Murder on the Naval Base


Behcet Kaya - 2011
    With over a dozen eye-witnesses collaborating the incident, little was left in the puzzle for the military investigators to piece together; especially once it was determined the two victims were in fact the perpetrator’s wife and the man she was having an on-going affair with. After the shocking beginning of the novel, the reader in taken on a journey throughout the life and career of the characters while interlacing the technical jargon and vernacular of naval flight training and the nuances of the military lifestyle. Combined with a steamy undercurrent of lust, love, sexual fulfillment, jealousy and primordial desires of the cast of characters, the human condition of married life versus the structure and demands of military careers are juxtaposed against the strength and will of personal upbringing and ethical behavior.

In Our Bones


Pernell Plath Meier - 2020
    Hers was the last generation to grow up before the economic collapse that followed the Corona pandemic. Amidst roiling climate chaos, the government has been taken over by extremists, incompetents, and con-men who tear the country apart while clinging to power. Lauren is swept up in the madness when she falls for the wrong man. She’s looking for love and safety, but Bryan becomes distant and abusive as he obsesses over White Sharia and deepens his ties to the racist patriot militia group. Lauren worries about the safety of her sister and nephew, who is mixed-race. Will Lauren escape from Bryan and keep her nephew safe from danger? In a world where values are tested and morality is unsettlingly murky, Lauren must break free from the constraints in her mind to protect her family.

The Ancestor


Lee Matthew Goldberg - 2020
    He sees another man hunting nearby, astounded that they look exactly alike. After following this other man home, he witnesses a wife and child that brings forth a rush of memories of his own wife and child, except he's certain they do not exist in modern times-but from his life in the late 1800s. After recalling his name is Wyatt, he worms his way into his doppelganger Travis Barlow's life. Memories become unearthed the more time he spends, making him believe that he'd been frozen after coming to Alaska during the Gold Rush and that Travis is his great-great grandson. Wyatt is certain gold still exists in the area and finding it with Travis will ingratiate himself to the family, especially with Travis's wife Callie, once Wyatt falls in love. This turns into a dangerous obsession affecting the Barlows and everyone in their small town, since Wyatt can't be tamed until he also discovers the meaning of why he was able to be preserved on ice for over a century.A meditation on love lost and unfulfilled dreams, The Ancestor is a thrilling page-turner in present day Alaska and a historical adventure about the perilous Gold Rush expeditions where prospectors left behind their lives for the promise of hope and a better future. The question remains whether it was all worth the sacrifice….

Samantha's Revenge


Andrew R. Williams - 2020
    It floated alongside the air-car. This time, time instead of sending him mental message, the face spoke out aloud and the whole air-car vibrated with its intensity. "If you are foolish enough to renege on your contract, you will be severely punished. For your sake, I hope you wouldn't do such a thing." When Tarmy made no attempt to respond, the face turned and pressed itself against the millipede-free window. A moment later, Tarmy felt the fat slug entering his mind, the sign that the face was attempting to use its powers to obtain his response by other means. But as the slug dug deeper, Samantha's cover stories began springing out of the corners of his mind. Instead of obtaining Tarmy's agreement, all that the face saw was a burning army transporter surrounded by bodies. Undeterred, the face continued its assault. Samantha had anticipated that Tarmy might come up against an adept, so the mental images of death and destruction flowed unchecked. After failing to break Tarmy's defences, the face removed the slug and tried reason. "You can't win, Mr Tarleton, so why don't you do yourself a favour and cooperate? It will be better for you in the long run. Now, where is the miniature pulse drive engine?" Tarmy realised why the millipedes hadn't been allowed to attack. It was obvious that the Great Ones were hoping to retrieve the engine. When Tarmy didn't respond, the face said, "I am prepared to overlook your desertion if you agree to tell us where the engine is and also honour your contract by showing us how to convert the engine into a bomb."

Ravel (Lake Haven, #2)


D.M. Simmons - 2021
    But when the truth brought Laney Thomas back, something followed.Together, Laney and Evan have moved forward from the night that changed their lives forever. They finished college, moved back home, and started the next chapter of their lives. But shortly after being back in Lake Haven, they began. Nightmares. Ominous sleep stealers of never-ending darkness, that plague Laney’s dreams, threatening her happy ever after.But darkness, is never just itself. Something is always hiding in its shadows. And while the truth may have saved her once, the consequence of that night could be too hard to escape this time.RAVEL is the second book in the Lake Haven series. It dives deeper into the world of EVOKE, exploring the impact of moments that change us, loves that consume us, and decisions that forever haunt us.

The Verde Sanctuary


L.W. Samuelson - 2014
    An old rancher takes him in and teaches him how to wrangle cattle. The refugee learns to break horses and gains notoriety as a horse whisperer. Soon the stranger and rancher develop a deeply abiding friendship. The old man and his wife come to depend on Travis as they age and become helpless. They devise a plan to deed their ranch to him until their daughter finds out. She allies herself with a wealthy land owner and together they try to prove the old rancher and his wife are incompetent and that Windy, the daughter, should be given power of attorney for her parents. As the battle ensues, the old couple's health deteriorates. Who will prevail in Travis's attempt to find sanctuary? Is blood thicker than water or do those who care for you constitute family? This story, at times poignant, at times humorous, explores family, ranch life, and a friendship between two people from different worlds.

A Pigeon's Tale


S.A. Mahan - 2015
    Barely escaping with his life, Walter finds himself in a city where kindly street pigeons teach him about language, philosophy, and politics.A venture south to find a human family for the winter sees him face more desperate peril as a flock of snow geese help him finish the journey. Finding solace in a dorm room with two young college students, Walter heads home with one of them to a ranch in Texas where he is adopted by the close-knit family and their quirky pets.Walter forms a quick bond with the scientist grandfather who spends every day with Walter, working on a project in a mysterious tiny shack behind the house. This secret work soon becomes the center of Walter's life-and his fate-when he is thrust into an epic struggle for survival against cosmic forces that threaten to destroy the world.For fans of WATERSHIP DOWN and THE SECRET OF NIMH, A PIGEON"S TALE is a mind-bending sci-fi adventure tale about friendship, loyalty, and destiny.

Dueling Fates


Stephanie M. Allen - 2020
    In the far west, Princess Isemay yearns for much more than frilly dresses and etiquette classes. While her twin sister, Alena, prepares for life as a monarch in a neighboring kingdom, Isemay roams the woods with her loyal cheetah, hunting dagger strapped to her belt. It's only when two surprising visitors arrive at the castle that Isemay must come to terms with her royal future - and a secret magical heritage. Now engaged to the king of the east, Isemay prepares for a position she never wanted.After saying good-bye to all that she loves, Princess Alena travels north in trepidation - fully prepared to marry a spoiled prince she does not desire and usurp the throne from his insane father who does not deserve it. But when tragedy strikes at her wedding ceremony and she is wrongfully imprisoned, she can only hope that her hurried plea for help will reach her father in time.Frantic to save her sister - and against the wishes of her betrothed - Isemay joins the army sent to free Alena. A mysterious encounter with a dragon in disguise leaves her with a warning that her life is in danger - but can it save her from the battle to come?

Kurintor Nyusi: Diverse Epic Fantasy


Aaron-Michael Hall - 2018
     The Keepers of Nine guide the primordial Kurintor warriors protecting the mortal world from the demons of Ashemohn. But after a god’s corruption empowered their demon goddess, Sokka, her manipulations have brought the Kurintor to the brink of extinction. Can the Keepers of Nine awaken the Kurintor descendants in time to defend the Fifth Kingdom, or will the eidolons Sokka has sent forth destroy them? It isn’t prophecy, destiny, or a birthright, that will decide the fate of the mortal world. It is choice. “An attention to atmosphere and psychological insights is just one of the strengths that lend a touch of the fantastic to even ordinary scenes and descriptions.” D. Donovan – Midwest Book Review “I am a huge sci-fi and fantasy fan. Some days I believe I’ve simply read too much in these genres, so it’s just too difficult to find a new writer, book, or series that can really excite or surprise me. Then, on other days, I read a book like Kurintor Nyusi by Aaron-Michael Hall. Suddenly, I’m excited by a new writer and I’m seeing new things in one of my favorite genres.” R. Simmons - Readers' Favorite

Annabel Horton And The Black Witch of Pau (Book Two)


Olivia Hardy Ray - 2019
    His discovery brings Annabel and her family to the turn of nineteenth-century England hoping to rescue Michele from the Black Witch’s cage. What they discover is that the Black Witch has been forced into an insidious pact with the devil and the devil, with malicious intent, is luring them all into a web of death. Can they escape his grasp?

Confucius and Opium: China Book Reviews


Isham Cook - 2020
    Have foreigners shaped China’s history to a greater extent than has previously been acknowledged, reaching back possibly millennia? Was Confucius’ most famous book, the Analects, inspired by entheogenic medicines imported from abroad, possession of which in the 1930s brought one before the firing squad in the name of Confucius? In these book review essays by Isham Cook, foreign devils, old China Hands, eccentric expatriates, and a few Chinese tell an offbeat history of China’s last two centuries, with a backward glance at ancient China as told by Western mummies.

Mourning Grey: Part One: The Guardians Of The Temple Saga


Marie Montine - 2021
    When she sees visions of an ancient temple that defy the story told in the play, she is confronted with choices:. she either has to pick her destiny or her heart...as she is falling for the one whom she is enemies with.A vampire only known as Audray finds her new life as Lharkin's follower troubling; she must help the Empian find a way to convince Cassandra to join them before the human realizes who she really is. When Audray seeks comfort in the arms of the Queen's son, she struggles with the inevitable: that she must eventually tell him what she is.Mourning Grey is the beginning of a saga that explores the lives living under the Guardians of Light and Dark, and that some things exist in the grey, such as love.

UNDER THE BUS


Kyle Keyes - 2021
    Hobbs Creek Police Chief, Alvin Phillips believed it was his lucky silver dollar. The Six-O-Clock news refused comment because the incident did not relate to the Corona virus.

Eye for Eye


J.K. Franko - 2019
    until their teenage daughter is senselessly killed.Just as they’re managing to put that tragic loss behind them, a complete stranger approaches Roy in a bar with a drunken proposal—he invokes their daughter’s memory to ask Roy to kill a man.All is not as it seems, however, and Roy and Susie soon find themselves navigating an intricate web of deception, betrayal, and revenge.Can Roy and Susie outwit their hidden enemies? And what secrets lie buried in their past that could destroy them?Eye for Eye is the pulse-pounding Book One of the Talion crime thriller series which begins with the Eye for Eye Trilogy.Eye for EyeTooth for ToothLife for LifeIf you like smart, fast-paced thrillers with unexpected twists, then you’ll love J.K. Franko’s ride on the dark side.

The Reason: It's about More Than Just the Money


Quentin Brent - 2015
    Following a trail that was never meant to be uncovered, Zane realizes that with Quantitative Easing, the Federal Reserve is doing something no criminal has ever accomplished--and the catastrophic economic implications are worth killing over.Together with a computer hacker and a seemingly helpful special ops warrior, Zane must decide between exposing the truth and preserving the financial strength of the world. However, only Zane knows the real truth and why it can't be revealed. The Federal Reserve isn't just about money. While it also involves domination and control, it all comes back to one thing.The Reason.