"The River At Night" by Erica Ferencik

Buy "The River At Night" on Amazon on Jan 2017: click here!

"Looking back, I equate this stage of enjoying the wilderness with the second glass of wine. Everything is lighter; you can see the funny side of disaster. But things rarely improve with the third, they get dangerous with the fourth, and you better pray to God someone is around to scoop you off the floor after that. It was our second day in the woods and we were days away from home."

Four friends are on their annual girls trip, a white water rafting adventure in the Maine wilderness. Wini, the reluctant participant, would have been happy sitting on a beach somewhere. Pia. Rachel. Sandra. Their young guide Rory. 

At first it was kind of a slow start with Wini, and her reluctance to go off with her friends. Each of them kind of re-examine their lives. Comparing notes, figuring where they belong in life, and the universe.

After an accident they must find the will to survive until rescue comes. What will they do to survive? Will they risk their own life to save a friends? Will all the things that haven't been said come out? Who lives and who doesn't? Or will the four survive as a unit? 

When they come upon the site of a campfire hey are hopeful that they are rescued. They could be wrong. Evil is waiting. With survival at hand, truths are uncovered, secrets revealed. Inner strength shows itself. 

This first half was a an interesting tale of action and adventure. The second half a thriller and a tale of friendship, and the ties that bind you or break you. 

Thank you Erica Ferencik, Netgalley, and Gallery Books

Merry Christmas!

"A Tapestry of Tears" Short Stories from India by Gita Reddy

                                                                                                     

Buy "A Tapestry of Tears" Short Stories from India now on Amazon: click here!

"What must I do, to forget?" she asked. "You must create a remembrance so that you do not forget. You must make a place for those girls in your life, talk about them when you feel like it, and weep." 

"A Tapestry of Tears" is a collection of short stories from India. I've previously read many of this authors other books. She writes adult, as well as children's books. I've enjoyed them all. 

You know sometimes when you read something out of your own parameters, you're apt to learn something new. You also realize that we are all more alike as women than not, even though our cultures may seriously vary. 

You also will learn how devastating some things are. In the first story there is a tale of how women poison their newborn girls, and are expected to do this. Sons are preferred. I can't imagine as a parent living with this. But, learning to be strong, they found a way to cope. 

Descriptive and flowing words will allow you to immerse yourself in these stories. Mostly about relationships, and women, empathetic tales. 

Thank you Gita Reddy. I always enjoy your work.

"Two Days Gone" (A Ryan DeMarco Mystery) by Randall Silvis

                                                                                                  

Buy "Two Days Gone" on Amazon- on sale Jan. 10th: click here!

"You're out there somewhere," he said. "You're cold and you're hungry, and as far as I know, you're completely out of your mind. But you're out there. And I'm coming to get you. I'll find you, my friend."......

Tom Huston, celebrity around his Pennsylvania college town. An author, professor and family man. Until the day comes his family is found gruesomely murdered, and Tom has disappeared.

Sergeant Ryan DeMarco knew Tom. Like everyone else, finds this murder hard to believe. His search for answers and Tom includes delving into a novel Tom was working on. Are there clues in it? Did Tom have a life that no one knew about? 

Is Tom alive? Dead? Innocent or guilty? Ryan will have to uncover secrets and untangle the confusion to get to the bottom of these murders. Are the answers in the books that Tom has written? Ryan's own pain and problems will keep him company on this road. 

I found Ryan to be an interesting character in his own right. Considering Huston as a friend, he struggles with his own sense of loss for this family. Along with his own personal losses, and demons, he has a hard edge, walking a fine line between (Pennsylvania State) police officer and friend. 

This story was gripping from the very first chapter. I didn't want to stop reading until I knew what happened to Claire, Thomas Jr., Alyssa, and baby David. Would the man they trusted the most really take their lives?

Thank you Randall Silvis, Netgalley, and Sourcebooks Landmark Publishers

Babytrick "The detroit im dyin" Trilogy Book 3 by T.V. LoCicero

                      

Buy "Babytrick" now on Amazon: click here!

"Buckman, whose arm she was on, called her Camie, but to everyone else she was BT. They all knew that BT stood for something she was not supposed to be- a babytrick- since anything under 16 was officially not allowed in the PP. But nobody here here really seemed to give a sh**, and the younger you looked, the more of a dick magnet you seemed to be.".......

Several story lines come together in this third book of the "detroit im dying" trilogy. Camie, a 14 year old hooker, trying to escape the current confines of her life. Mark, a free lance writer for Rolling Stone magazine, finds several interesting stories he's looking into. Camie being one, the current mayor's last term in office, and some shady characters weaved in and around these characters. Then there is Ella, a former cop, whose life is about to get ugly and complicated. 

A dark, sad story involving life on the streets of a hard town. Your chances of ending up dead seem to be pretty even odds. While a series, a definite stand alone. Death, violence, prostitution, and child exploitation. Will Camie make it out? Will Mark get a story or several? Will Ella be in so far over her head that she can't be saved? 

I enjoyed this dark disturbing tale, more than I expected. Unusual, but probably running along the lines of the truth of life on the dark side, and on the streets. Can this kind of a story have a happily ever after? You'll have to read it and find out. 

Thank you T.V. LoCicero.

"In Albuquerque, Abandoned" A Mystery Novel by Tower Lowe

  Buy "In Albuquerque, Abandoned on Amazon: click here!

"Leon continued to pace. "Yes, I know there's no baby in the dumpster. But I....it doesn't last long, knowing it. The thought keeps coming back-that I need to go rescue the baby. It's not bad now, but by tomorrow morning I won't be able to stop myself. I'm willing for that police officer to shoot me for the baby's sake."......

Cinnamon and Burro are back for book 7 in this series. Cinnamon is still hunting for her long gone mother, and isn't far behind when they get to Albuquerque.

They've been hired by a friend of Leon's family. The man, Leon, has been diagnosed with mental illness and is causing quite the daily scene at a dumpster near the school.

So many people want Leon stopped. Leon thinks he hears a baby crying and is continually in search of this baby. He's afraid it's been left in the dumpster. A local officer is close to shooting him, fed up with Leon's behavior. Others are becoming more and more rattled. Fear of whatever knowledge Leon might actually possess about the activities of others.

Does Cinnamon finally catch up to her mother? Burro has a possible new love life in the works. Will it work out? Will Leon find the crying baby, or will others get their way and finally have Leon locked away?

With quirky names and characters, a highly entertaining story. Just like the previous books, it's a fun read, a little serious, and very engrossing. Although a series, these can be read separately.

Thank you Tower Lowe