The Serial Artist by George Finney

The Serial Artist (The Relativity Detective Series)

Detective John Ressler is faced with a series of murders that defy logic.  The serial killer has an artistic streak; setting his victims in some outlandish poses, painting them, photographing them, dressing them and creating works to enhance their death – and leaving the art at the scene.   What is even more bizarre is that some of the crimes appear to be impossible to have set up and executed in the time allotted.  When they finally capture the artist, he disappears from the holding cell.  Ressler and his partner Holt are stumped.

Mr. Finney then takes us off the grid with some very different concepts and we are transported from the realm of serial killer crime drama to a platform for some lovely science fiction.  I was tickled at the way the plot developed, how Mr. Finney led us, piece by piece through the maze.  The main characters were nicely crafted, the story was woven very nicely and I had a mostly enjoyable read through this novel.  It is a unique story line that made me interested and kept me entertained.

What was disappointing to someone reading for enjoyment was the heavy duty philosophical material that was slipped into the work.  While I appreciated that the author was going for a lot of material in his novel, there really was too much sometimes and I found it to be almost tedious to read in some parts.  We do not really need to have temporal theory explained for us, nor do we need to understand the psychobabble to substantiate the characters.  We can take much on faith, and we do when we read fiction.  We can accept the existence of the Enterprise without having to know how warp drive “really” works.  Same applies to this book.  I found there were parts where I struggled to read thru the material simply because it was superfluous.  It could be cut down a bit, leaving more to the imagination of the reader, thereby not having to drag the reader through the story concepts.

I also felt that the giveaway at the end about his partner was misplaced.  While I do understand that the author was working towards a second book in the series, that little piece could have been held as an extra surprise for the next work, in my opinion.  I feel there is (or should be) more to that story, that the explosion of the information warranted more.  I felt cheated with the brief, haphazard giveaway. There is a way to segue from one novel to another in a series without giving away the candy store.  I think it could have been done a bit more subtlety, as it was expected but not a given till that point.

What was also rather distracting was the poor Kindle formatting.  While the usual self-proofread markings were present but not overly spoiling, the formatting was erratic, margins keep shifting, paragraphs not clearly indicated by formatting, so certain parts seemed to run on and on.

I think Mr. Finney has some great ideas here, some wonderful material that could really benefit from some good editing, proofreading and formatting. I would give this book 3 ½ Stars.    I look forward to his next work in this series.

Hemmingway's Ghost by Layton Green

Hemingway's Ghost

Key West was home to Ernest or Papa Hemmingway. In this book, some Hemmingway Impersonators decide to sneak into Papa Hemmingway's home and try to call him from beyond the grave with an Ouija Board. And then the chaos breaks out. The Hemmingway Impersonators start dying. What happened that night? And is this the ghost of Papa Hemmingway come back to get the impersonators?

This novella by Layton Green is a spooky "who done it" that will keep you flipping the page forward button right to the end. The story is amazingly well developed and woven around some very well-developed and likable characters, who are in a whole mess of trouble as each unlocks a piece of the puzzle right to the surprising end!

This Kindle file is well put together for a truly enjoyable Kindle reading experience.

If you are looking for an introduction to the author Layton Green, this is an excellent piece at an affordable price to start with. I know I will be looking for his other books.

Village Witch by Cassandra Latham-Jones

Village Witch

This book was gifted to me, and what a special gift it was.

The book opens with her personal history, to enable the reader to understand where she came from. Ms. Latham-Jones gives us a look at a woman who has overcome many obstacles to get to where she is today. But, in the end, she is doing what she loves to do, and is respected and admired for the work she does. She is the Village Witch.

We are taken on a journey back in time to a life that is filled with sadness. She is adopted into a home that lacks in personal interrelationships, and sent to institutions because she did not fit into the cookie cutter world she was expected to live in. As she tried to fit in, she becomes involved in abusive relationships.

What is wondrous is she finally does break free from this cycle. Not many people find the inner strength to do so. And she has gone to school for nursing and finds herself on the path of the healer.

She makes her way to Cornwall, and after an introduction to the Craft, she realizes she is finally home, spiritually and physically. She settles down to a life by the sea as the Village Witch; a healer, a council and a guide.

Ms. Latham-Jones gives a very personal and interesting look at life in Cornwall. We are introduced to the places, the people and the culture, which is all conducive to her life style. She fits right in with the history as well as the needs of the people. We see how she works with these people, as she gives small incidents and histories that make this book enchanting.

We are given case histories, we look into the growing pagan community in England and Cornwall, and we see how it all is blending together in a patchwork that is pleasing to all.

Know that Ms. Latham-Jones writes in a pragmatic manner. She is honest and up front with her readers, and explains everything simply and clearly. Her writing style is entertaining as well as informative. The words flow nicely. She tells a good story!

And finally, Ms. Latham-Jones provides some spells and workings that she has used. It is interesting to see how another witch works using folk culture and the supplies at hand.

I found this book to be a wonderful work all the way around. It is personal, it is a story of one woman's journey and how she found inner strength to break away from social patterns and find herself a place in the world. It is about culture and how it blends in with what we do. And it is about acceptance.

I highly recommend this book. It is as inspiring as it is informative and entertaining. This is a delightful book to add to your library.

The 19 Dragons by SM Reine

The 19 Dragons

This is a novella.  Not quite a novel, but not a short story.  It has Steampunk like qualities, and is a delightful fantasy.  And the author, SM Reine, weaves a wonderful story around an astonishing world.

There are 19 provinces, and there is war.  There are balloon flying ships, and there are robot destroyers.  There is the great ocean.  There are floating cities.  And this is all held together by the “Pillars” or the 19 Dragons.

There is a “Device” that allows the Dragons to become human, and to become dragons when they die, and to become human again.  This is the cycle.

 

But the First Dragon is killed and the Device is stolen, and the pillars start to fall and the world starts to deteriorate.   It is up to the Second Dragon to figure out who stole the Device, get it back, and bring the dragons and the world back.

I found the book fascinating as I was taken through this world.  I found the magic here is the story telling, expertly done.  I didn’t want to put the book down! 

Even the formatting added to the story!  It is surprising what you can do with the formatting in a Kindle book that couldn’t be done in a print book.  And SM Reine made full use of the medium.

I highly recommend this book.   Well worth the read.   

Mikolay & Julia Meet the Fairies (Mikolay & Julia adventures)

Mikolay & Julia Meet the Fairies (Mikolay & Julia adventures)

 This is a children’s book and I liked it for a few reasons.   First of all, it introduces the concept of magic.  These two children attend school three days a week, and on weekends attend Magic School.   They have some ground rules and, as all children will, they disobey them in an innocent way.

They come across a hidden room, filled with all sorts of wonderful things, and one of them is a wardrobe.  In the wardrobe, we find fairies hiding.  The queen of the fairies, Farina, tells Mikolay and Julia that they are hiding from a smoking monster destroying their forest.

Mikolay & Julia decide to help the fairies, and they are off on a small adventure.  The monster is machinery ripping up the Fairies Sacred Forest.  And the children decide to help.

So, the second reason to like this book is the ecology message in the story. 

In some of the book reviews, there is mention of illustrations.  The Kindle book did not have them, just cover art.  I am disappointed if there is supposed to be art.   The Kindle book would benefit from it.

I thought this a perfect book for pagan kids.  While the illustrations may not be there, the story can be read and imaginations can grow with this.   I still recommend the book, but would like the author to reconsider adding the illustrations to the Kindle version.

High Heels Mysteries and Hollywood Headlines Series - Gemma Halliday

Spying in High Heels
Killer in High Heels
Hollywood Secrets: Hollywood Headlines Book #2

 OK, I have a little secret.  I am a fashion nut.  I read the Cathy Horyn On the Runway blog, and her articles during fashion weeks in the Times.  I know the difference between Channel, Valentino and Armani couture.  And I can spot a Manolo Blahnik or a Jimmy Choo when I see one.

So, back a while ago, I found this free Kindle book - Spying in High Heels.  While it did have a 4 star reviews, there were a few people who thought it was … silly.  Well, I do silly as well, so I gave it a try.

Maddie Springer is a shoe designer.  No, not Manolo Blahniks, but Tot Trots.  Kids “designer” shoes (read that Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake.)  She lives in LA, of course, and is involved in the Beverly Hills scene; her “fake Dad” (read that step dad) runs a high end salon and Maddie knows which side of Rodeo Drive to shop on.

 

The series opens with a mystery involving Maddie’s boyfriend, his boss (shot), and a whole list of fashion suspects from junkies to porn stars.  Maddie decides to work with her best friend Dana as her partner in crime solving.  There is a missed period, fashion, missed wedding rehearsals, fashion, and enough laughs and action to make this a really wonderful adventure.  Oh, and not to be missed, the hotter than hot cop Jack Ramirez! 

The characters are fun.  The stories are entertaining.  The language is hilarious.  The references are to make you stop, think and laugh some more.  All in all, this was what did it for me.  I was hooked.

The second book takes us on another murder romp featuring Maddie’s “real dad”, fashion, Las Vegas, fashion, Drag Queens, more fashion and Raspberry Perfection lip-gloss.  There are chase scenes, first dates, casinos, drag clubs and more hot language and obscure but hilarious references.  Oh, and Jack, the hot cop, is back… hotter than ever!

So, for fun cop drama, the so called “chick lit” of the crime scene material, I am now drawn into this series and will be getting more of these as I find time to read for my own enjoyment. 

I also got hold of Gemma Halliday’s second Hollywood Headlines series book - Hollywood Secrets.  We are introduced to Cameron Dakota, the staff photographer for the L.A. Informer, and she is the paparazzi in the designer clothes.  She knows who is who, where to find them and how to shoot them for the cover story of the year.  She is following Trace Brody, hot, sexy he-man movie star and his soon to be wife Jamie Lee, the actress of the year, for the inside scoop on the Hollywood Wedding of the year.  But Trace is kidnapped.  Her boss Felix Dunn (he is also in the High Heel Mysteries) thinks its publicity, but Cam thinks there is more.  What follows is a wonderful romp, chases, inside scoops, excitement, romance and murder.  Cam only has a short time to solve the riddle or have it dropped.

Again, this is so entertaining to read.  Gemma Halliday has a way with weaving stories and making them enjoyable, fashionable and fun.  And now, I’m hooked on the second series.  I am going back to find the first book, so I can catch up!

If you would like some mystery with a side order of fashion and entertainment, here are two great series to get started with.  BTW, the Kindle versions of these books, as I have them, are formatted well and while there is a spelling error here and there, nothing distracts from the stories. 

So, go get yourself some cheap mystery entertainment.  I’ll be joining you with my cuppa hot something and my bunny slippers.

There’s Always Another Case by William Thomas

There's Always Another Case Kindle Version

This crime drama features two very unique characters: John “Smooth” McGovern, a detective on the police force, and his partner Rita “Cheeks” Goreman. They are the homicide squad and, as in real life, they are faced with budget cuts, piles of paperwork and the fact that they must move on when a case turns up dead ends, because there is always another case. No glamor here, just hard core cop story with all the reality thrown in.

We follow our detectives on three homicide cases: a strange shooting and theft, a dead body in the water with a pocket full of mystery and a very unique contract killer. The plots twist, turn and very much end with a surprise bang.

Not being one to spoil a good story, this book is a great crime drama. I liked the characters, as they were well developed and, as I said, unique. McGovern is a very likeable detective, has a personality that is charming but sharp and makes a good central character. Goreman, his partner, is aloof enough to be his partner and does not present herself as a potential love interest, which makes the working relationship solid. They have their methods down pat and they work well together.

There are two back up cops, Landry and Higgins. They are your typical detectives, doing the legwork involved in the case. They are developed enough to make them essential to the case and they are likeable figures. Sargent Mike Johns is the likeable but explosive boss of this unit, and he has all the attributes of a fiery Desk Sargent with upper management issues. I have to say I found all the main characters interesting and essential to the plot and each had their place and purpose. Very well thought out and executed.

The story is a plot within plots and is well developed and implemented. We have a murder in a garage, where a man is shot, his briefcase is stolen and his wife is left alive to tell the tale. We have a drowned man with some interesting pocket contents that leads to an intricate Ponzi scheme, and then we have a contract killer with a unique way of getting rid of his marks. The plot ties all these stories together and I was impressed with the way the story was woven, and all the little twists in the stories within the story.  Mr. Thompson’s first book is amazingly interesting and well done. I was impressed with his story telling skills and his character development. In other words, I really liked the story and for a first time out, the author did very well.

What was very noticeable was the lack of proofreading and editing. The spelling errors, the misuse of words, such as his use of there when he meant their, and the formatting issues made this a little hard on the eyes for the reader. About 3/4’s of the way through the book, it seems like the author gave up proofing the book altogether. The paragraphs dissolve into run-on thoughts, like someone writing a police report. There is no structure in many stretches of the story; missing periods, commas and capitalization at the start of new sentences. The formatting also gets jumbled at the end and it was very distracting from the story itself, especially where the author wraps up the story.

I also felt the introduction was giving away too much story, and there were inconsistencies presented. Case in point – the contents of the briefcase. The introduction says the case contained a million dollars, but the story itself speculated on the contents as possibly money, at one point it was thought it was half a million, but it was never really confirmed. Just minor details, but these can be essential to the reader, and would present a more professionally-finished product if corrected.

This book would benefit from a good proofing and editing and some better formatting for the Kindle. As a first class story, this would “finish” the book and make it a first rate book all around. 3 Stars for this particular Kindle version with 5 stars for the story itself.