Senior News Newspaper Book Review Column-- November 2014

For my monthly newspaper book review column in the Senior News Newspaper, I usually make sure to choose one fiction and one nonfiction book in the hopes of interesting more readers. For November I went with Fast Track by Bill Crider and Ed Gorman. Different from Bill Crider’s Sheriff Dan Rhodes series set in East Texas and yet very good. I don’t think the man could write a bad book if he tried. For the non-fiction book I went with Crochet: The Complete Step-By-Step Guide by the DK Editors. Sandi crochets a lot so I always pick up the new crochet books when I see them at the library so she can take a look. Longer reviews of both books were run here on the blog earlier this year and can easily be found by clicking on the above book titles.

Included below are the relevant book covers for my November 2014 column… 

Fast Track

Bill Crider and Ed Gorman

Rough Edges Press

ASIN: B00J9XPUUY

E-Book

244 Pages

Agent Dev Mallory was supposed to get off the train in Corvair, California. He would have too if he hadn't been drugged and slept through the train stop. He also had with him a young female Secret Service agent named Tess O’Neill who was also supposed to get off the train with him in Corvair. Now, as the train approaches Rock Creek and the fog lifts from his mind, Mallory realizes she is missing. According to the conductor she appeared to be ill and was escorted off the train by two unknown and yet very helpful gentlemen.

Mallory from a secret federal agency that is so secret it has no name and Tess from the Secret Service were assigned to protect the most famous race horse in the world named Starcrossed at the most famous horse race in the world. Letting his guard down once got him drugged. Mallory isn't about to let his guard down again.

Fast Track by Bill Crider and Ed Gorman may be set roughly 100 years ago, but the issues in horse racing are almost as prevalent today. Recently released in e-book form by Rough Edges Press this is a complicated mystery western tale full of action, intrigue, and suspense. Rich and detailed in terms of characters and setting with plenty of twists and turns the read is a good one.

Crochet: The Complete Step-By-Step Guide

DK Editors

DK Publishing

ISBN# 978-1-4654-1591-2

Hardback

320 Pages

Billed as a resource book for crocheters at all levels, Crochet: The Complete Step-By-Step Guide features the basics and over 80 patterns at all skill levels. Visually stunning thanks to the well done photographs, the book showcases quite a number of possibilities for gifts, home use, and more.

After a section on the basics of tools, various types of yarn, stitches, and more the book goes on to projects. Each of the more than eighty projects has detailed instructions, a recommended skill level, pictures of the finished project, and often a tip to make the item more useful or easier to make.

While a comprehensive and interesting book Crochet: The Complete Step-By-Step Guide suffers from organizational issues. Many of the projects seem to have little rhyme or reason as to why they are placed here or there and the table of contents is a bit scattered. The result is a good book that is made more difficult to use than it should be.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014

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Review: "Fast Track" by Bill Crider and Ed Gorman

Agent Dev Mallory was supposed to get off the train in Corvair, California. He would have too if he hadn't been drugged and slept through the train stop. He also had with him a young female Secret Service agent named Tess O’Neill who was also supposed to get off the train with him in Corvair. Now, as the train approaches Rock Creek and the fog lifts from his mind, Mallory realizes she is missing. According to the conductor she appeared to be ill and was escorted off the train by two unknown and yet very helpful gentlemen.

Rock Creek is an old mining town and Mallory has no choice but to get off the train now. His only option to get back more than forty miles to Corvair will be buying a horse. A major horse race with lots at stake happens in seven days in Corvair and Mallory has to get there as soon as possible. Mallory form a secret federal agency that is so secret it has no name and Tess from the Secret Service were assigned to protect the most famous race horse in the world named Starcrossed at the most famous horse race in the world. According to the U.S State Department it would also be a good idea to protect Prince John Brean of the Isle of Worthingham near Scotland, but the unnamed agency head known as “the Boss” is far more worried about the horse than anything or anyone else.

With his partner missing the assignment for Mallory just got much harder. With fifteen years of experience working for the agency plus plenty of time doing other things prior, he knows anything can happen at any time. Letting his guard down once got him drugged. Mallory isn't about to let his guard down again.

It soon becomes clear that there are some who want Starcrossed poisoned so it does not race and have taken Tess as a hostage to force Mallory to get that job done. He has less than a week to resolve things satisfactorily and the odds are not in his favor. The suspect pool is large, other agendas are at work, and much is at stake personally and professionally.

Fast Track by Bill Crider and Ed Gorman may be set roughly 100 years ago, but the issues in horse racing are almost as prevalent today. Recently released in e-book form by Rough Edges Press this is a complicated mystery western tale full of action, intrigue, and suspense. Rich and detailed in terms of characters and setting with plenty of twists and turns the read is a good one and well worth your time.

Fast Track

Bill Crider and Ed Gorman

http://newimprovedgorman.blogspot.com/

Rough Edges Press

http://www.roughedgespress.com/

March 2014

ASIN: B00J9XPUUY

E-Book

244 Pages

$2.99

Material purchased to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate account.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014

Ed Gorman's blog: Now Available from Rough Edges Press: Fast Track - Ed Gorman and Bill Crider

With Sandi in bed asleep after a very long day for us down at Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas Hospital where she got her third IVIG infusion, I am sitting on my back porch working on an upcoming review of this book. If you have not already read FAST TRACK you truly should as it is a good one.


Ed Gorman's blog: Now Available from Rough Edges Press: Fast Track - Ed Gorman and Bill Crider