fuonlyknew

His well ordered life is about to change. Michael Cross is a corporate CEO with a wonderful wife and a successful career.

Then his brother, Alex, gets gunned down and he’s drawn into the underbelly of loan sharks and illegal betting.

As Michael digs to discover his brothers murderer, he becomes involved in his brothers business, with all of the ugliness and danger it entails.

A mysterious message has him wondering.

Is his brother really dead? Has to be. He saw the body, saw him buried. The author took me for a spin into the question of life after death, both philisophical and technical.

Other weird things happen and people are out to get him, even threatening the life of his wife. Now the race is on to solve the murder before everything he values is eliminated.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was Michael. His character rang true. The author shared his thoughts, which made his decisions and actions genuine and understandable.

I could see where the allure of the dark side of business would captivate Michael. He’s bored with his uptight legal career. Kind of like an early mid life crisis.

And keeping his brother distant in his life, trying to keep his brothers chosen life from tainting his, has left him feeling guilty.

Things took an interesting turn when Michael started getting messages. Messages from his dead brother, Alex. The author had me very intrigued and I wondered if Alex was really dead. As the story developed, I wondered even more. And wished he were alive. His character was very prominent even though he was dead. Very good mystery there.

From his brothers many ex wives to his right hand men, brothers Skinny and Fat Lester, a couple of characters more for show than for muscle, to the villains, of which there were some creepy ones, what you’d expect from the illegal side of money exchange, the characters were plenty and and entertaining, to say the least.

One thing I  felt was lacking was more about Michael’s wife, Sofia. I felt that she needed to play a more prominent role in the story. What I did read about her had me liking her mojo.  I hope to read more about her in the next book.

I zipped through this book quickly. The short chapters kept the pace flying. The characters were diverse and likeable, or not, and the suspense and mystery were developed well, keeping me interested and on my toes.

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The problem with Alex Nicholas is that he won’t stay dead. Alex Nicholas was the consummate Queens bookie: fast cars and even faster women, and friends in all the wrong places. As an illegal sports betting and loan shark king in New York City, Alex was fearless-until the night his luck ran out and someone leveled the silver barrel of an automatic on him and pulled the trigger.

Michael Nicholas was everything his brother Alex was not: a powerful, married straight-arrow corporate CEO living the American Dream. Their two worlds collide when Michael discovers his brother’s secret laptop.

As Michael crosses the globe to find his brother’s murder, can he avoid his brother’s fate? And can the information contained in the laptop help Alex reach out to help Michael-from beyond the grave.

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Some of the most powerful people in the world want to kill Michael Nicholas. Only his brother, Alex can save him – the problem is that Alex is dead.It’s been almost a year since Alex Nicholas, a Queens based underworld Boss, was gunned down. After Alex’s brutal murder, Michael inherited not only his brother’s business – but his enemies. Michael is now a key player in a world he once feared. By day, he is the head of a Fortune 500 company by night, the CEO of Tartarus, one of the worlds largest illegal gambling operations.

Before his death, Alex invested heavily in breakthrough artificial intelligence software so that he could live forever. It worked. In his virtual form, Alex can communicate with Michael and monitor information – and people – in ways the NSA would envy.

It is Alex who discovers Michael’s life is in danger. He detects plots that reach from the darkest corners of Queens, to the highest officials in the Vatican – and they all want Michael dead.

Michael is now in a race to save his life, but he is never alone – Alex is there to help him navigate through this maze of life and death. Also protecting Michael from the forces closing in around him is Sindy Steele, a beautiful – and lethal bodyguard.

How far is Michael willing to go to save his own life – and that of his family? Guided only by a familiar face on a computer screen, will the information Alex discovers allow Michael to go from being the hunted to the hunter?

Author’s Bio:

E.J. Simon was the CEO of GMAC Global Relocation Services (a division of GM) and the Managing Director of Douglas Elliman, the largest real estate company in NY.

He is a consultant to many leading private equity firms and has held senior level positions at prominent financial services companies.

He is a world traveler, food enthusiast and lives in Connecticut. Death Never Sleeps is his first novel. His second novel, Death Logs In, will be available in October 2014.

Connect with him:  Website  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter

Where to buy the book:

Amazon ~  Barnes and Noble ~Chapters Indigo