The Dispatcher by Ryan David Jahn BLOG TOUR

Welcome to TLC Book Tours’ blog tour of Ryan David Jahn’s THE DISPATHCHER. First, I would like everyone to keep Ryan and his wife in their prayers. His wife had breast cancer two years ago, and they just found out the cancer has returned and metastasized to her bones and liver. The tour is continuing but Ryan David is not participating with any guest posts or interviews.

Now on with the tour…

Book Description
The phone rings. It’s your daughter. She’s been dead for four months. So begins Ian Hunt’s fight to get his daughter back. Hunt is a police dispatcher in the small East Texas town of Bulls Mouth. The call comes at the end of his shift, and it’s from his daughter, Maggie. Maggie, whose funeral he recently attended.

The call is cut-off by the man who snatched Maggie from her bedroom seven years ago. Up until that moment, the assumption was that Maggie had been murdered, but Ian has never given up hope of finding her. A basic description of the kidnapper is all Ian has to go on.
The trail leads to a local couple, but this is just the start of Ian’s battle to get his daughter back. What follows is a bullet-strewn cross-country chase along Interstate 10, from Texas to California.

An action-packed thriller whose East Texas setting evokes No Country for Old Men and whose story calls to mind that of Jaycee Dugard, THE DISPATCHER is sure to keep readers hooked until the very last page.

My thoughts
Ian Hunt receives a call while working as a police dispatcher and the caller is his daughter. His daughter that went missing seven years earlier and was recently legally declared dead. Before he could get any information, the call is cut off and she disappears again. For the past seven years, he hasn’t given up hope that is daughter is alive and now he will do anything to get her back!

The Dispatcher grabbed me from the first page since that’s when the phone call is received. It slows a little as character development takes place and the premise becomes more defined. But when Ian gives it all up to go after the abductor of his daughter, everything speeds up and the action unfolds. I enjoyed this book, but also thought some parts were a little unrealistic (some scenes seemed like they belong in a movie) but that didn’t stop me reading and getting fascinated by this thrill ride of a novel.

The Fallback Plan by Leigh Stein

Book Description
A hilarious debut novel about the tricky period between graduating from college and moving out of your parents’ house

What to do when you’ve just graduated from college and your plans conflict with those of your parents? That is, when your plans to hang out on the couch, re-read your favorite children’s books, and take old prescription tranquilizers, conflict with your parents plans that you, well, get a job?

Without a fallback plan, Eshter Kohler decides she has no choice but to take the job her mother has lined up for her: babysitting for their neighbors, the Browns.

It’s a tricky job, though. Six months earlier, the Browns’ youngest child died. Still, as Esther finds herself falling in love with their surviving daughter May, and distracted by a confusing romance with one of her friends, she doesn’t notice quite how tricky the job is … until she finds herself assuming the role of confidante to May’s mother Amy, and partner in crime to Amy’s husband Nate. Trapped in conflicting roles doomed to collide, Esther is forced to come up with a better idea of who she really is.

Both hilarious and heartbreaking, The Fallback Plan is a beautifully written and moving story of what we must leave behind, and what we manage to hold on to, as we navigate the treacherous terrain between youth and adulthood.

My thoughts
After college, Esther Kohler moves back in with her parents. Undecided on what she wants to do with her life; she is content just lying in bed until her father starts to charge her rent. She takes on a babysitting job.

As confusing as life is after college, this book is just as confusing. Although, a quick and easy, sad at times and humorous at other times; I felt that I could not connect with the characters or care. The Fallback Plan failed.

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

Baked Salmon with Spinach, Feta & Dill

This recipe came from the Weight Watcher’s One Pot Cookbook, but with a few alterations. The first being I used salmon instead of cod.

Baked Salmon with Spinach, Feta & Dill

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic in oil
12 ounces of baby spinach
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons Italian-season dried bread crumbs
½ teaspoon of lemon peel
1 tablespoons fresh dill
4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
4 tablespoons crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Heat 1 ½ teaspoons of the olive oil (saving the remaining oil for later) in a 2-quart shallow flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add scallions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently for another 30 seconds.

Add handful of spinach, the water and ¼ teaspoon of salt (saving the other ¼ teaspoon for later) to casserole dish, stirring until spinach is wilted. Add remaining spinach in batches, stirring until spinach is wilted before adding more. Remove casserole dish from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs.

Stir together the lemon peel, dill and remaining ½ teaspoon oil and ¼ teaspoon salt in small bowl. Rub herb mixture on both sides of salmon. Place fillets in one layer, on top of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with feta. Transfer casserole dish to oven and bake for 12 minutes until fish is cooked in center.

Serves 4. Each serving is only 5 Weight Watchers Plus Points!

The Mustard Seed by Todd White

Book Description
Imagine a book that combines the concepts behind two of the most popular books of all-time: Catcher in the Rye and Atlas Shrugged. This book would be a coming-of-age story, a love story, and a story about the power of ideas - the big, overarching ideas about love and faith, truth and morality. You've found that book in The Mustard Seed.

The plot of The Mustard Seed is focused on three friends (Brian, Mark, and Troy) who just graduated from college, and the challenges they overcome as they adjust to the "Real World." As the plot unfolds, each character goes through a spiritual and intellectual journey (although only one of them will complete that journey). The survivor comes to embody a unique life philosophy that will inspire readers everywhere.

Overall, The Mustard Seed is a gripping, emotionally riveting novel that is finding a wide audience among young people, spiritual seekers, and intellectuals.

My thoughts
I wasn’t sure what to expect in this book, but I must say that Todd White gets the reader to think about life and spiritualty as we follow these three friends as they leave college and enter life.

I found this book to be thought-provoking, to say the least. Very interesting.

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

Camp Sussex, Sussex County, NJ

Here are some photos I took recently of Camp Sussex, an abandoned and neglected summer camp. It has been closed for some time and I hear the 22 acres are for sale for $3,900,000!

Pineapple Grenade by Tim Dorsey

Book Description
Miami has always set the weirdness bar, but Serge Storms is back in action and ready to pole vault over it.

First, there’s the media frenzy over the “Hollow Man,” a gutless corpse found on the beach. And yet people think it’s perfectly normal to find dead sharks in the middle of downtown boulevards—or to spot black mushroom clouds behind the airport. Then there are the roving bands of carjackers who suddenly find themselves inconvenienced. Not to mention people lurking outside sex-addiction meetings.

Could this be the work of Serge, that eccentric trivialista and one-man vigilante? And why is he extensively photographing foreign consulates right before the critically important Summit of the Americas comes to town? Does it have something to do with Serge’s declaration to tell his ever-stoned sidekick, Coleman, that he’s decided to become a spy? Of course he’s not working for anyone yet, so Serge is content to just spy for himself until he shows up on radar and his talents are appreciated. His ace in the hole? Serge’s newly revamped Secret Master Plan! His spider senses tell him something big is about to go down in Miami, and it just might involve the recently reactivated CIA cell operating in the same historic building that plotted the overthrow of Fidel Castro.

The intelligence community isn’t amused, and they want answers:

How did Serge and Coleman get so cozy with the president of a banana republic?

Who is the femme fatale with a heart of gold—and national pride?

Why is the congressman in favor of the latest oil spill?

When did everyone in the city forget how to drive?

And what about the Most Laid Man in Miami?

Meanwhile, a mysterious international man of intrigue is shipping military arms around the clock, in competition with clandestine flights of souvenirs, causing the office of Homeland Security to take measures against people who aren’t scared enough. The crossfire of chaos continues to escalate as Serge plays Extreme Dominos in Little Havana, hurtling everyone toward a fateful climax that seems destined for the hemispheric summit jamboree on the shores of Biscayne Bay.

So put on your favorite pink flamingo shirt, hit the dunes of South Beach, and find all the answers in . . . Pineapple Grenade!

My thoughts
Serge Storms is a homicidal vigilante and with his sidekick, Coleman they are out to save Miami. This is a comical story that has some disturbing is not unique ways to kill a person. Tom Dorsey’s books are not for everyone. Although funny at times, I did not go hysterical and find Serge’s exploits colorful but not for me.

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

The Everitt House, Hackettstown, New Jersey

For our Valentine’s Day celebration, my wife and I decided to stay at a local Bed & Breakfast. We choose The Everitt House in Hackettstown, NJ. We don’t go into Hackettstown much so it was like a mini-getaway. And we choose a room with a Jacuzzi. There is nothing like a hot tub to soothe one’s old bones and muscles (okay, a massage would do it better).

The Everitt House is an old Victorian home that the owners have painted in colors that match the stained glass that is in the enclosed porch. It was green, burgundy and gray. The porch was too cold to actually use.
Our hostess Beverly was very nice and showed us around. Downstairs was filled with antique furniture and replications. She still had her Christmas tree up which made it homey and cozy. We walked up two flights of stairs to the third floor where our room was. The staircase was a little lopsided and I felt like I was a little drunk. (I know this is due to the house settling for the past 100 years or so).This being the highest point in the area, we could see across the entire town and the college. We even stepped out onto the roof (via the emergency door) and what a sight it was.

We were offered our choice of breakfast and time to eat. When Beverly left us, we went to use the Jacuzzi before heading out to visit a local winery and dinner. Breakfast the next morning was made fresh and we had blueberry pancakes (with lots of blueberries) and a warm cinnamon apple concoction. Yummy.

There was only one other guest there that day who was visiting his mother but out paths never crossed. All in all it was an enjoyable stay.
The things that I didn’t like is that there were face plates missing from a light switch and outlets, and a plastic shelf was resting the cabinet in the sitting room. Some of the wallpaper was peeling, so it felt like the place was a work in progress. I remember when the Everitt House was up for sale, but Beverly said they purchased a couple of years ago. A couple of the rooms were being used for storage. Their doors were ajar and we could see inside them.

Also, the hot water ran out quickly in the Jacuzzi which is odd for a house this size. One would think they would have a bigger water heater. The television was resting on a window sill and there was no way to watch as the bench in the sitting room was facing in another direction. I had to move the TV to the desk and push the seat 90 degrees so we could catch the Grammys. Lastly, although we were offered coffee or tea to drink with dinner, we were not offered something cold (water or juice).

I would still give The Everitt House 4 stars and would go back again.

How To Eat A Cupcake by Meg Donohue

This book will be released on March 13, 2012

Book Description
Free-spirited Annie Quintana and sophisticated Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clairs' housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia's San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship.

A decade later, Annie bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother's death, and a painful secret jeopardizes Julia's engagement to the man she loves. A chance reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, but when a mysterious saboteur opens up old wounds, they must finally face the truth about their past or risk losing everything.

My thoughts
Two girls who grew up together; wealthy Julia St. Clair and Annie Quintana, the daughter of one the St. Clair’s employees meet after being estranged for ten years. Together they open a cupcake shop and learn that their past hold a lot of secrets.

What started out as a promising story, became an average story of friendship and secrets. I found the characters stereotypical. Who hasn’t seen or read the rich/poor friend relationship before? Someone is trying to destroy the cupcake shop and it takes the whole book to figure out who and why. Not a mystery at all. It is was a quick read on the subway and not too memorable.

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

The Gingerbread Castle, Hamburg, NJ

Recently, I had the opportunity to be in Hamburg, New Jersey and wanted to see if the Gingerbread Castle was still standing. We had visited when I was a child and heard that previous attempts to restore the amusement park were unsuccessful. I also heard the rumor that it was being torn down to make room for new homes. So when I drove and didn’t see the castle, I was afraid that the rumors were correct.

My sister and i at the Gingerbread Castle (1970s)

Yet, I couldn’t find anything on the Internet regarding the Castle’s demise and what become of the artifacts inside. So I had to go back, and sure enough the building is still there. I was looking on the wrong side of the road.

I also read that the new owners are trying to get historical status for the castle so that they can create a non-profit and restore it to its former glory. I wish them all the best.

Here are some of the sites I visited when trying to learn more:
The Famous Joseph Urban's Fairy Tale House
Roadside America
Vacant New Jersey
Abandonedplaces.livejournal.com

Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream

This book will be released on March 6, 2012

Book Description
In thirty days Clementine Pritchard will be finished with her last painting and her life.

World-renowned artist and sharp-tongued wit Clementine Pritchard has decided that she's done. After flushing away a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions, she gives herself thirty days to tie up loose ends—finish one last painting, make nice with her ex-husband, and find a home for her cat. Clementine plans to spend the month she has left in a swirl of art-world parties, manic work sessions, and outrageous acts—but what she doesn't expect is to uncover secrets surrounding the tragedy that befell her mother and sister. In an ending no one sees coming, will we lose Clementine or will we find her?

A bold debut from an exciting new voice, Losing Clementine is a wonderfully entertaining and poignant novel about unanticipated self-discovery that features one of the most irresistible, if deeply flawed, characters to grace contemporary fiction in years.

My thoughts
Artist Clementine Pritchard pans on killing herself in thirty days. In those thirty days she wants to make amends with people and complete her final painting. She doesn’t want to deal with her mental disorder or her medications.

What seems like a depressing story is actually not. Clementine is an interesting character and the reader learns more about her as she learns about herself. This is a superb debut novel.

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

American Sniper by Chris Kyle

Book Description
He is the deadliest American sniper ever, called “the devil” by the enemies he hunted and “the legend” by his Navy SEAL brothers . . .

From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle’s kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the astonishing total number for this book. Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle’s masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time.

A native Texan who learned to shoot on childhood hunting trips with his father, Kyle was a champion saddle-bronc rider prior to joining the Navy. After 9/11, he was thrust onto the front lines of the War on Terror, and soon found his calling as a world-class sniper who performed best under fire. He recorded a personal-record 2,100-yard kill shot outside Baghdad; in Fallujah, Kyle braved heavy fire to rescue a group of Marines trapped on a street; in Ramadi, he stared down insurgents with his pistol in close combat. Kyle talks honestly about the pain of war—of twice being shot and experiencing the tragic deaths of two close friends.
American Sniper also honors Kyle’s fellow warriors, who raised hell on and off the battlefield. And in moving first-person accounts throughout, Kyle’s wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their marriage and children, as well as on Chris.

Adrenaline-charged and deeply personal, American Sniper is a thrilling eyewitness account of war that only one man could tell.

My thoughts
This is the memoir of an American sniper and his time overseas. Bu this is not a book for everyone. Chris Kyle details his life in and out of the Navy SEALS and the kills he made and the importance of his family. I found it to be dry reading. Although I found it to be somewhat interesting and informative, I also found myself drifting away as I read it.

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

Raylan: A Novel by Elmore Leonard

Book Description
With the closing of the Harlan County, Kentucky, coal mines, marijuana has become the biggest cash crop in the state. A hundred pounds of it can gross $300,000, but that’s chump change compared to the quarter million a human body can get you—especially when it’s sold off piece by piece.

So when Dickie and Coover Crowe, dope-dealing brothers known for sampling their own supply, decide to branch out into the body business, it’s up to U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens to stop them. But Raylan isn’t your average marshal; he’s the laconic, Stetson-wearing, fast-drawing lawman who juggles dozens of cases at a time and always shoots to kill. But by the time Raylan finds out who’s making the cuts, he’s lying naked in a bathtub, with Layla, the cool transplant nurse, about to go for his kidneys.

The bad guys are mostly gals this time around: Layla, the nurse who collects kidneys and sells them for ten grand a piece; Carol Conlan, a hard-charging coal-mine executive not above ordering a cohort to shoot point-blank a man who’s standing in her way; and Jackie Nevada, a beautiful sometime college student who can outplay anyone at the poker table and who suddenly finds herself being tracked by a handsome U.S. marshal.

My thoughts
This is the story of one U.S. Marshall, Raylan Givens and the many cases he handles. This is more of a bunch of short stories of his exploits and not one continues story. One such case is that he has to stop marijuana dealers, turned body part dealers; brothers Dickie and Coover Crowe. He is thwarted by their father and when he discovers who hired the boys; he may become the next supplier of body parts. Another is about a woman who is the representative of the coal company that is strip-mining the mountains and she will do anything to make sure she gets her way.

I liked the character of Raylan and the story flows with colorful dialogue and some interesting characters. I read that this is the basis of the television series “Justified”, but since I haven’t seen the show, I cannot remark on it, but as for this novel, it is a compelling suspense story.

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

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.

Author Michael Palmer is giving away signed bookplates!

Pre-order NYT best-selling Michael Palmer’s 17th medical/ political thriller OATH OF OFFICE and support The Food Project, a great organization in Eastern Massachusetts supporting youth through sustainable agriculture. Learn more about the initiative and how to get involved: http://on.fb.me/zya842

For those who checked out my giveaway for Michael Palmer’s OATH OF OFFICE, Michael asked me to spread the word that every person who pre-orders the book will also receive a signed bookplate and will be entered to win the Grand Prize: a personal phone call from him for them or their book club.

In order to track entries, he is asking readers to post that they have pre-ordered the book on his Facebook page, or by tagging @michael_palmer @TheFoodProject and #OathofOffice on Twitter. You can learn more about why he supports The Food Project and find more information about the initiative on his Facebook page.

I Zombie I by Jack Wallen Jr.

Book Description
"The virus has spread." In a moment of pure chaos, the majority of the Earth's population has become the walking dead. One man promises to help bring the truth to light. "The lies have spread." When journalist Jacob Plummer is infected, Jacob turns to the written word to not only ease the pain of change, but to bring to surface a truth far deeper and deadlier than anyone could have imagined. "The truth must now be spread." With some new friends, Jacob helps to fight off the growing undead horde in hopes of saving himself and the planet from the rot growing within.

My thoughts
Jacob Plummer is a report on assignment in Munich, Germany when all hell breaks loose. Hell in the way of a virus that spreads like wildfire and turns those affected into zombies. And we all know that zombies love to eat human flesh. With the help of other survivors; including the scientist who created they virus; they search for a cure before it’s too late. Meanwhile, Jacob is record his thoughts of all that is happening around him.

I don’t recall how I learned about this book, but am glad that I downloaded it. For a self-published novel, this is one of my favorite zombie stories and Jack Wallen did a wonderful job in keeping it fresh and suspenseful. I don’t want to reveal spoilers so if you’re into zombie stories; this is a must read.

Disclosure: I downloaded this book for free via amazon.com kindle. I received no compensation for my thoughts.