Review of Chill Run by Russell Brooks

Russell Brooks afforded me the opportunity to read his new book, Chill Run, which is due to be released in December 2011. I was asked to review the book and was not compensated for my review. I give this book five stars! 

Chill Run is an interesting fast paced thriller. I read the book in a few hours, as I was eager to see what happened at the end. It was a thrilling page-turner that grabbed my attention from the first few pages. The book was written in English with a little French sprinkled in which I felt added to the mysteriousness of the book.


Chill Run is about an aspiring author, Eddie Barrow, Jr., who sets out on a

scheme to acquire fifteen minutes of fame. Eddie wants to become an author by any means necessary and sets out to do so by creating a publicity stunt with a celebrity that includes S & M. With the plans set in place, Eddie dons his leather outfit to begin the night of S & M with the celebrity he’s planning to set up. When he gets to where the scene is set to unfold, Eddie is thrown into a world that’s unknown to him. The joke, albeit a murderous one, is now on him. He becomes involved in a dark world that provides him with more than the fifteen minutes of fame he was seeking. He's tossed into a world of darkness where he and his best friend are accused of murdering his wealthy client that he witnessed being murdered. Eddie’s zealousness put him in the wrong place at the wrong time now it’s up to him to get out of the situation they've found themselves in.

Thrust into a world of corruption and armed with newly acquired knowledge of a billion dollar fraud scheme, Eddie gets his fame when their faces end up on the front page of all of the newspapers, and plastered on every news channel in Canada and the USA. At each point in the book when you thought you knew what was going to happen next, Brooks' storytelling ability took the story into an entirely different direction.

If you like reading thrillers and mysteries this is the book for you. It is well written. The characters and situations seem real. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in this genre. 

Fast paced thriller!!

This is a page turning fiction novel that leaves you wondering, “Could I do that?” Life keeps us all very busy and at times it seems that bad things only happen to good people over and over again at the hands of the dredges of our society. There are times when people become frustrated with their life and it becomes evident in an outrageous act that affects others—work or school shootings, or other violent unexplainable acts where people just snap. This book reminds me of how fragile the heart and mind is.

Benjamin Cole rides the bus daily and has “bus friends.” He knows their first names but that is the extent of him truly knowing them. Despite that, there is a bond between all of the daily riders. Commuters establish a relationship with the other commuters. It may not extend beyond the train car, bus or the commuter parking lot but it is there nonetheless. Benjamin Cole is a good guy who looks out for his fellow man but when his world in the fast pace city is disrupted by one act where a “bus friend” dies, that all changes. Life as he knew it no longer exists. What evolves from this one experience affects the next moments of his life.

The life changing event takes place in the very first pages snatching your attention and never letting it go making it impossible to put down. Readers will be eager to find out what happens next on Benjamin’s journey but as soon as you think one thing may happen, there is another twist. To see the heart, mind and soul of a humble man evolve into those he hates is an amazing feat that Mr. Dickerson portrays with ease.

The author suggests that the reader makes this book come alive when in fact it is his amazing talent that brings the story to life. We all have felt like Benjamin Cole at least once in our lives and may or may not have acted upon it. This book allows us to open our eyes, heart, soul and mind to the world that we live in and takes us through a range of emotions—anger, joy, excitement, pain, fear—without ever leaving our chairs. Well done Mr. Dickerson. I am glad you found your voice and look forward to listening to it again… bravo!

Blow Dart: The Abduction Book Review...

Blow Dart: The Abduction
Patricia Gayle
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing
Published: 2009
ISBN: 97816084431347
Pages: 232


In a word, brilliant! I am a fast reader when I'm interested in a book but my pace is faster when the book is extremely good. I finished this book which shall now be classified as one of my favorite books, in only a day and a half! This book is a fast paced thriller that grabs your attention from the first page never letting go until the very last word. My anticipation for the next one was heightened after reading the epilogue. Ms. Gayle leaves readers thirsty for more!

Patricia Dawson is an extremely good friend and because of that she is thrust into a position she does not deserve to be in. She is happily married and innocently offers relationship advice to two of her closest friends. As a result, she ends up fighting for her life as well as that of her best friend. Patricia is left in the woods barely alive and is rescued by a man that she eventually falls in love with.

Ms. Gayle's amazing storytelling ability allowed me to feel a range of emotions that mirrored those that Patricia felt-- fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, rage-- toward her captor. In addition, I was pulled so deeply into the story that I also felt anger towards her rescuer for allowing her to continue to forget her past. His selfishness mirrored that of the murderer/captor although he was the hero for bringing her to safety after finding her initially. I know the story would've been extremely short if the author didn't allow this to happen but his behavior angered me just the same.

Without telling the story I must say from start to finish, Ms. Gayle captured my attention providing twists and turns that left me astonished. Each time I thought I knew what was going happen the story took another turn. Each scene more vivid than the next, I felt like I was there when each person was fighting for their life or running to safety. I was clearly able to see the black van, its license plate and smell the sweat of the captor and basement. It is hard to believe that this is Ms. Gayle's first book. I look forward to reading her next book and liken her work to that of one of my favorite authors--Patricia Cornwell.

Well done and I eagerly await the next masterpiece!

Sotherton Abbey Book Review...

Title: Sotherton Abbey: Jane Austen Meets Sante Fe
By: Inez Ross
Publisher: Ashley House
Published: 2010
ISBN: 9780966433746
Pages: 173


Each chapter begins with a quote from Jane Austen and other prominent authors including C.S. Lewis, Lord Chesterfield and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This book is a pocket companion small enough to fit in your back pocket but large enough to tell a great coming of age story. It’s a small book with a lot of suspense and excitement as Christina Dashwood leaves her Michigan farm home travelling to Sante Fe to take six weeks of summer classes at the Regency Seminar.

Introduced to Jane Austen in her final year of high school by her classroom teacher, Mr. Saxon, she is eager to attend this seminar. Christina has never left her home town alone and her parents are not exactly excited about the trip to New Mexico. At first, her father denies her the opportunity by telling her that they don’t have the money for her to go. However, her teacher informs the class of the trip and the scholarship that comes through a writing contest that Christina eagerly enters. The contest winner receives a free trip for the seminar which Christina ultimately wins. A real journey begins as soon as Christina boards the train for her trip. Christina arrives at the seminar but not without setbacks that occurred on her journey. Despite the challenges, she triumphed and arrived in Sante Fe while becoming friends with a young girl, Jane Fairfax, along the way.

Christina and Jane become close friends which directs the suspense and mystery of the story. Jane’s family has some secrets that are shared throughout adding to the suspense and mystery that begin to arrive in Christina's life. Christina becomes a heroine as she helps Jane solve the mystery. That is exciting for Christina as she has secretly desired to be a heroine. This book is a great, faced paced story that could be read anywhere as it is small enough to fit in your pocket or purse. The difficulty is that you will want to sneak a peek at it every chance you get because it is hard to put down. Ms. Ross is an established author and this is her eighth book which is reflected in her great storytelling ability. If you are a fan of Jane Austen or have never had an opportunity to read anything from her time, now is your chance. Good stuff!

Busy, busy, busy...

I haven’t blogged in a few days because I am busy, busy, busy-- that’s a good thing, right? I went into work yesterday to cover for someone and had quite a busy shift. I had planned on getting off early but was asked to stay a little later. I’m also going in today to cover for someone as well. It won’t be an entire shift so I should be back on track tonight when I get off. I look forward to working on my young adult fiction novel. It is on my list to finish next which would complete the projects that I would like to publish for 2010.

I am currently reading Ni’il, the Awakening by James Boyle. This dark thriller is filled with mystery and romance. I am enjoying the book and look forward to writing a review on it. I have four more books to review and should have them all completed before the end of this month. Today I plan on reading a bit, and possibly doing some writing before I go off to work. And then, I’ll be burning the midnight oil…