Brilliant Fast Paced Action thriller

                                                              Redemption Kills
                                                                    
                                                                       By

                                                             L.W. Wedgwood

Redemption Kills is a great book in the tradition of James Patterson’s Alex Cross’s novels. Only the protagonist, Dane Larusio is a wealthy hotel magnate who owns a string of high end hotels and resorts throughout the world. As the book opens, the reader learns that Dane is a risk taker as he and his friend, Koso, play a life and death game of Riviera Roulette. I’m not going to commit a spoiler by discussing Riviera Roulette, but let’s just say it puts Russian roulette to shame.

In a flashback, Dane recalls his youth, when as an eighteen year old, he is recruited to plant bombs for a criminal duo named Sticks and Stones. Dane’s memories trigger his final job with Sticks and Stones when he assists them to plant a bomb which kills his uncle and cripples his father. Dane re-visits the destructive scene and finds a metal case which contains five million US dollars and this money serves as the seed money to launch his hotel empire.

Then as Dane visits home for the first time in fifteen years and reads of other bombings, he vows to seek out criminals and destroy them as redemption of sorts for the guilt he feels for the bombing which killed his uncle and maimed his father.

The author takes the reader through a labyrinth of intrigue as Dane wreaks his redemptive vengeance on the heads of major crime families and begins a pursuit of Krait, the person controlling the International Underworld Syndicate (IUS). Once a criminal organization reaches a level of success encompassing receipts of a hundred million US dollars, they are encouraged to join and the IUS and the result of a refusal to join the IUS is life-threatening. Dane’s focus is to eliminate these criminal masterminds as he travels his quest to destroy Krait.

The journey leads Dane and his new friend, Angelica Skiathos, the daughter of a major criminal arms trafficker, through a maze of trust issues, betrayal, intrigue, and action from Europe to South America to the steppes of Mongolia, the jungles of Cambodia and beyond. Mr. Wedgwood has mastered the art of characterization as he portrays the various criminals and other players in his narrative.

 In addition, he keeps the reader engaged as he moves from plot twist to plot twist; cross, double cross and triple cross in this thriller. Through all these machinations, the author has salted a clue or two to keep his readers guessing about the resolution of the plot and the identity of heretofore unknown villains.

Each chapter has the action one would find in a single full-length novel and this book is jam-packed with sixteen chapters of action. I highly recommend this book and encourage all thriller and action readers to buy it and read it

Expert Prose and First Class Publishing - Professionalism Personified!

I have read the "Sea Cutter" by Mr. Tim Davis and I cannot be more impressed. I normally don't read YA fiction. I did read this seafaring tale and I am glad I did.

I read the print edition and both the prose and the layout of this book reflect the highest standards.

Firstly, this is a rip roaring tale of adventure both on land and on the high seas. It tell the story of Nathaniel Childe, a young man who receives a secret message from his father, whom had been declared "lost at sea". Nathaniel has made a solemn vow to his mother that he would not put out to sea. As the book opens, Nathaniel is helping his mother operate a chandling business selling and repairing items needed by the seafaring folk of New Bedford.

When his mother travels to care for a sick relative, Wayland, a close family friend who served with Nat's father, appears and Nat receives a metal chest which belonged to his father. The contents of the box convince Nat that his father is alive and Nat and Wayland set out on Wayland's sloop, the Sea Cutter, to find Nat's father. Nat has tricked Wayland into believing that his mother has approved this venture.

There are sinister characters, a rogue named Snake and his accomplice, Robo, to provide sufficient plot twists and suspense to keep the reader turning the pages until the reader (even the young at heart readers such as I) finds it is late at night indeed, Where did the time go?

Next, Mr. Davis writes in a clear, direct style which engages the reader and he has mastered the art keeping the reader in suspense. He creates a suspenseful situation which compels the reader to keep reading in order to figure out Mr. Davis' next move in the narrative.

In addition, the publishing aspect of this book is first class. The cover is nothing short of phenomenal with its depiction of the Sea cutter battling a storm and in thaqt depiction, the reader begins to sense the action to come within the book. Also the headers and footers of each page have little scrolls which surround the author's name and book title in the header and the page numbers in each footer.

The layout of this book made it a pleasure to read.

This book is first class from every aspect you view it.

I highly recommend it for young people and the young at heart who love adventure.

Can I give it a "10"?

Excellent Insight Into the Mind of Military Working Dog

I am in awe of Robert Crais and his talent as a writer. In his other novels, he has shown himself to the master of describing the inner workings of his character’s mind through the use of well-turned phrases as he describes the actions in which they are involved.

 Take the way he has described Joe Pike, gun shop owner and partner to Elvis Cole, as Joe has helped Elvis solve a number of cases and then in two books where Joe Pike is the central character. The reader then feels he knows Joe Pike intimately through his actions and reactions to outside stimuli.

Now in his latest novel, “Suspect”, the author has taken the reader inside the mind of an explosives detection dog named Maggie. It is incredible the way that Mr. Crais is able to describe the inner workings of a dog’s mind and he continues this feat throughout the book. In this book, Maggie, after serving three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffers PTSD in an incident in which her, handler. Pete, is blown up (and Maggie concussed) by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.

 As the books opens, Scott James, a Los Angeles patrolman becomes involved in a shooting incident in which he is seriously wounded and his partner, Stephanie, is fatally shot. After recovering from his wounds Scott is given the option to retire but instead opts for an assignment with the LAPD canine unit and is paired with Maggie. Both Scott and Maggie are “suspect” because of their injuries and both must prove themselves, hence the title. Scott then proceeds on a predictable quest to get to the bottom of his shooting and his partner’s murder. While this resolution is predictable, the author pursues it in a realistic manner.

The real gem in this story is the interaction between Scott and Maggie and the inner workings of the dog’s mind. I highly recommend this novel as an excellent read.

 To see the works of Robert Crais on Amazon, you can click this link. Robert Crais


Or for the Kindle edition

Why is Lee Child the Master of Suspense?

I am an unabashed admirer of author Lee Child and his Jack Reacher series of books. The first book of the series I read was “One Shot”, the ninth book in the series. After finishing it, I promptly went and started reading all the other books in the series beginning with first one, “The Killing Floor”, and then read the remaining books in the series in order. Of course, like millions of readers I was fascinated by the character of Jack Reacher, ex-military policemen and drifter, who lives by his own set of rules and unique sense of justice. Granted Jack Reacher is an interesting man. He is a big man and a brilliant investigator. He can handle himself with fists, knives, and all manner of firearms. He knows how to win fights and fights dirty because he fights to win. When confronted against bad guys, he has no hesitation about sending them to a past life without judge or jury. He is a remarkable investigator who knows the ways of the world and uses this knowledge to make interesting deductions. Jack can reach a conclusion based upon the evidence provided to the reader which is surprising yet logical. Interesting as the character is, this alone did not account for my fascination with the series. What was it? As I continued to read this series, I recognized Lee Child was able to capture my attention and keep it until the end of each book. What was it which totally captivated me? What continued to enthrall and mesmerize the millions who, like me, wait to be taken on the next Jack Reacher adventure? I came to realize that something more than the uniqueness of Jack Reacher had kept me reading the series and kept me waiting in anticipation for the release of the next Jack Reacher adventure. What was it that prompted me to order the Jack Reacher short stories prepared in digital form and available on Kindle. There, again, the same thing hit me. In the story, “Second Son”, why was I so drawn to this character and a story about his investigative prowess when he was a teenager on the island of Okinawa?

The answer is remarkably simple and it took an article by Lee Child in the New York Times to make me realize his genius. A former television producer, Mr. Child, like many other producers, had to deal with the invention of the remote control. They had to come up with a solution to keep viewers from changing channels during commercials. As a result, the television programs began to ask questions just before each act ended so that the viewers would stay tuned to receive the answer to the question posed. The Jack Reacher series is so successful because the author has worked so hard to master the art of asking a question and placing this question in the reader’s mind keeps them turning pages until they find out the answer. As the author explained in his article ….

“How do you create suspense?” has the same interrogatory shape as “How do you bake a    cake?”      And we all know — in theory or practice — how to bake a cake. We need ingredients, and we infer that the better quality those ingredients are, the better quality the cake will be. We know that we have to mix and stir those ingredients, and we’re led to believe that the more thoroughly and conscientiously we combine them, the better the cake will taste. We know we have to cook the cake in an oven, and we figure that the more exact the temperature and timing, the better the cake will look. So writers are taught to focus on ingredients and their combination. They’re told they should create attractive, sympathetic characters, so that readers will care about them deeply, and then to plunge those characters into situations of continuing peril, the descent into which is the mixing and stirring, and the duration and horrors of which are the timing and temperature. But it’s really much simpler than that."

"“How do you bake a cake?” has the wrong structure. It’s too indirect. The right structure and the right question is: “How do you make your family hungry?” And the answer is: You make them wait four hours for dinner.” 

From the Lee Child article, “A Simple Way to Create suspense” 12/08/2012 New York Times http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/08/a-simple-way-to-create-suspense/ 

It seems like such a simple answer. If only the application of that theory were so simple? Then, the world would have my name on their lips as a master of suspense instead of Lee Child. Now, what was my name again?

If you want to check out all the Lee Child books on Amazon, here is a link .
Lee Child h

 I have also added two links; one for hard copy of Lee Child's latest thriller, "A Wanted Man".

If you are looking for a Kindle, here is a link to the bestselling Kindle Reader on Amazon.

A Realistic Mirror of Life in a Women's Prison

This book, "Orange is The New Black" is this month's selection for review by the Book Club of the Friendes of the Bulverde/spring Branch Library. With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years ago. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187-424—one of the millions of women who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules, where the uneasy relationship between prisoner and jailer is constantly and unpredictably recalibrated. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Kerman’s story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison—why it is we lock so many away and what happens to them when they’re there. This spellbinding tale portrays an authentic view of prison life and ree4ks of realism. Small wonder it is becoming an Amazon bestseller. to order the hard bound print copy of this book, please click the link below. Kindle eBook Link

Brad Thor's Full black is a Thriller Par Excellence

I recently finished reading Full Black by Brad Thor.  After I finished, I wondered why I had waited so long to start reading his books again.

I guess it is a matter of so many books and so little time.

This is a thriller par excellence!  Scot Harvath continues his fight against terrorism as a member of the Carlton Group, a private Defense Department intelligence, terrorism fighting group.  The Carlton group has inherited the mantle of "wet work" from the CIA, which has become an administrative and bureaucratic organization.   In this adventure, Scot and the other members of the group continue their search for a terrorist group which is threatening to bombard the US with a series of devastating attacks under the direction of a billionaire financier who wants the US to crumble to foster his own socialist agenda.

There are several action filled plot lines. which the author deftly manages to merge at the conclusion of the novel.

Once again, Scot Harvath dispatches the bad guys with fatal results; but not before there are several attacks against the US homeland.

An engaging action adventure tale and a must read for all lovers of the genre. 




Need a Kindle?

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