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Gangsters vs. Werewolf

Revisado: 11-27-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

First of all, dogs die in this book and I'm not talking about the werewolf. So there's that.

Aside from the senseless murder of man's best friend the book was great. I love Jeff Strand and I don't think I've read a bad one yet. Whether you hate them or love them his characters are always intriguing. I absolutely loved George and Lou the two wisecracking antiheros of this novel. The two of them are thugs, I mean, their main job seems to be breaking thumbs. But when they are sent on what should be an easy job of transporting a purported werewolf from point A to point B and all hell breaks loose you get to see their human sides.

Sarcasm is George's middle name and he gets off some really witty lines throughout. Lou for all his gangster ways seems to have a social conscience and speaks out when George says something offensive. The werewolf Ivan is a complete jerk and deserves everything that he gets.

It's horror with humor. So, yeah, there are some (many?) blood-soaked moments but there aren't any jump scares. It's like arterial spray with with a side of comedy. Best part? There are two more books in this series which promise to be as amusing as the first one.

I received a review copy of this book from the author in return for the promise of an honest review.

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That took a turn!

Revisado: 11-11-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

It's Jack Ketchum meets Peter Clines. The author said and I quote "serial killer victims impregnated by alien parasites" and that pretty much sums up the whole book.

It started out as straight horror. Girl in the road. Creepy cabin in the woods. Two cops cruising the backroads. Jason, a young rookie, and Bill, an older, wiser, veteran of the force. Bill is having an existential crisis relating to his marriage falling apart, and his burgeoning alcoholism. And then it got weird, like really weird.

Much of the language used is fairly simple and some of the phrasing is awkward but every now and then the author tosses in an homage to Tom Wolfe or has a character say something utterly profound so I suspect it's on purpose.

This is one that I requested for review from FreeAudiobooks.com so it's my own fault. To be fair I missed the part of the description where it mentioned Hannibal Lechter meeting Cthulhu so I wasn't entirely prepared when the story evolved away from crazy dude with a playroom full of sex toys and power tools. The narrator does a great job, very easy to follow along.

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Enter the cult of Rust

Revisado: 11-04-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

If you haven't read Pressure you really should as it gives a ton of backstory about Alex and Darren and the other pivotal characters.

Deathless picks up somewhere after Pressure let off. Darren is in jail, hopefully forever, and Alex is trying to pick up the pieces of his life. Seeking human company, Alex ends up in a bar where he meets a fascinating woman and they have a one night stand that turns into more. Luna is smart and charming and seems to be exactly what Alex needs. That is until things take a turn.

If anything, this sequel is better than the first book, which is something that doesn't happen very often. This book was spectacular. The action was non-stop, and just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for Alex it did. I can't say more because I don't want to give anything away but after reading Pressure, Deathless, and Dweller I can happily add Jeff Strand to my list of favorite authors. I look forward to reading my way through his extensive catalog.

I received a free review copy of this book from the author via FreeAudioBooks in return for an honest review. I'm picky about the books I request for review and my ratings reflect that. If I hadn't liked it I would have said so.

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Friendship with a Twist

Revisado: 10-24-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Jeff Strand doesn't disappoint.

Pressure starts out with Alex getting sent off to reform school. He's not a bad kid, he did something stupid, but his parents use it as an excuse to get rid of him. At the school he makes several friends that will have long lasting effects on his life. One of those friends is Darren, a rule-breaking, sociopath who completely turns Alex's life upside down. In the remainder of the book we learn just how far Darren is willing to go, and discover how tightly Alex gets drawn into his web. I don't want to give away any specifics go ahead and read (or listen) to it yourself.

The story is tight, and well written. This is the first of a duology, and the second book, Deathless, is shaping up to be as interesting as the first. I received an audio copy from the author in return for an honest review. I'm pretty picky about what I request so I honestly enjoyed and recommend this book to folks who like a good coming of age story, with mostly relatable characters. The narrator, Scott Thomas, did another terrific job; I've listened to a couple of books that he's narrated and always enjoy his characterizations.

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Just a Boy and his Monster

Revisado: 10-13-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I loved this book. It's a horror, coming-of-age story about a boy and his monster. It had so many moods, there was humor, pathos, fear, terror, and more. I felt for Toby and just adored Owen even though he had talons as long as my arm and thick, yellow teeth the better for biting off my head in one gulp. I even shed a tear or two at the end. I'm not sure what it was about it that made it so great maybe it was because it was unique in my experience. I've never read anything quite like it.

I received a complimentary Audible copy from the author in return for an honest review. I was pretty sure I was going to like it because I'm a fan of Jeff Strand's work but I wasn't expecting to be taken on quite such a wild ride. The narrator was terrific, even if I did think that Toby always sounded pretty whiny, but it totally fit in with his character.

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Zombie Bears

Revisado: 09-30-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This was a total gore fest of a novel. I loved it. Jeff Strand never fails to satisfy when I'm looking for some humor served up with my horror.

Rusty and his niece Mia live in a secluded cabin in the woods. It's just lovely and they have everything they need (except Internet and cell phone service). They love the solitude and being in the middle of nature, until one day nature turns on them in an unexpected cascade of zombie animals. Neither Rusty or Mia have any idea what caused the majority of the animals in the woods to become undead and all they want to do is survive. Fortunately, Rusty has a fully gassed up chainsaw! I adored this take on the zombie trope. Both Rusty and Mia were pretty bad ass, they had great quips, and a sass filled relationship. I was rooting for them the whole time.

I received a free review copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review. I tend to choose books for review that I know I'm going to enjoy and I've read Jeff Strand before so picking this one was a no-brainer. Scott Thomas did a terrific job as the narrator. He captured both the tension and the humorous moments perfectly.

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Adventures Under the Sea

Revisado: 09-09-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Agoraphobic hero Joe Tesla and his psychiatric service dog Edison broaden the scope of their world to include the ocean. In previous books we learned that Joe is unable to go outside and is pretty much confined to the world of Grand Central Station and the tunnels that run under New York City. In The Steel Shark, Joe has discovered that he doesn't panic in the blackness under the sea so he is taking part in an underwater submarine based scavenger hunt. The book starts with he and bodyguard Vivian celebrating their attainment of the first goal, that is, until things go horribly wrong. As they always seem to do when Joe is involved. Of course, Joe has to figure out what's going on and ends up being hunted yet again.

I enjoyed this entry in the Joe Tesla series. As always, Edison stole the show. I'm a sucker for books that feature animals. It was fun to see Joe get out of the tunnels and in such a creative way too. The Lord of the Rings reference was hilarious. I am also a sucker for books that have a nerdy side and touch on fandoms. I am only sad that there aren't any more books in the series (yet?), hopefully Rebecca Cantrell will return to Joe's world someday. I imagine it must be difficult to come up with new situations for him because his medical condition is fairly limiting and if cured Joe just wouldn't be Joe.

I listened to this on Audible and the narrator was great. As always he did a fabulous job, I really like the continuity of the same narrator over all the books. Speaking of continuity, there was some confusion with the names of the companies. Wasn't Pellucid Joe's original company with the facial recognition and Lucid the new one with the brain mapping? The two names get used almost interchangeably and I thought got referenced incorrectly as first and second. Because I listened to the audio, if I'm spelling them wrong it's because I never saw them in print.

I received a free copy of this audiobook for review from the author via Audiobookboom in exchange for an honest review. I requested it because I love the concept and the characters. Sure I've reviewed the other books in the series and received some of them for free but I bought book 2 with my own money because I needed to know more.

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Serial killer vs. Joe Tesla

Revisado: 08-31-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I received a review copy of this book free on my request from the author via Audiobook Boom. This in no way changed the content of this review.

This is the third book in the Joe Tesla series and I'm only sad that so far there's only one more to go. I love Joe Tesla, he's perfectly imperfect as the hero, and his service dog Edison is always a bright spot. In The Chemistry of Death, Joe is pitted against a serial killer who is using the subway tunnels underneath Manhattan, those same tunnels that Joe and Edison call home. I dearly love serial killer thrillers so this mash-up of favorite characters and favorite plot device was perfect.

The author really shines with her character development. We learn more about girlfriend Celeste's slowly dying from ALS, Celeste's brother playboy Leandro, and Vivian the bodyguard gets the spotlight in several chapters. There was a new character, Parker, who I really liked even though he was only in briefly, I hope he gets some more play later in the series. The story tied up almost all of the loose ends from the previous two books. We find out who is behind Joe's agoraphobia and why.

The X-Men reference made me laugh out loud. I really like the narrator so after I finish up the Joe Tesla series I'm going to see if he's read any other books I might like.

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The Tesla Legacy

Revisado: 08-31-22

I absolutely loved The World Beneath and it's heroes Joe and Edison. I wasn't as taken with The Tesla Legacy. Don't get me wrong, there's quite a bit of backstory that adds to Joe's narrative. We learn about his parents, and find out that his father has been keeping a secret. When dad dies he leaves Joe a somewhat cryptic warning and a set of instructions leading him towards a supposedly powerful device. Joe's actions could set in motion a series of events with devastating consequences. Joe has to use all of his computer skills plus fight against his agoraphobia (with the help of Edison of course) to prevent disaster.

The story was good, the plot was well-written, it just wasn't as captivating. Which I guess isn't surprising as it's the second novel in a series so it isn't as fresh as the first, there is some repetition, and we have already learned about the character's quirks and foibles.

Edison was once again adorable and a massive scene stealer. If nothing else, I'm always rooting for the dog.

The narrator did an excellent job. I'm pretty sure it was the same narrator as the first book which is a nice continuity.

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Underneath NYC

Revisado: 07-26-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Joe Tesla is an agoraphobic tech millionaire who has connections with folks who own a mansion in the tunnels underneath Grand Central Station. He and his psychiatric service dog, Edison, are set. They never have to venture outside and can explore the underground tunnels (and there are miles and miles of them) to their heart's content. That is until on one of their walks they come across a strange man who is down there looking for treasure. Suddenly, Joe's life is at risk, and he has to figure out the solution to the mystery before "they" catch up to him.

I loved this story, yes, some of the secondary characters were little more than stage dressing for Joe and Edison completely stole the show but I was still engrossed in the story and was thrilled to find out that there are several more books in the series because I want to know what happens to Joe (and Edison) and whether he ever figures out how to come out of his cave. I realize there probably won't be anymore medical mystery eureka moments (more's the pity). The narrator did an excellent job and had a very pleasant voice so I will probably pick up the next one on Audible with one of my credits.

I listened to this one on audio courtesy of AudioBookBoom or whatever they're called now. I requested a complimentary copy in return for the promise that I would write an honest review.

SPOILER:

The mystery "germs" made me squeal with glee. I teach parasitology to vet tech students and I knew what it was long before the author mentioned the disease. Toxoplasma gondii, is an apicomplexan protozoal parasite, which as described induces behavior changes in its hosts. Infected rats become attracted to cat urine, infected humans become more impulsive, etc. etc.

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