“I am a man born in inopportune times,” says Zeno Cosini in A Very Old Man. It’s a line thick with dramatic irony, since the description applies much better to his creator, Italo Svevo, for whom it could serve as an epitaph. In Zeno’s case, the meaning of “inopportune” is narrow. As a young man, […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2022/08/24/the-italian-proust-svevo/
Sophia Rose is here with the eleventh book in the Southern Ghost Hunter; a paranormal cozy mysteries series. Give Up the Ghost by Angie Fox is a standalone mystery with some ghostly elements. Grab an iced tea and check it out….
Give Up the Ghost
by Angie Fox
Series: Southern Ghost Hunter #11
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Paranormal
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Rating: 
Some secrets should stay buried.
Ghost hunter Verity Long is no stranger to scandal. In fact, it seems to follow her around like her pet skunk, Lucy. But Verity is as shocked as anybody when a town relic discovered in a time capsule unleashes a torrent of secrets that lead to murder.
Trouble is, the only residents in Sugarland who know the truth behind the scandal also happen to be very dead themselves. With a killer on the loose and a town in crisis, Verity braves a side of Sugarland she’s never seen before. From a booby-trapped haunted mansion to a run-in with the spirit of Sugarland’s most notorious blackmailer who may hold the key to setting mob ghost Frankie free…for a price.
But when a live killer gets an inside track on Verity’s investigation, will she live long enough to give up the ghost?
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A vicious Burn book, a murdered hairdresser, and a town roiling as past secrets come out. I was jazzed to pick up the latest ghostly murder mystery with the loveable amateur detecting team of Verity and ghost gangster Frankie.
The books are standalone murder and ghost mysteries, but there is Verity’s ongoing story and build of relationships particularly her side plot romance interest with sheriff’s deputy, Ellis Wydell, the brother of her ex-fiancé and son of the woman who has most made Verity’s life miserable. So, reading in order gives the background ongoing story.
In this latest, Give Up the Ghost, the daughter of a former gossip queen and blackmailer gets back her mother’s burn book that held all the secrets the hairdresser learned about the people in town, but then is murdered and the book is missing. Unfortunately for Ellis who is a sheriff’s deputy, he arrives on the scene to find his mother near the body and she has blood on her. He’s taken off the case, ordered to handle a stakeout outside of town, and can’t be there when his mother is deserted by the rest of the family and her so-called friends when pages from the burn book show up to tattle on her past.
Virginia Wydell has made Verity’s life a nightmare since she walked away from her wedding with Beau and started dating Beau’s brother, Ellis. Ellis knows what he’s asking when he calls on Verity to use her connection to the ghost world to get at the truth and help his mother. And, Verity’s heart is big enough to take care of the woman for Ellis’ sake.
But one more startling bit ups the ante for Verity and Frankie. A ghost they go to interview knows how to free Frankie from Verity, accidentally grounding his spirit to her family land. They have slowly become a partnership and they often fret about being stuck with each other, but when the possibility of freedom is offered? Neither are as excited as they thought they’d be.
Give Up the Ghost was a wonderful blend of ghost adventure, small town antics, murder mystery, and some character plotting. Virginia Wydell has been the bullying snobbish woman through the whole series so it was both gratifying and a bit of a shock to see her get her just desserts in this one. I didn’t figure out the murder mystery even though the suspect list wasn’t very long, but I also wasn’t surprised when the truth came out, either. The murder was backburnered for much of the book and I was more interested in what was going on with Virginia and Frankie’s storylines.
My biggest relief was discovering this was not the final book and there will be more ghostly mysteries to solve. Granted, it will be interesting to see what the reveals do to the rest of the series, but I am all in to find out. The Southern Ghost Hunter series falls in the paranormal cozy category, but it has some good excitement and even some creepy moments. I whole-heartedly recommend these to the cozy crowd, but even some of the urban fantasy lovers out there who like a good ghost story.
Amazon
Give Up the Ghost by Angie Fox delivered a paranormal cozy that readers recommend, #bookreview #SouthernGhostHunter #SophiaRose
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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Angie Fox writes sweet, fun, action-packed mysteries. Her characters are clever and fearless, but in real life, Angie is afraid of basements, bees, and going up stairs when it is dark behind her. Let’s face it. Angie wouldn’t last five minutes in one of her books.
Angie is best known for her SOUTHERN SPIRITS
mysteries, and for her ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER books.
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Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/08/give-up-the-ghost-by-angie-fox.html
The China Paradox follows Walter Lummis, a freelance journalist in his 70’s who has spent most of his life reporting on Asia. The book starts when Lummis witnesses the real-world assassination of Kim Jong Un’s brother, Kim Jong Nam. Already privy to a conspiracy that threatens to change the world forever, Lummis is now wanted by North Korea’s deadly intelligence agency, the MSS. We follow Lummis as he both fights for survival and fights to reveal the conspiracy before it’s too late.
Lummis is not a traditional hero. He’s a man approaching the end of the line. He has spent his life chasing the next big story, and he’s never really amounted to much. A serial womanizer and borderline drunk, Lummis has pushed away everyone in his life. When Lummis stumbles across the story of the century he realizes it’s his path to a possible Pulitzer prize and a big payday. To Lummis saving the world is just an added benefit.
The China Paradox could serve as a textbook on current affairs. It’s rare to read a book that blurs the lines of fact and fiction so closely. This is a political thriller that hits far too close to home and at times can be downright terrifying.
The first half of the book is written as a first-person audio recording. Lummis dodges from location to location whilst speaking into his recorder, filling the reader in on the meat of the conspiracy. The second half turns to a more traditional third-person approach as Lummis attempts to get his story published whilst dodging various pursuers.
During the second half of the book there are several scenes where the 70+ year old protagonist dodges bullets and outruns assassins/spies half his age. At one point he is even ejected through a speeding car’s windshield into a solid object and dusts himself off as if nothing happened. Other than these scenes the book is realistically written. In a book with a compelling protagonist and an intriguing plot these action scenes are just an accessory to an already riveting political thriller.
All in all The China Paradox is an excellent political thriller. Shirar blends the lines between reality and fiction masterfully. The result is a book that works as a terrifying warning of what could come. I highly recommend this novel to readers with a healthy interest in current affairs or any fan of political thrillers.
Pages: 251 | ASIN: B0B655GNZN
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/08/24/the-china-paradox/
Jane Walker is a tough yet gentle woman trying to live an everyday life despite her paranormal ability. Ethan Bryce is a bartender with a chip on his shoulder that loves his girlfriend, Jane Walker, and is coming to terms with Jane’s ability. Sadie Prescott is Jane Walker’s best friend and might or might not be missing her former hooker life. Jane runs into an old friend, Dylan O’Brien, but he claims to not know her. Jane is surprised by the brush-off but lets it go. However, it’s not long before Dylan becomes an integral part of Riptide, a club Ethan works at, but Dylan is not the sweet and bright friend Jane remembers.
Ghost Mark by JP McLean is a gripping story many urban fantasy lovers will enjoy. The lead character Jane is tenacious and kind, and her dilemma is fascinating and never boring. Ethan, Jane’s boyfriend, is tough, too, but his kindness and compassion are apparent throughout the story. Sadie, Jane’s friend, has a narrative that is interesting and compelling to read about. The character’s development throughout the story is beautifully crafted and well thought out. The way the characters interact with one another is realistic, allowing readers to be drawn into the world created by JP McLean. This makes for excellent reading.
Ghost Mark by JP McLean is a thrilling occult horror story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The crime constructed throughout the novel is fundamental to the plot and is setup in such a manner that you feel compelled to see where things end up. The action is set at a pace that never lets up. The world-building is expertly done and is commendable. Many moments in the story have you wondering what could possibly happen next, and it delivers at a satisfying pace. The author has provided an intense, riveting, and fast-paced novel.
ASIN : B0B5LK8GZL
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/08/24/ghost-mark/
Roger Boggs is a local sheriff in Circlegold county. Haunted by past traumas, Boggs dedicates his life to policing the small town he lives in. When a group of local boys goes missing, it starts him on an investigation that will change him forever. Aided by the mysterious Sears, a major in the Air Force, they must contend with a town hellbent on serving their own kind of justice. And when one of the missing boys shows up claiming that the person they are looking for may not be of human origin, it sends Boggs on a journey into the unknown.
From the start of the first page, I was intrigued by the plot of this book. Author D.J. Adamson immerses the reader into the suspense making this one book I couldn’t put down. Being a fan of sci-fi mysteries, this book had everything from the aliens, and the interesting characters, to wondering what would happen next. I enjoyed that the author didn’t stop describing each character. Instead, throughout the chapters, she provided bits of information about the character as the story progressed. This allowed me to get to know the characters without slowing down the story.
The author seamlessly switches between characters in the chapters without confusing the reader or interrupting the flow of the story. While I kept reading, I was mesmerized and kept in suspense. The author’s descriptions of places, especially when describing the aliens, are so vivid that I was creeped out while reading. The scenes where people start disappearing also kept me in suspense, and I felt like I was alongside the characters hiding from the alien. The icing on the cake is the ending of the story; it was not what I expected, but it was even better than I expected.
I highly recommend the science fiction thriller, INTO THE STORM: Aliens Among Us to readers that enjoy the unknown and want to be on the edge of their seat.
Pages: 319 | ASIN : B092RD6Q7Z
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/08/24/into-the-storm/
Following Your North Star is an invaluable self-help book that focuses on several different aspects of self-improvement. Across ten chapters, the author uses personal experience and spiritual advice to teach readers how to discover their true inner selves, their passions, and their perfect life paths. With journal and activity prompts, this book helps readers learn to nourish their minds and bodies, handle interpersonal relationships, identify their own ‘North Star’ – the guiding light of passion in their lives – and cultivate a life that is truly fulfilling.
This is one of the most enjoyable self-help books I’ve read this year. The book contains a lot of practical ideas and actionable advice. The author provides some great advice about how to organize your priorities, cope with your emotions and experiences, filter external input, and achieve the goals that will make you happy. I recommend taking in each chapter slowly and taking the time to do the journal and activity prompts to actually get the full impact of the advice; if you do that, this book has the power to positively impact your life in a big way.
This book will appeal to readers who are spiritual as the guidance is written with them in mind and the advice provided throughout the book is geared toward helping you improve both your physical life and your spiritual life. If you go into this book with an open mind, there is definitely a lot of wisdom to glean from it regardless of your religious stance.
The journal and activity prompts make this an engaging self-help book that I really enjoyed. I felt that some of the information is repeated for emphasis between chapters and some of the anecdotes throughout the book share a lot of information.
Following Your North Star is a personable, helpful, and an overall pleasant self-help book. Author Michelle Donice provides readers with practical guidance that will nourish, and improve, their mind, body and soul.
Pages: 132 | ASIN: B0B5MK1N43
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/08/24/following-your-north-star/
Master hunting guide Hank Waters, a former Navy pilot, runs a wilderness lodge on the Alaska Peninsula. The opportunity of his career comes when Prince Tariq, the Crown Prince of Rahman, arrives in Alaska to hunt brown bear. Waters has always been ambivalent about guiding his wealthy clients to hunt the bears that he loves, and his fears are not groundless. Exploiting their privilege, the Prince’s men violate one law after another in a rising spiral of transgression. Can Hank Waters and his staff — Kim the young Aleut woman, Frenchy the irascible cook, Betty the victim of hopelessness — maintain order among so many men accustomed to having their way in the world? How far should Waters go to accommodate his guests in exchange for the money he will earn?
Set in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, far from the centers of civilization, this short novel charts the destructive collision of two worlds, the world of global power, finance, and high technology, and the world of the American past, independent, idealistic, and itself compromised by its excesses. In the wake of the tragedy that unfolds, the climactic bear hunt is charged with moral excitement. Ring of Fire is a parable of power and corruption and the fugitive virtues of simplicity and love.
Ring of Fire Reviews:
“A tour de force … the author delivers a series of explosive surprises.”
—Shana Loshbaugh, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
“Violence, danger, rescue, romance, and writing that sweeps you along like a river at full flood.”
—Jane Morris, Primeval Press
“A worthy addition to that literary genre in which men and women face their personal demons … against a breathtaking and unforgiving landscape. Mr. Ravicz can exhibit a lyricism that goes beyond storytelling to literature.”
—Phil Wagner, The Iconoclast
“A master with his descriptions of settings as well as action … I found the characters to feel very real, provoking intense dislike for some, which made me identify even more with Hank Waters and his crew … thought-provoking fiction that tests the human moral code.”
—Michel Violante, Reader Views
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/08/24/ring-of-fire-book-trailer/