Mr. Kill by Martin Limón

Book Description
On a crowded train from Pusan to Seoul, the brutal rape of a young mother sparks rage on the powder-keg peninsula of Korea, pitting Koreans against Americans and the 8th Army brass against the truth. Eyewitness accounts indicate the culprit was most likely a U.S. serviceman, but by the time Sergeants George Sueno and Ernie Bascom, U.S. Army investigators, are called in, the rapist has disappeared and anti-American fervor in this proud Asian country is threatening to explode.

George and Ernie search in vain for the culprit, all the while becoming entangled in the web of military apologists who deny that any Americans were involved, and the designs of a beautiful blonde musician who fronts an all-female country western band--a woman who is out to entertain the troops in more ways than one.

Delay causes more tragedy--and this time murder--and sets off a frantic search for a killer that stretches from the sizzling hot Demilitarized Zone to the cold waters of the Yellow Sea and introduces George Sueno and Ernie Bascom to a ruthless Korean homicide investigator known to anyone foolish enough to cross him as Mr. Kill.

My thoughts
This is my first mystery involving Sergeants George Sueno and Ernie Bascom, who are US Army investigators in 190’s Korea. First, there is a rape of a Korean woman on a Seoul bound train that could have been done by a member of the U.S. Army. When the perpetrator vanishes, the duo investigates further, especially when another woman is raped and murdered. Meanwhile there is also an investigation of petty theft from a USO troupe performing. While trying to clear the name of the U.S. Army, they have to deal with a Korean investigator aptly named Mr. Kill.

I found the premise intriguing enough to want to read the book, and I was glad I did. I thought the characters of Sueno and Bascom interesting and with Mr. Kill. The description of 1970’s Korea made it different. A very enjoyable detective novel.

Disclosure: I received this book for review through goodreads.com. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Adventures of my pal Spike

My pal Spike enjoying the jacuzzi and his white solo cup.

The Face Thief by Eli Gottlieb

Book Description
Gottlieb introduces the mystery of the charismatic Margot, a promising journalist who morphs—with stunning panache—from a high-achieving affluent twenty-something into a grifter making her living preying on the weaknesses of men. Having studied the ancient Chinese art of face reading, she becomes an expert at reading people and is also able to rearrange her look and persona with uncanny skill to fit any social situation. She is an avenging angel, shattering marriages and draining bank accounts.

What drives her quest to deceive and disarm? Exploring this question, The Face Thief moves fluidly forward and back in time, drawing vivid portraits of Margot’s rocky childhood and her adult victims: an amiable, newly married man enticed into a catastrophic fraud; an esteemed teacher outwitted by his most dangerous student; and a well-meaning New York City cop tripped up by his belief in redemption.

My thoughts
Margot is a grifter that has been pushed down the stairs and lost her memory. As the story unfolds we learn that she has swindled John Potash of his life savings. He is determined to get it back at any cost. She also learns from speaker Lawrence Billings who gives body language and face reading seminars. She becomes a private student and somewhere along the way their relationship turns bizarre.

At first, as I begin reading, I enjoyed what was going on but thought all in all it would be a different book. I didn’t feel for the characters except for John and the ending just whimpered out. It was an okay book.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Me Ranting about Self-Published Authors

When I first started reviewing back some 3+ years ago, I would request books from self-published authors. I always enjoyed reading books from new authors. You may have noticed that most of my reviews as of late are from established authors and their books are from established publishing companies.

There are two reasons for this: the first, I was getting way too many books to read and review and secondly, some of those self-published books were poorly written and needed editing.

I always give my honest opinion on books I review even if they were one or two stars (poor and fair). In the beginning, I had reviewed a self-published book and gave it one star and posted it on Amazon. Within a few weeks, I received an email from the author’s representative asking me to take down my poor review. He apologized and said this was the first time he had been asked to do so. Being a new reviewer, I took down my review and to this day that book still has no reviews posted on Amazon. I wonder why. I also noticed that I have not gotten any requests for reviews from that agency again. Now I do not review self-published books that I feel only deserve one or two stars.

Recently, and the thing that is pissing me off, is that I am being harassed by a self-published author on a review of his first book that I gave three stars (good). I don’t know but I feel that getting a good rating for a first book (especially self-published is an accomplishment). But this author doesn’t think so and has come to name calling. What makes it worse is that I reviewed the book over two years ago and he now is attacking me.

This has made me very weary of reading and reviewing self-published books. These people need to learn to take the good with the bad. They are only hurting themselves.

In The Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Book Description
It's a cold, snowy December in the upstate New York town of Millers Kill, and newly-ordained Clare Fergusson is on thin ice as the first female priest of its small Episcopal church. Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne dismisses her as a naive do-gooder and her blunt manner, honed by eight years as an Army chaplain, receives a chilly reception. When a baby is abandoned and a young mother is brutally murdered, Clare has to pick her way through the secrets and silence that shadow the town like the ever-present Adirondack Mountains. As the days dwindle down and the attraction between the avowed priest and the married chief grows, Clare will need all her faith, tenacity and courage to stand fast against a killer's icy heart.

My thoughts
The novel begins when a baby is found on the steps of a church in the middle of a snowy winter. While investigating whose baby it is, the Chief of Police, Russ Van Alstyne and Claire Ferguson, the female priest of said church discover that the young mother was murdered.

As the story unfolds, the reader gets to learn more about Claire and Russ. These characters are well developed and have a chemistry that makes their investigation fun to read. I found this to be an enjoyable mystery.

Disclosure: I received this book for review through librarything.com. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Gold Kili Instant Ginger Lemon Drink

Product Description
Gold Kili's Instant Ginger Lemon Beverage Mix is made from top grade ginger and honey to give a unique taste, providing goodness and fragrance when consumed. Enhanced with tangy natural lemon flavor, the taste is certainly refreshing. Traditionally, ginger is used as-a spice to flavor food, however, people from many countries around Asia e g. India, China, Indonesia, etc., consume ginger products for motion sickness, to aid digestion and to restore the balance in the body. The inner foil envelope contains instantly dissolving crystals that make a spicy beverage. You can control the depth of favor by how much you add to you cup.

My thoughts
I tried this and was expecting more of a lemon tastes, but the ginger was very strong. There is honey in it? Didn’t taste that either. This is not a hot drink that I would try again.

Disclosure: I received this product for review through the amazon.com vine program. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Oath of Office by Michael Palmer

This book will be released on February 14, 2012.

Book Description
What if a well respected doctor inexplicably goes on a murderous rampage?

When Dr. John Meacham goes on a shooting spree the office, his business partner, staff, and two patients are killed in the bloodbath. Then Meacham turns the gun on himself.

The blame falls on Dr. Lou Welcome. Welcome worked with Meacham years before as a counselor after John's medical license had been revoked for drug addiction. Lou knew that John was an excellent doctor and deserved to be practicing medicine and fought hard for his license to be restored. After hearing the news of the violent outburst, Lou is in shock like everyone else, but mostly he's incredulous. And when he begins to look into it further, the terrifying evidence he finds takes him down a path to an unspeakable conspiracy that seems to lead directly to the White House and those in the highest positions of power.

My thoughts
Michael Palmer writes medical mystery/thrillers which are suspenseful and thought provoking and Oath of Office is no different. Unstable Dr. John Meacham goes on a shooting spree in his own office killing his partner, some and his staff and a few patients before turning the gun on himself. His friend Dr. Lou Welcome is blamed because he had previously help Meacham gets his license restored. He can’t believe that Meacham could do such a thing and investigates the reasons behind it. What he finds is a conspiracy that may lead to the White House.

Palmer has written another astonishing story that takes the reader through the medical and political arenas without losing us. Filled with suspense and action; it was definitely a good one!

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the author. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Gun Games by Faye Kellerman

Book Description
Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus are back in this gripping mystery involving a secret cabal of some of Los Angeles’ most wealthy—and vicious—teens .

LAPD lieutenant detective Decker and his wife, Rina, have willingly welcomed fifteen-year-old Gabriel Whitman, the son of a troubled former friend, into their home. While the enigmatic teen seems to be adapting easily, Decker knows only too well the secrets adolescents keep—witnessed by the tragic suicide of another teen, Gregory Hesse, a student at Bell and Wakefield, one of the city’s most exclusive prep schools.

Gregory’s mother, Wendy, refuses to believe her son shot himself and convinces Decker to look deeper. What he finds disturbs him. The gun used in the tragedy was stolen—evidence that propels him to launch a full investigation with his trusted team, Sergeant Marge Dunn and Detective Scott Oliver. But the case becomes darkly complicated by the suicide of another Bell and Wakefield student—a death that leads them to uncover an especially nasty group of rich and privileged students with a predilection for guns and violence. Decker thought he understood kids, yet the closer he and his team get to the truth, the clearer it becomes that he knows very little about them, including his own charge, Gabe. The son of a gangster and an absent parent, the boy has had a life filled with too much free time, too many unexplained absences, and too little adult supervision.

Before it’s over, the case and all its terrifying ramifications will take Decker and his detectives down a dark alley of twisted allegiances and unholy alliances, culminating at a heart-stopping point of no return.

My thoughts
This is the 20th book in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series. But this story focuses more on Gabe, a fifteen year old foster child that the couple has brought into their home. Meanwhile, Decker is asked to investigate the apparent suicide of another youth that the mother doesn’t believe. Neither does Decker and when another youth commits suicide, an investigation ensues.

Dealing with teenage angst and the trials and tribulations of young love is all find and dandy, but not for a police thriller. I wanted to see more of what I have come to expect in this series; the detective work and the family life of Decker. Not into a novel that has whole sections of ‘texting’. But the latter part of the book really gets the juices flowing and makes for a stimulating ending.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.

Adventures of my pal Spike

My pal Spike enjoying his first Superbowl game.

The Confession by Charles Todd

Book Description
Scotland Yard’s best detective, Inspector Ian Rutledge, must solve a dangerous case that reaches far into the past in this superb mystery in the acclaimed series.

Declaring he needs to clear his conscience, a dying man walks into Scotland Yard and confesses that he killed his cousin five years earlier during the Great War. When Inspector Ian Rutledge presses for details, the man evades his questions, revealing only that he hails from a village east of London. With little information and no body to open an official inquiry, Rutledge begins to look into the case on his own.

Less than two weeks later, the alleged killer’s body is found floating in the Thames, a bullet in the back of his head. Searching for answers, Rutledge discovers that the dead man was not who he claimed to be. What was his real name—and who put a bullet in his head? Were the “confession” and his own death related? Or was there something else in the victim’s past that led to his murder?

The inspector’s only clue is a gold locket, found around the dead man’s neck, that leads back to Essex and an insular village whose occupants will do anything to protect themselves from notoriety. For notoriety brings the curious, and with the curious come change and an unwelcome spotlight on a centuries-old act of evil that even now can damn them all.

My thoughts
In the years following WWI, a dying man walks into Inspective Ian Rutledge’s office and confesses to a murder. When Rutledge investigates to the story, and when he wants to question the man further, he is found dead with a bullet in his head. Soon he founds the man not who he claims to be and a town whose residents are all but helpful.

Being the first Rutledge mystery that I have read, I found the story to be intriguing and the characters colorful. With the various twists and subplots, Todd has created a satisfying mystery. I liked it.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.