Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts

2/28/2013

1st to Die: A Novel (Women's Murder Club, No 1) Review

1st to Die: A Novel (Women's Murder Club, No 1)
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Author James Patterson gives book series psychologist cop Alex Cross a breather and lets four professional women, dubbed the 'Women's Murder Club,' track down a psycho killer of newlyweds. Led by homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer, the women (a reporter, a medical examiner and an assistant district attorney) leverage their respective expertise to decipher the clues of the gruesome nuptial slayings. The ad hoc women's club also becomes a support group for each other on issues of work, family, romance and illness. Lindsay Boxer, in particular, battles to balance a blood illness, a new beau, and her passion to solve the murders.
When the case is finally nailed down to the Club's satisfaction, it becomes unglued as Lindsay becomes unsure as to the real killer. Another search for the truth leads to a surprise ending, as well as to the meaning of the novel's title.
The author's risk to try something new seems to have succeeded in this novel. The 'Club' characters are likeable, enduring and memorable, just as those in the Alex Cross episodes. Maybe a strong '2cd' book series from James Patterson will benefit the '1st' series by keeping it fresh and novel.

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2/24/2013

The 9th Judgment (Women's Murder Club) Review

The 9th Judgment (Women's Murder Club)
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I've read all of the Women's Murder Club novels - some were excellent (books 1-5 and book 7), some were awful (books 6 and 8) and I'm so glad I went with my gut on this one and bought it as I thoroughly enjoyed it, in fact I'd go as far as saying that this was my favourite of the whole series.
Like most of the others in the series, there's two main cases going on - the first is a psychopath known as "The Lipstick Killer" who is terrorising San Francisco by murdering mothers and their babies on the street and at random. The next is a cat burglar called "Hello Kitty" who is being framed for murder when a well known movie star shoots his wife following a robbery at their home. Lindsey and the gang have their hands full in this one, so there isn't a slow moment. Some of the scenes were so exciting I was flying through the pages as I just couldn't stop reading - a quick hour's read turned into a whole evening's binge and I had the book finished in 4 hours! Some bits of the story were a little predictable, maybe because I read a lot of James Patterson novels so I am very familiar with his formulas now, but that didn't stop it from being one of the best I've read from him for a while.
One thing I noticed in this book was that the main attention has been turned to Lindsay again, which is great as some of the other characters - Cindy and Yuki in particular - make the stories in the previous novels quite dull and I find these characters to be too arrogant and generally annoying, so didn't enjoy the ones when they were in the spotlight so much.
Although it is the ninth in the series, this could still be picked up by someone new to the Women's Murder Club novels and easily get into the characters and the gripping story. Fans of the series, like myself, should find this very satisfying and will have their faith in the series restored after the below average attempts over the past few years (excluding 7th Heaven (The Women's Murder Club)). I definitely recommend reading this book!

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The most personalA young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick. The most dangerousThe same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria. The most exciting Women's Murder Club novel everLindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich--and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women's Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line--but is it enough to save the city? With unparalleled danger and explosive action, The 9th Judgment is James Patterson at his compelling, unstoppable best!

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2/12/2013

Valley of the Craftsmen: A Pictorial History: Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction, 1801-2001 Review

Valley of the Craftsmen: A Pictorial History: Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction, 1801-2001
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Founded in Charleston, South Carolina, on May 31, 1801, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is the largest and most successful of the Masonic organizations. This magnificent, coffee table sized history traces the development of the Scottish Rite from its pre-history in England and France to the present day, in tandem with American history. The profusely-illustrated volume includes paintings, portraits and photos of Masonic ceremonies, of famous Masons (from George Washington to Michael Richards--Seinfeld's "Kramer"), of Masonic regalia (ceremonial clothing and decorations), as well as including a concise and well-written history of the Order. It is a beautiful volume which you will want to open again and again.

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Founded in 1801, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry was one of the premier international fraternal orders of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. For more than two hundred years, Freemasonry in America helped define social and cultural arrangements that affected the development of civic life and philanthropic institutions. In Valley of the Craftsmen, the story of "higher degree" Freemasonry is depicted through portraits, official papers, material objects, photographs, buildings, and stagecraft. Featuring many previously unpublished images, Valley of the Craftsmen begins with rare illustrations of the English and French philosophical sources that were projected upon an American landscape vitalized and transformed by the concept of fraternity. The story is framed by American popular culture and the serious private effort of individual men in small towns and expansive cities who were intent on developing a moral life in service to their communities. When the Scottish Rite was officially organized in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1801, its founders and leaders were drawn almost in equal portions from Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant faith communities--an impressive early example of American values, diversity, and religious tolerance. The valley inhabited by members of the Scottish Rite, however, was not always green or free of difficulty. Touched by the first third party in American political history (the anti-Masonic Party), the Civil War, the Red Scare of 1919, the Holocaust, and the rebuilding of societies in Europe and Asia after 1945, Valley of the Craftsmen provides a pictorial history of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America at the beginning of a new millenium.--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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2/10/2013

4th of July Review

4th of July
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Wow, what a story! There is a reason why James Patterson sells millions of books and great mysteries like 4th of July are the reason why. In the fourth installment of the popular Women's Murder Club series, Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer (the head of San Francisco Police Department's Homicide Division) is fighting to save her career after she is accused in a wrongful death suit, and at the same time struggling to help solve a series of grisly murders that have shaken the small town of Half Moon Bay, where she has retreated to chill out while on administrative leave from the SFPD.
As the story unfolds Lieutenant Boxer is hot on the trail of a couple of suspects that she and her partner believe are responsible for a recent string of seedy motel murders. Turns out the suspects are two very youthful teenage siblings, and in the process of apprehending these two, Boxer is forced to use deadly force to defend herself and her partner. When all is said and done, Boxer's partner is critically wounded and unconscious, Boxer herself has been hit twice, a 15 year old girl is dead, and her 13 year old brother is paralyzed for life from the neck down. Was it a legitimate use of deadly force? Not in the minds of the parents it wasn't. And the media has already found her guilty without the benefit of trail!
In Half Moon Bay someone is killing local residents in a gruesome fashion reminiscent of an unsolved homicide from Lieutenant Boxer's earliest days on the force. She is supposed to be laying low in the sleepy little seaside resort, gearing up the trail of her life, but when the killing starts, she finds herself hard pressed to remain disinterested and unengaged. Before long she is swept up in the investigation and a target for murder herself!
A great weekend read. The chapters just fly by! Also recommended are the other three stories in the Women's Murder Club series: 1st to Die, 2nd Chance, and 3rd Degree. Be the first on your block to collect all four books!

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2/03/2013

The Hour of the Cobra Review

The Hour of the Cobra
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Delightful! I purchased this book for my young teenagers and found that not only they, but I couldn't put the book down until the last page. The historical references were just enough for young readers to get a sense of ancient Egypt without being bogged down in minute and tedious details, but what impressed me the most was the relationship between the siblings in the book. For anyone who has fought with feelings of sibling rivalry, this is a must read.

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2/01/2013

2nd Chance (The Women's Murder Club) Review

2nd Chance (The Women's Murder Club)
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I had to give this book four stars, but only because it follows the EXACT same formula as the first book. The plot is still very exciting and the story grabs you. I made the mistake of reading one right after the other and it became too predictable to how the story was going to end. I would highly recommend this book, but not right after you've read the first one.
In this novel you follow the Women's Murder Club again, but this time it is a serial sniper that is taking people out. There is a "women's" story intertwined, though not love this time, but there's a pregnancy and Lindsay is reunited with her dad. Patterson does a good job casting suspicion on certain characters to sidetrack you. The end will surprise the reader, but only as to who the killer actually is. You think you've caught him, but have you really? Same formula as the first one...

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12/07/2012

Genesis - The First Degree (God's Chain) Review

Genesis - The First Degree (God's Chain)
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With an incredible imagination, research and experience, Nikolaus Baker penned GODS CHAIN, which made his writing dream come true as he created a Masterpiece. "GODS CHAIN" is a series of fiction books that are linked to each other, containing stories of fact, and fiction. It is a search for discovery to find out where the three Reliquiae are, fabled to be the links to God. The author's secret passion for writing a book became reality with "GODS CHAIN" and the first of the series being 'Genesis' and 'The First Degree.' Nikolaus Baker was born in a place filled with history, including the enigmatic Freemasons villages and towns to the summary killing times of the Covenanters, where religious tensions in Scotland mixed with manipulation of human life, and the author incorporates this background knowledge into his writing with expertise. I highly recommend this novel to mystery lovers, who enjoy historical stories, packed with action, and adventure. The author had a craving to create a novel, where the reader would have the burning desire to step into the same shoes of a character, while contemplating survival, and his craving was fulfilled as he succeeded with perfection. What bizarre events take place in a hidden, complex world? What does Cardinal Giovanni Dalla Gassa plan to do? Where there is conspiracy, will truth be discovered? Where there is despair, will hope be found? Where there is racism, can equality be found? Is is through our weakness, where we become stronger? Follow Nikolaus Baker through this fast-paced historical adventure, with fascinating twists-and-turns as the pieces to the puzzle are beginning to fit one-by-one. Where there is hatred, will friendship be found? Where there is power, can there be compromise? "GODS CHAIN GENESIS: The First Degree" is as impressive as THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, with Mel Gibson.

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First book in the Gods Chain tetralogy. In the Scottish village of Mauchline things are not quite normal, as a freak earthquake hits and precipitates a dramatic fall in temperature. Meanwhile, across Europe, in the Vatican City, mystery surrounds an untraceable security breach in the computerised nerve-centre of papal authority. This has ramifications for the suspect intentions of Cardinal Giovanni Dalla Gassa. He has plans for a new Genesis once he is in possession of the links to God that would tip the cosmic and spiritual balance in favour of the holder. The mystery thickens with the involvement of the Freemasons, the Cardinals' henchmen in the Vatican Internal Audit office, a ruthless businessman with mafia connections named Don Luizio Ilario, the disappearance of a senior systems administrator named Michaelangelo, the death of a member of the technical & operations team and the torment of another administrator named Francesca De Rose in the Vatican catacombs. The plot to this story is intricate and complex, akin to a game of chess and of manipulation. Is it the Illuminati who are ultimately moving the pieces? In the meantime, back in Mauchline new and increasingly bizarre events are just starting to unfold.

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12/01/2012

DEGREES OF SEPARATION, Book 1 of the Falcon's Bend Series Review

DEGREES OF SEPARATION, Book 1 of the Falcon's Bend Series
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Degrees of Separation is the 1st book in The Falcon Bend Series. The setting is a small town of Falcon Bend, Wisconsin.The authors, Kren Wiesner and Christ Spindler combine just the right touch of suspense and intrigue to keep the reader eagerly turning the pages. I blamed Wiesner and Spindler for the unwashed dishes and laundry. I spent the day reading Degrees of Separation, I could not put it down. Pete Shasta and Danny Vincent are investigating the death of a dancer/stripper. The characters are colorful and interesting. The plot flows smoothly, the characters work well together making this the perfect whodunit.

I've often wondered how two authors can work together to create a book. Perhaps someday Karen and Chris will share their secret with me.


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Who is killing the midnight ladies? Falcon's Bend is a small, sleepy town in Wisconsin that owns more taverns than churches, but fills both on the appropriate days.Teenagers talk of escape from a one-horse town like Falcon's Bend because nothing ever seems to happen...until one fateful night when a dancer from the town's scandalous strip joint is found strangled. It soon becomes clear to Investigators Pete Shasta and Danny Vincent that the close-knit "family" at the nightclub is a bizarre breeding-ground for unbalanced feelings and obsessions.Pete and Danny race to peel away layers of bitterness before another girl falls victim to the dance of death.

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11/30/2012

14 Degrees Below Zero: A Novel of Psychological Suspense Review

14 Degrees Below Zero: A Novel of Psychological Suspense
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Minnesota is a cold place. The memory of mild weather is the only thing that gives hope to the people living there as they battle the long hard winters. Lewis Ingraham is feeling the chill of winter hard this year. He's on antidepressants after the recent torturous death of his wife from cancer and his daughter, Jay only twenty-three with a preschool child of her own, is dating a man Lewis detests.
Lewis isn't certain of much lately. At the advanced age of forty-seven he let his high paying executive career fade away after his wife's death and he's struggling to pay the bills from his new job as a salesmen in a men's store. The medication he's taking doesn't seem to help much because he's as unhappy and bitter as he's ever been, and in addition he isn't in control of his emotions. His boss has told him he's been acting strangely. Lewis is going on a downward spiral of depression and he has negative, sometime violent feelings towards his daughter's boyfriend, Stephen. In his mind, the only reason to continue living is his daughter and his granddaughter; for those two he would fight to the death. As his mental instability progresses, Lewis becomes more comfortable with the idea that doing violence to Stephen would help cement his family together and when his dead wife appears to him, he decides the family must be reunited.
Beautiful and brilliant, Jay is also having a difficult time of it this year. Her mother's death has made life difficult, not only that they loved each other but now she has no buffer between her father and herself. Always a hard emotionally aloof and cold man, her father Lewis never lets Jay forget that she made a mistake by dropping out of a bright college future to have her baby, as an unwed mother, at age nineteen. Jay is working as a waitress and feels stuck in her life. Her father is calling her on the phone from morning to night and she doesn't have the heart or energy to tell him to back off. She's also dating a college professor Stephen and her father hates him. Her father's constant undermining of the relationship is making Jay miserable.
There isn't much suspense in the overall book as the opening chapter starts with an altercation, the most violent act in the story, and then goes back in time to show how it came about. As the outside temperature plummets the outlook for everyone in the story does too.
14 Degrees Below Zero is advertised as a story of psychological suspense but it is not for the usual suspense lover. It's a dark story that's unrelenting in the desperation and despair of its characters and the cold and dark skies of the Minnesota location contributes to the overall feel of the story. Well written, Quinton Skinner, the author will take you through the character's emotional turmoil and will leave you feeling as wrung out and bleak as everyone in the book.


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Fourteen degrees below zero–cold enough to freeze the soulLewis Ingraham is cold. He's lost his wife to cancer, his executive career, his once sure grip on the world around him. All that he can hold on to is his beautiful daughter Jay, a brilliant student who has become a struggling single mother. But he sees that even Jay is starting to slip away from him, in favor of Stephen, her self-important boyfriend. This time Lewis is going to fight back.But when Lewis takes out his fury on Stephen, he ignites a chain reaction of violence. Now winter is bearing down on Minnesota. Desire, guilt, and rage are swirling in the snow. And a heinous crime is about to lead three people down a steep and unforgiving slope–into a realm of cold, hard truth. Set in a chillingly barren milieu and invoking comparisons to Donald Westlake's bestselling classic The Ax, 14 Degrees Below Zero is a stunning, provocative, and utterly unforgettable experience in psychological suspense and American noir–fashioned from the heat of ordinary lives.

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11/26/2012

Winter by Degrees Review

Winter by Degrees
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My copy of WINTER BY DEGREES is a ratty, water-damaged mass market paperback I found. It's out of print, obviously, but it shouldn't be. This is the fifth John Smolens book I have read and I can't figure out why this guy isn't a nationally known and bestselling author. He is a master at creating a well-defined sense of place, whether it's in New England (where Smolens grew up) or northern Michigan (where he has lived for many years). His characters are equally well-written, people who seem so real you would almost swear you know them. Two families dominate the plot and action in WINTER BY DEGREES - the aristocratic 'old Yankee' family of the Smyths, whose class has become a bit frayed around the edges over the last several generations; and the Rideouts, more lately arrived Irish working class types. Nelson Rideout is the protagonist and his younger brother, Tuna, is a kind of lesser sidekick. Both have had little luck in making any success of their lives, failed at jobs, college education, marriage and relationships, etc. Forbes Smyth is the villain, and Pell is the hired gun, or enforcer, from "outside," come to collect bad debts left by another Smyth, who has died under mysterious circumstances. So yeah, there's a murder mystery here, but the characters are what make this novel so, so ... well, so GOOD. Smolens writes like a screenwriter. You can picture these guys, both the good ones and the bad ones. And you can imagine it all as a chilling suspense film, or perhaps as a TV miniseries. His dialogue is spot on and his people are all so just so REAL, so precisely realized. I have said this about Smolens' other books, but I'll say it again. I want more of these people. I want sequels. I want a whole SERIES of books about these people, and I mean this about the characters in not just THIS novel, but the ones from COLD, FIRE POINT, and THE INVISIBLE WORLD too. I'm rambling here, I know, so I'll wrap this up by simply saying that this is not just another mystery or suspense thriller (although they are that too); this is simply fiction writing of the highest caliber. Period! - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA

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11/22/2012

Ancient Masonry : The Spiritual Meaning of Masonic Degrees, Rituals and Symbols (The brotherhood of light) Review

Ancient Masonry : The Spiritual Meaning of Masonic Degrees, Rituals and Symbols (The brotherhood of light)
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This book is 1 of a series of books 22 in all written by Mr Benjamine over the course of 30 yrs. He penned these editions using the pen name CC.Zain. They are the core books of the faith known as "The religion of the Stars" The Church of Light in Los Angeles is the headqtrs. of this organization. Anyone wanting to read a complete compilation of whats better known as The Hermetic philosophy should start by reading this volume. It is probably the only work in print today that places Masonry into it's proper historical perspective. It also places Masonry correctly within the long "Hermetic tradition" that underlies most of western thought. Mr. Benjamine wrote these works for the general public in the early part of the 20th century and the english now seems a bit archaic and out of date. However the ideas are timeless and revolutionary. These books are a must read for any serious or aspiring student of the occult. I have read all 22 of Mr Benjamines books and highly recommend this work.

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11/20/2012

First Degree Innocence Review

First Degree Innocence
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Carrie Lang is falsely accused of a crime she didn't commit and is sentenced to ten years in prison. Overnight her sheltered world of privacy ceases to exist. It is replaced with the cold iron bars of the prison walls where her every move is observed.
In prison she becomes a pawn of local inmate Jillian `Jet' Duke. Jet is plotting to pay back someone who she feels has wronged a family member. She informs Carrie that either she helps her carry out her plan, or she will see that her life will end.

In the midst of all the tension, Carrie develops a friendship with one of the male prison guards, Seth Martin. When she tells Seth of her innocence, she is surprised that he believes her story. She is overwhelmed with relief when he indicates that he is going to help her prove her innocence.

Will Carrie agree to help Jet with her sinister plan or will she spend her days terrified of the day Jet will carry out her death threat? Will Seth be in time to save Carrie from harm by becoming her knight in shining armor?

Ginger Simpson has written a highly suspenseful book. From the first page you are thrown into the chaos of Carrie Lang's life. How she gets past all of the obstacles she encounters in prison is very realistic; you will question whether you are reading fiction or real life. FIRST DEGREE INNOCENCE will deliver a thrill ride of high intense suspense; this is one title you definitely do not want to miss!


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Carrie Lang's sheltered life ends with a prison sentence for involvement in a bank robbery. Her arrest comes on the day she's called in sick and stayed inside, so she can't explain how an eye-witness describes her in great detail, down to the make and model of her car.A terrible mistake has been made, and her insistence of innocence falls on deaf ears.Even her fellow inmates don't believe her as it's a claim they all make.Alone in the world, she has no one to turn to for help, and not a single soul to campaign for her freedom...at least until she makes a valuable friend. In the meantime, a plan for retribution is brewing, and naïve Carrie finds herself smack dab in the middle of an evil scheme concocted by the prison bully.A ten year sentence seems mild when she's threatened with death for refusing to participate. Can Carrie find a way out of this horrible nightmare, or is she destined to spend her days locked in terror, isolation, and the cold gray interior of prison walls?

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11/17/2012

Morals and Dogma of The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry: First Three Degrees Review

Morals and Dogma of The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry: First Three Degrees
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This is an excellent book to understand the function of government and the peoples responsibility to themselves by being informed and responsible.
It goes further into Masonry and the laws that govern good government and
continues on to responsiblities to develope ourselves and be informed to sustain a good government.
This book exposes one to Masonic mysteries and moral development of the individual.

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2011 Reprint of 1906 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software.Fully describes the first three degrees of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.Pike is best known for his major work, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry", originally published in 1871. "Morals and Dogma' was traditionally given to the candidate upon his receipt of the 14th degree of the Scottish Rite. This practice was stopped in 1974. "Morals and Dogma" has not been given to candidates since 1974.A classic work on the subject.

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11/13/2012

Murder In the Hearse Degree: A Novel Review

Murder In the Hearse Degree: A Novel
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How refreshing it is when an imaginative author mixes mirth with mayhem and also creates a protagonist who draws readers like a magnet. Such is the case with Tim Cockey in The Hearse You Came In On, Hearse Of A Different Color, The Hearse Case Scenario, and now Murder In The Hearse Degree.
Fans will be heartened to find intrepid undertaker Hitchcock Sewell as charming and attractive as ever. He's still on the loose in Baltimore, and up to some new tricks. Sophie Potts, the young nanny employed by one of Hitch's former romantic interests, is found floating in a river. The police say suicide; Hitch says uh-uh.
But our merry mortician runs into more than a few road blocks as he tries to get to the soggy bottom of this death. There's the on-the-take former Kentucky governor, a more than questionable right-wing group of religious zealots (ARK, the acronym for the Alliance for Reason and Kindness) headed by a probably on the take and on the make director, a ham-on-wry actor (heavy on the ham), and a probing reporter who's more in pursuit of Hitch's ex wife, Julia, than the story.
It's a typical Hitch tale. In other words: terrific.
- Gail Cooke

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11/03/2012

Brother of the Third Degree Review

Brother of the Third Degree
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To read this book is similar to undergoing an initiation experience oneself. The book is very well-written, and it is hard to lay it down before reading it all the way through. Personally this book has had a profound influence on my life; I can only recommend it to the highest degree. If you are ready to get a push forward on the initiatory path, this book can do it for you!

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Set in the near future (early twentieth century), this 1894 occult novel is a tale of eternal love, albeit chaste. The protagonist, Alphonso Colono, a Mexican, is born into a family with connected with the Illuminati, here called the 'White Brotherhood.' He moves to Paris and is initiated into the occult group, where he meets the woman who is to become his soulmate: Iole. They meet St. Germain and other adepts, help a modern Napoleon unite Europe, and eventually pass beyond the mortal realm.This novel may not have had the impact of Zanoni, which it bears superficial resemblances to. It does show that the modern complex of beliefs about the Illuminati was complete in all of its aspects in the last decade of the 19th century. The wandering eternal masters, the use of occult power to leverage political change, and the strange powers of the adepts, are present and accounted for. These concepts would later become dogma for groups such as the "I AM" Activity and its modern successors.Garver's vision of a united Europe at peace in the 20th century, (after a period of war) was a good prediction, even if the mechanism he proposes is a bit absurd. The narrative itself is still a good read, despite the overblown period prose. This long-forgotten predecessor to the Da Vinci Code moves along nicely and has memorable characters. Not many 19th century occult fictions are half as readable.

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Third Degree (Murder 101 Mysteries) Review

Third Degree (Murder 101 Mysteries)
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I really like the Murder 101 series, but this is my least favorite book in the series. The characters and their relationships seemed flat. Alison and Crawford are on the verge of getting married, but there is no spark between them. Max, who should be a larger-than-life character, was a wisp of her former self. Kevin was involved in a bizarre sub-plot that went no where, and he couldn't be counted on for much of anything, and Fred was basically comatose. If I hadn't been invested in these books and the characters, I probably would not have finished this book. In future books, I hope that Alison and Crawford will get their chemistry back and that Alison will investigate murders for which there is at least a slightly plausible reason for her to get involved.

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10/30/2012

The 34th Degree: A Thriller Review

The 34th Degree: A Thriller
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During the Second World War, Hitler and his cronies searched for an ancient secret text because it contained the formula for creating Greek Fire. The original formula came from Atlantis but was secretly encoded in one of Saint Paul's testaments to the Thessalonians back in New Testament times.
With Greek Fire the Nazis could have won the war. Its unique thermodynamic formula would have allowed Hitler's regime to light afire any/all water that touched allied harbors. All ships, men, and harbor cities they could have turned into a holocaustic conflagration. But this text was kept hidden by monks deep within a secret monastery high atop one of the mysterious Meteora mountains in Greece.
Now Pentagon officials want Sam Deker to locate this text to keep it from falling into terrorist hands because if misused, it could possibly bring about an apocalyptic event ending human life on our planet. Because of the mental torture he survived while serving in the Israeli Army, Sam Deker, who now lives in the United States, is chosen by the Pentagon to help find this lost biblical document because of what he had endured
According to The 34th Degree, in order to find the formulaic text, Deker must travel back in time to infiltrate the Nazi regime where he will use the same clues they used when seeking the text. This is a story about backward time travel. Author Thomas Greanias has devised a clever method of studying the German mind during the last two years of World War Two.
Found preserved for posterity is the brain of Hitler's top henchman, SS General Ludwig von Berg. By systematically cutting through his brain tissue with almost microscopically thin slices, information contained on those slices will be fed into Sam Deker's brain and reassembled. He will be able to analyze that past data and rethink in mente the ideas of the dead Nazis who had allegedly located the doctrine, but not in time to perfect it and use its power.
For readers who like thrillers, this could be the book for you. But you will have to place aside any sense of reality considering all the bizarre elements assembled to make this story work. The tale includes: Atlantis, ancient Jericho, an encoded letter of Saint Paul, an atomic bomb, the Nazis, Masonic symbols, Greek Fire, brain information transference, secret texts, secret monastery, doomed submarines, text predicting the demise of the world.
Needless to say, I did not find the book exciting because its characters are far too unreal. The first few pages are crammed with too much information needed to explain the predicament the Pentagon is in. It seemed to rush through an explanation of what Deker was up against just so it could get to the real story in 1943-45.
Within a very few lines, Sam Deker accepted his fate and readily climbed into the electronic apparatus that would insert probes deep into his brain so that information transfer could begin. Any concern for life or death at the hands of this experiment Deker merely brushed off.
All in all, as much as I like thriller stories, The 34th Degree was 34 degrees too far into the realm of the outlandish. Although I think it a major feat to include so much in a fictional undertaking, perhaps there is a point beyond which any sense of belief fades away in favor of the preposterous.
Other Interesting Reading:
Shadow Flight
Healing Charles


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An ancient text. A world at war. The end of history. Prepare to be initiated into The 34th Degree.From New York Times bestselling author Thomas Greanias comes an all-new, reality-altering epic adventure featuring counter-terrorism agent Sam Deker from The Atlantis Revelation and The Promised War. 1943. The supernatural alchemy for the ultimate weapon, encoded in an ancient biblical text, has fallen into the hands of the most ruthless secret society known to man—the Nazi SS. Present Day. Dishonorably discharged from the armed forces after the events of The Promised War, Sam Deker is trying to build a new life in Los Angeles. But nightmares of the past continue to haunt his present, and Deker discovers that the unusual lightwave-induced torture he barely survived has changed him. The Pentagon, however, believes that change makes him the only one who can endure their top-secret neuro-simulation program known as the 34th Degree. The stunning technological breakthrough uses the sliced brain tissues of dead terrorists to enter their memories and glean priceless intel. Now Americans want to use the preserved brain tissue of SS General Ludwig von Berg, the legendary "Baron of the Black Order," to send Deker back to 1943. Deker's mission is to discover the fate of the lost biblical text and steal its formulas before his counterparts in the Alignment, a 21st-century successor to the SS, beat the U.S. to it. The text not only spells out the end of the world, but the supernatural alchemy for Greek Fire, a thermodynamic technology that the ancient Greeks believed to have come from Atlantis and that the Americans now believe threatens the Earth. Ultimately, Deker discovers that the past, present and future are not what they seem, as his path leads to a shattering secret that will change everything he knows about the universe.

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