jbronderbookreviews

Ghosts by Chip Scarinzi

When you’ve lost it all, how far would you go to get it back?

Bennett Covington has a good life. The support of a loving, growing family. A satisfying job. A roof over his head. Not perfect, but close enough.

Nothing lasts forever, of course. After stumbling into the middle of a back-alley murder, Bennett becomes entangled in a web of violence set in motion by members of a shadowy criminal organization.

Subjected to psychological torment, Bennett struggles to understand the depth of their evil intentions – intentions that threaten to take much more than just his life.

Through it all, one question endures: why have they taken such a keen interest in him? When he runs, they catch him. When he hides, they find him.

The only way out is to fight back.

Chip Scarinzi

My Review

5 Stars

Bennett Covington leaves work early one day due to a fire. But on his way home he stumbles upon someone being executed in an alley. They next thing he knows, he is sitting in the alley and it is 3 am the next morning. Upon arriving at home his wife discovered a cell phone that she has never seen. The next day Bennet decides to follow the instructions on the cell phone. He meets some unsavory characters that work him over. Bennett decides he is not going to follow the instructions and finds his daughter kidnapped. His wife calls the cops and Bennett finds himself in the police station, with several murdered cops.

Shortly thereafter, several things start happening and it is looking like Bennett has gone off the deep end and caused all of these events. In truth he is being forced into them to keep his family safe. But there are bigger things planned and whenever Bennett tries to stop them he finds that there is no escape. What is really happening? Is Bennett going to make it out alive?

There is lots of action and edge of your seat thrills. Every time it looks like Bennett has found a way to get ahead of the kidnappers prove that they are still several steps ahead of him. I felt for Rose. She knew something was wrong but every time she tried to handle the situation with the police things just seemed to get worse.

If you like thrillers you need to get this book. Just make sure to start reading early on a day that you have nothing planned. You won’t be doing much once you start reading.

To purchase Ghosts make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Black Rose Writing and Chip Scarinzi’s website.

I received Ghosts for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Tier One by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson

In a world violated by terror, the old lines have blurred. Meet the next generation of covert ops.

John Dempsey’s life—as an elite Tier One Navy SEAL named Jack Kemper—is over. A devastating terrorist action catapults him from a world of moral certainty and decisive orders into the shadowy realm of espionage, where ambiguity is the only rule. His new mission: hunt down those responsible for the greatest tragedy in the history of the US Special Ops and bring them to justice.

But how does a man torn between duty and revenge walk the line and preserve his soul?

As Dempsey struggles with the games of spies, the case propels him across the globe in a desperate effort to prevent a new, horrifying attack on American soil.

Once, John Dempsey followed orders blindly. Now he sees behind the curtain, and the security of the civilized world rests on one question: Can a Tier One Navy SEAL adapt and become the world’s most lethal spy?

My Review

5 Stars

Jack Kemper is part of a Tier 1 seal team. He is on a covert mission and everyone in both teams involved is killed except Jack. After healing from a back injury with complications, Jack is given the new name John Dempsey and a new team, code name Emerald, to go after those that killed his last team. But John is starting to learn that there is more going on behind the scenes than the instructions that he is being told. John is going to have to start balancing between revenge and the mission.

This is a great, brutal story. When you think of Seal teams you think about the top of the line soldiers and to think about how a mission could go wrong and this book gets really scary. There are some very intense fight scenes and you feel like you are right there in the thick of it. You can tell the authors have military experience, it comes through in their writing and with all the acronyms. Mind you if you get confused there is an acronym glossary.

This is a fast paced, action filled story. If you like military thrillers this is one book that I would recommend you read. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

To purchase Tier One make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Brian Andrews’ website and Jeffrey Wilson’s website.

I received Tier One for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Mud Bog Murder (An Eva Appel Mystery Book – 4) by Lesley Diehl

When Jenny McCleary leases her property to be ravaged by the annual mud bog races, the small rural town of Sabal Bay, Florida, is divided into warring camps: environmental activists versus monster truck fans. Jenny, who frequents the consignment store owned by Eve Appel and her friend Madeleine, doesn’t seem to mind when Eve and Madeleine join the protesters the day of the races.

During the race, Eve catches Jenny’s airborne head after it is tossed into the air by the wheels of a truck. Now every protester is a suspect in Jenny’s murder. What’s left of her alligator-gnawed body is found near the airboat business of Eve’s Miccosukee Indian friends, Sammy Egret and his grandfather. When more evidence turns up nearby, Grandfather is arrested.

Even without the disembodied head, Eve has her hands full. The town resents her role in the protests and is boycotting the consignment shop on wheels. She is torn between two men—GQ-handsome, devoted PI Alex and tall, dark, and exotic Sammy. Jenny’s sweet and needy teenage daughter is dating a petty criminal. Will Eve and Madeleine ever be able to move into their new digs? Not unless the town forgives them. And not if whoever decapitated Jenny gets to Eve before she and her sleuthing buddies solve the mystery. Book 4 in the Eve Appel Mystery series.

My Review

4 Stars

Jenny McCleary decides to lease her property out to the annual mud bog races. Unfortunately this draws a crowd of environmental activists in to protest the event. Eva Appel and her friend Madeleine join the environmentalists and show up for the first day of the mud bog event. But in the middle of the first race, Jenny’s head goes flying. She has been murdered and it is up to Eva to find out who killed her.

I really enjoyed following Eva as she tries to protest the mud bog event yet loses customers because of that choice. She is trying to find the killer but is also torn between Alex and Sammy catching her eye.

This is a great cozy mystery. There is lots of action and twists and turns. Eva does a great job fleshing out who the killer was and I admit that I didn’t guess who did it until the end. This is the first book of Lesley Diehl’s I have read. I had no problem figuring out what was happening and didn’t feel lost in the series. But I will be going back and reading the other books in the Eva Appel series.

To purchase Mug Bog Murder make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads.

I received Mug Bog Murder for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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