Final Exam

(Blame It on the Moon, #0)

by

Lou Pugliese

An intriguing peek into Don Weston’s past in this riveting tale of missing persons, sexual liaisons, and murder in the prequel to Blame It On the Moon.

Final Exam is author Lou Pugliese’s riveting prequel to his earlier cold-case historical mystery, Blame It On the Moon, and reveals some of his main character’s backstory from when he was the Chief of Police at a small liberal arts school, Churchville University. Typically a quiet member of the Churchville, Pennsylvania community, the university soon headlines the news when a well-liked university provost goes missing during a massive school restructuring, which includes sudden and extensive system-wide faculty layoffs. Rumors run rampant regarding the missing woman’s relationship with the university president and his wife, but there are few actual clues for Chief Don Weston to pursue. Calling on his connections at the county and state levels in order to leverage their more robust resources, Weston gathers a small team to investigate. However, the case barely gets off the ground when another faculty member goes missing during a fire at his home, and that won’t be the last. 

While Don Weston is the university chief of police and the most experienced on the case, the investigations are truly an ensemble performance. Weston earned his law enforcement chops over the years he spent working his way up through the ranks at the Philadelphia Police Department. He is joined by Detective Rick Walker from York County and Lt. Shane Mitchell representing the state, both of whom bring a hint of hero worship to the table, having heard Don’s praises sung by their respective supervisors before their assignments. 

The three conduct a steady and comprehensive investigation, the story unfolding in the style of a police procedural. Told mostly from Weston’s point of view, the reader gets a good idea of how he came to his position at Churchville and a feel for his prior successes in Philadelphia. Until the incidents of the story, he was experiencing a growing discontent with the unending sameness of his current job. He misses his wife, Helen, lost to cancer some years earlier, but uses her memory as a sounding board for his decision-making. All of this prepares the reader for Don’s eventual move to a new home and career at the opening of Blame It On the Moon. 

The plot is well-paced, and the action is tight. However, the names of the characters changed at times over the course of the story and need to be reviewed. The murders are vividly described and graphically detailed, their means and methods horrifically matched to the killer’s opinion of his victim’s guilt and misdeeds. The acts are shocking and hard to read. The killer’s actions are measured and meticulous in their execution and performed with the perpetrator’s knowledge that he will never have to answer for what he has done, adding to the difficulty of the three investigators’ job. 

I recommend FINAL EXAM to readers of grittier mysteries and suspense and fans of the previous novel who want to know more about the main character’s backstory.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

Stellar Heir

Stellar Heir, #1

by

Scott Killian

Outstanding beginning for this fresh, action-packed space opera.

Steller Heir is the first novel in author Scott Killian’s new science fiction adventure series of the same name, and it was absolutely a thrill-a-minute, hit-the-ground-running debut! Great characters, witty dialogue, amazing alien beings, a compelling mission to save ALL, and vivid imagery that made me feel I was there all combined to deliver an exciting epic of a space opera. 

Jael Ked’Korhva is the main character and the young captain of the scavenger ship, Zigzagunda. Along with his humanoid simian sidekick, Goni Tinge, they scour space for items of value. However, a mysterious bracelet, an artifact from the ancient past, once clasped around Jael’s wrist, changes everything. Not only is every pirate, mercenary, and alien death squad on their trail to get the power of the artifact for themselves, but it has shown Jael the future fate of the galaxy should he fail to stop what’s coming. 

I enjoyed Jael’s narrative so much. He’s witty, smart, and relatable, and Goni is entertaining with his banter, enthusiasm, and single-mindedness on a couple of issues, such as food. I loved their interaction, camaraderie, and relationship with the Zigzagunda, especially the banter and rivalry with Goni. The action sequences are tense and easy to follow because they are so well choreographed. Descriptions are fluid and easy to visualize. The author’s alien beings are diverse, imaginative, and often horrifying in their extreme physical strangeness and interactions. 

The plot goes from 0 to 60 from the very first chapter, and there’s little downtime; the tension just keeps building. Told from multiple points of view, readers follow the action from the different angles of the story. The good guys, on occasion, stray left and right of what’s moral but who you can’t help rooting for from the start. Then, there are the bad guys, the VERY bad guys. And yet, there are those you won’t be able to categorize yet – are they going to fall on the side of good or evil? Thankfully, the second book in the series is shown to be scheduled for publication in March of 2025 because there’s so much more story left to unfold. 

I recommend STELLAR HEIR for science fiction readers who enjoy space opera action and adventure.

For this and other reviews, visit my blog, Guatemala Paula Loves to Read.

The Boy

by

Reno Bachman

Patience, preparation, and karma ultimately lead to the showdown between good and evil.

The Boy is a short, gritty Western novella by author Reno Bachman, and it packs a wealth of story and a cinematic atmosphere into its concise pages. Somewhere on the western frontier, a young Black boy, hidden from view, witnesses a white mob erect a cross before his home and set it ablaze. The child’s beloved father, widely acknowledged as an accomplished marksman, defends their home, only to be overwhelmed by his attackers and murdered, as the boy is held back from intervening and certain death by an aged stranger. The mob, led by a man named Silas Vane, burns down his home, killing everyone else in the house. The old stranger, a former stagecoach robber turned gold prospector, takes the boy in and teaches him the ways and skills of survival until he’s prepared to seek justice for himself and his father. 

Readers never know the main protagonists’ names as they are always referred to as “The Boy” or “The Prospector.” The Boy lives a tough life with The Prospector, but he thrives and matures, gifted with the same skills with a gun as his father before him, and as the pair travel, his reputation is made. He is a quiet, dignified, mysterious figure of a man when he catches the eye and affections of a saucy, red-headed white saloon girl in town. The discovery of their liaison is the touchstone for his vengeance. 

The story is well-paced and immaculately crafted, with each descriptive word carefully chosen to create clear and evocative images of the settings and action. There is all the grit and sweat and blood and raw emotion of a harsher time, unfiltered by laws or common morality. The author does a great job choreographing the scenes of gunplay, especially during the resulting showdown. 

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this story, leaving me to replay each scene in my head. I recommend THE BOY to readers of Western fiction. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

Why We Fall: Why Pain and Suffering Are Our Greatest Teachers

by

Daniel Martinez

Heartfelt and authentic.

Why We Fall: Why Pain and Suffering Are Our Greatest Teachers by Daniel Martinez is categorized as a self-help book, but it is really more than that. It is a well-written memoir in which the author reveals his personal journey as an example of pitfalls to avoid and practices that worked for him to come out on the positive side of life. Whether you agree or disagree with his conclusions, his story is compelling and well worth the time. 

A big reason I found Why We Fall to be so captivating was his easy-to-read writing style and engaging narrative voice. His delivery is personable and authentic, and I felt I was part of a private conversation with him. 

Daniel Martinez is a remarkably self-aware young man and begins his story with his early childhood. He sounds like he was such an active and precocious boy; I couldn’t help smiling (or gasping!) over some of the things he did (and lived through!) He has his share of growing pains as he ages like everyone does, but he accompanies his story with some pretty amazing introspection, some of which occurred at pretty young ages. His descriptions of his awareness and moments of clarity are relatable, and he segues into the changes he underwent as a result. He fell, evaluated, improved, tried again, made progress, fell again, and continued to carry on. Often, he had the help of adults, such as his father and, later, professional guidance, to gain perspective, but the author was ultimately responsible for the heavy lifting. Spirituality played a critical role in his life, and the author devotes a specific chapter to this very aspect later in the book. 

I recommend WHY WE FALL to readers of self-help books and memoirs. 

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

Color Me Dead

Henry Park, #1

by

Teresa Trent

A talented artist has a secret gift; she has glimpses into the future.

Color Me Dead is the first book in author Teresa Trent’s Henry Park paranormal cozy mystery series and features artist Gabby Wolfe, who returns to her old hometown to illustrate a children’s book being written by a successful local author. While a talented artist, Gabby has another gift she keeps under wraps: she experiences visions of events yet to happen. From the moment she hits town, the frightening images of a woman drowning begin to haunt her steps. 

Gabby Wolfe is the 20-something main character who has moved back to the small mountain town of Henry Park to work as an illustrator on his latest book for Clarence Bradford, the author of a popular kids’ outdoors adventure series. Out of necessity, she has brought along her younger brother, Mitch, and his dog, Luigi, to share the house her mother has rented for her time on commission. Mitch had gotten into some trouble with the law back home in Denver, and the judge had made living with Gabby part of his deal to avoid more serious consequences. Physically, Mitch is a couple of years younger than his sister and much less mature, making a mess of her careful budgeting and planning, partying from the first night in town. Still, he’s an engaging guy. 

The author does a great job creating the community of Henry Park, Colorado, from the ground up, including its residents, businesses, and a vividly depicted setting, without ever slowing the story down. I enjoyed that there are a lot of nice, welcoming people in Henry Park, some known to Gabby from her childhood and teenage years, and some new. However, there are a couple of bitter pills to worry about as well. The story progresses at a nice pace, with a couple of twists and an eye-opening amount of DRAMA: an old boyfriend with a wandering eye and a jealous new girlfriend, a rash of burglaries at the vacated summer homes surrounding the local lake, a surprise baby and baby mama, and, of course, murder. I was completely absorbed in the story, compelled to keep reading with each new revelation that unfolded. The resolution is plausible, but I didn’t narrow down the suspects enough to get there on my own. 

I recommend COLOR ME DEAD to readers of cozy mysteries who enjoy a paranormal aspect in their stories. 

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