Tag: #brstateham

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Death of a Young Lieutenant by B.R. Stateham

Hi, everyone!

Today I am excited to be posting my Feature Post and Book Review on the Book Tour for B.R. Stateham’s WWI historical mystery DEATH OF A YOUNG LIEUTENANT.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio. This book has a charismatic main character, a mystery plot that keeps you guessing and it is set in France at the beginning of WWI and the dawn of aviation warfare. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb:

Meet Captain Jake Reynolds – pilot, adventurer, art thief, spy.

In the opening weeks of World War One, and as a member of the newly formed British Royal Flying Corps, Captain Jake Reynolds is shipped off to Belgium.

Roped in by his squadron commander to prove the innocence of a young lieutenant accused of murder, Jake also wants to steal a 14th Century Jan van Eck painting.

The problem is both the evidence and the painting are behind enemy lines.

How do you prove a man’s innocence and steal a masterpiece while an entire German army is breathing down your neck?

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My Book Review:

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

Death of a Young Lieutenant by B.R. Stateham is a WWI historical mystery that is distinctive in period, setting and protagonist, entertaining and an engrossing mystery read from start to finish.  

Jake Reynolds is an American who loves to fly the new aeroplanes. He volunteers to become a pilot in the newly formed British Royal Flying Corps. Captain Reynolds is handsome, charismatic, an adventurer, a talented artist and master thief.

The son of a client, a young lieutenant in Jake’s squadron is found unconscious holding a smoking gun by the dead body of a sergeant in their unit. When Jake is asked to prove the lieutenant’s innocence, he is more than willing to assist even though he must travel behind enemy lines because he also has his eyes on a van Eck three panel masterpiece of the Madonna and Child behind those lines.

Can Jake find proof of the lieutenant’s innocence even as the killer strikes again? And will Jake be able to beat the German army to the van Eck?

This is such a wonderful historical mystery. The main character is charismatic and I so hope this is just the beginning of his adventures. The WWI European setting and the birth of aviation in war are a unique backdrop. Mr. Stateham’s mystery plot kept me guessing until the end and it entwines with the art theft subplot effortlessly. Everything works for a great read.

I highly recommend this mystery!

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Author Bio:

B.R. Stateham is a fourteen-year-old boy trapped in a seventy-year-old body.  But his enthusiasm and boyish delight in anything mysterious and/or unknown continue.

Writing novels, especially detectives, is just the avenue of escape which keeps the author’s mind sharp and inquisitive.  He’s published a ton of short stories in online magazines like Crooked, Darkest Before the Dawn, Abandoned Towers, Pulp Metal Magazine, Suspense Magazine, Spinetingler Magazine, Near to The Knuckle, A Twist of Noir, Angie’s Diary, Power Burn Flash, and Eastern Standard Crime.  He writes both detective/mysteries, as well as science-fiction and fantasy.

In 2008 the first book in the series featuring homicide detectives Turner Hahn and Frank Morales came out, called Murderous Passions.

Also, in 2008 he self-published a fantasy novel entitled, Roland of the High Crags: Evil Arises.

In 2009 he created a character named Smitty.  So far twenty-eight short stories and two novellas have been written about this dark eyed, unusually complex hit man.

In 2012 Untreed Reads published book two of the Turner Hahn/Frank Morales series A Taste of Old Revenge.

In 2015 NumberThirteen Press published a Smitty novella entitled, A Killing Kiss.

In 2017 a British indie publisher, Endeavour Media, re-issued A Taste of Old Revenge, and soon followed by a second Turner Hahn/Frank Morales novel entitled, There Are No Innocents.

In 2018 Endeavour Media published a third novel of mine, the first in a 1st Century Roman detective series, entitled While the Emperor Slept.

Also in 2018, NumberThirteen Press merged with another famous British indie, Fahrenheit Press. Soon afterwards, Fahrenheit Press re-issued an old novel of mine entitled, Death of a Young Lieutenant.

Now, after all of this apparent success, you would think Fame and Fortune would have sailed into my harbor, making me the delight of the hard-core genre world. Ah but contraire, mon ami! Fame and Fortune are two devious little wraths who pick and chooses the poor souls they wish to bedevil. I remain in complete anonymity and am just as bereft of fortune as I have always been. And apparently will continue to be for a long time to come.

B.R. Stateham has a blog called, In the Dark Mind of B.R. Stateham – http://noirtaketurner-frank.blogspot.com/

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Dark Retribution: Smitty’s Calling Card by B.R. Stateham

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing a Feature Post and Book Review for the new gritty noir DARK RETRIBUTION: SMITTY’S CALLING CARD (Dark Retribution Book 1) by B.R. Stateham for my turn on the Dark Retribution Book Tour.

There have been short stories featuring this character by this author, but this is the first full length novel featuring the mysterious Smitty. Noir is a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambiguity and this book has it all. I enjoyed this first book and will definitely be following Smitty on his future adventures!

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My Book Review:

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

DARK RETRIBUTION: SMITTY’S CALLING CARD (Dark Retribution Book 1) by B.R. Stateham is a suspense/noir crime fiction book featuring Smitty, a mysterious P.I./hitman/fixer/spook with his own moral code and an almost paranormal ability to appear and disappear. There are several short stories featuring this character, but this is his first full length story and it is easily read as a standalone.

A modern-day Jack the Ripper is brutally killing prostitutes without leaving even the smallest of clues. One of the police officers working the case, Artie Jones knows the women being killed and are related on the job to his sister-in-law who is the leader of this group of working girls. To protect his sister-in-law, Artie decides to request the help of the mysterious Smitty.

Smitty is as much a mystery man as the killer. There is speculation and rumor about whether he is a P.I., a security consultant, a mob hitman or fixer, but no matter which is correct it is an absolute truth that he is a killing machine who never leaves any evidence behind.

As Smitty works the case, the killer becomes aware that he is now the hunted and he looks forward to a showdown with Smitty.

This is a fast-paced suspense crime read with a very intriguing new-to-me main character. I enjoy reading about a character that is as morally ambiguous as Smitty. A dark angel or knight is sometimes needed to fight evil. The plot moves at an increasingly fast pace to a climax that satisfies. This is a noir crime genre book with some stereotypes that may seem out-of-date, but can and should be expected in this type of genre book. I do wish that Mr. Stateham had not given Smitty’s elderly black snitch colloquial dialogue; it was not necessary in my opinion.

Overall, it is a great introduction to Smitty for readers and an interesting crime read. I will be looking for more stories about Smitty from this author in the future.

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Short Biography:

B.R. Stateham is a fourteen-year-old boy trapped in a seventy-year-old body.  But his enthusiasm and boyish delight in anything mysterious and/or unknown continue.

Writing novels, especially detectives, is just the avenue of escape which keeps the author’s mind sharp and inquisitive.  He’s published a ton of short stories in online magazines like Crooked, Darkest Before the Dawn, Abandoned Towers, Pulp Metal Magazine, Suspense Magazine, Spinetingler Magazine, Near to The Knuckle, A Twist of Noir, Angie’s Diary, Power Burn Flash, and Eastern Standard Crime.  He writes both detective/mysteries, as well as science-fiction and fantasy.

In 2008 the first book in the series featuring homicide detectives Turner Hahn and Frank Morales came out, called Murderous Passions.

Also, in 2008 he self-published a fantasy novel entitled, Roland of the High Crags: Evil Arises.

In 2009 he created a character named Smitty.  So far twenty-eight short stories and two novellas have been written about this dark eyed, unusually complex hit man.

In 2012 Untreed Reads published book two of the Turner Hahn/Frank Morales series A Taste of Old Revenge.

In 2015 NumberThirteen Press published a Smitty novella entitled, A Killing Kiss.

In 2017 a British indie publisher, Endeavour Media, re-issued A Taste of Old Revenge, and soon followed by a second Turner Hahn/Frank Morales novel entitled, There Are No Innocents.

In 2018 Endeavour Media published a third novel of mine, the first in a 1st Century Roman detective series, entitled While the Emperor Slept.

Also in 2018, NumberThirteen Press merged with another famous British indie, Fahrenheit Press. Soon afterwards, Fahrenheit Press re-issued an old novel of mine entitled, Death of a Young Lieutenant.

Now, after all of this apparent success, you would think Fame and Fortune would have sailed into my harbor, making me the delight of the hard-core genre world. Ah but contraire, mon ami! Fame and Fortune are two devious little wraths who pick and chooses the poor souls they wish to bedevil. I remain in complete anonymity and am just as bereft of fortune as I have always been. And apparently will continue to be for a long time to come.

B.R. Stateham has a blog called, In the Dark Mind of B.R. Stateham – http://noirtaketurner-frank.blogspot.com/

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