Review of Last Breath of Innocence

The Last Breath of Innocence

By Anna Cartman

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

This story of two young adults, Keeley the narrator and her childhood boyfriend Kieran, grow into teens with baggage that defines their choices.

Confused in their entanglement, those choices crossed them over to the wrong side of the law.

Ms. Cartman’s novel holds you to the end, laying out Keeley’s reasons as to why she gets up each morning in a household she had no choice in living in, because of parent’s demise. Her only male friend, Kieran, moves in next door when she is eleven years old.

Their relationship builds, but Kieran is forced to leave because of an event they could not control. Meeting again in their teens, that event’s effect on their personalities brings them together in a strange one-sided love affair.

Ms. Cartman brings you to a chilling end of that relationship, which will stick with you after reading the last chapter. Throughout the novel, you will sympathize with Keeley’s plight to find herself, which we can all empathize with.

Innocence is captured in this well-written young adult novel. We were all young and will understand their choices.

Purchased at Amazon:http://amzn.to/1NRwpzk

Review of Last Stop: Paris

Last Stop: Paris

By John Pearce

Reviewed Author Roy Murry

This adventure is centered on a couple named Eddie and Aurelie, who resides in Paris. They're coming together, living together, and future is exciting and needed to understand the going on.

These two socialites are in a whirlwind that will define their future. International characters come back into their lives, and they will help determine their future.

Mixed with murder, kidnapping, international gold standard fixing, and Russian mafia movement, the couple are included in a non-official crime-fighting group including the USA’s CIA and Interpol. These characters’ subplots commingled with the main one that drives this thrilling story forward.

All the characters are well defined and primed for another adventure when Last Stop is consumed. The bad guys didn’t fare so well. However, some doors are left open which could lead to the couple’s future involvement.

Last Stop: Paris, like Mr. Pearce’s Treasure of Saint-Lazare, is a fast-paced thriller that can be read individually or read after Treasure… I have read both and can say that I will be looking forward to reading another of Mr. Pearce’s intriguing novels.

Get both at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JtaCfo

Review of Raindancer

Raindancer (Vega)

By P Alan Davis

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

I am a man who likes an active woman in novels and life. Mr. Davis’ protagonist is a strong woman by the name of Xanszia, who is sent on a mission by her father to find her siblings.

That adventure is across the intergalactic spectrum with thrilling episodes from the past and the future. The characters move in parallel spaces, treks are made to foreign and barbaric worlds, and planets are negotiated to solve wars.

Xanszia, on her mission, is confronted with evil on many levels that test her femininity and her fortitude to complete what she has set out to end. She is at the centered of the ultimate fate of the universe. How she handles her ambassadorship will decide its destiny.

Mr. Davis gives us an imaginary journey into a world surrounding Xanszia's adventure that makes you enjoy its existence. The characters, he has developed, are colorful and exciting.

The story flows smoothly with all the details put in place to keep the reader wanting to know the outcome, which is a surprise. For those who like the unusual, I recommend this read.

Get at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mux1UF

Review of From New York to the Smokies

From New York to the Smokies

By Wayne Zurl

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

I read about sixty books a year and sometimes come back to one of my favorites. Wayne Zurl’s Sam Jenkins, I once called spiffy, is an ex-New York detective, who becomes the Chief of Police in a small town in the Smokies (Mountain range at the Tennessee – North Carolina border, USA.)

In this book, Sam is put in multiple situations where experience police detective work is needed to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. I won’t go into the individual plots but will say that Mr. Zurl’s characters are well developed and fun to read about.

You can tell Sam is the outsider and is working at a somewhat disadvantage because of the culture clash. Mountain small town people don’t do things the same way as city people like Sam would do.

However, there are common traits in all of us humans, and Sam understands them in the way he approaches a crime. You’ll love how his humanity gets him to where he wants to go in his crime solving.

Enjoyable fast reads at Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1S1RLPu

Review of Just East of Key West

Just East of Key West

By Tom Winton

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Even though I am not a fisherman, I was pulling on the line with the protagonist Frank towards the end. He has gone on a fishing trip passing by different characters on the wharf.

They are not the center of the story. Like in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, I got the feeling that Frank enjoyed his venture down to the sea. Without the sea, they would not be complete.

He gets irritated with those who don’t cherish the moment of fishing. Those are the people who don’t prepare for the event.

He gets upset with himself in the middle of this game in trying to catch a big one. He made an error in preparation and would be damned.

Whether he or the fish will be damned on the last pull of the rode will be known to you in the last paragraph of this fast-paced novella. Like me, you will get caught up in action.

At Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NwraHe

Review of Bentwhistle the Dragon

Bentwhistle the Dragon

                  In

A Threat from the Past

By Paul Cude

Reviewed by Roy Murry

Did you know that dragons turn into humans? Neither did I. But, Mr. Cude does an excellent job of convincing me of them existing in the days of yore. Maybe they are still with us.

Seriously, young adults will enjoy this fantasy. A parallel world is interwoven with the reality protecting it from the evils of that world.

Dragons shift into human form. They do this to infiltrate our supposedly superior, friendly world, helping protect people from the monsters of the world.

Mr. Cude told a story that was amusing and delightful. The prose was more telling than showing but keeps the reader's interested. You will look at people after reading this novel and wondering if they are dragons or not. LOL

Take a journey that is written for the young at heart, which I am one. Are you?

Purchase: https://amzn.to/2ZIO8GZ

Review of Amina: The Silent One

Amina: The Silent One

Written by Fiza Pathan

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

A beautiful girl is brought into the world. What more could a loving couple want? In many cultures, including India, they would want a boy first and foremost.

Amina is the third child of Jaffar and his wife, as she is referred to throughout most of the story. Not only is Amina the third, but she is the third girl of an Indian Muslim family.

The matriarch of the family is outraged and begs Allah to forgive the family for their sins. Why else would Allah curse them with not three but five girls and no boy to carry on their name?

To the matriarch and many in their society, a girl is to be used for domestic chores, childbearing, and for the pleasure of her husband. She has no rights or to progress in the new world order.

In Amina, Ms. Pathan paints a vivid and disturbing picture of how women are USED (For no other appropriate word) by the ignorant religious male controllers of some societies. Unfortunately, this persists in some parts world today.

This is a story of an Indian family that has a disaster, setbacks, and jubilation.  Amina, though, is the center of it, where she receives the brunt of her country’s brutal underbelly of illegal use of women. It is her innate natural ability to play music, listen intently, and not speak, that helps her overcome the ignorance around her.

Ms. Pathan writes with a knowledgeable pen. Her colorful ink I will enjoy reading again, soon.

Check her out at http://amzn.to/1S1Tg06

Review of Blurline

Blurline

Written by TW Lawless

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Peter Clancy, a displaced Australian conventional reporter, falls head over heels with an English beauty named Ruby, after becoming a sleaze writer for one of London’s lower tier tabloids. Not being upfront with the lady allows him to enter into her world – daddy is one of Britain’s entertainment royalties.

His pickup line, that he is a ghostwriter of novels, and his personality, opens the door to her heart and her world. From here, thrilling adventure proceeds into the life of the rich and famous. It’s the world that Peter would be forbidden to enter under normal circumstances.

Letting his boss at a Red Top British tabloid know what he has discovered, leads him into a story of the century. With his bosses bullying and probing, Peter investigates one of the sleaziest stories that could topple some of the government elite and entertainment royalties if published.

Add to this: drugs, abduction, attempted murder, murder, pedophilia, and lies; this novel becomes a tell-all in the life of some celebs. It’s fast paced, but you won’t miss anything.

Mr. Lawless has laid it all out for you in quick-moving prose that will have you enjoying the lovemaking of Peter and Ruby, outraged in the deceit of many, and wanting to go on to the next chapter in the life of Peter Clancy.

It's book three of a series, but it can stand alone. Start from the beginning or go to this book: 

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1S1TCUy

Review of Perfectly Flawed

Perfectly Flawed

By Shaunna Rodriguez

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

‘I Love Lucy’ was a popular TV program in the 50’s and 60’s. Lucy got into all kinds of trouble just being lovable and beautiful Lucy.

In Ms. Rodriguez’ Perfectly Flawed, her Grace, like Lucy, is just being Grace. Being trusting and gullible in their relationship with men, Lucy was lucky; Grace is not.

The episodes that Grace goes through are funny and sad at the same time, because of the way she looks at life. She meets a man at work and goes with the flow without questioning his or her status.

This leads into an adventure that has you laughing at her naivety but understanding her motivation. The character Ms. Rodriguez has developed is one that many can relate to, and one many will follow after reading this fast pace hilarious snippet of Grace’s life.

Shaunna style is easy to read and follow. I think I may follow Grace for a book or two.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1S1U4SC

Review of Five Spot

Five Spot

Written by Cindy Blackburn

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

As my readers know, I like a good mystery. ‘Five Spot’ is a whodunit that leads you in one direction, then sends you into another, and finally has you confused until you hit the Five Spot.

Part-time sleuth Jessie and her police chief husband Wilson is at a Romance Novel Conference when one of her cohorts dies in the middle of an event. Although it seems like a clear-cut murder, the victim who died is or may not have been the target.

How this situation is unraveled is quite funny. The characters clash humorously but help bring about a conclusion the reader can live with.

Ms. Blackburn’s style has developed into one that I enjoy. It flows nicely keeping you laughing to the end. Using characters that have special likings for Romance novels, she has woven in a murder mystery that keeps you interested even if you don’t care for romance.

I recommend any of Ms. Blackburn’s novels. All have different twists that are enjoyable.

Purchase: http://amzn.to/1S1Ut7D

   

Review of The Greatest Gift of All

Written by Roger Grubbs

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

If you care to shed a few tears, Mr. Grubbs story will help that gland to produce a few. From beginning to end, this novel will grip you and might tear you apart.

It starts when two young children become friends forever. The boy and girl become an item throughout their childhood to the point that they and their parents thought the two would be married.

In their journey to adulthood, many cute stories are introduced to show how close they became one in their friendship and love. Some of them will have you in tears and others will have you laughing, because you most likely encountered similar situations in your youth.

When it is evident that the two will wed, an event occurs that will change their lives forever – one or both of them may die. This turmoil awakens the young man into action that will control that came to an end that will surprise the reader.

This is fun and exhausting, in a right way, read that will keep you wanting to know what will or could happen next. Mr. Grubbs keeps you on your toes.

It’s an easy and fast read that I feel romantics will enjoy. Roger Grubbs has done an excellent job of telling his lover’s story.

Purchase at: http://amzn.to/1NwsLgj

Review of Fobidden

Forbidden, Book 1

A Novel of Love and Betrayal…

By Mike Wells

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Love and Betrayal come in many forms. In Mr. Wells’ novel, paternal and sibling love comes to the front; and betrayal is just around the corner.

A young lady’s life is turned into a confused state after an elderly woman reveals her true identity. The woman tells a fantastic story, but the girl believes her, because of something her mother had told her when she sixteenth.

Without informing anyone, she travels with the women to Europe. There she is surprised again with something that confirms the woman’s story to the one hundredth percent degree.

Here more twists are put in place, where betrayal of a loved one, who will be uninformed as to the events surrounding his betrothed. He will be played.

This is where Mr. Wells leaves you standing at the altar, so to speak. You won’t find out until you read on.

Mike Well’s book ones are always hooks that leave you wanting for more. It is an enjoyable time for those who like a classy read.

You’ll want to go on to the next book. So…

Book #1 is free http://amzn.to/1muyXN0

But I recommend buying #1, 2, 3 at once: http://amzn.to/1Nx377R

Review of Life Sucks

Life Sucks

By Charissa Dufour

Review by Author Roy Murry

This novella SUCKS you in. You believe you're reading a story about a rising star piano player, a little down on his luck, and then you receive a shock.

A fight for life is the main event. The piano player is belittled, kicked, punched, and nearly killed. Someone yells, “Police,” and the world for the Jazz player is turned into another dimension.

This read is fast-paced, character-driven, and a BLOOD SUCKING surprise  – a great read into another Vampire novella.  

Purchase at http://amzn.to/1jSHTKc Presently, it is free.

Review of I AM

I AM

By Beverly E. Barracks

Review by Author Roy Murry

If you are looking for a way to free yourself from a life of an unsatisfied routine, Ms. Barracks’ I AM may just be what you need. The power of I AM, in its definition, is a way to relieve yourself from the mundane of everyday life using God’s Words.

According to the book’s premise you will overcome some of the life’s woes and be free to be I AM by meditating, confessing, and receiving revelations. I AM is easy to follow read that has quotes from the Bible which will help guide your journey.

Ms. Barracks’ 31 Day solution to reaching I AM should inspire you. Each day has a page to make notes of your daily thoughts concerning that day’s word to meditate on.

An open mind is needed to follow through in reaching your revelations. God’s Words need faith behind them to be powerful. Ms. Barracks’ I AM leads you in the right direction.

Purchase at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1S1VWL6

  

Review of The Puzzle

The Puzzle

 (Samantha Jamison Mystery)

Written by Peggy A. Edelheit

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

What would you do if the police came to your front door and told you your loved one had been murdered? This is the beginning of The Puzzle.

Samantha is in denial. How could this be? I just took him to the airport. How did he die behind the wheel of a rental car on his way to his hometown?

To put the pieces together in this hard to explain event, she goes to the source, trying to put The Puzzle together – to the people who knew her secretive husband best. In this quest, she becomes a new person, questioning and feeding off his boyhood’s closest friends, acquaintances, and the small town he grew up in.

Protecting his memory and not knowing the full extent of his endeavor, they are allusive when Samantha tries to get to the truth. It comes to light after much probing and self-evaluation by all who knew her husband well, including Samantha.

Ms. Edelheit’s writing is clear cut with no clutter. Her chapters are short, and to the point, forcing you to turn to the next (And the next,) looking for the answers yourself. It won’t take you long to get to the truth – it’s a fast read.

Good opening for a series with nine books in it. You might get hooked.

     

Get at amazon Free: http://amzn.to/1muzzlu

Review of Oblivion's Forge

Oblivion Forge

By Simon Williams

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

I have mixed feelings in writing this review. On the one hand, I know it’s a difficult task to write the first book in a series, but on the other, I believe it is the author’s duty to make it simple to read, so it will be a good launch for the series.

Oblivion’s Forge is not the end but the beginning of the Aona Series. Mr. Williams does an excellent job of developing his characters and plot. However, he has not made it simple for the reader – his audience.

As an avid reader, I got lost in the many unconnected plots until the end, which was a long time coming. I would have liked to have read a shorter version with fewer characters to follow.

When readers get to the final page, they will be left wanting more, because of the fascination of the subject – the beliefs of the human race, and how those ideas forge us toward our own oblivion – death. They may want to reread it to get a better grasp of the interwoven plots.

Long read that can be bought for $.99 on Kindle: http://amzn.to/1S1Xchi

Review of Bedroom Games

Bedroom Games

By

Regina Puckett & 
Charity Parkerson

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

This novella about a young woman’s fetish of being excited fearfully before having sex with her playmates kept my attention. The protagonist, Pamela, has two male friends with benefits, who must give her a thrill before they can have their way with her.

Each has their turn at rocking her world and thoroughly enjoys the spoils of capturing Pamela off guard. In the background, awaits a man who wants to play for real.

He’s a deranged individual whose wants more than sex and is willing to do anything to get what he wants. When he makes his move after much thought, Pamela’s world is invaded and turned upside down.

If you want to find out what happens and get sexually teased by two writers' collaboration into an erotic fantasy, I recommend this quick read for a steamy adventure.

Purchase at http://amzn.to/1S1XAwg

  

Review of Bang Bang You're Dead

Bang Bang You’re Dead

By Nick Quantrill

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

This British Collection novel is written in an English dialect which may offend some. However, its reality is compelling.

The life of a released from prison murder is highlighted. He returns to his hometown to find out what happened to his brother, who seemed to have overdosed on drugs.

Unfortunately, his return embeds him in the criminal element he wished to avoid but grew up within. His journey is to free himself from that part and find out what actually happened to his brother.

The dialectic prose may be confusing to some Americans, but the storyline and characters drive this miss-adventure. It is fast-paced, and the personalities are down to earth but somewhat delusional in their concept of what is the good life.

This book will lead into areas that exist in the underbelly of many cities, where power lies in the hands of a few criminals. An adventure I enjoyed reading.

Get at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1S1Y19Y

Review of The Sun Thief

The Sun Thief (The Theran Chronicles)

By Stephen Jennison Smith

Reviewed by Roy Murry

Will history repeat itself in the future?  In some ways, it has in the present where the weak are controlled by the powerful.

Lizzie is taken from her world and put into slavery in another. Her journey is to get back home. Like Dorothy in the Oz, her home is only a portal away. Finding the way is a little more complicated for Lizzie. She can’t just click her heels.

Mr. Smith’s first book in a series is a little slow at the beginning because he is setting up the world as it is in this fiction with some present-day themes. It may be difficult for the reader to understand the fictional terrain, but it is worth the effort.

Lizzie’s adventure goes through lands with strange characters that are different. She is a learning curve that should lead her home.

Taking that journey with her leaves you in a conundrum. Will then end be the end? Stephen has let you hanging, wanting more, as a good first book in a series should do.

The prose is colorful and easy to follow after you connect the names. The storyline does draw you in.

Purchase at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2rqCELS

Review Of DCI Jones Casebook: Raymond Collins

The DCI Jones Casebook:

Raymond Collins

By Kerry J Donovan

This is a fast-paced police story a la TV’s Law and Order without the Order. You see part of the crime; the chase is on, and then the criminal is abducted with some police blood lost.

The case is simple enough: a man, who has mother issues, kills a woman. In some ways, the young lady has some of his mother’s characteristics. The murder has psychological problems – he talks to his dead mother throughout his miss adventure.   

No frill, character-driven thriller, moves along quickly to a clear conclusion with a few surprises. It’s a good lead into a series because Mr. Donovan has developed his characters to the point that you want to know what will happen to them next.

Casebook: There will be new cases that the English police unit led by DCI Jones will investigate coming out. I’ll be looking for them to put on my Kindle.

Free Today on Kindle at http://amzn.to/1S1YVTP

Review of A Circle Around Forever

A CIRCLE AROUND 
         FOREVER

                 By

  Robert K. Swisher Jr.

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

From the silence of the mind, everything begins. This I got from Freud’s writings, trying to answers Socrates’ questions, and reading books about the power of positive thinking. A seed is planted in the silent mind, and something positive or negative is produced.

Mr. Swisher’s tells the story of a young man named Shannon, who had read the Bible by age six, completed the encyclopedia by age ten, and could understand all known languages as a teen. With all his education, he wants to know his purpose.

A Platonic love affair begins on the first day of school, and he is loved by his mother. But, Shannon can’t like either of them until he can understand why he is here on earth, because of the diverse voices talking to him.

He sees images, who are directing his life. Because of their connection to Shannon, his mother and his sweetheart Katrina see the pictures also - ghosts?

Before graduating High School, Shannon goes on his journey to answer the questions that Socrates used to stimulate his students: Why are we here? What is love? Who is God? , Et al. The events that follow lead to the end. Only you can decide if Shannon's questions are answered.

Mr. Swisher’s characters’ creative and somewhat challenging dialogs propel the story/journey forward. The dark thought that was put into the prose will keep the reader thinking. And the ending will surprise all.

I recommend this novel for those who have inquiring minds – seeds will be planted.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1muATFc

Review of Sentenced to Death

Sentenced to Death

By Lorna Barrett

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Ms. Barrett effortlessly tells the story of a murder that seems to everyone to be an accident. Her protagonist, Tricia Miles, is the owner of ‘Haven’t Got a Clue’ mystery bookstore in Booktown, Stoneham, New Hampshire.

In this quiet small town, on Founder’s Day, to the horror of the participants, the airplane that is promoting the event, crashes into the platform where the speaker is announcing the day’s itinerary. From this point, Tricia goes into here ‘What if…’ mode, using her sister Angelica as a sounding board.

The clues appear to Tricia, but everyone she confides in believes that she is way off base and that the deadly event was an accident and nothing more.  She is the only one convinced that there is more than meets the eye.

Tricia, in her dog-like light investigation, unravels the coincidences by just conversing with those involved with no abusive questioning. What she comes across will surprise all who read this somewhat witty Whodunit.

The prose is fast pace, nonabrasive, and rather comical in a New Hampshire sort of way. A small town, where everyone knows everyone, is a hard place to hide from a sleuth as Ms. Barrett’s Tricia.

This is my second time reading one of Lorna Barrett’s Booktown Mystery novels. If you are a Mystery Lover, as I am, check out one of her books at the local library or buy one ala Kindle: http://amzn.to/1muB17x

   

McNeff's review of The Audubon Caper

The Audubon Caper

By Roy Murry

Reviewed by Arizona Deputy Sheriff and ex-Defense Lawyer

Mike McNeff 's Review of The Audubon Caper on Amazon 8/17/2015

A story of danger, intrigue, and betrayal …

I had a long career as a cop, and during that time I laid out the infamous option of "work for me or go to prison" many times. Roy Murry tells his story of when that opportunity was given to him. He made the mistake of thinking that just delivering a kilo of cocaine would be a quick deal for the easy money. It was... until a federal agent came knocking on his door. Roy then found out he no longer controlled his life.

Murry tells his story with a keen wit, sharp observation, and personal soul-searching. The story starts out a little slow but then it grabbed me like a fast current and carried me into a turbulent sea of danger, intrigue, and betrayal.

You'll have to read this real story to figure out who created the conspiracy and who betrayed who.

If you are interested in stories of investigations of the central crime plots told from the inside, you must read this book. Based on my experience, I can say every word rings true.

A great read.

Purchase at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ShFH40

In Too Deep

In Too Deep, A New Zealand Second Chances Romance

Written by Tracey Alvarez

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

If you are like me, you like books that give you a different perspective of the mating ritual. New Zealand is a place I would like to venture to, and one of their islands is the center of this romantic novel. The way they mate is communal and somewhat frustrating because everyone knows each other.

The beautiful picturesque description of that country is the backdrop of a love affair between a National Police Woman Diver, Piper, who returns home to a small island tourism village, and her childhood sweetheart, a Free Diver named West. They both have conflicts, determining whether their love exists and how to sustain it considering their past performances.

As in all Romance novels, there are love scenes. But Ms. Alvarez has a knack for keeping you on edge, despondent that the couple cannot culminate the situation. This will maintain the reader involved to the end.

The dialogue is witty and somewhat intelligent if you don’t know the language. It’s English that you need to be acquainted with to get the full meaning of each encounter of the two mating and the community they grew up in.

However, Ms. Alvarez does an excellent job of bringing the story to a climax. I enjoyed the tit for tat of the New Zealand characters portrayed in this engaging novel that starts the Due South Series.

Purchased at: http://amzn.to/1S20oJU

Review of Lost Soul

Lost Soul

By Malika Gandhi

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

For you Ghostbusters out there, this is a good book for you. A spirit has taken up residence in her father’s Indian mansion for the last hundred years. India’s religious superstitions come alive when some villagers want to banish the spirit.

The spirit’s story is of guilt for the loved ones she lost. At times, she, the spirit, appears to a few villagers, who become her ally in her endeavor to ‘Crossover’ after finding her soul.

Mores of the past and present come together to bring the story to an end, where being a person is more important than following some precedent set down by ancestors. Love finds each of us in deferent ways no matter what our cultural background is an underlying theme.

Ms. Gandhi does an excellent job in explaining the Indian culture that is interwoven throughout this delightful story of anguish. The spirit finds her way after the visit of doppelgangers of the people she loved and lost.

This is a ghost/spiritual story you will remember.

Buy at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1muBKFV