Goon by Glenn Erick Miller; Oath by Kate Butler; The Wise Marie Paradise Edition by Natasha Brune

 

Goon by Glenn Erick Miller; Oath by Kate Butler; The Wise Marie: Paradise Edition by Natasha Brune 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Goon by Glenn Erick Miller 

This is a summary of the review. The complete review is on LitPick.

Goon is a tense, darkly comic, but captivating novel about incarceration, self-preservation, redemption, and the true nature of guilt and innocence.

 Goon is a troubled foster kid who stole a car, then injured his younger brother before being sent to a juvenile detention center. While there Goon has to deal with the various rules and regulations, violent fellow prisoners, a hurricane, his attraction for a girl who volunteers at the prison, and his guilt and anguished concern about his brother.

He is a fully developed protagonist who is practically made of attitude and regret. He recalls his dysfunctional upbringing, parentification towards his brother, and current incarceration with detached and wry humor. He is a self-deprecating sardonic kid who uses his humor to deflect from his own pain and tragedy.

The setting of the experimental detention center nicknamed J-Rot is fleshed out as a distinct society with its own culture and rituals. Everyone is given a nickname and bullying and favoritism are frequently shown. These dehumanization procedures remind the boys that who they were outside doesn't matter. Here they are who the prison, and by association the State of Florida, decides.

 Goon has to call up his talents and skills to aid someone who was once antagonistic but has shown potential to be a friend. Goon must surpass the institutional dehumanization and enter the contradictory chaos surrounding him to save him. 

Oath by Kate Butler 

This is a summary of my review. The long version is on Reader Views. (The links takes you to the site. You must insert the book's title in the search engine to read the review.)

Kate Butler’s Oath is a charming and enchanting queer fantasy romance about the love between a lord and his knight.

Lord Aerion Valemont is the spoiled Narcissistic son of the Archbishop. He is used to having his way so when Sir Clyde of Blackholt AKA “The Hound”, a war hardened, quiet, defiant warrior is assigned to be his protector, Aerion considers it a challenge. It appears these two completely opposite characters from different worlds are attracted to one another despite Clyde's sworn oath to protect the young Lord and the scheme to get Aerion married to avoid scandal.

Oath is the type of Fantasy Romance that technically does nothing new. The characters are known archetypes and the plot and setting have been seen many times. Even the fact that it's a Queer Romance has been done. 

This book should be a disposable cliche but there is something so delightful and endearing about this particular book that makes it work despite or actually because of the cliches.

Aerian is written as the ultimate spoiled rich kid with plenty of money and daring but not a lot of empathy or sense. Clyde is a solid stoic force. 

When the Lord and the knight become emotionally and physically closer together, Clyde's softer side and Aerion’s kinder side emerge. They become lovers who accept one another's flaws and all that comes with them.

Their relationship is tested by war, separation, sacrifice, and commitment. They move beyond a spoiled lord and stoic knight to become stronger, braver, more selfless, and more devoted characters and lovers.

The Wise Marie: Paradise Edition by Natasha Brune 

This is a summary of my review. The complete review is on Readers Views. (The links takes you to the site. You must insert the book's title in the search engine to read the review.)

Natasha Brune’s The Wise Marie: Paradise Edition is a traumatic and troubling autobiographical novel about a woman's involvement with crime and drugs.

Brune’s alter ego, Marie lived in a crowded home with a troubled and volatile family. Marie retreated into drugs, abusive relationships, and criminal activity to survive it.

Brune’s writing style is a straightforward matter of fact manner and surprising detachment for writing about her own experiences. It doesn't get overly sentimental or overdramatic. Terrible things like teen pregnancy, over doses, and abuse but it's informative not emotional. It makes the events and characters the main focus instead of presenting Brune's opinion about how she felt about it. It allows the Readers to connect with the events on their own. 

One could imagine it being written years later when Brune has had enough time to detach herself from the events. As an older woman, she has the years of experience and knowledge that the angry young woman didn't have. She also has empathy and understanding for the circumstances that led her down this path but recognizes the damage that she brought on herself.

The Wise Marie also makes use of its Hawaii setting by downplaying the paradise connotation (except in the subtitle) to focus on the local resident’s reality or at least the reality that Brune experienced. She reveals the poverty of people who live in a state with beautiful year-round weather but an expensive cost of living. A place where local reality is purposely kept from the tourists and issues like drugs, crime, and violence are ignored. While many states have high levels of crime and poverty, in Hawaii’s case the sometimes ugly reality clashes with the beautiful image, an image that no one and no place can fill forever.

New Book Alert: The Monsoon Ghost Image (Detective Maier Mysteries Book 3) by Tom Vater; Detective Maier Returns In Vater's Best Mystery Thriller Yet

 

New Book Alert: The Monsoon Ghost Image (Detective Maier Mysteries Book 3) by Tom Vater; Detective Maier Returns In Vater's Best Mystery Thriller Yet

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Once again Tom Vater is available to give his Readers a guided tour of the world's most dangerous and least scenic spots. After India and Cambodia, this time the author sets his sights on Thailand, mostly Bangkok a city known for its active nightlife and sex trade. 

In what is probably his best work yet, Vater provides an effective merge of setting and character to quite possibly end his Detective Maier Mystery series with The Monsoon Ghost Image.

This book is much better than the previous book, Cambodian Book of The Dead which was very descriptive in setting but lost something in the plot. Dare I say it, I even liked it better than last year's Kalkota Noir which combined Kalkota's setting with tributes to drawing room mysteries, noir literature, and science fiction. The Monsoon Ghost Image has a mesmerizing setting and believable characters inside a plot that is not only well executed with suspense and tension but pushes those characters beyond their endurance.

In this third go round in the adventures of Detective Maier, things have changed considerably. Maier seems to have recovered from the events in The Cambodian Book of The Dead (which I read) only to be left traumatized by the events in The Man with The Golden Mind (which I have not.) In his last mystery set mostly in Laos, Maier slept with his stepsister, was nearly killed by his father, and lost a couple of fingers in a Vietnamese prison camp ambush. On the plus side, he befriended Mikhail, a large Russian man who serves as Maier's bodyguard and sidekick. Well he no sooner is getting some much deserved rest in which he should consider never leaving the house let alone accepting any job that takes him out of the country, then what does his boss want him to do? Accept another job that takes him out of the country.

Emilie Ritter, a former girlfriend of Maier's, reported that her photographer husband, Martin, is missing and presumed dead. Even though his funeral is in Hamburg, Emilie is convinced that Martin is still alive and that he is on the run. She sees sinister unknown figures that seem to scream government ops. Not only that but she receives a letter from someone dubbed "The Wicked WItch of the East." The letter informs her that Martin is alive and well in Bangkok and is "involved in the crime of the century." All of this implies that Martin got involved or uncovered something dangerous and with far reaching implications. It seems to involve a photograph of various prominent individuals. So off Maier and Mikhail go to Bangkok with two sinister agents following close behind.

Vater's gift for setting is definitely at play and is even heightened more in this book than any of his previous works. With Kalkota Noir and The Cambodian Book of the Dead, Vater combined real setting with a sense of unreality. The Cambodian Book of the Dead mixed the reality of a country still living with the scars of the Khmer Rouge dictatorship and the supernatural of traditional ghost stories to create a comparison of disruptions in the physical and spiritual worlds of Cambodia. Kolkata Noir borrowed heavily from various genres like film noir and science fiction to create a three part mystery that reads like a Hollywood film, set in India.

What is particularly sinister about The Monsoon Ghost Image is aside from tropes that could be found in murder mysteries, psychological thrillers, and political suspense novels, there is no sense of fantasy. The setting is very real and somehow made even more dangerous. Some of the more horror elements are a bit over the top, such as the appearance of a surgeon who specializes in torturing people for financial rewards, political gain, and for his self pleasure. However, in this context and as we know in our history books and the news, there were and still are people who are that sadistic and brutal. 

We see the sex trade industry but not as some enticing glittery thing where people can go abroad to fill their deepest desires. Instead, it is seen as something dark and depraved, showing the people who get involved in it were drawn by needing money, feeling devoid of any self worth or validation, or believing the empty promises that sinister adults gave them. They have since grown into hardened individuals who survive this harsh uncaring existence the only way that they can. They do anything for money and inflict the same pain that was given to them, continuing an endless cycle of abuse and human trafficking.

Maier goes through a lot of development and mental stress in this book, surprisingly even more so than in the previous books where his struggles were more personal. Without spoiling too much there are several points where Maier is left alone without contacts, allies, and with multiple enemies after him. Just like many of the victims that he encounters and tries to protect and find justice for, he realizes that he is likely to die because of others' schemes and manipulations. 

In fact it becomes clear that Maier, The Ritters, Mikhail and many other characters are manipulated by outside higher forces. These forces don't care who they are or who has to be hurt or killed. Maier is just simply another person for these forces to step on and remove, no more important to them than a small insect.

There are various chapters in which Maier is held captive. It's very rare in a mystery novel when the detective is left in such a vulnerable position where they are imprisoned during their investigation and subjected to physical and psychological torture for a long time, for a period of months it seems. Considering the physical and mental abuse inflicted on him in the last couple of books, Maier's experience in Thailand during his imprisonment and the realization of him being manipulated could be the final push to send him completely over from the justice seeking law abiding citizen to the tortured empty lawless. The protective light that Maier shines over the innocent could dim forever and never return. 

This may be the final book in The Detective Maier Mystery Series. If it is, Vater definitely saved the best for last.

New Book Alert: Corruption Behind Bars: Stories of Crime and Corruption in Our American Prison System by Gary York; Gripping Eye-Opening Accounts of Criminal Activity In American Prisons

New Book Alert: Corruption Behind Bars: Stories of Crime and Corruption in Our American Prison System by Gary York; Gripping Eye-Opening Accounts of Criminal Activity In American Prisons




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: Gary York knows a lot about corruption in the prison system. As a Senior Prison Inspector, he spent twelve years conducting criminal, civil, and administrative investigations in many state prisons.

He wrote books on the subject and his book, Corruption Behind Bars: Stories of Crime and Corruption in Our American Prison System is a gripping account of many of the situations inside these prisons. What he found were buildings full of lawbreakers, both inmates and employees. York's book is filled with 42 chapters of such stories.

York begins his book by discussing how a prison becomes a den of more illegal activity than the outside.
“Imagine taking a group of dishonest individuals and putting them all in the same location. Now add, a few corrupt staff members…..This mixture can cause numerous illegal activities. Just one corrupt staff member...can cause a chain of events that lead to months of investigative work in order to infiltrate and dissolve the illegal activity. Corruption causes citizens to feel officers are not trustworthy and leaves them wondering who the officers are working for, the citizen or the inmate.”


In the first chapter, York chillingly explains the recruitment process that he calls “The Inmate Recruitment Game.” Once they enter the Graybar Hotel, inmates are denied certain privileges, such as drugs, sex, even simple things like a home cooked meal. They get by these restrictions by either making sure their friends get hired in the prison or, failing that, find a way to blackmail or entice a staff member. They may find information on the staff member, such as an extramarital affair or financial dirty dealing, from friends on the outside.

York's profile of these inmates show them as master manipulators. They befriend the staff member and learn secrets on them, then trick them into giving them a simple contraband item like a single cigarette or a can of beer. Then, they will ask for bigger items. If the staff member refuses, the inmate then threatens to reveal the secret they learned as well as the earlier contraband. Suddenly, the inmate has a new friend, that gives them whatever they want including illegal contraband and , lo and behold, the corrupt inmates and employees rule the Big House.

One chapter in York's book illustrates this concept clearly. Helen, a classification officer, supervised inmate orderlies in a move from her old office to a new one.
A handsome inmate began smiling at her. She smiled back in a more flirtatious manner. The inmate then began writing her poems and painting floral pictures as gifts.

Helen was flattered by the attention and already was in trouble for not reporting the gifts. She and the inmate sneaked into the old classification office and had sex. The captain entered the office to find Helen and the inmate in flagrante delicto. The inmate was locked up in disciplinary confinement and Helen was removed from her job. However, when the inmate was transferred to another prison, Helen was added to his visitor's list.
This chapter reveals how the inmates use the staff members’ insecurities and loneliness against them. By manipulating Helen’s need for romance and telling her the right things to make her think she loved him, the inmate’s sexual needs were met.

If not sex, sometimes the inmates wanted other urges to be satisfied like their drug and alcohol addictions.
A drug treatment center was under investigation from York for this very reason. York searched the financial records and discovered that there were frequent requests for new window screens. York learned that male offenders often broke through the screens, either to be with female offenders or to pick up drugs that friends and family members dropped off in the woods outside the treatment center.
The male offenders picked up the drugs and entered the female's section through the window. The offenders engaged in sex, drinking, smoking marijuana, and taking other drugs. “They were angels by day and vampires by night,” York observed. The entire program was shut down and the officers and other staff members were relocated.

Women's prisons can also be hotbeds for contraband. Many of the items demanded are things to enhance an inmate's femininity, such as make up, perfume, and jewelry, particularly tongue rings. In a women's prison, York discovered that two female officers made extra money on the side by bringing the inmates tongue rings and name brand makeup. The makeup was provided to replace the generic makeup approved by the prison and hated by the inmates. The tongue rings were a fashion statement because they were stylish and cool and also because the inmates used the tongue rings on each other for oral sexual pleasure and arousal. After York confiscated the tongue rings and makeup, he learned the names of the officers from the inmates. The officers resigned and surrendered their correctional officer certifications for life.

Sometimes the officers are just as corrupt as the employees as York shows in his chapter involving Florida's former Department of Corrections Secretary James Crosby. Crosby hosted wild parties with bigwigs, booze, and girls. He and other officials accepted kickbacks from private vendors and state funds. Other officials imported and sold steroids to give to the prison softball team. Crosby also protected officers who abused and intimidated inmates and staff.
Many of Crosby's cohorts were exposed and investigated. Some came clean particularly about the steroid use and the parties. Eventually in 2006, Florida governor, Jeb Bush ordered Crosby to resign. He agreed to plead guilty for accepting kickbacks and was sentenced to eight years in a federal prison.
The chapter on Crosby shows what happens when a prison official is as corrupt and scheming as the inmates. When that happens, the whole system can fall apart when citizens can't trust that law officers will protect them.

Sometimes the favors that staff members grant inmates seem innocuous but are symbols of power one has over them. This is particularly true for Warden David Farcas of the Charlottesville Correctional Institution. Farcas recruited captains, officers, and supervisors into what was called “The Family” a small group of prison officials who did favors for each other like covering up abuse. While inmates spoke up against the mistreatment, authorities did not take their claims seriously. Officers were supposed to testify as well, but the officers were too afraid of “The Family” to protest.
Farcas also granted favors to prisoners that he liked such as letting some use his cell phone to make long distance calls. In his previous position, Farcas gave an inmate and his father a steak dinner. He later had the same inmate transferred to Charlottesville.
One of the more bizarre favors that Farcas granted the inmates was to invite a skydiving team land on the prison compound during their annual Christian program. It is forbidden to allow airplanes to enter a prison without receiving approval from the State Capitol, conducting background checks on those who use the plane, and searching the plane for contraband or potential escapees. Farcas sidestepped these regulations and granted the skydiving team permission for no motive but to show off his power and prove that he could grant such a huge favor.
The Inspector General's office received various complaints on Farcas’ behavior from inmates and officers who were willing to talk about the Family's doings. Farcas was removed from his position, but temporarily received a new wardenship at Cross City Correctional Institution during the rise of Secretary James Crosby (see above). When Crosby resigned, Farcas was one of several prison employees terminated by Governor Jeb Bush’s actions to end illegal activity in Florida's prisons.

Juvenile correctional facilities also have their share of illegal activity going on inside those walls. In Hillsborough Correctional Institution, The young offenders got into fights, arming themselves with broom handles and padlocks as makeshift weapons. Warden Roderick James declared “If you want to act like animals, then you will be treated as animals.” Officers then handcuffed the young men to a chain link fence then laughed as a thunderstorm poured down on the boys.
James ordered the officers to use pepper spray on any dissenters. The inmates spent the night on the gymnasium floor handcuffed on the basketball court floor and sleeping on thin mattresses. The young men spent 33 hours handcuffed, before being released.
The inmates and officers, lieutenants, a major, the assistant warden, and the prison chaplain all testified that James ordered the punishment. James denied being involved in punishing the boys, but his attendance on the court log told a different story. James was demoted, suspended for a few days, and transferred to Avon Park Correctional Institution where he was eventually promoted to warden once again.
This chapter highlights a heart-breaking reality in America's prisons that sometimes when officers are caught breaking the laws that they swore to protect, unfortunately they receive very little punishment.

York's book is an eye opening look inside prisons where instead of rehabilitating and receiving second chances, the people on both sides of the law are often guilty of doing more of the same.