I read “Delirious” in the first two days after its arrival and have waited to post my review to be closer to the release date as I don’t want this title to escape anyone’s mind.  If you are a fan of crime thrillers, you do not want to pass up this read once it is released!!

I found myself riveted from the first chapter.  I read during my lunch break at work, and picked it up as soon as I got home.  I literally fell asleep with this book across my chest for two nights, as I did not want to put it down and turn off the light.

Upon introduction, I met Eddie.  A brilliant man who made mistakes and wanted to end his life.  I followed along as Eddie made his finally journey to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Daniel has the ability to paint a picture with his words that will have you biting your nails.

Next I met Charlie.  A Successful business man who has developed the most ingenious of navigation/ mobile entertainment systems still in development but on the verge of making Charlie a fortune.

Charlie’s world is turned upside down when a mysterious woman offers him information that could be the end of Charlie’s career.  As Charlie tries to defend himself and his creation, the people around him begin questioning his sanity, after all his brother, Joe has suffered with schizophrenia since he was young.  It wouldn’t be ill-conceived for Charlie to suffer the same delusional mental impairment. 

As events begin to unravel, and Charlie starts finding post it notes to himself in his own writing, Charlie himself questions his own mental stability.  His thoughts run from who could possibly want to destroy him to him believing he has lost his mind. 

When he finds himself forced into a mental institution, perceived as a dangerous individual, he begins to realize it just can’t be true.  Or is it?? Charlie then begins the journey to prove his innocence and his own sanity.  As facts and evidence begin to unravel, Charlie is left on the edge.  Could it all have been Charlie’s own delusional mind setting the effects in motion? Will anyone believe him? What will a desperate man do to find the truth and will that truth push his mind too far?

I absolutely loved how Daniel Palmer managed to leave me hanging on my seat to the very end of the novel wondering myself, “What kind of craziness is this??”  And I have to say it is a madness that will leave you on the edge of your seat and keep you completely enthralled until the very end. 

I’ve contemplated if I should mention the fact that Daniel Palmer is New York Times #1 best-selling author, Michael Palmer’s son.  Obviously I have decided to give this fact a mention, as I believe Daniel Palmer is well on his way for making a name for himself and will give his father a really good run in the literary world.  Michael Palmer should be exceptionally proud of his son and his talent with words.  All I can say is, congratulations, Daniel… you are well on your way and anyone who passes on reading “Delirious” will be missing out on a truly gifted writer with the talent to put it out there!

Follow Daniel on Twitter HERE

Check out Daniel’s website HERE

This book is not for those sensitive to violence.  It is a horror novel after all, and I expect my horror novel to be filled with all sorts of things that make me squirm. Luke Romyn exceeded this expectation for me plus some.

Sometimes life can make monsters out of men.  Vain is born when a regular everyday joe witnesses the horrifying rape and murders of his wife and daughter.  Vain battles the inner conflict of good and evil as a hitman who is called upon by an ancient order to help save the life of a child. The child is the only thing that can prevent an evil order from taking over the world and turning humans into fodder.  Vain must battle with his inner humanity, as well as evil as he takes a trip into hell to retrieve an amulet that will give him the strength to prevail.  But will the power of the mystical piece be more than Vain can control? Will he be consumed by what he relies on to win the battle? 

The Dark Path completely filled my requirements of a horror novel.  A genre I am particularly fond of. Luke does not hold back in administering the shock and horror that men do.  I especially like the supernatural twist he weaved into the story making reality and fantasy mesh in a smooth, flowing way. If you are a horror fan, you do not want to pass up this read!!

Find out more about Luke Romyn:  Click Here

And follow him on Twitter  @LukeRomyn

Scott’s book was first introduced to me as a “vampyre” novel. I thought, okay I like vampy books, so I decided to give it a read.

The book took me to the world of ‘New Baltimore’ where the ravishes of World War III have decimated the land. A new blood virus was unleashed turning some humans into blood thirsty beings. A new war ensuing of man against vampyre.

This sounds a bit cliche’ I know, but I have to tell you, there is more in this novel than another easy read, entertaining human against beast novel. It does not encompass the typical fights and battles we are used to reading. There are no sparkling, romantic vampires here.

Scott’s book touches, quite deeply on humanity, predjudices and politics. There were even moments when I wasn’t reminded of vampyres at all, but of humanity as a whole and how we treat each other.

I had to re-start this book a couple of times because my mind was expecting one thing, while the words were telling me something else. While I was waiting for the typical girl meets vamp storyline I was reading the possible state of the world.

The characters in the book are all well written, in that you become them as you read along. Seeing each person’s point of view, thoughts, losses, plans for deciet and ability to just be human. I was taken through a whirlwind of emotions, from anger, to fear, to sadness as the words went by. I even cried at one point, for our humanity.

I am not going to give any of the plot away here, as I think you should read this for yourself. I can say you will be missing out on a book that really makes you think and challenges you to read and consider your own being if you pass this up.

So if you are ready to take on a challenge, and use your brain, read “Dying Light” from D. Scott Meek available at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com

You can also follow Scott on Twitter as @dsmeek36

Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down.  Jim Richards is a recently unemployed security guard, living with his parents and has just turned 60.  While he wishes his life had afforded better opportunities, it is convenient living there so he can help his Mother with his ailing Father. 

One night Jim receives an e-mail from an old high school friend asking for him to call, that she needs his help.  When he picks up the phone and calls, he is greeted on the other end by a police officer informing him his friend had been murdered.  Jim is stunned by this revelation and wonders what is going on? 

He contacts his long time cohort, Buck who convinces him he needs to look into things.  As things progress and Jim and Buck are still befuddled, another classmate is murdered!  What is going on?? Who is targeting Jim’s classmates and why?  Jim finally figures out the pattern of the killings and he and Buck go out of their way to protect the people they think are listed for murder. 

It turns out this is no ordinary murderer, but a very brave and cunning one, who will even make their kills with the police present.  How can Jim and Buck protect anyone from such a brutal killer??

I really enjoyed reading The Classmate Murders.  I love the senior citizen hero, Jim Richards and also like to see our love lives will not end after 40.  I even snuck this book to work with me to read at lunchtime.  One of my favorite things about the book, is that the character’s seemed so real to me, as if you could run into any of them on the streets and enjoy meeting them.  A great combination of murder, thrills, romance and excitement.  I highly recommend reading The Classmate Murders by Bob Moats. 

You can follow Bob on Twitter ~ @MurderNovels

and check out this book as well of Bob’s other murder novels at www.murdernovels.com

A while back I met Claude Bouchard, a thriller writer from Canada.  He has several books in print, is an artist and a poet as well.  I enjoyed getting to know Claude. He is very witty and has a great imagination.  Knowing these things about him, I had to purchase some of his books. 

The first one I read was Vigilante.  The  introduction of his characters in a series of books. Dave McCall is a police man heading the division of the Special Homicide Task force Centre and Chris Barry is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of CSS, Inc, a computer security firm.  As bodies begin to show up, brutally murdered, and E-mails from the killer begin  coming through the police’s own network server, McCall enlists the help of the man who designed the system, Chris Barry, to help track the mysterious E-mails.  Together they work to unravel the mystery of The Vigilante.  A killer who preys only on criminals.  As the investigation progresses, they begin to realise the killer is more than likely someone they know.  Could it be possible that one of the other cops that work with McCall is the killer??? Do we always know our friends as good as we think???

I truly enjoyed reading Vigilante.  I feel I got to know the characters personally and was caught up in the story reading very late into the night.  If you love a good crime thriller, then you have to read Vigilante, by Claude Bouchard.  There are twists and turns throughout the entire book that keep you wondering, who is the Vigilante??

You can check out Claude’s books, art and other writing here www.bigceebee.webs.com

And follow him on Twitter @ceebee308

If you are an avid reader, as I am, then you can imagine my excitement of receiving this book.  I know many have already read it, but being just an everyday, average gal, I feel I have been let in on a huge secret. 

So the day came when my book arrived in the mail, very quickly I might add.  I couldn’t wait to get home from work to begin my journey into Michael Palmer’s mind and his latest creation.  That night I slipped into bed, anxious and thrilled as I opened my book and read the first line, “I know you can’t believe this is happening, Ms. Coates, but I assure you it is.  I have been paid, and paid very well, to kill you.”

From there I was taken into a new world.  I first witnessed a murder by an assassin who is the master of the non-kill.  He is paid the big bucks to make his kills out to be accidents or suicides so as not to bring unwanted attention to what is really going on.  He is clever and wily enough to make some of his targets actually commit the acts themselves. Who is he working for??? What are they trying to cover up??

When a doctor who has been searching for his missing friend, the friend that saved his life in the war and a psychiatric nurse, who is positive her sister did not commit suicide meet, they begin uncovering clues, that in some strange way connect the two incidences.  The harder the two push to uncover the truth, the more trouble seems to arise, placing them both at death’s door.  Will the truth be revealed??? Can both of them stay alive when trusting anyone becomes so dangerous??

This book was genius!!! I was enthralled at chapter one and it just got better from there. I love how Michael Palmer captured the true psychopathic and sociopathic nature of his assassin.  The heart and courage of the doctor and nurse shine through every step of the way as they face the most frightening circumstances to find the truth about their loved ones.  Most of all, I am amazed at how Michael Palmer manages to get thrill, mystery, romance, fear, rage, conspiracy and happiness all in one novel and really make you wonder, could this be true???  You will have to read the book when it is released, the ending is highly explosive!!

To find out more about Michael Palmer and his other books (including New York Times Best Sellers) visit his recently updated website: www.michaelpalmerbooks.com 

and follow @Michael_Palmer on Twitter.

early, bitchy and bloated to that

unavoidable monthly moment all

women face (come on menopause,

hurry up and get here!!).  In the

process of getting the children

ready for school, and trying not to

be impatient with the constant

chatter we hit upon the topic of

age.  For some reason all children

want to be older than what they

are. My 7 year old wishes he were

10.. then life would be great

because he could walk down the

road to his friend’s house

unaccompanied.    Every child I’ve

ever spoken to wishes this

blessing upon themselves, to be

more grown up.  All except my 5

year old who wishes he was a baby

again because he says,  ” I was so

cute” .  So I asked, “Do you not

think you are cute now?”  His

reply ” I am only kind of cute now,

but I am growing up.  Babies are

very cute”  This lead him to

discover a new philosophy: For

every birthday we skip, we grow a

year younger.  He is looking

forward to growing younger as the

years go by and reasons that when

he is 9 he will be at the perfect

baby age  to achieve his ideal

cuteness.  In the meantime he will

have to suffer through days of

“boring, nothing to do” school and

cleaning his room.  Which he

finds annoying because he will

just have to dump everything out

again to find that one perfect toy

to play with.  So I sit here now and

think, this one is going to be

trouble.  He, I believe will grow

into one of those who goes against

the grain of society’s rules. 

Perhaps there is hope for our up

and coming generation to make

changes for the better in our

world.

found friends.  One of these new friends is a black author

from Brooklyn.  Her writing is very compelling and thought

provoking for me.  I spent the first half of my life as a

Military brat travelling the globe, living in other countries,

learning new cultures.  This is something I crave.  Growing

up, race was never an issue.  No one ever said to me “Hey,

that’s a black girl you’re playing with”. It never would have

phased me either.. my friends and I found common ground

among our likes and dislikes, not of color, but of interests. 

When I was eight or nine I wanted a black barbie so my

friend and I could play and she could have a chance to be the

princess.  I think this was my first encounter with racism.  I

recall, at a party my parents were hosting, playing with my

friend and over hearing one grown up tell my mother ” You

let her have a black barbie??” with such disgust in her voice. 

My Mother, being the lady she is smiled gently and

responded ” As soon as they hit the shelves.”  This left the

other woman with a wide-eyed, shocked expression.  I didn’t

understand at the time, and was confused as to why this

woman was so aghast at my beloved doll, my princess

Kenyata. 

Moving forward in my life to my stay in New Orleans,

Louisiana.  You see since I was 12 I’ve lived in the Southern

United States.  At 18 I took a job waiting tables at a hotel

downtown and met a great group of people who worked

along side me.  During one of the many rainy seasons down

here, I got off work and walked out the front door to head to

my car and ran into Mikey.  Mikey is black and washed

dishes at the time.  He had gotten off shift about 2 hours

before I did and had been waiting for his ride that hadn’t

shown up.  So I did what anyone would do and offered him a

way home.  We trudged through the pouring rain to the

employee section of the parking lot and as I was unlocking

my doors, Mikey jumped into the back of the pick-up truck .

“What are you doing Mikey??” I asked… his reply shocked

me to my core when he answered ” My Daddy always told me

never to get into a car with a white woman because they will

kill you for that.”  “That’s absurb Mikey, it’s pouring rain, get

in the truck” … ” Oh, no maam.  I appreciate the offer for a

ride home, but if I can’t ride here then I’ll just have to walk” 

So I drove Mikey home that day, in the back of my pick-up

truck and cried.  That night i could not sleep, who could?? I

kept asking myself how could racism be this prevelant in this

day and age in this huge city??? How could, in today’s world,

a man be mortally afraid to get a ride home??  My ten years

in New Orleans was a wake up call for me.  I did have other

experiences where racism demonstrated how alive and well

it is indeed, but none shook me up as much as my ride home

with Mikey.

I think for me, I just don’t get it?? My mind cannot grasp the

hatred others feel towards people because of color or

religion.  What makes us all so different??? I think what

bothers me most is seeing the hurt and embarassment that is

caused by someones racial slurs.  My heart breaks when my

new friend writes out of anger because public racial slurs are

being softened and new “racial phrases” are being created to

hide the “dirty truth”.  I too am angry that the line between

color cannot be crossed and overcome, that it is an invading

part of our lives that continues to separate and keep apart

relationships, personal or political. 

I too am angry that this dirty secret has been kept under hats

for far too long.  I’ve never been quiet when I hear an

injustice being served and it is being spooned out by the ton

right now and I will not sit back quietly and eat it. 

To my new friend, you are a beautiful woman with a great

mind.  I hope we can make a stand together against this ever

evolving hatred.

applying the paint of an urban female warrior.  This is what

I do, this is what I am trained for.  Each brush is skillfully

used to embellish every facial feature to perfection.  Swirling

colors to blend so you cannot tell where one stops and one

begins.  My face a daily canvas to be remade to reflect sexy,

charming, in control.

Golden strands of hair fall around my face in soft flowing

waves. All in place designed to be stared at; to be touched.

Matching clothing flattering just the right curves of the

body.. coordinated handbag and shoes with not a speck of

dirt on them. Which sunglasses to wear, to tie a pretty bow

on the package?

A quick look in the mirror to ensure all is right. Pretty girl

staring back with empty eyes.  I look away for fear of

confronting the truth. 

Inside a slow scream starts to form.. pushing it’s way up,

wanting to be set free. Push it back down, it cannot escape,

there is no time for dwelling on what should be.

Echos haunt my mind, “you’re such a pretty girl” ; “how can

you be sad, you’re so pretty”; “you have it made, your so

pretty”; “we like being around you, YOU’RE SO…

FUCKING…. PRETTY”

SHUT UP!! I cannot talk to you now, I have beauty to throw

around, tell your lines to somebody else. They mean nothing

to me.

Look into my lifeless eyes and tell me how pretty I am once

you really see me.  Tell me how pretty I am now that you

know the truth, now that you see reflections of beauty in me.