Review of LOVE FOR SAIL

LOVE TO SAIL

A Connie Barrera Thriller

C L R DOUGHERTY

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Two items attracted me to this novel: I had lived in St. Thomas, USVI for two years in the hospitality business and the Caribbean for twenty-eight. Moreover, I did a little sailing around the islands, mostly when I was living in Charlotte Amalia at the Virgin Isle Hotel as Asst. General Manager. Lastly, my sister's name is Connie.

Mr. Dougherty brought back memories with Connie doing what she learned to love - sailing, to the point she gets her Captain's license.  Upon acquiring her permit, with money dropped into her hands through cunning, she buys a 49,000-pound yacht, which she never sailed into open waters before.

Sailing that boat from the Chesapeake Bay to the US Virgin Islands turns into a disaster.  She takes on a temporary crew of two - a man and a woman to help her make the journey, because her man friend, ex-cop, sailor, and an excellent cook, could not make the trip.

Connie's crew has their illegal reason to make the trip that includes working for a mob figure. The male crew member presents a problem that leads to a deadly event.

From this point on, this thriller goes into rough waters. Will aid arrive on time? While waiting for it, the reader is kept on the edge of his or her seat wondering if any help is coming.

Fast pace, nautically correct, and well written with a character like Connie, you’ll be wanting to follow her the next journey. I highly recommend LOVE FOR SAIL for those who enjoy adventure and traveling, as much as I do.

Purchase: https://amzn.to/2LdfktL

Review of CUTTHROAT

A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS

A Savannah Martin Mystery, Book 1

JENNA BENNETT

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Savannah is a newly minted Real Estate Broker who finds herself and a childhood acquaintance standing over the dead body of one of her cohorts, blood everywhere. She calls 911, and the mystery begins.

What makes this particular multilayer whodunit different is the characters, which are colorfully defined by the author.  Savannah, the lead, is your typical Southern Bell who has the propensity to evaluate the situation at hand, and she goes through some difficult ones.

The cast comes in all shapes and sizes.  An example is Savannah's childhood hunk of a bad-boy man friend who becomes an integral part of the situation at hand and the shade of a possibility of a romantic attachment, mostly on his side because her mother's words are in her head.

He and Savannah come in contact throughout this adventure which leads to an unlikely killer with a well put together ending that will have the reader wanting to go on. Book 2 is right around the corner.

This mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to figuring out the who, and why the crimes were committed. Savannah turns into a better sleuth than a Real Estate Broker.

Good Read:   https://amzn.to/2uzyiPX

Review of Two Rivers

The Peacemaker

TWO RIVERS

ZOE SAADIA

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

A warrior thinks and believes in other ways than his tribe; a young adopted foreigner upsets the comfort zone of the same tribe, and a young tribal woman is confused with the warrior's abilities and is interested in the foreigner. Enlightenment is in the mind of the warrior while the youngsters are coming to grips with their existence.

The plot is simple: each is upsetting the norms of the people who they live with on a daily basis, the warrior with his ideas and the young adults with their attraction to each other. The harmful elements of the tribe come ahead, and the Chief Warrior makes a decision that changes all three lives forever.

Some violent actions bring this story to a life-changing ending and into a new horizon: an inviting one which will lead the reader into the second book. 

TWO RIVERS is a novel that is easy to read because of the thought used in writing the story. It is full of nuggets of reasoning and understanding of what life should be in the world.

The prose flows nicely with some exciting events. The reader's attention will speed to the end in one sitting. As usual, Zoe Saadia has written a beautiful novel. I have read three or four; I have lost count.

Purchase: https://amzn.to/2KKAJKy

Review of Six Easy Pockets

Six Easy Pockets

Cindy Blackburn

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Jessie is at it again in one of Blackburn's A Cue Ball Mysteries. She is snooping.

Receiving a telephone phone call on a landline from a wealthy friend who "Misplaced" his girlfriend, Jessie is distraught because the person misplaced is her 'Girlfriend' also. The mystery begins when she, the by day Romance writer, goes to the estate that is humongous, her words not mine.

Wilson, Jessie's hubby, does not get involved until her and another detective cannot come to grips with the missing person event, and the investigation becomes a deadly one. The large staff at the estate, family members, and Jessie's condo friends are included in the overall whodunit episodes.

The enjoyable way Ms. Blackburn brings her characters alive, including the villain, downplays the crime a bit but has the reader loving the main characters including the cats. Jessie, as in other Blackburn mysteries, ends up in the final act that is somewhat comical and deadly at the same time.

Will the villain come to justice? Only by reading this fun novel will you find out.

Purchase: https://amzn.to/2MwVaqx

Review of Enlightenment NOW

Enlightenment NOW

The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism,

and Progress

STEVEN PINKER

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Put your thinking hat on your head. I am somewhat intelligent. LOL. To read this book, you need to be a person with cognitive intelligence.

It will be normal, when reading this extensive delving into the history of man's development through today's diverse world, to disagree or agree with some of the author's premises of that evolution.  A little background in Philosophy and Psychology will help you understand some of his ideas.

However, a reader, with limited knowledge of the above, will be educated by some for Mr. Pinker's detailed evaluations and defenses of his ideologies about the case studies enclosed which are liberal progressive leaning. In all instances, you will stop reading and think about the commentary whether you like it or not.

Apart from some of the author’s pontificating, the read was worth the price. I disagree with Bill Gates, it’s not the best book I ever read, which is subjective.    

Purchase at: https://amzn.to/2I8uV7x

Review of DARK WATER

DARK WATER

TW LAWLESS

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Peter Clancy is about to leave on a trip to a quiet place to write a book about his journalistic prowess when he receives a call from a family tie in Australia. Sam won't tell him the reason, but it is crucial.

When he arrives, nothing seems to have changed from his home township that he was 'Run out' of years ago, and there is still hostility by the ex-sheriff now politician festering.  A project that Sam is in an uproar over that politician is in the middle.

Peter evaluates the situation with Sam’s help and decides to use his abilities and goes to the town's newspaper to write an article denouncing the project. All hell breaks out when it is published leading to riots, more murders, and upsetting corrupt people that are behind the project.

How they resolve problems 'Down under,' is interwoven throughout this story to the 'Bloody end' in the Dark Waters of crocodile infested Outback. The suspense and intrigue will keep the reader involved to that end.

I enjoyed the characters that will lead the reader into the next book in this series. However, the novel stands on its own. It is straightforward prose with Aussie humor and ‘Way of life’ examples.

Good Read; Purchase: https://amzn.to/2J6bZeS

Review of What Happened in Vienna,Jack?

WHAT HAPPENED IN VIENNA, JACK

DANIEL KEMP

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

There are strange bedfellows in war and clandestine work. In “What Happen in Vienna, Jack?” it's a prince and the ruler of Germany meeting before World War II. The results of their encounter start a private Royal event kept out of the public eye.

Only a hand full of people knows the truth, which leads to criminal actions that fester. Influential people in the United Kingdom want the result of the seed to go away into perpetuity. Moreover, this quest is put into the hands of a few led by Jack Price and his recruit Patrick West.

This adventure, Mr. Kemp interwove a thrilling intergovernmental plot that leads to disaster for a few high-level intelligence agencies and wealthy people. His prose keeps you on your toes to the end following a spy expert and a newbie muddle through events at hand.

All-in-all, the novel kept me involved and gave me a vital view of understanding how the British 'Get about.' It may be the making of another James Bond movie, using the formable newbie.

Review of STORM COUNTRY

Storm Country

Book 1

JOYCE DEBACCO

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Dallas lookout; here comes STORM COUNTRY. Ms. Debacco's novel has all the ingredients that the famous American TV program drama Dallas had in the 80s and 90s.

There are characters you will love and others you will hate - white hat and black hats, cowboys of Montana. In this case, a matriarch Bonnie rules the Storm family of two men and a young lady with a soft but firm hand.

The men run the operations which include a large ranch and a hotel. The young lady is finding her way, and it is she that invites a stranger home to join the workforce.

He is overqualified which raises some suspicions with Bonnie, but she lets them go after his interview.  There is something familiar about him. The family adventure begins with love-hate relations brewing leading to a climax that entices you to read book two.

The well-developed characters bring this book one alive for the reader wanting to know what will happen to their future. The Storm family have a lot going on leading to suspense and a hook, by the writer, at the end that reader will want to continue to book two.

I enjoyed the prose and may purchase book two in the future which is not normal for me.

Purchase: https://amzn.to/2kysu4M

Review of RUSH

Three Seconds to RUSH

Piper Anderson Legacy Mystery

DANIELLE STEWART

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Tara is near death with a needle in her arm, and her child, a distance away from her, nearing pneumonia, when the police find her.  When she wakes up in the hospital, the detective is reading her 'Her Rights.'

Using her only call, she calls a friend who she hadn't seen in ten years when she was fourteen and he sixteen.  Luckily, he is an excellent defense, but he doesn't believe her.

Their childhood plays an integral part in how they move in the right direction as to solving Tara's legal problems. However, Reid has a problem acquainting himself with what they meant to each other and for each other. 

They both have issues in dealing with society. Reid is a workaholic and lives like a hermit. Tara tries to do everything on her without a support system. 

With conflicts and reevaluations of their selves, they meet in the right place, leading to a conclusion the may not see coming. With support, the story ends in their favor.

The characters are thoroughly developed; the plot is interesting; there are twists, and the prose is thrilling until the end.

Purchase:  https://amzn.to/2Gskb2U

Review of Pancakes and Corpses

Pancakes and Corpses

A Peridale Cafe Mystery

AGATHA FROST

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Julia South is an exceptional baker, and everyone in a small town goes to her coffee shop to enjoy her delectable pastries and cakes.  Then one day a reporter tells her about a negative review of her store that the local newspaper is printing tomorrow.

She goes to confront the possible author of the article when the unexpected happens - Julia is in the middle of a murder. She dogs her way around town following leads.

In the process, she meets a man, the detective assigned to the murder case. They clash, and then they dance.

Julia's abilities have her ahead of her new friend in solving the case. He is new to the English town, so she has the advantage.

When the two come together, the case, in an unusual way, comes to a conclusion the reader will enjoy. 

The story is straightforward, but the reader is in the dark unless they understand Julia's explanation of the town people. The main characters are complete for a second novel in the series. They are likable.

Purchase:    https://amzn.to/2KCjK8L

Review of An Unexpected Nanny

An Unexpected Nanny

Constance Masters

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Twist of faith brings Curtis and Vi together. He needs a nanny, and she has the feeling to be a mother. They connect on many levels.

Curtis and Vi clash, coming from different backgrounds. However, there is something about her that draws him to her.

Vi connects right away with his child Rose. The two love each other at first sight which endears Curtis.

There are some twist and turns to the story, but the conclusion is simple to understand from a reader's close understanding of soap operas - love is in the air.

The characters are well defined while the prose leads you on to an ending which the reader probably knew from the middle of the book. The story is a bit of a tear-jerker.

Enjoyed. Purchase at  https://amzn.to/2rR1TUA

Review of Travess Blood

Travess Blood

Quinn Larson

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

'How the west was won?' is an intraocular part of USA history. Development continued because good concorded over evil.

In Travess Blood, the younger is wild and wants to live life to the fullest without abiding by the law. His elder brother is a lawman.

Their conflicts started in their youth but come to a turning point for the worst when Clint, the older of the two arrests his brother and friends robbing a Stagecoach and Troy goes to prison for his part. Every day in jail Troy's revenge grows to uncontrollable evil.

A Stagecoach robbery and murders happen weeks after Troy's and friends are released from their long terms in a strict discipline house of correction, which didn't seem to rehabilitate the criminal. Clint investigates this crime to find out, according to Troy's boss at the Circle-G where Clint's ex-lover lives married; Troy had not left the property.

Circumstance leads to other full investigations that produce an ending that Westerns are known for on the Big Screen. Throughout this sager, the tensions built to where good should overcome evil.

But does it? Not always. You'll have to read this raw human western story to find out.

Purchase:     https://amzn.to/2Ihdjva

Review of Rejection

REJECTION

A Lou Drake Mystery

Thomas K. Matthews

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

What would you do get published by a major house? Murder to become famous?

Lou Drake, at one time, was a detective. He got demoted to paroling the city with a partner, screwed up and was sent to The Cage for the few months he had left on the job.

How he got demoted is a significant part of his story and the background to this novel. He was a meticulous sleuth before he messed up a murder case. Why, is the unknown?

While working in the holding cage, a serial killer is on the loose who is murdering literary agents in unusual ways. Drake, a writer who can't publish his novel but keeps on going, starts to use the crimes as the basis of his new endeavor.

The events that transpire after he starts writing and investigating this string of killings upset the city police department where he works. The FBI joins the fray leading an investigation of the department.

How that end is an exciting and rejuvenating for the reader and Lou Drake's future. Not all ends well, but you, the reader will want to read more of his mysteries.

This is a book one of a series, but I don't see what characters will be carried over to two. 

Purchase:  https://amzn.to/2KqNLZP

     

Review of Mirror, Mirror

MIRROR, MIRROR

A Legal Thriller

DEBORAH HAWKINS

Review by Roy Murry, Author

Jeff, a big-time lawyer, past brings him down to earth. He loses everything because of it even though he claims the charges are false.

It seems that the legal world is one hundred percent against him. Jeff's life is turning upside down but being the fighter, he is, he muddles through and gets a plum case on his own against the people who brought him down.

The case and the people change him for good, leading to many conflicting emotions. He is a different man after a rollercoaster ride psychologically.

This change brings the reader to a surprising conclusion in a thrilling court case that one did not see coming. He finds out who genuinely cares for him.

Some of the main characters are prime for a sequel. The twist and turns of Jeff's existence in this novel will keep you awake all night as it did to me.

I enjoyed the writing much. Purchase:  https://amzn.to/2KmjH1n

FIERCE LOVE

FIERCE LOVE

Barrington Billionaire Series

Book One

DANIELLE STEWART

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

The Romance Genre is not my thing to read. However, I must expand my horizons by reading other than mysteries, my passion.

In Ms. Stewart's FIERCE LOVE, there is a little mystery. Libby, the lady who confronts James, the CEO of West Oil, is a mystery to him. Moreover, she is keeping those facts under cover until the covers come off.

Libby becomes James' executive assistant under false pretenses, and he seems to get the feeling that something is not right. All he can think about is getting her in bed, but he does not sleep with employees.

They go tit for tat over this fact until the pressure explodes. Then the truth comes out about a business agreement James did not know existed between Libby's family and his father who is in a coma.

Their new sexual involvement might go to the next level, but doubt seeps in, and they separate. Libby meets with an ex which leads to an explosive ending.

This novel has some clean sexual encounters if there is such a thing. The main characters are well developed, which will propel the series forward into other circumstances that billionaires find themselves in. I can only imagine.

Purchase:  https://amzn.to/2K6dS8f

Review of Cherry Pie or Die

Cherry PIE OR DIE

A Baker Street Mystery, Book 1

CEECEE JAMES

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Georgie, a young lady, moves to a small town to live near her grandmother who runs the Baker Street Bed and Breakfast. She is a tour guide et al. at the B&B, taking the visitors to historical sites around town.

The house is full, and Georgie guides a group to a Civil War haunted house. The tour ends with the murder of a guest that leads Georgie into her whodunit mood.

This novel is fun to read because of the character Georgie who is getting over a tragedy and is light-hearted about her surroundings but heavy-hearted about past events. She uses that to undo the mystery of Mr. Greens murder.

Without present-day computer search, which she uses, the mystery would have been almost impossible to unravel. However, the answer arrives with a 'Deadly Intent,' not dealing with modern equipment but because of a Civil War book.

This novel slants towards an Agatha Christie mystery. I'll be reading more of the series in the future.

Purchase: https://amzn.to/2HPAR6I