Spies Among Us An Alex Boyd Thriller by Mel Harrison; The Warrior Strong Manifesto by Karen Bentley; Flamingo Express by Kenneth D. Michaels

 

Spies Among Us (An Alex Boyd Thriller) by Mel Harrison; The Warrior Strong Manifesto: The Path to Power Based on The Ancient Shamanic Strategy of Life Energy Conservation by Karen Bentley 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spies Among Us (An Alex Boyd Thriller) by Mel Harrison 

This review is a summary. The full review is on LitPick. 

Spies Among Us is a tight well constructed spy thriller with fascinating characters, particularly the main protagonists and antagonists. It's great for readers who are looking for an action novel to keep their blood pumping in suspense during hot summer days.

Alex Boyd, senior special agent with the Diplomatic Security Service and his wife Rachel Smith are assigned to London because of her job as a political officer with the State Department and the U.S. Embassy. Unfortunately, all is not well as anomalies, misinformation, inconsistencies, and leaked news occur. 

Alex and Rachel believe that an insider is passing highly confidential information to Russian spies. However their investigations reveal that the informants and the spies are closer than they thought and those revelations could put them in danger.

The main spy thriller plot is well organized and carries the usual transfer of information, secret messages, surprise allegiances, dubious identities, plot twists, deception, cliffhangers, dangerous situations, betrayal, and fractured relationships when the truth is found out. 

This is a two character narrative. Alex and Rachel are a happily married couple that use their intelligence and expertise in Special Services and the State Department to solve this crisis.Their contributions to different facets of the case are augmented by their repartee and romantic life. 

 Thanks to the characters' relationship, Spies Among Us is both an action thriller and a love story. 

The WarriorSTRONG Manifesto: The Path to Power Based on The Ancient Lost Shamanic Strategy of Life Energy Conservation by Karen Bentley 

Karen Bentley’s personal development book is a written declaration to create strategic beliefs and life force energy-saving principles exclusive to warriors. This approach is so readers can find their own inner strength and fight their personal struggles by unleashing their inner warrior.

The book encourages readers to open up the warrior's strategy by saving life energy and opening up personal power. Bentley provides tips on how one can discover and use their personal power through actions like journaling, maintaining awareness, and developing inner, emotional, and physical/nutritional strengths. 

Chapters include information on the Warrior's Strategy, Mission, and Mindset, The WarriorSTRONG Advantage, Stop Wasting Your Life, Become Harmless, Calm Yourself Down, Eliminate What You Don't Want, Solve Your Problem, Ask For It, A New Forgiveness, Use the Warriorsdailycode to Discipline Yourself, and Do You Hear The Warrior's Call?

This book emphasizes taking action, living in moderation, being in emotional control, facing adversity and hardships, opening communication, atoning for mistakes, making clear plans, and having the determination and fortitude to succeed. 

Flamingo Express (A Nick and Norm Gay Detective Series Book) by Kenneth D. Michaels

This is a summary. The entire review is on Reader Views.

If ever there was a book written this year that is more perfect for summertime beach reading than Kenneth D. Michaels’ Flamingo Express, part of his Nick and Norm Gay Detective Series, then they had better have the sun shining from every page. 

Nick and Norm, detective partners, are recovering from their last case. They go to visit their friends, Jojo and Lola, in Key West, Florida. They are recruited to solve a string of fentanyl overdose deaths and the kidnapping of two flamingos, Lucy and Desi who are the star attractions at The Bird House.

The book has many excellent qualities and one of them is the Key West setting. Like authors of other murder mysteries where the protagonists are in a new location, Michaels takes great care in turning Key West into a character itself.

The setting isn't the only bright spot in the book. The mystery plot is pretty straightforward with the usual clues, interviews with witnesses and suspects, cliffhangers, suspense, plot twists, and resolution. 

The book sparkles with plenty of wit and charm from the cast of characters. Nick and Norm are more than just dedicated mystery solvers and a witty comedy duo. They are loyal friends. Nick has a serious subplot which involves trauma from previous cases and Norm tries to help him through.

Flamingo Express is perfect for adult mystery fans to read during hot summer nights, in airplanes, in hotels and vacation spots, or just sitting at home in an air conditioned house. It's witty, comical, warm, touching, suspenseful, and has plenty of fun and sunshine. 

14 Hours of Saturn by Mike J. Kizman; Antonio's Odyssey by Mike Pagone; They Know When The Killer Will Strike by Michael J. Bowler

14 Hours of Saturn by Mike J. Kizman; Antonio's Odyssey by Mike Pagone; They Know When The Killer Will Strike by Michael J. Bowler 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

14 Hours of Saturn by Mike J. Kizman 

This is a summary. The entire review is on LitPick.

14 Hours of Saturn is mostly a great character study of a young woman looking back on the trajectory of her life while embarking on her next step. Saturn's life doesn't by any means contain a lot of adventure or dramatic tense moments, but she is an interesting average person that we explore various moments throughout her young life. However, towards the end, the book loses character by forcing a repetitive and overbearing sermon that slows the book down. 

Saturn O Sayres is unpacking in her new apartment and exploring her new surroundings. She flashes back to memories of her family, particularly her love-hate relationship with her sister Venus, her education, artistic talents, friendships, romantic relationships, and spiritual concerns. 

Most of the book focuses on Saturn's tempestuous relationship with her fashionista logical sister, Venus. The two sisters argued over interests, romances, parent's attention, acting more like school rivals than related by blood. It's a very relatable relationship as anyone who has siblings can understand. 

Although Saturn and Venus's relationship is frosty and tempestuous most of the time, they occasionally show genuine love and support to the point that when the girls are separated by college, marriage, and life plans they miss each other more than either will admit.

14 Hours of Saturn could be a brilliant book about a woman who creates bridges with her conflicted relationships with others, particularly Venus or finds personal and financial success in her chosen professional field. Some of that is present. However, it is hidden by an overemphasis towards religion that overpowers the final chapters.

The final third of the book is almost taken over by religion. Saturn's overbearing college roommate quotes Christian platitudes and tries to convert Saturn which ultimately works.

It's not that the book is Christian Fiction that is the problem. It is that the book was so secretive about it. There was barely any mention of religion through most of the book until towards the end. It's like a Trojan Horse hiding religious meaning in a slice of life novel about two bickering sisters.

 Perhaps, it might have come across better if religious concepts were generously sprinkled throughout the book and that Saturn came into it on her own instead of through her roommate pestering her.

14 Hours of Saturn is a book that turns into a sermon, but at least has an interesting, spirited, creative, intelligent protagonist as the focus. 

 

Antonio's Odyssey by Mike Pagone 

Antonio's Odyssey by Mike Pagone is a charming slice of life novel about the life and loves of a man named Antonio or Tony from his 1940’s childhood to late in life contentment. 

Tony's life is described through various anecdotes and incidents which combine humor and emotion. His childhood is filled with memories of his relatives particularly his lively ebullient grandfather. He also writes about other youthful experiences like shining shoes for a living, joining a street gang, his interests in music and pigeons, and an early interracial romance with a Black girl named Rosetta. 

Antonio moved to Las Vegas to play piano with a band in 1954. This was when Vegas was just beginning its reputation as an entertainment destination during the jazz and Rat Pack Era. At the time, it was a flourishing thriving scene just perfect for a young musician to get his start. 

Unfortunately it's also a place where one could  get extremely close to organized crime as Tony does in a chilling chapter. His interactions with criminals costs Tony his job, his then girlfriend Laura, and ultimately his Vegas residence as he is forced to go on the run.

Antonio describes various people in his life through witty observation and self-deprecating humor. For example, his first wife Kelly had an IQ that was “like one hundred and forty-nine while (his) was probably zero, well maybe ten, but anyway she never used her intelligence to trick or fool (him).”  Another love interest, “Spur-Of-The-Moment” Linda led Tony on many strange antics to teach him to embrace life.

There are also moments of emotional anguish such as the decline of Linda’s friend, Julie, who suffered from addiction and potential psychosis. There is also genuine tenderness such as when Linda and Tony bond with Heather, a young girl from a troubled background. 

Tony, and Pagone, described these events with such earnestness and sincerity that the Reader feels like they really know Tony and his inner circle even if he wasn't a real person.

They Know When The Killer Will Strike (A Film Milieu Thriller) by Michael J. Bowler

This is a summary. The entire review is on LitPick.

Normally reading a later volume without reading a previous one can be a confusing chore because readers get lost. But They Know When The Killer Will Strike by Michael J. Bowler benefits from reading out of order because all is explained through a movie-within-a-book.

Leo Cantrell discovers that his previous adventure (told in the first volume I Know When You Are Going to Die), is going to turn into a movie produced by his ambitious pushy mother. Leo and his friends JC, Chet, and Laura get to experience the making of a film and befriend the actors who will play them. Leo however receives psychic visions of gruesome attacks on set suggesting that a killer is on the loose and has their eyes set on the cast and crew. While this is going on Leo has to weigh his sexuality and feelings for Asher, the actor/model playing him.

Using the device of a film made out of the previous book, readers are given information about characters’s back stories, important plot points, and the occasional spoiler without having read the first book. It's a very unique way of catching up late coming readers while also telling a great story in its own right. Film buffs will enjoy the behind the scenes look on how a film adaptation is made..

They Know When The Killer Will Strike is gripping thriller with a fun satirical edge as it looks at murder on the set of a Hollywood film. 

The Catalogue(A VENOM Novel) by Ty Mitchell; Suspense, Betrayal, and Twists Are Made to Order

 

The Catalogue(A VENOM Novel) by Ty Mitchell; Suspense, Betrayal, and Twists Are Made to Order

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

This review is also on Reedsy Discovery.

Spoilers: ‘Tis might be the season for receiving catalogs, but if you are a character in Ty Mitchell’s Suspense Thriller VENOM Novel The Catalogue, this eponymous document is the last catalog that you will want to receive. Instead of orders about charcuteries and winter apparel, this is a list of the world's most available organized criminals, assassins, terrorists, blackmailers, and all around worst people ever.

The Catalogue is the property of VENOM, a global super network of organized crime. Many members know of the Catalogue’s existence but not all of them have access to it and some would kill to receive it. One of them is Jun Li who is literally killing the competition. His actions reach the attention of Detective Jake Penny, investigative reporter Zasha Avery, and NSA Special Agent Ethan Parker who try to get to the root of these murders that will hopefully lead them to VENOM and The Catalogue.

This is a high octane and energy thriller that relies on suspense, plot twists, and fast paced writing to tell its story and it does that well. The action chapters are very tight building on different layers of character and suspense to add to the overall tension. 

From the first moment that we, the Readers, observe the characters, they are thrown into violent situations that require us to evaluate their personalities. Jake's introductory chapter takes place in a pharmacy where he is desperately trying to get opioids that he is addicted to. He stops an armed robbery and uses his observation skills to reveal that it was an inside job. 

This opening shows him as an effective detective but a very troubled individual with deep personal conflict. Those actions questions his allegiance with the law and our thoughts towards him. He doesn't live in a world of black and white, but gray.

Jun Li is another character who acknowledges that gray world. He is ruthless and efficient in his murders, treating his targets like nothing more than items on a checklist. Even though he is a loyal VENOM member, he seems more interested in becoming the actual leader and grabbing power for himself.

However, there is another side to him and it is shown in the opening chapter when he reads to a group of orphaned children before he returns to and taunts his bound adult hostages. He develops a genuine bond with one of the young orphans so that a later chapter concerning the two of them is one of the most emotionally gripping.

 Like Jake, the purpose is to show different sides and the gray world that he and the other characters inhabit. Sometimes the hero has a dark violent side and sometimes the villain shows vulnerability that is hidden from everyone else.

The gray world leads to some of the more intriguing plot twists and revelations. Some make sense but one arbitrary twist stretches credibility especially since the book is third person omniscient and we would have had some hints in the characters' mindset. 

I suppose that is the point. In a world where good characters aren't always good and bad ones aren't always bad and everyone operates according to their own code, that is to be expected. Characters act in ways that even the Readers find questionable.

The Catalogue is the type of novel that provides suspense, thrills, plot twists, and understanding of the complexities of the law and the lawless. It is perfectly made to order.

The Bangkok Girl (A Lee Jenson Novel) by Sean O'Leary; One Crime in Bangkok Makes a Neo-Noir Rumble

 

The Bangkok Girl (A Lee Jenson Novel) by Sean O'Leary; One Crime in Bangkok Makes a Neo-Noir Rumble 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: With apologies to Tim Rice, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Benny Anderssen, I couldn’t resist the paraphrase of “One Night in Bangkok.” I also apologize for the earworm. I am suffering for it, believe me.

When it comes to settings in Mysteries and Thrillers, Bangkok is a likely one if the mystery involves the sex tourism industry. It’s like New Orleans for Supernatural Horror, or DC for political crimes, New York for organized crime, or LA involving celebrity crimes. There are just some places on Earth which are practically short hand tropes, almost cliches, for certain types of crimes and conflicts that the reader will encounter. Bangkok with its reputation for a decadent night life, loose enforcement, stigmatization, and ambiguous distinction of the definitions of sex crimes is just the right place if the crime involves sexual assault, human trafficking, and forced sex work. That’s what Lee Jenson, private investigator is faced with in Sean O’Leary’s The Bangkok Girl. It is a modern day Neo-Noir Crime novel with its seedy location, troubled detective, ineffective or corrupt authority, powerful dangerous men and women in suits, and innocents who get swept up in the night life that destroys them.

Lee is a private investigator exiled from his native country, Australia and has settled in Thailand. He enjoys the roguish atmosphere and he gets plenty of assignments so he’s never bored. He receives a call from a potential client who is looking for his missing daughter. It seems Zoe Burgess, the young woman, worked as a jazz singer in various clubs around Sydney, Singapore, Bangkok, and Tokyo. However, she is missing and her parents are determined to find her. While Lee investigates Zoe’s trail with the help of his assistant/photographer/martial artist, Kanika, Lee learns that the poor girl did more than play special song requests. She was kidnapped, trafficked, drugged, and forced into sex work. Now Lee has to find her while facing the Yakuza, who have very powerful connections that have spread through various cities and countries and don’t like this detective nosing in on their business. 

There is definitely a sense of the old hard boiled detective noir books in The Bangkok Girl. It’s a subgenre that reminds Readers that the world is a dark cynical place and is full of soulless people who will corrupt, destroy, dominate, and murder others for money, position, or just for the Hell of it. There are places and people that practically thrive on that environment and rely on it to survive.

The settings in the book, particularly Bangkok, are shaped by that dark cynicism in O’Leary’s world. Lee goes through various nightclubs, encounters many unsavory characters sometimes using bribery and force to get information. In fact, the first few pages feature a fight between Lee and two enforcers that have nothing to do with the main case. Instead, the conflict is looked on as another day on the job in Bangkok. 

Along with crime, xenophobia and ethnocentrism is a presence throughout O’Leary’s book. As Lee investigates Zoe’s disappearance, he learns that there are clubs in which he is forbidden to enter because he is looked upon as a foreigner. In a homogenous Asian country whose residents consider one ethnicity or country of origin to be superior to others, someone like Lee is looked on as the minority. 

Keep in mind, this is the type of environment in which organized crime thrives. People with big ideas, fancy suits, and a charismatic style that draws law abiding citizens who are suspicious of local authority and The System. (Remember the opening scene in The Godfather with Bonasara, the undertaker’s “I Believe in America” speech? It’s like that). These people claim to be the spokesperson of their particular ethnic group playing on their fears, insecurities, and paranoia of those that are different from them against a status quo that often struck back and minimized them first. 

So of course The Yakuza would have a hand in this with their control with money, influence, threats, intimidation, and abuse. The Yakuza members, particularly one Hiro Kawasaki, have such a presence in the book. He is magnetic and cutthroat, the type that may invite you to his fancy private rooms but leaves his target uncertain whether he is going to sleep with them, shoot them, or both. The people surrounding him are both drawn to and are in fear of him so he is able to get away with a lot.

 Hiro has plenty of influence that allows him to practice his criminal acts and plenty of informers, like one who befriends women so they can then traffic them. Hiro has so much power and authority that there really is only one way to remove him. Even that won’t work, because there will always be another Hiro waiting to take his place.

Besides the crime element, that bitter cynicism can also be found within its protagonist. Lee has his own issues to work out. His exile from Australia is dubious and only hinted at but suggests that he committed some violent acts, suffered personal and professional trauma, and may have earned the ire of more than a few in charge. 

Lee is the right person to travel into such dark corners because he is as dark as they are, sometimes darker. He often has to rely on the assistance of others like Kanika, who is a sardonic but observant aide, to go inside places that he, a white man, can’t always enter. But he has the mindset to put those connections and clues together to make a whole picture.

Lee knows this world because he has to live it, not just because of his job but because it’s in his body and mind. He is Schizophrenic and relies on meds to keep his hallucinations and delusions at bay. At times this makes him vulnerable in certain situations. 

In some very eerie chapters, Lee is kidnapped by the Yakuza and is deprived of his medications. Surrounded by the enemies that he is supposed to face for Zoe’s life, he is consumed by the enemies in his mind that threatens to destroy and annihilate him from within.

 

Keep On Glowing Your Guide to Graceful Empowerment and Unstoppable Glow by Robin Emtage; The Belgian Girls by Kathryn Atwood; Mission: Red Scythe by C.W. James

Keep On Glowing Your Guide to Graceful Empowerment and Unstoppable Glow by Robin Emtage; The Belgian Girls by Kathryn Atwood; Mission: Red Scythe by C.W. James

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Keep On Glowing: Your Guide to Graceful Empowerment and Unstoppable Glow by Robin Emtage 

 Every woman has a fire, power source, inside that is forged by resilience, wisdom, and unstoppable feminine force. Some call this fire a glow. All women have it but not all are aware of it or use it to its fullest potential. Sometimes it fades over time or is buried under years, sometimes decades, of conditioning. It can dim and fade away into nothingness if not nurtured and cared for. Robin Emtage, beauty stylist, holistic glow expert, and founder of Silktage Tropical Inspired Beauty Products, wrote Keep On Glowing: Your Guide to Graceful Empowerment and Unstoppable Glow to help inspire women to discover and retain that glow throughout their lives.

Emtage’s Keep on Glowing Method consists of five pillars: Radiant Mindset, Sacred Self Care, Glow Rituals, Protective Boundaries, and Unapologetic Expression. Emtage describes this method as one that is designed to help readers return to themselves with grace, confidence, and an unstoppable glow.

Each chapter focuses on different concepts like creating a bold mindset for lasting radiance, practicing self-compassion for inner glow, gaining confidence and beauty that blossoms with age, reclaiming inner power, protecting glow in relationships, giving permission to shine, glowing forward and inspire, aging with intention and conscious glowing, using age-defying rituals, crafting a glow that lasts, building momentum through small deadly wins,practicing the art of saying no and creating boundaries, reimagining radiance and recognizing beauty beyond the mirror, building the life that you deserve, designing a life that radiates inside and out, and glowing forward. 

The book features advice and wisdom that is clearly explained with encouraging words. For example “Chapter 2: Be Your Own Best Friend: Self-Compassion for Inner Glow,” has words about “The Foundation of Self-Compassion, “The Glow Killing Inner Critic,” and “The Glow Boosting Power of Self-Talk.” “The Power of Self-Talk” section suggests ways of verbally turning negative self-criticism into positive and encouraging affirmations. For example, instead of saying, “I’m bad at this,” Emtage suggests changing the limiting sentence to “I’m learning and every step makes me better.”

Activities inspire readers to list their concerns, ways that can be improved, and identifying positive attributes. For example “Chapter 3: Embrace Your Radiance: Confidence and Beauty That Blossoms With Age”, includes various rituals, writing exercises, and actions that help guide the inner glow to shine. For example “Radiate Gratitude: Unleashing the Glow of Appreciation”, suggests that readers write down one thing that they like about themselves to remind them that they are worthy of admiration and respect especially from themselves. 

The chapters also include Glow Actions and Affirmations as final takeaways to preserve the inner glow. “Chapter 4: Reclaim Your Feminine Power: Unlocking Your True Glow” includes a Glow Action of writing a letter to oneself declaring a commitment to living fully in their power. They are encouraged to reveal what they will no longer tolerate, what they will say yes to, and to read the letter whenever they feel their light dimming. The Glow Affirmation for this chapter is “I reclaim my glow with every choice, every boundary, and every act of self-love.” 

The Belgian Girls by Kathryn J. Atwood

This is a summary of the review. The full reviews can be found on LitPick.

The Belgian Girls tells two stories. It combines the adventures of two women, a real life figure and a fictional character from the two different World Wars, to tell an intergenerational story of courage, sacrifice, freedom, heroism, and rebellion against oppression. 

The first chronological one is the true story of Gabrielle “Gaby” Petit, a barmaid in pre-WWI Belgium. Infuriated by the presence of German soldiers in her country, she organizes a spy network to pass information and defeat her country’s enemies. The second story, the fictionalized account, is that of Julienne Gobert, newly arrived in Brussels with her widowed father. She hears the story of Gaby Petit and is inspired to also become a spy and Resistance fighter against the Nazis as they devour the country around her. 

The stories perfectly merge together with characters, plot threads, and situations that link the two together. For example both protagonists were recently hit with trauma even before their involvement with the war efforts.The traumas leave these young women feeling unprotected in a changing world that is becoming more complicated but also tests their resilience, independence, and willingness to challenge their surroundings. 

The dual narration of the book shows how important it is to look to the past and learn how to live during tough times. Those tough times bring out the best in both women. Gabrielle, who lived a hard existence, learns to empathize with others and fight for her country. Julienne is pulled from her previous mousy timid nature and is moved by Gaby’s story. She becomes bolder and more courageous during times of danger. Both women are willing to fight and die if they have to.

The stories of Gabrielle Petit and Julienne Gobert remind us that one of the best ways to survive tough times of war, violence, tyranny, death, oppression, and poverty is to look to the past and how others lived during them, adapted to their surroundings, fought against them, and became heroes. Perhaps in doing so they can become heroes in the present.

Mission: Red Scythe (A James Vagus Thriller) by C.W. James

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

This book combines the flashy colorful adventures of a Ian Fleming James Bond novel with the duplicitous realistic tension of a John LeCarre novel.

In 1965, orphaned James Vagus is given an interesting offer. John Smith represents MIS-X the mysterious benefactor of James’ education. Smith notes James’ youth, good looks, amiable but reserved personality, and affinity for languages. MIS-X is looking for young recruits to go to places where the youth hang out like concerts, colleges, and class trips and gather information unobtrusively. In other words they are looking for teen spies. James is the perfect potential spy. He accepts the proposal, is given a partner Dakota Walker, and receives his first major assignment. He is to trail Otto Stradt, a corrupt businessman with ties to Eastern Europe. This assignment leads James and Dakota straight to a conspiracy involving scientists studying the potential of killer biology and the governments who will pay top dollar for such research. 

 James and Dakota are spies with all of the gorgeous locations, beautiful people, and cool toys and gadgets but also have an awareness that the governments that one works for can’t always be trusted, that agents can be quickly betrayed, and murder is never far away.

There is a seedy underside to this seemingly glamorous world, a seedy underside that young adults in their late teens and whose brains haven’t been fully developed are being thrown into. 

There is a constant awareness of death and betrayal that surrounds the characters. Even the characters that are on each other’s side may not be completely trustworthy as these young characters are encouraged to do everything they can lie, steal, have affairs, break laws, and murder to please their country and allies. There are moments that if the characters don’t expect betrayal from the presumed good guys, the reader might.

The only real true honest bond is that between James and Dakota. There are moments when one is captured, the other is willing to go through extremes to rescue them even if they risk blowing their cover. In this world of dishonesty, corruption, secrets, and murder the most honest moment is when the two partners acknowledge not only their friendship but also their brotherhood.

The Assassin's Heart by Chuck Morgan; Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes

The Assassin's Heart by Chuck Morgan; Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes 

 The Assassin's Heart by Chuck Morgan 

This is a short review. The full review is on LitPick 

The Assassin's Heart is an enthralling character driven Thriller about an assassin who begins to question her allegiances when her own heart and emotions are on the line.

 Delia Cahill seems to live a perfect enviable life. She's happily married to Mark, a government employee and has a great career as a high powered attorney with a noted list of rich and famous clients. She is actually a high priced assassin with a tremendous kill list and an excellent reputation as someone who gets the job done. Her latest assignment is Alexander Thorne, a tech genius who created an app that can penetrate any system, network, and defense. However, her heart gets in the way as Delia finds herself falling in love with her target.

Delia straddles the line between consummate professional and romantic heroine and plays both extremes rather well. She's like a praying mantis or a black widow spider, attracting her captive before destroying him. In fact she is so effective at her job that it would be nice to see more of this side of her as a remorseless killer.

Mostly we see her when she realizes that her job isn't what she thought. Her relationship with Alexander becomes a deal breaker between her and the Organization. After she falls in love, they go through extreme measures to break her, treating her just like she used to treat her targets. 

Delia lived a life of violence that overpowered her enemies and tried to live without a conscience. It worked until her conscience overpowered her. 

Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes 

It turns out the dead need just as much emotional and psychological help as the living. Just like the living, the dead sometimes meet in groups to talk about them. Dead People Anonymous by Loraine Hayes is an entertaining, hilarious, and heartfelt look at life after death and the support groups that they form. 

Lexi died at age 28. She wakes up surrounded by other ghosts that have their own stories to tell. There's Billy, a soldier who died during the Vietnam War and finds Lexi very attractive. Vivian is the group leader and Team Mom who suffered loss and rejection in life. Malik appears to be the youngest as he died at 11 but since he's the first who died, he is the wisest and most experienced when it comes to rules of the dead. Dominic is a surly argumentative sort on the surface but has a hidden heart of gold. Maria is quiet but retains the insecurities and neurosis that she had in life. Finally, Chester is the oldest, dying at age 98 and has a lifetime of regrets and memories. The Dead People Anonymous group is there for each other.

The living impaired talk about their problems, discuss the circumstances of their deaths, and what they need to do to cross over to the next plane of existence wherever that may be.

The world of the dead is very detailed with all of the rules and standards that the dead follow. Like all good Fantasies, Hayes took great care in creating and planning her imaginary world and it shows in her writing. 

The ghosts are restricted to various rules. They feel emotions strongly and those emotions can be quite contagious among them. They can relive moments in their pasts as observers and maybe learn things about those moments that they suppressed on Earth. Yes Heaven and Hell exist and the choices that they made in life and after death could serve as gateways to either location.

The ghosts can touch each other but not humans.

They can leave and observe humans, but during times of stress or enlightenment, they find themselves transported back to the building where the group meets. It's also not a good idea to visit friends or family. It's not forbidden but it brings out the worst emotions and could lead to permanent relocation in one direction or another.

These rules are intriguing as Lexi navigates her way through being dead, making mistakes, and adjusting to her ghostly afterlife.

The book also has a strong sense of character development as we get to know each group member, what they were like in life, who they left behind, and what unfinished business holds them back. 

Each character's past is explored and we touch on various human experiences through the eyes of those who had to leave humanity behind. These are stories of lost loves, missing family members, unfaithfulness, anger, jealousy, age, grudges, unspoken words, regrets, and wanting to know if their lives had any meaningful impact and if there was some part of themselves that lived on in some way. 

In the end that's all anyone wants to know, dead or alive. If they actually mattered.

Con and Consequence by Ian Rodney Lazarus; A Simple Cybercrime Leads To Bigger Terrorism

 

Con and Consequence  by Ian Rodney Lazarus; A Simple Cybercrime Leads To Bigger Terrorism 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Who would have thought that a simple cybercrime/con job would lead to a terrorist attack that will create generations of hardship and war between Palestine and Israel?

That is the premise that faces various characters in several countries and two continents in Ian Rodney Lazarus’s Con and Consequence, a suspenseful, tightly plotted, but wide spread Thriller.

The eponymous con artist is Jelani, a Somali genius who is using his vast intellect to create fake crowdfunding sites to draw in potential investors while operating as a ghost on the Web. Not exactly legit but cunning, non violent, and gives him and his family some much needed money. However, this scheme reaches Muhammad Amir Abbas who recruits Jelani to join his organization which has a plan for much deadlier consequences and to stick it to various enemies notably the United States and Israel. 

Meanwhile, Richard O'Brien, a linguist for the FBI intercepts a message that hints at a major terrorist attack in three days time. This investigation soon involves various terrorist organizations, the FBI, CIA, Mossad, the US, Palestinian, and Israeli governments, the Muslim population of Dearborn, Michigan, and O’Brien’s college age brother and girlfriend.

Lazarus does an excellent job of taking all of these various characters, settings, and plot points and tying them neatly together to make a comprehensible and perspicuous plot. The action starts small but leads to widespread complications that can lead to long term consequences for years and even decades afterwards.

This book focuses on various characters but the most interesting are three: O’Brien, Jelani, and an enigmatic character named The Professor who will be mentioned later. They form a triangle that takes the Reader through the various angles in the narrative and personalizes them. 

O’Brien is an anti-hero made for this type of story. Though he works with the FBI, he is himself not an agent so his pursuits are a more scholarly and communicative nature. This particular case puts him up front and center doing the leg work that his colleagues do. 

O’Brien has a very close Irish Catholic family with whom he loves but comes to disagree with, particularly about his job which causes his parents to worry. He is also tight with his brother, Myles who is a well meaning but immature goofball who accidentally stumbles upon the case himself. What starts out to be a funny and contrived coincidence becomes darker as Myles gets closer to his brother's career than he more than likely intended. 

O’Brien’s romantic history is held under scrutiny. He ignores the calls of a former girlfriend until realizing too heartbreakingly late why she called. This subplot and another in which he has a flirtation with a female agent show him as the type of man who is inept in his personal life but adept at his work. His personal life is one of failed relationships and few close connections outside of his immediate family so he devotes his time to his job. He embraces the adrenaline thrills and larger picture of preserving democracy because that's all that he has.

 It's a chaotic existence but it's one that O’Brien can use his linguistic skills and intellect to play an important part to the world at large. It's hard to focus on a personal life with romance, relationships, and daily tasks when one is constantly aware that  terrorist organizations are plotting to commit major fatalities half a world away.

Jelani represents those who join such organizations and live lives of crime. For Jelani, it's a matter of having a lot of brain, feeling like an outsider and not having much money or opportunity. We learn that Jelani has a high IQ and was recently diagnosed with being on the Autism spectrum. Since his diagnosis was as an adult and he doesn't have access to many resources that help him, he has many of the disorder’s symptoms such as memorization, intense fixations on his favorite subjects, discomfort in public places, and sensitivity to sensory triggers. 

Jelani has difficulties functioning, is arrogant about his abilities, lives in abject poverty, and is susceptible to suggestion. Of course he's the perfect target for those who are looking for angry, arrogant, young people with axes to grind, simmering hatred for their situation, and are ready to commit desperate acts for it. 

However, Jelani seriously underestimates the situation that he is in. His fatal flaw is arrogance. He thinks that because he has this online scheme and a genius level IQ, he is ahead of everyone else but he fails to realize that when his superiors are fighting a war in which fatalities, terror, carnage, assault, and violence are to be expected, no one cares about his money making scheme. In fact, compared to their activities, his con job is the equivalent of a Yorkie puppy nipping at the heels of a wolf pack trying to prove that he can be the alpha head. 

To Jelani’s credit, once he becomes aware of the full implication of his new organization’s  crimes, he does what he can to separate himself from them. Hey, he may rob people of their money but he still has a conscience. He might be a genius in academics but an idiot in common sense but he has some standards. One of them is not to commit countless violence towards random citizens to make a point that will only get worse because of the escalation of said violence. 

By far the most interesting enigmatic character is someone called The Professor. Not too much can be revealed in the review because of spoilers. Let's just say they are a cypher, someone who excels in hiding in the shadows.

They have a variety of pseudonyms and identities that are used periodically throughout the book, so characters and Readers are uncertain where The Professor’s real standards and allegiances lie. In one chapter, The Professor guides Jelani. In another, they work as a Mossad spy. You go through the book thinking one thing about them, then turn around and think something else. Then the final pages reveal a final twist that could either clarify or further muddy The Professor's personal truth. 

In fact the final reveal causes the Reader to look at the character and their actions differently. It also causes one to question the extremity of their motives and the means to achieve them. It makes one wonder if they were really sincere in committing their actions for their country or people or just for themselves. When a person manipulates that many people on various sides, and intentionally causes more destruction, do their real motives matter? 

Con and Consequence may start as a simple con job but ultimately that job like any other action eventually has consequences.

The Gift Book 2 of The Others Trilogy by Evette Davis, The Mantis Equilibrium (Book 2 in The Mantis Gland Series) by Adam Andrews Johnson, Folded Steel (Book 3 of The Forge Trilogy in The Shadow Guardians Series) by G. Russell Gaynor

The Gift (Book 2 of The Others Trilogy) by Evette Davis 

This is a condensed review. The longer one is on LitPick’s site.

The Gift is the second book in The Others Trilogy. It greatly expands on the concept of a secret society of people with magical paranormal abilities including Witches, Shifters, Fairies, Vampires, by taking place in a new setting and introducing new characters. However, it also relies on some cliches like a love triangle to unnecessarily enhance the plot.

Former political activist and half-Witch, Olivia Sheppard travels to Europe after a family emergency. She travels with her companions Gabriel, her Witch father, Elsa, her Time Walker Spirit Guide, Lily, her Fairy best friend, William, her Vampire boyfriend, and Josef, William’s Vampire friend. Olivia and company also have to face Nikolas, a powerful charismatic thousand year old Vampire who uses any means to lead the Council of Others, including murdering Humans and Others who oppose him. The investigation into Nikolas’ plans and actions put Olivia and Josef closer together and Olivia has to reconcile her love for William, her long term boyfriend and growing affection for Josef who has unrealistic feelings for her.

The Gift goes global and takes the characters to Europe. The change in setting puts them, especially Olivia, at a disadvantage since they are on Nikolas’ turf and are playing by his rules. 

The setting is one of glamor and Old World intrigue. Olivia and her friends visit various Medieval style villages and castles so the architecture calls to mind Gothic stories and legends and reveals the wealth and power many of the Others have. Nikolas isn't too far off from a James Bond villain, a character who compliments his adversary while using his vast wealth and power to do away with them.

There are some interesting new characters and plot twists that keep the series fresh and make the Readers look forward to the next volume. Nadia is a Tarot Card Reader and Clairvoyant whose predictions have a way of coming true that disturbs Olivia and in one key moment, Nikolas. 

The returning characters also go through a lot of development. A personal loss devastates Olivia causing her to question her decisions and current path. However, she finds her strength in taking charge of some unfinished business and pursuing Nikolas.

Both Gabriel and Josef reveal some dark secrets about their pasts, showing themselves as men who suffered great loss and heartache in their long histories. 

There are many things that work well but one that doesn't and that is the love triangle between William, Josef, and Olivia. There are some interesting parts such as Josef expressing his affection for Olivia and her acknowledging that she is not exactly appalled by his confession. It adds an interesting wrinkle but love triangles are so overdone.

For a series that has a unique concept of a thriving society of paranormal creatures and their interactions with the Human world and explores the precarious inner workings of this world, a love triangle is boring, ordinary, and ironically lacks the magic and mystery of the rest of the book.

The Mantis Equilibrium Book 2 of The Mantis Gland Series by Adam Andrews Johnson 

Spoilers: This review will mention the death of a character from the previous volume so I will reiterate and say that there are MAJOR HEAVY DUTY SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The last time that we entered the world of Adam Andrews Johnson’s The Mantis Variant, the Messiah’s, a powerful cult residing in futuristic Teshon City participated in gruesome rituals in which they mutilated the bodies of Shifts, people with special abilities so they can absorb the glands that give those abilities. Agrell, a Messiah with a hidden Shift ability goes on the run and meets Ilya, a Shift with the power of flight and Dozi, a street smart thief who wants to be a Demifae, a mystic with special powers by study not birth. The trio hide out with a kindly couple, Mystic, a Demifae and Theolon, his husband. They reunite the couple with Lahari, their missing daughter while the Messiahs declare war on the Shifts.

In the sequel, The Mantis Equilibrium, things get darker, more sinister, and potentially more dangerous for the characters. It certainly anchors the series with a stronger sense of purpose for what the characters are going through and the changes that are affecting the world around them. 

A year has gone by and the protagonists are mourning the death of Agrell who died in the previous volume sacrificing herself for her new friends. They have accepted each other and new member, Tchama as a surrogate family. They journey outside of Teshon City where Dozi has a very uncomfortable reunion with her family. They also meet Ninyani, a Shift with the ability of creating fire and ice. Meanwhile, Vion, a Messiah, goes on the hunt for Shifts after he finds the murdered bodies of his colleagues. Also a trio of Shifts, Gawa, Eroli, and S’Kay, have a more violent and destructive goal in mind for the Messiahs.

The Mantis Equilibrium balances the expected darker stake-raising that occurs so often in second volumes while doing interesting things in terms of character and plot that make it fresh and unique in its own right.

I will get one personal issue out of the way. I miss Agrell. She was my favorite character in the first volume. Her story of Messiah turned rebel was the most fascinating. She greatly developed from someone who had much to hide to someone who loves, and as we found out would willingly die for her new friends. Her loss is not only felt by the characters but this Reader as well. 

Unfortunately, Agrell's loss is more felt because of Tchama’s presence. There isn't as much to make her stand out as an individual the way that her predecessor did. She seems to exist solely to make sure that the main protagonists remain a trio. In fact, Tchama is so indistinct as a character that Johnson could have just as easily had Agrell remain for one more volume before killing her off. In fact, he missed a golden opportunity to have conflict and backstory between Agrell and Vion, a current Messiah who still is a devotee. But Agrell's absence is a minor personal issue in a volume that is otherwise excellent.

One of the most interesting aspects is the presence of Ninyani. He lived in a rural village that was isolated from the rest of the world so his powers are looked at very differently from the other Shifts. His mother believes that they are divinely inspired and this could be an opportunity to replace the Elder God of their village, a Shift who uses his powers to establish his own cult to worship him. Unfortunately, Ninyani's mother’s plans go awry when the boy accidentally causes a disaster that kills everyone in the village including the Elder God and his mother leaving him the sole survivor. 

Ninyani's backstory introduces some interesting concepts in this book. One of them is how similar things can happen to people but because of cultural or regional differences, they might be seen in various ways. Ninyani is unaware of the prejudice against the Shifts or even that there are people like him until he meets Ilya and she introduces him to the others. He is from a spiritual background that doesn't know about glands or genetic mutations, the way other characters do. Since his village can't explain it, they attribute it to divine intervention. It's quite an awakening and a bit of spiritual conflict when he learns of the truth. Though in his defense, he never really thought of himself as a god. His mother did, in an attempt to overthrow the previous one. He went along with it for her sake. “New God” was not a label that he was comfortable having so he doesn't mind when it is removed.

The other concept is that the destruction of Ninyani’s village can show what happens when those Shift abilities are misused. Even if they happen in a bout of thoughtless emotion, like it did with him, much damage can occur. This is why it is A) dangerous for one to absorb so many like with the Messiahs and B) why it is so important to learn to channel them and use restraint as the Mystic trains Ninyani to do. 

Vion also is an interesting figure in this volume because he is a contrast to the previous Messiah, Agrell like I said. She left the cult after finding out their true intent. Vion not only accepts the slaughter of Shifts, he is ruthless in implementing it. He is the dogmatic cult member who follows the doctrine to the letter. He would rather continue down the path no matter how bloody than admit that he was wrong about it. With so much conversation and debate about cult followings sometimes involving the surrender of one's free will and morals, this subplot is surprisingly relevant.

Vion is an unrepentant bigot and rigid dogmatist especially towards Shifts. However, there is a very curious moment in which something bizarre happens to him and his fellow Messiahs. He attributes it to the Shifts that they are following but it is purposely left ambiguous whether this strange event was caused by the Shifts or by Vion himself. Is it entirely possible that the Shift Hater is himself a Shift? If so, would he go the way of Agrell and rebel or repress his true nature underneath the veneer of hatred and authoritarianism?

The recurring characters have some fascinating things happen to them, most notably Dozi and fellow returnee, Auntie Peg. Dozi’s reunion with her biological family starts out well but becomes awkward and fierce once they learn about her Shift friends. Their ultimatum and Dozi’s decision to stand by her friends shows a strength of character.

Auntie Peg was a supporting character in the previous book. Here, she comes into her own as we learn about her backstory and why she lives her life the way that she does. She also serves as a warm maternal mentor to the others and leads many of the Shifts on the path to a civil resistance.

There are some interesting threads that could lead to potential story arcs. Gawa, Eroli, and S’Kay’s subplot is not fully realized or more than likely has not yet reached its full potential as though they have a much larger role to play in the events to come. Ilya goes through a chilling transformation with potential long term complications and might blur the lines between enemy and ally in future installments. It certainly leaves Readers hanging.

Folded Steel (Book 3 of The Forge Trilogy in The Shadow Guardians Series) by G Russell Gaynor 

Let's see in the first volume of The Forge Trilogy, The Blind Smith, we were introduced to John James Moore, AKA Augur who was blinded in an assassination attempt and is recruited by an organization of spies and assassins. He then is betrayed and plans revenge on his one-time recruiters and allies. In the second volume, Muted Rage, John recruited his team most notably, Sonya Bocharova, a deaf Russian woman, and weighed and analyzed their strengths and weaknesses. Let's see we have the leader, we have the team, what next? Why it's time for the missions of course. In this third, volume, Folded Steel , it's time for the team to organize and take action against their enemies.

This plot isn't quite as straightforward as the previous volumes. It's a series of gambits between John’s team and the organization fronted by Bob, John’s former recruiter/mentor turned betrayer and arch-enemy. Along the way characters fall in love, question their loyalty, play various sides, and conspire against their enemies and sometimes their allies. Meanwhile other characters like lovers, Thomas and Jessilae are thrown violently into the fray.

Sometimes things get incredibly confusing with the cunning schemes and action-centered nail hanging chapters. It also doesn't always help as characters alternate being called by their real and code names. It can be difficult to say who is involved in what, what the goals are, whether they succeed, and who they are successful for. It keeps the Reader’s suspense and interest, but it is bad when trying to summarize and keep track of it all (even worse when adding the first two volumes).

However, there are some great moments. Unlike many similar novels, John and Sonya do not become lovers. They are just allies and partners, close to friends as the often cynical John will allow. They do however become paired with other characters. Sonya and her lover have a touching moment amid the tension and violence of their usual lives that allows them to receive a great release of emotion and humanity no matter how brief. Meanwhile, John’s relationship comes to a harsh end that can be expected in a world when lives are on the line and loyalties can be and often are for sale. 

Jessilae and Thomas’s subplot alternates between humor and heartache as they are confused and out of their depths,  the way most normies that are suddenly thrust into such a situation would act. They can't tell friend from foe, ally from enemy, and do not find it easy to trust anyone. On the outside looking in, they, especially Jessilae, can see that the two sides aren't really that different and that it was just circumstance over which side they ended up with. 

By far one of the strongest moments is a one on one confrontation between John and Bob. Both insufferable geniuses, they don't use weapons but they use words. The one time allies show mutual respect for one another, even admiring their tenacity, perseverance, and iconoclastic creative thinking. In another life, they might have had a father and son relationship. But in their case, respect gives way into treachery and distrust. In a way, their conflicts arise because they are too much alike. They are both brilliant men who are dogmatic in their views and have a serious addiction to being the smartest and best in the room. They were bound to be on opposite sides and are bound to fight until one is victorious and the other is completely annihilated and/or preferably dead.

John’s pursuits has left him with a small group of allies, but they have earned his trust and he theirs. Once a rich kid and tech guru, he has to live a clandestine life of revenge, secrets, and violence but thankfully because of his alliances and his new team, he doesn't have to do it alone.

Tangles: A Cold War Love Story and Mystery by Kay Smith-Blum; Uncovering Environmental Destruction and Familial Disruption

 Tangles by Kay Smith-Blum; Uncovering Environmental Destruction and Familial Disruption

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Kay Smith-Blum’s novel, Tangles, tells two separate stories and links them with the theme of something pleasant and beautiful torn apart by greed and gain. One story focuses on the changing environment and the other is that of lovers separated and unable to connect.

Along with the two plots, the book has two narrators separated by almost twenty years. The first is in the 1940’s and features Mary Boone, a secretary. She is trying to survive an abusive marriage during WWII. She works at the new power plant in Hanford, Oregon which is preparing new weapons against the Axis Powers. People around her start getting sick so she investigates the origins of the illnesses despite objections from her employers, the U.S. government, and her husband, Matt who is the plant spokesperson. 

The second narrator is Luke Hinson, a young scientist in the early ‘60’s. His studies are halted when he is diagnosed with a highly suspicious form of thyroid cancer. This diagnosis leads him to his own research into the environment. As Mary and Luke continue their investigations, they find the same solution: the Hanford Nuclear Reservation tainted the environment for twenty years and is slowly killing the environment including its plants, animals, and people. Besides their concerns about the local environment, Mary and Luke share more personal connections. They were once neighbors and despite their huge age gap, the two share a mutual attraction that evolves into friendship and eventually romance with heavy complications.

The duel stories and narrators could have made the book confusing but actually works well. I would argue that it works even better than if we only had one narrator and one time span. In alternating Mary's story with Luke’s we see both the beginning and the end of this story. We see how greedy industrialists first poisoned the environment and then the results of long term illnesses years later. We also see how Mary and Luke’s relationship evolved from being casual acquaintances to Mary eventually becoming the one that got away for Luke. The two narrative halves work together to make the book a complete whole picture of a decaying environment and rocky but meaningful relationship.

This book connects the stories about the environmental investigation and Luke and Mary’s romance in ways that make them interchangeable. They are separate threads that, as the title suggests, are tangled together, affecting each other and the people around them. Neither story could exist without the other, just like neither narrator could finish their story without each other.

Both the natural setting and Luke and Mary’s relationship start out beautiful and become tainted by outside forces. The Oregon setting is filled with trees, woodland, animals, and small towns. Enough progress for people to raise families and find work but not enough to overwhelm and spoil the nature around them, at first. The plant begins the way most industries do, with promises of the future with more jobs and a chance to fight the US’s enemies which were the Axis during WWII then the Soviets during the Cold War. In a community that has plenty of natural resources but is just getting through the Great Depression and facing a war where many men are called up to serve and civilians work in government jobs this offer is tempting. But like any offer that’s too good to be true, they don’t stop to think of the consequences.

The citizens don’t think of what nuclear waste would do to the waters around them, how it would get into the food supply and inside birds, animals, and people. They don’t think about the health risks and illnesses that will shorten life spans or prematurely end lives or that future generations will be affected for years, even decades afterwards. They don’t think that the community that they once held dear and thought would benefit from this plant would break apart because of early deaths, separation, and people moving away from a place that is not only unhealthy but is filled with too many haunting memories. 

It’s not entirely the fault of the citizens for not knowing.They are not told of the consequences. The officials in their usual drive to maintain plausible deniability and keep everything under wraps hide the truth from the residents. Oh that polluted lake? Oh that’s natural. People showing symptoms of cancer? Well have they checked their family history? It certainly has nothing to do with what they eat and drink.

 The officials make sure that the worst news doesn’t get out and they aren’t above threatening doctors to give different diagnoses, changing statistics, threats, coercion, or murder to make everyone believe that everything is fine and there is nothing to worry about. Beating the United State’s enemies is the most important factor and anything else is secondary. The fact that there won’t be any workers at this plant, because they are either ill, dying, or moved on because of the scarcity of resources never occurs to them. The environment and people’s health are destroyed for others’ gains. 

The environment and health aren’t the only things that are destroyed. The bond between Mary and Luke builds and falls apart by outside forces. They relate to each other despite having a tremendous age gap because they are both lonely and suffering. Mary is in an abusive marriage and her parents are dead or dying. Luke’s father has died and he has a loving but sometimes distant relationship with his mother. They both reach turning points in their lives where they have to make serious decisions about their future. At first their bond is simply a friendship between two people that are in similar circumstances and can ask and offer advice based on their personal experiences. 

Now there are many that may question their evolving romance because of their age gap and in many ways, they would be justified in doing so. Their relationship can be seen as grooming and certainly crosses many boundaries. It’s not an easy decision for either character and to their credit both Mary and Luke are concerned about the ramifications and consequences of such a union. It’s not a relationship of passion and unbridled sexuality. It’s more of one of two lost souls that were hurting and at their most vulnerable and most emotionally naked and honest, they came together. It happened and they can’t go back and change it. The only thing that they can do is accept the consequences and live with the results.

Just like with the nature surrounding them, outside forces disrupt any future plans that Luke and Mary have. They are separated in the worst way imagined and the truth is concealed for years. It takes a long time, over a decade of loss and regret before any type of reconciliation or reclamation is made between them. When it finally does happen, there is a restoration of balance but also a wistful longing of what might have been if they had acted sooner and did not hide the truth from each other. 

Perhaps in a strange way just like the Plant officials were keeping the locals ignorant in their goals of fighting foreign enemies and keeping the US safe, Mary and Luke were keeping each other ignorant in the goal of fighting their own enemies and keeping each other safe. In both plots and both narrations, withholding secrets in the name of safety and security ended up becoming the cruelest action of all.

Weekly Reader: Flint of Dreams by Charles Peterson Sheppard; Involved Thriller and Dark Fantasy About Harnessing One's Own Power

 

Weekly Reader: Flint of Dreams by Charles Peterson Sheppard; Involved Thriller and Dark Fantasy About Harnessing One's Own Power

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Lucid dreaming is the ability to control one's dreams by knowing that the sleeper is dreaming. Remote viewing is seeking impressions about distant or unseen subjects with the mind. 

These are powers that are investigated in Flint of Dreams, Charles Peterson Sheppard's deeply thought and tightly woven thriller and dark fantasy about a young man who is the subject of intense scrutiny because he possesses these abilities.

Asa "Flint" Spencer, the young man with said abilities, is a Seneca Iroquois who spent a lot of time in trouble with the law. He was once part of a gang of car thieves and now is trying to live a somewhat decent law abiding life with friends and a white girlfriend whose bigoted mother does not approve of him. Unfortunately, his felonious past isn't as far behind him as he was hoping. Crystine Nagata, a college student, is raped and her assailants are dead. The police arrest Flint for the crimes. Meanwhile, a local counselor and government agents are interested in Flint's abilities and there is also a gangster who has some unique powers of his own and harbors no qualms about using them to his advantage.

Flint of Dreams puts a fantastic situation in a realistic setting and shows how people react when they are faced with it, reflecting the way many would behave in real life. Some want to study it. Others want to profit off of it and use it to their advantage. Others would fear it and think that it brings evil. Those who have it may embrace it as a sign that they are meant to do great things while others want to run from it because it gets in the way of living a normal life. 

Flint is the type who would rather run. Many of his lucid dreams involve himself in the woods or near a lake with some mysterious characters, including a beautiful seemingly ageless woman and plenty of waterfowl. He gets images of things that happen even when he isn't there to witness it. He rejects most of these abilities partly because he wants to live a normal life, but also because they remind him of his tribe and the old ways. The dreams and visions are a part of his life but they are tucked away in his mind as he deals with the reality of being a young impoverished indigenous man with very few prospects.

Flint is not always the most likable protagonist but it is easy to understand where he is coming from. His father is gone and his mother is an alcoholic who couldn't care less about her son. His education and employment history is spotty. Even when he tries for legitimacy there are always bullies who challenge him to fights or remember him from the bad old days, racists,like his girlfriend Denise Nash's mother, who see his skin color and ancestry and don't want to give him a chance, and cops who arrest him because of his history regardless of whether he did the crimes or not. 

With that many decks stacked against him, it's understandable that he would want to go through life fighting and breaking the law.

 If no one believes in a person when they are ordinary, why should he do anything for them when he has something extra that could help them? Why should that person believe in themselves? The moments when Flint actually does investigate his abilities and uses them to help others are that much greater because of how much stands in his path. 

It also helps that Flint has some understanding friends and allies that want to help. With the exception of the racist snobby Mrs. Nash, the rest of the Nash family is close to Flint. Denise is a supportive girlfriend even if she doesn't always specifically understand what Flint is going through. Her brother, Chance, is one of Flint's best friends but isn't afraid to call him out on his behavior when his self-pity and bad attitude get too much. 

Denise and Chase's father, Van Nash, a psychiatric counselor, is the first to notice Flint's abilities and make some attention known about how astronomical they are. While most of the police officers and government agents are standard characters there is one that stands out, a woman with the great name of Jill St. Jillian. Once she follows Flint's case and understands his powers and what he's going through, St. Jillian is empathetic enough to give him shelter when others are looking for him.

There are a couple of other characters who are tangentially related to Flint's story but still are brilliant characters in their own right. One is Cristina Nagata, the aforementioned rape victim. She is the daughter of a former Yakuza member who, similar to Flint, is putting a felonious past behind her while studying glow worms and fireflies. She is also in a relationship with Keith Habalo, a chemical assistant for a pharmaceutical company that is creating a pill to give the users certain abilities like lucid dreaming, remote viewing, and enhanced ESP.

Another fascinating character is Brizio "Essy Breezy" Pachachi, a foil and in some ways a shadow self of Flint's. Like Flint he too has extrasensory perception, usually involving telepathy. Like Flint, he had a terrible childhood with a mother who gave birth to and then abandoned him in a gas station restroom. Afterwards, he was fostered by two parents who used his powers in their street performance act. Breezy grew up abused and exploited, and fully aware of the gift that he has so unlike Flint who locks it away, he used it. He used it in his criminal career and for his own gain becoming more powerful and terrifying than the average gangster. After all, it's hard to arrest or shoot someone who can read your thoughts. He is the worst case scenario of someone that Flint could be if he doesn't keep his powers and ego in check.

Some of the later chapters get kind of convoluted and the book meanders a bit by running too long, but still Flint of Dreams is a brilliant book about the cost of having and living with abilities that makes a person different from anyone else.