Book picks similar to
Matt: the Beginning by Viveca Benoir


top-picks
contemporary
read-more-than-once
fav

ROCKLEDGE: INTRODUCING CADE CHASE


John M. Vermillion - 2021
    This is the opener of a planned Cade Chase series. It is a crime thriller set in the fictional Rockledge, an impoverished town in the center of Appalachia, more precisely in extreme southwest Virginia.The main character, Cade Chase, recently retired from the military. He has given insufficient thought to life afterward. He accedes to the urgings of a longtime friend and former JAG officer, to come to the town of Rockledge. He leaves Florida and heads to Rockledge uncertain that this move is wise.On his first morning in Rockledge he runs across a hillbilly octogenarian named Dale Carter, who tells him finding a place to live will be tough. So Carter invites him to have a look at a home, one of three, he owns on a mountainside "out in the valley." The home he shows Cade is one of the grandest Cade has ever seen. Carter tells Cade the house is his if he wants it. Seems joining the military was the defining event of Dale's life. Without the military's 'gifts' he wouldn't have amassed the wealth he possesses. But he stipulates one condition: help protect him and his wife against what appears to be a dangerous crew of squatters camping in the woods on or near his property.Cade is instantly fond of Dale, and agrees to help him. This agreement sets the story in motion. There's plenty of action from that point onward. Yes, it's a thrilling story involving crime, but more important, it's a story of the evils of autocratic behavior by political elites. Cade is determined to bring the evildoers down. He quickly learns that extreme southwest Virginia has been a whipping boy for sixty years or more. Cade and a cadre of like-minded people strive to end the trampling of this region of the state. You may find it on Amazon and Kindle books. If searching under my name, you need to search under John M. Vermillion, including the middle initial.Thank you.jmv

The Spirit of Prayer: The Believer's Authority on the Earth (The Sons of God Book 2)


Tolulope Oyewole - 2021
    

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 Bridge To Caracas


Stephen Douglass - 2011
    The story had to be told.One of the largest and most audacious gasoline tax evasion scams in Canadian and U.S. history.The perpetrator used The Peace Bridge, spanning The Niagara River, to facilitate his crime, and his private Cessna to transport the enormous fruits of the theft to the “safety” of a Cayman Island bank.The scam netted an amount “that makes The New York State Lottery look like a Sunday school collection.”Cynical and remorselessly ruthless, the thief possesses a brilliant criminal mind, has enormous contempt for the law, police, governments, and the system in which they function. He assumes rules are for fools, and takes sadistic pleasure in breaking them.

Mistress Suffragette


Diana Forbes - 2017
    Over a series of encounters, he promises Penelope the financial security she craves, but at what cost? Skilled in the art of flirtation, Edgar is not without his charms, and Penelope is attracted to him against her better judgment. Initially, as Penelope grows into her own in the burgeoning early Women’s Suffrage Movement, Edgar exerts pressure, promising to use his power and access to help her advance. But can he be trusted, or are his words part of an elaborate mind game played between him and his wife? During a glittering age where a woman’s reputation is her most valuable possession, Penelope must decide whether to compromise her principles for love, lust, and the allure of an easier life.

The High Blue Arena


Jack Prendergast - 2012
    Can a couple of rural coppers and a demoralised ragbag of accountant soldiers intercept the two boys, before they blunder into an old firing range infested with unexploded ordnance?Moira can at least rely on two unlikely allies; her estranged African friend Dahlila, and Social Worker Mildred Pierce. Even so, the beast has picked up her trail; as the double pursuit races toward a terrifying climax, Hardcastle will have to tap every ounce of his wavering resolve in order to halt an unstoppable madman. Yet even murderers have mothers, and ultimately, it is love that must prevail; thanks in no small part to the inexhaustible optimism and humanity of four remarkable women...

Love Lies: A True Story of Marriage and Murder in the Suburbs


Amanda Lamb - 2011
    A perfect lie. When Nancy Cooper moved from Canada to Cary, North Carolina with her new husband Brad, their future was bright: living in one of the most picturesque towns in the US, the couple mingled with neighbors, attended parties, and raised two daughters. Then, on July 14th, 2008, the façade came crashing down when Nancy’s strangled body was found in a storm pond. Nancy’s husband claimed that she had gone for a jog and never come back. But as the police investigation deepened, and as Brad was brought to trial for murdering his wife, a complex web of affairs and lies was uncovered involving multiple residents of Cary’s idyllic neighborhoods. At the heart of it stood the Coopers’ soured marriage, Nancy’s threat to leave with the children, and her own cold-blooded murder. It would take a mountain of damning evidence before justice was served.

The Heroes of Shakespeare's Tragedies


Victor L. Cahn - 1988
    The author, himself a playwright, strives to bring out for the characters what actors designate as a -through line, - a consistent path of motivation. This approach and the accessible style make the book suitable for teachers and students of both literature and theater."

Ritualistic Murder - A Prequel to The Kanke Killings Trilogy


Kumar Kinshuk - 2021
    A prequel to The Kanke Killings Trilogy.Grady Harp: Top Contributor: Children's BooksHALL OF FAME: TOP 100 REVIEWER4.0 out of 5 stars ‘Cases related to Maoist related insurgencies and killings’ – recipe for terror. With this fine introduction to Detective Rajiv, readers who become admirers of this unique man will likely proceed to the Trilogy. Grady Harp, November 21.' - Review by a Hall Of Fame Reviewer on Amazon.The year 2008 was the period of a global meltdown with enormous job losses and unexpected foreclosures of dwelling stock. This narrative is an intriguing thriller set in Bangalore - the IT capital of the world. It covers the story of three best friends working in diverse enterprises, a fiancé who sweeps one of these three friends off her feet, and an atrocious crime.This was the first major case of Police Inspector Rajiv, and there was a threat to his life as he burrowed into the riddle behind the wretched crime. There were numerous suspects and Rajiv laboriously cut through the conundrums to settle the biggest case in the nation's history.Read further to get entertained through this compelling plot full of twists and turns, a seething tension, and a detective who is at the suffering end of a gigantic web of a dated, mighty spiritual cult. Will Rajiv expose the conundrum and endure this murky and savage crime?Read more if you like Jack Reacher.This is not a novella or shorts. It is a comprehensive novel delving into one of the most illustrious cases of Police Inspector Rajiv. One can read this novel as a standalone.

The Fall of the Phoenix


Daniel Kelly - 2018
    Seldom, however, will they have been narrated with such close attention to the minute particulars of battle, to its reek and terror and pain, as in this startling account by Daniel Kelly. Kelly looks minutely at every detail of archaic combat, as well as at the lives and feelings shaped by it. His Troy is not only a scene of shining glory, but also a grimy struggle for survival and mastery. And he introduces surprising questions: what if not everything in the Trojan war came to pass just as Homer tells us? What if the future of the Roman empire were hidden in the burning ashes of Troy's - and not in the way we might expect?

Saoirse Berger's Bookish Lens In La La Land


Nicole Schubert - 2021
    She has an internship with her famous film director uncle, a hit BookTube channel with her actress cousin Sadie and is fully determined to get her world on track as a true adult person, complete with happiness and sparkly love in spades. But nothing is going to plan. She applied to all the wrong colleges, is the only one of her friends still single and is majorly crushing on 23-year-old cinema genius wunderkind Leo Landis, even though he may or may not be breaking up with his girlfriend and may or may not even notice her. But Saoirse's not giving up.She steels herself with hyper-romantic hope and sets out to be her best positive self, which works fabulously until it doesn't and things get complicated. Luckily, life turns in Saoirse's favor as her Hollywood family spins out of control and a sweet and equally quirky street artist, Hector Rojas, spots her magical sparkle and inspires her to see things from a kaleidoscope of angles, even her own beautiful self.Uniquely charming in a Bridget Jones's Diary way with a Cyrano de Bergerac twist, Saoirse Berger takes us on an 18-year-old's hilariously painful journey through love, self-doubt, rejection and the search for belonging as a new adult, ultimately discovering she's already right where she's supposed to be.

Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief: Spiritual Insights Expressed Through Art, Poetry and Prose


Diamante Lavendar - 2018
    It is a Pandoras box of emotions, situations, opportunities, and failures, all wrapped into a package we call life. Nobody is immune, but everyone has the opportunity to grow tall or wither like a flower in harsh light. Its completely up to us how we choose to respond. Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief is a gleaning of insights from artist Diamante Lavender. For her, life has been a long, difficult road, but it has taught many poignant lessons. Her poetry collection is an exploration of the human soul, a traversing of situations that life throws at us. Diamante has always been intrigued by the ability to overcome and move on to bigger and better things. She writes to encourage hope and possibility in those who read her stories. If she can help others heal, as she has, then Diamantes work as an author and artist will have been well spent. She believes that everyone should try to leave a positive mark on the world, to make it a better place for all. Writing is the way that she is attempting to leave her markone story at a time.

Topaz and the Green Fairies


Pat Frayne - 2015
    Whatever happened to him on this journey had the power to make him stronger. Or he could let it destroy him." Such are the thoughts of young Bozel, a pivotal new character introduced in Topaz and the Green Fairies, the third installment in the Tales of Topaz the Conjure Cat series by Pat Frayne. In this latest high adventure story, we journey to an island in the midst of chaos. Severe storms are threatening to obliterate the home where the Green Fairies have lived for generations. It is up to young Bozel to find help to save his people before they perish. Along the way, he encounters numerous obstacles and life changing situations. Bozel must overcome not only his own personal fears and self-doubt, but grave danger as well. At the same time there is trouble for Topaz and the other inhabitants of Knownotten Kingdom. Otis has been injured and is trapped in a desolate land where he finds himself held in the thrall of a sinister creature. When Bozel finally crosses paths with Topaz and his friends the race is on to hatch a daring plan to save the Green Fairies. Topaz will be faced with the ultimate test of strength, courage and commitment to others.

Alexander Crowley - A New King in Town


Don Barr - 2018
     Starring Alexander Crowley a smart arsed shoot from the hip trickster (Supposedly the bastard Great Grandson of Aleister Crowley the 20th Century Occultist) who is on the run from his recent escapades. He decides to lay low in a holiday home borrowed from a dubious benefactor and his swashbuckling adventures throughout the summer draw on supernatural foundations and circumstances that are well researched and contain a modicum of reality. From the minute he enters the town our hero is pitched at odds with the local mobsters, demons and deities. There is an intriguing and exciting cast of supporting characters who are a delight; Booby De-Faux - a needy “Sidekick” The Spirit Saint who acts as “Minder” supported by her mysterious cat “The Black Manilishi” A Vampire assassin and a Killer King are also along for the ride and even romance is on the cards as our character, a renowned and successful womaniser seems this time to be looking for a meaningful relationship amongst all the chaos. Strap in!

Median Gray


Bill Mesce Jr. - 2020
    Adam Plantinga, author of 400 Things Cops Know and Police Craft. At a time when New York’s mean streets were their meanest, one NYPD detective at the end of his career takes one last chance to correct a 20-year-old injustice, and another cop at the beginning of his career tries to stop him before a police department already scarred by corruption investigations takes another hit.