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The Walshes
April is a wife, mother, and writer struggling to make ends meet. In order to provide for her family in times of economic crisis, she agrees to take on a potentially risky assignment. Tasked with writing an article that considers the case for the legalization of sex work, April’s traditional values clash with her work — yet she is determined to do what she needs to. In order to get close to the women whose stories she intends to tell, April has no alternative but to experience the lifestyle she wants to write about. But her husband, Joe, is far from approving, and April is left to grapple with the question: how far is too far?
Joe Clark’s The Walshes: The Coming of Eve is a domestic drama with adult themes. It follows April’s exploration into the world of sex workers and explicit entertainment, discovering more about herself as she does so. This novel effectively portrays a comfortable family life thrown into jeopardy, raising questions of sexual empowerment and liberation — such as whether sex work truly is the last resort for most women or whether there is sometimes power in upsetting the status quo. In addition, Clark displays how engagement with this taboo lifestyle — in terms of what is deemed acceptable — often varies between men and women; husband Joe is outraged at his wife’s attempts at erotic dancing when he himself frequented strip clubs while they were engaged.
Though social concerns are explored to some extent, the text can sometimes feel uncomfortably voyeuristic. April’s foray into stripping involves graphic descriptions which seem aimed at titillating the reader rather than a wholehearted attempt to deconstruct the expectations for married women. This adds a disconcerting element to the sense of liberation April is reported to feel. Nevertheless, Clark successfully shows how for April, what started out as a way to support her household in troubled times gradually undermines the family unit.
The Walshes: The Coming of Eve is a new take on urban fiction combined with a romantic thriller. Through examining the world of sex work, the author has brought to light the complex dance women face between being a dutiful wife and an alluring sexual being and knowing when and where each role should be presented. This novel showcases the double standards between men and women while providing a strong female protagonist who still battles social judgments despite her strengths.
Pages: 426 | ASIN : B07ZL6B556
The Dragon’s Threat
The Dragon’s Threat is an absorbing mystery novel that follows Peter Holroyd, a professor of Maritime History who specializes in Ming and Qing Dynasty voyages. An international dispute erupts over Dejection Island, a small piece of land in the South China Sea. Britain owns the land, but Chinese ships arrive with the intention of taking the island and the Americans refuse to let them have it. Peter gets invited to investigate and establish who owns Dejection Island. He finds himself in a difficult situation when he realizes that digging into the island’s history is not as easy as he thought and he soon becomes a target. Peter is forced to choose between his own life and those of the Dejection Island’s residents.
Peter king has written an intellectually invigorating mystery novel that is a must read for anyone looking for a captivating mystery that is steeped in history. The author blends history, mystery and action in a unique way that feels authentic and fascinating. This was a book that was hard for me put down because I was always wondering what Peter was going to find next.
Peter’s character is well developed and he is fun to follow. He is an intelligent but lonely person and the author is able to convey his emotions so well that I found myself easily empathizing with him. I felt his loneliness and that was because of the sharp writing and the surprising focus on the emotional aspects of the story.
I enjoyed the mix of political and historical aspects in the story. This novel feels like a blend of Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne novels and Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon’s series. With vivid details throughout the story readers will be immersed in this intriguing world and feel like they are right alongside Peter as he travels. The story progresses at a steady pace, but once we get past Peter landing in China the tension and drama really pick up.
The Dragon’s Threat is one book that I highly recommend to readers who are looking for an entertaining read that is filled with mystery, action and history.
Pages: 326 | ASIN: B09T9BMXKF
Sticks and Stones
Sticks and Stones is an action adventure novel that follows two men who work for a group known as Close Protection Industry, which offers bodyguard services to V.I.Ps around the world. One is Edmond Raines, the best in the business. He loses his wife and son in an explosion and is consumed by depression and alcohol. He eventually finds the will to reclaim his former glory and seeks out those who were responsible for his loved ones death. The other is Cameron Stone, a new generation of protectors in Close Protection, whose latest job has him crossing paths with the very people Raines is searching for. Teaming up the pair hope to bring the long evading criminals to justice, as well as heal wounds of the past.
Author Thomas LeBrun has written a rousing crime thriller with some fascinating characters that readers will love to follow; like Tosh the sensi, who is tougher than he looks and has a fun sense of humor, and Sara who is a feisty and tough woman with skills that are equal to her male counterparts with the added bonus of parkour abilities.
The fight scenes in this novel are vivid and thrilling. Readers will be able to easily visualize the action because the author knows where to provide detail and where to let the imagination run wild. I also felt the emotional tension throughout the story. Like the scenes where we were brought along for protection detail, you could feel the protectors’ anxiety. These scenes are gripped by tension and it will keep readers on the edge of their seat as the drama unfolds. There were some great little humorous moments as well that made me smile, which is always good to have to break up the heavy drama in the story.
This is an action story but it gives plenty of room for the characters to develop. While I enjoyed Sara’s character I felt that she was given a lot of space on the page where I would have enjoyed it more if her character development was summarized a bit. This is a minor point in a novel that is filled with amazing characters.
The tension throughout Sticks and Stones continues to rise right up until the end of the book where the story ends amidst plenty of action that ensures readers will be begging for book two. Minor issues aside, this was a great action novel that will appeal to readers looking for a gripping story and lively action. You’ll find yourself going all over the world, with some compelling characters that know how to handle themselves.
Pages: 167 | ASIN: B0B2Y78NCX
Solitude Of Light
In Solitude of Light’s not-too-distant future, Tomás Estéban Chen-Diaz engages in a heartfelt attempt to save his brother’s soul by joining him on a remote island. Believing himself to be following God’s will, Tomás spends years training at a facility for Christians hoping to travel to Mars before being ordained. He faces challenges to his faith along the way but none more difficult than his brother Francisco’s strict and aggressive adherence to atheism and his disdain for religious practices of any kind. Francisco’s attitude makes attempted reconciliations for past wrongs difficult, and if Tomás is to succeed, he must prove faithful to what he believes is right and just.
S. Kirk Pierzchala’s Solitude of Light takes place in a creative near-future setting with much to recognize from our own time and with the added fictional elements complimenting our own technology rather than appearing too far advanced to be realistic. Because of this, the fictional future seems plausible, perhaps distressingly so given some of its darker elements, as scientific advancements continue along the same trends they follow today.
With the narrative split into two parts, the first often seems slightly removed to the extent that it appears to be a lengthy prologue to the second part, which is where the real heart of the narrative resides. Despite this, part one is essential for the context, which gives part two much of its emotional weight.
With only two characters alone on an isolated island, there is potential for the story to become repetitive or drawn out. Still, Pierzchala manages it admirably with an excellent and often emotional portrayal of two diametrically opposed brothers engaging in a battle of wills. Interspersed between these moments are excellent scenic descriptions which lend their backdrop to this narrative of fraternal compassion, arrogance, and self-superiority.
Solitude of Light is a thought-provoking dystopian novel that takes readers deep into the emotional battle between two brothers. The suspense builds as the brothers battle for moral ground and examines their complicated relationship.
Pages: 474 | ASIN : B09WG4VY3N
Tested To The Extreme
The Ridders follows a self-proclaimed wreck of a human being who is given a seemingly simple task that spirals wildly out of control. What were some ideas that sparked your imagination while writing?
I like the idea of taking common occurrences and making them uncommon, and then watching what our characters do under duress. I’m always fascinated to see if my characters crumble under the pressure, rise to it, or even thrive, maybe, ignited by some previously unseen inner force. I think that’s the case with BJ.
What were some obstacles you felt were important to defining BJ’s character in the story?
His feelings about his family are tested to the extreme in this book. So love and loyalty turned out to be not only obstacles but liabilities for him, to the advantage of his pursuers. BJ’s a searcher, and that means he cares about the truth and authenticity far more than safety, certainties, and predictability. And so reconciling the truth of his relationship with Lacy was also an important turning point for him.
I find that authors often ask themselves questions and then let their characters answer them. Do you think that’s true?
I love these insightful questions! Definitely – one of the questions I like to ask (my characters and myself) is “what would happen if…” I love, when reading thrillers or watching movies, the author or director is following the predictable formula and then yanks the rug out. This story follows the path of a young private investigator trying to prove himself. But in his pursuit of worthiness, he proves that he’s way over his head. I think the questions that came to mind while writing this book were “How far will you go to find the truth” and, more importantly, “What will you risk to find those answers?”
When and where will this book be available?
All retail book stores and it will be released on November 30th 2022 by Indies United Publishing. It will be published in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook formats.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tiktok | Website
What would a real war on drugs look like?
Camp David Conspiracy follows a reporter who works to uncover the link between politicians, the drug cartel, and unexplained overdoes. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The idea for this novel came to me when reading how mad cow disease (BSE) caused beef demand around the world to plummet. People were afraid to eat beef for fear of “catching” mad cow. Similarly, tainted product scares with spinach, Tylenol, cantaloupe, apple juice, and even the Chipotle restaurant chain caused the public to avoid these products in mass.
I asked myself the question: “Would fear of dying from tainted cocaine cause users to avoid cocaine use?” From there, I structured a conspiracy story where overdose deaths suddenly and mysteriously start occurring across the US; and how users, sellers, the cartels, and the government would react.
This book was first published in November 2018. Today—in the world of “real life imitating fiction”— fentanyl laced opioids, heroin, cocaine, and even “legal” painkillers are causing overdose deaths to skyrocket. Could the Camp David Conspiracy storyline be taking place in real life?
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
I was a journalism major in college. And though I never worked as a reporter, I am impressed with investigative reporting—the ability to put small facts together to uncover a broader story.
Geoffrey Wines, the central character in the Geoffrey Wines Series is based on a specific personality, but his actions are a conglomeration of great journalists like Woodward, Bernstein, and high-profile investigations over the years.
In writing any character, I tend to have one person in mind, who I adopt and embellish.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
At the time I wrote this book, drug use and the drug wars across America continued to rage as the government’s war on drugs showed little progress in deterring people who enjoy the use of drugs. Meanwhile, cartels and sellers earn billions of dollars meeting this demand.
I show how each level of this supply and demand equation works to everyone’s advantage; except the authorities who are hamstrung in tracking and convicting the cartels and sellers.
While the book posits a realistic approach, it also asks: “What would a real war on drugs look like?”
I try to answer this question with historical references to a real war (WWII)—while reporter Geoffrey Wines unearths the most brazen plot he could ever imagine.
What story are you currently in the middle of writing?
I am writing the third book in the Geoffrey Wines series. (The second book: Disorder – A Novel launched on March 1, 2022). It will include the current journalistic relationship between Geoffrey Wines and President Osbourne. I will keep its storyline quiet until publication, currently anticipated for early in 2023.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram | Website
He instantly knows things are not right when drug overdoses in DC and other metro areas start to spike. His suspicions heighten when five DC gang-bangers overdose from a new brick of cartel-delivered cocaine, and then confirmed when a prominent DC Attorney suffers the same fate. What could be so lethal? So undetectable? And who could be behind it?
Wines and his inner-city intern begin to connect the dots that lead someplace neither would suspect. Their probe takes them from the depths of inner-city Washington DC tenements to Cartel kingpins to the highest reaches of the US Justice Department. In the middle of their exploration,
Wines discovers human frailties and friendships that are unshakable as everywhere he looks, there are good guys, bad guys and some who straddle the thin line in-between. In this gray-space he unravels the Camp David Conspiracy.
It’s Prime For A Serial Killer
Requiem follows a unique team from the U.S. Marshal department as they hunt a serial killer using some unconventional methods. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
First, the setting is urban, maquiladora, twin manufacturing plants or twin fruit/vegetable plants. I know this area of Reynosa and McAllen, TX very well. I built three industrial plants in three years with twin plants in Reynosa and in Hidalgo County, across the River. I know the worker schedules and hardships. There are multinational plant managers in Reynosa which often do not take into consideration local worker culture. At the same time, the manufacturing plants for automotive parts and scientific instruments must maintain international quality control procedures. It’s prime for a serial killer.
Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing or did the characters personalities grow organically as you were writing?
The story flows organically from the land of the border and the characters that live there. Most of the inhabitants of the RGV (Rio Grande Valley) and their families have lived there long before Americans invaded this area a little over a hundred years ago. For a better understanding of the borders, recall the hyper-aggressive American forces that took this area by force without reparations. It’s helpful in understanding the real problem with immigration. Within the last fifty years, recall the United States manipulation of the governments of all of Central America and Mexico, and the internal chaos that ensued. These tactics caused social and political unrest, in Central America and Haiti especially, pushing those citizens to flee. Because of our manipulative foreign policies, we need to better understand the sea of humanity surging to the border and understand that, as Americans, we are morally obligated to help the immigrants who have suffered due to our foreign policies.
Did you do a lot of research to maintain the accuracy of the Native American shaman practices?
No, I know a number of Native Americans.
What can you tell readers about book three in the series and when will it be available?
Hallelujah is available now on Amazon. Requiem will release June 21 and Reservoir will follow on July 26. All can be found on Amazon.com.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
U.S. Federal Marshal Gabriella Zamora, and her team, brought shocking revelations to the surface when they solved the case of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent murdered on a remote highway in Texas. Coming face-to-face with those who wished to destroy them should have earned Gabe and her special ops team a brief rest. Instead, within hours of their success, an even more terrifying challenge is assigned…a mission to stop a serial killer whose brutal attacks on women working in Mexico warehouses are escalating with each new victim.
Gabe, along with Marshal Alex Ranslow—a Native American shaman who ‘sees’ things others cannot; Sam DeSilva—the team’s IT genius; and Cyn Beauvoir—a woman with the power to take down an entire gang, race to the Rio Grande Valley where their hunt begins.
The team soon finds themselves thrust into a war involving drug kingpins, political enemies, and a psychotic mind. Not only will this Borderland Mystery test the strength, wit, and courage of the marshals, it will also be the catalyst that forces Gabe to deal with past relationships that were, most likely, better off left for dead.
LITERARY TITAN 