Review of MURDER ME, A Novel

MURDER ME

A Novel

John Meany

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

This novel is more like a TV novella that has twists, highs, and lows that keep you wanting to turn on to the next episode the following day. As a novel, the characters complement the main character's delusions and conflicts.

A young lady's husband is killed in a freak accident and on top of that she goes through another horrific event, leading into atypical acts unbeknown to her mother who she moved in with after the demise of her true love. Her mom and a friend question her stability which is erratic, but let her find her way on her own.

Ghosts of the past invade her mental state wanting relief and companionship that she finds with mother's covert influence and drugs. Her mother's deception for her good comes to light, and our artistic protagonist flees to find herself with a few tranquilizers.

Her dormant creative abilities blooms and love for her child help her return to reality and the ones she loves. However, the ending will surprise the reader with an unconventional peak.

MURDER ME is my second read of John Meany's works. I'll be looking for his next.

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Review of Deadly Impasse

DEADLY IMPASSE

Seumas Gallacher

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

International criminals care only about the money and the power they have over people. When things do not go their way, they eliminate those people whom they feel are responsible for any inconvenience in obtaining it.

In Deadly Impasse, Mr. Gallacher gives the reader a thrilling adventure around that theme. A drug trafficking team, ex-Legionnaires, have lost money and are out to eliminate the persons responsible even though those people had no control of the events that led to the loss.

In aggressive counter operations, International Security Partners', an internationally known small group, protects the person at the center of the criminals’ grief. Crossing borders and continents, the action moves from one country to another leading to a surprising conclusion.

Mr. Galacher's characters are well developed and colorful since this is the fifth in his Jack Calder series. However, the book can be read alone because he flawlessly brings them alive without reference to prior books.

I still would read the others in this series as I have; each stands alone and will keep the reader's attention. All are page turners.

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Review of Mamie Garrison

Mamie Garrison

Teresa McRae

Reviewed by

Author Roy Murry

The underground railroad and slavery in the United States of America are stories we Americans know as part of our history, but few are connected personally. The narratives are scant, and not many are brought to light the way Ms. McRae has in Mamie Garrison.

Using a present-day event, a house left to a grandchild becomes the uncovering of the early inhabitants participating in freeing humans from their enslavers. A young lady finds Mamie's journal, who risked her life and that of others to help slaves into the northern USA.

The people who were enslaved and those who helped free them went through are impelling life change. Using Mamie's journal read by her relative, this preamble to the Civil War comes alive.

Going back and forward, the reader tells her story of meeting a man who helps unravels some mysteries related to Mamie, the slave trade, and how the adjacent properties' occupants were involved.

Ms. McRae has done an excellent job of bringing the reader into a tale that lives on through the journal readers' eyes and unique abilities. The writing is clean, engaging, and believable. I'd recommend reading on to Book 2.

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Review of The Smuggler's Gambit

The Smuggler's Gambit

Sara Whitford

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

This first book of the Adam Fletcher Adventures I picked from a list because I like the word Gambit. Those who play chess know the importance of planning one's moves (Gambit) before playing and changing it to your advantages to produce the result desired, that being to win the game.

In Smuggler's Gambit, Adam is a young man full piss and vinegar, seventeen, who gets in trouble with the lawyer defending his mother's honor. Forced into an apprenticeship, he becomes a pawn in a game he is too young to understand, smuggling.

A criminally minded man, who makes the first move, using his popularity posture, leads Adam into a deadly game of life. His ward is a respectable smuggler, considering the historical period before the American Revolution when the King's subjects disliked his taxes in which the story evolves.

Adam's resolves his confusion between the two men and makes an unorthodox move that gives the upper hand to the criminals. Through ingenuity, Adam's near-death experience after a happenstance with those undesirables is his last adventurous move that gives him and his new family a checkmate.  

The game was played well by Adam with little experience in such matters. The Smuggler's Gambit is a must read to start the series.

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Review of Unexpected

UNEXPECTED
A Cassie-Baxter Mystery

Cindy Blackburn

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Cassie-Baxter, a history professor, has become one of my favorite characters; and the people surrounding her are interesting as well. She, going through her normal work week and interactions, seems to come up with the answers to a mystery that no one else can see, including law enforcement.

In this case, someone is dead from a car accident near the lovely lakeside town in which she and her Si-Fi writer father live. Cassie receives an unusual task which presents problems. With much confusion, a child who has secrets as to what happened comes into her family’s care.

Blackburn’s writes into the core story secondary fun adventures produced by Cassie’s father and next door boyfriend neighbor that enhances the central mystery. They are enjoyable and move the characters and reader to determine who-done-it.

The writing is well thought out and easy-going, flowing along with few bumps in the road. You’ll laugh and like the tone that leads you to an explosive ending. Then all is calm for the Baxters plus two in Lake Elizabeth until a new mystery comes to a calling.

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Review of Dead over Heels

DEAD over HEELS

THERESA BRAUN

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Ms. Braum has written a compelling situational paranormal thriller that will chill your bones if you believe such phenomena. Using a couple who just met, she weaves a story with a twist I didn't see coming.

A man and a woman meet for their first date at a restaurant where, after chitchat, they encounter a strange occurrence which snowballs into the woman's psyche. What she believes infects her mind into plausibility leading to an adverse action. 

The man, who has fallen in love as she, goes back to the restaurant at her bidding. He becomes overwhelmed with the situation and wants to move in another direction.

After a short separation, she convinces him to meet with her. This meeting culminates love stories one will remember if they read DEAD over HEELS.

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Review of What Haunts Me

WHAT HAUNTS ME

Margaret Millmore

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Do you believe in Ghosts? Then this entertaining story of Ghost Killers will keep you enthralled and engaged from page one of this book one of a series.

The story is brimming with different variations of the scary, spooky, and helpful kinds of spirits. The characters and the ghosts are well developed into a plausible conflict that comes to a peak.

The two main characters were brought together by their ancestors to fight against a villain and are in a "Love and hate situation." Whether their union will continue depends on the conflict with this powerful and wealthy adversary.

Ms. Millmore seems to have done much research to put this ghostly background into a believable and likable adventure. Book two is on my list because I had fun reading her pleasant diversion.

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