B.D. Lawrence's Blog, page 14

eBook or Paper? That is the Question.

eBook or Paper? That is the Question.

 

The picture is four stacks of books that I donated today to Goodwill. Why did I give these books away? Several reasons. First, many are books I’ll never look at again Like textbooks from M.A. classes in English politically slanted differently than I am. Another stack is books that if I want to read again, I can get them in an eBook format, so I’m saving space. Another stack is books that all the information I can find online. (The books with cool pictures, I kept). These are mostly dated textbooks. Finally, there’s a box set of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. They are duplicates. I have a nice hardback of Lord of the Rings and the 75th Anniversary copy of The Hobbit. Might as well let someone else enjoy those classics.

You’re probably saying, yeah who cares. Why write a blog about giving away books? Good question. Why indeed? Hence to the title question. What is your preference? eBooks or paper books?

I have pretty much sold out to eBooks at least for fiction and novels. About the only paperback or hardback books I’d buy anymore are graphic novels or comic collections. I’ve tried one electronic format of a comic and it was too hard to read. I actually started with eBooks way back with something called the Rocketbook. This was before smart phones even. Back in the day of PDAs. Remember those? Yes, I’m a gadget geek.

There are valid arguments both ways. Some say they like the feel of a real book. Or the smell of a real book. The sound of turning pages. The feel and smell of a Kindle is not the same. No doubt there. Some Kindles used to have a page turning sound. Not sure if they still do. Some people are electronically challenged; thus, eBooks is too much of a leap. No worrying about batteries dying. You can read a paper book as long as you want, and it will still work.

On the eBook side, my main argument is space. See those four stacks? That was at least two shelves on my bookshelf that now houses other memorabilia. Paper books take up a lot of space. On a device that fits in my pocket, I can carry thousands of books. Searching. Trying finding something in a paper book quickly when you don’t remember where it was? Electronic books can be searched instantaneously. Backups. If I “lose” my eBook, I can get it back from the retailer. It’s stored in the cloud. Available wherever I am (as long as I have a signal).

On the negative side of electronic books, at least with iPhones, reading outside can be difficult depending on how bright and angle of the son. Kindle has resolved that issue. If you’re a bathtub reader, probably best not to use a Kindle. Drop it and well…that’s it. Paper books dry out and still work. Sharing. For many eBooks it’s difficult to loan out to a friend. There is a setting in Amazon that prohibits the book from being shared. By the way, I don’t set that. I’m fine if you share. The more readers, the better.

I’ve read that paper books are still outselling eBooks. How long will this last, though? My prediction, no more than another five to ten years. With all the technology aids that Kindle and other eReaders are introducing, going electronic is becoming easier. Also, cheaper. In general, eBooks are less expensive than paper. And with Prime reading on Amazon, you can “borrow” an eBook. Even libraries lend out eBooks now.

My biggest beef is with traditional publishers. Many just don’t get it. They are still selling eBooks that have been out of print for years for prices over $10. Not for me. I won’t pay more than $4.99 for an eBook. And I won’t sell my own eBooks for more than that as well.

What’s your preference? Drop a comment and let us know which you prefer and why? Happy reading, everyone. eReading or traditional reading.

The post eBook or Paper? That is the Question. first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

You Are Invited Review

You Are Invited by Sarah A. Denzil

This book had a little of everything. Justice, vengeance, and redemption, especially for the main character, Catherine Fenwick, who goes by Cath. You have to get past the first forty pages of this story. I almost gave up on it. I put it aside and restarted reading several times. But, once I got past the first forty pages, the story came together and held my attention.

Cath is a fascinating character. She’s a writer who has been diagnosed as a schizophrenic. The story is told in first person from her point of view, thus a potential unreliable narrator. Those kinds of stories, I feel, are interesting. The reader is never sure if what is being told them is really what is happening. This story is no exception. The subtitle of the book is “A Ghost Story.” Are there ghosts in the story or are they just figments of Cath’s psychological condition?

The last forty or so pages also drag on a bit. After the climax, there’s tying up loose ends that really don’t add much other than they may satisfy some reader’s curiosities as to what happens to Cath after the events.

The premise of the story is a retreat in a nunnery in Romania of five social media influencers. It’s an online reality show. Everything they do, say, etc. is streamed live. The watchers can contribute money to the influencers. They are scheduled to stay through the month of October. The nunnery has a history of violence. In 1946 all the nuns but one was murdered. Therefore, the place could be haunted. A mysterious organization called Loup has renovated the nunnery for the influencers. The main influencer is an online sensation who was a child cancer survivor and now makeup queen. She invited the other four social media influencers. Interestingly, Cath isn’t really an influencer. Why she’s actually invited is revealed during the story.

Anyway, things go bad with the group. Very bad. I struggled to get into the story because I didn’t like any of the five characters and I’m not a fan of social media influencers. Eventually, Cath grew on me due to her psychological struggles. The story builds to a violent climax. Is justice served? The reader will have to judge for him or herself.

As for content, there is a fair amount of profanity, including quite a few f words and the rest of them. No on page sex. There are a couple violent scenes. Nothing gratuitous. Another aspect that is interesting in Cath’s journey is her spiritual journey. She finds an old Bible written in Romanian and this becomes an important prop throughout the rest of the story. Where is her spiritual journey leading her? Again, up to the reader to interpret.

Where to rank this is a bit of a toss-up, but I’m going with third at this point.

Win by Harlen CobenMurder Board by Brian SheaYou 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 You Are Invited Review first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Girl, Alone Review

Girl, Alone by Blake Pierce

This book is subtitled an Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller. It’s one of dozens of books written by Blake Pierce. I’ll give it the nod on justice. After all, it’s about an FBI agent, so there must be justice, right? And there is. This book got a lot of attention and has sold a lot. It has over 9,000 reviews on Amazon averaging 4.5 out of 5. I give it a 3. Compared to the big-name crime fiction writers, this one falls way short in story, writing, and definitely editing (more on that later). I’m not sure why it’s so popular. The reviews are all over, from 1 to 5. And I agree with the lower rating comments as to why they gave the rating. One reviewer said it reads like a first book in a series. I thought it read like a first book of the author and yet it’s clearly not, if Blake Pierce is a real person. I’m skeptical on that and here’s why. In November 2018, Pierce’s first Jessie Hunt book came out. Since then there have been 24 Jessie Hunt books and 11 Ella Dark books. Also, 9 Laura Frost books. How can one person churn out that many books in 3+ years? Or can they? I’ll leave this mystery for the reader to solve.

Another reviewer wrote, “As I read, I had a niggling feeling that I’d encountered the plot before,”. Can you say, Silence of the Lambs? Too close for my comfort and not nearly as good. Ella Dark is a young FBI agent. Not a rookie, like Clarice Starling. Ella has a photographic memory and since childhood has been fascinated by serial killers, so possesses an encyclopedic memory of their cases. She works in intelligence, doing analysis, dreaming of being a field agent. I thought we got a little too much of Ella’s fantasies and dreams, but maybe that’s me. Anyway, she’s summoned by a director to go on her first field case of a particularly gruesome murder. If I remember, I think the sheriff asked for FBI help, otherwise, I’m not sure why the FBI would have been involved. At this point, there is no “serial killer” just this one murder. And it just happens that this first murder Ella works is a copycat of Ed Gein, resembling the murders in Silence of the Lambs. Later, we even get the scene where she faces the killer alone (twice actually and one in a setting very similar to Lamb). That’s the plot I kept returning to reading this book.

The story had several good twists. I thought I knew who the killer was and turned out wrong. There’s a bit of an unfair technique used here that I don’t want to expound on as it would reveal too much. Let’s just say, the book is not billed as a mystery, but a suspense thriller, so what Pierce does here is okay. It would not have been okay if the book was billed as a mystery.

Unfortunately, this book lacks good editing. There were two major gaffs and several minor gaffs. The two major ones were at the end of the book. You can read the other reviews to see the other gaffs that I don’t list.

The setting is a small town in Louisiana. Not even thirty minutes from one end to the other. Ella Dark is partnered with a veteran FBI agent from the Behavioral Unit. They are both in the Sheriff’s office when they get a tip that the suspect was spotted at the hospital. Ripley, the veteran, goes that way and Ella Dark goes to a woman’s shelter, still in the same town. When Ripley is driving the sun is setting and the streetlights are coming on. Let’s say 5pm or so. The author then switches to the point of view of the killer waiting outside the woman’s shelter and it’s almost 1 am and Ella Dark is not there yet. No way it took her five plus hours to get there. And even if we allow that maybe Ella has been there for five hours, Ripley wraps up her business at the hospital in less than an hour, so why hadn’t she and the sheriff joined Ella, like they said they would?

The second gaff during the big show down between Ella and the killer is that Ella gets the bead on the killer and tells him to get on his knees, which he does. Then a few paragraphs later, he’s leaning against the wall. Of course, the plot needs him standing.

I did find it interesting that Ella makes a lot of mistakes, which I would expect of a young agent first time in the field.

As for content. No sex. The violence is not over the top, though some is gruesome. There is a spattering of profanity, including several F-bombs, none of which add anything to the story. Overall, a good, but not great read. Not sure I’ll continue on with the series. Too many other books to read.

As for ranking, I’ll put this one after Murder Board.

Rankings for 2022

Win by Harlen CobenMurder Board by Brian SheaGirl, Alone by Blake PierceOne Night in Sedona by Carrie Latimer.Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott

Commission earned

The post Girl, Alone Review first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

GIrl, Alone Review

Girl, Alone by Blake Pierce

This book is subtitled an Ella Dark FBI Suspense Thriller. It’s one of dozens of books written by Blake Pierce. I’ll give it the nod on justice. After all, it’s about an FBI agent, so there must be justice, right? And there is. This book got a lot of attention and has sold a lot. It has over 9,000 reviews on Amazon averaging 4.5 out of 5. I give it a 3. Compared to the big-name crime fiction writers, this one falls way short in story, writing, and definitely editing (more on that later). I’m not sure why it’s so popular. The reviews are all over, from 1 to 5. And I agree with the lower rating comments as to why they gave the rating. One reviewer said it reads like a first book in a series. I thought it read like a first book of the author and yet it’s clearly not, if Blake Pierce is a real person. I’m skeptical on that and here’s why. In November 2018, Pierce’s first Jessie Hunt book came out. Since then there have been 24 Jessie Hunt books and 11 Ella Dark books. Also, 9 Laura Frost books. How can one person churn out that many books in 3+ years? Or can they? I’ll leave this mystery for the reader to solve.

Another reviewer wrote, “As I read, I had a niggling feeling that I’d encountered the plot before,”. Can you say, Silence of the Lambs? Too close for my comfort and not nearly as good. Ella Dark is a young FBI agent. Not a rookie, like Clarice Starling. Ella has a photographic memory and since childhood has been fascinated by serial killers, so possesses an encyclopedic memory of their cases. She works in intelligence, doing analysis, dreaming of being a field agent. I thought we got a little too much of Ella’s fantasies and dreams, but maybe that’s me. Anyway, she’s summoned by a director to go on her first field case of a particularly gruesome murder. If I remember, I think the sheriff asked for FBI help, otherwise, I’m not sure why the FBI would have been involved. At this point, there is no “serial killer” just this one murder. And it just happens that this first murder Ella works is a copycat of Ed Gein, resembling the murders in Silence of the Lambs. Later, we even get the scene where she faces the killer alone (twice actually and one in a setting very similar to Lamb). That’s the plot I kept returning to reading this book.

The story had several good twists. I thought I knew who the killer was and turned out wrong. There’s a bit of an unfair technique used here that I don’t want to expound on as it would reveal too much. Let’s just say, the book is not billed as a mystery, but a suspense thriller, so what Pierce does here is okay. It would not have been okay if the book was billed as a mystery.

Unfortunately, this book lacks good editing. There were two major gaffs and several minor gaffs. The two major ones were at the end of the book. You can read the other reviews to see the other gaffs that I don’t list.

The setting is a small town in Louisiana. Not even thirty minutes from one end to the other. Ella Dark is partnered with a veteran FBI agent from the Behavioral Unit. They are both in the Sheriff’s office when they get a tip that the suspect was spotted at the hospital. Ripley, the veteran, goes that way and Ella Dark goes to a woman’s shelter, still in the same town. When Ripley is driving the sun is setting and the streetlights are coming on. Let’s say 5pm or so. The author then switches to the point of view of the killer waiting outside the woman’s shelter and it’s almost 1 am and Ella Dark is not there yet. No way it took her five plus hours to get there. And even if we allow that maybe Ella has been there for five hours, Ripley wraps up her business at the hospital in less than an hour, so why hadn’t she and the sheriff joined Ella, like they said they would?

The second gaff during the big show down between Ella and the killer is that Ella gets the bead on the killer and tells him to get on his knees, which he does. Then a few paragraphs later, he’s leaning against the wall. Of course, the plot needs him standing.

I did find it interesting that Ella makes a lot of mistakes, which I would expect of a young agent first time in the field.

As for content. No sex. The violence is not over the top, though some is gruesome. There is a spattering of profanity, including several F-bombs, none of which add anything to the story. Overall, a good, but not great read. Not sure I’ll continue on with the series. Too many other books to read.

As for ranking, I’ll put this one after Murder Board.

Rankings for 2022

Win by Harlen CobenMurder Board by Brian SheaGirl, Alone by Blake PierceOne Night in Sedona by Carrie Latimer.Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott

Commission earned

The post GIrl, Alone Review first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Do Readers Want the Same Characters?

Do Readers Want the Same Characters?

 

Before I launch into this, let me first say, the three books I’m going to cite as examples are, in their own right, good books. Two of them I’ve rated four stars, the other one three stars. However, the characters are nearly carbon copies of more famous authors’ characters.

Is that what you as a reader want? If you like a character, do we want to read about another character that is pretty much the same from another author? Or would you rather have originality?

L.T. Ryan has a character named Rachel Hatch. She’s an ex-army criminal investigator, now out of the military and wandering around the country. A loner. Tough. Closed off. Not a real people person. Sound familiar? It will if you’re a fan of the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child. Huge sellers. Movies, television series. Rachel Hatch is basically a female Jack Reacher.

Example number two. Brian Shea has a series with a Boston homicide detective named Michael Kelly. He’s a bit of a loner. Doesn’t necessarily agree with the upper echelon. Has a daughter and is divorced. Has good relationships with many other cops at his level or lower. Doesn’t always color in the lines. Sound familiar? It will if you’re a Michael Connelly fan and a reader of his Harry Bosch series. Huge sales numbers, seven season Amazon Prime series. Movies. The big difference is one detective is in Boston and one is in Los Angeles.

Final example is one I’m currently reading. The book is called Girl Alone by Blake Pierce. The main character is FBI agent Ella Dark. She’s been behind the desk most of her short career but gets her first chance at field work. She’s fascinated by serial killers. Very intelligent – probably smarter than everyone around her. Is going to be the one to break the big case. And this book goes even further into similarities around the killer. One death mimics Ed Gein. Sound familiar yet? Think Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. And the story itself resembles that book. Again, a famous, very popular book. Movies, television series (one I liked by the way, so of course it was cancelled).

Those are the recent examples I’ve read. These are all books written in the last few years. Is this a trend? Redo famous characters in different settings by different authors? Is this what readers want? All three of these books are selling well, so that seems to indicate readers want the same characters over and over. It’s not a trend I’m particularly fond of because I don’t want to write another writer’s character into new situations. I want to write original characters in, hopefully, original situations. And do you think these were conscious decisions by these authors? Or are these characters so engrained in their psyche that it’s what came out when they wrote their own characters? I know my vote on that one.

So maybe I’ll not become a bestselling author since I am trying to be original. Maybe people don’t want original. Maybe original is trending out and most people just want familiar.

What about you? What do you want as a reader? Original characters or more of some character you’ve grown fond of?  

The post Do Readers Want the Same Characters? first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Is Human Trafficking a Social Issue?

Is Human Trafficking a Social Issue? 

A certain, not to be named, large social media platform has three times rejected an advertisement for my book on the grounds that I was advertising a social issue. And apparently, on this particular social media platform, one is not allowed to advertise social issues. After changing some wording, and in one case the image, the advertisements were allowed to run. 

Here is the wording I removed from the last ad: Read a book and help fight human trafficking. The photo I originally used is the image for this blog. I changed to the book cover. 

I wasn’t advertising a social issue. I was advertising a novel that is about human trafficking. I’m not going to rant about the advertisement being rejected, nor about the blatant hypocrisy of this social platform when it comes to which social issues do get advertised. Instead, I want to discuss the question is human trafficking a social issue. 

According to Wikipedia, “Social issues are the source of conflicting opinions on the grounds of what is perceived as morally correct or incorrect personal life or interpersonal social life decisions.” Ignoring the poor grammar of the definition, what it says is that a social issue is something to which there are at least two opposing sides, each with arguments for or against the issue. At least one side believes the issue is morally okay. 

Given that definition, what the social media platform is saying is that since human trafficking is a social issue, then there are at least two opposing sides to human trafficking. In other words, there are arguments that would support human trafficking as something morally okay to do.  

This is where I diverge from the social media platform. Human trafficking is not a social issue. It is a social blight, a social problem, and a criminal act. There are no arguments for human trafficking. In no universe with a shred of moral decency can anyone argue that it is okay to buy and sell human beings, especially for sexual pleasure.   

I think even this social media platform would agree that slavery is wrong and there is no logical, moral, or ethical opinion arguing otherwise. Apparently, what they are missing, then, is that human trafficking is slavery. It’s the buying and selling of human beings, most of the time to be used as sexual instruments of pleasure.  

I’d like to know what arguments this social media platform has that makes a case supporting human trafficking. Their stance calling human trafficking a social issue implies they believe that it is a valid opinion to be in favor of human trafficking. 

What do you think? Is human trafficking a social issue?  

The post Is Human Trafficking a Social Issue? first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Separated by the Border Review

Separated by the Border: A Birth Mother, a Foster Mother, and a Migrant Child’s 3,000 Mile Journey by Gena Thomas

This book is a departure from what I normally read and review, but I thought it would be research for cross-border human trafficking. It turned out not to be overly helpful for my research, but an interesting read, anyway, with some examples of human smuggling.

No matter your opinion on “illegal” immigration (a term the author loathes), this book is worth the read to get a perspective of immigration from an inside point of view.

The story alternates between two families. Lupe and Julia from Honduras. And the author’s family. There are several chapters graphically describing the horrors that Lupe (the mother) and Julia (the child) go through traveling from Honduras to the US border at the hands of human smugglers. Lupe and Julia are separated. Julia makes it across the border, but Lupe does not and returns to Honduras. Thus, they are separated by the border.

The other chapters are stories about the author and her family. Some focus on the author’s experience fostering, especially a couple immigrant children separated from their parents, including Julia.

Scattered amongst the personal stories is commentary on immigration, the de-humanizing language used to describe immigrants, the border control authorities and their inhumane treatment of immigrants, and the psychology of children separated from their parents.

The book is an interesting perspective of immigration from a Christian author. She raises valid points about how those that follow Jesus have an obligation to help “the least of these”. Whatever your stance is as far as immigrants coming across the border, once they do, as Christians, we have an obligation to help them, just like we have an obligation to help US citizens that are struggling. Thomas calls out the church. And I agree with her that our church can do more. We have welfare, food stamps, and other government aids for the poor because the church has not done enough in the communities. One quote that stuck with me was, “When churches become good neighbors and intentional residents of their own counties, the gospel begins to permeate the region, allowing the church to be the living organism of transformation it was always meant to be.”

Where I struggle with Thomas’ commentary is her insinuation that this is only the “white” church that has fallen short. I disagree. The entire church is not doing enough to care for their neighbors. I also do not buy into her “white savior complex” explanation as to why those that have want to help those that don’t. We Christians should be compelled to help, regardless of our race.

Also, Thomas’ book looks at only one side of immigration. It’s a complex situation. Not all immigrants coming into our country are doing so with good intentions. Immigration is an avenue for the cartels to move drugs and trafficked humans into our country. Finally, she fails to discuss why these immigrants want to come to the United States. She never mentions what is driving citizens of Honduras to the US.

Again, the book is worth the read to understand at least one side of the immigration issue.

Commission earned

The post Separated by the Border Review first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Bosch – Season 7 Review

Bosch – Season 7 – Amazon Prime

Like any police procedural book or television drama, the underlying theme is definitely justice. Season 6 had vengeance in it, with Jerry Edgar killing Jacques Avril. Season 7 explores the implications for a cop who takes vengeance and crosses that line. Throughout the season we see the negative effects on Edgar as he deals with his guilt. I found this a welcome addition to the main story lines.

This season follows three dominant threads. The season is loosely based on Michael Connelly’s novel, The Burning Room. The opening thread is about an arson in an apartment building that kills five people, including a ten-year-old girl. Harry Bosch takes the case very personally, wanting to get justice for Sonia Hernandez, the little girl killed in the fire. He and Edgar quickly find those responsible for the arson, but they want the one who ordered it. And that’s where the complications come in as Bosch and Edgar fight department politics.

The second thread involves the lawyer Honey Chandler and Bosch’s daughter, Maddie. So, while Bosch is busy trying to get justice for “the little tamale girl”, the name the press hangs on Sonia Hernandez, he also has to protect his daughter who has become caught up in a high-stakes Ponzi scheme gone wrong.

The third thread is internal police politics involving harassment of Lieutenant Grace Billets by an embedded white supremist group. One thing I found odd about this group, though, was that one of the prime perpetrators was Asian American. I’m not that familiar with white supremist groups, but from what I’ve heard, they are pretty much all white. Maybe I missed something on this, but I found that a little strange. And to be honest, I’m not sure this thread was necessary. I believe it was a political statement given Lieutenant Billets’ sexual persuasion.  The producers had to figure out something to weave in wokeness.

I think the production studio toned things down for this last season. The violence was muted. The only nudity was a trumped-up photograph. All sex was suggestive and off screen. Language was still an issue. I didn’t count, but probably ten to fifteen f-bombs per episode. I guess that’s just the way cops talk. Don’t tell that to Brian Shea, though.

I enjoyed this final season probably better than most. The three threads kept things hopping. And for the two main threads, there were plenty of sub-threads. I did keep waiting for them to somehow come together, so that heightened the anticipation. Plenty of twists. I do like Titus Welliver who plays Bosch. I’ve only read three of Connelly’s books, and those were a while ago, so I don’t really have an opinion on him as far as fit for the character, but I enjoyed his portrayal.

I read there is a spinoff series coming. I will probably have to check that one out. Even if you’ve never seen the first six seasons, you can watch this season and not be too much in the dark. The overall rating on IMDB was 8.5. I would agree with that rating.

Commission earned

The post Bosch – Season 7 Review first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

My first appearance as a guest blogger

I wrote a blog as a guest blogger on the blog “Words to Live By”. 

The title of my blog is “Using Fiction for Social Justice“. Click on the title to read the full blog. Leave a comment on the blog post to enter a chance to win a copy of An Angel and a One-Armed Man eBook (if you leave a comment here, that’s great, but you won’t be entered into the contest).

And check out the other blogs on “Words to Live By” while you’re there.

The post My first appearance as a guest blogger first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.

Murder Board by Brian Shea – review

Murder Board by Brian Shea 

I love police procedurals. Ed McBain and his 87th Precinct novels are some of my favorites. Murder Board is similar, only set in Boston and features now homicide detective Michael Kelly. As with any police procedural, we get justice. And I thought it would be appropriate to post this on St. Patrick’s Day, as Michael Kelly is Irish. The novel even has some Irish mob in it, along with a Polish crime family. Good stuff. 

I wrote “now homicide detective” because in the prologue, Michael Kelly is a hostage negotiator. I’ll not say more on that, other than something happens that causes him to transfer. And the rest of the story picks up where he’s in homicide. 

This novel also involves human trafficking. And Brian Shea shows the dark side of this evil. No glorifying prostitution here. I applaud Shea for that. The murder victim is a thirteen-year-old runaway. The story shows a little more from the criminal side of things, and it’s not pretty. Hard to comprehend how humans can do these things to other humans. It’s interesting because Shea also shows the family side of these criminals. Not sure it made them more human to me; just made me angrier. 

The story isn’t really a mystery. We learn early on who the bad guys are. The only who-dunnit is within that group itself – which one actually killed the girl.  

I enjoyed the novel. It kept me reading and wanting to read more. Michael Kelly reminded me of Harry Bosch, from Michael Connelly’s books. A bit of a loner, has a daughter, doesn’t always color inside the lines, has good relationships and bad ones inside the department.  

The novel is fairly clean. No f-bombs. Some profanity, but minimal. Again, I applaud Shea for this, considering his characters are cops and criminals. Hollywood would have us believe every other word from these types are curse words. No on page explicit sex. And the violence is not overly graphic. Technically, nothing jumped out at me and made me say, “now wait a minute.”  

Overall a good read. I’m going to put it just behind Win, but the two are close. 

 Rankings for 2022 

Win by Harlen Coben Murder Board by Brian Shea One Night in Sedona by Carrie Latimer. Coffin Cove by Jackie Elliott 

Commission earned

The post Murder Board by Brian Shea – review first appeared on B.D. Lawrence.