Pandemic Parodies ~ Jamiroquai

Tags

”Let’s Dance”, ”Lockdown”, David Bowie, Jamiroquai, Pandemic Parodies

I have to admit I never heard of Jason Kay and Jamiroquai, until I became friends with Pete at https://beetleypete.com. He’s written several entertaining posts about this British band starting with this one: https://beetleypete.com/2016/09/04/whatever-happened-to-jamiroquai 

I’ve shared a few creative song parodies over the last 2-3 weeks, but when I saw that Jamiroquai had reworked David Bowie’s classic Let’s Dance into a coronavirus anthem called Lockdown, well I knew I had to share it. This is for you Pete!

 

 

 

Maledicus (The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1), by Charles F. French ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Family Relationships, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBT Relationships, Mystery, Paranormal, Suspense

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

333 Pages

Synopsis: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

Roosevelt Theodore Franklin attempts to make it through life day by day. Roosevelt is a widower, who lost his beloved wife to cancer and a retired history professor, and he has not stopped grieving. Along with his two closest friends, also retired and who also have lost loved ones, the three men form a paranormal investigation group. They hope to find an answer to the question: is there life after death?

When asked by a local teacher to investigate a possible haunting of her house, the group discovers an evil beyond anything they could have imagined. This is no mere ghost. Maledicus, who was in life a pimp, torturer, and murderer during Caligula’s reign in Rome, in death has become a sociopathic demon that attacks the weak and innocent. Maledicus threatens a five year old child’s life and soul. Terrified by what they have discovered, Roosevelt and his friends must choose to either walk away from this threat, or do battle with this ancient creature at the potential loss of their sanities, their lives, and their souls.

When our fellow blogger, Charles French, asked if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing Maledicus, the first book in his Investigative Paranormal Society series, I immediately said yes after reading the premise and I’m so glad I did, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Maledicus is definitely a character driven book, and just about everyone involved is well-rounded and completely relatable. The Paranormal Society itself is made up older gentlemen: Roosevelt, Jeremy, and Sam. Each of them has suffered the loss of a loved one and as a result have formed this group to investigate strange occurrences and either confirm and dispel meddlesome spirits, or debunk them. The focus in this story is mainly on Roosevelt, but you still get a good sense of who the others are as the author alternates POVs and timelines. Even the demon, Maledicus’ backstory is thoroughly explored, and let me tell you he is one nasty piece of work.

My only criticism is that I felt the dialogue was a little awkward at times and there was some repetitive words and phrasing. But there wasn’t enough of this to spoil my overall enjoyment of the book. I also wish that the IPS’s latest client Helen, had been a little more developed. I don’t know if she’ll be appearing in future books, but I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.

The plot itself is classic horror. Instead of relying on blood and gore, there’s a continual building of chilling suspense and fear. I was mesmerized from the very first page. Everything is so detailed, from the characters backstories, to the afterlife where Maledicus is unleashing his campaign of terror, that I was completely invested in what was happening.

In the end, I believe Maledicus is an auspicious debut for Charles French. With its believable characters and themes of love, friendship and devotion coupled with the horror, suspense and mystery, it’s a captivating tale and one I highly recommend. I’m looking forward to reading the next supernatural adventure of this intrepid group.

~

If you haven’t checked out Charles’s blog at https://charlesfrenchonwordsreadingandwriting.wordpress.com I recommend that as well. You won’t be disappointed. 

Booke of the Hidden, by Jeri Westerson ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Thanks to NetGalley and Diversion Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

330 Pages

Synopsis: After a relationship gone bad in California, Kylie Strange moves to rural Maine for a fresh start. But she gets more than she bargained for when she finds a supernatural book bricked into the wall of her new tea shop, Strange Herbs and Teas. As soon as she opens the Booke of the Hidden, the quiet town of Moody Bog suddenly becomes a lot more interesting.

First the mysterious and handsome Erasmus Dark shows up unannounced, claiming to be a demon and warning Kylie of untold destruction. She waves him off, until a museum proprietor turns up dead, and the sheriff targets Kylie as a suspect. With the help of Erasmus and a ragtag group of local Wiccans, Kylie unravels the Booke’s secrets, and they begin to believe the culprit is someone—or something—much more sinister than a run-of-the-mill human murderer. 

Award-winning author Jeri Westerson crafts a tale of magic, murder, and romance, drawing us into the mystical world that surrounds Strange Herbs and Teas.

Booke of the Hidden is the first book in a new urban fantasy series, and while I found the romance to be a little “meh”, I still really enjoyed it.

I loved Kylie who’s spunky and sassy and all those other things you like to see in a heroine. Erasmus, the demonic romantic lead is tall, dark and dangerous, and literally smolders. That’s why I was surprised there didn’t seem to be more sparks between the two of them. There’s also the beginning of a love triangle between Kylie, Erasmus and Ed, the sheriff of Moody Bog, but you can already tell that this series is most likely going to focus on the forbidden romance between Kylie and Erasmus. 

The secondary characters, namely the small coven who become Kylie’s friends and support team are fantastic and just as interesting as the main characters. The dialogue between everyone in this story made me laugh out loud more than once, in a good way of course!

At the beginning I had a difficult time visualizing  a quaint little town in Maine being an epicenter for paranormal activity, but the author does a fantastic job detailing the town and it’s history. The action is pretty fast paced and the ending perfectly sets things up for the next book.

The Booke of the Hidden is a fun urban fantasy with tones of a cozy, that kept me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. I’m hoping the romance between Kylie and Erasmus is developed more in the sequel, but otherwise I highly recommend this to fans of these genres.

An Evil Mind (Robert Hunter #6) ~ By Chris Carter – 4.5 Stars

I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: December 1st, 2015

Synopsis: A freak accident in rural Wyoming leads the sheriff’s department to arrest a man for a possible double homicide, but further investigations suggest a much more horrifying discovery–a serial killer who has been kidnapping, torturing, and mutilating victims all over the United States for at least twenty-five years. 

The suspect claims he is a pawn in a huge labyrinth of lies and deceptions–but can he be believed?

The case is immediately handed over to the FBI, but this time they’re forced to ask for outside help. Ex-criminal behavior psychologist and lead detective with the Ultra Violent Crime Unit of the LAPD Robert Hunter is asked to run a series of interviews with the apprehended man.

These interviews begin to reveal terrifying secrets that no one could have foreseen, including the real identity of a killer so elusive that no one, not even the FBI, had any idea he existed–until now.

An Evil Mind is the first book by Chris Carter that I’ve read but it’s not one I’ll soon forget. I think it’s it’s definitely going to be in my top ten list of favorite books for 2015!

This is the 6th book in the Robert Hunter series, but I had absolutely no problem jumping in midway through the series. 

I do have to warn you that it’s definitely derivative of stories like Silence of the Lambs, the movie Seven. Actually, the dance between Robert Hunter and Lucien is extremely similar to that of the one between serial killer Joe Carroll and tormented FBI agent Ryan Hardy in  the tv series The Following. That said, the story is so well written and mesmerizing that I found myself not minding the similarities.

Hunter is supposed to be going on vacation to Hawaii after chasing a serial killer in the last few books, but when an old friend who is being detained by the FBI after a grisly discovery in the trunk of his car insists he will only speak to speak with him, he reluctantly goes to to Quantico. Even though this is my first exposure to his character, Robert Hunter is obviously someone who is brilliant at what he does, yet has demons in his past that overshadow him. Because of this, Lucien Folter, his former friend and college roomate is able to  successfully play him at times throughout the story.

Lucien is the epitome of evil, just as the title suggests. He made my skin crawl and the passages that are written from his pov are especially disturbing. This is a man who is without a doubt a genius and a master manipulator, which has allowed him to fly under the FBI’s radar for more than twenty years. He is proud of the atrocities he has committed, and when his motivation is revealed it literally left me reeling. 

To call this a fast-paced story doesn’t quite do it justice. I started this 368 page thriller at about 2:00 pm on 11/15, and finished it by pm 11 pm the same day. This was because I couldn’t tear myself away. I only took a break for supper. There are so many revelations and gotcha moments that I almost felt as though I had been sucker-punched at times. There are also some pretty gory scenes that made me cringe, but they were never gratuitous. Chris Carter is a criminal psychologist and he uses his expertise well. I’ve read that the plot is actually based on real events from his days of practicing, which makes this all the more fascinating.

An Evil Mind is a rollercoaster ride that will leave you breathless. Just when you think you know where the story is heading, it will take an abrupt turn that I promise you won’t see coming. It’s horrifying, yet once you start you won’t be able to tear yourself away. After finishing this I’m adding Chris Carter’s previous books to my Must Reads list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ask The Dark ~ By Henry Turner – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Coming of Age Stories, Horror, Mysteries, Poverty, Serial Killers, Suspense, YA Fiction

 I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Clarion Books in exchange for an honest review. Release Date: 4/7/15 14-year-old Billy Zeets has the reputation for being a troublemaker in his small town.

When he stumbles across the body of a boy he knows, and another turns up dead, Billy decides to solve the murders himself, and will do whatever it takes to bring the killer to justice and collect the reward.

“Ask The Dark” is a very quick read at 250 pages. Surprisingly, I found Billy to be quite likeable, and he actually reminded me of Huck Finn. He’s had a rough life and I couldn’t help but emphasize with him. His mother died two years previously, and now because of unpaid medical bills, and his own bad health, Billy’ s father is in danger of losing their house unless he can come up with $48,000. Because of his nightly wanderings and familiarity with the town and it’s inhabitants, Billy is in a unique position to investigate the serial killer responsible for the disappearances and murders. Despite his reputation as a juvenile delinquent, Billy is as heroic as he is tough and street smart. While his investigation is initially prompted by the reward being offered, it ultimately turns into something far more. The events that transpire are related in the first person by Billy as he lies recovering in the hospital and as he recounts his role, he insists, “I ain’t no hero, and I aim to prove it.” From there, the plot builds slowly, and I found myself wishing at times that Billy would figure things out a little faster. Also, when he finally comes face to face with the killer, some of his actions weren’t entirely in keeping with his previously common sense attitude. I found Billy’ s narrative and dialect added to the raw emotion of the story, but some readers might be turned off by it. Because of the subject matter and graphic scenes, I definitely would not recommend this to anyone under the age of fourteen, but other than that, I think a wide audience would enjoy this imaginative novel.