Bridge of the Gods

Bridge of the Gods
book 1 of 6
by Len Robertson
ISBN: 0-595-12418-6 $26.95
iUniverse
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

The Bridge of the Gods follows Mary Brown, a middle aged divorced mother that finds her life turned upside down. One Saturday morning she finds herself not only carjacked but kidnapped as well. She is taken into the world of Galatia. Here she finds herself in a new body with new abilities and a new fate that awaits her.

Mary learns she has been wisked away to this new world in order to save it. But Mary’s life becomes more complicated when she meets Fred as his expectations of her saving the world are stern. Will Mary be able to save this world with her new found abilities?

Robertson has developed a steady plot as well as some very interesting characters. Bridge of the Gods is an entertaining read, although the book has a few typos, it is very well written. I look forward to reading book 2.

The Sacred Bones

The Sacred Bones
By Michael Byrnes
ISBN: 0061146072
$24.95 – Hardcover – 304 pages
Harper Collins Publishers
www.thesacredbones.comReviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

The Sacred Bones is set at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. An ancient artifact is stolen from a vault beneath the Temple Mount. The theft has left many soldiers and policemen dead, leaving the Palestinians angry; tensions run high between the Israelis and the Palestinians.Charlotte Hennesey, an American forensic scientist has been hired by the Vatican to examine the ossuary which contains the bones of an unknown man who was crucified. Charlotte is joined by Giovanni Bersei, an Italian anthropologist and together they uncover forensic and genetic data that lead them to wonder if the bones could be those of Jesus.

As Charlotte and Giovanni become closer to solving the true identity of the man in which these bones once belonged, the Vatican’s security begins to have a much greater watchful eye on her. Are the bones discovered those of Jesus? Will the Vatican allow the information on the discovering or keep the secrets hidden? With her identifying the man these bones once belonged to, will Charlotte be silenced?

Byrnes has penned a superbly crafted debut novel that tantalizes with a sense of drama and of suspense as the story races forward. It is evident that he has done a great deal of research which combines historical fact and protreptic fiction. Byrnes novel is powerful and opens an emotional vein in you leaving you with the desire to read through to the end.

Michael Byrnes currently resides in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters. Byrnes attended Montclair State University in NJ and earned his undergraduate degree in marketing, and later his graduate degree in business administration at Rutgers. The Sacred Bones is his debut novel.

This was one explosive and thrilling 5 star read and one genuine page-turner to the very end.

The Black Sheep

The Black Sheep
by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
ISBN: 978-1-4231-0156-7
YA, Fiction: Ages 12 and up
Hyperion Books for Children
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

The Black Sheep is a funny and entertaining read. The setting is New York and then off to California. It begins as Kendra Bishop a fifteen year old who has had enough of her parents and all their rules; they even keep a binder filled with these rules. There is a reality TV show that offers teens a chance to swap families, so Kendra decides to write to the show for her chance to get away from it all. The winner is chosen on the basis of the most pathetic letter written, Kendra is excited to find she has actually won.

Kendra is taken from her apartment in Manhattan to California to live with the Mulligan family. They are so different, the parents are both hippies, have five children and a pet ferret. Kendra learns quickly the chaos of sharing a bathroom with so many, having to watch her belongings, and living with a ferret that wants to sleep in her bed. But her biggest problem is the pushy producer who will do anything to get higher ratings. And to top all of this Kendra falls for one of the Mulligan’s, Mitch who is seventeen and despises everything this show stands for. Will Kendra win Mitch over or will things continue to decline for her?

Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout bring us a cast of characters who are engaging and winsome. The story is well crafted and pulls the reader into the conflicted feelings and reasoning of Kendra so well.

Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician

Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician
by Daniel Wallace
http://www.danielwallace.org/
ISBN: 978-0-305-52109-3 $21.95
Doubleday
Fiction, July 2007
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

The stories setting is a rural southern one, and the story occurs in the middle of the twentieth century. It begins in May of 1954, Henry is just a boy and he meets with a devilish magician named Mr. Sebastian. Mr. Sebastian teaches Henry magic and all the secrets pertaining to the magic. But at what price will Henry have to pay for those magic lessons?

Daniel Wallace is a master story teller and we eventually learn the true identities of Henry and Mr. Sebastian and the tragic events that occurred throughout the story. The story is told by many of the different characters, and Wallace has a skill of using each of these characters in telling Henry’s story.

Wallace writes with impact and the story is superbly crafted with twists and turns leaving you with a great sense of anticipation, making this a real page turner. The conclusion is one that will leave you breathless.

Daniel Wallace was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Emory University and the University of North Carolina, and now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife and son. Daniel Wallace is the author of Four novels: Mr. Sebastian and The Negro Magician, Big Fish, Ray in Reverse and The Watermelon King. And Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician, will be published by Doubleday in July 2007.

The Opium Of The People

The Opium Of The People
by J Alan Erwine
www.jalanerwine.com
Nomadic Delirium Press
ISBN: 1-4196-2588-8 $15.99
Fiction, 156 pages
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

The Opium Of The People is the third edition of the novel to be printed. Along with corrections made to the two prior editions there was a change to the cover art, the cover is a piece from the artist Laura Givens entitled “Come to Jesus”.

The Opium Of The People’s basic premise of the novel was intriguing. This is a story of how the world as we know it could very well change. What if the American government was overthrown, what would we or could we do? The author tells a story of the American people falling under the control of what he calls “a radical right-wing fundamentalist christian government”. This new government is ruled by the Grand Patriarchs who take away freedom and enforces a law that we would never have imagined possible. He tells of a world full of gloom, torture and one filled with danger for all. He also tells of how the best of people must resort to extreme measures in an effort to regain control of their futures before its too late. Or is it too late? You will have to pick up a copy and read this one for yourself, as mentioned at the beginning of the review this is the third printing of the title and was originally written and published before the current crisis we face now happened.

J Alan Erwine has a plot line that is creative, and he exhibits excellent writing skills and can effectively tell a story. The characters are multidimensional and realistic. Although the book still has a few errors and typos, it is very well written.

J Alan Erwine currently resides in Colorado. He has published more than three dozen short stories and has published 2 short story collections.

Wish Club by Kim Strickland

Wish Club
by Kim Strickland
Three Rivers Press
Crown Publishing Group
ISBN: 978-0-307-35282-8 (0-307-35282-X)
May 2007 | $ 13.95 Fiction
Reviewed by: Terry South

Wish Club is a zany and witty story that you are sure to love. It involves five women, Claudia, Lindsay, Gail, Mara and Jill who are members of a book club. Their book club seems just like any other book club, five women sitting around talking, drinking wine, and even discussing the book they have been reading. Things in their book club had been going rather well until one of the women in the group introduces a book on witchcraft. Being out of the norm, the women are intrigued and decide to go ahead and try their luck at casting a few spells. They start out with a small spell that is to chant and the rain will stop, so they begin chanting and the rain does indeed stop. So they then decide to cast a spell on a cat that is diabetic and the cat heals, its a miracle. So now they decide to embrace their new found powers, so they begin to pursue their new powers further. The women decide to just make wishes to help out themselves in their daily lives, they wish for money, creativity, a baby, time to themselves and a perfect man. This all should be harmless as they are only focusing in on positive thinking and making wishes right?

So now instead of being called the book club they are the wish club. Claudia is a school teacher and wishes to have a baby of her own as soon as possible, she also wants to write a novel; Gail is a housewife and a mother of three and she wishes to have peace and quite time and to get her life back; Lindsay is a socialite and has a trust fund, she wishes to lose weight and wants to be in the Women’s Foundation spring fashion show; while Mara, a former singer wishes for money and to resume her singing career once again; and Jill, an artist wishes for creativity and inspiration, and a perfect man in her life.

Now as the Wish Club members get all too consumed with casting spells in order to improve the various areas of their lives they find themselves in a web of wishes that have gone haywire. What started as an innocent and fun set of small spells has now turned their lives inside out, and everything is out of control. Now they turn to the only person they can think of who might be able to help them get their lives back under control and regain some normalcy, a real witch, someone who can undo what they have done, undo their spells, and finally return their lives back to normal.
Kim Strickland is a pilot for a major airline flying 767s. Kim Strickland lives in Chicago with her husband, her twin boys, two cats and a dog.

Kim Strickland has developed her characters so well and they are so believable and charming and funny. The story line is great, and I can find no faults with this novel. It has been very well written, (cleverly written) and is highly entertaining. Wish Club is an enchanting read, I am recommending it for our reading group. The story is funny, smart and so intriguing. This is a perfect book club read. It is a magical, intriguing, humorous story and give it an astounding 5 stars.

The Bone Whistle

The Bone Whistle
by Eva Swan
Juno Books
ISBN 10: 0-8095-5792-4
ISBN 13: 978-0-8095-5792-9
208 pages, $12.95
Reviewed by Terry South for Bookpleasures

The setting is Lakota reservation in Greenview, South Dakota. Darly is a twenty year old and lives with her mother just outside of Denver. Every summer she accompanies her mother to an isolated cabin on the edge of Lakota reservation in South Dakota. This is no way for a college student to spend her summer vacation.

Darly is bored and has made the decision that this will be the last year she will accompany her mother to the reservation. Darly likes seeing Grandpa Jack and this year he gives her a bone whistle that has two blue feathers attached, he tells Darly when she gets good and bored to blow the whistle. She waits all of two weeks before blowing the whistle and learns the truth about her family and her father. She had believed her father was dead, but he is not dead nor human, but is wanaghi. Wanaghi are a shape changing people who left their tribes centuries before and now live in a magical land beneath the hill.

On the search for her father she is accompanied by Osni, but what she finds is a conflict among the wanaghi. Now she must choose her heart and feelings she has developed for Osni or her family. Will Darly be able to resolve the conflict between them? Before anything else she must discover own powers which puts her on a path of self-discovery.

Eva Swan combines both Native American and Celtic legends into a romantic fantasy. The author takes us through the story by different character perspectives. Her characters are believable and she maintains a good plot. This is Eva Swans debut fantasy novel, the only problem I found was that as a reader you need to pay attention as the author has point of view changes into different characters perspective which can cause some confusion while reading. I truly enjoyed the both the Native American and Celtic concepts she has incorporated into the story.

Eva Swan is the pseudonym for the author, editor, and artist, who is of Native American descent, who currently reside in England. I was unable to locate a website for the author to include with the review.

The Strangeling

The Strangeling
by Saskia Walker
Juno Books
ISBN: 978-0-8095-5793-6 $9.95
Fantasy
Reviewed by Terry South for Bookpleasures


www.saskiawalker.co.uk/
http://www.saskiawalker.blogspot.com/
http://ideaboutique.blogspot.com/2007/02/strangeling-by-saskia-walker.html


The setting is Edren a fantasy world created by the author who has a magical imaginative spark in storytelling.

The Strangeling is an erotic fantasy novel that revolves around Maerose, a beautiful young woman with magical powers. Maerose is the heroine and Bron is her hero. Bron is an elder and goes on the quest of rescuing Maerose from her captor, Veldor who is a former elder himself. Veldor’s intentions are malicious as he seeks to mate with Maerose in order to master the demons and rule the lands.

Veldor is knowledgeable on the prophecy made around 100 years ago; the prophecy is one of a chilling nature where the undead armies of Crondor and Yaxlan rise up from the underworld with great power. As the prophecy has foretold of a maiden that can save the forest and the elders all believe this to be Maerose due to the revelations revealed about the prophecy. Will good conquer evil or will evil prevail in this fascinating fantasy?

The Strangeling is a short fantasy novel that is packed with vivid details and a precise amount of action. Walker writes the story with impact and the story is a superbly crafted erotic fantasy. The characters are well developed with detail and the author manages to tie the characters together well.

This is the first of the author’s works I have had the pleasure of reviewing and have to admit I am hooked. I look forward to her new release next month which is also a fantasy entitled “Unveiling The Sorceress”.

Saskia Walker is a British author of erotic romance, fantasy and erotica. Her idea for this novel began at a tender age of between 8 and 9 when she first became interested in paganism and her parents took her to visit Stonehenge.

Saskia Walker earned her BA with honors from the University of Sussex, and has a MA in Literature and Visual Arts from the University of Reading. She currently resides north of London with her true love Mark.

A Magical 5 stars for The Stangeling!

Anatomy of Fear

Anatomy of Fear
By Jonathan Santlofer
ISBN: 978-0-06-088197-9 $24.95
William Morrow
An Imprint of Harper Collins
10 East 53rd St., New York, NY 10022
www.HarperCollins.com
Reviewed by Terry South for Bookpleasures

As an added bonus be sure to check out the video trailer starring the author Jonathan Santlofer and his artwork:
http://www.jonathansantlofer.com/anatomyvideo.html

(also on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaL97PkP1hs)

Also check out the HarperCollins sweepstakes where the winner gets their portrait sketched by Jonathan Santlofer:
http://www.harpercollins.com/features/anatomyoffear/


The setting is New York and Terri Russo a detective for the NYPD is called to the scene of a murder where she discovers a sketch of the victim alongside the body. Russo is aided in her investigation by Nate Rodriguez, the police sketch artist.

Nate’s father was an undercover narc for the NYPD, Nate still very much disturbed by his fathers death, has managed to avoid doing any on the scene police work. All this is about to change as Nate is drawn into the case, and maybe even further than he could have imagined. Nate begins piecing together the face of the killer and he himself then becomes a target.

The killer also sketches people, his victims, and he uses his abilities to turn the investigation in a different direction. You will find this story erupts with some explosive twists, so hold on for a heart pounding ride.

Jonathan Santlofer is also an artist and has his works displayed in several locations including museums. He received his Masters of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. Santlofer began writing in 1989 after a gallery fire claimed five years of his works. Anatomy of Fear contains both of his talents; his artwork enhances the strong compelling and intriguing plot, each complementing the other.

Santlofer has a steady flow of action and suspense with enough twists and turns to leave you with anticipation. The characters are distinctive and interesting with qualities that make them believable. The scenes are written with such a compelling impact that is gripping and makes this a genuine page turner to the end.

A guaranteed 5 star read.

Lost Echoes

Lost Echoes
By Joe R. Lansdale
Crime thriller
ISBN: 978-0-307-27544-8 $13.95
Vintage Books
A Division of Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
www.RandomHouse.com
Reviewed by Terry South for Bookpleasures

Lost Echoes is a story about a man named Harry Wilkes, who at the tender age of six came down with the mumps and developed a severe ear infection which affected his brain. Harry’s mind would fill with images of past crimes and he could see the events taking place as well as see the faces of the people involved in the crimes. Harry eventually develops a taste for alcohol as it helps him to suppress the images as well as the sounds contained within his mind.

Harry is in a bar one evening when he notices three men taking a drunk out through the back. Harry knows what is getting ready to happen and decides to step in. The drunk is Tad Peters and immediately he and Harry become friends. Soon after Kayla, Harry’s first love comes back into his life, now a police officer she is determined to find her fathers’ killers. With Harry’s ability he soon figures out that the men responsible for Kayla’s fathers’ death are connected to other unsolved murders.

Joe R. Lansdale has penned several novels in the genres of suspense, horror and westerns. He has won many awards throughout his career. He currently resides in Texas with his wife and children.


Lansdale writes scenes with high impact and vivid details and accounts. He incorporates the correct intrusive amount of twists and turns that leave you breathless and drawing you into the heart of the story. The characters are so believable and you feel as if you have known them for quite some time, he is descriptive and adds that human touch to his characters.

An indubious 5 star read.

Pattern of Vengeance

Pattern of Vengeance
A Maria Sanchez Thriller
By C. Hyytinen
Echelon Press Publishing
9735 Country Meadows Lane 1-D
Laurel, MD 20723
www.echelonpress.com
ISBN: 978-1-59080-520-6 $12.99
April 2007 286 pages
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

The setting begins in Minneapolis and then moves between LA, Minneapolis, as well as some scenes set in Florida. Agent Stan Bauer has been murdered and believed to have been a Mafia hit. Detective Maria Sanchez is on the case. Her partner is Tom Powders who is nearing retirement and he has been acting very odd lately, Maria is not sure what he is up too, but begins to speculate as the story continues. They believe there is a leak in the department and no one can be trusted. Special Investigator Joe Morgan is Maria’s husband of ten wonderful years.

Chief Sandra LaSalle is the new chief having moved from New York only a year ago, she is a petite redhead in her fifties and is not very well liked and has earned some names since arriving as the new Chief in Minneapolis. Due to the nature of the crimes being committed, the possibility of a leak within the department LaSalle has made the decision to assign the case to Sanchez and partners her with Morgan.

Maria was once married to Jack Sanchez known as The River Rat and was the father to her daughter Tess. He was also father to a boy named Tony, whose mother died and Maria and Joe adopted him, after all he and Tess are brother and sister. Tess is in college and is twenty years old, Tony is a teenager about sixteen. It is nearly Christmas and Tess has finished with finals and comes home to stay for a month, which is just in time as the case heats up for her parents. Will they finally be able to put an end to all the mafia’s crimes? Will anyone else die as a result of this investigation? Will the person responsible for leaking the information to Marco be discovered in time?

LaSalle brings in Etina Altmark a Russian from New York to go undercover as a runaway, she is twenty eight but looks as if she is only fifteen. Hyytinen has a way of leaving you on the edge of your seat, she has incorporated vivid details and accounts throughout the story, making this one that you have to read from front to back non-stop. The chapters are short and each chapter leaves an inevitable hook at the end leaving you with the desire to read one more and then another. The author has superbly written scenes with impact, with a steady flow of action and suspense. This story is so relentless, gripping and intriguing and a genuine page turner. The characters are so finely tuned, believable and real, you find yourself cheering them on, hoping for the best, and feel these are people you have known for quite some time. You will find yourself thinking of the characters long after finishing the book. The story erupts with explosive twists and delivers a powerful ending that will leave you breathless. This is a must read, I will warn there is mature themes including language, but I have no hesitation in saying I highly recommend reading The Maria Sanchez Thrillers. If looking for an explosive read you will not want to miss this one.

It has been a great pleasure to read and review Pattern of Vengeance and I truly cannot wait to read the first in the Maria Sanchez Thrillers, and look forward to all her new releases.

Toaster Pond

Toaster Pond

By Peter de Witt

Fantasy/Adventure

ISBN: 1-933255-21-8

www.toasterpond.com

DNA Press

PO Box 572

Eagleville, PA 19408

www.dnapress.com

Reviewed by Terry South for Bookpleasures

Toaster Pond is a wondrous adventure for children. The setting is a place called Waterville. In Waterville during the summer the teens are ready for their championship game of Hide and Seek. But this is not your normal regular game.

The story will captivate your child’s imagination. You can discover within the pages six toed fairies, as well as a wealth of different characters. The stories main characters include Doug, Skip, and Pierce, and they are on the Hide and Seek team termed the best team. Peter de Witt transports the game to a magical place of Sangerfiled, here the main characters must put their expert skills into action. Will they be able to save Sanger Castle? To find out you will need to pick up a copy of this great adventurous tale, you will not be disappointed.

Toaster Pond is a quick compact read, once your child has started they will not be able to put this one down. This is Peter de Witt’s debut and is an excellent creation and there will be a high demand for more. This is one enchanting and magical read that the entire family will want to read. This title will win the parents approval, and will be captivating families for generations to come.

Peter de Witt is an author, a adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Education at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY., and he is also has been teaching elementary school for eleven years. He currently resides in New York.

The Book of Air and Shadows

The Book of Air and Shadows
By Michael Gruber
Fiction 464 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-087446-9
William Morrow
An imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
http://www.harpercollins.com/
http://www.michaelgruberbooks.com/
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

What would you do if you discovered a 17th century letter and a coded message? Would the quest for answering the coded message be plausible if not risky? It all starts with a fire at a used book store and a set of valuable books become damaged, two of the employees decide to take them home to see if they can be saved. Both Albert and Carolyn squabble over some manuscript pages which Albert finds and decides that the manuscript is a letter referring to an unknown Shakespeare play.

Carolyn and Albert take the manuscript to a Shakespearean scholar by the name of Andrew Bulstrode and he offers them a small price for the pages dismissing them as being credible. Later Bulstrode meets with Jake Mishkin, an attorney to inquire to copy write only to be found dead the next day. Now in fear of his own life Mishkin is on the run from the killers. Will Mishkin be next? Where will all the clues in this thriller lead?

Michael Gruber was born in New York City and attended Columbia, earning a BA in English Literature. Gruber now resides in Seattle, Washington with his wife and his very large dog.

This read combines suspense, thrills, humor, and mystery that provides twists and turns that engages you on the search to answering the clues. Gruber has developed a unique writing style that draws you into the heart of the story, which is engaging and surprisingly humorous at times; and contains vivid accounts and detail, and is a genuinely great read. His characters are well developed, compelling and memorable. Reviewing this title was a great pleasure and is a highly recommended read.

13 Bullets A Vampire Tale

13 Bullets
A Vampire Tale
by David Wellington
Fiction 323 pages
Three Rivers Press an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
A division of Random House, Inc., New York
www.crownpublishing.com
ISBN: 978-0-307-38143-9 $13.95
www.davidwellington.net
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

Do you really believe in vampires? Would you be willing to seek out their lair knowing that you were a sensitive? Such questions had never entered Laura Claxton's mind. Until she met US Marshall Jameson Arkeley, that would devastate her life as she knows it, her thinking and beliefs are all about to change.

The story begins in 1983; Special Deputy Jameson Arkeley and his partner Webster are on a stake out outside a diner where Piter Byron Lares is inside talking with the waitress. What happens next is rich with moments of terror and the horrifying events that follow will leave you breathless. Lares takes everyone in the diner out in a matter of seconds, Arkeley is in for a terrifying ride of his life. Lares takes Arkeley after killing most of the SWAT team, when Arkeley comes to he finds he is in a ships hold and focuses in on five coffins, only one is empty. The other four coffins contain decaying remains, Arkeley fight for his life, and removes Lares heart and as the sun comes up he burns the boat, believing he had killed them all.

But one single survivor remained, Justinia Malvern, who now has been kept alive at a sanitarium in Pennsylvania. Arkeley believed all the terror was over, he was dead wrong.

Now 20 years later, Arkeley travels to Pennsylvania as a US Marshall and meets with State Trooper Laura Caxton. Arkeley partners up with Caxton to exterminate all the vampires once believed to be extinct. Malvern is being kept alive by minimal life support, the sanitarium has installed special blue lights as she is sensitive to regular lighting, she is being fed fresh blood by her caretaker who has inserted a shunt into his arm to feed her. Why has Malvern been kept alive all these years? There are bizarre laws preventing her extermination, and she seems to be of no threat, until now.

Arkeley and Caxton are on a mission to find the vampires lair and exterminate them before they can get the blood Malverne needs. Then Arkeley is kidnapped in order to use his blood to replenish Malvern's powers, Caxton must now forge ahead and destroy them before they can unleash unspeakable horrors upon everyone.

David Wellington is the author of the Monster Island trilogy, and is no stranger to this genre.

13 Bullets is the first book in the trilogy by David Wellington, and is a tantalizing wild high octane ride. Wellington weaves his plot line together and has developed some very intriguing characters. This vampire tale is relentless, gripping, powerful and a genuine page-turner, that is horrifying and rich with moments of terror.

The reader is thrust into a state of uncertainty filled with nervous anticipation as the conclusion nears to find that we must wait for the next edition to this trilogy to tie up the loose ends.

13 Bullets is a blood curdling tale to sink your teeth into. I look forward to reading his novels for years to come. Reviewing this title was a frightening pleasure. I highly recommend it to the horror fans everywhere.

For A Few Demons More

For A Few Demons More
by Kim Harrison
www.kimharrison.net
Harper Collins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Fiction 456 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-078838-4 $21.95
Reviewed by Terry South for Quality Book Reviews
Here is another wonderful exciting read from one of our myspace authors.

For A Few Demons More is the fifth installment in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison.

Rachel Morgan is a witch and freelance bounty hunter that is woken from her sleep to find a powerful demon wrecking her home and claiming she posses something of hers. Rachel resides in a sanctified church and in disbelief and being scarred that the demon can enter the church.

Rachel is an interspecies consultant for the police force which is run by humans; she is called down to the morgue to look at the bodies of murdered werewolves. Rachel starts piecing it all together and realizes the reason the women werewolves can not be traced is because they are not registered in the were registry. What does this mean, the conclusion must be they were not born as werewolves; they must have been humans that had been changed into weres.
Rachel recognizes that the Focus, which is a demon artifact she has been hiding, has been turning humans into weres spontaneously. If the artifact were to fall into the wrong hands it would start a new interspecies war between the vampires and the weres which would be disastrous for the entire world.

For A Few Demons More is an action packed fantasy delivering a mix of action, horror and imagination. And some of her characters from the series are back in this edition. Kim Harrison has introduced us to some intriguing and interesting new characters that hopefully will make appearances in future Hallows series. I will have to give praise to the author for taking risks with her characters, and with the killing of one of her main characters. Harrison has intriguing plot twists and incorporates taking her characters in such amazing directions to leave you with much anticipation of the next in the series.

Readers will not be disappointed. I look forward to reading all her novels for years to come. Reviewing this title was a delightful pleasure. I recommend it without hesitation and give it two thumbs way up. A definite 5 stars! I do highly recommend if you have not read the others in the Hallows series that you pick those up and start with the first in the series.

The Blue Zone

The Blue Zone
by Andrew Gross
Fiction 352 pages
William Morrow an Imprint of Harper Collins
www.harpercollins.com
ISBN: 978-0-06-114340-3 $25.95
www.andrewgrossbooks.com
Reviewed by: Terry South for Quality Book Reviews

Would you want to know your family secrets, and what skeletons lie hidden in the closet? Would you really want to know the truth if it would destroy everything you believed? What would you do if you learned your life had been a lie?

Kate Raab receives a devastating phone call from her mom, now the questions of family secrets and skeletons in the closet, and the truth enter her mind like a whirlwind. The words she heard "your father has been arrested, come quickly" made no sense to her at all. There must be some mistake, her father had no connections to the Mercado family and he didn't know anyone from Columbia, or did he? What lies ahead for Kate when the family secrets begin to unravel?
Kate soon discovers that her life has been a lie. Her family is placed into protective custody, but Kate refuses, and her contact with her family is limited as a result. Kate marries a year later and is working on regaining some normalcy to her life. She feels as if she is being watched, and is consumed by paranoia after her best friend is shot while they are leaving work. After all Kate is certain that she was the intended target, not her best friend. Kate's world is beginning to come apart.

Kate learns that her father has disappeared from the Witness Protection Program. Agents begin questioning her about her father, now she begins to think and is determined to find her family and learn the truth once and for all. Kate is surrounded by agents and wonders if they can even be trusted. Can she trust anyone? Her mind is consumed with possibilities that no one including her father and even her husband can be trusted. She decides to find out the truth and finds herself entangled in a deadly web, and is confronted with a truth that is more painful than she could ever imagined possible.

The Blue Zone is the term that the agents use when people in the Witness Protection Program come up missing. Kate has her own definition of the Blue Zone and believes that we all live within our own Blue Zone. Andrew Gross is the co-author of five bestselling thrillers with James Patterson. The Blue Zone is Gross's solo debut. I look forward to reading all his novels to come in the future.

Andrew Gross delivers an ingenious and intricately layered plot, while still creating convincing personal journeys for his characters. The Blue Zone delivers a tantalizing and intriguing story packed with shocking twists that will keep you guessing and begging for more.

The Blue Zone is a definite 5 stars and is highly recommended!

The New and Improved Vivien Leigh Reid: Diva in Control

The New and Improved Vivien Leigh Reid: Diva in Control

by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout

Another wonderful read from one of our myspace authors. Reviewing this title was a delightful pleasure!

Vivien, once again seems to be getting herself tangled up in some of the most bizarre situations. She is back on TV, now wearing a costume, but she is eager to prove that she can avoid the diva syndrome this time. In an attempt to reform her reputation, she is thrown into a challenging role that was not quite what she expected. In her new role she is required to perform her own stunts in costume which is complicated to say the least. To further add to her problems are her complicated relationships; her male co-stars don't want to work with her, her future step sisters are determined to make her miserable, and on top of all of this her mother is in the midst of planning her wedding. Now she is falling for one of her co-stars, will her life ever not be so complicated?

Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout have a strong imaginative plot from start to finish, and have developed memorable characters. This story is laugh out loud funny, down right hilarious, and is very entertaining. I highly recommend this one without any hesitation!

While reading the story my daughter wanted to know what I was reading and I began telling her about it and since she has taken the book home and has informed me she wants all of the deuts books to read. I am so thankful she has a new found love of reading. Thank you, maybe she will spend more time reading than watching TV. I must also admit that I quite enjoyed the book and will buy the prior books and read before passing along to my daughter.

Future Syndicate

Future Syndicate
Edited by: J Alan Erwine
Nomadic Delirium Press, Denver, CO
ISBN: 1-4196-5459-4
Reviewed by: Terry South for Quality Book Reviews (03/07)

Future Syndicate is a collection of eight stories about how crime in the future may be.
The collection contains the following:
“An Ingenious Adventure” by Jason Sizemore
“The Gallows on the Garden Path” by Bret Tallman
“One to Spare” by Jason Andrew
“Running Down on a Thousand” by Rebecca SW Bates
“A Torturous Wrong Turn” by J Alan Erwine
“Cell” by Lavie Tidhar
“Mina’s Kiss” by Bruce Horner
“Face Dances” by Rebecca m Senese

Future Syndicate is an anthology and begins with “An Ingenious Adventure” by Jason Sizemore. In the story Garwin Hayes is a flash genius, he can remember information at a glance, and however he is not very bright or smart. Garwin and his friends attend a Chez Cola parade when one of the employees with Chez Cola shows up to destroy the secret recipe to the cola. In the mist of the scuffle the recipe flies through the air to land at Garwin’s feet and he picks it up and with him a flash genius he gets a glimpse of the recipe, everyone knows that he remembers things in a flash, so now the pursuit begins. Garwin and his friends try to escape but end up being chased, this is a highly entertaining story you will not want to miss.

“The Gallows on the Garden Path” by Bret Tallman is a tale of revenge. A family of brutal criminals known as The Cray’s, & with a character named Wallace “Pants” Zybisco, they set off to pull a heist to punish the man who had Cray’s surrogate father killed.

“One to Spare” by Jason Andrew involves a character named Race, she is a motorcycle courier. Through this short story takes you on a motorcycle chase as Race tries to deliver her package.

“Running Down on a Thousand” by Rebecca S.W. Bates is also about a courier. A time traveler or prophecy courier who delivers hallucinogenic payloads to provide the receiver with a message.

“A Torturous Wrong Turn” by J Alan Erwine This short story is about a smuggler who is caught and the government that has captured him wants his information.

“Cell” by Lavie Tidhar Monk is taken throughout the prison searching for relics and signs of an ancient civilization.

“Mina’s Kiss” by Bruce Horner This short story is based on Kovit Correto who is a professional assassin that reads the minds and memories of those he kills.

“Face Dances” by Rebecca M. Sense is the final story. This short has a character named Nick who is a burglar that can change his faces. Nick is offered a job due to his unique skill, and this job is one that he cannot refuse. For this job he is assigned a partner, Casey and she has the same gift as Nick.

I normally do not read short stories, but I did enjoy all of the stories above, they were a change from the norm for me and was a delightful change.

Deep Storm

Deep Storm
by Lincoln Child
Doubleday
www.doubleday.com
ISBN: 978-0-385-51550-4 $24.95
Reviewed by: Terry South for Quality Book Reviews (03/07)

Do you enjoy a intriguing techno-thriller? Are you a sci-fi fan? The setting is in an Exploratory and Recovery Facility sixty miles off the coast of Greenland and two miles below the Atlantic Ocean. The facility is a cutting-edge research station which is twelve decks high and is surrounded by a titanium dome. The name of the facility is Deep Storm, which was designed to excavate the remains of what was believed to be the ancient civilization of Atlantis, what will they really uncover?

Peter Crane is a former naval physician who has been summoned to the facility in order to contribute his unique expertise in diagnosing rare diseases. Crane is sent to investigate a mysterious disease which is attacking the crew, but first he must agree to the high secrecy before he boards the submarine and is off to the facility. The mysterious disease is affecting the crew/workers both physically and psychologically, the symptoms are diverse, which include nausea, irritability, slurred speech, disorientation, hallucinations and dangerous behaviors. So what began as an archeological dig of the century may end in disaster. As Crane begins to piece all the facts together, the base commander seems to continue to push ahead with the dig in spite of this disease, and to add to everything else that is happening there is someone out to sabotage it all.

Deep Storm is fast paced, suspenseful, and combines techno-thriller, action and adventure packed with espionage, murder, a mysterious disease and pure madness. Lincoln Child has created vivid detail and a suspenseful plot. The characters are well developed and interesting. The story begins a little slow but quickly picks up and you find yourself engaged and not wanting to put this one down. The author provides excellent twist and turns, red-herrings, and a cliff-hanger for an ending, which I am hoping will lead to a sequel as it seems to have left the door open. I have read all of Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston’s books, this was the first Lincoln Child solo that I have read, and I must admit I am hooked.

A highly recommended read, especially for all you sci-fi fans out there, enjoy.

Cracking Grace by Steven Stromp

Cracking Grace
by Steven Stromp

Cracking Grace is amazing; I have never read anything quite like this before. Talking statutes? Wow, this is gripping. The story is told through the eyes of Audrey, a young girl who has lost her mother. Audrey’s father takes care of the cemetery and is very proud of the statues he has created; they include Mary, Jesus, and two gargoyles. You will also find an eccentric ghost, Mrs. Grant who is trapped in the cemetery after committing suicide, and you will even find a blue bird named Bluebell. The story unfolds after the death of Audrey’s mother; Audrey feels second best to her dead mother and doesn’t feel like she can compete with her dead mother for her father’s attention. Audrey’s father is slipping away due to being consumed by grief.

The novel focuses on grief and the coming to terms with both loss and death. A father unable to accept his wife’s death, a woman trapped in stone, and new found relationships for the daughter, and coming to terms with loss and grieving in different ways are all an intricate part of this story.

I highly recommend this story for everyone, and especially for those who have suffered a loss and are grieving. This is a wonderful story, and very different.

Absolute 5 star read!