Category: Fiction Page 122 of 341

A Good Kill

by John McMahon
Series: Detective P.T. Marsh, #3

eARC, 384 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2021

Read: June 11-14, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s A Good Kill About?

We open P.T. Marsh and his partner, Remy, on the grounds of a high school where an active shooter has taken some hostages. The two of them are able to bring things to a swift resolution, gaining them praise as heroes. The question stops being “who could do this” and changes into a “why did someone do this.”

Due to the staff size for this small city and that there are other crimes that need investigating, P.T. and Remy have to look into a double homicide while the other partners continue to follow up on the shooter. It’s this crime that provides most of what P.T. and Renee to go down a rabbit hole of corruption—one that might tie into the killing of his wife and son a few years back. Even if it doesn’t—it certainly ties into several deaths, drug use/sales, and other crimes.

A Word About the School Shooting

As we talked about in the Q&A yesterday, mass shootings in general—but specifically school shootings—are about as controversial as anything in American culture today. As they should be, I think I can say without getting into it. And some readers might be put off of the book because of that, this would be a mistake. First, because as McMahon said, “the subject is not entered into divisively or politically.”

Secondly, while the book starts with the school shooting—it’s not what the book is about. It’s the instigating event. It casts a shadow over everything that happens in the days following it for P.T. and the rest of Mason Falls. You can’t get away from it for long (but there are a few pages every now and then that might draw your attention away from it).

It reminded me of the Ian Rankin novel A Question of Blood, where Rebus is called to come help a friend look into a school shooting, and it turns out to be about a lot more than that. The two books approach the subject differently and go in different directions with it. But that doesn’t stop the reader from thinking about them at the same time.

Wait—You Can Do This In a Procedural?

P.T. and his partner Remy get along—they spend time with each other outside of work. Yes, they disagree on some things, but there’s a mutual affection and respect. In fact, that carries through the department—detectives and uniformed officers, every detective, even the Chief and everyone else—they look out for each other, support and help each other.* There’s no petty jealousies coloring things, no rivalry, no behind-the-scenes machinations. I cannot think of another police procedural like that, what a refreshing change.

* Okay, the Force Investigation Unit detective has something against P.T.

Now, there are politicians at various levels and federal agents from a couple of agencies—so I’m not suggesting it’s all rainbows and unicorns. In fact, things get pretty nasty on these other points. So it’s not like P.T. has nothing to worry about or put up with.

Jumping On At This Point

This is a tricky one to jump into the series with—McMahon says that he treated the three books as a series, and so jumping on with the third book brings some challenges. And no matter how well he blends in the details about what happened in the first two books, readers like me are going to miss something. But McMahon does a great job in giving you enough information from the first two books that you can jump in and get almost all the weight of the first two books on P.T. and the rest. I knew I missed out on some of the nuances, but I had no problem following things or caring about the way he wraps up this trilogy within a series.

I’m not convinced I could go back and read the first two at this point, I should add. But you never know…

Purvis!

Purvis is an eight-year-old bulldog, who had been P.T.’s son’s pet but is now P.T.’s. Not only is he good for comic relief. P.T. bounces a lot of ideas off of Purvis, who is just the listener P.T. needs. It was a really good depiction of a man and his pet, and you all know I’m a sucker for that kind of thing, and Purvis is off to a commanding lead in my “Favorite Pets of 2021” race.

There’s another dog, who seems like an adorable handful, in this book, and in P.T.’s life now. He seems like he could be a fun cast member—but the star of the K-9 action is Purvis. Still, I hope I get to see both of them again soon.

So, what did I think about A Good Kill?

There’s very little about this book that didn’t work for me—great characters; solid, twisty story; some strong action scenes; and believable criminals around at every stage. There’s more than your daily minimum requirement of fictional emotions—P.T. and Remy are put through the wringer, and you feel it at every step of the way. Which just makes the ending of the book so much more meaningful, even to people who hadn’t read the two previous books. You name it, McMahon provides it in one way or another.

All of this just makes this Crime Fiction reader all sorts of happy.

Grab this one, or the first in the trilogy, The Good Detective. You won’t regret it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this, and to Wiley Saichek and Saichek Publicity for bringing it to my attention.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

A Few Quick Questions…with John McMahon

By HCNewton

On June 16, 2021

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

I wasn’t able to finish my post about John McMahon’s A Good Kill in time for this morning, but I wanted to get something up about the book today. Thankfully, McMahon had taken part in the Q&A with me over the weekend. I really enjoyed his answers to this, and hope you do, too. Even more, I hope this Q&A makes you curious about the book, which is absolutely worth your time. Before we get to the his As and my Qs, here’s a little about the book:

In the years since the unsolved deaths of his wife and son, Detective P.T. Marsh of Mason Falls, Georgia, has faced demons professional and personal. But when he is called to the scene of an unfolding crime and secures a clean look at an active shooter, the professional and personal become intertwined…and the consequences are shattering.

As Marsh and his partner Remy investigate the shooting, they confront confounding questions—and their search for answers leads them to a conspiracy at the highest levels of local government. The stakes in the case become increasingly high, culminating in a showdown that has Marsh questioning everything he knows…and wondering if some secrets are better left undiscovered.

At some point in time you decide that the instigating event for this book is going to be a school shooting—easily one of the most divisive things in the country. What led you to that pick? How do you go about researching that to make it authentic? How often did you regret that choice?
You’re 100% right to say that it’s a touchy subject, and for good reason. There’s been so many devastating active shooter events, at schools and other locations in the last two decades. But I think as you read the book, you see that the subject is not entered into divisively or politically.

In terms of the research, there was a playbook for how police handled this situation for years. Now that’s changed multiple times, most notably after Columbine. So unfortunately we’re living in an age where police manuals are available, as well as a lot of minute-by-minute reporting on the subject. Both those helped with authenticity.

There are elements of this novel that have their roots in (I assume, as this is my first encounter with your work) in the first novel. Had you been planning to keep this story going this long initially? How do you juggle the need to plant seeds to develop this slowly while keeping the readers of Books 1 and 2 engaged and keeping newcomers from feeling lost?
The three books are definitely a trilogy in my head, and certain storylines are one and two books long—while others last three books. But you’re right—it’s a juggling act.

I think it’s incumbent on the author to re-introduce key elements and characters in each book, so someone can join the hunt wherever they find a book. But you don’t want to bog it down for existing readers. Also, as you said, I’m planting seeds and laying long leads for future stories, past this book. I think part of the key is to leave some details unknown even to the author. Trust the subconscious.

I think of the three novels—#1 and #3 are the easiest to pick up and simply read as a stand-alone. So the optimal read starts with THE GOOD DETECTIVE—goes to THE EVIL MEN DO – and continues now with A GOOD KILL. That said, I’ve realized that readers will find book #2 first, then read #1. In my acknowledgments, I’ve invited readers to reach out, and a lot have emailed me they had no issues reading backwards, from two to one.

I loved Purvis—both in choosing to give Marsh a dog, and the choice of/characterization of this particular dog. Is there a real-life model for him? What are the downsides of having a character like him?
When I was writing book one, THE GOOD DETECTIVE… at some point, Purvis was in the back of P.T. Marsh’s F-150. I was writing the first 50 pages and Purvis just suddenly blurted out something. Like aloud.

I think in the first draft the bulldog said “So this is how we’re dealing with this shit, huh? For real?” As a writer I thought—am I crazy? Does P.T. have a talking dog? This is moody stuff I’m writing. Not a Disney movie. But surprisingly it worked. Purvis is sort of P.T.’s conscience in a lot of ways. Plus, he was technically not originally P.T.’s dog. He belonged to Jonas, P.T.’s son (who passed before the time of the first book). So Purvis is also a window into that old life and time period.

But in Book #3, A GOOD KILL, another dog is introduced, called Beau. This one has a real-life model: my own five-year-old Huskie retriever mix, Tessie. You might say they’re identical.

It’s Release Week for A Good Kill. How nervous are you? How’s it compare to the previous novels?
Where I get nervous is—will people discover the book? I had about 10 test readers on this one, through the final edits and into the final manuscript. Many were writers. Some were big time authors I’ve met in the last two years. And everyone was loving the book. But… that doesn’t mean readers will find it.

Book #2 came out last March, and there were a lot more pressing things going on in the world in March 2020. I was literally on tour on a Tuesday with fans in Houston, and the following day the world shut down. That was hard and hurt discovery of the book. So about three times as many people read #1 than #2. It’s understandable given the pandemic, but book discovery is a challenge for new authors. Avid readers are following 6 or 7 series, and they’re not physically browsing stores like they used to. So getting your work out there is a challenge. I’ve been featured in The NY Times “Top 10 Crime Novels of the Year” the last two years, and that’s helped tremendously.

For this book, I’m really excited to have people read it. The story in A GOOD KILL poured out of me faster than anything I’d written. Also, because of the pandemic, I had extra time to do a full re-write. I think it’s my strongest book, so I am excited to hear what readers think.

There’s a game we play around here, called “Online Bookstore Algorithm”. What are 3-5 books whose readers may like A Good Kill?
That’s a fun game. I think people who like these books would love A GOOD KILL:

Michael Connelly, THE DROP.
James Lee Burke, HEAVEN’S PRISONERS.
Brian Panowich, BULL MOUNTAIN.

I think the Panowich book would hit the algorithm for characters, the Connelly book for plot and police procedural, and James Lee Burke, for setting, although my settings/descriptions are not as thick as Burke’s. I should add that the above 3 are some of my favorite writers, so this could be a dream algorithm too.

What’s next for John McMahon, author?
I’ve been working for ten months on a new stand-alone. It’s not set in Mason Falls, Georgia, and P.T. Marsh is not in the story. It’s a high-concept FBI ensemble book, and I cannot wait for people to read it. Because it’s a new world and I want to get it right, I’ve decided to add 6-8 months to my writing timetable. My agent has read a partial, thinks the book feels big and reads like a T.V. show. So fingers crossed.

(Post note: The main character’s nickname in the stand-alone is “H.C.” Can’t say more than that now  but funny coincidence)

Clearly, this main character is a person of wisdom and taste—can’t wait to meet them.

Thanks for your time—and thanks for A Good Kill. I’m really enjoying it, and hope you have plenty of success with it.

I also want to thank Wiley Saichek and Saichek Publicity for arranging this Q&A and bringing the novel to my attention.

Meat is Murder by Chris McDonald: Adam and Colin Look into an Activist’s Death

By HCNewton

On June 15, 2021

In Book Tour, Chris McDonald/Frost, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, The Stonebridge Mysteries

Meat is Murder Tour Banner

Meat is Murder

by Chris McDonald
Series: The Stonebridge Mysteries, #3

eBook, 142 pg.
Red Dog Press, 2021

Read: June 10, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Meat is Murder About?

Really, as with most of the investigation, he didn’t know what he was doing here. He was hoping that something would appear at his feet, or become luminous like in a video game, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen, so he got busy.

The amateurest of amateur detectives are back for another investigation. This time, it appears that a man died in setting fire to an abattoir in an act of protest. Hours earlier, he’d been part of a group that had chained itself to the front gates, interfering with a tour that a prospective buyer had intended to make. After that had been broken up by the police, the story goes, Tyler Love had come back to make a bigger and hotter statement and things had gotten away from him.

The police are done with the matter and have moved on. Tyler’s mom, on the other hand, wants some reassurance. So she convinces Adam to look into his death for her.

Speaking Ill…

‘Like I say, I don’t want to speak ill of the dead. All I’ll say is that he wasn’t well liked.’

‘By who?’

‘By most of the group…’

Tyler was not a good guy. In fact, outside of his mother, it’s difficult to find anyone who has a good thing to say about him. I’m enjoying the way that McDonald finds victims that the reader can have almost no sympathy for. None of these are hardened criminals, they aren’t the dregs of society, but they’re just…jerks. People that no reader is going to want to spend time with, generally fresh off of doing something no reader wants to associate themselves with.

So why do we care who killed them? Why do we care why they died? Because of these two yutzes who until recently were only good for playing FIFA and binging Netflix. They’re who make this series work, who make these stories interesting—the stories are good enough, but it’s McDonald’s work with these characters that brings readers back.

Incremental Growth

The feeling of pride he’d had at solving those cases had spurred him on to do something with his life. That something had turned out to be a garden maintenance business. It had started small; just him, his car, a lawnmower and a rickety trailer he’d managed to salvage from the dump.

Now, here he was, unloading tools from a van with his name and company logo on the side.

That point about “until recently” is the key—yeah, they still binge Sherlock, etc. They probably spend too much time playing FIFA even in this novella. But they’re stumbling into maturity.

Adam’s business is growing, and his relationship with his mother is much better than it was in the first novella. Colin’s still doing well at his job—and is even able to use his position to their advantage in this investigation—he’s again the one putting his health and well-being on the line while Adam’s off trying to learn something through questioning.

So, what did I think about Meat is Murder?

‘I don’t think I could handle any more excitement,’ Adam said.

‘I don’t think Stonebridge has any more to throw at us.’

‘You say that, but…

I continue to really enjoy this series—it’s a highlight of 2021 for me. And Meat is Murder is a great example of it.

Despite what Colin predicts—Stonebridge has more to throw at them. This is the most dangerous case these two have yet taken on, but that doesn’t stop it from being a little silly, a little fun, and very enjoyable.

It’s a quick, clever, and fun read that’ll keep you turning pages and make you regret that it’s over quite so soon. You should grab this one—and the other two if you haven’t yet—and join me in eagerly awaiting the next.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

My thanks to Red Dog Press for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novella) provided.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Meat is Murder (Stonebridge #3) by Chris McDonald

By HCNewton

On June 15, 2021

In Book Tour, Chris McDonald/Frost, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, The Stonebridge Mysteries

I’m excited to welcome the Book Tour for the third installment in The Stonebridge Mysteries, Meat is Murder by Chris McDonald this morning. Check back next hour for my take on the novella, but for now, let’s start by learning a little about this book, okay?

Meat is Murder Tour Banner

Book Details:

Book Title: Meat is Murder by Chris McDonald
Series: The Stonebridge Mysteries
Publisher: Red Dog Press
Release date: June 8, 2021
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Ebook
Length: 142 pages

Book Blurb:

McNulty’s Meats, one of Stonebridge’s oldest businesses, is about to be taken over in a lucrative deal that would make brothers Ron and Kevin very rich men indeed. Unfortunately for them, local activist Tyler Love has other ideas. Convinced that the deal would be bad for the town, he burns the place to the ground and inadvertently kills himself in the process.

At least, that’s what the police think.

Tyler’s mum disagrees and pleads with amateur sleuths Adam and Colin to investigate. Although, going up against the psychopathic McNulty brothers, a rival businessman, a group of hippies, and a girlfriend with secrets of her own might not be such a good idea… Someone has something to hide, and will go to great lengths to keep that secret buried.

Meat is Murder is the third book in The Stonebridge Mysteries series of Cosy Crime novellas.

About the Series:

Stonebridge is a small town on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Most of its inhabitants are friendly, happy people. Most of them… Because bad things happen even in the happiest of places. It’s a good thing, then, that Adam Whyte and Colin McLaughlin call Stonebridge home.

Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of detective shows, a misplaced sense of confidence, and a keen desire to see justice done, these two are the closest thing the town has to saviors. Which isn’t that reassuring…

About Chris McDonald:

Originally hailing from the north coast of Northern Ireland and now residing in South Manchester, Chris McDonald has always been a reader. At primary school, The Hardy Boys inspired his love of adventure before his reading world was opened up by Chuck Palahniuk and the gritty world of crime. A Wash of Black is his first attempt at writing a book. He came up with the initial idea whilst feeding his baby in the middle of the night, which may not be the best thing to admit, considering the content. He is a fan of 5-a-side football, heavy metal and dogs. Whispers in the Dark is the second installment in the DI Erika Piper series, and Chris is currently working on his latest series, The Stonebridge Mysteries, published by Red Dog Press in 2021.

Purchase Links:

Amazon ~ Kobo ~ Google ~ Red Dog Press

My thanks to Red Dog Press for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison: Cincy’s New Boss Vampire has Rachel on the Ropes

By HCNewton

On June 14, 2021

In Fiction, Kim Harrison, The Hollows (Rachel Morgan), Urban Fantasy

Million Dollar Demon

by Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows, #15

eARC, 464 pg.
Ace, 2021

Read: June 3-7, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Million Dollar Demon About?

It hasn’t been all that long for Rachel Morgan, but for her readers, it’s been ten books (and 14 years) since Cincinnati’s Master Vampire was killed. When this book opens, Constance, the new Master Vampire is days away from arriving to take over.

But she’s already exerting her influence to make things difficult for non-Vampire Interlanders in the city. From bogus evictions, trumped-up charges, intimidation, and just about everything else you can think of. There’s a certain common denominator among many of these targets—they’re tied in some way to Rachel. In more than a few cases, Rachel herself is clearly the target.

The message delivered is very clear—it’s time for Rachel to get out of town. Otherwise, Constance is going to make Rachel’s life miserable—and she’ll also target Rachel’s friends and families, their friends and families, and anyone that looks like might be sympathetic.

One of Rachel’s demon friends mentions an idea—it hasn’t been used recently but there is an old demon office called the subrosa—essentially the demon equivalent of the Master Vampire (there are nuances that I need to let you read for yourselves). Rachel initially blows off the suggestion to take up that mantle and from that position she can take on Constance, save some innocents and perhaps the city. But she keeps circling back to that idea, and her allies keep trying to talk her into it.

As a quick aside—Jane Yellowrock has a tendency to do things like this, too (I just finished revisiting Raven Cursed and the two reminded me of each other). It might not be a bad idea when someone mentions you taking up a title/position that you’ve never heard of to ask a few questions before you think about assuming the title.

Add in the ongoing drama with Trent and the Elves, the Elves fluctuating power structure, the changing relations between Elves and Demons, the Demons internal problems, Rachel’s problems with the Demons (and Al in particular), and…well, all the stuff that we all thought were pretty well settled until last year’s American Demon showed us we were wrong. Basically, there’s a lot going on.

Constance

The idea that the ruling Vampires named Constance as the City’s Master is pretty troubling. She is, to put it simply, bat guano crazy. I don’t remember a lot about her predecessor, Piscary, but I remember he was nasty and cruel. But Constance is a monster. She’s the kind of character that UF heroes are supposed to be focused on taking down, I wish Rachel had been quicker to step up (although I do understand her reasoning). I’ve been reading Urban Fantasy for about sixteen years, and I’ve seen a lot of nasty vampires (and other creatures), and Constance has got to be in the running for the worst.

But I’ve got to tell you, by the end of this book, I was convinced that her #2, Pike, is likely the vampire that’s the real threat. I’m wondering what you think.

So, what did I think about Million Dollar Demon?

I liked it. I had a lot of fun in these pages. And for a series as long-in-the-tooth as this one is, that’s saying something.

I didn’t get as thorough in this post as usually do and/or intended to. I had a few more notes that I wanted to cover, and I actually deleted 5 paragraphs from this because it just ended up being too vague to be of use—or all that interesting. Almost everything that I really wanted to chew on falls under what I’d call a spoiler.

Because there is a lot going on here—after shaking up the status quo in American Demon Harrison establishes—or at least starts to—a new status quo. She’s ignored Vampires for quite a while, and that’s over (and we shouldn’t expect that werewolves won’t stay out of the spotlight, either). I’m not convinced she’s pushing Elves or Demons to the back burner any time soon, but they’re going to have company on the front. How she’s going to keep all these balls in the air at the same time? I have no idea, but it’s going to be fun to watch.

Million Dollar Demon was exciting, there was plenty of drama, a lot of good action, and some important character growth—and as I said, it was fun. At the end of the day, that’s all I ask for.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Creature Feature (Audiobook) by Steven Paul Leiva, Seamus Dever, and Juliana Dever ★ ★ ★ ★ A 1950s Monster Movie Comes to Life in a 1960s Midwest Town

By HCNewton

On June 10, 2021

In Audiobook, Fiction

Creature Feature

by Steven Paul Leiva, Narrated by Seamus Dever and Juliana Dever

Unabridged Audiobook, 4 hrs. 23 min.
2021

Read: June 8, 2021

What’s Creature Feature About?

It’s the early 1960s and Kathy Anderson has put her aspirations of Broadway stardom on hold in favor of a steady paycheck for a few years. She’s spent those years as Vivacia, the Vampire Woman—Chicago’s version of Vampira/Elvira, Mistress of the Dark—hosting monster movies on a local television station. But she’s had enough of that, it’s time to get back to being a serious actress. She quits and plans to head to New York and get back to the career she dreamed of.

But first, she heads home to Placidville. She plans on spending some time with her parents and the people she grew up around. When she arrives, her parents are acting a bit strange—actually, everyone (literally everyone) in town is acting strange. And everyone from her parents, to her parents’ friends, to random people she meets on the street, to the town’s hunky new mayor are major Vivacia fans. It’s almost too much for Kathy—but what puts her over the edge is her best friend’s dorky brother who keeps showing up to insist that something is wrong, and only he can help her see it.

The next thing that Kathy knows, she’s in the middle of something reminiscent of one of the movies from Vivacia’s House of Horrors, struggling to survive and hopefully saving the world as we know it.

Judging by the official description, that’s really all that I feel free to say—I had a few other notes along those lines, but…I don’t want to give anything else away. That’s enough of the setup, though, to pique your interest, I think. The tone is a tricky one—the threat is real, Kathy is in serious trouble—but the whole thing is told in a comedic tone. You’re supposed to find it silly while you’re hoping that Kathy susses out what’s going on, you chuckle when she’s running for her life.

The Audiobook Experience

As this post is part of the Audiobook tour, I should focus on that for a little bit. Which is great—because this is a great match of material and medium. I’d have no problem believing that this was written as an audiobook exclusively, it’s perfectly fitting.

A lot of that is due to Seamus Dever’s narration. He hits the tone just right—he’s close to going over-the-top without ever slipping into parody. It’s clearly funny material, but he plays it straight. Still, he sounds like he’s having fun—and it’s hard not to join in. And Juliana Dever nails the character of Kathy (and her alter ego).

At the same time, the approach to this audiobook still feels odd. Seamus handles almost all the voice duties—narration and every character’s dialogue that isn’t Kathy/Vivacia. Juliana handles only Kathy/Vivacia’s dialogue (and announces the chapters). I haven’t come across this way of dividing the duties before and it struck me as odd. But—after the first couple of minutes I got used to it, and it works.

I’m not sure that the special effects added much to the experience—maybe even detracted from it. In particular, the reverb/echo effect added to Juliana’s voice when she was reading Kathy’s thoughts, just got on my nerves. It’s only done a few times and doesn’t hurt things much, but it was distracting.

So, what did I think about Creature Feature?

I think maybe the easiest way to think about this is as a short novel written by Ed Wood. But where Wood would be earnest and sincere in telling this story, Leiva is going for laughs. It’s a Classic B-Movie Monster story but told in a way where the goofiness is intentional and designed for laughs, not as a scare that misses its mark.

The characters are probably a bit more fleshed out than the genre requires, the setting is great, the execution is really well done—both with the text, but especially in audio production. I think if I’d read the print version, I’d be handing out 3 Stars for this, but the Devers took this to another level.

In the end, either version is going to keep you entertained for a few hours and make you curious about other things that Leiva has written. Give this one a shot folks, I think you’ll be glad you did.

4 Stars

My thanks to Let’s Talk Promotions and Psst…Promotions for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the audiobook) they provided.

Lizard Flambe: An EXCERPT from Creature Feature by Steven Paul Leiva

By HCNewton

On June 10, 2021

In Audiobook, Fiction, Quotations

Earlier this morning, I talked about the book, and now I get to give you a little taste—I hope it hooks you the way it did me.

from Creature Feature by Steven Paul Leiva

Those who survived the calamity-that-almost-was entered into a conspiracy of silence. No—let me rewrite that, ‘conspiracy’ is too jaundiced a word. They entered into a pact of silence for fear of causing mass hysteria, and worldwide panic, and general consternation, and rampant indigestion.

But now is the time to finally reveal the truth so long hidden from you. And now is the time to speak of the hero and heroine (if I may not be too politically incorrect in using the feminine) who in the summer of ‘62 not only saved our bacon—but the whole damn pork enchilada. And only I can do that because only I know the whole story.

And as it is a story of black and white, put on your black and white specs and take a good look as we……enter deep into a dark swamp thick with bald cypress trees standing on their cypress knees as murky and mucky water flows around and all the cormorants and whooping cranes and anhingas have run, flown, or darted away; all the ducks have ducked underwater; and even the bald eagles and various hawks have lit out for safer territory as monumental hand-to-hand combat between a good-looking, well-muscled, male human hero in khaki clothes and a nugly, giant, two-legged lizardman of some exceptional martial skill, disturbs the usual peace of the swamp. A high-pitched scream is heard as a gorgeous blonde with perfect makeup and a blouse missing some buttons, fears for the life of the male human she may or may not have had carnal relations with and, not incidentally, her own life as well while clinging to the knee of a bald cypress tree.

Finally, the male human hero gets the upper hand and manages to push the lizardman into a shallow part of the swamp with strange gasses hovering close to the water’s surface. From his belt, the hero grabs a flare gun and does not hesitate to send a flare straight into the water, right between the lizardman’s legs. Hellfire explodes all around the lizardman. It is a fire that one knows is red and yellow with white-hot heat, but here it is only illuminated shades of gray. The lizard‐man, confused by the searing heat and pain lets out an unearthly howl as he slowly cooks to death. The good-looking, well-muscled, male human hero in khaki grabs the gorgeous blonde with perfect makeup and a blouse missing some buttons, and holds her tight as three-dimensionally looking letters in two dimensions fly up from nowhere and smack against the screen spelling out ATTACK OF THE LIZARDMAN and THE END and MADE IN HOLLYWOOD U.S.A.

The broadcast of this early 1950s horror flick being over, the small studio at Chicago’s WAGO-TV station bustled and burst with color (colorful set, colorful language from frustrated technicians) as they switched to live to finish this episode of Vivacia’s House of Horrors. The beautiful Vivacia herself—pale of face framed by long raven’s wing (what else?) black hair and wearing a slinky and slick ebony satin dress with a plunging neckline (or décolletage if we want to bring a little lift to the thought)—lounged sensually on her huge, round bed with blood-red silk sheets (the producer had gotten the idea from Chicago native Hugh Hefner).

She looked directly into camera number one and held up what looked exactly like a barbecued lizard on a stick and said in her deep, silky voice, “Oooooooo—lizard flambe!” With a ravenous, anticipatory smile, Vivacia parted her lips, brought the lizard flambe to her mouth, and took a generous bite full of sexual subtext. She chewed, savored, swallowed, then said, “I love it!”

A snort and a whimper came from her side as a little hunchback man with a twisted face bounced on the bed next to her. “Would you like a little bite, Grossie?”

Read the rest in Creature Feature by Steven Paul Leiva–or listen to the audiobook Narrated by Seamus Dever and Juliana Dever–to see what happens from here.

Thanks to Let’s Talk Promotions and Psst…Promotions for this excerpt!

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Creature Feature (Audiobook) by Steven Paul Leiva, Seamus Dever, and Juliana Dever

By HCNewton

On June 10, 2021

In Audiobook, Book Tour, Fiction

Today I welcome the Book Tour for the audiobook for Creature Feature by Steven Paul Leiva and narrated by Seamus Dever and Juliana Dever. Following this spotlight post, I have an excerpt (from the text version) here in a bit, and then I’ll be giving my take on the audiobook. But let’s start by learning a little about this here book, okay? Oh, and be sure to check out the Giveaway of the audiobook below!

Book Details:

Book Title: Because You’re Mine by Luna Miller
Narrators:
Publisher: Magpie Press (print edition)
Release date: September 21, 2020 (print edition), April 13, 2021 (audiobook)
Format: Paperback/Ebook/Audiobook
Length: 158 pages; 4 hours and 23 minutes

Book Blurb:

THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENING IN PLACIDVILLE!

It is 1962. Kathy Anderson, a serious actress who took her training at the Actors Studio in New York, is stuck playing Vivacia, the Vampire Woman on Vivacia’s House of Horrors for a local Chicago TV station.

Finally fed up showing old monster movies to creature feature fans, she quits and heads to New York and the fame and footlights of Broadway.

She stops off to visit her parents and old friends in Placidville, the all-Ameican, middle-class, blissfully normal Midwest small town she grew up in.

But she finds things are strange in Placidville.

Kathy’s parents, her best friend from high school, the local druggist, even the Oberhausen twins are all acting curiously creepy, odiously odd, and wholly weird. Especially the town’s super geeky nerd, Gerald, who warns of dark days ahead.

Has Kathy entered a zone in the twilight? Did she reach the limits that are outer? Has she fallen through a mirror that is black? Or is it just—just—politics as usual!

About Steven Paul Leiva:

A Scribe award-winner, receiving the praise of Ray Bradbury and the Oscar-winning film producer, Richard Zanuck, Steven Paul Leiva is no stranger to the business of telling a good story. Author of several novels, and with a writing-style that lays hard on the satire, this Hollywood-escapee doesn’t pull punches when it comes to politics.
Need to know more? Follow him on Amazon or Goodreads, or check out his blog here: http://emotionalrationalist.blogspot.com/p/about-steven-paul-leiva.html

About Seamus Dever:

Seamus Dever is best known to television audiences as Detective Kevin Ryan on ABC’s Castle. He played Sherlock Holmes in the Audie Award-winning “Hound of the Baskervilles” with LA Theatre Works and has 10 other radio plays with them and the BBC. He is the voice of the villain John Seed in the hit video game “Far Cry 5” and originated the DC Comic’s bad guy Trigon on “Titans.” Dever has performed in over 80 plays and has 300 hours of television to his name. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Juliana.

About Juliana Dever:

Juliana Dever is a professional actor, writer, and world traveler. She’s best known for her role as Jenny Ryan on the globally popular show Castle. Recently you may have seen her brilliant performance in “Stalked by My Husband’s Ex” on Lifetime. Having traveled to over 60 countries, her award-winning travel blog CleverDeverWherever.com (named Best Independent Travel Blog in North America) helps readers find unexpected experiences in unusual places. She curates adventures through former communist countries and Frommer’s listed her tours as a trend that will shape travel.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My thanks to Let’s Talk Promotions and Psst…Promotions for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the audiobook) they provided.

Morte Point by Rob Parker: Things Go From Worse to Worse to Much Worse for Bracken

By HCNewton

On June 7, 2021

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Morte Point

by Rob Parker
Series: Ben Braken, #2

Kindle Edition, 218 pg.
Lume Books, 2020

Read: May 21-25, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

I’m…enjoying myself.

Some people like collecting beer mats. Some like keeping tabs on birds, bugs, animals… whatever. Some like walking, running, going to the gym. We all get our kicks from somewhere. I’m open enough to enjoy all the above. But I’m never happier, nor more focused, than when I am getting shit done while the chips are down. Now, floating between the shallow rocks off the Atlantic, using my wits, guts and training to elude a mysterious force, I am in my element; my absolute, unrelenting element.

What’s Morte Point About?

Something is about to happen at Morte Point, he can’t get into details with Ben, but his police contact and his entire agency have been waved off from it by a higher power. Which just means it’s time for something unofficial to happen—enter Ben Bracken, the former soldier, escaped convict, and patriot on his one-man crusade to take on the criminals that England’s justice system can’t handle.

With only a couple of details given to him, Bracken finds his way to the North Devon coast just in time, retrieves the item he was sent for—and then has to spend the next few days eluding armed men of various skill levels, government officials with differing priorities and ethics, and nature red in tooth and claw—and a few other hazards.

Can he survive long enough to do the right thing with what he retrieved? Is there a right thing to do with it? Is Ben on his own enough, or will he have to find allies to get the job done?

Does Parker Have Something Against Ben?

The number of things that go wrong for Ben in the first 40% of this novel is pretty astounding. And by “go wrong,” I generally mean “inflict some sort of injury” to him. He’s being hunted by a group with numbers, resources, and determination; he cannot make contact with anyone he can trust; and he’s injured repeatedly (to varying degrees of seriousness). It’s bad enough that if you didn’t know there were two more books published (with one imminent), you’d start to wonder if the last half of the book was going to get a different narrator. It’s like Parker was angry about something and took it out on Ben.

Things to lighten up for him—which isn’t to say that the rest of the book is easy, the problems continue, just less frequently (but they’re of a higher degree of seriousness).

A Step too Far?

I sleep the sleep of a man who knows he has done wrong. I sleep a sleep that is deep, yet forced, unbroken yet tormented, as my subconscious pretends that what I did hasn’t happened at all. And if it did somehow happen, surely it is not time yet to wake and face it.

Not long after the physical hazards lighten up, the moral and psychological ones become more pronounced. Ben has certain ideas about what kind of person he is—so does the audience at this point. Ben takes a couple of actions that are truly disturbing, and may (should) haunt him. It certainly looks as if they will.

A lot of this kind of “wandering one-man army” type characters don’t seem to think much about their acts of violence for very long, and it seems like Ben might be an exception to the rule—and I think we need more like him. One of these morally questionable acts is fairly justifiable for a fictional action hero, but the other (the one prior to this tormented sleep)…I don’t know He has a hard time letting himself off the hook for it, and I’m pretty much with him on that one. I’m curious to see if later books see him shying away from that kind of thing.

So, what did I think about Morte Point?

Parker’s writing is crisper; while outlandish, the plot seems more grounded; on the whole, the action scenes are more convincing and exciting (although the destruction of the floating nightclub in A Wanted Man tops anything here); the characters are better fleshed out—and, when applicable, more chilling. Generally speaking, Parker took what he did in the previous novel and improved it—exactly as one would hope to see. Parker barely establishes a status quo before he proves that he’s willing to blow it all up—a gutsy move this early in a series.

However…

I can’t quite put my finger on it but something about this didn’t work as well as A Wanted Man. I think objectively, it’s probably a better novel, but subjectively, I’m not as enthused about it. I’m still diving into the next one in a day or two—I want more Ben Braken, I just also want a bit more out of the books. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a thrill ride full of action, adrenaline, and morally complicated choices? Morte Point will deliver.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Runaway Train by Lee Matthew Goldberg: It’s Just Easier than Dealing with the Pain

By HCNewton

On June 4, 2021

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, YA/MG/Children's Books

Runaway Train

by Lee Matthew Goldberg
Series: Runaway Train, #1

eARC, 296 pg.
Wise Wolf Books, 2021

Read: May 31-June 1, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Runaway Train About?

Following the shocking death of her sister at 17 (from a brain aneurysm), sixteen-year-old Nico is spiraling out of control. Never the best student, and far more interested in being everything her high-achieving, popular sister wasn’t, Nico’s focus is on getting high, listening to as much grunge as she can, and fantasizing about meeting Kurt Cobain (who would fall for her, leave Courtney, and the rest would be history).

When things at home—which haven’t been good for a long time—take a turn for the worse, Nico is at the end of her rope and doesn’t know what to do. Her best friends talk her into leaving home and hitting the road, to go cross things off her bucket list before her own aneurysm cuts her life tragically short. Although they’d decided to run away together, Winter and Jeremy leave her in the lurch—Winter tells her that she needs this trip to hit rock bottom so she can pick up the pieces left by Kristen’s death (although I think this is largely a lie, and Winter just doesn’t have the courage to go through with it, but this sure sounds good).

So she packs up her teal blue Hyundai Excel with some essentials, a lot of batteries, her Walkman, and her father’s gas card and takes a trip up the California coast on the way up to Seattle, to see what the grunge scene is “really like,” cross some things off that bucket list, and hopefully get the chance to tell Cobain what his songs have meant to her.

Here’s where I get some egg on my face—I know Goldberg’s primarily a thriller writer, and assumed* that this would be one, too. That shortly after Nico left L.A. something would happen and this would become a thriller, with Nico doing all she could to stay alive and/or evade the police while on the run from something/someone/multiple someones. But no, that’s it. It’s the story of a girl living in her Hyundai trying to put the pieces of herself together.

* and you know what happens when you assume…

90s Referencepalooza

The first sentence of the book includes the date October 31, 1993. But then, as if Goldberg isn’t sure that his readers will understand that he means it, he hits you over and over and over with references to the early 1990s. There are over a dozen references in the first 3% of the book. And there are multiple stretches of the book that are like it. They eventually taper off, but it takes a while before Goldberg seems to think that he’s established the setting.

Now I enjoyed almost every one of the references and thought they really grounded things. But it also felt like overkill. Like he didn’t trust his audience to remember that these events took place in 1993 and 1994. Although it’s just as likely, maybe more likely, that Goldberg was having so much fun with them that he didn’t want to cut any of the references. And I get that, I really do. But I think it might have carried more punch if he’d been a little less effusive with them.

Embracing the Ambiguity, Pt. 2

A couple of months back, I wrote about a book that included elements that could be supernatural or they could be an expression of the protagonist’s PTSD. I mentioned at the time how that writer leaving it up to the reader to decide was a great idea, how it’s more effective that we don’t really know which it is.

And here I’m repeating myself—there’s something that happens to Nico several times in the book that could be a product of her subconscious or could be a supernatural event. I initially ascribed it to a psychological phenomenon—trauma, or grief, or something. I think it’s written so that you think it’s a physiological thing. But at some point, I joked to myself, “Unless, of course, it is a ghost.” And then I couldn’t talk myself out of the joke—it really, really could be a ghost. Or it could be a manifestation of Nico’s subconscious. I could defend either position from the text, I think. And I really liked that.

So, what did I think about Runaway Train?

I really got swept up in this story and with Nico’s journey. How does your heart not go out to a girl in that much pain? A dead sister, parents who aren’t dealing well with her, friends (more important to you than family at this stage of life) basically shoving her out the door on her own. and a strong sense of your own impending death? She doesn’t just hit rock bottom, she ultimately throws herself at it. But also, there’s an element of envy for the reader—you wanted to have the guts/folly to do something like Nico does at that age, and even now (however much older you are than her), you’d like to have the ability to do that.

Put those two elements together? How do you not have a warm spot in your heart for this book?

Yes, it’s clearly fiction. Yes, it’s heightened and only semi-plausible—both the high points and the low. But…it feels real. I can absolutely believe that I could sit down with Nico or Evan (since he’s from this area) today over a cup of coffee and hear them tell me about this time in their life.

I was more than a little surprised to see that there’s going to be a sequel to this. Typically, coming-of-age novels are one-and-done. But I’m on board—I want to see what the next chapter is for Nico. I can’t imagine all her problems were worked through in this book, and as much progress as she made (and looks to continue making), there’s no way that the work is done and I’m looking forward to seeing her continue it.

I absolutely recommend this to you—like its central character and her musical idol, Runaway Train is occasionally a mess, but there’s a heart to it. There’s an ineffable quality that’s going to make you want to pay attention to it and see how it can shine.

Disclaimer: I received this novel from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.