Book Review: Roulette – Fast Paced Thriller

Roulette

By Thomas Locke and Jyoti Guptara

Something is happening to the rave party goers, and it isn’t good. Nurse Carol Steen as well as her husband, Sheriff Dewey Steen have seen evidence that there is some kind of drug that has bizarre side effects that can be lethal, code name Roulette. Medical resident Stacy Swann has also seen the symptoms, but her cool, detached façade seems to have put up a barrier.

As things escalate, former special agent Eric Bannon is called into the case. He has to see what is going on firsthand and plans to infiltrate the next rave. Portraying himself as a guy with his girl looking for a high. He just needs a “date” to complete his covert identity. Dr. Stacy Swann steps up, insisting she can handle herself. But when things go awry, Bannon is forced to pull out all the stops to control the situation, even then, the night has taken a dark turn that may cost someone their life.

The mystery of the drug makers of Roulette, the drug turning people into monstrous beings, must be solved to save as many people as possible. Sadly, those that have already been injected with Roulette may never be the same. Like any illicit drug, side effects are intentionally not disclosed.

Roulette is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you up late at night reading just one more chapter. As Bannon teams up with Sheriff Steen and his wife to find the manufacturers and put them behind bars, things take a turn that is unsuspected and most likely lethal. 

This fast-paced plot kept me up late at night, reading just one more chapter until I finished the book. The characters are interesting and the situation they find themselves in often goes from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. Readers will appreciate the solid plot and well written characters. The suspense is palpable with each chapter to the end pages and I loved it.

Thomas Locke is an award-winning author, has sold over seven million copies of his novels worldwide and was inducted into the Christy Hall of Fame in 2014. His accolades include four Christy Awards and has been published in twenty languages.

Jyoti Guptara became a bestselling author at the age of 17, after dropping out of school at the age of 15. He is the author of a business biography, three fantasy novels and the award-winning novel Roulette. Schweizer Illustriete magazine and the County of Los Angeles have awarded him for his philanthropy, literary achievement and inspiration for other young people.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the publicist and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Zeus: Water Rescue: Dogs with a Purpose

By W. Bruce Cameron

Zeus is a happy Labrador puppy, playing with his litter mates and his human family keeps him busy all day. Until one by one his litter mates were taken by people to their forever homes. Only Zeus and Troy were left. Finally, Marco Ricci, a paramedic and member of the Oahu Search and Rescue team, came looking for a puppy to train to be a rescue dog. Marco took both dogs home to see if one or both were able to be trained in search and rescue. He planned to sell the dog he trained at auction later in the year. So along with Marco and his dog Bear, training began. Sadly, Troy was not meant to be a rescue dog, but Zeus excelled in his training.

Not only was Zeus a happy and smart puppy, he immediately fell in love with Marco’s teenage son, Kimo, who adored Zeus from the moment they met. Marco agrees to allow Kimo to help train Zeus. But sadly, Kimo has to give up Zeus when his training finished because the sale of Zeus would bring in much needed cash for the family.

Everyday Kimo and Zeus become closer. The boy and his dog work well together, but Marco keeps reminding his son that Zeus is going to be sold at auction. Despite this cautionary reminder, the teen and puppy become inseparable. Kimo decides to sabotage Zeus’ training, but his plan backfires. Grudgingly, he realizes becoming a water rescue dog is Zeus’ destiny. Kimo is determined to train his dog and make him the best he can be.

I was in love with Zeus from the first pages. He is definitely the star of this book and doesn’t let his readers down. It is a love story that is full of action with a satisfying end. Classified as a young adult book, adults, especially dog lovers, will enjoy it immensely. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in his series.

W. Bruce Cameron was named Columnist of the Year by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in 2011. His A Dog’s Purpose Series is New York Times best-selling list as well as his book, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the publicist and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Hiss Me Deadly (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #15)

By Miranda James

When an Oscar nominated singer/songwriter Wil Threadgill decides to return to his tiny home town to share his craft and knowledge with the music students at the college. Everyone is excited. Except of course, the one person that has enough pent-up anger to kill him.

His arrival has everyone in a dither, with the exception of Charlie and his partner in amateur sleuthing Diesel, his Main Coon cat. Charlie barely remembers Wil, who had a band with a group of locals before he fled to California seemingly overnight. The other band members were left trying to keep things together, but couldn’t make it without Wil.

When Charlie is asked to escort Wil and help him while he is in town, he reluctantly agrees. Little did he know that someone would attempt murdering Wil and accidently kill one of his former band members. But was it really an attempted murder or just an accident? Tempers flair as several other attempts to hurt or kill the other band members that came with Wil. The police are baffled, but remain vigilant. Charlie and Diesel are on the trail. Having solved murders before, they just could not stand by as attempts to harm Wil and his band were ramping up.

This is the fifteenth book starring Charlie and Diesel as a crimefighting duo. It is the first one I have read, but I now have the previous 14 on my to be read list. The interesting characters and engaging plot make this cozy mystery a fast and fun read. I highly recommend this book to everyone that enjoys cozy mysteries. It is very well written and keeps readers guessing until the last pages.

Miranda James is one of the pseudonyms for prolific writer Dean James. He has led an interestingly diverse life. He grew up on a farm, and then went on to earn his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees as well as an M. S. in library science. His first book, By a Woman’s Hand, won an Agatha Award for Best Mystery Non-Fiction. He writes under several pen names, most notably Jimmie Ruth Evans and Honor Hartman.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the publicist and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Mia’s Odyssey – Taking Back My Soul

A Memoir by Mia Odeh with Mike Ball

Born in Palestine, Mia lived in a country that was vastly different from the United States. At fifteen her parents struck a deal with a much older man, planning to make her his wife. Her father owned a store and was very kind to Mia. Her mother didn’t really pay much attention to her. In fact, her mother was quite brutal to her, leaving her care to one of her older sisters.

Even though her soon to be husband, Fayed was twice her age, Mia’s mother didn’t care that Fayed was going to take Mia to the United States as he had an engineering job in Arizona lined up. On her wedding night, her new husband made it known that she was there for his enjoyment. Thus began the nightmare of spousal rape that would not stop for years.

Mia loved being a mother, but feared for her children as Fayed took out his anger on her as well as the children if they so much as breathed the wrong way. Her culture demanded submission to whatever her husband said or did. But slowly she began to plan her escape. Mia feared more for her children than herself and would do anything to keep them safe. With no friends, no family except her own children and abusive husband, she slowly began to take her life back. But how long would it take? Will her husband kill her before she makes her escape?

It is difficult to read of Mia’s abuse, but by telling her story with brutal honesty, it opens the eyes of readers to her triumph over tyranny. Because it is non-fiction, I felt it was much more heart breaking than any novel can come close to. I highly recommend it, but full discloser, there is graphic violence as well as spousal rape, so it may be disturbing to some readers. But it was also a book of hope. Many women are abused, and hopefully Mia’s story will give them the courage to seek help.

If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, please contact National Domestic Violence Hotline Hours: 24/7. Languages: English, Spanish and 200+ through interpretation service 

800-799-7233

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from publicist Scott Lorenz and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Little White Lies

Social Worker Claire Conover Mystery #3

Little White Lies

By Margaret Fenton

As a social worker in Birmingham, Alabama, Claire Conover has seen things other people just hear and talk about. She is a champion for the countless children that find their way into the system. Each of them touches her heart in different ways, but none of them have ever come home with her. That is about to change. A thirteen-year-old runaway, LaReesa Jones has ditched her foster home and has been living on the streets. She turns up at Claire’s office after suffering a beating at the worst possible moment.

Claire immediately wants to help LaReesa, but another emergency child on Claire’s caseload could be in danger. That same morning a bomb exploded in a local election campaign office, killing a young man. Sadly, he was a single father of a baby girl who was at daycare when he died. When Claire discovers the next of kin, she realizes the child is connected to a very rich influential man that would spell disaster for the baby. She needs to find another legal option to save her.

Exhausted from the day and situation, Claire steps up to foster LaRessa. When she arrives home, her boyfriend has no clue what she has done. Claire explains to him that she had no choice. He is sorry for the life LaReesa has led, but feels that Claire should have at least discussed this important step before bringing the troubled teen home.

The fate of the baby, LaRessa and Claire’s relationship hinges on the next few days and weeks. Claire won’t help the situation by poking her nose into places people want to keep secret with her friend, Kirk. He is an investigative reporter that she has worked with many times before. It is evident he wants to be more than friends.

Little White Lies has page-turning action wrapped in lies and deceit. All will be revealed by the end of the book. I really enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns that lead readers to the truth in the end. While this is the third book in the series, it reads well as a stand-alone novel. I have not read the previous books in the series, but plan to do so in the near future.

Author Margaret Fenton knows about the child welfare system as she was a child and family therapist for the child welfare department in her county. She is an avid mystery fan, which is evident by the care she takes to wrap up all of the delicious twists and turns in her novel. Yet, keeps a tiny bit that readers can anticipate reading about in the next book of this series. I can’t wait to read it.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from publicist Maryglenn Warnock and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Standing Dead – Fabulous Mystery

A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

By Margaret Mizushima

Sheriff Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are on a case and it is personal. The body of Mattie’s step-father is discovered in her town, Timber Creek. The last time Mattie saw her mother, she and her second husband were living in Mexico. It is disturbing to find his dead body in the town Mattie lives and works in, and where was her mother?

It becomes evident to Mattie and her fellow law enforcement colleagues that they need to find her mother before she suffers the same fate as her husband. The entire Sherriff’s department is looking for the killer and trying to keep Mattie safe. She feels she must be in on the investigation, but will she become a victim as well? Mattie is willing to stake her life on saving her family, but at what cost?

This is the seventh book in the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series. Mizushima draws in readers from the first pages with the depth of her fast-moving plot with twists and turns throughout the book. Her characters are fully developed, and as a reader of all of her books, it is like catching up with old friends with each new book in the series.  There are a couple of interesting sub-plots that are satisfyingly finished up at the end as well.

Margaret Mizushima is one of my favorite authors and her characters come to life on the pages. They are like old friends and sometimes crazy relatives to readers of the series. I have read all of the books in this series and cannot wait for the next one. If you have not discovered this fabulous author and series, Standing Dead works well as a stand-alone novel. I highly recommend reading the entire series.

Ms. Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mysteries are award-winning in the states and internationally. She is a member of several writing groups, notably Sisters in Crime, Pikes Peak Writers and is the President for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America to name a few.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the Author and Publicist Maryglenn McCombs and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman

Book Review: The Lapone Sisters

A Delightful Story of First Generation American Girls

The Lapone Sisters

By Barry Wilker

The first American generation sisters still had one foot firmly in their family’s Romanian culture, and the other foot ready to be like everyone else in the states. Their mother, grandmother and two other relatives fled their war torn home in Romania. Coming to the United States was not an easy choice, but the one they needed to survive. When the three children, Schmellda, Sorina and Esmerelda were born, they learned the old Romanian ways as well as the new ways of America. The girls are diverse in character, as if they were from different parents and upbringings. But they had family values and love for each other to bind them together no matter how unlikely it seemed due to their vastly different personalities.

Schmellda, as the oldest, always feels that she must do what her mother feels is best. As a recent graduate from Middle Tennessee State University with a home economics degree, she is finally on her own in her own apartment. She takes a job as a realtor, but her first love is floral arranging.

Sorina is currently working as a dry cleaner. She has a stutter, that keeps her from socializing with anyone but her family. But she loves to sing.

Esmerelda is proud to proclaim she is outgoing, nearly fearless and possesses a quick wit. She has a boyfriend (unlike her sisters) and is the most social of the siblings.

These three vastly different women grow and learn from life and each other that they are capable of leading their own lives, with their own choices, yet still remain close to each other. Life is not always what their parents or even they, themselves thought it would or could be. Each of the them find their way in life, traveling the road that suits them best.

This delightful tale of first-generation Americans is fast-paced and fun. The decisions the girls make and roads they choose to take are like most in the United States. They overcome hardships, but always know they can rely on each other and their extended family to be there for them.

I really enjoyed seeing how the girls interacted with each other as well as the growth they experienced by the end of this novel. This is a delightful, often funny tale warmed by the love the family has for each other as well as their new lives. I highly recommend it to fiction fans.

This is Barry Wilker’s debut novel. A retired interior designer, he has years of experience listening to the life stories of his clients. Fortunately for readers, he was inspired to write this fabulous novel. I can’t wait to see his next novel.  

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from publicist Maryglen McCombs and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Good Rich People – How Far Will The Game Take Them?

Good Rich People

By Eliza Jan Brazier

Graham and his mother Margo are filthy rich. Bored and entitled, they like to play games. Not the kind of games most people play, but those in which lives are ruined and ultimately lost. Lyla became a player in these games when she had the misfortune of marrying Graham. Playing the game is not optional. She must play and win in order to survive.

It always begins with a rental unit that is on the property. Graham has arranged for a woman to move in, and notifies Lyla that it is her turn to run the game. She knows that this means life or death for someone and she is determined to win, no matter how heinous the outcome.

Beginning the game is tricky, she must befriend the victim. It might seem simple, but the woman that has moved into the rental is skittish when Lyla tries to get close to her. There is something she is hiding, and Lyla really doesn’t care what it is as long as she can win the game to continue living the life she has created for herself, no matter how bizarre it has become. It’s the money. It is always about the money.

The game commences, but not in the way Lyla wants it to. Her plans have been thwarted, so she decides to go big or go home. A huge party is planned for Graham’s birthday. His wife has planned a party only the rich could afford. By the end of the night someone will most likely die and Lyla hopes to win the sadistic game she has agreed to play.

Good Rich People is a deadly game of cat and mouse. The author, Eliza Jane Brazier, pulls readers in on the first pages, twisting and turning the plot in unexpected ways. This is the second book she has published. Her debut novel is If I Disappear published in 2021. If you like a fast-paced novels, Good Rich People is the book for you.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the Author and Netgalley and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2022 Laura Hartman

Book Review: Hello, Transcriber – Must Read Debut Suspense

By Hannah Morrissey

Black Harbor is a crime riddled city that people run away from, not to. Hazel Greenlee has moved there with her husband Tommy, because he found a job there. He hunts for their food and seems overly fond of the guns he keeps around the house. Hazel has aspirations to be an author. She finds a job as a transcriber for the local police force, giving her fodder for the book she is writing.

Hazel is an amazing typist, and doesn’t mind working the night shift. When a young boy is killed during her shift, things change drastically for her. She might know who the killer is, but cannot tell anyone. The detective in charge, Nikolai Kole, sends his report to Hazel. With his voice talking in her ear, she transcribes the events, fearing her involvement by withholding evidence, yet intrigued by the sound of Kole’s voice.

Strangely enough, Kole visits her during the long night. This is the beginning of something between them that is more than inappropriate. Hazel fears her attraction will be discovered by her husband. She also fears the repercussions for not sharing her suspicions about the killer with Kole.

This deliciously dark suspense novel is full of twists and turns. The characters are fully developed and most of them have their own agenda that will stop at nothing to attain their goals.

Hello, Transcriber is Hannah Morrissey’s debut novel. Her previous job as a police transcriber and being the wife of a police officer, brings first-hand knowledge to creating her characters. I highly recommend this fast-paced suspense novel. I cannot wait to see what she writes in the future.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2021 Laura Hartman

Book Review: The Rusted Dream – A Fast-Paced Thriller

The Rusted Dream (Dr. Dan Trix Mystery Series #11)

By: Rodney Romig

Dr. Dan Trix and his lovely wife Elaine live in a posh neighborhood known as Naughty Pines. This country club community enables the Trix family to rub elbows of the elite bunch that like to drop by and drink his expensive wines. But the visitor today is more surprising than most of his guests. It is Pamela, his ex-wife. She has a problem.

It seems as though her husband, Bronco J, is missing. It is not like him to disappear and Pamela is worried. He is a wealthy man, so anyone could be after him, but his investment in a private college must be linked somehow. Especially since other investors have turned up dead.

Pamela obviously needs protection. So Trix and his sidekick Lester Ponzolli – whom he met while serving in the Army – are on the hunt for Bronco J. Meanwhile, Elaine and Pamela bone up on their martial arts training, after someone attacked the two women when they were alone in the house. The hunt for Bronco J is far flung, requiring trips both in and out of the United States. It is a race to see if the good guys or the bad guys will get to Bronco J first – peppered with the pitfalls of surprise attacks by the men who want to see Bronco J and possibly Ponzolli and Trix dead.

To say this book was fast-paced would be an understatement. Fast-talking, fast moving and exhausting action defines this page-turning mystery. The characters are clever, quirky and gave me a long list of fabulous wines that are, if they are not fictional, most likely out of my price range.

At times the dialog was so prolific, it read like a screen-play instead of a novel. That doesn’t bother me in small doses, but I needed more meat with details of the story than pages of witty banter. When there was action, it was explosive, but I wanted more. I feel readers need to digest what is happening rather than flip pages at a breakneck pace while the characters amuse themselves with inside jokes. Perhaps it is because this is book 11 in the series and not having read the previous 10, I might feel differently – which isn’t the author’s fault.

This is the first book I have read by Rodney Romig. He has led a global life. After his graduation in Nebraska, armed with a B. A. in English and a Ph.D. in Economics, he lived and worked in Asia and Europe, then landed in Hawaii. His knowledge of the world shines through his characters as they travel on their adventures. Roming’s novel Lakeside was chosen as the 2013 Royal Palm Award winner for best published literary novel. If you love fast talking, fast paced novels, The Rusted Dream is definitely the book for you.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2021 Laura Hartman