Private Midnight by Kris Saknussemm

 

Inside all of us is something wanting to break free.

No one knows this better than Detective Birch Ritter. He is a man on the edge of himself and he doesn’t know if he can keep himself from falling. Divorced and alone, he lives for his job. His job is his life. The long hours keep him from thinking of what could be.

And especially what was.

While investigating a case where a business man was chained to the inside of his car and the car set aflame, he receives a visit from an old police buddy, someone he never thought he would see again. Someone who knew his secrets.

Saying nothing, the man leaves Ritter only a business card with an address written on the card in what looks like scarves. The words move and shift; Ritter knows this must be a trick of the light, or his mind playing tricks on him. The past can haunt you in many ways.

Knowing that he should just ignore the business card, something pulls at him to go. He knows that going to an address written on a mysterious card left by someone who knows his past could be dangerous.

But something compels him to go.

When he arrives, he meets Genevieve. A curvy red head with looks that won’t quit, he follows her inside her house, still not sure what he is doing there or why he came. He is entranced by her, almost hypnotized. Shocked by her beauty and what she wants him to do.

Genevieve introduces Ritter to the world of bondage. Shock collars and blindfolds, submission and darkness. She knows things she could not possibly know, knows secrets from his past that he has told no one about. Though he is frightened of her, he cannot stay away.

The deeper he follows her into the darkness, the more of his past confronts him until all he is left with is a choice: cling to his safe, boring, lonely life? Or embrace the midnight darkness that waits inside of him? As Genevieve strips Ritter physically, emotionally and physiologically, he knows that he has no choice.

He must submit and change his life forever…

My meagre plot description doesn’t even come close to describing how great this book is. Its part gumshoe detective story, part noir thriller, part erotica and part something else altogether. Combined, all these elements make one of the best and most frightening novels I have ever read. Indeed, Private Midnight is one of the best books of 2009 so far.

Private Midnight defies genre. There is absolutely no way to categorize this book. It is not simple fiction. Instead it is an incredible tour-de-force that defies all genres, transcends them all and becomes something all its own.

For me, reading Private Midnight was like being inside a train that was destined to crash. It was like watching a car wreck in slow motion; I knew what would come would challenge my ideals of what is normal and acceptable, that it would make me uncomfortable and leave me haunted. But I welcomed every blood soaked word.

Not only is Private Midnight an incredible mystery, it is also the ultimate study in human nature. What makes us tick? What are our desires? What frightens us? What happens when fear, pleasure and desire are mixed together? What drives us to stay away from the darkness or give into it and swim in its depths?

While reading Private Midnight I was shocked, uncomfortable, thrilled and frightened. Rarely has a book affected me in so many different ways. Many authors would not be able to write a book that transcends genre and make it good. Saknussemm does this and more and the result is a heady, incredible thriller that is seedy, sexy, thrilling and tantalizing.

If you read one good book this Spring, make sure its Private Midnight.

And discover the darkness inside of you…

Prelude to a Super Airplane by Brian Spaeth

 

 

Almost everyone has flown on an airplane at least once in their lives. They are huge and intimidating, able to conquer the skies and the power of flight. Everyone has fantasized about being able to fly, about being able to fly through the clouds.

But none of us have flown on a super airplane: 47 floors high and able to fly at incredible speeds. But it is the people concerned with the airplane that are our focus here, the ones that think about airplanes constantly that draw our attention.

The year is 2012 and America is on the verge of Civil War. One side wants flying cars to be the main method of transportation; the other wants the new super airplane to be the only method of transport. At stake in this war? The entire future of transportation.

Our world as we know it will be forever changed…

Prelude to a Super Airplane is unlike anything you have read before. More literary experiment than a novel, Prelude to a Super Airplane is essentially one hundred and seven little stories about airplanes. Some follow the plot that you’ve just read above.

Others, well…did I mention that this was unlike anything you’ve read before?

Spaeth wrote Prelude to a Super Airplane over a period of seven days. And man what a ride! Though the book zooms along and sometimes you’re wondering who you’re reading about, it doesn’t matter.

This is a book with a sense of humour that never takes itself very seriously. It’s a quick, roller coaster of a ride that is anything but boring.

In fact, I laughed out loud several times and enjoyed every word. It really is unlike anything ever before attempted and this is part of the novels strengths.

Though sometimes the stories of the characters get lost amongst the more autobiographical portions of the book, you’re holding on for sheer life as the pages seem to flip themselves.

Even though Prelude to a Super Airplane is more literary experiment than a novel, it’s one hell of a good time. I’ve never had so much fun reading a book. From the first page, I was intrigued and, by the third page, I was hooked.

Prelude to a Super Airplane promises to be the first comedy-political thriller – mystery- drama-romance-action/adventure-science fiction-showbiz insider- horror-family energy drink- industry insider- holiday autobiography, Prelude to a Super Airplane is one hell of a great ride.

At times confusing, intriguing, hilarious, bizarre and all kinds of wonderful, Prelude to a Super Airplane is THE beach book for this summer.

Read it and feel like you’re flying.

The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker

 

In the dead letter room in the middle of Omaha, Randolph Jaffe has stumbled upon a secret. At first, the secret isn’t clear, just vague references to something called the Art. The Art begins to consume Jaffe, taking over his life. Its secrets continue to elude Jaffe until he cracks part of the code.

The Art are laws governing an alternate reality called Quididdty. Quididdty is the dream see, the dreamscape, the magic that runs through all our fantasies. Jaffe can think of nothing else except the Art and becoming a master of it. Quididdty is his for the taking.

Taking a scientist named Fletcher under his wing to further his growing evil, Jaffe hopes to get one step closer to mastering the Art. Fletcher creates a transforming drug they call Nuncio, which uses the principals of the Art. What they don’t realize is that it will become their undoing.

Fletcher realizes that Jaffe is evil and attempts to stop his plans by destroying the Nuncio. He knows that the drug is capable of transforming anyone into what ever they are most on the inside. Good becomes great. Evil becomes more so. Except, the Nuncio has other plans. It transforms Fletcher and then Jaffe into Demigods. Not content to let the other live, (after all, good must always triumph over evil) Fletcher and Jaffe engage in a battle that brings them to Palamo Grove, a small town and an ideal place to hide and rest in the earth while regaining the energy to continue fighting.

Years pass. Then something unthinkable happens. Four girls, dubbed The League of Virgins, become pregnant after swimming in a river that appeared on the edge of town. When the girls start talking of being raped in the river, gossip in the small town grows to an all time high. No one knows the truth, however, no matter how crazy the rumors.

Jaffe and Fletcher have impregnated four women in hopes of producing offspring to continue the battle they began so many years ago. Fletcher knows that he cannot allow Jaffe to gain access to the Art, to Quididdty; otherwise, it could mean the end of the world, and dreams, as we know it…

What Barker does here is create myth and he does so beautifully. It’s a difficult thing to create an epic myth from the ground up, but Barker does so in “The Great and Secret Show” with such skill and mastery that you know he has a gift. The plot mentioned above doesn’t even begin to describe the plot for this book. It is a big, wonderfully sprawling dive into wonderland.

What I love about books by Clive Barker is that they are usually character driven. This is also the case here. While there is a lot of focus on myth and legend here, Barker also focuses on the people filling his tale. It’s a good thing he does – there is a cast of hundreds here and we get to know almost all of them through out “The Great and Secret Show”. What’s wonderful is that this is actually the first novel in a trilogy, The Books of Art.

I devoured this book. Quididdty now floats through my dreams and haunts my waking hours. This is an amazing book. It’s a big one, but it’s worth it. An amazing piece of literature, a great beginning to an epic fantasy, any way you look at it, this is an amazing read.

Stephen King Goes to the Movies by Stephen King

 

 

I am a huge fan of Stephen King.

I have an entire bookshelf dedicated to his books and I have been one of his Constant Readers for quite some time. I still remember the first Stephen King book I read: Skeleton Crew. I remember the monkey on the front cover of the book filled me with delicious fright. I opened the cover and have never been the same since.

After reading his other non-fiction offerings (Danse Macabre and On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft) I was super excited to hear about Stephen King Goes to the Movies. It promised to be a treat. The book description described it thusly:

Now available, the #1 bestselling author reflects on the filming of five of his most popular short stories.  Those movies are The Shawshank Redemption, 1408, Children of the Corn, The Mangler, and Hearts in Atlantis.

Includes an introduction, his personal commentary, and behind-the-scenes insights by Stephen.

On reading those words, my first thought was: HOLY CRAP! My second thought was: AWESOME!

I thought it would be really amazing to get a behind the scenes look, as it were, at the stories behind the movies. We would get the stories themselves plus personal commentary and behind the scenes insights? Oh, it was every Constant Readers dream!

Except, it was a dream that was never realized.

I should have flipped through the book when I was in the bookstore, but I was in to big of a hurry to get home and delve into the mind of Stephen King. Imagine my surprise when I got home and opened the book to find the five stories and not much else.

Stephen King Goes to the Movies consists of the five stories behind the films 1408, The Mangler, Hearts in Atlantis, The Shawshank Redemption and Children of the Corn. As for new content, Stephen King has written a brief (and I mean brief: one to two pages) introduction for each story. He’s also provided us with his top ten list of the favourite adaptations of his work.

At first, I was rather pissed off. I mean, the advertising made it sound as if the book was non-fiction, a real behind the scenes look at the stories behind the movies and behind the scenes insights behind the making of the movies.

And all we get is a book of five short stories and some short (very short) introductions?

I was not pleased to say the least. But I decided, after spending my hard earned money on the book, to read the stories anyway. I figured it would fill the gap between Just After Sunset (which came out in November of 2008 ) and Stephen Kings new novel Under the Dome (which won’t come out until the fall of 2009). So I decided to give the book a chance.

And, you know what? I’m glad I did.

It had been some time since I had read the stories contained within Stephen King Goes to the Movies. I remembered reading 1408 and Hearts in Atlantis, but The Mangler, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption and Children of the Corn might as well have been new to me. I’ve read them, but it’s been years and I didn’t remember them clearly at all.

And you know what? They were good.

I mean really good. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by stories that held so many memories for me. Stephen King’s stories kept me company during many a dark hour during my turbulent upbringing; thus it’s little wonder that he inspires me so much. 

The stories were so good, so scary, so moving. The most interesting thing about the stories contained in Stephen King Goes to the Movies, however, was that after a few pages into the story, I stopped picturing the movie. All I could see were the images that the story itself called to mind.

Though the new content in Stephen King Goes to the Movies is almost nil (really about ten pages worth of new material) that doesn’t matter. Before you put the book back on the bookshelf, give Stephen King Goes to the Movies a chance.

Read the stories and let Stephen King scare you once again.

Blood Calls by Caridad Pineiro

Diego Rivera is no stranger to loneliness.

 

Alive for thousands of years, he has denied himself the one thing he has always craved most: the love of a woman. After his wife’s betrayal, and his vampire lover’s demise, he knows that there is no love for him in the world. There is only pain; darkness.

 

There is only Blood.

 

Until he Diego finds himself involved with Ramona Escobar. A talented artist, Diego offers Ramona a show at his gallery while trying to ignore the growing passion between them. Diego knows that he could not watch another he loved die. The only way for Romano to be with him forever is to bite her, to turn her.

 

To answer the call of the Blood.

 

But the situation changes when a crisis comes to light: Ramona is in trouble. Desperate for money to care for her ailing mother, Ramona took a job for Frederick Van Winder, reclusive millionaire. What he wanted her to do was simple: paint copies of masterpieces. What she didn’t count on was having him pass her copies of as originals.

 

Ramona turns to the only person she can think of to help her. Diego. But there is one thing she does not tell him: that she is dying. Now Diego is faced with a choice that he does not know he can make. Whether to let Ramona die or to turn her into a vampire.

 

But when Ramona is kidnapped, Diego must fight to save the woman he loves, or risk losing her forever.

 

Blood Calls…

 

This is without a doubt the most sensual vampire novel I have ever read. Period, end of story. Pineiro is a million times better than Anne Rice. Being a huge Anne Rice fan, I obviously don’t say this very lightly.

 

Pineiro does something that Anne Rice can’t do: she gives life and depth to her vampire characters. There is such depth that they are almost human. In fact, Diego is a constant struggle between good and evil, between giving into what he wants and running away from it.

 

 

There is such flow in the prose in Blood Calls that it goes beyond your normal vampire novel. It evokes grace, beauty and wonderment as you are pulled deeper and deeper into the world around Ramona and Diego. I can’t stress how amazing this book is. It’s erotic, sensual and a downright fantastic read.

 

Though this is the sixth book in the series, seven if you include the current online read, the book stands alone and you can read it without any prior knowledge of Pineiro’s vampire world or her characters.

 

I couldn’t be more thankful for this as it gives me more to go back and read, more to explore. If Diego and Ramona’s story was any indication, you’re in for a treat no matter what Calling novel you pick up. The book was beauty itself with a touch of hot fire that made the love scenes steamy, the book hot and the pages fly.

 

I flat out loved this tale and I’m hooked! I can’t wait until the next novel! Heed the Calling and join the hunt for blood.

 

You won’t regret it for a moment.

Bloodmoon by Mike Shade

Mike Miller is content with his life. After his grandfather died and left him the family farm, Mike is content to live by himself and continue the family business: raising dogs. But, sometimes, he gets an itch for something more than country life. He gets an itch for something spicy.

 

Thus he finds himself one night at the Spanked Kitty, a city bar that caters to anything you could desire. There, Mike meets Steven Pierievoda. Tall, pale and long fingered, Mike finds the man incredibly sexy and feels desire building in him.

 

From the bar, they go to a hotel where they indulge in a steam night of hot sex. But there’s only one problem: Steven is a vampire. He feeds on Mike during their sexual interlude and finds himself, days later, not hungry. Normally, he feeds at least once a week. But after dining on Mike’s blood, he doesn’t need to.

 

Deciding he needs to find Mike Morris, he tracks him down at his family’s farm. There, they re-ignite their passion from the previous night. Steven also makes a vow: to find out what it is in Mike that stops his hunger that made his blood so filling. If they had to experience passion, blood and lust in the quest for an answer, what of that?

 

That just makes the deal all the more sweet. But each of them is hiding a deep, dark secret: Steven is a vampire and Mike…is a werewolf. Stevens duty is to himself and Mike’s is to his pack but the two species have been at war with each other for decades.

 

Can two star crossed lovers look past their differences and indulge in the forbidden? Or will they ignore the love that begins to bloom between them and remain forever alone? Only their hearts, and their blood, can decide.

 

Bloodmoon is one hell of a novel. I’ll admit that when I started it, I figured it would be just your average gay vampire romance. The market is flooded with vampire erotica and I worried at reading another book cut from the same cookie cutter. I needn’t have worried. Bloodmoon is fresh and throws quite a few delicious twists into the old vampire genre.

 

Giving the book a gay Romeo and Juliet feel to it was pure genius. It gave the characters depth and feeling that would otherwise not have been present. Mike is perfect as the small town boy who dreams of better and bigger things and Steven is the perfect exotic lover. The two, both strong individuals, compliment each other beautifully.

 

Shade writes with a depth that is surprising in Vampire/Werewolf fiction. Normally, the characters are lifeless cardboard cut outs that prance around the page for our amusement. Instead, Shade gives us deep, knowable characters that rip through the pages for our enjoyment. Steven if hilarious and funny and several of his comments made me laugh out loud during the reading of Bloodmoon. Mike is more than he seems, not just the simple country boy, but a leader hiding dark secrets.

 

I flat out loved Bloodmoon. It’s probably one of the better fantasies that I’ve read. It has depth of story, depth of character, blood, lust and lots of steamy hot sex. What’s not to like? And this isn’t your average fairy tale. It was enjoyable, surprising, funny and, oddly enough, heartwarming.

 

For a good time had by all, pick up Bloodmoon. You won’t be sorry! This is one novel you won’t want to end. And when it does? You’ll want to read it all over again!

 

Reviewed for The Gotta Write Network. You can find their site by clicking here.

Doorman’s Creek by Lea Schizas

Susan Anderson has been having nightmares.

Her husband, dead by Doorman’s Creek and a strange man dressed in black watching her through the trees. She doesn’t know why the dreams frighten her so much, or who the man in black is, but there is something about Doorman’s Creek that frightens her. They say that old Mr. Doorman still roams the forest, though Susan is sure this is just an urban legend.

Her son, Kyle, is drawn to the Cave by mysterious forces. His friends Shawn and Bradley feel the same way; something is drawing them to the Cave but they don’t know what it is. They only know that they must go to it, that they must follow their impulses even if they have no explanation.

They all know the story of Doorman’s Creek. Years ago, two girls were found dead with bite marks on their necks. They were placed side by side, as if they were a sacrifice. The town suspected Old Man Doorman as he had a passion for vampires and information about the unusual. Claiming he was innocent, Doorman disappeared and a killer was never found.

The boys know the stories, the rumors, but still they are drawn to the cave. It is as if something is calling them. Shawn, Bradley and Kyle head for the cave, not knowing that finding it will change their lives forever; for when the arrive, they find a skeleton that was buried in the cave floor.

Soon there are reports of missing girls about town. The boys suspect that a killer is on the lose, the same serial killer that killed the two girls years before. They return to the cave to explore further, digging around the skeleton to see if they can find another. The feeling that they are being watched is stronger and more powerful, but only Kyle really feels it. He knows this is what he was led to the cave at Doorman’s Creek to do, knows that they were meant to find the skeleton.

When the bones of the skeleton start glowing, however, and Kyle has a vision of a woman running away, frightened for her life, from someone that Kyle can’t see, and Kyle knows they have done more than find a long dead woman.

They have released evil…

Doorman’s Creek by Lea Schizas has to be one of the best books I have ever read, period. Part mystery, part paranormal thriller, Doorman’s Creek is an incredible read that starts with a bang and just keeps going. From the moment the novel starts, you’re taken on a whirlwind of secrets, murder, sacrifice and death that just gets better with every page.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. Doorman’s Creek had me gripped from the first word right up until its incredibly unexpected ending. This novel is just simply fantastic. I’ve read a lot of thrillers, especially ones with a paranormal bent, so to read one that was so fresh, one that took chances, was very refreshing.

The characters were real, alive and I felt like I knew them. There are no cardboard cut out people here. What I love most about Schizas’ characters is that their human, their real people. She even has the dialogue of teenage boys down pat which is no easy feat, believe me. Susan and Richard are incredible characters with flaws and depth that make them all the more enjoyable.

What I love most about this book is the story, the writing. Schizas manages to never let the story lag for a minute, not an easy task for any author. This book was one hell of a thrill ride and I look forward to any new releases by Schizas with anticipation. Doorman’s Creek was un-put-downable and one hell of a book.

If you have yet to visit Doorman’s Creek, what are you waiting for?

BUY DOORMAN’S CREEK from ETreasures Publisishing

http://www.etreasurespublishing.com/Lea_Schizas/doormans-creek.htm

Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris

Right off, I have to say that I love this book.

I have been waiting, along with many others, for years to find out how Hannibal Lecter became what he became. I wanted to know what caused his transformation into one of the most frightening killers in literature (and the movies) known to man.

I was thrilled beyond words to hear that Harris was writing a new book and that a new movie based on the book was in production. I knew that Harris was writing the screenplay. Aside from that, I knew nothing. I wanted, needed to know more.

Now that I do, what can I say except that knowledge is power.

Despite bad reviews (of the movie and the book), I loved HANNIBAL RISING. It’s a beautiful haunting work that stays with you long after you have read it. It’s not just a simple tale of revenge, but one of lust and wanting, of judgement and secrets that is beautifully written. Harris uses quick short sentences to instill images into your mind, to show you the change Hannibal goes through to become what he is.

Personally, I think others are none to pleased with Hannibal Rising mostly because they were expecting another Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal Rising is really historical fiction, seeing as how most of it is set right after the second world war. I knew that there couuld be no book like Silence of the Lambs, that Hannibal would probably be a quieter, subtler book.

I was half right.

There is beauty in the blood here; the harrowing images of death are subdued and gorgesouly written but most shocking is that you feel empathy towards Hannibal Lecter. Knowing what I know now of his character, is it any wonder why he became a monster?

Judgement and revenge come in many forms.

I think that’s what puts most people off about the novel. You feel sorry for him, sorry for Hannibal Lecter. You come away wondering if you would have done the same, had someone eaten your little sister. You come away wondering if you have a monster waiting to rise up.

Even mosnters have feelings, no matter how inhuman they may seem.

HANNIBAL RISING is probably one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Hannibal Lecter will stay with me for a long time and I can’t wait to read the tale of his beginning all over again.