FFB Review: The Mojito Coast by Richard Helms

From the massive archive.... 

 

Miami private investigator Cormac Loame isn't at all thrilled with the idea of going to Cuba on a case. He has been there before, done that, and was rather lucky to get back home to Miami alive and in one piece. But, when Cecil “Madman” Hacker walked into his office just before the Christmas holidays while Cormac pushed paperwork and fantasized about buying a brand new 1958 Buick Roadmaster, he didn't have any really good way out. Hacker's fourteen year old daughter Lila has been taken by Danny McCarl. Danny was an employee of Madman and served as a sort of bodyguard. Hacker, who is a retired boxer with mounting troubles of his own, can’t very well go to Cuba right now and bring his daughter home. He wants Cormac to do it and does not care if McCarl does not make it back stateside alive. Cormac isn’t going to kill McCarl unless he absolutely has to and makes that clear before he takes the job and the money. After all, with Madman’s connections, he gets what he wants and you don’t tell the man no.

 

The last time Cormac was in Cuba it was in 1952 and he was lucky to do his business and get out of the country. Back then Batista was firmly in control and thanking his buddies in organized crime for their help by opening the island to anything they wanted to do. Now in late 57 the crime syndicate connected hotels have been built, organized crime is getting their share across all aspects of entertainment and vice, but Castro and the rebels are coming with a vengeance. State controlled radio says the government is winning the battle, but everyone knows reality is that now it is matter of time, maybe just a few days, before the rebels capture the capital city and the corrupt Batista government collapses. Against that backdrop, Cormac has to find the girl in a land that has never been that friendly to him where old alliances are dead or crumbled and powerful enemies are facing desperate times. The clock is ticking on the Batista government as well as on the case itself and survival goes to the luckiest.

 

Scheduled to be released next month, The Mojito Coast quickly pulls the reader deep into the heavily conflicted world of Cormac Loame. A world where he can safely trust no one and where the past five years that he has been gone has changed many and hardened others. A world when he wants to get the girl and get out and is constantly dealing with new obstacles in his quest. A world where the fires of revolution fill the reader's senses while Cormac struggles to stay alive in this excellent thriller that blends together a special mix of mystery and adventure. Award winning author Richard Helms has crafted quite the book with The Mojito Coast and it is very much worth your time.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3MdlZRD

 

An ARC of this title was provided by the author in exchange for my objective review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013, 2024

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: NUMBER ONE PROXY BRIDE ACCORDING TO BOOK AUTHORITY

A Writer's Life....Caroline Clemmons: NUMBER ONE PROXY BRIDE ACCORDING TO BOOK AUTHORITY:   By Caroline Clemmons The historical western romance,  A BRIDE FOR GIDEON, is one of my favorites of the books I’ve written. Happily for...

FFB Review: Every Last Secret by Linda Rodriquez

From the massive archive…. 

When Marquitta “Skeet” Bannion left family and her job as a Kansas City Homicide Detective for being the Chief of Police Chouteau University, she thought she would be able to leave all the bad stuff behind and make a fresh start. It hasn’t worked out that way as pulls back to Kansas City keep making their presence felt. She was sure that, at least, she would be able to leave violent death and murder behind. The fact that the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, Andrew McAffe, is very much dead according to rookie Police Officer Dave Parker proves her wrong. Who killed him by bashing his head in and why he or she did it will be her focus of her investigation.

 

Figuring it out will be much easier said than done.  The victim, who had recently been in a fight with his news editor, was certainly no saint. Not only was the victim accused of various thefts and at least one sexual assault, he had his fingers in a lot of areas. As Police Chief Bannion digs into the case no secret is safe and the list of suspects grows.  So too does her frustration with those who are much more concerned about politics and alumnae fundraising than finding a murderer.  A murderer that clearly isn’t about to stop.

 

For some reason there is a blurb on this book comparing this novel to the works of Nevada Barr and Sara Paretsky. One can only conclude that comparison is made because the lead character in all cases is a female fighting, among other things, male disrespect. While being compared to New York Times bestselling authors is nice, that comparison does not address the actual storyline, type of characters involved, settings, and other elements of the book that have nothing in common with the aforementioned writers.

 

The novel does remind one of the excellent Sheriff Rhodes series written by Bill Crider. Both feature small police departments led by non-political bosses who are straightforward, make pains to point out to suspects that all secrets eventually come out, and understand that behind the public façade a far different person often exists. Rhodes and Bannion ask lots of questions, expect dishonesty from those often trying to hide other things that have no relation to the actual case, and both use stress reliving tactics while thinking about the case. Sheriff Rhodes sits out on the back porch and plays with his dogs while ruminating on the case. Police Chief Bannion puts music on, picks up her knitting needles, and goes to work while ruminating on the case.

 

“Winner of the Malice Domestic First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition” Every Last Secret is a strong debut novel featuring an interesting main character as well as numerous interesting secondary characters. The characters involved are multi dimension and complicated, like people in real life, and it does not take long at all for these characters to become very real in the reader’s mind. The action moves forward at a steady pace while gradually the character’s back stories come into pay adding depth and nuance to the work. Just under 300 pages the read is over way too soon leaving the reader wanting more.

 

 

Every Last Secret

Linda Rodriquez

http://lindarodriquezwrites.blogspot.com

Thomas Dunne Books (Minotaur Books)

http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com

April 2012

ISBN: 978-1-250-00545-8

Hardback (also available as e-book)

289 Pages

 

 

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Library System. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2012, 2021

Review: A Turtle Roars In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel (Book 2) by Russ Hall

Detective Wayon Gallard has only been a detective for a month so the deceased woman hanging like a scarecrow at the Three Sisters Organic Farm might be a bigger case than he is ready to handle. Though he has been with the department for eleven years, Gallard has been a detective barely a month. Not even long enough to be comfortable wearing a suit on the job. If the case wasn’t complicated enough, somebody opened fire on the crime scene as Deputy Pudge, Gallard, and the two surviving sisters as they contemplated Gladys and the strange note that was pinned to her.

Considering everything that has happened, Sheriff Clayton thinks Detective Gallard is going to need some help and wants Al Quinn to assist and unofficially mentor Gallard. Al Quinn is sixty-two and far too young to be retired in Sheriff Clayton’s opinion. While he tells Quinn that all he wants is for him to show Gallard how to up his detective game, Quinn figures Clayton has something more in mind. The good sheriff frequently has an agenda within an agenda, but what that would be in this case, Quinn has not idea. Things at home are not at all relaxing and since he owes Clayton as they go back many years, he agrees to help for a few days.

Neither Quinn nor Gallard are thrilled to be forced together, but they form an uneasy alliance to work the case agreement. Good thing too as the dead woman isn’t the only murder case they have on their hands in the South Texas Countryside.

Second in the series that began with To Hell And Gone In Texas  is another good read. While billed as an Al Quinn Novel, the read is also about the other people in his life whether it be his brother Maury, his brother’s nurse, Bonnie, or other folks. Those relationships with Quinn, as well as the relationships between each other, are just as much as a part of the read as is the highly entertaining mystery. As was done in the first book, author Russ Hall has set up another complex mystery in the Texas Hill County and challenged readers to figure it out first.

While you could read A Turtle Roars In Texas first, it is recommended that you start at the beginning with To Hell And Gone In Texas. There is some character evolution at work here and less familial backstory in the read, so it is best to read in order. Both books are highly entertaining and mighty good reads. 

A Turtle Roars In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel (Book 2)

Russ Hall

http://www.russhall.com

Red Adept Publishing

http://redadeptpublishing.com/

December 2015

ASIN: B018MXJH5K

eBook (paperback available)

262 Pages

$5.99

According to Amazon, I picked this up back in October 2016. I am fairly certain I used funds in my Amazon Associate account to do so. I don’t think it was a free or reduced price read.

The third book in the series is titled Throw The Texas Dog A Bone and was published last August. I have a copy on my eBook TBR pile. 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2017

FFB Review: Every Last Secret by Linda Rodriquez

I miss Skeet Bannion and need a fix bad. It has been over two years since the last book in the series, Every Hidden Fear came out. I first told you about this book, Every Last Secret, back in September 2012.In between readers were treated to Every Broken Trust. All three are mighty good. Like any series, you should start at the beginning. After you read my review, you should also head over to consider the list of other books you should read at Patti Abbott’s blog. You already know you should read her books. 

When Marquitta “Skeet” Bannion left family and her job as a Kansas City Homicide Detective for being the Chief of Police Chouteau University, she thought she would be able to leave all the bad stuff behind and

make a fresh start. It hasn’t worked out that way as pulls back to Kansas City keep making their presence felt. She was sure that, at least, she would be able to leave violent death and murder behind. The fact that the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, Andrew McAffe, is very much dead according to rookie Police Officer Dave Parker proves her wrong. Who killed him by bashing his head in and why he or she did it will be her focus of her investigation.

Figuring it out will be much easier said than done.  The victim, who had recently been in a fight with his news editor, was certainly no saint. Not only was the victim accused of various thefts and at least one sexual assault, he had his fingers in a lot of areas. As Police Chief Bannion digs into the case no secret is safe and the list of suspects grows.  So too does her frustration with those who are much more concerned about politics and alumnae fundraising than finding a murderer.  A murderer that clearly isn’t about to stop.

For some reason there is a blurb on this book comparing this novel to the works of Nevada Barr and Sara Paretsky. One can only conclude that comparison is made because the lead character in all cases is a female fighting, among other things, male disrespect. While being compared to New York Times bestselling authors is nice, that comparison does not address the actual storyline, type of characters involved, settings, and other elements of the book that have nothing in common with the aforementioned writers.

The novel does remind one of the excellent Sheriff Rhodes series written by Bill Crider. Both feature small police departments led by non-political bosses who are straightforward, make pains to point out to suspects that all secrets eventually come out, and understand that behind the public façade a far different person often exists. Rhodes and Bannion ask lots of questions, expect dishonesty from those often trying to hide other things that have no relation to the actual case, and both use stress reliving tactics while thinking about the case. Sheriff Rhodes sits out on the back porch and plays with his dogs while ruminating on the case. Police Chief Bannion puts music on, picks up her knitting needles, and goes to work while ruminating on the case.

“Winner of the Malice Domestic First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition” Every Last Secret is a strong debut novel featuring an interesting main character as well as numerous interesting secondary characters. The characters involved are multi dimension and complicated, like people in real life, and it does not take long at all for these characters to become very real in the reader’s mind. The action moves forward at a steady pace while gradually the character’s back stories come into pay adding depth and nuance to the work. Just under 300 pages the read is over way too soon leaving the reader wanting more.

Every Last Secret

Linda Rodriquez

http://lindarodriquezwrites.blogspot.com

Thomas Dunne Books (Minotaur Books)

http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com

April 2012

ISBN:  978-1-250-00545-8

Hardback (also available as e-book, audio, and paperback)

289 Pages

$24.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2012, 2016

Review: "To Hell And Gone In Texas" by Russ Hall

Former Sheriff Detective Al Quinn is enjoying his retirement as well as his small home on the shores of a lake near Austin, Texas.  In some ways he misses his former job, but in others he is glad to be out as 25 years with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department was long enough even if he had a good boss.  His biggest annoyance these days at his isolated home is the drought.  If the unrelenting Texas sun keeps cooking the surrounding area forcing the lake level ever lower he will soon have to do some work to extend the boat dock.

The call from Sheriff Clayton of Travis County, his former boss, changes things. According to Clayton, Ali’s estranged brother, Maury, is in the hospital.  The homicide unit of Austin Police Department thinks it was a possible murder attempt. Sheriff Clayton does not know anymore more and that means Al is going to have to break the twenty year silence between them.

Al soon finds not only Maury in the hospital, but Detective Ferguson Jergens by his side. Al had known her back in High School, even taken her to the Prom, and a lot of years have passed. According to her, somebody gave Maury three tablets of Viagra, a drug he had no prescription for and should have never taken, and it almost killed him. He is still alive and is not out of the woods yet. Whether it happened at the assisted living center where Maury lives or by some other way has yet to be determined. Maury can’t talk.  It also has not been determined if, Maury, a ladies man possibly did it to himself or willingly took the pills offered by others.  According to Detective Jenkins everyone one is a possible suspect and that includes Al because he is the brother and their long history of conflict.

Al may hate his brother for good reason, but he certainly did not attempt to kill him. If he wanted his brother dead he would have done it years ago. He also may be retired and considered a suspect by the beautiful detective, but that is not going to stop him from going over to the assisted living center which is Maury’s home and start asking questions.  Before long a second attempt on Maury’s life is made, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are involved, and , and members of a notorious Mexican drug cartel are involved in a case that moves all over the Austin area as Maury, Al, and their friends battle to stay alive.

Well known for Bones In the Rain (Blue-Eyed Indian Mystery Series) and quite a few other books, award winning author Russ Hall has a really good book on his hands with To Hell And Gone In Texas. A complex action oriented mystery full of interesting characters, numerous suspects and plenty of clues, as well as lots of local color regarding the Austin, Texas area, this is a book that comes fully alive for the reader.  All of the above is a very long way of saying the book is very good and well worth your time.

To Hell And Gone In Texas

Russ Hall

http://www.russhall.com

Red Adept Publishing

http://redadeptpublishing.com/

August 2014

ISBN# 978-1-940215-33-4

Large Paperback (also available in e-book)

238 Pages

$13.99

Material supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014

Via Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: A List I'm On!

 Big time congratualtions from all of us to Bill Crider.....
Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: A List I'm On!: Western Fictioneers: Announcing the Winners of the 2014 Peacemaker Awards

Review: "The Mojito Coast" by Richard Helms

Miami private investigator Cormac Loame isn't at all thrilled with the idea of going to Cuba on a case. He has been there before, done that, and was rather lucky to get back home to Miami alive and in one piece. But, when Cecil “Madman” Hacker walked into his office just before the Christmas holidays while Cormac pushed paperwork and fantasized about buying a brand new 1958 Buick Roadmaster, he didn't have any really good way out. Hacker's fourteen year old daughter Lila has been taken by Danny McCarl. Danny was an employee of Madman and served as a sort of bodyguard. Hacker, who is a retired boxer with mounting troubles of his own, can’t very well go to Cuba right now and bring his daughter home. He wants Cormac to do it and does not care if McCarl does not make it back stateside alive. Cormac isn’t going to kill McCarl unless he absolutely has to and makes that clear before he takes the job and the money. After all, with Madman’s connections, he gets what he wants and you don’t tell the man no.

The last time Cormac was in Cuba it was in 1952 and he was lucky to do his business and get out of the country. Back then Batista was firmly in control and thanking his buddies in organized crime for their help by opening the island to anything they wanted to do. Now in late 57 the crime syndicate connected hotels have been built, organized crime is getting their share across all aspects of entertainment and vice, but Castro and the rebels are coming with a vengeance. State controlled radio says the government is winning the battle, but everyone knows reality is that now it is matter of time, maybe just a few days, before the rebels capture the capital city and the corrupt Batista government collapses. Against that backdrop, Cormac has to find the girl in a land that has never been that friendly to him where old alliances are dead or crumbled and powerful enemies are facing desperate times. The clock is ticking on the Batista government as well as on the case itself and survival goes to the luckiest.

Scheduled to be released next month The Mojito Coast quickly pulls the reader deep into the heavily conflicted world of Cormac Loame. A world where he can safely trust no one and where the past five years that he has been gone has changed many and hardened others. A world when he wants to get the girl and get out and is constantly dealing with new obstacles in his quest. A world where the fires of revolution fill the reader's senses while Cormac struggles to stay alive in this excellent thriller that blends together a special mix of mystery and adventure. Award winning author Richard Helms has crafted quite the book with The Mojito Coast and it is very much worth your time.

The Mojito Coast

Richard Helms

http://www.richardhelms.net/

Five Star Publishing (Gale, Cengage Learning)

http://www.gale.cengage.com/fivestar/

August 2013 (SCHEDULED RELEASE)

ISBN# 978-1-4328-2715-1

Hardback

236 Pages

An ARC of this title was provided by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013

Review: "Every Last Secret" by Linda Rodriguez

When Marquitta “Skeet” Bannion left family and her job as a Kansas City Homicide Detective for being the Chief of Police Chouteau University, she thought she would be able to leave all the bad stuff behind and make a fresh start. It hasn’t worked out that way as pulls back to Kansas City keep making their presence felt. She was sure that, at least, she would be able to leave violent death and murder behind. The fact that the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, Andrew McAffe, is very much dead according to rookie Police Officer Dave Parker proves her wrong. Who killed him by bashing his head in and why he or she did it will be her focus of her investigation.

Figuring it out will be much easier said than done.  The victim, who had recently been in a fight with his news editor, was certainly no saint. Not only was the victim accused of various thefts and at least one sexual assault, he had his fingers in a lot of areas. As Police Chief Bannion digs into the case no secret is safe and the list of suspects grows.  So too does her frustration with those who are much more concerned about politics and alumnae fundraising than finding a murderer.  A murderer that clearly isn’t about to stop.

For some reason there is a blurb on this book comparing this novel to the works of Nevada Barr and Sara Paretsky. One can only conclude that comparison is made because the lead character in all cases is a female fighting, among other things, male disrespect. While being compared to New York Times bestselling authors is nice, that comparison does not address the actual storyline, type of characters involved, settings, and other elements of the book that have nothing in common with the aforementioned writers.

The novel does remind one of the excellent Sheriff Rhodes series written by Bill Crider. Both feature small police departments led by non-political bosses who are straightforward, make pains to point out to suspects that all secrets eventually come out, and understand that behind the public façade a far different person often exists. Rhodes and Bannion ask lots of questions, expect dishonesty from those often trying to hide other things that have no relation to the actual case, and both use stress reliving tactics while thinking about the case. Sheriff Rhodes sits out on the back porch and plays with his dogs while ruminating on the case. Police Chief Bannion puts music on, picks up her knitting needles, and goes to work while ruminating on the case.

“Winner of the Malice Domestic First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition” Every Last Secret is a strong debut novel featuring an interesting main character as well as numerous interesting secondary characters. The characters involved are multi dimension and complicated, like people in real life, and it does not take long at all for these characters to become very real in the reader’s mind. The action moves forward at a steady pace while gradually the character’s back stories come into pay adding depth and nuance to the work. Just under 300 pages the read is over way too soon leaving the reader wanting more.

Every Last Secret

Linda Rodriquez

http://lindarodriquezwrites.blogspot.com

Thomas Dunne Books (Minotaur Books)

http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com

April 2012

ISBN:  978-1-250-00545-8

Hardback (also available as e-book, audio, and paperback)

289 Pages

$24.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2012