The Vacation (aka: The Holiday)

The Vacation

T. M. Logan

St. Martians Press.

I discovered this new author when his second book came out. I was introduced to him on the book, 29 seconds, and became a fan of T. M. Logan and signed up to his newsletter. Then I bought his national bestseller. The first book he wrote. I didn't like it. It didn't seem to have direction and wandered around a lot. 

Next up was The Holiday aka The Vacation. It opened well and then went directly into character development and the worry the MC felt after discovering some disturbing emails on her husband's phone. I didn't mind this. Sometimes we need big set ups. 

But, there was a lot of unbelievable over reactions to minor incidents and there wasn't a lot of tension in many scenes. I'd say, no tension. The book fell flat and by chapter 14, I tossed the book away. Sorry. 

It was well written and most of the characters are written well. But where is the plot, murder and mayhem? Tense action??? 

I always give "new to me" writers a few chances to hook me with their books. For example, Lee Child's first Reacher book, how the heck did that get published? But from tripwire and up, most of the books are awesome. There are some truly awful first books out there, mine included (Blood of the Wolf -- out of print). 

So I will give T. M. Logan, one more chance. He has another book coming out soon. 

No Rating. 

PS: I just went over to read some reviews. All 5 stars. WTF??? Don't believe them, folks. They get free copies. I pay for my books. 

Flesh and Steel

Flesh and Steel -- a Warhammer novel 

https://warhammer40000.com/

This is the first ever Warhammer novel I've read. I have never played the game (I'm generally not a gamer). It took me a short while to understand the concepts and the universe this book is set in. The language also took a few listening's to get it. Those who play the game might feel right at home with this world. 

I also liked it. The story is basically a detective novel with two story lines that twist into one. One has reprogrammed Servitor-bots that kill, and the other is a missing girl from a wealthy family. The detective is called Probator Symeon Noctis, he is from the wealthy community that he shunned. Guilt, understanding how the others live and the manner in which he treated others in his youth. 

When a bisected corpse is discovered in the neutral zone, Symeon walks into his most difficult case yet. He is joined by tech-priest Rho-1 Lux of the Collegiate Extremis (mostly called Lux). She is partially augmented with ports that can connect to machines in an attempt to "see" in machine code, the final few moments of a servitor. 

All up, this is a pretty good mystery. Seemed to drag a bit near the end, however, I didn't guess the 'whodunit' part. That's a change. 

75%

James A. Moore - The Predator Hunters and Hunted

I love books based on screenplays, it's a known universe. This is written by James A. Moore and that name alone means you are in for a ride. This book is the official movie prequel. 

The books as it should and heads straight into blood splatter-land. At first the Predator is in search of prey. Based on his father's stories, humans were easy and not quite advanced in technology. Earth is prime hunting ground. 

At first things go as planned for the Predator, a bar filled with bikers--not a problem, especially in invisible mode. Then he battles an alligator (or Crocodile) and it gives a better battle than the humans. The predator gets wounded, but it's nothing major. A few times in this fight, he doubts himself, which gives depth to this character--that's a first for me. 

There is a group of mercenaries called The Reapers, a group put together by Roger Elliott, the general (if I'm not mistaken) and he is engaged in a battle with congress over funding for the Stargazer project. No one wants to give him much money. No aliens. No cash. 

Then The Reapers catch this predator. Not quite sure how. Missed that. They have him in a special room. It's claws saw through the ropes and when Roger Elliott enters to speak with the creature, it kills him as the door opens and it escapes. 

What follows is a wild ride. 

Of course, this book is quite one dimensional and better than the film. There is little depth given to the characters and when they died, I didn't really care. Most are just fodder. 

This book doesn't try to be more than it is, and that's what makes it a great read (I listened to it). 

8/10 

   

Torchwood - Ex Machina

 Audiobook

Torchwood Ex Machina

RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2020

Written by Alfie Shaw

Starring Gareth David-Lloyd

I should have known by the price LOL. This audiobook is darn short. That is about the only gripe I have. Torchwood has always been a favorite TV show of mine. I hated when it ended. It's a great spin off from Doctor Who. 

In this audio drama, Ianto Jones takes the lead as he is the only person of Torchwood. The streets are empty, something big has happened. One day, a survivor runs into his city tour (cover shop for Torchwood), she knows his name and she knows of the secret Torchwood site. 

This story is brilliant. There's a creature, a darkness, that is in love with the girl. Every time Abigail Forehill is distressed, he takes care of the problem so that she feels only peace. There are many of these alien blobs scattered through out the city. I'm unsure if they all love people or if most are just soldiers here to conquer the Earth. Either way, there are only a few people left and they seem intent on killing Ianto and the Abigail. 

Both of these characters seem to be alone but they notice gaps in their memory, for Abigail it's her family. Every family photo shows only her. For Ianta, he knows he should be working with a full team in Torchwood but he doesn't remember them. Not really. Not clearly. Same as Abigail Forehill, a very troubled young woman with many flaws but she is smart as well.  

Buy this, for a quick listen. It's fun, exciting and (if you like Torchwood) has a brilliant ending. 

 91%

Memory Man (Book one in Amos Decker series) by David Baldacci

• Mass Market Paperback : 560 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1455559806
• ISBN-13 : 978-1455559800
• Product Dimensions : 4.25 x 1.25 x 7.75 inches
• Publisher : Vision; Reissue Edition (February 23, 2016)

 Audiobook version. 

Listening Length 13 hours and 17 minutes

Narrator Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy

Audible.com Release Date April 21, 2015

Publisher Hachette Audio

Program Type Audiobook

Version Unabridged

Yet, another book I had on my "to read" list. But never had extra time to just sit back and read it. So, I got the audiobook. 

This "impossible to put down" #1 New York Times bestseller introduces Amos Decker, a gifted police detective with a perfect memory who must solve a mystery he wishes he could forget: his family's murder (Washington Post).

They're right for once. 

This is the second one I've listened to and enjoyed. It wasn't easy to get into the story at first. I thought the narrator was too rough in his delivery. I soon got used to it. 

The story is about Decker who, after an accident in pro football, is a Savant. He never forgets anything. His life is a DVD that can't be switched off. In the book it's called hyperthymesia and synesthesia. These are real conditions (I did a Duck Duck Go search). And it adds to this character, Amos Decker. An overweight (obese?), tower of a man. 

The book starts with the murder of his family. There are clues abound in the solving of this case. 

A lot of the story is told in flashback style and I like how deep the story went. It was brilliant. A red herring that wasn't a red herring, a vile act, and parents who shouldn't be parents. 

The tale is set in a small town. A high-school is attacked after a suspect is under arrest for the murder of Decker's family. This confession sets the ball in motion. 

One thing I did not like was the catalyst which drove the killer to commit murder. It doesn't hold water. Also, if he suffers from hyperthymesia and synesthesia, and feels nothing like normal people (In the book he claims he feels no sympathy). This comment destroys the opening and the reason for giving up on life.  

This book is well worth buying in any format. I will definitely be interested in the next book in the Decker series. 

8.5/10

Tales of Outre Noir (anthology)

Tales of Outre Noir. An Anthology

Edited by Mark Slade. Nightside Press

I wasn't sure what to expect when I delved into this short anthology. Man I was in for a pleasant surprise. This book is filled with crime and comedy, in the form of short stories, scripts and the bizarre. I mostly enjoyed the crime stories for example the opening tale in emails only. Brilliant. What a way to open.

What follows is often a collection of tales filled with surprises. "Company Man" has the best opening ever. 

A few of my favorites are: 

The many indiscretions of agent 592 by Holly Rae Garcia

Skin Flicks by Hesse Rawlins

Company Man by Tom Pitts

A few negatives: 

Some of the humor seemed slapstick, a lot didn't hit the mark. 

Some of the stories are written with passive passages mixed with active. A few tales seemed over the top in police brutality--might have worked in the 80's but not these days.

 

The negatives, are only a few and don't distract from the positives. 

This collection (as a whole) is excellent. I really enjoyed it. If you like dark noir and bizarre tales, then this in the anthology for you. 

PS: Might what to correct the misspelling on the Kindle page :-) 

The Horror Zine's Book of Ghost Stories

Hellbound Books

257 pages

Format: Kindle Edition

• 
  

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for a review. 

This is a collection of short stories from greats like: Bentley Little, Graham Masterton & Dawn Harris, Joe R. Lansdale, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, Kitty Kane, Sebastian Crow, Maureen O'Leary, Jeff Parsons and many, many more. Let me add: Nicholas Pascall, Derek Austin Johnson, Christian A. Larsen. 

Starts off with a bang in a short poem by D. J. Tyrer about a haunted house. 

I don't jump around in collections and read my favs first. I like to find new favorites, so I read from start to end. Let's call it OCD.

The opening story is fun, but not scary. The tension was missing. It is horror, but lacked punch. The next story really makes up for it. It's a real kicker. A ouiji board and a dark spirit. 

A haunted house is next on the list, followed by a questionable story by Bentley Little. This tale had a good build up, great action, smooth writing. The mechanics of writing are all there. But the ending ruined it for me. 

For this reviewer, many stories were fun, a few (5) were brilliant and some were lacking. All collections are like this. I'm not going to name any titles or the reasons I noted for not meshing with me. 

Here's a run-down of what you'll find in this fine collection: 

Harry Houdini debunks spiritualists then he meets Dorothy / A funeral for the dead / A gift from an unknown uncle with a cryptic message /  A haunted school / A murderer hears the voices of his victims / an abused wife on the run finds an abandoned farm (what could possibly go wrong especially when the truth comes out) / A battle with rats / Ghost Hunters / Haunted Hotels and Houses / Acceptance of death and Cutting Mustard. 

Top picks: 

Warm - Nicholas Pascall

Proof of Afterlife - Derek Austin Johnson

Filling Station - Joe R. Lansdale

Cutting the Mustard - Graham Masterton & Dawn Harris 

Something to Nibble On - Christian A. Larsen

8/10