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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The tour dates can be found here

 

If the Sun Spares Us by Brenda Marie Smith (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

If the Sun Spares Us

by 

Brenda Marie Smith

 

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GENRE:  Post-apocalyptic thriller 

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BLURB:

 

Two years ago, a solar pulse destroyed modern life. Bea Crenshaw organized her starving, suburban neighbors into a farming community. But now Bea’s gone, and her grandchildren must carry her legacy forward.

In the post-apocalyptic pressure cooker of Austin, Texas, 19-year-old Keno and his younger cousins struggle to ensure their community’s survival even as they’re forced to relocate to safer grounds. Northern Lights that don’t belong this far south grow increasingly intense, making Keno fear what harm the sun will cause next.

Even worse, a marauding militia called the Raiders is closing in, led by a deranged woman who preys on teenage boys. Despite Keno’s debilitating flashbacks from a firefight, he and his wife have a new baby to protect. Though Bea is dead, her spirit desperately searches for ways to shield her grandkids. When Raiders target two neighborhood members, the only hope lies in the community’s strength, Keno’s ingenuity, and the family’s fierce love for one another.

 

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EXCERPT

 

In the next second, thick neon bands of green light shoot into the sky like they’re spewing straight out of the earth at the horizon, the aurora pulsing and soaring hundreds of feet into the air toward the stratosphere. This is nothing like the tame Northern Lights we’ve had off and on over the past year, but crazy-bright and thick and enormous. None of it belongs in Texas. I stare at the lights, getting dizzy from their movement and intensity.

The guys out on the street whistle and shout… I close my eyes to get my bearings.

Residual streaks of light burn my eyeballs and flash across my eyelids, then mutate into the recurring, overly-vivid memories I can’t shake: flaming, screaming boys, falling fiery trees, bursting Molotov cocktails, strafing assault rifles—a hand slaps across my mouth and covers my nose, and Richie’s behind me, yanking me to the ground, hissing, “Shhh! Shhh! Don’t scream.”

“The End of Days is upon us, and we’ve got work to do!” shouts the woman from the street. “Head back north.” The feet start tramping around. “Jonesie, north’s the other way.”

Richie’s pressing so hard on my mouth and nose he’s gonna suffocate me. My tears run over his hand. Flaming bodies still flash before my eyes while green lights burn in the sky overhead…

I grab his hand to yank it off, but he presses harder. I panic. Dude’s gonna kill me.

 

 Buy Links for the Braving the Light Series:

IF DARKNESS TAKES US (Book One):

IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES (Book Two

IF THE SUN SPARES US (Book Three): 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

BRENDA MARIE SMITH is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their limitations to find their inner heroism. She lived off the grid for years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. A lifelong community activist, Brenda has managed student co-op housing, produced concerts, and raised a small herd of boys. She and her husband live in Kyle, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website

Blog

Twitter: @bsmithnovelist

YouTube

 

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 GIVEAWAY

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The tour dates can be found here

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My review:

4 stars

 

"If the Sun Spares Us" is a post-apocalyptic story that is compelling and inspirational, reminding us that we can have hidden strengths that only arise when circumstances force us to access them. The dynamics between various members of the communities are a sobering comment on what happens when life is stripped down to the challenges of survival and learning to work together. It would be nice to have a little more depth to some of the secondary characters, and I think that missing some of the backstory makes some of the interactions between characters a bit more difficult to appreciate, but the story is intriguing nonetheless. I like the mystical element of the grandmother’s connection with young Mazie, and I’m rooting for the continued survival of this resourceful family.

 

A copy of this title was provided for review

The Grocer's Son by Garrick Jones (Spotlight) GBP

The Grocers’ Son

ADULT title

by

Garrick Jones

Publisher: MoshPit Publishing

Cover Artist: Garrick Jones

Release Date: September 21, 2022

Genres: Crime Fiction; Detective; Thriller

Tropes: Lost lovers reunited

Themes: The strength of relationships over time; What one will do for love

Heat Rating: 2 flames      

Length:  138 629 words/ 422 pages (paperback)

It is a standalone book and the third book in the Clyde Smith Mystery series.

It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Blurb 

“I swear to God it was Willoughby. My brother stood not two feet away from me, called me Lina to my face, and pulled Harley into his arms, saying he was sorry, sobbing, and calling him his boy.”

An apparition in Sydney’s fruit and vegetable market leaves the mother of one of Clyde’s best friends believing that her brother, hanged for murder twenty-four years beforehand, has somehow risen from the grave and confronted her.

She is adamant that the visitation was real and visits Clyde asking him to investigate the mass murder her brother was supposed to have committed. She believes he was either set up or was covering for someone else’s crime.

Could this vision have been a folie à deux, a delusional vision shared by both mother and son? As Clyde investigates, clues lead him to one of Australia’s most famous silent screen actors, a man who, together with his murdered father, becomes intrinsically linked to the mass murder, known as The Killing at Candal Creek.

Wheels within wheels, lies, extortion, and coverups lead Clyde to a bloody confrontation on a deserted beach in the tropics. This time, it’s not only his own life at risk but also that of one of his most valued and closest friends.

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Excerpt 

 I was in my “puzzle room” when I heard Harry’s cooee from the front door.

I called it a puzzle room because that’s the phrase we’d used during the war to describe a safe place where we could discuss plans, devise strategies, and toss ideas around. Mine was my bathroom, lying on my back in the bath with the lights out and the shower falling onto my legs, the only illumination from the flickering blue light of the gas geyser. After eating dinner, I’d listened to Mama Lena’s Arrivederci Roma radio programme then had got stuck into some research on Elwood Pearson.

I could hear Harry clunking around in the hallway. “I’m in here!” I called out.

“I know!” he responded, then appeared in the doorway, totally naked except for the black bow tie around his neck and wearing his socks and garters.

“What happened to the master of the house looking for the lazy footman?” I said, laughing because I could see he was more than three sheets to the wind.

He climbed into the tub and sat between my legs, water pouring over his head, grinning at me stupidly. “I changed it,” he said. “It’s master of the house, pissed out of his skull, ravishing the naked footman in the bathtub.”

“Come here,” I said, and pulled his head down for a kiss. “You’re not that drunk,” I added, my hand having found no evidence of brewer’s droop.

“Shh!” he said, biting my chin. “Mark’s crashed in the spare room.”

“What?”

“Too many cocktails, both of us. We caught a taxi and he helped me up the stairs.”

“So, no noise then?”

“Nup,” he said, then pulled my legs around his hips and let forth a loud wolf-howl.

I laughed then pushed my wet washcloth between his teeth, which he spat out then attacked my mouth with his own. I really hoped Mark had closed his bedroom door. When Harry was in this sort of mood, he could make a lot of noise … not that I was complaining.

Buy Links

Amazon AU  |  Amazon US |  Amazon UK  |  Smashwords

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About the Author 

From the outback to the opera.

After a thirty-year career as a professional opera singer, performing as a soloist in opera houses and in concert halls all over the world, I took up a position as lecturer in music in Australia in 1999, at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music, which is now part of CQUniversity.

Brought up in Australia, between the bush and the beaches of the Eastern suburbs, I retired in 2015 and now live in the tropics, writing, gardening, and finally finding time to enjoy life and to re-establish a connection with who I am after a very busy career on the stage and as an academic.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

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The Woods of Hitchcock by Ann W. Jarvie (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

The Woods of Hitchcock

The Henrietta series

by

Ann W. Jarvie

GENRE: Thriller, Psychological Suspense

 

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BLURB:

 

The Woods of Hitchcock by award-winning author Ann W. Jarvie is a thriller about a psychically gifted Chicago copywriter and victim of violence who returns to South Carolina's equestrian country to solve a riddle involving murder, the metaphysical and the secrets of her eccentric family.

 

Suzanne Clayborn is a psychically gifted southerner working in her dream job in Chicago, which also conveniently takes her away from the ghosts of her past. But when she's nearly killed, she realizes all she wants is to return home to her eccentric family, her horse and the one place she feels safe: Hitchcock Woods, an enchanting equestrian forest in South Carolina.

 

But instead of finding solace, Suzanne becomes entangled in a murder spree, while stumbling upon an old manuscript, written by her sage grandmother. As she explores it, Suzanne uncovers a tome of long-buried family haunts and ancient metaphysical secrets offering healing and inspiration. She also begins to understand her unwanted psychic abilities, especially after meeting a mysterious stranger in the Woods whose ominous riddle suggests others close to her will die within the week...

 

Brimming with raw emotion and a trail of psychological twists, a story of hope and transformation begins to unfold. Yet with the riddle's deadline looming, Suzanne's present must ultimately collide with a violent past. Will she be able to solve her life's riddle and fulfill her destiny? Or will she die along with those she loves?

 

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EXCERPT

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Gran, but do you think Joe Loco could be a ghost?” Suzanne asked, recognizing some physical similarities to JB, although they did not look exactly the same.

 

“My heavens, no,” Henrietta said and paused as though trying to sense the truth of it. After a few moments, she looked straight into Suzanne’s eyes. “No,” she repeated. “He is most assuredly not an earth-bound ghost.”

 

Suzanne let out a breath of relief. “Good!”

 

“Bears Repeating, whom we called Joe Loco, was not a confused soul, and he had no unfinished business,” Henrietta said. “He lived an extraordinary life of helping people recover from trauma and other soul-loss issues. He was the only truly enlightened person I’ve ever had the honor and privilege of knowing in this life. I’m sure he ascended into heaven when he passed from his physical body. That was more than ten years ago. But sometimes, I’ve felt his presence. I know when he visits me.”

 

“Do you see him?”

 

“No, I don’t have the gift of clairvoyance as you do. For me, I can empathically sense his good energy just swoop in and visit sometimes. It may sound funny, but I can also feel his deep sense of humor. He reminds me to laugh. And then I do.” She let go a stream of giggles and tears.

 

“I’m really glad to hear that,” Suzanne said, joining in with Gran’s laughter. “I was beginning to think JB, the guy I met in the Woods, might be your Joe Loco. You’ve no idea how relieved I am.”

 

Henrietta slowed her giggling and wiped her eyes. “I’m well aware that you believe Hitchcock Woods doesn’t allow ghosts.”

 

“Guess it’s just a coincidence that JB and Joe Loco have a lot in common.”

 

“What makes you say that?”

 

“JB speaks like a guru, although he has a strong southern accent. Like Joe Loco, he has light-brown skin, shiny black hair and wears colorful clothing. Except his clothes are not Elvis style, but rather, as I mentioned before, those of a southern frat boy.”

 

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Henrietta said. “Perhaps he is your Joe Loco.”

Amazon link

Barnes and Noble

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Ann W. Jarvie has a B.A. in journalism and twenty-five years’ experience as a writer in advertising and public relations agencies, in Chicago and South Carolina. Although it stands completely on its own, The Woods of Hitchcock is an indirect sequel to Jarvie’s award-winning debut novel, The Soul Retrieval, which received four literary awards, the highest score by Writer’s Digest e-Book Awards’ judges (5 out of 5 on all points) as well as myriad positive reviews. Jarvie currently lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona with her husband, their boxer dog and boxer mix rescue.

 

Website and Social Media:

 

AnnWJarvie.com

facebook.com/annwjarvie

instagram.com/annwjarvie

twitter.com/annwjarvie

 

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My review:

 

3.5 out of 5 stars

 

“The Woods of Hitchcock” by Ann W. Jarvie follows successful copywriter Suzanne Clayborn on her journey as both her professional and personal life are thrown into chaos by another frightening near-death experience. She has to find a way to integrate the advice she’s receiving with the disturbing events that surround her and to connect with her abilities and reach her true potential before things turn fatal…possibly for her or someone close to her.

 

This metaphysical and paranormal suspense story starts with a chilling event that gives a glimpse of Suzanne’s powers. As the story unfolds, more details about how her life was changed are interspersed with hints about spiritual connections and her family’s ties to Native American mysticism. There are a lot of poignant twists and turns, and danger that mounts as Suzanne encounters more and more mysteries, and one gets a feel for a different way of life through the extensive descriptions of Hitchcock Woods and some of the events it hosts.

I would have liked to have more depth to the secondary characters because so many of them seemed to have pivotal roles but only a brief time in the spotlight, so it was difficult to establish an emotional connection to them. Suzanne’s powers to see and communicate with ghosts are only intermittently alluded to, and I was surprised at some of her actions as I would think she’d want all of the clues she could get.

Those who are concerned with such things should be advised that there are occasional limited forays into a secondary character’s point of view, as well as a few inconsistencies and stereotypes that are a bit frustrating.

I liked the guidance to self-knowledge that Suzanne receives from several sources, and I think the advice that we need to empower ourselves to heal the spiritual wounds we carry because, “A negative mindset and negative emotions about it all keep old wounds in place.” is very apropos to all of us. The wonderful connection between horses and those who work with them is nicely evoked, and I think those who enjoy a mystery thriller with a mystical twist should give this story a try.

 

A copy of this title was provided for review

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

 

iTunes

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

 

 

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!)