Steven Ramirez's Blog: Glass Highway, page 7

Book Review—Serenity

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m no longer a kid. Or perhaps it’s intriguing to follow a protagonist who is way past his prime but doesn’t back down from a fight. Whatever the reason, Serenity grabbed me from the first page. It’s fast, fun, and dark. There’s old man humor and bad guy conflict worthy of Raymond Chandler. There’s also great banter. And, happily, the author has decided to kick nostalgia to the curb.

I’ve never been to Michigan. I hear it’s cold. That said, the descriptions of the landscape and the remoteness rise off the page like snowflakes in reverse. Like all great heroes, Shelby Alexander has a past. And he must have a way about him because he has a girlfriend half his age. Why a woman wouldn’t pick a younger man is beyond me. Never mind. Artistic license, right?

If you enjoy thrillers and just want to have a good time with memorable characters, I recommend grabbing Serenity. You might even get a hankering to try ice fishing.

You can find this review at Goodreads.

Book Description

A bullet slams into a wall just past Shelby’s head. A drug dealer offers him $10,000 for information regarding his dead sister. The local sheriff has Shelby in his sights. It’s just another day in the small town of Serenity.

Shelby Alexander is an aging ex-boxer and retired fixer who moves back to the small town of his youth to settle down. He’d like to spend his golden years fishing the waters of Michigan. But you don’t live life as Shelby has and not make more than a few enemies. Throughout this pulse-pounding series, Shelby faces enemies both old and new, relying on the skills he’s learned over the years to stay alive and bring his own brand of vigilante justice to the bad guys. Full of blazing action, close calls, and memorable characters, the Shelby Alexander series is one you’ll want to revisit again and again.

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Faithless—Cover Reveal and Book Excerpt

Fellow lovers of thrillers and all things badass, behold. This is Faithless, Book 1 of my new thriller series, Jane Doe Cycle. I’m really excited about this book. For some time now, I’ve wanted to write a series featuring a female antihero. And then it came to me. Why not continue the story I began with Tell Me When I’m Dead?

Instead of zombies, though, Baseborn Identity Research has created a whole new kind of crazy—highly trained operatives who are hard to kill. Literally. You’ll find an excerpt below. And if you want to read Chapter One, all you have to do is sign up for the newsletter.  Learn More

Synopsis

In a secret lab, a woman awakens from a bizarre dream. She’s alone, immersed in a tank with wires and tubes. The other test subjects are dead—drowned in black water. Her only memory is dying from her wounds during a night raid in Afghanistan. Something brought her back, uninjured. Men in gray suits try to end Jane. Each time they shoot her, she heals. Leaving a trail of bodies, she runs. Now, she must discover who these men are and why they want her dead. But a debilitating fever rages inside Jane. In the lab, she was on an experimental drug. And without it, she will die.

Book Title: Faithless: A Jane Doe Thriller (Jane Doe Cycle Book 1)
Author: Steven Ramirez
Editor: Shannon A. Thompson
Published by: Glass Highway
Publication Date: 5/16/2021
Category: Fiction, Thriller

Retail eBook Price: 4.99 USD
Retail Paperback Price: 18.95 USD
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-949108-12-5
Page Count: 384
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021903806

Book Excerpt

When I opened my eyes, I was in water under low lights. I remembered gunfire and men shouting. This wasn’t Afghanistan. I didn’t know where I was. After the bullet bursts, there was an explosion. Sounded like a grenade. All I knew for sure was, I didn’t know shit.

I lay naked in a tank filled with wires and tubes attached to my body. My skin has always been pale. Now, it looked bloodless in the bluish glow of the LED lights lining the top of the unit. I tried moving. No pain to speak of, but I was weak. I tried calling out. What came back was a feeble croak.

It took all my strength to get into a sitting position. I wished I hadn’t. Hundreds of coffin-like tanks identical to mine surrounded me. Each gave off the same eerie blue glow. Besides me, nothing else moved.

I ripped away everything that was in me or on me, and climbed out. My legs were wobbly, so I stretched. I half expected to see my brother, Bo, pissed off. Ordering me to get dressed. Dripping wet, I padded toward a nearby tank. A man in his early twenties lay motionless, his eyes closed.

Blevins.

I could tell it was him by his short blond hair. He wasn’t breathing. Though he’d been shot many times in the Afghan village, I didn’t see a single wound. Unlike my tank, the water in his was black.

Feeling stronger, I returned to my container and dipped my hand. Something flashed on the side of the unit. Kneeling, I found a lighted panel, where a message repeated. Malfunction. Press for more information.

The room was deathly quiet. Shivering, I wandered up and down the rows of tanks. All contained naked bodies—male and female. Like Blevins, they marinated in black water. Some I recognized, most I didn’t. And Tyler—where was he?

None of the other containers flashed red. Was I the only one alive? My mind drifted back to the firefight in the White Mountains. I made a careful examination of the places I’d been shot. Like Blevins, no bullet wounds—not even a scratch. No way I’d dreamt the whole thing. Yet now, my hair was long and fell over my shoulders. Way past regulation.

I didn’t know what danger lay outside. One thing for sure, I needed clothes. And a weapon. I padded to the door and peered into the darkened hallway. Nothing but dense shadows. The silence put me on edge.

Keeping to the wall, I made my way along the corridor. Something lay on the ground up ahead. It was a man in a guard uniform. I checked to see if he was alive. Negative. Someone had slit his throat in one clean stroke. A pool of dark, coagulated blood formed a halo around his head. I took his clothes and gun.

Gathering up my hair, I tucked it under the cap. Everything was baggy on me. The shoes were too big and the pants too short. The shirt was crusted with blood. Also, this guy had some major BO. At least I had a weapon.

Up ahead, I saw a lighted enclosure with elevators inside. I started toward it. Behind me, a rhythmic metallic sound broke through the silence. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before. Definitely not a gun. Raising my weapon, I pivoted. A blond man stood there, tapping a strange-looking knife against a metal post. He was shirtless and barefoot. But it was the eyes—they glowed purple. What in the eff…?

When he came toward me, I fired three times. Every round hit him in the midsection. Stopping, he looked at himself. Stuck his finger into one of the holes. He licked off the blood and grinned. Before I could fire at the psycho again, someone yanked me from behind into the shadows. My strength returning, I pulled free. A frightened guard put a finger to his lips. He took my hand and led me down a narrow corridor. Away from the freak with the purple eyes.

 

END OF EXCERPT

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March 2021 Highlights and Free Fiction

Greetings and an early Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I hope you and your family are well. Me, I think I overdid it a little with the Valentine’s candy.

Speaking of animals, were you aware that armadillo shells are bulletproof? It’s true. Apparently, some poor Texan shot at one. The bullet ricocheted off the pesky creature’s back, and the next thing you know, the guy’s in the hospital. I have no idea what this has to do with books. Onward…

Book News

So, I’ve been talking a lot about my new thriller, Faithless. Can you tell I’m excited? I plan to publish it on May 16. It will go up for preorder three weeks prior at 99 cents. After publication, it’ll be available for purchase at $4.99. Oh yeah, and I’ll do a cover reveal very soon.

Recently, an Amazon reviewer said this about another of my series: The books read like a movie. That’s quite a compliment. I’ve worked hard on this new one to bring that kind of realism to the Thriller genre. I hope you guys will have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

By the way, if you’d like to read a free chapter now, sign up for the newsletter. Learn More

Recommended Viewing

For those of you who are Amazon Prime members, check out The Tunnel. This intense police procedural involving two police detectives—one English and the other French—is mesmerizing. And don’t let Elise put you off with her peculiar ways. Trust me, she’ll grow on you.

Okay, that’s a wrap. See you next month, when I lay a trap for the Easter Bunny and make him hand over all his Peeps. Peace and love.

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February 2021 Highlights and Valentine’s Greetings

Greetings and an early Happy Valentine’s Day. I was sad to learn Godiva plans to close all of its US stores by March. All I can say is, thank goodness for See’s Candies. Okay, enough with the bad news. As the English like to say, let’s crack on. But first, a fun fact.

Did you know penguin poop produces laughing gas, which can make you loopy?

Book News

Faithless, Book 1 of my new sci-fi thriller series, Jane Doe Cycle, went off to the editor. Yowza! I’m working with my cover designer now and plan to share their work in a future newsletter. Also, I’ll post Chapter 1 exclusively for newsletter subscribers.

In case you weren’t aware, Faithless takes place in the same universe as Tell Me When I’m Dead. In fact, it begins on Christmas Day—the same day Dave Pulaski and his friends leave Baseborn Identity Research after a harrowing rescue operation.

Soon, I plan to release Jane Doe Cycle Book 0, Brandon’s Last Words. This standalone work ties the two series together and features a hapless security guard named Brandon. He has the misfortune to witness two events—Dave’s team carrying out their mission and the sudden awakening of a test subject named Jane. Sadly, things do not turn out well for Brandon.

Finally, I’ll release the first box set in my Sarah Greene Mysteries series that includes Books 1–3 the beginning of summer. Stay tuned.

Recommended Reading

I happened to be browsing zombie horror fiction the other day and ran across Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter by C.A. Verstraete. Talk about mashups. And the title says it all. You can bet this is going on my reading list. Here’s the blurb:

Every family has its secrets…

One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become… zombies?

Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.

Recommended Viewing

For those of you who are Amazon Prime members, John Carpenter’s 1984 Starman is now available to watch for free. I saw this film years ago and loved it. After watching it again, the magic is still there. This sci-fi romance stars Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen. It’s the story of an invisible alien who takes the form of a young widow’s husband and makes her drive him across the country so he can rendezvous with his ship. And of course, the government is trying to stop them.

Okay, that’s a wrap. See you next month, when I struggle to compose a catchy song lyric that includes “March Madness” and “March Hare.” Peace and love.

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Book Review—Before the Coffee Gets Cold

In 1994, a film called Timecop came out that, for me, encapsulates the driving force behind time travel—changing the future by altering the past. When I picked up Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, I thought perhaps the author had something similar in mind. Go to the past, fix whatever is broken, and return to a better, brighter future. I was wrong.

In movies, it’s fun seeing complicated machinery that makes time travel possible. In books, not so much. This author uses a simple device—a chair. And more important than any special effects are the rules that bind the traveler. In a series of sad, funny, and touching tales, we are introduced to a collection of regulars who have been drinking coffee at this particular café for years. Each wants to fix a problem by going to the past. They want a second chance.

But here’s the twist. You can’t fix anything. You can only observe, and—while never leaving the chair—you can interact with whomever it was you went to see. Whatever you end up doing there, nothing in the future changes. So why go? If nothing will be different, then why put yourself through it?

Employing prose that is simple and powerful, the author shows us that what matters is understanding the people around us. And the gift we come away with is a feeling of joy for having understood.

You can find this review at Goodreads.

Book Description

If you could go back, who would you want to meet?

In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time.

Over the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn’t so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most important, the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold.

Heartwarming, wistful, mysterious and delightfully quirky, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s internationally bestselling novel explores the age-old question: What would you change if you could travel back in time?

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January 2021 Highlights and Bring It On

Greetings and welcome to 2021. Whew! Can you believe we made it through that dumpster fire of a year, 2020? I’m looking forward to things getting better, and I’m sure you are, too. As always, stay safe.

Book News

Though sheltering at home, I’m doing my best to stay busy. I mentioned before that I have a new book coming out in the spring. For those of you who enjoy sci-fi thrillers, Faithless stars an unstoppable female antihero who has no problem taking out the bad guys. With extreme prejudice. Soon, I’ll reach out to my favorite cover designer to come up with a look and feel for the series. I also plan to send the manuscript to my editor. If you want a sneak peek, check out stevenramirez.com/faithless.

Recommended Reading

If you’re looking for an inspiring story to get you through the cold nights, take a look at My Dad My Dog by Rebecca Warner. In this touching fictional account of the author’s struggle to care for her dying father, we learn the importance of family, commitment, and love. You can read my review here.

Recommended Viewing

This post-apocalyptic tale follows Augustine, a lonely scientist in the Arctic, as he races to stop Sully and her fellow astronauts from returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe. The Midnight Sky is directed by and stars George Clooney. Now showing at Netflix.

Okay, that’s a wrap. See you next month, when I beg the doctor to give me a pass so I can consume as much Valentine’s candy as I want. Peace and love.

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Book Review—The Pact

Let me start by saying I don’t like bats. Sure, they’re good for the environment. They pollinate and eat tons of pesky insects. But have you ever seen their faces up close? Yikes! In the notes at the end of The Pact, author J.P. Choquette explains that she actually likes the little critters. Despite her fondness, though, she decided to create a nightmarish story of survival featuring—you guessed it—bats.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the author sets the story in the scary woods of Vermont. Now, I don’t know about you. But the woods kind of creep me out. And when you add a moist, dark cave? Fuggedaboutit. That said,  seeing the Langlois family struggling to escape preternatural forces bent on their destruction makes for a fun story. And thank goodness, it’s only a story.

If you like reading about other people fighting weird monsters, then check out The Pact. Oh, and you may want to rethink that next camping trip.

You can find this review at Goodreads.

Book Description

What Castle Rock does for Maine, Monsters in the Green Mountains does for Vermont.

For the Langlois family—Rick, Marion, and their 10-year-old son, Jude—the remote camping trip offered a way to reconnect. But when Marion goes missing Rick and Jude rush to find her…and discover something more sinister than they could have imagined.

Vernon Heath is a dyed-in-the-wool Vermonter, poacher, and man on a mission. What he hunts now isn’t for the dinner table though. These creatures are deadly. Vernon and a handful of others enter the woods to end a centuries-old curse and protect future generations. But are they too late?

The Pact is the fourth in the “Monsters in the Green Mountain” series, all of which can be read as stand-alone novels. The series has been called, “terrifying,” and “page-turning” by readers. All of the books are set in the remote wilderness of Vermont and feature folklore, supernatural elements, and pulse-pounding action.

Where to Buy

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Merry and Bright

In this troubled year, I wish all of you—wherever you are in the world—peace and love. Stay vigilant. Stay hopeful. Stay safe.

We’ll get through this.

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Book Review—My Dad My Dog

Parents face challenges all the time. Working to keep your kids safe, even as they fight to be free. Struggling to keep a household intact when the economy has tanked, and your income isn’t what it once was. Watching a beloved pet decline as old age takes its toll. These things are hard. But what’s more difficult is when you are the child, and your elderly parent requires around-the-clock care.

In this well-researched, fictionalized account of her struggle with caring for her father, author Rebecca Warner describes in heartbreaking prose what it’s like to see a dear parent slip away. Not only is her father suffering from Parkinson’s and diabetes, but he has Alzheimer’s. And the combination of afflictions is devastating.

But this story isn’t just about an ailing parent. It’s about family and the power of love when a person most needs it. The author contrasts beautifully the experience of taking care of her father while also looking after her aging dog, who suffers from hip dysplasia. Where the two plots come together is the interaction between the patient and the dog. He’s adamant that he wants nothing to do with the animal, yet the sweet Labrador loves him. Eventually, they come to accept each other.

If you’re looking for an inspirational story to get you through these trying times, then pick up My Dad My Dog. You’ll learn that in illness, gifts can be found.

You can find this review at Goodreads.

Book Description

When she moves her Alzheimer’s-afflicted dad into the home she shares with her husband and elderly dog, Rachel Morgan expects some complications, but she never imagines the biggest one will occur on the first day, threatening her best-intentioned caregiving plans.

Her normally sweet-natured dad—a former mailman who experienced too many run-ins with biting dogs—is adamant about wanting nothing to do with her big black Labrador. But as Rachel tends to the escalating physical and emotional needs of each, she notices the striking similarities in their aging processes, and realizes these two souls whom she loves deeply are on the same journey.

With time working against her, Rachel must find a way to transform their uneasy truce into a trusting companionship. In doing so, she hopes to make their shared journey less lonely and frightening—and more bearable for those who must someday let them go.

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Three Things I Learned from The Night of the Hunter

I’d seen the film version of Davis Grubb’s The Night of the Hunter years ago. Recently, I decided to watch it again. Robert Mitchum’s performance as the sociopath Harry “Preacher” Powell was terrifying. And the movie works as well today as when it was released in 1955.

I was so moved by the story of the two orphans—John and Pearl—who barely escape the clutches of the murderous ex-con that I read the novel. And wow. Grubb’s style is mesmerizing, the phrasing dark and poetic. If you want to terrify a reader, don’t scream at them. Whisper.

There are three main things I was left with after finishing this masterpiece of Southern Gothic suspense.

Most People Will Believe Anything

People in Cresap’s Landing are under the impression that when Ben Harper was about to be arrested for bank robbery and murder, he tossed the stolen money in the river. This is the legend. But Harry Powell, Ben’s former cellmate, knows better. Ben hid the money somewhere in his house.

In this small river town, the residents are Christian. And though they may know the words of Scripture, they don’t necessarily understand them. Harry Powell, a career criminal, knows this. And he puts this all too human trait to good use. He applies his charm, good looks—and yes, the Bible—to woo the local widow, Willa, so that he can steal the money.

When Your Gut Tells You Something’s Wrong, You Should Listen

After Harry arrives, he sets about charming the residents with a made-up story about being the prison chaplain who witnessed the death of Ben Harper. The reality is different. Powell was a prisoner himself and, after serving his time, he was released. Though Ben never admitted to him where the stolen money was, Preacher is confident he can find it. Even if it means terrorizing Willa’s children.

The only person who is not fooled by Preacher’s deception is John Harper, Willa’s son. He knows in his heart that the stranger is after the money. And because of a promise he made to his late father, he’ll never tell. Interestingly, a man named Walt Spoon has heard Powell’s stories and also has his suspicions. But when his wife, Icey, berates him for doubting the good preacher, Walt sets those feelings aside. He should’ve paid better attention to them.

People Can Be Saviors, Too

After John and Pearl escape downriver in a boat, a widow named Rachel Cooper discovers them and takes them in. “Miz Cooper” has devoted her life to looking after children who have no home. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this novel is the crushing poverty of the Great Depression. And the despair it causes. Rachel Cooper is a bright light in an otherwise cruel, dark world of greed and deceit.

In fact, when Harry Powell arrives at Rachel’s farm to take possession of “his” children, she sees right through him. She knows in her soul, this stranger is no man of God. He misquotes Scripture and tells stories that make no sense. So, she runs him off her property with a shotgun.

Rachel Cooper saves John and Pearl, as she has other children. And in doing so, she demonstrates that, in the end, evil can be defeated. It’s an old story. But in the hands of this author, it’s one that is masterfully told.

You can find this review at Goodreads.

Book Description

Two young children, Pearl and John Harper, are being raised alone by their mother in Cresap’s Landing, Ohio. Their father Ben has just been executed for killing two men in the course of an armed robbery. Ben never told anyone where he hid the ten thousand dollars he stole; not his widow Willa, not his lawyer, nor his cell-mate Harry “Preacher” Powell. But Preacher, with his long history of charming his way into widows’ hearts and lives, has an inkling that Ben’s money could be within his reach. As soon as he is free, Preacher makes his way up the river to visit the Harper family where—he hopes—a little child shall lead him to the fortune that he seeks.

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