Book Review - The Ninth Orphan by James and Lance Morcan

The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy #1)

by James Morcan and Lance Morcan

"How do you catch a man who is never the same man twice?

That is the question posed in The Ninth Orphan, a top-rated international thriller novel and the first book in The Orphan Trilogy.

An orphan grows up to become an assassin for a highly secretive organization. When he tries to break free and live a normal life, he is hunted by his mentor and father figure, and by a female orphan he spent his childhood with. On the run, the mysterious man's life becomes entwined with his beautiful French-African hostage and a shocking past riddled with the darkest of conspiracies is revealed.

But can the ninth-born orphan ever get off the grid? To find out you'll need to go on a tumultuous journey around the globe to such far-flung locations as China, France, the Philippines, Andorra, America, England, Germany and French Polynesia. The frenetic cat-and-mouse chase moves from airports to train stations and hidden torture prisons, taking the reader on a shocking, nail-biting ride into the world's closet of skeletons that goes beyond conspiracy theories to painful reality."

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I received a copy of this eBook from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

The story follows a man named "Nine" as he tries to free himself from the powerful and shady organisation whose ultimate goal is power and domination. The 9th out of 23 orphans, he is different and longs for a life of freedom but the quest is not so easy. Throw in the leaders of the clandestine organisation, another orphan (“seventeen”), the Chinese and a love interest together with locations around the world and you have a recipe for success. There were many twists, turns and sub-plots that keep things interesting throughout and those, added to a fast pace of writing results in a great, suspense-filled and thrilling read.

All the characters, both major and minor, were really well developed. There was a good mix of background history that helped in the understanding of the characters and their motivations.

I haven’t read the Bourne books but imagine that this would compare quite well with them if the films are anything to go by and this would make a great film.

I loved it and found it hard to put down. I read most of it in one day - I had a 2 ½ hour delay plus a 3 hour flight home from my holidays and the time went so quick as I was engrossed in this book; I was annoyed when I had to stop reading when interrupted by the people I was sitting next to (not my family I hasten to add) and the air stewardesses!

I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a great spy, conspiracy, action, etc, etc book and I would love to read the other books in the series.

Short story review - Killing Your Boss by James DeSantis

Killing Your Boss by James De Santis

"Have you ever had a terrible day at work? Nothing seems to go right and everybody is out to ruin your entire day? Also, add on the fact that your boss is breathing down your neck to get work done. You ever get the urge to maybe want to...kill someone? That's what Ben gets roped into as his best friend, Ron, forces him to join him on a nightly adventure to kill their boss. What seems like a joke at first quickly escalates and things aren't what they seem. The workers want a little revenge but what if the boss has plans of his own?

Check out a twisted horror filled story about one terrible night that is worse than anyone could have imagined. Death, torture, and more awaits in a short story created by James DeSantis. The end results promise to leave you feeling terrified."

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A quick but surprisingly good read.  I'm not sure how believable it is that someone would just decide to kill their boss and the girlfriend and best friend go along with it but if you can't push the boundaries of reality and common sense in a book then when can you?

It was well written with a few errors but nothing that detracted from the reading experience.  It has its fair share of tension, suspense, blood, gore and moments where you wince in pain for the character and all told in a very successful way.  The characters were interesting and I liked the way each chapter was told from their different perspectives, this made it all the more compelling and enjoyable for me.  The ending was great and surprising and I didn't see it coming which I love.

I think this has scope for further books - one of which could focus on Kurt and his life before ending up at the E-mart and one could focus on his daughter.

I would consider reading something else by this author and would recommend but only to people over 18.

I received a copy of this book direct from the author in return for an honest review - this did not influence me in any way.

Short story eBook review - Plague by T Joseph Browder

Plague by T Joseph Browder

One man, alone with his children. One world, in the grip of the worst viral outbreak in human history. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. No place is safe. What lengths would you go to to protect the life of your child?

They kill. Violently and without warning. They are monsters. They prey on the living. They are not zombies. They are something much worse.

Prepare yourself for T. Joseph Browder's darkest and most controversial tale yet. It's not scary because it could happen, it's terrifying because someday, in the near future, it might.

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This is not your usual “zombie” tale, it’s so much more than that. It is quite a sad short story of trying to survive when you think there is no hope. I am of the belief that there is always hope but this made me question that.

This short story opens with a bang when a husband has to kill his wife with an axe in front of his children. The graphic nature in which this is written does not let up throughout the book however, it is not over-the-top or gratuitous. I did however find it a bit too technical and in depth when describing the virus which, I felt was too much and admit to skim-reading that part; it didn’t add anything to the story for me but may do so for people who are more physics/biology minded and like to know the ins and outs of that kind of thing.

This is a short story and therefore I am not going to give anything away about the development or clues to the outcome but before you read it, ask yourself one question … would you do anything for your children? This story made me think very hard about that question and I would hope that I would have as much bravery as the father in this short story and say yes but, and this is the real question, could I live with my choices???

I like a book that challenges my beliefs and this managed to do this despite it being short. I would read something else by this author.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this from the author but this has not influenced my review in any way.

Review of The Group by Kevin R Doyle

The Group by Kevin R Doyle

The blurb:

Professor Ron Green could only blame himself as his marriage teetered on a precipice. Even though the affair had been over for months, he felt accused by every icy stare his wife sent his way. What could be worse than this slow motion disaster? 

The murder of his ex-lover could be worse. 

Becoming the prime suspect in her murder could be worse. 

Discovering another murder related to his lover's death, and making himself the scapegoat by telling the police about the connection could be worse. 

Someone is killing harmless members of the focus group where he met his lover. What did the group do to cause this horrible vengeance? Who could feel hurt by anything Ron and the others had done in those two brief days? 

Ron must answer those questions and find the killer before he ends up taking the fall. 

Or worse, before the killer finds him.

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I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review; this in no way affected how I felt about this book or my review.

I was definitely entertained by this book. It was well written with good pace. The main characters, and even some of the minor ones, were well developed and interesting and although Professor Green was a bit whiny and self-pitying at times, this was perfectly understandable given what he was experiencing and especially when he tries to clear his name but ends up looking even more guilty. However I didn't have too much sympathy for him for most of the book as he only had himself to blame for the predicament he was in.

What I did find disturbingly accurate was how the book delved into what it's like to be under the police and media spotlight and how easy it is to become a pariah in your local community whether guilty or not and how one lapse of judgement can have implications you couldn't have foreseen.  I feel this was portrayed pretty accurately in this book.

Overall, a good read which kept me guessing for most of the book - and I guessed wrong!

My review of Survivor: A Horror Thriller by K.R. Griffiths

Survivor: A Horror Thriller

by K.R. Griffiths

[Kindle Edition]

The official description:

"Clive Barrett is a fast learner. His first kills were amateurish, but Clive knows that practice makes perfect. Soon, he expects to be one of the most notorious serial killers operating in the UK. He expects to be number one.

There is just one problem: one of Clive's victims simply won't stay dead.

It turns out that one of Clive's early kills was more than just sloppy; it wasn't a kill at all. Now, improving his craft might just be the least of Clive's worries, because the woman he thought he'd murdered knows his name. She knows where he lives.

And she is coming for him..."

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I received a free copy of this novel direct from the author in return for an honest review.

The fact that I received it free and from the author in no way influences how I feel about this book ... it was absolutely brilliant and I loved everything about it.  It sounds corny but I really couldn't put it down.

It is an exceptionally well told, well written story with really well thought-out characters.  It was fast paced from the start with plenty of violence which is graphic but written in such a way as not to be gratuitous.

I really liked the way that the author was able to tell the story from the perspectives of both the killer and victim(s).  The way the author developed the mind of the killer and how he described how he honed his skill in murder, always trying to do better next time, was chilling.  The fear and despair of the victims was believable  and excellently described.

The ending was not what I expected and, rather than give it away, would love for a follow up.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good serial killer story which is full of suspense, thrills, twists and turns.