Book Review: Robert B Parker's CHEAP SHOT BY ACE ATKINS

My Thoughts on this slick thriller .......


ROBERT B. PARKER'S CHEAP SHOT
The New Spenser Novel
BY
ACE ATKINS


The iconic, tough-but-tender Boston PI Spenser returns in an outstanding new addition to the New York Times best-selling series.

Kinjo Heywood is one of the New England Patriots' marquee players - a hard-nosed linebacker who's earned his reputation as one of the toughest guys in the league.  When off-field violence repeatedly lands Heywood in the news, his slick agent hires Spenser to find the men who he says have been harassing his client.

Heywood's troubles seem to be tied to a nightclub shooting from two years earlier.  But when Heywood's young son, Akira, is kidnapped, ransom demands are given, and a winding trail through Boston's underworld begins.  Spenser puts together his own all-star team of toughs.  

Wise-cracking Spenser returns in this edge of the seat thriller as he tries to find the kidnappers of the young son of a popular football player.

Kinjo Heywood, named after an Emperor of Japan was huge and made of muscle and is a loving family man underneath all his toughness.  He is desperate to get his son back and will do anything and pay anything to find him.

But when no ransom demands are forthcoming at first Spenser begins to think Kinjo is paranoid and is sure he's hiding something from his past.  But it's up to Spenser to find out what and whether he's telling him the truth.

I enjoyed this story, I like Spenser and his dry sense of humour, his relationship with his girlfriend shows his softer side. but he's definitely the kind of man you want on your side and no-one else's.  He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him and does it his way, with the help of his two sidekicks.

The story moved along at a brisk pace, with plenty of suspects, keeping my interest throughout, it didn't let up the suspense, it was an easy read overall.

SPOTLIGHT AND GIVEAWAY: TOO QUIET IN BROOKLYN BY SUSAN RUSSO ANDERSON

Too Quiet In Brooklyn (A Fina Fitzgibbons Brooklyn Mystery Book 1)
MYSTERY
Self Published
Print Length: 304 pages
E-Book ASIN: B00HFEY5PU

A Murder, A Child Missing, & A Young Woman Determined To Find The Truth …

Something weird’s happening. It’s too quiet, at least for Brooklyn, so twenty-two-year-old Fina Fitzgibbons is not surprised when she stumbles upon a throttled woman in the heart of Brooklyn Heights and discovers that the dead woman’s four-year-old grandson is also missing. She begins a wild hunt for the strangler-kidnapper, Ralph. During the chase, she resists falling in love with her boyfriend, Denny, an NYPD patrol officer, steps on the toes of Detective First Grade Jane Templeton, and uncovers secrets about her own past. In the end, Ralph has a deadly surprise for Fina.

About This Author

Susan Russo Anderson is a writer, a mother, a member of Sisters in Crime, a graduate of Marquette University. She’s taught language arts and creative writing, worked for a publisher, an airline, an opera company. Like Faulkner’s Dilsey, she’s seen the best and the worst, the first and the last. Through it all, and to understand it somewhat, she writes. Too Quiet in Brooklyn, the first book in the Fina Fitzgibbons Brooklyn mystery series, published December 2013. The second book in the series, Missing Brandy, about a missing teen, published September 2014, and Whiskey’s Gone, about the abduction of a single mom, completes a trilogy. The working title of the fourth is Dead in Brooklyn.

Author Links:

Website: http://susanrussoanderson.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Russo-Anderson/349374975075796
Twitter @SusanRussoAnder
Purchase Link
Amazon

Tour Participants

May 18 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Spotlight, Giveaway

May 19 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway

May 20 – View from the Birdhouse – Interview, Giveaway

May 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – Spotlight, Giveaway

May 22 – A Blue Million Books – Interview

May 23 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review, Giveaway 

May 24 – Brooke Blogs – Guest Post, Giveaway

May 25 – Carole’s Book Corner – Spotlight, Giveaway

May 26 – Omnimystery News – Interview

May 27 – Tea and A Book – Review, Giveaway

Giveaway

The author is kindly giving away a copy of Too Quiet in Brooklyn for Kindle

All you need to do is leave a comment below, together with your email address, and I will pick a winner on Sunday 31 May Midnight GMT

Open Worldwide

Good Luck!

Book Review: THE SUN IN HER EYES BY PAIGE TOON

My Thoughts on this story of decisions and fate ......


THE SUN IN HER EYES
BY
PAIGE TOON


Published:  21 May 2015
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster


Amber was three when a car crash stole her mother's life.  She doesn't remember the accident, but a stranger at the scene has been unable to forget.  Now, almost thirty years later, she's trying to track Amber down.

Amber, meanwhile, is married to Ned and living on the other side of the world in London.  When her father has a stroke, she flies straight home to Australia to be with him.  Away from her husband, Amber finds comfort in her oldest friends, but her feelings for Ethan, the gorgeous, green-eyed man she once fell for, have never been platonic.

As Ethan and Amber grow closer, married life in London feels very far away.  Then Amber receives a letter that changes everything.

'Before your mother died, she asked me to tell you something .....'

Blinding sunshine

A bend in the road

What became of the little girl with the sun in her eyes?

Amber and Ethan were best friends in school in Australia until Amber went travelling, met her future husband Ned, and settled down in London.  Now she's come back home to visit her dad who's had a stroke and her old feelings for Ethan come back to her.

Amber's marriage is not all that rosy, she's jealous of Ned's female boss and sometimes feels that they're having an affair.  Could she find happiness with Ethan or is he really the same man she fell in love with all those years ago?
What were Amber's mother's last words and are they significant in Amber's life?

The writing flowed smoothly, told from Amber's perspective, I felt that I got to know her very well and could understand how her mind worked, how she was confused and didn't know real from fantasy at times.

The story is full of emotion, told beautifully and is sure to delight existing fans of Paige Toon and anyone looking for a new author who can tell a story with warmth and skill.

A very enjoyable read that I would recommend highly.

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Thanks to Dawn at Simon & Schuster for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Available to buy from Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com - BookDepository.com

Sign up to 'The Hidden Paige' at www.paigetoon.com

Say hi on Twitter @PaigeToonAuthor

or www.facebook.com/PaigeToonAuthor

Book Review: THE STAR OF ISTANBUL BY ROBERT OLEN BUTLER

My Thoughts on this First World War Spy Thriller .....


THE STAR OF ISTANBUL ( A Christopher Marlowe Cobb thriller)
BY
ROBERT OLEN BUTLER


Published:  14 May 2015
Publisher:  No Exit Press
Pages:  369  (Paperback)

Source:  Real Readers

It is 1915 and Germany has allied itself with the Ottoman empire, persuading the caliphs of Turkey to declare a jihad on the British empire. War correspondent Christopher Marlowe Cobb has been tasked to follow Brauer, a German intellectual and possible secret service agent suspected of holding information vital to the war effort.

As they travel on the Lusitania’s fateful voyage, Cobb becomes smitten with famed actress Selene Bourgani. Cobb soon realizes that this simple actress is anything but, as she harbours secrets that could add fuel to the already raging conflict. Surviving the night of the infamous German U-Boat attack, Cobb follows Selene and Brauer into the darkest alleyways of London and on to the powder keg that is Istanbul. He must use all the cunning he possesses to uncover Selene’s true motives, only to realize her hidden agenda could bring down some of the world’s most powerful leaders.

Having not read the first of the Christopher Marlowe Cobb thrillers, I wasn't sure what to expect from this spy story, but, though mention was made of his earlier adventure, I think that this is a book that can be read on its own, and I didn't feel that I'd missed too much of his back story. Having now enjoyed this, I may go back and read The Hot Country at some time.

Under his cover as a famous War Correspondent 'Kit' Cobb has been asked to follow a suspected agent of the German Secret Service on the ill-fated ship The Lusitania but becomes distracted by a beautiful actress.  He is shocked to discover that she is not what she seems to be.....who's side is she on?

Cobb is an interesting character, he misses nothing, he's smart about reading people, being a pretty good reporter, but is not so smart about women, a fact he readily admits as he becomes smitten with the enigmatic Selene Bourgani.

The writing is very detailed, which I really enjoyed reading, it moves along at a brisk pace, it's never boring, involving intriguing characters who are well-developed, clever twists, full of danger, this is a very good exciting espionage thriller.

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Available to buy from Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Book Depository

Author Robert Olen Butler can be found at his website:  robertolenbutler.com

On twitter:  #starofistanbul

Book Review: CHERRINGHAM: MURDER BY MOONLIGHT BY MATTHEW COSTELLO & NEIL RICHARDS

My Thoughts on the third cosy mystery in the Cherringham series .......


CHERRINGHAM: MURDER BY MOONLIGHT
BY
MATTHEW COSTELLO & NEIL RICHARDS


Published:  13 Feb 2014
Publisher:  Bastei Entertainment


Just two weeks to go before the Cherringham Charity Christmas Concert. Choir rehearsals are in full swing. Then the worst thing happens: Kirsty Kimball, one of the singers, is found dead from a severe allergic reaction to one of the home-made rehearsal cakes. Jack is pulled in to help bolster the depleted choir - and soon he's convinced that Kirsty's death was no accident. Sarah agrees, and quickly the two of them are immersed in the jealousies, rivalries and passions of Cherringham's Rotary Club choir ...

Here we are again in the small town of Cherringham meeting up with Jack and Sarah, this time getting involved in the mysterious murder of gift shop owner Kirsty in the midst of preparations for the annual Christmas concert. Everyone at the choir knew of her allergy but who would want her dead, and now everyone of them was a suspect as Jack goes undercover and joins their number.

Between Sarah's flirty conversations with one of the suspects, Jack's no-nonsense approach with another, they begin to discover plenty of secrets among the choir members.

I really enjoy following how this unlikely partnership carry out their investigations, they are both so different but it all comes together nicely and neatly in the end.

The plots are not complicated, they're clever, and short, and the authors pack a whole lot of storyline into this series.

In this story, though, I didn't feel that I got to know Jack and Sarah any more than in the other two stories, the emphasis was on the other characters, which I enjoyed, but I hope that in the next mystery "Thick as Thieves" we learn a little more about them.

If you haven't read any of them I would recommend them highly, if you like your crimes cosy then check them out.  Here are my reviews in order:

Cherringham:  Murder on Thames

Cherringham:  Mystery at the Manor

Also check out this brilliant guest post that the authors recently gave to Carole's Book Corner.  It's a fascinating insight to the series beginnings.

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About the Authors

Co-authors Neil Richards and Matthew Costello are known for their script work on major computer games. The Cherringham crime series is their first fictional transatlantic collaboration. Matthew has written and designed dozens of bestselling games including the critically acclaimed The 7th Guest, Doom 3, Rage and Pirates of the Caribbean. He is also the author of a number of successful novels, including Vacation (2011) and Beneath Still Waters (1989), which was made into a movie. Neil has worked as a producer and writer in TV and film, creating scripts for BBC, Disney, and Channel 4, and earning numerous Bafta nominations along the way. He’s also written script and story for over 20 video games including The Da Vinci Code and Starship Titanic, co-written with Douglas Adams, and consults around the world on digital storytelling.