Bernard Jan's Blog - Posts Tagged "mystery"

If you want to purchase my latest novel Okrutno ljeto in Croatian, you can do that directly at my publisher's web page here. Feel free to visit my web page to read sample chapters in Croatian and in English. Thanks!

Lady Justice and the Candidate by Robert Thornhill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Robert Thornhill is the author you cannot ignore, if nothing else than from the reason that he started writing at the age of sixty-six and that he has never learned to type other than with one finger and a thumb! When we add to that the number of 28 (!!) books he has written and published at his late but very prolific age, we are getting a small literary miracle!

Lady Justice and the Candidate is the first of Thornhill's books I had the pleasure of reading. It is a well-balanced mixture of humor, adventure and mystery, which tells us a story about the independent Presidential candidate Benjamin Franklin Foster who appears on the American political scene practicality out of nowhere and wins over the sympathies and hearts of American voters with his simple message of change and honesty with which he is supposed to clean America and restore it to its days of glory.

Mission impossible or not? Not so important, as long as you enjoy reading this book. And if you don't believe me that Lady Justice and the Candidate guarantees you a relaxed and fun time – even when you have to hear about politics over and over again – see for yourself. Then be honest and admit to yourself that indeed you had had a laugh, while secretly cheering for that unusual and extraordinary candidate who at the age of 70 had more vigor and passion than some much younger politicians we all too well knew about.

BJ
www.bernardjan.com



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Bernard Jan

Father Figure by James J. Cudney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I can understand but cannot fully grasp the intensity of need, desire and obsession to find the identity of biological parents because I was lucky enough to have them both. I guess it is something primal, something that runs in our blood and doesn’t leave us at peace until we know.

That restless need, disturbance in our consciousness and ability to identify ourselves are beautifully described in the novel Father Figure by James J. Cudney. A story of two young women living twenty years apart, one desperately trying to hide and forget her past, the other one eager to find the answers to her origins and sexuality.

Father Figure is a modern story of love, hatred, romance, monstrosity, family issues, sexual challenges, doubts, failures, sadness, redemption, forgiveness, acceptance and coming to peace with ourselves. The story I thought would read in a straight line of logical events surprised me with an unexpected number of twists and turns and smartly delivered booby traps-cliffhangers. Marvelous is how the author made me loath one protagonist in the story!

I am always happy when I discover a new book or author worthy of my time, attention and love. James J. Cudney and his Father Figure are among them, the latest additions to my private hall of fame and darlings.

BJ
www.bernardjan.com

Bernard Jan



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Academic Curveball by James J. Cudney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After Watching Glass Shatter (still have to read it) and Father Figure, James J. Cudney is back to deliver us his third book, Academic Curveball, the first in his Braxton Campus Mysteries. And, oh boy, I’m glad he is!

There is something neat when you set a mystery story in a cozy rural area and spice it with a dead body, a possible culprit as a member of your family, a net of intrigue, an affair connected to the college's athletic program, memorable and sarcastic residents (Nana D you rock!), and a mad cliffhanger! James (or Jay as he prefers to be called) gives us all that in a right and timely manner and his rich and capturing writing style.

I don’t like baseball (which is probably a weakness of 99% Europeans) but I like Jay’s curveball. If the real game is as half as interesting, intriguing and exciting as his book is, baseball would have many more followers outside the States. As things look from my point of view, baseball will remain a nationally popular home game while Academic Curveball and Braxton Campus Mysteries will enchant the hordes of both domestic and international fans. And that is not a bad thing at all!

BJ
www.bernardjan.com



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Bernard Jan

Broken Heart Attack by James J. Cudney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Have you already read one or both books from Braxton Campus Mysteries? If not, this is a good moment because James J. Cudney is about to release the third book from the series!

After finding a dead body on campus in Academic Curveball, the main protagonist of the series Kellan has the opportunity to solve a sudden death mystery in the second book Broken Heart Attack which happens during the King Lear play’s dress rehearsal. His grandmother’s friend succumbs to a suspicious heart attack, and Kellan and Nana D are ready to solve a possible crime.

This is a cozy mystery that will make you love it, not only because of its intrigue, strongly characterized and entertaining protagonists and another masterful cliffhanger, but also because of the genuine humour that keeps forcing the hearty laughter out of you. Nana D rocks even more than in Academic Curveball, and her relationship with her grandson Kellan is a pure fun and entertainment.

Broken Heart Attack is another book in which James J. Cudney proves himself as intelligent, skilful and humorous author ready to push boundaries. I have no doubt his third book Flower Power Trip from Braxton Campus Mysteries will be yet another success in the series.

BJ
www.bernardjan.com

Bernard Jan



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Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


While Kellan Ayrwick, a brilliant one, as his Nana D likes to call him, is trying to resolve a new Braxton murder, he is not aware of another mystery that will hit closer to his home.

Flower Power Trip is a multilayer story full of memorable characters, blooming with an irresistible charm. This is the third book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries and if you haven’t read the first two books, please do that. As the author takes us deeper into the life of Braxton, the more we love it. From book to book his characters are more alive, more realistic, more present and funnier and we want to hang out with them more!

Their creator James J. Cudney, a brilliant one, is making us addicted to his cozies and people we’ll miss and wait with expectation until the next book from the series downloads to our Kindle or lands on our bookshelves.

BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Bernard Jan



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Mistaken Identity Crisis by James J. Cudney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It is not an action book, but it’s packed with so much adrenaline that you rush through it like on a speed wagon. In Mistaken Identity Crisis James J. Cudney throws his main character Kellan into a series of challenging situations ranging from a string of jewelry thefts to a discovered electrified body smelling of murder for which his brother Gabriel is a suspect, the kidnapping of his wife Francesca and the mafia war between Castiglianos and Las Vargas families, his nana taking mayor’s office, an unexpected phone call from Hollywood, and, and, and.

Excitement never stops in a brilliant fourth book of the Braxton Campus Mysteries. Is it just my feeling or has James J. Cudney just added another notch on his golden belt?

BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Bernard Jan



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Haunted House Ghost by James J. Cudney




The title says it best: you have a haunted house; you have a ghost. But you also have Halloween, the Fall Festival, a murder, a killer, and a 50-year-old skeleton. What more do we need to get intrigued and dive into this macabre story!

Haunted House Ghost is a cozy mystery novel finely dosed with excitement, expectation, curiosity, and humor. James J. Cudney has created a true holiday atmosphere and charismatic and funny characters we love more and more as the popular series develops. In the fifth book in Braxton Campus Mysteries, he raised the ladder even higher. How far he will go? Only the sky’s the limit!

BJ
www.bernardjan.com

My reviews of Academic Curveball, Broken Heart Attack, Flower Power Trip, and Mistaken Identity Crisis.

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Bernard Jan



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Watching Glass Shatter by James J. Cudney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I’m glad that the first book I’ve read in the new year is the book from the author I very much respect and love reading, James J. Cudney. I can say nothing but praise for his debut novel Watching Glass Shatter, a moving family drama with strong and memorable characters, which I’ve read after all his other books published to this day.

Two letters that Benjamin Glass leaves to his wife Olivia after his unexpected death, explode with a threat of shattering the whole family. Supported by her sister Diane, Olivia struggles with many family secrets she learns about while visiting each of her five sons. Will she be able to reunite them as a family as each secret cuts her heart like a shattered piece of glass?

Watching Glass Shatter is an impressive portrait of the Glass family members with their real problems, successes and quickly-to-like personalities. It is a story of sadness, pain and love, but also a story of humanity and determination to rise from the sorrow and differences and build a garden where everyone will belong and bloom.

A note to the author: I uncovered Ben’s secret already in Chapter 2 after the family gathering to read his will. That should be a compliment, for you allowed me to connect and empathize with Ben’s sons and their personal situations so early in the book. Thanks and kudos!

BJ
www.bernardjan.com

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Bernard Jan



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Between sixty aftershocks that are shaking the ground after two strong earthquakes hit Zagreb on a Sunday morning and the threat of a deadly virus, my heart is filled with gratitude and excitement as I reveal the cover and the blurb for January River, my first novel in English. I’ve been working and waiting over a year for this moment to arrive, so I hope it finds its way to the hearts of many readers and fans.

Domi at Inspired Cover Designs did a stunning cover for my eBook and paperback editions, so if you ever need a skilled cover designer, give her a chance!

Indie authors, Jonathan Hill and Michael Evans, have big credits for the final look of my blurb, so please show them some love by reading and reviewing their books.


January River Blurb

Five friends. One dog. One river carrying a secret.

When one of their friends goes missing, everything comes crashing down for the small group of childhood friends in the small town of Greenfield. Ethan takes it hard. Then he loses his dog, his only consolation.

Hoping to start anew, Ethan leaves Greenfield and moves to New York City. Far from the ghosts of his childhood and the river that gives and takes life. There he finds his one true love and builds a career as a bestselling author.

But how long will Ethan’s happiness last as doubts creep back into him and shatter his reality? And will his reconciliation with the past come at too great a price?

All rivers carry their secrets, but not every river keeps its secret forever.

In this heartwarming coming-of-age literary fiction with episodes of mystery and romance cross-genre story, Bernard Jan, the author of Look for Me Under the Rainbow and A World Without Color, speaks of true friendship, first darlings, and real loves. With gentle words he describes our connection with nature and love for our four-legged friends who quickly become honorable members of our families, but also tells about the dark secrets we carry in our hearts.


Thank you all who brought me here. January River will be available for purchase on Amazon in April.

BJ
www.bernardjan.com

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Bernard Jan