All or None by Clive Fleury (Spotlight, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

 

All or None

by 

Clive Fleury

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GENRE: Cozy Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

Returning to Sydney, Detective Ramesh Ryan is promoted to the Homicide Squad. Zoe Yang joins him there. Now a detective herself, she is assigned as his junior partner. Straight up, the cops are off and running—investigating the discovery of a murdered company director. Following the clues, Detective Ryan finds that this and a second murder may be linked to past events.

 

As the pressure mounts for a quick solution to the case, the detective finds that he too, is in the killer’s crosshairs. But Ryan is distracted from the investigation by a romantic encounter with an old university friend. He also worries about his mother, Mumta, and her new obsessive desire for grandchildren from her only son. Could this be linked to her recent medical tests? And there’s another pressing problem—the plague of rats in his apartment block.

 

Detective Ryan’s hands are well and truly full.

 

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EXCERPT

 

Arriving in Sydney’s city center, Tommy parked. “Come back here when you’re finished,” he instructed the passengers before they disembarked to join the other protestors.

 

After everyone left, the reluctant driver ate the chicken and avocado sandwich his wife had made, lay across the back seat, and closed his eyes for a nap. 

When he awoke, the march was ending. The crowd was dispersing, and people were heading home. 

 

Tommy picked up his camera. Anne had reminded him to take a picture, which she would use to advertise the Transit van’s services. He attached it to a tripod and then joined the passengers lined up along the side of the truck for a group photo.

 

After that, Tommy set off at high speed, ignoring the rain that was now hurtling down. He was desperate to get back to see the end of the match, so it was only twenty minutes later that the van reached the top of Clifton Hill and began its descent.

 

The van picked up too much speed; Tommy tried to brake as the vehicle skidded on the wet, greasy bitumen. Passengers’ screams rent the air as the Transit spun around and out of control. It finally left the road, gliding across silky grass before plunging over the cliff into the angry, foaming ocean waters below.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Clive Fleury is an award-winning writer of books and screenplays and has worked all over the world as a Film/TV director, writer and producer. He has written six books, most recently 'All Or None', the second novel in the Detective Ryan Murder Mystery series.

 

All Or None sees Detective Ryan back in the thick of things. His latest investigation into a mysterious death couldn’t come at a worse time. He discovers his mother is hiding a troubling secret and is further sidetracked by a new romance. Fans of who dunnit's, crime thrillers, and cop and detective stories will love this novel. 

 

Clive's other books include 'Off Season' - book one in the Detective Ryan Murder Mystery series; 'Kill Code' - a dystopian science fiction novel set in a world facing climate change;  ‘Scary Lizzy’  - a novel about an eight year old girl, who befriends an African child ghost –  and the teen action adventure book; ‘The Boy Next Door ‘ -  a story of what happens when a teenage girl has a crush on her next door neighbor, who isn’t all he seems.  He also co-wrote ‘Art Pengriffin and The Curse of The Four’ - a young adult fantasy adventure about a teenage boy who discovers his father was Merlin the Magician.

 

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My review:

4 stars

 

All or None by Clive Fleury is part of the ‘Detective Ryan mystery series’ and features Ryan and his new partner, Agnes, as they adjust to working together in a different location with different colleagues. Dealing with a mounting body count, unsupportive colleagues, and a boss who wants immediate results, the pair struggles to find a harmonious working relationship and decipher the clues before time runs out.

 

This is an entertaining contemporary suspense story that doles out pertinent clues, offers lots of red herrings, and shifts through multiple points of view. The story starts a little slow and builds up momentum just like the runaway van described in the opening. I enjoyed the glimpses of Ryan’s personal life and his strong connection to his mom, but wished for a bit more in-depth revelations about some of the other characters. Although the main storyline is resolved, there are a few dangling threads that piqued my interest, and I was disappointed that they will remain a mystery, at least for now. I was fascinated by the variety of murder techniques employed, but a bit overwhelmed by the myriad of voices that had brief appearances. Nonetheless, this was a fun read, and a great glimpse of life in a different part of the world.

 

A copy of this story was provided for review

The Poseidon Project by E. William Podojil (VNBtM, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

 

It is my pleasure to present some facts about author E. William Podojil, who shares...

Ten things most people don’t know about me

1.      My husband and I adopted three sons, who are now adults. One son is from Vietnam and the other two were born in Guatemala.

2.      I lived in Amsterdam for more than a decade. Originally transferred for an international assignment by my company, I eventually met another American there, and he eventually became my husband.

3.      I read the entire World Book Encyclopedia series from A to Z when I was a teenager.

4.      My first career goal was to be a graphic designer in the advertising industry. I then went into business, earned an MBA and spent thirty-five years as an executive leader in Fortune 500 companies.  

5.      I studied screenwriting at UCLA for two years. As a consequence, I picture my novels as films as I write them, and some of the stories, I cast with actors who could play the characters.

6.      Most people who know me professionally would guess that I am an extrovert, but in reality, I would classify myself as an introverted extrovert. I have had to be an extrovert for most of my career, and I like being around people for a period of time. In my home life, I’m more of an introvert and keep to a very close circle of family and friends, enjoy quiet time and activities like gardening, reading and hiking.

7.      Besides spending time at home with my family, I also love traveling. I’ve been to over sixty countries and visited forty-seven states. I’ve been on every continent except for Antarctica, which is on my bucket list. I’ve flown over three-million miles.

8.      I am fascinated by science and technology and incorporate these themes into my novels.

9.      From my travels, Barcelona is my favorite city. New Zealand is my favorite country, followed by Greece. Russia was my least favorite country. My most exotic trip was to Bora Bora, French Polynesia.    

10.   Favorite genres to read are Mystery/Suspense/Thrillers, Historical Fiction, Science-based Fiction (Physics, Geology, Chemistry, the Cosmos)

 

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The Poseidon Project

by

E. William Podojil

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GENRE:  

 

Suspense, Thriller, Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

The Poseidon Project is an international suspense thriller and the first book in The Herb Society Mysteries series 

 

Molly Halloran and her friends have a secret past.  Their bucolic retirement is suddenly upended when Molly’s husband is abducted and held for a steep ransom.  Now she, her friends, her tech executive son, Lukas and his Air Force pilot boyfriend must race against the clock and travel halfway around the world to meet the kidnappers’ demands.  But when they learn why her husband has been abducted, they realize how high the stakes truly are.  Molly and her friends now must face their past in order to save the future.  But not only their futures; the world’s.

 

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EXCERPT

The explosion was deafening. A huge fireball engulfed the Iveco box truck with a force that knocked Molly, Donna, Linda, and John off their feet. Having been already seated, Lukas instinctively shielded Taylor from the force of the blast that was over one hundred feet away. The explanation of the Hindenburg explosion his mom had referenced two days ago flashed through his mind. The hydrogen collection tank must have had a leak or breached from being overfilled. But unlike the Hindenburg, there was not a zeppelin-sized supply of hydrogen on the Demeter unit, or what was left of it. The explosion was sudden, strong, and brief. The flames quickly burned through the truck’s cargo area, then slowly burned the embers of what little was left. The truck was destroyed, as was Demeter. Zip-Tie’s blackened remains smoldered on the ground, about ten feet from the blast.

 

Betty and Patrick stood at the top of the terrace waving their arms and appeared to be yelling something. Lukas could not hear much other than the ringing in his ears, and he assumed the rest of the group was partially deaf as they struggled to get to their feet. Lukas had shielded Taylor’s body, and his hearing appeared to be unaffected. Taylor kissed Lukas on the cheek and mouthed Thank you. Or at least Lukas thought he said it silently.

 

Betty held the fourth Glock in her hand and ran toward the group to help them ascend the terrace. “We’ve gotta get out of here!” she yelled, hoping their damaged ears could hear her. She knew it was only a few minutes before the Dubai police came to investigate the source of the explosion in the city center.

 

“Where is Malik?” Betty asked as John, Donna, and Molly rubbed their ears, hoping to regain their hearing.

 

“He ran that way.” Taylor pointed in the direction of the Burj Khalifa. “I saw him for an instant right after the blast.”

 

Patrick raced toward the group. “Police are on their way. I hear the sirens. Let’s go, everybody!” Patrick and Taylor, both injured, were able to shepherd the group up to the Sprinter van, get in, and buckle up for what was going to be a quick getaway.

 

Betty slammed on the accelerator, and the van lurched forward. She could see the flashing police lights about a quarter of a mile to her right. She turned left, hoping to avoid them. “Patrick, I need you to navigate! I don’t know where I am!” Betty yelled with a tinge of panic in her voice. Patrick stood up and sat in the passenger seat to help navigate.

 

Taylor quickly dialed his daughter. She answered on the first ring tone. “Dad, where are you?”

 

“Get the Goose ready. We’ll be there in—” He looked at Patrick, who held up his hands with fingers extended. “—ten to fifteen minutes. Please clear a take- off slot for us in twenty-five minutes from now.”

 

“Got it, Dad. Drive safely.”

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

E. William Podojil has worked as a writer, advisor and  international business executive while living in the Netherlands and the United States. He studied screenwriting at UCLA. His first novel, The Tenth Man, was published in 2004, by Haworth Press.  His latest novel, The Poseidon Project, was published by The Wild Rose Press in August, 2024 as the first book in the Herb Society Mysteries series.

 

Podojil currently resides in Northeast Ohio with his husband and three sons. He travels extensively and writes about his experiences on his website www.ewpodojil.com. 

 

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Havoc by M.L. Buchman (Spotlight, excerpt, and review)

 

 

 

 

 

Havoc

by

M.L. Buchman 

Miranda Chase—the heroine you didn’t expect. Fighting the battles no one else could win.

 

When one of their own is threatened—the nation’s #1 air-crash investigation team enters a race to survive.

An airliner downed on a Pacific atoll. A CIA covert strike team sent in to “clean it up.” An old enemy seeks revenge. This time, the NTSB’s autistic air-crash investigator, Miranda Chase, and her team are in the crosshairs. The action races around the globe as US military airbases become shooting galleries and their lives are placed on the line.

And hidden from sight? A treacherous plan to grab political power and start a new war with Russia in the Middle East. Only Miranda’s team stands in their way, if they can survive.

 

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EXCERPT

 

39,000’ over the South Pacific

Aboard a badly damaged Airbus A330

 

“Okay if I place a call?” Holly buckled into the cockpit’s jump seat.

“You’d need a sat phone from here to—” Dani glanced back.

Holly pulled out her satellite phone and waggled it at the pilot who nodded reluctantly.

She dialed.

“This is Miranda Chase. This is actually her, not a recording of her.”

“Hey, her.” Holly could feel herself relaxing, even if Miranda was three thousand miles away in Seattle, it made Holly feel better just to hear her voice.

“Where are you? Passing over Johnston Atoll? Can you see it? I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“Funny you should mention that. I expect that I’ll be seeing it real soon now—up close and personal like.” Holly proceeded to describe what she’d seen of the engine breakaway and the wing it had battered so badly as it broke free.

“The runway on Johnston Atoll is not authorized for use. Not even for emergency landings.”

“Good, they can come arrest me if we survive. Warm cell, three squares a day, bolted solidly to terra firma—I could get down with that. Besides, that’s part of the fun of an emergency, you get to break all sorts of rules.”

“I was never particularly good at breaking rules.”

“Are you with the pilots?” Holly could hear the fast rush of computer keys.

“Yes.”

“Speakerphone.” Miranda was also never one for the niceties of conversation.

She continued as soon as Holly had switched over and called for Dani and Quint’s attention.

“Temperature at Johnston Island Airport is eighty degrees; winds are east-northeast at seventeen so you’ll be landing on Runway 23 with an elevation of two meters above mean sea level. Barometer is currently 29.96. Visibility is reported at ten miles in light haze.” She continued with their best rate of descent for minimum wing-loading stress, proceeded to tell them what landing configuration to select right down to flaps and airspeed, and might have told them every detail of the approach if Holly had let her.

“If I don’t die, Miranda, I’ll give you a shout on the mobile to let you know.”

“I’ll get the team in motion.” Because, of course, Miranda would want to investigate the cause of the crash, whether or not they died. “If it’s going to be a water landing, call me and we’ll mobilize the Coast Guard.”

Which was surprisingly thoughtful for Miranda. Holly knew that Miranda’s ASD—autism spectrum disorder—made it extremely hard for her to think about people.

“Though I wouldn’t hold out much hope for recovering the aircraft if it does go into the ocean. The abyssal plain comes within a few kilometers of the atoll and is principally below the four-thousand-meter mark. Recovery from those depths is exceedingly difficult.”

So much for thoughtful. Thoughtful about the plane anyway.

Miranda’s parents had died in the 1996 crash of TWA 800, which was recovered from a hundred and thirty feet of water just off Long Island, New York—not thirteen thousand feet off a remote Pacific atoll. She’d have been sure to remain very well-educated on the complexities of deep-water recovery operations.

“That’s an extremely unlikely type of double event, breakaway and then an uncontained turbine failure in the same engine. If anything, the opposite would be more typical, but an ES is an exceedingly rare event. That’s remarkably interesting. It is difficult without a more recent inspection of the skin buckling, but based on your initial description…” there was another sharp rattle of a computer keyboard. “Models are projecting a nineteen percent chance of losing the wing on gear-down and an eighty-two-point-five percent chance of losing the wing during the landing.”

“Thanks. I’ll hopefully be in touch soon, Miranda.”

“Okay. Bye.” And she was gone.

“Who the hell was that?” Dani snapped out, but Holly noticed that she was flying exactly on the profile Miranda had recommended.

“She’s the NTSB’s top air-crash investigator.” Holly considered what a lame statement that was to describe her. “She’s…unusual. But she’s also rarely wrong.”

Miranda, despite all her oddities, was also her friend.

It was going to really suck if she herself died, because neither she nor Miranda had a whole lot of those.

 

 

 

Miranda Chase series

 

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AUTHOR BIO

USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestseller M. L. "Matt" Buchman has 70+ action-adventure thriller and military romance novels, 100 short stories, and lotsa audiobooks. PW says: “Tom Clancy fans open to a strong female lead will clamor for more.” Booklist declared: “3X Top 10 of the Year.” A project manager with a geophysics degree, he’s designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, solo-sailed a 50’ sailboat, and bicycled solo around the world…and he quilts. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.

 

ML "Matt" Buchman -USA Today / Amazon #1 Bestseller
action-adventure thrillers/romance/SF&F
Sign up for my newsletter at: 
http://www.mlbuchman.com

 

 

LINKS (series pages)

            https://www.miranda-chase.com

 

 

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My review:

I love Miranda and her team, and each exciting book adds to the rising tension of this series. I wasn't thrilled by some of the creepy scenes in the earlier stories, and I have missed some of books in the series, but there is no problem reading each tale as a stand-alone, although one savors the developments much better if one starts with the very first story in the series.

4.5 stars

 

I've been anxious to read "Havoc" ever since reading the excerpt in the back of the previous story. It did not disappoint. Holly-centric story, revealing more of her background and showcasing her remarkable skills. Delicious twists, exciting action, much-desired character development. The Miranda perspective is always fascinating, and I enjoyed the ending so much that I've read it over and over. Warning to the squeamish, there is a lot of violence, and although one probably could read this as a stand-alone, this exciting tale will be much more appreciated if previous stories in the series have been consumed. As always, this author has penned an exciting tale with vivid and engaging characters that evokes global high-stakes chess games and reminds one of the exciting early Clive Cussler tales or the various incarnations of the James Bond adventures.

 

 

A copy of this title was provided for review

The entire series (including the title that is going to be released in June!)

 

Blood of the Dragonfly by Hawk MacKinney (VBT, guest post, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

 

 

I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post by author Hawk MacKinney, who provides thoughts on...

 

 

The Craft of Writing

by

Hawk MacKinney 

www.hawkmackinneyauthor.com

 

 

Genre, the writing process, and hobbies are all aspects of the same juices that drive one to write. Genre is generated by content which begins to emerge with intros and initial settings in the first chapter. That sets the background with the ‘classic’ genre format, be it science fiction, romance, mystery, adventure, or fantasy. For me, I prefer to let an outline float behind my writing as I attempt to set the hook for readers in setting, plot, and characters. 

 

One common mistake new writers make is to create superfluous characters or story lines for the sake of bulk. Readers can pick this up in a heartbeat of a single sentence. Deleting or editing-out characters shouldn’t be a problem. In my process, I usually already have the sketch for the last chapter in mind before I finish with the opening paragraphs. In this way, subordinate or secondary characters or supporting serial characters don’t run away with some humdrum mundane wordy digression or plot twists that do nothing to move the story forward. 

 

None of these cornerstones are sacrosanct. Any can be changed. Every writer has a different process. However, in my case, I have found that outlines and final chapters hold me to my original objective. Twists and double twists are fun. Readers like sniffing out the false and the lethal. Psychotic perps are great for turning scenes and suspicions downside-up with underlying plots changing with each page and chapter.  

 

Caveat—dialogue is character-specific. Regional/planetary/cultural linguistics can be tricky and fatal for a story line if a writer is unfamiliar with usages or mismatches them. Most importantly, let your fantasies decide what you want to write—then make it yours. Your readers will recognize the heart, the passion, and the feeling behind your words.

 

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Blood of the Dragonfly

by 

Hawk MacKinney

 

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GENRE: Fiction/Mystery/Suspense

 

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BLURB:

 

While dangling a fishing hook from his flat bottom skiff before dawn, former SEAL-turned-PI Craige Ingram spots grey-black smoke coiling above the treetops across the river in the direction of the Georgia bayous and Corpsewood Manor. Bayou or bogs, fire in the uncut cypress and pines bodes a sense that the river is no barrier to the fire that threatens his ancestral home, Moccasin Hollow. Neither are the bodies later found in the burned mansion of Corpsewood Manor. Craige wastes no time in helping his ex-SEAL buddy Lt. Graysen MacGerald who is now Head of Buckingham Homicide Investigations by unofficially investigating the bodies and an exquisite dragonfly brooch found in the mansion with a reputation for evil, hauntings, and mystery.

 

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EXCERPT

 

 

Spinner and Craige dodged the potholes and bayou-puddled sorrowful drive that was already weeded-up with pieces of blackened 2x4s and tumbled rubble. Nestled among old cypress and giant hardwoods, the scorched ruins of a once-elegant time and place cast a brooding haunted ambiance. A lonesome tangle of police tape fluttered around one blackened trunk, while wads and scraps of yellow plastic flurried here and there among the blossom of mushrooms and cinders snagging on bushes and heat-brittle weeds among the char and ash clinging to seared limbs of dead shrubs. Except for half of one lonesome brick chimney, come next season, the surrounding marshes and scrubby undergrowth and vines would reclaim the scarred skeleton that once was Corpsewood and leave a burial mound of vines and voracious pitcher plants.

 

Spinner said, “I want to check that shallow ravine that follows along the north side of the drive. Looks like an overgrown gulley draining toward the river. Be an easy approach to the house without being seen.”

 

Craige said, “Dogs would've spotted them unless they’d been baited or poisoned.”

 

“Bogs won’t hold many tracks.” As the green underbrush swallowed Spinner, he called over his shoulder, “If they came in by river, I might get lucky in the mud along the riverbank for any trace of a boat being pulled up and beached.”

 

“Watch out for moccasins on those overhangs,” Craige called back to him. “If you come up on a weedy dry knoll of brush, sticks, and leaves above the water, leave it be. You don’t want to rile a mama gator guarding her nest. A twenty-footer may look cumbersome, but those big ones can move fast.” Craige stepped over chunks of tumbled cement and distorted rebar where a foundation had been an outside kitchen wall. One windowpane hung lopsided but intact in its section of wall that had collapsed outward into the soft dirt of what had been a flower garden. Sunshine peaked through to splash a glass pane angled among the ruins.

 

Beyond the foundation was a rose garden, trampled blossoms crinkled with burnt petals, broken stems buried amid tumbled bricks, crumbled mortar, and stinking charred timbers. Craige picked his way around the corner of the kitchen. He stopped at the front of the garage with its oily smudges, where the two autos had once parked. A few sooty cement blocks had tumbled from the corner of the garage. The wall had obviously been added as an afterthought. None of the square hollowed-out cement grabbed his attention until he noticed the broken end on one wasn’t smoked-seared or stained. The fire hadn’t touched it. The end had been broken off after the fire, but it wasn’t the inside hollow that grabbed him. It was the small wrapped yellowish-brown brick protruding from inside. CTU R&S ops had come across too many caches of potent hash oil and loose dry kief for him not to recognize it. He leaned down, touched nothing, saw the wrappings had been torn. The heady smell wrinkled his nose. Along one side of the package, he noticed a smattering of scattered pallid crystals. Neither the powder nor the brick with any ash or cinders; what he was seeing came after the fire. The brick looked as though it had been hurriedly pried open, an empty space inside where something had been removed. Someone had known where to look for whatever it was that was taken—someone not interested in the stash.

 

 

Amazon link

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Hawk MacKinney began writing mysteries for his school newspaper, served in the US Navy for over 20 years, earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history, taught postgraduate courses in the United States and Jerusalem, authored professional articles and chordate embryology texts on fetal and adult anatomy, and is well known for his works of fiction. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel, was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. Both his CAIRNS OF SANCTUARIE science fiction series and the MOCCASIN HOLLOW MYSTERY series have received worldwide recognition.

 

 

Website

 

 

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The tour dates can be found here