Celticlady's Reviews

10 June 2014

A Sense of Entitlement by Anna Loan-Wilsey!

A Sense of Entitlement
by Anna Loan Wilsey

I like the whole concept of a single woman finding this way to travel and have adventures back in the day.
~Rantin’ Ravin and Reading

…if you are looking for a well developed trip back in time, you want to pick up A Sense of Entitlement. I’m certainly glad I got to meet Hattie.
~Carstairs Considers

I loved this book and can’t wait to see what happens to Hattie next!
~Queen of All She Reads

I really enjoyed this book especially the time period….Definitely a great series and we give it 4 paws up!
~Storeybook Reviews

…I was captivated by the engaging characters of this mystery …
~Books-n-Kisses

This is the kind of mystery that I really enjoy, interesting characters, a clever and engaging heroine and a plot that’s easy to follow.
~Carole’s Book Corner

A Sense of Entitlement
(A Hattie Davish Mystery)
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Kensington (June 24, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758276389
ISBN-13: 978-0758276384

Synopsis

Traveling secretary and dilettante detective Hattie Davish is bringing her talents to a small New England town whose wealthy residents have more secrets than they do money. . .

When Hattie Davish’s job takes her to Newport, Rhode Island, she welcomes the opportunity for a semi-vacation, and perhaps even a summer romance. But her hopes for relaxation are dashed when she learns that members of the local labor unions are at odds with Newport’s gentry. Amidst flaring tensions, an explosion rocks the wharf. In the ensuing turmoil, Mr. Harland Whitwell, one of Newport’s most eminent citizens, is found stabbed to death, his hands clutching a strike pamphlet. All signs point to a vengeful union member bent on taking down the aristocracy, but Hattie starts digging and finds a few skeletons in the closets of the impeccable Whitwell mansion. As she strikes down the whispers spilling out of Newport’s rumor mill, she’ll uncover a truth more scandalous than anyone imagined–and a killer with a rapacious sense of entitlement. . .

About The Author

Hardin-Baylor, Texas A&M University-Commerce and most recently, Iowa State University, publishing in several scientific peer-reviewed journals. A Lack of Temperance, her first novel and first in the Hattie Davish Mysteries series, was the #1 bestselling historical mystery on Amazon.com. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. A Sense of Entitlement, the third in the series, is due out in June. Anna lives in a Victorian farmhouse near Ames, Iowa with her inquisitive four year old, her old yellow dog and her very funny, very patient husband, where she is happily working on Hattie’s next adventure.

Author Links:

www.annaloanwilsey.com

www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Loan-Wilsey-Author/226850674036259

www.goodreads.com/author/show/5810152.Anna_Loan_Wilsey

www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/26131

Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

My Thoughts:
This cozy little mystery features Hattie Davish as the main character. She is a on a semi vacation from her normal duties as a typist for Sir Arthur to take a position with a household in Newport as a social secretary. This position was definitely more than Hattie had bargained for as she quickly becomes embroiled in finding yet again, a dead body. She is enlisted by her new employer to find out all she can about how and who may have done the killing.

The storyline is unique in that I don't imagine there were too many, if any, female sleuths in the 1890's. The story is full of gossiping women, because it seems that that is all these women have to do with their time, besides planning and attending parties and soirees, with the hope of being 'seen' by the elite of society. Hattie does not really care about this sort of thing but her job takes her into many drawing rooms of these women. What a bunch of gossiping biddies they were too. It was almost a comedy in manners reading the dialogue of the story.

There is mystery, humor,a bit about labor unions and even a bit of romance to keep the person who enjoys this type of cozy mystery entertained. This is the third book in the historical Hattie Davish mysteries. I had not read the first two but I don't think it mattered at all. Enough of Hattie's past experiences was enough to understand the life of this lady sleuth. I enjoyed it and I am sure you will too.

I received a copy of this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.

Tour Participants

June 2 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review, Interview, Giveaway
June 3 – Carstairs Considers – Review, Giveaway
June 4 – Queen of All She Reads - Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
June 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight, Giveaway
June 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review, Giveaway
June 6 – Back Porchervations – Review
June 7 – Books-n-Kisses – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
June 8 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview
June 9 – Carole’s Book Corner – Review
June 10 – Celticlady’s Reviews – Review
June 11 – Mystery Playground – Interview, Giveaway
June 12 – A Chick Who Reads – Review
June 13 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway
June 14 – Deal Sharing Aunt - Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
June 15 – The Reading Room – Review

Each blog will be able to giveaway 1 print book – U.S./Canada

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Third Rail by Rory Flynn Spotlight!

“THIRD RAIL gets off to a ripping start and never lets off the gas. Rory Flynn is a suspense writer to watch.”

– Jess Walter, author of the bestselling BEAUTIFUL RUINS

“THIRD RAIL is an adrenaline-soaked tale of political corruption and personal redemption that never lets up. Eddy Harkness, the self-destructive Massachusetts narcotics detective at the novel’s center, is a worthy successor to Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone.”

– Sean Chercover, author of the bestselling THE TRINITY GAME

A propulsive debut, first in an exciting new series, in the tradition of Dennis Lehane and Robert Parker

At crime scenes, Eddy Harkness is a human Ouija board, a brilliant young detective with a knack for finding the hidden something—cash, drugs, guns, bodies. But Eddy’s swift rise in an elite narcotics unit is derailed by the death of a Red Sox fan in the chaos of a World Series win, a death some believe he could have prevented. Scapegoated, Eddy is exiled to his hometown just outside Boston, where he empties parking meters and struggles to redeem his disgraced family name.

Then one night Harkness’s police-issue Glock disappears. Unable to report the theft, Harkness starts a secret search—just as a string of fatal accidents lead him to uncover a new, dangerous smart drug, Third Rail. With only a plastic gun to protect him, Harkness begins a high-stakes investigation that leads him into the darkest corners of the city, where politicians and criminals intertwine to deadly effect. With a textured sense of place, a nuanced protagonist, and a story that takes off from page one and culminates in a startling finale, Third Rail (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; June 10, 2014) has all the elements of a breakout mystery success.

THIRD RAIL by Rory Flynn

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication Date: June 10, 2014; $23.00 HC; 224 pages; ISBN: 9780544226272

About RORY FLYNN

A powerful new voice in crime fiction. A generally nice guy in Boston.

Rory Flynn is the pen name of acclaimed novelist Stona Fitch, author of five previous novels, including Senseless, now an independent feature film and a graphic novel.

In 2008, Stona founded the Concord Free Press, a independent publishing house that publishes and distributes original novels, asking only that readers make a voluntary donation to a charity or person in need, then pass their book on. The CFP has inspired generosity throughout the world—and created a new approach to publishing that has earned praise from publishing visionaries and readers.

Stona lives with his family in Concord, Massachusetts.

Visit Rory Flynn’s Website: http://www.mrroryflynn.com/

09 June 2014

The Face Transplant by R. Arundel Review!

Book Details

Paperback: 378 pages
Publisher: The Face Transplant (December 10, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0991979907
ISBN-13: 978-0991979905

Dr. Matthew MacAulay is a Facial Transplant Surgeon at a prestigious New York hospital. His friend and mentor, Tom Grabowski, dies under mysterious circumstances. Matthew is forced to investigate. He uncovers his friend’s secret. A new technique that allows perfect facial transplants. No incisions, no scars. The surgeon is able to transplant one person’s face to another with the perfect result. Tom was able to accomplish this monumental feat with the help of Alice, a supercomputer robot with almost human abilities. While trying to find the people responsible for murdering his friend Tom, Matthew realizes he is the prime suspect. Matthew must flee for his life with the help of Dr. Sarah Larsson, a colleague and reluctant helper who has a secret of her own. Alice helps them make sense of a baffling series of seemingly unrelated events. Matthew is forced to undergo a facial transplant to hide his identity and help to uncover the truth. The clues carry Matthew and Sarah around the world. Matthew stumbles onto a sinister plot of monumental proportions, the real reason Tom was murdered. This discovery leads Matthew all the way to The White House with a dramatic conclusion. Matthew never wavers in his quest for the truth and perseveres against all the odds. He must race to stop a major catastrophe, ratcheting up the excitement until the thrilling conclusion. The Face Transplant is a powerful medical suspense thriller of the first order. The novel was written by a surgeon. The novel has a realism that only a surgeon can bring. The plot weaves politics, medicine and espionage into a tightly paced, intelligent thriller. The novels crescendos page by page to a totally unexpected conclusion.

About the Author

R. Arundel is a practicing surgeon, his novel, The Face Transplant, takes the readers on a thrilling adventure. Set in the near future this novel tells the story of a young facial transplant surgeon who is forced to solve the mysterious death of his friend and mentor. The novel weaves an exciting medical triller with high level political intrigue. The story is set within the backdrop of facial transplantation, a world where anyone can have a new face, just ask. R. Arundel brings an authenticity to the story only possible from a real surgeon. Murder, Politics and Medicine intertwine for a refreshingly innovative novel.

My Thoughts

The Face Transplant is a story that could really happen now instead of in the future. With medical technology what it is now, there actually have been a few done with good outcomes, facial transplants are not inconceivable. The story starts out in an operating room where Dr.Matthew MacAulay is doing this very transplant on a man. Unfortunately the man dies and this is the start of Matthews problems. A good friend and fellow facial transplant surgeon dies. Matthew decides to investigate and when more people turn up dead, Matthew and a colleage, Dr.Sarah Larsson, go on the ride of their lives. There are people out there who want Matthew dead because they think he knows to much. Who are "they"? Can't tell you that but it is a plot that goes all the way up the chain of command in America. Matthew has the facial transplant done on him so he can investigate incognito, if you will. This investigation, with the help of other friends and colleagues, takes Matthew and Sarah around the globe to stop the person who has the power to destroy the world.

This book was a well written and well thought out suspenseful murder mystery. I enjoyed the story-line and the characters were so well written that I found myself eagerly turning the pages to see what happens next. I love a good mystery and this one is certainly one of those. It is also a story that will have the reader thinking about what could be done with this type of medical technology. I highly recommend it.

Cherringham, Murder on Thames by Matthew Costello Book Spotlight!

Cherringham is a quiet and peaceful town in the Cotswolds. Time moves slowly here, and nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, until one morning a woman’s body is discovered in the river. Sarah Edwards has just returned to Cherringham with her two children following the breakdown of her marriage. Sarah had been friends with Sammi Jackson – the woman in the river –before they both moved to London and she’s certain there is more to her death than meets the eye. But juggling the school run and her job as a web designer doesn’t leave much time to solve murder mysteries.

After the death of his wife, former NYPD homicide detective Jack Brennan has retired to Cherringham hoping for a quiet life. He soon realises “peace and quiet” isn’t really him and, despite his misgivings, he’s persuaded by Sarah to help her look into Sammi’s death. It quickly becomes clear that the case isn’t as simple as the police hope. From her violent ex-boyfriend to her alcoholic father, it seems everyone has something to hide. Sarah and Jack will need to use all their wits to get to the bottom of this case.

"Cherringham - A Cozy Crime Series" is a series of twelve self-contained episodes. A new case for Jack and Sarah is released each month.

Author Links below:

Author Matthew Costello's Website

Publisher Bastei Entertainment's Twitter

Publisher Facebook Page

Goodreads For Book 1: Murder on Thames

Goodreads Page for Entire Series

Amazon Purchase Links

Virtual Tour Page

This publisher has proven to be a master of innovation by taking on projects beyond traditional publishing. The company is rolling out its fact-based, cross platform project Netwars - Out of CTRL" starting this spring, which includes a graphic novel app simultaneously made available in five languages, an e-book series, audio book series and several interactive video documentaries for television and the web. Netwars will be available on IOS, Good Play, Amazon and SamSung.

http://www.jkscommunications.com/virtual-tour-bastei-lubbes-full-collection-titles/

http://www.luebbe.de/

07 June 2014

The Mystery of Moutai by G.X.Chen Spotlight!

The Mystery of Moutai, by G.X. Chen, is a mystery novel that was published April 2014.

Synopsis:

A teenager returns home from school to find a gruesome scene: the apartment he shares with his mother, Shao Mei, in Boston’s Chinatown has been ransacked and she is dead. There is a bottle of Moutai—the most exotic and expensive Chinese liquor—left at the scene and traces of rat poison in one of the two shot glasses on the kitchen counter. This was evidently a homicide, but who could possibly be the killer?

Ann Lee and Fang Chen, close friends of the victim, team up with the Boston police to solve this mystifying crime: why would anyone want to murder a harmless middle-aged woman, one who worked as an unassuming mailroom clerk, with no money, no connections, and presumably, no enemies?

Realizing that important clues behind the motive may be buried deep in the victim’s past, they travel to Beijing, where Shao Mei spent more than fifty years of her life. While there, surrounded by the antiquities of China’s rich and complex history, they stumble unwittingly into a cobweb of mystery and danger. Fearing for their lives but determined to press on, they end up unearthing a scandal more deceptive and far-reaching than either could have imagined.

Disclosure: The three main characters and the victim also appeared in The Mystery of Revenge by G.X. Chen.

About the Author:

G.X. Chen is a freelancer who lives in Boston with her husband ( both of her mystery novels are based in Boston). She permanently moved from China to the US after Tiananmen Massacre in 1989. Previously published books include The Mystery of Revenge (a mystery novel) and Forget Me Not: A Love Story of the East (a historic fiction/romance) and several other novels in Chinese.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gxchen1

Website: http://gxchen.tateauthor.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6978127.G_X_Chen

Amazon ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JOWF4Y2

Amazon paperback: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mystery-Moutai-G-X-Chen/dp/1496055497

PROLOGUE

In the spring of 1994, John Chan, an athletic teenager, vaulted up the stairs of an old apartment building on the edge of Chinatown in the city of Boston, taking two steps at a time while carrying a hockey stick and a duffel bag full of shoulder pads, helmets, gloves, and skates. He was tired but very excited because he had just played an important hockey game at his school—the winner would go on to the division finals—and he could hardly wait to tell his mother that he had a winning goal in the second period and was congratulated by all of his teammates and his coach. John was starving. Looking forward to a hug; a hot shower; and a hearty, homemade meal, he was rushing toward his apartment, which was located on the third floor of the five-story brick building.

After the door swung open by a touch of the end of his hockey stick, John stopped in alarm. Even if she was expecting a guest, his mother always locked the apartment door—she was afraid of burglars ever since their next-door neighbor had a break-in several months ago. John dropped the duffel bag, placed the hockey stick against the wall and peeked inside the apartment apprehensively. It was late in the afternoon, but the west-facing apartment was still well lit by the sun, which was sinking slowly on the horizon.

His jaw dropped when he saw what had become of his home, which was always neat and clean no matter how hectic the occupants’ lives were. The living room was in total disarray, the floor covered with bits and pieces of books and magazines, and all the drawers and cabinet doors in the kitchen were pulled open—his home had been turned upside down, ransacked.

His voice echoed as he called out, “Mom, I’m home! Where are you?”

No response; the apartment was eerily quiet. Hesitantly, John opened the door wider and entered, trying not to step on the fallen books because he knew his mother, Shao Mei, loved them. A former physics professor at Beijing University, Shao Mei kept all the books she had brought with her from China, even though most of them were getting flimsy and falling apart.

Among all the messes, a shiny object drew John’s attention almost immediately. Sitting on the coffee table in the living room was a slick and colorful porcelain bottle of Moutai, the most famous liquor in China. His mother had been working as a mailroom clerk for an insurance company in Boston and could never have afforded an authentic bottle of Moutai, which would have fetched more than a hundred dollars on the black market in her native country.

He walked over and stood in front of the battered coffee table, looking down at the exquisitely designed liquor bottle, which seemed empty. Then, he noticed something bulky stuck between the sofa and the coffee table. It was his mother, face-down on the floor. On her partially hidden, painfully distorted face, blood trickled from her nose and her mouth. His legs started trembling violently. John screamed, but no sound came from his mouth. It was seemingly a long time before he was able to control his limbs. He ran to the kitchen, picked up the phone, and dialed 911.

The rest of the day was a blur. Police officers and detectives came and went, along with a team of forensic specialists and an ambulance. Everything in the apartment and around the body was checked, including a fancy gift box in the trash can, two shot glasses on the kitchen counter, and the empty bottle of Moutai. The forensic officers used protective gloves, putting all the items, one at a time, carefully into separate evidence bags.

After the body was taken away, a tall and sturdy man in his early fifties came into the bedroom where John was sitting and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Paul Winder-man,” he said in a soft voice, “detective sergeant from the Boston Police Department. And your name please?”

“John Chan,” John murmured without looking up at the police officer.

“John,” Paul said, kneeling down to face the kid at the same level. “Do you have any relatives in town?”

“No,” John said and shook his head, looking into Paul’s deep and pale blue eyes in despair. What’ll happen to me now? He thought in panic. Where will I go? His mother was the only family he had in the US. He dropped his head and started weeping.

Paul kept his large hand on John’s shoulder. What a pity. The poor lad might have to be sent to social services, he thought sympathetically. “Do you know anyone in the city—your mother’s friends, for example?” he asked hopefully.

John lifted his head and nodded. “My mom was friendly with Auntie Ann Lee and Uncle Fang Chen,” he told the detective between sobs. According to Chinese tradition, he addressed all of his parents’ friends as “uncles” and “aunties” even though they weren’t blood relations. As far as John knew, Auntie Lee and Uncle Chen visited his mother often when she was alive—sometimes they’d take him along to have dim sum in Chinatown, an area he and his mother lived on the edge of, where the rent was cheaper than most places in downtown Boston.

Paul Winderman’s eyes lit up when he heard the names. He had dealt with both of them in a previous murder case a few years ago. He liked Ann a lot, a very capable young woman and a straight arrow, but he didn’t trust Fang Chen because the professor had played hocus-pocus with the police rather than cooperating the last time they met.

Paul processed the facts in his head for less than a minute before placing a few calls. Due to the fact that Ann didn’t own a car, he dispatched a police cruiser to pick her up. Half an hour later, a sober and red-eyed Ann Lee showed up at Shao Mei’s apartment to take John away.

“I’ll pack up everything you need and deliver to you as soon as I can,” Paul told the kid, who had rested his head on Auntie Lee’s shoulder and was crying.

Lifting his head, the kid said nothing but nodded with tears in his eyes. With Ann’s help, he stuffed a few sets of clothes into his duffel bag, picked up his backpack and the hockey stick, and left his home in the US for the last time.

***

Friday, April 24

Another warm night; the breeze coming from the open windows makes me feel it’s an early summer rather than spring day.

It has been a thrill to know that I will soon meet my old friend who suffered much at the hands of the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution. I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to renew our friendship. I don’t have many old friends anymore, having lost all the contacts when I moved. I particularly crave the comrade-ship we forged during the formidable years when we were both young.

It’s fascinating for me to think what this friend of mine will say or what her reaction will be when I show up at her door. I probably should call her first or send her an e-mail, but I’m not sure if she has an e-mail account, or even a computer—still a luxury item for most people. I heard she has fallen on hard times since she left China. The poor thing!

I’m sure I can cheer her up with my visit and my unique gift. It’s only fitting that I should bring her the best.

The Hour of Innocents by Robert Paston Spotlight!

Book Details

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Forge Books (May 20, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765326817
ISBN-13: 978-0765326812

1968. Vietnam. Social turmoil. Drugs. Music.Four young musicians are determined to escape a ravaged industrial landscape by playing rock and roll...and they play it with a passion and brilliance that contrasts with their poverty. Music is the only hope they have.

Set against a fleeting age when music seemed about to change the world, Robert Paston's The Hour of the Innocents tells the story of the band known as The Innocents and captures the true drama of the late 1960s—not the glitter of famous names, but the yearning of the heartland guitarists and drummers whobelieved…and the lovers, friends, and lives crushed along the way.

Read an Excerpt here:

.

06 June 2014

Ricardo, Book One in The Santini Brothers Series by Marita A. Hansen Cover Reveal!

Paperback, $14.99; eBook, $4.99
ISBN: 978-0991329717
Thriller, 382 pages
New edition on June 1, 2014

Is your fly fishing guide willing to die for you?

Stony lives for fly fishing in the wilderness. It literally saved his life. After Stony massacred an entire
village in Vietnam, addiction and PTSD almost killed him. Alaska, fly fishing, and a woman and her
wolves brought him back from the brink. He made a vow to her on her deathbed to always help people,
and to never kill another man.

Now he has a new lover, and is finally clean. So when he takes a seemingly ideal client deep into the
wilderness of Rocky Mountain National Park, he never dreams that his most sacred vow will be tested
to the breaking point. He will have to save his client from a serial killer, a murderer so devious he has
managed to become a respected doctor—and his client’s partner.

It’s taken Stony thirty years to disentangle himself from psychological hell. Now, hampered by all the
dangers high altitude wilderness can throw at him, Stony must risk sinking into mental hell forever by
killing an evil doctor—or risk losing not only his client, but his new soul mate.

After a disturbing experience serving in the military in Vietnam,

Stony strives to overcome addiction and post-traumatic stress

disorder, or PTSD. Emotionally scarred and trying to move on,

Stony finds solace in fly fishing, Alaska’s vast wilderness and a

woman, who he promises on her deathbed that he’ll always help

people and never kill another man. But when Stony takes a new

fly fishing client, Jake, deep into Rocky Mountain National

Park, his vow is put to the test. A conniving doctor is out to get

Jake, and it’s up to Stony to do anything it takes to protect him.

A new edition of “The Guide” comes out June 1, 2014. Mays’

book won first place at the 2011 Pikes Peak Writers contest.

“The Guide” is a page-turner with thrills, chills and unexpected

twists and turns, but it also touches on some serious, real life

issues, including the postwar struggles of military veterans. As a

doctor and U.S. Navy veteran, the subject is close to Mays’

heart.

“PTSD is a much more of a major problem in veterans returning from war now than ever

before,” he says. “It can be overcome if you get the right help. Fly fishing can be a part of that

therapeutic plan because when you fly fish, you live in the moment: figuring how to wade the

river, the cast, the drift, the take, the fight, the release, the beauty.”

Mays spent most of his adult life in the military as a Navy doctor. He lives with his wife in Fort

Collins, Colo. He is the author of the techno-thriller Dan’s War, two short stories – “Thanksgiving with

Riley” and “The Dry-Land Farmer” – and “Take the F…ing Fly,” an illustrated poem on the wisdoms

and frustrations of fly fishing.

Meet Milt Mays

Much like the protagonist in his book, “The

Guide,” author Milt Mays lives for the great
outdoors. He grew up in Colorado and spent
most of his adult life as a Navy doctor, caring for
those at the forefront of many conflicts,
including Vietnam.

Milt graduated from the Naval Academy and
Creighton Medical School. His medical career
included tours with the Marines, a Navy security
group in Scotland and now at the Veteran’s
Hospital in Cheyenne, Wyo. He has been a fly
fishing guide in Rocky Mountain National Park
and continues to ply those waters with a long
stick and pieces of fur and feather.

His techno-thriller Dan’s War (2011, Telemachus Press) was a finalist at the 2009 Pikes
Peak Writers contest. He has also written short stories, including “Thanksgiving with
Riley” (Copaiba Press) and “The Dry-Land Farmer” (The Northwind Magazine). He is
the author behind “Take the F…ing Fly,” an illustrated poem on the wisdoms and
frustrations of fly fishing.

A new edition of his latest book, “The Guide,” comes out June 1, 2014. The book won
first place at the 2011 Pikes Peak Writers contest.

Milt is married in Fort Collins, Colo., with three children and a grandson who will soon
be learning the joys of flinging a fly.

Q&A with Milt Mays

Where did the idea for “The Guide” come from?
As a fly fishing guide, we had clients fill out a health form. They sometimes lied because they
maybe wanted this trip as the last best thing in their life. Actually had one client like that—he was
having difficulty hiking, breathing hard, then after the hardest part and he was feeling okay said,
“Guess I won’t need that stress test when I get back.” It seems he had stents in his heart about two
months before and even if he died, he was going to make this trip. That was the way it was with
Stony’s client.
As a doctor, I have mixed feelings about many difficult situations, assisted suicide for cancer
patients, GMO’s, etc. So I added the twist of suicide and him being a doctor with a serial killing partner
who was after him and his daughter. I think I saw the movie “Mr. Brooks” with Kevin Costner and
modeled Roman after him, though with an added bite of Roman being someone people put all their
trust in, a doctor.

“The Guide” is so descriptive that readers can almost smell the fresh mountain air. Do you spend
a lot of time in the great outdoors?
I have since I was big enough for my dad to take me fishing. I had not been to Alaska or on any
backcountry camping trips, so I bought camping gear and did some back country camping with my son,
and I went on a week-long wilderness Alaska fly fishing and camping trip with some of my friends.
Also, I studied wolves and grizzly bears both in books, online and in Yellowstone National Park, and
talked to patients who were trappers in Wyoming who were sure there were wolves and maybe
grizzlies in southern Wyoming, and possibly northern Colorado.

As a military veteran, a doctor and outdoorsman, you share a lot of characteristics with Stony
and Jake. Do you see yourself in these two men?
I like to think I can fish as well as Stony, but I can’t hike like him, I’ve never killed anyone, and
thank God I’ve never had PTSD. Jake and I go way back, but he has a bit less spine than me, I hope.

In your book, you write about Stony’s struggles with PTSD. Is this a common problem among
men and women returning from military service?
Unfortunately, more and more. Recent VA studies show 30% of the over 800,000 veterans of
Iraq and Afghanistan have been hospitalized with PTSD. Hospitalized. That means there are a lot more
that haven’t been hospitalized with it and treated as outpatients. In Vietnam it was 31%. The reason I
think is extended tours in combat zones.

Is it really possible for a doctor to “give” cancer to a patient?
Hmm…Probably not, but it depends.
This point I researched pretty carefully using industrial accidents as models and with some of
my doctor friends who give chemotherapy to cancer patients.

Author Links

Author Website
Facebook

#MaysTheGuide
@mmthriller
@SamiJoLien