The Empty Kayak by Jode Millman Blog Tour/Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

This is book three in the Queen City Crimes series. If you have not met these characters, I would recommend reading The Midnight Call and Hooker Avenue to get a sense of their personalities.

Jessie - the young attorney. Jessie is pretty stubborn and tends to get herself in a mess, only to find her way out again. She believes in the system, but she also believes in finding the truth. This is especially true in this tale of The Empty Kayak.

Ebony - a detective in Poughkeepsie, New York. She is also Jessie’s best friend, or at least she used to be. To say that their differences get in the way of their friendship is an understatement. They both want to fix what broke in their friendship, they just can’t seem to find a way to do so.

Hal - Jessie’s fiancé. He is also involved in the legal system and stands by Jessie, even when she chooses to shut him out.

Zander - Ebony’s partner. Their partnership has endured some pretty rocky roads, but they stick by one another. Their relationship is coming up with some even bigger challenges, but I suspect their paths will continue to cross.

The Vargas family - if you want to read about some drama, check this family out, most especially Olivia. She is what I would term a drama queen. She is also very concerned about her social media following. Then there are her parents, her brother, and her supposed ex-husband. These characters add a certain flair, a certain dynamic to this tale of what happened surrounding The Empty Kayak.

The consistency of these characters keeps me wanting to read more about them and their adventures, especially Jessie, Hal, Ebony, and Zander. I am quite certain they will be facing more adversaries while seeking out the truth, even if they are seemingly on opposite sides sometimes.

  

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Empty-Kayak-Queen-Crimes-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0C1PT8484/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BG9WUZK0CVIB&keywords=the+empty+kayak+by+jod%C3%A9+millman&qid=1681056251&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+empty+kay%2Cdigital-text%2C224&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-empty-kayak-jod-millman/1143323741?ean=9781685122874

 

Find Ms. Millman:

Website: https://www.jodemillman.com/#kayak

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jode-millman#kayak

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/64152.Jode_Susan_Millman#kayak

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jode-millman-0aa41013/#kayak

Twitter: https://twitter.com/worldseats#kayak

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodewrites/

 

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The Summer Girls by Marissa Finch Release Day - Blurb

 

Some girls don’t get to grow up…

Six years ago, Maggie Shiner endured the unthinkable when she was abducted and tortured. But her ordeal only worsened after she escaped — because no one believed her. Written off as a troubled teenager with a penchant for drama, Maggie’s been unable to heal from the trauma she underwent. In the years since, she’s hidden herself away on a rural homestead, with only her beloved chickens for company.

That is, until an unexpected visitor threatens her fragile sanctuary.

Journalist Eva Kurtz arrives with a chilling proposition: an interview for a true crime podcast about a potential serial abductor. She believes Maggie’s story, she says, and more than that — she believes Maggie’s abductor is responsible for the disappearances of eleven other young women.

At first, Maggie wants nothing to do with Eva or her podcast. But when another girl goes missing, she reluctantly agrees to help investigate. Together they begin to unravel a twisted web of deception and danger that reaches into the darkest corners of Maggie’s own past.

As time runs out, Maggie and Eva will have to put everything on the line to catch a killer. But will finally revealing the shocking truth be enough for Maggie? Or does redemption demand a higher price?

A gripping and emotionally charged thriller, The Summer Girls will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

 

A Deadly Wilderness by Kelly Irvin Blog Tour/Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

This book started out immediately with the crime and takes the reader through all the ins and outs and ups and downs of solving the primary crime, which, like all good crime books, leads to more … you guessed it, crime!

In this tale, we meet Detective Ray Johnson. Ray is a man who is filled with some pretty complex emotions. Because of his job, the woman he is interested in is scared to be involved with him, fearing something might happen. So, he’s stuck between doing what he loves and making a career change … but is she worth it?

Susana Martinez-Acosta is the lady in question. Susana has her own grief that she carries around. She’s also a mom to Marco, so her first instinct is to do right by Marco. On the other hand, she has to wrestle with not only her grief but deciding if Ray is worth her heart.

Ray and Susana have an interesting dynamic that plays out in all their on again/off again shenanigans.

We also have the Doyles. The Doyles are the rich family, the hoity-toity ones that a good story needs. The Doyles consist of Mr. and Mrs. Doyle, Kevin and Elaine (two of their children, Joey (the victim), and Melody (Joey’s wife), along with Melody and Joey’s two children. If you enjoy a story that contains some family drama, the Doyles fit that category, especially the relationship between Melody and Mrs. Doyle.

Lalo … Lalo seems to be a puppet and the one pulling his strings came as quite a surprise.

Family drama, love interests, a rich family, crimes that seem unsolvable, and a walk in the park are sure to keep you turning the pages. Oh, and Deborah (Ray’s partner) … she is a very colorful, very believable character, having her own past to deal with. There is also an underlying layer of healing throughout these pages.

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Wilderness-Ties-that-Kill-ebook/dp/B0BZX54S1G/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=gDvBF&content-id=amzn1.sym.22f5776b-4878-4918-9222-7bb79ff649f4&pf_rd_p=22f5776b-4878-4918-9222-7bb79ff649f4&pf_rd_r=131-3104865-4758931&pd_rd_wg=4nwka&pd_rd_r=4bab72a9-9b98-434b-908d-6dd4208c37e5&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deadly-wilderness-kelly-irvin/1101683573?ean=2940166039804

 

Find Ms. Irvin:

Website: https://www.kellyirvin.com/#dw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kelly.Irvin.Author#dw

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kelly-irvin#dw

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3331118.Kelly_Irvin#DW

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kelly_S_Irvin#dw

 

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You Killed My Wife Book Blast With Excerpt

 

‘You killed my wife.’ 

          There, I had said it. Finally, after all these months of wondering how it would sound. It was out there. The reaction was about what I had expected. 

Dillion Benson turned his focus to me and was about to tell me to ‘F … off’ no doubt, but seeing me, he stopped. It had certainly stilled the various conversations amongst his group (and some surrounding groups as well). 

Benson wasn’t the first to respond. Joe Lancaster, his boss and the detective inspector, responded, ‘And who might you be?’ 

‘He knows,’ I said, nodding at Benson.

Benson looked at me and asked, ‘Mort?’ He offered his hand, and I nodded and shook hands with who I believed was my wife’s killer. He continued, ‘It was an accident – the coroner has signed off on it. But I must say I am truly sorry for your loss.’

I did not say anything, just stared at him, making him and some of his colleagues uncomfortable. I am a big man and admit I do know how to intimidate. 

Another of his colleagues, whose name I wasn’t sure of, piped up. ‘What do you care? You didn’t even make the funeral.’

I turned the stare onto him, causing an increase in the tension. Eventually, I replied, ‘The Army were unable to extract me, didn’t even tell me she had been killed until our mission was complete.’ 

I continued to stare at him, gradually broadening my look to include the Detective Inspector and Benson, and said, ‘I have read the coroner’s report. I find it intriguing it is not mentioned anywhere that you are a serving policeman, or that a blood test was carried out. So that alone makes the report interesting reading.’ 

I let that hang, slowly placing my empty glass on their table without breaking eye contact with Benson. 

As I left, I told him, ‘You will be seeing me again.’

Upon this, I left the bar and the pub. There, I have set the ball rolling – let the dice fall where they will. If I had known then what those four words, ‘You killed my wife,’ would lead to, would I have uttered them? 

You betcha!

 

Purchase Link:

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-killed-my-wife-a-j-wilton/1143428663?ean=9781922993045

 

Follow Mr. Wilton:

Website: https://www.ajwilton.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/34983482.A_J_Wilton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aj_wilton_author/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AJWiltonAuthorOfficial

 

Gillespie Field Groove by Corey Lynn Fayman Blog Tour/Book Review

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

This was my first introduction to Rolly Waters. Rolly is a private eye and a sometimes musician, so his current PI gig is quite interesting - that of locating a missing Stratocaster guitar. Rolly is a persistent PI in that he will follow the clues he finds and if one direction doesn’t pan out, he takes off in another. He came upon this missing guitar case through Lucinda, a nurse he encountered when he was in the ER a couple years ago.

While working this case, Rolly runs into Roger Sledge who is a big name in the music business. He also isn’t what one would call an upstanding citizen. Mr. Sledge also has a history with Ruby Dean.

Ruby Dean and Lange Campbell. Both of these ladies are tied to the past and the present. Two seemingly quiet characters.

Dmitri and his niece, Svetlana. They both add certain dynamics to this tale which also help round the story out.

Moogus. He is another quiet background character. I just like his name - Moogus.

Otis and Mavis. Otis is the tie to the past; Mavis, his sister, is the tie to the present.

Otis and Gerry. Again, Otis is the tie to the past, and Gerry is the tie to the present.

Rolly also has some intertwining connections to some of the background characters he encounters along the way, which only adds another layer to this tale, mixing the past with the present.

The interesting thing is how this particular crime happened and who the real whodunit turned out to be. I enjoyed the way the past in this story was tied to the present and how Rolly was able to piece everything together. I also enjoyed the way this book ended … that was a total surprise, along with a deeper meaning. It will be interesting to see what Rolly gets into next.

  

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Captured-Moments-Mary-Kay-Gardner/dp/0998748277/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1679323971&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gillespie-field-groove-corey-lynn-fayman/1143218975?ean=9780998748283

 

Find Mr. Fayman:

Website: https://www.coreylynnfayman.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coreylynnfayman

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/corey-lynn-fayman

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/736689.Corey_Lynn_Fayman

Twitter: https://twitter.com/clfayman

 

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The Torching by Kerry Peresta Blog Tour/Book Review

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

Book 1 in this series is The Deadening. This is where we learn the basis of Olivia’s story, what she went through after she woke up.

Book 2 in this series is The Rising. This is such an appropriate title. This is where we learn how Olivia basically starts to rise again, how she learns more about who she is since she woke up, how all the pieces start to fall into place.

There is such a consistency to these first two books, especially with the attraction between Olivia and “her” detective, Hunter Faraday. I am intrigued with the relationship Olivia has with her daughters, how they all have to re-learn who they are.

Book 3 brings us to The Torching. It is now three years later, and Olivia has managed to pretty much put her life back together in some aspects, in other aspects not so much. Lilly, her daughter, is all grown-up and is heading off to college, which brings with it a mom’s sadness over her daughter leaving home and yet a sense of pride to see Lilly sprouting her wings. Monty (Olivia’s ex-husband) is still quietly in the background. Hunter Faraday is still up in the air about how he feels about Olivia, which makes him all the more attractive. He never gives up on her.

Helen, Olivia’s therapist … she’s turning out to be a pretty tough lady. In this tale, she is put into situations she never dreamed of being in, not even as a therapist.

Sherry, Olivia’s friend and office assistant … I suspect there’s going to be more adventures for the two of these women. They make a pretty good team in the private investigation business.

Pete … I kind of felt sorry for Pete and the situation he found himself in. Some of it he brought on himself, but the other side of it … Pete seemed to be very easily manipulated.

Tasha … the arson investigator. Tasha has a way about her that makes people immediately trust her. Olivia found herself drawn to Tasha, even going so far as to consider her a friend, especially since Tasha was keeping her in the loop about the fire investigation.

You will find all the usual characters in this tale - Riot (the cat). Callie who is still dealing with her own family life drama and her own daughter going off to college. Tom, Olivia’s mentor, who has been harboring a secret from her. Olivia’s mom, she finally has to face the truth about her past. And we also meet Marlowe (Olivia’s new dog).

Olivia is very headstrong and since she woke up, she has discovered another side of her personality. This sometimes leads her right down the trail of trouble, but somehow she manages to pull herself through and make it to the other side. Through her persistence, or maybe it’s sheer stubbornness, with the help of a few others, she manages to find out who is behind what’s happening to her and those around her. The whodunnit in this tale at the very end … that was a surprise.

  

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Torching-Olivia-Callahan-Suspense-ebook/dp/B0BX8GZDXN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17I2QP1ATXL4S&keywords=The+torching+kerry+peresta&qid=1679324175&sprefix=the+torching+kerry+peresta%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-torching-kerry-peresta/1143302527?ean=9781685123239

 

Find Ms. Peresta:

Website: https://kerryperesta.net/#torch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klperesta#torch

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kerry-peresta#torch

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7579490.Kerry_Peresta#torch

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerryperesta#torch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerryperesta/

 

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