When Ernest is missing, Gus enlist Forest Rangers to search for him. Eventually a shoot out develops with the Rangers, FBI agents, State Police, and Sheriff’s deputies confronting the radical white supremist group.
The story is intense and fast paced.
The writer is a far-left antigun proponent who advocates confiscation of all firearms. He expresses his own personal low opinion of all conservatives with sweeping generalities that are false.
Editing is good, some sentence structures need reorganizing.
Character development is adequate for the main characters.
Details and research are one sided to praise liberal views and condemn conservatives.
The plot delves into crime issues prevalent in today's major cities.
The writing style is simplistic and stiff. Conjunctions are needed to reflect the natural way most people speak.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Fred Wescura
Genre – Political mystery
Word Count – 61,900
Rating – Four stars out of five
No. 31 - 2022
Posted 7/29/2022
My Impressions: Interesting story of murder by a redneck sociopath, but a political hit piece on conservatives.
Main Characters:
Ernest Milanova – High school student
Gus Milanova – Ernest’s grandfather
Dick Weslowski – Florida detective.
Katie Johnson - Detective
Nate Hudson – Detective.
Mac Nagle – Detective.
Heath Hemley – Low life white supremist idiot.
Several storylines at the opening evolve into the main plot. All involve illegal use of firearms. In the main plot a redneck sociopath foolishly acts out the rants of several of his buddies in a radical right organization. In attacking a young rapper, the group feels targeted them for ridicule, the shooter involves several people before he sprays bullets into a car with four passengers. His target is hit as well as the target’s girlfriend. The eighteen-year-old driver is fatally shot. The fourth person was just entering the car, heard the initial shots, and dove to the ground and escaped harm. When the shooting stopped, he looked at the speeding car turning a corner and saw the shooter and a strange looking gun as it was pulled back.
In a bizarre turn of events, the shooter, Heath, and the witness, Ernest, run into each other nine hundred miles away. Heath is an idiot and captures Ernest because he is trespassing and confines him in a cellar. Heath doesn’t fully recognize Ernest as the witness. Then he decides to hold the boy and extract a ransom for his return.
When Ernest is missing, Gus enlist Forest Rangers to search for him. Eventually a shoot out develops with the Rangers, FBI agents, State Police, and Sheriff’s deputies confronting the radical white supremist group.
The story is intense and fast paced.
The writer is a far-left antigun proponent who advocates confiscation of all firearms. He expresses his own personal low opinion of all conservatives with sweeping generalities that are false.
Editing is good, some sentence structures need reorganizing.
Character development is adequate for the main characters.
Details and research are one sided to praise liberal views and condemn conservatives.
The plot delves into crime issues prevalent in today's major cities.
The writing style is simplistic and stiff. Conjunctions are needed to reflect the natural way most people speak.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Shout the Battle Cry of Freedom
Author – K. M. Breakey
Genre – Political Fiction
Word Count - 100,000
Rating – Five stars out of five
No. 30 - 2022
Posted 7/22/2022
My Impressions: Good story reflecting todays social upheaval.
Main Characters:
Tom Baker – Senator/President
Sophia Gabor/Baker – Reporter, Toms wife
Ivar Polsen – Radical socialist out to destroy and change the USA to socialism.
Geroy Jenkins – Black activist
Noah Hughes – Billionaire tech genius.
John Smith – John Smith, rebellion general
The story is a reflection of what is happening daily in our world society. It’s bigger than just the deplorable conditions of Joe Biden’s ruining of America.
Tom Baker is a football hero turned US Senator. After one term he is unseated in the same scam election of 2020. He drops his girlfriend because she is a phony. Then he meets beautiful, intelligent Sophia Gabor. Tom is an outspoken conservative and draws the ire of the political and media left. He finds friends in fellow conservatives Noah Hughes and John Smith. Smith has infiltrated the radical socialist left and they believe the hardcore conservative ex-military men he has corralled in camps are there for the left authorities to arrest when they’re ready. Hughes is a tech genius billionaire. The characters reflect the current time truthfully and shine a light on the leftist lies being told.
In the meantime, Geroy Jenkins is stirring the Black radicals to violence while radical socialist Ivar Polsen pulls his strings and enjoys raping fourteen-year-old-virgins.
Eventually conservatives win out and the socialist are killed or sent packing.
Editing and sentence structure are good with minor exceptions.
Character development is in depth for main characters
Details and research are adequate.
The plot is derived directly from today’s headlines of social unrest and potential socialism run amuck.
There is cursing and ‘Nigga’ is used extensively in Black ghetto talk.
I recommend this read for conservatives and open-minded people. Staunch liberals will hate it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – K. M. Breakey
Genre – Political Fiction
Word Count - 100,000
Rating – Five stars out of five
No. 30 - 2022
Posted 7/22/2022
My Impressions: Good story reflecting todays social upheaval.
Main Characters:
Tom Baker – Senator/President
Sophia Gabor/Baker – Reporter, Toms wife
Ivar Polsen – Radical socialist out to destroy and change the USA to socialism.
Geroy Jenkins – Black activist
Noah Hughes – Billionaire tech genius.
John Smith – John Smith, rebellion general
The story is a reflection of what is happening daily in our world society. It’s bigger than just the deplorable conditions of Joe Biden’s ruining of America.
Tom Baker is a football hero turned US Senator. After one term he is unseated in the same scam election of 2020. He drops his girlfriend because she is a phony. Then he meets beautiful, intelligent Sophia Gabor. Tom is an outspoken conservative and draws the ire of the political and media left. He finds friends in fellow conservatives Noah Hughes and John Smith. Smith has infiltrated the radical socialist left and they believe the hardcore conservative ex-military men he has corralled in camps are there for the left authorities to arrest when they’re ready. Hughes is a tech genius billionaire. The characters reflect the current time truthfully and shine a light on the leftist lies being told.
In the meantime, Geroy Jenkins is stirring the Black radicals to violence while radical socialist Ivar Polsen pulls his strings and enjoys raping fourteen-year-old-virgins.
Eventually conservatives win out and the socialist are killed or sent packing.
Editing and sentence structure are good with minor exceptions.
Character development is in depth for main characters
Details and research are adequate.
The plot is derived directly from today’s headlines of social unrest and potential socialism run amuck.
There is cursing and ‘Nigga’ is used extensively in Black ghetto talk.
I recommend this read for conservatives and open-minded people. Staunch liberals will hate it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Maori Detective
Author – D.A. Crossman
Genre – Crime, Mystery, Thriller
236 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 7/18/2022
No. 29 - 2022
My Impressions: exciting, international intrigue, betrayal, spies, too much cultural background.
Main Characters:
Carlos Wallace - Maori P.I. ex-police Detective.
Miri – another Maori
There are many other supporting characters too numerous to list.
Ex-cop, private detective Carlos Wallace becomes involved in several cases when he takes over the investigative office of a mysterious detective who has voluntarily disappeared.
A missing person case becomes the main focus as Israeli Mossad, British S.I.S. /M-16 and French DGSE all are involved in an intense coverup involving spies and hostages.
Several minor cases serve as filler while the spy case develops and key players are introduced.
Multiple characters evolve as having more knowledge of the espionage case than was originally indicated.
The Maori Detective is a good story and worth the read. I had several personal issues with the plot that you may welcome reading.
The editing is good with minor punctuation issues.
Sentence structure is odd due to the formatting, multiple characters on the same line, which is difficult to read and know who is referenced or speaking.
Character development is good considering the large number of characters.
Details are abundant about the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake damage.
In my opinion the plot is hampered by Carlos' personal family background issues. It detracted from the main spy story. The constant injection of Maori language left me lost because many words and phrases were not in the dictionary. There are hints of the Maori's immigration from Polynesia by canoe centuries earlier but nothing definite. Older Maori characters believe in ancient mythology, superstition, and curses. To me this amounted to fantasy, and I was anxious to get through it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – D.A. Crossman
Genre – Crime, Mystery, Thriller
236 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 7/18/2022
No. 29 - 2022
My Impressions: exciting, international intrigue, betrayal, spies, too much cultural background.
Main Characters:
Carlos Wallace - Maori P.I. ex-police Detective.
Miri – another Maori
There are many other supporting characters too numerous to list.
Ex-cop, private detective Carlos Wallace becomes involved in several cases when he takes over the investigative office of a mysterious detective who has voluntarily disappeared.
A missing person case becomes the main focus as Israeli Mossad, British S.I.S. /M-16 and French DGSE all are involved in an intense coverup involving spies and hostages.
Several minor cases serve as filler while the spy case develops and key players are introduced.
Multiple characters evolve as having more knowledge of the espionage case than was originally indicated.
The Maori Detective is a good story and worth the read. I had several personal issues with the plot that you may welcome reading.
The editing is good with minor punctuation issues.
Sentence structure is odd due to the formatting, multiple characters on the same line, which is difficult to read and know who is referenced or speaking.
Character development is good considering the large number of characters.
Details are abundant about the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake damage.
In my opinion the plot is hampered by Carlos' personal family background issues. It detracted from the main spy story. The constant injection of Maori language left me lost because many words and phrases were not in the dictionary. There are hints of the Maori's immigration from Polynesia by canoe centuries earlier but nothing definite. Older Maori characters believe in ancient mythology, superstition, and curses. To me this amounted to fantasy, and I was anxious to get through it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Death in the Devil's Range
Author – Michael L. Patton
Genre – Mystery, Thriller
214 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 7/15/2022
No. 28 - 2022
My Impressions: Good plot, inept antagonist, Barney Fife like Sheriff's deputy, greed, spy cameras.
So. California, east of San Jose.
Main Characters:
Dan Williams – Machine shop owner & ranch hand
Wally Williams – Dan's uncle.
Albert Stevens – Bad guy or good guy?
Paulo – antagonist.
Syd the wonder dog – Dan's dog
Many more supporting characters
Retired physicist Dr. Willis is found dead in his home workshop. Shortly afterward, Dan is arrested for murder because his hammer is found at the crime scene with blood on it.
Up front we learn that Dr. Willis has been searching German records to locate lost submarines in South American waters. Near the end of WWII the Nazi's shipped uranium to Japan by submarines and gold bullion was carried on the return trips to Argentina. The bad guys followed the doctor's progress and sent an inept agent to take the information from him. Throughout the book there are many plot twists as the characters are fully developed.
The editing is better than usual, but not perfect.
Some of the sentence structures are clumsy.
Character development is good, especially for the main characters.
Details are adequate.
The plot is good but reads more like a cozy mystery than a thriller.
The writing style is wordy
There is some cursing but it's not excessive.
I recommend Death in the Devil's Range as a light read.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Michael L. Patton
Genre – Mystery, Thriller
214 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 7/15/2022
No. 28 - 2022
My Impressions: Good plot, inept antagonist, Barney Fife like Sheriff's deputy, greed, spy cameras.
So. California, east of San Jose.
Main Characters:
Dan Williams – Machine shop owner & ranch hand
Wally Williams – Dan's uncle.
Albert Stevens – Bad guy or good guy?
Paulo – antagonist.
Syd the wonder dog – Dan's dog
Many more supporting characters
Retired physicist Dr. Willis is found dead in his home workshop. Shortly afterward, Dan is arrested for murder because his hammer is found at the crime scene with blood on it.
Up front we learn that Dr. Willis has been searching German records to locate lost submarines in South American waters. Near the end of WWII the Nazi's shipped uranium to Japan by submarines and gold bullion was carried on the return trips to Argentina. The bad guys followed the doctor's progress and sent an inept agent to take the information from him. Throughout the book there are many plot twists as the characters are fully developed.
The editing is better than usual, but not perfect.
Some of the sentence structures are clumsy.
Character development is good, especially for the main characters.
Details are adequate.
The plot is good but reads more like a cozy mystery than a thriller.
The writing style is wordy
There is some cursing but it's not excessive.
I recommend Death in the Devil's Range as a light read.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Sleeper
Author – T.J. Hawkins
Genre – Thriller
Word Count - 82,800
Rating – Four stars out of five
No. 27 - 2022
Posted 7/8/2022
My Impressions: Action packed terrorist plot with an action hero and a psychopath terrorist.
Main Characters:
Tom Rivers – British sleeper secret agent.
Luna Rivers – Tom’s unsuspecting wife with her own secrets.
Lan MacGregor – Deputy Director M15
Sally Carson – Police Superintendent
Mohammed Baqri – Crazy, psychopathic terrorist.
Brigid Doyle – 20-year-old radical.
Adalah – Baqri’s terrorist group
Tom Rivers is in his forties and is an architect in England who doesn’t know he’s a secret agent with M15. When a national emergency rises to its zenith, he is ‘awakened’ to save the nation. His wife, Luna, and two daughters know nothing of Tom’s past rigorous training that made him a formidable fighting force.
Tom’s foe is a brilliant but crazy, psychopath named Mohammed Baqri who heads a small terrorist group known as Adalah. They plan to create a new type of bomb that will render the entire British nation incapable of functioning. One of Mohammed’s key terrorist, Brigid, is a vicious young woman whose fiancé is killed during an attack; she vows revenge and sets forth a plan to kill Tom.
The plot involves a worldwide group of rich, powerful people who control the economies and governments across the globe and support terrorist to achieve their goals. Powerful people within the governments of all nations are members of the dark organization and subvert efforts to stop the planned attacks. After England is brought to its knees, America is next to be attacked.
The editing is fair with better sentence structure. The story suffers from missing words and silly errors; one is a woman speaking when being harshly strangled with a garrote and her airway is pinched shut.
Character Development is good for all characters depending on their importance.
Details and research are adequate to good.
The plot is involved, fast paced, and has many surprises, especially near the end.
This story is highly recommended in spite of its varied minor faults.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – T.J. Hawkins
Genre – Thriller
Word Count - 82,800
Rating – Four stars out of five
No. 27 - 2022
Posted 7/8/2022
My Impressions: Action packed terrorist plot with an action hero and a psychopath terrorist.
Main Characters:
Tom Rivers – British sleeper secret agent.
Luna Rivers – Tom’s unsuspecting wife with her own secrets.
Lan MacGregor – Deputy Director M15
Sally Carson – Police Superintendent
Mohammed Baqri – Crazy, psychopathic terrorist.
Brigid Doyle – 20-year-old radical.
Adalah – Baqri’s terrorist group
Tom Rivers is in his forties and is an architect in England who doesn’t know he’s a secret agent with M15. When a national emergency rises to its zenith, he is ‘awakened’ to save the nation. His wife, Luna, and two daughters know nothing of Tom’s past rigorous training that made him a formidable fighting force.
Tom’s foe is a brilliant but crazy, psychopath named Mohammed Baqri who heads a small terrorist group known as Adalah. They plan to create a new type of bomb that will render the entire British nation incapable of functioning. One of Mohammed’s key terrorist, Brigid, is a vicious young woman whose fiancé is killed during an attack; she vows revenge and sets forth a plan to kill Tom.
The plot involves a worldwide group of rich, powerful people who control the economies and governments across the globe and support terrorist to achieve their goals. Powerful people within the governments of all nations are members of the dark organization and subvert efforts to stop the planned attacks. After England is brought to its knees, America is next to be attacked.
The editing is fair with better sentence structure. The story suffers from missing words and silly errors; one is a woman speaking when being harshly strangled with a garrote and her airway is pinched shut.
Character Development is good for all characters depending on their importance.
Details and research are adequate to good.
The plot is involved, fast paced, and has many surprises, especially near the end.
This story is highly recommended in spite of its varied minor faults.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Easy Street
Author – J. Gregory Smith
Genre – Thriller
Word Count - 71,000
Rating – Five stars out of five
No. 26 - 2022
Posted 7/1/2022
My Impressions: Good crime, action yarn involving Irish and Albanian thugs.
Main Characters:
Kyle – Mr. fix it.
Sandy – Kyle’s girlfriend.
Rollie – Friend, ex-Marine sniper.
VP- Hacker extraordinaire.
Tom – Friend and man of many talents.
Charlie and William O’Brien – Irish thugs.
Cullen – Hit man working for the O’Briens
Milosh – Albanian thug invading the Irish territory.
Clark LeSuer – Scumbag lawyer.
Kyle inherited a dubious business from a close war buddy when he was killed. He’s a good guy who uses some of the illicit money he receives to ‘help’ local people and receives undying affection and favors in return. That’s how this Robin Hood type character and his band of merry accomplices meet the crooked lawyer Clark LeSuer who has been fleecing customers out of their lawsuit settlements.
But that quickly fades out of sight as Kyle and his group are pulled into a gang war when an Albanian mob attacks the Irish mob Kyle’s group has some dealings with. The Albanians kill most of the Irish soldiers and capture Charlie O’Brien; they use Charlie to convince brother William to surrender the Irishmen’s territory by occasionally sending one of Charlie’s fingers in a box.
Kyle’s group doesn’t like being involved in helping the drug dealing Irish thugs, but the thought of having to submit to the vicious and violent Albanians bothers them even more.
Violent action comes fast and often as the specter of war comes ever closer to the good guys as time runs out and they become more and more involved.
I recommend the story for readers who can accept the blood and guts details of murder. There is some minor use of the ‘F’ bomb.
The editing and sentence structure are good except for the occasional missing word.
Character development is adequate for all primary characters.
Details are adequate to carry the story.
The plot is a continuation of the previous book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – J. Gregory Smith
Genre – Thriller
Word Count - 71,000
Rating – Five stars out of five
No. 26 - 2022
Posted 7/1/2022
My Impressions: Good crime, action yarn involving Irish and Albanian thugs.
Main Characters:
Kyle – Mr. fix it.
Sandy – Kyle’s girlfriend.
Rollie – Friend, ex-Marine sniper.
VP- Hacker extraordinaire.
Tom – Friend and man of many talents.
Charlie and William O’Brien – Irish thugs.
Cullen – Hit man working for the O’Briens
Milosh – Albanian thug invading the Irish territory.
Clark LeSuer – Scumbag lawyer.
Kyle inherited a dubious business from a close war buddy when he was killed. He’s a good guy who uses some of the illicit money he receives to ‘help’ local people and receives undying affection and favors in return. That’s how this Robin Hood type character and his band of merry accomplices meet the crooked lawyer Clark LeSuer who has been fleecing customers out of their lawsuit settlements.
But that quickly fades out of sight as Kyle and his group are pulled into a gang war when an Albanian mob attacks the Irish mob Kyle’s group has some dealings with. The Albanians kill most of the Irish soldiers and capture Charlie O’Brien; they use Charlie to convince brother William to surrender the Irishmen’s territory by occasionally sending one of Charlie’s fingers in a box.
Kyle’s group doesn’t like being involved in helping the drug dealing Irish thugs, but the thought of having to submit to the vicious and violent Albanians bothers them even more.
Violent action comes fast and often as the specter of war comes ever closer to the good guys as time runs out and they become more and more involved.
I recommend the story for readers who can accept the blood and guts details of murder. There is some minor use of the ‘F’ bomb.
The editing and sentence structure are good except for the occasional missing word.
Character development is adequate for all primary characters.
Details are adequate to carry the story.
The plot is a continuation of the previous book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Trouble Afoot
Author – Benjamin Bradley
Genre – Cozy Mystery
Word Count - 70,000
Rating – Four stats out of five
No. 25 - 2022
Posted 6/25/2022
My Impressions: Easy pace, no graphic violence, easy but interesting read.
Main Characters:
Zoe Watts – State park ranger
Gil – Zoe’s fiancé
Casper Kelly – Private Detective
Delaney Shepard – Detective & Casper’s girlfriend
Kyle Pittman – High school teacher
Andy Tucker – High school coach
Joanne Mitchell – Clerk at state park
Trouble begins to brew at North Carolina’s Umstead State Park when visitors start reporting observations of something akin to the legendary ‘Big Foot’ creature. The park is large, and the staff is small. Ranger Zoe Watts has her hands full with the new sightings at work and her fiancé, Gil. Plus, her favorite cousin and her boyfriend are scheduled to stop overnight on their way to Florida. Cousin Delaney Shepard is a police detective and boyfriend Casper Kelly is a private eye.
But other people have their own problems too. Kyle Pittman and Andy Tucker are high school teachers who use the park trails to run and collect extra money for a side job they perform. They suspect what they have been asked to do is illegal, but the money is like a drug to them; as you will understand later.
The other park rangers are a unique cast of oddball characters from the Chief Ranger down to the junior ranger, Zoe and the park clerk, Joanne Mitchell.
When an early morning visitor to the park is attacked on a running trail and severely beaten, everyone is a suspect. The rangers stage a trap to catch whatever or whoever attacked the park visitor and eventually catch the disgruntled perpetrator.
But the complex story doesn’t end there.
The story is listed as a straight mystery, but I judge it to be a cozy mystery and far from a thriller.
Editing and sentence structure are good with minor exceptions
Character Development is good, and details of the park and forest are crisp and interesting.
The plot is a bit different but held my interest to the end.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Benjamin Bradley
Genre – Cozy Mystery
Word Count - 70,000
Rating – Four stats out of five
No. 25 - 2022
Posted 6/25/2022
My Impressions: Easy pace, no graphic violence, easy but interesting read.
Main Characters:
Zoe Watts – State park ranger
Gil – Zoe’s fiancé
Casper Kelly – Private Detective
Delaney Shepard – Detective & Casper’s girlfriend
Kyle Pittman – High school teacher
Andy Tucker – High school coach
Joanne Mitchell – Clerk at state park
Trouble begins to brew at North Carolina’s Umstead State Park when visitors start reporting observations of something akin to the legendary ‘Big Foot’ creature. The park is large, and the staff is small. Ranger Zoe Watts has her hands full with the new sightings at work and her fiancé, Gil. Plus, her favorite cousin and her boyfriend are scheduled to stop overnight on their way to Florida. Cousin Delaney Shepard is a police detective and boyfriend Casper Kelly is a private eye.
But other people have their own problems too. Kyle Pittman and Andy Tucker are high school teachers who use the park trails to run and collect extra money for a side job they perform. They suspect what they have been asked to do is illegal, but the money is like a drug to them; as you will understand later.
The other park rangers are a unique cast of oddball characters from the Chief Ranger down to the junior ranger, Zoe and the park clerk, Joanne Mitchell.
When an early morning visitor to the park is attacked on a running trail and severely beaten, everyone is a suspect. The rangers stage a trap to catch whatever or whoever attacked the park visitor and eventually catch the disgruntled perpetrator.
But the complex story doesn’t end there.
The story is listed as a straight mystery, but I judge it to be a cozy mystery and far from a thriller.
Editing and sentence structure are good with minor exceptions
Character Development is good, and details of the park and forest are crisp and interesting.
The plot is a bit different but held my interest to the end.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – A Serene Violence
Author – Robert Banacek
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
278 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 6/18/2022
No. 30 - 2022
My Impressions: murder, brutality, funny, intense, hate, erotic love vs. blatant sex.
Main Characters:
Shodomon Law – L.A. detective, extreme martial arts expert.
Shin'en – extreme martial arts expert, antagonist.
Wun Sen – Shodomon's love.
Benni – Shodomon's detective partner.
Gen. Demidon – Russian arms dealer.
A Serene Violence is a beautiful, violent, gripping story. It is not; however, for inattentive readers. Pay attention or you'll be going back for the subtle details you missed. The story also skips back and forth with flashbacks to Shodomon's early years to provide information about his upbringing.
I know nothing about martial arts, but these extreme fighters make Bruck Lee look like an awkward Cub Scout. It seemed absurd and impossible that fighters would toughen their fists by slamming them into concrete walls or drive long nails into boards with them. Shodomon is cast as enduring the extreme training since age four.
In addition to the Mystery, Suspense, Thriller genres the author published the story under, I would add Romance and Action Adventure. This is a deeply emotional story from the first page to the last and full of action.
There are more than enough evil antagonists to go around, but thankfully they're offset by plenty of good guys. Some appear unexpectedly.
On the downside, there are many Japanese and Thai words that the dictionary does not explain. Plus, some of the fight scenes defy believability and border on fantasy. But the overall effect is intense and captivating.
The editing is good with minor exceptions.
Character development is thorough and in depth.
In depth details and research are evident throughout.
The writing style runs from soft and emotional to hard and violent.
The plot is different that any others I have read and is full of conflict and surprises.
I am not a big fan of martial arts stories or those set in Asia, but A Serene Violence kept me reading and I can recommend it highly.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Robert Banacek
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
278 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 6/18/2022
No. 30 - 2022
My Impressions: murder, brutality, funny, intense, hate, erotic love vs. blatant sex.
Main Characters:
Shodomon Law – L.A. detective, extreme martial arts expert.
Shin'en – extreme martial arts expert, antagonist.
Wun Sen – Shodomon's love.
Benni – Shodomon's detective partner.
Gen. Demidon – Russian arms dealer.
A Serene Violence is a beautiful, violent, gripping story. It is not; however, for inattentive readers. Pay attention or you'll be going back for the subtle details you missed. The story also skips back and forth with flashbacks to Shodomon's early years to provide information about his upbringing.
I know nothing about martial arts, but these extreme fighters make Bruck Lee look like an awkward Cub Scout. It seemed absurd and impossible that fighters would toughen their fists by slamming them into concrete walls or drive long nails into boards with them. Shodomon is cast as enduring the extreme training since age four.
In addition to the Mystery, Suspense, Thriller genres the author published the story under, I would add Romance and Action Adventure. This is a deeply emotional story from the first page to the last and full of action.
There are more than enough evil antagonists to go around, but thankfully they're offset by plenty of good guys. Some appear unexpectedly.
On the downside, there are many Japanese and Thai words that the dictionary does not explain. Plus, some of the fight scenes defy believability and border on fantasy. But the overall effect is intense and captivating.
The editing is good with minor exceptions.
Character development is thorough and in depth.
In depth details and research are evident throughout.
The writing style runs from soft and emotional to hard and violent.
The plot is different that any others I have read and is full of conflict and surprises.
I am not a big fan of martial arts stories or those set in Asia, but A Serene Violence kept me reading and I can recommend it highly.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – D.O.G. Executive Order
Author – Robert Barlow Jr.
Genre – Suspense, Thriller
98,000 words
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 6/11/22
No. 27-2022
My Impressions: Reflects yesterday's headlines, assassination, betrayal, high level government corruption.
Main Characters:
Gunnery Sergeant Zach Hinson – Marine sniper.
Sgt. First Class Jason Jones – Army sniper assigned to the Marines with Zach.
If you are a hardcore conservative you'll likely give D.O.G. Executive Order high marks. Not so much if you are a fervent liberal. The story centers around an incompetent progressive liberal U.S.A. President intent on destroying the constitution and the country along with it. (Very timely) The two marine snipers are thrown into the middle of a presidential executive order and the betrayal and intrigue it reveals. Only the personal agenda of a terrorist leader saves their lives after they are betrayed at the highest level and specifically targeted to die.
The editing and sentence structure and poor. There are far too many missing, extra, misspelled, and wrong words used along with sentences that are poorly organized. Additionally, there are excessive comma where not needed, missing quotation marks and conflicting past and present tense in sentences. A competent, professional editor is needed.
Character development is good for the two main characters and several subs.
Details are good for the military aspect.
The plot is original, as if plucked from the news of today and then radicalized.
The writing style is wordy, sloppy and repetitious.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Robert Barlow Jr.
Genre – Suspense, Thriller
98,000 words
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 6/11/22
No. 27-2022
My Impressions: Reflects yesterday's headlines, assassination, betrayal, high level government corruption.
Main Characters:
Gunnery Sergeant Zach Hinson – Marine sniper.
Sgt. First Class Jason Jones – Army sniper assigned to the Marines with Zach.
If you are a hardcore conservative you'll likely give D.O.G. Executive Order high marks. Not so much if you are a fervent liberal. The story centers around an incompetent progressive liberal U.S.A. President intent on destroying the constitution and the country along with it. (Very timely) The two marine snipers are thrown into the middle of a presidential executive order and the betrayal and intrigue it reveals. Only the personal agenda of a terrorist leader saves their lives after they are betrayed at the highest level and specifically targeted to die.
The editing and sentence structure and poor. There are far too many missing, extra, misspelled, and wrong words used along with sentences that are poorly organized. Additionally, there are excessive comma where not needed, missing quotation marks and conflicting past and present tense in sentences. A competent, professional editor is needed.
Character development is good for the two main characters and several subs.
Details are good for the military aspect.
The plot is original, as if plucked from the news of today and then radicalized.
The writing style is wordy, sloppy and repetitious.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Knights Templar Treasure Found
Author – Bart Rice
Genre – Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure
Word Count - 93,400
Rating – Five Stars out of five
No. 24 - 2022
Posted 6/4/2022
My Impressions:Excellent fictionalized account of Knights Templar in the 1300s.
Main Characters:
Alain – scribe, 30 y.o.
Jehan – Muslim Assassin, 19 y.o. plus his crew, Yusuf, Hzhad, Mar.
Philip – devious French King
Clement – corrupt Catholic pope.
Plus many other characters too numerous to mention.
The Knights Templar were a military force formed by the Catholic Church to fight religious wars and protect the church’s parishioners. Over the 200 years of their existence, they accumulated a huge amount of wealth in silver, gold, gems, and property. Their main fortress in 1309 was in Paris, France.
King Philip exhausted France’s treasury fighting wars and spending lavishly on his personal wants. Needing money, he and his close advisors planned to capture the entire group of Knights Templar and seize their vast fortune. The plan was risky because the Templar soldiers were reputed to be superior to the French army.
But the Knights Templar learned of the King’s plan to vilify the Templars, with the support of Pope Clement, to justify placing them under arrest. In secret, the Templars filled several trains of large, crude, horse drawn carts with their treasures and moved everything of value out of France to Schwyz. (Schwyz is the capital of the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland,) A new fortress was in the process of being built.
King Philip was outraged when the raid on the Templars yielded no large horde of treasure. Many Templars were tortured to death, but none divulged the new location of the Templars castle.
Alain, the scribe, advanced to be deeply involved in overseeing the treasure. After the Templars disbanded and destroyed all traces of their previous group existence, Alain was one of the important figures involved in money lending in their financial center of Zurich.
But another group was after the Templar treasure. Three teams of Muslim assassins had been dispatched to France to learn the location of the treasure. Some of the treasure had been taken by the Templars while fighting the Muslims. Jehan’s group and another was discovered and killed or captured. After years of captivity, Jehan and Yusuf escaped but were caught and killed
The fight scenes are vicious and bloody with knives, swords bows and arrows, and other crude weapons.
There is a surprise ending that will surely lead to a second book.
Editing and sentence structure are passible but far from perfect.
Character Development is good for the main characters
Details are in depth and research of the times is apparent.
The plot is intriguing, and details paint a glum and harsh view of the 1300s.
I heartly recommend this book in spite of its faults.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Bart Rice
Genre – Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure
Word Count - 93,400
Rating – Five Stars out of five
No. 24 - 2022
Posted 6/4/2022
My Impressions:Excellent fictionalized account of Knights Templar in the 1300s.
Main Characters:
Alain – scribe, 30 y.o.
Jehan – Muslim Assassin, 19 y.o. plus his crew, Yusuf, Hzhad, Mar.
Philip – devious French King
Clement – corrupt Catholic pope.
Plus many other characters too numerous to mention.
The Knights Templar were a military force formed by the Catholic Church to fight religious wars and protect the church’s parishioners. Over the 200 years of their existence, they accumulated a huge amount of wealth in silver, gold, gems, and property. Their main fortress in 1309 was in Paris, France.
King Philip exhausted France’s treasury fighting wars and spending lavishly on his personal wants. Needing money, he and his close advisors planned to capture the entire group of Knights Templar and seize their vast fortune. The plan was risky because the Templar soldiers were reputed to be superior to the French army.
But the Knights Templar learned of the King’s plan to vilify the Templars, with the support of Pope Clement, to justify placing them under arrest. In secret, the Templars filled several trains of large, crude, horse drawn carts with their treasures and moved everything of value out of France to Schwyz. (Schwyz is the capital of the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland,) A new fortress was in the process of being built.
King Philip was outraged when the raid on the Templars yielded no large horde of treasure. Many Templars were tortured to death, but none divulged the new location of the Templars castle.
Alain, the scribe, advanced to be deeply involved in overseeing the treasure. After the Templars disbanded and destroyed all traces of their previous group existence, Alain was one of the important figures involved in money lending in their financial center of Zurich.
But another group was after the Templar treasure. Three teams of Muslim assassins had been dispatched to France to learn the location of the treasure. Some of the treasure had been taken by the Templars while fighting the Muslims. Jehan’s group and another was discovered and killed or captured. After years of captivity, Jehan and Yusuf escaped but were caught and killed
The fight scenes are vicious and bloody with knives, swords bows and arrows, and other crude weapons.
There is a surprise ending that will surely lead to a second book.
Editing and sentence structure are passible but far from perfect.
Character Development is good for the main characters
Details are in depth and research of the times is apparent.
The plot is intriguing, and details paint a glum and harsh view of the 1300s.
I heartly recommend this book in spite of its faults.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Lethal Force
Author – Bill Runner
Genre – Thriller
Word Count - 71,500
Rating – Five stars out of five
No. 23 - 2022
Posted 5/28/2020
My Impressions: Lots of action in this war against a Mexican Cartel.
Main Characters:
Alex Blaze – Badass cowboy, etc. etc. etc.
Adriel – Alex’s best friend, Indian Chief.
Winona – Target of Cartel thug’s for kidnapping.
As a US Marshal, Alex took on a Mexican Cartel and won costing them loss of lots of money and reputation. The Cartel boss sent an assassination crew to get even by kidnapping Winona, putting her in a brothel and murdering Alex and Adriel. Instead, Alex was warned of the attack and wiped out the ten-man crew. Knowing the Cartel leader was a wicked psychopath, Alex took the fight to Mexico to confront the drug running killer head-on. He, Adriel, and a group of Mexican victims of the Cartel joined forces to cost the leader millions of dollars, destroy his drug lab, and decimate his crew.
Lots of detailed action by an invincible hero.
The editing and sentence structure are fair, but there are routine errors.
The formatting is bad but still readable. This is likely the convertor software’s fault.
Character development is acceptable for the main characters.
Details, especially in the action filled fight scenes are good.
The plot is standard ex-special forces badass taking on the evil killers and wiping them all out.
I recommend this story as an action filled read in spite of suppressors reducing gun blasts to a ‘pop’.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Bill Runner
Genre – Thriller
Word Count - 71,500
Rating – Five stars out of five
No. 23 - 2022
Posted 5/28/2020
My Impressions: Lots of action in this war against a Mexican Cartel.
Main Characters:
Alex Blaze – Badass cowboy, etc. etc. etc.
Adriel – Alex’s best friend, Indian Chief.
Winona – Target of Cartel thug’s for kidnapping.
As a US Marshal, Alex took on a Mexican Cartel and won costing them loss of lots of money and reputation. The Cartel boss sent an assassination crew to get even by kidnapping Winona, putting her in a brothel and murdering Alex and Adriel. Instead, Alex was warned of the attack and wiped out the ten-man crew. Knowing the Cartel leader was a wicked psychopath, Alex took the fight to Mexico to confront the drug running killer head-on. He, Adriel, and a group of Mexican victims of the Cartel joined forces to cost the leader millions of dollars, destroy his drug lab, and decimate his crew.
Lots of detailed action by an invincible hero.
The editing and sentence structure are fair, but there are routine errors.
The formatting is bad but still readable. This is likely the convertor software’s fault.
Character development is acceptable for the main characters.
Details, especially in the action filled fight scenes are good.
The plot is standard ex-special forces badass taking on the evil killers and wiping them all out.
I recommend this story as an action filled read in spite of suppressors reducing gun blasts to a ‘pop’.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Jamoulks
Author – Roland Miranda
Genre – Crime, Mob war, Noir romance
Word Count - 144,400
Rating – Four stars out of Five
No. 21 - 2022
Posted 5/20/22
My Impressions: Violent, bad bad guys, good good guys.
Main Characters:
King, Carlie, Bill, Manny, Maestro and many more homeless bums.
Snorky, Judge, and Vinny – tough, ruthless criminals.
Roland Pau, a Chinese businessman and his daughter Kara.
Quirt and Moose, enforcers and hitmen.
Harry and Dakota – Dore and Moll – two rough but likable couples. The men are criminals; the women are tough but lovable 1920s molls.
Ned – an honest cop.
Sally, Dakota’s daughter, Mazie is a good friend of Dakota.
Plus, many more likable characters.
First, I have no idea what Jamoulks means. It wasn’t explained in the story.
Jamoulks starts in 1929 in an eastern US city, probably New York. The intense action is constant and portrays good criminals vs. truly bad criminals. The story opens with a homeless vagrant, King, on a cold, blustery night when he hears low moans outside the large shipping crate he lives in. Stumbling out to investigate, he finds a destitute woman and her young daughter. Like a good Samaritan, King invites the females to get inside out of the winter weather. Later Dakota becomes a locally famous stripper, and she carries a soft spot in her heart for King saving her and Sally, her daughter.
King and his friends get in trouble when a local crime boss, Snorky, does something stupid and then tries to kill them to make it right.
Later, more characters enter the story. They are all interesting and memorable. There are ‘block long’ Duesenberg’s, Lincolns, and twelve-cylinder Cadillacs for the car fans.
The plot involves violence, but it is not graphicly detailed
Now for the bad news. The editing and sentence structure are far from professional levels.
Character Development is good
Details and research are okay
The plot is unusual and had numerous characters.
I had to stretch to give this a four-star rating due to the many editing shortfalls. But I enjoyed the story despite its faults
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Roland Miranda
Genre – Crime, Mob war, Noir romance
Word Count - 144,400
Rating – Four stars out of Five
No. 21 - 2022
Posted 5/20/22
My Impressions: Violent, bad bad guys, good good guys.
Main Characters:
King, Carlie, Bill, Manny, Maestro and many more homeless bums.
Snorky, Judge, and Vinny – tough, ruthless criminals.
Roland Pau, a Chinese businessman and his daughter Kara.
Quirt and Moose, enforcers and hitmen.
Harry and Dakota – Dore and Moll – two rough but likable couples. The men are criminals; the women are tough but lovable 1920s molls.
Ned – an honest cop.
Sally, Dakota’s daughter, Mazie is a good friend of Dakota.
Plus, many more likable characters.
First, I have no idea what Jamoulks means. It wasn’t explained in the story.
Jamoulks starts in 1929 in an eastern US city, probably New York. The intense action is constant and portrays good criminals vs. truly bad criminals. The story opens with a homeless vagrant, King, on a cold, blustery night when he hears low moans outside the large shipping crate he lives in. Stumbling out to investigate, he finds a destitute woman and her young daughter. Like a good Samaritan, King invites the females to get inside out of the winter weather. Later Dakota becomes a locally famous stripper, and she carries a soft spot in her heart for King saving her and Sally, her daughter.
King and his friends get in trouble when a local crime boss, Snorky, does something stupid and then tries to kill them to make it right.
Later, more characters enter the story. They are all interesting and memorable. There are ‘block long’ Duesenberg’s, Lincolns, and twelve-cylinder Cadillacs for the car fans.
The plot involves violence, but it is not graphicly detailed
Now for the bad news. The editing and sentence structure are far from professional levels.
Character Development is good
Details and research are okay
The plot is unusual and had numerous characters.
I had to stretch to give this a four-star rating due to the many editing shortfalls. But I enjoyed the story despite its faults
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Modi Indorum
Author – Karma Lei Angelo
Genre – Mystery, Suspense
244 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 5/14/2022
No. 20 - 2022
My Impressions: violent, girly sleuth, intense,
Main Characters:
Detective Ameena Jardine – Forensic Geomorphologist, Major Crimes Investigative Services Bureau.
Conrad – Deputy Director, Ameena's boss
Tony Asserbbo – DEA agent.
Ameena Jardine has changed careers at age forty after her undercover agent husband was murdered and she was shot. She chose to retrain in law enforcement over her civil engineering job and moved her children from Texas to New Hampshire to be with her mother and step-father. Several corpses lead to conclusions that a secret international drug cartel, the Fasciata Order, that few people have any information on, is behind those and many other deaths. How this highly sophisticated gang has evaded detection worldwide for decades is the biggest mystery here.
Tony falls in love with Ameena at their first meeting, and she has reciprocal feelings. But for vague reasons she resists his advances and keeps him at arm's length.
This is not a stand-alone story; it ends without a conclusion. To learn more, you'll need to buy the next installment of the trilogy. It appears to be one long story chopped into three novels.
There is occasional hard-core cursing, mostly by Ameena as she attempts to come off as tough in a "man's job".
The story reminds me more of a 'Cozy Mystery' than Suspense. Ameena is extremely emotional. Most female readers should enjoy it, but many males will find it slow and carrying too much emotional baggage.
The editing is weak with too many missing, extra, misspelled and wrong words used. It's not terrible but far from perfect. Some sentence structures are clumsy and confusing and take rereading.
Details of issues I wanted to know more about are lacking.
Research on body art, poison and the blue octopus is good.
The writing style is wordy with too many passive sentences.
The plot is interesting but wordiness drags it down.
I communicated to the author and she assured me the editing has been improved and the inordinate number of passive sentences were dealt with.
In spite of its shortfalls in the original issue, I did enjoy the story and recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Karma Lei Angelo
Genre – Mystery, Suspense
244 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 5/14/2022
No. 20 - 2022
My Impressions: violent, girly sleuth, intense,
Main Characters:
Detective Ameena Jardine – Forensic Geomorphologist, Major Crimes Investigative Services Bureau.
Conrad – Deputy Director, Ameena's boss
Tony Asserbbo – DEA agent.
Ameena Jardine has changed careers at age forty after her undercover agent husband was murdered and she was shot. She chose to retrain in law enforcement over her civil engineering job and moved her children from Texas to New Hampshire to be with her mother and step-father. Several corpses lead to conclusions that a secret international drug cartel, the Fasciata Order, that few people have any information on, is behind those and many other deaths. How this highly sophisticated gang has evaded detection worldwide for decades is the biggest mystery here.
Tony falls in love with Ameena at their first meeting, and she has reciprocal feelings. But for vague reasons she resists his advances and keeps him at arm's length.
This is not a stand-alone story; it ends without a conclusion. To learn more, you'll need to buy the next installment of the trilogy. It appears to be one long story chopped into three novels.
There is occasional hard-core cursing, mostly by Ameena as she attempts to come off as tough in a "man's job".
The story reminds me more of a 'Cozy Mystery' than Suspense. Ameena is extremely emotional. Most female readers should enjoy it, but many males will find it slow and carrying too much emotional baggage.
The editing is weak with too many missing, extra, misspelled and wrong words used. It's not terrible but far from perfect. Some sentence structures are clumsy and confusing and take rereading.
Details of issues I wanted to know more about are lacking.
Research on body art, poison and the blue octopus is good.
The writing style is wordy with too many passive sentences.
The plot is interesting but wordiness drags it down.
I communicated to the author and she assured me the editing has been improved and the inordinate number of passive sentences were dealt with.
In spite of its shortfalls in the original issue, I did enjoy the story and recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Red Fortress
Author – Stephane Daniels
Genre – Suspense, Thriller
275 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 5/6/2022
No. 19 - 2022
My Impressions: Brutal terrorist, betrayal, facing the truth, hard hitting.
Main Characters:
Patrick Dunn aka Rick – Lt. in Home Land Security Counterintelligence unit
Claire Redfield - US intelligence analyst with terrorist connection.
Al Thawadi – The Master, a diabolical Muslim terrorist
The Red Fortress is an excellent story with great characters. The main terrorist, Al Thawadi, has a fresh, intelligent but evil personality and the plot flows smoothly with many surprises. The in-depth characterization of the three main characters carries the story.
Rick Dunn is a professional terrorist hunter who enjoys his job. He dislikes his contact in the White House with good reason. His personal demons are the price he pays for his mental involvement and distractions because of his job.
Claire Redfield is the daughter of a US soldier and an Egyptian woman. They were separated and their child was sold by her grandparents to terrorist where she was trained. She came to the US to live with her father and was assigned to a terrorist sleeper cell. Fifteen years later she is called upon to activate.
The story takes the reader from Qatar to Dubai to Florida, New York, and South America. If you like the story, the author is working on a follow up story.
I highly recommend The Red Fortress to fans of international terrorist plots.
The editing is almost impeccable with only a few minor errors. Sentence structure and character development are very good.
Research of foreign cities and the US government agencies is evident.
The writing style is crisp and intense.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Stephane Daniels
Genre – Suspense, Thriller
275 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 5/6/2022
No. 19 - 2022
My Impressions: Brutal terrorist, betrayal, facing the truth, hard hitting.
Main Characters:
Patrick Dunn aka Rick – Lt. in Home Land Security Counterintelligence unit
Claire Redfield - US intelligence analyst with terrorist connection.
Al Thawadi – The Master, a diabolical Muslim terrorist
The Red Fortress is an excellent story with great characters. The main terrorist, Al Thawadi, has a fresh, intelligent but evil personality and the plot flows smoothly with many surprises. The in-depth characterization of the three main characters carries the story.
Rick Dunn is a professional terrorist hunter who enjoys his job. He dislikes his contact in the White House with good reason. His personal demons are the price he pays for his mental involvement and distractions because of his job.
Claire Redfield is the daughter of a US soldier and an Egyptian woman. They were separated and their child was sold by her grandparents to terrorist where she was trained. She came to the US to live with her father and was assigned to a terrorist sleeper cell. Fifteen years later she is called upon to activate.
The story takes the reader from Qatar to Dubai to Florida, New York, and South America. If you like the story, the author is working on a follow up story.
I highly recommend The Red Fortress to fans of international terrorist plots.
The editing is almost impeccable with only a few minor errors. Sentence structure and character development are very good.
Research of foreign cities and the US government agencies is evident.
The writing style is crisp and intense.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Invisible Investigation
Author – Lionel Touzellier
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
377 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 18 - 2022
Posted 5/1//2022
My Impressions: Lots of action, follows old evidence of past investigations.
Main Characters:
Dr. Joshua Mandley - Nanotechnology researcher.
Dr. Mei Wang - Psychologist
Roy Harrison – Wealthy Texas ranch owner, obsessed with the JFK assassination.
Two Doctors with different degrees are assigned to investigate the 1963 assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th president of the United States. Joshua and Mei spend a lot of time explaining their very different methods of analyzing existing evidence as they prepare to search for new leads and clues about the murder. If you like in depth scientific discourse you may find it interesting. I didn't. It was necessary but dull.
As soon as new evidence is uncovered an undisclosed group of super agents steals all traces of the evidence and Dr. Mandley's test results. If only our CIA and FBI agents were as capable as the bad guys who run wild and have insights the supposedly good guys can't match.
Then the old cowboy, Roy Harrison, gets involved and sends the investigators on a trail of clues he says will reveal the true killer of JFK.
There is abundant action, several false leads, betrayals, and foreign government meddling.
As with most novels based on true life events, the author doesn't try to change history, and that's to his credit.
The editing is better than most indie publications but has a few issues with missing, extra and wrong words.
Sentence structure is good.
Research is lacking.
Since the plot is based on a historical event it is limited and confined to follow the facts of the murder.
Some of the action scenes are weak. Example: A BMW sedan parks over a manhole in the street. Someone in the manhole slides the cover aside and uses a cutting torch to burn through the floor near the car's backseat. Evidence being gathered is then passed to him through the opening. No mention is made of the toxic smoke and fumes created as the metal floor and carpet are torched. When the agent with the evidence enters the car, no mention is made of smoke or the acrid smell. Obviously, the author knows nothing about the use of a cutting torch, but I do.
The story was enjoyable, but I won't recommend it strongly because of issues mentioned.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Lionel Touzellier
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
377 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 18 - 2022
Posted 5/1//2022
My Impressions: Lots of action, follows old evidence of past investigations.
Main Characters:
Dr. Joshua Mandley - Nanotechnology researcher.
Dr. Mei Wang - Psychologist
Roy Harrison – Wealthy Texas ranch owner, obsessed with the JFK assassination.
Two Doctors with different degrees are assigned to investigate the 1963 assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th president of the United States. Joshua and Mei spend a lot of time explaining their very different methods of analyzing existing evidence as they prepare to search for new leads and clues about the murder. If you like in depth scientific discourse you may find it interesting. I didn't. It was necessary but dull.
As soon as new evidence is uncovered an undisclosed group of super agents steals all traces of the evidence and Dr. Mandley's test results. If only our CIA and FBI agents were as capable as the bad guys who run wild and have insights the supposedly good guys can't match.
Then the old cowboy, Roy Harrison, gets involved and sends the investigators on a trail of clues he says will reveal the true killer of JFK.
There is abundant action, several false leads, betrayals, and foreign government meddling.
As with most novels based on true life events, the author doesn't try to change history, and that's to his credit.
The editing is better than most indie publications but has a few issues with missing, extra and wrong words.
Sentence structure is good.
Research is lacking.
Since the plot is based on a historical event it is limited and confined to follow the facts of the murder.
Some of the action scenes are weak. Example: A BMW sedan parks over a manhole in the street. Someone in the manhole slides the cover aside and uses a cutting torch to burn through the floor near the car's backseat. Evidence being gathered is then passed to him through the opening. No mention is made of the toxic smoke and fumes created as the metal floor and carpet are torched. When the agent with the evidence enters the car, no mention is made of smoke or the acrid smell. Obviously, the author knows nothing about the use of a cutting torch, but I do.
The story was enjoyable, but I won't recommend it strongly because of issues mentioned.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Tate Drawdy
Author – Michael Ludden
Genre – Suspense, Thriller
260 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 4/24/2022
No. 17 - 2022
My Impressions: Hard boiled action, vigilante justice.
Main Characters:
Tate Drawdy – Savannah Ga. Detective
Jimmy Patterson - Detective
John Robert Griffin – psychopath.
Tate Drawdy, the tough, handsome new detective in town is soon engaged in working three separate cases. He didn't count on help from a 'friendly' psychopathic killer who also has Tate in his sights. The psychopath, a demented nun, and a sexual predator priest add color and interest to this rough and tumble tale.
Sometimes Tate's worst enemy is himself as he plays lone wolf and gets deeper in trouble than he can handle.
Tate's no-nonsense approach to solving problems draws the wrath of a group of rogue officers who have their own vision of police work. To those officer's dismay, Tate is quickly 'adopted' by an experienced and honest Detective.
Toward the end, Tate meets a group of retired out-of-town officers who enjoy thwarting the bad guys by 'assisting' active officers. Their off the books actions get the job done in exciting and imaginative style.
The editing and sentence structure of Tate Drawdy is excellent.
The author has interspersed short, choppy fragments and done it well. It gives a fresh cadence to the story.
The plot is excellent, involved, and thrilling.
The descriptions of Savannah and its old mansions added to the feeling of being in the old south.
Character development is thorough for the two main characters and more than adequate for sub-characters.
I highly recommend Tate Drawdy for crime story fans. Try it. You won't be disappointed.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Michael Ludden
Genre – Suspense, Thriller
260 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
Posted 4/24/2022
No. 17 - 2022
My Impressions: Hard boiled action, vigilante justice.
Main Characters:
Tate Drawdy – Savannah Ga. Detective
Jimmy Patterson - Detective
John Robert Griffin – psychopath.
Tate Drawdy, the tough, handsome new detective in town is soon engaged in working three separate cases. He didn't count on help from a 'friendly' psychopathic killer who also has Tate in his sights. The psychopath, a demented nun, and a sexual predator priest add color and interest to this rough and tumble tale.
Sometimes Tate's worst enemy is himself as he plays lone wolf and gets deeper in trouble than he can handle.
Tate's no-nonsense approach to solving problems draws the wrath of a group of rogue officers who have their own vision of police work. To those officer's dismay, Tate is quickly 'adopted' by an experienced and honest Detective.
Toward the end, Tate meets a group of retired out-of-town officers who enjoy thwarting the bad guys by 'assisting' active officers. Their off the books actions get the job done in exciting and imaginative style.
The editing and sentence structure of Tate Drawdy is excellent.
The author has interspersed short, choppy fragments and done it well. It gives a fresh cadence to the story.
The plot is excellent, involved, and thrilling.
The descriptions of Savannah and its old mansions added to the feeling of being in the old south.
Character development is thorough for the two main characters and more than adequate for sub-characters.
I highly recommend Tate Drawdy for crime story fans. Try it. You won't be disappointed.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – A Burning in the Darkness
Author – A P McGrath
Genre – Crime, Mystery, Thriller
360 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No 16-2022
Posted 4/16/2022
My impressions: intrigue, deeply emotional, brutal murders,
Main Characters:
Father Michael Kieh – Catholic Priest, from Africa
Leonie Urey/Jenkins– Childhood friend from Africa.
Joan Macintosh -married woman who has a crush on Michael.
Dan Peterson – Friend of Michael’s
Detective Mason Lenislake – Good cop
Detective Dewi Blank – Corrupt cop.
A Burning in the Darkness is an intense and unusual story involving a Catholic Priest who vacillates between being God’s disciple and being a normal man with sexual and emotional needs.
Michael Kieh was born in Liberia, Africa during a time of civil war. He witnessed his entire family being raped and butchered by his uncle and a group of child soldiers. His escape and ordeal to becoming a priest was fraught with danger and betrayal. The abrupt leaving to achieve his personal goal of becoming a priest caused heartbreak in a close friend that would later come back to haunt him.
Michael presided over a small non-denominal church in a busy English airport and that is where the current story takes place. He is embroiled in controversy over the right of a priest to withhold evidence based on the Seal of Confession, believing that information given during confession is private between the priest and confessor. That belief drags Michael into criminal court on charges against him in a murder trial.
He is at a distinct disadvantage in a snake pit of intrigue, murder and betrayal because of corrupt law enforcement officers and his own adherence to his belief in his chosen religion.
The story is full of conflict and delves deeply into Father Kieh’s personal beliefs and character.
The editing and sentence structure of A Burning in the Darkness is excellent.
Research is good.
The writing style is strong and tightly focused.
The dialog attributed to the African immigrants is slightly difficult to read because of missing words and usage.
In the last five percent of the book I felt the author skipped ahead at breakneck speed and some important details were omitted. This did not impact the overall ending severely but made it a bit murky.
This is a great story and I highly recommend it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – A P McGrath
Genre – Crime, Mystery, Thriller
360 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No 16-2022
Posted 4/16/2022
My impressions: intrigue, deeply emotional, brutal murders,
Main Characters:
Father Michael Kieh – Catholic Priest, from Africa
Leonie Urey/Jenkins– Childhood friend from Africa.
Joan Macintosh -married woman who has a crush on Michael.
Dan Peterson – Friend of Michael’s
Detective Mason Lenislake – Good cop
Detective Dewi Blank – Corrupt cop.
A Burning in the Darkness is an intense and unusual story involving a Catholic Priest who vacillates between being God’s disciple and being a normal man with sexual and emotional needs.
Michael Kieh was born in Liberia, Africa during a time of civil war. He witnessed his entire family being raped and butchered by his uncle and a group of child soldiers. His escape and ordeal to becoming a priest was fraught with danger and betrayal. The abrupt leaving to achieve his personal goal of becoming a priest caused heartbreak in a close friend that would later come back to haunt him.
Michael presided over a small non-denominal church in a busy English airport and that is where the current story takes place. He is embroiled in controversy over the right of a priest to withhold evidence based on the Seal of Confession, believing that information given during confession is private between the priest and confessor. That belief drags Michael into criminal court on charges against him in a murder trial.
He is at a distinct disadvantage in a snake pit of intrigue, murder and betrayal because of corrupt law enforcement officers and his own adherence to his belief in his chosen religion.
The story is full of conflict and delves deeply into Father Kieh’s personal beliefs and character.
The editing and sentence structure of A Burning in the Darkness is excellent.
Research is good.
The writing style is strong and tightly focused.
The dialog attributed to the African immigrants is slightly difficult to read because of missing words and usage.
In the last five percent of the book I felt the author skipped ahead at breakneck speed and some important details were omitted. This did not impact the overall ending severely but made it a bit murky.
This is a great story and I highly recommend it.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Sally St. Johns
Author – Denise Heinze
Genre – Thriller Satire
212 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 15 – 2022
Posted 4/9/2022
My impressions: Funny to silly.
Main Characters:
Sally St. Johns – Do-gooder woman with a checkered past, now CEO of a small environmental company.
Detective Withers – Intelligent, bumbling detective struggling to accept the loss of his wife.
Bud – Sally’s lawyer to defend her against terrorist charges.
Mom- Sally’s mother. Reminded me of Estelle Getty from The Golden Girls.
First, let me be clear. Sally St. Johns is not a Thriller. There is little tension or rational conflict. If I reviewed it as such it would get a rating of 1 star.
The story is Satire. It goes from funny to silly to ridiculous, but never approaches thrilling. The four-star rating I’ve given it is based on it being SATIRE.
The majority of Sally St. Johns is told as flashbacks of Sally’s life from the time she was five years old. Maybe twenty-five percent of the story is spent on the main plot of her being a national threat.
Sally has been in charge of teaching inner city people to garden on vacant lots in Detroit, served for a time as a pimp for a group of good-hearted prostitutes, became a professional basketball player and then mysteriously rose to the position of CEO of a small startup environmental company she organized. Her brilliant breakthrough idea is to collect human waste from the sewage systems and use the gas it releases to replace fossil fuels and put the big oil companies out of business.
But out of her past a person calling himself Switchgrass is undermining her efforts and convinces the FBI and CIA that Sally is a terrorist. She goes from being held prisoner in a barn by a pair of goofy FBI rogue agents to attending a secret meeting in the situation room at the White House.
The writing is funny and the sub-characters are goofy to endearing. Mom is a high point in the silliness.
The editing is not perfect, but acceptable as is sentence structure.
Character development is good for the primary characters, Sally and her mother.
Details are sparse. Things just happen with no background as to how. How did Sally get the financial backing to start her company and hire fifty employees without ever showing a profit? The significant environmental breakthrough she touted sounded like a feeble pipe dream.
How did a pimp running one prostitute acquire money to buy explosives and a yacht? How did he manage to smuggle bombs into nuclear power plants? The reader is expected to accept these things just happening because they’re needed to move the story along.
If you are looking for a good crime thriller pass on this book. If you like humorous satire enjoy it as such.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Denise Heinze
Genre – Thriller Satire
212 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 15 – 2022
Posted 4/9/2022
My impressions: Funny to silly.
Main Characters:
Sally St. Johns – Do-gooder woman with a checkered past, now CEO of a small environmental company.
Detective Withers – Intelligent, bumbling detective struggling to accept the loss of his wife.
Bud – Sally’s lawyer to defend her against terrorist charges.
Mom- Sally’s mother. Reminded me of Estelle Getty from The Golden Girls.
First, let me be clear. Sally St. Johns is not a Thriller. There is little tension or rational conflict. If I reviewed it as such it would get a rating of 1 star.
The story is Satire. It goes from funny to silly to ridiculous, but never approaches thrilling. The four-star rating I’ve given it is based on it being SATIRE.
The majority of Sally St. Johns is told as flashbacks of Sally’s life from the time she was five years old. Maybe twenty-five percent of the story is spent on the main plot of her being a national threat.
Sally has been in charge of teaching inner city people to garden on vacant lots in Detroit, served for a time as a pimp for a group of good-hearted prostitutes, became a professional basketball player and then mysteriously rose to the position of CEO of a small startup environmental company she organized. Her brilliant breakthrough idea is to collect human waste from the sewage systems and use the gas it releases to replace fossil fuels and put the big oil companies out of business.
But out of her past a person calling himself Switchgrass is undermining her efforts and convinces the FBI and CIA that Sally is a terrorist. She goes from being held prisoner in a barn by a pair of goofy FBI rogue agents to attending a secret meeting in the situation room at the White House.
The writing is funny and the sub-characters are goofy to endearing. Mom is a high point in the silliness.
The editing is not perfect, but acceptable as is sentence structure.
Character development is good for the primary characters, Sally and her mother.
Details are sparse. Things just happen with no background as to how. How did Sally get the financial backing to start her company and hire fifty employees without ever showing a profit? The significant environmental breakthrough she touted sounded like a feeble pipe dream.
How did a pimp running one prostitute acquire money to buy explosives and a yacht? How did he manage to smuggle bombs into nuclear power plants? The reader is expected to accept these things just happening because they’re needed to move the story along.
If you are looking for a good crime thriller pass on this book. If you like humorous satire enjoy it as such.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – A Most Unusual Senorita
Author – Joseph R, Costa
Genre – Historical Fiction
Word Count - 74,500
Rating – 4 stars out of 5
No. 14 - 2022
Posted 4/2/2022
My Impressions: Exciting swashbuckling adventure in 16th century Spain
Main Characters:
Mateo, Guillermo, and Mencia are three true friends.
The setting is sixteenth-century Spain. The three friends are males Mateo and Guillermo, and female Mencia. This is at a time when women wore dresses and were delicate little flowers. Mencia doesn’t fit the traditional role of the dainty, frail, meek woman. She is a tomboy who is as skilled in fighting and weapons as her two problem-solving male compatriots. The three of them go from one swashbuckling adventure to another while rescuing kidnapped victims or destroying violent highwaymen.
The time period is one of violence and the heroic trio doles out deadly punishment to those who prey on the innocents around them. A large cast of subcharacters and family issues add to the flavor of the times and gives much needed respites to the ongoing adventures of the heroes.
This is the second story of a series that promises a third tale to come.
The editing and sentence structure are weak but not terrible.
Character development is good for the main characters and frequently called upon subcharacters.
Details are adequate and period research is apparent.
The plot is fresh even in the historical setting.
Writing style is simple and straight forward but interesting and exciting.
I highly recommend this series of adventure stories.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Joseph R, Costa
Genre – Historical Fiction
Word Count - 74,500
Rating – 4 stars out of 5
No. 14 - 2022
Posted 4/2/2022
My Impressions: Exciting swashbuckling adventure in 16th century Spain
Main Characters:
Mateo, Guillermo, and Mencia are three true friends.
The setting is sixteenth-century Spain. The three friends are males Mateo and Guillermo, and female Mencia. This is at a time when women wore dresses and were delicate little flowers. Mencia doesn’t fit the traditional role of the dainty, frail, meek woman. She is a tomboy who is as skilled in fighting and weapons as her two problem-solving male compatriots. The three of them go from one swashbuckling adventure to another while rescuing kidnapped victims or destroying violent highwaymen.
The time period is one of violence and the heroic trio doles out deadly punishment to those who prey on the innocents around them. A large cast of subcharacters and family issues add to the flavor of the times and gives much needed respites to the ongoing adventures of the heroes.
This is the second story of a series that promises a third tale to come.
The editing and sentence structure are weak but not terrible.
Character development is good for the main characters and frequently called upon subcharacters.
Details are adequate and period research is apparent.
The plot is fresh even in the historical setting.
Writing style is simple and straight forward but interesting and exciting.
I highly recommend this series of adventure stories.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Only Gold
Author – Ethan Luke
Genre – Thriller
221 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 13 – 2022
Posted 3/25/2022
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.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Ethan Luke
Genre – Thriller
221 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 13 – 2022
Posted 3/25/2022
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.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
