Tales of the Astonishing Black Spark by Charlie J. Eskew

This is a science fiction/fantasy title in the genre of comic book superhero novelizations except that it is written by the Black Spark himself (Donald McDonald) in first person as if he were telling you a story on the bus.  I found this book a change of pace from your typical SF/F titles because it is written tongue-in-cheek and mostly makes fun of itself.  I enjoyed the novel and found the characters engaging and exciting, particularly the Black Spark himself.

Ronald McDonald, first of all, is black.  This makes the novel refreshing in itself as there are so few black characters written as superheroes.  Spark, as he call himself, is hit by lightening that should have killed him (like the Flash!) but somehow survives and retains the ability to control and propagate electrical charges from himself.  At first, he doesn't know how to control this power, but he manages, in a stumbling manner, to defeat the 'Maverick Moralist,' who is an evil superpower hero who preaches people to death (I love it!), and he gains notoriety on You-Tube.  He continues on to discover his powers with Nick, who later turns out to be a villain, design a costume with Kat, his best friend from grade school, and gradually join the only Avengers-type group in this world called the 'American Collective for Resolving Overtly Negative Yowled Misconduct.'

The book winks at itself during the story and probably its strongest point is the snappy, snarky narrative of Donald telling us the story of his life.  Here is an example of the snappy dialogue in the book:

     "Okay, well I need your help," I said plopping down on her couch.

     "How can a mild-mannered woman possibly be of use to the Midwest Marvel?"

     "Mild-mannered?  Where is she?" I said.

     She tossed a pillow at my face.  "You should be less of a douche to people your asking favors from."

The narrative is also laced with interrupting commentary in the form of "The tales of..."  For example, "These are the astonishing tales of Finding X brand of napkins at X location on X day" and "These are the astonishing tales of Yahtzee."  I found these interruptions amusing at time, but also tiresome at times.  It is the author interjecting himself into the narrative, and it works, but just barely.  

On of his pals in the "American Collective..." is Patches, the Boy Band-aid.  His name alone is a reason to read on.  Patches has the ability to heal anyone of anything, but only once a day.  Patches also like to smoke weed and there are some funny scenes of Donald stoned trying to control his electrical powers.  Other characters, GRAVI-tina (who can control gravity), Asper (Who can fly), and the villain Nick (who can also control electricity) make for some funny reading.

Overall, this is an entertaining book and a change of pace for anyone bored with reading a standard SF/F book or a mystery/thriller.  Recommended.  4/5 stars.  Publication date: September 4, 2018.

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

This was an interesting book; it is the follow-up by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen to 'The Wife Between Us'  which was an enormous critical success.  This book, as a mystery and thriller novel, has the same suspense and plot turns and, if it is possible, is more suspenseful and captivating.

Jessica Farris is a make-up artist who works in Manhattan for 'BeautyBuzz', a company that books make-up do-over appointments for her.  She learns through slightly illicit means that there is a psychology study available that that will allow her to pick up a quick $500 by participating.  When she enters the study, she comes into contact with Dr. Shields, an intense, intelligent, and slightly twisted psychiatrist.  One thing leads to another and soon Jessica is performing 'tests' for Dr. Shields that have more to do with Dr. Shield's marriage than with the study.  Jessica is well paid and so she doesn't question the somewhat unusual requests by Dr. Shields.  The 'tests' soon lead to a controlling and predatory relationship by Dr. Shields with Jessica, and Jessica soon is looking for any means of escape.

There were times when I could not put this book down, and times where I was so uncomfortable with the tension and suspense in the novel that I had to put it down for a while.   The story is told from two points of view:  Jessica's and Dr. Shield's.  Dr. Shield's chapters are written in the 2nd person, which is rare in literature, and this POV device dramatically ratchets up the suspense in the novel.  Here is an excerpt where we read from the POV of Dr. Sheild:   

"You disappoint me deeply, Katherine April Voss.  You were invited in... Then you made the revelation the shattered everything, that put you in a completely different light; I made a mistake.  I slept with a married man ... You were told you would never be welcomed into the townhouse again..."   

This use of the second person POV by Dr. Shields is truly creepy and paints her as a twisted, almost psychotic personality. 

If you like mystery and suspense thrillers, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better one than 'An Anonymous Girl.;  Highly recommended.  5/5 stars.

The Burglar by Thomas Perry

Publication Date Jan 18 2019

This was an utterly fascinating book to me.  Elle Stowell, the protagonist, is a skilled burglar and the book makes it clear that she is so good that her ability is almost a superpower.  I was captivated from the first page onward and only put the book down when it was finished.

The book starts with some glimpses of Elle being a superb burglar.  I have to admit that her job is fascinating.  The author goes into considerable detail on how to break into a wealthy person's house, search and find the goods, and then extract the well-hidden jewels or cash, and then leave just as she is about to be caught.  The narrative is excellent in creating that sense of danger that a burglar must feel; we feel it too as we read hoping she will not be caught.

When she breaks into a house where she finds three bodies, a triple murder as of yet undiscovered, the book turns mostly from a caper novel into a murder investigation.  The murderers know who she is and try to kill her several times before she get a handle on what the murders are all about.  She pursues leads as only a burglar can using illegal methods to gain information on the culprits.

The character of Elle Stowell comes from the best place of characterizations.  The book is told in first person, so the reader gets to pursue the mystery of the murders from her point of view, learning what she learns in real time.  I can't say enough about the tension in the story; I literally had to pause to relax while I was reading.  The sense of danger that you would have if you were robbing a place comes through perfectly and it drove me to read to the end in one sitting.

This is a superb book.  Thomas Perry, the author, has written around 25 books, and definitely shows he knows how to write a thriller/mystery.  Highly recommended.  5/5 stars. 

The Consuming Fire (excerpt) by John Scalzi
Available August 16, 2018

This was an exerpt of the first six chapters provided to me by Netgalley.com.  I am a long time fan of John Scalzi; I read his entire 'Old Man's War" series, two of the 'Lock In' books and the first book in this series, 'The Collapsing Empire.'  This new book, 'The Consuming Fire' is a worthy addition to the series.  I only read the six-chapter excerpt,  but this book picks up where 'The Collapsing Empire' left off.

The story starts off with the Emperox, Grayland II declaring that she has had mystical visions of the demise of the FLow, the flowing energy stream which connects the worlds of the Empire.  This is apparently a ploy, since she has this information from her scientist friend Marci, a ploy so she can prepare her people for the coming changes.  In the first six chapters of the book, we are taken through the political action of the Emperox, a speech by Marci, in which he finds out that some new streams may be forming, and the political machinations of the family Nohamapetan, who in the first book were the main opposition to the Emporox.

From what I read, this book has the pulse driving excitement and political intrigue that made the first book so enjoyable.  The Empire is beginning to collapse and this make the story exciting.  Recommended 4/5 stars. D. Lowrey

Dead End by Rachel Lynch

Dead End by Rachel Lynch

Canelo, publisher 2018 

Publication date October 18, 2018

It's hard to describe how much I loved this book.  It took me by surprise; I had never read any of Rachel Lynch's other novels, and didn't know what to expect.   

This is a crime mystery, a 'whodunnit' and set in the lake country of Cumbria, UK.  As a crime mystery it works very well, not revealing the killer until the very end of the novel.  DI Kelly Porter, an ambitious and capable investigator, is charged with solving two crimes that appear unrelated at first, but then tie together later on.  An Earl hangs himself, possibly an assisted suicide, and a pair of girls goes missing, seemingly due to foul play.  The book takes the reader through these crimes gradually, adding in a murder, and with great investigative detail.  As the book progresses it is easy to ask how these crimes are related, and eventually they are.  As a reader, the author kept me guessing as to who the culprit was.  I was never really sure until the very end. 

The book has some of the best characterization I have ever read.  The protagonist, DI Kelly Porter, is a complex character with a rich and complicated family life, a believable boyfriend, and a multilayered relationship with friends and the community.  She struggles with problems in all three of these areas, and it makes her an interesting character.  Other characters: the boyfriend Johnny, the son of the Earl, Zach, and others are also written in great detail. 

Lynch's knowledge of autopsy and police procedure make for pleasurable reading.  It's obvious that plenty of research went into writing this book and it shows in the fascinating details that make for good setting.  Lynch is a British author and her choice of words and sentence structure reflect this.  I recommend a kindle if you read this book; it makes looking up British words, like rota and scarpered, much easier. 

I found this book utterly compelling reading, I nearly finished it in one long sitting.  Highly recommended and 5/5 stars.  D. Lowrey