Ingrid Hall's Blog, page 11
June 1, 2015
Review of Stateline: by Dave Stanton
Stateline by Dave Stanton
Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1960, Dave Stanton moved to Northern California in 1961. He attended San Jose State University and received a BA in journalism in 1983. Over the years, he worked as a bartender, newspaper advertising salesman, furniture mover, pizza cook, debt collector, and technology salesman. He has two children, Austin and Haley, and lives with his wife, Heidi, in San Jose, California.
Stateline is a tightly-written, fast-paced detective story that will satisfy any devotee of crime fiction.
When Private Investigator Dan Reno is hired for $100,000 to find and bring to justice the killer of a wealthy businessman’s son, he gets way more than he bargained for. Prostitutes, drugs, hard drinking tough guys, despicable bad guys — this novel has them all.
Reno and his sidekick Cody Gibbons must solve the murder without the help of corrupt police and sheriff’s officers. In fact, the thoroughly despicable police officers and deputies do their darndest to stop them — even resorting to torture and attempted murder. Through it all, Reno and his wise-cracking buddy Gibbons keep going, turning Lake Tahoe inside out, and following a twisted trail of clues that leads all the way to Utah.
Will the mystery be solved so Reno can get the rest of his $100,000 bounty? Will predatory prostitutes, harassing henchmen and enough close shaves to satisfy an old-time barber deter Reno — or make him drop the case?
You’ll just have to pay your $3.99 and find out for yourself.
Some good lines:
“She made love like a woman with an abundance of sexual instinct, and a lifetime of promiscuity to back it up.”
“Ranesewich strikes me as so uptight, you couldn’t pull a needle out of his ass with a tractor.”
“If the detectives caught up with me before I was ready, I’d piss in their ear and tell them it was raining.”
And when a really bad guy dies, the narrative takes on a paranormal tone: “I saw his spirit being sucked into the earth, like sand falling through an hourglass in fast motion.”
This is not a book for someone with an aversion to strong language or semi-explicit sex scenes. But if you’re interested in a good old-fashioned murder mystery with a satisfying ending, Stateline is your basic perfect read.
I give Stateline a solid five stars.
May 29, 2015
Review of Raildogs by: Rejean Giguere
Raildogs by Rejean Giguere
Rejean Giguere grew up in Europe and Canada. He is an avid outdoorsman, adventurer, photographer, and artist. He enjoys fishing, hockey, golf, tennis, skiing, and snowmobiling. When able, he loves using his V-Max motorcycle and vintage Corvette. Giguere had a business career in Toronto and Ottawa.
Raildogs is story that is centered on a gang and its turf, railroads. It’s not always going to be easy to get from one place to another. In many cases, with no money at all, people are left to make decisions. This book focuses on the Raildogs as they fight for respect, redemption, hate, and life.
The core of the story revolves gang’s boss members. They are spread in a territory of Western America riding freight trains. They make their living by taking whatever they want from stowaways. In the process, they are beat to a pulp and thrown off the train. These all occur when the train is moving out in rural or open tracks of land. I felt dreadful for people they encountered because many of them were riding away from another sort of oppression. It touched on topics of theft, rape, violence, drug abuse, fear, and homelessness.
The trouble for the gang comes when someone begins murdering members. Giguere leaves little room for the imagination when explaining the methods that gang members were tortured. Each time a scene came up, I cringed thinking about how painful the situations must have been. I found myself saying, “He had it coming.”
The story is written from several other character perspectives. Each of them providing insight into the gang. The officer, Bill, came across the gang after his daughter went missing and presumably killed. Following leads, Bill was able to locate possible suspects to the case. Upon contact with a member, he stumbles into the gruesome scene of their death. He is lead to another suspect and ultimately another murder.
Raul and Maria are a couple taking the freight trains down to Mexico. Most of their trip is quiet until nearing the end, when encountering Raildogs waiting in a trap. The couple gets separated while forced to act being outwitted and outnumbered. Raul calls his fellow gang members to save Maria and he fights to protect himself. Maria is subjected to male aggression and raped by a Raildog boss.
Other characters such as Bart and Danny are riding south to Florida. They met through discovering they were traveling in the same direction. When in route, Danny begins the initiation process of becoming a Raildog. They go separate ways. In his first act, the guys came across the Raul’s gang after the rescue and were beaten to death.
Towards the end, tension builds and it comes into the macro-story. The reader is explained why gang members were murdered. This book is definitely suspenseful. The anticipation kept me going up until the last page. There were several points were I felt myself holding my breath. You knew something bad was going to happen, didn’t want to stop. I became engrossed with wanting to know how and understand the backstory. Another interesting aspect that I enjoyed about this book was that there wasn’t a feeling of justice. Few of the characters had true resolution. I felt like it was the end of the bloody tracks. I wish Giguere went into greater detail with the scenery and surrounding landscape. So much of the book occurs outside. It would add another level of tones to the story.
The story is based within the culture of violence. It opens a portal into the life of members of society who chose to trespass situations and take matters into their own hands. The book reminds me that sometimes you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to get their mind and heart racing. Get lost on along the railroads and find yourself in the hands of the Raildogs screaming “Raildogs Rule!”.
May 27, 2015
Endometriosis – Claire’s Story
For those of you that have read my bio, you will be aware that I suffered with endometriosis in my mid-twenties. It is a really horrible disease and there is not enough being done to raise awareness.
In an effort to re-address the balance, I would like to share Claire’s story, a fellow sufferer who reached out to me via this website.
If you, or anyone you know has been diagnosed with endometriosis and would like to share your story, please contact me and I will be happy to post it here.
Here is Claire’s story in her own words…
Hi, my name is Claire Smith (that’s me on the left). It took me 16 years to finally get diagnosed with endometriosis and at the age of 31, I was put straight onto the depo injection which put me into the medical menopause…the side effects of this made me so ill and I lost so much weight.
At 33, doctors told me that my Endo was so bad; I had no choice but to have a full hysterectomy so this is what I did. I ended up with an internal bleed after the operation and was in hospital for a week. I wish I could tell you I am pain free now but the Endo is now on my bladder, bowel and kidney. I just had an operation on my bladder to make it bigger because the Endo has made it smaller.
On the positive side, I run a support group called Endometriosis Fife in my local hospital, working for the Endo UK charity. I also have a Facebook page which readers can find here. It’s my life to make women understand Endo and to show women they are not alone in this…I ran an endometriosis awareness march in March this year in Edinburgh. It was hard work but if I managed to help just one woman, then it was worth it.
May 25, 2015
Review of The Mitosis Hegemony: TechnoPolitics in the 21st Century: by Arthur Van Kaseman
The Mitosis Hegemony TechnoPolitics In The 21st Century
It is my pleasure to welcome on board a brand new book reviewer. Please show some love for Carlton Rolle…
Arthur van Kaseman is the nom de plume of a New York City corporate planning consultant with degrees in philosophy, government and law. A member of the World Future Society, American Management Association and the Libertarian Futurist Society, he has shown many a venture the way out of darkness into a brighter future. Mr. Van Kaseman resides in Brooklyn with 2 cats, 3 birds and some fish. He has a daughter, Amanda, Down Under.
Arthur Van Kaseman illuminates an intriguing story about humanity’s survival on Earth in his novel The Mitosis Hegemony. The books puts the reader into the world as soon as the first event happens. An anomaly occurs within space causing many of the world’s nations to go on high alert. A group of scientists are contacted by a race of aliens who want to help humans with their problems of global warming, overpopulation, and pollution. The aliens, known as Magla, announce that they will aid humanity in four primary goals: restore the planet, elevate the life of all citizens, achieve interplanetary travel, and prevent the use and exportation nuclear weaponry.
The Magla held a conference to discuss what needed to be done to effectively change Earth. They stated electricity should be the next primary energy source used. Solar energy would be harvested from the lunar orbit using satellite panels and then transmitted to Earth. A company called Lunasol would be the sole operator and profits would be distributed among all of living recipients. In order to use Lunasol and its profits, a country had to relinquish its nuclear weapons and adopt the “Declaration of Universal Human Rights”. The declaration called for a new system of government known as direct democracy. Once the world gained news of the conference, the question of change was brought to a vote.
The reader is introduced to ideas centered on politics, poverty, and war. The battle for hegemony over Earth rages. America, Russia, and the European Union struggle to ensure their way of living. While other countries like China and India put the declaration into effect. As more the story is explained issues surrounding technology and human evolution also come into question.
I like that each character in the book adds a different aspect to the story; being either military, scientific, or civilian. There is also a sense of mystery that builds throughout the tale. It adds twists and turns in the plot. One of my favorite aspects of this book is the way that it is written. It could’ve happened yesterday or be years into the future. Towards the end of the novel, some situations were quickly written over. While Van Kaseman wrote with the emphasis on closure, I would have liked more detail involving a few circumstances.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It’s a written in a way that is believable and for a couple moments made me think, “This is totally real. They’re out among us! Viva Magla!” I will be on the lookout for more work by Arthur Van Kaseman.
Arthur Van Kaseman Twitter: https://twitter.com/longhorn12471
May 22, 2015
Review of Club MEDicine: by Jack Kinsley
Club MEDicine by Jack Kinsley
Jack Kinsley currently lives in Thailand and is at work on his third novel that is expected to be available in the fall of 2015. Jack wanted to immerse himself in Thai culture and its vibrant cities in order to translate real-life experiences into his next writing adventure. It will be an entirely new cast of unpredictable characters that only the backdrop of southern Thailand can provide in its infinite diversity of tourism, culture, and sordid nightlife.
Club MEDicine is a book about a guy who has turned a negative into a positive — his life, down the tubes at one point during excess use of drugs — takes an upswing when he founds Crystal Heights, a posh rehab center in Malibu for the very wealthy.
He has an eccentric staff, an eccentric clientele, and even succeeds in creating an eccentric — and compelling — story about himself and those he cares most for.
It’s a cautionary tale with a terrific twist ending, about drug rehab and the people who daily battle the beast. It’s also the story of how the central character, Travis Martin — the owner of Crystal Heights — must battle the addiction demons himself in order to make things run day to day.
As the book opens, he is engaged in a custody fight with his estranged Romanian wife Ana, who threatens to close his rehab center down due to documents she has damning him for illegal treatment of clients in the center’s early days. She finally threatens to take his beloved six-year-old daughter Bella with her back to Romania. This development turns out to be crucial to the plot, as the oh-so-fallible Travis plots to have her killed, thus gaining sole custody of Bella, and erasing the sword she holds over his head.
Travis, as the protagonist, is alternately endearing and frustrating as he plods along, treating his clients with care as they recover, yet he wrecks his own body with alternate shots of Valium and Adderall in order to keep going.
The other characters in the book are well-drawn also, making the reader care what happens to them — even the rock-hard giant with whom Travis ultimately plots to kill Ana. The facility’s manager Sarah — a former pit boss from Las Vegas — is very likeable, with a hard exterior but a heart of gold (the author accomplishes this without a trace of corniness).
Travis is also endearing in some scenes, such as when he is rescuing a puppy from an abusive former client, and, when he sits attentively at the bedside of a dying patient.
I liked the book a lot. The dialog moved the story along well, although I didn’t get completely invested in the book until Travis’ more sinister side began to show through. The book really picked up the pace after that, all the way to a satisfying conclusion.
I give Club MEDicine four stars and would recommend it to anyone interested particularly in how these five-star rehab centers do their work each day.
May 18, 2015
Review of Chopin’s Ghost: by Cary Marc Grossman
Chopin’s Ghost by Cary Marc Grossman
Chopin’s Ghost by Cary Marc Grossman is a thoroughly entertaining and complex tale about rock star Robin Hanley and his search for a daughter who’s been kidnapped by an estranged wife, and the wild ride he must endure to find her. With the help of a soul mate—in the truest sense—he does find her at last, only to lose her through his own death in a fire (this is not a spoiler – you’ll have to read the book to its surprising conclusion to find out the true ending)..
This book is, first and foremost, an engrossing love story that takes the reader through the highs and lows of Robin’s rock and roll world, written with surprising knowledge and insight that many a musician will find satisfying.
It is also a tale of the paranormal as Robin conjures up thunderstorms to match his violent mood swings, and draws on the protection of a legion of magical cats that bow to him and to fellow “witch” Suze, without whose help he would never regain his daughter’s love.
I found Chopin’s Ghost to be a very entertaining and stimulating read on many levels, with enough steamy sex to satisfy even the most prurient reader, and yet equally solid in narrative, dialog and character development. It will make any reader want to keep turning the pages to see what happens next.
There are many examples of elegant writing style:
“The loss of a child’s innocence is, in general, a gradual process, except when it is stolen. There is usually a single moment when a parent discovers that their offspring is no longer a child, but in most cases it is the discovery itself that is momentary and, therefore, momentous—not the process.”
“The music was like no other he had ever heard, dramatic as the night sky.”
“Angie moved through the halls of Cuyuga High School with the stealth of a hit man, her face a mask of cold detachment.”
And one more:
“There were ages in his eyes, time unfathomable by human standards, but all she saw was the depth of what he felt for her.”
The title, Chopin’s Ghost, refers to a spirit which moves in and out of the characters’ lives offering timely advice and encouragement as they go through various setbacks. An historical interlude about the famous composer is also diverting.
In all, I found the book to be rich, entertaining, and wonderfully challenging—unpredictable and diverting. I give it an unqualified five stars. And I was given a copy for review, but would happily have paid for the book!
May 15, 2015
Review of Flyblown and Blood-Spattered: by Jarred Martin
Flyblown and Blood-Spattered by Jarred Martin
Jarred Martin is a speculative fiction writer living in Northeastern Arkansas. His stories have appeared in publications such as L’Allure des Mots, Fiction Terrifica, and Bewildering Stories, among others. His first short story collection Flyblown and Blood-Spattered has been ranked as high as number three on Amazon UK’s Horror Anthology chart.
Flyblown and Blood-Spattered is a collection of horror stories with a gore factor exceeding ten. I mean, I normally love horror, but this group of tales has already given me one nightmare, and I expect more to come.
It’s got a lot of gratuitous sex, violence and liberal use of the F-word. If you like this sort of thing, you’re in for a rare treat.
Salley Gardens deals with an old man who doesn’t want to be buried in his own garden because of the little creatures that abound there. His companions kill him, of course, and bury him—well, most of him, anyway—in guess where? This has predictable and dire results for the man and woman who had been taking care of him. The story is creepy, yet strangely satisfying and creative, particularly the ending.
In The Throne, a man with gastric distress develops a justifiable fear of his own bathroom—it’s a portal into another very dark world. A series of calls to equally dark plumbers result in mayhem and dismemberment. This story did have some memorable verbiage, however:
“The mournful shrieks and wails of doomed souls formed a harmony of dread.”
“His teeth banged together and his organs quivered with the consistency of warm cranberry sauce.”
In That Hyperborean Feller, a community of quirky homeless individuals go about their dreary daily lives, dodging witch covens and a Feller who plants watermelon seeds in one character’s forebrain. In this one, a favorite quote:
“Pathosis would tell him that he spoke ancient Greek to him in a hushed whisper, like wind blowing over cracked gravestones.”
In It Came From Peach Island, a small boy grows something strange and deadly on his arm after being stung by a jellyfish-like creature. Before that happens, though, he sees a slaughtered seal:
“It was completely bifurcated from snout to tail and lay on the beach like a costume someone has shed.”
Finally, in Lead Lobotomy, a man’s head catches on fire while bar patrons laugh and applaud. Best quote:
“Nothing washes away humiliation like a flash flood of whiskey.”
This is an articulate and talented author who sometimes covers up his talent with gratuitous sex and swear words. These stories are unpredictable and often jarring. Like I said, I LIKE horror, but this collection was often a little much even for me. It needs a good proofreading as well.
Nevertheless, I give it a solid four stars. Hard core horror fans should love it.
May 14, 2015
Suffering from 50 Shades Withdrawal? Download Freedom for FREE
** FREE TO DOWNLOAD ON KINDLE UNTIL MONDAY 18th MAY **
Freedom introduces a new and exciting fantasy man in the shape of Giraldo De Lograno, otherwise known as the Bastard of Bilbao. Of Spanish descent, and from a time when the plague was raging in Newcastle, England, he has spent the last 400 years living his life as a gigolo. A time-travelling highwayman, who has been cursed to bring his own special brand of pleasure and pain to the women who cross his path. Women just like Zara.
Out on the town and looking for a random stranger to spend the night with, Zara knows just how to celebrate her recent divorce. A petite blonde, she is no shrinking violet and has a naughty little kit to prove it and fully intends to have a night that she will never forget… it is just a case of choosing the lucky guy. Then she meets ‘Max’
‘Max’, the most exciting and dangerous man she has ever set eyes on. Sinfully good-looking and with a seductive charm that leaves her breathless. The fact that she would choose him for her Freedom night was never in question.
What is in question is the role she will play in a twisted mind-game between her chosen lover and a young woman executed for witchcraft in 17th Century England. Elizabetha, a beautiful and cunning temptress and she has more to do with Zara’s fate than she would ever have dreamed possible.
Who is the Highwayman and what does he need from her? Will Zara seal her fate or gain her coveted Freedom?
One thing’s for certain; her life will never be the same again.
Freedom is the first in a series of erotic romances chronicling the journey of the Highwayman as he makes his way back to the young woman who holds the key to his heart.
Due to sexual content of an explicit nature, this book is recommended for ages 18+
May 11, 2015
Review of Conduit: by Angie Martin
Conduit by Angie Martin
Angie Martin lives in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband, two cats, and beloved dog. She grew up in Wichita, Kansas and has lived all over the United States. Her entire life has revolved around imaginary worlds contained within the covers of a book. Her aunt introduced her to Stephen King and a little book called Christine in eighth grade, and she says her life was never the same.
Her debut suspense novel, “False Security” (romantic suspense) was re-released in October 2013. “Conduit” was released March 5, 2014. She also has a poetry collection that was released in April 2014. “The Boys Club” (romantic suspense).
In Conduit, a young woman who is strongly psychic is used to help a serial killer victimize and then kill innocent women, whom he kidnaps and holds at his farmhouse in rural Kansas.
As the story evolves, Emily, the psychic, meets a young man named Jake, who is also psychic. Together, they form a temporary wall against the killer, but he is very strong and begins tearing the wall down bit by bit, causing Emily untold pain.
In this psychological YA thriller, Emily must fight demons in her own past as well as the evil presence in her mind to try and bring the killer to justice.
The crime scene episodes provide a lot of satisfying detail, so even the most experienced true crime enthusiast will be enthralled. This killer apparently knows all the tricks necessary to avoid detection, from wearing gloves at all times, to cleaning under the victims’ fingernails and even shampooing their hair before disposing of each body in obvious places so the police can easily find the women he tortures and kills. He also carves a letter into each woman’s body—usually before killing them—in order to taunt the authorities who are trying to track him down and to prevent more atrocities.
Martin’s vivid characterizations are a strong point in this book, as is the sexual tension between Jake and Emily. He is always there for her as she tries to break the mental bond the killer has with her, and she is a likeable, credible strong lead protagonist, but vulnerable enough to be believable.
The author’s writing is clear and strong as well, with an occasionally lyric turn-of-phrase: “Lionel stopped his restless movements and made his way to the table like a robot obeying a new command from his master.” And another: “A glaze formed at the top of the (blood) puddles, like gravy sitting too long in the gravy boat at Thanksgiving dinner.” And one more: “Emily looked at (Jake), taking a moment to memorize the contours of his face, examine his soul through his eyes, and he did the same with her.”
I really enjoyed Conduit. It’s the perfect YA book, with plenty of sensuality scattered throughout for the female audience, yet enough hard police procedure to make it interesting to a man. (That sounds sexist, I know — not my intent, just an observation.) And the paranormal aspect of the lead characters added a dimension that helped move the narrative along nicely.
The action scenes down toward the end of the book will leave you breathless to see how it will all turn out. The ending is unpredictable, yet satisfying.
I give this book a solid five stars, and recommend it to anyone wanting a nice long read with a paranormal twist.
End austerity in northern England
Hi
I tend to avoid posting political articles on this blog. However, this is important.�� I am calling upon people the length and breadth of Britain to sign and share this petition. I want to be able to take the fight to Downing Street. Click here to view and sign.
