Category: Book Reviews

Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, Book two of the Wheel of Time series.

Introduction

Great Hunt by Robert Jordan is the second book of The Wheel of Time series. It follows Eye of the World, the first book in the series. Someone stole the Horn of Valere. The prophecy says they need the horn to summon the great heroes of the ages at the last battle. Can Rand and his group retrieve it before the great enemy, Ba’alzamon, disposes of it and their chance to defeat him in the last battle?

Summary

The Great Hunt begins with the characters reflecting on the events of Eye of the World at the city of Fal Dara. Rand trains with the sword with Lan. The Amyrlin Seat, the leader of the Aes Sedai arrives in Fal Dara to access the situation. After someone steals the horn, Agelmar, the Lord of Fal Dara, forms a group to retrieve it. The group is lead by Ingtar and includes Rand, Mat, Perrin, Loial, and Ingtar’s soldiers. Padan Fain, the thief and the leader of the Trollocs the group chases, is not who he seems. They split the group up during their journey. Rand, Loial, and one of Ingtar’s soldiers named Hurin overcome challenges. Rand must face his destiny and Ba’alzamon’s lies.

Meanwhile, Moiraine, the Aes Sedai the characters followed in Eye of the World, takes Egwene and Nynaeve to the Aes Sedai city of Tar Volan to start their training to become Aes Sedai. Egwene and Nynaeve learn at the White Tower in Tar Volan and become friends with Elayne and Min.

The horn arrives in Falme, a city on the western coast. The characters meet in Falme for the confrontation which includes the Seanchan, a strange and violent people from across the sea, The Children of the Light, a military order attempting to exterminate Darkfriends, and Ba’alzamon. Rand proves his worth.

Recommendation

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan is a great second novel to the Wheel of Time series. Jordan delivers the promise of the first book in the second. The novel could have suffered from becoming an episodic placeholder setting up the series conclusion but it does not. The two main storylines are strong. Their search for the horn and Rand’s journey of acceptance of his destiny flows well together. Egwene and Nynaeve’s training showcase the wider world and the use of the One Power. The two most important scenes in this novel are when Rand becomes the Dragon Reborn and the Seanchan capture Egwene. The Great Hunt sets up The Dragon Reborn, book 3 of the Wheel of Time. I am looking forward to watching the first season of the Amazon Prime Video adaption of the first two novels of the series in 2020.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/233649.The_Great_Hunt

This is the link to my review of Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

This is a link to the post from March 7, 2019, on an update on the current situation with the Wheel of Time Amazon Prime Video adaption from the Wertzone website.

http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-wheel-of-time-tv-series-update.html

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence

Introduction

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence is the first book in the Impossible Times Trilogy. Nick Hayes enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons (D & D) with his friends. The novel takes place in January 1986 in London, England. Nick has problems. They diagnosed him with leukemia and he likes the new girl in his D & D group, Mia, but a mysterious stranger arrives and turns his life upside down. Can Nick figure out his next move? His life and future depend on him making the right choice.

Summary

Nick friends are in his D & D group. They are Elton (the dungeon master), John (the warrior), Simon (the thief), Nick is the mage, and Mia is a priest in the group. Nick starts his chemotherapy for leukemia and thinks about his mortality. Demus is the mysterious stranger that wants Nick and Mia to do a dangerous task for him. Nick and Mia need the special talents of the kids in their group. John is wealthy, Simon is a skilled computer hacker, and Elton has a way to break into a computer facility The story is complicated by what the drug dealer Sacks wants and what the psychopath Rust wants from them.

Recommendation

I wasn’t sure where this novel was going because the cliched use of amnesia seemed unlikely. The thrilling ending saves the novel by connecting it all together. With the nostalgia angle, I thought this short novel would be more like Ready Player One, but it was not. One Word Kill is a time travel novel. It explores time travel, destiny, and paradox. I thought it interesting that the Goodreads readers shelved it as 144 Fantasy and 103 Science Fiction. In my experience, time travel was known as Science Fiction. Is this a changing of genres? What changed to make this story fantasy? Maybe readers shelved this novel as fantasy because they know Mark Lawrence as a fantasy author.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39792427-one-word-kill

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence. Book 2 of the Impossible Times Trilogy.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41771517-limited-wish

A similar book that uses a knowledge of the 80s a critical part of the plot is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

This is the link to my review of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Redshirts by John Scalzi

Introduction

Redshirts by John Scalzi starts with Ensign Andrew Dahl assigned to the Universal Union’s flagship, the starship Intrepid. He works in the Xenobiology department and his coworkers advise him not to go on away missions with the officers of the starship. Crewmembers on away missions who are not officers are dying at an alarming rate. Dahl must discover the unbelievable truth, or he will die like the other Redshirts.

Summary

Andrew Dahl connects with a group of new crewmen on the Intrepid. His group includes Maia Duvall who transferred from her last post, his rich friend Jimmy Hanson, a suspected ‘fungus’ dealer Finn, and the mysterious Hester. They learn not to go on away missions with the ship’s officers or risk death. The officers to watch are the Intrepid’s Captain Abernathy, chief science officer Q’eeng, astrogator Kerensky, medical chief Hartnell, and chief engineer West. The key to the mystery is finding the missing crewman Jenkins. The story is connected to the original Star Trek TV show. They must discover the nature of what Dahl’s coworkers call the sacrificial effect and another effect called the Narrative. Shenanigans ensue and the conclusion arrives to complete Dahl’s story. There are three codas that are from different viewpoint characters that finish the theme of the story.

Recommendation

Redshirts by John Scalzi is a great novel. It’s funny, has an unusual premise, and moves quickly to the conclusion. The novel is sneaky because the humor overshadows a great theme. The three codas bring home the theme of making your own reality. There is a first-person coda and a second person coda. The third person coda ties up the themes explored in the novel and the final image ends the novel perfectly. I like that there is no sequel because the end says it all.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Redshirts by John Scalzi

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13055592-redshirts

The following links are for my reviews of other John Scalzi books.

This is a link to my book review of The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi, Book 2 of the Interdependency Sequence.

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

This is a link to my book review of The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi, Book 1 of the Interdependency Sequence

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

This is a link to my book review of the Dispatcher by John Scalzi, Book #1 of the Dispatcher Series.

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

Broken Eye by Brent Weeks

Broken Eye by Brent Weeks

Introduction

Broken Eye by Brent Weeks is the third book of The Lightbringer series. This novel follows the exciting events detailed in Burning Knife, the second book in the series. The four main narrators are Gavin, the current Prism who has lost his powers, Kip, Gavin’s son, and a Blackguard trainee, Teia, Kip’s friend and a Blackguard trainee (and Kip’s slave, but that is another story), and Karris White Oak, Gavin’s wife (she is also a former Blackguard and The White’s assistant. The White is the leader of the spy corps of the Chromeria). These four characters have important tasks to carry out in the war against the Color Prince and a shadowy group of assassins named the Order of the Broken Eye. If they fail in their missions, then the colors will become unbalanced and they risk the destruction of their world.

Summary Background

Chromaturgy is the magical system of the Seven Satrapies. They call magicians who use Chromaturgy drafters and the best drafters live on the Chromeria, the seat of the Satrapies government. Drafters can take a part of the spectrum of light and make a substance called luxin. They can shape luxin into items, with the color of the luxin determining the properties of the item. Most drafters can draft one or two colors while the Prism can draft all the colors. There is only one Prism alive at one time and the Prism is the military, spiritual, and political leader of the Satrapies.

Summary Plot

Gavin is the Prism, but he had lost his powers. He is a galley slave under Captain Gunner and Gavin searches for a way to escape. Kip is a Blackguard trainee but is being coerced and groomed by his grandfather Andross to do Andross’s bidding as the potential next Prism. Kip is conflicted with his feelings for Andross. He is also conflicted with his feelings for Teia, who is his friend, comrade, and a reluctant slave who he would like to become romantically involved. This plot becomes more complicated when Tisis is interested in getting to know Kip physically and Kip finds he is also interested in her. Events get beyond Kip’s control and he must try to escape the Chromeria before someone assassinates him. Teia is tasked by the White to infiltrate the secret Order of the Broken Eye. It is a dangerous mission complicated by her interaction with the assassin named Murder Sharp. Kariss White Oak assists the White by gaining intelligence about the Color Prince’s rebellion.

Meanwhile, the Color Prince has been marshaling his land forces beginning an invasion of the Blood Forest which is one step from the Chromeria. The main characters must become involved in defeating him before he becomes too strong.

Recommendation

The story of the Lightbringer series gets more complicated and interesting in this novel. This novel is a part of the larger series. The author resolves plot points from book 2 and the author introduce others to be explored in the next book. The four main characters are well drawn. The author pushes their arcs in this novel to a climactic confrontation at the Chromeria. There were other viewpoint chapters in the novel, but I believe those chapters were unnecessary though they were well written. It would take more space to develop more than the four main characters. The next novel in the series is named the Blood Mirror and I will read it this year. The last novel in the series is named the Burning White and is scheduled to be published on October 22, 2019.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Broken Eye by Brent Weeks.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12652457-the-broken-eye

This is the link to my review of the Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks.

The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks

This is the link to my review of Black Prism by Brent Weeks.

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

Self-Publishing Boot Camp by Carla King

Introduction

Self-Publishing Boot Camp Guide for Authors, 4th Edition: Your roadmap to creating, publishing, promoting, and selling your books is written by Carla King. It is a comprehensive guide for authors interested in self-publishing their work. The book strives to be up to date with current information. This is the fourth edition and Carla King updates the consumer’s guide section periodically through her website, so to use this book to its fullest effect, authors should seek out and use the updates to the consumer’s guide by subscribing to her reader’s list.

Summary

Self-Publishing Boot Camp is divided into seven sections which cover her advice on all aspects of becoming a self-publisher because self-publishing is a business and authors must understand what they want to achieve by self-publishing. There are certain tasks to self-publishing that can be completed by hiring the work out based on the project’s budget and the author’s ability to complete certain tasks.

These are the seven sections in the book.

  1. Prepare for success by using beta readers (she uses Word to write the book and BetaBooks to distribute to beta readers), beta publishing (she uses LeanPub), self-edit your work (she uses ProWriting Aid, MasterWriter, and Fictionary), and hiring a professional editor.
  2. Create a publishing business by developing a business plan, creating your publishing imprint, and buying at least ten ISBN for all your book formats.
  3. Good book design is important to make your book look as close as possible to the mainstream publishers. Book Design involves the interior design and most critically the book cover. It is important to hire out this task to a professional. Create the book with a PDF for printing and an e-book.
  4. Distribute your book using Amazon KDP for Amazon ebooks (MOBI book format), Smashwords for all other ebooks (EPUB book format), Amazon Kindle Print for Amazon POD (Print on demand with PDF book format), and IngramSpark for all other POD (PDF book format).
  5. Selling your book direct by your website and through other means. (She uses WordPress and GoDaddy.com for her websites. She uses Gumroad for direct orders.)
  6. Book marketing and promotion through your website and social media.
  7. This section is the consumer’s guide for self-publishers where the available vendors are reviewed, and recommendations are made. This section is updated and if you subscribe to her reader’s list, then Carla King will email you the updates in a separate web book. This is the link to the subscription page. https://selfpubbootcamp.com/readers/

Recommendation

This book has all the knowledge you need to decide if self-publishing is the right way to release your book. It seems like a daunting task, but Carla King takes each necessary step of the process and explains what to do clearly and simply. The consumer’s guide gives options for help in producing a self-published book. Let Carla guide you on your journey of self-publishing. That’s my plan and I will update this post to show my progress.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Self-Publishing Boot Camp by Carla King.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39091803-self-publishing-boot-camp-guide-for-authors-4th-edition

These are other writing books I have read and reviewed like Self Publishing Boot Camp.

This is the link to my review of How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz.

How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz

This is the link to my review of Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys to Writing an Outstanding Story by K. M. Weiland.

Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys to Writing an Outstanding Story by K. M. Weiland

Camino Island by John Grisham

Introduction

Camino Island by John Grisham is a thriller about the theft of rare manuscripts from the Princeton University Library. Frustrated writer Mercer Mann is recruited by the FBI rare asset recovery unit to get inside the inner circle of rare book dealer Bruce Cable, the FBI’s suspect for buying the stolen original handwritten manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s five novels. Mercer must go to Bruce’s bookstore, Bay Books, on Camino Island in Florida. If she can convince Bruce to show her the manuscripts, will she turn him into the FBI or will she let him go?

Summary

The first three chapters of Camino Island follow the viewpoints of the three main characters in succession. The first chapter, The Heist, follows Denny Durban a disgraced Army Ranger as he and his crew steal the manuscripts from the Princeton Library. Chapter Two, The Dealer, is the backstory about how Bruce came into money, opened his bookstore, and becomes a dealer in rare writings. Mercer is introduced in Chapter Three, The Recruit, when she had just lost her job as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina. She had written a well-received novel years ago and a book of short stories. She had been unsuccessfully trying to write her next novel as she taught. Elaine of the FBI rare asset recovery unit has an offer for Mercer. Return to her childhood summer retreat of Camino Island to learn what she can about Bruce and the FBI will pay her well including eliminating her student loan debt. She had spent her summers there with her Aunt Tessa until her Aunt died. Mercer is reluctant to go, but she accepts the offer for the money. She engages with the writer’s community on Camino Island and is soon introduced to Bruce. He is a notorious ladies man, who is married to Noelle but is rumored to bed young female writers as they come for book tours at his store. Mercer is a likely target for Bruce and that is why Elaine recruited her. The story continues following Mercer, Bruce, and Denny until the conclusion.

Recommendation

I liked this book, but something was missing. It had to do with my expectations for the novel and the characters. I can’t decide who the protagonist is and the genre of this novel falls. The three main characters are Denny, the antagonist, Mercer, maybe the protagonist, and Bruce, who is somewhere in between. The categories on Amazon put this novel under thrillers and suspense with subcategories of Heist, Crime, and Conspiracy. It could have been a thriller, but Denny never threatens or even meets Mercer or Bruce. The secondary plot involves the writing community on Camino Island. It could have been a literary novel where Mercer found her muse to write by interacting with the community, but that’s not how the novel turned out. So, it’s a non-thriller thriller or a non-literary literary novel. The setup and characterization are well done, and that makes the unfulfilled ending disappointing.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Camino Island by John Grisham.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38398224-camino-island

Two recent thrillers I have read and reviewed are like Camino Island.

This is the link to my review of Bleak Harbor by Bryan Gruley.

Bleak Harbor by Bryan Gruley

This is the link to my review of The Speed of Sound by Eric Bernt.

The Speed of Sound by Eric Bernt

Origin by Dan Brown

Introduction

Origin by Dan Brown is his fifth book featuring Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology Robert Langdon. Edmond Kirsch is a former student of Langdon. Kirsch is a billionaire computer tech genius who has a controversial presentation to make. When his presentation is interrupted, it falls to Langdon to solve the riddle to unlock Kirsch’s research. Langdon’s life is threatened by unknown assailants desperate to keep Kirsch’s research from the public. Can Langdon solve the riddle before Kirsch’s research is lost forever?

Summary

Edmond Kirsch has discovered something about the origin of man that will challenge the world’s religions. He tells his findings to a religious leader from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. They are shaken by the news. Kirsch plans to announce his findings at a large event watched worldwide at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Langdon is one person Kirsch invites to the event. Ambra Vidal is the museum director who planned the event with Kirsch. She is also the finance of Prince Julian, the heir to the Spanish throne. Edmond talks to Langdon before the event in private. He poses two questions about the human race to Langdon. How did it all begin? Where are we going? Kirsch starts his presentation but something goes wrong. Langdon and Vidal must flee the museum and solve a riddle to unlock Kirsch’s presentation so everyone can see what he planned to say. Their only ally is Winston, the artificial intelligence that Kirsch had invented. They must avoid the Guardia Real (the Spanish Royal Guard), the Spanish police, and members of the Palmarian Church on their journey from Bilbao to Barcelona. The finale takes Langdon and Vidal from Gaudi’s Casa Mila to Sagrada Familia to the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and a final resolution.

Recommendation

I liked this book, and it fits well with the other novels in the series. The plot moves quickly, and the premise is intriguing. I was worried the solution would not be as shocking as it was portrayed to be in the novel. Without providing spoilers, I would say Kirsch’s conclusions do not pose the threat to religion he proposes. Where do we come from? There is still room for a creator. Where are we going? The answer has been used in science fiction novels for decades. I think it is good that mystery readers will be exposed to science fictional topics in this novel, so like that idea. The formula of the book is like a travelogue, send Langdon to a location and set one scene in each famous landmark that is there. It’s easy, but it works.

Links

Origin by Dan Brown is Book #5 of the Robert Langdon Series

This is the link to Origin’s Goodreads page.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32283133-origin

This is a link to my book review of The Atlantis Gene by A. G. Riddle, Book 1 of the Origin Series. This novel is about the origin of man. It is a technothriller like Origin, but it takes a different path than Origin does by having an extraterrestrial solution. It is a quick read with an interesting premise.

The Atlantis Gene by A. G. Riddle

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

Introduction

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi is about Tony Valdez who is a legal professional murderer. In the future, people who are murdered come back to life in the place where they find most comforting. People who commit suicide and have natural deaths stay dead. Murder victims return to life naked but alive. So, murderers can keep people from dying an eternal death. Someone has kidnapped one of Tony’s colleagues, another Dispatcher and Tony must rescue him, or his colleague may be killed and stay dead. Will Tony continue to search for him even though Tony may face his own eternal death? 

Summary

The story starts with Tony at the hospital on an assignment covering for his friend Jimmy Albert. Insurance companies demand Dispatchers are present at risky surgeries so if the operation goes wrong the Dispatcher can murder the patient so the patient can live again. This will protect the hospital and the insurance company from wrongful death lawsuits. It is a judgment call for the Dispatcher on whether to do the task. After he completes his assignment, Chicago detective Nona Langdon interviews Tony about Jimmy. Jimmy is missing and Nona thinks Tony can help her find him. Tony knows the right people to ask about what assignments Jimmy was working on. Jimmy was taking less than legal jobs and they wondered if that was why he was kidnapped. Tony uses his contacts without Nona knowledge and it gets him into trouble. Nona and Tony follow their leads to find out what happened to Jimmy.

Recommendation

The Dispatcher is a 130-page novella and is a tight, intriguing story. The mechanism of how murder victims are returned to life is an interesting idea and the ramifications are explored in this story. It’s a future police procedural with a surprising moral. If you don’t pay attention to your loved one’s wishes, you will suffer at your own peril. I want to read the next novella, The Dispatcher 2 when published and learn more about Tony and the role of Dispatchers in this world.

Links

The Dispatcher by John Scalzi is Book #1 of the Dispatcher Series

This is the link to The Dispatcher’s Goodreads page.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33910936-the-dispatcher

John Scalzi read the first chapter in his work in progress, the Dispatcher 2, at the science fiction conference ConFusion in Detroit on January 19, 2019. This is a link to my recap of the conference and John Scalzi’s reading

Conference Recap ConFusion Detroit 2019

This is a link to my book review of The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi, Book 1 of the Interdependency Sequence. It is the next most recent book I have read by John Scalzi.

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

The Interdependency Sequence Book #2

Introduction

This is a book review of the Consuming Fire by John Scalzi. Cardenia Wu-Patrick is the most recent Emperox of the Interdependency. She is coronated as Grayland II and her reign starts with a crisis. The star systems of the Interdependency are connected by the Flow and the Flow is changing. She faces a looming disaster when the dependent colonies of the Interdependency will become isolated. What can she do about the collapse of the Flow and can she get the ruling class to agree to her solutions?

Summary – Background

Cardenia is concerned with the crisis of the projected collapse of the Flow connections to her Empire. The Flow is a wormhole network that connects the different stars of the Interdependency. Humans can only live on the surface of the planet called End. All other colonies are space stations or enclosed stations on planetary bodies. The Interdependency is headed by trading clans. Each clan owns a star system and has a monopoly on one product. The products are traded between clans and no colonies are independent. Cardenia’s clan is the Wu clan. The Wu clan created the Interdependency and every Emperox for the last thousand years has been a member of the Wu clan.

The secondary plot of the novel involves the Nohamapetan clan’s opposition to Cardenia’s rule. Nadashe Nohamapetan has been accused of the attempted assassination of Cardenia. Her mother, the Countess Nohamapetan tries to free her daughter. Cardenia lets the wheel of justice progress without interference. Cardenia put Kiva Lagos in charge of the Nohamapetan clan’s finances, which causes conflict with the Countess.

Summary – Main Plot

The main plot involves the projected collapse of the Flow. Flow physicist Count Claremont predicts the collapse of the Flow by his calculations. Flow Physicist Marce Claremont, his son, continues his father’s work and is Cardenia’s closest advisor. When the first Flow collapses as predicted, the Interdependency is rocked with the ramifications. Flow physicist Hatide Roynold has different ideas than Marce about the Flow. She predicts that other Flows will open as others close. A flow opens to a lost colony in the Dalasysla system that has been isolated from the Interdependency for 800 years. Cardenia sends Marce and Hatide to investigate the lost colony. They want to discover what can happen to an isolated colony when the Flow collapses. What Marce finds in Dalasysla will change what the people of the Interdependency think about their past and their future.

Recommendation

The Consuming Fire is a quick reading action novel with a satisfying conclusion that answers questions but raises more questions. It’s a great follow up to The Collapsing Empire and shows enough about the conflicts in the Interdependency to set up a spectacular conclusion in Book 3 which is tentatively titled The Last Emperox due to be released in 2020. I liked the relationship between Cardenia and Marce the best. They make an engaging pair. I thought the best part was the revelations that Marce discovers in the Dalasysla system. It’s an excellent expansion of the story’s universe. I plan to read Book 3 as soon as it is published.

Links

This is the link to The Consuming Fire’s Goodreads page.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37534901-the-consuming-fire

This is a link to my book review of The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi, Book 1 of the Interdependency Sequence

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

Bleak Harbor by Bryan Gruley

Bleak Harbor Book #1

Introduction

Danny is autistic and lives in the town of Bleak Harbor located on the Michigan shoreline of Michigan. He’s excited because the dragonfly festival and his sixteenth birthday will happen in the next week. He focusses his attention on certain topics like dragonflies, perch, the Chicago Cubs, and the poetry of Wallace Stevens. Danny lives by his routines, but his routines are disrupted when Danny disappears from his home. Who would kidnap him and why?

Summary

Danny has recently moved to Bleak Harbor with his mom Carey Bleak Peters and his stepfather Andrew “Pete” Peters. Bleak Harbor was founded by Danny’s ancestor Joseph Estes Bleak. The heir to the Bleak fortune worth millions of dollars is Serenity Meredith Maas Bleak, Carey’s mother. Carey and her brother Mayor Jonah Bleak have been written out of the will and Serenity wants to donate her money to the town if they will rename the town for her. Carey has been on her own since she had Danny and finished college. She had lived in Chicago with Danny and Pete. She still works in Chicago and commutes back to Bleak Harbor. Pete was a commodities trader in Chicago but lost his job and is now running a medical marijuana shop in Bleak Harbor. Carey and Pete are having marriage trouble and they both have secrets neither knows about the other. They both receive off text messages about their secrets. Danny goes missing and the secrets come out. Other characters that complicate the story include Katya Malone, a police officer assigned to Danny’s missing person case who is mourning the accidental death of her daughter, Randall Pressman, Carey’s boss who Carey has obtained incriminating evidence against, Quartz, Pressman’s fix-it man and a former NSA agent, Allen Locke, an ex-DEA agent who is hot on Pressman’s trail, Michele Higgins, a reporter looking for a big story, and Jeffrey Bledsoe, an ex-con and Danny’s birth father. The sins of the past haunt these characters and when all the secrets are revealed, will Danny survive?

Recommendation

Bleak Harbor is a taut thriller with enough twists and turns to make it a good read. The story starts out straight forward though Danny’s autism makes the beginning interesting. The change happens at the midpoint where a huge reveal changes everything that the reader thought before. That’s where this novel takes off and makes it a novel I can recommend. Book two of the Bleak Harbor series will be called Purgatory Bay and is expected to be released on January 14, 2020.

This is the link to Bleak Harbor’s Goodreads page.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39009406-bleak-harbor