Circus Bim Bom

by

Cliff Lovette

A delightful spectacle!

Circus Bim Bom is a new historical fiction novel by Cliff Lovette, and while regaling readers with a wonderfully worthy story, it does its darnedest to recreate the magical spectacle of a circus come to town, with all the sights and sounds ushered in through the marvel of QR codes and a well-developed website hosting the extras. Snippets of history dazzle alongside a sparklingly entertaining fictional plot, peopled by engaging and sympathetic main characters. Together, this story will not only grab your attention but also your emotions and your heart. 

In an effort to promote the post-Cold War sentiments of peace and goodwill, Moscow sends the newly formed Circus Bim Bom to the U.S. for a two-year tour. With most of its members never having set foot outside the former Soviet Union, their introduction to the privileges and excesses of American life is eye-opening and fraught with temptation and opportunity, despite the buffering effect of state-supplied chaperones and the watchful presence of the KGB. The huge undertaking, guided by a raft of unlikely and ill-prepared local producers and sponsors, faces unexpected, and at times amusing, obstacles as the show must go on! 

While the tale runs a bit long with backstory, it is full of interesting background information that absolutely sets the stage for what is to come, and I still found the pages to fly past. The book ends with unanswered questions, ready for answers in the upcoming sequel, but readers can attain some immediate satisfaction by following the provided QR codes to the website for additional material. 

I recommend CIRCUS BIM BOM to readers of historical fiction who are looking for something fresh, new, and innovative. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.

The Portal

Blame It On the Moon, #3

by

Lou Pugliese

A young woman is convinced the answer to keeping her friend’s newborn safe lies where life meets the afterlife.

The Portal is the third book in author Lou Pugliese’s riveting and original paranormal mystery series, Blame It On the Moon, and puts faith, love, and commitment to the test when Vicki Roadcap discovers the Crafts’ new baby may be the target of kidnappers. With suspense lurking around every corner, I was loath to set this book down before the final page. 

The entire gang from the previous books returns as Robert, Audrey, and friends relax on the water in the final weeks before the birth of their first child. A freak accident, however, lands Vicki Roadcap in the hospital in a medically induced coma as doctors work to save her life. 

Spiritually gifted, but not necessarily a religious person, Vicki finds herself floating in a welcoming, light-filled space that exists between life and the afterlife, a place she calls ‘The Portal,’ where souls can linger as they pass to or from one existence to the other. She discovers she can connect with loved ones from her past as well as the spirit of the victim in a murder investigation she and her friends had assisted with in the previous novel. 

These characters, including Lincoln, feel like real people, old friends I enjoy catching up with. I loved that they returned to Pennsylvania to visit Don Weston and Abbey Foster and that they made another attempt to find out what happened to Isabel. The Ouija board séance scenes had my heart in my throat and my stomach in knots with anxiety and anticipation at all times. The author tells an absorbing story, and I really enjoy his ability to craft realistic and witty dialogue. 

The plot picks up and resolves the threads of a couple of storylines left over from earlier books, such as the murder of Isabel Helms, and readers finally learn the truth behind the ghostly basketball game that takes place in the wee hours at the old Craft house. However, the focus is on Vicki Roadcap and her desperation to return to ‘The Portal’ for answers, so readers new to the series should be able to read and enjoy this book as a standalone. (But do yourself a favor and read the previous books in the series.) 

The lengths Vicki is willing to go to in order to return to ‘The Portal’ are shocking, and I was on the edge of my seat as she put her plans into motion, completely invested in what the outcome might be. There were clues along the way as to the identity of the kidnapper, so observant readers may be able to guess the truth behind Baby Elizabeth’s disappearance. As a mother, I can imagine the agony that Audrey and Richard endured, but my belief in who the perpetrator was and why they did it actually helped talk me off the literary ledge. 

I recommend THE PORTAL to readers of paranormal mysteries.

For this and other reviews, visit Boys' Mom Reads!

Yesterday’s Echo

Rick Cahill, #1

by

Matt Coyle

No good deed goes unpunished.

Yesterday’s Echo by Matt Coyle is the 2014 Anthony Award winner for Best First Novel and the first book in the author’s Rick Cahill crime fiction series. The main character (Cahill), a disgraced former Santa Barbara police officer, had relocated to the town he grew up in after being accused, but never charged due to lack of any evidence, of the murder of his wife, Colleen. For the past eight years, he’s struggled to put a life together as the manager and part-owner of Muldoon’s Steakhouse in the La Jolla community of San Diego. However, a couple of good deeds at the restaurant one night put him in the crosshairs of some very powerful people involved in politics, blackmail, and murder. 

Rick is a personable guy dealing with a tragic past that began in his childhood. He’s carrying a load of guilt since his wife’s murder, and although innocent of her murder, he feels responsible for her death. His father had been fired from the La Jolla Police Department when Rick was a boy and lived under a cloud for the rest of his life, though it appears he, too, was blamed for someone else’s actions. Both father and son were judged guilty in the public eye, and there is much yet to be uncovered in both cases in future novels. 

I enjoyed Rick’s quick wit and wisecracking style, and the novel has a strong crime noir feel.

The plot is complex, with several subplots unfolding throughout, some of which eventually converge in unexpected ways. The story is violent at times, and there’s shocking collateral damage that affects Rick’s loved ones. Scenes with Colleen’s father, who is convinced Rick is guilty of his daughter’s murder, are gut-wrenching, especially as you feel Rick is being truthful that he was not the one. 

I recommend YESTERDAY’S ECHO to readers of crime fiction. 

For this and other reviews, visit Boys' Mom Reads!

Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief

Kate O’Dade Art Crime, #1

by

Sheila Sharpe

Clever and complex tale of revenge and illusion in the art world.

Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief is the first book in author Sheila Sharpe’s Kate O’Dade Art Crime series, in which an elusive conman and painting forger puts in motion a devious plan for revenge against the murderer who killed his family. With its clever, complex plot and morally gray main characters, I was quickly drawn into this intricate tale set in the world of art collectors and famous paintings. 

Kate O’Dade is a therapist with many clients from the local artistic community, and she is a painter herself. But after her husband dies, leaving her in debt, she recalls how one of her clients had made a fortune selling copies and forgeries of the works of well-known artists. She starts to consider that maybe financial relief might reside in her own two talented hands. But when a valuable painting is left on her doorstep, she’s drawn back into contact with her former patient, who is now a legitimate preservation and restoration specialist and the director of a wealthy art collector’s private museum, or so it seems. 

Nick McCoy is a talented painter in his own right, but the FBI and Scotland Yard are on his trail for forgery and theft. He’s guilty, of course, but a lack of evidence has kept him operating in the open in trusted positions at museums in both England and the U.S. When he comes face to face with his former therapist, he discovers he is still as attracted to her as he was when he was undergoing treatment. While Kate helped him resolve to leave forgery behind, his plans for revenge against the man who is now his employer are about to come to fruition. 

Such a clever tale, beginning with some messy love triangles and a conman you can never really trust. All the main characters are flawed individuals, morally gray, and desperate in their own ways. Adding to the suspense is the arrival of a top-notch international team of art investigators, led by a detective chief inspector from London who has been chasing Nick for more than a decade. The evil bad guys, Dixon Steele and his depraved son, Simon, are truly awful people, and both are such loose cannons that I never knew what they were going to do next. I was committed to the story, hoping Nick would pull off whatever he had in store for these two. The story’s ending nicely sets up future books in the series. 

I recommend ARTIST, LOVER, FORGER, THIEF to readers of crime fiction, especially those interested in the art world and long cons. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

Thea

by

Genevieve Morrissey

Narrated by Nicole Fikes

Outstanding coming-of-age story set in 1920s Oklahoma City.

Thea by Genevieve Morrissey is the outstanding coming-of-age story of Thea Carter, set in the mid-1920s in Oklahoma City, and, combined with Nicole Fikes's audiobook narration, perfectly captures her struggles, triumphs, time, and place. All 15-year-old Thea wants is a little stability in her life, the chance to get her high school diploma, and her troubled mother to stop drinking. 

As the housekeeper to Dr. Hallam, a new physician in town, Thea's mother not only receives a salary but also a separate, self-contained, private apartment over the garage, where young Thea can secretly reside, out of her employer's sight. Unfortunately, her mother's frequent benders put all this in jeopardy, so Thea does her best to pick up the slack while hiding in the background so Dr. Hallam doesn't give her mother the boot. As Thea juggles her home life and schoolwork, she excels at school and, as time goes on, is accepted by the close-knit group of students and catches the eye of popular, smart Homer. But when her part in the smooth running of his household is discovered by Dr. Hallam, rather than seeing Thea as an unwanted burden, he gradually becomes her champion and she his supportive confidant. 

What a great story! Thea is engaging, endearing, and the picture of self-reliance, despite her tragic childhood, poverty, and manipulative alcoholic mother. With her eye always on the prize of earning her high school diploma, she overcomes so much that is stacked against her at the time, when girls were expected to leave school early, marry, and start a family. 

Dr. Hallam has his own struggles. A quietly private man, his personal story is revealed only a little at a time, and what a surprising and sad one it turns out to be. But he, too, perseveres, and even gets a second chance, as Thea pushes and encourages and secretly works in the background to help make it happen. 

The plot addresses important issues and how they were viewed during that era: women's roles, expectations, and education, Prohibition and drinking, pre-marital sex, and homosexuality. The Oklahoma City setting is unique, and although Thea says the city's population at the time of the story is over 100,000, it feels like a much smaller town. Everyone knows everyone else and all their business, and everyone has an opinion to share about what's going on. 

The audiobook narration by Nicole Fikes is absolutely wonderful. Her performance shines with incredibly believable, varied voices for all the speaking characters: young, old, male, female, local, and foreign. The switch between Thea and her mother, who have many conversations together, is amazing. My favorite voice is that of Grace Carter, the mother, with her strong regional accent, wheedling, nagging, and alcoholic mumbling. 

I highly recommend THEA to readers and listeners of historical fiction, especially those who enjoy an American midwestern or southern setting during the 1920s. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Silver Dagger Book Tours.