Better Angels - A Review

 

Better Angels:
A Kate Warne Adventure

Written By Jeff Jensen
Illustrated By George Schall

A Review

This graphic novel follows the true story of Kate Warne, better known as America’s First Female Detective. To get her job she had to disguise herself as her deceased husband and convince the Pinkertons to hire her.

One of her first cases involved preventing an early attempt on the life of Abraham Lincoln - this book tells that story. It does the job well - though a little pre-reading of her history made the story even more enjoyable. The graphics were nicely done, though, like movies and TV shows depicting that era, the colors are somewhat muted in order to indicate the age of the story.

For the adult, teen, or pre-teen, reader looking for a powerful story depicting a female protagonist (a true story at that), this book should fill the bill. I would like to see more stories featuring Kate Warne and her team of sleuths. This book gets 4-1/2-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Hope Rides Again - A Review

Hope Rides Again 

by

Andrew Shaffer 

Andrew Shaffer has written another fun political thriller starring Joe Biden and Barack Obama. The parody centers on Obama’s old hometown of Chicago. We see a host of characters that are part of Chicago’s and Obama’s history - Rahm Emmanuel (Chicago mayor) and Michelle Obama. At the center of the plot is the attempted murder of a young man who is attempting to break away from the gang lifestyle Biden and Obama task themselves with tracking down the person who pulled the trigger and the person responsible for ordering the hit. The plot has more twists and turns than a sidewinder living in the desert, taking the reader from rail yards in the city’s southside to the top of the huge Ferris wheel on Navy Pier. Not a politically motivated book, the story is set in the weeks preceding Biden’s deciding to run President for the third time.

For the reader looking for some light reading during the summer months, Hope Rides Again may just fill the bill.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Epiphany - A Review

Epiphany

by

Nickolae Gerstner

A Review

The Father Rockcastle is asked to stand up for two teens, one delusional, the other innocent, who have been arrested for murder. His brother is a lawyer. An unknown daughter arrives at his door. And a parishioner with two young sons catches the pastor’s eye. And what could have become a mishmash of disconnected stories arrives as a thoughtful, engaging novel that keeps the reader interested from beginning to end.  

The book revolves around the involvement of the various characters’ attempts to connect with each other and to find the murderer of an unidentified man. Each has a piece of the puzzle. And with the help of a future Supreme Court Justice, it was the daughter and her cousin that complete the puzzle. The question becomes, can they finish the puzzle without losing their lives in the process.

The combination of politics, law, faith, relationships, and justice, will draw many into this book. I hope that the presence of a Catholic Priest will not dissuade the Protestant or non-religious reader from picking up this exciting and readable thriller. Though the book is not religious; it does have a distinct taste of grace - regardless of how hurt one may be. Thus, the book may draw readers from many directions to its pages. The book is worth the five stars I have awarded it.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Whispers in the Reading Room - A Review

Whispers in the
Reading Room

by

Shelley Bray

A Review

I don’t think I have ever read a book that left me with such mixed emotions. The author presents a beautiful picture of how God can take broken lives from a variety of backgrounds and transform them into something of value and worth. At the same time, the author reminds us that we cannot judge a book by its cover or a man by his coat.

The story takes place in the weeks and months following the closing of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Lydia has the responsibility of running a local “Reading Room” in the Chicago community. Thus begins this mystery. I would call this a “mystery embedded in a romance” (which I find a bit uncomfortable reading), rather than a “romance embedded in a mystery” (which is more to my liking). But the four main characters have all strayed from their faith - when fate (i.e. God) brings them together.

Though Sebastian Marks is a man of mystery, the true mystery does not begin until the 50% point (using Kindle’s measurement) of the book. The death of Lydia’s ex-fiance will force each member of their small group to rethink friendships, beliefs, and behaviors. And because of this, the book is much more about relationships than about the mystery.

The book is well-written, by a skilled writer. Her ability to weave the history of the era (and forcing this reader to search Google to discover more) is always a sign of a good book. Though the author seems to confuse the three fires that destroyed the remains of the World’s Fair site over a year’s time into a single event, the story was alive and real.

Bottom line - I enjoyed the book. I wish there had been less romance, but then i am male and thrive more on the excitement than on the romance. Would I recommend the book? Yes - for everyone, but for some more than others. If you like a mix of history, mystery, and romance, you will enjoy “Whispers in the Reading Room.”

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

Scheduled to Die - A Review

Scheduled To Die

by

Alan Cupp

A Review

The second book in the Carter Mays mystery series by Alan Cupp is a better and improved follow-up to his earlier book, When Lies Crumble. With the same gritty style that seems like it has dropped from a 1940's detective novel, the current book also includes the flavor of a 21^st century Criminal Minds episode.

With a work assignment in Ashville, NC, Dana Carrington meets a fellow Chicagoan while injuring a dinner alone. What begins as a nice date ends up being a nightmare – for Dana, her best friend, and her mother. When things continue to go downhill, Dana is put into contact with Carter Mays, a private investigator in metropolitan Chicago.

Carter is tough, but likable, PI, with the spunk to go the extra mile, even if it means breaking a few rules (e.g. pretending to be a cop), but he gets the job done. The mystery itself is well-written, with enough twists to keep the reader involved, but with sufficient details to allow him or her to follow the clues as they are developed step-by-step.

Though not Christian fiction, the author is not afraid to allow his own faith to peek through; both in the “Acknowledgments” and, non-intrusively, in the story itself. Looking for a good summer read that is a bit grittier than the typical cozy mystery, Scheduled to Die may fill that bill.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.