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The Blood of an Englishman Written by M.C. Beaton

Does anyone else remember the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk from long ago? That fairy tale boasted murder, terror and desires of social mobility too wouldn't you know! In the cherished children's fable the nefarious giant bellows "Fee-fi-fo-fum I smell the blood of an Englishman" "Be he alive, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread" In this adult rendition of the classic tale of murder and physical abuse It doesn't help that Wilkes and Wong are more than a bit obtuse Agatha can be counted on to be fashionable, selfish, pretentious and vain In addition to highly intuitive, courageous and possibly bordering on being insane She is a veritable genius at peeling back the duplicitous layers of murder and mayhem And, yes, she is man crazy and quite irrational about romance, casual sex, and dating As one who loves the television series featuring Agatha Raisin I am a slightly biased critic because I think she's quite amazing T
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Talking to Strangers Written by Malcolm Gladwell

This book commences with an introduction to the tragic confrontation between Officer Brian Encinia and Sandra Bland   The traffic stop that resulted in involuntary resignation for Brian and suicide for Sandra 3-days later while in remand   Brian’s actions were challenged in court and excuses and conjecture undoubtedly ensued   Trying to cover up inept behavior and inappropriate practices that lead citizens and the media to imbue   A sense of horror; to feel incredulous and appalled at the injustice that has transpired   How similar experiences could be reenacted across many states in such a highly esteemed empire   Gladwell inspires confidence through personal recollections, historical anecdotes, and scientific based evidence galore   To bring clarity to a disturbing but increasing phenomenon that even the most ardent Pollyanna abhors   He helps us to see that simple outrage does not suffice   Our response to such abuse of power must be more precise   Perusing the

The Apology Written by Eve Ensler

Through this letter of unveiling; a young girl exposed to an empire of despair gains a  modicum  of ablution Created in the voice of her long dead father she articulates the momentous confession he should have  conveyed; not necessarily for retribution The victim is consumed by self-loathing, mental turbulence, and grief While the witness battles against overwhelming doubt and disbelief That the abuser dares to rationalize the lewd & lascivious behavior Implying he lacked control, he misinterpreted, that she was the inevitable traitor The author, Eve, penetrates the veil of sexual and psychological trauma only intimated That most people incorrectly conclude takes one that looks visibly evil to have orchestrated The devastating revelation comes when she gives voice to the cacophony of deleterious effects Culminating from emotional desertion, and unrestrained perversion that went unchecked Her mother and siblings bared witness to her gradual physical, physiological, a

A Man Out For Blood Written By Dan Ames

A hit took out an influential man’s entire family causing him to emotionally digress He then hired three professional assassins’ who only managed to cause him further distress Reacher was the intended target with a ten million dollar bounty on his head Wagner the liaison crossed boundaries ensuring he would be among the dead Tallon and Pauling put themselves on the case after rumors filtered through That Jack Reacher was the target although the evidence was a ruse All three assassins begin the job with failed and sloppy hits Considering their inept start one would think none of them were legit The breach of information placed the assassins in each other’s sights The Rat dispatched Clayton with effortless efficiency; bringing a knife to a gunfight Wagner became a casualty call it guilt by association It appeared that no one involved would earn the erroneous appropriation Unbeknownst to the Zurich Collective Bohm the mastermind and puppeteer had personal motives t

The Brutal Telling Written by Louise Penny

AT 503 pages you finally come to see Olivier for what he could really be The Brutal Telling A tale of priceless treasures selling A stranger found dead in Three Pines Someone will have to pay the macabre fines Meanwhile, Gamache is running out of time Going back in the past is how he will solve the crime In the Queen Charlotte Islands he must track For the wood the slain man made was found in a sack And each carving an intricate element of the pack Of precious treasures the killer wanted to take back Quite in contrast All the details were made manifest in the past And the killer was forced to act fast Because he knew his deception would not last In the end most of the town was in disbelief While others felt a measure of strained relief To get the hermit's treasure He had to go to extreme measures And in the end only resulted in eternal displeasure Written by Guest Contributor:  NaTorea Richardson Genre: Mystery/Thriller Suspense

November Road written by Lou Berney

As the story unfolds November Road Proceeds at a measured pace; bending to and fro Two hundred ninety-nine pages and 33 chapters later We understand why death and love are the great emancipators Frank Guidry was a kept man indeed He worked hard to meet his employers every need Frank overestimated his employers loyalty When he deemed Frank expendable; a mere liability The word went out; people took sides Most were scared and wouldn't risk their lives Frank went on the lamb; hitting a stream of small towns Carlos pull made it hard for Frank to truly go to ground He met a lady on the road stranded with her kids Escaping an incorrigible husband who only offered counterbids As luck would have it their meeting was coincidence at best How felicitous for them both that Frank was heading West Seraphine pulls Paul Barone's strings Because he manages to a make a mess of things Cat (Barone) and mouse (Guidry) are both at play Cat suddenly deadpans then mouse scampe

My Besties:The Come Up written by Asia Hill

Four girls with tragic backgrounds named Ja’ziya, Tiki, ReRe, and Dirty E decide that they have to level up and get money. They began robbing local drug dealers that soon leads to bank robbery, and occasionally murder. These young, smart but misguided young lady’s take the dangerous route to success. Even in the end when their life is on the line, there isn’t much regret, just reminiscing and acceptance. I admit that all four girls still keep their head in the books and look out for each other no matter what circumstances or events occurred. The story line was very nice and well thought out.  However, I would’ve liked for the book to be a bit more detailed. Also, there were quite a few grammatical errors that were missed by the editor. Overall I still enjoyed the read, the ending was an attention grabber for sure!  Written by Guest Contributor: Chelsea Henderson Genre: Urban Fiction