The Sword Of Michael-Marcus Wynne

The Sword Of Michael

Marcus Wynne

Baen, Nov 4 2014, $15.00

ISBN: 9781476736891

As the dead man he killed twice chases him into a cemetery, Shaman Marius Winter muses the story of his life is in his hands as he holds the sacred power of Christ’s rosary beads and the profane worldly Glock.  He fires shots into the knees and elbows of the zombie, preventing it from moving before sprinkling holy water on the Dark Force and asking Michael of the Light to cleanse this evil.  Marius now knows the Dark Forces are back and he is a prime target probably because of his Depossession success rate

Hell’s Dark God Belial sends a sorcerer to destroy Marius starting with possessing the souls of those his adversary loves; like his girlfriend Jolene, Avatar to the Goddess.  When Marius learns the fate of Jolene and others he cares about, guided by his triad of spiritual advisors (First In Front medicine man, Tigre the spirit tiger and Burt the spirit raven); he accepts the risks associated with his undertaking to save their souls.  Accompanied by his guides, Marius initially must deal with the hellish sorcerer and, if successful, traverse the circles of Hell to confront Belial in the innermost; losing at any point means the Dark possesses his soul.

With a nod to Dante, the first Depossessionist urban fantasy is filled with plenty of action-packed fighting scenes and some religious philosophizing.  The storyline is at its best when the plot stays focused on the war, but loses momentum with unnecessary, odd power hungry groups joining the fray.  Although the cast, even the hero, is never developed beyond their prime reason for existence, The Sword Of Michael is an entertaining Forces of the Light vs. Minion of The Dark thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Caught Dead: A Rick Van Lam Mystery-Andrew Lanh

Caught Dead: A Rick Van Lam Mystery

Andrew Lanh

Poisoned Pen, Nov 4 2014, $24.95

ISBN 9781464203329

The Hartford Vietnamese population is stunned with the drive-by shooting homicide of one of the “beautiful Le sisters,” Mary Le Vu in the Goodwin Square gang and drug deadly zone.  HPD Detective Ardlino believes Mary’s murder is just another victim of a-hole gang members who frustratingly never will be caught.  Mary’s distant relative Hank Nguyen, Grandma the Buddhist and the victim’s twin claim she never left her home in Little Saigon or her husband Benny’s grocery. 

Grandma insists that flabbergasted insurance fraud investigator Rick Van Lam look into Mary’s death; which the astonished chosen sleuth says involves a drug dealer with a semi and a posse.  As Rick persistently states he is not on a case, he asks questions trying to ascertain why Mary was where she was.  A second family murder changes the official premise from Mary being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This is an excellent Vietnamese-American murder mystery in which the sleuthing provides a fantastic look at the subculture; a glimpse I personally appreciate since I live in a county with a large Vietnamese population.  The cast makes this a winner as each person is an enigma wrapped in an epidermal shell.

Harriet Klausner

Wyoming Strong-Diana Palmer

Wyoming Strong

Diana Palmer

Harlequin HQN, Oct 28 2014, $7.99

ISBN: 9780373779109

In Jacobsville Sara Brandon runs into her taunting enemy Wofford “Wolf” Patterson at the drugstore.  Speaking Farsi, she curses and threatens to shoot him before heading to her brother’s home in nearby Comanche Wells, Texas.  A victim of her late stepfather’s abuse as a young girl and her mother’s subsequent accusatory abandonment, Sara is a recluse who distrusts all males except her older protective brother Gabriel, but also misses her BFF Michelle Godfrey (see Texas Born). 

Wolf, like Sara, enjoys attending the opera in Houston, playing on-line war games and distrusts the opposite sex after his relationship with psychopathic Ysera who apparently is freed in Buenos Aires and seeking revenge.  As Sara and Wolf run the battlegrounds and dungeons of World of Warcraft together, neither knows the real identity of their partner.  They fall in love though aware of the risk of bringing a cyberspace relationship to the real world; but not as much as having Ysera invade the States.

Wyoming Strong is a delightful contemporary starring two wounded warriors falling in love while playing on line gaming.  Though the Internet romance brings freshness and Ysera adds tension, the storyline remains somewhat similar to many of Diana Palmer’s ranch romances.  Still this is a pleasant sequel as the protagonists find love in the dungeons.

Harriet Klausner

A Play of Shadow-Julie E. Czerneda r

A Play of Shadow

Julie E. Czerneda

DAW, Nov 4 2014, $20.00

ISBN 9780756408312

In the unique village of Marrowdell on the vortex of two worlds, truthseer Bannan Larmensu relishes his time with his beloved Jenn Nalynn the turn-born with sei magic.  Jenn is scared to enter the magical Verge where she was born at A Turn of Light sunset for fear of causing the convergence and subsequent destruction of the magic and the mortal planes; though she rationally accepts having the love of Bannan enables her to do so without harming others.  Perhaps as frightening is the prospect of his sibling Lila rejecting her as unacceptable as a sister-in-law.

With his nephews arriving in Marrowdell, Bannan learns that his brother-in-law went to Channen, Mellynne on a peace mission, but vanished.  He also concludes their mom sent them to him to see to their safety, which means Lila searches for her missing mate.  Knowing he cannot ignore Lila’s plight, Bannan arranges for the kids to remain in the village while he searches for their parents; but to have any chance of success, he needs Jenn’s help.  Though loathing making this request of her, reluctantly Bannan asks a frightened Jenn to overcome her Verge phobia and accept her magic duality to use her talent to take him into the dangerous realm where dragons and worse reside.  Surviving those impossible odds, they would next face hostility in malevolent Mellynne.

The second Night’s Edge fantasy is an enjoyable quest thriller occurring mostly in the mystical Verge and dark magical Mellynne starring two fully-developed protagonists who will have the audience saying yes to the Lovin’ Spoonful’s Do You Believe In Magic?  Although the action seems somewhat muted, readers will appreciate touring Czerneda’s realm with the truthseer and the turn-born as our guides.

Harriet Klausner

Knot In My Backyard-Mary Marks

Knot In My Backyard

Mary Marks

Kensington, Nov 4 2014, $7.99

ISBN 9780758292070

In Encino, California, the affluent Joshua Beaumont School built a night baseball stadium that angers residents of the neighborhood due to noise, traffic, garbage and destroying the scenic view of the San Fernando Valley.  One of the upset locals, quilter Martha Rose takes a walk until she stumbles upon the battered corpse of the school’s baseball coach Dax Martin.  As she calls her boyfriend LAPD homicide detective Arlo Beavers, she muses two corpses in four months though this time she is without her quilting BFFs Lucy and Birdie (see Forget Me Knot).

Because of his relationship with Martha Rose, Dax’s Beaumont alumni partner Kaplan leads the official investigation.  His only suspect is another neighbor Ed Pappas who had a recent fistfight with the coach.  Believing Ed is being set up to take the fall because of his inquiry into the stadium deal; Martha ignores Arlo’s warning to stay out of the case.  Instead she makes dangerous inquiries that place herself and Arlo’s dog in harm’s way; but also meets Ed’s biker friend aptly called Crusher by everyone except Martha Rose who greets him as Yoshi.

The second Quilting Mystery is a fun whodunit that deftly stitches peril and humor into a cohesive tale.  Putting aside the improbability of the heroine’s lunacy to investigate even if Ed is a helpful neighbor, this is a pleasant amateur sleuth.

Harriet Klausner

For Love or Liberty-Jennifer Hudson Taylor

For Love or Liberty

Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Abingdon, Nov 4 2014, $14.99

ISBN 9781426733864

As the War of 1812 continues, Charlotte Morgan grieves the death of her twin sister Emma Deaton, but only has a few moments left on the Carolina coast.  While Emma’s widower husband David heads to the Great Lakes, Charlotte follows as her six year old nephew Davie and her one year old niece Ashlyn needs her to take care of them.  To her chagrin, David’s naval officer brother and her former suitor Conrad plans to be there for his sibling and the kids too.  Conrad conceals from his beloved Charlotte his regret over the dumbest thing he ever did when he dumped her making the sea his mistress; though now he hopes for a second chance.

In the Great Lakes region, David’s grief overwhelms him with a morbid depression that leads to his ignoring his two children, unstable for military duty and turning to alcohol to numb his emotionally-crushing pain.  Conrad and Charlotte agree to an uneasy truce in order to care for the kids and David; while he also tries to gain her forgiveness and regain her love.  As the second war of independence heats up in the area, Charlotte prays for the safety of her brother-in-law and her beloved Conrad. 

The third MacGregor Legacy (see For Love or Loyalty and For Love or Country) is a wonderful War of 1812 family drama with an incredible somewhat ravaged background.  The second chance romance engages the audience with much of the reason being the fighting between the in-laws over what the right things are re the grieving seemingly destructive widower and the older child’s struggles. 

Harriet Klausner

1636: The Viennese Waltz-Eric Flint,

1636: The Viennese Waltz

Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett and Gorg Huff

Baen, Nov 4 2014, $25.00

ISBN: 9781476736877

In 1634 in Vienna, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is in trouble from outsiders threatening to invade and from an economic depression eroding from within.  This comes at a particular precarious time since His Majesty Ferdinand II is near death and his heir Prince Ferdinand (soon to be HMF III if the empire survives) prefers driving a sports car rather than run a nation, especially a troubled one.

Meanwhile the leaders of the United States of Europe alliance from Sweden and Grantville, West Virginia see a rare opportunity to broker an agreement with one of the Holy Roman Empire states.  Thus they plan to send a delegation to Vienna that include auto mechanics and Barbie Consortium financial whiz fifteen year old Haley Fortney, who insists her parents have kidnapped her by sending her to that barbaric backwater.  As an assassination is plotted, no one inside of Austro-Hungary is ready for the Barbies waltzing their way to the Danube.

This is an interesting sidebar alternate history that for the most part concentrates on a fascinating but passive economic crisis.  The Cecil B. DeMille’s size cast of previously secondary and tertiary support players and newbies play key roles; but are difficult to keep track of even with a scorecard.  Still the look at early seventeenth century Vienna through the eyes of the transported outsiders (summed up by Haley who feels she is in unfair exile amidst the barbarians) combined with a depression make for a pleasant seventeenth century drama.

Harriet Klausner