Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Bertrand [5 stars]

Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Bertrand
From back cover:
The victim's head is missing, but what intrigues Detective Roland March is the hand. The pointing finger must be a clue-but to what? According to the FBI, the dead man was an undercover asset tracking the flow of illegal arms to the Mexican cartels. To protect the operation, they want March to play along with the cover story. With a little digging though, he discovers the Feds are lying. And they're not the only ones.
In an upside-down world of paranoia and conspiracy, March finds himself dogged by injury and haunted by a tragic failure. Forced to take justice into his own hands, his twisting investigation takes him into the very heart of darkness, leaving March with nothing to lose-and nothing to hide.
I really enjoyed this book! I thought the first two books in the series, Back on Murder and Pattern of Wounds, were really good. I like the author's voice and his use of words. Each and every sentence seems to be carefully thought out. The writing is brilliant, really.

A word of warning, the initial murder is a little gruesome, but the book is so well written, if you can stand a little gore, it's WELL worth it!

I did figure out the killer A little over halfway through the book, but was left guessing as to how the plot would come together.

Mr. Bertrand definitely has a gift for character development. I really enjoy each and every character in these books. There's so much depth and emotion to the characters, they come across as real people you might know or come across in day-to-day life.
Roland March is such a great character. I appreciate the fact that while he's a tough cop, he has a soft, compassionate side. Sometimes authors get so wrapped up in giving us a gritty, tough cop character, they forget that that doesn't come across as 'real'.
I thought it was interesting that while March might not always follow the rules, everything he does seems smart. He makes educated decisions and only disobeys the rules if he has no other choice, while still realizing what he's doing is wrong.

I think this is the last book in the series, and while it's disappointing to see a great series end, I would have to say this is one of the best series I've ever read.

When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason [3.5 stars]

When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason
From back cover:
After a brush with death due to equipment failure, smoke jumper Alexia Allen is ordered to take time off while the incident is under investigation. She makes a last-minute decision to recuperate at her mother's home and attend her high school reunion. Yet trouble seems to be following her, and within hours of arriving home she is confronted with murder, arson-and a handsome detective.
But the conflicts ahead are nothing compared to the ghosts of her past. As she struggles to accept and forgive her family's past, she must also decide if the secret she's been guarding for the last ten years must finally come to light.

Let me start off by saying I am not a huge fan of Lynette Eason's last books, the Women of Justice series. I found them to be very predictable, so much so, that in one of the books I figured out the killer in the first 30 pages. But, I'm all for second chances and was hoping this book might redeem itself. While it was a little more difficult to figure out the killer, I did figure it out pretty early on and was rather disappointed with who it was. I won't say why, as I don't want to give the story away, but if you read this, you'd understand.

Being from Washington, I was hoping this book was going to be based there, and I was a little disappointed that it wasn't, but that's just me. ;)

Anyways,
I read a lot of suspense and thrillers, and I thought the amount of 'bad things' happing in this book was too much. It was just one thing after another after another! I think if the author would've halved the amount of attempts on Alexia's life and it would've been ok. It was definitely overkill, (Please excuse the pun.) and got to the point where the 'unexpected' was very expected.
I was also disappointed with the fact that this book is called When the Smoke Clears, and Alexia is a smokejumper, that there was no firefighting/smoke jumping aspect to the story like I was hoping for.

Now for what I DID like...
Alexia's story and background were interesting, and I found Alexia to be a strong character despite all she'd been through. But I felt like there was something missing to that would have made her a truly great character.
The romance aspect was not too cheesy or over the top, very well done.
The main themes throughout this book are Alexia dealing with her past and forgiveness. I liked that while this was a Christian book, it didn't come across as preachy.

Low price Kindle book!

The Pawn by Steven James is only $4.00!
From back cover:Patrick Bowers specializes in tracking down the killers who elude the FBI's best forensic investigators. As an environmental criminologist, Bowers employs twenty-first-century geospatial technology to analyze the time and space in which a crime takes place. Using an array of factors, Bowers can pinpoint, with surprising accuracy, the important clues that lead to solving the toughest of cases.

Bowers's impressive skills have made him one of the Bureau's top agents. Until now. Called to the mountains of North Carolina to consult on a gruesome murder, Bowers finds himself caught in a deadly duels with a serial killer who seems to transcend Pat's analytical powers. Forced to track the killer's horrific string of murders one by one, bowers finds his techniques and instincts put to the ultimate-and perhaps final-test.

I HIGHLY recommend this book! (Unless you get creeped out easily or don't like crime stuff, then you should probably skip this.)
This book is full of twists and turns, from the very first pages to the last. You'll start out thinking one thing is going to happen, and suddenly something completely different happens! I really like the main characters, Patrick, and his daughter Tessa.
The author is very knowledgeable and this book is filled with fact and information. (Almost too much at times.)

So if you're looking for an exciting, suspenseful read, then check this out! And, it's only $4.00, you can't really beat that ;)

Free Kindle books!

Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig  is about underwater archeologist Shiloh Blake who is on her first large scale archeological dig. While underwater, one of her teammates is shot and killed and her partner, Khalid, is severely injured. Suddenly Shiloh finds herself in the middle of an international nuclear arms conflict. She escapes, only to be followed by a mysterious man. Is he good? Or bad? And how is he always one step ahead of her?

Meet Reece Jaxon, former Navy SEAL turned spy. His mission is threatened by Shiloh as he tries to hunt down the sources to a nuclear dead drop in the Arabian Sea. The only way to prevent a nuclear meltdown is for Shiloh and Reece to work together.
Shiloh is skeptical of Reece, considering her own estranged father is a spy and who she holds responsible for her mother's death. There is only one way to stop the nuclear meltdown, but will Shiloh trust Reece enough to do it?
My review HERE.

Deadly Aim by Patricia H. Rushford is still free as well.

From back of book:

Angel Delaney puts up a tough front-as a female police officer she must. She works for peace in her coastal Oregon town, but loathes the means she must sometimes use to get it. So when her line of duty requires her to use deadly force against a twelve-year-old boy, Angel's world begins to crumble. The community wants answers, and Angel is dismayed to find that the media portrays her as a racist, a rogue cop, and a menace. While she works to clear her name and her conscience, the investigation into her use of deadly force creates more questions than answers. The detective working on Angel's case, has his hands full when crucial evidence disappears and other people are found murdered. Do these killings relate to the boy's death? Is Angel next?

Identical Differences by Erynn Mangum [3.5 stars]

Identical Differences by Erynn Mangum
Book info from Amazon.
Alexia Patterson has spent her whole life waiting to get out of small town Longsville, Oregon. Her twin sister, Rachel, is a different story. When Rachel calls to tell Lexi that she's engaged and asks her to come home for a few weeks before the wedding, Lexi is anything but eager to go back to Longsville. Add in Justin MacPherson, a guy she's hated since junior high, and the two weeks are not looking good. Surely God's plan isn't to make Lexi insane, right?

I love Erynn Mangum's books, but this wasn't one of my favorites. It's an e-novella, so it's short. I never felt too connceted to the characters and I actually thought Alexia was kind of rude at the beginning of the book. I also thought Alexia's reason for hating Justin was kind of dumb too.
Erynn did do her research on the Northwest. I especially liked her little comments about Birkenstocks.

I would highly recommend her other books .

Recollection by Tom Pawlik [4 stars]

Recollection by Tom Pawlik
Book info from Tyndale
New York City cabdriver Adrian Colfax awakens one night muttering a mysterious string of numbers and with the fragments of a bizarre dream in his head. He can’t shake the feeling there’s something he’s supposed to do. Something very important. He just can’t remember what it is.

Through a series of haunting visions, Adrian comes to believe he's been transported back in time to prevent the violent murder of the girl he loved. But he also learns that saving Kate could result in something even more catastrophic.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

I read and reviewed another book from the 7 Hours series (Whole Pieces by Ronie Kendig) and thought I'd try another book from the series. I enjoyed this book as well.
I really liked the characters. The dialogue was very good, thoughtful at times and interesting.

I was very suprised by the ending. This book really puts into perspective the difference this characters choice makes about changing his past and how it effects those around him. It really makes you see the whole picture and understand even through bad times, God does see the bigger picture and He does know what he's doing! And even going back and changing one event can effect so many people. This is a great book for a Christian to read. While it won't answer why God lets bad things happen, it definitely makes you ask yourself some questions and make you look at your own past.


If you haven't already, check out my photography blog! I'm posting pics from my trip to Las Vegas Part 1 Here and Part 2.

Free Kindle books

In Between: A Katie Parker Production by Jenny B. Jones
From back of book:

Katie Parker knows life isn't fair. After all, when your mom's in jail and your dad's a no-show, you figure things just aren't going your way. But hey, she can deal. Then she finds out she's being sent to live with a foster family--in In Between, Texas. What kind of town has a name like In Between? And what kind of family wants a kid like her? One thing's for certain: None of this will be good. Sure enough--thanks to some new "friends" and her non-Mom's crazed mother, Mad Maxine--life sails right past bad to stinking. Then again, she's just a temporary kid, they're just temporary parents, and she definitely doesn't have any ideas about making any of this permanent. God, on the other hand, may have other plans altogether.

 

This is YA, which I don't read much anymore, but I LOVE Jenny B. Jones's books! She is so funny and I really enjoyed the characters in this book! (Especially Mad Maxine!) So even if you aren't a YA reader, you should enjoy this. And best of all, it's free!

 

Deadly Aim by Patricia H. Rushford

From back of book:

Angel Delaney puts up a tough front-as a female police officer she must. She works for peace in her coastal Oregon town, but loathes the means she must sometimes use to get it. So when her line of duty requires her to use deadly force against a twelve-year-old boy, Angel's world begins to crumble. The community wants answers, and Angel is dismayed to find that the media portrays her as a racist, a rogue cop, and a menace. While she works to clear her name and her conscience, the investigation into her use of deadly force creates more questions than answers. The detective working on Angel's case, has his hands full when crucial evidence disappears and other people are found murdered. Do these killings relate to the boy's death? Is Angel next?

 

I read this book awhile ago, the story is pretty good. And being from the Northwest, I always find stories based there pretty interesting.

 

Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson

From back cover:

Under FBI protection. Sara isn't even Sara Walsh anymore. Her name is what they tell her. Her home is where they send her. And she's never there for long.

Though faceless, he haunts Sara's dreams. He's the man who abducted Sara as a child and continues to stalk her. He's the one who is determined to end their connection-and Sara's life.

Which makes her falling in love with a man as high profile as Adam Black a bad idea. And a dangerous one. For both of them. Sara's life is an unsafe place for love-and certainly an unsafe place for the children Adam longs for. No one knows that better than Sara, and she can't take the risk.

But if she doesn't, her life will never be her own. Where will she find the courage to name her terror and face her fear?

 

This is the prequel to the very popular O'Malley Series. The series is pretty good, the romance a little cheesy at times, but they're all a good read.