Empire Rising by Sam Barone

Empire Rising by Sam Barone

Synopsis

It is 3157 B.C.—The beginning of the Bronze Age and the rise of cities—and at the eastern edge of the great southern desert in Mesopotamia, men are at war. Bandits and worse plunder the countryside seeking women, slaves, and gold. Into this unsettled land come the outcast Korthac and the remnants of his mighty desert fighters. They encounter a band of thieves led by Ariamus. The two join forces and set their sights on the biggest prize of all: the burgeoning city of Akkad—the town formerly known as Orak that just a few months earlier defeated a horde of raiding barbarians by building an impenetrable wall. Akkad is known not only for its riches, but also for the courage and wisdom of its leaders, the former barbarian Eskkar and his enchanting wife, Trella. Together they drove off the barbarian horde, and now they face an even more daunting challenge—to preserve their victory.

But it's only by defeating Eskkar, Trella, and the people of Akkad that Korthac and Ariamus can claim Akkad's wealth and enslave its people . . .

Korthac devises a plan to slip his men into Akkad and conquer the city from within. And while Eskkar is roaming the land, winning the trust of other towns and bringing them into his growing empire, Korthac and Ariamus strike, wreaking havoc on the young city.

Told with rich historical detail and set in a time of promise and peril, Sam Barone's thrilling, beautifully rendered tale places him in the ranks of the best historical fiction writers working today. Empire Rising is another marvelous trip into the past with an unforgettable cast of characters.

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Continuation of Eskkar and Trella's story from the earlier novel, the village of Orak now Akkad grows prosperous. attracting a devious usurper from Egypt who infiltrates the village and takes it over. Eskkar who is visiting another village rides back and fights back to take his village back. Though historical, it does not stick to the period.

Try Dying by James Scott Bell

Try Dying by James Scott Bell

Synopsis

Ty Buchanan is a rising star in his L.A. law firm, until the suspicious death of his fiancee forces him into the underbelly of the city to discover the truth behind her death. He soon has more than his career on the line, as he finds himself tangled up with a mysterious group of former gang members, and becomes the target of a killer.

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Lawyer tries to get to the root of mystery of his fiancee's freaky death uncovering a deadly conspiracy.

The Indian Bride by Karin Fossum

The Indian Bride by Karin Fossum

Synopsis

When long-time bachelor Gunder Jomann goes to India for two weeks and comes home married, the town of Elvestad is stunned. Then, on the day the Indian bride is supposed to arrive, the battered body of a woman is found on the outskirts of town. The "good people of Elvestad" can’t believe that anyone among them could be capable of such a brutal murder. But in his quiet way, Inspector Konrad Sejer understands that no one is completely innocent—not the café owner who knows too much, the girl who wants the attention that comes with being a witness, or the bodybuilder with no outlet for his terrible strength.

In The Indian Bride, one of Europe’s most successful crime writers has crafted another chilling page-turner.

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Agood page turner that manages to hold you in its grip till the end. The towns people of Elevestad a small town in Norwegian country side is scandalized when the new arrived bride of a local resident shows up dead on the very night of her arrival. A good police procedural particularly show casing Inspector Sejer's interview techniques is the high light of this sad story.

The Water Cure by Percival Everett

The Water Cure by Percival Everett

Synopsis

I am guilty not because of my actions, to which I freely admit, but for my accession, admission, confession that I
executed these actions with not only deliberation and
premeditation but with zeal and paroxysm and purpose . . . The true answer to your question is shorter than the lie.
Did you? I did.

This is a confession of a victim turned villain. When Ishmael Kidder’s eleven-year-old daughter is brutally murdered, it stands to reason that he must take revenge by any means necessary. The punishment is carried out without guilt, and with the usual equipment—duct tape, rope, and superglue. But the tools of psychological torture prove to be the most devastating of all.
Percival Everett’s most lacerating indictment to date, The Water Cure follows the gruesome reasoning and execution of revenge in a society that has lost a common moral ground, where rules are meaningless. A master storyteller, Everett draws upon disparate elements of Western philosophy, language theory, and military intelligence reports to create a terrifying story of loss, anger, and helplessness in our modern world. This is a timely and important novel that confronts the dark legacy of the Bush years and the state of America today.

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Acuriously wierd book written as a first person account from a bereaved father grieving over his dead daughter who is kidnapped and killed. The main character in the book is an author writing romance stories under a pseudonym. He abducts the suspected attacker of his daughter and tortures him in his basement. The narrative takes form as a disjointed sequence of events written by a schizophrenic.

The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke

The Tin Roof Blowdown: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke

Synopsis

In the waning days of summer, 2005, a storm with greater impact than the bomb that struck Hiroshima peels the face off southern Louisiana.

This is the gruesome reality Iberia Parish Sheriff's Detective Dave Robicheaux discovers as he is deployed to New Orleans. As James Lee Burke's new novel, The Tin Roof Blowdown, begins, Hurricane Katrina has left the commercial district and residential neighborhoods awash with looters and predators of every stripe. The power grid of the city has been destroyed, New Orleans reduced to the level of a medieval society. There is no law, no order, no sanctuary for the infirm, the helpless, and the innocent. Bodies float in the streets and lie impaled on the branches of flooded trees. In the midst of an apocalyptical nightmare, Robicheaux must find two serial rapists, a morphine-addicted priest, and a vigilante who may be more dangerous than the criminals looting the city.

In a singular style that defies genre, James Lee Burke has created a hauntingly bleak picture of life in New Orleans after Katrina. Filled with complex characters and depictions of people at both their best and worst, The Tin Roof Blowdown is not only an action-packed crime thriller, but a poignant story of courage and sacrifice that critics are already calling Burke's best work.

⇒ Via: BN.com

Apost Katrina story set in New Orleans suburbs. Katrina looters are tracked by a mob boss, PI and police in this twisted story that brings out the pathos of a storm aftermath.

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff

Synopsis

Jane Charlotte has been arrested for murder.

She tells police that she is a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil; her division is called the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons—"Bad Monkeys" for short.

This confession earns Jane a trip to the jail's psychiatric wing, where a doctor attempts to determine whether she is lying, crazy—or playing a different game altogether. What follows is one of the most clever and gripping novels you'll ever read.

⇒ Via: BN.com

A gripping narrative and wacky story keep up the interest till the very end. This is a story of a woman who has been incarcerated on charges of killing someone and the entire narrative is her recounting the events that led to the murder. The woman claims to be a member of a secret organization that eliminates "Evil" people. They do it without leaving any clues or traces of foul play. She belongs to a faction in that organization that kills irredeemable cases. The story is quite engaging and even credible at times but towards the end where the author introduces a blind surprise.

Grave Imports by Eric Stone

Grave Imports by Eric Stone

Synopsis

Exotic mystery/adventure set in Asia.

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Athriller set in far east locales of Hong Kong, Cambodia and thailand. Ray Sharp is a former journalist turned investigator for a ex-CIA spook. He embarks on background check of a company for client which turns out is involved in illegal smuggling of Cambodian antiques. The main character comes across as a bungling, conflicted detective with James Bond like aspirations. Everywhere he goes women throw themselves at him. There is no deductive reasoning or investigative prowess evident. The main hero stumbles from one event to other without any clue. The ending is quite anti-climatic. The prose is Ok but it leaves you feeling unsatisfied. The author's inexperience shows though this is his second book.

Crusade by Robyn Young

Crusade by Robyn Young

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Second book in the Brethren trilogy by the author. This book follows up on the first book where the templars are entrenched in Acre in 1274, but the local businessmen are unhappy with the situation and plot to create a new Crusade to restart their flagging businesses. The main characters from the earlier book are built upon by the author. A very colorful and interesting depiction of life and wars from that period. Recommended.

Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi

Book by Author

Synopsis

This explosive debut introducing Russian gangster Alexei Volkovoy delivers at every turn, announcing Volk as the boldest hero of a new generation.

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Gory thriller set in Russia with Russian politics and mafia as a backdrop. The hero is a ruthless Russian gangster (actually masquerading as a gangster but a colonel in military) who gets involved in a museum robbery but finds himself in a betrayed. Very fast paced thriller with lot of twists and turns.

Snitch Jacket by Christopher Goffard

Snitch Jacket by Christopher Goffard

Publishers Weekly

In Goffard's impressive debut, a darkly comic romp through the Southern California underworld, Benny Bunt, a 41-year-old dishwasher, finds his main escape in the Greasy Tuesday, a blue-collar bar in Costa Mesa. Among the recidivist misfits, his is a harmless familiar face. What they don't know is that Benny is a snitch who earns pocket money by ratting out his buddies to the cops. Enter one Gus "Mad Dog" Miller, a massive, bearded Vietnam vet, covered with prison tattoos; Gus holds court at the bar with outrageous tales of his exploits, military and criminal. Gus soon becomes Benny's best friend, and seeks his assistance in a contract killing. Only problem is, the police "botch" their surveillance and Benny ends up taking the fall for a double homicide committed at the Howling Head festival in the Mojave desert. Goffard's prose shimmers with intelligence and humor, and he has a keen ear for telling detail. Fans of such cultish neo-noir scribes such as Charlie Huston and Duane Swierczynski will be richly rewarded. (Oct.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

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Dark and entertaining comic noir about two societal misfits who hatch a plot to kill somebody which gets botched at the end. Debut novel by Goffard keeps the attention riveted to storyline till the very end. Surprise twist in the end makes it a suspense novel wich the reader never expects. Enjoyable.. recommended.

Never Go Back by Robert Goddard

Never Go Back by Robert Goddard

Synopsis

In the spellbinding new mystery by the master of “the clever twist,” a group of ex-RAF comrades journey to a Scottish castle for a reunion. But by the time they reach their destination, two of them are dead.

Harry Barnett is leading a contented life in Vancouver with his wife and daughter when he is brought back to England by the death of his mother. He intends to spend just a few days sorting out her affairs when a chance meeting he will regret for the rest of his life makes him change his plans. Two old acquaintances from his National Service days track Harry down to his mother’s house — the last address they had for him. A lavish reunion has been organized to mark the fiftieth anniversary of their RAF days. Harry decides to go.

During the war, Harry and his fellow RAF conscripts spent three months in a Scottish castle where they acted as guinea pigs in a psychological experiment. The reunion is to take place in the same castle. It will be a chance to see friends, settle old scores and lay a few ghosts to rest.

The party begins on the train up to Aberdeen, until the apparent suicide of one of their number shatters the holiday atmosphere. Their arrival in Scotland seems under a cloud, and when another comrade dies soon after their arrival, Harry is gripped by a sense of foreboding. As well, the recollections of the old comrades of their time in the castle are frighteningly different, and unexplained events from 1955 still haunt them. As Harry tries to solve the mystery of what really happened fifty years ago, he uncovers an extraordinary secret that convinces him he will never leave the castle alive.

⇒ Via: BN.com

Former RAF soldier finds himself in midst of murder and double cross when he decides to join his buddies for a reunion after 50 years. A gripping tale of double-cross and suspense that holds you till the very end.