MEMORY MAN

MEMORY MAN                                               DAVID BALDACCI
Posted:  May 10, 2015

Memory ManAmos Decker's life changed forever--twice.

The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to go pro. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field for good, and left him with an improbable side effect--he can never forget anything. 

The second time was at home nearly two decades later. Now a police detective, Decker returned from a stakeout one evening and entered a nightmare--his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law had been murdered.

His family destroyed, their killer's identity as mysterious as the motive behind the crime, and unable to forget a single detail from that horrible night, Decker finds his world collapsing around him. He leaves the police force, loses his home, and winds up on the street, taking piecemeal jobs as a private investigator when he can.

But over a year later, a man turns himself in to the police and confesses to the murders. At the same time a horrific event nearly brings Burlington to its knees, and Decker is called back in to help with this investigation. Decker also seizes his chance to learn what really happened to his family that night. To uncover the stunning truth, he must use his remarkable gifts and confront the burdens that go along with them. He must endure the memories he would much rather forget. And he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

MEMORY MAN will stay with you long after the turn of the final page.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Memory Man, is a fascinating story about a former police officer who because of one horrific night his world was changed and would never be the same. He also is not able to forget anything he sees or hears. Then a series of events start to happen and one of them lead him to that night in question and that starts him to want to pull himself out of the downward spiral that he has been in for years. These events lead him back to his old partner and some new people along with why this is all happening now. It does not makes sense to him or anyone else. But it all comes together at the end. This was a very gripping story and was really hard to find or think who could be the person doing these things to get at him. I liked this story and could not put this book down a great read. I got this book from net galley.   I give this 5 stars.

LEGEND

LEGEND                                                         ERIC BLEHM
Posted:  May 10, 2015

Legend: A Harrowing Story from the Vietnam War of One Green Beret's Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy LinesThe unforgettable account and courageous actions of the U.S. Army’s 240th Assault Helicopter Company and Green Beret staff sergeant Roy Benavidez, who risked everything to rescue a Special Forces team trapped behind enemy lines

In Legend, acclaimed bestselling author Eric Blehm takes as his canvas the Vietnam War, as seen through a single mission that occurred on May 2, 1968. A twelve-man Special Forces team had been covertly inserted into a small clearing in the jungles of neutral Cambodia—where U.S. forces were forbidden to operate. Their objective, just miles over the Vietnam border, was to collect evidence that proved the North Vietnamese Army was using the Cambodian sanctuary as a major conduit for supplying troops and materiel to the south via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. What the team didn’t know was that they had infiltrated a section of jungle that concealed a major enemy base. Soon they found them¬selves surrounded by hundreds of NVA troops, under attack, low on ammunition, and stacking the bodies of the dead as cover in a desperate attempt to survive the onslaught.

When Special Forces staff sergeant Roy Benavidez heard the distress call, he jumped aboard the next helicopter bound for the combat zone without hesitation. Orphaned at the age of seven, Benavidez had picked cotton alongside his family as a child and dropped out of school as a teen before joining the Army. Although he was grievously wounded during his first tour of duty in Vietnam and told he would never walk again, Benavidez fought his way back—ultimately earning his green beret.

What followed would become legend in the Special Operations community. Flown into the foray of battle by the courageous pilots and crew of the 240th Assault Helicopter Company, Benavidez jumped from the hovering aircraft and ran nearly 100 yards through withering enemy fire. Despite being immediately and severely wounded, Benavidez reached the perimeter of the decimated team, provided medical care, and proceed¬ed to organize an extraordinary defense and rescue. During the hours-long battle, he was bayoneted, shot, and hit by grenade shrapnel more than thirty times, yet he refused to abandon his efforts until every survivor was out of harm’s way.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This story is about Staff Sgt. Roy Benavidez a Green Beret who risked his own life to rescue another team that was pinned downed in Cambodia. This was time during the Vietnam War that our leaders wanted to stop the supplies that were coming in from Cambodia, during the Johnson administration. Lack of communication was just one of the problems that day. This book begins with his early life losing both parents and being taken in by and Aunt and Uncle, along with their grandfather. The grandfather would pass along stories and it is because of these stories and that you help your fellow man that you are lead up to the day and the battle that is taking place. Roy is on his way to breakfast when one of the helicopters is coming in for fuel and ammo. He over hears the crew talking and knowing that a team went out earlier he asks about one of his friends and is told about what is taking place, he immediately grabs his medic kit and hopes into the helicopter. When he gets to the area he can barely see two of the men but he can see all of the rounds being fired, he asks the crew to drop him off which was about 75 yards from where this giant ant hill was and where a few were hold up. He ran across zig sagging but still took a round to the leg. He made to the hill with medical supplies and more ammo which they were running out of. As the battle grew more the spotter called in for an all-out code signaling that a troop was about to be overrun. Though they were in Cambodia within 5- 10 minutes he had multiple jets dropping bombs, napalm, firing there cannons and yet the enemy still were coming in mass amounts. Roy had got the other men together plus a member of a down helicopter crew, and they were putting up a last stand or so they thought. One of the helicopters only took half the fuel and added extra ammo and rockets and by losing their two door gunners two Warrant officers step up and they took off with a crew of entirely officers, unheard of. When they arrived they knew they had one last attempt at a rescue because of darkness, when they went in Roy and another man got all of the men in plus Roy went back to get more and to double check, he was wounded multiple times and collapse on the floor of the helicopter. Because when they went in they were dressed liked the enemy they had actually put Roy in a body bag thinking he was the enemy and dead, until the Sgt. Major told them to get him out and they felt a faint pulse, he was rushed to a hospital. The survivors were all sent to different hospitals and had thought that no one made it out. It was not until a story made it to the newspaper and one of the survivors wrote the Army that people were realizing what other people already knew that Roy was a Hero and should be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. It would be thirteen years later but it did happen. I of course am leaving out a lot from this book but this is a great read for everyone and I do want to mention the 240th Assault helicopter Company who provided support and lost three helicopters and crew members that day in rescue attempts and providing support for them. Once again this goes to show you the brave men from all of the wars and these men from Vietnam are finally getting their stories told. What a legacy for the Green Berets as well, and his family. A great book. I got this book from net galley.  I give this 5 stars.

BLOOD ACES: THE WILD RIDE OF BENNY BINION

BLOOD ACES:  The Wild Ride of Benny Binion                              DOUG J. SWANSON
Posted:  May 10, 2015

Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas PokerThe astonishing story of Benny Binion—a rip-roaring saga of murder, money, and the making of Las Vegas
 
Benny Binion was many things: a cowboy, a pioneering casino owner, a gangster, a killer, and founder of the hugely successful World Series of Poker.
 
Blood Aces tells the story of Binion’s crucial role in shaping modern Las Vegas. From a Texas backwater, Binion rose to prominence on a combination of vision, determination, and brutal expediency. His formula was simple: run a good business, cultivate the big boys, kill your enemies, and own the cops.
 
Through a mix of cold-bloodedness, native intelligence, folksiness, and philanthropy, Binion became one of the most revered figures in the history of gambling, and his showmanship, shrewdness, and violence would come to dominate the Vegas scene.
 
Veteran journalist Doug J. Swanson uses once-secret government documents and dogged reporting to show how Binion destroyed his rivals and outsmarted his adversaries—including J. Edgar Hoover.
 
As fast paced as any thriller, Blood Aces tells a story that is unmatched in the annals of American criminal justice, a vital yet untold piece of this country’s history.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Blood Aces, is the story of Benny Binion and his life from Texas to Las Vegas. Most of the book is about him growing up in Texas and how he did not go to school he would go around with his father and do deals shady ones on selling horses and other cons, as he got older he started working for men how ran gambling houses and running other illegal items. He also ran liquor across the border during the depression and after a while started running his own numbers racket. By 1932 he was into everything in Dallas and even had someone on the Sheriffs’ dept. who would call him and tell him when a raid or an arrest were about to happen. By 1936 it was worse he and one of his men killed a man in broad daylight in the street of Dallas and months later the D.A. said the case was dismissed for lack of evidence. By 1946 he had to leave Dallas for his people were being voted out of office and a feud started with a Herbert Noble, who would survive 11 attempts on his life. In 51 his wife though would be killed in one of those attempts. By 47 once in Vegas Binion was trying any way to get in and own an hotel he would be co-owner to a couple, but he finally took over the Apache Hotel where the Horse shoe is now. He remodel the hotel putting carpet everywhere and adding more tables and slot machines. This is where he thrived, his years running and being around under world gaming establishments in Texas he brought to Vegas. Meals at a lower price but at a better quality than any other hotel in town, there was no limit on the size of a bet. He started the World Series of Poker with only a few tables, then it became a whole room now it is multiple days. This book ends with his death and that of his son, Teddy, but really it is so much more. The names of people are some we have heard of before and still to this day Steve Wynn, talks highly of him. Yes you see a side of him that at least I did not know about but it made sense to run a casino back then and make a ton of money. Overall a good book with a lot of facts from records from courts and other legal offices. I got this book from net galley.  I give this 4 stars.

DO OR DIE

DO OR DIE                                                      SUZANNE BROCKMANN
Posted:  May 9, 2015

Do or Die (Reluctant Heroes, #1)Navy SEAL Ian Dunn went rogue in a big way when he turned his talents to a lawless life of jewel heists and con jobs. Or so the world has been led to believe. In reality, the former Special Ops warrior is still fighting for good, leading a small band of freelance covert operatives who take care of high-stakes business in highly unofficial ways. That makes Ian the hands-down choice when the U.S. government must breach a heavily guarded embassy and rescue a pair of children kidnapped by their own father, a sinister foreign national willing to turn his own kids into casualties. Shockingly, Ian passes on the mission... for reasons he will not–or cannot–reveal.

But saying no is not an option. Especially not to Phoebe Kruger, Ian’s bespectacled, beautiful, and unexpectedly brash new attorney. Determined to see the abducted children set free, she not only gets Ian on board but insists on riding shotgun on his Mission: Impossible-style operation, whether he likes it or not.

Though Phoebe has a valuable knack for getting out of tight spots, there’s no denying the intensely intimate feelings growing between Ian and Phoebe as the team gears up for combat. But these are feelings they both must fight to control as they face an array of cold-blooded adversaries, including a vindictive mob boss who’s got Ian at the top of his hit list and a wealthy psychopath who loves murder as much as money. As they dodge death squads and play lethal games of deception, Ian and Phoebe will do whatever it takes to save the innocent and vanquish the guilty.  Or die trying.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is a story about a former Navy Seal who is trying to take care of his family, mainly brother who is grown and extended people around him. He is in prison but he made a deal with a crime boss because there was a hit out on one of his family members. While in prison the FBI has come in and has pulled him out along with the help of an attorney from the office his normal attorney owns but had a heart attack. She does not know about the agreement he made with the crime boss and is just working with the FBI on getting him released. Ian thinks she is working for the rival crime syndicate and is trying to get him killed because no one can be that naïve about life and have such a rose outlook on life. When he realizes they are trying to kill her also he starts coming around to believing someone is like that and he along with his family must work together to not only save themselves from being killed but also from each other as now they are forced to deal with their past and Ian must deal with feelings he has never had for a woman before. This all makes for a very exciting book and a good story. I got this book from net galley.  I give this 4 stars.

MAKE YOU MINE

MAKE YOU MINE                                          JACKIE ASHENDEN
Posted:  May 10, 2015

Make You Mine (Nine Circles, #2)Alex St. James was left with a choice. Pick up the dice and find where they lead, or walk away. Choosing to see where the snake-eyes go, Alex plays in a poker game run by the devil who haunts his past. He will risk everything to find answers—that is, until his alluring, enigmatic bodyguard, Katya, becomes someone he cannot risk losing…

Katya is fiercely conflicted. Aching to break free from Alex to track down her former lover, Katya agrees to one last job—to protect her dangerously sexy boss as he gambles his future in exchange for clarity about his past. As the stakes are raised, Katya's loyalty shifts from the man she loved to the man she swore to protect. But in order to get what she wants, Katya will have to go all in…
 

MY REVIEW:
     There are some things that can never be given back.  Once they are taken they are gone for good.  When it happens during the prime of your youth it can have harmful lasting effects.  Especially, when it is a senseless act done for the other persons either own enjoyment or to relieve stress.  Sick.
     This is such the case for both Katya Ivanova and Alex St. James.  Both come from shady backgrounds.  She from Russia where she served in the military special forces.  Serving under her father a general.  The thing is Katya’s mother committed suicide when Katya was younger.  She had come home from school where she found her in the tub with a smile on her face and blood everywhere.
     At that moment things went from bad to worst.  You see her father took it as a female sign of weakness.  So, he gathered all her dresses and put them in the trash along with all the dolls her mother gave her.  Which made her sad because her mom had given them to her and they were important.  Then she was off to military school no questions asked and no emotional counseling.  She learned to be a “good little soldier.”  Her father introduced her to Mikhail the man that was to be her future husband when she became old enough to join the Special Forces.  They were in the Special Forces together for two years just not in the same unit.  There was never any sparks.
     She had few years to get to know him.  Then he’s sent on this mission to Chechnya it has been two years now and there has been no word of him.  At the time she asked her father and those higher than her father and they told her if she went looking for him she could be killed or tried for treason.  What hurt the most was that her own father would not help.  It was not that she loved Mikhail but she had made a promise to him and her father was the one who taught her to be loyal and here he was turning his back.  So that is what she had to do turn her back on her own country, father, and her government that she served and came to the United States to serve as a bodyguard.  
     She did vow to keep searching for him through her connections and that is what she did.  But all were afraid for they knew what would happen if they got caught.
     Now there’s Alex who is a walking ad for condoms and for using safe sex.  He is a millionaire several times over from a set of clubs he owns with his friends Gabriel and Zac.  They have a “don’t ask don’t tell” policy.  Which has served Alex so far.  You see Alex is nothing if not a liar.  Basically, know when he opens his mouth he’ll be lying the thing is he has done it for so long to keep people away to not allow them to get to close and see who he really is so he doesn’t get hurt again.  He has been running from his biggest secret in his life for the last 19 years.  He was 16 years old at the time and he is not 35.  All of that time spinning his web of lies and now he is so tired and out of control.
     Three months ago his step-father was shot, not killed but bad enough to be in a coma.  Soon after Gabriel gives him 2 silver dice they were from his step-dad.  They all know they are important and Alex will know what he does but first he goes into a tail spin.  The first thing he does is hire a female bodyguard, not just any bodyguard the best of the best, she is Special Forces.  During these month she follows him everywhere and has a front row seat to all his sexcapades.  There is always socialites, models, actresses, and sometimes more than one.
     Then this night a night where Alex wakes not from his usual screams from nightmares but he’s not sure what it was.  He does know lately it feels as if he has eyes on him always.  He dresses and goes to the living room living the two girls he brought home sleeping.  He goes to the wall of windows that his penthouse has and looks out at it snowing down upon New York City.  When he notices Katya looking at her computer on the couch not saying a word.  This is what gets to him that she never shows expression or speaks.  They speak about his uneasiness and if he wants her to arrange for the girls transportation in the morning since he never seems to be with any of his women more than one night.  He says no then tells her to go bed.
     When she wakes bright and early the next morning she goes and works out in his in home gym and thinks on how to give him the news.  You see she got an email from one of the many contacts that she has that they spotted Mikhail and now she feels she must go and try to rescue him.  But when she goes into the living room he is on a phone call and he seems like an animal that has been caged far too long.  He is like a panther stalking with the phone when all of a sudden he hangs up and throws it on the coach and it bounces to the floor.  She waits because she needs to talk to him.  When he gets off the phone she can tell he is on edge and it may not be the best time to talk to him but it can’t be helped.  When he asks what she needs she has to tell him for sure now.
     At this point she announces that there is a family emergency and she needs to be let out of her contract.  With him 3 months early.  He just stares at her for the longest time.  He thinks to himself how he had never really looked at her before, although she is not his usual type she is a nice looking woman.  Fit, curvy, regal, tall and pleasingly symmetrical.
     Alex tells her no to the ending of the contract.   He tells her she’s lying that she’s not leaving due to family.  Katya hates how he studies her like he does those he gambles against.  She banters with him stirring his blood and his mind.  Not only is she the most qualified bodyguard but is someone that intrigues him and she is a woman and she makes him feel more at ease than all the men bodyguards that he ever had.
     This is a “I can’t stop turning the pages” kind of a book.  You know Alex is a train wreck with tons of secrets and lies but you can’t help but feel sorry for him and love him too.  Your heart will for sure go out to Katya she is so new to everything concerning being a woman but also to the world of men and women.  These two for as much as they banter come to a real understanding and do find a real affection for one another find out how that comes about by reading this page turner.  I give this 5 ++++ stars.  Provided by Net Galley.
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