Revenge Served Cold...Jackie Fullerton

About the Book:

• Pub. Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Thomas House Publishing
• Author: Jackie Fullerton

Synopsis

Kathy Spence awakens in the middle of the night and finds herself in a living nightmare. Her husband has been run down and she is the primary suspect. With an eyewitness to the crime and proof that her car was the murder weapon, it appears to be an open and shut case. Terrified for her future, Kathy turns to amateur sleuth Anne Marshall for help. Believing in Kathy's innocence, Anne launches her own investigation, uncovering proof of a conspiracy that reaches from Kathy's past and threatens her own life. In a race against time, Anne must count on her close friends and even the ghost of her father to help her bring a killer to justice before it's too late.

My Thoughts:
Is it possible to hate some one so much that you obsess about them suffering, although they had no idea of why you hate them?


Revenge Served Cold shows readers how far someone will go to get revenge on someone else. The story starts with the prologue showing Professor Spence is plowed down in the middle of the street after meeting up with a long time college friend. Professor Spence is pronounced dead on the spot. The prime suspect is his wife and her car is found across the street from their house with the fender bent and the window smashed with blood on it. After seeing that, of course you would think it was the wife, slam dunk. However, that's just too easy. Yeah, that's what I thought as well.


I don't watch a lot of TV, but when I do I watch a lot of the crime shows on the Discovery channel. In rreal life, the crime is never solved in a "slam dunk". 


In the beginning we find out that the "friend" Professor Spence met up with was his college roommate and best friend who was also his wife's ex-boyfriend. Well, he may have had a motif. But no, we find out there was another friend, Alice Dearborn who had been in love with the friend all this time and would do ANYTHING to win his love. 


Although I found the story to be predictable, there was enough climax and suspense to it once Anne and her "partner in crime", her dad's ghost, gets involved. Anne, who is named Miss Marple by her friends, gets involved in helping to solve the crime. This is something she's done before in the past it seems. Well, had it not been for Anne and her ghost, Professor Spence's wife would have gotten indicted and the real criminals would have gotten away.


I think Revenge Served Cold was a quick and easy read. There was a little humor. If you are looking for a quick and easy crime sleuth book, Revenge Served Cold will fit the bill.

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I was asked to review by The Cadence Group.

Said the Spider...

About the Book: Sophisticated crime syndicate parasites invade the normally solid foundation of Midwestern banking and generations of established manufacturing. Executives and management usually in control suddenly find they are masterfully manipulated into a web of irreconcilable personal and financial seduction.

From the traumatic discovery at the river’s edge to the eventual confrontational conclusion Said The Spider seduces greedy, gullible and unsuspecting prey into a deadly and graphic whirlwind of corporate disaster leading to murder, suicide and revenge.

The early exploits of the juvenile crime spree by a youthful mastermind who cleverly manipulates his prey leads the reader to the ruthless genius manipulating the city. This drama of cause and effect with no escape from the temptations of lust, greed, and ignorance has been cleverly baited.

The corporate investigative agency and police sources enter almost too late to stop this whirlpool of turbulence as the bank Vice President’s realize their own failure and the investors and corporation officers panic and retreat from the coming Armageddon.

As murder, suicide and monumental financial losses are exposed, the crime syndicate learns of an investigation which might interrupt their lucrative operation. Crime bosses will stop at nothing to successfully complete their artistic looting of a major bank and manufacturing complex.

Time is running out. Investigators are pulling pieces of the puzzle together. Corrupt and greedy bank executives are running for their lives. The syndicate is charging ahead in their goal of complete domination and eventual departure culminating in a surprise and conclusive end to fraud and murder.

About the Author: More than 40 years Earle (Doc) Van Gilder was involved in the investigation of white-collar crime. The last 20 years he ran his own Investigative Corporation partnering with major firms, local and state government agencies and law enforcement to solve a wide range of criminal activities from internal theft and white collar crime to insurance fraud, criminal investigations and undercover operations.

Earle is also a certified Kyokushinkai Karate Branch Chief and martial arts instructor and well versed in the handling of weaponry. These experiences combined with his Marine Corp and equestrian experiences have resulted in a number of short stories which in turn led to his first novel, Said The Spider. He recently completed a second novel, Gumshoe Diary, The Month of May.

My Thoughts:

Said the Spider was written with a lot of style and character. From the first sentence of the book, I was captivated and wanted to know more of what will happen. This was one book that I wasn’t able to predict the end of the story. Van Gilder was able to write a story about a criminal mastermind with a great deal of imagery and details that made me feel like I was there in the story. The characters were well developed and the twist and turns of the story line were very intriguing. I enjoy reading a book where I can visualize everything from the story. In this book I was able to visual the people, the homes, even the circumstances where the investigation teams were in and the people and places they were investigation. It was obvious that Van Gilder used his past experience as an investigator to make this book a great read.

If someone is looking for a good criminal investigation story, make sure to pick up Said the Spider by Earl Van Gilder. You won’t be disappointed. 

I GIVE THIS BOOK

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I was asked to review by Outskirts Press, Inc.

Last To Die - Kate Brady

About the book: A ruthless killer hides in plain sight, someone no one believes is capable of murder. Within a week, six women will be murdered, all punished for their dark pasts. Detective Dani Cole is determined to track down this serial killer whose victims include a young woman she pulled out of a life of crime. Her investigation leads her to a photography foundation and the renowned photographer Mitch Sheridan, a man she fell in love with years ago but has tried to forget. Dani and Mitch are instantly attracted to each other again, though their troubled pasts keep them from getting too close. Together, through the course of the investigation, they unearth a dark chain of deception that leads to a killer who is closer than they think.

About the Author: Kate Brady has won or been a finalist in many writing contests, including the Golden Heart, the Maggies, and the Suzannah.

My Thoughts: Last to Die was a good mix of suspense, mystery and romance. Although Dani seemed like such an independent, stone-faced cop, seeming to not "need" anyone, she was very quick to lend a helping hand to others. The book was a fast and easy read. While reading the story, I felt like I was a fly on the wall in each scene and could visually experience what was happening. This is the first time I'm reading a book by Kate Brady. I was very impressed with the writing and the story. The flow was very smooth, even with the memories the characters had, it didn't feel like I was ever lost between past memories, conversations people had in their heads or the present. Kate Brady will be a new author added to my list.

I GIVE THIS:

 

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book given to me by Hachette Group. These opinions are my own without any influences.

I LOVE A GOOD MYSTERY

Review: Spoilt – Joanne Ellis

Book Description:

Synopsis

Passion turns to envy. Love to murder. One way or another, everyone is spoilt.

A sadistic killer is stalking the streets, carving his hatred into the bodies of beautiful, young women.

The murders are stirring up bad memories for Detective Lucas Hudson, as he struggles to remain focused - juggling the horrors of today with horrors from the past.

When Chelsea Summerville's best friend goes missing, she's unwillingly dragged into the race to stop the killer.

As Lucas and Chelsea find happiness together, Chelsea becomes the hunted rather than the hunter.

Can Lucas shake off his demons and save the woman he loves, or will everything he holds dear be spoilt?

About the author: 

Joanne Ellis is a prolific Australian writer who won the Night Reading / Publishing 'First Chapter of the Month' in May-June 2010 with her first chapter of 'Spoilt'.

Other novels written by Joanne include: 'Fire Starter', 'Womaniser', 'The Rookie', 'Charlottesville', 'Control' and 'The Mystic Garden'.

My Thoughts:  I love a good mystery. Spoilt began with a big “bang” and I loved it. It instantly captured my attention and I did not want to stop reading. The romance between Lucas and Chelsea was so intense that it made me want to believe in love at first sight. The way Lucas was so intent on protecting Chelsea was very endearing. Without, ruining the end of the story for everyone I just wanted to say that by the end of the book, I became scared for Chelsea, angry at Lucas, felt the pain and heartache they were both feeling and wanted to hurt the maniac serial killer.

Spoilt was a well written story that flowed through the chapters like melted butter. From the beginning when the murders are being investigated, to when Lucas and Chelsea initially met and then when they fell in love, the story was easy to follow. I didn’t have to go back a few pages to see if I missed anything.

I GIVE THIS BOOK

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I was given by Night Publishing.