Friday 27 February 2015

World Famous Crime Series Gets A Modern Makeover: COTTON FBI


Cotton FBI is a modern remake of a world famous cult series that adapts the story for a new generation of readers. The history of Jerry Cotton started in 1954 as a dime novel series and grew to become the most successful crime series in Germany with a total of 1 billion copies sold. For the first time in English, Bastei Entertainment is rolling out the entire series with four collector's packs starting this month.



A new time - a new hero - a new mission

Cotton FBI is a digital cult-series for a new generation of readers

Cotton FBI is an exciting new eBook series reinventing the hugely popular Jerry Cotton novels.  The series provides a new way for readers to access and enjoy great crime fiction.

Packed full of suspense and drama, Cotton FBI is set in the dark underbelly of New York and tells the story of one man's mission to fight crime at any cost.





COTTON FBI SERIES GUIDE

COLLECTION 1 (Feb. 23)




EPISODE 1: THE BEGINNING. 
New York City. A Chinese woman was brutally murdered and Jeremiah Cotton, a young cop with the NYPD, just can't let go. He suspects that the woman is the victim of a serial killer, but no one believes him and he is taken off the case. While carrying out an unauthorized investigation, Cotton encounters a division of the FBI whose existence no one knows about: the "G-Team." Stubborn and persistent, Cotton asks uncomfortable questions about the mysterious unit - and runs afoul of Special Agent Philippa "Phil" Decker in the process. When he narrowly escapes an attempt on his life, Cotton realizes that this is no ordinary killer hunt and the hotter the case is getting, the more determined he is to stay involved ... 

EPISODE 2: COUNTDOWN. 
12:04 AM, New York. An American Airlines flight making its approach to landing. The descent is stopped and the aircraft begins to circle over Manhattan as if it were guided by an invisible hand. - 1:00 AM, G-Team HQ. Agents Jeremiah Cotton and Philippa Decker learn that terrorists have hacked the onboard systems and taken control of the airplane. They are demanding the release of Seif al-Bakkay, a high-level terrorist. The agents have only six hours remaining to find the perpetrators before the aircraft over Manhattan runs out of fuel ... 

EPISODE 3: HIDDEN SHADOWS. 
New York. Hundreds of commuters just barely escape with their lives when an attack on the George Washington Bridge fails. The attempt falls in line with a chain of acts of sabotage that occurred at famous landmarks in the past few weeks. Obviously, someone is targeting prominent structures in New York. What are the perpetrator's objectives? Agents Jeremiah Cotton and Philippa Decker are facing a mystery. Until there is another attack. Right before their eyes. Nearly 1,000 feet above Manhattan - on the Empire State Building ... 

EPISODE 4: WITNESS PROTECTION. 
A well-dressed man is found dead, floating in a New York harbor basin. The drowned man originally hailed from a small town in Alabama and, according to local authorities, died six years ago. The FBI gets involved. Agents Cotton and Decker soon realize that there are more cases like this: affluent criminals who were living under false names and then were murdered. 
These very names also appear on the list of a witness protection program and Cotton receives a visit from two colleagues who won't tolerate any further investigation. But a man like Cotton doesn't buckle under pressure ...



COLLECTION 2 (March 16)





EPISODE 5: THE INFECTION. 
The man with the inflamed stab wound in the Bedford specialty clinic is no ordinary patient. His name is Jeremiah Cotton, agent of the FBI, and he thwarted a biological weapon attack. Because he might be carrying the pathogen himself, he cannot leave the hospital grounds. Then one of the other patients dies under peculiar circumstances. Cotton starts to investigate - looked over by personnel as just a hobby detective and viewed with suspicion by hospital management. But then there is an attempt on Cotton's life and things get serious - and personal ... 

EPISODE 6: BONY BEACH. 
Human bones were uncovered by a winter storm on one of Chappaquiddick's beaches. While examining the remains the police found a dozen more buried in the sand. Philippa Decker and Jeremiah Cotton from the FBI's G-Team are on the scene to investigate. They are supported by Dr. Connors, a retired forensic doctor from homicide. For a long time he had been convinced that there is a serial killer active on the island, but no one ever believed him. He asks the two agents to help him find the killer. Just as a blizzard blows over the island, a dramatic showdown takes place ... 

EPISODE 7: THE KUMO CARTELL. 
John Saito, an American business man of Japanese descent, lies in his penthouse. He was murdered. All he had on was a condom. He had two Asian ciphers scrawled on his forehead which together form the word ?kumo' - the spider. It seems that the man was killed by some poison during sex games. Saito is not the first person to be killed in this manner. The G-Team is called upon to help solve the murders. Special Agent Jerry Cotton and Philippa Decker first suspect the Yakuza, or a similar organized crime gang, to be responsible for the killings. However, the true meanings of the homicides go far deeper. The traces lead to a network of dirty business and to a woman who is more dangerous than a Spider ... and deadlier.

COLLECTION 3 (April 13)





EPISODE 8: KILLER APPS. 
Four mysterious mass murders. All of them occurring at more or less the same time in New York. The victims: a middle-class family, a wedding party, a school group, and a police station task force. The culprits: people with no previous criminal record. The G-Team is on the case. Agent Cotton has been looking for a common thread and finds an ambiguous lead: Just before every crime, the perpetrators activated the same app on their smartphones. One evening, Cotton and Philippa Decker meet by chance in a restaurant. Both have been stood up by their respective dates, and they decide to make the best of it and have dinner together. Cotton shows his colleague an app that had just installed itself on his smartphone. Decker tries out the app. And then she pulls out her weapon and aims it at Cotton as if in a trance ... 

EPISODE 9: DEADLY GAMES. 
The star gamer from Korea, Park Dae-Young, arrived in New York to participate in an E-sports competition. The prize money is $600,000. A few hours after his arrival he is dead; and this despite having had body guards present. Cotton and Decker from the G-Team take over the case. There are certain indications that team members, who came with Park, may be involved in his death. It is suspected that they did so out of jealousy, and that Park's clan had participated in tourneys outside the regular "Counterstrike? gaming schedule, in which huge sums of money were involved. It seems evident that not only Park himself, but also the team members and the management too, had been involved in a betting scam. Something like this goes well only so long as all the members cooperate. 

EPISODE 10: PROJECT OMEGA. 
Once a year, the president holds a banquet for members of the military, police forces, and the Secret Service who have rendered outstanding service to the nation. This year, Special Agents Jeremiah Cotton and Philippa Decker have been invited for the first time. Cotton feels out of place at the party among all the "big shots.? But then a slightly older but still quite attractive woman approaches him. Joan Fallon is being blackmailed by a stranger. Not for money, but for the state secrets guarded by her husband - the White House Chief of Staff. Joan has a dark past that not even her husband knows: In her youth, she acted in adult films. And it seems that the videotapes weren't all destroyed. Cotton discusses the problem with Mr. High, the head of the G-Team. A White House scandal and national security are at stake. So Cotton and his attractive partner Philippa start an undercover investigation into New York's porn scene ...

COLLECTION 4 (May 11)





EPISODE 11: DEATH ON ORDER. 
When Peter Warren opened the door and saw a pizza delivery man standing on his porch, he thought that it was a mix-up; he hadn't ordered a pizza that evening. Then, instead of a pizza, the man pulled a taser out of the insulated transport box. The last thing Warren saw were drill bits, needles, and surgical instruments ... Over the period of few months, several people fell victim to a sadistic crime using this or similar methods. Oddly, they weren't killed right away, but fell into comas due to brain injuries and then died later on. The victims had nothing in common, except for one thing: They were all organ donors, and the last two victims had rare genetic profiles. A false set of documents is prepared for Cotton by the team's experts, making him look like the perfect organ donor. They insert it into the national databank of the country's healthcare system. At the home address listed in these documents, Cotton awaits the killer ... 

EPISODE 12: SURVIVAL. 
There's a new government training program intended to get FBI agents into top shape. 
Equipped with nothing but their wits and an emergency backpack, the participants will be dropped in the vast forests of the northeastern United States. There, they will have to survive a week in the wilderness. Philippa Decker, Zeerookah, and Steve Dillagio are selected as the first group from the New York division. The day before the program begins, Dillagio suddenly calls in sick. Agent Cotton steps in at the last minute as his replacement. What starts out as a relatively carefree expedition turns into a nightmare for the three FBI agents. The first night, they're woken up by the sounds of gunfire. Then they discover the bodies of another team of agents. By then, it's clear to Cotton and the others that someone is using the survival program to carry out a treacherous plan. And that they have been transformed from hunters into the hunted and must fight for their survival. 

EPISODE 13: WHISTLE BLOWER. 
After a lengthy investigation, Sandy Overmeyer, a young journalist, manages to get an interview with a powerful underworld boss, known and feared for his brutality. Roberto Gonzalez, who calls himself Bobby Gold, shows her one of his hideouts, where drugs are being packaged - by children. Upset, Sandy breaks one of the unwritten laws of journalism: Never reveal a source. FBI agents storm Gold's hideout. The operation doesn't go as planned, and Bobby Gold's innocent little brother Esteban gets shot. The drug lord manages to evade arrest. Now Sandy is in grave danger. Cotton tries to get her to safety, but he arrives too late. He realizes that he and his team have made a terrible mistake. Together with his former colleague from the NYPD, Cotton goes undercover to try to make amends, no matter who gets hurt along the way ... 

EPISODE 14: CIVIL WAR. 
A ruthless massacre. Thick clouds of gunsmoke stinging your eyes. Musket fire. In the small town of Perryville, Kentucky, the Northern and Confederate armies have been pitted against each other. Smoke engulfs the hills. Wherever you look, there are fallen men. But it's all just a game. A re-enactment for the anniversary of a Civil War battle. The uniforms and even the weapons are authentic. Only the bullets are fake. Except for one, which plows through the wooden side of the grandstand. Just missing the head of Senator Kendall Whatley. Was it an accident? An attack? Maybe even an act of terrorism? Special Agents Jeremiah Cotton and Philippa Decker are put on the case. They soon find out that not all of the residents of Perryville take kindly to the senator. So they decide to give the perpetrator an opportunity to strike again - the great ball at the end of the anniversary festivities, where everyone will be dressed in historical garb ...



A new legend is born!

Also available from Amazon UK






Sunday 22 February 2015

Book Review: CHERRINGHAM: MYSTERY AT THE MANOR BY MATTHEW COSTELLO & NEIL RICHARDS


My Thoughts on the second in this cosy mystery series .......


CHERRINGHAM:  MYSTERY AT THE MANOR
BY
MATTHEW COSTELLO & NEIL RICHARDS


Published:  16 Jan 2014
Kindle Edition:  106 pages


The elderly owner of Mogdon Manor, Victor Hamblyn, dies in a mysterious fire. But was it really an accident? Jack and Sarah are skeptical - The victim's three middle-aged children, who all live in the village of Cherringham, are possible heirs. And possible murderers - Did one of them set the fire? 

"Cherringham - A Cosy Crime Series" is a series of twelve self-contained episodes. A new case for Jack and Sarah was released each month from Dec 2013 to Oct 2014.






I love this cosy mystery crime series.

This is the second in the series, the first one, Murder on Thames I reviewed here  In that one we're introduced to the unlikely partnership of retired NYPD homicide detective Jack and Sarah who's just returned back to her hometown of Cherringham following her divorce.

Here, they're investigating the suspicious death of an elderly man in his run-down manor who had a 'forbidden room' in the attic where he was found following a mysterious fire.

All his children thought they would inherit and they all had motives, but was he murdered or was it an accident?  

Jack and Sarah are very adept, between them, in coaxing information out of people and I enjoyed the interaction between them.

I enjoyed the structure of the plot, the authors really pack so much into such a short story, the characters are individually developed, and there were some unexpected surprises, which all made for a very satisfying whodunnit.

I'm already looking forward to the next in the series "Murder by Moonlight"  

Friday 20 February 2015

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Murder, Mystery & Dating Mayhem by D.E. Haggerty




Humorous Chick Lit with a dash of Murder/Mystery
Date Published: March 1, 2015

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My name is Izzy. I drink too much, am clumsier than a newborn foal, and my brain-to-mouth filter often malfunctions. My daredevil husband killed himself in a parachuting accident five years ago and my best friend Jack has decided it’s time I jump back in the dating pool. He’s perfectly happy to throw me in if I don’t listen. Just when things in the dating world start to heat up, my grandma dies. Only her knitting group of Jessica Fletcher wannabes is sure it’s murder. I’m not convinced but I’m always up for a bit of excitement as long as it doesn’t lead to a night in jail. Well, more than one night anyway. Will I miss my chance at love because I’m chasing imaginary killers? Did someone really kill grandma or am I and my merry band of geriatric thieves imagining things?

 



EXCERPT

The first ‘date’ starts off well. His name is Ed. He’s not drooling or anything, is talking to me and not my boobs, and seems to be interested in my graphic design work. Maybe Jack was right after all. I need to get myself back into the dating game.

“So,” Ed says after we’ve exchanged the usual pleasantries and some small talk. He leans forward and starts to whisper. “How do you feel about whips and chains?”

Not the appropriate moment to be sipping my wine, but how could I have expected that! I choke and spit a bit of wine into Ed’s face, which seems to excite him. He wiggles his eyebrows. “I take it that’s a yes?” He asks eagerly.

“Um no. That’s a definite no. N.O.” I lift my glass and down the remainder of my wine. The bell rings and I yell loudly “Next!”

Ed looks disappointed as he walks to the next table, but I’ve got my eyes on the prize. A cocktail waitress is headed my way. I snag another glass of wine before turning to my next date. Oh dear lord! The man is older than grandma. He struggles to lower himself in the chair opposite mine.

There goes that annoying bell again. Time to put my game face on. I smile and decide that I’ll check this guy out for grandma. She could use a date. Although to be perfectly honest, I don’t remember her going out with a man – ever. There’s no time like the present.

The old man’s name is Wilbert and the five minutes pass pleasantly enough – as long as I pretend he’s dating grandma and not trying to pick me up. When the bell rings again, I rush from my chair to help Wilbert stand. I take his elbow and guide him to his next date – a girl that could be his great granddaughter.

I sit back down and gather my courage for my next winner. I try to smile at the guy across from me, really I do. But have you ever tried to smile at a man with the biggest comb over ever? Let me tell you, it’s not easy. I may be grimacing a tiny bit.

Mr. Combover leans over and leers at me. Yes, leers at me! His eyes are surgically attached to my boobs. True, I have good boobs, but maybe pay a bit of attention to the person attached to the boobs?

Finally done leering, he leans back and takes in my face. “You’re not the youngest anymore.” Really? That’s the first thing Mr. Combover is going to say?

“I could say the same about you,” I respond in my nasty voice. The voice I’d perfected from nagging my lazy butt husband.

Mr. Combover clears his throat and leans in again. I bend backwards as far as possible in my chair, but he’s undeterred. “So, I’m just gonna get this out there and not waste my time.” At this point, I should raise one eyebrow, but, as we’ve established, I can’t do that so I just stare at him. “Do you put out? ‘Cuz if not, I ain’t got time for you.”

Oh no, he didn’t. “What,” I sputter and grab for my wine glass, which I down in one go. Never said I was a classy lady.

“Do. You. Put. Out?” Yes, he really enunciates it like I didn’t understand him the first time.

           

About the Author


I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but think I’m a European. After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. My flying Dutch husband and I have lived in Ohio, Virginia, the Netherlands, Germany and now Istanbul. We still haven’t decided if we want to settle down somewhere – let alone where. Although I’ve been a military policewoman, a commercial lawyer, and a B&B owner, I think with writing I may have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. That’s assuming I ever grow up, of course. Between tennis, running, traveling, singing off tune, drinking entirely too many adult beverages, and reading books like they are going out of style, I write articles for a local expat magazine and various websites, review other indie authors’ books, write a blog about whatever comes to mind and am working on my fifth book.

Author Links


Buy Links




Giveaway

$10 Amazon Gift Card



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Tuesday 17 February 2015

Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin & Samantha Norman : Review and Giveaway


I am thrilled to be today's stop on the Winter Siege blog tour .....


WINTER SIEGE
BY
ARIANA FRANKLIN & SAMANTHA NORMAN


Published:  12 Feb 2015
Publisher:  Bantam

Genre:  Historical Fiction


Run, run, girl.  In the name of God, run.

1141.  Gwil, a battle-hardened mercenary, watches from the icy reeds as a little girl with red hair is attacked by his own men.  He is powerless to stop them.

But a strange twist of fate brings them together again.  Sheltering in a church, he finds the girl freezing cold, close to death, clutching a sliver of parchment.  And now he is certain of what he must do.

He will bring her back to life.  He will train her to fight.  And he will protect her from the man who calls himself a monk, who lost a piece of parchment he will do anything to get back.

But danger looms wherever they turn.  As castle after castle falls victim to siege, the icy Fens ring with rumours of a madman, or murder - and of a small piece of parchment with a terrible secret to tell, the cost of which none of them could have imagined ......

An epic account of the brutal winter when Stephen and Matilda tore England apart in their battle for its crown - when atrocities were inflicted on the innocent, but bravery found a home in an old soldier and a young girl.






I read Ariana Franklin's first book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series and loved it.  You can read here what I thought about the novel.  Sadly, Ariana passed away before she could finish Winter Siege but her daughter, Samantha Norman, decided to try and finish what her mother started, hence this novel!

I think she's done a fantastic job in telling the story of an England torn apart by Matilda and Stephen and of how ordinary people were caught up in their conflict.

The ordinary people in this story were Gwil, the mercenary, seeking redemption from God for the terrible deeds he has carried out in his past, by helping the young girl who he names Penda, as she can't remember her own name due to her horrific ordeal, an ordeal which, thankfully, she can't recall, she just knows that something terrible happened to her.

We also meet sixteen year old Maud of Kenniford Castle, forced to marry a much older man, a marriage of convenience to stop Matilda passing through the castle and lands of Maud, a land she had ruled since her father's death when she was eleven.  But powerful men's allegiances changed as easily as the weather in those days.

Their lives will intertwine ....

I cared about all the characters, Gwil was a good man, Penda was full of revenge and, to her and Gwil's surprise found that she was an excellent archer, and Maud, who had a shrewd mind and was sharp and intelligent.

I thought the storyline was really compelling, it really brings the era of twelfth century England to life, it was lovely to see how Penda's confidence grew throughout the novel, this is a tale of treachery, murderous atrocities, but also a story of courage and love during a terrible time in England's history.

Thanks to Naomi at Transworld for letting me be a part of this blog tour.  
To read an extract from the book check out The Little Reader Library



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About the Authors

Ariana Franklin was born in Devon and, like her father, became a journalist.
Having invaded Wales dressed in combat uniform with the Royal Marines for one of
their military exercises, accompanied the Queen on a royal visit, missed her own twenty first birthday party because she had to cover a murder, she married, almost inevitably,
another journalist. She then abandoned her career in national newspapers and settled
down in the country to bring up two daughters, study medieval history and write.

Ariana was the author of the acclaimed, award-winning Mistress of the Art of Death
series. She passed away in 2011, before she was able to deliver the manuscript for Winter Siege. Her daughter, Samantha, decided to complete the novel on her mother’s behalf.

Samantha Norman is a journalist and broadcaster who is mad about horses. She lives in west London with her two sons Harry and Charlie, and their dogs Becks and Spider.

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GIVEAWAY!

A huge thank you to Transworld books for allowing one lucky person to win a copy of Winter Siege
UK only please
Entry is via the PromoSimple entry form below
Ends at Midnight GMT on Tuesday 24 February 2015






Sunday 8 February 2015

Book Review: THE ONE I WAS BY ELIZA GRAHAM


My Thoughts on this novel of hidden identities .......


THE ONE I WAS
BY
ELIZA GRAHAM


Published:  Apr 2014
Publisher:  Moreton Street Books
287 Pages (Paperback)
Genre:  Historical/Modern Fiction



Restless, troubled Rosamond Hunter has spent most of her life running away from the past, filled with guilt about her involuntary role in her mother's death. When her nursing job brings her back to Fairfleet, her childhood home, to care for an elderly refugee, she is forced to confront the ghosts that have haunted her for so long.


Her patient, Benny Gault, first came to Fairfleet, England, in 1939, having fled Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport train.

As his health fails, he and Rosamond begin to confide in each other. At first their tentative friendship revolves around the love they both shared for Rosamond's glamorous grandmother, Harriet, but as their trust in each other grows, guilty secrets are exposed and history is turned on its head.



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I think I have read all of Eliza Graham's novels and I've loved and enjoyed them all, including this latest novel.

I love her simple writing style, her individual characters and the way she makes you care about them.

The One I Was begins with Rosamond's arrival at Fairfleet to nurse terminally ill Benny Gault, a German refugee who now owns the large house that belonged to the family who took him in in 1939.

I was absorbed from the start and wanted to know what Benny's guilty secret was, how does Rosamond know Fairfleet and what is her guilty secret?

The story goes back and forth in time for both Benny and Rosamond's early years to the present day.

Benny and I had both known early trouble. And we'd both found ways of insulating ourselves from discomforting echoes: he in this old country house with its sweeping views and fine furniture, me in my minimalist flat with its few starkly fashionable pieces.

As Benny opens up to her about his life at Fairfleet during the war, Rosamond also starts to unburden herself of her guilt. This is a story of hope, hidden identities, friendships, redemption and forgiveness.

There were a couple of inconsistencies in the story that annoyed me, although it didn't spoil the overall storyline it did make a difference to how I felt about the book overall, it is more a four star than a five star.

Ending on a positive note, I learned some interesting facts about the war and, especially about the women pilots (which I had not know about before) who flew planes from airfield to airfield to supply the RAF against Hitler as he moved across north-west Europe.

If you're looking for an easy read, set before and during WWII and present day, has believable characters with secrets, an old country house, a story full of suspense that will intrigue and fascinate you, then consider adding this to your list.

Available from Amazon UK - Amazon US - BookDepository

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About Eliza


Eliza Graham lives with her family in Oxfordshire. Her first novel, Playing with the Moon, was published by Macmillan New Writing in June 2007. Restitution followed in September 2008, Jubilee in 2010 and The History Room in 2012.

In 2008 Playing with the Moon was shortlisted for the World Book Day Book to Talk About award.

Eliza has also written the first in a series of young adult novels featuring Rachel Pearse, a teenager coping with wartime life in the 1940s.

Twitter:  @Eliza_Graham

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Eliza Graham's other novels

The History Room  (I also read this but haven't reviewed it)



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