Review

Innocence On Trial by Rick Bowers

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Audiobookworm in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Innocence On Trial by Rick Bowers was a very interesting book and I wonder how much this type of thing happens in the real world.  I know that there are quite a few people who are wrongly convicted but I wonder how many people aren’t that end up getting out into the world again.  I really enjoyed this narrator’s voice and I am going to listen to other books by her in the future.  I also really enjoyed this author and his writing.  This book did a good job of keeping me interested until I finished the book.  This book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire thing because I wasn’t able to figure out what was going on.  This is one of those books that once you think you had it all figured out something would change and you are proved wrong.  I love it when books are able to keep me guessing because it keeps me interested right up until the end of the book.  If you love thrillers I am sure that you will love this book as much as I did.

 

About The Book

Author: Rick Bowers

Narrator: Eleanor Caudill

Length: 7 hours 31 minutes

Publisher: Rick Bowers⎮2020

Genre: Legal Thriller

Release date: Feb. 5, 2020

Synopsis: Seeking a high profile case to jet-fuel her career and striving to strike a blow for justice, attorney Laura Tobias sets out to clear a man she believes was wrongfully imprisoned for murder, ten years before. The young lawyer, a rising star with the Council Against Wrongful Convictions, is the last hope for inmate Eddie Nash, serving life without parole at the infamous Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

 Attica, one of the last of the classic “big houses”, is still haunted by the 1971 inmate revolt and police siege that left dozens of prisoners and hostages dead. Appealing the cast in federal court and unraveling the facts, Laura uncovers evidence that Eddie was framed by the police for murder – the brutal hanging of a troubled young woman in the remote upstate town of Eden.

Realizing that the real “hangman of Eden” may still be at large, Laura also finds herself being stalked. Are the police out to stop her from exposing their frame-up? Is the real killer seeking to keep her from reopening the investigation? 

Teaming up with noted innocence investigator Charles Steel, she gets a lead on evidence that could clear her client and point to the real killer. With a new trial moving forward, Laura must find the truth and prevail in court, without becoming the next victim.

About The Author

Rick Bowers is an award-winning author and journalist specializing in the quest for social justice and equal rights. Rick has written three books, penned a PBS documentary and directed an oral history project that gathered thousands of first-hand accounts of the civil rights movement. Rick’s work has also been honored with the prestigious Peabody Award, Emmy Award and Webby Award.

Rick recently debuted as a fiction writer with the release Innocence on Trial — a legal thriller about an idealistic young lawyer seeking to exonerate a wrongfully convicted man. Finding that her client was framed by the police, attorney Laura Tobias also finds herself being stalked. Are the police seeking to keep her from exposing their frame-up? Or is the real killer trying to stop her from re-opening the case?

Bowers’ non-fiction book Spies of Mississippi (National Geographic, 2010) exposed the secret, state-run spy network dedicated to preserving segregation in 1950s and ’60s. Spies of Mississippi transported readers into a world of infiltrators and informants working to undercut civil rights organizations in the deep South at the height of the civil rights movement. The state spies framed civil rights leaders, jailed activists, threatened sympathizers and funded white supremacist organizations with tax dollars. Working with filmmaker Dawn Porter, Bowers also penned the PBS/Independent Lens documentary version of  Spies of Mississippi, which won numerous awards for its hard hitting treatment of the topic. Bowers’ book Superman vs. the Ku Klux Klan (National Geographic 2012) revealed how the Man of Steel exposed the men of hate to a generation of children. The book details how the producers of the Adventures of Superman radio serial pitted the iconic superhero against a thinly veiled version of the KKK to five million children radio listeners in 1946, winning widespread praise from civic leaders and the press and humiliating the actual Klan. Superman vs. the KKK is now in development as a feature film by Paper Chase Films in L.A.

In addition to writing books and making films, Bowers also conceptualized and directed “Voices of Civil Rights,” a ground-breaking oral-history project that collected thousands of first-hand accounts of the small acts of courage that powered the civil rights movement.  This priceless treasure trove of 21,000 recollections, letters, essays, audio tracks, videos and photographs is now archived at the Library of Congress and the Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. A collaboration of AARP, the Library of Congress, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and History Channel, Voices produced best-selling books and award-winning documentaries. The Voices of Civil Rights documentary won the prestigious Emmy and Peabody awards.

He has also appeared on a wide range of media outlets, including PBS, NPR, CBS, the History Channel and Discovery Network.

Prior to working on books, films and multi-media projects, Bowers worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for more than 15 years, reporting for the “Patriot Ledger “of Quincy, Massachusetts, the “Miami Herald, “and “USA Today.” His articles have been published in many of the most prestigious publications in the country, including the “Washington Post,” “Chicago Tribune,” ” Philadelphia Inquirer,” and “TIME.” He also worked as a director/vice president of creative initiatives for AARP, conceptualizing and directing far-reaching projects on important social issues.

About The Narrator

I am a voice over, theatre, and commercial actress. I have a strong and confident speaking voice and a penchant for identifying the subtleties and nuance within varying reading materials. I have a passion for reading and that passion is multiplied when sharing a story with others. It would be my honor to tell your story.

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The Pinebox Vendetta by Jeff Bond

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Partners In Crime Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Pinebox Vendetta by Jeff Bond was a good book but it did take me a couple of chapters to hook me.  Once I was hook though I was able to read through this book pretty quickly and I always love books that I can get through pretty quick.  This book did keep me guessing through most of the book is always a great thing because it keeps me interested and keeps me reading because I have to know how the story ends.  I really enjoyed the author and his writing throughout this book.  It was a slow starter like I said so this is one that you have to stick out a few slow chapters but once it picks up it doesn’t slow down until you are done with the book.  In the end, I loved Sam but at times she did get on my nerves because I just wanted her to say what she was thinking more than she did.  If you love a good thriller then I would check this one out and if you have read it what did you think of it?

About The Book

Genre: Thriller
Published by: Jeff Bond Books
Publication Date: February 19th 2020
Number of Pages: 264
ISBN: 1732255253 (ISBN13: 9781732255258)
Series: Pruitt-Gallagher Saga, #1

From the author of The Winner Maker and Blackquest 40 comes The Pinebox Vendetta: a genre-bending thriller that combines a love story, cold-case murder mystery, and political blood feud — told over the course of a single breathless weekend.

The Gallaghers and Pruitts have dominated the American political landscape dating back to Revolutionary times. The Yale University class of 1996 had one of each, and as the twenty-year reunion approaches, the families are on a collision course.

Owen Gallagher is coasting to the Democratic nomination for president.

Rock Pruitt — the brash maverick whose career was derailed two decades ago by his association to a tragic death — is back, ready to reclaim the mantle of clan leader.

And fatefully in between lies Samantha Lessing. Sam arrives at reunion weekend lugging a rotten marriage, dumb hope, and a portable audio recorder she’ll use for a public radio-style documentary on the Pruitt-Gallagher rivalry — widely known as the pinebox vendetta.

What Sam uncovers will thrust her into the middle of the ancient feud, upending presidential politics and changing the trajectory of one clan forever.

The Pinebox Vendetta is the first entry in the Pruitt-Gallagher saga: a series that promises cutthroat plots, power grabs, and unforgettable characters stretched to their very limits by the same ideological forces that roil America today.

About The Author

Jeff Bond is a Kansas native and graduate of Yale University. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Michigan, and belongs to the International Thriller Writers Association.

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Ignite My Heart by Loni Ree

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Forever Write PR in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Ignite My Heart by Loni Ree was a good book but it did seem rushed to me that always happens when the books are short.  I always wish that short books like this were long so that I could have gotten to know the characters and I wanted to spend more time with the characters because I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book. I did enjoy that I was able to read the entire book in just one sitting which I love because it is just long enough to make me forget what is going on but not so long that it takes forever to read them.  I love reading short books while I am eating because I am able to get through most of the book in about 30 mins which make my lunches go faster and gives me a short break to walk away from my desk and escape into another world. This is also the first time I have heard or read anything by this author and I am going to check out more books by her in the future.  I also can’t wait to read more books in this series in the future.  If you don’t have a ton of time to read I would pick up a short book like this one and give it a shot.

About The Book

 

It only takes a spark…

Trace Remington
I’m used to my nice quiet life in Juniper. I usually save Mrs. Jacob’s cat from its own bad luck once or twice a week and, on occasion, deal with a real emergency. When Paige Reilly moves in, the little firecracker wakes up our sleepy small town and sets my blood on fire.

Paige Reilly
I was looking for somewhere quiet to settle down, and Juniper, Colorado looked like the perfect place. Little did I know, the quiet little town would welcome me with a bang. When the hottest guy I’ve ever seen shows up at my door to give me advice on fitting into the town and neighborhood, sparks start flying between the Fire Captain and me.

Are you ready for sparks to ignite? This book is guaranteed to set your kindle on fire.

About The Author

Loni Ree is a very busy mom of six who loves to read, and she finds that it helps her escape the chaos of everyday life. She likes quick reads that are red-hot and on the excessive side. Writing has also been a passion of hers, and Loni decided to share the stories floating around in her mind. Her short, steamy stories have a tiny bit of suspense and are a little over the top because she believes reading should be an escape from real life. Her books always have a happy ever after, guaranteed!

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The Last Scoop by R.G. Belsky

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Partners In Crime Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Last Scoop by R.G. Belsky was an amazing book.  This is the third book in the series and I only read the first book so you don’t have to read the books in order if you don’t want to.  I am going to go back and read the second book because I enjoy the characters in these books.  The time I spend with Clare the more I like her.  I love that she seems like a real person because she has vice’s like most people do and that made me come alive to me as I was reading this story.  I also love books where the main character is a strong female because I think there need to be more books like that so that girls know that they can do anything that they put their minds too.  This book wasn’t super suspenseful but it did have enough that I didn’t lose interest as I was reading the book and I also was sad when it ended because I really love these characters and I hope the author writes more books with these characters in them.  If you are looking for a good mystery book to read I would check this one out.

About The Book

Genre: Mystery
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: May 5th 2020
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 1608093573 (ISBN13: 9781608093571)
Series: Clare Carlson #3
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The killer whispered-“A pretty damsel…worth a pretty risk.”

Martin Barlow was Clare Carlson’s first newspaper editor, a beloved mentor who inspired her career as a journalist. But, since retiring from his newspaper job, he had become a kind of pathetic figure—railing on about conspiracies, cover-ups, and other imaginary stories he was still working on. Clare had been too busy with her own career to pay much attention to him. When Martin Barlow is killed on the street one night during an apparent mugging attempt gone bad, it seems like he was just an old man whose time had come. But Clare—initially out of a sense of guilt for ignoring her old friend and then because of her own journalistic instincts—begins looking into his last story idea. As she digs deeper and deeper into his secret files, she uncovers shocking evidence of a serial killer worse than Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, or any of the other infamous names in history. This really is the biggest story of Martin Barlow’s career—and Clare’s, too—as she uncovers the path leading to the decades-long killer of at least twenty young women. All is not as it seems during Clare’s relentless search for this serial killer. Is she setting herself up to be his next victim?

About The Author

R. G. Belsky is an author of crime fiction and a journalist in New York City. His newest mystery, Below The Fold, was published in May 2019 by Oceanview. It is the second in a series featuring Clare Carlson, the news director for a New York City TV station. The first Clare Carlson book, YESTERDAY’S NEWS, came out in 2018. It won the David Award at Deadly Ink for Best Mystery of 2018. Belsky previously wrote the Gil Malloy series – THE KENNEDY CONNECTION, SHOOTING FOR THE STARS AND BLONDE ICE – about a newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News. Belsky himself is a former managing editor at the Daily News and writes about the media from an extensive background in newspapers, magazines and TV/digital news. He has also been a top editor at the New York Post, Star magazine and NBC News. Belsky won the Claymore Award at Killer Nashville in 2016. He has finished several times as a Finalist for both the Silver Falchion and David Awards. YESTERDAY’S NEWS, was also named Outstanding Crime/News Based Novel by Just Reviews in 2018 and was a Finalist for Best Mystery of 2018 in the Foreword INDIES Awards. His previous suspense/thriller novels include LOVERBOY and PLAYING DEAD. Belsky lives in New York City.

Catch Up With R.G. Belsky On:
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This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for R.G. Belsky. There will be Two (2) winners of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card each. The giveaway begins on May 1, 2020 and runs through June 2, 2020. Void where prohibited.
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Blood Lies by Andrew Cunningham

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Audiobookworm in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Blood Lies by Andrew Cunningham was like going back home and reconnecting with old friends.  Since this is the 5th book in the series these characters have become my friends even though if this was happening in the real world they would all have died for the crazy things that are always happening to them.  This book literally started with a bang and it kept up a pretty intense pace throughout the entire book. You don’t have to listen to these books in order if you don’t want to but I would if you are interested in the series so that the books don’t spoil anything for you.  I have grown to love the narrator of this series so much so that if the author had another person read the story I don’t know that I would want to listen to it.  The first part of this book brought me back to the first book because one of the things I wondered about after the first book and it turns out that my thought was right and Del’s dad was more of a shady character than it first seemed.  This book wasn’t super suspenseful but at this point it doesn’t matter at all to me because I have grown to love these characters and I hope the author writes more books with these characters.

old abandoned Scary Haunted house

About The Book

Author: Andrew Cunningham

Narrator: Greg Hernandez

Length: 6 hours 12 minutes

Publisher: Andrew Cunningham⎮2020

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Series: Lies Mystery Thriller Series, Book 5

Release date: March 17, 2020

Synopsis: Gunned down on a busy Boston street, bestselling mystery author Sabrina Spencer is left clinging to life. Media speculation suggests a deranged fan as the shooter. Was Sabrina really the intended target?

For Del Honeycutt, a chilling link emerges between Sabrina’s shooting and that of his father’s murder three years earlier. Discovering that his father was leading a secret life, he digs deeper, and the clues lead Del down a dangerous and deadly path.

About The Author

I’m the author of novels in several genres, including, mystery, thriller, and post-apocalyptic science fiction. Under the name A.R. Cunningham, I’ve also written the Arthur MacArthur series of mysteries for children.

I was born in England, but have spent most of my life living in the U.S.—including 25 years on Cape Cod before moving to Florida. A former interpreter for the deaf and long-time independent bookseller, I’ve been a full-time freelance writer and copy editor for many years. A 4th-degree Master Black belt in Tang Soo Do, I finally retired from active training when my body said, “Enough already! Why are you doing this to yourself?” I’m married, with two grown children and two awesome grandsons. My wife and I spend as much time traveling as we can, and are especially fond of cruising the Caribbean.

​I have been gratified by the response to my books. When I published Eden Rising back in the spring of 2013, I had no idea what to expect. When I sold my first few copies, I was excited beyond belief that someone was willing to take a chance on it. Numerous books and thousands of copies later, I am still humbled by the emails I get from readers telling me that my books kept them up late into the night.

In October of 2014, Wisdom Spring made me an official Amazon Bestselling author, a thrill I never thought would happen. But it still comes down to being able to bring a few hours of escape to a reader. That’s what it’s all about for me.

I hope you will try my books. Please feel free to email me with your comments.

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About The Narrator

Author-preferred Narrator of Mysteries & Thrillers

Narrating audiobooks is highly gratifying.  I immerse myself into an author’s story in order to bring it to life for the listener.  I’ve enjoyed working with Andrew Cunningham for several years. His books are filled with rich characters, and the stories keep me turning the pages.

I also work as a background actor in movies and TV shows.

For more than 20 years, I worked as a radio news reporter and news writer.  I spent half of my broadcasting career at ABC News Radio in the Washington, D.C., bureau.  I covered all the federal agencies as well as Congress and the White House. I reported on a wide range of stories during my career, including financial and entertainment industry news.

For nearly 24 years, I worked as a federal government spokesman at three separate agencies—National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Mint and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2020 Margaret Margaret

A Child Lost by Michelle Cox

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from iRead Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

A Child Lost by Michelle Cox was an interesting book.  There are five or six books before this one in the series and I was able to just jump in with this book and understand what was going on.  I did at times wish that I knew the back stories of the characters but it was only because I am noisy and not because you needed to know it all in order to understand what is happening in this book.  This book also reminded me of how things were different when it comes to people having epilepsy back when this book took place and how we treat people who have it now.  Even though the author rated the content of this book as an “R” I didn’t  find any spot that made me feel like it needed to be that rating.  I am not the biggest fan of historical fiction but I really did enjoy this story and this one made me add this author to my ever growing lists of authors that I want to read more books by in the future.  If you are looking for a different type of book to read this summer I would pick this one up and check it out.

About The Book

Series Title A CHILD LOST (A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel #5) by Michelle Cox
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+)
Genre Historical Mystery
Publisher She Writes Press
Release dates:   April 2020
Content Rating: R:
My book is rated R for 2 sex scenes that are somewhat explicit but which are tastefully done. There is periodic swearing (not excessive), but no violence.

A spiritualist, an insane asylum, a lost little girl . . .

When Clive, anxious to distract a depressed Henrietta, begs Sergeant Frank Davis for a case, he is assigned to investigating a seemingly boring affair: a spiritualist woman operating in an abandoned schoolhouse on the edge of town who is suspected of robbing people of their valuables. What begins as an open and shut case becomes more complicated, however, when Henrietta―much to Clive’s dismay―begins to believe the spiritualist’s strange ramblings.

Meanwhile, Elsie begs Clive and Henrietta to help her and the object of her budding love, Gunther, locate the whereabouts of one Liesel Klinkhammer, the German woman Gunther has traveled to America to find and the mother of the little girl, Anna, whom he has brought along with him. The search leads them to Dunning Asylum, where they discover some terrible truths about Liesel. When the child, Anna, is herself mistakenly admitted to the asylum after an epileptic fit, Clive and Henrietta return to Dunning to retrieve her. This time, however, Henrietta begins to suspect that something darker may be happening. When Clive doesn’t believe her, she decides to take matters into her own hands . . . with horrifying results.

About The Author

Michelle Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents. She suspects she may have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there. Coincidentally, her books have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and many others, so she might be on to something. Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.

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