Review of Three Odd Balls

THREE ODD BALLS

A Cue Ball Mystery

Cindy Blackburn

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

I keep on coming back to Blackburn's novels because they are fun to read with an underlying theme of mystery that may or may not be easy to unravel. The characters are well defined and compliment Jessie, author, and amateur sleuth.

In this book, the bartender of enticing pink drinks is found dead in Jessie's mother's Hawaiian vacation bedroom. How Jessie's close inner group gets to Hawaii and the antics that follow are hilarious.

Everyone in Jessie's group gets involved with an original investigation which does not go along with the Official Police conclusions which are that one of her tourists committed the crime.

The events leading to solving the crime are funny, and near the end, deadly. As in all of the Blackburn's stories, Jessie is the center of an unusual conclusion that is exciting. 

I think this is my fifth of the Cue Ball Mysteries. I'll be back for more fun. 

Purchase: http://amzn.to/2roKHbb

Review of FRAMED

FRAMED

Black Swann Investigations #1

WAYNE KERR

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Reggie is the Black Swann. How she got that name is an interesting fact, as is that she spent prison time for a murder that Reggie says she didn't do. All criminals say that, but was she FRAMED?

A hearing finds, on some technicalities, that there is enough doubt that Reggie did commit the murder. She is sent back out into the world. Returning home, the Black Swann, an ex-detective, is asked to investigate a murder/disappearance by the people who helped set her free.

Using her abilities and the help of new friends, Reggie goes about trying to help a man she feels killed his wife. Although there is no corpse but evidence that a crime has been committed, she has a feeling. Has he been FRAMED also?

Little bits of evidence lead her in a direction that is highly unlikely by all concerned. However, when the information is put together by another, a shocking result almost cost Reggie her life. 

This novel has strong supporting characters and is an excellent first book in a series for the Detective genre. Black Swann Investigations will go on and solve more crimes with style and creative themes.

Purchase: http://amzn.to/2Dtc89f

Review of How Not to Die

How Not to Die

MICHEAL GREGER, MD

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Have you reached the time in your life that you realize death is near? I have, at age 70.

For the first time in my life, I was ordered by my doctor to take pills for cholesterol and high blood pressure. Having never taken a pill in my life, not even an aspirin, I became despondent but complied looking for alternatives.

How Not to Die came to my attention on YouTube from Lionel Nation. I looked and bought, reading and learning How Not to Die from Heart Disease, from High Blood Pressure, and many other physical problems.

Dr. Greger's central premise is to change your diet from meat-intensive to plant-based foods, eliminating all processed and junk foods that we Americans love for many reasons. Beans, Fruits, Nuts, and Vegetables should be the central foods eaten on a daily basis to lower the chances of a multitude of cancers and diseases.

His comparisons with what other counties consume versus what Americans do, the descriptions of how plant-based food versus processed ones destroy our immune system, and the proof of accredited organizations findings, gives a compelling argument to change one's diet.   

The book of "How Not to Die," will change your diet, even a little, as it has mine at 70 years old.  Dr. Greger's alternatives and writing are easy to follow.

Start today, as I have, purchase at http://amzn.to/2B00igH

Review of An Innocent Client

An Innocent Client

Joe Dillard Series, Book 1

SCOTT PRATT

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Legal Defenders of people accused of a crime to some are the scum of the earth. How could they defend a killer, a rapist, or a pedophile? Scott Pratt's Joe Dillard is a defense lawyer who has his demons, past, and present.

Joe and Caroline have a loving family because they worked at it and was derived from his income as a lawyer, most of which seem to come from defending the guilty. He gets these cases from judges that don't care for him, and the pay is not lucrative.

However, a significant payday arrives when he agrees to defend Angel, a beautiful young girl who claims her innocents, substantiated by the lady paying him a quarter of a million dollars to take the case.

Joe has other problems and cases going on at the same time. His mother is dying; his sister is a criminal, and a man he is defending is a multiplicative nut case, 'All in days’ work.'

Mr. Pratt gives the reader insight into the working of the legal system and how both the defender and prosecutor use that system to their advantage. The prose moves smoothly with some twist and turns. It was worth the price.

Purchase  http://amzn.to/2Dw7R1Q

Review of Chasing Justice

CHASING JUSTICE

The Piper Anderson Series Book One

DANIELLE STEWART

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Piper has a past and moves to a quiet town to get away from it. The center of the city is a dinner where everyone meets.

Here she meets a lovely lady and involves herself in something she can't handle at the moment: a man, a judge, and a family. All present problems Piper is not accustomed to, which is love, crime, and stability.

Piper Anderson's emotions and those of the people she confronts are the highlights of the story.  How she overcomes those depends on Betty, a family's linchpin, who grieves over the loss of her husband's death, a police officer and the way he die.

It all unravels after Piper, on a hunch, gets involved with the town's criminal syndicate poking around and following one man who she feels has a questionable sexual appetite. What she confronts could destroy her new-found family.

The twist and turns, the highs and lows of a love-hate relationship, and Piper's sensitiveness make for a rollercoaster reading ride. This novel is an excellent lead into a series.

Purchase    http://amzn.to/2D2TQrr Free on Kindle

Review of Barrie Hill Reunion

BARRIE HILL REUNION

LISETTE BRODEY

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Brodey's instigating protagonist, Leah, captures most of the reunion's conversations with fellow literary students after being apart for twenty years. For some reason, she is at odds with Clare, the organizer.

Six of them meet in a well-known hotel near the campus and where they gathered weekly while attending school. Each had gone on to newsworthy endeavors when they parted: an author, an actor, an editor, a publisher, a playwriter, and Leah.

Where Leah anger comes from, no one knows, except possibly her husband, Colin. She is smart, manipulative, cunning, and at one-time wrote a play with him.

The three-day reunion will keep you, the reader wondering what is going on. Leah is playing everyone trying to reach her goal of undermining Clare’s status. She does not know that she might be the one being played.

Each of the characters has their hidden problems brought up over the course of the weekend and are somewhat resolved by the end. However, the climatic ending will have the reader cheering.

What goes around comes around. Need I say more - NOT HERE.

This is the second book I have read of Lisette's. I am back for more as you should be too, because she writes exciting topics, with intriguing characters.

Purchase at http://amzn.to/2CNnDHv

Review of The Establishment is Dead

THE ESTABLISHMENT IS DEAD

The Rise and Election of Donald Trump

BEN SHAPIRO

Reviewed by Roy Murry, Author

Not being a political fanatic or hack, I am still interested in what politically knowledgeable people think. Leaving Mainstream Media, a long time ago, I now watch YouTube for the news of what is happening in the world.

There is where I found Ben Shapiro. After listening to him a few times, I read his biography on Wikipedia and then bought this book.

Although I do not agree with some of his discourse in The Establishment is Dead, I did enjoy Shapiro's commentary about Hillary R. Clinton and Donald J. Trump's run for President in 2016. His insights were sharp, not pulling any punches, and comical at times.

I don't think The Establishment is Dead yet, and I don't believe Ben thinks so. But it is a good title for a conservative's book that was well written.

It seems that Mr. Shapiro was writing the book as 2016 transpired diary style and added in his commentary and hyperbole to spice up the events (Pro and Con) leading to Trump's victory. I enjoyed his philosophical endings of each chapter but not all his conclusions - I am not that conservative.

All in all, I learned something from a younger man than I and will listen to more of his YouTube commentary.

Purchase:  http://amzn.to/2pVWGw7