Readers Favorite Gives Five Stars to Historical Suspense Novel

Lost Treasure of the Fourth ReichBy Barrett Clisby
Web site: www.LostTreasureoftheFourthReich.com
Historical Suspense Novel

Published by Island Girl Publications, LLC
ISBN 978-0-578-08749-8
E-book ISBN 978-1-4507-8377-4

Reviewed by Stephanie D. for Readers Favorite (www.readersfavorite.com)

5 Star Rating by Readers Favorite

The Lost Treasure of the Fourth Reich" by Barrett J Clisby describes itself as ‘an historically based suspense novel’. But what exactly does that mean? It means the author has used historical events as a base from which to weave a fictional, highly imaginative and exciting story.

Brad Calder, the book’s hero, uncovers the sunk German submarine U-842, which went down at Hogsty Reef carrying looted treasure en route from Nazi Germany to safe keeping in Argentina during the Second World War. It was also transporting the infamous ‘Red Leather Book’, which listed the names of all the people in Britain and America who had collaborated with the Nazis. There is plenty of action in this book as Brad and his colleagues Sally, Gail and Greg overcome horrific ordeals. It seems everyone wants what they recover from the U-842. Their pursuers include pirates, Nazi sympathizers and ...[others]

The author has obviously done a phenomenal amount of research. His style is detailed and methodical. This might sound slow-going, but it isn’t. Once the author has set the scene in the early chapters, then there’s no stopping it. There is also some jumping around between the present day and the past, which works very well in building up the complexity of the events within this book. It comes as no surprise to learn that this Renaissance Man of a writer is a boat captain and sailing instructor, aviator, diver and amateur treasure hunter. His experience in these skilled fields shines through in the book, lending authenticity and interest.

And the best news of all is that this book is the first in a trilogy!
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

BookPleasures Editor Reviews Gloria Galloway's Mystery

Title: Dead By My Side

Author: Gloria Galloway
Buy on Amazon
ISBN: 978-1456579104
Genre: Mystery
Rating: Five Stars

Reviewed by  Norm Goldman originally for Amazon and BookPleasures.com

Reviewer's Link: http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher/

As the debut novel in Gloria Galloway's Dead By My Side opens, Detective Anthony (Tony) Camarelli of the Sacramento Sheriff's Department along with his attractive partner, Julia (Jules) Reynolds are assigned to watch a snitch in the quiet small river town of Hood with a population of less than three hundred. Both didn't expect much action and even planned to alternate taking naps. At two in the morning they decide to call it a night and to pick up coffee and cinnamon buns at their favorite haunt, Little Italy Bakery. While Julia goes into the bakery without her bullet-proof vest, Tony hears a shotgun blast and sees Julia splayed against the double-glass-door entry. Tony kills the gunman, however, unfortunately, Julia never makes it. Fast forward a week later, Tony, who is still grief-stricken with the loss of the woman he loved and worked alongside for twelve years, is astonished and jolted when Julia reappears as a ghost and carries on her old habit of bugging him with her verbal diarrhea, as she did when she was alive.

Tony returns to work and his first assignment involves the horrifically brutal murder of Janice Hoffman, a mother of twin baby girls who is found bludgeoned to death in her bed. Initially, it looks like a robbery gone bad, however, on closer scrutiny, we learn that the victim's husband is a notorious philanderer who is one of the biggest used car dealers in Sacramento. Although there were no leads in the investigation of the murder of Mrs. Hoffman, incertitude crops up when, shortly after her death, Mr. Hoffman marries the nanny of his two children, Suzan Shelby. Apparently, prior to working as a nanny, Suzan worked as a receptionist at one of Mr. Hoffman's dealerships. We now ask ourselves was it really a robbery gone bad, a staged robbery or did Mr. Hoffman waste his wife. While the probe continues, Julia resolves to offer a helping hand to Tony and together they embark on a quest in getting to the bottom of the murder of Mrs. Hoffman.

As the investigation of the murder of Mrs. Hoffman moves along, another sinister homicide occurs when the body of a young white female in her early twenties is found hideously murdered by a “monster from someone's worst nightmare.” Gathering some of the best law enforcement minds in the business, the authorities including the FBI are faced with little to go on as there are very few clues to crack open the cases. Astonishingly, this murder is in turn followed by a series of others where, as was the case with the young white female, the victims are found with orthopedic stockings on their legs. It would appear that we are now confronted with a serial killer who doesn't seem to fit into any criminal profile and who enjoys taunting the local police enforcement as well as the FBI.

Galloway has certainly succeeded in crafting a haunting and chilling debut with a heady mix of suspense, touching characters, and even at times quirky humor with the bantering between Tony and Julia. Succinctly, what we have here is a thoroughly upsetting yarn that firmly exposes the workings of a crazed mind in all of its complexity while retaining the page-turning pleasures of a genuine thriller with a paranormal twist. Moreover, her masterstroke is that she deftly focuses attention on what is about to happen rather than harping on the past-something indispensable to advancing the story and increasing the reader's curiosity. Just as the law enforcement officers are clueless, so too are her readers, which commit them to finding out what happens next and leaving them constantly tense on the edge of their seats.

Another plus is the straightforward style that moves the story along at the quick pace essential to a good thriller. It is also apparent that Galloway has done her homework, as I detected from reading about her on the last page that states that the novel came together after extensive research of police procedure, crime scene investigation and studies of the criminal mind. As further mentioned, she collaborated with experts in the field, including a crime scene investigator and a former deputy coroner of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

~Reviewer Norm Goldman, BA, LL.L, is the publisher and editor of BookPleasures.com.  

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Compelling Literary Novel Given Five Stars

Two Kinds of Color
Author: Deborah Kennedy
Author’s Website: www.twokindsofcolor.com
Genre: Fiction/Literary/Crime
ISBN: 9781449988012
Amazon: B0031TZPHO

Reviewed by Rusty Beans originally for Amazon

Five-Star Review

Two Kinds of Color, fiction, is an exceptionally beautifully written novel. The characters are compelling and believable and the message of love and sacrifice and true friendship is touching and unforgettable. I savored this book. It is not a book to be skimmed through but read thoughtfully and carefully. The ability of Ms. Kennedy to present her story with such insight and heart-felt emotion is remarkable. I read a great many books and, like most of us, have my favorite authors. I look forward to reading any other novel my newest favorite author writes. Thank-you Ms. Kennedy, I enjoyed Two Kinds of Color very much.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Book Promotion How-To Lauded by Editor of Midwest Review

The Frugal Book Promoter, second edition
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
HowToDoItFrugally Publishing
Author’s Web site: www.carolynhoward-johnson.com
ISBN: 9781463743291

Paperback $17.95
Paperback on Amazon
Kindle Edition

Reviewed by Jim Cox, editor of The Midwest Review

Originally for The Midwest Review and Newsletter

Carolyn Howard-Johnson draws upon her many years of experience and expertise as a professional book publicist and marketing specialist to author "The Frugal Book Promoter". The 416-page compendium of commentary, advice, tips, tricks and 'real world' techniques on how to authors can obtain nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with their publishers will prove to be an invaluable, practical, profitable, and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional reference.

It should be noted that the Midwest Book Review is cited four times.

Of special note in this newly expanded and completely updated second edition are the sample letters query letters, media releases, blog entries, trade show invitations, phone pitch scripts, email auto-signatures, and tip sheets. Simply stated, "The Frugal Book Promoter" is the single most valuable addition any aspiring author or novice small press publishers can add to their personal and professional book marketing reference shelves -- and has a great deal of enduring value for even the more experienced publisher marketing directors and publicists.

----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Caffeinated Book Reviewer Had Five Cups of Coffee Over This One!

The Secret of Lies

By Barbara Forte Abate

Author's Web site: http://www.barbaraforteabate.com

Genre: Mainstream Literary Fiction

ISBN: 978-160844-418-2

Reviewed by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

The Secret of Lies, by Barbara Forte Abate

Propelled by an insurmountable sense of desperation, Stevie Burke is recklessly abandoning home, husband, and outwardly contented life under cover of night; at last resigned to defeat in her long battle against the tortured memories of her past. Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 - The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control - torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

The Secret of Lies by Barbara Forte Abate has to be one of the best novels I have ever had the pleasure to read. I was shocked to learn this is Abate’s first published work. Her writing style brings to mind such authors as Harper Lee and John Steinbeck. She writes with such detail, bringing images to life with the stroke of her pen. In her debut novel, she delivers a touching tale about, love, innocence, betrayal, loss and lies.

Secret of Lies reflects back on events that occurred off the Atlantic coast during the summer of 1957. The story unfolds through the voice of protagonist Stevie Burke. When the tale begins, Stevie is sneaking out of her home and leaving her husband. She is driving aimlessly and ends up in a dark musty hotel room three days later. We can tell that she is deeply troubled by something. It is here, as an Elvis song plays on the radio, that she reflects back on the summers, she and her sister spent at the shore home of their Aunt Smyrna and Uncle Cal.

Abate writes with a paint brush, bringing the seaside, storms, and fields to life. I could feel the wind and smell the sea air. She has a gift for beautifully expressing the emotions and feelings of a first kiss, a betrayal and loss. She unfolds the tale allowing the reader to put the pieces together before Stevie, giving us a sense of foreboding. While the subject matter is dark, Abate also shows us the light. We experience the joy of first love, childhood, and innocence.

Abates creates characters that you will love, pity and loathe. The character of Stevie is beautifully portrayed and you cannot help but like her. The way in which Abate shows the interaction between Stevie and her sister Eleanor reminded me of my own childhood. After the tragedy of 1957, we see firsthand how this affects Stevie. She struggles with the secrets and her memories. Years later,she meets Ash Waterman; through him she may finally find peace and happiness. I found myself rooting for this young man as he struggles to understand Stevie. The romance that develops between them is sweet, witty and romantic.

The story, the circumstances, and the impact it has on the characters is believable and touching. The events that occurred in the summer of '57 could have happened to any family. The ending is not wrapped up in a pretty little bow, but instead allows the reader to determine the outcome. While some may not like it, I feel it was appropriate. After all, life and family drama, do not come in neat little boxes.

I highly recommend this novel to everyone, but particularly those who enjoy books based on family, tragedy and human emotion. This would make a wonderful book club read. I have added Barbara Forte Abate to my list of must read authors and look forward to her next book.

I want to thank the author for providing this ARC, in exchange for my unbiased review.

I gave this book 5 coffee cups out of 5.

Buy here: B&N or here: Amazon

Author's website: Barbara Forte Abate

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Learn more about the author Barbara Forte Abate:

Award Winning Author: The Secret of Lies
http://www.barbaraforteabate.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaCPx-tKeW0&feature=channelhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-of-Lies-Novel/195421757151252

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Feminist Poetry Perfect Christmas Gift for Women In Your Life

DEEPER INTO THE POND – A Celebration of Femininity

By Magdalena Ball and Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Genre: Poetry (Chapbook)
$6.95
There is still time to have a paperback delivered for Christmas at http://budurl.com/DeeperPond.
Available for Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/Deeper-into-Pond-Celebration-ebook/dp/B005G51I82/ for $2.99.
Chapbook cover by Jacquie Schmall

Reviewed by Jennifer Poulter

This is a rich tapestry of a celebration.

It opens with Carolyn’s verse and a ballad of marine exotica and moves to the name bearing poem “Narcissus Revisited” which mirrors the suffocation of ‘progress’ that gives  freedoms with one hand and takes with the other.  Here the deadly oil slick wall kills as readily as any of glass – progressive killing -

Those who feel 

new freedoms like I, some later-borns 
unaware that they are new, accept
the yellow-bright shimmer 
spread across the surface 
as if it were our doing 
or our due.

The next poem makes a nod to John Masefield’s “ Sea Fever” but taking it in role reversal  with ship at dock and the poet manning the great swooping cranes that  unload.

I want to go down to the sea at dawn 

with a lunch bucket and thermos, 
[and then]...  pull 
and push the big gear shifts to make a boom
tall as a building turn, swing down toward carloads 
of gravel, clamp chunks of whatever freighters 

I love the bittersweet of “Ariel” and its death-defying reach in to the unknowable.

You need 
the music to tell your story, 
to find it, to understand it
to know the truth,
to reach above the 
ocean's surface
where 
others 
live.

Death is horribly present in the all too revelatory “what I once would have called a little tiff”. Those of us who have lived long enough know too well of what she speaks…

            i learned 

to call a spat a spat, 
an inheritance something
more than money,
an argument, 
a fight-to-the-death.

Magdalena’s opening poem both celebrates and denounces the hippy freedom of a generation that chose to ‘love’ but not their children well.

ecretly leaning in for more
parenting I didn’t get
punishment I 
deserved
no rod spared
here
no spoiling.

“Time Out” speaks of the guilt trip that is motherhood if you are, as many creatives are, a perfectionist and time your merciless master .

I shoot a response
what now?
two bullets of frustration land in 
her timeless lap
as she slips off.

Magdalena has  written a powerfully poignant tribute to all those  frightened elderly flood victims, trapped in rising waters and psychologically unable to leave their lives behind –

You pretend 
three hundred netfriends
hold your virtual hand
take you places
that don’t involve
leaving 
home

he perpetual womb
shroud
you’ve pushed into. 

Magdalena’s  “Coming Back" ends the collection with an almost whispered reverie on love and loss in a no man’s land of guilt and recriminations –

No one dared point a finger.

We tried not to look at her but it was hard.
So we looked out of the corner of our eye when
we walked past, our heads thrown back fake
laughter all the while drawn towards the silence
of that pain the peripheral gravity that wouldn’t
let us settle into our evening of forgetting.

This collection offers the feminine take on life, love, and everything in between and does it with élan!

~Reviewer Jennifer Poulter is a member of JacketFlap , SCBWI Member, and a SCBWI representive to SWC and Stae Library of Queensland, QWC Member.

Learn more about this author of children’s literature at www.jenniferrpoulter.weebly.com. She blogs at http://jrpoulter.wordpress.com/ and
http://jrpoulter.blogspot.com.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Author and Blogger at Writers First Aid Blog Loves Second Edition

The Frugal Book Promoter
Second Edition
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Available paperback and Kindle
ISBN: 9781463743291

Reviewed by Kristi Holl originally for Writers First Aid Blog

The Frugal Book Promoter: Second Edition: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher.

I very rarely read an e-book and then buy the hard copy–but I did in this case. I have to mark it up, add my colored flags and post-its, and turn down page corners.

Why? Because it is so very full of practical, usable, frugal marketing advice. (And I mean frugal in terms of both money and your time.) I already owned the 2004 first edition, but publishing times have changed so much–and this 2011 updated version reflects that.

Why a New Edition?

We all know that book promotion (and life!) has changed since The Frugal Book Promoter was first published in 2004–particularly in ways that have to do with the Web, but in other ways, too. As an example, the publishing world in general is more open to independent publishing now than it was then. So, this update includes lots of information on ways to promote that were not around or were in their infancy a few short years ago.

So here is what is new:

• A simplified method for making social networks actually work–without spending too much time away from my writing
• How to avoid falling into some of the scam-traps for authors
• The best “old-fashioned” ways to promote–the ones I shouldn’t give up on entirely
• How to write (and publish) an award-worthy book
• How to promote your book to mobile users and others
• The pitfalls of using the Web and how to avoid them
• Unusual methods of getting reviews–even long after your book has been published

Up-to-Date

Today’s technology, social networking and marketing techniques are covered. Updated web resources abound. Advice in sync with today’s Internet are incorporated:

* Blogging tips and pitfalls
* Obtaining reviews and avoiding scams
* Finding places to pitch your book
* Using the eBook explosion to promote sales
* Using Google alerts to full advantage
* Staying on top of current trends in the publishing industry
* Writing quality query, media release letters and scripts for telephone pitches
* Putting together power point and author talk presentations

This is just a tip of the iceberg too. I highly recommend Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s updated Frugal Book Promoter. (NOTE: Be sure you get the new 2011 edition with the cover above.)

~Reviewer Kristi Holl is the author of how-to books for writers and works actively to help writers. Learn more about her and what she does at http://institutechildrenslit.net/Writers-First-Aid-blog.

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  The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :