"One Way" by Jeff Lane

I love the book but I was disappointed in the cover. It is bland and may turn some readers off.  This is unfortunate because it is a very good story. The first part of a book is its cover and I can't stress its importance. It is the very first chance to catch a reader. The story involves travelling back in time without the use of a time machine but the using your own mind. A great concept with great possibilities worthy of a sequel. When I read the first page of a book, I usually get an idea if it will be well written and in this case I was not disappointed. Highly recommended. Giving it four stars, losing one star because of the cover. 

Review: Rites of Passage (To the Ends of the Earth, #1) by William Golding

"Rites of Passage," a book by William Golding, is a narrative, written in a journal, by a snobbish passenger. It takes place on an outdated warship on the way to Australia around 1812. The story deals with the behavior of the Officers and upper crust passengers, as well as some of the crew.
There are good references to the condition of the ship and the behavior of the characters.
Written in old English, I found it sometimes hard to read and found myself skipping paragraphs. Still, it was an interesting read, at times sad, which appears to be the main plot of the story. Interesting ending that I did not expect.

Review: Goliath (A Ryan Mitchell Thriller - Book 1) by Richard Turner

"Goliath" by Richard Turner is a fast paced book that would appeal to action/adventure readers. The cover is ample and gets the point across. The story is a good concept, but the level of unnecessary violence and the continual good luck like parked vehicles always having keys inside, and doors always unlocked took away from the story. Everyone seems to have a temper, always fighting a fit of rage. The lack of editing is noticeable - too many adverbs and words missing.

A cruise on the Mediterranean can be more than a boat trip.

http://amzn.to/1eNrAM1

Review: Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd

      "Hunting Shadows," is the 14th in the series of Ian Rutledge belonging to the 'Mystery' genre. The title and cover are very appropriate for the story. It is set against rural and isolated villages in England, where gossip is the main source of news. There are good references to the local areas, and the description of the characters are well developed. All the characters are strong, with loneliness a common thread among them.
      The story is well plotted and well written. With the war never far from his mind, a voice from the past like a shadow, he must solve a crime by a sniper using a WW1 weapon. The story holds on to the end, but the end doesn't seem like a big surprise - more like something expected.

Review: WW 2 Women by Cyrus J. Zachary

"WW 2 Women" is a historical read about women spies from that war. It is a very short read. It is possible that the title on Goodreads is longer than the book. The cover seems to have no bearing on the characters in the book. I have a free copy, and that is what it is worth for information readily accessible on the net. Regularly priced at $4.99. Really!

Review: The Lost Codex by Alan Jacobson.

"The Lost Codex," is an action adventure novel by Alan Jacobson. It is a book I won on Goodreads. It seems aimed at male and female readers. There is some violence, but not an overabundance. It tries to mime "Sigma Force," but falls short. The title "Lost Codex," could refer to its location in he book. Mentioned in the Prologue, it then disappears for the next 30% of the book.
During this 30% hiatus, there was a long winded explanation of the motives and workings of a suicide bomber given to heads of Homeland, CIA, NSA, and FBI. I'm sure these gentlemen have sufficient knowledge of suicide bombers. It seems unnecessary, making the book long.
Being used to my Kindle, I found the printing small. The book has short chapters making it easy to stop reading. I thought the book had too many characters, the Arab names confusing.
After 40%, the story seemed to get back on track and live up more to its hype. From then on, it was continual action.
 I found the ending nothing to get excited about - the author looking for a way to finish it of.

Review: Deadlock (Tweed & Co. #5) by Colin Forbes

      'Deadlock,' is #5 in the series 'Tweed & Co.' by Colin Forbes. It belongs to the Genre of action/adventure. The title is appropriate for the story, but I find the cover a bit bland. The book is aimed at a male audience.
      Having lived for a time in that part of Europe, I recognize a lot of the locations and can verify that they are well researched. There is a lot of accidental dropping of names to move the story along.
It is a fast-paced thriller and a long read, but every page is worth it. All the characters are well developed and so well described you would probably recognize them if you saw them walking down the street.
      From very early in the story, there was a continual reference to scuba divers, but no one seemed to pay any attention to them until the end. The story depended a lot on two new characters. One had a minor role in an earlier book and the other someone new. I would expect to see them in future stories. The book had an ending I did not expect.
      A drawback to this book of good versus evil is that it is similar to all the other books in the series. There were some editing mistakes that seemed to increase towards the end of the book.

Review: The White Lioness by Henning Mankell

"The White Lioness," is the 3rd. in the "Kurt Wallander" series. This novel is two stories existing in the same book. I found that the stories blended well together and taken separately could be two novellas. Kurt, a man who consistently eats sandwiches tried a pizza this time. The story is fast paced, and the author has a good insight into the Apartheid system. 
I fast read a few pages because too much time was spent on Kurt's mental state. I enjoyed the book, even though the end held no big surprise.

Review: Richard the Lionheart - Crusader by Tristan Clark

Richard the Lionheart - Crusader is a very short story. If you are looking for some pages from a history book - this would be it. You would find the same, if not more by looking King Richard up on the internet with no need to spend your money. More or less a list of facts.

Review: Dark Web by T.J. Brearton

	"Dark Web," is a murder mystery that will make you think twice about what teens see on the internet. A fine example of what can come from the dark side of the web. The end of the story and the culprit hold no surprises - expected, which I found disappointing. Still a good story.

Review: "A Bitter Truth" by Charles Todd

"A Bitter Truth" is the third in the series "Bess Crawford." This book did not catch my imagination as much as the first two. It seems to drag along trying to make a story. The author(s) seem to be slapping something down hoping that it works. I'm always waiting for her to meet Ian Rutledge. I feel that is why this second series has been added.

Review: The Kidnapping (Inspector Rutledge #12.5) by Charles Todd

"The Kidnapping," is a short story from the Ian Rutledge series. It shows Ruthledge at his best solving a crime by his wits and brainpower. He can't have all cases that last for weeks or months. Some are short, lasting only a few hours. There is no mention of Hamish in this story. Takes less that a few hours to read because half of the download is a preview of his next book.

Review: Bloodlines by James Rollins

"Bloodlines" is #8 in the Sigma series. I found it the best of the series to date. This book has a return of the dog "Kane." Wonderful to see him and his handler as part of the team. Continuous action till the end and it has a great ending.

Review: Lawless Desert by C.M. Curtis

"I didn't see that coming," is a statement you will use a number of times while reading this book. A western story, well written with great characters. Moving fro one disaster to another, the hero finally finds satisfaction in the end.

Review: The Terror by Giles Kristian

Could not get into the story. I guess it is just not my type. Didn't like it. Quit at 10%.

Review:The Assassin (Casca, #13) by Barry Sadler

This story is the next book in the Casca series. Same as the other books, Just a different time and place. Writing bad as usual.

Review: The Derby Man by Gary McCarthy

This book is a western story of the usual type. To make things different, the unlikely hero is greatly overweight and wears a derby hat. You won't find any young maiden in distress. There are bits of humor, but the book holds no big surprises. Okay for a short read if you can get over the errors. I never did learn the Sherriff's name. It seemed to be interchangeable.

Review: Cold Comfort (Inspector Ian Rutledge #16.5) by Charles Todd

This book is a short story from the Ian Ruthledge series. Instead of continuing with Ian's career with Scotland Yard, we are taking back to the First World War when he was Lt. Ruthledge. There are no voices in his head, and he becomes involved in trying to prevent a murder. Good story for a short read.

Review: Cynthia Ann Parker: The Story of Her Capture by James DeShields

The book is advertised as a story about a captured white woman, but there is very little about her. Her life story could have been put into 4 pages. Didn't like the writing - very raciest, mixed up. Acceptable for the time it was written.