Morgue Drawer Four

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MourgeDrawerFourBy Jutta Profijt

Coroner is the perfect job for Dr. Martin Gänsewein, who spends his days in peace and quiet autopsying dead bodies for the city of Cologne. Shy, but scrupulous, Martin appreciates his taciturn clients–until the day one of them starts talking to him. It seems the ghost of a recently deceased (and surprisingly chatty) small-time car thief named Pascha is lingering near his lifeless body in drawer number four of Martin’s morgue. He remains for one reason: his “accidental” death was, in fact, murder. Pascha is furious his case will go unsolved–to say nothing of his body’s dissection upon Martin’s autopsy table. But since Martin is the only person Pascha can communicate with, the ghost settles in with the good pathologist, determined to bring the truth of his death to light. Now Martin’s staid life is rudely upended as he finds himself navigating Cologne’s red-light district and the dark world of German car smuggling. Unless Pascha can come up with a plan–and fast–Martin will soon be joining him in the spirit world. Witty and unexpected, Morgue Drawer Four introduces a memorable (and reluctant) detective unlike any other in fiction today.

Morgue Drawer Four was shortlisted for Germany’s 2010 Friedrich Glauser Prize for best crime novel.

My thoughts…

I found Morgue Drawer Four on the Amazon Prime list and thought it would be a great, fun, and light mystery in lieu of the knock-down, drag-out hard core suspense/thrillers that I usually read. It was light.  It was kinda funny.  But it was not great.  I so much wanted to like this book that I had lined up the other books in the series to read right after.  Needless to say, I will not be reading the rest of the series.

I agree with some of the other reviewers at Amazon that gave the book three stars or less.  It just didn’t do it for me.

The other books in the series, if you’re interested:

Morgue Drawer Next Door

Morgue Drawer for Rent

Soiphia: Within

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Free @amazon June 10, 2013, mark the date on your calendar.

I have been informed by the author that Sophia: Within will be free at amazon (Kindle only) June 10, 2013.  Please make sure that it’s still marked as free before purchasing.

Sophia: Within by Jordana Lizama

Sophie

Only time will tell if Sophia, Alec and the world are ready to accept the mission that has been passed down for many generations. This is more than a story of reincarnation. This is a story that never ended following the reign of the Greek gods.

What has been hidden for thousands of years is about to surface in a small New England town. The impact on this rural village is ageless, but only the chosen time travelers know what is happening, the reason it is happening and how to control the outcome.

The Men of Ages have walked the Earth unnoticed since the time of Greek mythology and have kept their ancient war alive by transporting the lead warrior in a most unusual time machine. There is only one way to stop the cataclysmic demise of the human race and Sophia is the answer. But, Sophia is a teenage girl faced with many human and nonhuman desires that create a tortuous path from antiquity to the present day. Love conquers all; or, so it seems.

About the Author:

Jordy1 (1)

 Jordana Lizama is a new and exciting author who has just released a fantasy love story based on Greek mythology.

She was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. She is 24 years old and still resides in the Mexican capital with her husband, Charlie, and daughter, Sophia. Her second child is due to arrive this August, 2013.

Jordy’s love for reading came from her father who made her and her brothers read an hour a day. She opened her eyes and her heart to literature from the very first time she read Little Women, which was the first book her father bought her. Like Sophia, Jordy had an insatiable appetite for both fiction and nonfiction throughout her school years. Her voracious reading was her foundation for experimental writing. After many failed attempts, Sophia – Within finally came to life.

Sophia – Within has been in the making for the last ten years. Jordy’s writing began as a process of trial and error. She was not formally trained as an author, but has sharpened her skill as a self taught writer since her early teen years.

Inferno: A Novel (Robert Langdon)

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by Dan Brown
Pre-Order:  Release date of May 14, 2013 | Series: Robert Langdon
InfernoDanBrown

From the Hardcover edition:

In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

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Rules of Crime Detective Wade Jackson Series

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by L. J. Sellers

A wild ride that doesn’t disappoint!!

RulesofCrime Sellers

Product Description:

When a call from his daughter, Katie, interrupts his much-needed vacation, Detective Wade Jackson knows it’s bad news. As Katie tearfully announces that her mom—Jackson’s ex-wife, Renee—is missing, Jackson suspects alcoholic Renee has climbed back inside the bottle that destroyed their marriage. But the truth is far worse: kidnappers have snatched Renee and are demanding ransom from her wealthy fiance.

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The very same night, someone dumps a savagely beaten University of Oregon coed on the doorstep of the ER. Jackson’s protege, Detective Lara Evans, must identify the unconscious victim, then track down the assailant with no leads to go on…except the whispered rumor of a secret sorority.

Meanwhile, Eugene’s new FBI liaison, Agent Carla River, takes charge of Renee’s high-tech ransom operation while Jackson comforts his distressed daughter and retraces the steps of the mother she holds dear. But as the rescue takes a deadly twist and the suspects seem willing to let Renee die rather than crack under interrogation, Jackson worries that Katie will never forgive him if her mother is lost forever.

My thoughts…

So far “Rules of Crime” is my favorite of the Detective Wade Jackson series.  A Hawaii vacation cut short.  A kidnapping gone wrong.  What else could possibly happen?

This is not your typical ending for Wade Jackson, this one.  L. J. Sellers will take you on a wild ride with Detective Wade Jackson on his search for his kidnapped ex-wife through the streets of Eugene, Oregon.  L. J. Sellers is a master in utilizing her imaginative-creativity with her characters, taking care to make sure you relate to each and every one of them.  You quickly become engrossed in the plot to find Renee.

I’m looking forward to what the future holds for Detective Wade Jackson and wondering if Lara Evans will be a part of the next exciting plot.  A highly recommended read.

If you think my review was helpful, please click here and select yes at amazon.com.

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Think of a Number by John Verdon

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by John Verdon

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Product Description:

An extraordinary fiction debut, Think of a Number is an exquisitely plotted novel of suspense that grows relentlessly darker and more frightening as its pace accelerates, forcing its deeply troubled characters to moments of startling self-revelation.

Arriving in the mail over a period of weeks are taunting letters that end with a simple declaration, “Think of any number…picture it…now see how well I know your secrets.” Amazingly, those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly. For Dave Gurney, just retired as the NYPD’s top homicide investigator and forging a new life with his wife, Madeleine, in upstate New York, the letters are oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle but quickly ignite a massive serial murder investigation.

What police are confronted with is a completely baffling killer, one who is fond of rhymes filled with threats and warnings, whose attention to detail is unprecedented, and who has an uncanny knack for disappearing into thin air. Even more disturbing, the scale of his ambition seems to widen as events unfold.

Brought in as an investigative consultant, Dave Gurney soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that leave local police in awe. Yet, even as he matches wits with his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney’s tragedy-marred past rises up to haunt him, his marriage approaches a dangerous precipice, and finally, a dark, cold fear builds that he’s met an adversary who can’t be stopped.

In the end, fighting to keep his bearings amid a whirlwind of menace and destruction, Gurney sees the truth of what he’s become – what we all become when guilty memories fester – and how his wife Madeleine’s clear-eyed advice may be the only answer that makes sense.

A work that defies easy labels — at once a propulsive masterpiece of suspense and an absorbing immersion in the lives of characters so real we seem to hear their heartbeats – Think of a Number is a novel you’ll not soon forget.

My thoughts…

I read this book quite some time ago, the plot still lingers whenever I see the book. This was definitely a pulsating thriller. As you read be very mindful of the clues that are scattered throughout the entire book. You may think you have it figured out just to find the author has added another striking twist to the story.

Check out my review at Amazon

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A Plague of Iron

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by Chuck Freadhoff

GR add to shelfWhen his son, Scott, is murdered in Tijuana, Wade Mauer vows to avenge his death. But Wade’s world is turned upside down a second time when he discovers that Scott was in love with a woman in Tijuana and that they had a son. Helped by his friend, Horn, a retired DEA agent, Wade undertakes a mission to find his grandson and the boy’s mother. The hunt takes Wade and Horn into a world of outlaw bikers, Russian mobsters and ultimately south of the border into the heart of the Mexican drug wars. As they prepare an audacious plan to rescue the boy and save his mother, Wade is forced to face his own dark secret. A Plague of Iron is a gripping thriller but also a story of family, and love and, ultimately, redemption.

My thoughts…

This is my first time reading Chuck Freadhoff’s work. I was thoroughly impressed with “A Plague of Iron.” It was very well written with exceptional plot timing and credible characters throughout. You will not stop reading until you’ve reached the very last page.

In Wade Mauer’s quest to find out why his son was murdered he uncovers a vast trail of drug wars and illicit gun running that his son may have been involved in.  Wade is helped by his long-time buddy to undertake the task of finding answers that lead him ultimately to discover that he now has a grandson.  This new-found fact gives Wade even more strength to pursue his mission to get the answers he needs to rescue his grandson and the boy’s mother from the treacherous outlaws that have abducted him.

Check out my review at amazon.

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The Three-Day Affair

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by Michael Kardos

Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan have been friends since their undergrad days at Princeton. Now, nine years after graduation, Will is a failed musician still reeling from the death of a band mate. Jeffrey got lucky and then rich from the dot-com boom, and Nolan is a state senator with national aspirations. Their friendships have bent without breaking for years, until one shocking event changes everything.
One night on a drive, they make a routine stop at a convenience store. Moments after entering the store, a manic Jeffrey emerges, dragging a young woman with him. He shoves her into Will’s car and shouts a single word: “Drive!” Shaken and confused, Will obeys.
Suddenly these three men find themselves completely out of their element, holding a frightened young girl hostage without the slightest idea of what to do next. They’re already guilty of kidnapping and robbery; it’s only a matter of time before they find out what else they might be guilty of. For these three friends, three days will decide their fate–between freedom and prison, innocence and guilt . . . and life and death.
The Three-Day Affair marks the emergence of an electrifying new voice in crime fiction.
My Thoughts…

I must admit when I first started reading this I began to think it pretty lame and really didn’t want to finish.  But, as I progressed and things started falling together it became quite interesting in some respects.  In other respects I would give The Three Day Affair three stars just because, realistically, I don’t know of too many people that would actually go through with the plan of action portrayed in this novel, the kidnapping, robbery-gone-bad scenario all for financial gain, but you never know what people will do for money.  It may be better left for a made-for-TV movie.  At three stars it was still somewhat entertaining.

Please see my review at Amazon.

Kindle copy here.
The hardcover version here.
The Three-Day Affair from Barnes & Noble.

Garden of Stones

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by Sophie Littlefield, set to be released February 26, 2013.

Garden of Stones
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Description

Critically acclaimed author Sophie Littlefield brings the 1940s to life in this intense account of innocent Japanese-Americans moved to the Manzanar prison camp, in GARDEN OF STONES, a harrowing and beautifully woven novel about the vagaries of war, the injustice of racism and a young girl’s search for hope and forgiveness.

IN THE DARK DAYS WAR, A MOTHER MAKES THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

Lucy Takeda is just fourteen years old, living in Los Angeles in 1941, when the bombs rain down on Pearl Harbor. Within weeks, she and her mother, Miyako, are ripped from their home, rounded up—along with thousands of other innocent Japanese-Americans—and taken to the Manzanar prison camp.

Buffeted by blistering heat and choking dust, Lucy and Miyako must endure the harsh living conditions of the camp. Corruption and abuse creep into every corner of Manzanar, eventually ensnaring beautiful, vulnerable Miyako. Ruined and unwilling to surrender her daughter to the same fate, Miyako soon breaks. Her final act of desperation will stay with Lucy forever…and spur her to sins of her own.

Bestselling author Sophie Littlefield weaves a powerful tale of stolen innocence and survival that echoes through generations, reverberating between mothers and daughters. It is a moving chronicle of injustice, triumph and the unspeakable acts we commit in the name of love.

My thoughts…

I was very lucky to have been granted access to read “Garden of Stones” by the publisher through netgalley.com, a website that provides advanced reader copies [for free] to individuals that request books to read and review.  The author has certainly done her research in the area of Japanese internment camps and the reality of how their life changed during this period.

I highly recommend this book regardless of your preferred genre.  Sophie Littlefield takes you into the world of personal struggles and suffering endured in this bittersweet tale of survival and life’s battle to overcome its affect and endeavor to live life as it was meant to be.  The characters are real and very believable.  You will come to love Lucy and understand why her mother did what she felt she needed to do to protect her daughter from the torment she endured during their time in the internment camp.   This astounding well-written novel will weigh heavy on your heart and forever leave an imprint on your mind for years to come.

Get your Kindle copy here
You can find the paperback here from Amazon
Garden of Stones from Barnes and Noble

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Political Suicide

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by Michael Palmer

A massive cover-up gone awry

A prominent physician accused of murder

Uncovering the truth could put the entire country at risk

Dr. Gary McHugh, known around Washington, D.C. as the “society doc,” calls his longtime friend Dr. Lou Welcome in a state of panic, certain he is about to be arrested for murder. McHugh was found in an alcoholic blackout in his wrecked car after visiting a patient of his, the powerful Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Elias Colston. Soon after McHugh leaves, Colston’s wife returns home to find her husband shot to death in their garage. McHugh has no recollection of committing the crime and no one who would possibly believe in his innocence, other than Lou. As more facts come to light, even Lou has serious doubts. But something about McHugh’s story nags at him and as he looks into matters, pieces of the puzzle don’t point to his friend’s guilt so definitively.

With the help of Sarah Cooper, an ambitious attorney with her own reasons for hating doctors, Lou finds himself at the center of a deadly, high-level conspiracy where the difference between right and wrong is a matter of interpretation, and the words “whatever it takes” have a chilling meaning. If Lou and Sarah don’t uncover the real reasons Colston is dead, they may not survive themselves, and the entire country could be at risk for attacks that could destroy the very fabric of national security.

Once again, bestselling author Michael Palmer proves that he is the king of suspense in this page-turning thriller set at the crossroads of politics, the military, and medical science.

My thoughts…

Michael Palmer knows how to write a story that draws you in from the very beginning.  Dr. Lou Welcome is called by his good friend to help keep him out of prison for a murder he’s been accused of and has no memory of because he was suffering from an alcoholic blackout.  In the process of the sleuthing investigation by Dr. Welcome things don’t seem quite right.  Michael Palmer writes an amazing plot that takes many twists and turns that will keep you wondering until the very last page.

I haven’t had the opportunity to read “Oath of Office” where Dr. Lou Welcome is introduced but I think it’s going on my to be read list very soon.

Get your Kindle copy here

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