Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Midnight Climax by Peter Kageyama

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for MIDNIGHT CLIMAX (A Kats Takemoto Novel Book #2) by Peter Kageyama on this Virtual Book Tour arranged by Stephanie Barko Literary Publicist.

Below you will find a message from the author, a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

***

A Message from the Author

Lest you think I have started writing erotica, I should explain that the title comes from an actual CIA operation of the same name. Operation Midnight Climax was a subset of the better-known MK Ultra project that tried to use psychedelic drugs as a form of mind control. Midnight Climax involved two CIA-run brothels, one in New York City and the other in San Francisco, from the mid-1950s into the 1960s that used prostitutes to lure unsuspecting ‘clients’ in and then dosed them with psychedelic drugs to study their effects. I first learned about this strange tidbit of San Francisco history from a column my friend, Gary Kamiya, wrote several years ago in the San Francisco Chronicle. When I first read it, I thought oh my god, there is a story here! You can find Gary’s original piece here!

***

Book Description

Kats Takemoto, the nisei private detective from Hunters Point, returns to investigate the murder of a young Chinese girl, killed in a covert CIA brothel in the heart of San Francisco. Her family, members of a Tong, a powerful Chinatown gang, demand vengeance that threatens to start an all-out war in Chinatown unless Kats can discover the truth behind the slaying. Along the way he will discover a personal connection to the suspected killer, a fellow veteran who was tortured and experimented on, turning him into a lethal weapon and a ticking bomb. Kats and his friends race to find this soldier before the government and the rival Tong gangs spiral into more bloodshed.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203057364-midnight-climax?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=xyfPG8CHYg&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MIDNIGHT CLIMAX (A Kats Takemoto Novel Book #2) by Peter Kageyama is a thrilling immersive historical suspense/mystery trip back to 1959 San Francisco. This is the second book featuring the nisei P.I. Kats Takemoto and it can be read as a standalone novel, but the first book in the series was so great that I feel you should read them both.

A young Chinese girl is killed in a brothel and her family members in one of the Chinese Tongs in Chinatown want revenge. The head of this group is friend of Kats from college and hires him to find the man responsible. As Kats begins to ask questions, he discovers the brothel was a cover for a CIA drug testing operation and the accused man is a veteran asset the government wants back.

Kats and his friends race to find the accused veteran before a government black ops group can find him and Chinatown explodes into a war between rival Tongs.

I could not stop turning the pages in this exciting historical suspense/mystery. Mr. Kageyama’s writing pulls you back in time effortlessly and you feel like you are in the middle of the action. The CIA operation plotline is based on a true story and since I love history, I can point out the sad fact that it is far from the only time the military and/or CIA experimented on the unsuspecting. I love Kats and, in this book, we learn even more about his personal history while in WWII. The empathy between Kats and the veteran they are trying to find and save is palpable. I also enjoyed reconnecting with Molly and Shig. This story has so many interesting little side tidbits also, with historical San Francisco’s intolerance for gays and drag, having to find a payphone or landline to communicate, the literary bans and the city’s avant-garde beatniks.

I highly recommend this exciting, action-packed P.I. historical suspense/mystery addition to the series and I am anxiously waiting for more cases with Kats.

***

About the Author

Peter Kageyama is an author and urbanist who writes and speaks about emotional engagement with our places. For over a decade now he has been making the case for why it is a good thing for more people to fall in love with their places. Since publication of the first book, For the Love of Cities in 2011, Peter has given hundreds of presentations and has traveled all over the US and around the world as the so-called “Pied Piper of City Love.” He has since authored three more non-fiction books, Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places (2015), The Emotional Infrastructure of Places (2019) and For the Love of Cities REVISITED (2021).

In 2022 he launched a new project, writing fiction. The first book in the planned series, Hunters Point, harkens back to the experiences his own family had during and after World War 2. The book draws upon real events and real people from the Cold War era and weaves them together in San Francisco in 1958.

Author Social Media

Website: https://peterkageyama.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pkageyama

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pkageyama

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pkageyama/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Climax-Kats-Takemoto-Novel-ebook/dp/B0CPB56XF7/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=midnight+climax&qid=1707292823&sr=8-

Book Review: Deadly Mountain Escape by Mary Alford

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLY MOUNTAIN ESCAPE by Mary Alford is an exciting Christian suspense/mystery/Christian romantic suspense that drops the reader into action and danger right away and continues to escalate the peril until the climax of the story. This is a book that I sat down with and read from start to finish because I could not stop turning the pages.

K-9 Deputy Charlotte Walker and her K=9 partner, Annie, are notified by her elderly neighbor that her granddaughter never came home from work the night before. As Charlotte looks for Lainey, she is attacked and becomes trapped in a deadly situation.

Jonas Knowles walked away from his Amish religion after a tragedy. He notices the deputy go to the local home of a known troublemaker but when he sees her Jeep make the return trip, it is not Charlotte driving. He goes to look for her and hears noise coming from a car beginning to sink in the river…and the ever-escalating danger begins from there.

Charlotte and Jonas both carry personal guilt that has left them unable to move forward. As they run from the danger of a human trafficking ring who want to silence them, they both share their burdens and look to their faith and each other to help them with their guilt, protect them, and stop the trafficking ring in the mountains.

This is a wonderful action-adventure suspense with memorable characters and a plot that has several twists and surprises throughout. There is more suspense and mystery in this story than romance because it is set over a very short two-day period, but the epilogue gave me all the warm and happy vibes I hoped for at the end. Both Charlotte and Jonas are believable characters that are fully developed. They both carry guilt from their pasts but show empathy and understanding to each other. They both also have strong Christian faith backgrounds and beliefs that are woven seamlessly throughout the story in a realistic way. K- 9 Annie is a great addition to my dog-loving heart. Her loyalty and bravery play a pivotal role in several scenes.  All the secondary characters were well written, both good and bad. The suspense/mystery kept me engaged and I did not guess the leader of the ring until almost the end.

I highly recommend this Christian suspense/mystery/Christian romantic suspense. Ms. Alford is fast becoming a must-read author of Amish and Christian fiction for me.

***

About the Author

Mary Alford is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than fifty novels. Her books have been finalists in the Selah Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award, and the HOLT Medallion Contest. As a writer, Mary is an avid reader. She loves to cook and can’t face the day with-out coffee. She and her husband live in the heart of Texas in the middle of 70 acres with two very spoiled cats and one adorable rescue dog. Mary is very active online and would love to connect with readers.

Social Media Links

Webiste: https://maryalford.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryAlfordAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maryalford13

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-alford

Feature Post and Book Review: Decoy Training by Caridad Pineiro

Book Description

His fresh start is about to be interrupted by a threatening foe.

Former marine Shane Adler’s used to perilous situations. But he’s stunned to find danger in the peaceful Idaho mountains—especially swirling around his beautiful dog trainer. After tragically losing her hero husband, Piper Lambert’s rebuilt her life. Now it’s up to Shane—and his loyal K-9 in training, Decoy—to make sure a mysterious enemy won’t derail her new beginning…or his.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60695858-decoy-training?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=yInUlUlSLy&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DECOY TRAINING (K-9’s on Patrol Book #1) by Caridad Pineiro is a romantic suspense in the Harlequin Intrigue line featuring a wounded ex-military man and his dog looking for what to do next with his life and a military widow working as a dog trainer in small town Idaho. This is the first book in the new K-9’s on Patrol series featuring heroes, heroines, and their canine companions.

Sharpshooter Shane Adler left the military after being wounded and no longer able to use his shoulder without pain. He did work to bring home the dog, Decoy, he befriended in Afghanistan and who found Shane in the building rubble after the bombing. They have come from California to Idaho for training to find out if Decoy can become a Search and Rescue dog for this next chapter in their lives.

Piper Lambert has worked the last four years to rebuild her life after the death of her military husband in Iraq. She now works as one of the trainers for her college friend’s canine training facility. When assigned to Shane and Decoy, she has problems with Shane’s military background, but they go on to work well together.

Piper is having feelings of being watched and there have been strange things happening around her home. Shane is concerned and works with local police to discover who is the danger to Piper before his plans to leave to join an SAR in Montana in a month.

I absolutely loved every character and dog in this romantic suspense. The romance is slow with both Piper and Shane hesitant to start anything, especially with Piper still not sure if she is ready for a romance and Shane planning to leave in a month. Shane is also undecided on his future and still has nightmares every night since the explosion. For me, all these reasons make this slow-moving romance plot realistic. The suspense is paced well throughout the story and a believable scenario with Shane involving local law enforcement. I am looking forward to the next book in the series and the continuation of these characters, both human and canine.

I highly recommend this well written romantic suspense.

***

About the Author

I’m a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with the Jersey Shore. When I’m not taking long strolls along the boardwalk, I’m also a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 50 novels and novellas. Some friends will introduce me and say “She’s got a million books published,” and I’m always quick to shy away from that claim. I still find it hard to believe that I have sold that many books since my first release in 1999.

I am passionate about writing and helping others explore and develop their skills as writers. It’s why I helped found the Liberty States Fiction Writers and love to do workshops to share what I’ve learned over the years. I also love to keep on improving my own skills as a writer and meeting new people by attending a variety of conferences during the year. You can find out more about where I’ll be by visiting my Events page.

Where else can you find me? I retired from my day job as a lawyer and owe New Jersey Transit a big thanks for letting me write on the commute to and from New York City. If I’m not writing, I’ll have my nose stuck in a romance novel since I am a hopeful romantic and truly believe there is a Happily-Ever-After for everyone. Even vampires and other things that go bump in the night.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.caridad.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Caridad.Author

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/caridad-pineiro

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Their Road To Redemption and The Amish Midwife’s Bargain by Patrice Lewis

Book Description – Their Road to Redemption

To put their pasts behind them…

Can they find forgiveness together?

Moving to Montana is the chance Thomas Kemp needs to open his own business and seek a wife—while keeping his shameful past hidden. Except the beautiful Amish widow who catches his eye wants financial independence, not marriage. When Emma Fisher’s toddler bonds with the newcomer, she believes Thomas is everything she wants in a husband. But can she accept his past…for the chance at a future together? 

###

Book Description – The Amish Midwife’s Bargain

An accident on a stormy night

Will change the course of their lives…

Grieving after the loss of a patient, midwife Miriam Kemp returns to her Amish roots and vows to leave her nursing life behind. But when she accidentally hits Aaron Lapp on a rain-drenched road, she offers to help the scarred and handsome—if somewhat cranky—bachelor while he recovers. Could this arrangement allow them to heal…while finding a love they never expected?

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Their Road to Redemption and The Amish Midwife’s Bargain by Patrice Lewis continues the story of the Kemp siblings.  Both are books about forgiveness, hope, and how choices made can influence someone’s life.

Their Road to Redemption is the second book in the series. Thomas Kemp travels to the Amish community in Montana to redeem his life. He is ashamed of his criminal activities of the past.  Now working as a bookkeeper, he meets an Amish widow and single parent, Emma, who has vowed never to get married. But her toddler, Hannah, bonds with Thomas and they become attracted to each other. He questions if she will accept his past where the three can become a family.

The Amish Midwife’s Bargain has one of the Kemp siblings, a nurse, Miriam, grieving after losing a patient. She decides to visit her Amish brother, Thomas, after vowing to leave the nursing profession.  But when she accidentally hits Aaron Lapp on a rain-drenched road, she offers to help him recover.  He has his own scars literally, after having his face burned in a barn fire.  This story will remind readers of “Beauty and the Beast.”

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story, Their Road to Redemption?

Patrice Lewis: I had a three-book series of siblings, and this is the middle sibling.  This is a story of redemption and making better choices. Everything someone does from morning until sleep is a choice. I wanted to show how the hero, Thomas, had his bad choices catch up and then his good choices turned it around.

 

EC:  How would you describe Thomas?  

PL:  He was a juvenile delinquent when younger, but now he is redeemed.  He is broken, subdued, quiet, shy, scarred, and humble.

 

EC:  How would you describe Emma?

 

PL: High-spirited, outspoken, a go-getter, confident, independent, passionate about her skill of making soap, and determined.  

EC:  What about the relationship between the two?

PL:  Emma does not want to rely on a man for financial support. She is gun-shy since her late husband was emotionally abusive, selfish, and stubborn. Emma is determined to remain single. She and her late husband never wanted to be married, but after she became pregnant, they did marry. Both she and Thomas have secrets and hold each other at arm’s length.  Yet, they do admire each other. Thomas does not think he is worthy of her.  

EC:  What is the role of a secondary character, Jeremy?

PL:  He is another redemption. In Thomas’ backstory, he feels he must pay it forward. He sees in Jeremy himself and wants to help him to redeem his life.    

EC:  What about the role of Hannah, Emma’s young daughter?

 

PL:  She is instrumental in bringing Emma and Thomas together. Hannah sees Thomas as a father figure and becomes attached to him.  Emma starts thinking maybe her daughter sees something in Thomas that she doesn’t.  Hannah saw his kindness.

 

EC:  What about the second book, The Amish Midwife’s Bargain?

 

PL:  This is about the third sibling, Miriam, a nurse.  I saw this reference to a private nurse, which enabled me to have Miriam and Aaron get closer. She helped him after she accidentally hit him with her car.  This led me to a “Beauty and the Beast” theme. It became effortless to write.  Hands down it is the favorite story I have written so far. My mother used to be a nurse and I saw how some have painful journeys.

 

EC:  How would you describe Aaron, the hero?

 

PL:  He has been terribly disfigured in a barn fire. Now he wants to be left alone. His became bitter with a very scarred face. He can be stubborn, grumpy, with emotional pain, prickly, lonely, and likes animals more than people.

 

EC:  What was the role of the scar?

 

PL:  I wrote two ways that children responded to his disfigurement. Hannah accepted him and never saw his scars.  Then there was an “English” boy who runs away from him in terror. He realized with Hannah’s reaction that some could be accepting of him and not consider him a monster, a beast.

 

EC:  How would you describe Miriam?

 

PL:  Determined, patient, and a helper. She responds to those in pain, emotional and physical. She was devastated and doubted herself after she lost a patient.

 

EC:  What about the relationship between the two?

 

PL: Miriam feels she must get past Aaron wanting to live in solitude.  She wanted to show him that his outward scars did not diminish who he was as a person. Aaron helped her to realize she lost a patient because they were beyond help.  Both have scars, admire, and respect each other.  Both helped each other to get back on “their horse.”  

EC:  Next books?

PL:  A book will come out in March, titled The Amish Beekeeper’s Dilemma. It is about a woman who became a property keeper for an old man.  His nephew came to take over the farm. A conflict develops around it.  Another book that has no release date but is titled, Uncovering Her Amish Past. The main character, Penelope, is “English.” She is adopted and an only child.  She went to an Amish settlement, staying at a Bed & Breakfast.  It turns out she is a twin to an Amish woman.  THANK YOU!!

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Feature Post and Book Review: A Tangled Web by Leslie Rule

Book Description

In the tradition of her acclaimed mother, Ann Rule, author of The Stranger Beside Me, bestselling author Leslie Rule exposes the trail of a sadistic sociopath, identity thief, and killer . . .
 
It was a bleak November in 2012 when Cari Farver, thirty-seven, vanished from Omaha, Nebraska. Texts sent indicated that the hardworking mother had quit her job, abandoned her son, and cut ties with everyone. Cari’s boyfriend, Dave Kroupa, accepted the breakup at face value. Her mother, Nancy Raney, however, had doubts. “I need to hear your voice,” Nancy begged. When the texter refused to speak, Nancy reported Cari missing.  
 
While no one saw or spoke to Cari, more than 12,000 sinister emails and texts were sent in her name over the next years. Police believed Dave and his girlfriend, Shanna “Liz” Golyar, when they reported that the missing woman was cyberstalking them. The tormentor was eerily aware of Dave’s every move, knew when Liz visited and threatened the couple. It never occurred to Dave that Cari was a victim—that the real stalker had killed before, and was planning to kill again.
 
Leslie Rule tracks the heart-pounding path to long-awaited justice—from a twisted past to the deadly deception and the high-tech forensics that condemned the killer to prison.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45554640-a-tangled-web?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=9St0CrdWbg&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A TANGLED WEB by Leslie Rule is an engrossing true crime account of a cyberstalking sadistic killer’s manipulations carried out over years that destroyed multiple lives and escaped justice until law enforcement used high-tech computer forensics to catch them. While I watched this story on a TV crime show and learned the facts from that, Ms. Rule’s book is a detailed hypnotic account of the facts of the killer’s past, their reign of terror, and the investigation that finally entangled them in forensic facts that sent them to prison.

Dave Kroupa has split from the mother of his two young children. He loves his children, but he refuses any permanent relationship which leads to the split and his dabbling into online dating. He meets Liz, who is also a single parent who claims to want no permanent relationship. It works well for a while, but soon Liz is demanding a commitment Dave is unwilling to give. The back-and-forth drama lasts for months until Dave meets Cari and the two hit it off immediately. Dave begins to spend all his time with Cari until she leaves an out of the blue message that she is leaving town.

Cari is leaving terrible messages not only for Dave and Liz, but also her mother and son who have begun searching for her. Cari is blamed for not only horribly vicious emails and texts, but also arson and violence. Many victims are terrorized for years until web savvy detectives begin to unravel the web of lies.

I really loved this book and the author’s inclusion of the killer’s entire life history, not just the recent murder and cybercrimes. This is a study of a true sociopath and the destruction they can cause in so many lives. It took years for law enforcement to believe Cari was even a missing person and then they took the word of all involved in the case that she was the person responsible for the terrorism. It is truly terrifying what a sociopath can do with an internet connection. The surprise twists and turns this case took over the years make it the perfect case to keep the reader engaged. It showcases the potential dangers of online personal information and communications in today’s online world.

I highly recommend this true crime story and I hope that Ms. Rule is as prolific as her mother was in this genre.

***

About the Author

Leslie Rule’s true crime debut, A Tangled Web, covers a frightening Omaha love triangle murder. “I chose this case because I want to warn readers that the female sadistic sociopath may be the most dangerous killer of all.” A veteran author for over three decades, Rule’s other works include two suspense novels and five nonfiction books on the paranormal, including Coast to Coast Ghosts—True Stories of Hauntings Across America. Rule was only seventeen when she started attending murder trials with her mother, author Ann Rule. “It was my job to shoot the killers—not with a gun, but with my camera,” says Leslie. Many of her courtroom photographs have appeared in her mother’s books. In addition to her bestselling books, Leslie has published dozens of articles in national magazines, including First for Women, Woman’s World and Reader’s Digest.

Social Media Links

Website: https://authorleslierule.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslie.rule.9

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeslieRules

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leslie-rule

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: Holmes, Marple & Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Book Description

Crime! Murder! Who are you going to call?

In New York City, three intriguing, smart, and stylish private investigators open Holmes, Marple & Poe Investigations. Who are these detectives with famous names and mysterious, untraceable pasts?

Brendan Holmes—The Brain: Identifies suspects via deduction and logic.

Margaret Marple—The Eyes: Possesses powers of observation too often underestimated.

Auguste Poe—The Muscle: Chases down every lead no matter how dangerous or dark.

The agency’s daring methodology and headline-making solves attract the attention of NYPD Detective Helene Grey. Her solo investigation into her three unknowable competitors will delight mystery fans.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146500884-holmes-marple-poe?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=HOe0o5lALg&rank=1

***

My Mini Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

HOLMES, MARPLE & POE: The Greatest Crime-Solving Team of the Twenty-First Century by James Patterson and Brian Sitts is a fast-paced P.I. mystery and suspense/thriller that I had to try as soon as I saw the title and I am glad I did. The three P.I.’s in this book are not only named after their famous predecessors, but also have many of the same traits, good and/or bad, as their namesakes. I really am hoping this book becomes a series.

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and Auguste Poe suddenly appear in New York City and open one of the most sought-after Private Investigation firms in the city. The only thing is law enforcement can find no trace of any of the trio’s pasts which I loved. They are obviously close and understand each other, but you never learn how they came to be a team.

The chapters are the usual Patterson style of short and fast, but I still did not want to put the book down until I finished. There are several cases to solve threaded throughout the story, rather than one main mystery. While this helped show each of the main characters strengths, I also feel that I did not get an in-depth case to solve that would have engaged me even more, but hopefully that will happen if this becomes a series. I also like all the secondary characters and the animals they acquired along the way.

I really enjoyed Holmes, Marple & Poe and look forward to more adventures.

***

About the Author

JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. His books have sold in excess of 375 million copies worldwide. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades – the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels – and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers.

James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books for young readers including the Middle School, I Funny, Treasure Hunters, Dog Diaries and Max Einstein series. James has donated millions in grants to independent bookshops and has been the most borrowed author of adult fiction in UK libraries for the past eleven years in a row. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.

###

About the Author

Brian Sitts is an award-winning advertising creative director and television writer. He has collaborated with James Patterson on books for adults and children. He and his wife, Jody, live in Peekskill, New York.