Posts Tagged ‘crime fiction’

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Clearing In The Woods

by Phyllis M. Newman

Clearing in the Woods
Women’s Psychological/Crime Fiction
Publisher: Independently published (October 31, 2019)
Paperback: 321 pages
ISBN-10: 1701629364
ISBN-13: 978-1701629363
Digital ASIN: B07ZTZMTVS

Roberta escapes her humdrum middle-class existence and the persistent ache of her dead mother’s secrets by fleeing to Alaska. Having abandoned everything she’d spent her life building, Roberta remakes herself in another place, doing anything other than responding to the demands of her self-absorbed husband, her entitled kids, and her Pottery Barn home. Taking her first job since college, and a small room above a tourists’ shop, she contemplates new vistas. She never expected, however, to find romance in the form of a handsome federal agent involved in murder and mayhem.And it is murder and mayhem, and the discovery of other’s secrets, that causes Roberta to run for her life into the Alaskan wilderness…

About Phyllis M. Newman 

PHYLLIS NEWMAN

Phyllis M. Newman is a native southerner. Born in New Orleans, she spent formative years in Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, and on a dairy farm in Ross County, Ohio. After a long career in finance and human resources at The Ohio State University, she turned her attention to writing fiction. She published a noir mystery, “Kat’s Eye” in 2015, a Gothic mystery, “The Vanished Bride of Northfield House” in 2018, and the suspense thriller “Clearing in the Woods” in 2019. Today she lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and three perpetually unimpressed cats, none of whom venture far from home.

Author Links: Website / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase Link – Amazon 

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Today I’m sharing my review of Necessities by Boyd Taylor. The fourth book in his Donnie Ray Cuinn Series.

Click on the titles to read my reviews for his previous three books Hero, The Antelope Play and The Monkey House.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Necessitites

The Donnie Ray Cuinn Series #4

by Boyd Taylor

36576892

Category:  Adult Fiction,  225 pages
Genre:   Suspense Crime Fiction
Publisher:  Katherine Brown Press
Release date:  December 5, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is a murder and elusions to sex. Some mild cursing.)

My Review

This is the most convoluted of the books in the series. You don’t even get to Donnie until about halfway through the book. He’s requested to defend a war hero in a murder case. David lost his legs in Iraq and has overcome a lot. He boxes and runs marathons and winds up marrying into a very rich family. But he might not get his happy ever after.

He can’t outrun the murder charge and remembers Donnie from another case. Donnie’s reluctant to take it on as he doesn’t do criminal cases but he can’t refuse after hearing David’s story. An innocent man must be kept out of jail.

While different from the previous books because it’s actually David’s story you read first, Donnie rises to the occasion in the second half. And he’s still dealing with some smaller cases. How he handles them is always a hoot. I like the way the man thinks.

And I got tricked this time. I thought I knew what really happened. Then I didn’t. Then I did. Kept me on my toes throughout and I’m still liking this author’s style. I hope there will be more.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Donnie Ray Cuinn returns to Austin to defend a war hero accused of murder. David Lewis lost both legs in Iraq, but he has overcome his nightmares and his disabilities by sheer willpower. He has learned to run and to box and is a successful newspaperman with a beautiful wife and son. Now the nightmares have returned and he must stand trial for murder. With twists that never seem to end, this gripping legal thriller is filled with suspense and indelibly drawn characters dealing with love and betrayal.

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Watch the book trailer for Necessities (Book #4 in the Donnie Ray Cuinn Series)

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Meet the Author:
 

BOYD TAYLOR lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and their Havanese dog Toby. Necessities is the fourth novel in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series. In a former life, Boyd was a lawyer and a corporate officer. A native of Temple, Texas, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in government and an LL.B. from the law school.

Boyd’s first novel “Hero” was prescient in its story about fake news. His second novel, “The Antelope Play,” dealt with drug trafficking in the Texas Panhandle, an unfortunately accurate forecast. The third, “The Monkey House”, involved commercial development of a large green space in the center of Austin, all too familiar to Austin residents. Whether his upcoming novel “Necessities” predicts future events with the accuracy of the earlier books remains to be seen.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Facebook

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Enter the Giveaway!
Ends March 7, 2018

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Has she already fallen prey to the vicious stranger hunting her?

 

Publication Date: Jan 26, 2016
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Crime Fiction

Life turns from barely tolerable to complete hell when Maddy Eastin’s impulsive plan to win back the attention of her absentee father backfires. Word of her scheme spreads through her high school, but when mockery escalates to cyberbullying, Maddy and her failed stunt become headline news. But the worst is yet to come…

A disturbed man is fighting the overwhelming urge to surrender to his true nature—a moral code molded by a sadistic father who taught him that a girl needs proper training to become the perfect subservient woman. As he watches Maddy on the evening news, his already fractured psyche completely splinters. She’s the girl he’s been waiting for.

When Maddy disappears, she’s labeled a runaway even though her mother believes it was foul play. Will the two detectives investigating Maddy’s disappearance find her before it’s too late? Or has she already fallen prey to the vicious stranger hunting her?

This psychological thriller unfolds through the viewpoints of five deeply flawed characters. Each is on their own emotionally charged journey that ultimately intersects in a collision course of devastating consequences.

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Enjoy this Excerpt

Lily unlocked the craft store’s two front doors, then stood aside to allow a couple of impatient women to enter.

Gotta get your early morning scrapbooking fix, don’t you, ladies?

She forced the biting retort to stay firmly in her mind. Outwardly, she smiled, greeting the women, who were already racing down the center aisle.

When did I become so bitter?

Lily had always thought of herself as a pleasant person, the type to consider another person’s feelings over her own. She believed she was the sort of friend others wanted in their corner. One who would roll up her sleeves and jump in during the tough times. So how was it that she could deal with other people’s problems so well, yet completely fall apart during the rough patches in her own life?

It seemed to her that having single-mom status thrust upon her had been the tipping point. She didn’t know how other women did it. There was no time to grieve over a spouse walking out when every waking moment was either spent trying to earn enough income to keep their whole house of cards from crashing down or being an emotional cheerleader for Maddy in order to get her through.

When Tom had still been part of the family, at least there had been someone else to pass the baton to once in a while. He may have travelled a lot with his job, but whenever he was home, he and Maddy were always together. Those were the times Lily could take a break. Take time for herself, to recharge and in turn have something to offer back to her family. Lily had been running on empty for so long now, she had nothing left to give.

At least I don’t have to listen to someone constantly belittle me anymore.

She was glad for that, but still felt sad when she thought about no longer having a man in her life who loved her. She didn’t know which was worse—Tom’s stinging verbal attacks or being alone.

            What would happen if I just sat in the middle of this store and refused to move?

Lily cracked a smile as she pictured herself plopping down on the floor in full tantrum mode.

Maddy got to do it, why can’t I?

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Kelly Miller grew up shivering in Illinois but now enjoys the year-round sunshine in Tampa, FL. Her debut novel, “Dead Like Me,” won second place in the best mystery category of the 2011 FWA Royal Palm Literary Awards competition. It was also named a semi-finalist in the mystery category of The Kindle Book Review’s 2013 Best Indie Books Awards competition. The Detective Kate Springer series continues with the second book, “Deadly Fantasies.” In Kelly’s newest book, “Splintered” which is a 2015 Kindle Scout winner, she introduces her readers to a whole new cast of characters. Visit www.kellymillerauthor.com to get a glimpse into the inner workings of her writing life.

 

 

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What did you think of that excerpt? Sound like something you’d enjoy?

I love psychological thrillers. Getting into peoples minds. Reading about what makes them tick.

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