B.D. Lawrence's Blog, page 13

Book Review of Moonlight Awakens: a sex-trafficking story

Book Review of Moonlight Awakens: a sex-trafficking story by John Matthew Walker

This must-read book hits justice and redemption, and hits both hard. Everyone needs to read this especially if you’re one of those who still doesn’t think human trafficking is a big thing in America. I was reading an article the other day posted in the Healthcare Blog, where a survivor of trafficking was talking with a psychiatrist and the shrink told her human trafficking is only in other countries and in movies. I was shocked a medical professional would believe that. Walker’s book should drive that impression out of anyone.

This book is raw, brutal, and a tough read, but it’s also clean. It’s told from the point of view of several characters, but mostly by Emma, a victim of sex-trafficking. We get a first-person account of someone being used and abused. It starts early and shows how Emma gets lured into the life, and then follows her through trials and tribulations within the life.

We also see the point of view of Michael, a Christian young man who has an encounter with Emma and Bliss (one of the other girls in the same stable Emma is in). This encounter changes his life and suddenly Michael finds himself needing to help these girls, if he can.

The book does an excellent job of highlighting not only the trauma a girl who is trafficked goes through but also the consequences of those who use these girls for illicit sex. Lives are ruined and we see that in this book.

Besides being a raw account of sex-trafficking trauma it’s also a compelling story that kept me wanting to read to find out what would happen. It’s a thriller and has many moments of high suspense.

If you’re a stickler for police procedure then there are some areas that won’t sit well with you. But the story is compelling enough that those things didn’t bother me. Walker took the route of bringing in the worst possible situations in many cases, including dealing with the police.

Despite being from the point of view of a trafficked victim, there is no profanity, the sex is implied and not on page, and the violence is only what is necessary to keep the story exciting. It’s the mental state these girls go through that is the most fascinating. Watching Emma move through the phases of the life is heartbreaking, but eye-opening. I applaud Mr. Walker for this book. It could not have been easy to write, but I’m glad he did.

As far as ranking, I’m putting this one a close second for this year. Right behind Right Behind You. However, as far as must read, this ranks number one.

 

Book Rankings for 2022Right Behind You by Lisa GardnerMoonlight Awakens by John Matthew WalkerWin by Harlen CobenMurder Board by Brian SheaThe Man Burned by Winter by Pete ZachariasYou Are Invited by Sarah A DenzilGirl, Alone by Blake PierceOne Night in Sedona by Carrie Latimer.Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott

Commission earned

The post Book Review of Moonlight Awakens: a sex-trafficking story first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Review of Moonlight Awakens: a sex-trafficking story

Moonlight Awakens: a sex-trafficking story by John Matthew Walker

This must-read book hits justice and redemption, and hits both hard. Everyone needs to read this especially if you’re one of those who still doesn’t think human trafficking is a big thing in America. I was reading an article the other day posted in the Healthcare Blog, where a survivor of trafficking was talking with a psychiatrist and the shrink told her human trafficking is only in other countries and in movies. I was shocked a medical professional would believe that. Walker’s book should drive that impression out of anyone.

This book is raw, brutal, and a tough read, but it’s also clean. It’s told from the point of view of several characters, but mostly by Emma, a victim of sex-trafficking. We get a first-person account of someone being used and abused. It starts early and shows how Emma gets lured into the life, and then follows her through trials and tribulations within the life.

We also see the point of view of Michael, a Christian young man who has an encounter with Emma and Bliss (one of the other girls in the same stable Emma is in). This encounter changes his life and suddenly Michael finds himself needing to help these girls, if he can.

The book does an excellent job of highlighting not only the trauma a girl who is trafficked goes through but also the consequences of those who use these girls for illicit sex. Lives are ruined and we see that in this book.

Besides being a raw account of sex-trafficking trauma it’s also a compelling story that kept me wanting to read to find out what would happen. It’s a thriller and has many moments of high suspense.

If you’re a stickler for police procedure then there are some areas that won’t sit well with you. But the story is compelling enough that those things didn’t bother me. Walker took the route of bringing in the worst possible situations in many cases, including dealing with the police.

Despite being from the point of view of a trafficked victim, there is no profanity, the sex is implied and not on page, and the violence is only what is necessary to keep the story exciting. It’s the mental state these girls go through that is the most fascinating. Watching Emma move through the phases of the life is heartbreaking, but eye-opening. I applaud Mr. Walker for this book. It could not have been easy to write, but I’m glad he did.

As far as ranking, I’m putting this one a close second for this year. Right behind Right Behind You. However, as far as must read, this ranks number one.

Right Behind You by Lisa GardnerMoonlight Awakens by John Matthew WalkerWin by Harlen CobenMurder Board by Brian SheaThe Man Burned by Winter by Pete ZachariasYou Are Invited by Sarah A DenzilGirl, Alone by Blake PierceOne Night in Sedona by Carrie Latimer.Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott

Commission earned

The post Review of Moonlight Awakens: a sex-trafficking story first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Where My Writing Inspiration Came From

Where My Inspiration Came From

The Finger Snatcher and a One-Armed Man is the first case that Lefty Bruder takes on as a private investigator. There is also a prequel story I’ve published called A Vigilante and a Two-Armed Man which tells the story of how St. Louis County Police detective George Bruder became Lefty Bruder. Lefty had a friend named Holly Day. She was a girl he knew since a young age who moved away when they were both in junior high. She then fell victim to a human trafficker and spent the rest of her short life as a prostitute.

Lefty ran into her when he was working as a street cop and rekindled their friendship. This story is about Lefty trying to find out who killed Holly.

The Lefty Bruder series of stories and books are all centered around human trafficking. I’m using these stories and books for two reasons. First, to raise awareness of human trafficking. This problem has been around for years but has been misunderstood. Until recently, we’ve often seen prostitutes and the life of prostitution glamorized in books and movies. Finally, authors are starting to expose the truth, that prostitution is sexual slavery. More than 90% of all prostitutes are what they are against their will.

The second reason I’m writing the One-Armed Detective series is to raise money to help fight human trafficking. Half of my profits are being donated to The Phoenix Dream Center, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates victims of human trafficking.

The stories of Lefty Bruder continue in An Angel and a One-Armed Man, available on Amazon.com.

 

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Christmas In July Blog Tour

Christmas In July

Happy Christmas in July! Welcome to the first blog in the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway, which runs July 15-22, 2022 (contest closes at 8 p.m. Eastern on 7/22). At the bottom of each author’s blog post, you will find the name of a Christmas song. Write them all down and provide all song titles (26 in total) on this Google form. Click here for a list of all participating authors and their links!

Note: You must grab all the song titles from every author in the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway to be eligible to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card, plus a copy of each participating author’s book OR first place prize of a copy of each participating author’s book. At the end of this blog post is a link to the next blog, and so on, to the final blog post (26 authors in all). 

The Finger Snatcher and a One-Armed Man is the first case that Lefty Bruder takes on as a private investigator. There is also a prequel story I’ve published called A Vigilante and a Two-Armed Man which tells the story of how St. Louis County Police detective George Bruder became Lefty Bruder. Lefty had a friend named Holly Day. She was a girl he knew since a young age who moved away when they were both in junior high. She then fell victim to a human trafficker and spent the rest of her short life as a prostitute.

Lefty ran into her when he was working as a street cop and rekindled their friendship. This story is about Lefty trying to find out who killed Holly.

The Lefty Bruder series of stories and books are all centered around human trafficking. I’m using these stories and books for two reasons. First, to raise awareness of human trafficking. This problem has been around for years but has been misunderstood. Until recently, we’ve often seen prostitutes and the life of prostitution glamorized in books and movies. Finally, authors are starting to expose the truth, that prostitution is sexual slavery. More than 90% of all prostitutes are what they are against their will.

The second reason I’m writing the One-Armed Detective series is to raise money to help fight human trafficking. Half of my profits are being donated to The Phoenix Dream Center, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates victims of human trafficking.

Thank you for your participation in this year’s Christmas in July. I hope you enjoy the blogs and I wish you luck in winning the grand prize or first prize. I also hope you’ll check out An Angel and a One-Armed Man, available on Amazon.com.

Now, it’s time for my Christmas song title: Do You Hear What I Hear?

Save the holiday song titles from each of the 26 blog stops, and when you reach the final blog, enter all the song titles on this form for a chance to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card and a copy of each participating author’s featured book OR first prize of a copy of each participating author’s featured book.

Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Susan Lyttek and her Christmas book  Plundered Christmas . You can find it at this link. Remember, the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway ends July 22 at 8 PM EST!

The post Christmas In July Blog Tour first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Book Review of Right Behind You By Lisa Gardner

Book Review of Right Behind You by Lisa Gardner

I dipped back in time for this one. It’s book seven of the Quince and Rainy series by Ms. Gardner and was published in 2017. It hits all the buttons, justice, vengeance, and redemption. And I read the paperback form of it. First fiction paper book I’ve read in several years. My mother-in-law had a signed copy at the house.

This book is also the best book I’ve read since Waterkeeper by Charles Martin in early 2021. It has a little bit of everything you could want in a mystery. Former FBI profilers (Quince and Rainey), a retired police dog, foster kids, a small town (Bakersville, OR) woman sheriff with an interesting back story, even some mobsters. What else could you want?

One interesting aspect of this story is that the series characters, Quince and Rainey, are not really the main characters. I’d say Sharlah – their soon to be adopted foster kid, and her big brother Telly Ray Nash are the main characters. From Sharlah and Telly we get first person point of views. For Telly it’s past tense and for Sharlah it’s present tense. Other point of views include Quince, Rainey and Sheriff Atkins. The changes in POV and tense were neither jolting nor enhancing. Didn’t find them distracting or enlightening. Some might.

The story starts with a prologue of backstory of Telly and Sharlah. Then we’re into Sheriff’s Atkins’ point of view and the first murder scene, a convenience store / gas station in the middle of nowhere. And it’s not the last murder scene. The premise is a young boy on a shooting spree. I really can’t go into much of the story because I don’t want to give anything away. There are several plot twists. While I form some suspicions about halfway through, that things are not exactly as they seem, I’m not sure until things are revealed.

I don’t use tired statements like the book really grabbed me, but in this case, it did. And I enjoyed reading it and looked forward to the next time I could. The family dynamics of Quince, Rainey and Sharlah was fascinating. Good glimpse into the trials and tribulations of fostering, especially of older kids. Sharlah is thirteen and Telly is seventeen. The action was the appropriate level. The plot twists were well done. Only one thing that I thought should be different. Chapter 42 should have come before chapter 41. What is revealed in chapter 41 makes chapter 42 pretty much useless.

Some profanity. No sex. The violence isn’t over the top. Another interesting aspect for me was several mentions of having a hole in one’s heart and what can fill it. Being a Christian, my answer to that is Jesus. Unfortunately, this book never gets there.

Justice is served. Vengeance has a cost. A couple characters begin their path to redemption. Overall, a great read. It’s going to replace Win as number one for this year.

 

Book Rankings for 2022Right Behind You by Lisa GardnerWin by Harlen CobenMurder Board by Brian SheaThe Man Burned by Winter by Pete ZachariasYou Are Invited by Sarah A DenzilGirl, Alone by Blake PierceOne Night in Sedona by Carrie Latimer.Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott

Commission earned

The post Book Review of Right Behind You By Lisa Gardner first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Right Behind You Review

Right Behind You by Lisa Gardner

I dipped back in time for this one. It’s book seven of the Quince and Rainy series by Ms. Gardner and was published in 2017. It hits all the buttons, justice, vengeance, and redemption. And I read the paperback form of it. First fiction paper book I’ve read in several years. My mother-in-law had a signed copy at the house.

This book is also the best book I’ve read since Waterkeeper by Charles Martin in early 2021. It has a little bit of everything you could want in a mystery. Former FBI profilers (Quince and Rainey), a retired police dog, foster kids, a small town (Bakersville, OR) woman sheriff with an interesting back story, even some mobsters. What else could you want?

One interesting aspect of this story is that the series characters, Quince and Rainey, are not really the main characters. I’d say Sharlah – their soon to be adopted foster kid, and her big brother Telly Ray Nash are the main characters. From Sharlah and Telly we get first person point of views. For Telly it’s past tense and for Sharlah it’s present tense. Other point of views include Quince, Rainey and Sheriff Atkins. The changes in POV and tense were neither jolting nor enhancing. Didn’t find them distracting or enlightening. Some might.

The story starts with a prologue of backstory of Telly and Sharlah. Then we’re into Sheriff’s Atkins’ point of view and the first murder scene, a convenience store / gas station in the middle of nowhere. And it’s not the last murder scene. The premise is a young boy on a shooting spree. I really can’t go into much of the story because I don’t want to give anything away. There are several plot twists. While I form some suspicions about halfway through, that things are not exactly as they seem, I’m not sure until things are revealed.

I don’t use tired statements like the book really grabbed me, but in this case, it did. And I enjoyed reading it and looked forward to the next time I could. The family dynamics of Quince, Rainey and Sharlah was fascinating. Good glimpse into the trials and tribulations of fostering, especially of older kids. Sharlah is thirteen and Telly is seventeen. The action was the appropriate level. The plot twists were well done. Only one thing that I thought should be different. Chapter 42 should have come before chapter 41. What is revealed in chapter 41 makes chapter 42 pretty much useless.

Some profanity. No sex. The violence isn’t over the top. Another interesting aspect for me was several mentions of having a hole in one’s heart and what can fill it. Being a Christian, my answer to that is Jesus. Unfortunately, this book never gets there.

Justice is served. Vengeance has a cost. A couple characters begin their path to redemption. Overall, a great read. It’s going to replace Win as number one for this year.

Right Behind You by Lisa GardnerWin by Harlen CobenMurder Board by Brian SheaThe Man Burned by Winter by Pete ZachariasYou Are Invited by Sarah A DenzilGirl, Alone by Blake PierceOne Night in Sedona by Carrie Latimer.Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott

Commission earned

The post Right Behind You Review first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Father Daughter Take a Walk Day

This month is National Make a Difference to Children Month. And today is National Father Daughter Take a Walk Day. These recognitions tie into and are critically important to preventing human trafficking. I recently saw a statistic that 40% of all trafficked victims are initially trafficked by a family member. I’ve also read that a high percentage of trafficked victims come from the foster system. Often, the relationship between the trafficker and the victim is the first positive relationship the victim may have had.

How can this relationship be positive? For many trafficked victims the grooming by the trafficker starts out like a normal boy/girl relationship and only once the trafficker has the girl psychologically manipulated into believing he truly cares for her, does he then move to trafficking her.

What does this have to do with this month’s theme and today’s theme? Parent / child and father / daughter relationships are critically important to preventing children from entering situations where a trafficker can exploit them. A strong father / daughter bond is an important development phase of a young girl’s life. If a girl is finding the love she craves at home from her father, she is less likely to gravitate to another person outside the family for that attention.

If children feel loved and cared for at home, they are less likely to seek emotional attention outside the home. Traffickers are adept at finding and recognizing children who crave love and attention. Traffickers are masters at psychological manipulation. Supplying the emotional attachments that children are not getting at home is one key tactic traffickers use to bring victims into their stables.

If you’re a father and have a daughter, take a walk with her today. Tell her how much you love her. Make sure you’re meeting her emotional needs so someone else doesn’t step in and do that for you, someone who may not have her best interests in mind.

For all the parents out there, make a difference in your children’s lives. Love them, encourage them, supply the emotional needs they crave. Look to your children first so that they don’t need to find love elsewhere.

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Reminiscence Review

Reminiscence – Movie starring Hugh Jackman.

This movie touches justice, vengeance, and redemption. It’s a near-future, dystopian, private detective film set in Miami with some action in New Orleans. The background is, though never stated directly that I heard, global warming has caused the polar ice caps to melt enough that many coastal cities are now partially underwater, as is the case with Miami. Then, there was a war. Again, didn’t hear enough about who the war was between or why. During that war, the government invented a device that can replay a person’s memories. They used it for interrogation. Now, there are private sector individuals that use it to allow people to visit good memories.

Anyway, Nick Bannister (great PI name) played by Hugh Jackman owns one of these machines. He has a business where people pay him to use the machine and relive pleasant memories. He also works with the police as a PI.

The movie looks like it’s attempting to be like Bladerunner. It falls way short. But, considering I believe Bladerunner to be one of the best movies ever made, not surprising. With that said, the movie is interesting. It does achieve the film noir feel. It also achieves the classic private detective ambience. Bannister is a loner. The movie is narrated by him (classic first-person PI). He has a military background. He has a sidekick named Watts, who was a sharpshooter in the military and saw front line action during the war. She is the muscle. There is a great action shooting scene in New Orleans where Watts bails out Bannister.

Mae, a lounge singer with a checkered past, comes into Bannister’s business because she lost her keys and wants to relive the memories of where she placed them. Bannister falls in love with Mae. They have a relationship, but Mae vanishes. The rest of the movie is Bannister trying to find her. He uses his own machine to replay his memories looking for clues, as well as doing the legwork to trace her path. Hence New Orleans scenes.

The movie has a great plot twist. The hope that Bannister holds onto that their relationship was real is what drives him. However, because this is classic film noir, the ending is not a happy ending. Though, that’s open to interpretation. You can decide for yourself if it’s happy. There’s a great line where Mae asks Bannister to tell him a story with a happy ending and Bannister says there are no happy endings. The movie plays this out. Watts gets a happy ending. Redemption is there for her. Justice is served, and vengeance has a price to pay.

The movie is PG-13. Mild profanity. Some on screen sex, though no nudity. The violence isn’t graphic. Like I said, the shootout is a good scene. It starts slow, but then again, film noir is often that way. If you like Hugh Jackman and if you like film noir, then I recommend the film. It’s not Bladerunner, though.

Commission earned

The post Reminiscence Review first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Pizza and Possibilities

Friday, June 3, I was given the privilege of speaking to a group of residents at The Phoenix Dream Center (PDC). Most of these residents were victims of human trafficking that had found their way to PDC or were referred there. Others in attendance are in their addiction recovery program recovering. The topic of my talk was getting into the career of software development. Every Friday, someone from the community comes in and speaks to the residents about a different career path to help the residents determine a new journey in order to leave their old life behind and start again. 

My talk finished sooner than I anticipated, but that turned out to be fine as several of the residents had many questions. It was encouraging to hear their enthusiasm about software development. Several seemed genuinely interested in pursuing such a career. It was easy to not think about where these residents had come from and to focus on where they could go. Hopefully the same can be said for them. 

There was one awkward question. I had been given instructions not to mention any trigger topics such as trafficking, drugs, sexual slavery, etc. But I was asked the question as to why and how I hooked up with the PDC. I had to pause and think that one through as I didn’t want to say because I was writing about human trafficking and that I had an interest in helping victims of human trafficking. I cleverly answered that I was writing my fiction about one of the issues the PDC deals with and then added on that I had worked in a youth group for eleven years and that gave me a passion for that subject. I didn’t see any adverse reactions, so I guess the answer sufficed. 

After the talk I grabbed a slice of pizza and one of the development managers at the facility gave me a quick tour of the place. It used to be an Embassy Suites, so it is capable of housing over three-hundred residents. She also gave me a history of the organization. It was started in Los Angeles by a pastor. And now there are satellite groups all over. Many don’t have facilities but are groups doing community outreach. And they do all different things. They react more to what the community needs. 

The PDC started as a community outreach group but when they took in a thirteen-year-old girl who had been trafficked they started their ministry to victims of human trafficking. They also do community outreach as well as addiction rehab. One of the three floors is for addiction the other two are for trafficking victims. The facility is open, so homeless can come in any time for water, food or to use the restroom. 

We talked about trafficking in Phoenix. One of the services they have is medical care. An issue many trafficked victims face is when they are having medical issues, and if they can see a doctor, they must repeatedly tell their story. To address that problem, the PDC has one set of medical professionals that come into their facility who are familiar with their backgrounds, alleviating the resident from having to tell a painful story. Many of these victims will live with pain that comes and goes rather than seek medical care. And many are not given the opportunity to seek medical care by their handler. 

We also talked about how many of the girls are groomed for up to a year by a person posing as their boyfriend. This, in effect, brainwashes the girl and once trafficked she has a hard time leaving. During the trafficking, the handler will do just enough nice things for the girl to keep her thinking she’s wanted, she’s loved. And these victims come from all walks of life. From Scottsdale to inner city Phoenix. 

I asked if the PDC participated in rescues or do they just take walk-ins and referrals. The development manager said they are starting to do rescues and their staff recently participated in a police sting operation. 

The biggest problem I was told is still the perception that this isn’t really a problem. The PDC staff spoke to a large contingent of realtors to educate them on the issue and many said they had no idea the problem even existed. I mentioned that I’ve read that around 80% of the women in prostitution are there against their will and she said she believes it’s higher than that. 

This was a great opportunity for me, and I pray that some of the audience got something out of what I had to say. Please pray for the victims of human trafficking and if you have a chance to do something to help, please do. This is a huge, unspoken about problem in our society. 

 

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The Man Burned by Winter Review

The Man Burned by Winter by Pete Zacharias

This book hits justice, vengeance and being a series, it’s starting redemption for the main character. And that main character is Rooker Lindström, a former newspaper reporter from California who has moved back to Itasca County in Minnesota in the dead of winter. Lots of references to being cold. Rooker has moved back to his father’s house, where Gunnar murdered and beheaded thirteen women. The book resembles the television show The Prodigal Son some, only Rooker’s father, an infamous serial killer, is dead.

Messed up family dynamics is what this novel is all about. Also, lots of serial killing. Rooker’s father, Gunnar. Rooker’s son was killed by a serial killer. And, oh yeah, the story is about a serial killer whose victims are also women, like Gunnar Lindström’s. The killings start just about the time Rooker arrives, so naturally, he’s one of the prime suspects. The killings seem to be related to Gunnar’s killings, thus Rooker gets drawn into the case, working with Tess Harlow, the lead detective in charge of the serial killings.

The mystery is this one is good. I didn’t figure it out until the big reveal. That doesn’t mean other more astute mystery readers won’t figure it out. There are lots of false avenues and about three-quarters through the detectives think the case is wrapped up. But wait! It’s not.

The writing is well done. I have only one complaint and that is the number of similes and metaphors. About three or four a page. A little over the top and some of them are a bit of a stretch. Others are unique and add some color to the prose.

I rated this one a four. However, not sure I’ll read anymore because I don’t like Rooker. He has an interesting background, a serial killer father who abused him, but he’s a drunk wallowing in self-pity over the death of his son. Instead of showing strength to help his wife through it, he leaves her and retreats to the middle of nowhere Minnesota. This book, though, does hint at maybe some redemption down the line. It’s Pete Zacharias’s first novel and if he improves on subsequent ones, there will be some good stuff coming from him.

The book is rated R. Some casual sex, but not overly explicit. Lots of profanity. Graphic violence. Below are the 2022 ratings so far. This one squeezes out You Are Invited for third.

Win by Harlen CobenMurder Board by Brian SheaThe Man Burned by Winter by Pete ZachariasYou Are Invited by Sarah A DenzilGirl, Alone by Blake PierceOne Night in Sedona by Carrie Latimer.Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott

Commission earned

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