Utopia, Texas

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by Michael E. Glasscock III

UtopiaTexasWhat happens when men of principle become men of violence?

In the quiet town of Utopia, Texas, life is simple. Monty Kilpatrick does his duty as a local game warden, catching poachers, smoking too many cigarettes, and trying to keep his marriage afloat. Most days he thinks about the loss of his young son and how to not be tempted to stray from his vows by one of the local girls.

But just across the border in Mexico, drug cartel kingpin Juan Diaz is running his empire with an iron fist. Utopia is part of the cartel’s main trafficking routes, and when Monty arrests Diaz’s brother during what he thought was a routine traffic stop, the men’s paths cross. In a moment, the formerly peaceful Utopia becomes a war zone.

Set in cartel haciendas and the rugged Texas landscape and featuring plenty of guns, explosions, and helicopters, Utopia, Texas pits Monty and Juan against each other, both bound by the opposing set of laws they’ve chosen to follow. In order to save his town, his wife, and his pride, Monty must be ready to lose everything he holds true.

My thoughts…

Utopia, Texas was a fast paced and strikingly authentic… the twists and turns will keep you guessing what will happen next and you’ll never believe how it ends…  Glasscock III has it all – suspenseful plot, magnificent scenery, and a hero who is tough but truly connected to his family.

For those who enjoy reading books authored by C. J. Box and William Kent Krueger will definitely enjoy reading Utopia, Texas.  Don’t walk run to your computer and download this fantastic read to your kindle while it’s still 99 cents.  It’s a great bargain and it’s so good that the author may decide to increase the price soon.

Happy reading

GR add to shelf

The Second Option

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TheSecondOptionLoraMooreThe Second Option by Lora Moore. $3.99 from Smashwords.com
Marine Sniper Chance Hughes was a born fighter. After being shot down by the enemy in Afghanistan and tortured, Chance was rescued and introduced to his new life as a covert assassin. Although convinced that hunting down terrorists is his destiny, he’s haunted by violent memories that create a struggle within himself. A job in Moscow forces Chance to face the reality of his future.

Only at smashwords.com where it’s free to join.

Low Pressure

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by Sandra Brown

Bellamy Lyston was only 12 years old when her older sister Susan was killed on a stormy Memorial Day. Bellamy’s fear of storms is a legacy of the tornado that destroyed the crime scene along with her memory of what really happened during the day’s most devastating moments.

Now, 18 years later, Bellamy has written a sensational, bestselling novel based on Susan’s murder. Because the book was inspired by the tragic event that still pains her family, she published it under a pseudonym to protect them from unwanted publicity. But when an opportunistic reporter for a tabloid newspaper discovers that the book is based on fact, Bellamy’s identity is exposed along with the family scandal.

Moreover, Bellamy becomes the target of an unnamed assailant who either wants the truth about Susan’s murder to remain unknown or, even more threatening, is determined to get vengeance for a man wrongfully accused and punished.

In order to identify her stalker, Bellamy must confront the ghosts of her past, including Dent Carter, Susan’s wayward and reckless boyfriend — and an original suspect in the murder case. Dent, with this and other stains on his past, is intent on clearing his name, and he needs Bellamy’s sealed memory to do it. But her safeguarded recollections -once unlocked-pose dangers that neither could foresee and puts both their lives in peril.

As Bellamy delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Susan’s slaying, she discovers disturbing elements of the crime which call into question the people she holds most dear. Haunted by partial memories, conflicted over her feelings for Dent, but determined to learn the truth, she won’t stop until she reveals Susan’s killer.

That is, unless Susan’s killer strikes her first…

My thoughts…

I would give this  three stars. I did enjoy reading Low Pressure and found it to be somewhat entertaining.  It’s just doesn’t measure up to some of past books I’ve read by Sandra Brown. Some other books I’ve really liked from Sandra are:  The Witness, Chill Factor, Hello Darkness, Smoke Screen, Ricochet, White Hot, and Play Dirty.

The Lincoln Conspiracy

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by Timothy L. O’Brien

From award-winning journalist Timothy L. O’Brien comes a gripping historical thriller that poses a provocative question: What if the plot to assassinate President Lincoln was wider and more sinister than we ever imagined?

In late spring of 1865, as America mourns the death of its leader, Washington, D.C., police detective Temple McFadden makes a startling discovery. Strapped to the body of a dead man at the B & O Railroad station are two diaries, two documents that together reveal the true depth of the Lincoln conspiracy. Securing the diaries will put Temple’s life in jeopardy—and will endanger the fragile peace of a nation still torn by war.

Temple’s quest to bring the conspirators to justice takes him on a perilous journey through the gas-lit streets of the Civil War–era capital, into bawdy houses and back alleys where ruthless enemies await him in every shadowed corner. Aided by an underground network of friends—and by his wife, Fiona, a nurse who possesses a formidable arsenal of medicinal potions—Temple must stay one step ahead of Lafayette Baker, head of the Union Army’s spy service. Along the way, he’ll run from or rely on Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s fearsome secretary of war; the legendary Scottish spymaster Allan Pinkerton; abolitionist Sojourner Truth; the photographer Alexander Gardner; and many others.

Bristling with twists and building to a climax that will leave readers gasping, The Lincoln Conspiracy offers a riveting new account of what truly motivated the assassination of one of America’s most beloved presidents—and who participated in the plot to derail the train of liberty that Lincoln set in motion.

My take:

I wanted to like this book and did read it to the very end with some reservations along the way. I found that the characters were very hard to differentiate between, especially in the beginning. As the book progressed the characters were whittled down to the few manageable complex characters, this made it much easier to follow. Toward the end it finally felt like a mystery was forming and I looked forward to reaching the end of the book, but that turned out to be disappointing for me, maybe I expected too much. This would have been a great book if only the author had spent more time developing this mystery through history a little bit better based on the information gleaned from the two diaries Temple came to possess.

The Lincoln Conspiracy: A Novel

 

 

Edge of Black

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[amazon_link id=”B0092MTGSE” target=”_blank” ]by J. T. Ellison[/amazon_link]

Description:

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides…

Dr. Samantha Owens is starting over: new city, new job, new man, new life. She’s trying to put some distance between herself and the devastating loss of her husband and children-but old hurts leave scars.

Before she’s even unpacked her office at Georgetown University’s forensic pathology department, she’s called to consult on a case that’s rocked the capital and the country. An unknown pathogen released into the Washington Metro has caused nationwide panic. Three people died-just three.

A miracle and a puzzle…

Amid the media frenzy and Homeland Security alarm bells, Sam painstakingly dissects the lives of those three victims and makes an unsettling conclusion. This is no textbook terrorist causing mayhem with broad strokes, but an artist wielding a much finer, more pointed instrument of destruction. An assassin, whose motive is deeply personal and far from understandable.

Xander Whitfield, a former Army Ranger and Sam’s new boyfriend, knows about seeing the world in shades of gray. About feeling compelled to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Only his disturbing kinship with a killer can lead Sam to the truth…and once more into the line of fire.

What I thought…

The description says it all…

This is my second book by J. T. Ellison and I must say she doesn’t disappoint!  I found this book very easy to read and get wrapped up in, I didn’t want to put it down.  The characters are well developed and realistic.  The plot and twists are perfectly timed to keep you turning the pages, all 368 of them.  I would definitely read more works by this author and highly recommend Edge of Black. You won’t want to miss this one…

Edge of Black (A Samantha Owens Novel)

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