Book Review: Collateral Damage By Sam Cogley
I am very excited to be welcoming Sam Cogley to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, Collateral Damage.
Winter came for the pancakes. Hollowvale fed him the dead.
Dane Winter is unemployed and on a lonely road to nowhere. Riding his motorcycle west from New York, he spots a sign on the Interstate: Hollowvale, Pennsylvania. A place he hasn’t visited since his Redwind Security days. Back then, the town was known for its coal mines and the best pancakes he ever tasted.
A chance encounter with a distraught local woman pulls him into investigating her friend’s disappearance. When Jacob Rhodes’ body is found at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft, the local authorities are quick to label it an accident. Winter isn’t convinced…
Between the death of Jacob and the unexplained illnesses spreading through the local population, it’s clear that nothing is as it seems in the town of Hollowvale. Worse still, Winter thinks it might have something to do with his time there two years earlier.
What starts as a quest for answers becomes a fight to expose a conspiracy that reaches far beyond the small town.
But Winter is never one to give up, and he’s willing to burn it all down in order to uncover the horrific truth.
*****
Dane Winter had planned on only passing through the small town of Hollowvale. However, when a local teacher goes missing, he finds himself in the middle of a mystery that has the potential to change the small town and the lives of its residents forever.
This type of thriller is not always one I will necessarily choose. When invited onto this tour and then having read the blurb for this book, something about it piqued my interest. Having not read any of Sam Cogley’s previous novels, I didn’t quite know what to expect but I was eager to get stuck into the second novel in the Dane Winter series.
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Audiobook Review: Cut Short By BD Spargo
I’m excited to be welcoming BD Spargo to Novel Kicks and the audiobook blog tour for his book, Cut Short.
Detectives can’t bury their mistakes, murderers can.
DCI Liam Doyle is haunted by the demons from his past and the challenges of the present: a broken marriage, a tarnished reputation, and a troubled young son who needs him. He’s newly moved out of south London – and out of his comfort zone.
When a murdered woman is found at a Lancashire beauty spot in his new patch. Doyle is tasked with finding her killer, along with his new detective sergeant, Anna Morgan.
As the investigation progresses, it becomes clear that things are not as they seem. A clever killer has created a complex web of deceit and is always one step ahead of Doyle … and the bodies are mounting up. Is the past the key to unlocking the present? When the stakes get higher, Doyle’s need to find the killer becomes personal and the detective is plunged into a desperate race against time. Will Doyle succeed before he has another dead body on his conscience?
Played out across the rugged Lancashire landscape, Cut Short is a gripping crime thriller layered with plot twists and sprinkled with humour. This fast-paced novel, the first in a series featuring DCI Liam Doyle, will have readers on the edge of their seats.
If you have enjoyed books by authors such as Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, JD Kirk and Alex Smith, you won’t want to miss Cut Short.
*****
DCI Liam Doyle has just transferred from the Met to Lancashire to be closer to his son. On his first day, a young woman is found murdered. As the clues gradually piece together, can Liam, DS Anna Morgan and their team find the killer before someone else gets hurt?
I do like a good crime thriller and so I was delighted to be welcomed onto the audiobook blog tour for BD Spargo’s, Cut Short. This is first novel in a brand-new series featuring DCI Liam Doyle.
by Book Review: Death For Sale By Erik S. Meyers
It’s holiday time in Berry Springs, where many come together to enjoy good food, drink, and the company of friends.
Unfortunately, death is among the mix as people get mysteriously ill at the town’s Thanksgiving dinner. Deaths follow, and Sally must race to discover the truth before more people die off.
Coupled with worry for her aging parents, she is overwhelmed with the pressure and emotions, but she’ll push through to solve the crimes and restore peace to the town.
*****
Sally Witherspoon is enjoying her life in the Arkansas Ozarks. She’s dedicated to her biker bar and loves being a part of the community in Berry Springs. However, when the Thanksgiving festivities brings unexplained deaths, she is once again plunged into an investigation. Is it just a case of bad food poisoning hitting the older residents of the town or is something more sinister at play.
This was my introduction to Erik S. Meyer’s Sally Witherspoon Mystery series. Death For Sale is book 3 with Death in the Ozarks and Murder on the Mississippi being books 1 and 2 respectively. However, I felt that whilst reading the first two in the series would have enriched my experience with this novel, it didn’t place me at a disadvantage in terms of knowledge. It can stand alone.
by Book Review: The Three Witches By Elena Collins
I’m very excited to be welcoming Elena Collins to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Three Witches.
Now: When Ruthie gets the part of one of Macbeth’s famous three witches she can’t wait to get started. Inspired by the beauty of the film’s Scottish locations and the camaraderie of the cast and crew, she can leave behind the expectations of her family and her lacklustre love life, at least for now. But as echoes from the past begin whispering in Ruthie’s ear and a restless spirit draws her further into its centuries-old secrets, it soon becomes clear that only she can uncover the truth of a terrible injustice.
1050 Scotland: Isobel and her two sisters have learnt about healing from their loving mother Sidheag, and she in turn has kept them safe. But without the protection of their late father, Sidheag knows that her daughters must find husbands or their futures are at risk.
Isobel believes in love over duty and when she catches sight of King Macbeth’s stepson Lulach she can picture a happiness she had hardly dare imagine. But as heir to a Scottish throne that is drenched in blood, Lulach’s destiny is to be a warrior. When Isobel’s actions leave her and her sisters vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft there may be nothing that can keep the three women safe, not even the great Macbeth himself.
As the calls from the past grow ever louder, Ruthie has no choice. Macbeth’s witches have a story that needs to be told and the truth can no longer stay hidden…
*****
1050. Scotland. Isobel and her two sisters, Merraid and Ysenda are healers and midwives. As each of them grow and find love, the risks for their safety increase.
Present day – Ruthie gets an opportunity to be part of a documentary, playing one of Macbeth’s three witches. She sees the trip to Scotland as a chance to get away from the pressures of her life. However, she begins to see things that can’t possibly be real. Is she losing her mind or is someone trying to reach her?
A story of survival and love is fighting to be told.
by Book Review: Dragon Kin’s Blood By Jo Gatenby
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Jo Gatenby to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Dragon Kin’s Blood.
Who do you trust when you can’t go home?
After centuries of hiding themselves and their shifting abilities from outsiders, the Dragon Kin decide to send a delegation of “dragon riders” to a nearby Lowlander territory. Eager to see the world, young Lauran quickly volunteers. But not all Lowlanders can be trusted. As the visit comes to an end, Lauran finds herself trapped in her draconic form—and hunted by an evil warlock. Desperate to protect herself and her people, she flees along the Dragon Spine Mountains, away from friends and foes alike.
Meanwhile, the last place Jenny wants to be during her summer break from university is on a family vacation with her mother’s new husband and his young son, Davy. Hoping for some peace and quiet, she explores a nearby cave—only to stumble into a portal to the Kingdom of Galahar, a land of magic and mythological creatures.
As Jenny searches for Davy, who follows her through the portal, and Lauran struggles for freedom, they come together with the help of Nath, an apprentice shaman of the Anishinabe people. Between Jenny’s technology and Nath’s magic, can they help Lauran escape the warlock’s relentless pursuit before he gets his hands on the Dragon Kin’s blood?
*****
I have been a long time fan of fantasy. I have read many books which involve dragons in one guise or another; from rare and mysterious beasts to semi-organic war machines and I can honestly say that this is the first time I have encountered dragons in the way they are portrayed in this book. I won’t give it away, but let’s just say that the classic rider / dragon pairing is brought into question.
by Book Club
