Ripped Genes

Tri-Star Investigations, #2

by

Lawrence E. Rothstein

Intriguing, fast-paced, and clever!

Ripped Genes is the second book in author Lawrence E. Rothstein’s Tri-Star Investigations series featuring the Nero Wolfesque master detective Marko Corb and his associates Kelan Su and Desmond St. Clair. When the doctor heading up the project to find a cure for Golda Merino’s daughter’s and others’ devastating genetic disorder isolates the gene responsible but then secretly files a patent in his own name, effectively restricting further research, Golda, the president of the funding foundation, confronts the man but is left with little recourse but to file suit. Days later, when the man is found murdered, she quickly becomes suspect number one. 

Told mainly from Kelan Su’s first-person perspective, Marko rarely leaves his home, and the reader follows her through the seemingly straightforward process of investigating the murder of Dr. Alan Scanlon. She knows her boss’s preferences well and often anticipates his requests and moves. Kelan is relatable as she works and tries to navigate the emotions and stumbling blocks she encounters in her relationship with hunky police homicide detective Ron Sagers, while also staving off her parents, who want her to return to practicing law and settle down with a nice Chinese man. She’s such a nice, smart woman, and I enjoy seeing her get things right. 

The plot is fast-paced, especially early on, as the murder occurs almost immediately, and a suspect is charged soon after. However, plot twists will surprise readers and send things in different directions. Korb is a foodie, and his mealtime preparations and planning are fascinating. Des’s menus sound fantastic, making me want to sample almost everything mentioned. 

Although this is the second book in the series, it can easily be read and enjoyed on its own; however, book one was a 5-star read for me and, in my opinion, shouldn’t be missed. I recommend RIPPED GENES to mystery readers, especially those who enjoyed the Nero Wolfe series or Chicago settings. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

The Frequency

by

Randall D. St. Claire

Atmospheric noir and non-stop action!

The Frequency by Randall D. St. Claire is a riveting new mystery that blends memorable characters, an intriguing storyline, and atmospheric settings with effective, timely suspense and non-stop action. I was immediately invested in Bronx Rousselle’s story, and it proved to be one that kept me glued to his narrative way past any reasonable bedtime. 

The main character is minding his own business when Heather Li enters his store, her drugged-up brother in tow, along with a box of Inuit artifacts that originally belonged to their great-grandfather. An RN, Heather has liberated George from the mental institution where she’d gotten herself hired in preparation for this very thing. They now need to leave town quick, fast, and in a hurry before whoever is behind George’s committal catches up with them and the mysterious maps and papers with the artifacts. She’d found that Bronx was the man to make that happen, and the box of valuables was what she wanted to use as payment. 

Bronx is intrigued as the artifacts prove to be the real deal and the accompanying papers evoke a mysterious dread in the cultural expert he consults. His interest deepens when the fleeing pair quickly become “persons of interest” with the local beat cop, and his shop comes under the menacing nighttime scrutiny of mysterious, unidentified law enforcement types. He becomes irrevocably involved when bullets start flying, bodies start dropping, and Bronx is in for a journey that stretches from small-town Minnesota to Texas to above the Arctic Circle. 

Bronx is a pawnshop owner in the small town of Warroad, Minnesota, and a bit of a figure of renown among hockey fans, having played semi-professionally earlier in his lifetime, and with the local gendarmes for skirting the boundaries of what’s legal in his business dealings. He runs his business ruthlessly and views his clients with a jaundiced eye. Yet, he has acquired a low-key reputation as a “fixer,” which is what brought Heather Li, George Tikaani, and his box of Inuit artifacts his way. Bronx’s opening vibe is the classic noir protagonist, and I was there for it all the way. His ensuing adventures undeniably affect him, as the wonderful epilogue shows. 

The plot gains traction quickly, and the suspense builds as Bronx investigates what’s in the box and why someone is so deadly interested in getting their hands on it. The story unfolds like a film with the author’s evocative descriptions of the places Bronx journeys to so vividly you’ll feel like you are on the scene with the characters. For example, early in the story, I could almost smell the dumpster detritus knocked about as Heather and George made their first furtive moves to safety. Yes, ugh, but even this little bit was perfect imagery. 

I recommend THE FREQUENCY to readers of suspense, mystery, and thrillers. 

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

Fire and Rain

Rain Mystery Trilogy, #3

by

David Homick

This final entry blazes across the pages with riveting, non-stop action and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

When Jenn's secret former husband, Finn Rafferty, showed up on the ranch house doorstep and announced they were still legally married, Dillon Bishop put his plan to propose on hold until things got figured out. Although Jenn swore the marriage had been annulled, Finn claimed there was no record to prove it had ever actually been filed in court, and he wanted HIS HALF of Jenn's ranch! 

Finn was a conman, and his arrival at the ranch coincided with the appearance of Riverdale Gaming in the nearby town of Redfield, with money in hand and hoping to buy up numerous sections of land to open up a large-scale casino operation. Some local property owners took the offers and sold out, but many didn't, and soon word of more aggressive persuasion began to filter into the sheriff's department, where Dillon now worked part-time as a deputy. Unfortunately, Jenn's ranch was right in the middle of the area Riverdale Gaming proposed to build the casino, and she was most definitely not interested. She was so close to fulfilling her promise to her Uncle Roy to open an equine therapy center. However, rumors that the casino people were urging the town to consider eminent domain to help them acquire the needed properties had started circulating. 

Finn refused to back off on his demand for half of the ranch and threatened to go to the authorities and nullify Jenn's adoption of her son, Alex. With his family at risk, Dillon starts investigating Finn's connections to the casino project and the rash of suspicious accidents on the properties of owners who refused to sell to Riverdale Gaming. He breaks into Finn's room at the local motel to search for evidence of his collusion with the casino gang when Finn walks in on him. Later, when Finn is found dead from a gunshot wound, Dillon becomes the number one suspect. 

Fire and Rain is the final book in author David Homick's excellent suspense series, the Rain Mystery Trilogy. This group of books has been so good that I was reluctant to start this final entry and have it end, but read it I did, and it was full of the same action, intrigue, and breathtaking suspense that made the previous books some of my favorites of the year. Dillon Bishop is a great character and has grown and healed so much since his first appearance on the page. He's overcome the debilitating effects of PTSD and the nightmares that had plagued him since his tour in Afghanistan. As a result, he's become much more stable and reliable. He's just a good man. While he's still somewhat impulsive in his investigations, his unpredictability makes for exciting reading and a sense that anything could happen next. 

One plot thread concerns the universal interest of property owners and community members in general. What do you do when an undesirable business comes into town and wants to be your neighbor? It's one thing if the company talks your neighbors into selling them their property, but what about the holdouts? What if the business can convince the local government to compel the holdouts to sell through eminent domain? 

In this story, the business (a casino) is aggressive in its land acquisition and PR campaign, selling the community and the town council on the economic benefits the town stands to gain from the business opening there. But strange accidents (fires) and other occurrences (damaged equipment, fences, and animals gone astray) suspected of being the handiwork of Riverdale Gaming henchmen, specifically Finn Rafferty, bring in a sinister level of danger that Dillon and Sheriff Ziggy Scott must unravel. Add in an attempt on Jenn's life, a couple of murders, and kidnapping, and what could have been just an ugly and tragic real estate caper blazes across the pages with riveting, non-stop action and edge-of-your-seat suspense. 

I recommend FIRE AND RAIN and the entire RAIN MYSTERY TRILOGY to mystery readers who enjoy lots of action and excitement featuring an imperfect, flawed hero but a hero, nonetheless. 

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

Don't Curse the Rain

Rain Mystery Trilogy, #1

by

David Homick

An Afghanistan veteran returns home to face his past and solve a cold-case missing-person case.

Dillon Bishop had fled his hometown of Bradley, Texas, as soon as he could, enlisted in the military, and ended up in Afghanistan. But after rescuing a young local boy when his parents had been killed, his vehicle was hit by an RPG, sending Dillon to the hospital and months of rehab at the V.A. Medical Center back in Dallas. His physical wounds eventually healed, but his struggle with PTSD haunted him every waking moment, and nightmares prevented him from truly resting. He always wondered what had happened to the small boy he'd tried to save. 

Helping Dillon work through his continuing trauma was Jenny Lee, a woman he met after his release from the Dallas hospital. They had a comfortable arrangement, though Dillon hesitated to call it a relationship. An uncle had left Jenny a horse ranch outside of Colorado Springs, and she hoped Dillon would accompany her to take possession in the upcoming month. He was almost convinced to do so until the letter arrived. 

His father's attorney had mailed the letter weeks earlier to a ten-year-old address, so it took time to reach Dillon's current location. His father had passed away, and the attorney needed Dillon, his only heir, to return to Bradley to settle his father's final affairs. 

Dillon had been raised by his father. His mother left him, his younger brother, Luke, and their father when the boys were still small. Years later, however, Luke disappeared without a trace on the night of a high school dance and was never heard from again. Their father had never quit looking for his youngest son, though he believed he'd been the victim of foul play and found relief too often in the bottom of a whiskey bottle. He'd been investigating every possible angle and lead he came across and had recently claimed he'd obtained a definitive piece of evidence proving Luke had been murdered and would crack the case wide open. But suddenly, while recuperating in a local hospital, he took an unexpected turn for the worse and died. Thinking that his father's death following so quickly after his announcement regarding the case was too coincidental, Dillon decides to finally take matters into his own hands and get to the bottom of his brother's disappearance and his father's murder. 

Don't Curse the Rain, the first book in author David Homick's Rain Mystery Trilogy, grabbed me from the very first page and never let me go! The main character, Dillon Bishop, has struggled since returning to the States after his service and injuries sustained in Afghanistan. Not only has he suffered wounds to a leg, but the mental trauma continues to buffet his emotional well-being. I liked how the author placed a soulmate in Dillon's path, even though they are still working to take their relationship to the next level. The author kept me on edge with this couple as Dillon hesitates to fully commit to Jenny, while she deals with her frustration with him and pursues her lifelong dream of returning to the Colorado horse ranch. 

There are a number of surprises awaiting Dillon back in his hometown: old friends, old enemies, and even a regretful ex-girlfriend who wants to reconcile. Settling his father's affairs proves to be anything but easy. The action begins the minute Dillon hits town, and the mystery isn't entirely resolved until almost the very end. The author's easy-to-read writing style made the pages fly by. The author has an excellent way with dialogue. Exchanges between characters felt much more natural than in other works, and the accompanying gestures and "business" enhanced the quality of their interactions and conversations. 

Having lived and worked in the area where the story is set (Cleburne, Alvarado, Keene, and Lake Whitney, to name a few), I enjoyed seeing familiar place names mentioned. The locations were described much as I remember them, so the setting felt genuine. 

Besides Dillon working through his PTSD and relationships, the book is ultimately a mystery story about what happened to Luke all those years ago and who killed their father. By teaming up with his old high school buddies and his father's friends, Dillon is sharp and determined in his search for the truth. I enjoyed everything about the plot and this book, and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy. 

I recommend DON'T CURSE THE RAIN to mystery readers who enjoy main characters who are military veterans, relationship stories, or a north central Texas setting.

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

So Close to Heaven

by

Annette Oppenlander

Riveting historical fiction set in northern Italy during the Napoleonic Wars.

So Close to Heaven is author Annette Oppenlander’s fascinating fictional account of Sabiona Abbey and the Benedictine nun who saved it from complete destruction during the approximately 20-year span of the Napoleonic Wars. The abbey, located on a strategic mountainside in the South Tyrol area of northern Italy, was attractive as a highly defensible site for the military on both sides of the conflict and changed hands a couple of times during the fighting. During each takeover, the Benedictine nuns who called the abbey home were threatened or completely displaced, except for one: Sister Magdalena. 

Sister Magdalena (and all the nuns who stayed behind at the abbey during the various occupations) was a strong-willed, dedicated woman, as shown by her escapade of dressing as a French soldier to reinstate the Sabiona Abbey as a religious entity. The story has many tense and exciting moments as the women face their French attackers and even their own countrymen bent on taking advantage of the situation for personal gain. 

Although not much is known about Mariele Told’s (Sister Magdalena as she was known after joining the order) reasons for initially coming to Sabiona Abbey, the author has created a tragically plausible origin story here. But what starts as an often-heard tale re-enacted thousands of times, a woman seeking asylum to avoid an unwanted arranged marriage, turns out to have a surprise twist. The story becomes one of forgiveness. 

The author’s writing puts me right in the story with the women of the Benedictine community at Sabiona Abbey, and at just over 200 pages, the book is a perfect one-sitting read. With its engaging heroine and exciting plot based on true events, I recommend SO CLOSE TO HEAVEN to readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially stories with strong female protagonists or set during the Napoleonic Wars in Italy or within a religious community. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.