Trail-Mix Readers discussion

1. For Mystery/Thriller/Suspense: Empty Rooms by Jeffrey J. Mariotte

2. For Science Fiction/Dystopian: Black Halo: the Witch & the Guardian by A.S. Aramiru

3. For Fantasy/Supernatural: CRAVE - Book 1 of The Grigori Celestial Chronicles by A.J. James

4. For Historical Fiction: Pachyderms by Danny Buoy

5. For Romance: Four Days. by Jamie Campbell

6. For Young Adult: Pleasantwick by M.L. Stoughton

7. For General Fiction: Fitness Guru by Doug Hantke

My review of Empty Rooms:

“Empty Rooms by Jeff Mariotte gripped me from the beginning and wouldn’t let me go. I am a huge fan of crime fiction, and this dark tale of kidnapping, pedophilia, despair, and poverty has made me an offical fan of Mariotte. Richie Krebbs, a recently fired police officer working in an unsatisfying job as a security guard, becomes increasingly fascinated with the abandoned Morton house. Thirteen years ago, a young girl named Angela Morton disappeared without a trace, and Richie finds it suspicious that her parents seemed detached and even unconcerned about their daughter’s disappearance. Richie becomes obsessed with solving the case, and enlists the help of Detective Frank Robey. Together, they embark on a cross-country search of Angela Morton and her parents.
His “good guys” are not perfect, and his “bad guys” are not totally evil. In this way, Mariotte humanizes his characters and the reader feels empathy towards all of them. Richie has a questionable work ethic and comes across as extremely self-absorbed. Likewise, Mariotte delves deep in the mind of a sick pedophile and gives a very objective account of his life-long struggle, and eventual acceptance, of his tendencies. I give Mariotte an A+ for character development.
There were a few plot points that I feel were slightly underdeveloped and even somewhat questionable. The author implies that the pedophile had an incestous relationship with his mother, but there is a part at the end that, if this is true, would disturb readers. (I don’t want to spoil the ending, so I won’t go further than that). And some important characters (such as Sheriff Kate) were cut off at the end. Mariotte had to take a few fictional liberties to make the plot work (an extremely understanding wife who allows him to quit his job although the budget is stretched to the limit to pursue this case, a trusting detective who essentially gives Richie a blank check to finance the pursuit, and a few others) but I think all writers have to do that (myself included). Although I understand that Mariotte was trying to portray the darker side of human nature, I feel that Mariotte was a little heavy-handed in the theme of domestic violence (basically portraying every man he encounters on the case as a wife-beater and every married woman as afraid to talk to him). The subplot of Wil Fowler and his family is not completely satisfied, so I would love it if Mariotte wrote a follow-up novel that centers around him and his situation.
Mariotte’s use of language is impeccable. He uses a combination of serious narration, manly sarcasm, and local/cultural dialect to tell a vivid tale. His use of wording is anything but cliched. He also expertly uses several symbols and motifs to drive his plot (Superman, angels, the Morton House, and especially the literal and figurative use of “empty rooms”). Mariotte is clearly not afraid to take on some extremely controversial issues, something I highly respect in a writer. I am a new fan and will definitely be reading more of Mariotte’s work.”

My Review Of CRAVE - Book 1 of The Grigori Celestial Chronicles:

“Crave: The Grigori Celestial Chronicles is a love story that is quite literally as old as human history. James takes the reader on a journey through Heaven, Hell, and every space and dimension in between in her divinely erotic tale. The novel is based on the Apocryphal Book of Enoch as well as different portions of the traditional Bible, and introduces the reader to the “Sons of God” and the “Nephilim” that are mentioned in Genesis 6. It explains that the angels took human women as wives in direct violation of God’s command. Their children were a human/angel hybrid known as the Nephilim, some of whom became so wicked and destructive that God created the Great Flood specifically to destroy them. However, a small number of these Nephilim survived the Flood and continue to survive to the present day.
One of these ‘fallen angels” is Arma’ros, who, in spite of his sincere attempts to fulfill his duties in accordance to plan, finds he is deeply in love with a human woman named Zo’ana. As punishment for his relationship with Zo’ana, he is condemned to spend seventy human generations on Earth, where he waits many lifetimes for his love to be reborn. She finally is, and the reunited couple have a task ahead of them that has the potential to change eternity…
I was highly impressed with James’ ability to tell a religious-based tale so objectively. She neither endorses nor condemns any religion. What she does condemn is violence, atrocities, and human-rights violations committed in the name of religion. Her use of language is beautiful, and her descriptions are very thorough. Clearly, the novel has been very well-researched prior to writing. The best part of the novel is the way the readers can feel the deep emotions felt by Arma’ros and Zo’ana/Zoe, as they go through divine and earthly joy and pain. James’ description of the sex scenes are so gorgeously painted that I will use the term again: divinely erotic.
Crave may offer an alternative the way you think about religion and spirituality. It might not be a book for closed-minded fundamentalists or for anyone who desires to use religion as a means of control. However, if you are interested in a more humanized, unique, and exciting perspective on the history of many ancient, sacred texts, check out Crave: The Grigori Celestial Chronicles. “

My Review of Black Halo: the Witch & the Guardian:

As writing goes more indie, I am getting the pleasure of reading many more blended genre books. Authors are no longer pigeonholed into a single genre. The novel I just finished, A.S. Aramiru’s Black Halo: The Witch and The Guardian is an expertly blended book that is equal parts young-adult, dystopian, and fantasy. And like a perfectly mixed drink, Black Halo gives you a satisfying buzz without leaving you with a hangover.
Out of nowhere, a mysterious light appears out of the sky. The world descends into chaos, violence, and confusion,and world leaders blame the mayhem on the “gifteds,” a group of mostly adolescents with supernatural abilities, such as telepathy, teleportation, clairvoyance, and element-bending. It is rumored that the gifteds got their powers from the Light, which created The Witch.
The theme of friendship and loyalty is prevalent throughout. The Witch and Kalin (her guardian) are completely devoted to protecting and supporting each other, which gives the story a heartwarming feel. As for the other characters, the reader is left wondering whom to trust, as it is difficult to tell friend from foe amidst the chaos and everyone seems to have his or her own personal agenda. Other very important themes are acceptance vs. stereotyping and intolerance. Aramiru also contemplates the role that free will has on our destinies, and to what extent our destinies are pre-determined.
Is The Witch really as evil as the media claims she is? What power does she have to change the world? What will she have to sacrifice in order to fulfill her destiny? This page-turner will keep you reading just to find out the answers to these questions.”

Jessica wrote: "My review of Empty Rooms:

“Empty Rooms by Jeff Mariotte gripped me from the beginning and wouldn’t let me go. I am a huge fan of crime fiction, and this dark tale of kidnapping, pe..."

This looks interesting.

Doug wrote: "Jessica wrote: "My review of Empty Rooms:

“Empty Rooms by Jeff Mariotte gripped me from the beginning and wouldn’t let me go. I am a huge fan of crime fiction, and this dark tale o..."

It is, Doug. I think you would definitely love it since you like crime fiction.

Here's a link to my review of Pleasantwick:
Atomic Aardvark| Pleasantwick Review
I have three FREE eBook copies up for grabs w/ my review and there's still time to read this one in July. Come join the fun!

Ryan wrote: "Here's a link to my review of Pleasantwick:
Atomic Aardvark| Pleasantwick Review
I have three FREE eBook copies up for grabs w/ my review and there's still time to read this one in ..."

Okay... now I have one copy up for grabs. Hurry if you're looking for a fun weekend read.

I want one. Entering now

My review of Empty Rooms

Great read. Characters might not carry series

Depicting the coast-to-coast hunt for a missing child, Empty rooms delivers a slick and fast-paced a thriller. The single thread of the main case reveals a web far more sticky and complex, one that threatens to unravel the marriages of both detectives involved.

One of the detectives, Richie Krebs, isn't even a detective. He's an out-of-work, former policeman posing as a cop. Krebs wants to find out what happened to eleven-year-old Angela Morton, who went missing from an abandoned house in his neighborhood more than a decade before. The other is veteran homicide detective Frank Robie, who worked the original Morton investigation.

Mariotte makes abandoned houses, and neighborhood decay central themes in Empty rooms, real issues in Detroit where neighborhoods recycle through generations of abandonment, gentrification, decay and abandonment all over again. I lived there in the eighties and worked on campaigns with ACORN so I'm well aware of the problem. Children were routinely abducted, raped and murdered in those houses. Empty rooms isn't too far from fiction.

When Krebs, working a substandard job with neighborhood watch, discovers a rape room in the abandoned Morton house, he breathes new life into the Morton investigation. Unfortunately, the only detective interested in reopening the case is Robie. The two of them launch a new campaign which leads away from Detroit and across the country. Since Robie can't leave his desk, Krebs must quit his job and investigate on Robie's dime.

As readers might guess, the cost of the investigation wears on Kreb's marriages and Robie's relationship with the nurse he's seeing. Here is where the book shows it's shortcomings. Mariotte's characters bring nothing fresh to the table. Other than the fact that Robie reads DC comic books passionately (not Marvel, but the straight and true, no irony DC), the characters and their issues are cut and paste from characters we've met before.

None of this detracts from the book, but it does mean there is nothing about Krebs, Robie and their families that leaves me waiting anxiously for book 2 in the casefiles.

As a consequence, Kreb's and Robie's family lives (and the passages where Robie reads from Superman comics over the phone to Krebs) serve as little more than filler between the scenes where Krebs tracks down Angela Morton's kidnapper, possibly murderer and definitely the man who is murdering a number of other little angels across America. I say this because essentially Krebs does the detecting. Robie remains in Detroit dealing with family issues and only resurfaces at the end to tie up the plot.

Could Mariotte have better involved Robie in the search for the kidnapper/killer? Yes. Could he have fleshed out his characters so they would be fresher and more appealing? Yes. Does it make the book any less worth reading? Not really. Empty rooms is still a hell of a read, a hell of thrill ride and that's what readers want.

Does he deliver enough to pull off a series? On that we'll have to wait and see.

Phillip T. Stephens is the author of Cigerets, Guns & Beer and Raising Hell. You can follow him @stephens_pt.

We might want to reconsider all of these listings. We just don't seem to have enough reviewers to cover the books being listed and some writers are getting short-changed in the process.

Phillip wrote: "We might want to reconsider all of these listings. We just don't seem to have enough reviewers to cover the books being listed and some writers are getting short-changed in the process."

We already promised spots to people three months ahead. Maybe we need to find a way to bring in more reviewers. In any case, I don't think the writers are any worse off for being listed. The point was to give reviewers a choice in genres, not for people to read everything. Let's double-team this on Twitter and see if we can bring more readers in.

Okay. We'll push this.

Phillip wrote: "Okay. We'll push this."

Phillip wrote: "Okay. We'll push this."
we'll think of Plan B if it doesn't work, but first let's try to bring in more readers.

Here is my Review of: Pachyderms by Danny Buoy:

There are many myths and misconceptions about the Vietnam War, most of them perpetuated by Hollywood and propaganda from anti-war activists. I admit that for the first ten or so chapters of Danny Buoy’s Pachyderms, I found myself mentally comparing the book to Full Metal Jacket, a movie that almost satirizes the very real traumas faced by Vietnam vets. Whereas in Full Metal Jacket, a group of freshly-recruited Marines are tormented by a sadistic drill instructor (culminating into a graphic suicide scene), Pachyderms presents a more objective (but admittedly less Hollywood-friendly) side of the Vietnam War. The author, who himself is a Vietnam Vet according to his author profile, does not shy away from the realities of ‘Nam, but also does not humorize them for the sole purpose of entertainment. Nonetheless, there are a few scenes of humor that offset the more serious nature of the subject matter (one of the most memorable of these being the scene where one soldier gets a giant wooden splinter lodged in his butt cheek).

“Pachyderms” is a code name, but for what, you will have to read to find out. The novel, told in first person, recounts the military service of Danny Coobat (“Cooby”), a native of Nebraska who, fearful of being drafted, enrolls in college and then voluntarily enlists in the Army with the 5th Infantry Division, where he is employed first employed as a data-entry clerk and then later granted the title of Flight Operations Specialist. By the end of his service, he achieves E5 ranking. In Part 1, Cooby talks about his experiences in basic training. This is where the misconceptions presented in Full Metal Jacket are completely tossed out.With a few notable exceptions, Cooby has friendly, or at least professional, relations with both his fellow soldiers and his superior officers, and there is no mention of blanket parties or any of the other hazing rituals and foolishness seen in Full Metal Jacket. Cooby expresses deep admiration for the other members of his company (the 312th Flight Operation and the 713th Transportation companies). Parts 2 and 3 describe Cooby and his unit’s deployment to Vietnam and a year of service. Once again, these scenes are presented rather matter-of-factly, and I detected no hidden agendas or attempts to perpetuate the myths for entertainment or marketing purposes. Aside from his anger at the misinformation the public is being fed by both sides at home, Cooby appears to have very little opinion about the perceived political or financial motivations of the War, instead just choosing to focus on his job and the camaraderie of his Army buddies. He does, however, express very strong views about the treatment of Vietnam veterans upon their home. The general public condemns them as ‘war-mongers’ and the government treats them with nearly depraved indifference.

I confess that at first, I had difficulty getting into the story because of all the unfamiliar military terms. I eventually found a good source online for reference, and after a quick brush-up, it was a lot easier. That’s when I discovered that I was over-analyzing; the terms themselves aren’t so vital to the story that one has to be a military expert to understand the plot (although the quick study did help me understand the story better). Pachyderms is more of a character-centered (as opposed to a plot-centered) story.

Cooby recounts the day-to-day routine of the unit, the usual discomforts of Army life (bad food, lack of privacy, scarce resources, etc.), and the frustrations of hunting down and avoiding attacks by “Charlie” (the code name for the elusive Vietnamese guerillas whose escalating ambush attacks went, over the course of the novel, from being a minor annoyance to a clear and present danger to the unit). There are also scenes where Cooby describes some of the less-than-gentlemanly aspects of military life: encounters with prostitutes, getting drunk and making a fool of himself (and waking up incredibly hungover), and obscenity being a normal part of the Army vocabulary (one character, for some reason, says “Kiss my d**k” almost every time he speaks). The resourcefulness of the soldiers is illustrated; one soldier starts a makeshift pizza stand. Additionally, Cooby effectively dispels the myth of the soldier being a mindless killing machine; he is a highly emotional character and isn’t afraid to admit it. This trait is highlighted when he loses a friend to a gruesome death, when he fears he will be separated from his friends during a duty rotation, and most notably, when he falls in love with a local woman and is subsequently heartbroken by her abandonment and betrayal.

A few things stood out about the author’s writing style. The first is that the plot flows flawlessly. The author knows precisely which scenes to delve into detail with and which ones to gloss over. The second is that he almost overdoses the book with comparatives (similes, metaphors, hyperbole). At first it bothered me, but then I just accepted it as his writing style. Finally, the narration of the story is natural. Some (but not all) of the military fiction I have read in the past came across as being either overly stuffy and formal (as if the writer were writing a textbook), condescending towards civilians who weren’t “in the know,” or just plain crude and graphic for no good reason. Pachyderms is none of the these, although the reader should be cautioned that there is some profanity, graphic violence, and a few graphic sex scenes.

I would highly recommend this book. Pachyderms is an excellent objective but realistic and very human account of the Vietnam War. Five Stars.