The Tenth Circle or a New One for Dante

The Tenth Circle by Jon Land

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS (not many)

Wow, what a read ! Jon Land takes you on a roller coaster that just will not stop, even if you wish he would ! This is a story that has some roots in reality, remember the preacher down South who was burning the Koran ? Well, Jon takes him into this story and creates a truly terrifying picture of what a madman who is convinced that God is on his side can do. He also takes stereotypes of
neo-cons, embittered ex military types, retired military types, spies, counterspies and creates fantastic story. In this story Blaine McCracken and his sidekick, the Indian need to stop a plot to overthrow the government by Americans. Another borrow from reality, terrorism is coming from within and being made to look like it is coming from abroad. Who's to say that this is not
happening ?

The story goes back and forth between characters, including spies, counterspies, and American history, I loved it

Land takes the reader inside the mind of a truly disturbed preacher, Jeremiah Rule and the reader hopes to God that this is pure fiction. This character is guilty of murders, rape and mutilation, you will be happy to see what happens to him ! Land draws a parallel between his military characters and those in real life who express the sentiment that they "want their country back" . I am  never sure what the people in real life want back, but Land seems to have his characters want a country thatg predates 9/11. You'll have fun discovering of they get it.

There is one chapter that had me laughing out loud in another wise  dark book and that was the way Land described just how effective retired military personnel can be when they are called upon.

This is a really good book that will start you thinking , could this really happen here ? A friend of mine thinks that this type of book gives the bad guys ideas, I disagree. This book is well plotted and will also give the good guys some ideas.  Good job, Mr. Land

The Condor Song 

by  Daryl Nyznyk

This book will grab you from the opening and will not let go until the very end. Not to give the story away, but the book opens with a murder and is chock full of them. This gives the reader many opportunities to try to solve them, I promise that it won't be easy to do that! Besides murder, there are deceptions and betrayals! There is also love and forgiveness.

The cover bills the book as a novel of suspense but it is so much more than that. The author makes use of a flashback storytelling to set the story and give the reader information that moves the story along. I usually have a problem with this method but not in this cases. It is so well done that you forget you are reading about things that happened in the past. I really enjoyed it.

This is also the age old story of right versus wrong. What happens to your life when you decide to do the right thing? What will the cost be? Will it turn out well for you? Will there be those in your life who will try to destroy you because they knew what the right thing to do was and chose to do something else? When all is said and done, will everything turn out okay? These are just some of the questions that the author answers in this book. The story is straightforward. A man who is an environmentalist is murdered because he has discovered something that will stop a major project from going forward. There is much money to be made, and there are characters in the book who will stop at nothing, including murder, to see that this project goes ahead. For me the heart of the story was the conflict between the protagonist, Sean Donovan and the antagonist Richard Wolf. There's could be the story Joseph and his brothers, or the prodigal son, or any story when right and wrong collide.

Overall the story is developed well and beautifully told. There are a few places where the author seems to lose track of the story, but they are few and he gets back on track quickly.

I have found a new author! Mr. Nyznyk has written two other books and I know that I will be reading them. I am curious to see what his earlier style was and how he grew, or was shaped, into how this story was written

 The Reluctant Reaper

by Gina X Grant

This tale is a comedy of the absurd and I so loved reading it! In Gina's world hell is absurd, wacky, weird and more than a little strange ! Kristy D'Arc is reaped by the grim reaper who in this case is not grim at all, but rather a hottie, six pack and all! It turns out that her boss has sold his soul to the Devil, just like Faust did! Good thing that Gina doesn't make any reference to Faust because her main character has no clue as to the identity of any of the denizens of hell, not to mention  any references to the myths and literature that she does include in the story ! Probably just as well, because this is what makes the story so enjoyable. For the reader who does know who Dante Alighieri is, the visuals are wonderful! I myself never thought of him as a sex symbol! Buy hey, who knows it could be! I also have never pictured Cerbes as an overly friendly dog who would slobber you to death. Gina makes you like and really care about the characters that she has developed.

There are so many funny and well written scenes in this that I am hard pressed to name just one.  I do think that the characters in the scene with the time machine are my favorite. You are just going to have to read it to find out what I mean. I read this in a few hours and thoroughly enjoyed it. Read it and laugh, I can’t wait for the second book to come out, because clever as she is has set us up for a sequel !

Wow, I can't believe that the entire summer has flown  by ! It has been busy and it is time to bring this blog up to date !

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat

by Edward Kelsey Moore

          How would your life be different if you grew up with your BFF’s, shared everything, and in some cases lost everything? Well this is a wonderfully told story about three lifelong friends who do just that.

Odette , Clarice and Barbara Jean grew up in a small town in Indiana. This small town shaped them, as towns do to all of us. Even big cities have small neighborhoods, and these “villages” determine what the city will be for those growing up in them. This is the same function as a small town. These three friends could not have been more different but it is their differences that make the bonds of their friendship so remarkable.

 Odette, proud and strong with a moral compass that all of her friends rely on is the main character in this story. She is also engaged in the fight of her life for her life. Her courtship by James is unconventional but really works. He is stable and strong, as is she, and she will need every bit of strength of the both of them before this story ends. Odette also has the pleasure of talking to her dead mother and many other recently departed. These are among the funniest and warnest moments in the book.

Clarice is proper and long suffering. She is a talented musician who gave up a chance at a career to marry the man that she fell in love with. This is the story of so many women of her generation.  This is a bitter pill to swallow especially in light of what her husband turns out to be!

Barbara Jean is a young girl who falls in love with someone who she should never have and discovers that you don’t get to choose who you fall in love with. This nearly destroys her. Her life goes along a path that she didn’t choose but in the end works out.

In fact all of the lives in the end work the way they are supposed to. I really believe that when let go of preconceived notions about what we should be and what we should do, we lead fuller lives.  This is just what the gals do and they do open up to the possibly of love and new experiences. There is a great deal to digest and discuss in this book and I will be going back to read parts of it again it again. My Kindle makes that really easy to do !