Last Vampire Standing by Nancy Haddock

I knew with the very first chapter of La Vida Vampire (Oldest City Vampire, Book 1)
that I had found something worth my book reading time, my patience and my cash. I don’t think I had even actually finished this book before I was off and running recommending it to anyone that would listen to me. I just knew that here was finally an author that knew how to write a fresh, funny vampire mystery/romance series. Now with the release of Ms. Haddocks newest, “Last Vampire Standing (Oldest City Vampire, Book 2) I am positive that we have the making for a long running series; a wonderful roller coaster ride that has me chortling with glee, and already anxious for my next fix of Princes Francesca, or Cesca (rhymes with Fresca) as she likes to be called!
All Cesca ever wanted from her underdead life…er…death was to make up for the centuries of being buried. She wants to live her life like a semi-normal human being. She wants to blend with the humans, shop Wal-Mart, surf (yes; a surfing Vampire, who knew!) have a boyfriend and give her historic ghost tours. After all she is living history. But alas, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and what could she do when the fates brought to her doorstep Jo-Jo the Jester? Yep J J the Jester (Ms Haddock has a real creative imagination!)
Then comes more trouble in the shape of Ike the head vamp from Daytona, his henchwoman Laurell (who braids her hair using human bones as decoration) and Vlad the head honcho from Atlanta (what mother would name her baby Vlad?) and Marcus, a blast form Cesca’s past. Toss into the mix Cesca learning how to fly, helping J J with updating his comedy act, some new Vamp powers of hers coming on line, a prophecy starting to come true, an old very old friend helping her out, a shape shifting cat and a surprise from her boyfriend Deke--and you have the makings of a rollicking good read.
　
This second book in the series delivers a more difficult mystery to be solved, wonderfully fleshed out secondary characters and even some pretty humorous tertiary characters like next door neighbors Hugh and Selma Lister.
Run, walk, fly or down-load it to your Kindle; I don’t care how you do it, just go and get this book. If you haven’t read La Vida Vampire yet, then may I suggest that you splurge on that book too, although you don’t need to have read it to understand what is going on in this second book in the series!
Happy reading!
I knew with the very first chapter of La Vida Vampire (Oldest City Vampire, Book 1)
that I had found something worth my book reading time, my patience and my cash. I don’t think I had even actually finished this book before I was off and running recommending it to anyone that would listen to me. I just knew that here was finally an author that knew how to write a fresh, funny vampire mystery/romance series. Now with the release of Ms. Haddocks newest, “Last Vampire Standing (Oldest City Vampire, Book 2) I am positive that we have the making for a long running series; a wonderful roller coaster ride that has me chortling with glee, and already anxious for my next fix of Princes Francesca, or Cesca (rhymes with Fresca) as she likes to be called!
All Cesca ever wanted from her underdead life…er…death was to make up for the centuries of being buried. She wants to live her life like a semi-normal human being. She wants to blend with the humans, shop Wal-Mart, surf (yes; a surfing Vampire, who knew!) have a boyfriend and give her historic ghost tours. After all she is living history. But alas, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and what could she do when the fates brought to her doorstep Jo-Jo the Jester? Yep J J the Jester (Ms Haddock has a real creative imagination!)
Then comes more trouble in the shape of Ike the head vamp from Daytona, his henchwoman Laurell (who braids her hair using human bones as decoration) and Vlad the head honcho from Atlanta (what mother would name her baby Vlad?) and Marcus, a blast form Cesca’s past. Toss into the mix Cesca learning how to fly, helping J J with updating his comedy act, some new Vamp powers of hers coming on line, a prophecy starting to come true, an old very old friend helping her out, a shape shifting cat and a surprise from her boyfriend Deke--and you have the makings of a rollicking good read.
　
This second book in the series delivers a more difficult mystery to be solved, wonderfully fleshed out secondary characters and even some pretty humorous tertiary characters like next door neighbors Hugh and Selma Lister.
Run, walk, fly or down-load it to your Kindle; I don’t care how you do it, just go and get this book. If you haven’t read La Vida Vampire yet, then may I suggest that you splurge on that book too, although you don’t need to have read it to understand what is going on in this second book in the series!
Happy reading!

Sworn to Silence by LindaCastillo

16 years ago a serial murderer/rapist was killed by one of his victims...or was he?

In present day Painter's Mill Ohio; a community of approximately 6000 people and a third of them Amish, on one bitterly cold January night Officer T J Bank, while answering a call about cows that have escaped, finds a body of a young woman. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder ( formerly Amish now, not so much) sits in on the autopsy of this victim and finds the one piece of evidence to prove that they must have a copycat killer in their midst. Or do they? Is it possible that the first killer didn't die from his wounds?

As the killer escalates, the Mayor and several of his cronies call in different law enforcement agencies, which for her own personal reasons Kate was praying wouldn't happen. Among the agencies called out, John Tomasetti, a has been cop, with a drinking and drug problem and his own ghosts from his past clinging like leeches and who is now with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation comes calling. And just to make Kate's life even more difficult she calls for and gets `help' in the form of a County Sheriff Nathan Detrick. Secrets that had been kept for 16 years, betrayals of those secrets, families torn apart by secrets, injustices corrected, and justice meted out in the way of the vigilante are just some of the things you will find in Sworn to Silence.

Sworn to Silence is not Ms Castillo's first novel, she has written a number of romantic suspense novels for Berkley Sensation and I can state for a fact that this novel is nothing like what you'd find at that publisher! There is no sentimental triteness, no impossible trysts in between the action. There is just plane action, mystery, suspense (and a whole lot of that!) with a touch of police procedural thrown in. If you love action suspense you are gong to love this book. It's sure to be a winner with mystery and police procedural fans too. I started and finished in the same day because I just couldn't put it down. I had to see if I could match wits with the author and sadly I found myself somewhat lacking because I never saw the ending come out of left field. Although in retrospect clues had been sprinkled about, albeit thinly! A highly satisfying nail biting roller-coaster of a read. I can't wait to see more like this come from Ms Castillos pen. If you like books like Night Sins and Guilty as Sin by Tami Hoag but with less romance, then you really must try this book. Night Sins/Guilty as Sin

Deadlock by Iris Johansen

Deadlock by Iris Johansen
I am not going to re-cap this book in my own words like a good reviewer should. It has been done and done so very well by so many others. What I will say, is that I know this author could do so much better than what I’ve read here. I feel as if this were a “phone in” instead of an honest attempt at writing in the mystery/thriller category.
What we have here with Deadlock, is a book that, in my opinion, lacks suspense or thrills, romance or even believable dialogue. The pacing is slow; the relationships are flat and one dimensional, the beginning where we are expected to relive Emily’s horror and nightmare abduction is bland and emotionless. The mystery and the history lessons that Ms Johansen treats us with, are tedious and endless.
The relationship between Emily and John Garrett never resonates and one wonders why the attempt was made at all. Perhaps just to fill the requirement of in being romantic suspense.
Take my advice if you must buy this book wait and buy it in paperback or get it from the library…save a tree.