Lone McGantry has done a lot of things over the years and some of the jobs were difficult and nasty. The latest job has the potential to be seriously annoying. He really does not want to be a taking a bunch of wealthy English folks on an excursion from North Platte, Nebraska out to the Sandhills. But, he got roped into this mess by Buffalo Bill Cody himself. Telling Buffalo Bill no is a near impossibility and as a result McGantry said yes when contacted by the foreign nobility. Even if he is increasingly of the mind that this is a super bad idea, McGantry isn’t one to go back on his word. There also a nice payday in store once all is said and done. As Buffalo Bill pointed out in his telegram, the English folks have money and are willing to spend it so at least some of it should come his way.

For Lone McGantry there are not a lot of ways to make money in the Nebraska panhandle of the 1880s. An English Lord by the name of Reginald Haddenforth, his wife, Lady Claire, and several others in the party intend to sightsee and hunt Buffalo. Lord Haddenforth and his wife have hunted boar in Germany’s Black Forest as well as gone on safari to Africa three times. Lord Haddenforth writes books about his adventures and intends to do the same regarding the Sandhill extension. All that is well and good, but Lone McGantry is of the opinion that women should stay in town where they belong and those going out on the expedition need to understand that the old west is dangerous and needs to be taken seriously.

For Lone McGantry and his men, life in the old west is not some grand adventure to be had before returning to a plush chair to sip cognac by a roaring fire. For men of McGantry’s ilk, the old west is their way of life and absolute reason for being. It is in their soul. It comes with, at times, a brutal cost. ­It isn’t to be trivialized in some book. A hard and painful lesson Lord Haddenforth and his party have repeated opportunities to learn over the next few days.

Originally published several years ago by Oak Tree Press, an e-book version was recently published by Bil-Em-Ri-Media. First of a series, Dismal River is another example of why author  Wayne D. Dundee is nominated for  many awards and wins quite a few. Complicated characters, plenty of action, and plenty of mystery in a western setting makes Dismal River a mighty good read.

Dismal River (Lone McGantry Book 1)
Wayne D. Dundee
http://www.fromdundeesdesk.blogspot.com
Bil-Em-Ri-Media
October 2015
ASIN: B0164ADFM4
E-Book
281 Pages
$1.49

Material was recently picked up to read and review by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

https://www.amazon.com/author/kevintipple
Reviews and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
https://www.pinterest.com/kevintipple/

Christine was twelve years old when her mom, Eve Moran, shot her current boyfriend, Jerry Santini, dead in their apartment. It wasn’t long afterwards before Christine once again took care of her mom by claiming to have killed Jerry Santini. After all, cleaning up after her mom was a job Christine had really gotten really good at by then thanks to the fact she had lots of practice over the years.

Told in flashbacks of various lengths through the book, Concrete Angel by Patti Abbott details eighteen years of Christine’s life. From 1964 to approximately1982 in various locations in the Philadelphia area Christine dealt with a life of quiet family chaos. While the book opens with the shooting that in some ways did change things in other ways it was a minor blip on a long and wide ranging continuum of the family dysfunction.

Such issues are frequent topics of the author’s shorter fiction. While multiple crimes are present in the book, the psychological relationships are the heart of Concrete Angel. Hence the labeling of the book as “domestic suspense” in this age of making everything fit a nice neat designation. Makes sense if you also believe that Faulkner is domestic suspense as there is definitely a tone of Faulkner throughout the read. Granted the book is set in the Northeast but the characters could have easily come out of the Deep South. Right down to the neat freak bigoted Grandmother who is all about appearances over everything and anyone else.

The relationship between Christine and her mother takes precedence for a variety of reasons, but there are other familial relationships at work here that don’t always have Christine’s best interests at heart. The aforementioned Grandmother an obvious case in point, but there are others just as guilty. This is not one of those families you wish to be born into if your goal is a safe and nurturing environment. A mighty good book that defies easy labeling, Concrete Angel is a complex read that pulls you in deep and will haunt you long after the read is finished.

Concrete Angel
Patti Abbott
http://pattinase.blogspot.com/
Polis Books
http://www.polisbooks.com/
June 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1940610382
Paperback (also available in audio and e-book formats)
320 Pages
$14.95

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

https://www.amazon.com/author/kevintipple
Reviews and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
https://www.pinterest.com/kevintipple/

It is tough being a cop. Tough to be a cop in a patrol car with a perfectionist. Tough to be married to a younger woman who is also a cop. She gets the job and won’t let things go.

The result is a stress filled twenty four hours for a certain male officer in Cardiac Arrest (A Short Story) by K. K. Chalmers. As the hours pass and the tension rises in this fast moving and complex tale more than one twist is a work. A very good read.

Cardiac Arrest (A Short Story)
K. Chalmers
Self-Published
ASIN: B007H38JQA
March 2013
E-Book
11 Pages
$0.99

According to Amazon I picked this up earlier this year back in March. I have no idea now if it was purchased by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account, by way of the author making it a free read, or what.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

Captain Cookie Sullivan of the spaceship Linda Rae has a major problem. Her co-pilot, N’Doro is missing. She has booked cargo for the return trip to Toshiba Station and needs to leave right away. Not everything is listed on the manifest so speed is of the essence.

Captain Sullivan is used to checking the bars to find N’Doro on shore leave so once the ship is loaded and ready for flight she heads to the nearest bar. Lucky for her N’Doro was there. Unlucky for her he did something major and has been taken to the Corporation Detention Facility on the other side of town. Getting him released and back to the ship is just one of the many problems she has to deal with in the excellent short story, Happy Hour.

This is just one of several tales featuring Captain Cookie Sullivan of the spaceship Linda Rae. As she did with her short story collection Inhuman Condition author Kate Thornton blends some mystery with some adventure, adds a dash or two of humor, and brings it all together in a satisfying read that hits the mark no matter the genre. Happy Hour: A Short Story is flat out good and very much worth your time.

Happy Hour: A Short Story (An Interplanetary Voyage with Cookie Sullivan on the Linda Rae)

Kate Thornton
http://www.katethornton.net
Self-Published
July 2015
ASIN: B011J4T5W4
E-book
18 Pages
$0.99

Material picked up back in July via Amazon Associate funds to read and review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

https://www.amazon.com/author/kevintipple
Reviews and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
https://www.pinterest.com/kevintipple/