Taylor’s sophomore novel brings back Michael Cassidy for another thrill ride through the Cuban revolution!

Five years have passed since Michael Cassidy escaped the KGB with his father. Expecting never to see Dylan again, he settled back into his role as a detective with NYPD.  No longer does anybody mess with him as they all believe he has a protector.  Even so, the top brass still give him the worst jobs in hopes that he will quit the force on his own.  On assignment to extradite a murderer back to Cuba, Cassidy is shocked when he is leaving the prison and sees Dylan among the political prisoners.  On a long shot, he finds a way to break her out of prison before she is executed.  But then they are caught up in the middle of Castro’s revolutionary movement of Cuba.  Can they get out?  Do they want to get out?  And what awaits them if they are caught?

I was very excited when I saw that David C. Taylor was releasing a second novel in the Michael Cassidy series. The way that he writes really portrays his experience with screenplays as he doesn’t leave a moment for you to take a breath from the action.  He rolls from one scene to the next leaving you wanting to find out what is going to happen.  The story in Night Work redeveloped the relationship between Cassidy and Dylan, albeit with a few setbacks that you will have to read about to find out.  After all, wouldn’t want to spoil all the jaw dropping moments.

Orso’s character really got more developed in this book. I got to see more of the type of person he is and what he would be willing to do to keep his family intact.  Even with all of the seemingly separate events that are occurring, Taylor manages to connect them all back to a central point.

I’m still a huge fan of Taylor’s and continue to look forward to his future novels. I still recommend this novel for mature readers.

In her newest romantic suspense series, Dani Pettrey sets up an excellent story with Cold Shot that has just the right amount of suspense, romance, and action to keep the pages turning.

Griffin McCray works as a park ranger at Gettysburg. It isn’t the life he thought he would have, but after a case went horribly wrong while he was a SWAT-team sniper he knew he needed a quieter life.  That’s what he had until one night while he was patrolling and came upon two men hunting for relics that uncovered skeletal remains.  He calls in forensic anthropologist Finley Scott to help determine how recent the body might be.  She has been working in the park and he knows she can help.  After several different obstacles are put in their way they finally id the body as that of a young lawyer that has been missing since spring.  She was killed by a sniper, which drags Griffin even further into the case and makes him have to call on old friends for help.  FBI agent Declan Gray, Griffin’s old friend, takes over the case.  Everyone will have to work together to solve a case that is so much more than what it may seem at first glance.

Dani Pettrey has a way of entwining just the right amount of romance and suspense to make for a great read.  I have to say that to date, Cold Shot might be my favorite of her novels.  The story starts strong and doesn’t slow down.  On a few of her previous novels I felt the romance took away from the suspense.  Here that wasn’t the case.  The tense moments were very high and the romance brought it down only a notch.  One thing Pettrey does very well is make realistic characters that are well defined and easy to relate to.  Some writers have a difficult time writing characters that I enjoy reading about, but I enjoyed these.  The main focus of this story was Griffin and Finley. I expect the next in the series will focus on one of the other main male characters and find him a female romantic lead.  That seems to be the formula Pettrey goes with and for her it works well.  This is a good clean Christian romantic suspense story and that is very enjoyable.  I would recommend to other readers.

Guest Reviewer – Jen Roman

Quakeress Faith Cathwell and her dear friend and freeborn black woman Honoree volunteer as nurses to Union soldiers on a battlefield near Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Being an Abolitionist doing a job “unsuitable” for a woman and being friends with a black woman on top of it all make Faith unpopular in camp.  She and Honoree want to help the Union soldiers as they fight for freedom everywhere, but they also have another reason for being there.  Honoree’s sister Shiloh was kidnaped and sold into slavery in New Orleans, and they are doing reconnaissance in hopes of finding her.  Among the people who do not take kindly to Faith is Captain Devlin “Dev” Knight of Baltimore.  He is from a border state and while he fights for the Union, he owns slaves at his plantation back home.  He and Faith clash on pretty much everything under the sun, but somehow, they both are happier in each other’s presence.

With a title of Quaker Brides, it’s pretty safe to say that Faith and Dev will end up together; how they get to that point takes up the majority of the book.  They have different outlooks on life and different ways of doing things.  Their backgrounds also account for their differences, as Faith is more geared towards individual liberties and treating everyone equally, while Dev grew up with a man servant.  Still, they do want the same things out of life; they just go about it very differently.  Throughout the story, we see Faith’s compassion for others influence Dev not just in his personal life, but also in his professional life.  He started out the war not expecting to live through it, but by the end he is ready to share the rest of his life with Faith.

I’ve read many a book about the Civil War and the various complexities it brings to the lives involved, so the theme of this book was not new to me.  However, I wasn’t disappointed, as each character was detailed with both good qualities and flaws.  Faith, Honoree, Dev, and even some of the doctors portrayed in the book are fully developed, and as I read, I could picture them in my mind.  They have their strengths and weaknesses, yet their personalities make them interesting and relatable.  I liked seeing them transform throughout the battles as they became more world-weary and ready to be done with the blood and fighting.  Honoree, always the strong personality, even softens a bit, both to her surprise and mine.  I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and storyline and look for the next book in this Quaker Brides series.

The book Faith does contain some descriptions of battle wounds, but otherwise, it does not contain violence.  There is no profanity, and the effort of each character to maintain propriety means that there is nothing sexual in the book, either.  I highly recommend this book to people who like to read about the Civil War, or anyone who enjoys a good romance.  High-school level readers and up should enjoy this book.

A current events political thriller that leaves you wondering if this could happen in the near future?

With mere weeks before the new president-elect for the United States takes office, he is assassinated at a speech in broad daylight in downtown Denver. FBI Special Agent Ken Patton takes the case and discovers that the hit has been made from a master assassin from over 500 yards in a high rise office building.  Some souvenirs left behind led him to investigate a well-known Christian charity known as the American Patriots, whose leaders is also very well known.  Suddenly, a radical environmental group claims responsibility for the attacks, which makes the national spotlight shift back to the current president to blame.  Can Ken unravel the mystery and find the assassin before more tragedy strikes?

The premise of this book is based on a right wing Christian organization hiring a professional assassin to remove a roadblock in the way of their current motives. This book plays out very well to what the media has been portraying about these organizations in recent events.  The author does indicate that this is all a work of fiction and all the characters and organizations are part of his imagination, but readers without willingness to do more research may take it at face value.

One of the characters has a past history of sexual abuse which frames her state of mind to rape men. It is a little bit of a different concept, but it plays out throughout the book.  She eventually meets a man that surprises her and she falls in love, which weakens her resolve.  However, throughout the book she begins to exhibit signs of mental illness and I wonder if the men in her life aren’t some type of conjured personality.  Not sure if there will be a sequel, but this could play out very interestingly.

Overall, the language is pretty strong and the text also contains some fairly graphic love scenes. I would recommend this book for mature audiences.

Rick Riordan brings another adventure to life, this time with the Gods of Asgard and a young boy named Magnus Chase.

For the last two years Magnus Chase has been living on the streets trying to survive on his own after his mom is killed trying to protect him from mysterious beasts. After all his time alone he is surprised to find out he is being tracked down by an uncle he barely knows.  His mother always told him to stay away from Uncle Randolph because he was dangerous.  Magnus quickly finds out just how dangerous he is when Randolph tells him he is the son of a Norse God.  The Viking myths his mother told him as a young child are true and now the gods of Asgard are preparing for war.  A war which he is now meant to be a part of.  To prevent Ragnorok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.  He finds himself in a battle with a fire giant that forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents.  Magnus makes the only decision he can, he sacrifices himself to save others, and in doing so, he finds that the only way to start his new life as a son of a Norse God is to give up the one he has.

I have been a fan of Rick Riordan since the Percy Jackson series. When reading his work, you find yourself immersed in the mythology of whichever myth he is writing.  With Percy Jackson, it was Greek Mythology and now we are into the Norse Gods.  With the Thor movies out this is a good time for this series to be unveiled.  Thor himself makes a small appearance here, but doesn’t try to take over the story; however, I see that coming in a future story.  Riordan is an excellent storyteller for young readers.  His stories dive deep into mythology in a way that doesn’t become tedious for a reader that is reluctant to go down the mythological path.  At times in this story, it was a little difficult to keep up with the setting and characters with as much information that was being provided.  I haven’t decided if I enjoy Magnus as much as I did Percy Jackson but there is a good chance the series can be just as good.  There were several supporting characters which if you are not reading carefully can become confusing with who is who and what they actually have to do with the story.  Fans of the Percy Jackson series will notice a tie in that I hope is explored further in the next adventure.  Overall this was a very enjoyable read that I highly recommend to young and old readers alike.

Another great read by Cantore!

Detective Abby Hart is back and is investigating the brutal homicide of a young girl and continuing to gather the evidence she needs to make an arrest. Unfortunately, the arrest doesn’t go as planed.  With this, on top of other troubles, Abby begins to question if being a cop is really what she is meant to do.  In her personal life, she has to deal with her engagement not going as planned and her growing feelings for PI Luke Murphy.  He is also conflicted about his feelings for her and the fire that took the life of his uncle along with Abby’s parents.  He has uncovered a clue to the murder and has to decide if he should tell Abby.  They are brought together to try and solve a cold case but are almost torn apart by the secrets between the two of them.

Janice Cantore has become an author I look forward to. Her crime novels are a great clean read that have great accurate details that reflect her years in uniform.  The Cold Case books are another great series of hers and this second in the series keeps up the suspense.  At times I felt like things started to drag a little and felt like there was too much detail.  Using 10 words when one would have worked and kept the story moving a little quicker.  This is one of my only downfalls for this novel.  I enjoyed the characters, there is obvious chemistry between Abby and Luke, even though they are both trying to deny it.  A lot of the questions from the first book were wrapped up here but left several unanswered with a good lead into the next in the series, which I figure will wrap things up.  All of the little details dealing with law enforcement are there and show her years of experience.  I always get excited when I know a new Cantore book is coming and Burning Proof was another easy read and very enjoyable.

A fast paced mystery that doesn’t disappoint. If I Run by Terri Blackstock is one of her best yet.

When Casey Cox finds her friend murdered she knows she has to run. It will make her look guilty, she knows this, but staying will put her in even more danger.  The police have never been on her side, not since her father died and no one believed her about what happened.  So with no one else to turn to, she runs.

The family of the victim hire Dylan Roberts, a war veteran suffering from PTSD, to find her and bring her back to face the punishment for killing their son.  Dylan wants to prove himself but has a hard time justifying bringing Casey back after looking at the crime scene and evidence, which provides more questions than answers.  He doesn’t believe she could have done what she is being accused of, even though they have never met.  But if she isn’t guilty, why did she run?  While he searches for the truth he finds others are trying to keep that from him which only serves to push him harder to find the truth and possibly get himself in harm’s way as well.

I’ve enjoyed Terri Blackstock’s writing for a few years now and have to say this might be the best yet. The suspense is held throughout and heightened till the very end.  The story takes several turns I wasn’t expecting and greatly enjoyed.  Blackstock has a way of creating characters that make an impact.  Her writing is always topnotch and this is no exception.  There were a few mistakes, using Casey’s real name when it should have been her new identity, but other than that nothing stood out.  Terry Blackstock is a writer I can pick up and enjoy her writing no matter what the book is about.  I recommend this to all.