It’s The Blurbs! Blackquest 40 by Jeff Bond

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

Howdy. It’s the blurbs! Every Saturday I’ll try to share with you a book blurb or premise that I was impressed with. It may be one, or a few. Still haven’t decided yet. The first impression of an authors work is the book cover. Then the blurb. Usually if the book has at least, a half-way decent cover, I’ll proceed to the blurb. If it sounds cliched, uninteresting, boring, I’ll pass. If it passes the test then I’ll download a sample. If the first few pages draw me into the story then it’s a purchase!

 

BlueInk Review: “A Die Hard sequel for the #meToo era … chockfull of thrilling action … a page-turning thriller.”

 

Deb Bollinger has no time for corporate training.

Her company’s top engineer at just twenty-seven, Deb has blocked off her day for the one project she truly cares about: the launch of Carebnb, an app that finds spare beds for the homeless. When she’s told all employees must drop everything for some busywork exercise called Blackquest 40, it’s an easy no.

Trouble is, her bosses aren’t really asking.

Blackquest 40 is the mother of all corporate trainings. A near-impossible project to be completed in forty straight hours. No phones. No internet. Sleeping on cots. Nobody in, nobody out. Deb finds the whole setup creepy and authoritarian. When a Carebnb issue necessitates her leaving the office, she heads for the door. What’s the worst that could happen?

Armed commandos, HVAC-duct chases, a catastrophic master plan that gets darker by the hour Blackquest 40 is a fresh take on the Die Hard formula, layering smart-drones and a modern heroine onto the classic action tale.

Stand down, Bruce. Deb’s got this.

BLACKQUEST 40

I was very intrigued after reading the blurb for Blackquest 40. I’ve never heard of the author, but the blurb gave me a good summary of the story and piqued my interest in the main character Deb Bollinger. The author sounds pretty witty which further drew my interest into the book. In todays market the field is pretty crowded. That makes it ten times harder to stand out among the myriad of talented authors. I love it when I find something truly witty, original, and something with a unique twist. Check out Jeff Bond! Thumbs up!

 

Jeff Bond is an American author of popular fiction. His books have earned multiple starred reviews from Kirkus and BlueInk and been featured in The New York Review of Books. His 2020 release, The Pinebox Vendetta, received a gold medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. A Kansas native and Yale graduate, he now lives in Michigan with his wife and two daughters. (Who share his Kindle account, as you might guess from peeking at his bookshelf.)

www.jeffbondbooks.com

 

Books & Blurbs: The Wanderer by Michael Ridpath, Good and Evil by E.M. Smith,Vargus, McBain.

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

Wanderer by Michael Ridpath book 5

 

 

From the million-copy bestselling author, perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson, Anne Holt, and The Killing.

“Michael Ridpath is trouncing the Scandinavians on their home turf. This is international thriller writing at its best.” PETER JAMES

Iceland, 2017: When a young Italian tourist is found brutally murdered at a sacred church in northern Iceland, Magnus Jonson, newly returned to the Reykjavík police force, is called in to investigate. At the scene, he finds a stunned TV crew, there to film a documentary on the life of the legendary Viking, Gudrid the Wanderer.

Magnus quickly begins to suspect that there may be more links to the murdered woman than anyone in the film crew will acknowledge. As jealousies come to the surface, new tensions replace old friendships, and history begins to rewrite itself, a shocking second murder leads Magnus to question everything he thought he knew…

 

Amazon | Goodreads

 

Blurb rating: 8/10

This book is definitely on my radar. First, there’s an amazing endorsement from mega-writer Peter James. Then the blurb kind of sucks you into it’s realm of suspense, intrigue, crime, setting and viking history. The Wanderer is the #5 book in the series so I’ll need to catch up fast!

 

 

Good and Evil Viktor Loshak book one

 

 

He slips through the unlocked window. Creeps down the hall. A shadow standing in the bedroom doorway. Will you wake when death comes ripping?

A string of brutal home invasion murders terrifies Dade County Florida. The killer strikes in the dead of the night, savages innocent people in their beds, wipes out entire families.

Skewering them with his blade. Butchering them beyond recognition. Raw. Aggressive.

He attacks at random. Rich. Poor. Young. Old. No one is safe.

When the city sleeps, he comes alive. Stalks the night. Walks among us.

The investigation is hopeless. There’s little physical evidence to work with, and the killer’s chaotic behavior makes him as unpredictable as he is dangerous.

How can anyone make sense of such brutality?

The task force leading the investigation needs a profiler, and there’s only one man for the job.

Loshak. Special Agent Victor Loshak.

The 53 year-old likes his Dunkin’ Donuts coffee shaken, not stirred. And now, for the first time, he’s on his own.

In recent years, Loshak has slowed down some. He relies on more wit than grit these days, often playing a mentor role to his partner, Violet Darger. Until now, she always had more than enough grit for both of them.

But Darger isn’t around this time, and a killer this aggressive will push Loshak to his limits.

And beyond.

What drives someone to such violence? And how far will Loshak have to go to stop him?

Yeah, he’ll need to find that grit again… or die trying.

 

Amazon | Goodreads

 

 

Blurb rating: 7/10

 

I’ve read this author and part of the Violet Darger FBI series before, so I know what I’m getting into before I read this. Agent Victor Loshak FBI profiler first makes his appearance in Dead End Girl: A Gripping Serial Killer Thriller (Violet Darger FBI Thriller Book 1). And that book was AMAZING. I wasn’t too impressed with the blurb itself though. Liked bits and pieces of it and disliked others. But the blurb is pointless because I’ve already got a great taste of the series and the lead character anyway. Can’t wait to tap into this puppy.

 

 

 

 

 

Books & Blurbs: A Sharp Solitude by Christine Carbo

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

Little girl and open book

 

 

“Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well.” – Mark Haddon

 

 

A Sharp Solitude Christine Carbo

 

 

A gripping new mystery from the “fresh new voice in the thriller genre” (Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author) and author of The Wild Inside, set in the magnificent and brutal terrain of Glacier National Park—for fans of C.J. Box and Nevada Barr.

 

BLURB

In the darkening days of autumn, in a remote region near the Canadian border, a journalist has been murdered. Anne Marie Johnson was last seen with Reeve Landon, whose chocolate Labrador was part of an article she had been writing about a scientific canine research program. Now Landon is the prime suspect. Intensely private and paranoid, in a panic that he’ll be wrongfully arrested, he ventures deep into in the woods. Even as he evades the detective, Landon secretly feels the whole thing is somehow deserved, a karmic punishment for a horrifying crime he committed as a young boy.

While Montana FBI investigator Ali Paige is not officially assigned to the case, Landon—an ex-boyfriend and the father of her child—needs help. Ali has only one objective for snooping around the edges of an investigation she’s not authorized to pursue: to save her daughter the shame of having a father in jail and the pain of abandonment she endured as a child. As the clock ticks and the noose tightens around Landon’s neck, Ali isn’t sure how far she will go to find out the truth. And what if the truth is not something she wants to know?

A Sharp Solitude is a study of two flawed characters, bonded by a child, trying to make their way in an extraordinary place where escape seems possible. But no one can ever really outrun their demons, even in the vast terrain of Glacier, the ultimate backdrop for a journey of the soul.

 

BLURB RATING – 9/10 

This is a well written blurb that whets your appetite for the story. I love how it begins–“In the darkening days of Autumn, in a remote region near the Canadian border…” I was hooked on the first sentence! You can even say that the first sentence tells a story. You have an interesting setting, a particular season, and dazzling crime to be solved. Boom! Great blurb.

 

First Chapter Impressions 

This is a darling of a first chapter. I love Christine Carbo’s brand of storytelling. Based upon the blurb and the first chapter, this is the story of Reeve Landon and Montana FBI investigator Ali Paige. Told in the first person point of view of Ali Paige you sense that you’re part of the story. Like she’s  sitting right next to you–or better yet, taking you alongside her as the story is told.

It begins with a traumatic experience in Reeve’s childhood, and a sneak peak into his characteristics and personality. Shortly thereafter Reeve and Ali’s relationship is brought into the story with breadcrumbs from Ali’s past. Really looking forward to reading this book!

 

Book Review: The Wild Inside by Christine Carbo – Glacier Mystery Book #1

 

 

 

Christine Carbo author image

 

 

Christine Carbo is the author of The Wild Inside, Mortal Fall, The Weight of Night, and A Sharp Solitude (all from Atria Books/Simon and Schuster) and a recipient of the Womens’ National Book Association Pinckley Prize, the Silver Falchion Award and the High Plains Book Award. After earning a pilot’s license, pursuing various adventures in Norway, and working a brief stint as a flight attendant, she got an MA in English and linguistics and taught college-level courses. She still teaches, in a vastly different realm, as the owner of a Pilates studio. A Florida native, she and her family live in Whitefish, Montana. Find out more at  ChristineCarbo.com

 

 

 

 

Books & Blurbs: March 15, 2018

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

Books and Blurbs March 15

 

 

BOOK AND BLURBS MARCH 15, 2018

 

I know where you live Pat Young

 

 

 

Penny believes she’s being watched. Yet no one should know where she lives.

Penny seizes the chance of a new life for her family when her husband is offered a job in Europe.

At the airport they meet charming Sophie, fluent in French and looking for work as an au pair. Penny, struggling to cope in France, offers Sophie a job and she soon becomes an important part of the family’s life. But Sophie is hiding something.

Then Penny’s toddler son, Ethan, is abducted and an international hunt for the child begins. The police beg Penny and her husband to take part in a television appeal but the couple refuse. Unknown to the police, Penny and Seth have new identities and are determined to lay low and protect them. But it may be too late for that.

Who has taken Ethan and why?

Are the couple’s true identities linked to the abduction?

And who has been watching them?

To save her son Penny may have to put her own life on the line

 

 

Blurb rating 8/10

 

Yes. I decided to rate blurbs, why not?

This book sounds very interesting.  It sounds shrouded in mystery, suspense and secrets. That sounds like a recipe for a good book! You have a family with a hidden past, hidden identities, in the midst of troubling circumstances leading to an uncertain future. I”m hooked.

 

 

First chapter impression…

 

First impressions are everything, right? I love where this story begins. A couple with an unspoken past that required witness protection involving the FBI. They went as far as getting new identities, so you now its gotta be pretty bad. So it makes you wonder. What happened to them? But that wasn’t even the first impression.

Penny, seems paranoid about someone watching her at every turn. Why is she paranoid? Who is watching her, and why?

Then they meet Sophie at the airport on the way to France. Right away I’m thinking who is the “Sophie” character. She’s already on my radar for a shady person.

This was a great lead in for the first chapter!

 

 

 

********

 

 

 

Rattle US cover

 

 

On still nights, when the curve of a winter moon is smudged in the flow of the River Quaggy, the dead clamor for him. And sometimes he coaxes the living to join them. To other people, his victims might be mere medical oddities. To him, they are fascinating specimens, worthy of display. Above all, he is a collector, eager for recognition even as he hides in the shadows.

Detective Sergeant Etta Fitzroy is the first to recognize the connection between the disappearance of a young girl and a cold case that almost cost her the career she’s sacrificed so much for. A faceless psychopath is walking the streets of London, tantalizing the authorities with clues, taunting them with his ability to spirit his victims out from under their very noses.

Better than anyone, Etta Fitzroy understands loss. But this is one contest she will win if it kills her . . .
 

 

 Blurb Rating 10/10

 

Now that’s how you do a blurb! The first section poetically reveals the mysterious antagonist lurking in the shadows. By reading it you can sense his uniqueness, M.O., and ambition for recognition. Excellent.

Every serial killer requires a hard nose detective, and that sounds like Detective Sergeant Etta Fitzroy.  I like the fact that this has a female lead. intriguing indeed.

 

First Chapter Impression…

 

The first chapter was juicy! Fiona Cummins is quite poetic in her delivery and has a great command of the language. Her sentences flow nicely leaving you wanting more. I loved the use of metaphors to reflect the nature of the predicament of the family.  A lot is revealed in such a short chapter.

 

 

*********

 

 

 

Let me Lie

 

 

 

The stunning new novel from Clare Mackintosh, the international bestselling author of I Let You Go and I See You.

The police say it was suicide.
Anna says it was murder.
They’re both wrong.

Last year, Tom and Caroline Johnson chose to end their lives, one seemingly unable to live without the other. Their daughter, Anna, is struggling to come to terms with her parents’ deaths, unwilling to accept the verdict of suicide.

Now with a baby herself, Anna feels her mother’s absence keenly and is determined to find out what really happened to her parents. But as she digs up the past, someone is trying to stop her.

Sometimes it’s safer to let things lie….

 

 

Blurb Rating  10/10

 

I’m totally loving this blurb!

The police say it was suicide.
Anna says it was murder.
They’re both wrong.

How can you not love that? Isn’t it striking?

Need I say more? Even in the blurb, nothing is as it seems. You can tell this is extremely suspenseful. Can’t wait to read this one.

 

First Chapter Impression…

 

Very fascinating first chapter! I love how she begins this book. A person flirting with death, or decision that might lead to it at the slightest misstep. The person speaking then turns their attention to their loved one, conversing back and forth in romantic tones. Who will die first? It doesn’t say who is speaking but we can infer it’s Anna’s parents based upon the blurb. Tom and Caroline Johnson. Impressive beginning.

 

 

********

 

 

 

 

The Plea Steve Cavanaugh

 

 

“Rip-roaring legal thriller…Twisty, bloody, and convincing.” —Ian Rankin
An innocent client. A wife in jeopardy. Who will take The Plea?

When billionaire David Child is arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, Clara, the FBI believes they can get him to testify and take down a huge money laundering scheme.

Con-artist-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn is given the job: persuade David to plead guilty and give the agents the evidence they need. If Eddie can’t get David to take a plea bargain, the FBI has incriminating files on Eddie’s wife – and will send her to jail. But David swears he didn’t murder anyone.

The evidence overwhelmingly shows that David killed Clara: the security video showed no one else entering their apartment, the murder weapon was in his car, and he was covered in gunshot residue he can’t explain. Yet as the FBI pressures Eddie to secure the guilty plea, Eddie becomes increasingly convinced that David is telling the truth.

With adversaries threatening, Eddie has to find a way to prove David’s innocence and find out if there’s any way he might have been framed. But the stakes are high: Eddie’s wife is in danger. And not just from the FBI…

The Plea is a locked room mystery from Steve Cavanagh, the author Nelson DeMille compares to John Grisham, Scott Turow, and Brad Meltzer.

“The Plea is one of the most purely entertaining books you’ll read this year. It’s a blast.”
—John Connolly, bestselling author of the Charlie Parker novels

 

 

Blurb Rating 10/10

 

From reading the blurb you can tell the plot is rich in detail, dilemma and complexity. I think I was hooked even half way through. It’s a winner. Steve Cavanagh is one of the new authors I’ve found that I can’t wait to read!

 

 

First Chapter Impression…

 

Even the first sentence is packed with intrigue, and it’s only the prologue! This is going to be a gritty legal thriller full of conflict, tension and moral dilemmas. Juicy, juicy, juicy. Hooked! Definitely recommend this one. I only read the prologue and was so excited had to stop and write something.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books & Blurbs

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

Book mountain

 

 

 

There is no friend as loyal as a book.–Ernest Hemingway 

 

 

 

Hello! Were back to more books and blurbs this week, especially since I don’t have an interview scheduled. Hopefully author D.M. Pulley will be on board for one sometime soon. *Fingers crossed*

Ready?

 

 

 

The Unclaimed victim

 

 

 

In 1938, at the height of the Great Depression, a madman hunts his victims through the hobo jungles of Cleveland, terrorizing the city. Ethel Harding, a prostitute struggling to survive both the cold streets and the Torso Killer, takes refuge with a devout missionary sect—only to find that its righteous facade conceals the darkest of secrets.

Sixty years later, the police find the butchered body of Alfred Wiley in the woods. But before his daughter, Kris, can even identify the remains, things he never told her begin to surface one by one—a mysterious private eye who’d been tracking him, an eerie website devoted to the unsolved “Torso” murders, missing archives, stolen books, and an abandoned Bible factory harboring vagrants. The more she learns about her father’s obsession with the Torso Killer, the more Alfred’s death appears to be related, pulling Kris further into Cleveland’s hellish past.

Living decades apart, Ethel and Kris must unravel the truth behind the city’s most notorious serial killer…or die trying.

 

 

First Chapter Impression

This book begins with the gruesome discovery of body found in Lake Erie. Or, at least the remains of one. The victim’s daughter arrives to identify the “body” of her father. However, she’s stuck in a deep state of denial and disbelief that he’s actually gone.

The author does a great job of creating the scene and displaying the feelings of the victim’s daughter as she copes with a heinous crime. Right away I feel sympathy and captivated by the story’s beginning.

My inner story sense (and no I’m not Spider-Man) tells me D.M. Pulley is a good writer and I like her style.

 

 

 

 

Hellbent

 

 

 

Evan Smoak—government assassin gone rogue—returns in Hellbent, an engrossing, unputdownable thriller from Gregg Hurwitz, the latest in his #1 international bestselling Orphan X series.

Taken from a group home at age twelve, Evan Smoak was raised and trained as an off-the-books government assassin: Orphan X. After he broke with the Orphan Program, Evan disappeared and reinvented himself as the Nowhere Man, a man spoken about only in whispers and dedicated to helping the truly desperate.

But this time, the voice on the other end is Jack Johns, the man who raised and trained him, the only father Evan has ever known. Secret government forces are busy trying to scrub the remaining assets and traces of the Orphan Program and they have finally tracked down Jack. With little time remaining, Jack gives Evan his last assignment: find and protect his last protégé and recruit for the program.

But Evan isn’t the only one after this last Orphan—the new head of the Orphan Program, Van Sciver, is mustering all the assets at his disposal to take out both Evan (Orphan X) and the target he is trying to protect.

 

 

First Act Impression

I’m really enjoying this page-turning series!  Gregg Hurwitz is amazing. Evan Smoak finds himself in yet another impossible predicament, but he’s always up for the impossible.

The stakes are deeply personal as he discovers his mentor Jack Johns is attacked by Van Sciver’s group.  His mentor served as the only human connection Evan has ever known so you can imagine the struggle. But Evan is not only seeking revenge, he’s also heeding Jack’s last wish; protect the package. Only ‘the package’ isn’t what he envisioned.

 
Hellbent will be released Jan. 30th 2018 so pre-order now.

 

 

 

 

Kill Box

 

 

 

KILL BOX: Book Two in THE ZULU VIRUS CHRONICLES 

SOMETHING LETHAL HAS BEEN RELEASED ACROSS AMERICA. 

With their daring escape plan thwarted at the last possible moment, HOT ZONE’s motley band of survivors faces a worst-case scenario. Forced to take refuge near the epicenter of the bioweapons outbreak, deep inside in a city gone mad, THEIR TIME IS RUNNING OUT. 

Unable to slow or adequately contain the infected population, the government has triggered KILL BOX, a desperate and merciless contingency protocol.

Dr. Eugene Chang, Eric Larsen and the survivors following them, have less than twenty-four hours to escape the KILL BOX.

WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, complete strangers from different walks of life will be forced to join together to survive the LIVING NIGHTMARE that has been unleashed on their city—AND THEIR COUNTRY. 

This is their story.

WELCOME TO THE HOT ZONE!

 

Author Steve Konkoly is back in book two of the Zulu Virus Chronicles. Just released November 28! If you haven’t discovered Steve’s work yet you’re in for a treat. The first book was  awesome so I’m really looking forward to this one.

 

 

 

 

Cross

 

 

 

Alex Cross was a rising star in the Washington, DC, Police Department when an unknown shooter gunned down his wife, Maria, in front of him. The killer was never found, and the case turned cold, filed among the unsolved drive-bys in D.C.’s rough neighborhoods.

Years later, still haunted by his wife’s death, Cross is making a bold move in his life. Now a free agent from the police and the FBI, he’s set up practice as a psychologist once again. His life with Nana Mama, Damon, Jannie, and little Alex is finally getting in order. He even has a chance at a new love.

Then Cross’s former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to Maria’s death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life.

From the man USA TODAY has called the “master of the genre,” CROSS is the high-velocity thriller James Patterson and Alex Cross’s fans have waited years to read – and the pinnacle of the bestselling detective series of the past two decades.

This novel was originally published under the title Cross. The movie tie-in editions are published under the title Alex Cross.

 

I just re-watched the movie adaption of the book and still loved it. Of course the book is quite different from the Hollywood version of events. Not sure why I decided to watch the movie before I read the book, but anyways. The book is awesome too! One thing I love about this one is antagonist. Having a formidable opponent makes the conflict ultra juicy. This psychopath killer murders his wife in his presence making the stakes ultra personal. Can’t wait to finish it!

 

 

 

Alex Cross Official Trailer #1 (2012) – James Patterson, Tyler Perry Movie HD

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books on the radar

 

 

Radar image 1

 

 

 

 

Her Final Breath (The Tracy Crosswhite Series Book 2)

 

Her final breath

 

 

 

 

 

A Dress the Color of the Sky

 

 

A dress the color of the sky

 

 

 

 

 

The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God’s Holy Warriors

 

 

The templars dan jones

 

 

 

 

White Ninja (The Nicholas Linnear Series Book 3)

 

 

White Ninja

 

 

 

 

The Vineyard of Liberty: 1787–1863 (The American Experiment)

 

 

The Vineyard of Liberty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Thomas

@thewritingtrain

www.mysterythrillerweek.com

 

 

 

 

November’s Books & Blurbs

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

columns of books

 

 

 

A book is a dream that you hold in your hands. –Neil Gaiman

 

 

 

Welcome to another edition of books & blurbs!

 

This is an occasional post I’m doing to give a sneak peek about the books I’ve been reading and listening too recently. It really should be a weekly or bi-weekly post, but I haven’t got my act together quite yet. *Sigh*

 

Here’s some notable books from this month that has caught my eye. Ready? Here it goes!

 

 

The Kingfountain Series by Jeff Wheeler

 

The Queens Poisoner

 

 

King Severn Argentine’s fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles…and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king’s hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life.

Seeking allies and eluding Severn’s spies, Owen learns to survive in the court of Kingfountain. But when new evidence of his father’s betrayal threatens to seal his fate, Owen must win the vengeful king’s favor by proving his worth—through extraordinary means. And only one person can aid his desperate cause: a mysterious woman, dwelling in secrecy, who truly wields power over life, death, and destiny.

 

I’m thoroughly enjoying this series. The Queen’s Poisoner, book one of the series was utterly mesmerizing. I switched back and forth between reading and listening to the audiobook performed by the talented Kate Rudd. I’ll post the narrator performance on my other site at AudioSpy.  Currently reading/listening to the second book, The Thief’s Daughter and it’s just as good!

 

 

The Thiefs daughter

 

 

 

 

 

The Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz

 

 

Orphan X

 

 

 

The Nowhere Man is a legendary figure spoken about only in whispers. It’s said that when he’s reached by the truly desperate and deserving, the Nowhere Man can and will do anything to protect and save them.

But he’s no legend.

Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He’s also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as part of the off-the-books black box Orphan program, designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence assets—i.e. assassins. He was Orphan X. Evan broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear.

Now, however, someone is on his tail. Someone with similar skills and training. Someone who knows Orphan X. Someone who is getting closer and closer. And will exploit Evan’s weakness—his work as The Nowhere Man—to find him and eliminate him. Grabbing the reader from the very first page, Orphan X is a masterful thriller, the first in Gregg Hurwitz’s electrifying new series featuring Evan Smoak.

 

Holy mackerel!! Reading this was literally like watching a movie unfold in my head. My first Gregg Hurwitz book didn’t disappoint one bit. The next book in the series is a short, Buy a Bullet and now I”m currently reading The Nowwhere Man.

 

 

 

 

Awesome red grunge round stamp isolated on white Background

 

 

 

 

 

Invisible by James Patterson & David Ellis

 

 

Invisible James Patterson

 

 

 

Everyone thinks Emmy Dockery is crazy. Obsessed with finding the link between hundreds of unsolved cases, Emmy has taken leave from her job as an FBI researcher. Now all she has are the newspaper clippings that wallpaper her bedroom, and her recurring nightmares of an all-consuming fire.

Not even Emmy’s ex-boyfriend, field agent Harrison “Books” Bookman, will believe her that hundreds of kidnappings, rapes, and murders are all connected. That is, until Emmy finds a piece of evidence he can’t afford to ignore. More murders are reported by the day–and they’re all inexplicable. No motives, no murder weapons, no suspects. Could one person really be responsible for these unthinkable crimes?

Invisible is James Patterson’s scariest, most chilling stand-alone thriller yet.

 

I found this to be a very creative book for crime fiction. An FBI analyst gets mixed up in a string of mysterious lethal fires which turn out to be the heinous work of a serial killer. Amazing! Really enjoyed the originality in this one. Quite different from the typical serial killer in crime fiction.

 

 

 

 

BOOKS ON THE RADAR

 

 

On the Radar dummies

 

 

 

The Lost City of the Monkey God

 

Lost city of the monkey god

 

 

 

 

The Other Slavery The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America

 

The other slavery

 

 

 

 

 

The Good Byline

 

 

The good byline

 

 

 

 

 

The End Game

 

 

The end game

 

 

 

 

 

The Storm, Trackers #3

 

 

The Storm trackers 3

 

 

 

 

 

Twisted Truth (Rogue Justice #1)

 

 

Twisted truth

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll stop there, otherwise this list will go on forever. Go find a good book!!

Benjamin Thomas

@thewritingtrain

www.mysterythrillerweek.com

 

 

 

 

 

Books & Blurbs with LT Vargus and Tim McBain

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

Books & Blurbs!!

 

Open Old Book

 

 

 

Please Welcome Bestselling Authors LT Vargus & Tim Mcbain

 

 

 

LT Vargus Headshot

 

 

Authors of Awake in the Dark, Scattered and the Dead, and new Violet Darger series.

 

 

Her body is broken. Wrapped in plastic. Dumped on the side of the road. She is the first. There will be more.

 

 

Image in a Cracked Mirror LT Vargus                           Dead End Girl LT Vargus

 

A new thriller series following Special Agent Violet Darger.

 

 

 

business future uncertain?

 

 

1. What led you to write a serial killer thriller?

We’ve both always been fascinated by serial killers, both in fiction and non-fiction. I remember reading Red Dragon by Thomas Harris years ago and thinking, “Man, I wish I could write like that.”

2. What was your experience writing this genre compared to your other books?

Our first novel, Casting Shadows Everywhere, is basically a thriller. Since then, we’ve written an urban fantasy series, a post-apocalyptic series, and a slasher horror novel. So going back to a straight thriller felt a little like returning home.

 

3. Tell us about FBI agent Violet Darger.

She’s tough but damaged. Violet is hard-nosed and driven in her work, and sometimes that intensity is directed at the people around her and results in conflict.

 

 

FBI

 

 

 

4. Why did you decide Violet would be a rookie agent?

We wanted the first few books to sort of serve as Violet’s origin story, so starting at the beginning of her agent career just made sense.

 

 

 

rookie, 3D rendering, metal text

 

 

 

5. Do you know how many books will be in this series?

Right now we have solid plans for three full length novels, as well as a few novellas. But we intend this series to be open-ended and for each book to be a standalone that could be read out of order.

 

 

Connect with LT Vargus and Tim Mcbain

Amazon | Goodreads | LT Vargus | Twitter | Facebook

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

Benjamin Thomas

@thewritingtrain

http://www.mysterythrillerweek.com

Books & Blurbs featuring David Baldacci

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

IT’S TIME FOR BOOKS AND BLURBS

 

 

Girl reading a book

 

 

 

Featuring books by Author Juggernaut, David Baldacci

 

 

 

Light

 

 

 

 

The Fix David Baldacci

 

Goodreads

 

I like what D. Baldacci has done with the Amos Dekker series, although this wasn’t my favorite one. The best part was the last 1/3 of the book. The first 2/3’s IS well written, intriguing, with a killer hook, but still felt lacking. Having said all of that—David Baldacci still writes the best plots! They’re absolutely off the charts, cerebral, and entertaining. Also enjoyed the introduction of a new character, DIS agent Harper Brown. She played a vital role throughout the book and I can sense she’ll be back in the future.

 

Other points…

 

  • I wish Melvin Mars played a bigger role in the book.
  • Enjoyed Melvin’s developing relationship (no spoilers!)
  • Can’t say that I really like Alex Jamison that much. I know she’s a well written character, but I’m not impressed with her role suppose.
  • I’m guessing Jamison is there to bring out the human side of Amos Dekker and provide some level of conflict. If that’s the case, then it worked.
  • I would’ve loved to see Baldacci go deeper into Dekker’s personal worldview. Maybe see more of his motivations. It came out more in the last act of the book. His sense of humor, boldness, quirkiness was revealed more.
  • The hook in the beginning was AWESOME. The solving of the crime took a TON of deduction, investigation, and deliberation from multiple sources. I think this was somewhat overdone, although the plot was excellent.
  • There was one subplot that could’ve been eliminated in my opinion. It didn’t bear any weight on the story, conflict or overall story goal.
  • The Climax wasn’t the greatest I’ve seen from Baldacci, but there was a nice twist at the end.
  • Finally, I felt the first 2/3’s lacked somewhere, but I can’t say what. Take away the subplot, beef up the role with Melvin Mars, polish the climax, and I would’ve given this 5 stars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Innocent David Baldacci

 

Goodreads

 

 

David Baldacci is a master storyteller on steroids.

This was my first Will Robbie book and loved it! Not many people can make an assassin so intriguing, appealing, and compelling. Loved the wit, charm, and sarcastic humor of Robie. His personality fully springs out of the dynamics of his relationship with FBI agent Vance, and fourteen old runaway.

Baldacci writes the most complex plots that I’ve read of any author, yet his characters are just as deep. The use of foreshadowing, characters, tension, stakes, causes you to be lost in the story.

 

Other points…

 

  • Will Robie’s personality is a winner in this one, especially for a lone-ranger assassin. Actually, you see him saving lives more than taking them.
  • He’s a great investigator.
  • His personality is more entertaining than similar types like, Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath etc. Scot Harvath is technically ex-marine, CIA, black ops, but still similar.
  • This is one of my favorite Baldacci books so far!
  • Looking forward to the next Will Robie books!

 

  1.  The Hit
  2. Bullseye (short story)
  3. The Target
  4. The Guilty
  5. End Game coming November 14th, 2017!

 

 

 

End Game David Baldacci

 

 

 

Thanks David!!

 

 

 

David Baldacci Headshot

 

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Thomas

@thewritingtrain

http://www.mysterythrillerweek.com

 

BOOKS AND BLURBS: WHO A novel of the near future by Karen A. Wyle

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

 

 

Pages and glowing letters flying out of a book

 

 

 

 

BOOKS AND BLURBS

 

WHO A novel of the near future

by Karen A. Wyle

 

 

 

 

WHO

 

 

 

Goodreads

 

Have they changed their minds? Or have their minds been changed?

Death is no longer the end. Those who prepare, and can afford it, may have their memories and personalities digitally preserved. The digitally stored population can interact with the world of the living, remaining part of their loved ones’ lives. They can even vote.

But digital information has its vulnerabilities.

After the young and vital Thea dies and is stored, her devoted husband Max starts to wonder about changes in her preoccupations and politics. Are they simply the result of the new company she keeps? Or has she been altered without her knowledge and against her will?

And if Thea is no longer herself, what can they do?

 

 

 

 

virtual-reality-1802469_960_720

 

 

 

 

 

 

*How did the concept of this book develop?

I’ve been aware of the concept of digital survival after corporeal death since reading Frederick Pohl’s Heechee Saga, if not before. Following all the public discussion of hacking computer files, I eventually thought of the possibility that digital personalities and memories could be hacked.

This is definitely a scary thought! I’ve read some of Ray Kurzweil’s writings along this line. Cool, but scary. 

 

 

 

 

hacked

 

 

 

 

 

*Tell us about the main character, Thea. 

Thea is a tough and assertive young woman. She’s very creative but also analytical. In the latter respect, she takes after her mother, though the two of them disagree on politics. (Thea leans libertarian.) I wouldn’t call her a romantic, though she is deeply in love with her husband Max. She has a big appetite for experience and sensation.

She sounds like someone I’d like to meet! Thea is also a nice name 🙂

 

 

 

*What is the setting like in WHO?

There are two basic settings: the “real” or corporeal world, and the digital environment LiveAfter provides its clients. The latter lacks variety and interest, though this may be corrected eventually. I tried to create a contrast between the vivid sensory detail of our world and the digital alternative.

I believe settings matter a lot in stories to cement the reader and deepen the storyline. This one sounds marvelous!

 

 

 

 

*Tell us about the technology employed in your book. 

Clients are given a liquid filled with nanoparticles that travel throughout the nervous system. They are then put through very detailed scans that rely on the nanoparticles to map neural pathways and connections. That data is used to create virtual files of the client’s personality and memories. After the initial baseline data collection, clients can come in for subsequent scans to update their files.

It’s amazing what they’re able to do with nanoparticles. What will they come up next! 

 

 

 

 

 

Nerve cell

 

 

 

 

*Can you tell us something about WHO that we wouldn’t know by reading the book?

You wouldn’t know about a disgusting slob of a hacker who figured in the story until fairly late in the revision process.

You might not realize how much I didn’t already know, and had to learn, about federal court procedure in general and class actions in particular.

You might not know how much of the plot I made up as I went along. I’m what some writers call a “pantser,” meaning I fly by the seat of my pants – at the rough draft stage at least — rather than planning ahead in detail.

Learning is always a good thing, eh? That’s one thing I like about reading and being a writer—You get to learn all manner of things. 

 

 

 

*What did you learn from researching the technology?

One of my beta readers, who’s an expert on software and related technologies, educated me about what machine-generated code would look like and how it would differ from code a human would write. He also shared with me a few basics about subroutines.

Wow. I didn’t know machine generate codes at all. That’s amazing. 

 

 

 

 

code

 

 

 

 

*Do you think there’s a  futuristic possibility of digitizing memories and personalities?

Assuming no catastrophic descent into a pre-technological era, I’d call it (pun intended) a virtual certainty.

Yikes! Digitizing memories or personalities definitely hard to fathom at this point, but I wouldn’t be surprised when we get there!

 

 

 

 

memories

 

 

 

 

THANKS

 

 

 

Connect with Karen!

Goodreads | Website | Facebook |

Amazon

 

 

 

Thanks for riding the Train folks!! Don’t be a stranger!

 

 

 

Waving bye

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Thomas

@thewritingtrain

http://www.mysterythrillerweek.com

Books & Blurbs with Sasha Alsberg

Posted on by Benjamin Thomas

Book and faucet

 

 

 

 

April Book Haul Overflowing with ARCS!!

 

 

 

 

 

What’s on your list? Let’s Talk!!

 

 

Benjamin Thomas

@thewritingtrain

http://www.mysterythrillerweek.com