This Week's Book Mail
Book Of The Month
Aardvark Book Club
Henry Holt Publishing
Books are food for my soul! Pull up a beach chair and stick your toes in the sand as the Jersey surf rolls in and out, now open your book and let your imagination take you away.
Saturday, November 11, 2023
Monday, November 6, 2023
Killing Johnny Miracle by JK Franko (VBT: Book Review / Contest Giveaway)
In association with Partners In Crime Tours, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for Killing Johnny Miracle by author JK Franko!
Book Review
Killing Johnny Miracle by JK Franko
Book Publisher: Rum House Books
Book Publication Date: August 31, 2023
Format: Hardcover - 354pages
Paperback - 429 pages
Kindle - 2636 KB / 440 pages
ISBN (HC): 978-1838275945
ISBN (PB): 978-1838275938
ASIN: B0CH28QC83
ASIN: B0CH28QC83
Genre: Crime Thriller
Buy The Book:
Amazon (Free On Kindle Unlimited Program)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Tours.
Book Description:
But, as Grandma Nellie used to say, “No man, no matter how smart or strong, can compete with a motivated woman.” Mary is a motivated woman, she’s got her own agenda, and it doesn’t include losing. She’s going to kill Johnny. To get away with it, she needs a plan and an alibi. And she thinks she has both.
Book Excerpt:
Nobody ever said it was going to be anything better
than a round of poker on the raft of Medusa.
It’s not who wins the game that counts.
Nobody wins. It’s who gets out least lost.
From Memo, by Todd Hearon
PART ONE
MARY’S WORLD FALLS APART
CHAPTER ONE
Mary Miracle would always recall with clarity the moment she decided to kill her husband. It wasn’t a decision she’d come to suddenly. She had loved him at one point, with all her heart. But over the course of their marriage, there’d been an accumulation of things he’d done that—little by little, like a blowtorch burning paint off steel—scorched away chunks of her love.
Usually, once love is gone, only indifference remains. In which case, the logical thing for Mary to do would have been to get a divorce, not kill him. But in Mary’s case, there was one final thing Johnny did to her that obliterated not just the love, but even indifference. And from the charred remains of everything she had once felt for him grew a revulsion so deep that she refused to live in a world where he existed.
After Mary decided that Johnny had to die, she spent the rest of the week working out the best way to do it, the ‘best’ way meaning how to kill him in the manner that was least likely to end with her in prison or—as they lived in Texas—on death row.
As his wife, I’ll be the prime suspect. The fact that we’re in the middle of a divorce makes that even worse. Lord knows, I’ve got plenty of motives.
It needs to look like an accident. Poison? A hit and run? Maybe a burglary gone wrong?
And I’m gonna need an iron-clad alibi.
It took Mary a few days to figure out the accident part. The more difficult piece was the alibi. She came up with lots of ideas. But in the end, she concluded that to pull off a foolproof alibi she needed help: an accomplice. There was only one person in the world she could trust with something like this. Abby Winehouse. They’d grown up together, shared secrets. They knew each other like sisters.
Abby also had the skills to help Mary put the finishing touches on her plan. The only downside was that she’d probably try to talk her out of killing him; Mary was almost sure of that.
She arranged to meet Abby at her place that Friday for some wine and cheese. The house was just west of downtown Austin and had been in Abby’s family since the late 1800s. The two friends sat, as usual, on the wooden back deck in lawn chairs overlooking the small yard. Its perimeter was marked by a hurricane fence. The lawn was thick Saint Augustine grass. There was a small rock garden in one corner, in the center of which sat a broken bird bath; the bath part was dry and dusty. A couple of beat-up cornhole boards leaned against the fence by the gate to the alley. It was just past seven. A cool fall evening.
Abby was sharing some of the highlights of her week. She was on a bit of a rant. “And so, I told him, ‘Don’t be mansplainin’ to me about what a rollin’ stop is. You may have a badge, but I was runnin’ stop signs while you were still on training wheels!’”
Mary nodded and smiled as her friend spoke, but she wasn’t listening. She was rhythmically clinking her fingertip against the stem of her wineglass to disguise the slight tremor in her hands. Nerves. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say. And how to say it. Still, her neck felt tight. Could Abby tell that she was distracted? Abby was never one to pry. She had always been the type to chat, entertain, all while waiting for Mary to open up.
“So fiiiiinally,” Abby dragged out the word, “he agreed to let me off with a warnin’.” She shook her head. “But I had’ta get all pissed off and tell him I’m a lawyer to get ‘im to back down.” She scoffed. “Imagine how they treat regular folk . . . ” She stopped to pour herself some more rosé.
Mary decided to capitalize on the lull. The sound of cars rushing down Mopac highway nearby provided white noise that she felt protected their conversation from prying ears. But she reached out and turned the music on the Bluetooth speaker up a bit, just to be safe. A song by The Dixie Chicks was playing, the one about Earl. It was a song she knew well, but she was so focused on what she wanted to say that the irony was lost on her.
“I need to tell you something, Abby,” she said. “Ask a favor, really . . .”
Abby finished refilling her glass. She turned to look at her friend, and her face fell. “Oh, shit! What’s wrong? No. Don’t you cry, girl,” she reacted instinctively, then backtracked. “Or go on and let it all out if ya need to . . .”
Mary hadn’t realized her eyes were watering. Tears were not on her agenda. She inhaled, seeking to extract confidence from the air around her. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“What is it, Mare?”
“I’m gonna need your help with something,” Mary said. The tension in her neck eased slightly as she spoke.
Abby cocked an eyebrow, and Mary watched her eyes dart back and forth as if scanning through a spectrum of possibilities. Despite all her rehearsing, Mary couldn’t help beating around the bush just a little. “It’s a big one,” she added, her eyes turning hard and her chin tilting up slightly.
The air around the two women suddenly felt almost electric. Mary saw that her friend felt it too; the hair on Abby’s arms stood on end.
She leaned towards Mary, placing a hand on her knee. “You know you can count on me, hon.” She unconsciously lowered her voice to a whisper. “What can I do?”
“I . . . It’s about . . . him.”
Abby inhaled deeply and sat up straighter. Her lips pursed, then she took a swallow from her wineglass. “Well, what’s he gone and done now?” Abby’s head tilted; her mouth set in a hard line. “It’s high time you divorced that sumbitch. I know it’s been a mess. But of course, you can count on me—”
“Oh, no. It’s not about the divorce.” She sat back, more confident now that she had gotten the topic on the table. “I mean, thank God, I found out because of the divorce. But . . .”
Mary had read somewhere that when the police deliver news of a family member's death, they use simple, direct language to avoid confusion. In the shock of the moment, brutal clarity works best. Mary had decided to follow that approach. That’s what she had rehearsed.
She took a sip of wine, her gaze locked on Abby's. She breathed in, then exhaled slowly and, for the first time, said out loud what she’d been thinking, planning, what she knew she had to do.
“I’m going to kill Johnny.”
Her tone made it clear that this was not a figure of speech.
Abby sat for a good while studying her friend. She was searching, hoping for some indication that she was misreading the moment—that Mary wasn’t actually declaring her intent to commit murder.
When it became clear that Mary had nothing further to add, Abby started to speak several times. Mary watched as her mouth would form the tip of a word, before aborting the effort as new scenarios percolated out of her keen mind. Finally, Mary saw that look in her friend’s eyes; her best friend was still there, but the lawyer in her was sharing control. Abby clasped her hands together, resting them softly on her knee, then spoke the best open-ended reply of them all.
“Why?”
***
Excerpt from Killing Johnny Miracle by JK Franko. Copyright 2023 by JK Franko. Reproduced with permission from JK Franko. All rights reserved.
In Killing Johnny Miracle, author JK Franko takes the reader behind the scenes of a riveting crime thriller as a couple turns on each other when their marriage falls apart, and they engage in a dangerous game of trying to outsmart each other in order to acquire all the marital assets.
Killing Johnny Miracle easily draws the reader in from the start. The reader will be captivated as author JK Franco weaves a thoroughly intriguing and complicated story that follows married couple Johnny and Mary Miracle as their marriage falls apart, and Johnny is determined to take everything from Mary, while Mary discovers what Johnny is up to and is determined to stop him at all costs, even if it is killing him off, and she's not the only one that Johnny has deceived and has him in their crosshairs. Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive ....
The author provides the reader with a richly detailed crime thriller set in Austin, Texas. You can't help but get drawn into this complicated, fascinating, and multi-layered story. It has enough drama, secrets, deception, betrayal, tension, and revenge that keeps the reader guessing as they turn the pages. This story has an intriguing cast of characters, an intensity level that is off the charts, and a multitude of vicious twists and turns that keeps the suspense going until the surprising ending. You can't help but root for Mary and hope that the despicable Johnny Miracle gets everything that he deserves!
Killing Johnny Miracle is an intense crime thriller that is a must read for all crime thriller fans.
RATING: 5 STARS
About The Author
J.K. Franko was born in Texas and spent his childhood in Corpus Christi where he attended St. Patrick’s Elementary and Incarnate Word Academy. He was educated by Irish nuns who thought his conduct poor and academic effort lacking. Franko admittedly spent too much time at the video arcade, playing hacky sack, and later hanging out with friends drinking beer and listening to eighties music (this was in the eighties) at Swantner Park.
He would not change any of that (if he could).
Franko got his act together in college, during what he calls his Tour of Texas: Del Mar College, Baylor University, University of Dallas, University of the Incarnate Word (BA Philosophy, cum laude), St. Mary’s Law School (Juris Doctor, summa cum laude), and UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business (MBA, Kozmetsky Scholar).
He worked for ten years as a trial lawyer in Texas, then went on to work as an executive in the Fortune 100 in Europe and Asia.
Franko has written a number of non-fiction books and articles. But storytelling has always been his passion.
Publication of Franko’s first three novels—the Eye for Eye trilogy—was complete in 2020, with international publication in translation beginning in 2021.
He will be publishing two books in 2023: Killing Johnny Miracle and The Black Book.
This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for JK Franko. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
Virtual Book Tour
Tour Participants:
10/17 Showcase @ Books, Ramblings, and Tea
10/18 Showcase @ Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
10/19 Review @ Book Corner News & Reviews
10/20 Review @ Catreader18
10/21 Review @ tea. and. titles
10/22 Showcase @ The Mystery of Writing
10/23 Review @ Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense
10/24 Review @ Lynchburg Reads
10/25 Guest post @ The Book Divas Reads
10/27 Review @ nanasbookreviews
11/01 Review @ fundinmental
11/02 Review @ Novels Alive
11/02 Review @ Wendy B
11/03 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews
11/04 Review @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
11/06 Review @ Books with Bircky
11/06 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews
11/07 Review @ Nesies Place
11/08 Review @ elaine_sapp65
11/10 Podcast reading of the excerpt @ Books to the Ceiling
11/10 Review @ Melissa As Blog1/10 Review @ Melissa As Blog
Saturday, November 4, 2023
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Weekly Book Mail: 10/15-21/2023
This Week's Book Mail
Once Upon A Book Club - Spooky Halloween Box
Just The Right Book!
Friday, October 20, 2023
Judge Not by Nikki Stern (VBT: Book Review)
In association with Partners In Crime Tours, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for Judge Not by author Nikki Stern!
Book Review
Judge Not by Nikki Stern
Book 4: A Sam Tate Mystery Series
Publisher: Ruthenia Press
Publication Date: October 9, 2023
Format: Paperback - 320 pages
Kindle - 3648 KB / 302 pages
Audiobook - 8 Hours 49 Minutes
ISBN: 978-0999548790
ASIN (Audiobook): B0CL5GBL5X
ASIN (Kindle): B0CH6X41C1
BNID: 978-0999548790
Genre: Mystery
ASIN (Kindle): B0CH6X41C1
BNID: 978-0999548790
Genre: Mystery
Buy The Book:
Amazon (Free On Kindle Unlimited)
Buy The Series: A Sam Tate Mystery Series
Book 1: The Wedding Crasher
Book 2: Bird In Hand
Book 3: Freeze Before Burning
Book 4: Judge Not
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Tours.
Book Description:
Sam Tate returns to track a serial killer with a warped sense of justice.
Five detectives in five states have been brutally executed by a murderer focused exclusively on law officers. When the FBI invites Sam Tate onto its task force investigating the deaths, she gladly accepts. Though once known as a serial-killer catching cop, she’s hit a wall. Her career is stalled, her past tragedies unresolved, her future uncertain. Still, her experiences make her a valuable asset to the Bureau. Unfortunately, they also make her a target.
#1 New York Times bestseller Harlan Coben meets Lisa Gardner in this twisty thriller about rectifying the sins of the past that will keep you on your toes until the very last page.
Praise for Judge Not:
“One of the most compelling new sleuths in the genre” ~ Best Thrillers
“Powerful…poignant…delivers a thrilling climax.” ~ Indie Reader
“High-octane drama” ~ D. Donovan, Midwest Book Reviews
Book Excerpt:
Pat McCready, former patrol deputy and newly minted detective, knocked on her open door. “Got a minute, Lieutenant?”
“Always for you, Detective McCready,” she responded. He was one of her favorites, especially after working closely with him to catch the murderer who executed Arley Fitchett, a beloved local treasure hunter. Enthusiastic and hard-working, McCready turned out to be observant and a damned good shot to boot.
Jax bounded over to the grinning young man, hoping for a romp or at least a head scratch, maybe a treat. McCready glanced at the jar on Sam’s desk. “Can I?” he asked. She nodded.
After offering a biscuit to the dog, who took it back to his bed, McCready grew serious. “I came across some information while I was compiling notes from the domestic complaint last night,” he said.
“If it pertains to that case, you should take it up with Sergeant Gordy. I’ll review everything at our next meeting.”
McCready bounced on his toes, trying to keep his natural enthusiasm in check.
“Lieutenant, it’s not about any of our current cases. It’s more something that relates to your, uh, past cases. I mean, it’s probably nothing, but … ”
Sam felt a momentary flutter. “Okay, Detective. Show me what you’ve found.”
“This all started with my uncle’s brother-in-law, Roy,” McCready began. “He’s from Sacramento, okay? Well, he was, but he’s moved back east to be closer to the family after his divorce. Okay, that may not be relevant,” he added when Sam frowned.
“What is important is that he told a story about a serial killer that was active back when he lived there. This would have been twenty-odd years ago. The guy murdered five teachers over seven months. Stabbed them through the eye and left their bodies right in front of the schools along with some sort of memento, I think a notebook. Pretty grisly. Two Sacramento detectives caught him. California has the death penalty and back then, they used it in this guy, although it took seven years.”
“How is this relevant to me, or rather, to this department?”
McCready put his tablet in front of her. He brought up the website for the Sacramento Bee.
“I decided to research the case on my own time, Lieutenant. Just curious to see how crime-solving was covered in the days before everyone used social media. Then I found this recent obit for one of the lead detectives, name of Jack Frost if you can believe it.”
Sam scanned the article. “Says here he was killed outside his home two months ago,” she summarized. “An ice pick to the eye and a black and white notebook at the scene. Creepy, even perversely clever but not a shock. The man was a homicide detective. He likely investigated plenty of violent crimes during his career. Someone with a grudge decided to take him out using the same method as the serialist.”
“Hold on, Lieutenant, there’s something else I need to show you.” McCready turned the tablet around, brought up a second screen, and turned it back. All the while, he was shaking his foot fast enough that Sam felt her desk vibrate.
Another news site. This one belonged to the Billings Gazette. Curious, she read:
Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office has announced the death of Under Sheriff Mackenzie “Mac” Scott, 38. His body was found on Anika Vista Ranch, north of Lockwood, nearly a week after he went missing. The ranch belongs to the Tubb family. Scott’s neck was reportedly broken and then branded with the ranch logo.
Dillon Tubb, son of owner Carter Tubb, found the body around 6 pm yesterday near one of the cattle pens. The family has disavowed any knowledge of the incident before the discovery.
The death is considered suspicious. “It’s been cool at night, which may have preserved some of the biological evidence,” said a representative from coroner’s office in Billings. “We hope that will aid in our investigation.”
Mac Scott achieved some notoriety when he caught Deke Garrity, aka the Cattleman Killer eight years ago. Garrity was accused of murdering three prominent cattle ranchers by breaking their necks and then branding them because, as he put it, “they needed to be treated the way they treated their animals.” Garrity was sentenced to death and executed last year after his last appeal failed.
“This is a heinous crime,” declared Sheriff Jarrod Greene. “Mac was a dedicated law officer, a loving family man, and a good friend of mine.” He asked that anyone with any information call the department hotline.
We will continue to update this story as information becomes available.
Sam reread the article, aware of McCready’s intense gaze. He wanted a reaction. She wanted to keep a lid on her emotions until she had a chance to examine them.
“This is dated a few days ago,” she observed.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“These two homicides have elements in common, I’ll grant you that. A dead investigator. A duplication of the MO used by a serial killer brought down by the very men who are now victims of someone else. On the other hand, this Montana case isn’t nearly as specific. People’s necks are broken, either by accident or on purpose. As far as branding a victim, that may not be unusual out in Montana. Let me ask you: Have you located any more such incidents?”
“Not as of yet,” McCready admitted.
“Pat, you can do anything you want on your own time, and that includes researching unusual cases. But if you’re in here to ask me if I think there’s cause for further action, I’m afraid I don’t. Nor do I think in any event we’d have any jurisdiction. Do you?”
“No, ma’am, I guess not officially.” McCready reached for his laptop. He looked like a puppy who’d been sent to his crate.
“Look, the similarities between these two homicides could be a fluke, but you keep track. If another detective known for chasing serial killers goes down, let me know. I’ll pass it along to the FBI. Okay? And let’s keep this between us.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” He rose.
“Shut the door on your way out, please.”
As soon as he left, Sam pulled up a copy of Police Chief Magazine on her computer. There was the statistic she’d seen: 131 law officers killed last year. The article predicted a higher number this year. The detective in California and the undersheriff in Montana were just two.
Not your business, Lieutenant, she reminded herself even as her hand reached for the phone.
***
Excerpt from Judge Not by Nikki Stern. Copyright 2023 by Nikki Stern. Reproduced with permission from Nikki Stern All rights reserved.
My Book Review:
In Judge Not, the fourth book in the Sam Tate Mystery series, author Nikki Stern engages the reader to catch up with Samantha Tate's latest investigative adventure.
Sam gets drawn into a serial killer case that becomes dubbed The Judge. The sadistic serial killer is on a multi-state killing spree on law enforcement officers who have solved serial killer cases during their careers, and the body count keeps growing. As a consultant to the FBI, Sam joins boyfriend Terry Sloan and the task force members in their investigation into the cases hoping to bring the serial killer to justice before another law enforcement officer becomes the next victim. And just when you think Sam has enough on her plate, her traumatic past keeps haunting her dreams, and suddenly she finds herself having to balance her own private demons along with helping the FBI find the serial killer before more murders are committed.
Author Nikki Stern provides a multi-layered storyline that has enough mystery, suspense, drama, treachery, secrets, dark traumatic pasts, and intriguing twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing, while weaving an intricate and complicated web of figuring out who the serial killer is, and why he kills the law enforcement officers in a copycat style of the original serial killer cases that they solved. And if that isn't enough to captivate the reader, the author adds a wonderful touch of humor, wit, grit, and a persistence to pursue the trauma of Sam's past, while also having a complicated long-distance romance with FBI Assistant Director Terry Sloan.
Of all the books in this series, I have to admit that Judge Not is my favorite. The police procedural elements of the investigation and the taunting and dangerous cat-n-mouse game with the serial killer kept me engaged and turning the pages as Sam, Terry and the task force members frantically try to bring the serial killer to justice, it just doesn't get any better than that!
Judge Not is an intriguing mystery story intertwined with enough police procedural aspects, realistic characters, witty dialogue and interactions. This fascinating multi-layered storyline draws the reader into the serial killer murder case investigation as Sam assists the FBI task force engage in a frustrating cat-n-mouse game with the serial killer, until the pieces of the investigation puzzle comes together and is dramatically solved. But alas, just when you think Sam's investigative adventure is over, the author leaves the reader with a traumatic cliffhanger ending that will keep them in limbo when Sam is dealing with more grief in her life and the possibility of a new beginning, leaving a suggestion that perhaps there will be a fifth book in the Sam Tate Mystery Series.
Judge Not is the kind of mystery that easily keeps the reader captivated, guessing, on their toes, and wanting more!
RATING: 5 STARS
Judge Not is an intriguing mystery story intertwined with enough police procedural aspects, realistic characters, witty dialogue and interactions. This fascinating multi-layered storyline draws the reader into the serial killer murder case investigation as Sam assists the FBI task force engage in a frustrating cat-n-mouse game with the serial killer, until the pieces of the investigation puzzle comes together and is dramatically solved. But alas, just when you think Sam's investigative adventure is over, the author leaves the reader with a traumatic cliffhanger ending that will keep them in limbo when Sam is dealing with more grief in her life and the possibility of a new beginning, leaving a suggestion that perhaps there will be a fifth book in the Sam Tate Mystery Series.
Judge Not is the kind of mystery that easily keeps the reader captivated, guessing, on their toes, and wanting more!
RATING: 5 STARS
About The Author
Virtual Book Tour
Tour Participants:
10/11 Review @ Country Mamas With Kids
10/12 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
10/13 Review @ Novels Alive
10/16 Review @ Nesies Place
10/19 Review @ Celticladys Reviews
10/20 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews
10/20 Review @ Wall-to-wall Books
Sunday, October 15, 2023
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