Archive for October 27, 2023

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2023! I missed doing this the last couple of years due to Covid and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

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Free Computer Seeks photo and picture

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I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

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 The Year Of The Storm

by John Mantooth

 

 

Genre: Horror

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MY REVIEW

Living in rural Alabama myself, I’m always looking for horror stories set in my neck of the woods. We have bayous, alligators, giant roaches and more venomous critters than you can shake a stick at. The most violent thunder storms, some water spouts and, of course, hurricanes too.

Right from the get go, I was welcomed by some great descriptive writing. And as the story progressed, I just new I was going to enjoy this book.

Danny’s mother and sister disappeared during one of Alabama’s violent storms. A scruffy looking man shows up on his doorstep claiming he knows where they are. Some readers will be thinking, been there, read that. I say, no you haven’t. The premise might be familiar. But, wait for it. Things aren’t what they seem.

I loved the inclusion of the invasive Kudzu. That vine was really brought into Alabama to help with erosion because of our tropical climate and all that rain. Right down the road, they’re putting in a new subdivision. They tore out the Kudzu, but when I drive by I see it creeping back. You can’t get rid of it. Always thought it would something cool to use in a horror story.

Told in more than one time line, I want to reassure you, it’s easy to tell which time the characters are in. It made me pause and think. What if it was true. Maybe that explains the deja vu I feel sometimes.

There’s so much I want to tell you about the characters and what all is going on in these pages. Not going to be one of those that spoils it for you. Grab the book. Give it a go. It lingers a while after you finish it. Scary good stuff.

 4 STARS

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Synopsis

In this haunting, suspenseful debut novel, John Mantooth takes readers to a town in rural Alabama where secrets are buried deep, reality is relative, and salvation requires a desperate act of faith.

When Danny was fourteen, his mother and sister disappeared during a violent storm. The police were baffled. There were no clues, and most people figured they were dead.  Only Danny still holds out hope that they’ll return.

Months later, a disheveled Vietnam vet named Walter Pike shows up at Danny’s front door, claiming to know their whereabouts. The story he tells is so incredible that Danny knows he shouldn’t believe him. Others warn him about Walter Pike’s dark past, his shameful flight from town years ago, and the suspicious timing of his return.

But he’s Danny’s last hope, and Danny needs to believe…

Amazon

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The above cover is the one I have. Here is another cover.

Which do you like best?

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Click on the covers for more Thrills And Chills reviews.

     

   

     

   

     

     

   

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Big Shakeup organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Nancy Boyarsky will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Big Shakeup

by Nancy Boyarsky

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Genre: Mystery

Synopsis

Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, or so they say.

P.I. Nicole Graves arrives early at work, just as Los Angeles is hit with “the Big One,” a long-predicted, devastating earthquake. When the building stops shaking, Nicole finds Jerry, her boss, in his office dying of a gunshot wound. It appears to be suicide.

Nicole is shocked to learn that the police have decided Jerry’s death was murder and even more shocked that she’s their only suspect when there’s no shortage of people with motives. And there’s the question of why the detectives are pursuing this one case when all city workers, including the police, are in an all-out search and rescue operation for survivors. All she can do is evade capture long enough to prove her innocence and catch the real culprit.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

The shaking was gathering force. Nicole crawled further into the desk’s knee space, tried to brace herself and grip its legs. Holding on was next to impossible when the desk jumped with every jolt. Even more frightening was the noise. It had started as a rumble but now sounded like the roar of an oncoming train.

 

Every instinct told her to run, get out of the building. But with so much movement, she knew she’d never be able to stand up, much less run down eight flights of stairs. As the shaking continued to build, all thought disappeared. The whole thing had lasted a mere three-and-a-half minutes. But if Nicole knew anything at that time, it was that shaking would go on until the building caved in and buried her.

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About Author Nancy Boyarsky

Nancy’s award-winning Nicole Graves Mysteries have been compared to Mary Higgins Clark and are praised for contributing to the “women-driven mystery field with panache” (Foreword Reviews) as well as for their “hold-onto-the-bar roller coaster” plots (RT Book Reviews). Her debut novel The Swap—book one of the Nicole Graves Mysteries—won the prestigious Eric Hoffer award for Best Micro Press Book of the Year.

Nancy has been a writer and editor for her entire working career. She coauthored Backroom Politics, a New York Times notable book, with her husband Bill Boyarsky. She has written several textbooks on the justice system and contributed to anthologies, including In the Running about women’s political campaigns and The Challenge of California. She has also written for the Los Angeles Times, West magazine, Forbes, McCall’s, Playgirl, Westways, and other publications. She was communications director for political affairs for ARCO.

In addition to writing mysteries, Nancy is producer and director of the “Inside Golden State Politics” podcast.

Author Links:

Website / Online / Facebook / Pinterest / Goodreads

Purschase link: Amazon

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.