Good to the Last Death: A Carol Golden Novel

by Alan Cook
reviewed from e-book

This, the fifth novel in the Carol Golden series, is packed full of suspense and terror. Now married to the man who saved her life, Rigo, Carol learns from his parents that they are afraid that he is missing, and they think an old girlfriend may have a hand in his disappearance. But why?

Once again Alan Cook has combined a tantalizing and mystery with a terrifying determination. Rigo has been kidnapped for a surprising reason, radical insanity with little culpability or restraint, the terrorists are blind to humanity and certainly lacking in human reason, although they believe they are saving the planet. And there lies the problem, but is their group doing anything good? Or are they spelling doomsday. Carol is in tracking mode with her spy-in-training friend Jennifer, racing to find Rigo, and stop so much more from happening than she can imagine.


This book is completely different from others in the series but packing a punch as always, and often with the ring of plausible authenticity. The team that has Rigo is extremely focused on what they are setting out to do and time is running out. Another strong story-line from the author.  5 stars

Blonde Demolition by Chris Redding

Published by Imajin Books
Reviewed from e-book

Bombs, carnivals, terrorists, romance and a past that returns with a vengeance.

Chris Redding knows how to start a book off with a bang, and the action never stops. Firemen, carnivals, fundraisers and the past all mix together into a wild ride.

When Firefighter Mallory disarms a bomb in the beer trailer at the fundraising fair, her action and cool head creates questions. How did she know what to do and why did she seem so calm? Out of the past comes her old partner from Homeland Security, a part of her life she had retired from, and none of the firefighters are aware of. Trey shows up hidden in her car, and he is under orders to bring her back into the fold. No matter her former feelings for Trey, it is going to be a hard sell, much of which Trey is unaware.

This book is packed with danger and action, targetting children as an act of terror, but targetting Mallory specifically. Who is aiming to take Mallory out of the equation? How can she be a threat when she is no longer working for Homeland Security and to who? Along with the ramped up action, there is still time for humor and love, but there is also a tug-of-war for Mallory's heart. Will she be able to overcome the deep hurt that Trey is not even aware he has caused and return to her past where she is needed? Or will she continue building on a budding romance with Jesse? This book will get the adrenaline flowing, questions will be answered in unusual ways, all leading up to a tense but unexpected ending.

No Safe Haven by Kimberley and Kayla R. Woodhouse

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Kimberley and Kayla R. Woodhouse have put together an indelible thriller that will keep your heart pounding, yet uplifting and heartwarming at the same time. With trials and tribulations enough to make Job's miseries seem almost trivial in comparison, this intrepid trio face incredible odds against survival while their Christian faith stays strong, at least for two of them. The third member of the party will come to it but has two injured "girls" to rescue off one of the highest, steepest mountains in Denali park in an Alaskan winter, all the while being pursued by terrorists who are looking for something they believe the mother has information on, and then to leave no witnesses alive. They are out to kill these three and they are very good at what they do, leaving no trace.

This book is a wonderful story of faith and survival, but it is also full of tips for survival woven into the story, and an awareness of a rare neural disorder that can be deadly in a matter of moments, a disorder that one of the authors actually suffers from. I was aware of this disorder, but learned more for which I'm grateful to the authors. So, we have a mixed bag in this book Terrorists, a man who has lost too much in his life and must learn to live again, a fast-paced, wild ride of a thriller, a 12 year old girl, Andie, with a rare disorder of unimaginable consequences, families disrupted by death, a love story, and deep, inspiring faith.

What sounds like a very complicated story is actually a book that I couldn't put down. Action-packed from the moment the plane they were flying home in is sabotaged and crashes high on Sultana Mountain to the final murderous attempt. The plane was originally owned by Andi's father Marc until his murder, and now is owned by her mother, Jenna. It was flown by Hank, a "trusted" friend of Marc and Jenna prior to Marc's death. Who was the mysterious last minute passenger? After he took over piloting the plane when the radio was shot out, what caused him to pass out? Was he responsible for the crash or was he trying to correct the damage? Can Jenna and Andie trust him? When Jenna took over piloting she realized that none of the controls were responding. That there would be a crash was inevitable.

I took away so much more from the book than just a great story. Living in the north myself, I found the survival techniques very useful, especially how to keep warm through the bitterly cold nights and what to have with you for survival preparation. I also took away a refreshing of my faith. I applaud the authors for the smoothness with which they wrote this book, the interaction of the characters, more noticeable because of the manner in which the chapters are written, the heart-pounding action, the exciting plot, and pulling it all together so believably. The chapters are told mostly by the three main characters in the first person, almost giving a feeling that the reader is invested in the story. I look forward to more from this author pair, mother and daughter. This is the duo's debut as a writing team, and an exceptional one.

Sacred Night by Valerie Connelly

Reviewed for Review the Book
Publisher:  Nightengale Press

I love this book!  Valerie Connelly has an impressive imagination full of mystery and wonder that keeps the reader enthralled throughout. From gritty Chicago to the jungles of the Amazon, this book takes on a life of its own, and what a trip!

Two strangers, talented but unsuccessful in their lives, are "hired" individually to perform their music once a week at Rita's Bar.  Emily provides vocals with guitar and Dan is a pianist. This is their first performance and the place is packed. Unknown to everyone there, the Grim Reaper is waiting in the wings. Terrorists driving a car bomb for reasons we are not yet privy to, are about to come crashing through the front window.  Only two survive the horrendous blast. Our newly introduced musicians are found alive but unconscious. Rita has disappeared and no one knows if she was vaporized along with all the patrons, or left before the bomb detonation. No bodies are ever recovered.

In another part of the world, not far from Belem, Brazil, an elderly chief of the Tokablaki tribe is about to partake of a ritual which will return him to his earlier vibrant self. A form of rebirth, a kind of fountain of youth.  This ritual had been passed on through the ages, and soon it will be his "Sacred Night".  This ritual will involve the retrieval and ingestion of silt, Algala, from the bottom of the Amazon River. I like to learn something new in books I read and found the chapters about this ritual and its beginnings fascinating. Do I know if this really exists? No, but then this story is tagged a fantasy. Regardless, the author has given this part of the tale a plausibility and a sense of possibility bathed in tribal hierarchy, and therefore it plays a major role in our developing story.  Certainly there is factual information mixed with the fantasy.

Shifting back to our two survivors, they have been hospitalized in the same room and under constant surveillance. Emily is the mother of two girls and Dan is the father of two boys. It is decided for the present the four children would be best served by keeping them all together in a foster home while their individual parents either come out of their coma or pass on.

There is so much happening in this book all the way through.  Even with three stories weaving in and out, it keeps the reader riveted.  No one realizes that Emily and Dan are together in their comatose world and are trying to unravel puzzles in order to get back to "save" their children.  There is some mysterious substance found in their blood, unidentified. No one knows if this is compromising or helping their chances of survival. Emily's 16 year old daughter Miranda holds part of the key, but no one is listening to her.

Meanwhile, back in the Amazon jungle, many changes are taking place. The "business" that has been going on undetected for so long is in extreme danger, a type of danger that could mean death to our two unwitting  protagonists, Emily and Dan. The Amazon tribe who have been using Algala for so many generations and whose secrets were used to create this life-giving drug, are all killed.  Suicide bombers seem to be reaching out everywhere, and there is no hint of who is controlling them or who will be the next victim(s).

At the hospital, Emily and Dan appear to be losing their battle, they both seem to go through each step together. With so much going on in the book, it is difficult not to give too much away in a review. The tension which started the story has been building steadily, each bombing bringing a new flood of anticipation and fear to the characters and Ms. Connelly has a knack of transferring that anticipation and tension to her reading audience.  The various threads running through the book create their own kind of tension and bring together all the elements in the end, leaving the reader with a feeling of closure and relief, and yet is it the end? We are left with tantalizing possibilities in the future as the few survivors of the Tokablaki tribe hide in the forests of the Amazon.

This was definitely a thrilling ride for me, with lots to keep me interested quite aside from the mystery and thriller components. A complicated story that's easy to read, a difficult and unique challenge to an author and with Valerie Connelly at the helm, we ride out the tumultuous waves to safe harbor and enjoy the sail.