March's Book Reviews and Previews

This month, I had some great reads playing on my kindle including Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, Gene Born: Awakening by Lilly Griffin, Hear Me by Virginia Babcock, and The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer.  Admittedly, I had some trouble getting into that last one.

Happy reading,
Bruce

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Mind-Bending Paradoxes in a Tale of What It Means to be Human

The plot of Dark Matter is driven by the concept of alternate worlds.  Jason Dessen wakes up in one after being abducted at gunpoint – one in which he isn’t married, doesn’t have a son.  And with the reference to Jason’s occupation in physics, you might guess there is an underlying scientific explanation (of sorts).  But whether the synopsis evoked thoughts of Schrodinger’s cat or only seemed an interesting science-fiction MacGuffin, one thing is certain – the concept enables nonstop action as you explore strange realities.  It also creates mind-bending paradoxes; what does it even mean to meet yourself in an alternate world?  But lest these references to science cause you to hesitate, let me say that Crouch does an admirable job of making the theory accessible.  Find the complete review or get more information from Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/2IMBxxT

Gene Born: Awakening (The Koci Hybrid Series Book 1) by Lilly Griffin

A Front-Row Seat to Humankind’s Capacity for Cruelty

Do you know what happens when you modify the genes of a human, mix in some DNA from a couple of animal species and some from an alien race (the Koci), and then let an Artificial Intelligence (AI) control the body’s muscles?  Well, me either.  But then, neither did the scientists in Gene Born: Awakening, a story that takes place on a dying earth circa 2054.  And if experimenting on humans without the foggiest about the outcome seems heartless, that’s just the tip of the inhumanity iceberg for these men.  They kill and maim and torture their test subjects, their only concern being to leave enough of them to be slaves in whatever new world they find in outer space.  It’s a tale well deserving of the author’s warning in the synopsis:  this story contains content that may trigger readers sensitive to violence and references to sexual assault.  Potential reader, be advised.  Find the complete review or get more information from Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/2Ud1bjV 

Hear Me by Virginia Babcock

Action-Laden Story that Could Use More Credible Threats to Life and Love

Madeline (Maddy) Quincy, the heroine of Hear Me, gets visions from her departed ancestors, a group she calls her ‘grannies’.  Sometimes they take control of her body and reveal hard-truths that Maddy would rather avoid, like announcing a bride’s pregnancy with the best man in the midst of her wedding ceremony.  Sometimes, the visions are just helpful.  “She’d straightened her hair that morning so the images were warning her that a shampoo was necessary.”  But often, the grannies warned of impending danger, visions that drove the story.  There are both good and bad aspects of this plot mechanism.  It was always a bit startling when, in the midst of an otherwise tranquil scene, Maddy would suddenly say, ‘Jacob, the bad guys are coming.  Get your gun.’  But the downside is that this foreshadowing of both the threat and the solution reduced the drama.  Then, in the aftermath, the events leading up to the incident are described as a flashback, e.g., the police “… informed him that eleven staff members had been shot, and four had died.”  Letting the reader experience the threat as it unfolds would make Maddy’s pronouncements less startling, but overall, it would also render the situations more gut-wrenching.  Find the complete review or get more information from Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/2EN8Lb1

The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer

A Questionable Plot Bogs Down in Repetitive Trips Down Memory Lane

The Escape Artist has Jim "Zig" Zigarowski, a mortician at Dover Air Force Base, sticking steadfastly to his creed to help the families of our fallen military – a truly honorable calling.  Part of his pledge to them is to verify the identity of every victim.  So, when he’s expecting the body of Nola Smith, a person he knows, but someone else is in the casket, Zig ignores the advice of all his friends and the orders of his superiors in order to investigate.  It’s a premise that promises tense action and unexpected twists, which it delivers.  Unfortunately, the story also gets bogged down in prolonged bouts with angst and lengthy trips down memory lane.  Find the complete review or get more information from Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/2HMuXWH

Garrison Keillor once said ...

"March is the month God created to show people who don't drink what a hangover is like."

I can't change the weather, but with these limited time, Kindle Countdown deals on puzzling mysteries and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, maybe you won't notice.


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 3/18
Of Half a Mind
By Bruce M. Perrin
Techno-thriller, Suspense
Usual Price: 2.99  Sale: 0.99

When a young psychologist uncovers the dark side of a brilliant neuroscientist's radical research, will he survive the brutal truth?

"Top-notch technothriller"
"... an intriguing, compelling story that gave me goosebumps!"
"… a fresh, original take on psychological horror."

And now, a 2018 Wishing Shelf Book Award Finalist! 

(US)  http://amzn.to/2ozkD9g
UK (99p):  https://amzn.to/2QsetDU


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 3/17
Murder at Bray Manor: a cozy historical mystery (A Ginger Gold Mystery Book 3)
By Lee Strauss
Historical Mystery
Usual Price: 4.99  Sale: 0.99

Ginger Gold receives a letter from her sister-in-law, Felicia, requesting she come straightaway to her late husband's family home, Bray Manor. Dowager Lady Gold, Ginger's nervous grandmother through marriage, believes the old manor is haunted.

Bray Manor hosts a dance to raise money for maimed soldiers who struggle with peacetime after the Great War. Felicia invites her flapper friends and her new beau, Captain Smithwick, a man Ginger has met before and definitely doesn't like.  When the dance ends with the discovery of a body, Feicia is certain a poltergeist is to blame, but Ginger is quite sure the murderer is made of flesh and blood.

NOTE:  Several other books in this series are also on sale, so check the links from this page if you're interested.
https://amzn.to/2TzQisJ


NOTE the date on this next deal and mark your calendar!
Start Date: 3/27  End Date: 3/31
Whiteout
By Laurel Heidtman
Suspense/Thriller
Usual Price: 3.99  Sale: 0.99

Mark Fuller's world is falling apart. His marriage is on the rocks and his insurance business is on life support. To top it off, he's agreed to spend Easter weekend in a remote lake house with his overbearing business partner and his partner's alcoholic wife.

Mark thinks his life can't get any worse, but when a freak spring storm brings nearly two feet of snow, the power goes, and two escaped federal prisoners show up on their doorstep, he realizes it's not only the weather that can kill!

https://amzn.to/2XXLxHW


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 3/19
Finding Justice (A Rescue Alaska Mystery Book 1)
By Kathi Daley
Psychic Mystery
Usual Price: 4.99  Sale: 0.99

Rescue Alaska is a series by USA Today Bestselling Author Kathi Daley. It is a warm yet fast moving mystery series with a light paranormal twist.

In this first book in the series, a longtime local, Tim Maverick, sends his old friend, Harley Medford, a letter with a photo stating that if he should turn up dead at some point in the near future, the man in the photo is the one who killed him. When Tim is found dead only two weeks later, Harley comes to Rescue to find the man he is convinced killed Tim. He hears that Harmony has a reputation for finding people so he enlists her help. The journey to find the truth behind Tim's untimely death, will take Harmony on a journey of discovery she never saw coming.

https://amzn.to/2F9bTzi


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 3/17
My Wicked Valentine (Paranormal in Manhattan Mystery: A Cozy Mystery Book 18)
By Lotta Smith
Vampire Mystery
Usual Price: 2.99  Sale: 0.99

When Rick’s old friend, up-and-coming celeb psychic Brian Powers is accused of murdering an esthetician at a luxe gentlemen-only spa, Mandy’s cozy afternoon at home goes from cookie-baking to crime solving.

With baby Sophie and ghost-pal Jackie in tow, Mandy and Rick take to haunting the spa where the facials are fab and the intrigue is high-end.  Every suspect has a secret, but who’s willing to kill to keep theirs under wraps? [Seaweed wraps, that is.] Find out in this dangerously funny installment of the Manhattan Mystery series.

https://amzn.to/2W2YsH9


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 3/17
The 24th Letter (Sean O'Brien Book 2)
By Tom Lowe
Mystery/Thriller
Usual Price: 2.99  Sale: 0.99

A priest hears the confession of a frightened prison inmate, and he learns that a man facing lethal injection in 84 hours is innocent. The lead investigator on the high-profile case was his old friend Sean O’Brien. And now O'Brien has a chance to right a horrible wrong. But he has less than 84 hours to uncover clues to a crime that sent an innocent man to death row.

Evidence may not lie, but evil does, and when the original killer comes out of his lair, O'Brien is in a race to save two lives - the man on death row and his own.

https://amzn.to/2O1XSXl


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 3/18
SHE: A gripping serial killer detective thriller (Detective Inspector Munro murder mysteries Book 1)
By Pete Brassett
Detective Mystery
Usual Price: 2.99  Sale: 0.99

Detective Inspector Munro is a burly Scottish policeman who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Detective Sergeant West is an intelligent young woman, new to the force, with a lot to prove.  When a missing person case lands on their desks, Munro is skeptical there is much to it. But their investigation soon comes to some strange findings, and before long, a body is found.

With a serial killer on their hands they must act fast to trace a woman placed at the scene of the crime. Yet discovering her true identity, let alone finding her, proves difficult. And as the plot thickens they realize the crime is far graver than either of them could have imagined.

https://amzn.to/2TxUw4b


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 3/18
A Fractured Winter: an addictive psychological suspense
By Alison Baillie
Women's Detective Fiction
Usual Price: 2.99  Sale: 0.99

From the outside, Olivia seems to lead an idyllic existence with her husband and children. But when she starts receiving notes, she knows her perfect life is under threat.

She thought she’d managed to put the past behind her, but someone seems determined to reveal her secret.  Meanwhile, girls are vanishing in the area and Olivia fears for her family’s safety.  Has someone discovered the real reason she left Scotland all those years ago?

When someone is out to get you, is there anywhere you can hide?

https://amzn.to/2XS0VWl

(Please verify all prices before purchase.)

It's Giveaway Time Again!

Enter for your chance to win 20 or more Crime/Thriller eBooks!

You could win:

Darknet by Matthew Mather, a best seller in Amazon’s techno thriller, conspiracy, and science fiction categories;

Three, Four ... Better lock your door by Rose Willow;

Of Half a Mind by Bruce Perrin;

The Advocate by Teresa Burrell;

Chained Guilt by Terry Keys;

and 15+ other titles!

Two grand prize winners get all 20+ eBooks

20+ others win individual eBooks

Enter here:  https://AuthorsXP.com/giveaway

Winners and Awards

The Winners

First, let me thank all the new and long-time subscribers who entered the giveaway for a signed, proof copy of Killer in the Retroscape.  I appreciate your interest and support.

The winners of the three copies of the book are:  Angie L., Rita R., and Terri P.

The books are ready to be shipped ... as soon as I dig out of the snow and get to the post office. 



The Awards

I am honored to announce that my last two books have both received recognition in international book competitions.

In early February, Of Half a Mind was named a finalist in the Adult Fiction category in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  This program is based in the United Kingdom and uses panels of readers (in the UK and Sweden).  It's always good to hear what the reading crowd has to say.

And on the first of March, I learned that Killer in the Retroscape was selected as a finalist for The Montaigne Medal from the Eric Hoffer Book Awards.  The Medal is awarded to the year's most thought-provoking books.  (I'm still pondering that news ....)

February's Book Reviews and Previews

Although romances may be the traditional reads for February, I stuck with my favorite genres.  This month, it's a new release of a cozy mystery (Never Enough), a violent crime thriller (Righteous Assassin), and a crime mystery by one of my favorite authors (Memory Man by David Baldacci). 

And, if you haven't already, don't forget to enter the drawing for a signed, proof copy of Killer in the Retroscape.  You only have until midnight, February 28.  Whether you're already subscribed or new to the blog, you'll find complete instructions here:  https://bit.ly/2FKtxtU

Never Enough by Isabella Adams

Another Genre-Blending Tale from the Pen of Isabella Adams

Never Enough finds the series protagonist, Dr. Andromeda (Andie) Markos, her gal pals, and her wanna-be fiancé, Sean, embroiled in a tale of family secrets revealed and addiction-driven drama.  As with the two previous books in the series, the camaraderie and unqualified support among the women is extremely well portrayed.  Likewise, the cultural constraints of Andie’s Greek heritage strike home, the expectations of her mother and Andie’s own conflicted feelings between old and new traditions being center stage.  When you read the book, you’ll feel the muggy days of this small, Florida, coastal town (Tarpon Springs), as well as the sand between your toes.  Adams paints these scenes well.  And finally, the author deals with the topic of addiction with such an authoritative voice that I could not help but suspect there is something autobiographical in the Dr. Markos’ character.   But in guiding potential readers to this book, things become murkier, as Adams bends the rules a bit on her chosen genre, a cozy mystery, while putting emotional drama center stage.  It’s a blend that gives the story a fresh voice and can be engaging, if the combination works for you.  Find the complete review or get more information from Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/2WKJkyZ

Righteous Assassin: A Mike Stoneman Thriller by Kevin Chapman

A Familiar Crime-Thriller Plot Implemented with Some Gruesome Action

Righteous Assassin features a dinosaur of a police detective (Detective Mike Stoneman) who has seen it all.  He’s partnered with a young, ambitious rookie.  Over the course of the story, he develops a romantic interest in an intelligent, attractive woman.  And of course, he has a brilliant, psychotic, serial killer to chase.  Sound familiar?  If you’re a reader of crime thrillers, these threads should be.  And so, the question becomes, how effectively are they implemented by the specifics of this book?  For the most part, I’m happy to say, quite well with one ‘it depends’ on the list.  That last factor is the author’s use of violence to provide much of the tension.  You only need look at the first three sentences of the book’s synopsis to know that rather bizarre deaths play an important role in the story.  The descriptions of those assassinations are often explicit, which may make the violence over-the-top for some readers.  Be forewarned.  Find the complete review or get more information from Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/2N7B7Rn

Memory Man by David Baldacci

A Taut Mystery Solved by a Detective with an Unusual Gift/Curse

In a few reviews, I’ve criticized books for portraying memory as if it was video; you find the right episode and memory plays in vivid, accurate detail.  For most of us, that’s not the case, not even close.  But for Amos Decker, the protagonist of Memory Man, it is.  As a result of a vicious hit on a football field, Decker develops a condition known as hyperthymesia – the ability to remember every detail of every minute of every day.  So, when the book begins with the brutal murder of Decker’s brother-in-law, wife, and young daughter, the reader soon realizes how this gift is also a curse.  The image of his slain family will never, ever leave his mind.  Find the complete review or get more information from Amazon here:  https://amzn.to/2Ept6UY

Some Sweethearts of a Deal

Let these limited time, Kindle Countdown deals on mysteries/thrillers sweeten your February just a bit more.

Start Date: NOW  End Date: 2/20
Mind in the Clouds
By Bruce M. Perrin
Suspense, Techno-Thriller
Usual Price: 2.99  Sale: 0.99

New psychologist, Dr. Sam “Doc” Price, is excited to be working on the training developed for a team.  It is, however, a team like no other, because only one of the team members is human; the other is a silent, deadly military drone – the Joint Aerial Combat Capability (JACC).

Soon, Doc finds himself in a deadly cat and mouse game with an unknown adversary.  In a fight for his life and the lives of his friends, Doc asks himself, how do you match wits with the mind in the clouds, when you are not sure if you are facing the cold, exact logic of machine intelligence or the coldblooded urges of a human murderer?

http://amzn.to/2AVtuXw


Start Date: 2/16  End Date: 2/18
Whiskey Kills
By Lolli Powell
Cozy Mystery/Humor
Usual Price: 3.99  Sale: 0.99

When bar owner, Ricki Fontaine’s friend, Ruby Fogarty, is charged with murdering her boyfriend by clubbing him to death with a bottle of whiskey, the police consider the case closed. But Ricki is convinced Ruby is innocent and sets out to find the real murderer. Although Waterton police detective Gabriel Russell is crazy about Ricki, he isn’t too crazy about her trying to do his job.

The killer’s not too happy about it either.

A 2017 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Bronze winner!!!

https://amzn.to/2WFoZuX


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 2/15
The Blue
By Nancy Bilyeau
Historical Thriller
Usual Price: 3.99  Sale: 0.99

In eighteenth century London, porcelain is the most seductive of commodities; fortunes are made and lost upon it. Kings do battle with knights and knaves for possession of the finest pieces and the secrets of their manufacture.  For Genevieve Planché, an English-born descendant of Huguenot refugees, porcelain holds far less allure; she wants to be an artist, a painter of international repute, but nobody takes the idea of a female artist seriously in London. If only she could reach Venice.  When Genevieve meets the charming Sir Gabriel Courtenay, he offers her an opportunity she can’t refuse; if she learns the secrets of porcelein, he will send her to Venice. But in particular, she must learn the secrets of the colour blue.

https://amzn.to/2GpeMOv


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 2/17
Strawberry Donuts and Scandal
By Cindy Bell
Cozy Mystery
Usual Price: 2.99  Sale: 0.99

Business is booming for Donuts on the Move. Joyce and Brenda have hired their first employee, Melissa, and they are excited that the donut truck is part of a local food fair. When a popular vlogger turns up at the food fair and does a feature on the donut truck they are thrilled.

But when there are violent protests at the fair, business is put on hold. Then things go from bad to worse when someone is murdered. Joyce and Brenda cannot resist a good mystery, so they decide to do a little investigating of their own. But their sleuthing leads them straight towards trouble, and they find that they have bitten off more than they can chew. 

https://amzn.to/2BBiz7l


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 2/17
Forgotten Boxes
By Becki Willis
Historical Thriller
Usual Price: 3.99  Sale: 0.99

Named sole heir to her aunt's estate, Charity Gannon arrives in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, hoping to find a link to her past. She's not looking for lost treasures; she is searching for a connection to the aunt she barely knew.
What she finds is a thirty-something-year-old mystery and questions with no answers. A sad, secluded cottage, all but hidden amid the vines. A man's suit of clothes, tainted with dried blood and a bullet hole. Four forgotten boxes, stuffed into a large bag and buried in the far corners of the shed.

These are not just any boxes. These are unopened, undelivered boxes, left behind by the now-defunct Kingdom Parcel. All four boxes are marked March 14, 1984... the very day her uncle, president and driver for the delivery service, was said to have committed suicide. Four forgotten boxes, whose owners might still be out there, waiting for a delivery that never arrived.

https://amzn.to/2TRjrvS


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 2/17
Murder on the Old Bog Road
By David Pearson
Crime Mystery
Usual Price: 2.99  Sale: 0.99

It’s a cold winter evening and rain is sweeping in from the Atlantic when a young woman, having braved the weather to visit her sick mother in a remote part of Ireland, comes across an obstacle in the road. She clears the highway of stones from a damaged bridge only to see the body of a woman in a ditch. 

A game of cat and mouse ensues when the inquiry is upgraded to a murder investigation. The trouble is, when the victim is recognised as a sex worker, there is no shortage of possible suspects. And few of them, if any, are willing to tell the truth to the police. It will take all of Galway detectives Hays and Lyons’ experience to cut through the web of lies and identify the killer in their midst.

https://amzn.to/2TN4tXE


Start Date: NOW  End Date: 2/16
The Empty Place at the Table
By John Ellsworth
Legal Thriller
Usual Price: 4.99  Sale: 0.99

It was just a quick sandwich in the hospital cafeteria, but when she returned to her daughter's room...  Whatever happened to Melissa's daughter is anyone's guess. The police seal the hospital doors; a search proceeds but the four-year-old is nowhere to be found 

No matter, Melissa is determined. She is also very, very bright, a woman who refuses to give up, a woman who knows what motherhood means. She journeys to Mexico in search of her missing child. She confronts the Tijuana Cartel. Do they have her daughter? Twelve years have passed by and she no longer has any idea what the little girl even looks like.

Then...two unmistakable eyes peer out at her from a passing van. But was it Melissa's daughter? Watch one desperate woman and one lost child try to reach across time and connect. A story to please you to the very end.

https://amzn.to/2GFPfQv

And if you haven't already, sign up for a chance to win a proof copy of Killer in the Retroscape:  https://bit.ly/2FKtxtU

Please verify all prices before purchase.

GIVEAWAY - Get a Signed Proof Copy of Killer in the Retroscape!

It's time for some early spring cleaning and I still have a few proof copies of Killer in the Retroscape (https://amzn.to/2Cn7xE0) laying around the office.  So, I'm signing and giving away three of them!

How do you enter?  If you're currently subscribed, simply send an email to bmperrinAuthor (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject line, "Enter Me."  That's it!

If you're not subscribed, it's almost as easy.  Just follow the instructions at this link:  https://bit.ly/2FKtxtU

Live outside the continental United States?  If you win, I'll order you a copy from your country's Amazon site.  It won't be signed, but you'll get the book!

Winners will be selected randomly and notified during the first week of March.  Best of luck.