Monday, July 31, 2017

Book Review #45: 80 AD: The Tekhen of Anuket

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim


80AD: The Tekhen of Anuket is the third book in the 80AD series by Aiki Flinthart. The series is a middle-grade/young adult fantasy series. In this book, we follow Phoenix, Jade, Brynn and Marcus through ancient Egypt while they try to set the imprisoned Egyptian goddess Anuket free. On the way they battle evil priests on monks.



This book is full of action throughout the entire story. Just as a warning, there is death involved as in the other 80 AD books, but it isn’t as graphic as I’ve seen in a lot of adult novels. I thought the plot was good and pretty solid through the story.



Purchase Links:

You can purchase this book in various formats from the following sites:












Tim’s Rating: ****

(Four out of five stars)


Thursday, July 6, 2017

World of Sleuths

A week ago, I started a new blog titled, "World of Sleuths". In this new blog I post reviews and talk  about mystery and thrillers since it seems I tend to read more books from those genres. Don't worry, I am still going post book reviews in this blog such as non-fiction, science fiction, fantasy and classics that aren't mysteries or thrillers. I just wanted to start a blog that encompasses the genre's that I tend to read a majority and give it a name that reflects that.

You can see the new blog at http://world-of-sleuths.blogspot.com.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Book Review #44: My Cross to Bear

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

My Cross to Bear is the autobiography by Gregg Allman from 2012. In this book he talks about several topics from his life such as him and Duane as kids, the forming of their various bands including The Allman Brothers Band, the deaths of Duane and Barry Oakley, the turbulence in the band, his girlfriends and wives (including Cher) and his kids, his drug and alcohol addictions and overcoming them, his liver transplant and his getting to know his kids after they’ve grown up.

It’s an interesting read that gives an insight in some of what it’s like being a member of a famous rock band. He discusses the struggles getting the band going and getting record deals.

Purchase Links:
You can purchase this book in various formats at the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Book Review #43: A Walk in the Woods

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail is a non-fiction book written by Bill Bryson about his attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail along with his boyhood friend, Stephen Katz. Prior to this Bryson was known for his books on hiking and travel in the United Kingdom and Europe. Hiking the Appalachian trail was a lot different than his previous hike. He tells about his adventures in his own humorous way.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail used to be a dream of mine, but with my health problems, I know that it will never happen. I have read people’s trail journals on the Internet telling of their hikes along the Appalachian Trail and picture in my mind doing it. I used to be a hiking merit badge counselor for Boy Scouts, so I already knew a lot of the terminology and requirements for hiking, so I had no problem following along with their hike in this book. My only complaint is that the author would start talking about stuff that happened in the areas they were hiking in the past, some of it not really related to hiking which started making it slow reading for me.

There is a saying in the hiking community, “Hike your own hike.” It means that there is no set rules that you have to hike by (most of the time), but do it your own way. Bill Bryson and Stephen Katz definitely did hike their own hike.

Purchase Links:
You can purchase this book in various formats from the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check periodically for more book reviews.




Book Review #42: The Blue Fairy Book

The Blue Fairy Book is the first of twelve compilations of fairy tales that were compiled and Edited by Andrew Lang between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Each one is named after a different color. This compilation contains 37 fairy tales from all over the world including some well known ones such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Rumplestiltzkin and The Forty Thieves among others.

There are some of the fairy tales that I like and others that I didn’t care for in this book. Some of them are more morbid than I remember my teachers reading to us in the earlier grades in elementary school back in the sixties. I think this could be a good series for fans of fantasy to read. It contains a lot of magic and battles with ogres, giants and witches among others. I had trouble reading the last two fairy tales in the book because they are Scottish fairy tales and the English in those two is different from what I’m used to here in the United States.

Download Links:
This book can be downloaded in various formats from the following sites:





Tim’s Rating: ***
(Three out of five stars)


I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.

Friday, May 5, 2017

Book Review #41: Without Remorse

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

Without Remorse is the seventh novel written by Tom Clancy, the first in the Jack Ryan Universe. John Clark is a hero that appeared in several Jack Ryan novels beginning with The Cardinal of the Kremlin. He instantly became a loved hero along with Jack Ryan. This book takes place well before Jack Ryan foiled the terrorist attack in London (see http://tims-reviews.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-33-patriot-games.html) during the Vietnam war had details how a former Navy Seal starts working for the CIA. It includes a dangerous and unlawful side of him that was taken care of by the CIA once he became a regular employee of theirs.

This is a book that I first read when it came out and finally reread. It is 750 pages of action in the way that only Tom Clancy could have written. If you can’t imagine, it is among my favorite books.

Purchase Links:
This book can be purchased in various formats from the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: *****
(Five out of five stars)


I’m Of to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.

Book Review #40: Nevada Rose

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

Nevada Rose by Jerome Preisler is the tenth novel in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation series baased on the popular television show. In this book Catherine Willows and Warrick Brown are investigating the death of “Nevada” Rose Demille, an attractive woman known for pursuing and entering reltionsips with well known athletes. In the meantime, Gil Grissom, Greg Sanders and Sara Sidle are working on the case that was discovered in the artificial lake at a golf course. It turns out the that body was of a miner who along with his brother had discovered a gem that is the biggest of it’s kind that they named Nevada Rose and was worth big money.

This novel is full of twists in the plots that keeps the reader trying to figure out who killed each of them. This is the second CSI book that I’ve read and like the other, I enjoyed reading. I’ll pick up other books in this series whenever I come across them in stores.

Purchase Links:
You can purchase this book in various formats from the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of Five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.


Book Review #39: One of Ours

One of Ours is the fifth novel by Willa Cather. It is about Claude Wheeler, the son of a wealthy farmer in rural Nebraska in the early twentieth century. After attending college in Lincoln for a couple years, Claude’s father decides to purchase a ranch in Colorado which will be ran by Claude’s brother, Ralph, and Claude will run the farm in Nebraska so his father can go between the two. Claude starts feeling he has no meaning in life, especially after a marriage gone bad. When World War I starts in Europe, Claude and his mother are caught up in reading whatever they can about it in the newspapers. Shortly after the United States enters the war, Claude decides to enlist in the Army before the draft starts. He is given a commission and is made an instructor to get men trained and ready for going to Europe. Claude is finally sent a year later and finally feels that he has meaning in his life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is my first book read by this author and with the way it is written, I know it won’t be the last. The way she describes the Nebraska farmland and in France during the war makes you feel that you are there with Claude. I recently started gaining more of an interest in World War I and plan on reading more books about it.

Download Links:
You can download this book in various formats from the following sites:





Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back Periodically for more book reviews.


Book Review #38: The Electronic Mind Reader

The Electronic Mind Reader is the twelfth book in the Rick Brant Series by John Blaine (Harold L. Goodwin). In this book, two scientists working on a top secret government project all of a sudden start talking gibberish and go crazy. The government in wanting to move the rest of the scientists to a location to where they can have better control of who comes and goes in the area enlist the scientists of the Spindrift Foundation to join in on the project and moves the scientists to Spindrift Island. Rick and Scotty start following some suspicious new people in the area suspecting they might be behind it.

Even though this is a children’s book, I enjoy it just like the other Rick Brant books that I’ve read. It is full of action and adventure in sky, land and sea. I will keep reading a Rick Brant series until I’ve read all that I can get hold of. Then I’ll starting reading other children’s books/series that are in the Public Domain, one each month. They are quick reads and a lot contain plenty adventures.

Download Links:
You can download this book in various formats from the following sites:





Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.



Book Review #37: Hill of Secrets

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

Hill of Secrets: An Israeli Jewish Novel is the second novel written by Michal Hartstein. Michal is a female Israeli author. The book is about a recently divorced female Israeli lawyer turned police officer who is given her first case as a lead investigator investigating an apparent murder/suicide of a religious family. After th investigation gets going, the police department’s IT specialist discovers a threat letter that appears the the husband that was suspected killing his family before turning the gun on himself was blackmailing somebody. It makes them start to wonder if it was a murder/suicide or a straigh out multiple homicide.

This story had some good and interesting parts to it and many Israeli towns are mentioned. The author also mentions several Jewish words and gives an explanation of them to her readers that are not Jewish. The problem that I have with it is that she does several interrogations, each comprising a chapter, where each person she questions gives pretty much the same answers. It’s not until over half way into the book before she starts finding out some different and more interesting information. I feel that she wastes a lot of space a words, just different people saying the same thing.

Purchase Links:
This book can be purchased in various formats from the following sites:




Tim’s Rating: ***
(Three out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.


Monday, April 17, 2017

Book Review #36: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is the only full length novel that Edgar Allan Poe ever wrote. This novel is about the adventures at sea by Arthur Gordon Pym and includes a lot of elements you see in a lot of classic sea adventures which are mutiny, piracy, strong storms, wrecked vessels, sharks, cannibalism and barbarous savages. The events of these adventures keep it interesting.

I am indifferent on this book. I found out about it when I read Thrillers: 100 Must Reads and it sparked my interest. What I wasn’t ready for were long and wordy sentences and paragraphs, some of which you wonder if they’ll ever end. The author also starts talking about latitudes and longitudes which start losing my interest when he lists quite a few. I remember covering talking about those over forty years ago in school, but forgot most of what I learned about them.

Download Links:
You can download this book in various ebook formats from the following sites:






Tim’s Rating: ***
(Three out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check periodically for more book reviews.


Saturday, April 15, 2017

Book Review #35: The Hunt for Red October

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

The Hunt for Red October was the first book by Tom Clancy and also the first book written in the Jack Ryan series. This book takes during the Cold War. In this book, the Red October is the newest nuclear missile submarine in the Soviet Unions fleet and is captained by Marko Ramius. On the maiden voyage of the Red October which is to be an exercise to test the abilities of the new submarine which include technological advancements such as a new drive system which is very quiet and around impossible to detect by sonar. The problem is the submarine does not show up in the area where the exercise is to take place. Ramius and his senior officers, all hand picked by Marko, had planned months before the exercise to instead to head to America and seek asylum in the United States. As soon as the Soviet Navy finds out about him not being in the exercise area, the send around there entire Atlantic fleet to stop and destroy the Red October. Jack Ryan, an analyst for the CIA, is the first American to figure out what’s going on. He is sent out on Presidential orders to try to find the Red October and find out whether that is their intent.

This is the book that when I first read it back in the eighties that got me addicted to techno-thrillers and thrillers in general. Before that I read mainly science fiction and fantasy, and occasionally a mystery. After that I kept buying and reading books by Clancy, as well as Larry Bond, Dale Brown and other writers that wrote in that genre. If you are interested in reading a book in that genre or by Tom Clancy, I suggest this as a good book to start.

Purchase Links:
You can purchase this book in various formats from the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: *****
(Five out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.


Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Book Review #34: Snake Eyes

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

Snake Eyes is a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation novel written by Max Allan Collins. It is the eight book of the CSI book and is based on the original CSI television series. In this story, the CSI team is called to go to a town which is a forty five minute drive from Las Vegas to investigate a shootout between two rival biker gangs in a casino in which the leader of one of the gangs and a dealer, a young single mother, are killed. Tensions are high in the town. The crime lab is short on personnel at the time due to some being on vacation and others being involved with hearings. All but two people from the swing and night shifts are sent to cover the shootout while the other two are left to handle whatever comes up during the swing and night shifts.

This is the first CSI book I’ve read and I like it. It is about like all of the CSI shows where there are usually two different investigations going on at the same time. Some go easier than others. It also kept me guessing at what will happen next and who done it.

Purchase Links:
This book can be purchased in various formats from the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.


Friday, March 31, 2017

Book Review #33: Patriot Games

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

Patriot Games is the third book written by Tom Clancy, second one written in th Jack Ryan series. Although it was written after The Hunt for Red October, this book takes place before and events in it are referred to in The Hunt for Red October. In this book, Jack Ryan, a history professor at the Naval Academy, is on a family vacation in London and is also doing some research for a new book. Just after he meets his wife and daughter in a park after a research session, a terrorist attack starts right in front of him on a Rolls Royce. That’s when some of Jack’s Marine training kicks in and he takes action by doing a blindside tackle on the closest terrorist to him, knocking the terrorist out, taking his gun and fires at the other one, killing him. A third terrorist takes off in a vehicle before anything could be done to him. The terrorist that he had knocked out later escapes from prison a vows vengeance on Jack.

It’s been at least five years since I’ve last read this book until now. It was the third tecno-thriller that I ever read (back in the 80’s) and it helped solidify my love for thrillers. The action continues throughout this book and keeps the reader wondering what’s going to happen next. I consider this a must read for anybody that likes thrillers.

Purchase Links:
This book can be purchased in various formats at the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: *****
(Five out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more reviews.



Monday, March 27, 2017

Book Review #32: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is the fourth book in the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, this is a collection of thirteen short stories which keep the reader wondering the circumstances, clues and outcome of each story. We are introduced to his brother, Mycroft, in one of the stories and briefly appears in some of the others. We are also introduced to Professor Moriarty in the last story of the book.

This book is as compelling as the ones that precede it in the series. It’s amazing on how the author could come up with the plot and outcomes of all these stories and keep them interesting. I enjoyed this one just like the others.

Download Links:
You can download this book in various ebook formats from the following sites:




Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.


Book Review #31: The Wailing Octopus

The Wailing Octopus is the eleventh book in the Rick Brant series by John Blaine (Harold L. Goodwin). In this book Rick, Scotty, Tony Briotti and Hobart Zircon discover evidence that there were pirates on Spindrift Island at one time. After doing some research they find out that the ship that had sunk near Clipper Cay, a small island near Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands, and had never been recovered. The decide to go on a Spindrift Foundation expedition to try to find the pirate ship and items that were on board when it sunk. They stop in Saint Thomas before going to Clipper Cay to pick up a boat and some supplies before going to Clipper Cay. While on Saint Thomas, Rick and Scotty come across Steve Ames, a government agent who they’ve worked with on some of their previous adventures. They help Steve slip away from somebody that’s been shadowing him. A little later they discover that somebody is following them and the soon they have some adventures even before leaving Saint Thomas. After they get to Clipper Cay they discover that somebody has tampered with some of their diving equipment, but don’t know why.

It’s been six months since I last read a Rick Brant novel and decided to read this one as one of my reads for March Mystery Madness in the children’s detective category. It is a quick read and also entertaining like the others in the series. It also keeps you wondering what is going on until the very end of the novel is what I like in books. I will keep on reading books in this series from time to time until I complete the series.

Download Links:
This book can be downloaded in various formats from the following sites:





Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.



Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Book Review #30: The Winner


***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

The Winner is the third novel by David Baldacci. LuAnn Tyler is a twenty year old mother in a small Georgia town in which many people are living in poverty. Many of them dropped out of school when they were young in order to make a living, including LuAnn who dropped out when she was was in seventh grade in order to support her family. She would take jobs wherever she could find them in the local community which usually didn’t last more than a few months. She was living with Duane, the father of her baby girl. Duane was a good for nothing who always sat around in their trailer that was out in a clearing of some woods with trash and rusted out auto parts all around the trailer. She was called for a job interview with a Mr. Jackson who when she came for the interview enticed her with an offer to win the national lottery and being rich the rest of her life. She was given a few days to make a decision. She wasn’t wanting to cheat like that, but during that three days she came home one day to find Duane Cheating with another woman. She went running out with her baby and decided that she was going to leave him. When she returned to the trailer to confront Duane. She was assaulted by another man with a knife and a struggle ensued in which she managed to grab the telephone and smashed the mans head knocking him out. She went running out of the trailer with her baby and was about to go see the local sheriff until she realized that they would suspect her of murdering Duane and end up in jail. She decided that the only way out of this mess was to take Mr. Jackson’s offer and then caught a ride to Atlanta and took a train to New York where she was given a new identity and flown out of the country after winning the lottery. The rest of the book follows her ten years later after she returns to the United States after moving from country to country for the previous ten years.

This book wasn’t as riveting to me as the author’s previous two. It is still good, especially later on when Mr. Jackson is going after her to kill her. I still like this author, just this one not quite as much as the first two.

Purchase Links:
You can purchase this book in various formats at the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Book Review #29: The Catcher in the Rye

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

The Catcher in the Rye is a classic novel by J. D. Salinger. It is written as a retrospective narration by Holen Caulfield, a teenager who was kicked out of four private schools for boys. He talks mainly about a three day period a little before Christmas the previous year when he left the fourth school. Most of the story takes place in New York city.

This book is interesting, especially considering it was first released in a couple different magazines with a change or two in some incidents shortly after World War II. It portrays some of what life was like for wealthy teenagers back in those days. The book sometimes seem confusing, ut later explains it a little better.

Purchase Links:
This book can be purchased from the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.




Monday, February 27, 2017

Book Review #28: 80AD: The Hammer of Thor

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

80 AD: The Hammer of Thor is the second book in the 80 AD series by Aiki Flinthart. It is a fantasy series aimed at young adults, but has been read by many adults, also. In this book Phoenix and Jade, along with Brynn and Marcus, need to return Truda to her father, Thor, before the spring equinox which is only days away. There are many obstacles in their way slowing them down.

I enjoyed this book as much as the first one of the series. There are elements of Beowulf included in the story which might get the target audience to read that and other classics. Beowulf is even mentioned in the book. It is a Smashwords book, so I’ll include a link to the book in the links below. It kept me wanting to read more.

Donload Links:
This book can be downloaded for free in various ebook formats from the following links:




Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.


Sunday, February 26, 2017

Book Review #27: Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days is the eleventh book written by Jules Verne. This book follows Phileas Fogg and his newly hired French valet, Passepartout. This book starts out with Fogg being wealthy and very predictable in his ways by being at the having a daily schedule which was the same everyday with exact times that he would leave home and arrive at the Reform Club in London. On the same day that he hires Passepartout he makes a wager with a group of men, with whom he plays whist daily at the club, that he could make a trip around the world in eighty days. Surprising Passepartout he arrives home early telling him to pack some clothes in a carpet bag along with some money they immediately begin their travels. After they started on their journey Detective Fix started following their trail and tried to delay them along the way while waiting for a warrant from England for the arrest of Fogg, who Fix believes robbed the Bank of England just days before their departure.

Many of us have seen 1956 or 2004 movie or one of many cartoons or spoofs loosely based on this book. I noticed many differences in the book. A stop in Paris is briefly mentioned in the book. None of the travel was made in a balloon in this story, most of it done by sea or rail. By his description of the area they travel, you feel like you are with them. Despite the differences, I still like the book better than the movies.

Download Links:

You can download this book in various ebook formats from the various sites:





Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.



Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Book Review #26: 80 AD: The Jewel of Asgard

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

80 AD: The Jewel of Asgard (Book1) is the first book in the 80 AD series by Aiki Flinthart. It is a fantasy series aimed at young adults, but has been read by many adults, also. In the first book Phoenix and Jade, both around 13 years old, never met before and both having a parent they despise, start playing a pre-release copy of a new computer game titled 80 AD at the same time. All of a sudden they are both pulled into the game which is set in Britain back in 80 AD, where they meet. Not knowing what is happening since the online version hasn’t started up yet, they find it weird that the are more than playing the game, but playing it. They soon find out that they have a quest that they must complete together, otherwise the world in the game and their real world will be changed forever for the worse. They got through the game scared and wondering how they will be able to accomplish the quest.

This is the first fantasy book that I’ve read for a good while and enjoyed it. Even though it is aimed at the young adult audience, there is enough action to keep adults engrossed in the story. It is a Smashwords book, so I’ll include a link to the book in the links below. It kept me wanting to read more.

Donload Links:
This book can be downloaded for free in various ebook formats from the following links:




Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)

I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.


Book Review #25: The Pioneers

The Pioneers, Or, The Sources of the Susquehanna by James Fenimore Cooper is the first novel that he wrote in the Leatherstocking Tales series, the fourth in chronological order. The story takes place in a fictitious settlement in the mountains of New York in 1793. It tells the story of Marmaduke Temple, the founder of the settlement, and his daughter Elizabeth and various residents of the settlement as well as Natty Bumppo, a Mohican Indian chief that became a Christian and took the name John and a younger man named Oliver Edwards that live a few miles outside the settlement. The book covers a little under a year.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it was slow reading at first. There are people from various ethnic backgrounds in the community and each talk with an accent of their native tongue. It gets confusing at times when there are several in a discussion and each talking in their accent. It also have a lot of “thee’s” and “thou’s” in the dialogues which get confusing at times in modern English. There isn’t much action or adventure in the first half of the book, which combined in the above statements, makes the reading dry and not as much interesting to me, but I stuck it through to the end.

Download Links:
This book can be downloaded in various ebook formats from these sites:





Tim’s Rating: ***
(Three out of five stars)


I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews. 

Friday, February 10, 2017

Book Review #24: Northern Lights

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

Northern Lights is the second novel written by Tim O’Brien. This novel follows brothers Paul and Harvey Perry for around a year starting with Harvey returning home from the Vietnam War, after losing an eye, in a small town in northern Minnesota. The book covers both the life of a veteran from that war and life in that area the forests that fill that part of the country. It gives account of adventures encountered during a cross country ski trip as well as other aspects of their lives.

I just recently found out about Tim O’Brien. I can’t remember where I heard or read about him. He is originally fro Austin, Minnesota which is fifty miles or less from my hometown in Iowa. This is the first book by him that I’ve read. When I was a teenager, my family went on vacation up in northern Minnesota two or three times where we would spend a week camping, canoing and fishing. While reading this book, his descriptions of the places they would go brought back memories of those trips. His descriptions gave enough detail that the reader could actually place themselves in those settings which you can’t always say for many novels.

Purchase Links:
You can purchase the book at the following links in various formats:



Tim’s Rating: ****
(Four out of five stars)


I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Book Review #23: No Good Deed

***Note:  This book is not in the public domain.  --Tim

No Good Deed is the first book in the Mark Taylor series by M.P. McDonald. Mark Taylor is a photographer that bought an old camera at an Afghanistan bazaar while he was helping out a friend by taking photographs of women and children in Afghanistan for a book his friend was writing. After he got back home in Chicago he decided to clean up the camera and test it out by taking pictures of everyday items in Chicago. When he developed the film he discovered a couple pictures on it that weren’t what he took the subject that he photographed. Instead it was about a violent crime or disaster that was going to happen in the near future. That night he had a dream about what those pictures portrayed. He discovered that he could change the picture by going and preventing the incident from happening. He had developed some pictures the day before 9/11 which included some of the disaster. He dreamed about the disaster that night and called several federal agencies that morning to alert them about the disaster before it happened. Nobody believed him until after the disaster. Around a year later after saving the life of a toddler that was depicted of one of these pictures, he was arrested by the FBI that wouldn’t believe what he told them about the pictures and dreams. They ended up declaring him as an enemy combatant and moved him a maximum security military prison.

I could write more about the story here, but instead I’ll give you links below for sites that you can purchase the book.

I really like this book and makes me want to read the rest of the books in this series and other series that she wrote. This is the first book that I’ve read by this author. I came across links for this book one day from a daily email I get informing me of free and low priced books for that day on various sites. This one was for free, so I downloaded it from Barnes and Noble and downloaded onto my Nook. That was around two years ago an I finally got around to reading it. I’m glad I did read it now!

Purchase Links:
You can purchase this book in various formats from the following sites:



Tim’s Rating: *****
(Five out of five stars)


I’m off to read another book. Check back periodically for more book reviews.