Mind Games of a Sociopath in: Black Flowers, White Lies by Y. Ventresca

Author: Yvonne Ventresca
Series: Unknown
Released: October 4th 2016
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Length: 272 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Her father died before she was born, but Ella Benton knows they have a supernatural connection. Since her mother discourages these beliefs, Ella keeps her cemetery visits secret. But she may not be the only one with secrets. Ella’s mother might be lying about how Dad died sixteen years ago. Newfound evidence points to his death in a psychiatric hospital, not as a result of a tragic car accident as her mother always claimed. After a lifetime of just the two of them, Mom suddenly feels like a stranger.

When a handprint much like the one Ella left on her father’s tombstone mysteriously appears on the bathroom mirror, at first she wonders if Dad is warning her of danger as he did once before. If it’s not a warning, could her new too-good-to-be-true boyfriend be responsible for the strange occurrences? Or maybe it’s the grieving building superintendent whose dead daughter strongly resembles Ella? As the unexplained events become more frequent and more sinister, Ella becomes terrified about who—or what—might harm her.

Soon the evidence points to someone else entirely: Ella herself. What if, like her father, she’s suffering from a breakdown? In this second novel from award-winning author Yvonne Ventresca, Ella desperately needs to find answers, no matter how disturbing the truth might be.

With its intriguing title and gorgeous cover, Black Flowers, White Lies immediately draws our attention and promises to be a great paranormal story, a frightening psychological thriller and a thorough exploration of loss and grief, all rolled into one. It is a pretty tall order for a relatively small book, so feeling mildly disappointed in the end doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Black Flowers, White Lies could have been a much better work, but it fell a bit short in execution and characterization.

Review: Vicarious

Author: Paula Stokes

Series: Vicarious, #1

Relased: August 16th 2016

Publisher: Tor Teen

Length: 334 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

Winter Kim and her sister, Rose, have always been inseparable. Together, the two of them survived growing up in a Korean orphanage and being trafficked into the United States. 

Now they work as digital stunt girls for Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Gideon, engaging in dangerous and enticing activities while recording their neural impulses for his Vicarious Sensory Experiences, or ViSEs. Whether it’s bungee jumping, shark diving, or grinding up against celebrities at the city’s hottest dance clubs, Gideon can make it happen for you, for a price.

When Rose disappears and a ViSE recording of her murder is delivered to Gideon, Winter won’t rest until she finds her sister’s killer. But when the clues she uncovers conflict with the neural recordings her sister made, Winter isn’t sure what to believe. To find out what happened to Rose, she’ll have to untangle what’s real from what only seems real, risking her life in the process.

There really aren’t that many YA books that embrace the harsh realities of the world we live in. Even when writing a sci-fi thriller, Paula Stokes is courageous enough to do so. She doesn’t embellish, she refuses to sugarcoat, and she throws the ugliest bits right in our faces. While I wouldn’t debate its appropriateness for younger teens (I still struggle with determining the lines for my kiddo), I applaud Stokes for taking us where so few YA authors have gone before.

Review: We'll Never Be Apart

Author: Emiko Jean

Series: Standalone

Released: October 6th 2015

Publisher: HMH BfYR

Length: 279 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

Murder. 

Fire. 

Revenge. 

That’s all seventeen-year-old Alice Monroe thinks about. Committed to a mental ward at Savage Isle, Alice is haunted by memories of the fire that killed her boyfriend, Jason. A blaze her twin sister Cellie set. But when Chase, a mysterious, charismatic patient, agrees to help her seek vengeance, Alice begins to rethink everything. Writing out the story of her troubled past in a journal, she must confront hidden truths.

Is the one person she trusts only telling her half the story? Nothing is as it seems in this edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from the debut author Emiko Jean. 

Is it possible to enjoy a psychological thriller even if you guess the mystery in the prologue? Being well written but somewhat predictable, We’ll Never be Apart by Emiko Jean brings forth this dilemma I struggled to resolve before deciding whether to recommend the book. On the one side, the plot Jean crafted is largely dependent upon the big reveal in the last few chapters, a mystery that can be guessed on the very first pages. On the other side, though, the book has plenty going for it along the way, and Emiko Jean’s writing style itself is enough to make this worth our while.

Review: The Killer in Me

Author: Margot Harrison

Series: Standalone

Released: July 12th 2016

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Length: 368 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Nina Barrows knows all about the Thief. She’s intimately familiar with his hunting methods: how he stalks and kills at random, how he disposes of his victims’ bodies in an abandoned mine in the deepest, most desolate part of a desert.

Now, for the first time, Nina has the chance to do something about the serial killer that no one else knows exists. With the help of her former best friend, Warren, she tracks the Thief two thousand miles, to his home turf—the deserts of New Mexico.

But the man she meets there seems nothing like the brutal sociopath with whom she’s had a disturbing connection her whole life. To anyone else, Dylan Shadwell is exactly what he appears to be: a young veteran committed to his girlfriend and her young daughter. As Nina spends more time with him, she begins to doubt the truth she once held as certain: Dylan Shadwell is the Thief. She even starts to wonder . . . what if there is no Thief?

With the rising popularity of YA mysteries/thrillers and the never-ending demands for a creepy and suspenseful read, The Killer in Me was pretty much guaranteed to succeed before it was even finished. The few early reviews that could be found had nothing but praise for Harrison’s debut, emphasizing mind-boggling twists and a very creepy atmosphere. A reliable publisher and a truly fantastic cover only added to the conviction that we hold a future bestseller in our hands, a book destined to be loved by many, regardless of their age.

The truth, for this reader, is vastly different. There is no doubt whatsoever that Margot Harrison had a fantastic idea, but unfortunately, the execution was lacking. Starting with the characters and ending with confusingly written scenes, The Killer in Me hides far too many disappointments and offers too few concrete answers.

Review: Brotherhood in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Series: In Death, #42
Released: February 4th 2016
Publisher: Piatkus
Length: 400 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Sometimes brotherhood can be another word for conspiracy...

Dennis Mira just had two unpleasant surprises. First he learned that his cousin Edward was secretly meeting with a real estate agent about their late grandfather’s magnificent West Village brownstone, despite the promise they both made to keep it in the family. Then, when he went to the house to confront Edward about it, he got a blunt object to the back of the head.

Luckily Dennis is married to Charlotte Mira, the NYPSD’s top profiler and a good friend of Lieutenant Eve Dallas. When the two arrive on the scene, he explains that the last thing he saw was Edward in a chair, bruised and bloody. When he came to, his cousin was gone. With the mess cleaned up and the security disks removed, there’s nothing left behind but a few traces for forensics to analyze. 

As a former lawyer, judge, and senator, Edward Mira mingled with the elite and crossed paths with criminals, making enemies on a regular basis. Like so many politicians, he also made some very close friends behind closed—and locked—doors. But a badge and a billionaire husband can get you into places others can’t go, and Eve intends to shine some light on the dirty deals and dark motives behind the disappearance of a powerful man, the family discord over a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate . . . and a new case that no one saw coming. 

First of all, thank you, Nora Roberts, for being consistently amazing. Getting the latest J. D. Robb book is practically a holiday in my house. No more than six months pass between her books, and yet somehow they always seem like an eternity.

Review: Dangerous Lies

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Standalone
Released: November 10th 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Length: 400 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

A teen is forced to make a fresh start after witnessing a violent crime—but love and danger find her anyway in this novel from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks… 

I must confess that I’m one of maybe seven bloggers in the world who haven’t read the famous Hush Hush series, and I think it’s safe to say that for me, Becca Fitzpatrick’s switch to the YA mystery/thriller genre certainly paid off. I am a huge fan of thrillers, be it adult or YA, and this is an author who knows how to write true page-turners and give us so much to think about along the way. I considered Black Ice to be a huge success with its morally ambiguous characters, heart-stopping danger and a romance that maybe wasn’t for everyone’s taste, but that definitely worked for me. Dangerous Lies might be better suited for a larger audience, but the things I loved about Black Ice, the bones of the story, are still very much present.

Review: Damage Done

Author: Amanda Panitch
Series: Standalone
Released: July 21st 2015
Publisher: Random House
Length: 304 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

22 minutes separate Julia Vann’s before and after.

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police.

Now that she’s Lucy Black, she's able to begin again. She's even getting used to the empty bedroom where her brother should be. And her fresh start has attracted the attention of one of the hottest guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy's forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely left behind.

One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It’s only just beginning. . . .

Damage Done is one of those books that push us far outside our comfort zones, making us feel confused, scared and completely disgusted. It was a considerable feat for Amanda Panitch and a huge risk to take for a debut novel, but being courageous enough to stretch the boundaries or even erase them altogether can certainly pay off, and it did.

Ruthless Blog Tour Review

Hey guys!

It's been a bit quiet around here lately, for which I apologize. I got a bit overwhelmed with work for a while there, but things are finally calming down.
I don't do many blog tours these days, but I was so drawn to Ruthless at first sight, I jumped at a chance to participate in this tour. I'm glad to say my instincts were once again right. (I'm also happy to report that I'm making plans to build an additional room for my ego. Just in case you were concerned.)

Review: The Collector

Author: Nora Roberts
Series: Standalone
Released: April 15th 2015
Publisher: Piatkus
Length: 483 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Lila Emerson is fascinated by other people's lives. As a house-sitter, she loves looking after the glamorous, sophisticated homes she could never afford herself. And as a writer, she enjoys watching the world go by, dreaming up stories for the people she sees from her window. 

But then one day she witnesses something only too real - the brutal and shocking murder of a young woman living across the street in New York. And now, because of what she saw, Lila's own life is in immediate danger from an audacious, single-minded assassin who kills for profit and for pleasure.

With the police following a false lead, Lila is on her own. Her only hope is to team up with Ashley Archer, an artist with his own complicated reasons for getting involved. Lila wants to trust the passionate, quick-witted Ash - but is she letting her feelings blind her to his motives? Either way, Lila will never watch from the sidelines again... 

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: Nora Roberts is the Nora Roberts for a reason. She knows just what her readers enjoy, and it’s clear from every page that she still enjoys it too, even after so many years and over 200 books behind her. It’s pretty clear when authors love what they do, and you can tell right from the start that this woman writes precisely what she herself would want to read.

Review: Out of Control

Author: Sarah Alderson
Series: Standalone
Released: May 22nd 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Length: 320 pgs
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

When 17 year old Liva witnesses a brutal murder she’s taken into police custody for her own protection. But when the police station is attacked and bullets start flying it becomes clear that Liva is not just a witness, she’s a target.

Together with a car thief called Jay, Liva manages to escape the massacre but now the two of them are alone in New York, trying to outrun and outwit two killers who will stop at nothing to find them.

When you live on the edge, there’s a long way to fall.

Sarah Alderson is known for light, action-packed and swoon-worthy reads, and Out of Control is no different. She may have removed the paranormal element, but the basic formula remains the same. If it works, why change it? And for the most part, if action is what yu’re after, it still works like a charm.

Review: Naked in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Series: In Death, #1
Released: October 10th 2010
Publisher: Piatkus
Length: 360 pages
Buy: Amazon

It is the year 2058, and technology now completely rules the world. But New York City Detective Eve Dallas knows that the irresistible impulses of the human heart are still ruled by just one thing-passion. 

When a senator's daughter is killed, the secret life of prostitution she'd been leading is revealed. The high-profile case takes Lieutenant Eve Dallas into the rarefied circles of Washing-ton politics and society. 

Further complicating matters is Eve's growing attraction to Roarke, who is one of the wealthiest and most influential men on the planet, devilishly handsome... and the leading suspect in the investigation. 

I’ve done with this series something I’ve never done before, jumped right in with the latest installment and skipped everything that came before. I soon realized my mistake, though. While each book can easily function as a standalone, missing even a word of this enchanting series is a crime. So here I am, going back to the beginning, meeting Eve and Roarke in their early days and sharing their journey from the start.

Short and Thrilling: Liars, Inc.

Title: Liars, Inc.
Author: Paula Stokes
Series: Standalone
Released: March 24th 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 368 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters. 

Here’s a fair warning: don’t start reading Liars Inc. right before bedtime or when you have other, more important things to do. That will not end well. This book is a thrill ride that demands your attention non-stop from start to finish, and what’s more, it absolutely deserves it. That’s not to say that Liars Inc. is free of flaws, but for the life of me, I can’t force myself to care. The important things are covered: a wonderful, believable protagonist, a well-built story, an interesting and most importantly different romance – all skillfully written and fabulously paced.

Review: The Mission

Author: Allen Zadoff
Series: Boy Nobody, #2
Released: September 4th 2014
Publisher: Orchard
Length: 430 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

He was the perfect assassin. No name. No past. No remorse. Perfect, that is, until he began to ask questions and challenge his orders. Now The Program is worried that their valuable soldier has become a liability. And so begins a new mission. A test of sorts. A chance to prove his loyalty. But nothing about this mission is as it seems: not The Program, his allegiances, nor the truth. More thrilling action-adventure from Allen Zadoff in the breathtaking sequel to The Hit (previously Boy Nobody).

Allen Zadoff just proved to us once again that he’s excellent at what he does. (I Am) The Mission is, if possible, even more exciting than its predecessor. There is no end to secrets and betrayals in this book and our Boy Nobody, highly trained but still merely a 16-year-old, has to face them all and somehow manage to stay alive.

Review: Trust No One

Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Standalone
Released: January 6th 2015
Publisher: Piatkus
Length: 320 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

It's no coincidence when Grace Elland finds a vodka bottle next to the lifeless body of her boss, motivational speaker Sprague Witherspoon. The bottle is a terrifying-and deliberate-reminder of the horrors of her past.

Grace retreats to her hometown to regroup and tries to put everything she's learned about positive thinking into practice-a process that is seriously challenged on the world's worst blind date.

Awkward doesn't begin to describe her evening with venture-capitalist Julius Arkwright. She has nothing in common with a man who lives to make money, but the intense ex-Marine does have some skills that Grace can use-and he's the perfect man to help her when it becomes clear she is being stalked.

As Witherspoon's financial empire continues to crumble around them, taking a deadly toll, Julius will help Grace step into her past to uncover a devious plan to destroy not only Grace, but everyone around her...

Jayne Ann Krentz wrote over fifty New York Times bestsellers in a variety of genres under three different names. That kind of experience can’t be bought or faked, and we as readers are lucky to reap the benefits. She shines brightly in her latest novel, a wonderfully compelling romantic suspense with a fascinating young woman at its center.

Review: When

Author: Victoria Laurie
Series: Standalone
Released: January 13th 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Length: 336 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she’s unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?

When is a very impressive and incredibly compelling standalone book by Victoria Laurie. It’s the sort of book that pulls you in from its first sentence and refuses to let go. The opening chapter does an excellent job in making us care for Maddie, our protagonist, and at the same time, it gives us a great idea of what lies ahead. This suspenseful, surprisingly well-written book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, which wasn’t achieved through cheap tricks and tropes, but through a story so well-built that it would leave anyone breathless.

Review: Flesh and Blood

Author: Patricia Cornwell
Series: Kay Scarpetta, #22
Released: November 11th 2014
Publisher: William Morrow
Length: 400 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell delivers the next enthralling thriller in her high-stakes series starring Kay Scarpetta—a complex tale involving a serial sniper who strikes chillingly close to the forensic sleuth herself.

It’s Dr. Kay Scarpetta’s birthday and she’s about to head to Miami for a vacation with her FBI profiler husband Benton Wesley when she notices seven pennies on a wall behind their Cambridge house. Is this a kids’ game? If so, why are all of the coins dated 1981 and so shiny it’s as if they’re newly minted? Then her cellphone rings, and Detective Pete Marino tells her there’s been a homicide five minutes away. A high school music teacher has been shot with shocking precision as he unloaded groceries from his car. No one heard or saw a thing. It’s as if God did it.

In this 22nd Scarpetta novel, the master forensic sleuth finds herself in the middle of a nightmarish pursuit of a serial sniper who seems to leave no evidence except fragments of copper. The shots are so perfect, they cause instant death and seem impossible, and the death scenes aren’t crime scenes because the killer was never within hundreds of yards of the victims. The victims seem to have nothing in common, and there is no pattern that might indicate where the Copperhead will strike next. First New Jersey, then Massachusetts, and then into the murky depths off the coast of South Florida, where Scarpetta dives a shipwreck, looking for answers that only she can discover and analyze. There she must face an unthinkable truth that points in the direction of her techno genius niece, Lucy, Scarpetta’s own flesh and blood. 

Earlier this year, when I reviewed Dust, I mentioned that my beloved Kay Scarpetta series seems to be getting back on track. Keeping a series fresh for no less than 22 installments is something not many authors can do. There was certainly a rough patch around the middle when I considered giving up entirely, but these last two books have shown me that Cornwell is still very much in control.

Review: Black Ice

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Standalone
Released: October 7th 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Length: 384 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Britt Pfeiffer has never been that adventurous, but that's about to change. Wanting to impress her ex-boyfriend, Britt convinces best friend, Korbie, to take a trekking trip with her. But when a freak storm leaves the girls stranded they seek shelter in a cabin, where they find two knights in shining armour. Or so they think.

Britt quickly realises that the girls need to get off the mountain, fast. In exchange for her life, she is forced to guide the boys down, and as they set out on a harrowing journey through the cold and snow, Britt realises the only way to escape with her life is to pretend she is on their side. But is gorgeous, sexy Mason an enemy or an ally? Tension mounts, and it's only a matter of time before things turn deadly . . .

Dark and adrenaline-filled, Black Ice will have you on the edge of your seat right until the final twist.

Black Ice is a surprisingly exciting YA contemporary thriller, full of twists and heart-stopping moments. Thrillers finally seem to be finding their place in the YA market and I couldn’t be happier about it. This being my first encounter with Becca Fitzpatrick’s work, I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I needn’t have feared. Her control over the story is absolute, her sense of pacing is quite good, and her characters are flawlessly created, three-dimensional and very much alive.

Audiobook Review: Blood of My Blood

Author: Barry Lyga
Series: Jasper Dent, #3
Released: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Lenght: 10 hrs and 52 mins
Buy: Audible

The game is over in this heart-pounding finale to the I Hunt Killers trilogy.Jazz Dent has been shot and left to die in New York City. His girlfriend, Connie, is in the clutches of Jazzs serial killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the floor of Jazzs own home in tiny Lobos Nod. Somehow, these three must rise above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line hes never crossed before, and soon the entire country is wondering: Like father, like son? Who is the true monster?The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet the Crow King.

After three wonderful and surprisingly original installments, including this heart-stopping conclusion we’ve all been waiting for, I’m ready to give my final verdict on the Jasper Dent trilogy: with these books, Barry Lyga brought a much needed breath of fresh air to Young Adult fiction, which makes him pretty amazing in my eyes, but Charlie Thurston, the narrator of these beauties, is absolutely brilliant.

Audiobook Review: Think of a Numb3r (Dave Gurney, #1)

Author: John Verdon
Narrator: George Newbern
Series: Dave Gurney, #1
Published: July 6th 2010
Publisher: Random House Audio
Lenght: 13 hrs and 30 mins
Buy: Audible

An extraordinary fiction debut, Think of a Number is an exquisitely plotted novel of suspense that grows relentlessly darker and more frightening as its pace accelerates, forcing its deeply troubled characters to moments of startling self-revelation.

Arriving in the mail over a period of weeks are taunting letters that end with a simple declaration: “Think of any number…picture it…now see how well I know your secrets.” Amazingly, those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly.

For Dave Gurney, just retired as the NYPD’s top homicide investigator and forging a new life with his wife, Madeleine, in upstate New York, the letters are oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle but quickly ignite a massive serial murder investigation.

What police are confronted with is a completely baffling killer, one who is fond of rhymes filled with threats and warnings, whose attention to detail is unprecedented, and who has an uncanny knack for disappearing into thin air. Even more disturbing, the scale of his ambition seems to widen as events unfold.

Brought in as an investigative consultant, Dave Gurney soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that leave local police in awe. Yet, even as he matches wits with his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney’s tragedy-marred past rises up to haunt him, his marriage approaches a dangerous precipice, and finally, a dark, cold fear builds that he’s met an adversary who can’t be stopped.

In the end, fighting to keep his bearings amid a whirlwind of menace and destruction, Gurney sees the truth of what he’s become – what we all become when guilty memories fester – and how his wife Madeleine’s clear-eyed advice may be the only answer that makes sense.

I’ve been successfully cured of my addiction to mysteries and thrillers year ago, but when Audible dangled this lovely carrot right in front of my nose in the form of their Audible daily deal, I simply couldn’t resist. John Verdon has been receiving a lot of praise from those far more familiar with the genre so of course I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Blog Tour Review: Blown Circuit (Michael Chase, #2)

Schedule & Tour Page

Lethal Circuit (Circuit Series #2) by Lars Guignard and narrated by Russell Jonas
Genre: 16+ Spy/Techno Thriller
Available Audio from Audible.com 

About the Book:

Michael Chase is back.

WARNING: Blown Circuit, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the #1 spy thriller, Lethal Circuit, is here. If you don't like turbo-charged action adventure, then you'd better find some place to hide.

But now he has enemies. Deadly enemies.

Good thing Michael is in no mood to play nice.

Michael survived China. Barely. But now he's got bigger problems. A pair of coordinates broadcast on an obscure frequency have brought Michael to Istanbul, Turkey where credible chatter has emerged that a terrorist group plans to use a devastating device to hold the world hostage.

Designed by Nikola Tesla, arguably the greatest inventor of the Twentieth Century, the device is experimental, it is capable, and it has been missing for almost sixty years.

If Michael is to prevent a catastrophe, he'll need to get to the device before the Conspiracy or risk upsetting the global balance of power forever. Of course, finding the Tesla Device is one thing, knowing whom he can trust with it is another matter entirely.

To survive, he'll have to do both. If he doesn't, what started as a bad day is about to become a disaster.

Can Michael fight his way through the lies and deception to save the world?

If you can't get enough of the action of Lee Child and Vince Flynn, the intrigue of Robert Ludlum, and the adventure of Clive Cussler and James Rollins, you are going to LOVE Blown Circuit!

This series has become a great way for me to step out of my comfort zone and away from my usual genres. Spy thrillers are generally not my thing, but with this series, the combination of excellent writing and skilled narration is proving to be quite irresistible.

While he was in China searching for his father, Michael Chase’s numerous talents have been recognized by his father’s agency, the CIA. He has been recruited and trained in an accelerated process and now he is, once again, following his father’s clues, albeit with the agency’s support.

This time, Michael travels to Istanbul to fight a terrorist group intent on using one of Nikola Tesla’s devices to hold the world hostage. The pacing of this book is relentless. Michael jumps from one dangerous situation straight into the next, leaving the reader no time to breathe at all. And yet, Lars Guignard leads us through numerous plot twists quite skillfully, never allowing confusion to join us on our journey.

I’m generally uncomfortable when the audio narrator changes in the middle of a series, but this time, the change was for the better. I enjoyed Ben Sullivan’s narration of the previous book, but Russell Jonas gives Michael and extra something that simply wasn’t there before. His uses his calm, no-nonsense voice to deliver the never-ending action scenes and bring them to life, crystal clear in the listener’s mind. Since this is his narrating debut, I hope he’ll prove to be versatile enough and transfer the same skill to other genres. I’d be very happy to buy books narrated by him in the future.  

I’ll certainly be going back to this series when the opportunity arises. It has become a favorite of mine even after the first book, but <i>Blown Circuit succeeded in cementing my affection for Michael and his story. I just hope the audio publisher will keep Jonas on as the narrator.   

Book can be found at:

 Audible |  iTunes | Amazon  | GoodReads

About the Author:

Lars Guignard is a former film and television writer and a graduate of both McGill University and the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. His debut thriller novel, Lethal Circuit, has been

an amazon top 100 Technothriller since its release.

Guignard has wanted to write Indian stories for kids ever since he attended a boarding school in the majestic Himalayas. The time he spent in the “school above the clouds” affected him

profoundly, and once he returned home to North America he was struck by the lack of children’s stories from India available in our culture. Since India is such an incredible country, he decided

to write a series of action adventure books for young adults about India to introduce young readers to this magical, mystical land. So if you’re looking for a great book adventure for kids, try Ghost Leopard today!

Author Sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook 

About the Narrator:

Russell Jonas is thrilled to make his audiobook narrator debut with “Blown Circuit.”  Russell has worked in commercial voice over and television since 1999 and has appeared in forty stage plays in New York City and in 46 states, including the Tony Award-winning Shakespeare Theatre Company. Russell teaches The Art of Acting at Southern Methodist University.

Giveaway:

2 audiobooks of Blown Circuit (INT- wherever audible.com is accessible)

a Rafflecopter giveaway