Sand and Magic

by Geoff Nolan

Amy Skylar is a beautiful and fiery young redhead. Managed by her war-veteran father, Bill, she's also one of the quickest racing drivers in the world. When an accident knocks her confidence and sways public opinion against her, Amy bounces back in the only way she knows how: by entering the toughest race in the world.

Battling against the alpha males of motorsport, Amy's race turns out to be her most dangerous journey yet as she unwittingly crosses the path of a terrorist cell. Now everything is at stake. Her relationship with her father. Her reputation. And her life...

Geoff Nolan's latest novel, Sand and Magic, is a fast-paced yarn of suspense, adventure and self-discovery that takes you from America to Europe to the sands of Africa…

Genres: Mystery

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2012

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, fast paced, car racing 21 year old child woman, father dependent trying to be more independent gets herself into more than she bargained for but somehow manages to persevere and succeed. While a side story of two orphaned middle eastern brothers now set on killing the evil westerners plays out round and beside her. IMHO challenging believability both stories, yet somehow the writer keeps the readers interest. Makes it work....

[Audrey Cornelison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast, engaging read, with lots of adventure, a generous helping of self-discovery, and a dash of timely desperation. The descriptions of the characters make them come to life; I even liked Amir before he had his epiphany! I'll definitely be adding Road To Winterhaven to my To Read list!

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sooooo.....I can't entirely judge this book because I didn't finish it. I started reading it and had gotten as far as page 5 or 8 or 12, something like that. And decided then to just stop myself. I don't recall a novel that I stopped reading once I began, normally I keep pushing on through because I feel that if I started, I have to finish. However with this novel it was different. Maybe it's a good book, maybe it gets better. But I stopped reading the book because of one specific moment. The main character is a race car driver and it starts off with her in a race, the author was describing a call the driver had gotten, while in her car, via the mic that they use to speak to their team. I don't know much about race car driving, but I know the fundamentals from a long history of go cart racing/car racing cartoons and/or movies. My knowledge may not be in depth but it is enough for the purpose of surface information or background for a story. And this is why I stopped reading: most authors go into detail to explain a situation or emotion or action that may not be common among the general public to understand or because the author feels that this moment is so important it needs to be said in detail. I stopped reading because the author had decided to go into detail, into great detail, about how one communicates to another via a walkie talkie/mic. As I said, I don't know a great deal about racing but I know enough to know that yes you can talk to someone while they are racing and you are not in the car with them. It may seem silly, but that paragraph alone gave me an indication of the author's style and how I can probably expect for this to happen more often than I'd like. So early on, I decided not to bother, because there are better books out there.

[Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like any good story, you have to give it a few pages in order to get into the 'swing of things'.
It's a very good adventure and I really enjoyed it - even though I am usually quite a harsh critic.
'Sand and Magic'is definitely a good way to spend some quality time by the fire with a glass of wine.
I think it's nice to see Irish Authors writing in such a clever style too, especially in an age of vampire obsessions...
There is a lovely elegance to the manner in which Geoff writes. 'On the Road to Winterhaven' is a must read as well.

[Lorrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but interesting read about how a young, female, race car driver's path crosses with a young, male terrorist's path. Amy Skylar's red sportscar with Shoo-Shoo Cola printed across the sides leads to a comical thought.....while.....Amir & Bassam, brothers, put to the test, the old saying "Blood is thicker than water".