Invisible Justice

Kyle McMann & Graham Kurland Medical Thrillers, #1

by

Gary Brown, MD

A riveting tale of dedicated doctors and vigilante justice.

Invisible Justice is the first book in author Dr. Gary Brown's electric new Kyle McMann & Graham Kurland Medical Thrillers series, and readers will be glued to their seats as this exciting story unfolds. The story is so well done and polished that I was surprised and delighted to learn this is the author's fiction debut! 

After losing her younger brother in an unsolved crime of violence, Dr. Kyle McMann struggles with guilt that she failed to save his life when he showed up in the ER where she was working. Other medical professionals who have also suffered similarly tragic losses join together to form the secret group called The Tribunal, where the members agree to enact retribution for victims whose perpetrators have escaped justice. Made up of medical doctors and two former Navy SEALs, The Tribunal's methods of punishment are ingenious, undetectable, and strive to fit the crime they are avenging. But a new doctor at the hospital where Kyle works has brought his own brand of brilliance to his job and is often only steps behind Kyle in figuring out what is wrong with the patients who were The Tribunal's targets. Relying on The Godfather's adage, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Kyle sets out to get close to Dr. Graham Kurland, only to discover a real connection forming between them. 

After her devastating loss, Kyle McMann suffers her own medical emergency and is lucky to have survived. But as soon as she's able, she makes up any lost time, thriving while researching, writing, and advancing her career until she's one of the youngest department heads at her teaching hospital in Philadelphia. Graham Kurland, a decorated veteran, enters the medical profession after successfully preserving his family's business and serving in the military. He gives his new career his all, and it shows. I loved that these two middle-aged go-getters are both in a position to pursue their mutual attraction freely. They make a great couple, and their scenes together are fun and flirty, but with an underlying tension as Kyle tries to keep Graham from discovering her secret agenda and the true nature of The Tribunal's targets' afflictions. 

The story is told through multiple points of view, and not just those of the two main characters. Good guys and bad guys alike have a part of the narrative, so readers know, without a doubt, who's who. The good guys have moments where they struggle with their actions but are convinced they are doing the right thing. The bad guys are overtly evil people, and the deeds attributed to them are heinous and shocking at times. The ingenious methods of retribution that the doctors on The Tribunal develop will take your breath away. The author writes with authority but explains medical details so clearly that even untrained readers can follow the plot: gripping and graphic, without delving too deeply into the science or relying on jargon that might go over the layperson reader's head. 

With its compelling plot and engaging, complex characters, I recommend INVISIBLE JUSTICE to readers of medical thrillers.

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Maybe You Lied

by

Jennifer Sadera

Mounting tension and long-held secrets kept me riveted to my seat!

Maybe You Lied, a new psychological thriller by Jennifer Sadera, blends an engaging, vulnerable main character with a mysterious setting and suspenseful plot to deliver a tale that kept me glued to the page and reading long into the night. After the death of his mother, young Will Lockhart falls on hard times, earning a dreaded and inevitable eviction notice. But as he gathers important documents in preparation for the coming changes, he discovers a deed, in his deceased father's name, for a house he knew nothing about. 

At the urging of his family's attorney, he drives two hours away to see if it's a viable option for his new home. Vacant and little more than a cabin, Will is just about to explore further when an angry older man approaches him, demanding to know his business. But when he gets a good look at Will's face, this stranger seems to recognize him and turns fearful, his agitation precipitating a sudden medical emergency for which Will summons an ambulance, perhaps saving the man's life. 

Feeling guilty for triggering the man's condition, Will doesn't correct the man's housekeeper, who soon arrives on the scene. Instead, he takes her to the hospital behind the ambulance and waits with her for the update from the doctors. Neither does he come clean when he meets the man's only daughter, Penelope, who believes the story that he just came across him, unconscious, in the wooded area around the vacant cabin. Will settles into his new home, and he and Penelope get closer. Her father's condition remains critical, and he continues to be unable to offer an alternative scenario. Will is living on borrowed time as he tries to uncover the story behind the house and the man's extreme reaction to his arrival. 

The author drew me in from the very start with the shocking hints of what the very young Will may have seen of his older sister, Ange, and kept me rooted in place with her depiction of him at 21, suffering through survivor's guilt over the death of his mother in a car accident which occurred while he was driving. With his older sister's loss followed by his father's departure from the family when Will was only five, it had always been just him and his mother. The tension gradually builds as he is evicted from the apartment they shared after his long recovery from the injuries he himself sustained in the accident. Each twist in the plot heightens the suspense and shifts the story's trajectory, keeping me guessing and riveted for what's to come. I really felt for this character and was immediately invested in what he was experiencing, needing to know the answers to all the secrets he encountered as much as he did. I was absolutely not disappointed. 

Sadera's writing style is clean, easy to read, and immersive, painting a vivid picture of what's unfolding around this vulnerable, sympathetic main character. Once I picked up the story, I was in for the duration and glued to the book well past any reasonable bedtime. 

I recommend MAYBE YOU LIED to readers of psychological and domestic thrillers. 

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

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

by

W.M. Gunn

Ingenious, exciting, and convincing alternate history!

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down is the first novel in a new alternate history trilogy by W.M. Gunn, offering a mesmerizing vision of the world and WWII if reality hadn’t unfolded the way it did. With an original mix of fictional characters and historical figures, plus fantastical imagery and accounts of early World War One battle experiences, I was hooked the whole time and never disappointed by the resulting tale. 

The story unfolds through some seemingly unrelated storylines; the book opens in 1914 on the frontlines of Belgium, skips to the rise of Hitler and the birth of a child near the aviation training fields of Fort Worth, and then whips the reader back to the time of Moses, the end of his wanderings in the desert and his imminent death, and back again. Each encapsulated thread was immersive and made for compelling reading, but disparate; the author’s plan for them remained a mystery until he magically made them converge into a riveting whole. 

The action sequences are well choreographed and easy to follow, and the vivid descriptions of places and historical details woven into the narrative add so much color, putting the reader in every scene. Best yet, though, are the characters themselves, because they truly came alive. Naturally, they’re not all pleasant people, and my skin still crawls just thinking about one character in particular, who wasn’t physically in the story that long! 

The plot juxtaposes the stories of a German family: Jürgen Kretz, a WWI flying ace and war hero, and his motherless twin boys, Manfred and Wolfgang, with the American Maxwell family, the father, Connor, also a WWI flyer, and his son, Allen, whose mother died during his birth. The sons follow in their fathers’ footsteps and fight their own battles in WWII. Jürgen, a bitter, angry survivor of his war, passes along his opinions to his sons, whose mother was a Jew. She passed away during the 1918 Influenza epidemic while Jürgen was away fighting, and he blames her wealthy Jewish parents for not doing enough to save her. This belief tips him over the edge to extremism, and he eventually becomes a willing pawn (and unwitting sacrifice) in Hitler’s early schemes to attain power. Interestingly, one twin absorbs and champions his father’s vitriolic ideals while the other avoids his fanaticism and sides with his heritage. But the transfer of beliefs, based in fact or not, from one generation to the next is on full display. 

If you’re not a WWII historian, keep in mind this is an ingenious tale of alternate history, and the author deftly mixes factual events and historical figures with fictional events and characters. His convincing and immersive writing style makes it impossible to tell (unless you already know) which is which in some cases. Of course, I sincerely hope everyone knows how D-Day actually turned out. 

I recommend AND THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN to readers of alternate history, historical fiction, and family sagas. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.

Bound Beauty

Wylder Tales, #3

by

Jennifer Silverwood

Overflowing with magic, cursed power, witches, shapeshifters, demons, old gods, passion, loyalty, sacrifice, and love.

Bound Beauty is the third novel in author Jennifer Silverwood’s Wylder Tales series, dark, seductive stories of magic, cursed power, witches, shapeshifters, ghosts, demons, ancient gods, passion, loyalty, sacrifice, and love in its many forms: a fantastical reimagining of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. In this story, Vynasha’s tale comes full circle as she returns to Bitterhelm to finish what was always meant to be. 

Vynasha, determined to protect her nephew, Wyll, her brother, Ceddrych, and the other young ones she’s come to love, has studied the magicks of Soraya and Thea, hoping to gain the knowledge and strength needed to oppose the forces of Bitterhelm. While it goes against the grain, she perseveres with Soraya’s teachings and is helplessly drawn by her desire for Balos, whom she knew as Ferox back in Bitterhelm. The stress she is under is palpable throughout the story as the danger mounts, and she is thrust back into Grendel’s world and forced to confront what is truth and what are lies. I loved how the tables eventually turned, but I felt the enormous cost to Vynasha’s very nature. 

The author’s world-building and storytelling are atmospheric and cinematic; the setting is so vivid I felt as if I were in the moment with each narrator. The magic system relies on runes and physical manipulation that feels ancient, with its true power still largely hidden. 

The story is dark and tragic and without the ending most often presented in Beauty and the Beast retellings, making those other tales seem insipid by comparison. But if you’re down for a story full of strong women, shaped by tragic experiences and powerful emotions, this is definitely the version for you. I recommend reading the series for the most enjoyment and the clearest understanding of the action and motives. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.

Burned Out

by Iris Waichler, MSW

An easy-to-understand yet comprehensive discussion of how the job affects first responders and their families.

Burned Out by Iris Waichler, MSW, is a comprehensive presentation on how first responders' jobs affect their physical and mental health, their relationships with family and friends, how to recognize the warning signs of trauma, and what resources and treatment are available to help. While delving deeply into the different forms trauma can take, the discussion is engaging and easy to understand, while still including footnoted citations for further reading for those who want to focus on a particular topic. 

Sprinkled throughout are the words of the first responders themselves- the firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs- that give testimony to the validity of the wear and tear and resulting damage their life of service can cause, the impacts of which may be mitigated by the same type of pre-planning and preparation for such if addressed prior to their taking up of their turnout or latex gloves. Clear, comprehensive communication with family members and supportive friends before, during, and after hard shifts appears to be key to handling potential trauma. The book also recognizes and discusses generational differences in the workplace that can lead to tension or to responders not seeking help when they need it. A generational aspect I found particularly interesting was how many first responders' children followed in their parents' footsteps when choosing their own career. 

I recommend BURNED OUT to first responders and their family members, especially those just entering their chosen career field. 

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