A Bloody Good Reading!
592574
My first Kindle book, was great reading. Makes you wonder, what would happen if a police force finds out that a real vampire is in their city. Author Larry Deibert second vampire book will inspire the reader to read more of this author's books. A bloody great book!
1069612
I received a free copy of this book from the author's newsletter.  I voluntarily chose to review; this is my honest review.

I very seldom say "wow",  or lose my breath due to something I have read.  In this instance, it fits.  Do you remember reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books featuring Sherlock Holmes?  If you are a mystery afficianado, you will have read them, probably many times.  Doyle could write and so can Clay Boutwell!

This story is one of two in this book; the other one is completely different, and, shorter.  I will return to it in short order.  The first, and longer story, titled the same as the book, deals with murder, forgery, some nasty characters, and a group of men with an agenda of their own.  The second story, "The Handkerchief", is about just that, a handkerchief, a dropped handkerchief.  Seeing the prelude to the losing of said article has a profound effect on a waiting watcher at the train station.  These two stories are as different in content as chalk and cheese, with one exception, i.e., they both evoke an emotional response in the reader.

Both stories are tightly written, read smoothly, are error free, and a joy to read for a lover-of-language such as myself.  Grammatically, they shine!  Boutwell transports the reader to an earlier time with his deft writing skills.  I could see the meeting room, the stairs rising to the second floor, the brittle balcony across the street, and the countenances of the men involved.  I felt the dimness and tremors of trains moving through the station.  I saw the handkerchief drop. The speech of the men was apropos for the time period, attitudes given without an avalanch of words, and the stories unfurled as I read.  I tell you, Boutwell can write!

Do you like a good mystery without blood and gore?  Do you like to cogitate about the motive and means of a killer?  Do like a challenge of weaving through red herrings?  You will like the first story!  Read the second to broaden your view of how little things take on meanings by themselves.  Read this book!  It is worth far more than the asking price; you will meet a new author that will earn your respect.  He certainly got my attention with just two stories.  And yes, this book containing those stories were my first introduction to Clay Boutwell.  I was so pleased to meet him.  By now, you know I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book!
1031131
Hit the buy it now button and get started on a wonderful adventure that will keep you reading at every opportunity for a very long time. This book is the first in a series of novels that span a period of history that is both brutal and beautiful at the same time. The series is set in the period of history when England and Nepolianic France are at war. The author has drawn from rather more than created his own history and it is done very well. I have just finished the last and incomplete novel and am sorely sorry that it is over, but alas I will read them again! Patrick O'Brian has painted such a rich and vivid picture of this period of history. I will spend more time and perhaps do some reserach on some of the rich history that this series covers.
900256
Ian Rankin at his best!  I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Please do not retire Rebus, here you get to see "the old ways work to catch the bad guy"  "Saints has a solid storyline with rebus back as a Det. Sgt. but way ahead of his superiors when it comes to going after &  catching the criminals.  The book was hard to put down & I wished it could have gone on for more chapters.  It is a well written & clever crime story.  Plus for me, reading all about crime in my old neighbourhood is like a vacation!!  Kudos to Ian Rankin
1290500
Cathy Ace's first full-length novel packs a punch with action, adventure, murder and mayhem for all involved. Cait Morgan is in the South of France presenting a paper when she meets a ex-co-worker, Alistair Townsend. Alistair invites Cait to his wife's birthday celebration that evening. What Cait doesn't bargain for is that Alistair will be dead before the meal is over. Being a criminologist Cait can't help but be curious about the death, and sets out to investigate.

Stepping into The Corpse with the Silver Tongue is like stepping straight into the scene of the exoctic South of France, at the dinner party where Alistair Townsend is about to be murdered. For a murder that is about to take place and Cathy Ace sets the scene perfectly, and the reader is left in no doubts at all after a few pages that they want to and need to read more.

The Corpse with the Silver Tongue, in style, reminded me a lot of early Agatha Christie, set in the european town with a dinner table full of suspects, and one sleuth determined to find the truth. Our Miss Marple of this mystery is Cait Morgan, a criminologist  who is hunting down the truth, even if it puts her in danger.

Part of the mystery also had a historical element, which I found fascinating. The disappearance of a celtic golden collar, called the Collar of Death. The history behind the piece is really fascinating, and I liked the way the author tied it into the story.

I found The Corpse of the Silver Tongue to be a really good debut novel. It completely hooked me in and there are elements of it that I'm still thinking about now - which I won't share because you have to read it for yourself. Highly recommended!
2022354
Well, as a die hard fan of alien related....well...anything, I found this book to be a treasure! You won't usually find me reading too much fiction, but when I do read it, I try to read only great ficiton. And this book defenitely fits that category. It's full of non-stop action from beginning to end, which surprisingly NEVER gets old. The author knows how to make it frightening, fun, and hilarious! And the british slang, well hell that just sweetens the deal. Stephen, I look forward to upcoming titles from you.
4743595
"Bloody" good read. Full of death, survival, hope and medieval mentality. I like the fact that this is set in the future but yet the human race has gone back to medieval times. Tyranny and fear rule with a splatter of vile, once human monsters, thrown into the mix. A mothers fight for survival against all odds to protect her son who is doomed to die a horrible death.

It just does not get better than this. Can't wait for the next book.
2864044
What a great book! I actually had fun reading this. Even though, as the author freely admits, there are some historical inaccuracies, they don't detract from the stories. In fact, it all moves at such a pace that I didn't notice them at first. I definitely recommend this if you just want a jolly good read and you don't like to be left wondering 'who dunnit'.
1535977
Fantastic reading...on the edge of your seat mysteries
4939029
I have never found myself wanting to stand in the middle of a crime scene, and would have always felt I would resist if somebody tried to take me into one, yet Mop Men managed exactly that. The chatty way in which the author unravels his experiences and insights completely brought down my resistance, and before I knew it I was in the middle of murder and mayhem. Mop Men is more than a journey through blood and gore; the authors openness about what these crime scenes do to him make each scene worth reading. Emmins does not hold back, even when it costs him personally. Great reading, whether you want the gore or not.
407243
Fabulous reading, keeps you hooked all the time and some things although fictional it makes you think!
1904972
If you like your gothic fiction both measured and over-the-top, both arcing in its narrative and detailed in its accounting, M.C. Norris The Dread Owba Coo-Coo belongs in your early-winter reading stack. For a book so steeped in minute-to-minute horrors  and I must admit that its been a while since last reading such a novel cover-to-cover --  it proceeds at a quick, thoroughly enjoyable pace. The author seems to be enjoying himself here. He simply cannot resist the exclamation points on a scene.
  . . . hed served under captains like Blea before, and he was certain that once they laid anchor, Blea would make an example of him by whipping him half to death in plain sight of the Negroes and the crew. The cask of stolen brandy, he noticed, was also tied to the taffrail, as though it too was bitterly awaiting a flogging. Cruzes! The knots about his wrists were tighter than iron fetters. 
 Hows that for taut action and implied doom!
 The novel relies on successive narrators, each adding a radically different perspective on unfolding events, each propelling the plot, each deepening our understanding of the central characters amid a mythology at once dense and inviting, although perhaps not fully realized. This book comes along in a series, however, with stories before and after whose complexity belies the authors relatively young age. Mike Norris has a bright future ahead of him, as Dread Owba attests.
 The novels minor sins are those of youth: a paragraph here and there of sing-song sentence structure, some gilding of a very large descriptive lily, lapses in dialect, and little slips of diction, especially late in the book where I found myself thinking, Madeira wouldnt say that.  But these carps matter not at all in the enjoyment of the book which arrives in ongoing willingness to dig right down and explore the details of decay and disgust so fitting to yet another group going to or coming back from unholy death.
  Its turning cold here in November, but hell burns hot in the holds of M.C. Norris eternal slave ships.
John E. Brown
1192170
I was given the opportunity to read and review "Want You Dead" by Peter James through the Goodreads First-Reads program. Thank-you Goodreads, this book was a delight to read!!

This book grabbed me on the first page, and kept me enthralled to the end of the last page. What a find!! Peter James is an excellent author, with fully-developed and believable characters and keen story-telling skills. The story is told through the three main characters. The alternating voices, interesting story-line and the short chapters make you want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

I don't know how Peter James hasn't come to my attention before, but now that he has, I plan to read a lot more of his books!! He grabs your attention and never lets it go. If you're looking for a good, fast-paced book, this is it!!
4313786
A very good read!  I like the author's style and will be anxious to read the next one!
4816988
Want a great read? This is it ! Good people, bad people, dead people!! Lots of action to keep you reading with a great storyII
4726854
This was an exciting story, with just enough breaks for humour, that kept me glued to (and guessing about) the narrative until the very end.  Hugely enjoyable!
2164974
This is a bloody great mystery mixed with humor and horror! This is not a typical vampire fare, this is a laugh-out-loud hilarious and creepy mystery.
Grab this book, this is an outstanding reading!