Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond

Death and the Sisters

by Heather Redmond

September 25 – October 20, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Mini Book Review for DEATH AND THE SISTERS (Mary Shelley Mystery Book #1) by Heather Redmond on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

The tangled relationships between Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary’s stepsister Jane Clairmont form the backdrop for an intriguing historical mystery, set in London in 1814, that explores the complex dynamic between sisters and the birth of teenaged Mary’s creative genius.

London, 1814: Mary Godwin and her stepsister Jane Clairmont, both sixteen, possess quick minds bolstered by an unconventional upbringing, and have little regard for the rules that other young ladies follow. Mary, whose mother famously advocated for women’s rights, rejects the two paths that seem open to her—that of an assistant in her father’s bookshop, or an ordinary wife. Though quieter and more reserved than the boisterous Jane, Mary’s imagination is keen, and she longs for real-world adventures.

One evening, an opportunity arrives in the form of a dinner guest, Percy Bysshe Shelley. At twenty-one, Shelley is already a renowned poet and radical. Mary finds their visitor handsome and compelling, but it is later that evening, after the party has broken up, that events take a truly intriguing turn. When Mary comes downstairs in search of a book, she finds instead a man face down on the floor—with a knife in his back.

The dead man, it seems, was a former classmate of Shelley’s, and had lately become a personal and professional rival. What was he doing in the Godwins’ home? Mary, Jane, and Shelley are all drawn to learn the truth behind the tragedy, especially as each discovery seems to hint at a tangled web that includes many in Shelley’s closest circle. But as the attraction between Mary and the married poet intensifies, it sparks a rivalry between the sisters, even as it kindles the creative fire within . . .

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88839412-death-and-the-sisters?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=T1oK84dtzV&rank=1

Death and the Sisters

Genre: Historical mystery
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: September 2023
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781496737991 (ISBN10: 1496737997)
Series: Mary Shelley Mystery, 1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

DEATH AND THE SISTERS (Mary Shelley Mystery Book #1) by Heather Redmond is an engaging historical mystery and the first in a new series featuring the unconventional Mary Godwin (future Mrs. Shelley and author of “Frankenstein”), her stepsister, Jane Clairmont, and Percy Shelley who was a benefactor to Mary and Jane’s father all come together as amateur sleuths in 1814 London.

Mary discovers a young man stabbed to death on the floor of her father’s bookshop in the night when she goes down to retrieve a book to read. At first it was believed to be the famous poet Percy Shelley, but it was a contemporary competitor of Shelley’s. Mary is determined to solve the crime and with Jane and Shelley, they begin to unravel the clues that lead to Shelley’s closest circle of friends. As the investigation heats up, so does the attraction between Mary and Shelley, but it also sparks an even deeper rivalry between the sisters.

I loved that this book featured working and artistic people and was not centered around the ton. The author’s descriptive writing is atmospheric and made me feel as though I was there in 1814 London, but the dialogue a few times slipped into modern verbiage which pulled me out of the story. I liked getting each of the sister’s points of view with the alternating chapter narration because both were strong and intelligent characters. The competition between them was believable, but at times their immaturity was annoying and yes, I realize they were in their teens, but at that time in history, I would expect them to be more mature. The plot was intriguing and well-paced with plenty of red herrings, but I did not like the late revelation of information from some until close to the end.

Overall, an entertaining introduction to these characters and a beguiling mystery solved. I will be looking forward to the evolution of these characters in future books in this new series.

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Excerpt

“Come, Mary.” Jane flopped onto her bed. “Tell us a story about the prisoner ghosts wailing.”

“I’ll have to think it up,” Mary said and then began to quote. “‘This relation is Matter of Fact, and attended with such Circumstances as may induce any Reasonable Man to believe it.’”

“What’s that?” Jane asked. The floor creaked as she kicked off her slippers and knocked them to the floor.

“Defoe, I think,” Mary said, already considering the form of her story. If only Mother had written such fanciful tales, to give her ideas on how to construct them. “I’ll consult his works in the bookshop for further inspiration. It seems like quite a good start to a ghost story.”

Mary placed her slippers next to Jane’s and walked down in her stocking feet, hugging the wall so as not to set off the worst of the creaking stairs. If Mamma heard her, she’d be set to mending something. Her stepmother never thought about the cost of candles when she could make her daughters work themselves into exhaustion after dark.

The bookshop’s interior door hung open. Very odd, as Mamma was particular about making sure that the smells of domestic life, particularly cooking odors, did not damage the books.

Mary shrugged, glad she had come downstairs, because if Mamma had been the first to notice, she’d have no doubt blamed Mary. She lit the lantern kept in readiness for customers who wanted to browse in the dark corners.

While she knew exactly where Defoe was kept, she first went to a back corner of the shop and dropped to her knees, then pulled out a much-loved volume that Mamma kept in stock because she knew that it sold, even though it was anything but highbrow or philosophical. Ann Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest. Feeling a little breathless, like a Gothic heroine about to swoon, she opened the book to her favorite page. With the lantern held over the engraving, she examined the bare legs of the man removing a blindfolded girl from a house.

She bit her lip as she looked over the engraved musculature, feeling a familiar shiver dance up through her body. Did Shelley have legs so magnificent? He certainly possessed the broad shoulders and narrow waist of the figure on the page. She set down the lantern when it shook in her hand.

“Oh, to see a form like that,” she whispered to herself. None of her Scottish suitors had possessed a body she wanted to caress. As such, none of them had enticed so much as a kiss from her. After a last heated glance, she closed the book and tucked it away again.

The next shelves were in front of the bow windows. The Juvenile Library was shelved there, at the perfect height for children. Works of historical merit were on the other side. Mary rose.

Her foot twisted as she took the first step. She grabbed for the edge of the bookcase with one hand, the other gripping the lantern tightly. Her fingers were trembling by the time she righted herself. She reached down and swiped at her foot. Something sticky coated her fingers. What was on the floor?

“Honestly,” she muttered to herself. More cleaning. She set the lantern on the bookcase and walked past the windows. Slatted lines from the shutters were illuminated by the oil lamp that burned all night at the corner of the road.

Distracted by the sudden reflected light, she tripped again. “Blast,” she cried.

When she tried to take another step forward, her way was blocked by something solid. Confused, she prodded it with her foot. It felt warm, dry, and slightly yielding. She backed up to take the lantern in her hand again, then cupped the side of it with her hand to keep the illumination from the road. When she reached the mass again, she held the lantern out over the floor.

Her mouth dropped open when she saw what lay in front of her. A man, like something out of a painting of the French Revolution, was sprawled on the floor. Facedown. She swept the lantern over his body. Her hand shook as she saw first one knife, then another.

The first was impaled in his back. The other, in the mysterious recesses between his legs.

“Faith!” Wobbly, Mary blinked hard, then forced herself to kneel down beside the sprawled figure, to touch the man’s hand.

Still warm. She squeezed it, feeling that strange sensation of callused male flesh under hers, then dropped the hand. What was she doing? Molesting a corpse?

She scooted back, her eyes closed, then opened them again, feeling her lips tremble at the sight of the dark blue velvet coat, the dark stain around the knife gleaming wetly in the light. She knew that coat. Shelley! That fine figure of a man, ended so cruelly. They had just seen him leave not twenty minutes earlier. Had he been accosted in the street and dumped here?

“I could have loved such a being.” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she let them fall, keenly feeling her sensibility. Hadn’t he said he was a new father? And his poor young wife, not even twenty yet, a widow.

“Mary?”

Drat that Jane. Could she not offer up a moment’s solitude to anyone?

Her stepsister’s footsteps came closer, along with the bobbing of a candle flame.

“Don’t come any closer,” Mary warned. She set the lantern down.

Ignoring her, Jane came down the space between the bookshelves and turned in the nook in front of the windows.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Mary scrambled to her feet, hoping to block her sister’s view. The candle wavered as Jane took in the scene. She gasped loudly.

“What,” Jane asked, “is that?”

“Knives,” Mary said. “Murder has been done here.”

“What?” Jane repeated, some frantic power coming into her voice. “Papa?”

“No,” Mary said, grabbing the candleholder before the candle dropped. “Shelley.”

She saw what was going to happen and held up her other hand, hoping to forestall it. But she failed, and Jane, coming closer, screamed. Mary bent under the onslaught and grabbed her sister’s hand.

“Hush,” she begged, pulling her away. “We have to tell Papa before the watch comes.”

Though Jane resisted, Mary pulled her through the bookshop, then forced her to sit on the steps and hold the candle while she went back for the lantern. She set it on the table in the hall.

“Stay here,” she commanded.

“But,” Jane whispered. “But the body.”

“Papa will know what to do.”

“But the watch.”

“Papa should call them, not us. Do you want him surprised?”

“The bookshop,” Jane said next.

“Yes, it’s very bad,” Mary agreed.

“It isn’t S-Shelley,” Jane stuttered. “He just left.”

Mary pulled the handkerchief from her sleeve and tucked it into Jane’s unresisting hand. “It must be,” she said. “Who else? Cry quietly, please.” Hoping her sister obeyed, she picked up her skirts and ran up the steps to her father’s library.

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Heather Redmond

Author Bio

Heather Redmond is an author of commercial fiction and also writes as Heather Hiestand. First published in mystery, she took a long detour through romance before returning. Though her last British ancestor departed London in the 1920s, she is a committed anglophile, Dickens devotee, and lover of all things nineteenth century.

She has lived in Illinois, California, and Texas, and now resides in a small town in Washington State with her husband and son. The author of many novels, novellas, and short stories, she has achieved best-seller status at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers. Her 2018 Heather Redmond debut, A Tale of Two Murders, has received a coveted starred review from Kirkus Reviews.

Social Media Links

www.HeatherRedmond.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @heatherredmond1
Instagram – @hiestandheather
Twitter – @heatheraredmond
Heather Hiestand Redmond’s Reader Group on Facebook

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Kensington

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KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

https://kingsumo.com/g/uslsuc/death-and-the-sisters-by-heather-redmond-gift-card

Feature Post and Book Review: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI: by David Grann

Book Description

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496076-killers-of-the-flower-moon?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Na1KjaELps&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann is an enthralling true story of the murder, greed, and fear that permeated the Osage Indian tribe for years in 1920’s Oklahoma. This is an extensively researched look at the oil rich Osage and the prejudice which allowed white guardians to exploit the system to steal, embezzle, and murder their charges for their shares of oil rights and the newly formed FBI men who took on this murder investigation.

Molly Burkhart watched as one by one her Osage family and friends were killed. Some by gunshot, some by poisoning, and others never designated with a method of death since the tribe became the richest people in the U.S. due to the oil under their land. In the 1920’s, the Osage were considered unable to handle their wealth and the Federal government decided that they should be appointed white guardians. When anyone questioned the deaths, they would mysteriously end up dead.

The murder rate exceeded the national average when the government decided to send in men from the newly formed FBI under J. Edgar Hoover. At first, they did no better than the corrupt local law enforcement until Hoover sent in Tom White. He put together a team of his choosing who all entered the region undercover and soon began to piece together a conspiracy tied to the most influential rancher in the area.

This book is intricately plotted not only making the characters come to life for the reader, but to show the Osage were set up to be exploited (hopefully) unintentionally by the Federal government’s decision that put the Osage under guardianship. The local white population took advantage of this system to follow the money and kill off family lines until the white guardians inherited the Osage money and oil rights. While this book focuses on the one conspiracy of criminals publicized in that time that were brought to trial after the FBI’s investigation, the author discusses many other murders that were never investigated. I was outraged by the prejudice, heartsick by the killing, and that is what I hope to feel and more when reading a book about a historical atrocity. The descendants of the Osage are still looking for justice and closure which will never come.

I highly recommend this compelling historical true crime mystery.

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About the Author

DAVID GRANN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books “The Wager,” “The Lost City of Z,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is also the author of “The White Darkness” and the collection “The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession.” His book “Killers of the Flower Moon” was recently adapted into a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro. Several of his other stories, including “The Lost City of Z” and “Old Man and the Gun,” have also been adapted into major motion pictures. His investigative reporting and storytelling have garnered several honors, including a George Polk Award and an Edgar Allan Poe Award.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.davidgrann.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidGrann

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/david-grann

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Girl from the Red Rose Motel by Susan Beckham Zurenda

Book Description


Impoverished high school junior Hazel Smalls and privileged senior Sterling Lovell would never ordinarily meet. But when both are punished with in-school suspension, Sterling finds himself drawn to the gorgeous, studious girl seated nearby, and an unlikely relationship begins.

Set in 2012 South Carolina, the novel interlaces the stories of Hazel, living with her homeless family in the rundown Red Rose Motel; Sterling, yearning to break free from his wealthy parents’ expectations; and recently widowed Angela Wilmore, their stern but compassionate English teacher. Hazel hides her homelessness from Sterling until he discovers her cleaning the motel’s office when he goes with his slumlord father to unfreeze the motel’s pipes one morning. With her secret revealed, their relationship deepens. Angela-who has her own struggles in a budding romance with the divorced principal-offers Hazel the support her family can’t provide. Navigating between privilege and poverty, vulnerability and strength, all three must confront what they need from themselves and each other as Hazel gains the courage to oppose boundaries and make a bold, life-changing decision at novel’s end.

Gripping and richly drawn, The Girl from the Red Rose Motel explores the complex bonds between adults and teenagers and the power of the families we both inherit and create. Inspired by the author’s experiences teaching in a South Carolina high school, the novel is also an unflinching, authentic look at the challenges faced by America’s public school teachers and the struggles of the thousands of homeless children in motels who live, precariously and almost invisibly, amid the nation’s most affluent communities”-

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Girl from The Red Rose Motel by Susan Zurenda delves into very relevant issues of the day. It is told from three points of view: privileged high school senior boy (Sterling), a high school junior girl whose family lives below the poverty line (Hazel), and their high school English teacher (Angela). It is a drama about relationships, showing how poverty has impacted children and having to navigate being homeless with going to high school.

The plot has Impoverished high school junior Hazel Smalls and privileged senior Sterling Lovell meeting after both were punished with in-school suspension, Sterling finds himself drawn to the gorgeous, studious girl seated nearby, and an unlikely relationship begins. Set in 2012 South Carolina, the novel interlaces the stories of Hazel, living with her homeless family in the rundown Red Rose Motel; Sterling, yearning to break free from his wealthy parents’ expectations; and recently widowed Angela Wilmore, their stern but compassionate English teacher. Hazel hides her homelessness from Sterling until he discovers her cleaning the motel’s office when he goes with his slumlord father to unfreeze the motel’s pipes one morning. With her secret revealed, their relationship deepens.

This book will tug at reader’s heartstrings. The characters are complex, and people will root for each of them. The ending may not be what readers are hoping for, but it is very realistic. There are important current issues that are covered.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did you base it on your experiences?

Susan Zurenda: I taught English for 33 years, mostly in the community college system. In the last ten years I taught AP English in high school. The story came out of my teaching experience since I taught the 4 AP classes and a fifth class called Reading Strategies. These children were behind in their reading and writing skills. I was supposed to be a magician to get their reading skills improved so they can pass the exit exam to graduate in South Carolina. In the story the children in the AP classes and this fifth class were from different backgrounds.

EC: Were there any incidents in the book based on your actual teaching experience?

SZ: Yes. One is what starts the action in the book. When Sterling and his friends take over his AP English class. I taught these eight boys who terrorized their teachers since middle school. They have never been called to task. I had three of them in a class. They tried to one up themselves with trifle behavior. I decided to just sit at my desk and the ringleader came up and started teaching. I went to the Vice-principal and insisted these boys be punished. They called themselves ‘the crazy eights,’ and I called them ‘the hateful eightful.’

EC: Are you the AP English teacher, Angela Wilmore?

SZ: No, but I could not have written her story if I did not have the teacher experience and knowledge. Angela is a lot nicer and funkier than I ever was. She is very stern and caring just like myself. She does not have children of her own. She helps the student Hazel when her family cannot help. Angela becomes Hazel’s foster mother. The inspiration for Angela becoming a

foster parent was a friend of mine, a teacher of the year. She did it because the child had no place to go.

EC: How would you describe Sterling?

SZ: He is very smart, in the AP class, but misbehaves so he finds himself in ISS, in school suspension. He does have some baggage because of what happened in his childhood. He is an arrogant, rude, disrespectful brilliant, affluent boy.

EC: How would you describe Hazel?

SZ: She is shy, quiet, and shameful of her desolate situation, having to live in a hotel. She does not seek out friends.

EC: How about the relationship between Hazel and Sterling?

SZ: When he starts to show he likes her she does not believe he is serious. It is a while until she opens up to him. She grows throughout the novel. Sterling and Angela show her it is possible to get out of the world of poverty. She becomes more self-confident, logical, and level-headed. I did hear of students living in run down motels, considered homeless. A guidance counselor I know started the organization CAST: Care, Accept, Share, and Teach, to assist families.

EC: What was the role of the Red Rose Motel?

SZ: I wanted to separate the families who are homeless from the drug addicts and mentally disabled. There are a lot of families with children who are homeless. In January 2022 there are about 350,000 children nationwide living in hotels because their families were evicted. There is a lack of affordable housing. The family gets evicted because they do not make enough money to afford a rental unit so they move to the Red Rose Motel.

EC: Next book?

SZ: I do not know if I will write another book.

THANK YOU!!

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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.

Book Review: Justice Mission by Lynette Eason

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

JUSTICE MISSION (True Blue K-9 Unit #1) by Lynette Eason is a gripping, action-packed Christian romantic suspense and the first book in a new multi-author series featuring NYPD K-9 police officers and their furry partners. While the criminal threat to the heroine is solved in this book and there is a HEA, there is an over-arcing plot to find a murderer that is left unsolved. I am glad I enjoyed this book because I now need to continue to future books in the series for more answers.

K-9 unit administrative assistant Sophie Walters is setting up early for the K-9 officer graduation day when she discovers a man disturbing the podium. He attempts to kidnap her, but she gets away and returns to discover a suicide note left in her boss’ graduation day speech. A massive search begins for Sophie’s boss with Sophie being guarded by officer Luke Hathaway and his K-9 partner.

NYPD K-9 officer Luke Hathaway and his K-9 partner, Bruno, are assigned to protect Sophie, but someone is determined to silence her. As Luke and Sophie continue to dodge attempts on her life, they find they are developing feelings for each other, but Luke is fearful of not being the right man for Sophie.

Luke and Sophie are both well developed and believable main characters. The action/suspense plot in this story does not slow down and kept me turning the pages. The investigation into Sophie’s missing boss and the constant threat to her life make this a thrilling and suspenseful read. This is a Christian romantic suspense so there are no sex scenes and only a few kisses and comforting hugs, which I excepted, especially with the short amount of time covered in this story, which is also why I was surprised by the proposal ending. I must confess, I am attracted to books with canine buddies and this series pulled me in with the variety of K-9s. They are as different as their handlers.

Overall, this is an engaging and fast paced Christian romantic suspense read and I am intrigued enough with the remaining mystery to continue on in this series.

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About the Author

Award-winning, best-selling author, Lynette Eason writes for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line and for Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Her books have hit the Publisher’s Weekly, CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won numerous awards such as the prestigious Carol Award, the Selah, the Daphne, the IRCC award and more. Lynette is married, has two children, and lives in Greenville, SC.

Website: https://www.lynetteeason.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynette.eason

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lynetteeason

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lynette-eason

Feature Post and Book Review: Code Red by Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for CODE RED (A Mitch Rapp Novel Book #22) by Kyle Mills. This is the last book that Kyle Mills will be authoring in this series started by Vince Flynn, but the series is continuing.

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

Mitch Rapp hates owing anyone a favor—especially when it’s the world’s most powerful crime lord. But when Damian Losa calls, Mitch is honor-bound to answer.

The Syrian government appears to have created a highly addictive new narcotic that it plans to distribute throughout Europe. It’s a major threat to Losa’s business and he’s determined to send someone to keep him on top by any means necessary.

Rapp is the perfect choice for the mission. Not only does he have extensive experience operating in the Middle East, but he’s also entirely expendable.

As he crosses into war-torn Syria, Rapp quickly discovers a shocking truth. The new drug isn’t being produced by Damascus to prop up the government’s collapsing finances. Instead, it was created by Russia’s asymmetrical warfare unit, not for profit but as a weapon against the West.

With far more than Damian Losa’s interests at stake, Rapp devises a desperate plan that forces him and his team onto a battlefield where the United States is virtually powerless and allegiances shift almost hourly. Further, if Russia uncovers their plot, it will set off a confrontation between the two countries that could change the course of human history.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/109238891-code-red?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=AJbfuoNeEt&rank=2

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

CODE RED (A Mitch Rapp Novel Book #22) by Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills is another exciting addition to this political/terrorism thriller series. This is Mr. Mills last book in this long-standing series, but the series is continuing with another author. While this book begins with the repayment of an obligation from a previous book and the main characters continue to evolve, it is still easily read as a standalone thriller. I am privileged to be a chosen Ambassador to this series.

Mitch Rapp owes a favor to one of the world’s most powerful drug lords, Damian Losa, for the help that only he could provide in locating a threat to Mitch’s family. Losa is calling in his marker and sends Mitch undercover into Syria, but things do not go as planned. When Mitch is double crossed, he considered his debt paid and he goes after a Russian developing a designer drug that could easily destroy Western civilization as we know it.

Off the official books, Mitch and his team come together in Syria to take down this latest threat before Russia uncovers their plan and it turns into a major international incident.

I really love this series, but not this one until about a quarter of the way into the plot. I found Losa using Mitch the way he did just not what I expected, and it just did not fit the Mitch persona, so I did not really buy it and it dragged. The plot with the Russians making a new drug that could destroy Western society is when it grabbed my interest and the action took off with what I have come to expect in a Mitch Rapp book and that made it a good addition to the series for me. The book satisfied me by the end when Mitch and his team do what they do and made up for the slower beginning. I love this series for the intriguing political/terrorism plots that are not out of the headlines, but almost seem like the author can see into the horrors of the future. While I do not feel this is the best Mitch Rapp in the series, it is still an action roller-coaster thrill ride to the end.

I have loved this series since book one when Vince Flynn started it, and Kyle Mills has been an excellent choice to continue it and hopefully it will continue to be one of my favorite action thriller series as the author changes once again. Thank you for your stewardship, Mr. Mills.

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About the Author

Kyle Mills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two political thrillers, including Enemy at the Gates, Total Power, and Lethal Agent for Vince Flynn and The Patriot Attack for Robert Ludlum. He initially found inspiration from his father, an FBI agent and former Interpol director, and still draws on his contacts in the intelligence community to give his books such realism. Avid outdoor athletes and travelers, he and his wife split their time between Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Granada, Spain.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kylemills.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyleMillsAuthor

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kyle-mills

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: A White Hot Plan by Mike & Ayan Rubin

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for A WHITE HOT PLAN by Mike & Ayan Rubin on this Coffee and Thorn Book Tour.

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

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About the Book

A group of alt-right terrorists decides that now is the time–and New Orleans is the place–to make an explosive statement that will force the world to acknowledge the superiority of the white supremacist movement.

Disgraced former New Orleans homicide detective Starner Gautreaux is now a poorly paid sheriff’s deputy relegated to writing his weekly quota of speeding tickets in a sleepy south Louisiana parish. His mundane life is all-too-predictable until several unusual events cause him to suspect something is seriously amiss. While the local coroner classifies the resulting deaths as accidental, Starner’s prior experience leads him to believe that not only are they homicides, but also that they signal something far more sinister.

Taut action bubbles up from the swamps of Louisiana to the hidden haunts of underworld bosses, from small-town life to urban grit, and from a high-speed highway shootout to a terrifying confrontation in the heart of the French Quarter. White supremacists seek to impose their will on a city swamped with carefree tourists, but Starner Gautreaux is determined not to let that happen.

A White Hot Plan

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A WHITE HOT PLAN by Mike & Ayan Rubin is an intricately plotted, gripping thriller featuring a disgraced former NOPD homicide detective now just going through the motions as a rural sheriff’s deputy in his hometown South Louisiana parish. This is a standalone thriller that does leave an opening in the final chapter for the possibility of more books featuring this protagonist in the future and I am hoping that does happen.

Sheriff’s Deputy Starner Gautreaux is leading a predictably mundane life in his hometown until people begin to disappear and others are found dead. While the coroner calls them natural deaths, Starner’s experience has him believing otherwise. Starner refuses to ignore what is happening, but he will have to move quickly to stop a plot that could destroy the French Quarter during a festival.

This is a timely plot with the rise of domestic terrorism and white supremist groups currently in the news. Starner has grown up in this racially charged area, but treats all equally, but is not blind to the racism all around him. He has had a horrific life since Katrina and yet he still has a sense of justice that he cannot let go. The parish comes to life with the author’s descriptive writing of the bayou, the small town, the corrupt sheriff, and the fanatical delusions and cruelty of the white power group. The plot is fast paced and captivating as readers get to follow not only Starner’s point of view, but also all the members of the racist group. The short chapters moved the plot quickly and made me not want to stop reading until the end.

I highly recommend this engrossing crime thriller and I hope P.I. Starner Gautreaux will be back in more new books.

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About the Authors

Mike and Ayan Rubin are a husband and wife writing team.

Their debut novel, THE COTTONCREST CURSE, is a historical thriller published by the award-winning LSU Press. Its story line takes place from the 1860’s through the 1960’s and follows the exploits and travails of several generations of five families who own, work, or reside near the eponymous South Louisiana plantation.  THE COTTONCREST CURSE garnered the Book of the Year Gold Award at an annual meeting of the American Library Association where it was named the top thriller/suspense novel published by a university or independent press. A German edition has been published by Suhrkamp and is for sale in Europe.

Their second novel, a contemporary legal thriller entitled CASHED OUT, is now in its second edition.  It won the coveted Jack Eadon award as the Best Contemporary Drama and was shortlisted for the Silver Falchion Award as the best thriller. Combining page-turning action with a distinct sense of southern locale, the Providence Journal raved that it features “a lawyer down and out enough to make John Grisham proud. He’s culled from the likes of Michael Connelly by way of James Lee Burke. A gem of a tale.”

A WHITE HOT PLAN is their third novel.

A nationally known legal ethicist, public speaker and humorist, as well as a full time appellate attorney, Mike has had a varied career. He has been a professional jazz pianist in the New Orleans French Quarter, a radio and television announcer, and an adjunct law professor. He won the Burton Award for Outstanding Writing given at the Library of Congress and is a member of the Author’s Guild, the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and the International Association of Crime Writers.

Ayan has had an equally varied career, having been a classroom teacher, an education administrator, a prolific grant writer, a developmental book editor, a nonprofit consultant, and, for almost three decades, the Coordinator of the Educational Services Division of Louisiana Public Broadcasting, a statewide television network, where she was responsible for initiating and then shepherding a wide variety of video projects from concept through script development and production to statewide and national broadcast.

Mike’s breadth of knowledge about the intricacies of the law and his penchant for devising dramatic situations, combined with Ayan’s unique ability to visualize and bring characters and scenes to life, make for taut tales with unrelenting twists and turns.

Because Mike’s full time legal career and numerous speaking engagements keep them hopping, they write early in the morning or late in the evening, often discussing plot lines and character development during their daily 4:30 a.m. power walks. They are just as apt to draft and revise chapters while sitting in airports or hotel rooms as they are to do so in their adjoining home offices.

Together, Mike and Ayan Rubin have developed a unique literary voice that has captivated devotees of their page-turning thrillers. A WHITE HOT PLAN is their third novel..

The protagonists and primary characters in each of their contemporary novels are descendants of the protagonists and primary characters in THE COTTONCREST CURSE, and the intoxicating action in all of their fiction plays out amidst the backwoods, bayous, big cities, and body politic of their beguiling home state of Louisiana.

Social Media Links

Website: https://mrubinbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100036882297081

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaelHRubin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6187123.Michael_H_Rubin