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Release Blitz/Feature Post and Book Review: The Perfect Hero by Anna Bishop Barker

Hi, everyone!

Today I am excited to be on the Buoni Amici Release Blitz and sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE PERFECT HERO (The Themis Series Book #1) by Anna Bishop Barker.

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

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Book Description:

Themis, the Titan goddess of justice. The purveyor of divine law and order.

The men and women of The Themis Group have a singular cause – to bring justice and closure to those who have lost hope.

But while they are united in mission, they all have their reasons for being with the mysterious private investigation firm that straddles the converging lines of crime scene science, traditional investigation, and mainstream law enforcement. Some do it for the thrill. Some do it for the satisfaction. Some do it because they are compelled.

But each member of the team is looking for something they will never find in the work they have chosen.

The Perfect Hero – Book 1 of The Themis Series

Hired to follow a trail of blood, bodies, and madness, Logan Pressley and the Themis Group are looking for a killer. Not just a killer—The Slayer.

He is not looking for a woman. At 45 years old, he has had enough of humanity, and wants no part of the myth that people call love.

Starting a new life, Maggie Robertson is not looking for a hero. Hell, she’s not even looking for a watered-down version of one. Romance, she has found, is a wasted phenomenon for the young, and the days for being swept off her feet are long past.

Then there was that one-night stand. The night Logan and Maggie lost themselves in each other. In that single night, all the carefully laid rules were broken.

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57169268-the-perfect-hero

The Perfect Hero (The Themis Series, Book 1)

Author: Anna Bishop Barker

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 29, 2021

Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

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My Book Review

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

THE PERFECT HERO (A Themis Series Book #1) by Anna Bishop Barker is the first book in a new romantic suspense series featuring the men and women of The Themis Group. The Themis Group is a private investigation firm in Tampa, Florida with all the capabilities of public law enforcement and more. They also have the willingness to help law enforcement and the hopeless when called.

One night out when neither was looking for anything, but a drink with friends, Maggie Robertson and Logan Pressley are thrown together and the sparks fly straight into a night of unexpected passion. While both would like to see the other again, it does not happen as expected.

The Themis Group has been hired by the FBI task force to assist in the chase of a vicious serial killer called The Slayer. Logan has been recovering the victims of The Slayer from bodies of water all around Florida. Co-owner of Themis with his brother and a former Army Ranger, Logan strives for perfection to make up for one terrible mistake from his past.

Maggie is a mature woman on the verge of a new career. Her son is in his last year at West Point and she decides to accept the offer from The Themis Group to put her new Criminal Psychology Degree to use. She is surprised to find her new boss is Logan’s brother. She is intelligent, smart and mature and willing to give the situation a chance and see where it leads.

As Themis searches for a serial killer, Logan and Maggie each find they have events from their pasts that have shaped them, but can they get past them and share their vulnerabilities to find happiness with each other?

This is my kind of romance with mature characters that have mature issues and work to solve them without games or lack of communication. Maggie and Logan are both in their forties and know what they want and do not want and are surprised by the instant connection they find. The sex scenes are explicit and smokin’ hot throughout the story. The suspense plot was not as intricately integrated into the romance as I would have preferred. The crossover was not brought to light until close to the end of the book and it is not one you can guess. There is a glimpse of one of the antagonists crossing over into the next book. This book also sets up many of the characters we are likely to follow into future books in The Themis Group.

I can recommend this romantic suspense for a great mature romance read and I am looking forward to many more books to come from this author.

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About the Author

I was born in Kentucky and raised in Florida, so I am a southerner through and through. Since I was old enough to pick up a book, I have been a voracious reader. I wrote the usual poetry and short stories in high school, and I kept the dream of writing in the back of my heart until opportunity and encouragement helped me to realize that dream.

I live in Tampa with my kids, grandkids, dogs, various other livestock, and way more books than is strictly healthy.

Hot Romance.

Suspense.

Humor & heart.

Grown up stories for grown up people. This is what I write. There’s also food, music, dogs, the occasional geek reference, and quite possibly an inappropriate joke. There will likely be dead bodies as well.

Three random facts about me:
1. I was bitten by a shark when I was 14.
2. I have read War and Peace. (When I get to the afterlife, I am demanding that week of my life back. Sorry, Tolstoy.)
3. It is my sincere belief that any situation can be improved by eating some cheese.

My life philosophy is guard your inner peace and read dirty kissing books.

Social Media Links

Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/annabishopbarker Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabishopbarkerauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabishopbarker/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mamabear7158
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16200327.Anna_Bishop_Barker
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZKrmRl
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anna-bishop-barker

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dPa24N

Nook: http://bit.ly/3uwCKx9

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Condition Black by Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington

Hi, everyone!

Today I am on the Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour and I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for CONDITION BLACK by Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington.

Below you will find a book synopsis, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the authors’ bios and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!

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Book Synopsis

EVAN WEYLAND, a brilliant research scientist tasked with developing new technologies to fight cancer, sees the world differently through the lens of Autism Spectrum Disorder. His guiding light is his wife, Marie—a globally recognized war correspondent. When she returns home from Syria deathly ill with an unknown disease, Evan believes his research may be the key to unlocking the cure. However, when his superiors refuse his request for help, Evan’s single-minded love for Marie drives him to take matters into his own hands—a decision with far greater consequences than he could possibly fathom.

BILLY VICK, a Captain in the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, is a combat veteran unable to leave the horrors of war behind. Only the love of his family and a sense of absolute justice keeps him grounded. When Billy’s unit becomes aware of a US-sanctioned airstrike on a civilian settlement in Syria and an eye-witness reporter comatose with an unknown illness, he fears the worst. An unethical military project thought mothballed has resurfaced, and a civilian, Evan Weyland, may be about to inadvertently unleash it upon the world. It’s a mistake that could cost the lives of millions.

Pitted against each other in a game of chess-like deception and intrigue, with time running out, both men must come to terms with the magnitude of what’s at stake—and what each is willing to sacrifice to win.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57376565-condition-black?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=QX0v6W3fCl&rank=1

Condition Black

Genre: Thriller / Medical Thriller
Published by: Dropship Publishing
Publication Date: 27 April 2021
Number of Pages: 334
ISBN: 9781954386006
Series: Condition Black is a stand alone thriller.

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

CONDITION BLACK by Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington is an intense thriller which is part techno-thriller, part medical thriller, part terrorist thriller that I could not put down! Set in the United States of the future fraught with terrorist attacks, the nation is now under a form of lockdown and the military has broad domestic powers.

Evan Weyland is a brilliant research scientist working on new technologies to fight cancer. Evan is also on the autism spectrum. His wife, Marie is world renown foreign war correspondent and the light of his life. When Marie returns from Syria with an unknown bacterial disease, Evan will do anything to save her.

Captain Billy Vick is in the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command and has an unwavering sense of justice. Billy still flashes back to the horrors of past deployments and the death of his best-friend, but his loving wife and sons keep him grounded and are the reasons he took a position stateside. Billy’s unit receives intel that ties the return of a sick journalist from Syria with an air-strike sanctioned by the US on Syrian civilians. He fears a military project called Omega has resurfaced and it can kill millions.

Both men are pitted against each other as Evan tries to save his wife and Billy tries to stop him.

WOW! This is an intense, edge-of-your-seat thriller that was impossible for me to put down. The state of the US in this book and all the ethical questions regarding both personal freedoms and bio-medical research and uses bring a scary realism to this thriller. Evan’s characteristics and depiction show the authors did their research on people on the autism spectrum. Billy is a patriot and hero who believes in doing the right thing no matter the consequences. Even as they are pitted against each other, you cheer for both of them. The plot has many unexpected twists and leaves you with many thought-provoking ethical questions with memorable characters, good and bad.

I highly recommend this standalone thriller! I am looking forward to reading more from these authors.

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Excerpt

Through the lens of her SLR, Marie Wayland couldn’t pry her gaze from the morbid scene as it unfolded some two hundred feet away. Another twist of the objective and the image in her ultralight mirrorless camera became crystal clear, even in the fading evening light of the Syrian sun: a man, his hands bound secure with coarse rope, sucking with erratic breaths at the cloth bag over his head. The fabric molded to the shape of his quivering lips and stuck there for an instant before being blown out again. He cried out as two masked assailants forced him to his knees. A whimper emerged from beneath his hood, followed by a muffled plea for mercy. Unwavering, the men stood in a line behind the captive, their AK-47 rifles pointed to the sky. Above them all, a black flag, inset with white Arabic script, fluttered like a pirate banner in the desert wind.

A young man carrying a beat-up camcorder scurried onto the scene and set up his tripod. He fiddled with his equipment, then gave a thumbs up. One of the soldiers stepped forward and pulled a curved blade from his belt. He called out and pointed to the camera, stabbing the air with the long knife. For a moment, he seemed to look right at Marie. Her heart faltered and the hot prickle of perspiration dampened her forehead.

Marie lowered her camera and eased further into a small depression in the side of the hill, perfect for both observation and concealment. “Don’t be tree cancer,” she whispered to herself. A strange phrase, but one that had proved invaluable during her long and storied career as a war correspondent. A Marine Corps scout sniper had offered her this golden nugget of advice during a stint in Afghanistan. Master of short-range reconnaissance, he’d spotted her crouched in a ball, peering out from behind a twisted stone pine tree. After approaching undetected, he’d whispered in her ear: Don’t be tree cancer. Marie had nearly jumped out of her skin. She later discovered the phrase referred to an observer drawing attention to themselves by standing out from the world around them.

The voice of the knife-wielding man rose in pitch. Marie shuffled for a better view and raised her camera once again.

The knifeman jerked the hood from the captive’s head.

A chill crawled down Marie’s spine.

Glen Bertrum, the American relief worker kidnapped three months ago from the outskirts of Aleppo, shifted on his knees. With a brutal shove from his captors, the terrified relief worker flopped to his side, squirming. The knifeman descended on Glen, then sawed at his relief worker’s neck with the blade. Blood sprayed against the sand. Glen screamed for what seemed an eternity, the sound morphing into a horrible sucking wheeze.

His gore-drenched knife dripping, the murderer yanked Glen’s head free and held it aloft.

The men shouted in victory, thrusting their weapons into the air.

“Shit,” Marie said, lowering the camera.

The cruelty and barbarism of humankind knew no end, and these zealots had a way of making it even uglier, spreading their jihad across the globe like a pestilence. Without raising the SLR again, she watched the terrorists conclude the recording and march away, leaving Glen’s decapitated body to rot.

Marie’s stomach knotted, and she tried to swallow away the tingle of nausea in her throat. This isn’t why you’re here, she thought. A beheaded aid worker wasn’t news, even if she had met the man before. Such things hadn’t been news for a long time. The war had escalated, far beyond Syria and the Middle East, beyond single hostages and beheadings. Terrorist cells were now a pandemic, spread across the globe, and embedded in every country. There was no central faction anymore. No IS or al-Qaeda, or Allah’s Blade. The war against the west was now an idea, a disease infesting the world. Anyone, anywhere could be an enemy—the core vision metastasizing, traveling to every corner of the Earth and there propagating.

Major cities now operated under war-time policy; curfews and rationing to prevent too many people congregating in any one place, such as a supermarket or a major sporting event. Aerial surveillance and street-level military patrols did their best to keep people safe, but a cage was a cage. In some ways, Marie felt free out in the world, even if it was in the enemy’s backyard. Yet while hate for terrorists was justified, as in all wars the enemy wasn’t the only one capable of terrible things. So too were the allied forces—the people who stood against terror and extremism—and that was why she was in Syria.

The little jaunt Marie had undertaken was unofficial. Her boss would kill her if he knew she’d conducted this op. After flying into Istanbul and crossing the border south of Daruca, she’d spent the better part of the past three days moving from checkpoint to checkpoint, working her way along Highway 7 through northeastern Syria. With dark features and perfect Arabic, Marie hid with ease among the local population.

Marie pulled a tablet from her backpack and keyed up the map she’d gotten from her contact. The coordinates were correct. A tiny civilian village in Northeastern Syria. This ramshackle settlement was little more than a speck on the map, and from what she was told by her contact, this place was of zero military significance. No base, no known weapons caches, no landing strips. The small cell of terrorists she’d just found was likely that: a small cell. Little more than a coincidence, and by no means justification for this village to be firebombed back to the stone age.

Unless they’d found something of significance.

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Stu Jones

Stu Jones. SWAT Sniper. Adventurer. Award-Winning Author of Epic Genre-Bending Fiction.

A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu has served as a beat cop, narcotics, criminal investigations, as an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. Recently, Stu served for three years with a U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force – hunting the worst of the worst.

He is the author of multiple sci-fi/action/thriller novels, including the multi-award-winning It Takes Death To Reach A Star duology, written with co-author Gareth Worthington (Children of the Fifth Sun).

Known for his character-driven stories and blistering action sequences, Stu strives to create thought-provoking reading experiences that challenge the status quo. When he’s not chasing bad guys or writing epic stories, he can be found planning his next adventure to some remote or exotic place.

Stu is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo-Helin-Fountain literary

Catch Up With Stu Jones:
Goodreads
BookBub – @stujonesfiction
Instagram – @stujonesfiction
Facebook – @stujonesfiction

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Gareth Worthington

Gareth Worthington holds a degree in marine biology, a PhD in Endocrinology, an executive MBA, is Board Certified in Medical Affairs, and currently works for the Pharmaceutical industry educating the World’s doctors on new cancer therapies.

Gareth Worthington is an authority in ancient history, has hand-tagged sharks in California, and trained in various martial arts, including Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai at the EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and 2FIGHT Switzerland.

He is an award-winning author and member of the International Thriller Writers Association, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the British Science Fiction Association.

Born in England, Gareth has lived around the world from Asia, to Europe to the USA. Wherever he goes, he endeavors to continue his philanthropic work with various charities.

Gareth is represented by Renee Fountain and Italia Gandolfo at Gandolfo Helin Fountain Literary, New York.

Catch Up With Gareth Worthington:
GarethWorthington.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @GarethWorthington
Instagram – @garethworthington
Twitter – @DrGWorthington
Facebook – @garethworthingtonauthor

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f24bf84b731/?

Book Review: Deadly Lies by Ann Girdharry

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLY LIES (Detective David Grant Book #3) by Ann Girdharry is the newest addition to this outstanding British police procedural/mystery series featuring DCI David Grant and his team. While the crime in this book is self-contained and the book can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading this series in order due to the progression of the main characters personal stories.

In the early morning hours, six-year-old Emily and four-year-old Lisa are kidnapped from their grandparent’s home.

Detective Grant and his team are called to the scene. The grandfather has been taken to the hospital and dies of a heart attack while the grandmother tells the officers everything she can remember. When the parents of the little girls show up, it is immediately apparent to the team that there are problems in this family. Grant once again asks criminal psychologist Ruby Silver to assist on the case.

A ransom is demanded and in the proof of life video it becomes apparent that Emily is seriously ill. The clock is ticking to find and save the little girls as Grant and his team deal with family secrets, lies and possible treachery within their own team.

I have been anxiously waiting for this third book in the Detective Grant series and I was not disappointed! This is a great group of characters. The plot is full of realistic police work detecting clues and sifting through the red herrings and lies. As the stakes rise, so does the pace and tight timeline. The ending surprised me with the twist in the kidnapping accomplice and I always love when that happens. This third book ends almost like a trilogy, by bringing together all the dangling threads from the previous books, but it also opens a new pathway for more books with some of this team in a new setting.

I highly recommend this book, the entire series and anything written by this author!

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About the Author

Ann Girdharry is a British, crime thriller author.

She is a trained psychotherapist and worked as a manager in the not-for-profit sector.

Her debut novel, Good Girl Bad Girl, is an ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD Finalist and two of her novels are READERS’ FAVOURITE Five Star Books.

Here are a few fun facts from Ann Girdharry –

I love to travel and visit different cultures and I’ve lived in the USA, Norway, UK and France.

One of my passions is gardening.

Social Media Links

Via my website
http://www.girdharry.com

On Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/AnnGirdharry…

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Bury Me Deep by Jane A. Adams

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the Book n All Promotions Blog Tour and I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for BURY ME DEEP (Detective Rozlyn Priest Book #1) by Jane A. Adams.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

THREE VICTIMS. TWO MILLENNIA. ONE TIMELESS WEAPON.

Theadingford dig site, present-day.

Detective Rozlyn Priest never expected to find herself here. Teetering on the brink of an ancient grave. She takes a breath, willing herself to look down.

Old bones, broken relics. That’s what should be buried here. Not the dead man staring back at her now.

He is Charlie Higgins, a petty criminal Roz once called on for help.

Is she the reason he’s dead? Slashed with a spear that belongs in the Dark Ages?

Roz won’t rest until she finds the truth. But her investigation is leading nowhere. And now she’s seeing things — visions of a flame-haired Saxon warrior who shares her thirst for justice.

But just how much deeper is Roz prepared to dig?

Slipping effortlessly between two intertwining mysteries, Jane Adams has crafted a police procedural like no other. Her unique blend of intrigue, mystery and history will captivate fans of Kate Mosse, Barbara Erskine, Alex North and Stephen King.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57689233-bury-me-deep?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=OqkgeWAQRD&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

BURY ME DEEP (Detective Rozlyn Priest Book #1) by Jane A. Adams is the story of a historical crime set in the Dark Ages intertwined with a present-day crime mystery/thriller/suspense with a bit of paranormal thrown into the mix. It sounds as though all of this could be a mess, but the author brings it all together in a unique, well woven plot with an intelligent and intriguing protagonist.

Detective Rozlyn Priest is called to the scene of an archeological dig where she identifies the body of one of her petty informants, Charles Higgins dead in ditch on the site. Charlie was not killed at the site, but he was stabbed through the heart with a spear from the Dark Ages.

As Rozlyn investigates, she feels remorse at not knowing Charlie better and vows to discover his killer. As she works the case, she has visions and vivid dreams of the area from long ago and a flame-haired Saxon warrior who shares her quest for justice.

This is such a unique read with its dual timelines, crimes and investigations. The author’s writing pulled me into both intertwining stories with fully fleshed main characters from the past and present. Both timelines have plenty of twists and red herrings which kept me turning the pages all the way to the satisfying conclusion.

This is a wonderfully unique, entertaining and satisfying introduction to a new protagonist I am looking forward to following on future adventures.

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Author Bio

“I am the author of more than thirty published crime novels. The first, The Greenway, was nominated for both the Authors’ club award and the CWA John Creasey for best debut novel.

I’m constantly amazed at where life has taken me. Writing had never been on my ‘possible careers’ list, but once stories take root in your brain, they just have to be told – and I feel very fortunate that people want to read them.

In addition to writing I teach creative writing, read and mentor for The Literary Consultancy, am a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and FRSA.”

BOOKS BY JANE ADAMS

DETECTIVE MIKE CROFT SERIES

THE GREENWAY
THE SECRETS
THEIR FINAL MOMENTS
THE LIAR
DETECTIVE MIKE CROFT BOOKS 1-3 BOX SET
THE COMPLETE DETECTIVE MIKE CROFT BOX SET

MERROW & CLARKE

SAFE

DETECTIVE RAY FLOWERS SERIES

THE APOTHECARY’S DAUGHTER
THE UNWILLING SON
THE DROWNING MEN

Author Social Media Links

AUTHOR WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS

Feature Post and Book Review: Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for WATERBORNE by J. Luke Bennecke which is the second book in the Civil Terror series featuring Civil Engineer Jake Bendel.

Below you will find a book description, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

A thought-provoking thriller about a very real threat to the essence of life: water. You’ll be forced to consider how you’d react if you were cornered and trapped in a terrifying, life-threatening situation. Jake Bendel and a cunning team of experts create a five-plant desalination system – all powered by environmentally friendly molten salt reactors – providing clean, healthy drinking water to millions of thirsty Californians. But the dark side of humanity sees this as a chance for revenge against the United States. A genius weaponizes the system, threatening to kill more Americans than all of World War II.

The clock is ticking. Can Jake and the FBI stop the terrorists before more innocent people are murdered in the name of the Jihad? WATERBORNE will grab you by the throat and pull you into a vicious struggle that will define the fate of the world for generations to come.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57250096-waterborne?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=6T2hYNjBES&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

WATERBORNE by J. Luke Bennecke is the second book in the Civil Terror thriller series featuring Civil Engineer Jake Bendel. This is an action packed, fast paced thriller set in the immediate future that is equal parts thought provoking, edge-of-your-seat thrilling, but also a fun read with characters good and bad that remind me of an over-the-top movie adventure. While you can read this book as a standalone, I believe all the main characters and their motivations are better understood if you read the first book, “Civil Terror: Gridlock” first.

Jake Bendel is “the” civil engineer in California who has big ideas and answers to many of California’s and the nation’s climate problems. Jake is working to get five desalination plants up and running which are powered by an environmentally friendly nuclear reactor to solve the shortage of fresh water problem and the nuclear waste problem together.

A criminal mastermind works to weaponize the water flowing from the plants with a waterborne virus that effects not only humans, but plant life, also. Can Jake, his friends and the FBI discover who is behind this plot and find a way to neutralize the virus and save the infected?

I really enjoy reading this series of thrillers! Mr. Bennecke writes a protagonist who makes being a civil engineer exciting and demonstrates the many solutions they work on for the good of civilization. Jake is an average man thrown into extraordinary circumstances and danger. The premise of the book is interesting, realistic and thought provoking. It is easy to read and fast paced with plenty of thrills, but it is the characters that pull me in and keep me turning the pages. The characters are over the top, especially the evil antagonists and so are the FBI agents.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For me, this series of books are an action-adventure thrill ride based on a realistic premise.

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Author Bio

J. Luke Bennecke is a native Californian and veteran civil engineer who has spent his career helping people by improving Southern California roadways. In addition to his first book, Civil Terror: Gridlock, which became an Amazon Bestseller, Bennecke has written several novels and screenplays, a creative process he thoroughly enjoys. He has a BS in civil engineering from Cal Poly Pomona, an MBA from Cal State San Bernardino, a private pilot’s certificate, and is a partner in an engineering firm based in Riverside. In his role as philanthropist, he awards scholarships annually to high school seniors at his alma mater.

Bennecke resides in Southern California with his wife of 30 years, whom he enjoys traveling with, and three spunky cats. In his leisure time, he spends his hours flying, learning about innovative tech, playing golf, and catching up with his grown daughters.

Bennecke is a member of International Thriller Writers and looks forward to attending ThrillerFest every year in New York.

Author Social Media

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlukebennecke

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-luke-bennecke

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1880444.J_Luke_Bennecke

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Rift By Rachel Lynch

The Rift by Rachel Lynch

#TheRift @r_lynchcrime @CaneloCrime @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the Damppebbles Blog Tour to share my Feature Post and Book Review for THE RIFT by Rachel Lynch.

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

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Book Blurb

To save one life, she risks many others.

Working for the Royal Military Police, Major Helen Scott is used to rapid change. On a posting to Paris she oversees security for a NATO summit in the city, yet has barely begun before her presence is demanded at Interpol headquarters in Lyon.

Helen’s orders are to locate a kidnapping victim – the eldest son of oil magnate Khalil Dalmani. The main suspect is Fawaz bin Nabil, whose fortune has been made from illegal trade familiar to the intelligence agencies.

Helen knows the pain of loss and won’t rest until Khalil’s child is found. Along the way, she crosses paths with old faces and forms new alliances. But who will betray her trust?

A stunning new thriller from the author of the acclaimed DI Kelly Porter novels and a rising star in British crime fiction.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57203707-the-rift?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=lkjNuIPDBX&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE RIFT by Rachel Lynch is a new standalone political crime thriller by a new-to-me author featuring a strong female career military protagonist.

Major Helen Scott, UK Royal Military Police has dedicated her life to her career and is known for getting the tough jobs done. She is tasked to liaison with the US security team in charge of the NATO summit to be held in the Palace of Versailles with Afghanistan representatives.

Helen finds everything secure, but she is pulled from that job by the British ambassador to work with Interpol on the kidnapping of the son of an international businessman.

As Helen and a former military colleague, Grant Tennyson work to save the young kidnapping victim, they uncover a web of historical family interactions that have led to lies, deceit and an assassination plot which could tie back to members of the NATO summit.

I enjoyed protagonist Major Helen Scott. She is intelligent and tough and very human as you learn about her personal life. Ms. Lynch does a great job of writing Grant Tennyson into the story as a male counterpart to Helen who does not take over as a savior or diminish Helen’s strength and talent. The past and current family interactions between Khalil and Fawaz add a depth to the story and to the international intrigue.

The plot is tightly written with many threads that all get woven together throughout the story. My only disappointment was in how long the set-up of the plot and the introduction of all the characters took to get moving into the action. Once everything does get moving though, it took off at an increasing pace to a very exciting climax and satisfying conclusion.

I can recommend this standalone thriller and I will be looking for more from this author.

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About the Author

Rachel Lynch grew up in Cumbria and the lakes and fells are never far away from her. London pulled her away to teach History and marry an Army Officer, whom she followed around the globe for thirteen years. A change of career after children led to personal training and sports therapy, but writing was always the overwhelming force driving the future. The human capacity for compassion as well as its descent into the brutal and murky world of crime are fundamental to her work.

Social Media Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/r_lynchcrime

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rachel-Lynch-Author-104835661648876

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

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2NHPlNq

Book Depository: http://bit.ly/316M7Go

Waterstones: http://bit.ly/3lFrACk

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