Archive for January, 2014

Classic Corner Review: I, The Jury – Mickey Spillane

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014
Mass Market Paperback: 214 Pages
Publisher: Signet (December 1, 1948)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451165926
ISBN-13: 978-0451165923
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Characters:

Mike Hammer – Tough Talking New York Private Eye.
Dr. Charlotte Manning – New York Psychiatrist.

Synopsis:

When his buddy Jack Williams is suspiciously and violently murdered, Mike Hammer vows to stop at nothing until the killer receives Justice.

Review

This was my first experience with Mickey Spillane’s writing, and I found myself drawn in. Mike Hammer can be violent, operate outside the law, but with respect to the police, and can be hard edged, but you also get to see a softer side to him. He’s a man who can also love.

The plot was rather complicated, and if the reader doesn’t pay a lot of attention, could get lost. It seems at time that there are too many involved in the crime and it was too complicated. But the setting pulls you into the dark world in which Mike Hammer operates. The books are much darker and grittier than the simpler plotted books of Christie and Queen. They don’t seem as much a who dun it, in the classic sense, as crime fiction.

For people who like the gritty, film noir type detective, I think you’d love these Mike Hammer Stories. If you are looking for a simple, clean mystery though, this isn’t it. For the type of book it is, which I enjoy alongside the classic mystery, I’d recommend it. There’s a reason Mickey Spillane is considered one of the masters.

You can discuss it here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

Classic Corner Review: The French Powder Mystery – Ellery Queen

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014
Mass Market Paperback: 255 pages
Publisher: Signet (November 1, 1969)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 045104083X
ISBN-13: 978-0451040831
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Characters:

Winifred Marchbanks French – Victim.
Cyrus French – Rich Merchant.
Ellery Queen – Author and Amateur Detective.
Inspector Richard Queen – Homicide Detective.

Synopsis:

The woman of a wealthy store owner is discovered dead in the store display window. Ellery Queen and his father are called in to find out who killed the woman and why.

Review

The second in the Ellery Queen series of Who Dun It’s. These are written in a classic style where the story is presented, and then as in all the early Queen books, the reader is given the chance to solve the mystery. All the clues are given throughout the story, and while it’s the fourth Ellery Queen story I’ve read, I’ve yet to be able to solve one of them, though I come close at times.

The characters, as would be expected for this time period are rather cookie cutter. Authors of this time period spent more time on prose and plot it seems than on character development, so from a reader’s perspective it’s definitely a story driven novel.

I love these stories though, along with a lot of the classic mysteries, and this one kept me entertained. The language is a bit archaic and dry, so some readers may not be able to get involved in the storyline. If you can get through that though, and enjoy authors such as Doyle and Christie, then I think you’d like this. I’d rate it as PG or PG-13 due to the content, but I definitely recommend it for one of those rainy day, stay at home mysteries.

About the Author

Ellery Queen was a pen name created and shared by two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905–1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty-two years writing, editing, and anthologizing under the name, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age “fair play” mystery. Although eventually famous on television and radio, Queen’s first appearance came in 1928, when the cousins won a mystery-writing contest with the book that would eventually be published as The Roman Hat Mystery.

Their character was an amateur detective who uses his spare time to assist his police inspector uncle in solving baffling crimes. Besides writing the Queen novels, Dannay and Lee cofounded Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. Although Dannay outlived his cousin by nine years, he retired Queen upon Lee’s death.

You can discuss it here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

Review: Little Girl Lost – Brian McGilloway

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Pan Macmillan (May 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0230753361
ISBN-13: 978-0230753365
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Characters:

Lucy Black
Bill Travers – Chief Superintendent of Criminal Investigation Department.
Tom Fleming – Chief of Public Protection Unit.

Synopsis:

A young 15 year old girl has been missing. A team of invesigators are in the middle of looking for her, when a report comes in of a young girl being found in the woods. When Lucy Black investigates she discovers that the girl is not the missing girl, but is harboring secrets of her own. The problem is, she isn’t talking. How did she get in the woods? Who are her parents? Why was she covered in blood? To find out, you’ll need to read Little Girl Lost.

Review

This was three mysteries in one story. There was the main story about the missing fifteen year old. That involves a very intricate plot that is unraveled throughout the course of the story. Then there is a secondary plot of who is the young girl? Why was she covered in blood? Whose blood was it? And then there was a mystery of what secret is Lucy Black’s father hiding.

The author does a great job of handling these three storylines and then twisting them all together in a cohesive package by the end. While the story itself was interesting there was one area that stylistically was a bit of logic problem. Lucy was in search of the missing girl, deep in the woods, gets a phone call, and the next thing you know she’s magically transported elsewhere. I think it just showed an author though that is still developing, so I can’t fault it too much.

Overall I found the story intriguing and it kept me reading it from beginning to end. In fact I completed the whole book in about a day. I definitely look forward to more from this author, and for a beginning to a series I think he did a good job.

About the Author

Brian McGilloway was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. After studying English at Queen’s University, Belfast, he took up a teaching position in St Columb’s College in Derry, where he was Head of English. His first novel, Borderlands—published by Macmillan New Writing—was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger in 2007 and was hailed by The Times as “one of [2007’s] most impressive debuts.” The second novel in the series, Gallows Lane, was shortlisted for the 2009 Irish Book Awards/Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year. The third, Bleed a River Deep, was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of their Best Books of 2010. He is the author of three Lucy Black novels, all to be published in the U.S. by Witness Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Brian lives near the Irish borderlands with his wife and their four children. You can visit Brian at www.brianmcgilloway.com.

*Disclaimer* A special thanks goes out to Danielle at Harper Collins for a review copy of this book. It in no way influenced my review. You can discuss it here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

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Review: Children of the Knight – Michael J. Bowler

Friday, January 17th, 2014
Paperback: 344 pages
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press (September 20, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1623809258
ISBN-13: 978-1623809256
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Characters:

King Arthur – The British Monarch resurrected in the 21st Century.
Lance – A young homeless boy chosen as First Knight.

Synopsis:

King Arthur is reawakened in modern Los Angeles with one goal in mind, recreate the Round Table. But this time, he’s going to do things differently.

Review

This was an amazing book, and a series that I will definitely follow. It deals with a lot of social issues, and while telling a fictional story, tackles real world problems. We as a society abandon our children, we leave them to their own devices. As a result, they get involved in drugs, prostitution, gangs and other problems. We then want them punished as adults. We expect adult actions and responsibility, but deny them adult rights and priviledges. It’s areas such as this where this book really shines in delivering it’s message, and the message leaves an impact.

The characters are realistically drawn, and I found myself caring about them. The characters are pulled from all walks of life, and the theme is it’s what is inside that matters. I felt as if I was really reading about broken children. And even despite their rejection, these children rise above it and become a positive force. I just can’t find all the words to explain how much I loved the idea behind this book, and it was obvious that it came from the author’s heart.

I’d recommend it for older teens and adults since it does deal with adult issues such as drugs, teen sexuality, gangs, and abuse. It’s not stories for everyone. Some may find themselves bothered by the content and be unable to read this book, but for others I think they’d find something to love about this book. I recommend it, and if you grab it and read it I’d like to know your thoughts.

About the Author

Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of three novels – A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time, and Children of the Knight – who grew up in San Rafael, California.

He majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University and earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master’s in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills.

He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies.

He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook.

He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to seven different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, something that is sorely lacking in this state. He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed he and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office.

He has already completed the two continuations of Children of the Knight that complete the trilogy – Running Through A Dark Place & And The Children Shall Lead. Both will likely be released in 2014.

Web Site: michaeljbowler.com.

*Disclaimer* A special thanks goes out to Nicole at Tribute Book Tours for a review copy of this book. It in no way influenced my review. You can discuss it here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

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Review: An Unspoken Compromise – Rizi Xavier Timane, Phd. ASW.

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 2 edition (October 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1492804371
ISBN-13: 978-1492804376
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Synopsis:

The story of one man’s journey through life as a transgender and his struggles against society, family, and religion.

Review

Everything about this book broke my heart. At 8 years old Ritzi, who was born a girl, felt he was a boy. He went as far as telling his father this, and was met by laughter and ignored. He told his mother and for years was met with scorn, biblical bashing and much much worse. She brought in exorcists to rid her daughter of the demons. This continued way into adulthood.

Then Rizi decided to just live life as a lesbian, but even then wasn’t happy because something felt as if it was missing. Finally He decided to go through gender reassignment which caused even more riffs among family and friends. Through it all though, He never lost faith in God and that is where some of the strength comes through, that despite all the hate heaped on him by his country, his family, and everyone else, he was still able to find love in his heart for God.

It’s a beautiful story that I think everyone should read, but sadly in this country I know there are many who won’t because of the subject matter. That is where it’s very sad, because they are missing out on a beautiful story of survival, love, and forgiveness. Isn’t that what the Bible stories were about after all?

One sad part of the book that disturbed me the most was the individual stories of all the LGBTQ people who were beaten, some who died, merely due to their sexuality.

It’s definitely for the older audiences and details things such as child abuse, rape, and other dark images that some readers may find disturbing. If you can overlook this, you”ll find a beautiful story, that while brief, leaves you with a connection to the author. For anyone out there struggling, I would recommend this book. So many feel rejected by a religion they’d like to embrace, and Dr. Timane does an excellent job of leading you through finding what you may seek.

About the Author

Rizi Xavier Timane’ was born in Northern Nigeria, West Africa. He grew up in a fundamentalist Christian home and was taught from an early age that being part of the LGBT community would lead him straight to hell. Like most transgendered persons, Rizi struggled with gender dysphoria in early childhood and initially identified as a lesbian.

The rejection and persecution that Rizi was subjected to led him to abuse drugs and alcohol, and coupled with his growing gender dysphoria, culminated in a suicide attempt. After much soul searching and research, Rizi, like many LGBT people today, discovered that nothing is wrong with him being transgender nor is anything wrong with LGBT sexuality, which are both in fact, natural God-given traits. His struggles and persecution identifying first as an openly out lesbian in Africa, and then subsequently as a trans-man, are the inspiration behind his ministry today.

Rizi is a commissioned minister and spiritual counselor within Rizi Timane Ministries-a Jesus based ministry that values people of all faiths and religious backgrounds. He routinely provides affirming spiritual support to the LGBT community and is much sought after as a public speaker on the subject of the intersection of Religion/Spirituality and LGBT Civil Rights. Rizi’s speaking engagements have included universities, colleges, churches and other non-profit organizations.

Rizi is also an inspirational/gospel singer whose album “Come Out” has been well received within the community and had him booked in numerous affirming churches/venues all over the USA and Internationally. Rizi completed year long seminary studies at Claremont School of Theology in California, earning a graduate certificate in Religion, Activism and Social Justice. He has also earned a PhD in Christian Counseling and a Masters in Social Work from University of Southern California (USC) with the intent to become fully Licensed as a Psychotherapist in Los Angeles.

You can visit his ministries www.rizigospel.org OR www.rizitimaneministries.org.

*Disclaimer* A special thanks goes out to Rebecca at Cadence Marketing for a review copy of this book. It in no way influenced my review. You can discuss it here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

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