Joe’s Odyssey by Nick LaTorre
Reviewed by Lisa-Brown Gilbert
When it comes to a road trip brimming with outrageous escapades and misconduct, Joe’s Odyssey by author Nick LaTorre definitely makes an impression. Fueled by testosterone, the overall narrative refreshes the college road trip genre by taking readers along on an action-filled tale with a quartet of hedonistic, pleasure-seeking friends, which includes adventure on the open seas, world travel, mobsters, hitmen, and college prankster antics. Purchase Here.
Frustrated and angst-riddled for middle-aged Joe Kerson, life in general, has him in a bad place, perspectively. He finds himself stuck working for a company at a job with no room for advancement and a boss he deeply resents. Also feeling deeply unhappy with his marriage, he no longer desires intimacy with his wife, as well as being frustrated with the stressful financial necessities of caring for teenaged children. As an escape he finds solace in alcohol and his lamentations at the bar he frequents.
However, one pivotal fateful day, Joe’s boss comes to him with a special assignment to meet with a new potential client, Luciano Galdonchino, (a known mobster) on his yacht. Initially, unenthused, Joe meets Luciano and while witnessing some the aspects of his wealth, power, and success decides to seize the opportunity of a lifetime. Joe pushes Luciano overboard, steals his yacht and money, and thusly embarks on the adventure of his life in the stolen yacht on the open sea. However, Joe does not opt to do this excursion alone; he finds himself a crew of three college friends also acquaintances of his kids, known as the Schmorde, Ron, Pirate, and Brute. Together with this mixed bag of oddball, immature characters, he launches a journey to chaos, danger, sex, drugs, and all-encompassing juvenilistic behavior, making stops in Vegas, San Francisco, and Jamaica. Having no remorse Joe easily keeps the adventure going for months leaving his family and old life behind while occasionally sending a nasty letter to his wife.
Meanwhile, their travels and travails are being followed up on by mob boss Luciano and the League of International Gangsters as he and his fellow gangsters look to stop the madness, retrieve the yacht and kill Joe the perpetrator. Ultimately, It’s an all-out raucous adventure that ensues chock full of laughable, chaotic and dangerous moments.
All in all, this is completely a story that may entertain many males either in the midst of a middle-aged crisis or just aged party boys. Ultimately, Joe’s Odyssey turns out to be a fantastical read that very much brought to mind National Lampoons Animal House with its high level of immaturity, antics and implied stereotypes throughout the narrative. Also within the story are frequent musings made by the story’s narrator, often leaving subjects open for later discussion. Wholly, this is the book to read If you are into superficial characters on a chaotic jaunt.
Daniel Scratch: A Story of Witchkind by Don Jones
Reviewed by Teri Davis
Daniel Scratch has the misfortune of being an orphan. Strangely, he is allowed to stay in his family home. Being alone in an old house can be difficult; however, brownies, the little elf-like creatures, clean and cook for him. His father lives as a spirit in the basement, making noise and yelling advice. Also, his great-great-grandmother resides in the attic as a spirit-like creature in another dimension. Purchase Here.
Daniel lives inside a world of witches and humans co-existing with each other.
On his thirteenth birthday, Daniel’s great-great-grandmother informs him that he is to take a test. She gives him no other information but directions. Afterward, he is given an unusual glass medallion and discovers himself on an isle with the Tower of Endings. Now his education to fulfill his family destiny begins.
Reading Daniel Scratch is reminiscent of Harry Potter, in that they both begin in similar situations such as being orphaned and no family support. The discovery of their destinies is the adventure.
Once the education begins for Daniel, it also starts for the reader. The sentence structure and vocabulary are both more advanced, allowing the reader to learn along with him. Philosophy is intermixed into his lessons, also increasing the difficulty level.
The story is exceptionally well-organized. Developing the details in the world of the Axis is his destiny. He must learn the responsibilities of each Axis before he ascends to his duties for the Sixth Axis.
Surprisingly, the necessary relationships between witches and humans are compared to any entity dealing with people. The lessons for Daniel are relatable for everyone as he learns from his own and others’ mistakes.
An underlying theme is also the necessity of continuing reading and researching the past.
The author, Don Jones, resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. After years of writing technology books, he now has entered the fantasy world of witchcraft with an obvious continuing story of Daniel Scratch.
Daniel Scratch is an enjoyable story with unpredictable twists and turns that will leave you wondering and always thinking and questioning.
I look forward to meeting Daniel Scratch again in the future of this exciting new series.
Cry of an Osprey by Angie Vancise
Reviewed by Timea Barabas
Cry of an Osprey by Angie Vancise is, in short, an emotional roller-coaster. Although the main topic seems to be an alternative love story, this is only the backdrop for a bigger picture to which each reader can relate to a certain degree. It is a story about family ties, solidarity and losing a loved one. Purchase Here.
At the center of the story stands Jax Vanbeerman who only at the age of 48 suffers a stroke. This is the trigger that unites a dispersed family, a current and a former lover and many more people to share a couple of agonizing days in close quarters. At which point there is a temporal bifurcation, on one hand we are in the present next to Jax in the hospital together with the loved ones, but also in the past, reliving memories of the good old days. It is in this process of remembrance that regret creeps in as characters wonder about alternate decisions and actions, about what could have been. In fact, as Jax fades away from the living, he grows ever stronger in the hearts and memories of the people who loved him. Perhaps this is the most important lesson of the book.
One of the interesting stylistic features of the novel is the approach the author takes. She allows the readers to learn about Jax only through other characters; his sister Amelia and former lover Ben. Each chapter is presented from the perspective of one or the other as we gradually get more familiar and close to them. Jax represents the overlap between two very different people and stories; it is interesting to explore the different sides of him, but also the constants in his character from the viewpoint of the most important people in his life.
The book should appeal to a large audience especially since the story is told from the viewpoint of both genders, but most of all because of the issues it covers. It is about much more than alternative lifestyle, the LGBT community and their struggle, it reaches toward the colorful span of human relationships, hardships, and solidarity. Nevertheless, it must be said that the novel does contain some explicit content and language therefore it is not appropriate for readers of all ages. All in all, Angie Vancise’s debut novel Cry of an Osprey is a very personal piece with a strong gravitational pull. There are many noteworthy aspects to mention, but above all it is the sincerity and vulnerability that seduces the reader and makes him/her resonate with the characters. Also, the book cover is painted by the author herself wrapping her writing into a purple haze.
Monsters are Afraid of Babies by Nicholas Tana
Reviewed by Teri Davis
Living in a home with a big brother can be difficult. The older sibling expects a playmate who obeys their older sibling. There is usually a disappointment when the baby does not fulfill this role. Instead, the family member is a screaming, messy, smelly creature who demands all of the attention. The parents now are more tired and cranky than before the baby appeared. Resentment is common. Purchase Here.
Now someone brilliantly discovered a way to enjoy the babies for older siblings. The baby keeps all the monsters and things that make noise in the dark away. With quiet nights, a cry frequently annoys everyone in the household. What if those screams scare away all the monsters hiding either in the closet or under the bed?
Wouldn’t you almost welcome those loud noises to cover the usual thumps and bumps in every house? What sounds are unnoticeable during the day, seem to draw attention at night. From a dripping water faucet to the warmth of a furnace, clicking to turn on the night seems mysterious with noises. Due to natural occurrences, monsters hiding in the dark crevices are believed to be creating the sounds of those creaks and bumps in the night. They hide under beds and in dark closets. This reality has been a problem for eons. Darkness and house sounds scare small children, especially ones who don’t fall asleep quickly. Young children tend to believe in monsters making the noise of a furnace clicking on or a clock ticking. Can you imagine the response to a baby’s cry when being abruptly awakened in the dark?
Monsters Are Afraid of Babies is an enchanting story about a young boy adjusting daily to a baby sister into a family. The few words along with a story that perfectly matches the illustrations makes this an intriguing read for children of all ages, particularly three-year olds. The book is perfect for pre-readers because the story can be easily followed through the colorful pictures. Author, Nicholas Tana is a writer in every sense. From writing feature documentaries, comedy-horror series, songs, comic books, a movie, commercials, and now this special children’s book. The illustrations are phenomenal. The night with shades of blue and olive green is perfect with the monsters colorfully hiding in the closet. The warmth of family love penetrates each page enriching everyone’s lives.
Choice Cut (the Cut Series, Book 3) by Arnold Eslava-Grünwaldt
Reviewed by Lisa Brown-Gilbert
Book three in his penetrating “Cut” series, Choice Cut by author Arnold Eslava-Grünwaldt dispenses to readers yet another fast-paced, and intensely exciting addition to his well-received crime thriller series, within which, he capably continues to delve into the activities of the criminally debauched in Yonkers, New York, and the skilled team of detectives that pursue them and bring them to justice. Purchase Here.
Maintaining the pace of excitement, drama, and thrills author Grünwaldt artfully continues the general storyline from book two, populated with most of the same characters, particularly the resilient and tough, Detective Sergeant Hamilcar Hitchcock and members of his general assignment squad. With a challenging mystery brewing, the story moves quickly and flawlessly into new and twisted scenarios calling for Sergeant Hitchcock and his team to move into action.
This time, the story starts out with members of the general assignment squad finding themselves coming to terms with the end result of their previous investigation which led to the nearly fatal shooting of a revered fellow officer and the unfortunate and temporary loss of another valued officer. However, the thrills and twists are just beginning with the discovery of a recently deceased male who may possibly be the casualty of a serial killer known as “The Butcher” whose victims are referred to as “one of the butcher’s cuts.”
Meanwhile, the mystery intensifies when somewhere in a hospital bed artist Jerome Samuels dies holding onto the knowledge of a dark secret from his past, one brimming with regret and betrayal. Initially famous for his tattoo art, Jerome Samuels leaves behind hints of his secreted past within his artwork. Specifically, his tattoos leave indelible hints to his grimy past and a well-endowed stash. Also, leaving behind two ne’er do well sons, Paske Samuels and half-brother Ben-Moon Wallis, the two scheme on finding the clues to their maligned father’s hidden treasure. Moreover, unbeknownst to them, they are not the only ones looking for clues to Samuels’ stash. Someone else has their eye on that same prize and lurks in the shadows willing to go to great lengths to get what they want and murder is no exception.
Ultimately, as criminal elements cross paths, the excitement continues to build within the story as the butcher’s presence in Westchester becomes an increasing terror making for an intense race against time and crime for Detective Sergeant Hitchcock and his team to unravel this web of evil and greed.
Essentially, I really enjoyed Choice Cut, by author Arnold Eslava-Grünwaldt. In fact, I have enjoyed the other books in the series as well. Each book so far has turned out to be a fascinating, multi-perspective mystery, populated with great characterizations, especially Detective Sergeant Hamilcar Hitchcock. Overall, the story rages with clever literary twists and turns that take you deep into the heart of darkness, the mind of a killer, and into the backstory of the heroic detectives that do the really hard work. Consequently, this book as well as his others, are worthy reads that I personally think would make a great TV series or movie.
Murder, She Wrote: A Time for Murder by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land
Reviewed by Russell Ilg
“It’s just that the research I did turned up a murder where you used to live, where you were an English teacher.”
“There was a murder, and someone was arrested, yes, Kristi.”
“Were you the one who caught him, Mrs. Fletcher?” Purchase Here.
That exchange, between Jessica Fletcher and a young woman she thinks is a reporter from the local high school newspaper, forms the heart of A Time for Murder, the 50th entry in the iconic Murder, She Wrote series. Jon Land, current series shepherd, has chosen to celebrate that milestone by taking us where no reader (or viewer, for that matter) has ever gone before: into Jessica’s past, specifically twenty-five years back in time, and the result is nothing short of a smashing, slam-dunk success unrivalled in the annuls of literary pop culture.
Jessica’s still married to a much alive husband Frank. And they’re raising their eight-year-old nephew Grady at the time, as she tries to carve out a career as a high school English teacher while struggling to get published.
“Is this a mystery?” one of her students asks, as the class dissects one of Jessica’s own short stories that she distributed anonymously.
It’s not supposed to be, but that gets her thinking, as does the murder of the beloved high school principal who was just about to hire her full-time. An office mishap is suspected at first, until Jessica displays her keen powers of observation for the first time while working with Appleton Maine’s only detective, none other than future Cabot Cove sheriff Amos Tupper.
But that flashback to the past is only part of Land’s fourth, and best, effort in the series so far. In the present, the high school reporter for whom Jessica granted an interview turns out not to be a reporter at all; in fact, she’s not even in high school. And when she turns up murdered herself after badgering Jessica about that murder in neighboring Appleton, we’re off to the races on a dead sprint that swiftly reveals a clear connection between these two killings separated by twenty-five years.
At Dawn the Simorgh Appears by K.A. Lillehei
Reviewed by Dianne Woodman
At Dawn the Simorgh Appears is a gripping story that illustrates the strength and resilience of two women who are thrown into a dreadful situation that appears hopeless. Anna, an American scientist, and her Persian interpreter, Farah, are kidnapped from an archeological site in Iran by armed marauders and held prisoner in a stone hut. They have no idea where they are being held, and the inside of their cell is shrouded in darkness. To keep from becoming overwhelmed by their circumstances, Anna and Farah pass their time together reminiscing about childhood memories. Purchase Here.
When an opportunity to escape arises, the two women take advantage of it. A young nomad boy, Samir, who is at the bandits’ hideout, flees with them in a stolen jeep. They get help from a group of nomadic tribespeople, and K.A. Lillehei includes interesting details about people who live a nomadic lifestyle. Anna, Farah, and Samir are guided by one of the young nomads through the Zagros mountain range, which are located in Iran and along the border areas of Iraq and Turkey. The plan is for the three freed prisoners to cross the border into Iran. Will they make it safely to Iran before the dangerous men catch up with them? If they survive, what kind of effect will this horrible ordeal have on their everyday lives?
At the beginning of this enthralling novel, Lillehei captures readers’ attention with an excerpt from a story about the Simorgh, a compassionate female winged creature that appears in Iranian mythology as a benefactor to those in need. In chapter one Anna and Farah are discussing the shock and lack of understanding regarding their kidnapping and incarceration. Readers will empathize with their predicament and want to know the outcome. Throughout the book are excerpts of memories from the lives of the three escapees, along with mythological tales about strong women. All of the recollections and mythic tales play a crucial part in the storyline.
Anna and Farah have experienced far different cultural and lifestyle backgrounds. However, as the two women share their innermost thoughts and feelings about themselves a strong bond of friendship develops between them, which is wonderfully illustrated throughout the story. Anna studies ancient civilizations and converses with Farah in English and Farsi. Persian and Arabic words and/or phrases are used throughout the story, and Lillehei provides translations so there is no confusion about their meanings. Usage of metaphors adds depth to the text that conjures up images, thoughts, and feelings in readers’ minds. This is an outstanding book that shows the strength of femininity in the face of monumental obstacles and how cultural background influences the manner in which people learn, live, and behave.
Blood Relations by Edward Cohen and Kathy Cohen
Book Reviewed by Lisa Brown-Gilbert
A twisted legal thriller which satisfies with as much grit as it does with intrigue, Blood Relations by co-authors Kathy Cohen and Edward Cohen keeps you rapt and wound tight till its shocking ending.Purchase here.
Absolutely worth the read, this legal thriller brings readers to the hot and steamy locale of New Orleans, where behind the closed doors of the selective Cameron and Munger law firm, things turn out to be just as hot and even steamier. And when young Kyle Cameron accidentally discovers his father’s infidelitous relationship with sexy femme fatale co-worker, lawyer Laura Niles, he aims to entice his father’s love interest away. However, things take a turn for the horrific when Laura Niles is found murdered and Jake –Kyle’s father–winds up in the center of a circumstantial whirlwind of evidence that could destroy his career, marriage and even his life. Facing jail or execution, Jake has no choice but to trust his ne’er-do-well son and lawyer, Kyle, trying the case that would make or break him.
Wholly a story that wields egos, money, wealth and the culture of New Orleans with apt storytelling and style, this narrative hosts an ensemble of complex characters that intrigue and draw ire, as well as scintillate – brimming full of personality with grittily imperfect characters whose tremendous egos have them crossing seemingly inviolable boundaries, unabashed by consequences. Especially engaging are the complex and prominent males, Jake and Kyle Cameron. Dysfunctional as father and son, both womanizing men are caught off balance by the draw of the unforgettable and exceedingly carnal Laura.
The authors Cohen tell an authentic story that treats readers to a vividly painted setting wrapped around an intense legal drama complete with plot twists and sexy interludes, leading to a read that makes both the blood and the senses boil. They tell an intelligent and intriguing story that immediately draws in the reader with its reveals of interludes of dark pasts, bad choices, family dysfunction, and legal drama, all buried deep in a web of deceit, murder and sex, the reveal of which keeps you rapt until the end. Additionally, I found the nod to the 1940s noir movie, Laura especially engrossing as it plays out within the psyche of Kyle, further enhancing this well- written story.
Altogether, Blood Relations makes for a juicy adult-themed murder mystery that is well worth the read. I enjoyed the twisted plot, swimming in intriguing twists, dysfunction, drama, and steamy sexuality. Ultimately, this is the type of book that should be considered a must-read for fans of legal thrillers.
Mighty Mary by Tony Scaringe
Categories: Fiction, Novel, Sports
Book Reviewed by Dianne Woodman
Mighty Mary is a fascinating work of fiction, based on real-life events, that encompasses the sport of international yacht racing and the first all-women’s team to vie for the America’s Cup in 1995. Tony Scaringe expertly portrays the obstacles faced by the women who were breaking new ground by competing in a male dominated sport. Readers gain an inside perspective into the concerted undertaking and unwavering commitment necessary in order for this momentous event to take place. Purchase here.
The prologue, chapter and section headings, and epilogue are integral to the storyline. The prologue provides readers with a brief history of the America’s Cup and introduces Dan Cook, the motivator behind the establishment of the women’s team. Interviews with Cook are skillfully interwoven into this story that exemplifies a noteworthy occasion in history. The chapter headings, as well as section headings within chapters, do not interrupt the flow of the story. Specifically, the headings are an invaluable source of information by giving readers each chapter’s theme, along with making it easy to follow changes in locations, events, and timeframes. The epilogue includes uplifting and appreciative comments in recognition of not only the women’s team but also their advocates. Moreover, these remarks are made by men who are instrumental in changing the perception of women’s ability to compete against men in yacht racing. In addition, the epilogue includes a meeting with the press in 1995. This encounter brings into question whether or not a man may have negatively affected a key performance.
Scaringe has done a remarkable job of illustrating the courage, sacrifice, perseverance, and dedication of the women’s team in spite of the issues they faced. For instance, some of the concerns were prejudiced views toward women’s involvement in what was considered to be a “man’s sport,” stress in relationships due to time commitment, disappointments in race outcomes, and life-threatening experiences during sailing races. Marvelous portrayals of well-rounded characters, scenes brought to life by vivid descriptions, and wonderfully dramatized conflicts both between man and nature increase the enjoyment of this novel.
Mighty Mary is a well-written and superbly researched, heartening story of the strength of human resilience. Readers are also provided with an excellent bibliography of books and articles for anyone interested in more information about the America’s Cup all-women’s team, their public launching into America’s Cup sailing, and the events that transpired in which women were given an opportunity to try and prove they could effectively compete on par with men at the top level of an international sport.