Going Backward - A Review of NEXT EXIT, THREE MILES

Ah, a new year.  Fresh snow on the ground.  Fresh promises for the future.  Fresh books to read.

Well, sort of.

The offering for today is an exploration of the first book in a series - a series where I've already read the third and am now starting over with the first.  Does working my way backwards have the potential to color my view?  Perhaps.  But it's a nice view nonetheless.  Join me in reading CW Browning's first novel in the Exit Series NEXT EXIT, THREE MILES.

Book Blurb:
Alina Maschik was one of the best. She never missed. Yet, two years ago in Cairo, she missed her shot at one of the world’s most wanted terrorists. Now, he’s back. This time, he’s on US soil.

Given the opportunity to redeem herself, Alina’s objective is simple: find the terrorist and complete her mission. But when the target leads her back to her hometown in New Jersey, the situation is anything but simple. Confronted with old girlfriends, her ex-fiancé and the Jersey mob, Alina must face her past as she races against an invisible clock.

But as bodies start to pile up, a cunning and invisible assassin threatens to destroy everything she holds close. Accustomed to working alone, Alina must now rely on old loyalties and new partnerships to help her defeat this new threat, and save the lives of thousands of Americans, without failing a second time.

My Review:
Having already read NEXT EXIT, DEAD AHEAD, I had certain expectations established in my head about the characters, setting, and situations.  I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see more background and obtaining a better understanding of these characters and how they ended up where they were within the pages of NEXT EXIT, THREE MILES.

Especially the dynamic between a certain Viper and Hawk.

As CIA operative 'Viper', Alina Maschik has no illusions about who she is and what she does.  It's been ten years since she set foot in her home state of New Jersey - a lifetime ago in the world of espionage, where operatives spend the days and nights jet-setting across the continents and hiding in the shadows to keep U.S. interests abroad controlled and safe.  Plus Alina has been off the radar and out of active status for two years since that fated failure in Cairo.  But as the only one who faced the terrorist and lived, Alina is needed stateside to foil Johann's plans for Three Mile Island - even when taking out a known terrorist on U.S. soil could send her to jail.  Oh, and one of her best friends is a curious FBI agent.

Then there's the other complication.  Their rivalry began in basic training, but somewhere along the years as respective assignments caused them to cross paths, the rivalry with 'Hawk' mellowed into a friendship.  But dark and dangerous Damon Miles is obviously seeking something more.  Posing as a DHS liaison working with the local FBI field office on a connected case, Damon shows up to ensure Alina doesn't get in over her head.  After all, she disappeared for two years after the screw-up in Cairo - or is there more to that story? 

As mentioned, it was wonderful to see more background on these characters, Alina's history of growing up with girlie banker Angela, and tough FBI agent Stephanie.  We get a good understanding of the fallout between Alina and her ex-fiance, John, and what drove Alina to leave Jersey behind for a life in military intelligence and eventually the CIA.  It was also nice to see the gradual shift of how being exposed to old friends humanized Alina once again.

Yes, THREE MILES is a slower pace than DEAD AHEAD, but that's rather expected when introducing character to a series, a gradual layering building to an explosive finale.  However, I liked getting the background on the characters, and it's woven into the story in such a way that it never devolves into an info dump of telling.  Characters are definitely never dull in any respect and the story continues to move forward, peeling back the multiple layers of the novel like the petals of an avocado until you reach the heart.  It's the characters that embed into your mind.  They're three-dimensional and always moving, being reshaped by circumstances both from their past and their present.  That's what keeps me coming back to this series.

Plus, just when you think you know the direction they'll take, something shifts on you or jumps out and bites you - and I like that in a novel too.

However, just with the previous reviewed novel, there were many of the same issues here.  Point-of-view shifted between characters within a scene.  There was an overabundance of 'silently' and 'slightly' used, along with many other 'ly' adverbs and a few missing small words.  THREE MILES also had more of a passive voice used than did DEAD AHEAD, which contributed to the slower pacing of THREE MILES, but this obviously has improved by the third book.  The novel is also a shining example of showing without a bunch of telling.  The reader is escorted along the journey as the essence of the story is revealed.

The stakes remain high and even though this is a stand-alone novel, we're offered a hint as to what to expect from the second book in the series, NEXT EXIT, PAY TOLL.  I look forward to reading it.

Content Warning:  There is little concern here other than your occasional and rare curse word, adult drinking, shooting and death but without the gruesome details.  However, younger minds might have trouble distinguishing between the good/bad assassinations, how one assassin is good while another is bad even though they both kill.  Simply put - know your teen.  Otherwise it's fine.

Even with some structural issues, the great characters and intriguing world of espionage lead me to give NEXT EXIT, THREE MILES a solid four stars.

Pick up a copy today by clicking on Amazon.

Author Bio:
CW Browning was writing before she could spell. Making up stories in the backyard with her childhood best

friend, imagination ran wild from the very beginning. When she moved to New Jersey from Kansas at the age of seven, those tales became written words as she adjusted to life on the East Coast. Her first full-length novel was printed out on a dot-matrix printer at the age of eight. Through the years, the writing continued as an enjoyable past-time while she pursued other avenues of interest, attending Rutgers University and studying History. In time, though, it became apparent where her heart truly lie. CW still makes up stories in her backyard, but now she crafts them for her readers to enjoy. She makes her home in Southern New Jersey, where she loves to grill organic steak and sip red wine on the patio.

Visit her at: www.cwbrowning.com
Find her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/CW-Browning
Follow her on Twitter @cw_browning

Enter the Assassin's World in "Next Exit, Dead Ahead"

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an assassin?  Not just any assassin, but one for the good guys fighting evil so prevalent in our world?

Now imagine the difficulties of trying to lead a normal life when your enemies are seeking retribution.

That's what we get today in C.W. Browning's latest release Next Exit, Dead Ahead.  Join me in exploring this exciting novel just in time for Halloween.

Book Blurb:

Alina Maschik expected to have a few quiet days alone in New Jersey.

She should have known better.

FBI Agent Stephanie Walker has a problem. Whenever Alina comes into town, someone ends up dead. When the enigmatic Damon Miles follows, that count is doubled. Now, a mere week before Halloween, Stephanie's main informant has gone missing. When part of him shows up in a reputedly haunted prison, the local attraction becomes the center of a macabre and baffling spectacle. As bodies start to fill the morgue, Stephanie must trust in Alina's particular skill set to prevent further bloodshed. But that trust comes with a price, as Alina and Damon bring their own brand of trouble, uncovering a sinister web of deadly intrigue reaching far beyond the familiar South Jersey suburbs.

A prison haunted by tortured souls, a puzzling federal investigation, a rising body count, and a pair of deadly assassins...what could possibly go wrong?

My Review:
Just gonna say this up front - I really, really enjoyed Next Exit, Dead Ahead!  It had equal parts creepy, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and a touch of humor and romance to make this a well-rounded read.  It's been far too long since I had the chance to review such an engaging novel.

We open with an introduction to Alina Maschik - code name Viper - as she's delivering a most important "package" back to British soil.  I assume this is closing out occurrences from the previous novel in the series (which I'd love to read also).  Alina then returns home to New Jersey, looking forward to some desperately needed off time, and finds herself dragged by her two best friends to a haunted house on the grounds of the crumbling old prison.  But nothing Stephanie and Angela can do in the fantasy world can ever scare her after everything she's experienced in the real world.

Especially where a certain hawk is concerned.

Damon Miles - code name Hawk - is a counterpart in the world of covert operations.  Rarely seeing one another since their early days of training, the last few missions have brought them into close quarters once again, and ignited a smoldering fire neither wishes to fan into a flame.  Their last mission together, however, has threatened to expose Hawk's real-world alter ego and take him out of the game played across the world's hidden stage.  Damon needs Alina's help.

Because someone besides the hawk is out hunting for blood.

The cast of characters here is wide and varied, which adds to the fun and intrigue.  Alina's friend, Stephanie, is an FBI agent who had a front-row seat to Viper's abilities in the previous novel - and now she's not so sure who this woman really is, but she definitely knows what she's capable of.  Couple that knowledge with the fact that her FBI partner, John, is Alina's former fiancee and things could get out of control real fast if Stephanie doesn't keep her mouth shut.  Angela is a completely different type of friend for Alina, which helps keep her grounded to the real world.  Whereas Alina is all black wrapped in mystery, Angela is flouncy and 100% girlie-girl.  Even dressed in a suit, she oozes feminine charm - but don't underestimate her ability to close a deal.

All the players come together when a cartel threatens to create financial Armageddon by secretly siphoning off billions from two of America's largest banks - and body parts start showing up on the haunted prison's grounds.  And just when Alina and Damon thought they were safe, the cartel comes after them and makes the mistake of targeting their friends.  Enter Viper and Hawk.

Great mystery here, with lots of little pieces coming from all different angles to keep you on the edge of your seat for what happens next.  There's a few gruesome moments, but I was pleasantly surprised how little language there was considering the genre and that we're dealing with hardened criminals and enforcement personnel.  It was a breath of fresh air not to have to weed through page after page of f-words (I can't even remember if there was a single instance here - I don't think there was but don't quote me on that).  Pacing moved along with only a few instances to come up for air - and they were needed.  Even in the midst of the crazy world of espionage and assassinations, the humor was present and accounted for on many levels - and I loved Alina's pet hawk!  Who needs a guard dog to keep the ex at bay when you've got Raven?

Even though I loved this story, there were still a few issues.

The constant back and forth usage of Alina's name and then code name in the same paragraphs at first confused me into thinking we were dealing with two different people.  Seemed strange she would refer to herself by her own code name all the time.  When in Viper persona, sure.  As Alina, not so much.

Point-of-view usage switched multiple times within scenes, a few times quite jarring, and with such a good story this was disappointing though easily remedied.  This was a pre-release review copy, so a few editing snafus may not have been caught yet such as poll instead of pole and some extra spacing at times between paragraphs (obviously not scene breaks).

As the story progressed, the eye narrowing of every single character became so prevalent I started counting them on each turn of my Kindle page, noting so many I just had to laugh after awhile to keep from groaning.  An abundant use of the words swiftly, silently, and slightly began cropping up as well the further along the story I read.  I know we authors have our favorite words and phrases, but these could be culled with another editing run-through starting from about the middle of the novel to the end.

Even with the above issues, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Next Exit, Dead Ahead and would be very happy to pick up the prequels in this series.  I can comfortably recommend this novel with four and a half stars.

Pick it up for Kindle or paperback on Amazon.  And don't forget to start with the first two in the series  Next Exit, 3 Miles and Next Exit, Pay Toll.

Author Bio:

CW Browning was writing before she could spell. Making up stories in the backyard with her childhood best
friend, imagination ran wild from the very beginning. When she moved to New Jersey from Kansas at the age of seven, those tales became written words as she adjusted to life on the East Coast. Her first full-length novel was printed out on a dot-matrix printer at the age of eight. Through the years, the writing continued as an enjoyable past-time while she pursued other avenues of interest, attending Rutgers University and studying History. In time, though, it became apparent where her heart truly lie. CW still makes up stories in her backyard, but now she crafts them for her readers to enjoy. She makes her home in Southern New Jersey, where she loves to grill organic steak and sip red wine on the patio.

Visit her at: www.cwbrowning.com
Find her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/CW-Browning

Follow her on Twitter @cw_browning

A Review of Andrew Updegrove's The Alexandria Project

Let's take a journey to Alexandria.  Not Alexandria, Egypt.  Not Alexandria, Virginia.  But a library.

A library you say?  Well yes - there once was a library known worldwide to be the largest repository of knowledge in the ancient world.  But we're not going back in time to witness the conflagration that stole away those vast secrets.  We're talking the present-day Library of Congress - and the resultant threat of doom and destruction.  Join me in reviewing Andrew Updegrove's The Alexandria Project - A Tale of Treachery and Technology.

Book Blurb:

As America’s major institutions grind to a halt, crippled by unending cyber attacks, an eerie virtual calling card is invariably left behind: “Thank you for your contribution to the Alexandria Project.” 

Frank Adversego, a brilliant cyber security expert whose career and reputation are in tatters, stumbles onto the attack.  Suspected by the FBI and CIA and under pressure from the attackers, he is the only one who can trace the Alexandria Project back to its source to defeat it and clear his name.

In the wake of ongoing revelations about the NSA, Target and other cyber security breaches, Andrew Updegrove’s novel vividly portrays our frightening vulnerability to cyberattack, and encourages readers to think about just where the Internet is leading us.  The thrilling twists of this fast-paced, satirical tale of cyber sleuthing and nuclear brinksmanship will leave readers wanting more (happily, a sequel is on the way).

My Review:

The novel opens with an eerie moment where an unknown virtual entity slips in the backdoor of our largest and most secure (we thought) server warehouse.  The U.S. is under cyber attack - and we're clueless to the threat.

Through a purely happenstance moment Frank Adversego, a master cyber-sensation with the Library of Congress IT department, pulls up a file only to receive a message about contributing his file to the 'Alexandria Project'.  The file disintegrates and disappears into the ether.  There's nothing on back-up after back-up as Frank digs through the system all the way to the wall to find it is gone forever - as if it had never existed.  When that and more unintended deletions come to light, Frank is immediately suspect number uno.  But the revelations have only begun.

Frank may be the most brilliant technological mind around, but his personal life is a shambles.  Once harboring an enormous chip on his shoulder, Frank is unable to connect with the greater humanity around him.  Couple that with an inability to focus on a task to completion and events take this once promising individual - a McArthur Foundation 'Genius' Award recipient - down from dizzying heights to barely getting by.  As a boy, his own father left without warning, never to contact Frank again.  As a man, his wife left and took his only daughter with her.  The well-paying jobs have dissipated until he's destitute.  Out of desperation to remain a part of his daughter's life, Frank accepts token employment given him by his daughter's godfather.  Seeking something greater than his own pleasure, Frank sticks with the job for ten years and worms his way back into his daughter's life.

He's never needed either as much as he needs them now.

With the CIA and FBI out to make him the scapegoat, Frank goes into hiding deep in the Nevada desert until he can sort out the truth behind the REAL purpose of the attacks.  Along the way, Frank learns more than he ever bargained for.

There were several exciting moments in The Alexandria Project, but the story overall fell rather flat for me.  There wasn't anything new here and everything was rather anticipated.  Maybe I've read too many cyber-attack conspiracy stories of late, but I was able to pretty much determine from the first chapter who the actual bad individual was and where the story ultimately would go.  There was a touching reveal while Frank was hiding out in Nevada, but this too was really no surprise.

The characters had their moments, but for the most part they felt very one-dimensional.  The venture capitalist guru was rather a caricature that reminded me of the very worst televangelist times ten.  Believe me - having been in the banking and political sphere myself for over twenty years, I've experienced pretty slimy individuals and questionable actions.  However, this seemed more over-the-top and less grounded in reality to the point that instead of being mad I found myself chuckling.  I wanted to connect with the characters, but there was so little to relate to.

There was an awful lot of telling rather than showing.  I would rather have experienced the moments alongside the characters while the action was transpiring instead of having one character recite it to another character after the fact.  I wanted the immediacy to make my heart pound, my hands grip my Kindle tighter, and keep me turning screen after screen to find out what happens next.  Those moments were fleeting, mainly coming toward the beginning and at the very end.

 

The beginning was pretty clean of grammar and formatting errors, but as I worked my way through the story, more issues came to light.  Extra words, duplicate words, and missing words and quote marks (some backward) were the biggest issues with grammar and punctuation.  Formatting consisted of changes in font size and a few hard returns in the midst of a paragraph or dialogue.  Minor irritations, but another run-through with a set of editing eyes would be good here.

As a reader, I may not know all of the in's and out's of a particular subject, but it is the plot and pace of the story that keeps me reading.  As a writer, I trust that readers are knowledgeable enough to have a general grasp of subject matters I may employ in my stories so as not to spend time over-explaining what I am trying to convey to the audience (or as I like to call it, info-dumping). Throughout The Alexandria Project there were hyperlinks to particular words to take the reader out of the story and to an outside source to read about that particular topic - so much so that this became extremely distracting at times.  There were sections where so much detail was employed it felt like author intrusion.  I had to force myself to continue reading through these sections instead of skipping them, and it slowed the pace to a drag at times.

Overall, I think The Alexandria Project  has promise and is an interesting enough story to garner reader attention.  Be aware also that there is a very strong political bent that may turn some readers off, but if you're able to suspend your personal viewpoints in this regard it will be easy for you to overlook.  I give this one three stars.

Amazon Paperback - http://www.amazon.com/Alexandria-Project-Tale-Treachery-Technology/dp/1457509288

Amazon eBook - http://www.amazon.com/Alexandria-Project-Tale-Treachery-Technology-ebook/dp/B00AIX9LV8/

B&N Paperback - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-alexandria-project-andrew-updegrove/1111931896?ean=9781457509285

B&N eBook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-alexandria-project-andrew-updegrove/1111931896?ean=2940013797192

Author Bio:

Andrew Updegrove, an attorney, has been representing entrepreneurs, technology companies and venture capitalists for more than thirty years. He also represents many of the organizations that develop, support and apply the standards upon which cybersecurity is based, and is actively involved in dealing with cybersecurity attacks as they happen. A graduate of Yale University and the Cornell University Law School, he lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts.  Visit his website at http://updegrove.wordpress.com/

 

A Measure of Grace from "The Grace Painter"

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to author Mark Romang's novel, The Grace Painter.  It is a beautiful story of tragedy followed with that silver lining called grace.  I think I'll let the story speak for itself.  Onto the summary.

The Grace Painter Book Summary:
Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is the one reflecting back at you from inside a mirror. Matthew London can attest to this difficult truth. Ever since the former NYPD hostage negotiator changed his identity and fled New York City for the backwaters of Louisiana, regret has ruled his life.

For eight years London has lived like a hermit in a declining plantation house. Only his talent for painting Renaissance-style murals and paintings keeps the inner-demons from totally destroying him. Each day the disgraced hostage negotiator longs for a chance at redemption, never expecting it to actually happen. But then a down-on-her-luck FBI agent shows up on his doorstep one evening. It turns out Jean-Paul and Sebastian Boudreaux, two local brothers famous for lawlessness have inadvertently kidnapped a little girl.

London is quickly thrust into the starring role of a daring rescue attempt. But before he can rescue the child from the dangerous Boudreaux brothers, he first must find a way to forgive himself for a past misstep, a blunder that forever altered his once promising life. But in the Atchafalaya Basin swampland, nothing is promised. Grace cannot be purchased or earned. It can only be given.

My Review:
After witnessing the gruesome murder/suicide of his former partner and family, New York police negotiator, Matthew London, has nothing left.  Taking on the name of Jon Rafter, London escapes New York and lives off the grid as a Louisiana crawfisherman in a dilapidated southern plantation house.  All hours of the day and night he paints murals on the walls and ceilings by candlelight like a modern day Michelangelo in his own Sistine Chapel.  His world may be full of darkness, but his painting reflects the growing light of his tortured soul.

Annie Crawford is one tough, kick-butt FBI agent - but she also has a past that is rapidly catching up to her.  A little girl has been kidnapped by the notorious Boudreaux brothers, and everyone in the Atchafalaya Basin knows the Boudreaux clan is one dastardly family with whom they don't want to cross paths.  Annie's worst nightmares are rekindled as she sets off to rescue the girl from a fate she barely survived herself. 

And all as Hurricane Vera sets its eye upon the Louisiana coast.

When Annie's badly beaten body is left practically on Jon's doorstep, their paths are set together to do what they can to infiltrate the Basin and find the cabin where the Boudreaux's have taken their hostage.  That is IF they survive the triple-digit windforce, storm surge, and spawned tornadoes from Hurricane Vera.

The opening scene of this novel was heartbreaking to read.  You could immediately appreciate why Matthew/Jon goes underground to escape his pain.  As we jump ahead eight years to Louisiana, we see how people each have a right and wrong choice to make and how those with whom they surround themselves can easily lead them toward and over the cliff.  The action ratchets up and doesn't stop, with layer after layer of problems and bad choices presenting themselves in the midst of dangerous circumstances.

I'm really trying not to tell you too much!

The story moves very quickly all through the approaching hurricane and leading into its impact.  The hurricane's presence really upp'ed the tension and the stakes for all of the players in the game.

Speaking of players, the main complaint I had with The Grace Painter was the presence of too many cast members.  At times it got rather jumbled with so many varying characters who didn't seem to have a whole lot to do with the main storyline.  And this leads me to my only other complaint.

After the hurricane and aftermath of tying up all of the circumstances, it really got bogged down in the minutia.  The main character of Matthew/Jon was absent for about the last third of the book until the very end.  What happened to him was really pretty unbelievable, but miracles do happen.  Then it all felt at times very dragged out and then too rushed, like important scenes were merely skipped over then referenced later on in the push to just finish the book.  It made what had been a very enjoyable read up to that point a little disappointing.

That said, I would still recommend The Grace Painter.  It read pretty quickly and kept my pulse going through the majority of it.  As far as I remember too, it didn't contain offensive language, which is sometimes hard to come by in a good thriller/suspense.  I feel comfortable recommending for teens and adults.

Mark Romang's Bio:

I was born in 1967. Avid reader, suspense novelist, faithful husband, baffled father, factory worker, reformed head-banger, failed musician, contact sports lover, MMA enthusiast, distressed KC sports fan, Lord of the Rings geek, workout fiend, dog owner, nature lover, proud American, disgruntled voter, pistachio addict, caffeine-riddled, screw-up saved by grace, sojourner. This is me in a nutshell.

You can find Mark at http://www.markromangbooks.com/.  Follow the Tribute Books blog tour at:


http://thegracepainter.blogspot.com/

Price/Format: $0.99 ebook
Pages: 303
Publisher: self-published
Release: November 26, 2012

Kindle buy link ($0.99):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ADWZ4M4?tag=tributebooks-20

Nook buy link ($0.99):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-grace-painter-mark-romang/1113848026?ean=2940015785463

Smashwords ($0.99):
http://www.smashwords.com/b/259249

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