DYING COMMITMENT

DYING COMMITMENT                              S.M. BUTLER
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

Five years ago, former NSA agent Cadence Long almost died from her mentor’s bullet. She learned one valuable lesson that day: Trust no one. That’s why her casual friendship with Dylan works so well. They both agree that a romantic relationship is off the table, but when he starts flashing that dazzling smile and those twin dimples at her, the sizzling attraction between them becomes impossible for her to resist.

Navy SEAL Dylan Urban is ready for more than a romp in the sheets with Cadence, but convincing her proves a more difficult mission than he’s prepared for. After she runs off on an unsanctioned, one-woman kamikaze mission, the only way he can see to protect Cadence is to get her open up and trust him, but it might mean losing his heart in the process.

While on the trail of one of the most notorious traitors in recent history, both Dylan and Cadence must decide if what they have or could have is worth giving up the chase, or if for once, they might have to trust another to break down the walls they so carefully crafted.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This is a love story slash get back at the former partner who shot me twice and left me for dead story. Candace Long, worked for the NSA as an agent and her former partner shot her twice five years ago and she had to be rescued by a Navy Seal Team. She got fired from NSA and then got hired by the Seals as the tech person to work with them to go after her former partner who is now working with a criminal organization. After three years she has finally tracked down her former partner and wants to go after him, but must take someone from the team with her. Just happens to be Dylan Urban, who they share more than a work space together, (bed). This story works the author brings everything together and it is a fast read. It is only 154 pages. A fast paced good story that is just fun. Good book. I got this book from net galley. 

THE LOST 10 POINT NIGHT: SEARCHING FOR MY HOCKEY HERO....JIM HARRISON

THE LOST 10 POINT NIGHT                      DAVID WARD
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

Jim Harrison grew up on the prairies, played Junior in Saskatchewan, and pro with the Bruins, Leafs, Hawks, and Oilers. Three years before a former teammate equaled the mark, Harrison set one of the most enduring and seemingly unreachable records in professional hockey with three goals and seven helpers on January 30, 1973. And almost nobody remembers.

This is Harrison’s story: the games he played, the agent who stole from him, the woman he mourned, the fights he fought, and the friends he made — and lost — including Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler. It’s about the injuries he suffered, the pedophiles who preyed on him and other young players, and a Players Association that, he says, �wants me to die.”

But The Lost 10 Point Night is also a response to Stephen Brunt’s Searching for Bobby Orr and Gretzky’s Tears — a book as much about Harrison as it is about author David Ward, a 50-year-old guy who went in search of his childhood hero . . . and what happened when they began looking at Canada’s game together.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

I had never heard of this player before, Jim Harrison. He played in 324 NHL games and 232 WHA games and one night in 1973 he scored 10 points in a hockey game. Now in 73 in So. California all I got was the Kings who I still follow but I would not have paid attention to that stat. the author Mr. Ward, also though goes looking for his childhood hero and when finds him he is disappointed. This is a great book not only about hockey but how hockey and some sport hero’s don’t disappoint when you find them. he is dealing with injuries from his playing days like so many of the older players and that part was sad, but overall a very good a upbeat story. I really enjoyed the read, and it was well written. I got this book from net galley.

BRAVE MEN DARK WATERS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE NAVY SEALS

BRAVE MEN, DARK WATERS                   ORR KELLY
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014


The legend was forged in the fires of World War II, when special units of elite navy frogmen were entrusted with dangerous covert missions in the brutal global conflict.  These Underwater Demolition Teams, as they were then called, soon became known for their toughness and fearlessness, and their remarkable ability to get the job—any job—done. Years later, the renamed US Navy SEALs (for Sea, Air, and Land) continued to be a wartime force to be reckoned with throughout the remainder of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. They served as rangers and scouts in the jungles of Vietnam, answered the call to duty in Panama, Granada, and in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, while developing into the very best of the best, the cream of America’s Special Forces crop.  

Author Orr Kelly offers a rich and riveting history of the SEALs, covering their remarkable triumphs while not shying away from the scandals and controversies. An extraordinary portrait of extraordinary fighting men, Brave Men, Dark Waters shines a brilliant light into the darkest shadows of war, which is where the SEALs have operated for decades with awesome and deadly efficiency.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is an excellent book in the history of the U.S. Navy Seals. Starting from their exploits as frogmen, to being called UDT, during the end of WWII. I had first heard about them from my father who had fought in WWII, and he would tell me about the frogmen who would go in and survey the beaches before landing. What I did not know is that in the Pacific they were really asked to do more after the island or the landing on Tarawa, because of the coral and the tides the landing crafts and of course the Marines were stuck. Though the Marines lost many men before they even made it to the beach they of course did take the island a little longer than expected and a lot more deaths than anyone could have projected. After this the UDT’s were sent in before any island landing, besides finding mines, placing mines or explosives which they still do on either ships or docks, or bridges. A lot of what they did during WWII they still do today that is the history of the Seals, going in undetected and at times gathering information. Still what they did from WWII. Mr. Kelly then follows with training and a few things during the 50s. It was not until President Kennedy, made the announcement after the Bay of Pigs that Special Forces was needed that the Seals were formed. From there he goes into Vietnam which really put them on the map and most of the stories are found in other books as well. He touches a little on the two Medal of Valor Honors, first Lt. Joseph R. Kerry and then Tom Norris, which I actually read about separately years ago, they are both amazing acts though neither man would think that. After Vietnam you go into another down period up until the Iran crisis and the rescue attempt that failed. He takes you behind the scenes in the fighting between the military branches and what came of it. He also goes into the formation of Seal team 6 and the leader Richard Marcinko, I thought his writing on this was fair as far as he was using as much of the paperwork and people he could talk to. In some of the other books about the Seals this story matched up and inside he is really I think looked as both good and bad,(maybe wrong choice of wording). Richard Marcinko, was needed at that time to do what he did because he didn’t have a problem in telling a base commander we are going to break into your base on this night and then do it. I do know that one of the bases has let the bushes grow past the fence line and the height and that is one of the ways his team got on base. We have not learned. So yes he had good points. The author from their takes you through Grenada and some of the deaths. He then moves on to Panama which for Seals up to this point was one of the worst nights in their history and I do not read about this too often in other books. I will say that I know at least one man checked himself out of the hospital to go with his team, not that that affected him but he was killed returning fire to bring another Seal back to their group, 4 killed 9 wounded and one of the dead might have survived but the medevac was over an hour. I first read about this about 10 mos. after it happened and this is one of the first books that talks about their mission of securing the hanger where Noriega’s plane was. People are lead to believe that the Seals asked for this mission, but in other articles I read they assigned and you don’t so no, it is looked down upon for the lack of a better term. They were given an order and they secured the field. Unfortunately brave men died doing it. The author then touches a little on training and some of the training that is wanting to be changed. He finishes with the first Gulf war. Overall a well written book with a lot of history about the brave men in drake waters. I got this book from net galley.

THE ADMIRAL & THE AMBASSADOR

THE ADMIRAL & THE AMBASSADOR      SCOTT MARTELLE
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

As the French Revolution gathered steam, the exact location of Jones’s grave—and, in fact, the exact location of St. Louis cemetery in Paris, where he was buried in 1792—was forgotten: information on his death and burial were destroyed in the Paris Commune and the few who had attended his burial had passed away. His body had, though, been preserved in a lead-lined coffin filled with alcohol; theoretically, if the coffin could be located, Jones could be returned to the United States for proper burial. The Admiral and the Ambassador details Porter’s long, unrelenting search for that coffin, first through scraps of archive material and written recollections of funeral attendees, and then beneath the rickety buildings that had been constructed over what he believed to be the graveyard. This book, the only full-length account of the search for and discovery of John Paul Jones’s body, offers a fascinating look into the charismatic, real-life characters who populated the first century of the United States of America.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This is a different kind of history book. One that takes you from the Revolution about the life and exploits of John Paul Jones, through the civil war from what Horace Porter did working with General Grant, to when Porter is named Ambassador to France by President McKinley. Realizing that John Paul Jones, is buried somewhere in Paris, and should be brought back to the United States. Porter searches for the grave and works on bringing his remains back to the U.S. Mr. Martelle, does an excellent job in telling the story of each man and their place in our history which is forgotten, as well as telling the early history of the U.S. Navy history also. All of this makes for a fantastic story that is a detective story at times. A detective story about history or our lost history. He then takes you to where the remains of John Paul Jones, finally ends up at the Naval academy the rightful place. Though I got the feeling that they did not that either. A great book about two men who put more than a foot print on our history but I am sad to say are forgotten. A very good book. I got this book from net galley.

HOTTER THAN A MATCH HEAD

HOTTER THAN A MATCH HEAD           STEVE BOONE
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

On October 15, 1967, bass player Steve Boone took the Ed Sullivan Show stage for the final time, with his band The Lovin’ Spoonful. Since forming in a Greenwich Village hotel in early 1965, Boone and his bandmates had released an astounding nine Top 20 singles, the first seven of which hit the Billboard Top 10, including the iconic Boone co-writes “Summer in the City” and “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice.”

Little did Steve Boone know that the path of his life and career would soon take a turn for the bizarre, one that would eventually find him looking at the world through the bars of a jail cell. From captaining a seaworthy enterprise to smuggle marijuana into the U.S. from Colombia, to a period of addiction, to the successful reformation of the band he’d helped made famous, Hotter Than a Match Head tells the story of Boone’s personal journey along with that of one of the most important and enduring groups of the 1960s. 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

Steve Boone, was the bass player for the 60’s band the LOVIN SPOONFUL. The book starts off with his back ground of growing up as a son of a military son moving around and how when his brother got into playing guitar that he also took a liking to it as well. He moves on to joining a few bands nothing serious, but he also learned how to play bass because one of the bands needed a bass player. After high school he took off to Europe and traveled and meet some people who were really into the engineering of cars, but that was going nowhere and came back to the States, New York City, in the Soho area and was staying with some friends and took up playing the bass again. He was called by a friend to come down and listen to this new band, once he got there he heard a sound that was different and then John Sebastian asked him to sit in with them because they did not have a regular bass player. After playing and then going back to their apartment they asked him to join their band which he jumped at right away. “Saying he saw something he John Sebastian,” that at up to that time he did not see in any other musician. The music and writing for him was or seemed easy or natural and he was not copying anyone else and he also helped them to write as well. The band wrote all their own music and their first hit was in 65 with “Do you believe in magic”, they had four more hits before their #1 “Summer time in the city”, in 66. They had seven consecutive top ten, from their first album to when John Sebastian, left the band to go solo. The book goes into the height of their popularity with arguing with other groups as to the order of the show, how the hatred in the South while touring with the Supremes, they saw it firsthand. He goes into how they were looked at being the group to star in the T.V. show the Monkees, but by then the band was not together and everything fell through. He also goes into detail about his drug problem and drug smuggling. That at one time when Boone and Yanovsky, were busted were forced to work with drug agents so Yanovsky would not be deported. Then later when he was sailing how he was smuggling drugs and if he got caught he would have made some of these other rock star cases look like small potatoes. A very honest book and look into a band from the 60’s that had good music, not just their hits but that is what they are remembered for. A good read. I got this book from net galley.

PUSHING THE LIMITS: AN ALPHA OPS NOVEL

PUSHING THE LIMITS                              EMMY CURTIS
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

After their one-night fling at a wedding, archaeologist Henrietta “Harry” Markowitz thought she’d never see war hero Matt Stanning again. So when they’re paired up to investigate a military plane crash in Iraq, she’s not sure if the three-month reunion is serendipitous or cursed. What she does know is this gorgeous man lights her body on fire—and incredible sex is always a welcome distraction.

Air Force Sergeant Matt Stanning has been called a hero, but he feels nothing like one when he realizes the sexy blonde in his bed is the widow of his fallen brother-in-arms. Even worse, he actually has to work with her, and she’s unearthed evidence that points to a military conspiracy. If they dig deeper, they’ll put their lives in danger. If they don’t, they’ll never know the truth—not only about the mysterious plane crash, but about each other.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This is another book in the “Alpha Ops” series by Emmy Curtis. This story picks up where the last one left off when “Harry” short for Henrietta is at her friend’s wedding and meets a guy named matt there is an attraction but because of the events of the day nothing ever really gets started. Present day she is an archaeologist working on a dig in Iraq, when they discover a piece of metal with numbers and she discovers that it was a military plane. She the site and around the area, e-mails her friend at the Department or Defense, Sadie. She can’t help but think of her husband and back when she lost him to the war in Iraq. Then she gets a message that someone from JAPC, who were in charge of finding the remains of U.S. military service members and bringing them back to their families. The man that sent is senior Air Force Master Sergeant Matt Stanning, and when he gets their she can’t believe it not expecting to see him but hoping she would somehow. The same was going on in his mind. Then when he finds out a little later that her deceased husband was his best friend he starts to act weird and can’t get his friend out of his mind. She is telling him that it has been 7 years and she must live her life that she cannot be locked up and afraid to go out in the world because that is not what he wanted for her. That if Matt still had problems he needed to work through them himself and not include her she already done her fixing. There is a lot going on in this story and once again this is a great read. For me this story was as good as her first book and I was able to read it in one day. There is love story, drama of who is really after the down plane, why now are there a private security team showing up that was not there before. Matt finding out from his commander that the plane was carrying something that all of these people want and the flight was off the books, no record. A very exciting and fast pace story and written in a way that is very believable while still showing another part of the military and the different jobs that need to be done. A fantastic read. I got this book from net galley. 

Bones Never Lie

BONES NEVER LIE                                     KATHY REICHS
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

In the acclaimed author’s thrilling new novel, Brennan is at the top of her game in a battle of wits against the most monstrous adversary she has ever encountered.
 
Unexpectedly called in to the Charlotte PD’s Cold Case Unit, Dr. Temperance Brennan wonders why she’s been asked to meet with a homicide cop who’s a long way from his own jurisdiction. The shocking answer: Two child murders, separated by thousands of miles, have one thing in common—the killer. Years ago, Anique Pomerleau kidnapped and murdered a string of girls in Canada, then narrowly eluded capture. It was a devastating defeat for her pursuers, Brennan and police detective Andrew Ryan. Now, as if summoned from their nightmares, Pomerleau has resurfaced in the United States, linked to victims in Vermont and North Carolina. When another child is snatched, the reign of terror promises to continue—unless Brennan can rise to the challenge and make good on her second chance to stop a psychopath.
But Brennan will have to draw her bitter ex-partner out of exile, keep the local police and feds from one another’s throats, and face more than just her own demons as she stalks the deadliest of predators into the darkest depths of madness.
In Bones Never Lie, Kathy Reichs never fails to satisfy readers looking for psychological suspense that’s more than skin-deep.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

I have never read any of the Kathy Reich’s books about Dr. Temperance Brennan. I found this to be a very interesting book and really nothing like the T.V. show. Once I got past that part this was a fast read for the story line was very strong and had you going from one place to another. She is called in to go over a set of bones and there also are some other detectives. After going over everything and then doing it a second time she realizes that a serial killer is back or has reappeared don’t know which at this point. She is asked if she knows where detective Andrew Ryan is, and she does not. So know now she is looking for two people. Tracking down Ryan after the death of his daughter takes her Central America. Once there and she explains to him who they are looking for it still takes him a couple of days to agree to go back with her to work the case. This story has many twists and turns and at times I myself felt like I needed a score card to keep the police officers and the victims and family members straight. But through all of this I found this to be a very good who done it and why. Plus the little bickering that goes on between different officers and how the personalities don’t always work but you still have to work with some people in real life. This is truly a very good book. The characters are strong and at the same time have some weakness. A very good story. I got this from net galley.

ALEX: A COLD FURY HOCKEY (HUBBY'S REVIEW)

ALEX: A COLD FURY HOCKEY                SAWYER BENNETT
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

Hockey star Alexander Crossman has a reputation as a cold-hearted player on and off the rink. Pushed into the sport by an alcoholic father, Alex isn’t afraid to give fans the proverbial middle finger, relishing his role as the MVP they love to hate. Management, however, isn’t so amused. Now Alex has a choice: fix his public image through community service or ride the bench. But Alex refuses to be molded into the Carolina Cold Fury poster boy . . . not even by a tempting redhead with killer curves.

As a social worker, Sutton Price is accustomed to difficult people—like Alex, who’s been assigned to help her create a drug-abuse awareness program for at-risk youth as part of the team’s effort to clean up his image. What she doesn’t expect is the arrogant smirk from his perfect lips to stir her most heated fantasies. But Sutton isn’t one to cross professional boundaries—and besides, Alex doesn’t do relationships . . . or does he? The more she sees behind Alex’s bad-boy façade, the more Sutton craves the man she uncovers. 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This story starts off with a hockey player named Alexander Crossman, who is a fantastic hockey player but does not like the game. The game comes natural for him and if the team needs a goal it is usually him that will come up with some outstanding play to make it happen. He has no love life and really no life to speak of. After practice one day he is order by the club management to meet with a social worker and to work with her in a program for a drug abuse awareness program for at risk youth. The first meeting he is late and she tells him to leave and don’t come back. He thinks because of his good looks he can treat her like some of the other women who he has been around, but she does not care who he is. Besides she has never been to a hockey game and does not know anything about hockey. Once they finally have their meeting she realizes they are attracted to one another and this when the story takes off. He is the type of person that only thinks that his life was bad growing up. Once he finds out about her life he surprised and impressed that she has overcome what she has. As the story goes along she ends up breaking up with him because he will not deal with his past and because of that he cannot have a future. Very powerful, for a romance book. You have to read the book to find out what happens next. A very moving story and a well written book. I also like the characters in the story. I got this book from net galley.

DOUBLE PLAY

DOUBLE PLAY                                              BEN & jULIANNA ZOBRIST
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

All-Star player Ben Zobrist (Tampa Bay Rays), considered one of the best all-around players in baseball, writes about the importance of his faith, life, and athletic career in Double Play. Written with his wife, Christian singer Julianna Zobrist, and MikeYorkey, best-selling author of Every Man's Battle and Linspired: The Remarkable Rise of Jeremy Lin, the book gives fans a first look into the heart of an athlete whose talent and devotion to God, family, and baseball make him one of the most loveable figures in the Major League today.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Doubly play is about Ben and Julianna Zobrist, Ben is a professional baseball player for the Tampa Bay Rays and Julianna, is a Christian singer. They are parents to two children and they also do public speaking, mostly in churches. The book follows each of their lives growing up both of their families up until they meet and then the long period of dating before the engagement and then marriage. It also follows his journey to the major leagues from a small college to getting drafted by the Astros, to being traded to Tampa. Then being called up to the big leagues and then the disappointment of being sent down again to the minors. His anxiety attacks that took place which caused a whole set of different problems and how together and with their pastor they together overcome and worked through his problems and by doing so he made it back to the majors and after a few more back and forth trips between the minors and the majors he made it to stay. He was part of the Tampa team that went to the World Series and with the check he received from that he was able to fulfill a promise that he made to her father and Julianna recoded her first Christian cd. This is a great story of a couple working through the problems and not running away from them. When they come out of the other side their relationship as a couple is stronger and the relationship with the Lord is stronger as well. This is a very good book and I enjoyed their story very much. You don’t need to be a baseball fan you just need to be a fan of marriage working and the love for one another. I got this book from net galley.

WILD NIGHTS

WILD NIGHTS                                               TINA WAINSCOTT
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

The only commitment Saxby Cole has ever made is to the SEALs. He follows a long line of Southern charmers who swear monogamy isn’t in their blood. He’s never met a woman who made him want to swear his allegiance—until, while undercover for a Justiss Alliance assignment, he finds a woman who makes him think twice.
 
When Jennessy Shaw’s boyfriend dumps her right before their vacation to a hedonistic Caribbean resort, she goes without him to explore her wild side. Throwing caution to the wind, she propositions Saxby—only to suffer his gentle rejection.
 
When she wakes in Saxby’s room with no memory of the night before, Jennessy discovers his real purpose: to sniff out an operation where women like her are drugged and prostituted to resort guests. She goes from victim to his investigative partner . . . but getting too close to the sexier-than-sin Saxby may be her wildest move yet.
 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This is the third book in the Justiss Alliance series. This story has Saxby Cole, as the lead detective and he is sent to an island in the Caribbean that is private but there have been complaints about illegal activity, date rape, but nothing can be proven. He is sent to find evidence and if possible collect the drug. They come up with a disguise and on the flight there he meets a women by the name of Jennessy Shaw. They like each other but he must not blow his cover so he acts like he is not interested. Once they are on the island things start to change and the story and the connection between the two of them continue to grow. He is not only having to deal with the case he is working on, but also feelings that he has never had before for another woman. He must also overcome voices in his head that he has from how his father was to his mother. With all of this going on, this is a fast pace and very good story. I have read the other books, but you don’t need to read those before reading this one. This is a very good story with strong male and female lead characters. A very good book. I got this book from net galley. 

HOW SWEET THE SOUND

HOW SWEET THE SOUND                         VANESSA MILLER
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

Shar Gracey wants nothing more than to sing the Lord s praises, so she jumps at the chance to join a traveling choir led by the father of black gospel music, Thomas A. Dorsey. Better yet, the opportunity will give her money to pay for her ailing mother s medical care.

While on tour she falls under the tutelage of gospel great Mahalia Jackson and falls for the handsome but not-so-great Nicoli James, whose desires for Shar are fueled by his own greed. Shar would do anything for Nicoli and he knows it so when his life is threatened after a night of gambling, Shar agrees to help pay Nicoli s debt, only to have her faith and dreams shattered.

Reeling from the betrayal, Shar loses her voice and she believes that she will never sing again. She has no place to run except back home to her seriously ill mother and the man she left behind, who would move heaven and earth to make Shar s pain go away. Even if it means he has to let her go . . . again."

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

I found this story to be very fascinating. It is about a girl named Shar Garcey, who sings in her local church choir and everyone loves her voice. Her mother is sick and her father is out of work. The time period is the depression. They live in Chicago. Their church has just got a new Pastor and everyone is excited about that and once he hears her sing he is struck not only by her beauty but also by her voice. There is an attraction between the two of them but their relationship is slow moving. After about 8 months a man by the name of Thomas Dorsey, comes to their church and she is hoping that after he hears her sing that he will ask her to join his gospel group that travels mostly in the south. After the services he leaves and she thinks he must not like her singing so she helps with the cleanup of the church and goes home. Later that evening the Pastor shows up wanting to ask her father permission to marry his daughter, but also in the house is Thomas Dorsey, offering her a job with his gospel group. She talks to the Pastor, Landon and he says he will wait and she accepts the job. Once she is out on the road she is away from her mother and father for the first time and she makes friends with Mahalia Jackson and other strong women. She also meets a man who only wants to take advantage of her because she has an amazing voice and when the letters stop from Landon the Pastor she is confused. When she realizes that the one guy is only using her and she is feeling foolish, her voice is gone. She goes home to her mother and father. There the story takes off again. I don’t want to give it away, but I found this to be a very good story about life and music. How friends will come to aide. Though not a true story there really was a man named Thomas Dorsey, known as the “the father of black gospel music”, he wrote Take my hand Precious Lord, It’s Tight Like That, It’s A Highway To Heaven, to name a few. This was a good story and a fast read. I really enjoyed this book. I got this book from net galley. 

CRUDE CARRIER

CRUDE CARRIER                                        REX BURNS
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

When a sailor dies under unusual circumstances, Raiford goes undercover on the high seasThe Rossi family received only a handful of letters after their son shipped out on the supertanker "Aurora Victorious." The first dispatches were from Harold himself, describing the blend of tedium and excitement that defined life onboard the ship. The last communication came from the ship's owners: four brief sentences informing them that their son had died and been buried at sea. Desperate to know more, the Rossis turn to James and Julie Raiford, the father-daughter detective team behind the Touchstone Agency. As the Raifords soon learn, work on the open sea is dangerous--and asking questions can be deadly.When the shipping company stonewalls the investigation, James joins the "Aurora Victorious" as an electronics officer, and Julie digs into the proprietors' shadowy background. International oil shipping is a ruthless business, and its secrets run as deep as the ocean itself.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This story begins with a family wanting answers into the death of their son, who was on a ship a tanker. They turn to a father daughter team touchstone detective agency. When they go to the shipping company to find out they are stone walled. So they come up with a plan. The father goes aboard the ship as an electric officer, while the daughter will work the case for shore. They come up with a plan for communication but after a short time aboard he is finding out that it is harder than he thought it was going to be. Julie the daughter, starts in New York, but everyone she needs to speak to is coming up missing and when she does find clues it leads her across the Atlantic to England. Here she is still having some problems but a little luck as well. Her father still on the ship is starting to figure things out but they are starting to figure him out as well. A very good book with drama and suspense on both the ship and the land. First time reading this author but found it to be a good story and was surprised at the end. a good book. I got this book from net galley.

SCALIA: A COURT OF ONE

SCALIA: A COURT OF ONE                      BRUCE ALLEN MURPHY
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014


An authoritative, deeply researched biography of the most controversial and outspoken Supreme Court justice of our time and how he chose to be “right” rather than influential.

Antonin Scalia knew only success in the first fifty years of his life. His sterling academic and legal credentials led to his nomination by President Ronald Reagan to the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in 1982. In four short years there, he successfully outmaneuvered the more senior Robert Bork to be appointed to the Supreme Court in 1986.

Scalia’s evident legal brilliance and personal magnetism led everyone to predict he would unite a new conservative majority under Chief Justice William Rehnquist and change American law in the process. Instead he became a Court of One. Rather than bringing the conservatives together, Scalia drove them apart. He attacked and alienated his more moderate colleagues Sandra Day O’Connor, then David Souter, and finally Anthony Kennedy. Scalia prevented the conservative majority from coalescing for nearly two decades.

Scalia: A Court of One is the compelling story of one of the most polarizing figures ever to serve on the nation’s highest court. It provides an insightful analysis of Scalia’s role on a Court that, like him, has moved well to the political right, losing public support and ignoring public criticism. To the delight of his substantial conservative following, Scalia’s “originalism” theory has become the litmus test for analyzing, if not always deciding, cases. But Bruce Allen Murphy shows that Scalia’s judicial conservatism is informed as much by his highly traditional Catholicism, mixed with his political partisanship, as by his reading of the Constitution. Murphy also brilliantly analyzes Scalia’s role in major court decisions since the mid-1980s and scrutinizes the ethical controversies that have dogged Scalia in recent years. A Court of One is a fascinating examination of one outspoken justice’s decision not to play internal Court politics, leaving him frequently in dissent, but instead to play for history, seeking to etch his originalism philosophy into American law.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is a very in-depth look at the life of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Starting with his parents and his home life to his early education which is the foundation of his decisions. Then on to Georgetown University. When at Georgetown he is on the debate team and by his sophomore year his partner and he are winning the most prestige’s awards in the debate field. This wanting to debate and almost over the top in wanting or having the other side see his point would lead to problems later in his life. After graduating it was on to law school and then you get a look at his plan of jobs from teaching to working at a law firm which he argued a case in front of the Supreme Court. To him becoming a judge and then taking a position on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Though he knew it would be a cut in pay he also knew that this would be a step in the right direction for the spot he would want to be at the Supreme Court. October 16, 1986 started his time he is the first Italian American to hold the spot as a Supreme Court Jurist and though that may not sound like a big deal it is in the Italian American community. His first days were filled with frustration in that the Justices did not speak to each other and did not go over cases. The way he would handle this would cause problems for throughout his time there. This book goes into how he would try to get other Justices to change their views or opinions on cases and how he always wanted to be heard. It also goes into cases that have changed us the U.S. and how not only his decision but that of the court. The book mostly goes into his decisions but towards the end of the book the author looks at some of the more current decisions and how they were decided even when the Chief Justice in part of his decisions made it appear that the health care law was in violation of the constitution, but his approval was going against his own argument and seemed more of a political vote than an actual fact base vote that is what they were set up for. Check and balances. This is a book with a lot of information and the author spent many hours of research on it. A very fascinating book. I got this book from net galley.

THE WOLF

THE WOLF                                                    LORENZO CARCATERRA
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

My name is Vincent Marelli, though most people call me The Wolf. You’ve never met me, and if you’re lucky you never will. But in more ways than you could think of, I own you.
 
I run the biggest criminal operation in the world. We’re invisible but we’re everywhere. Wherever you go, whatever you do, however it is you spend your money, a piece of it lands in our pockets.
 
You would think that with that kind of power I would be invincible. You would be wrong. I made a mistake, one that a guy like me can never afford to make. I let my guard down. And because I did, my wife and daughters are gone. Murdered by terrorists with a lethal ax to grind.  That was my mistake.
 But it was also theirs.
 I wasn’t looking for a war with them. No one in my group was. But they’ve left me with nothing but a desire for revenge—so a war is what they’ll get. The full strength of international organized crime against every known terrorist group working today. Crime versus chaos.
 
We will protect our interests, and I will protect my son. We won’t get them all, but I will get my revenge, or I will die trying.
They will know my name.  They will feel my wrath.  They will fear The Wolf.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This is a gangster book and the Wolf, is a nick name of one of the heads of the Mafia Family, and after his wife and two daughters are killed a war is started. For the most part this is a fast pace book that crosses the Globe and many different families are involved and more people close to him will die fighting with him and protecting him, all against one family who wants to control the entire Globe and every racket there is. A good book just a few slow parts but all of the action makes up for that and there is a good twist at the end that really got me. I have read this author before and though I liked this book I still think his book titled the Gangster was a little better. Just my thought. This is still a good story with strong characters, male and female which really adds to the story. I got this book from net galley.

THE FIXER

THE FIXER                                                    IRA JUDELSON
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

From New York's foremost bail bondsman with "over $30 million on the street" comes the story of a modern-day "fixer" who walks a fine line between hustler and humanitarian with clients ranging from the rich and famous to the mafia and gangs of New York.

With from-the-gut prose, Ira Judelson sheds light on the highs and lows of the bondsman life. But Judelson is no process server. He sees himself as a sort of modern day macher, using his juice as a bail bondsman to help friends old and new out of jams wherever he can. He is also a keenly observant and wildly charismatic insider who's seen it all.

Prepare to be shocked, but also informed in The Fixer as Judelson reveals the unwritten laws of the courtroom and even prison -- not to mention the shameless activities of his unbelievable list of clients, including former New York Giants Plaxico Burress and Lawrence Taylor; rappers Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ja Rule, Lil' Wayne, and DMX; comedian Katt Williams; notorious Manhattan madam Kristin Davis; and former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn. You'll see why the New York Times describes Judelson as "an inevitable entry in the BlackBerrys of New York defense lawyers, an ATM for desperate rappers, actors, athletes, executives, and madams with pocketbooks much fatter than his."

The Fixer is a rollicking narrative that follows Judelson as he learns the ins and outs of the down-and-dirty world of bonds: which judge might let you slide, which ones have zero tolerance, which lawyers do pro bono for the right case, and the cops and DAs who believe in second chances. Judelson illuminates a world almost entirely opaque to the general public, but also entertains and informs with the inside scoop on the underbelly of the justice system.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This book is about a bail bondsman from New York by the name of Ira Judelson. It begins with a back story of his life growing up and then moves into how he got into the business and became a bail bondsman. Not a very easy process. He also goes into the problems that come along with the job like family events, missing some and when this is where your income is it takes away from certain things. He talks about some of the cases that he worked to bail people out on not any names, he also goes into some of the people who have jumped bail on him. He also gives people tips if they should ever get arrested, or even just brought in for questioning, on what not to do. Those were very good tips. This book was interesting and at times it was exciting. Overall a good book. I got this book from net galley.

THE HILTONS: A FAMILY DYNASTY

THE HILTONS                                              J. RANDY TARABORRELLI
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

THE HILTONS is a fascinating, no-holds-barred account of the American industrial giant who built the world's greatest hotel empire and his always larger-than-life family. 

Demanding and enigmatic, patriarch Conrad Hilton's visionary ideas and unyielding will established the model for the modern luxury hotel industry. But outside the boardroom, Conrad struggled with emotional detachment, failed marriages, and conflicted Catholicism. 

Then there are the Hilton children. Playboy Nicky's tragic alcoholism and passionate but abusive relationship with Elizabeth Taylor was the stuff of tabloid legend. Serious Barron, on the other hand, deftly handled his father's legacy, carrying the Hilton brand triumphantly into the new millennium. Eric, raised apart from his older brothers, accepted his supporting role in the Hilton dynasty with calm and quiet--a stark contrast to the boys' much younger half-sister Francesca, whose battle for recognition led her into courtrooms and conflict.

The cast of supporting players includes the inimitable Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was married to Conrad briefly but remained a thorn in his side for decades; a young Donald Trump; and a host of other Hollywood and business luminaries with whom the Hiltons crossed paths and swords over the years. 

THE HILTONS is a sweeping saga of the success--and excess--of an iconic and only-in-America family dynasty.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

In this book about the Hiltons, it starts with Conrad and a look back into the family roots. From there it goes from his father being a small business man to Conrad coming up with a plan to make money for the family when his father gets ill. His mother from the supports him as he sells the families business and takes in boarders, with money made from that he moves to New Mexico, and opens another place and this one begins to take off. From there the book goes into other deals he makes for hotels and for the ones he sets as goals. The author goes into his failed marriages, his first to a local girl who grows into a beautiful women who he fails to see and spend time with. Putting more time into his business deals. Then Zsa Zsa Gabor who once they marry he does the same thing ignores her and spends more time with buying hotels and building his business. The book goes into court battles over his estate and into the lives of all of his children and his grandchildren. Some good some not so good. I found the first part of this book to be interesting than the last part but like a lot of business men Conrad Hilton was better in making deals for Hotels than making a family or I should say a home. A well written book with a lot of information. I got this book from net galley.

WILD WAYS (HUBBY'S REVIEW)

WILD WAYS                                                   TINA WAINSCOTT
Posted:  Nov. 26, 2014

The Justiss Alliance returns in Tina Wainscott’s novel of outlaws and daredevils, as the search for a missing woman forces two brave souls to tap into their wild side.

When her sister, Diana, rides off into the sunset with a member of the Kings of Chaos motorcycle gang, Mollie Reagan is beyond worried. Two weeks later, a desperate call from Di is abruptly cut off, launching Mollie on a dangerous search.

Before Julian Cuevas receives his first assignment for the Justiss Alliance, he finds one of his own: a beautiful, courageous woman looking for her sister in the dark world of violent criminals. Soon Mollie’s mission is Julian’s mission—one he’d give his life for.

Mollie is used to going it alone. Trusting one stranger is hard enough, but Julian brings a whole team from the private “security” firm he works for. The sexy SEAL is living proof that some people can be counted on, even if her savior is a well-armed world-class sniper riding in on his Harley. From head to toe, Julian is a lethal weapon—and now he’s taking aim at fulfilling Mollie’s every desire. 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This is the second book of the Justiss Alliance series. In this story Julian Cuevas, is given his first assignment that has to do with a biker ganger called Kings of Chaos. Upon his surveillance he comes across a women by the name of Mollie Reagan, who is trying to rescue her sister from this biker gang by herself. She does not want any help for she thinks it is a sign of weakness, even when he proves to her that she is in over her head. This goes on for a while until she realizes that she really is in over her head and that she does need help. At the same time the attraction between the two of them scares her more than him. This is a book full of action and fast paced and the characters are all strong. A very good book and good writing. I got this book from net galley.