Ultimate Victory - Denied Written By Jim Kencfield

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AppId is over the quota

Suspenseful story that sure kept my nose to the grindstone, not wanting to put this book down and go to sleep! Relations between The United States and China have not been good for years and Jim Kenfield writes a very plausible story about big trouble between the two nations when China launches an attempt to send rail containerized nuclear weapons to all the strategic areas across the United States. These weapons were supposed to go easily and freely to any place that had strong secrecy in or near the locations. This would have gone well for the Chinese except that in Tacoma, Washington one of the containers happened to have an accident. The local authorities and the FBI were called in to check this damage since it was an international shipment. They "accidentally" broke the seal on the container and discovered some strange contents. This container was so much lighter in weight than almost all other containers so they began checking other containers in this shipment and sure enough, there were many more the same way.

Thus the Chinese terrorism attack was thwarted and awoke the United States as to what China was capable of. All the containers were tracked and all but one was found. The lost one disappeared when a train was derailed in Louisiana and the container fell into the river and even though many hours of searching was done, it was never found due to some crazy kids that made it disappear after thinking they had found a fortune. This started meetings between the United States and Chinese governments. The Chinese, of course, denied any participation of a nuclear attack on the United States but the proof was there. The Chinese blamed it on a certain group of military that planned and carried out this mission without their governments support. The suspicion of this being a false explanation was difficult to track since somehow, an airplane with all of those involved in the Chinese version of this plot crashed and all aboard were killed.

The United States sent a team to China to investigate all areas of this situation they could find. China pledged their support to assist the team. Colonel Jim Hackwood, Hack for short, was chosen to lead the several huge airplanes packed with all types of equipment to aid in the search for any possible clues from the air crash site. Hack had everything possible on those airplanes for the mission including food, showers, mess areas for eating, and much more. On the Chinese side they selected Captain Chu to assist the Americans all he could. Captain Chu could speak English well and seemed very amiable to Huck. The uncertainty of the Americans of how much they were truthfully being told kept them all extremely nervous and anxious, at least at the beginning. Things seemed to go well in the inter-mingling of the various military men but were they telling the Americans the truth?

The combined units of The United States and China worked hard as they delved into the search for clues. Many things thought to be as explained did not make sense but how do they prove that? Huck worked through the American President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Commerce. On the Chinese side, Captain Chu had to work through their counterparts as well. Every move in the negotiations became a delicate possibility that had to go through channels.

This is an excellent book that will make many deeply think out the possibilities in our dangerous world. The action is an every hour occurrence and makes your mind shift along with the characters in the book. Don't miss this one.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by the author and the publisher

A Very Simple Crime by Grant Jenkins

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AppId is over the quota

The title of this book is very deceiving. This murder, at first, might seem like a very simple crime. As you start reading this book, you will be taken through many twists and turns. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you are totally wrong.

The reader is given many details about the two brothers, Adam and Monty Lee, who were orphaned after the violent death of their parents. Their new place to stay was now in the dark basement of an aunt's house. Monty became successful in life and Adam always admired him. Whatever Monty did in life, whether it was good or bad, seemed to be fine with Adam. Adam seemed to idolize Monty. They did some things together as kids growing up that they both knew were totally wrong but as long as Monty said it was fine, it was also okay with Adam. The question is who killed Adam's Wife, Rachel? Adam was trapped in his marriage to Rachel who has some mental problems. Rachel managed to do some things that were very weird. Adam did manage to find something else to keep him busy in the meantime. They have a mentally retarded son who is in an institution due to his violent behavior. On the day Rachel was murdered, the son was home on a visitation. So who killed Rachel? Was it the husband, the son or someone else?

The story then shifts to Leo Hewitt, a former Assistant District Attorney, who is accused of setting free a child killer. Is this case a chance for Leo to get his career back on track? Leo works hard and starts an investigation of his own to determine what is going on with this case.

A Very Simple Crime is an engrossing read. It is a complex story full of darkness and violence. The characters are all flawed in some way and this only adds to make this a very compelling read. Grant Jenkins writes with a very simplistic prose but that did not matter. He had me turning the pages to see what would happen next. This is his first book and I look forward to the next one. A Very Simple Crime is a fast read and one that will be a treat for any mystery/thriller fan to will enjoy. A Very Simple Crime kept my attention throughout the story and I found it difficult to put the book down.

Nancy Eaton - Owner of:
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The Girl Next Door by Brad Parks - Newspapers, Murder, and Bears! Oh My! - Mystery Book Review

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AppId is over the quota

Award-winning mystery writer, Brad Parks, returns with his third book, The Girl Next Door, featuring amateur sleuth and newspaper reporter, Carter Ross.

Nancy Marino was forty-two-years-old and single. She waitressed at the State Street Grill, delivered Bloomfield, New Jersey's Eagle-Examiner early mornings; and was a shop steward for the International Federation of Information Workers (IFIW), Local 117.

On a hot, Friday morning in July, a speeding Cadillac Escalade struck and killed her while delivering her papers. The driver disappeared onto the Garden State Parkway; confident he committed an untraceable crime.

Who killed Nancy Marino and why?

Enter Carter Ross, an eight-year veteran news reporter for the Eagle-Examiner. Reading Marino's obituary, he decides to memorialize a fellow newspaper employee, even though he'd never met her. He plans to write a story portraying Marino as an ordinary person, who spent her life serving others, and, whose contributions to society went unnoticed until her passing. Attending her funeral, he learns that her death is being investigated as a homicide, which ignites his inquiring mind.

Ross is an unpretentious thirty-two-year-old. Educated at Amherst College, he lives in a two-bedroom, ranch-style house with his black-and-white, domestic, shorthaired cat, Deadline. He ubiquitously dresses in Khakis and button-down shirts; and drives a five-year-old Chevy Malibu.

Many people are aware of the anemic state of print newspapers, given today's digital age. Longtime community newspapers have either downsized considerably, both in content and staff, or folded.

Parks weaves these challenging industry times into the book's plot. During the halcyon days of the newspaper in the late nineties, the Eagle-Examiner signed its thousand-plus carriers to an unprecedented twenty-year contract, which included great wages. Now, given the industry's tough times, the newspaper wants concessions; and the Union isn't yielding.

As the IFIW shop steward, could Nancy Marino have been murdered to silence her opposition to contract negotiations?

Tina Thompson is Ross's editor. In her late thirties and single, she's expressed interest in Ross purely from a "chromosomal" perspective. Determined to experience motherhood, she's suggested Ross become her sperm donor-nothing more.

Parks has a talent for infusing humor throughout his mystery narratives. A bear is on the loose in Newark and Thompson assigns Ross the story. It's mainly done to delineate their professional roles, reminding him that despite their mutual sexual attraction, she calls the shots. Given his career experience, he balks at the task. She prevails.

Kevin "Lunky" Lungford is one of the newspaper's underutilized interns. At six foot five and 275 pounds, his hulk-like appearance easily conveys stupidity. While inept in the newsroom, Ross is taken aback by Lunky's appreciation for literature, reading the works of Emerson, Roth and Thoreau. Ross befriends Lunky, asking him to accompany him on his bear chase story, which proves comical.

Tommy Hernandez is the Eagle-Examiner's Newark City Hall beat writer. He's "as gay as taffeta and chintz, " and an impeccable dresser. Despite his constant chiding of Ross for his lack of sartorial eloquence, Ross respects him as a fine young reporter. Hernandez plays Robin to Ross's Batman when solving crimes. Jibes about their sexual orientation differences are humorous.

Well-written fiction reflects reality and Parks conveys it throughout his story. Ross discusses his observation of human behavior everywhere, "from the meanest housing project to the gilded symphony hall." He says, "And what always strikes me is that when you strip away the superficial differences in clothing, setting, and dialect, groups of people everywhere are more or less the same. We all have our pretenses. We all posture to a certain degree. But, ultimately, most of us are just trying to find a way to fit in."

Anyone with Newark, New Jersey ties will appreciate Parks's area references, including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, and the well-to-do communities of Glen Ridge and Montclair.

If you're looking for a fresh voice in mystery narrative, infused with humor, Brad Parks delivers in The Girl Next Door.

Brad Parks is one of numerous crime fiction writers who will be attending the annual Bouchercon Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, Oct 4-7, 2012. For details, visit: http://bouchercon2012.com.

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

Book Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

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AppId is over the quota

Sweden is frequently being touted as one of the most desirable countries to reside in. And rightly so. Swedes enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world, powered by one of the most globalized and competitive economies and the prized social welfare system. Education is for the most part free. Crime rate is low. Healthcare is cheap and accessible to everyone. Childcare is universal and spanking of children is a criminal offence. Gender discrimination is practically non-existent. You'd be hard pressed to find more environmentally aware people than Swedes.

Sounds pretty darn near perfect -- so it's a little surprising (or not?) that as of late literary depictions of society coming from the land of the midnight sun are often in sharp contrast with the country's impeccable image, suggesting that Swedes might not be so far detached from their Viking days after all. The most glaring example of this trend is the immensely popular Millennium trilogy of mystery novels, written by late Stieg Larsson; the picture he paints in his celebrated work is one of a gruesome, cynical world involving gut-wrenching sexual violence, misogyny, sadism, murder, intrigue and corruption at the highest corporate and governmental levels.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is book one of the renowned trilogy. At the center of the story is Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and co-owner of a monthly magazine Millennium who finds himself convicted of aggravated libel of a shady corporate magnate - albeit under dubious circumstances.

The sentence includes a monetary fine and a three-month term in prison, but even worse, Blomkvist faces professional disgrace and is forced to step down as the magazine's publisher and member of the board. And just when he gets reconciled with the idea of spending the next few months moping in self-pitying idleness, a strange job offer comes his way from Henrik Vanger, an 82 year old patriarch of the powerful Vanger family: the old man wants Blomkvist to investigate the disappearance of his great-niece Harriet who went missing at the age of 16 -- 36 years ago. Vanger believes she was murdered by a member of his own family and wants to take another shot at solving the mystery before his days are over.

The offer is not something Blomkvist would jump on in a normal situation, but right now he has little else to do, there is a generous payment involved and -- probably most important of all -- Vanger has hinted he's in the possession of certain incriminating information on the shady magnate that has cost Blomkvist his reputation, and that he'd be willing to share this information with Blomkvist -- after the job is done.

So Blomkvist moves to the small island in the north of Sweden where the Vanger estate is located and where the events took place almost four decades ago and delves into it. He sifts through old police reports and family photos, talks to family members still living on the island and soon some of the family's dark secrets long buried come to the surface. Having reached a point where he can't make further progress without the help of a skilled researcher, he recruits Lisbeth Salander (the girl with the dragon tattoo) who works part time for a Stockholm security firm, to help him.

Salander is something of a social outcast: tough, distrustful, unforgiving, sporting a violent temper ready to flare up whenever she feels threatened. She is 24 but looks 14 and is riddled with piercings and tattoos -- but she also has photographic memory, incredible computer hacking skills and an uncanny ability to discover anything about anyone, especially when it comes to dirt.

The unusual duo pools their unique skills and little by little they start putting the pieces of the puzzle together. An attempt at Blomkvist's life confirms they are on the right track -- but the incident also makes them realize that the case they are working on may not be so cold after all...

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A Drop of the Hard Stuff By Lawrence Block

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AppId is over the quota

I am a huge fan of Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries but had never read one of his Matthew Scudder books. I read Ian Rankin's books and follow him on Twitter and he highly recommended this book - well I know why now. The book starts with a couple of old men in a pub in Hell's Kitchen and they are reminiscing about the old days. They have basically lived their lives on either side of the law and they get to talking about someone the cop knew from his childhood days in the Bronx. This other man, Jack, went the way of the crook and even though he didn't cross paths with Scudder as a criminal, he did later on whilst trying to make amends as part of his 12 step programme.

We then move to much earlier in Scudder's career when he had already left the Force and was nearly a year into his sobriety. It is also interesting to note the detail that Block puts into the emotional and physical side of Scudder's recovery. We are made aware of the very thoughts that go through his head when he is near a bar or even in places he has had experiences whilst drunk are fascinating. Anyway, Jack approaches him after an AA meeting and they get to talking. Jack is in the stage of his sobriety where he is trying to make up for all the wrong he has done. The problem with this is there is a lot to try to work out. He has used and dealt drugs, he has robbed and he may also have murdered. His sponsor is aware of some of his past but certainly no details. As you have probably figured out, Jack ends up dead.

Jack's sponsor hires Matt to try to figure out if it was due to his list of people he was trying to amends to as he feels a certain responsibility in encouraging this behaviour. There are quite a few people on the list that Matt is given but he is determined himself to find out the answers to the questions that arose during the last days of Jack's life. From here we go into some pretty murky worlds and meet some awful characters. Jack has done a pretty good job of getting in front of people, especially those he never even met.

Throughout this story, Matt is dealing with his own demons as well as a girlfriend he may or may not be finished with and regular AA meetings throughout New York. He is an interesting person who is willing to try to do the right thing because he knows he has screwed up a lot of things including his marriage. I am ready to go back and read some more of his books because not only are the stories great but the main character has more than one dimension too.

You can find more of my book and movie reviews at: http://ukchica.com/