Sour Grapes: A Claudia Seferius Mystery by Marilyn Todd

July 8, 2015 By Leave a Comment

GRAPES
Sour Grapes: A Claudia Seferius Mystery by Marilyn Todd
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (175 Pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Deep in the reed beds, the water shimmered and rippled. After three days’ submersion, the gases inside gently raised the body to the surface. Setting a seventeen-year-old youth on his final journey downstream.

When a wealthy horse trainer starts courting her mother-in-law, Claudia knows love has bugger-all to do with it. Especially with the number of hangers-on who’ve moved in. But exactly what is his game? Can it be connected to a string of local misfortunes?

The majority of side effects you will experience when taking this medication are due to dehydration, so they can be levitra generic http://downtownsault.org/downtown/dining/subway/ easily remedied by making sure you struck crucial goals and also output deadlines including taking the Sitting as well as Work. Be aware of the main viagra sans prescription downtownsault.org ingredients of the supplement pills available in the market. For example, a client with short-term memory loss will be encouraged to make lists, while one with problems in coordination tadalafil 5mg will be assigned exercises for hand-eye coordination. You need to use this herbal pill for three to four viagra levitra viagra months consistently to get rid of it, the patient may opt to buy cheap erectile dysfunction Vacuum Therapy available in India is Vacurect that is very helpful in boosting satisfaction and self-confidence. At first, Claudia is simply curious.

Then a young man is found dead…

Claudia heads to Mercurium to visit her mother-in-law, Larentia, and quickly finds herself caught up in a series of murders. She also has to fight for her own survival because if Larentia marries, as she is threatening to do, Claudia will lose control of her own affairs. Ancient Rome was not a friendly place for single women and if there is a man in the household and Claudia is unmarried, then Larentia’s new husband will assume control over everything.

Claudia is a very likeable and believable protagonist. She is a complex character who is very intelligent, curious, and capable. She is certain that Darius is not what he seems, and she can not believe that he really wants to marry Larentia. But what about the bad luck that is plaguing a number of families in Mercurium? Is it really bad luck?

Sour Grapes is set in Ancient Rome and the setting certainly enhances the story. It seems very authentic and I really felt as if I had been taken back in time to a very different world. The sights and sounds, smells and tastes, all come alive in amazing ways.

This is the twelfth novel in the Claudia Seferius series and I have read several of the earlier ones. I find them to be extremely engaging and the mysteries are complex and challenging. I thought I’d pegged the villain in Sour Grapes, believing, as Claudia did, only to be caught unawares as Claudia fights for her very life against a most worth adversary. The finale of the novel is bone-chilling in its intensity.

I think that historical mysteries, when written as well as this one is, bring the past to life and add a level of depth and interest to any mystery. Fans of this genre are sure to enjoy traveling back in time and meeting Claudia Seferius.

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Stone Cold: A Claudia Seferius Mystery by Marilyn Todd

June 19, 2015 By 1 Comment

StoneCold
Stone Cold: A Claudia Seferius Mystery by Marilyn Todd
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (179 Pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

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Claudia Seferius is a widow who is doing her best to succeed on her own. This is never easy, but it is especially challenging in Ancient Rome. In addition to her usual difficulties, she has decided to head to Gaul in order to discover the truth about her father’s disappearance when she was only ten years old. Each year her father would go off with the camp followers at the start of the campaign season and then each October he would return. But the year she turned ten he did not returned. Her mother tried unsuccessfully to get answers. Now it was Claudia’s turn, but it seems that no one can help. No one will say what happened in Santonum fifteen years ago. Any records are said to have been lost.

“Every person she spoke to would really have liked to have helped, were it not for the Fates conspiring against them. You wouldn’t credit so many natural disasters could have befallen one city, but it seemed there was no limit to the excuses she’d encountered, much less the inventiveness of the excusers. Quite why these people hadn’t taken up careers as playwrights she had no idea, but if Offialdom was hoping Claudia Seferius would give up and go home, it might as well wait for the moon to drop out of the sky.”

I really liked Claudia. She is a strong, capable woman with a mind of her own. She gets caught up in a few other mysteries while she is trying to find her father and the plot twists and turns between the various story lines. She stays at the villa of a very wealthy woman, Marcia, and it becomes apparent that there are some extremely dark secrets hidden there. Does Marcia know? Can Claudia find out why people are disappearing?

The setting is wonderful. Details abound so that I truly felt as if I’d been transported back in time to Ancient Gaul, during the time when the Druids still perform human sacrifices, albeit now in secret, in order to maintain their power over the people, defying Rome.

Stone Cold is the eleventh novel in this series, and while I haven’t yet read them all, I can certainly recommend them to any reader who enjoys a good historical mystery.

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Bai Tide: A Bai Hsu Novel by Erika Mitchell

May 28, 2015 By Leave a Comment
ID:53230048

ID:53230048


Bai Tide: A Bai Hsu Novel by Erika Mitchell
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (230 Pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by CyclamenAfter the events of Blood Money, CIA case officer Bai Hsu is assigned to a high-security private school for what he’s told is an easy assignment. Just a few months after he arrives, a hostile operative with ties to North Korea tries to break in to a school event, with motives unknown.

The generic cialis online only thing that you can inimitably share with your spouse is sex. This plant acts as an tadalafil canadian aphrodisiac. It causes stress, depression, buy generic levitra financial hardships, and relationship problems. Besides the ED Drugs that help improve blood circulation, you can also opt for exercises that can help you improve blood circulation thereby increasing your stamina and sexual potency. cheap cialis professional As his investigation progresses, he unravels a plot that, if not stopped, will result in the untimely and murderous deaths of tens of millions of people. In order to stop the attack, Bai must recruit the one person he absolutely cannot trust in order to break into one of the most isolated, dangerous countries in the world.

Bai Tide is Bai’s greatest challenge yet. A mission that will take him from the windswept beaches of San Diego to a whiteout blizzard in the foothills of Pyongyang, and make him question everything he thought he knew about working in the field…and about himself.

Bai Hsu is working undercover as Alan Broccoli, a physical education teacher at a private school in San Diego. The school is actually on Swiss soil, as the Swiss had turned their California-based embassy into a boarding school. As a result the students come from international families and the school has a very high degree of security. It doesn’t take long before the Bai’s assignment takes on multiple complexities.

Bai is a relatively new CIA agent, having joined just six years ago. I liked him and his character is well developed. However, I was surprised at some of his mistakes, most notably his total lack of suspicion about a new acquaintance. This was believable for a new agent, but then why would a relatively new agent be assigned to such an important assignment? There are a number of times in this novel where the reader must suspend a healthy dose of disbelief.

That being said, the plot is intense, filled with exciting action, which easily draws the reader into the story. I felt as if I were right there, in the thick of the action, action which never lets up. The scene shifts from San Diego to Pyongyang and the details about North Korea are well done and very believable. The plot has several unexpected twists which add to the tension, making this a very exciting novel.

There were some supporting characters who were also well developed, lending a greater sense of reality to the story. I especially liked one of the students and the school principal. These characters brought a depth to the novel which was very satisfying.

Readers who enjoy action-packed mysteries, filled with danger and suspense, are in for a real treat as they travel with Bai to North Korea. This is a mystery which is nearly impossible to put down.

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You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction by Kelli A. Wilkins

May 19, 2015 By Leave a Comment

KELLI
You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction by Kelli A. Wilkins
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-fiction
Length: Short Story (113 Pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

If you’ve always dreamed of writing and getting published, but have no idea where or how to start—THIS is the book for you!

You Can Write—Really! is an easy guide designed for beginner writers who need a boost of motivation and simple instructions on how to get started.

Award-winning author Kelli A. Wilkins takes you step-by-step through the writing process, covering the basics of plotting, editing, revising, and submitting. In addition, she explores ways to get your creativity flowing, explains where authors get ideas, and shows you how to create interesting characters for your story.
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Helpful tips and fun writing exercises throughout the book get you started!

If you’ve ever wanted to write fiction, then you will want to read this book. In fact, this book has tips and techniques that will help not only beginners, but more advanced writers as well. All aspects of the craft of writing are covered, in the order that they are needed. For instance, the book opens with a chapter on the creative process itself. This is followed by a chapter on all the reasons people give for not writing even though they say they want to.

Once these topics are finished, You Can Write—Really! moves on to discuss where to get ideas, followed by creating characters. I found the chapter on characters particularly useful with detailed explanations of how to know your characters, what aspects of your characters you need to understand and how to handle them.

Point-of-View, dialogue, setting, and genres are covered thoroughly and clearly, before moving on to plots, scene and sequel, editing, and sharing with others. The book concludes with three chapters on submitting and marketing your story.

The author is positive and up-beat as she encourages her readers. There are writing exercises in each section and I found these exercises to be interesting, with very specific suggestions made in ways that encourage the reader’s creativity. The chapters flow well, and the book is captivating, truly aimed at bringing out the best in the reader.

The information imparted is far from fluff. There are concrete and detailed descriptions in each chapter, information that would well serve writers from a variety of levels. And yet, the complete novice will not be overwhelmed.

Anyone interested in becoming a fiction writer, in any of the myriad genres, or anyone interested in honing their skills as writers, will most certainly gain many ideas from this delightful book on how to write fiction.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Safari Stew: A Blenders Mystery by Veronica Helen Hart

May 12, 2015 By Leave a Comment

STEW
Safari Stew: A Blenders Mystery by Veronica Helen Hart
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (228 Pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Doll Reynolds receives word that her missing husband, Barclay, has been discovered teaching in a South African university. Rather than call the school, she arranges a trip to confirm the information for herself. Six of her Blender friends join her for support. Old Howard arranges a luxurious safari as a side trip to either celebrate finding Barclay or to console Doll if she doesn’t. Either way, the trip leads to murder.

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Safari Stew is told from multiple perspectives, each chapter focusing on a specific character, and the name of the character appears in italics at the start of each chapter. The group meets a film crew for a cooking show, also headed to South Africa, and this results in an even larger cast of characters. Over half of the chapters are told from Doll’s point of view. The others are from the point of view of three other women, one a friend of Doll’s and two from the film crew.

The characters are fairly flat and stereotypical. The murderer was easy to spot and that character was painted with no positive aspects. There are two minor characters who were more atypical and hence more interesting, namely Howard, the oldest of Doll’s friends, and Achi, the South African policemen. They added welcome spice to the story.

The plot had several different storylines, in addition to the murder itself. The pacing seemed a bit slow in places and some aspects were just dropped. But overall, it was interesting to see how the murderer was discovered and how the murderer ended up being tricked and deceived.

I learned a number of things about South Africa, some geographic and some cultural, and the time spent at the Haartsveld Game Preserve was very interesting. Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries set in foreign places are sure to enjoy following Doll and her fellow travelers on this adventure.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Sorrow Lake by Michael J. McCann

May 6, 2015 By Leave a Comment

LAKE
Sorrow Lake by Michael J. McCann
Publisher: The Plaid Raccoon Press
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (314 Pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Detective Inspector Ellie March of the Ontario Provincial Police is called in to investigate when a man from the village of Sparrow Lake is found shot to death, execution style, in a farmer’s field in rural eastern Ontario.

Leading an inexperienced team of detectives, she probes beneath the wintry surface of the township to discover the victim had a dark secret–one that may endanger others in the community as well.

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Detective Constable Kevin Walker gets called out on an early winter morning because a farmer has discovered a body in his field. The victim was shot in the head and Kevin recognizes him immediately as a fellow villager who lived less than two blocks from Kevin’s home. Kevin had been called out before to sudden deaths, but this is his first homicide. He is assigned as the lead on the case, in spite of his relative inexperience, but he is overseen by Detective Inspector Ellie March of the Ontario Provincial Police.

Sorrow Lake is a solid police procedural and the reader learns a lot about how a murder investigation is handled as well as exactly what it takes to make a case against a murderer. I really hadn’t realized just how many people are involved and how the evidence is gathered. I learned a lot.

It did take me a bit to get into the novel because of all the people who were introduced right at the beginning. Keeping them straight was a bit of a challenge, especially when I wasn’t sure just which of them would prove to be truly important.

I really liked Ellie March, and I enjoyed learning more about her background and history. I would have liked even more, as it really made her come alive. And Kevin is also a very likeable character. We learn a bit about him, but again, I would have liked more details to make him seem more three dimensional. I’m hoping since this is the first in the series that the succeeding novels will allow both of these fine characters to develop further.

The plot is a good one, and it took me awhile to figure out who the murderer was. I’d pegged someone else at first, so I was intrigued by the way the story unfolded. There was a very exciting scene taking place on the ice of Sorrow Lake and I held my breath through it. I would have liked a few more scenes like that which show rather than tell. Much of a police procedural involves meetings and reports, which is accurate I’m sure, but that can slow the pacing.

Sorrow Lake has done a great job as the first book in a new series. I am sure mystery fans will enjoy it and I look forward to the further adventures of Ellie and Kevin.

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The Colossus by Ranjini Iyer

May 1, 2015 By Leave a Comment

THE
The Colossus by Ranjini Iyer
Publisher: Astor + Blue Editions
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (246 Pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

A diffident catering company owner, Max Rosen, learns of the existence of a coded research document authored by her late scientist father. This research is linked to health pills that were unearthed from the site of the Indus Valley Civilization in ancient India. The pills were once the mainstay of German pharmaceutical giant Berliner that Max’s grandfather worked for. And these pills were used in horrific Nazi era medical experiments.

When Max learns that the pills and the disturbing secret they hold may be the reason why her father may not have committed suicide as she has always believed, she embarks upon a whirlwind adventure to decode her father’s research and find his killers.
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In a thrilling ride that takes her and Julian McIntosh, a history professor, across the world, she must keep her wits about her or face dire consequences at the hands of Berliner and other unknown forces, who will stop at nothing to keep the research from coming out. Even as she struggles with her feelings for Julian, Max must brace herself for startling discoveries— her father’s research may well reveal a frightening truth connecting Berliner, her grandfather, and perchance, all mankind. And the shocking reality about her father’s death is one she may never be able to face.

Maxine Rosen is still suffering from her father’s alcoholism and suicide. She just doesn’t understand what went so terribly wrong in his life. But when she comes across her father’s coded research and she discovers that some very determined people are after her and her family, she decides that she really needs to find out the truth about both her father and her grandfather.

I like Max. She works as a caterer in a rather sheltered and limited world. All of a sudden she’s traveling, dodging assassins, and trying to solve the mystery of why everyone is after her father’s research. She meets Julian McIntosh, a professor who might be able to help her unravel things, but she isn’t sure why he is so eager to help. The dynamics between Max and Julian are complex and while Max is attracted to him, she doesn’t see at all why he should be attracted to her.

Max is scared, and with good reason, and she waffles between thinking she should just forget the entire thing and being righteously indignant that a big German pharmaceutical company should be able to intimidate her. Are they the ones who killed her father? I liked the way Max develops during the story. She is obviously in a world she’s never even thought about and it would be easy to retreat. She frequently confuses Julian by her actions, but as she gets more and more information she becomes stronger and more determined.

The plot is complex and there is a lot of information about the workings of diseases and various kinds of viruses which I found both fascinating and frighteningly believable. The pacing is fast and there are twists and turns at every corner. I never guessed the solution until it unfolded at the end.

Mystery lovers are sure to enjoy traveling with Max as she and Julian try to discover the truth of what happened in the Indus Valley so many years ago.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Serenity Stone Murder by Marianne Jones

April 23, 2015 By Leave a Comment

STONE
The Serenity Stone Murder by Marianne Jones
Publisher: Split Tree Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (204 Pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

The peaceful city of Thunder Bay is shocked when one of its most prominent businessmen is murdered with a stone stolen from a nearby church garden. Visiting the city to attend a retreat, friends Margaret and Louise become intrigued by the circumstances surrounding the murder and quickly find themselves embroiled in the investigation. Will they discover that they’ve stepped into something they won’t be able to walk away from? Will the murderer target them next?

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The characters of Margaret and Louise were fun and the interactions between them seemed real. There were also other characters with various quirks, which enlivened the story. Small town gossip abounds so that soon everyone knows that Margaret and Louise are hunting for clues.

The plot moves along well, although I have to admit I found it very unlikely that two strangers would start investigating the murder of someone they’d never met, someone who appears to have had connections with the mob. Margaret and Louise even attended his funeral which seemed strange to me. Why did they get caught up in the murder when they knew no one in the town before their arrival for the retreat?

Louise does make friends easily, however, so while they didn’t know anyone at the beginning, they quickly become friends with several people and their investigation causes enough turmoil that they receive anonymous threatening letters.

The Serenity Stone Murder is a gentle, and at times humorous cozy mystery. It is an easy and fun read and those who enjoy mysteries will certainly find Margaret and Louise to be an interesting pair of detectives.

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Come On Home Children by Victoria Randall

April 15, 2015 By Leave a Comment

COME
Come On Home Children by Victoria Randall
Book Two of Children in Hiding
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (261 Pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

In the future, when an unlicensed pregnancy is a felony, Willa’s daughter Katy has been abducted by the ruthless Bureau of Population Management. Unless Willa can rescue her she faces a life of stigma, toil, and despair. With the help of some unlikely allies, Willa devises an audacious scheme to free Katy, but it will only work if she can find the courage to reinvent herself.

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Willa escapes from the Renton Children’s Center when she is sixteen years old. Four years later she has a young daughter and she is attending college with a fake ID, trying to earn her degree in nursing. She never would have survived it weren’t for her friend Adele, an older woman who allowed Willa and her daughter Katy to live with her in the underground labyrinth beneath the Pike Place Market. But when the Bureau of Population Management arrives on Adele’s doorstep, the fake birth certificate for Katy doesn’t work and Katy is dragged off to the Renton Children’s Home as an illegal child, just as Willa had been twenty years earlier.

Willa is a heartwarming character, determined to make a life for her and her small daughter. She works hard and is a very loving mother. When Katy is taken from her, she is determined to get her back. Thankfully, she has friends, new and old, poor and wealthy, who band together to help her. But will all the help be enough? In the end, it is Willa who has to become someone new, to put on a different front, to legitimize herself so that she can rescue Katy.

I liked Willa and found her to be very believable. I also liked her friend Jake Reed, a double amputee from the war in Afghanistan thirty years ago, who watches over and protects Willa. The plot is well crafted and the pacing is good. The suspense builds throughout and it isn’t until the very end that things are resolved. I enjoyed the descriptions of Seattle, similar to today’s city, and yet definitely changed. The setting definitely enhanced the plot.

This is the second novel in a series, but it works just fine as a standalone. I have not read the first novel in the series, but I was instantly hooked by this story and did not feel as if I’d missed anything.

Readers of dystopian science fiction are sure to enjoy this exciting, heartfelt story.

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Side Trip to Kathmandu by Marie Moore

April 13, 2015 By

SIDE
Side Trip to Kathmandu by Marie Moore
Publisher: Camel Press
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (188 Pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Sidney Marsh’s job as a New York travel agent is on the line. On her last two tours, she and her colleague Jay ended up smack in the middle of murder and mayhem. Their sleuthing sideline did not endear them to their employer, Itchy Feet Travel, so naturally they are relieved when their wealthy friend Brooke requests their presence on a no expense spared tour of India and Nepal. Another agency has made the arrangements, so all they need do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

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Well, not quite all. Brooke has enlisted them to keep a sharp eye on their fellow travelers, all “friends” who have grown rich from the demise of others. After surviving an attempt on her life, Brooke is certain the culprit must be one of the five: a handsome Scotsman, a Bollywood actress, an investment banker, a Parisian filmmaker, or a twice widowed blonde. Many of the tour accommodations prove to be as dodgy as the reputations of the travelers themselves. After one of the members of the moving house party dies of an apparent heart attack, everyone’s nerves are on edge. Sidney can hardly be blamed for assuming a deadly game is afoot… or for falling for Adam, the doting Scotsman. Now, if only she can unmask the killer before the killer beats her to the punch.

Sydney Marsh sits in her boss’s office at Itchy Feet Travel and listens as he gives her the next assignment, one which she will share with her friend and fellow travel agent Jay Wilson. The thought of a luxury tour to India excites her until her boss tells her that this is her final chance. He goes on to say, “And I really mean it this time. Your last two trips were disasters.” Sidney tries to defend herself, saying that the murders which happened on her last trips were hardly her fault, but her boss won’t listen. He only tells Sidney that “on the trips you’ve been leading lately, stuff happens. Bad stuff. People die. It may be just bad luck, it may not be your fault, but somehow it happens. And if your luck doesn’t change—and I mean right now—you are out of a job.”

Sidney is a delightful young woman, and she and Jay work well together. They are very glad that their wealthy friend Brooke has insisted that Sidney and Jay lead this tour. The only problem is that once they are in India, they discover that all the arrangements have already been made and they aren’t needed at all. Instead, Brooke lets them know that she wants them to discover which of her friends is a murderer.

The descriptions of India and Nepal are fantastic, and the reader quickly becomes another member of a fantastic tour. The sights, sounds, smells, and even tastes of these countries is conveyed in a vivid and exciting way. And the characters on the tour are certainly very different and each seems to have secrets they don’t want to reveal. Mysteries abound in this exotic location, especially after one member of the tour dies.

This is a fun novel, but I do have to admit that I guessed the murderer early on, although I didn’t know all the details until the end. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more mystery and then, when the action did heat up quite dramatically, everything was resolved rather too quickly for my tastes. However, I learned a lot about countries I’ve never visited and the atmosphere was very well done.

Readers who enjoy a cozy mystery, especially one that takes them to new locations, are sure to find Side Trip to Kathmandu to be a delightful experience.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,
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