When androids are reprogrammed into hit men, detectives of the Artificial Crimes Unit repo the AnSub and track down the hackers. Partners Jake and EC’s case of an “extra-judicial” divorce settlement takes a nasty turn with DNA from a hundred-year-old murder in Boston and a signature that harkens back to the very first serial killer ever in London.
The abandoned building in the Warehouse District was dark and cold. I didn’t have glass on the AnSub, but we were picking up an RFI signature that was an eighty percent match to the A-VIN profile. My Smith & Wesson eM&P was out and humming in my hand, ready for me to take a shot. Behind us the SWAT team was spreading out into position to monitor our visual feed from outside so they wouldn’t jam the ambient signals with their tac gear. We went passive on our glass as soon as we entered the building.
I looked over at EC, my partner, pressed against the far wall covering the left side of the industrial cavern, which was piled high with discarded junk—desks, chairs, pallets of boxed materials and strange hulking machines that no doubt once fabricated some kind of pieces-parts necessary for the stuff consumers once found they absolutely-positively could not live without in their daily drone lives—all collected from businesses that absolutely-positively no longer existed. The quiet was oppressive and haunting. We both strained for an aural clue to the location of our quarry, since the electronic intel was still too weak to pinpoint within the building.
We slowly wove around the junk, deeper and deeper into the room. I led. EC followed, constantly adjusting the ePD scanning app to search and map the room. I muted the tactical channels and stripped most of the data from my view to let him work the tech and comm. It’s too distracting. I needed to maintain focus. I needed to be able to react.
This particular Android Subject apparently went off the rails and killed a luckless pedestrian on his way to a bodega for some iced tea or bottled water to quench his thirst. A one-in-a-million occurrence, but every so often it still happens. Anyone who believes technology is infallible is a fool. The incident didn’t appear all that nefarious when first reported, but shortly thereafter the Atlas data stream went dark and patrol called our unit in. It quickly became obvious we were dealing with a malware hit, not a malfunction. The luckless pedestrian was actually not so luckless, being on what appeared to be the winning side of a particularly nasty termination suit with his ex, who we suspected had outsourced the final settlement to extra-judicial parties.
It might not make sense, but the beloved Media tags it “Murder by Munchausen.” For a price, there are hackers out there who will reprogram a synthoid to do your dirty work. The bad news: no fingerprints or DNA left at the crime scene. The good news—at least for us—is that they’re like missiles: once they hit their target, they’re usually as harmless as empty brass. The trick is to get them before they melt down their core OS data, so you can get the unit into forensics for analysis and, hopefully, an arrest.
EC’s scanner returned a hard ping. His quick double blink put his cross-hairs up on my lens and I followed his eye line to the northwest corner of the building. I swept my eyes up and down to acknowledge and we slowly headed in that direction. As we moved, the RF signal narrowed and confirmed bogey lock with a low growl in my ear buds. EC swung out from the left and unshouldered his shotgun. Good old-fashioned blast power often came in handy to buy some time. Like I said, usually they’re harmless, but usually just ain’t good enough odds for me…
M.T. Bass is a scribbler of fiction who holds fast to the notion that while victors may get to write history, novelists get to write/right reality. He lives, writes, flies and makes music in Mudcat Falls, USA.
“Pay attention to the signs that are all around you,” Sarah’s mother
used to say. Sarah never listened until her world turned upside down
in the wake of her mother’s death. When sifting through the fiery
ashes, signs begin to appear, giving her the feeling that the
accident was less of an accident and more of foul play. While Sarah
struggles to understand the images haunting her dreams, she finds
herself losing a grip on reality.
Based on true events, Sarah unravels the mystery surrounding her mother’s
death, and, in doing so, uncovers an internal darkness capable of
murder.
Horses were one of my first loves, and writing soon followed. As a child, I
spent hours writing poems, and short stories (about horses). My
parents realized that I was horse-obsessed and decided to buy me one
after taking riding lessons for two years. I think they hoped that
all of the hard work, and hours spent mucking stalls would help me
give up this expensive hobby. They were wrong. Writing is still a
passion of mine, although now I primarily write fiction. My first
novel, Red Rock, was published in 2010, and big surprise, there are
horses in it. My second novel, The Three Month Plan was released
August 2013.
Other Loves: My family, yoga, skincare and makeup, sushi, and raising money
for pediatric cancer. I have two rescue dogs and would have more if
there weren’t zoning restrictions. I’m always trying something
new, as I tend to get bored very easily. Thankfully, my love of
driving around with the gas light on fuels some excitement. I love
novels with happy endings, and am a hopeful romantic. My latest
obsession is browsing Netflix, and I can name all 50 states in
alphabetical order in under 30 seconds. Do I feel a wager coming on?
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:
Bone White
by Wendy Corsi Staub
Genre: Mystery
My 56 from the paperback.
“Your turn now, Jane. I’ll do for you what I did for the Beauties. I’ll find out who you were, and what happened to you.”
~~~~~
Read on if you want to know more.
Synopsis
New York Times Bestselling Author Wendy Corsi Staub revisits Mundy’s Landing—a small town with a blood-soaked past.
The town of Mundy’s Landing was founded on a horrifying secret, but stark white bones of the dead never lie…
“We shall never tell.” Spurred by the cryptic phrase in a centuries-old letter, Emerson Mundy travels to her ancestral hometown to trace her past. In Mundy’s Landing, she connects with long lost relatives—and a closet full of skeletons going back centuries.
In the year since former NYPD Detective Sullivan Leary solved the historic Sleeping Beauty Murders, she—like the village itself—has made a fresh start. But someone has unearthed blood-drenched secrets in a disembodied skull, and is hacking away at the Mundy family tree, branch by branch…
I enjoyed the first book in this series and I’ve been following Lauren’s Mac Faraday series too. It’s fun to have the character’s cross back in forth in both of them.
This story focuses on Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton, recently married and getting used to life together.
Jessica is having a recurring nightmare, like a night terror, and they decide the only way to rid her of them is to revisit the scene from whence they come, a horrible crime from her youth. Several people were brutally murdered in Pine Bridge and she had spent the summer there at her relative’s inn.
Jessica and Murphy, along with their dog, Spencer/Candi, arrive at the inn and start to sniff out clues. The deeper they dig, the more dangerous it becomes as bullets fly from in and from all directions.
Boy, this is one tangled up bunch of shenanigans. There’s lots going on and plenty of suspects. I really didn’t know who was guilty of what until right near the end. That’s always a good thing for me.
And, as usual, Lauren drips beloved characters from past stories into this one, just like I’d hope. Bumping into them is always fun, as they stay in my mind from earlier adventures.
I also enjoy the non human characters, of which there are many. Lots of critters romp through all Lauren’s books. One in particular I was hoping to meet again. Monica. She made an appearance. Did she ever.
And I met a new character that quickly became another favorite. Nigel. He’s not a breathing entity. He’s Jessica’s and Murphy’s virtual butler, designed by her brother, Tristan. Nigel comes in very handy with his ability to go anywhere on the internet, plucking out info no one else can. Fun occurs when he starts to become a bit big for his britches.
Another fun, convoluted mystery from a talented author. I’ll always be waiting for the next one.
5 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
After months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in their new home, everything appears to be perfect … except in the middle of the night when, in darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep secret from Jessica’s past creeps to the surface to make her strike out at Murphy.
When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may have witnessed the murder of a family living near a winery owned by distant relatives she was visiting and suppressed the memory.
Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims, Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker, a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an end to the Thorny Rose couple?
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
The case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!
Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Welcome to My Monday Minis Reviews where I share short reviews of books I’ve read. For today I’ll be sharing my thoughts about the audible book A Human Element, the first book in Donna Galanti’s Element Trilogy. I read the eBook and was excited to listen to it too. I know this is supposed to be a short review but I got carried away.
A Human Element
The Element Trilogy #1
by Donna Galanti
Narrated by Chase Bradley
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Format: Audible
My Review
Ben is hiding from his parents on the shore of Coopersville Lake when it happens.
A meteorite crashes into a group of cabins, one of which contains his parents, and all that remains is a huge crater of steam and fire. In one bright green flash, Ben’s life is forever changed, and for another, it has just begun.
No one could know the long-reaching consequences of that fatal night.
Some months later.
A young girl struggles to bring her child into the world. She came to the doctor in secret.
The doctor doesn’t know why the mysterious man waiting outside wants the baby, he just cares about getting paid.
In a rush, the baby enters the world. Sadly, the young mother does not survive. But wait, there is another baby fighting to be born, a beautiful baby girl.
An exchange is made, but the doctor doesn’t mention the baby girl, he will give her to the Armstrongs to raise.
This is an especially dramatic scene in the audible book. I read it and got a good feel for it in the eBook, but listening to it makes it much more chilling.
Many years later, that baby girl, Laura, is all grown up and back home trying to find out why the people closest to her are being slaughtered. The answers lie here. She has always had the headaches and nightmares and she knows everything is coming together – the monster chasing her in her nightmares, the mysterious man in black who has always been on the periphery of her life, and whatever happened the night of the meteorite crash. It’s all connected.
This part of the story is also very powerful when narrated. I was anxious even though I knew what was going to happen.
Laura and Ben are thrown together as death races towards them. They need answers about that fatal night if they’re to survive what is coming.
Two babies were born that night, Laura and the boy child called X-10. One looked human in every way and the other looked like a monster.
From the first page to the bittersweet end, I was completely immersed in this book. A story of love, humanity, and absolute evil. And now, listening to the audible, I’m even more full of feels for this series.
Donna Galanti’s debut novel has an energy, an essence, that gives it life.
With a superb plot and a thrilling all- out race to the end, A Human Element is excellent.
5 Stars
~~~~~
Narrator Chase Bradley
I enjoyed this audible edition as much as reading the book. Chase Bradley did a great job, his enunciation is strong and he’s keeps the story always moving forward. Donna made a wise choice using him to tell her story and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more books read by him.
~~~~~
Synopsis
Evil comes in many forms…
One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.
Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite in her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a madman, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together.
But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his, and she has two choices-redeem him or kill him.
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:
The Roanoke Girls
by Amy Engel
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
My 56 from the hardcover.
Sharon laughs, a hoarse little cackle, when she sees my face. “What? Did I hurt your feelings? Are you going to tell on me?
I couldn’t believe it when I won this book. It’s so my kind of story and I’m itching to get started on it. Hey….. it’s supposed to rain this weekend, so guess what I’ll be doing! LOL
~~~~~
Read on if you want to know more.
Synopsis
Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.
After her mother’s suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother’s mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran fast and far away.
Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.
As it weaves between Lane’s first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My Teaser for this week is from
House Of Seven Days
by Juniper Ellis
Genre: Mystery
My teaser from 10% in the eBook.
“I’m dangerously close to being thoughtful right now. At least it doesn’t require me to do much of anything.”
This tickled my funny bone. LOL
~~~~~
Read on if you want to know more.
Synopsis
An inheritance with a twist… A wanderer and confirmed loner, Francine Pond is not thrilled to inherit her great-aunt True’s sprawling mansion. She’s even less pleased to learn she is required to solve a mystery involving a series of clues contained in True’s will. And she only has seven days to complete the task. Complicated by life-sized games, ghosts, and a cast of improbable tenants… Pond is not alone in this house of oddities. In addition to a teenaged storyteller and an enigmatic chimney sweep, she is joined by Ferdinand, a mysterious man who wants to help her in her mission for reasons known only to himself and his beloved dog. Unsure who to trust… Between a rogue circus performer and her elephant, a vengeful ringmaster, meddling neighbors, and a bewildering series of quests, Pond begins to doubt if she’ll ever solve the twisted-and sometimes deadly-puzzles and regain her freedom. But is there anywhere to go if the apocalypse really has already come to Baltimore? Or will she have to stay, no matter the cost, to save herself and the misfits who might have become her friends?
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:
Relentless
An Elisabeth Reinhardt Novel
by Nancy J Alexander
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
My 56 from the paperback is actually from page 57 as page 56 was blank.
“I have horrible flashbacks about things I don’t remember, but I know they are real. And I can’t shake the feeling that I’m in danger.”
~~~~~
Read on if you want to know more.
Synopsis
The little girl lay under the hay stack scarcely breathing. Sweat poured down her face and dripped into her eyes; her heart pounded through her thin chest. Tiny flecks of hay clung to her wet skin, making her itch. She squeezed her nose tightly afraid she’d sneeze. Eyes clamped shut, she lay there. Flies buzzed around her, crawling on her. She didn’t move. She didn’t know how long she’d been there in the loft. She didn’t care how long she stayed. She couldn’t move. Not yet.” Nearly a lifetime after a childhood filled with misery and abuse, Gina, now a successful doctor, finds herself thrown back into a terrifying world where her nightmares become far more than just a dream. With the help of an unconventional therapist with secrets of her own, the hunt is on and Gina fights for her life in this harrowing tale of cat and mouse.
Murder by the Book: A Mystery Mini Print Length: 27 pages Publisher: Mike Byrnes and Associates, Inc. (February 27, 2016) Publication Date: February 27, 2016 ASIN: B01CC3NJQO
Murder By The Book
by Devorah Fox
Murder by the Book: A Mystery Mini Print Length: 27 pages Publisher: Mike Byrnes and Associates, Inc. (February 27, 2016) Publication Date: February 27, 2016 ASIN: B01CC3NJQO
My Review
Ever had a boss you just wanted to kill? These characters did.
Everybody is a suspect and it’s a lot of fun to read about all of the reasons they wanted their boss dead.
I thought I had it figured out pretty early, but then I shifted to another suspect, and then another. The author kept me on my toes and the final reveal in this whodunit was a good one.
I felt the author did well in developing her characters and I could easily fit into this office. Felt kind of familiar.
I enjoy short stories. It gives me a chance to sample the author’s writing. This was a quick read and a fun mystery and I’d keep reading if the author chose to make this a series.
4 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
An ordinary work day at the western Massachusetts Sugarloaf Inn turns more chilling than the winter weather when staff member Candy Wadsen makes a gruesome discovery. Her day goes from bad to worse when Candy realizes that Detective Sergeant Dan Petrowski suspects her of committing the crime.
“What if?” Those two words all too easily send Devorah Fox spinning into flights of fancy. Best-selling author of an award-winning literary historical fantasy series and several thrillers, she also penned Mystery Mini Short Reads and contributed short stories to popular fantasy anthologies. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she now lives on the Texas Gulf Coast with rescued tabby cats … and a dragon named Inky. Visit the “Dee-Scoveries” blog at http://devorahfox.com
