jbronderbookreviews

Alter Ego (Jonathan Stride – 9) by Brian Freeman

When a freak auto accident kills a driver on the remote roads outside Duluth, Jonathan Stride is disturbed to discover that the victim appears to be a “ghost,” with a false identity and no evidence to suggest who he really was. What’s worse, the man has a gun locked in the trunk- and the gun has recently been fired.

The next day, Stride learns that a Duluth college student has vanished, and he worries that the two incidents are related. But what would have put an ordinary young woman in the cross-hairs of a man who has all the hallmarks of an assassin-for-hire?

Stride’s investigation of the girl’s disappearance leads him onto the set of a film crew in Duluth, where a movie is being made based on a case in Stride’s own past. The actor playing Stride is Hollywood royalty, an award-winning icon who has charmed his way to the top of the box office.

But Stride soon hears whispers that his alter ego has a dark side . . . and in trying to expose the truth, he discovers that he has made a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to protect his reputation.

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Author’s Bio

Brian Freeman is a #1 Amazon bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Jonathan Stride, Frost Easton, and Cab Bolton series. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 20 languages. He is widely acclaimed for his “you are there” settings and his complex, engaging characters and twist-filled plots.

Look for two books from Brian in 2017, including THE NIGHT BIRD (featuring a dramatic San Francisco locale) and the latest in his Jonathan Stride series, MARATHON.

Brian’s seventh novel SPILLED BLOOD won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards given out by the International Thriller Writers organization, and his fifth novel THE BURYING PLACE was a finalist for the same award. His debut thriller, IMMORAL, won the Macavity Award for Best First Novel and was a nominee for the Edgar, Dagger, Anthony, and Barry Awards. IMMORAL was named an International Book of the Month, a distinction shared with authors such as Harlan Coben and Lisa Unger.

His novels (in order) are: IMMORAL, STRIPPED, STALKED, IN THE DARK (also called THE WATCHER overseas), THE BURYING PLACE, THE BONE HOUSE, the award-winning SPILLED BLOOD, THE COLD NOWHERE, SEASON OF FEAR, and GOODBYE TO THE DEAD.

He also has two Stride e-books, TURN TO STONE and the short story “Spitting Devil.”

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My Review

5 Stars

Jonathan Stride is called into investigate an auto accident where he discovers the victim has no identification and has a gun in the trunk that has been recently fired. Then he gets the call that a college student has disappeared and he is afraid that the two cases may be related. As Stride is investigating he is lead to the set of The Caged Girl, a movie based on the one case that gives him nightmares where a killer kept three girls in cages and they died before Stride could rescue them.

On the set of The Caged Girl, the main actor playing Striker is powerful and can make or break careers. But he has a dark secret that he will do anything to keep it hidden. While Stride is on set he is starting to get a sense of deja vu with the female actors. But he also gets a sense of dread. Will he figure out the secret before it is too late?

This is only the second book in this series that I have read but I loved it. I find it ironic how he is investigating the movie about his own investigation. There is lots of action and plenty of twists and turns as you rush to find out what happens next with this story.

This could easily be a television crime episode the way it plays out. I love how you could read this book as a standalone without getting lost, great for those of use that didn’t realize this is book nine in the series. It’s definitely one to check out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Quercus for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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I am A Failure by Skhil Sharma

Have you experienced failures in your life? Is your startup business facing a downturn? Is your dream partner telling you she hates you? Don’t despair. Failure encages us all.

Akhil, born with a plastic spoon in India, was specially designed for all failures life can bring. Growing up like everyone, the more he tried for success, the more he failed. Not until when he redefined his stupidity and started listening to his heart, his failures brought forth his keys to freedom and made him discover that ‘Failure encourages us all’.

This book is about his transformation from being a failure to the creator of the award-winning technique ‘The Art of Failure’. It talks about his technique, hidden in the form of an entertaining but true autobiographical story. It is helpful for everyone who wants to become a fearless failure warrior rather than being a usual success hunter.

The narrative is set against the transformation of India – from its analog days to the digital age and bubbling startup economy. One thing which hasn’t changed with time though is the hatred and fear towards failure and how it has been eating up our enormous innovation potential for ages. It is time to accept failure as a part of life – where there is no failure, there is no growth. Learn from your experiences and move on!

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My Review

4 Stars

Akhil Sharma writes this book with a little bit of everything included in it. We learn about his childhood and wanting to reach many goals, the opposite sex, and success. But sprinkled with his biography is an observation about success and mainly failure. We all want success, but are we willing to do what needs to be done to reach it? Mainly, fail.

One thing many of us fear is failure. We have dreams and goals but many of us don’t wait to fail at them so they are never pursued. But true success comes from what we do when we fail and what we learn. What did we learn about ourselves? What did we learn NOT to do? This knowledge is mixed with stories of Akhil and the failures that he has experienced. At times humorous, sometime bitter, but all of it was a learning experience.

This book is based on Akhil’s life so we learn a lot about India and it coming into technology of the world. We also learn about Akhil and his sense of humor, a little odd for some people. I will admit that I thing that there might be a little lost to translation because some of the things he was talking about seemed to go over my head.

But this is a great read that will make you think about yourself and your own goals. Hopefully it will motivate you to go after your dreams and goes and not to fear failure.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank the Author for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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