Wednesday, November 16, 2011

White Jade




Alex Lukeman's White Jade is an espionage thriller that is as plausible as today's headline news. This novel earns the phrase, "you can't put it down" and you wonder about its implications long after the story is finished.
Ungovernable ambition and the quest for power are a combination that wreaks havoc across the annals of humankind as does the suppression of the masses to achieve those goals.
A millionaire's cruel death trigger events that range across the Pacific Ocean and deep into the mountains of Tibet.
Selena Conner is the niece of the murdered man. She is content with her life of study and teaching of ancient languages until she meets Nick Carter, an operative for the low profile Project. Project personnel answer only to the president of the United States. Selena knows the location of an ancient text her uncle was tortured to obtain. Together they set out to obtain the text, prevent it from falling into enemy hands, and to unravel its significance to a modern regime.
The fine details of ancient history, combat, terrain, and equipment set White Jade above its competition. I found myself laughing during a tense scene when the author mentioned "GE turbofans" engines. My husband transported and x-rayed those jet engine fan blades in the 70s to insure they were perfect prior to assembly.
White Jade is a thriller that lives up to its genre to join the legions of Clancy and Flemming. This is one you won't want to miss, I enjoyed it so much I bought the sequel, The Lance to find out what happens next.
Visit with Alex @Alexlukeman on Twitter. His exciting stories are available on Amazon Kindle for $.99. Its a big bank for your buck.
Nash Black, author of Visitors and Sandprints of Death.


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

E-Force




James D. Kellogg's E-Force is a genuine thriller. Many titles are labeled with the term thriller, but fall far short of being any thing more than an ordinary mystery/suspense works. Not so with E-Force.
Make sure you reserve a block of time sufficient enough to finish the novel. If you don't you will find yourself reading well into the night and early dawn.
Colt Kelly's employer EcoFriends is moving to the far left with its philosophical trends. Mixed with a change in direction is the misappropriation of contributions that has reached money laundering proportions. Colt pledged his loyalty to the group, he is guilty of transfering funds, and it now caught in a fraud scheme which could send him to prison.
E-Force is a ecoterror group that vows to destroy the resort communities built by AmeResorts. The group operates outside the law, their attacks are well planned, well financed, and have acquired the support of Marla Wells, a local TV reporter. In her broadcasts, she portrays the commandos as victims of the establishment who have been pushed beyond the edge.
E-Force is a political thriller that draws the reader deep into the lives of each individual well-drawn character. No thread, subplot, or scene is isolated, each leads to a satisfying whole of plot integration, which is writing at its best when the reader can live within the pages of the story.
Politics aside this is one of the finest thriller novels to reach the public in a long time. I'm delighted James D. Kellogg found me and requested a review. I'll be back for the sequel.
E-Force is available from Barnes & Noble and on Amazon.com both in print and as an e-book. Visit with James D. Kellogg at http://jamesdkellogg.com/
Nash Black, Sandprints of Death.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Dumpster Dying





Lesley A. Diehl's Dumpster Dying is a cozy/traditional mystery set in Florida's interior where cattle and cowboys are the treat of the day. No beach bikini bimbos or sand fleas, instead a fun mystery where the older generation must face their past to stop a killer and stay out of jail.
Emily Rhodes was all set to live out her golden years with Fred Costa, her long time companion when Fred went for a run from which he didn't return. Fred "the rat" never managed to write a new will and his ex-wife inherits their assets including a portion of Emily's down payment on their home.
To keep a roof over her head and pay the bills Emily acquires the skill of mixing drinks and takes a job at the local country club. She is taking out the trash when she discovers the body of Marcus Davey in the dumpster.
Snow bunnies are not welcome in rural Florida, their only value to the natives is what money they can be induced to part with before leaving.
Characters may be slightly stereotyped but they read like real people you'd meet in the grocery store or at the local watering hole.
Did I mention no psychics, no recovering drunks , no vampires, etc? Plain fun for a great read without of the quirks, but a well paced whodunit with a surprising twist. Maybe just a touch of romance, no bed of roses, but then no matter how sweet they smell roses have thorns.
Delight with Emily and her friends as they hunt for a killer before he finds them.
Nash Black, Sandprints of Death



Saturday, June 18, 2011

Spycatcher






Matthew W. Dunn's Spycatcher is an espionage novel that reads like reading eye-witness newspaper reports from the Middle East.
Due to be released in July, Mr. Dunn brings years of experience in the field as an M16 operative who writes under his own name. Spycatcher is not a biography, but fiction that will keep you glued to you chair as Dunn sweeps you from Central Park across Europe and back again in an outstanding thriller of the dark side of undercover work.
Will Cochrane knows he must kill his contact to Iran before the man is captured and tortured to reveal secrets no man must divulge. The contact is not a friend in Will's friendless world, but his job and the safety of many others demands he must act with hesitation.
Will is wounded in the resulting gunfire and pulled from the fray in time to save his life. He awakens in a blank room and is confronted by a man who knows about his entire life. As they sit on the floor of a bare room Will knows the stranger must be a CIA operative who has a use for him outside of the conventional bonds of spying.
Patrick knows of his code name, Spartan. This is a position that can be held by no other man while he lives. His controller, Alistair is one of the most senior officials of M16. Only the British prime minster authorize the release this name. Patrick is a powerful and trusted man in the world of international intrigue.
Between Alistair and Patrick they send Will on a mission that will uncover his own past to flush out an operative high in the Iranian command to convince him to "betray" his country or die. Betrayal is a two-way street when power and wealth beyond imagination are at stake.
Spycatcher moves with the speed of jet planes and each character has an agenda that must be completed. The innocent become embroiled in the morass of empire decaying and rebuilding. No life is too valuable to be allowed to be a hindrance to success. I lost count of the bodies that fall across the landscape as Will endeavors to bring Megiddo out of hiding before he can complete his plans for world domination.
Nash Black, author of Sandprints of Death.




Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Sandprints of Death



Nash Black's Sandprints of Death opened to a five star review from Alina Holgate, a resident of Australia. I normally talk about other writer's work on Bird's Eye View, but this time I want to toot our own horn and share with you Alina's review.


"Set a While"

"The best thing about this book for this Australian was that reading it was like going on holiday. I was transported to an island off South Carolina, rich in unique history where various members and neighbors of the Young clan have congregated to lick their various wounds. A series of murders occurs on the island thus trapping them together. They are further trapped by the weather. In the course of dealing with these challenges the Youngs become integrated into the local community and the history of the Young clan and the island is revealed.
"The murder mystery, which is the occasion for all these different characters being thrown together in a particular locale, could have been more carefully plotted and its resolution seemed rushed. However the strength of the book is not a great murder mystery. The strength of the book is the beautifully drawn characters and their intricately portrayed clan stories that make you feel connected to them like family. The strength of the book is in the incredibly atmospherically drawn portrait of this island, its history, its inhabitants, and the constantly shifting mood ot the weather and the sea that seeps into our characters bones. The strength of this book is that it makes you want to set a while and just listen to the cadences of the stories and the voices in which they are expressed and watch as island life passes you by.
"I think if you like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: a Novel you would like this. It has a similar feel in terms of becoming drawn in to an isolated, self-reliant community of loveable people who have a tough life but who welcome the right kind of strangers into the fold.
My best recommendation is that I immediately rushed off to buy more of Nash Black's books. And there is a recipe at the end of this book that's worth the price of admission alone."

Thank you, thank you Alina.

Nash Black (Irene & Ford)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Traveling with Pomegranates




Sue Monk Kidd's Traveling with Pomegranates written with her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor is a writer's memoir about traveling (physical and metaphysical) and relationships.
This reader does not have children and does most of her traveling in an armchair, but the experiences of Ms. Kidd were easy to identify with from a writer's point of view.
Greece is their destination, both mother and daughter are caught up in the history and the myths of the islands as they explore the ruins. On the first journey they are locked within themselves as they attempt to make life changing decisions.
I read The Secret Life of Bees several years ago and as I read Ms. Kidd's narrative of the visceral development of the book I was tempted to retreat and read it for a second time now that I understand the nuisances of its development.
Their second trip to Greece is about the awakening of communication between the mother and daughter. The trip through France in search of the black Madonnas is fascinating from both an artistic and a cultural standpoint.
A good read at anytime, for any reason, and you don't have to agree with Ms. Kidd's conclusions to appreciate their expression.


Nash Black author of Sandprints of Death coming soon.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Small Business Taxes Made Easy


I wish I'd had a copy of Eva Rosenberg's Small Business Taxes Made Easy forty years ago when I first opened my own business or even later when I started teaching business accounting and financial management.
Ms. Rosenberg's broad experience in the field of business planning shines through on every page with clear, concise descriptions and examples.
Are you a beginner with a great web idea who is just getting your feet wet on the Internet? She takes you through each step of organizing you work with scads of resources to extend your learning curve.
Are you the frantic CEO of your own company looking for a solution to a specific problem? The index for this volume is outstanding and easy to use to put you on the right page for mastering the art of business reports and every type of tax problem.
Today 'online' is where the business world operates. Where is your Nexus (the place where you do business) located? It is essential for you to understand the idea as more and more states fight for lost sales tax revenues due to Internet sales. Page 219 will get you started. I'm not trying to frighten you, but in WAASB I made the statement that "the Internet was the best free enterprise system since the Constitution of the United States was written," which for the time being is still true. Look at your phone bill and add up the taxes already in place for Internet usage.
Do like I did when I received my copy from the publisher. Take it to bed and read it in small portions. Underline, make marginal notes, and use Post 'Ems to create your own tab index of items important to your individual needs.
Through out the text, Ms. Rosenberg provides excellent definitions for terms, but a glossary of book-keeping terms begins on p. 79. This threw the reviewer who looks for this aid in the back of the book.
This is one volume that no business owner can afford to be without.
Visit with Eva Rosenberg at http://taxmama.com/.
Nash Black, author of Indie finalist Writing as a Small Business.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Demon's Parchment


The Demon's Parchment is the third in Jeri Westerson's medieval noir series. For this installment Ms. Westerson take the reader into the plight of both her disenfranchised knight Crispin Guest and the status of the Jewish people living in London.
The Jews were expelled from England, but when the queen is very ill a Jewish physician makes the journey to attend her bringing with him his son and a sacred parchment intended for those of his people who exist as converted Christians.
The sever winter has brought few client to Crispin's door, so when he is approached by Jacob of Provencal to find the missing parchment he accept the job. On his way to meet with his new client Crispin witness the body of a young boy being pulled from the Thames.
The boy did not drown in the cold waters, he was murdered in a hideous fashion. The gaolers mention another young boy who was discovered in similar circumstances. Crispin cannot help but be concerned for the life of his young prodigy, Jack Tucker. Jack travels the streets of London and will never be safe until this killer is found.
A great addition to one of the best new mystery series on the current market. This writer has been impressed enough to review all of the books in the series.
Visit with Jeri at http://www.jeriwesterson.com . The medieval noir series is available at bookstores, at Amazon.com and as an ebook. Don't miss this exciting series with its meticulously researched background.
Nash Black, author of Sins of the Fathers.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Tide Water Talisman


Glynn Marsh Alam's current addition to the Luanne Fogarty series is Tide Water Talisman.
A rag-taggle group of survivors from Hurricane Katrina have settled in an abandoned motel near the coast of North Florida. They eek out a substance existence the best way they can to survive while they put their lives back together.
Dorian Pasquin inveigles Mama of Mama's Table and Luanne to visit the site where one woman is busy cleaning to open a cafe offering Cajun and coastal foods for fisherman. Pasquin wants his ladies to help the woman and her family get established.
After a trip down the river, when they land on shore Pasquin must identify the body of his old friend, Jimpson who was found lying in his store. His death was not an accident and other boatmen disappear to turn up underwater as Luanne and her lover, Vernon search the depths of the river for clues as to what happened to the dead and why.
The huddle of hurricane survivors was never a community, but the fine threads that bind them together begin to unravel as no one can connect the living with the dead. Death has been their constant companion since the winds and water destroyed their lives.
Glynn Marsh Alam devises a mystery of originality and suspense with the honed craftsmanship of one who has lived with both the rivers and the swamps of Northern Florida. The characters she has develped through eight novels come alive before your eyes and they have no peer in crime fiction. The ambiance she concocts is complete down to the sweat and the mosquitoes of the Gulf Coast.
Visit award winning Glynn Marsh Alam at http://www.glynnmarshalam.com. Her books are available in Florida at independent book stores and on Amazon.com.
Nash Black, author of the forthcoming Sandprints of Death.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Full Mortality


I literally read Sasscer Hill's Full Mortality from the first page to the end in one sitting. I could not put down this well pace mystery and go to bed.
Nikki Latrelle is a jockey who rides full out through every page of this deftly plotted mystery. Nikki is building a career against the odds in a sport dominated by men. An injury to another rider gives her the ride that can push her into the big leagues. A major case of nerves leads her to the stables in the middle of the night to check that all is well with Gilded Cage. A man coming out of the mare's stall knocks Nikki down, she runs to her horse and discovers 'Gildy' has been murdered.
Days later she is battered on the rail by jockey Dennis O'Brian, her horse stumbles, she is thrown, and her mount Flame Thrower is put-down.
Nikki, recognizing the potential of a rogue mare, Helen's Dream, bound for an auction which will consign the mare to the knackers, grabs all of her savings and rescues the mare. When she checks on the mare, which she has renamed Hellish, she discovers Dennis O'Brian and another horse have been murdered.
The connection of Nikki to the deaths of three horses and the murder of a rival jockey is too much for the racing community to endure. The rumors fly when Nikki is questioned, her reputation is destroyed, her 'friends' abandon her, and she is driven off the track.
Unable to find a job and a home for Hellish, Nikki accepts the invitation of an old drunk to the worst of stables. She begins to fight back to regain her reputation, find who is behind the deaths of the horses, and bring a killer to justice to clear her name.
From starting gate to finish line Full Mortality is non-stop action of the very best kind with vivid, believable characters from the world of championship horse racing.
Visit Sasscer Hill at sasscerhill.blogspot.com and on Facebook.
Full Mortality is available on Amazon.com and other locations.
Nash Black, author of Sins of the Fathers.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Eascape from the Alamo


Dac Crossley's Escape from the Alamo takes the reader on a journey from boyhood to manhood during the early days of the Texas Republic. Everyone knows the story of the heroic Texans who were murdered by Santa Anna after the fall of the Alamo.
The burden of being a 'dead hero' falls to a young man from Tennessee who followed his mentor, Davy Crockett to the final stand.
George "Possum" Hanks awakens during the aftermath of the Battle of San Jacinto with an old wound in his side, his face in the sand, and a vague memory of a rough wagon ride in Mrs. Dickerson's wagon. He didn't died, but in reality he can't admit to history that he survived the slaughter.
Possum discovers he can not go home and adopts a new name of Red because of his beard and begins his journey back to the Alamo to find Davy Crockett. His faith in the strong man will not let him accepted that is Davy dead. One man suspects Red's secret and uses the knowledge to both badger and blackmail him.
Dac Crossley unique western is right in the details of the fledgling republic, the complex relationships between the new settlers and the old who hold this vast land. Red must learn the way of the west to stand on his own two-feet and be true to his own values because there is no one there to guide him.
A good read for anyone who loves authentic color, the Texas country, and a plain good yarn.
Visit with Dac for an interview at http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/ and on his blog at http://www.daccrossley.typepad.com/. His blog is one of the most interesting on the Internet with something new and different each week.
All of Dac's books are available on Amazon.com or for an autographed copy write him at soilmite@earthlink.net.
Nash Black, author of Sins of the Fathers.