"The Devil's Redhead" a recommeded thriller

You know the pleasant feeling when an old friend stops by for an unexpected visit?
Reading this hard to put down saga by David Corbett is as pleasant an experience as a mystery reader can expect.
Dan Abatangelo is the leader of a gang caught importing drugs but when he refuses to name other people providing the drugs he is given twice the prison sentence as his gang members. He serves a "hard ten" and is released from prison. He recently received a letter from his former girlfriend, Shel Beaudry. She had been released after five years and was trying to make it on the outside.
She meets up with Frank Mass, a pathetic recovering addict. When Frank's young son is murdered, Shel becomes Frank's security blanket and caregiver.
Frank tries for one big score and it sets off a series of events that explode across the pages.
What follows is a mad chase through the drug underworld where Mexican and US gangsters are pitted against one another in attempt to control the methamphetamine trade.
Shel is kidnapped and becomes a pawn between the two gangs and Dan sets out to rescue her, almost as if a compassionate Bruce Willis as Det. John McCane enters the story.
Dan works as a photographer and is able to photograph the horror that the
two gangs inflict upon each other. He has a plan of rescue that he hopes will free Shel and keep them both from landing back in jail.
Corbett's writing in infectious and reminiscent of Raymond Chandler, "The bartender...stood alone with his arms crossed by the side of the ice bin, nursing a tonic and water. A twelve stepper Abatangelo guessed. Ordering a dark rum neat with a soda back.
Highly recommended A-

Review of "The King of Lies"

If Atticus Finch of "To Kill a Mockingbird" had an earlier life, the reader of John Hart's novel "The King of Lies" could picture Atticus as the young Jackson "Work" Perkins.
There are many similarities between the two works. The setting of Hart's novel is North Carolina instead of Harper Lee's Alabama. Both stories take place in small towns and the main character is an idealistic attorney, standing tall, against overwhelming odds.
In "The King of Lies" it's Works younger sister who he feels that he must protect, instead of Atticus' daughter.
Hart tells a story that becomes more compelling as the plot unfolds and the author has a wonderful way of keeping the reader in suspense until the end of his story.
Work's father has disappeared and it's only until fifteen months later that his body is found...who is the murderer? Work tries to sort things out but when the eyes of the law turn to him and he is arrested, the genius of Hart's story comes to pass.
Can't wait for the movie!
A

Review of "The Highly Effective Detective"

Imagine if Chris Farley was still with us and decided to open his own detective agency?
Richard Yancey's "The Highly Effective Detective," shows us a main character with just the characteristics that I picture as the very funny Farley.
Our hero, Teddy Ruzak, fails out of the police academy because he, can't shoot, can't drive and can't run fast enough. But, when he receives money from his mother's life insurance, to quit his job as a night watchman and follow his dream by opening a detective agency.
After renting some office space his first step is to hire his favorite waitress, Felicia to be his secretary and run his office.
It's a lucky choice. Felicia is everything that Teddy is not - - she's organized practical, and smart. She takes control, redecorates the office, sees to Teddy's updating his wardrobe and keeps Teddy in step as a beginning detective.
Teddy's first customer wants to hire him to find the driver of a car that he saw kill six baby geese while they were crossing the street in front of the elderly customer. Since the car never slowed down or tried to avoid killing the geese, Teddy's customer wants him found and punished.
Of course, one thing leads to another and the investigation leads to a grisly murder.
A very enjoyable read, like sitting on your front porch on a summer day, moving back and forth on your rocking chair and discussing neighborhood gossip.
Rating B+

Publishing idea

Reading :"The Highly Effective Detective" by Richard Yancey and enjoying it. I have in mind who the main character reminds me of but don't want to pin myself down until the novel is finished.
However, there is a link to the author and it tells his agent etc so I'm going to use that to send the next inquiry on my novel. The submissions requirement is to give a short synopsis of the book so I'll work on that and get something going shortly. In the meanwhile be ready for a critique of the novel. I do enjoy it so if you want to read along, get a copy.
Mike Draper

Movie review :"Seraphim Falls"

Rented "Seraphim Falls" and spent two hours and forty minutes in front of the TV wondering why.



This movie should have been named "Much a doo about nothing."

The Civil War is three years in the past and Gidean (Pierce Brosnan) has walked away from the horrors of the war and become a trapper in the west.

Carver (Liam Neeson) has hired a band of cowboys and is trailing Giean to seek revenge for what Gidian did to Carver's family.

Let the farce begin. Gidian is wounded by Carver's men but survives after falling into an icy rapides while dressed in his fur coat and winter boots. Still able to escape from the rapids, he starts a fire, removes the bullet and catarizes the wound, then lays shivering in the snow not thinking that the smoke might reveal his presence to the hunters.

The plot seems like a poor man's "How the West Was Won." Gideon travels past a religious group in a wagon train, Chinese builing a railroad, bank robbers and a lone Indian guarding a well in the desert.

Mors astonishing is the appearance of Anjelica Huston as a medican woman in the middle of the desert to offer to Gidean and later Carver the one thing they need (for their soles).

Rating D

Getting published

Yesterday I found a publishing house that was accepting unagented manuscripts. With a little help I found out how to attach the first 30 pages of my manuscript and a synopsis of my story. It's a ninety day time before they say I can accept a reply so it gives me something to hope for.

Only after I sent it, did I find the suggestion that in the future, when contacting an agent or publishing house, find out the work they've done and tell them why you think they might be interested in you.