Shore Excursion by Marie Moore

Article first published as Book Review:Shore Excursion by Marie Moore on Blogcritics.

Vacation and time to enjoy our lives is a theme that resounds in numerous ways. There are many ways to vacation, especially as you get older. Cruising has long been a favorite although even this form of travel has received a black eye.

Marie Moore has given us another reason to worry about cruising with Shore Excursion. She has given us a funny but gutsy heroine that really cares about her clients. As the host for guided tours, Sidney Marsh along with her best friend Jay often work together as they follow their eclectic group of travelers. The group is a mixture of ages and call themselves the high steppers. Sidney enjoys her group, but seems to attract trouble in strange places. Her current trip begins mysteriously when she finds herself being followed by a homeless man. While the incident creeps her out, she does not dwell on it as she rounds up her group and gets them ready for the vacation of their dreams.

However, even as they bus to the terminal, they run into circumstances that seem strange and just a bit suspenseful. Their bus is sideswiped, but they are helped out by some good Samaritans. Sidney is somewhat intrigued by a few of the newer people in the group, they are not as old and do not fit the usual profile. Even as she rolls the thoughts through her mind, trouble continues to plague them.

Finally reaching the ship, she is relieved that all are there and accounted for. Yet trouble is still not far away, as she soon understands when one of her high stepper clients is found murdered. What is she to do, especially when the Captain announces the death as suicide. As the deaths continue, Sidney is determined to find the cause. Can she find the answers before any more of her group dies? Will she be able to stay out of harm’s way as she pokes her nose into the secrets someone is willing to kill for to keep quiet?

Moore has created characters so real you can visualize them. The humor that she imbues them with is contagious. Sidney is like many young women, her head is turned by handsome men, and she often makes bad decisions. But she is also very courageous and not afraid to delve into the mystery of the happenings of her charges. Her best friend Jay is such a great character; I actually wanted him to have a more active role. He was one of my favorite characters. Moore’s background in the travel industry is evident in her understanding and descriptions at each port of call. Some of the prose was like listening to the tour guide and seeing the places yourself.

If you enjoy travel, especially to different countries you will enjoy this book. It is light and funny, filled with enjoyable experiences. There is a bit of suspense and danger as well, but it does not overshadow the sense of fun imbued with the telling. A few red herrings are thrown in to keep you guessing, so you find it hard to second guess the culprits.

I believe this would be a fun summer or vacation read, with just enough teeth to keep you interested while lounging and enjoying the experience along with the characters.

Rating 3/5

The blog tour's official site is:
http://shoreexcursion.blogspot.com/

 
      Marie Moore's web site:
http://www.mariemooremysteries.com/
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Shore Excursion blog tour site:
http://shoreexcursion.blogspot.com/
Shore Excursion Book Summary

Travel agents are a vanishing breed, but Sidney Marsh, a New York transplant from Mississippi, is holding her ground--at least on land. She is the tour leader on a cruise through Scandinavia for a group of eccentric senior citizens who call themselves the High Steppers. Sidney expects her days to be filled with long meals, shopping expeditions and visits to museums, churches and fjords. But this cruise is anything but routine. There is a killer on board, targeting the High Steppers and quite possibly herself.

After the first suspicious death, the captain and his crew are grimly determined to carry on as usual. Disgusted with their inaction, Sidney decides to take matters into her own hands and launch her own investigation. She enlists the halfhearted help of her friend and business partner, the flamboyant and fun-loving Jay Wilson. Suspects abound. What about those two handsome young men who stay mysteriously aloof? One of them has his eye on Sidney. So does another passenger, far too charming and again too young to fit the "High Stepper" mold. Then there's Captain Vargos, the arrogant ladies' man whose plans to thwart Sidney's investigation might include seduction.

Who is that crew member shadowing Sidney? Is the theater really haunted? Even the High Steppers themselves are not as predictable or harmless as they seem. The closer Sydney gets to the truth, the less she understands. Shore Excursion is the first book in a new mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Sidney Marsh.

Marie Moore Bio:

Shore Excursion is Marie Moore’s first novel, but not her first writing experience, and like Sidney Marsh, she is a native Mississippian. She graduated from Ole Miss, married a lawyer in her hometown, taught junior high science, raised a family, and worked for a small weekly newspaper, first as a writer and later as Managing Editor. She wrote hard news, features and a weekly column, sold ads, did interviews, took photos, and won a couple of MS Press Association awards for some of her stories.

In 1985, Marie left the newspaper to open a retail travel agency. She completed agency and computer training with Airlines Reporting Corporation, Delta Airlines and TWA, earned her CTC (Certified Travel Counselor) designation, and joined the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), International Air Transport Association (IATA), and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). For the next 15 years, she managed her agency, sold travel, escorted group tours, sailed on 19 cruises, and visited over 60 countries. Much of the background of Shore Excursion comes from that experience.

Marie also did location scouting and worked as the local contact for several feature films, including Heart of Dixie, The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag, and Robert Altman’s Cookie’s Fortune.

In mid-1999, because of her husband's work, Marie sold the travel agency and moved to Jackson, MS, then New York City, Anna Maria Island, FL, and Arlington, VA. She and her husband now live in Memphis, TN and Holly Springs, MS.

Marie is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Paperback
Price: $13.95
ISBN: 9781603818742
Pages: 230
Release: April 1, 2012

Amazon pre-order buy link
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Barnes&Noble.com pre-order buy link
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Best Seller by Timothy B. Sagges

Article first published as Book Review: Best Seller by Timothy B. Sagges on Blogcritics.

There are stories of horror on the real landscape of our world, and then there are those in the imagination. Fascination with this genre continues to make the strange, scary and macabre a popular and adrenalin filled escape for many readers.In Best Seller by Timothy B. Sagges we follow the life of a writer. Richard Rossi is willing to do just about anything to get his book published and in the hand of readers. Or is he? When he stumbles on a party in his apartment complex, he meets a woman who seems very interested in what he has written and what he has to say. She, in return, introduces him to a enigmatic man, a Publisher named Seth Volos.

Volos is polished and charismatic, and says just the right things to reel Richard in. Richard finds himself signing a document that only gives him a small window to change his mind, he only has further questions. Knowing he has a little time to read the fine print, he moves on his way to celebrate his new found freedom to pursue his dream. However immediately strange things begin to happen, he is in a accident and unconscious making him miss the deadline of time to review his contract. He immediately becomes an overnight sensation with the help of Volos and his staff.

He is thrilled and yet unnerved when he begins to see a pattern of youth suicides, many clutching his book as they are found. What is happening, and does he bare any responsibility. Looking for answers only drags him deeper into the mire. Even with his star on the rise, Richard understands there is something bigger going on, but can he get to the bottom of it before it is too late? Or is it already too late?

Sagges has written a horror story reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock. The currents are not along the top where they jump out at you, but wind behind and through the writing causing a creepiness and horror that strikes when you least expect it. As with Hitchcock and his films I was uncomfortable with the telling of this tale. I thought about it when I was done reading for the day, and as I completed the book. The characters are very true to like and well done, but it is the story and the children that hold you enthralled.

Sagges's bio says that the story comes from a set of recurring night terrors, and I can only wonder how he was able to put this aside to get any actual sleep. If you enjoy the creepy, or really just like a good solid horror, you will enjoy the scope of this story. It is well done and hard to really see it coming until it is twisted within your mind. A solid mixture of Hitchcock meets the crypt keeper, the horror builds and the characters continue to crumble around the strange circumstances and the processes put in play by Seth Volos.

Rating 4/5

This book was received free through Tribute Books. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

The blog tour's official site is:
http://bestsellerblogtour.blogspot.com/

   
Best Seller web site:
http://www.bestseller-book.com/

Timothy B. Sagges' Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1069144965

Timothy B. Sagges' Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/TimSagges
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Best Seller blog tour site:
http://bestsellerblogtour.blogspot.com/
Best Seller Book Summary

Thirty-five year old fiction writer, Richard Rossi would do just about anything to get his manuscript published. However, months of rejection and unanswered prayers have strained his capacity to hope. Alone in New York City, he teeters on the brink of alcoholism, as his hope erodes into desperation.

His prayers are finally answered when a simple misdirected piece of mail spawns a chance encounter with an extraordinary man, Seth Volos, Publisher. And while their unholy alliance thrusts Richard to the top of every Best Seller list in America, the horrifying outcome for the book's legions of fans is anything but a happy ending.

Timothy B. Sagges Bio:

Fifty-year-old actor, director and playwright, Tim Sagges has been tormented by a series of recurring night terrors since 1967, long before there was a name for such a curse. It is only recently that he has found the courage to formulate some of these visions into works of literature. In an effort to purge himself of the unrelenting horror of his dreams, he has created Best Seller, the first in a series of nightmares exorcised from his mind and onto the page.

He is currently the owner of Eye Candy Vision in Philadelphia.

Paperback
Price: $14.99
ISBN: 9781456478193
Pages: 326
Release: February 2011

Amazon buy link
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The Shameful Diary of a Hopeless Romantic by Suzi Case

Posted first on the The Romance Reviews

Reading the pages of a diary seems so voyeuristic and with the comedy and thought process of the writer the developement is just plain fun. Following the life of Maggie Lane is fun and interesting through the pages of her diary. Her love life and her friendships are much of what we experience and the fun is unique enough to suck you in. This is a strange and addictive read, one I found hard to put down.

Maggie has set her plans in life, and finds love in the most absurd ways. She has some marvelous friendships and some turbulent ups and downs. While her goals seem unrealistic, she too is aware of just how silly they are, but they are hers and the keep her buoyed. She is in love with various move stars and one of her best friends from school, but she is just as sure that these are avenues that will never come to fruition. But then again, Ben often wants her opinion on his girlfriends; maybe he does secretly feel more for her than friendship. When she meets Blake at the gym, there is something about him as well. What is with her that she can’t seem to determine who is right for her? Can she turn her life around and find the one?

I really enjoyed this book and the characters were quite wonderful. Each was unique and yet very much like those we all know. Maggie herself is quite funny, and her antics actually have a tendency to keep you smiling. She is very likable, and yet very real. She seems to be someone you could relate to.

With each of her successive guys, while there is some development of tenseness and even overtures of friend ship, there was never that heat that leaves you wanting them to get together. Each of the men in her life are very likable and you root for them all, but there is none of that––this is the one, she has to find a way with this one. You can feel the embarrassment, but not the attraction that generally gets your heart racing along with the heroine.

If you like a good and fun story this is certainly in that realm. The romance is there, just not the heat, so if you enjoy the funny and intricate ways of someone trying to find love, you will enjoy the banter. Case has a way with characters and humor. With just a bit more heat this would be a work of great romance.

Rating 3/5

This book was received as a review copy through the Romance Reviews. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Redemption Day by Steve O'Brien

Article first published as Book Review:Redemption Day by Steve O'Brian on Blogcritics.

Terror comes in many packages and for many reasons. Sometimes that terror exists in places that may not be as far away as those you read about in the news. It can often be one that is as indistinguishable as your own neighbors.

Redemption Day Steve O’Brien brings us a dose of danger and terror spawned here in our own country. When his protagonist Nick James is fired from his terrorist analyst government job, along with a host of others, he understands it is sometimes how the system works. But something is wrong, within a very short time he finds himself a wanted man. Somehow he has found himself in the middle of a deadly game, with little direction to turn. From his analysis on terrorism he has been watching a militant group known as the Posse Comitatus. They are a group of militia that have their own beliefs in the wording of the constitution, and feel the government has bastardized the ideology.

When a Supreme Court Justice is kidnapped, Nick is the one man who understands. Can he find a way to bring the militants to light and save the Justice, thereby saving himself as well. Following where the evidence leads him, he is tracked by the FBI at every turn. Can he hope to bring the dire situation to light and clear his name? The militants will stop at nothing to win their battle, they are strong and growing, with a feeling of power now that they have their pawn. Can Nick convince someone that the terror is in their own back yards, and that he is not involved in the deaths that seem to follow his moves? Who can he turn to with such dire information, and will they be in time to stop the Comitatus?

O'Brien has delivered a tense and compelling novel about terror here on our own shores. With the advent of the Oklahoma City bombing, we know there are factions, and we have seen the aftermath. O’Brien takes a deep look into the thought process that brings many to this place and lays it out in such a way you can understand the thinking, even though not necessarily the methods. His characters are very perceptive and strong.

While the story creates tension, his characters convey a sense of rightness, and strength to overcome the obstacles while protecting the masses. As each bit of evidence comes to light he weaves an intricate story of beliefs and an overriding sense of how such strong belief over rides what would generally be considered right or wrong. The tension remains thick but there is a thread of hope with his protagonist, you just feel that somehow he will prevail.

The Posse Comitatus is a group that has its own interpretation of the constitution and finally feel s they have what they need to move forward. O’Brien brings us an in-depth study of what and who they are, and how they come to be. The tone of the book conveys the danger of some of the fanatics and the capability of further homeland terror happening. He has taken a group from our own foundations and given it a face, one we may see in any area of the country.

This would be a great book for a book club or reading group. If you enjoy reading suspense and terror, or just enjoy a good mystery this is the right book for you. O’Brien has written a literary work that puts the ball in our court, to make of it what we will.

Rating 4/5

This book was received free through the publicist. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens by Alma Alexander

Article first published as Book Review: 2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens by Alma Alexander on Blogcritics.

December 20, 2012 is another day like many others, but there is fear and belief that this could be the day before the end of days. As with all doomsday predictions there is much controversy, both pro and con. To some it is another day, to others a possible ending.

In 2012: Midnight at Spanish Gardens Alma Alexander has taken the time as a way to change lives. Spanish Gardens is a meeting place for many groups of students over the years and this time is no different. However the students meeting there this night have all grown up and lived full lives. Meeting again to celebrate a birthday, Olivia and four other friends find themselves following the flow of history. There is anger and heartache and some of these very friends have lost touch due to hurt feelings and anger. Now is the time to put that all behind them and recoup some of the camaraderie of youth. 20 years have passed and time has changed them all. Meeting again and rehashing their old lives and loves, each of them wonders about what the next day will bring.

As each of the friends receives a strange set of instructions from one of the bartenders, time seems at a crossroad of possibilities. The instruction takes them to a portal, to a new life and a chance of redemption, or an opportunity to return to the life they have always known. Each is given a choice of changes on this night of discovery, a life that may have been––if different decisions had been made.
Choosing what you know and what you have always felt is difficult and there is only a small window of time to make the right decision. Will they each choose an alternate path on this pivotal night, or will they continue on with the life they chose from the beginning. The decision is difficult, to change what is real now, will change everything leading up to this time. People you know, families, and the lives you have touched and for those to whom you have made a difference will no long have that part of you should you chose a different path. Once the decision is made all memory will fade other than the life you have chosen. The other existence fades away in memory.

Alexander takes a time of possible transition or even renewal and puts a strange and surreal twist on it. The characters are brought to life as they each take a seeming crossroads as they enter a portal of time. As they make choices different from those before, you gain a deeper understanding of who they are and their strengths as well as their potential failures. As they pass the crossroads they do not remember the life behind them, until it is time to choose. For a short period of time both lives intersect, but once the choice is made memory fades.

Watching the interaction and choices that each character reestablishes invokes a strange feeling of inevitability. You wait with bated breath as the final decision is made. Which direction do they turn? It is very dreamlike and sequential, strangely vivid and yet like watching the interaction through water. The flow is interesting and yet each decision will affect someone differently and change lives in a way that is uncomfortable.

The descriptions and visuals add a depth to the story. The interactions of the characters in the here and now, offer a glimpse of lives that could have been different. The chance to remake their choices is one we often wonder about, would we make the same decisions if given a chance to do it all over again? How will this group of friends react to the chance of a do over?

I would recommend this book for those who enjoy though provoking dialogue. It would make a great read for a reading group of book club. There is insight and reflection with a dose of inspiration in this work that keeps you thinking.

Rating 4\5

This book was received as a free copy from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

October Girls:Book I Crystal & Bone by L.C. Glazebrook

Article first published as Book Review: October Girls: Book I Crystal & Bone by L. C. Glazebrook on Blogcritics.

As a youth I often wondered at my parents decisions. Did they make the right choices, were they the only ones available, or did they even think about it. I would not have questioned them but that was a different age then the one we live in today.

As a teenager Crystal Aldridge is full of questions. In October Girls: Book I Crystal & Bone by L.C. Glazebrook, we follow the strange and bizarre, and get a peep into the life and decisions that put Crystal in the situation she finds herself. Her family has a responsibility that has been handed down through the ages. They are the guardians of the gate into another realm. Her best friend is killed in an accident and is now a ghost. Bone (Bonnie) is still her best friend though, and Crystal can see the doorway into these other realms. The doorways are becoming more active, yet Crystal does not want her mother to know what she is up to. There are some scary things in those doorways, and Crystal understands there is a good chance that what is behind them is even worse.

Chrystal’s family comes from a long line of witches and it is their responsibility to keep evil at bay. Her mom has been trying to teach her the ropes, but Crystal is your average teen. She does not want the added responsibility. Besides her mom had to dedicate her life, and give up any thoughts of leisure. She lives in a trailer park and lives the life of the trailer trash brigade. Crystal is not sure where to turn, she has not even told her mom about her recent new friendship with Bone. Her mother would lecture her; you do not become friends with the dead.

Crystal’s boyfriend is stable, not real exciting but someone she knows she can rely on. However, now she is being tempted by some strangely charismatic young men that work at turning her head. Will they be able to woo her from her destiny? One of the men is a producer of B-grade movies, he is looking to make his mark in her town. The other seems to be an actor, but he is from beyond her realm. Can she stop this strange and uncanny duo before they do further damage to her world? She will need her mothers’ help, but is it already too late?

Glazebrook has written some exceedingly fun characters from our teenage years. I can picture many of the faces superimposed over those I went to high school with. The description and attitudes ring a bell and make the story both fun and frivolous. Yet the danger encountered is creepy, as is the realm on the other side. Ms. Glazebrooks worlds are both interesting and dangerous. The antics of her characters keep it fun, and the hormones of the teenage girls keep you guessing.

If you are looking for a young adult read, one that will entertain and hold attention, this will fill the bill. It is fun and a bit spooky, with both humor and danger. The author builds tension and a typical interaction between a teen girl and her mother, and then ends with a satisfying conclusion.

Rating 4/5

This book was received as a free copy from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

A Place To Die by Dorothy James

Article first published as Book Review: A Place To Die by Dorothy James on Blogcritics.

A place to live with all the luxuries as well as friends at your beck and call seems to be a lofty ambition. Could there really be a home for the elderly, one that is capable of housing those who just want a nice place to finish their lives, but for others a place where they can be cared for in the last days of their lives. What happens when things do not work as planned and murder makes a stand?

In A Place to Die by Dorothy James, she takes us to a retirement home in the Vienna Woods. Here she introduces us to an eclectic cast of characters that charm or annoy. When Eleanor and Franz Fabian arrive from their home in New York to settle his mother in her new rooms, they find themselves in the midst of a murder and a mystery. When the wealthy and well liked Herr Graf is found dead the Fabians find themselves in the middle of a mystery that dates back to the history of some of the residents. Eleanor is a mystery aficionado and is interested in the process, getting involved when she should not be. Her husband however has no time and finds it all very boring. When Inspector Georg Buchner gets the case he finds more mysteries behind each clue he uncovers. The residents are not above suspicion, yet neither are the help, including the physicians and nurses.

Things take a strange turn when suddenly other residents begin dying of what appear to be natural causes and yet the abruptness and the amount of deaths seem out of place. When the Fabians mother is found dead, only more questions begin to churn. What is happening and how will it end?

I loved the characters; even the angry and gregarious ones had a place that fit in with my expectations of what such a home would be like. Eleanor was fun and Franz was just plain annoying. Georg Buchner was a wonder protagonist and kept the tension tight. As each clue unraveled into the next, he found himself in a place he was not comfortable with. His flaws made him so much more human and likable.

James was able to build a mystery using the past, bringing with the charm of the area, a history that today still rattles many cages. In the darkness of the woods, this history still carries anger and danger, and Ms. James is able to make you feel the tension in the air.

I found the story to be very well done, and hard to put down. If you love a mystery this is just the thing to keep you guessing. There are so many possibilities, and yet she sprinkles in red herrings liberally throwing even the best of mystery buffs off track.

This is a great book for your library. It would be a good book club novel or even one for a reading group. There are many potential controversies that would make good discussion fodder, but the theme and tone would also make for a fun read.

The ending will surprise you for many reasons--it was well done and interesting, actually quite satisfying in its own way.

 Rating 5/5


Dorothy James' web site:
http://www.viennamysteries.com/

Dorothy James' blog:
http://www.myplaceformystery.com/

A Place to Die Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vienna-Mysteries/114871195254205?sk=wall

Dorothy James' Twitter:
http://twitter.com/valleyvoice

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

A Place to Die blog tour site:
http://aplacetodieblogtour.blogspot.com/


Dorothy James Bio:

Dorothy James was born in Wales and grew up in the South Wales Valleys. Writer, editor, and translator, she has published short stories as well as books and articles on German and Austrian literature. She has taught at universities in the U.S., England, and Germany, makes her home now in Brooklyn and often spends time in Vienna and Berlin.

She wrote A Place to Die in her attic apartment on the edge of the Vienna Woods. She has travelled far from Wales, but has not lost the Welsh love of playing with language; she writes poems for pleasure as does Chief Inspector Büchner, the whimsical Viennese detective who unravels the first mystery in this new series of novels.

Hardcover

Price: $34.99

ISBN: 9781450082709

Pages: 436

Release: April 21, 2010



Paperback

Price: $23.99

ISBN: 9781450082693

Pages: 436

Release: April 21, 2010

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iBookstore buy link - $9.99
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