Posts Tagged ‘Author E. Michael Helms’

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This is a Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry.

 It’s always a pleasure 

For today, I’m sharing my review of Deadly Spirits,book four of the Mac McClellan Mystery Series.

After reading my review, head on over to Sherry’s blog at fundinmental and check out her review. Leave a comment for more entries!

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Deadly Spirits

A Mac McClellan Mystery #4

by E. Michael Helms

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Genre: Mystery

My Review

This is my favorite in the series so far. I think it’s because I’m falling more for these characters with each new book. That and there’s something a bit more mysterious.

Mac McClellan is branching out from private investigations. His girlfriend talks him into joining the Palmetto Paranormal Society. Now he’s ghost hunting. Not one for whimsy, his military background formed him into a no nonsense man, he’s skeptical about things that go bump in the night.

It’s not long before his lark with the paranormal becomes real. The president of the society is found dead under suspicious circumstances and, as Mac does his thing investigating the death, more bodies start piling up.

Since the dead aren’t speaking, Mac investigates the only way he knows how, checking suspects off his list, digging up knew ones (pardon the pun), and stepping on toes. He may not be subtle, but he’ll get his man, or woman.

I really like Mac. I admire his discipline and bravery. Adore his affection for his dog, sneaking him human tidbits even though the dog will thank him with odiferous emissions later. And he’s quite the ladies man. Though he’s not fooled by a pretty cover. He’s just as likely to open a ladies door as to grill her when he suspects something fishy.  And he doesn’t stray from his lady love. Mac knows a good thing when he’s got it.

The author gives you a wide variety of suspects and more than one mystery to solve. He puts you in the setting, feeling the humidity of the southern air, smelling the fishy scent of the ocean, and hearing the calls of the soaring gulls. I’m a southern gal and felt right at home. Minus a dead body or two.

There’s also plenty of action. Things get burnt up and bullets fly. SSDD for Mac.

If you’re looking for a fun detective series with a great storyline, look no further.

  5  Stars

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Synopsis

When PI Mac McClellan’s girlfriend convinces him to join the Palmetto Paranormal Society, he becomes embroiled in a case of whooodunnit. The society president, while investigating an old hotel, is found dead at the foot of the stairwell, his neck broken. The man’s secretary and current squeeze stands horrified beside his body. Authorities rule the death an accident. Mac has doubts—no one heard the man tumbling down the stairs. Then the secretary dies in an apparent suicide. Two deaths in two paranormal investigations, and not a peep out of either victim. Mac suspects there’s more going on than a vengeful spirit.
Book 4 in the Mac McClellan Mystery series, which began with Deadly Catch.

AMAZON

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Author E. Michael Helms

E.Michael Helms

E. Michael Helms grew up in Panama City, FL. He played football and excelled in baseball as a catcher. Turning down a scholarship offer from the local Junior college, he joined the Marines after high school graduation. He served as a rifleman during some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War until wounded three times in one day. Helms discounts it as “waking up on the wrong side of the foxhole.”

His memoir of the war, The Proud Bastards, has been called “As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written … a modern military classic,” and remains in print after 25 years.

The Private War of Corporal Henson, a semi-autobiographical fictional sequel to The Proud Bastards, was published in August 2014.

A long-time Civil War buff, he is also the author of the historical saga, Of Blood and Brothers.

Seeking a respite from writing about war, Helms decided to give mysteries a try. The first novel of his Mac McClellan Mystery series, Deadly Catch, was published in November 2013 and was named Library Journal’s “Debut Mystery of the Month.” The second Mac McClellan Mystery, Deadly Ruse, premiered in November 2014. It won the 2015 RONE Award for “Best Mystery.” Deadly Dunes was published in March 2016 by Camel Press. Deadly Spirits is scheduled for release in January 2017.

With his wife, Karen, Helms now lives in the Upstate region of South Carolina in the shadow of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. He enjoys playing guitar, hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, and is an avid birdwatcher. He continues to listen as Mac McClellan dictates his latest adventures in his mystery series.

Represented by Fred Tribuzzo, The Rudy agency.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Amazon / Google +

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The grand prize is a $25 Gift Card, and available for anyone in the U.S. or Internationally, where legal. Also giving away 4 ebooks ( U.S. and/or International, in whichever available format you prefer). And two paperbacks (US Only).

Entry is easy. Just leave your email address so I can contact you if you win, let me know which format you are entering for, and answer this question:

Have you ever went ghost hunting or had a paranormal experience?

Now hop on over the Sherry’s post on fundinmental for her review. Be sure to comment for more entries!

Giveaway ends January 30th

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Other Books in the series.

17737094  20819729  27400409

My review for Deadly Catch

My review for Deadly Ruse coming soon.

My review for Deadly Dunes

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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 click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

 

This is a really fun meme!

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from:

 Deadly Spirits

A Mac McClellan Mystery #4

by E. Michael Helms

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Genre: Mystery

From page 56 in the paperback.

“I been doing some thinking, McClellan. Despite our differences, you’ve always been stand-up with me, so I’m going to let you in on this. I know you already got your big nose stuck in it, anyway.”

“You feeling all right, Sheriff?”

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Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

When PI Mac McClellan’s girlfriend convinces him to join the Palmetto Paranormal Society, he becomes embroiled in a case of whooodunnit. The society president, while investigating an old hotel, is found dead at the foot of the stairwell, his neck broken. The man’s secretary and current squeeze stands horrified beside his body. Authorities rule the death an accident. Mac has doubts—no one heard the man tumbling down the stairs. Then the secretary dies in an apparent suicide. Two deaths in two paranormal investigations, and not a peep out of either victim. Mac suspects there’s more going on than a vengeful spirit.
Book 4 in the Mac McClellan Mystery series, which began with Deadly Catch.

AMAZON

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I’ll be featuring this book in the Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry on Monday, January 16th. Be sure to stop by and read the reviews and enter the giveaway for a chance at a gift card and books!

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Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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This is a Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry.

Read on to learn how you can win some great prizes!

After reading my review, head on over to Sherry’s blog at fundinmental. Check out her review and leave a comment for an additional entry!

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Deadly Catch

A Mac McClellan Mystery #1

by E. Michael Helms

17737094

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Genre: Mystery / Thriller

My Review

Take a dip into southern waters. And watch out for dead bodies.

Mac McClellan has just retired after 24 years as a U.S. Marine . He hits the road, next stop the Florida panhandle, figuring to drop a line in the water and see what he’ll catch. What he doesn’t expect is a dead body on the end of the hook.

This puts him on the suspect list. Years in the military help Mac maintain his cool, but then a bag of marijuana is found on his boat. Now they add drug smuggling to his crimes and he’s hard pressed to explain it. The local authorities don’t take his claim of being framed too seriously. Looks like Mac will have to do his own digging to get to the bottom of it and clear his name before more bodies pile up, including his own.

Mac has easily found a spot on my list of favorite characters. He’s smart, yet he fumbles with the females. Tough, yet he has a soft side. I bet he cries at sad endings in movies. Intuitive, probably from all those years in service. Charming, without realizing he is. And dedicated. He will not stop when injustice stares him in the face.

This has everything you want in a good mystery. A character at loose ends who finds a purpose and can easily move into and around the law. A potential romance with fun and snarky encounters. The good cop/bad cop thing going on. It seems the law enforcement officials switch roles as needed.

And last but not least, some darn good writing. The author puts you on the southern coast. You’ll smell the fishy odor of the wind off the ocean. Squint your eyes from the suns glare off the placid surface of the water. And feel the sweltering humidity that’s so heavy the air is hazy with moisture.

Any mystery lover will enjoy this one. And there’s two more adventures with Mac. Also, a little birdie told me there’s more coming. Get started now so you’ll be ready.

  5 Stars

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Synopsis

“The first cast of the day turned my dream vacation into a nightmare. . . .”

After twenty-four years in the U.S. Marines, recently retired Mac McClellan is happy to be a civilian again. He is enjoying a leisurely fishing vacation in the Florida panhandle when he hooks a badly decomposed body.
Then, when a bag of rare marijuana is discovered stashed aboard his rental boat, he realizes someone is setting him up to take the fall for murder and drug smuggling. Mac’s plans for a more laid-back life must be put on hold while he works to clear his name as the number one suspect.
Mac launches an investigation with the help of Kate Bell, a feisty saleslady at the local marina with whom he has struck up a promising relationship. Along the way he must butt heads and match wits with local law enforcement officials, shady politicians, and strong-armed thugs from the Eastern Seaboard to sniff out and bring the real smuggler and killer to justice.

Amazon

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Author E. Michael Helms

E.Michael Helms

I was born in Georgia way back in the last century but grew up and lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast of Florida in Panama City (beautiful beaches, girls galore–ah, the memories!). In 2004 my wife and I moved to the Upstate region of South Carolina in the shadows of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, a land of stunning vistas and numerous waterfalls.
I’ve been traditionally published since 1990 when my Vietnam War memoir, The Proud Bastards, launched. TPB chronicles my time as a combat U.S. Marine in 1967-68. It’s still in print after all these years, currently with Simon & Schuster/Pocket. I’ve since written a few novels in different genres. I’m also working on a collection of “Dinger, PI” short stories that are being published on Motive Means Opportunity, a crime/mystery blog I share with two other writers of the same ilk. Currently I’m writing the Mac McClellan Mystery series which is set along the coast of the Florida Panhandle where I grew up.
 
Links:
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E. Michael Helms has a fantastic giveaway for you!
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A $20 Amazon Gift Card (International, where allowed)
Four pdf eBook copies of Deadly Catch (International)
and two print copies of Deadly Catch (US ONLY)
.
All you need to do to enter is answer the question below, also let us know if you are US or International, and leave your email so I can contact you if you win.
“Do you read books because of the setting?”
.

Giveaway will run from 8/23/16 – 8/31/16

This is a Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry at fundinmental.

Now hop on over and check out Sherry’s review and leave a comment for an additional entry  HERE.

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Other Books by E. Michael Helms

20819729  27400409  20972482

319249  17239254  18007062

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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 click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Deadly Dunes

Mac McClellan Mystery #3 

by E. Michael Helms

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Genre: Mystery

My Review

Living on the beautiful Gulf Coast of Mexico, I just knew I had to read this series. I’ve read the first two books and couldn’t wait to see what kind of pickle Mac got himself into this time.

Newly retired and looking for something new, Mac landed in the Florida Panhandle. It seems he’s a magnet for trouble and inadvertently ends up in a couple of murder cases.

An encounter with the enchanting, Kate, spurs him to put down roots. A young woman insists her brother, an archaeology professor, didn’t commit suicide, but was murdered. The plot thickens when she mysteriously dies in a car accident after speaking to Mac.

As suspects crawl out from under the woodwork, the author keeps you busy sifting through the false leads to find the motive and the killer or killers.

Mac. What can I say. Retired from the military, he’s got a bark he needs to tame. His girlfriend Kate is quick to remind him he’s no longer in the military and she doesn’t take orders.

It’s never mentioned but I wonder if Mac’s a Jimmy Buffet fan. He sure feels like a fellow parrothead.

The bullets fly. There are multiple car crashes. Beer and scotch are consumed. And you’re taken on a treasure hunt. What a bounty.

I’ve become familiar with the setting for this series and it’s fun to recognize locations and land marks.

I almost forgot to mention. There’s a shiny new character you’ll be meeting. His tag is Henry the Eighth, and you’ll love him!

With lots of action, a mystery that’s not easily solved, a feeling of coming home, and character’s I’ve become quite fond of, I was kept entertained.  I’m enjoying this series and hope there is more to come.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

Hours after hiring Mac McClellan to investigate the supposed suicide of her archaeologist brother, single-mom Jessie dies in a car accident. Jessie had just showed Mac artifacts and a copy of a map Jake found, items that indicate Hernando de Soto and his explorers might have camped on Five Mile Island during the winter of 1539-1540. Studying the map, Mac determines the site lies in the middle of a planned resort, The Dunes. Declaring the area an historic site could shut the project down. Suspicions aroused, he forges ahead, even though he no longer has a paying client.

Everywhere Mac turns, greed abounds, and no one he interviews seems innocent, even Jessie’s closest friends the Deckers, who have adopted her teenage daughter. Ron Decker’s construction company is building the Dunes, and he is heavily invested in its success. Then there is the oily son and ex-stripper wife of an old curmudgeon who won’t sell the one lot the project still needs to acquire. Jake’s estranged wife Laurel had plenty to gain from his death, and as Mac continues to dig, he begins to wonder if Jessie herself had more at stake than he was led to believe.

No one is happy about Mac’s persistence, and someone is unhappy enough to crash his truck and frame him for yet another murder. But Mac isn’t giving up, no matter what the cost.

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Purchase Links: eBook / Paperback

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Enjoy this glimpse inside.

During our meeting at Panama Joe’s Jessie had mention that her brother found the artifacts near the bay overlooking what appeared to be a dead forest sticking out of the water. That had to be The Stumps, and most likely the location of the Spaniards’ winter fort, if it had existed. But there was no telling how far out into the bay the small forested peninsula had extended during de Soto’s time. My guess was the main part of the fort was now under several feet of water. From my front pocket I pulled the map Jessie had given me of what during the 16th century was a seven-mile-long peninsula. I took it out of the protective ziplock bag. After studying it a minute or so I slipped in back in the bag and back in my shorts pocket.

My plan was to start inland and work my way in a crisscross pattern toward the bay. Not being familiar with the metal detector, and knowing I was looking for iron objects as well as coins, I turned the discrimination knob low and the sensitivity setting to about midrange and pressed the “All Metal” display. With those settings I’d probably come across a lot of trash, but it was my best shot at finding something worthwhile.

Sweeping the coil back and forth, I almost immediately picked up several beeps of different tones. I pinpointed the object as best I could, then dropped to a knee and pulled the garden trowel I’d borrowed from Kate from my back pocket and dug into the sand. A few seconds later I flipped up the rim of an old drink can that predated all-aluminum cans.

deadly dunes cover

The next ten or fifteen minutes produced nothing but pull tabs, rusted cans and other junk, and then the detector let out a beep different from the ones I’d been hearing. Digging down about four or five inches, I heard the trowel strike something solid and metallic. My adrenaline rushed as I lifted a coin with a trowel-full of sand. Brushing the coin clean, I saw it was an Indian Head penny in rough condition, dated either 1903 or 1908. It was no 16th century Spanish coin, but what the hell, I figured it had to be worth at least a few cents. The trip wasn’t a total loss.

The wind was picking up, and the thunder was getting louder by the minute. Deciding my chances would probably be better closer to the bay, I hurried in that direction. Jerry and I had to motor back to St. George, and I damn sure didn’t want to do it fighting a gale. About ten feet from the edge where the dunes began to slope downward to the bay the detector cut loose again. I dropped to both knees and began digging. I dug about a foot deep came up empty, so I passed the coil over the pile of sand I’d excavated to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. Nothing. I kept digging for another six or eight inches and then an object hit the pile and slid down a couple of inches. At first I thought it was an old bracelet someone had lost years ago, but on closer inspection I saw it was several small rusted oblong or circular loops linked tightly together, forming a patch-like object a couple of inches long and maybe an inch and a half wide. I had no idea what it was, but I slipped it into my pocket. You never know.

A few feet away the Bounty Hunter beeped again. Down and digging, I soon turned up a similar object, although this one was a little smaller in length. I dropped it in my pocket with the other one as a voice called out, “Hey, you!”

Oops! I turned and saw a tall lanky man with bushy hair approaching from about fifty yards away. He wore a tan shirt and trousers and a brown ball cap. It wasn’t a county sheriff’s uniform, but I had no intentions of hanging around long enough to find out who the guy worked for.

I scrambled to my feet and trotted toward the ledge as a shot rang out. The SOB was shooting at me, at least in my general direction! I hit the deck, cradling the detector in both arms and low crawled to the dune wall and went over head first. I spit out a mouthful of sand and tried to let loose a warning whistle to Jerry, but I doubt you could’ve heard it five feet away.

I turned feet-first and slid on down the slope and hit the beach running. Jerry had the boat waiting a few feet off the shoreline. I high-stepped through the shallows. Tossing the detector into the boat, I grabbed the bow and pushed for all I was worth. Jerry gunned the motor in reverse. I hung on until I managed to pull myself aboard and flop onto the deck.

“Turn this thing around and get the hell out of here!” I shouted, but Jerry was way ahead of the game. We were thirty or forty yards past the end of The Stumps when another shot rang out, barely discernable above the roar of the Merc 50. By then I was more pissed than scared, and if the Bounty Hunter was an M16 I would’ve had that chickenshit wannabe cop hugging Mother Earth for all he was worth.

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Author E. Michael Helms

Deadly Dunes Author E. Michael Helms

  1. Michael Helms grew up in Panama City, FL, on the beautiful coast of the Florida Panhandle. He played football and excelled in baseball as a catcher. Turning down a scholarship offer from the local Junior college, he joined the Marines after high school graduation. He served as a rifleman during some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War until wounded three times in one day. Helms discounts it as “waking up on the wrong side of the foxhole.”

His memoir of the war, The Proud Bastards, has been called “As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written … a modern military classic,” and remains in print after 25 years.

The Private War of Corporal Henson, a semi-autobiographical fictional sequel to The Proud Bastards, was published in August 2014.

A long-time Civil War buff, he is also the author of the historical saga, Of Blood and Brothers.

Seeking a respite from writing about war, Helms decided to give mysteries a try. The first novel of his Mac McClellan Mystery series, Deadly Catch, was published in November 2013 and was named Library Journal’s “Debut Mystery of the Month.” The second Mac McClellan Mystery, Deadly Ruse, premiered in November 2014. It won the 2015 RONE Award for “Best Mystery.” Deadly Dunes was published in March 2016 by Camel Press. Deadly Spirits is scheduled for release in January 2017.

With his wife, Karen, Helms now lives in the Upstate region of South Carolina in the shadow of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. He enjoys playing guitar, hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, and is an avid birdwatcher. He continues to listen as Mac McClellan dictates his latest adventures in his mystery series.

Represented by Fred Tribuzzo, The Rudy agency.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Amazon / Google +

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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 click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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