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.

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.

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.

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.

Muddy Waters

Maggie Toussaint's Muddy Waters is a romantic suspense novel that draws the reader into the story from the first page with the pull of the tide against the Georgia coast.
Roxie Whitaker inherited her grandmother's real estate firm and though there is not a high demand for homes in Mossy Bog she is determined to make a go of her responsibility.
Sloan Harding is the boy from across the tracks who has established a niche for himself in Atlanta, but is drawn back to his grandfather's house where he live a "hit and miss life" with a drunk for a father. The one person who had faith in him was Roxie's grandmother.
The small cottages they inherited are in aging states of disrepair and Roxie has one client who is persistent in his desire to obtain Sloan's cottage. Property management is a venue that keeps Roxie afloat and Sloan hires her to oversee the restoration of his cottage. Roxie accepts with visions of an eventual sale floating through her dreams.

Roxie returns home to find her home ransacked, which adds impetus to a feeling she has endured for several days that someone is watching her. What's a girl to do when she doesn't feel safe in her own home? Sloan may not be acceptable to the Mossy Bog's citizens, but he provides a safe haven (maybe).

This is a fun read and a delightful break from some heavy tomes.
Visit with Maggie at http://maggietoussaint.com
Nash Black, author of Haints.

The Dangerous Edge of Things

Tina Whittle's debut novel, The Dangerous Edge of Things will keep you on the edge of your chair enthralled by her precise yet vivid descriptions of Atlanta, GA. Ms. Whittle's characters do not depend on their southerness for their uniqueness, but evolve with the modern city.

Teresa Ann "Tai" Randolph inherited half of a Confederate gun shop and moved from Savannah to explore the possibilities of her inheritance. One week in town, crashing at her brother Eric's home she discovers the gunshot body of a young woman.
The belated welcoming party gets worse as Eric is in the Bahamas and doesn't answer her frantic messages when subsequent events prove he is acquainted with the victim. Eric is employed by the security firm Phoenix and in typical older-brother fashion provides his impetuous baby-sister with a body guard and employment she does not want.

Enter the body guard, Trey Seaver is one of the most original characters in modern mystery fiction. Ms. Whittle builds Trey with adroit descriptions that fascinate and create empathy with Tai's frustration while she attempts to communicate with "the Iceman."

Tai and Trey must work as a team to keep her alive and unmask a killer. Her approach to anyone in authority is to argue and ignore while he is subservient to unreasonable demands. Tai has yet to find a box and Trey can not function without one. The tug-of-war between them is explosive until the very last word. The action's pace is faster than his Ferrari; it will drive you into the midnight hours.

Visit Tina at http://www.tinawhittle.com.

Tina Whittle's The Dangerous Edge of Things is soon to be released by Poisoned Pen Press to book stores and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.

Nash Black, author of Indie finalists Writing as a Small Business and Haints.

The Day of Small Things

Vicki Lane's lyrical The Day of Small Things is the perfect book to curl up with at anytime, a hammock in summer or by the fire when winds are brisk. This reader is delighted that Ms. Lane took the time from her outstanding Elizabeth Goodweather series to explore in depth the engaging character of "Miss Birdie."
Fan's of the Goodweather series demanded more of Miss Birdie because in the brief sketches a real person shown through who was worth every moment they spent exploring her character.
The Day of Small Things is not a small story, but a saga of a young woman who against all odds learns to love and comes to grips with the divergent aspects of her own heritage. Least was her given name and her expectations did not exist until her aging Cherokee grandmother gave her five years of undivided love and the teachings of her people.
Her mother's bitterness and anger fueled a devastating revenge against her youngest child, Least. The mother's death gave the young woman a chance to explore the outside world if she can stay ahead of the sheriff. Her mother had signed papers committing her to a institution to be sterilized.
Each obstacle Least encounters on her journey to become "Miss Birdie" will keep you turning the pages, reading every word for the story, the customs, the atmosphere, and the charm that shines through some dark days.

This is a book you will not want to miss and it is one you will want to keep on your shelf to dip into when you need a glimpse of the perseverance of the human soul.

Visit with Vicki Lane at http://www.vickilanemysteries.com/. Vicki's books are available in the paperback book section of book stores and on line from Amazon.com.

Nash Black, author of Indie finalists Writing as a Small Business and Haints.