Title: McKuen's Revenge
Author: Andy King
Genre: Vigilante justice crime thriller
154 pages
No. 25, 2019
Rating 4.0
Posted 9/14/2019
Steve McKuen and his pal Dennis have shady backgrounds where drugs were involved. They've each made lots of enemies over the years, and that makes it almost impossible to decide where their latest threats are coming from.
A silver necklace with precious stones is at the center of this mystery thriller. A small piece of paper with numbers and letters on it is found in the locket hanging from the necklace. They believe it is the key to a small fortune hidden by a dead criminal. Someone else has a similar small piece of paper and needs the one Steve has.
McKuen's Revenge is full of intense conflict, off the wall characters and action.
This is part one of a five part story.
The editing, character development, plot, and continuity are good.
The problems involve lack of breaks between some scenes, and the arrangement of one character's dialog having narrative associated with a second character tacked on the end of it. Then the second character's dialog follows on the next line. It's highly confusing.
A thorough edit would garner this story a 5.0 rating.
I enjoyed the read and recommend it.
This is a review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: Andy King
Genre: Vigilante justice crime thriller
154 pages
No. 25, 2019
Rating 4.0
Posted 9/14/2019
Steve McKuen and his pal Dennis have shady backgrounds where drugs were involved. They've each made lots of enemies over the years, and that makes it almost impossible to decide where their latest threats are coming from.
A silver necklace with precious stones is at the center of this mystery thriller. A small piece of paper with numbers and letters on it is found in the locket hanging from the necklace. They believe it is the key to a small fortune hidden by a dead criminal. Someone else has a similar small piece of paper and needs the one Steve has.
McKuen's Revenge is full of intense conflict, off the wall characters and action.
This is part one of a five part story.
The editing, character development, plot, and continuity are good.
The problems involve lack of breaks between some scenes, and the arrangement of one character's dialog having narrative associated with a second character tacked on the end of it. Then the second character's dialog follows on the next line. It's highly confusing.
A thorough edit would garner this story a 5.0 rating.
I enjoyed the read and recommend it.
This is a review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Seventy Four
Author – M.C. Muir
Genre – Action Adventure, Historical Nautical Fiction
236 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars our of 5
No. 24 - 2019
Posted 9/6/2019
Main characters:
Capt. Oliver Quintrell, commanding the British 32 gun frigate Perpetual.
Capt. Wm. Liversedge, commanding the British 74 gun ship of the line Stalwart.
My impressions: cruel, carnage, hardship, dictatorial control, slaughter, fanatics,
The Seventy Four is an intense seafaring yarn set in the early 1800s that is sure to draw acclaim from fans of historical nautical fiction. Accounts of the horrible living conditions and treatment of the common sailors will appall those new to the genre.
Captain Quintrell is the primary character. The majority of the story takes place while the ships are underway. Soon the reader is drawn into the history of the Irish hatred of the British from the atrocities committed against the Irish population during the 1798 Irish rebellion. This underlying hatred plays a large role throughout the plot. A detailed account of the deep-seated feelings of the typical Irish seaman toward the British accounts for a considerable amount of the dialog and narrative.
Early on the reader picks up undercurrents of anguish and hints of pending mutiny aboard the ships. And mutinies there are. Control of the Stalwart and a captured French frigate change hands amid subterfuge and double crossing as the mutineers attempt to find and possess a trove of silver taken from a Spanish ship and believed to be stored aboard the Stalwart. When captured French seamen are confined with Irish mutineers the result is gruesome and bloody.
Editing and sentence structure are good with only a few minor errors.
The plot is complex with many twists and turns and a surprise at the ending.
Details are extensive and paint vivid images of the main and supporting characters and the ships.
Time spent on research of the period and its sailing ships is evident.
The story is recommended for fans of historical nautical fiction and those readers looking for additional action/adventure genres. This is book five in the Oliver Quintrell series.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – M.C. Muir
Genre – Action Adventure, Historical Nautical Fiction
236 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars our of 5
No. 24 - 2019
Posted 9/6/2019
Main characters:
Capt. Oliver Quintrell, commanding the British 32 gun frigate Perpetual.
Capt. Wm. Liversedge, commanding the British 74 gun ship of the line Stalwart.
My impressions: cruel, carnage, hardship, dictatorial control, slaughter, fanatics,
The Seventy Four is an intense seafaring yarn set in the early 1800s that is sure to draw acclaim from fans of historical nautical fiction. Accounts of the horrible living conditions and treatment of the common sailors will appall those new to the genre.
Captain Quintrell is the primary character. The majority of the story takes place while the ships are underway. Soon the reader is drawn into the history of the Irish hatred of the British from the atrocities committed against the Irish population during the 1798 Irish rebellion. This underlying hatred plays a large role throughout the plot. A detailed account of the deep-seated feelings of the typical Irish seaman toward the British accounts for a considerable amount of the dialog and narrative.
Early on the reader picks up undercurrents of anguish and hints of pending mutiny aboard the ships. And mutinies there are. Control of the Stalwart and a captured French frigate change hands amid subterfuge and double crossing as the mutineers attempt to find and possess a trove of silver taken from a Spanish ship and believed to be stored aboard the Stalwart. When captured French seamen are confined with Irish mutineers the result is gruesome and bloody.
Editing and sentence structure are good with only a few minor errors.
The plot is complex with many twists and turns and a surprise at the ending.
Details are extensive and paint vivid images of the main and supporting characters and the ships.
Time spent on research of the period and its sailing ships is evident.
The story is recommended for fans of historical nautical fiction and those readers looking for additional action/adventure genres. This is book five in the Oliver Quintrell series.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Sand River
Author – James Vaughan
Genre – Action Adventure, Western
320 pages.
Rating Four stars out of Five
No. 31 - 2019
Posted 8/30/2019
My Impressions: Excellent coming of age story in the 1880s and later
Main Characters: Jack Grice
Support Characters: Many others
The story begins in 1932 in Lexington, Kentucky when Jack Grice is seventy-one. Then he reminisces about his past life. At age six his parents died of Typhoid. He was sent to live with a geriatric man. Mr. Peters. When Jack was fourteen Mr. Peters died and his relative inherited the house. The relative smiled as told Jack to leave and never come back. So at fourteen Jack was on his own with only fifty dollars to carry him to God only knew where.
While escaping Jack loses his money when attacked by three ex-soldiers. He kills one and severely injures another.
And that sets the stage for the rest of the amazing tale. The story is fast paced and each page held my interest.
Jack’s goal is to become a real cowboy and join cattle drives. But along with that desire he is smart enough to learn any trade used on a cattle ranch
Jack learns he had a natural ability with firearms, pistol and rifle, and, of course, that lands him in trouble. Although he is innocent in most cases it brings the law down on him.
Sand River is complex and fast moving.
There is a hint of romance but circumstances don’t let it develop.
The editing in general is poor or the story would get the five star rating the storytelling deserves.
Sentence structure is good for the period portrayed.
Character Development is great for all the major characters
Details are abundant and frequent
Research is extraordinary in its depth to cover the 1880s.
The plot is excellent and full of conflict
The writing style is crisp and to the point and avoids wordiness.
This is the author’s first western novel. Five Peso Badge followed it and is also excellent.
I heartily recommend Sand River for all fans of early western life.
This review was provided without a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – James Vaughan
Genre – Action Adventure, Western
320 pages.
Rating Four stars out of Five
No. 31 - 2019
Posted 8/30/2019
My Impressions: Excellent coming of age story in the 1880s and later
Main Characters: Jack Grice
Support Characters: Many others
The story begins in 1932 in Lexington, Kentucky when Jack Grice is seventy-one. Then he reminisces about his past life. At age six his parents died of Typhoid. He was sent to live with a geriatric man. Mr. Peters. When Jack was fourteen Mr. Peters died and his relative inherited the house. The relative smiled as told Jack to leave and never come back. So at fourteen Jack was on his own with only fifty dollars to carry him to God only knew where.
While escaping Jack loses his money when attacked by three ex-soldiers. He kills one and severely injures another.
And that sets the stage for the rest of the amazing tale. The story is fast paced and each page held my interest.
Jack’s goal is to become a real cowboy and join cattle drives. But along with that desire he is smart enough to learn any trade used on a cattle ranch
Jack learns he had a natural ability with firearms, pistol and rifle, and, of course, that lands him in trouble. Although he is innocent in most cases it brings the law down on him.
Sand River is complex and fast moving.
There is a hint of romance but circumstances don’t let it develop.
The editing in general is poor or the story would get the five star rating the storytelling deserves.
Sentence structure is good for the period portrayed.
Character Development is great for all the major characters
Details are abundant and frequent
Research is extraordinary in its depth to cover the 1880s.
The plot is excellent and full of conflict
The writing style is crisp and to the point and avoids wordiness.
This is the author’s first western novel. Five Peso Badge followed it and is also excellent.
I heartily recommend Sand River for all fans of early western life.
This review was provided without a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Five Peso Badge
Author – James Vaughn
Genre – Thriller, Modern Western, Detective
Word Count 96,300
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 28 - 2019
Posted 8/24/2019
My Impressions: Action packed, gritty, great characters, great plot.
Main Characters:
Emmett Capps – Texas Ranger
Moose - Detective
Finn - Detective
Many more support characters.
The story begins in 1979 with Texas Ranger Emmett Capps eating lunch. Staying calm, he watched two wanted bank robbers enter the restaurant. In a shootout the two criminals are killed by Capps, and his reputation is established as a no nonsense crime fighter. Emmett came from a totally dysfunctional family. His mother is an alcoholic, his brother a slime bag, and his father was a petty criminal. Three plot lines are dealt with simultaneously and provide conflict and tension in the story. Gila, a cartel leader in Mexico controls the drug trade across the border in Texas. Emmett, Moose, and Finn are determined to shut him down. Then Emmett discovers several murders are linked and starts on the trail of a serial killer. When the killer is identified, Emmett is ostracized by the press because no one can believe the prominent citizen can be the murderer. And finally Emmett must deal with family issues with his brother Lenny who owns a strip club and involves Emmett in his criminal problems.
The editing is exemplary with tight sentence structure.
Character development is through and made me care about the good guys.
Details are adequate but not overdone.
Research of details is apparent.
The story is complex and involves several intermingled plots.
The writing style is fast paced with many short, choppy sentences that held my interest.
This is one of the best stories I’ve read this year, and I hope the author writes a sequel staring Ranger Emmett Capps.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – James Vaughn
Genre – Thriller, Modern Western, Detective
Word Count 96,300
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 28 - 2019
Posted 8/24/2019
My Impressions: Action packed, gritty, great characters, great plot.
Main Characters:
Emmett Capps – Texas Ranger
Moose - Detective
Finn - Detective
Many more support characters.
The story begins in 1979 with Texas Ranger Emmett Capps eating lunch. Staying calm, he watched two wanted bank robbers enter the restaurant. In a shootout the two criminals are killed by Capps, and his reputation is established as a no nonsense crime fighter. Emmett came from a totally dysfunctional family. His mother is an alcoholic, his brother a slime bag, and his father was a petty criminal. Three plot lines are dealt with simultaneously and provide conflict and tension in the story. Gila, a cartel leader in Mexico controls the drug trade across the border in Texas. Emmett, Moose, and Finn are determined to shut him down. Then Emmett discovers several murders are linked and starts on the trail of a serial killer. When the killer is identified, Emmett is ostracized by the press because no one can believe the prominent citizen can be the murderer. And finally Emmett must deal with family issues with his brother Lenny who owns a strip club and involves Emmett in his criminal problems.
The editing is exemplary with tight sentence structure.
Character development is through and made me care about the good guys.
Details are adequate but not overdone.
Research of details is apparent.
The story is complex and involves several intermingled plots.
The writing style is fast paced with many short, choppy sentences that held my interest.
This is one of the best stories I’ve read this year, and I hope the author writes a sequel staring Ranger Emmett Capps.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – A Man With One of Those Faces
Author – Caimh McDonnell
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Humor
322Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 23 - 2019
Posted 8/17/2019
Main Characters:
Paul Mulchrone – slacker, good person
Brigit Conroy- nurse, feels responsible for Paul's predicament.
Det. Insp. Jimmy Stewart – honest cop, tries to help Paul and Brigit.
Bunny McGarry – Police Sergeant, good person, shadowy character, tough.
My impressions: humorous, great characters easy to like, lots of action, great mystery.
The story is set in Dublin, Ireland. Some of the native slang used isn't covered by kindle's dictionary function.
The characters in A Man With One of Those Faces are distinctly different and memorable. Watch for Dorothy, she's a blast.
Paul Mulchrone goes out of his way to comfort a nursing home patient about to die. He has a knack for letting failing patients assume he is a relative. But this one tries to kill him, and he has no idea why. Before the patient can be questioned, he dies.
From there Paul and Brigit have to run from an unknown mobster who fears the dying patient divulged a guarded secret about a famous crime committed thirty years ago. The action is intense as they run from the antagonist trying to kill them and a spy in the police department who is working with the bad guys.
The bantering between Paul and Brigit is clever and humorous, not silly or slapstick. Toss Bunny McGarry's character into the mix and the laughs are contagious. Bunny adds a loose cannon good guy to the quirky cast.
The editing and sentence structure are good, and the plot is excellent.
The worst thing about the story is the title.
The story was enjoyable, and I highly recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Caimh McDonnell
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Humor
322Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 23 - 2019
Posted 8/17/2019
Main Characters:
Paul Mulchrone – slacker, good person
Brigit Conroy- nurse, feels responsible for Paul's predicament.
Det. Insp. Jimmy Stewart – honest cop, tries to help Paul and Brigit.
Bunny McGarry – Police Sergeant, good person, shadowy character, tough.
My impressions: humorous, great characters easy to like, lots of action, great mystery.
The story is set in Dublin, Ireland. Some of the native slang used isn't covered by kindle's dictionary function.
The characters in A Man With One of Those Faces are distinctly different and memorable. Watch for Dorothy, she's a blast.
Paul Mulchrone goes out of his way to comfort a nursing home patient about to die. He has a knack for letting failing patients assume he is a relative. But this one tries to kill him, and he has no idea why. Before the patient can be questioned, he dies.
From there Paul and Brigit have to run from an unknown mobster who fears the dying patient divulged a guarded secret about a famous crime committed thirty years ago. The action is intense as they run from the antagonist trying to kill them and a spy in the police department who is working with the bad guys.
The bantering between Paul and Brigit is clever and humorous, not silly or slapstick. Toss Bunny McGarry's character into the mix and the laughs are contagious. Bunny adds a loose cannon good guy to the quirky cast.
The editing and sentence structure are good, and the plot is excellent.
The worst thing about the story is the title.
The story was enjoyable, and I highly recommend it.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Road To Reveille
Author – John McLain
Genre – Action Adventure, Western
Word Count 76,000
Rating 5 stars our of 5
No. 24 - 2019
Posted 8/9/2019
My Impressions: Hard hitting and well written coming of age story set in 1904 New York City and Wyoming.
Main Characters:
Tom Callaghan – nineteen-year-old Irish immigrant.
Will Sherman – middle-aged rancher from Wyoming
Ellen Sherman – Will’s strong willed young daughter.
A large cast of good guys and crooked hard-cases.
The Road To Reveille is a wonderful coming of age story of a young punk who has been treated badly most of his miserable life. Tom attempts to rob a strangely dressed older man in New York City. But Will Sherman is having none of that. He knocks Tom out with his revolver and the police show up to haul the young tough off to the Tombs, a notorious jail.
Expectations are high that Tom will be sent to prison because of his past, long history of theft and larceny. Will believes there is good deep in the troubled young man and strikes a deal with the Judge at Tom’s hearing. Will proposed to take Tom to Wyoming to live and work on his ranch for one year. From there on Tom acts out his rebellious temper at every turn.
Will is patient and corrals the boy each time he rebels. The only thing Tom enjoys at the ranch are the horses with which he has an unusual shared affinity.
Tom’s rebelliousness almost gets him and another cowboy killed as he tries to leave and escape the ranch.
The writing is rich and descriptive and caused me to stay up late to finish the story.
There are editing issues with extra and missing commas, extra and missing words, and some sentence structures. The errors are not atrocious, but they are there. Normally the number of errors would warrant a rating of 4.5 stars at best. But in this case the story is so outstanding it receives a 5.0 with the errors noted.
The Road to Reveille is a great story and I heartily recommend it for all readers, but especially for western fans.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – John McLain
Genre – Action Adventure, Western
Word Count 76,000
Rating 5 stars our of 5
No. 24 - 2019
Posted 8/9/2019
My Impressions: Hard hitting and well written coming of age story set in 1904 New York City and Wyoming.
Main Characters:
Tom Callaghan – nineteen-year-old Irish immigrant.
Will Sherman – middle-aged rancher from Wyoming
Ellen Sherman – Will’s strong willed young daughter.
A large cast of good guys and crooked hard-cases.
The Road To Reveille is a wonderful coming of age story of a young punk who has been treated badly most of his miserable life. Tom attempts to rob a strangely dressed older man in New York City. But Will Sherman is having none of that. He knocks Tom out with his revolver and the police show up to haul the young tough off to the Tombs, a notorious jail.
Expectations are high that Tom will be sent to prison because of his past, long history of theft and larceny. Will believes there is good deep in the troubled young man and strikes a deal with the Judge at Tom’s hearing. Will proposed to take Tom to Wyoming to live and work on his ranch for one year. From there on Tom acts out his rebellious temper at every turn.
Will is patient and corrals the boy each time he rebels. The only thing Tom enjoys at the ranch are the horses with which he has an unusual shared affinity.
Tom’s rebelliousness almost gets him and another cowboy killed as he tries to leave and escape the ranch.
The writing is rich and descriptive and caused me to stay up late to finish the story.
There are editing issues with extra and missing commas, extra and missing words, and some sentence structures. The errors are not atrocious, but they are there. Normally the number of errors would warrant a rating of 4.5 stars at best. But in this case the story is so outstanding it receives a 5.0 with the errors noted.
The Road to Reveille is a great story and I heartily recommend it for all readers, but especially for western fans.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title: Ties That Bind
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Mystery, Detective, Police Procedural
79,900 Words
No. 22 - 2019
Rating 4.0 our of 5.0 posted 12/9/15
Posted 8/5/2019
When a murder victim is found with a tie wrapped around her neck it's filed as an isolated incident. But when a second victim is found murdered with the same brand of tie Detective Madison Knight strongly suspects a serial killer is at work and anticipates more murders.
The relationship between Madison and her junior partner Terry added mostly good natured conflict. The two of them sparred constantly and provided an internal story besides the murders.
It didn't take many appearances by her Sergeant and the Police Chief to form the same low opinion of the men that Madison had developed. The characters are interesting and well defined. Madison is shown to be a single workaholic with a passive aggressive personality. She constantly thinks of what she coulda, shoulda, woulda done.
Editing is okay except for minor occasional issues, and the plot held my attention. I recommend this story.
On the negative side, there is far too much telling in narrative instead of using dialog to carry the story and inform the reader. In addition, the writing is wordy.
I cringed when Layton rented a car under a phony name he'd just made up. He couldn't have had a credit card in that name, and I know from experience I can't rent a car without one. That should have been researched and caught.
This story is rated 4.0
This is a review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Mystery, Detective, Police Procedural
79,900 Words
No. 22 - 2019
Rating 4.0 our of 5.0 posted 12/9/15
Posted 8/5/2019
When a murder victim is found with a tie wrapped around her neck it's filed as an isolated incident. But when a second victim is found murdered with the same brand of tie Detective Madison Knight strongly suspects a serial killer is at work and anticipates more murders.
The relationship between Madison and her junior partner Terry added mostly good natured conflict. The two of them sparred constantly and provided an internal story besides the murders.
It didn't take many appearances by her Sergeant and the Police Chief to form the same low opinion of the men that Madison had developed. The characters are interesting and well defined. Madison is shown to be a single workaholic with a passive aggressive personality. She constantly thinks of what she coulda, shoulda, woulda done.
Editing is okay except for minor occasional issues, and the plot held my attention. I recommend this story.
On the negative side, there is far too much telling in narrative instead of using dialog to carry the story and inform the reader. In addition, the writing is wordy.
I cringed when Layton rented a car under a phony name he'd just made up. He couldn't have had a credit card in that name, and I know from experience I can't rent a car without one. That should have been researched and caught.
This story is rated 4.0
This is a review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Johnny and Jamaal
Author – K.M. Breakey
Genre – Crime, Thriller, Political
284 Amazon Pages
Rating 6 stars out of 5
No. 20 - 2019
Posted 7/28/2019
The Main Cast
Johnny Robertson – Canadian hockey player who achieves stardom shortly before his life is senselessly ended.
Jamaal Cooper – High school basketball star with a great future. Part of a group of low-lifes who murder Johnny.
Lucas Wayne – Best friend of Johnny. Successful white businessman. Falls in love with a black girl.
Chantal Johnson - Black girlfriend of Lucas. She is fervent about racial issues, supports Black Lives Matter.
Dr. Wilber Rufus Holmes Jr. – A wise multi-racial visionary taking the teachings of MLK to new heights.
Geroy Jenkins – A lying black race hustler extraordinaire surpassing even Jackson and Sharpton.
Johnny and Jamaal is hard to read for two reasons. It thoroughly explores the Black vs. White race issues in the USA and that in itself is extremely disturbing. It is set in present times in the racially explosive city of St. Louis, Missouri and explores the reasons for the racial divide's existence in harsh reality. Second, most of the dialog of low-life black characters is written in black street talk and at times is difficult to decipher. Non-African Americans will need to work at it, but it's worth it.
I won't summarize the story because it would be too easy to give away details of the plot through spoilers. Read it yourself for the full effect. It's well worth your time.
Suffice to say the plot is intriguing, explosive, and full of conflict. The action is intense as is the verbal inter-action between the characters. One white character especially is a real racist ass who presents his barbs as biting humor.
As the story developed, I read on pins and needles anticipating dire acts to evolve. And they did. At times I had to make myself keep reading because the story parallels recent events in the city, the state and throughout our nation. It's not pretty. The dialog and narrative are harsh and thought provoking
The tone of the story is presented from a strong conservative point of view and takes the liberal faction to task for facilitating the decline of the African American family unit, values and life style. As with most problems, the black society is presented as its own worst enemy.
The editing is very good but not perfect. Sentence structure and character development are outstanding. The plot is controversial and both sides of the racial issue are presented sensibly with blame heaped on all parties.
Seldom do I ever read a novel for a second time; Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is the lone exception. I read it about once every ten years. Johnny and Jamaal will join that illustrious group of one. It is an impressive novel and I strongly recommend it.
I've been fortunate to have read several exceptional novels this year. Johnny & Jamaal is among the top of that list.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – K.M. Breakey
Genre – Crime, Thriller, Political
284 Amazon Pages
Rating 6 stars out of 5
No. 20 - 2019
Posted 7/28/2019
The Main Cast
Johnny Robertson – Canadian hockey player who achieves stardom shortly before his life is senselessly ended.
Jamaal Cooper – High school basketball star with a great future. Part of a group of low-lifes who murder Johnny.
Lucas Wayne – Best friend of Johnny. Successful white businessman. Falls in love with a black girl.
Chantal Johnson - Black girlfriend of Lucas. She is fervent about racial issues, supports Black Lives Matter.
Dr. Wilber Rufus Holmes Jr. – A wise multi-racial visionary taking the teachings of MLK to new heights.
Geroy Jenkins – A lying black race hustler extraordinaire surpassing even Jackson and Sharpton.
Johnny and Jamaal is hard to read for two reasons. It thoroughly explores the Black vs. White race issues in the USA and that in itself is extremely disturbing. It is set in present times in the racially explosive city of St. Louis, Missouri and explores the reasons for the racial divide's existence in harsh reality. Second, most of the dialog of low-life black characters is written in black street talk and at times is difficult to decipher. Non-African Americans will need to work at it, but it's worth it.
I won't summarize the story because it would be too easy to give away details of the plot through spoilers. Read it yourself for the full effect. It's well worth your time.
Suffice to say the plot is intriguing, explosive, and full of conflict. The action is intense as is the verbal inter-action between the characters. One white character especially is a real racist ass who presents his barbs as biting humor.
As the story developed, I read on pins and needles anticipating dire acts to evolve. And they did. At times I had to make myself keep reading because the story parallels recent events in the city, the state and throughout our nation. It's not pretty. The dialog and narrative are harsh and thought provoking
The tone of the story is presented from a strong conservative point of view and takes the liberal faction to task for facilitating the decline of the African American family unit, values and life style. As with most problems, the black society is presented as its own worst enemy.
The editing is very good but not perfect. Sentence structure and character development are outstanding. The plot is controversial and both sides of the racial issue are presented sensibly with blame heaped on all parties.
Seldom do I ever read a novel for a second time; Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is the lone exception. I read it about once every ten years. Johnny and Jamaal will join that illustrious group of one. It is an impressive novel and I strongly recommend it.
I've been fortunate to have read several exceptional novels this year. Johnny & Jamaal is among the top of that list.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Point of Attraction
Margaret Van Der Wolf
Mystery and Detective, Cozy
75,950 words
No. 19 - 2019
Rating 4.0 stars out of 5.0
Posted 7/19/2019
Point of Attraction was a great surprise for me. Not being a fervent reader of cozy romantic stories, I was pleased to find an actual thriller plot that could have stood on its own without the cozy angle. The two genres came together with feeling, high levels of emotion and action to culminate in an engrossing read.
Georgie Gainsworth is the main character. She owns a beauty solon where she also provides hair cuts to men. Her primary hobby is writing novels.
Mason Montgomery is a policeman and aspiring writer who signs up for a writing class.
You can surely imagine where their point of contact begins and where this is going.
Georgie is a widow. She clings to the memory of the perfect husband and her deceased mother. Before her death, the mother made a Raggedy Ann doll for Georgie so she would always remember that her mother was spiritually there for her.
But then the doll is suddenly stolen, Georgie is almost the victim of a hit and run, and the mystery grows and darkens the farther the plot develops.
The cast of charming but chaotic characters are described and developed with precision and feeling. Some of her friends are over the top kooks, but they love Georgie and would protect her with their lives.
The writing style is crisp and descriptive and flows smoothly throughout.
I recommend this book for all who read the mixed genre.
That's the good part, but the book is not without fault in other respects.
That old bugaboo, editing, reared its ugly head and detracted from the overall fine writing. There are missing words, extra words, misspelled words, and misused words. They are not in abundance considering the length of the novel, but they are there, and they are noticeable. I suspect this is self edited because silly little errors slipped through: using past for passed, he's for his.
Point of Attraction still deserves a high rating because the plot, the characters, and the writing are strong.
The book is rated 4 stars and I recommend it.
This is an unsolicited review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Margaret Van Der Wolf
Mystery and Detective, Cozy
75,950 words
No. 19 - 2019
Rating 4.0 stars out of 5.0
Posted 7/19/2019
Point of Attraction was a great surprise for me. Not being a fervent reader of cozy romantic stories, I was pleased to find an actual thriller plot that could have stood on its own without the cozy angle. The two genres came together with feeling, high levels of emotion and action to culminate in an engrossing read.
Georgie Gainsworth is the main character. She owns a beauty solon where she also provides hair cuts to men. Her primary hobby is writing novels.
Mason Montgomery is a policeman and aspiring writer who signs up for a writing class.
You can surely imagine where their point of contact begins and where this is going.
Georgie is a widow. She clings to the memory of the perfect husband and her deceased mother. Before her death, the mother made a Raggedy Ann doll for Georgie so she would always remember that her mother was spiritually there for her.
But then the doll is suddenly stolen, Georgie is almost the victim of a hit and run, and the mystery grows and darkens the farther the plot develops.
The cast of charming but chaotic characters are described and developed with precision and feeling. Some of her friends are over the top kooks, but they love Georgie and would protect her with their lives.
The writing style is crisp and descriptive and flows smoothly throughout.
I recommend this book for all who read the mixed genre.
That's the good part, but the book is not without fault in other respects.
That old bugaboo, editing, reared its ugly head and detracted from the overall fine writing. There are missing words, extra words, misspelled words, and misused words. They are not in abundance considering the length of the novel, but they are there, and they are noticeable. I suspect this is self edited because silly little errors slipped through: using past for passed, he's for his.
Point of Attraction still deserves a high rating because the plot, the characters, and the writing are strong.
The book is rated 4 stars and I recommend it.
This is an unsolicited review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Helsinki Pact
Author – Alex Cucia
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Political
355 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 18 - 2019
Posted 7/12/2019
The plot and story telling of The Helsinki Pact deserves a five star rating. The plot is full of surprises.
My impressions: intense, conflict, betrayal, danger, socialism, murder, theft, torture, love.
The story begins in East and West Germany in March 1989 shortly before the fall of the Berlin wall. The action is plentiful and intense.
Thomas Wundart is a West German economics student and aspiring opera singer. He is a scammer earning money by criminal activities in East Berlin.
Bettina List is an East German agent of the secret police, The Stasi.
Colonel Dieter is a high ranking officer in The Stasi.
Stephan Fischer is the assistant to Alfred Herrin the CEO of Deutsche Bank in West Germany. Stephan is Thomas's best friend.
Russia is facing financial collapse. Alfred Herrin represents the West German Government and has been authorized to facilitate a deal between Russia and West Germany. Russia will get the money it desperately needs in exchange for allowing the reunification of West and East Germany.
A second plot in the story finds four East Germans planning to dig a tunnel and escape to West Germany.
Unknown to the Stasi, Thomas has helped the four young people attempting to escape to West Berlin.
What the Stasi network does know, through his relationship with agent Bettina, is that Thomas has been involved in black market currency manipulation. He is arrested, and during interrogation Colonel Dieter learns Thomas's father was a successful West German banker at Bundesbank. Before his death, he enjoyed ties to other movers and shakers in the West German banking industry and government. Under threat of imprisonment in East Germany, Thomas agrees to become an informer reporting to Colonel Dieter.
Another twist in the plot is a group of six people headed by 'The Brain'. They plan to illegally collect millions of Deutsche Marks by manipulating the currency exchange rates during the East and West reunification.
The editing and sentence structure are to UK standards and are a bit different from what US readers are used to.
I strongly recommend this story.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Alex Cucia
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Political
355 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 18 - 2019
Posted 7/12/2019
The plot and story telling of The Helsinki Pact deserves a five star rating. The plot is full of surprises.
My impressions: intense, conflict, betrayal, danger, socialism, murder, theft, torture, love.
The story begins in East and West Germany in March 1989 shortly before the fall of the Berlin wall. The action is plentiful and intense.
Thomas Wundart is a West German economics student and aspiring opera singer. He is a scammer earning money by criminal activities in East Berlin.
Bettina List is an East German agent of the secret police, The Stasi.
Colonel Dieter is a high ranking officer in The Stasi.
Stephan Fischer is the assistant to Alfred Herrin the CEO of Deutsche Bank in West Germany. Stephan is Thomas's best friend.
Russia is facing financial collapse. Alfred Herrin represents the West German Government and has been authorized to facilitate a deal between Russia and West Germany. Russia will get the money it desperately needs in exchange for allowing the reunification of West and East Germany.
A second plot in the story finds four East Germans planning to dig a tunnel and escape to West Germany.
Unknown to the Stasi, Thomas has helped the four young people attempting to escape to West Berlin.
What the Stasi network does know, through his relationship with agent Bettina, is that Thomas has been involved in black market currency manipulation. He is arrested, and during interrogation Colonel Dieter learns Thomas's father was a successful West German banker at Bundesbank. Before his death, he enjoyed ties to other movers and shakers in the West German banking industry and government. Under threat of imprisonment in East Germany, Thomas agrees to become an informer reporting to Colonel Dieter.
Another twist in the plot is a group of six people headed by 'The Brain'. They plan to illegally collect millions of Deutsche Marks by manipulating the currency exchange rates during the East and West reunification.
The editing and sentence structure are to UK standards and are a bit different from what US readers are used to.
I strongly recommend this story.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Haywood Micaye
Author – Ashlynne Doyle
Genre – Psychological Spy Thriller
Word Count 86,500
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 18-1 - 2019
Posted 7/5/2019
Haywood James Micaye is a seriously disturbed government agent who envisions himself to be above normal humanity. In fact, he sees himself as perfect and doesn’t believe he is human.
Micaye is more serious than Maxwell Smart but even more kooky. The action scenes are a bit tongue in cheek as the superagent manages to defeat overwhelming odds.
Micaye’s mother died before he knew her. His father, a highly successful business mogul, was a cruel, demanding, and demeaning tyrant. Grandpa was patient and loving but died when Micaye was six. Micaye turned inward and hardened into an arrogant, self-centered, sociopath who could murder without remorse
The world is threatened by a group named the Leviticus. Micaye chases leads and finally reached the group’s leader.
Throughout Micaye’s investigation he finally experiences the emotions normal humans feel. Guilt over his cruel attacks on other humans causes him to want to change and do good for the world. But does he?
This is not a typical crime story but a psychological romp through the main characters emotions, or lack thereof. I recommend it for readers who enjoy following a psychotic personality.
There are no sexual situations and only minor cursing.
The editing is poor. The plot and writing deserve better.
Some sentence structures need reorganization.
Character development is excellent
Details are adequate
Thorough research is apparent
The plot is fresh and captivating
The author’s writing style is exceptional.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Ashlynne Doyle
Genre – Psychological Spy Thriller
Word Count 86,500
Rating 4 stars out of 5
No. 18-1 - 2019
Posted 7/5/2019
Haywood James Micaye is a seriously disturbed government agent who envisions himself to be above normal humanity. In fact, he sees himself as perfect and doesn’t believe he is human.
Micaye is more serious than Maxwell Smart but even more kooky. The action scenes are a bit tongue in cheek as the superagent manages to defeat overwhelming odds.
Micaye’s mother died before he knew her. His father, a highly successful business mogul, was a cruel, demanding, and demeaning tyrant. Grandpa was patient and loving but died when Micaye was six. Micaye turned inward and hardened into an arrogant, self-centered, sociopath who could murder without remorse
The world is threatened by a group named the Leviticus. Micaye chases leads and finally reached the group’s leader.
Throughout Micaye’s investigation he finally experiences the emotions normal humans feel. Guilt over his cruel attacks on other humans causes him to want to change and do good for the world. But does he?
This is not a typical crime story but a psychological romp through the main characters emotions, or lack thereof. I recommend it for readers who enjoy following a psychotic personality.
There are no sexual situations and only minor cursing.
The editing is poor. The plot and writing deserve better.
Some sentence structures need reorganization.
Character development is excellent
Details are adequate
Thorough research is apparent
The plot is fresh and captivating
The author’s writing style is exceptional.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Outside Forces Days of Reckoning
R E Swirsky
Mystery, Detective, Thriller, Suspense
125,000 Words
No. 17, 2019
Rating 4.0 out of 5.0
Posted 6/28/2019
Tall and scrawny, eighteen year old, Michael Crowder finally has a girlfriend. But Lucy also has another boyfriend. Michael hides under Lucy's bed when she is abducted, and that heinous act leads to Michael's family being dragged into a series of nightmarish murder schemes.
The plot revolves around a secret vigilante organization named the Order; they were formed to correct the errors of an imperfect justice system. Toward the end, we learn the Order has run off the tracks and the leadership isn't the high minded group it started out to be.
Outside Forces is an excellent story, full of mystery and suspense. Conflict, intrigue, thrills, and unexpected twist abound.
The large cast of characters is described well and develops over the course of the story. Their intimate secrets keep popping out on all fronts.
There are evil antagonists galore to keep the reader guessing as to what is coming next and who will be impacted.
The pace is fast with multiple deceptions being played out on several sides.
To complicate matters further, Michael has suffered since childhood with a condition that would make his testimony to the police unbelievable and make him appear guilty.
The story ends in a cliffhanger that keeps open the option of a follow up story.
Editing, as usual, is the downfall preventing this story from being a perfect 5.0. While certainly not awful, there are enough missing, extra, and misspelled words to be irritating. Several sentence structures were clumsy causing one dialog to be difficult to pinpoint who was speaking.
Outside Forces receives a strong 4.0 out of 5.0.
This is an unsolicited review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
R E Swirsky
Mystery, Detective, Thriller, Suspense
125,000 Words
No. 17, 2019
Rating 4.0 out of 5.0
Posted 6/28/2019
Tall and scrawny, eighteen year old, Michael Crowder finally has a girlfriend. But Lucy also has another boyfriend. Michael hides under Lucy's bed when she is abducted, and that heinous act leads to Michael's family being dragged into a series of nightmarish murder schemes.
The plot revolves around a secret vigilante organization named the Order; they were formed to correct the errors of an imperfect justice system. Toward the end, we learn the Order has run off the tracks and the leadership isn't the high minded group it started out to be.
Outside Forces is an excellent story, full of mystery and suspense. Conflict, intrigue, thrills, and unexpected twist abound.
The large cast of characters is described well and develops over the course of the story. Their intimate secrets keep popping out on all fronts.
There are evil antagonists galore to keep the reader guessing as to what is coming next and who will be impacted.
The pace is fast with multiple deceptions being played out on several sides.
To complicate matters further, Michael has suffered since childhood with a condition that would make his testimony to the police unbelievable and make him appear guilty.
The story ends in a cliffhanger that keeps open the option of a follow up story.
Editing, as usual, is the downfall preventing this story from being a perfect 5.0. While certainly not awful, there are enough missing, extra, and misspelled words to be irritating. Several sentence structures were clumsy causing one dialog to be difficult to pinpoint who was speaking.
Outside Forces receives a strong 4.0 out of 5.0.
This is an unsolicited review of a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Thou Shall Not Kill
Author – John Leifer
Genre – Military, Political Thriller
Word Count 80,000
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 17 - 2019
Posted 6/21/2019
My Impressions: Diabolical antagonist, religious fanatics, horror, shrewd response to attacks.
Main Characters:
Commander John Hart – The U.S. President’s go to guy to save the nation.
Too many to list. They are listed at the front of the book
If Thou Shall Not Kill was written by a well-known author, it would be a best seller. The Syrian Coalition (Syria, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Russia) mounted a surprise attack at Israel and capped it with a chemical agent that killed thousands. Agent John Hart has been sent to assist the Israeli forces as they are threatened with annihilation if they don’t capitulate to Iran within forty-eight hours.
The action is fast, well thought out, and furious
Many exchanges occur between the Israeli prime minister and the American president in deciding how to deal with the deadly, diabolical attack using WMDs, without starting an all-out world war. And, of course, Commander Hart is right in the middle of the negotiations and the battle plans.
The romantic side of John and the Israeli prime minister are brought out with intimate exchanges with their wives.
The author has captured the terror of modern warfare where huge explosives, chemical weapons and nuclear bombs cause innumerable casualties among civilians as well as soldiers.
The editing and sentence structure are professional grade, and character development is great for all the major players.
This enjoyable tale is highly recommended to readers of war and political intrigue novels. And it only cost $2.99
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – John Leifer
Genre – Military, Political Thriller
Word Count 80,000
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 17 - 2019
Posted 6/21/2019
My Impressions: Diabolical antagonist, religious fanatics, horror, shrewd response to attacks.
Main Characters:
Commander John Hart – The U.S. President’s go to guy to save the nation.
Too many to list. They are listed at the front of the book
If Thou Shall Not Kill was written by a well-known author, it would be a best seller. The Syrian Coalition (Syria, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Russia) mounted a surprise attack at Israel and capped it with a chemical agent that killed thousands. Agent John Hart has been sent to assist the Israeli forces as they are threatened with annihilation if they don’t capitulate to Iran within forty-eight hours.
The action is fast, well thought out, and furious
Many exchanges occur between the Israeli prime minister and the American president in deciding how to deal with the deadly, diabolical attack using WMDs, without starting an all-out world war. And, of course, Commander Hart is right in the middle of the negotiations and the battle plans.
The romantic side of John and the Israeli prime minister are brought out with intimate exchanges with their wives.
The author has captured the terror of modern warfare where huge explosives, chemical weapons and nuclear bombs cause innumerable casualties among civilians as well as soldiers.
The editing and sentence structure are professional grade, and character development is great for all the major players.
This enjoyable tale is highly recommended to readers of war and political intrigue novels. And it only cost $2.99
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Dead Down East
Author – Carl Schmidt
Genre – Mystery, Humor
241 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 16 - 2019
Posted 6/14/2019
Jesse Thorp is a part time detective who also plays in a band with friends.
Cynthia Dumais was having an affair with the governor of Maine when she witnessed his murder.
Agnele is Jesse's attorney girlfriend.
The plot is soft core, interesting and humorous.
Jesse is a laid back New Englander who resists carrying Rhonda, his handgun, unless a dire need is perceived. Cynthia convinces Jesse that she was not involved in the Governor's death and he hides her in his home while the police and the murderers search for her.
The Governor and his wife were estranged and he had been involved in at least seven other affairs in the past five years, so Jesse had plenty to investigate.
Of course, there are side plots to hamper Jesse's investigation and threaten his safety.
Cynthia's ex-husband is a Maine State Police Trooper assigned to the Governor's security detail. He is arrested when it is determined that his gun was the murder weapon.
Finally, Jesse uncovers the reason behind the murder and forms an ingenious plot with a cast of his friends to procure evidence to expose the members of the deadly conspiracy.
Jesse and Angele are frequently romping in the bedroom, but the descriptions are vague at best. There are no graphic sexual scenes or references.
The editing and sentence structure is professional grade. Character development is thorough, and the writing style is clear and concise.
On the down side: Internal thoughts should not have quotation marks like dialog.
Supposedly the phone number and address of the Governor's parents was found on Wikipedia. I use Wikipedia often and have never seen any personal info of this type given. I can't imagine the site would provide this.
I enjoyed this story and recommend it for readers of soft core crime plots.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Carl Schmidt
Genre – Mystery, Humor
241 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 16 - 2019
Posted 6/14/2019
Jesse Thorp is a part time detective who also plays in a band with friends.
Cynthia Dumais was having an affair with the governor of Maine when she witnessed his murder.
Agnele is Jesse's attorney girlfriend.
The plot is soft core, interesting and humorous.
Jesse is a laid back New Englander who resists carrying Rhonda, his handgun, unless a dire need is perceived. Cynthia convinces Jesse that she was not involved in the Governor's death and he hides her in his home while the police and the murderers search for her.
The Governor and his wife were estranged and he had been involved in at least seven other affairs in the past five years, so Jesse had plenty to investigate.
Of course, there are side plots to hamper Jesse's investigation and threaten his safety.
Cynthia's ex-husband is a Maine State Police Trooper assigned to the Governor's security detail. He is arrested when it is determined that his gun was the murder weapon.
Finally, Jesse uncovers the reason behind the murder and forms an ingenious plot with a cast of his friends to procure evidence to expose the members of the deadly conspiracy.
Jesse and Angele are frequently romping in the bedroom, but the descriptions are vague at best. There are no graphic sexual scenes or references.
The editing and sentence structure is professional grade. Character development is thorough, and the writing style is clear and concise.
On the down side: Internal thoughts should not have quotation marks like dialog.
Supposedly the phone number and address of the Governor's parents was found on Wikipedia. I use Wikipedia often and have never seen any personal info of this type given. I can't imagine the site would provide this.
I enjoyed this story and recommend it for readers of soft core crime plots.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Slaughter & Maneuver
By Tony Hernandez
Genre- Thriller - Espionage
271 Amazon pages
No. 15, 2019
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 6/7/2019
Slaughter & Maneuver begins with a series of unconnected events around the globe: Saudi Arabia, North Korea, the U.S., France, Germany, England and Africa. The only common factor is that the same characters appear in several of those scenes. It's a bit difficult to follow at first because the story often shifts back and forth between the actions taking place in the various countries by a slew of characters. Slowly a terrorist plot develops as the reader becomes privy to more details.
Juan Bocanegra, or Boca, is with the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team. Jason Henry is a member of the CIA's Special Activities Division, its special operations unit. Eventually the two men emerge as the stories main characters.
The story's locations are diverse, but the author pulls it all together and makes it work effectively. The plot in this action thriller is complex and intense, and there is abundant action and conflict.
Throughout the story Boca struggles with forgiveness, both giving it and accepting it. Near the end he learns to forgive several actions that have haunted his life, but he also finds that not all people can or should be forgiven.
Writing is wordy and there are occasional editing issues. The last 20% had more word and comma problems than the first part of the story. Sentence structure and continuity are good.
Characters are well developed and interesting.
If you like fast paced action and a creative plot with frequent twist and turns, I recommend this story.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
By Tony Hernandez
Genre- Thriller - Espionage
271 Amazon pages
No. 15, 2019
Rating 4 stars out of 5
Posted 6/7/2019
Slaughter & Maneuver begins with a series of unconnected events around the globe: Saudi Arabia, North Korea, the U.S., France, Germany, England and Africa. The only common factor is that the same characters appear in several of those scenes. It's a bit difficult to follow at first because the story often shifts back and forth between the actions taking place in the various countries by a slew of characters. Slowly a terrorist plot develops as the reader becomes privy to more details.
Juan Bocanegra, or Boca, is with the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team. Jason Henry is a member of the CIA's Special Activities Division, its special operations unit. Eventually the two men emerge as the stories main characters.
The story's locations are diverse, but the author pulls it all together and makes it work effectively. The plot in this action thriller is complex and intense, and there is abundant action and conflict.
Throughout the story Boca struggles with forgiveness, both giving it and accepting it. Near the end he learns to forgive several actions that have haunted his life, but he also finds that not all people can or should be forgiven.
Writing is wordy and there are occasional editing issues. The last 20% had more word and comma problems than the first part of the story. Sentence structure and continuity are good.
Characters are well developed and interesting.
If you like fast paced action and a creative plot with frequent twist and turns, I recommend this story.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Devil's Due
Author – L.D. Beyer
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
273 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 14 - 2019
Posted 5/31/2019
The Devil's Due is without doubt one of the best book I've read this year. That's high praise because I've had the privilege or reviewing many highly rated books. It is a historical novel set in Ireland in 1921 and depicts the war with England. Frank Kelleher is the main character. In the opening scenes young Frank is about to be murdered as a spy and traitor to the Irish Republican Army. He's been beaten to a pulp by his company commander, Billy Ryan, and is on the verge of being executed when the British attack the barn where Frank is being held. The diversion is enough for a friend to help him escape.
A year later, Frank learns of the plight of his girlfriend, Kathleen, and returns to make things right with her and clear his name. How he goes about that and the perils it causes is the main plot of the book. He and a handful of loyal friends soon uncover a plot that lands Frank in the hands of his nemesis again. And again his death sentence is about to be carried out.
The action is plentiful, the conflict is intense, and the characters are colorful. As colorful as a country can be where a breakfast can consist of a plate of boiled potatoes and a cup of tea.
The editing is superb and character development is through. The writing style is crisp and descriptive but not overdone.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend it strongly.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – L.D. Beyer
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
273 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 14 - 2019
Posted 5/31/2019
The Devil's Due is without doubt one of the best book I've read this year. That's high praise because I've had the privilege or reviewing many highly rated books. It is a historical novel set in Ireland in 1921 and depicts the war with England. Frank Kelleher is the main character. In the opening scenes young Frank is about to be murdered as a spy and traitor to the Irish Republican Army. He's been beaten to a pulp by his company commander, Billy Ryan, and is on the verge of being executed when the British attack the barn where Frank is being held. The diversion is enough for a friend to help him escape.
A year later, Frank learns of the plight of his girlfriend, Kathleen, and returns to make things right with her and clear his name. How he goes about that and the perils it causes is the main plot of the book. He and a handful of loyal friends soon uncover a plot that lands Frank in the hands of his nemesis again. And again his death sentence is about to be carried out.
The action is plentiful, the conflict is intense, and the characters are colorful. As colorful as a country can be where a breakfast can consist of a plate of boiled potatoes and a cup of tea.
The editing is superb and character development is through. The writing style is crisp and descriptive but not overdone.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend it strongly.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Faithless Elector
Author – James McCrone
Genre – Suspense, Thriller, Political
191 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 13 - 2019
Posted 5/24/2019
Duncan Calder, age 47, is a professor of Political Science. He teaches American Politics at the Univ. of Washington at Seattle.
Imogen Trager age 35, is a FBI agent and a past student of Prof. Calder.
Matthew Yamashita is a grad student under Calder.
Jerry Ingram is a friend of Matthew's and a reporter for the Washington Post.
Matthew Yamashita has a project to track how individual members of the Electoral College vote. When seven of those delegates die in accidents in a two month period he suspects a conspiracy is in play to shift the election results for the next President of the USA. He contacts his friend Jerry Ingram to look into his allegations. The next day Jerry dies in a car wreck.
Then Matthew is 'accidently' run over while on his bicycle.
Duncan is then drawn into the thriller when Matthew's keys and his laptop computer are both unexpectedly missing from the accident site as are other articles from Matthew's room.
Soon Duncan experiences break ins at his home and office and suspects he is under surveillance by someone.
Out of desperation, he contacts the only person he knows at the FBI, Imogen Trager.
Then the plot becomes even more intense as the action escalates to non-stop with the bad guys chasing Duncan and Imogen at every turn.
The editing, sentence structure and character development are good.
There was one issue with continuity: when Duncan went to visit the character Novaczeck he signed the log book at the guard station at the entrance. Yet no one knew who the unknown visitor was for quite some time.
I enjoyed this story, and the plot involving the little understood political angle was fresh and unusual.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – James McCrone
Genre – Suspense, Thriller, Political
191 Amazon Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 13 - 2019
Posted 5/24/2019
Duncan Calder, age 47, is a professor of Political Science. He teaches American Politics at the Univ. of Washington at Seattle.
Imogen Trager age 35, is a FBI agent and a past student of Prof. Calder.
Matthew Yamashita is a grad student under Calder.
Jerry Ingram is a friend of Matthew's and a reporter for the Washington Post.
Matthew Yamashita has a project to track how individual members of the Electoral College vote. When seven of those delegates die in accidents in a two month period he suspects a conspiracy is in play to shift the election results for the next President of the USA. He contacts his friend Jerry Ingram to look into his allegations. The next day Jerry dies in a car wreck.
Then Matthew is 'accidently' run over while on his bicycle.
Duncan is then drawn into the thriller when Matthew's keys and his laptop computer are both unexpectedly missing from the accident site as are other articles from Matthew's room.
Soon Duncan experiences break ins at his home and office and suspects he is under surveillance by someone.
Out of desperation, he contacts the only person he knows at the FBI, Imogen Trager.
Then the plot becomes even more intense as the action escalates to non-stop with the bad guys chasing Duncan and Imogen at every turn.
The editing, sentence structure and character development are good.
There was one issue with continuity: when Duncan went to visit the character Novaczeck he signed the log book at the guard station at the entrance. Yet no one knew who the unknown visitor was for quite some time.
I enjoyed this story, and the plot involving the little understood political angle was fresh and unusual.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – When Sally Comes Marching Home
Author – Richard Milton
Genre – Thriller
Word Count 88,000 plus extras
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 12-1 - 2019
Posted 5/17/2019
My Impressions: Exciting, well written, plenty of action.
Main Characters:
Major Sally Honeychurch - Army ex-S.O.E. undercover agent.
Teddy – The Duke of Buckingham, described as a lovely, dangerous man.
Lt. Gen. Stewart Menzies – Sally’s military boss.
Mac Mackenzie – Scotland Yard Detective Inspector and Sally’s partner during the war.
During WWII Sally was a member of an elite group of female operatives dropped behind German lines to aid the French Resistance in assassinating targeted Germans and wreak havoc. After the war, the females in her military group were discharged because they were women and politicians didn’t like the idea of women behind enemy lines.
After Germany surrendered, a plot to set off an atom bomb in London, England was uncovered.
Investigation of a theft from a warehouse where fourteen employees were gunned down discloses the presence of radiation. The ship by which the heavy crates entered London also showed radiation contamination.
The military leaders were sure the Russians or the Zionist were behind the plot. Sally differed with the hierarchy and opined diehards from Germany were behind the horrendous scheme. She had minimal evidence and was ignored by the male chauvinist pigs in charge.
Sally’s daring escapades rival any action hero and the male goons involved didn’t stand a chance when her anger went into play.
The story is loaded with conflict and intrigue and was enjoyable from start to finish.
Since the story was written by an Englishman, much of the editing differs from American standards. For example; half the hyphenated compounds are incorrect according to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary. On the minor side, several words are missing, wrong, or misspelled. A few comma issues are also present. However, I seriously doubt most readers will be put off by these errors.
Character development is excellent.
Research is obvious, especially if the reader takes time to read the Historical Notes at the stories end.
I enjoyed the story immensely in spite of the perceived editing errors.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Richard Milton
Genre – Thriller
Word Count 88,000 plus extras
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 12-1 - 2019
Posted 5/17/2019
My Impressions: Exciting, well written, plenty of action.
Main Characters:
Major Sally Honeychurch - Army ex-S.O.E. undercover agent.
Teddy – The Duke of Buckingham, described as a lovely, dangerous man.
Lt. Gen. Stewart Menzies – Sally’s military boss.
Mac Mackenzie – Scotland Yard Detective Inspector and Sally’s partner during the war.
During WWII Sally was a member of an elite group of female operatives dropped behind German lines to aid the French Resistance in assassinating targeted Germans and wreak havoc. After the war, the females in her military group were discharged because they were women and politicians didn’t like the idea of women behind enemy lines.
After Germany surrendered, a plot to set off an atom bomb in London, England was uncovered.
Investigation of a theft from a warehouse where fourteen employees were gunned down discloses the presence of radiation. The ship by which the heavy crates entered London also showed radiation contamination.
The military leaders were sure the Russians or the Zionist were behind the plot. Sally differed with the hierarchy and opined diehards from Germany were behind the horrendous scheme. She had minimal evidence and was ignored by the male chauvinist pigs in charge.
Sally’s daring escapades rival any action hero and the male goons involved didn’t stand a chance when her anger went into play.
The story is loaded with conflict and intrigue and was enjoyable from start to finish.
Since the story was written by an Englishman, much of the editing differs from American standards. For example; half the hyphenated compounds are incorrect according to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary. On the minor side, several words are missing, wrong, or misspelled. A few comma issues are also present. However, I seriously doubt most readers will be put off by these errors.
Character development is excellent.
Research is obvious, especially if the reader takes time to read the Historical Notes at the stories end.
I enjoyed the story immensely in spite of the perceived editing errors.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – Walking With Shadows
Author – Luke Romyn
Genre – Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Action, Adventure
Word Count 430 Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 12 - 2019
Posted 5/11/2019
Jonas Drake is a successful but reclusive novelist with a troubled past. He attempted to confront his childhood demons with his early fantasy short stories. Those stories didn't sell well so he changed genres and wrote crime stories for the money and fame they brought. However, that didn't bring the inner peace his tortured mind craved and needed.
On a return flight from Brazil, the plane crashed in the Amazon rainforest. Jonas and a ten year old boy, Jeremy, are the lone survivors. Jonas soon learned he was a product of the streets of New York City and was ill equipped to face the dangers of F.A.R.C. terrorist, wild animals, jungles natives and drug smugglers. Or was he?
To placate and support Jeremy, Jonas recounted tales about characters from his early fantasy books and soon drew the boy into the world he created to escape a troubled childhood.
I'm not a fantasy fan so some of those recounted stories were a bit long for my taste. But they were necessary to set the stage for what was to come.
In the end, Jonas found the strength to confront and accept his past and make life altering decisions that would reshape who he had become and who he chose to be.
Overall, this is one of the most interesting stories I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time. I highly recommend it.
The editing, sentence structure and writing style of Walking With Shadows are exemplary.
In depth research is evident by its accuracy.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Luke Romyn
Genre – Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Action, Adventure
Word Count 430 Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No. 12 - 2019
Posted 5/11/2019
Jonas Drake is a successful but reclusive novelist with a troubled past. He attempted to confront his childhood demons with his early fantasy short stories. Those stories didn't sell well so he changed genres and wrote crime stories for the money and fame they brought. However, that didn't bring the inner peace his tortured mind craved and needed.
On a return flight from Brazil, the plane crashed in the Amazon rainforest. Jonas and a ten year old boy, Jeremy, are the lone survivors. Jonas soon learned he was a product of the streets of New York City and was ill equipped to face the dangers of F.A.R.C. terrorist, wild animals, jungles natives and drug smugglers. Or was he?
To placate and support Jeremy, Jonas recounted tales about characters from his early fantasy books and soon drew the boy into the world he created to escape a troubled childhood.
I'm not a fantasy fan so some of those recounted stories were a bit long for my taste. But they were necessary to set the stage for what was to come.
In the end, Jonas found the strength to confront and accept his past and make life altering decisions that would reshape who he had become and who he chose to be.
Overall, this is one of the most interesting stories I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time. I highly recommend it.
The editing, sentence structure and writing style of Walking With Shadows are exemplary.
In depth research is evident by its accuracy.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Title – The Smart Kid
Author – Bob Miller
Genre – Mystery, Thriller
378 Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No.11 - 2019
Posted 5/3/2019
The genre is listed as Mystery and Thriller but it also has a strong science fiction element throughout.
Michael Shale is a man in his mid-thirties who has the size and appearance of a twelve year old.
A powerful sitting US Senator heads a corrupt secret group within the FBI that captures Michael and holds him to draw samples from his body. Of course, it's done under the auspicious of national security.
The evil side of the Senator's involvement is his personal craving for a fountain of youth elixir to keep him at his present age so he can remain in office for an extended period of time. Other implications are to create an army of super soldiers who would remain in their prime fighting condition for many decades.
The story evolves as Michael escapes his imprisonment and begins a journey involving numerous identity changes while he hides in plain sight. While hiding he also leaves subtle clues for his normally ageing twin brother to locate him.
The editing and sentence structure in The Smart Kid are unusually good.
Character development is through and detailed.
There are adequate details of locations etc., but they are not flowery or excessive.
The core of the plot depends on science fiction and provides constant conflict and danger.
The writing style is straight forward and uncluttered.
There is minor occasional cursing and no graphic sex.
Toward the end there are several scenes I felt were somewhat contrived to make the ending mesh, but I was able to overlook those.
I enjoyed this story immensely but won't give more details at the risk of revealing too much.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Bob Miller
Genre – Mystery, Thriller
378 Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5
No.11 - 2019
Posted 5/3/2019
The genre is listed as Mystery and Thriller but it also has a strong science fiction element throughout.
Michael Shale is a man in his mid-thirties who has the size and appearance of a twelve year old.
A powerful sitting US Senator heads a corrupt secret group within the FBI that captures Michael and holds him to draw samples from his body. Of course, it's done under the auspicious of national security.
The evil side of the Senator's involvement is his personal craving for a fountain of youth elixir to keep him at his present age so he can remain in office for an extended period of time. Other implications are to create an army of super soldiers who would remain in their prime fighting condition for many decades.
The story evolves as Michael escapes his imprisonment and begins a journey involving numerous identity changes while he hides in plain sight. While hiding he also leaves subtle clues for his normally ageing twin brother to locate him.
The editing and sentence structure in The Smart Kid are unusually good.
Character development is through and detailed.
There are adequate details of locations etc., but they are not flowery or excessive.
The core of the plot depends on science fiction and provides constant conflict and danger.
The writing style is straight forward and uncluttered.
There is minor occasional cursing and no graphic sex.
Toward the end there are several scenes I felt were somewhat contrived to make the ending mesh, but I was able to overlook those.
I enjoyed this story immensely but won't give more details at the risk of revealing too much.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
