Freakish Friday

5 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons,

Autumn is coming along nicely, I hope you are enjoying it.

Our gem this evening came to me in the form of a tiny, pink baby’s rattle. It was so lovely and delicate with a name inscribed, Nadat. As I held it in my palm, the rattle it began to shake quite on its own and exploded into a few pink fragments and the ball rolled across my floor and the tale, like a genie from a bottle, poured forth.

This is Gem Maker, Daniel J. Davies’ debut, “The Bombmaker”. It is the story of Georges “Fadi” Subdallah as he goes from the Westernized life of the son of a hard working illegal alien from Morocco to millionaire to radicalized bombmaker. The best bombmaker in the world. Fadi’s life first fascinates and then mesmerizes and finally grabs One’s heart and pulls it unmercifully.

I don’t do spoilers, for those of you reading this missive for the first time, so let’s get down to what I loved.

Mr. Davies’ characters are believable, often likeable as we can recognize ourselves and those we know in this tale. Such as Fadi’s father and his French Canadian mother, hard working individuals with an eye on making things better for their children. Fadi’s friends, Eric, Marcel and his gang of hippy friends in 1970s UMass and the bullies they all find there.

Then there is 38 year old Emma Ripley, an interrogator with the Defense Department whose work is top notch, but whose personal life is an absolute disaster. An ex-husband she still loves on some level and their son whom she is terrified of screwing up because she’s never there. Can she get the truth from Fadi before it’s too late?

Mr. Davies’ story telling is high caliber, his dialogue realistic, and his characters jump off the page. This is a masterful first novel and I hope very strongly this isn’t the last we hear from him.

If you want a novel that grabs you and doesn’t let go, you must read “The Bombmaker”. If you miss the days of good political thrillers, you must read “The Bombmaker”.

Until next time, I remain, your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I thank Author Daniel J. Davies for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

Freakish Friday

5 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons,

I do hope the start of Autumn is being kind to you. Our gem this evening came to me in the form of a golf ball. It arrived in a small crimson bag and as I opened it the unmistakable smell of visceral hate assaulted my nostrils. I barely tapped it with my claw when blood black as treason oozed forth. This is Dragon Feeder Stephanie Kane’s “True Crime Redux”.

True Crime Redux is the true crime story of Ms. Kane’s Mother-in-law-to- be in 1973. The book is fascinating and is laid out similar to a law file or dossier.

She begins by telling of her last conversation in June of 1973, with Elizabeth (Betty) Frye, a 45 year old housewife. Betty had been against her son’s engagement to the author upon religious differences, but during that phone call she seemed to have reconciled herself to the impending marriage. Two hours later, Betty was dead, murdered. Beaten to death, but by whom?

I don’t do spoilers as you all well know and so I will say this…True Crime Redux is one of the top ten most fascinating True Crime novels I have read in decades. The Monster in this book was cold, calculating, abusive and cunning. You will not want to miss this one True Crime Dragons!!

It’s sold where your favorite True Crime is available. Get it now, it’s going to be too cold to go outside soon. You will definitely be missing a great true crime story if you don’t.

I will be running a contest in honor of my birthday next month. Watch here, Instagram and Facebook for details.

Until next week, I remain your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I thank Bancroft Press #bancroftpress for my review copy. As always, my opinions are my own.

Time Travel Thursday

5 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons,

Autumn is starting to bring relief from the heat, I hope you are starting to feel it. Our tale this evening came to me in the form of an ornate music box of Eastern European Origin. The tune played beautifully and then the tale came forth.

This is “Empire’s Orphan”, a labor of love by Bernard F. Herberick and D. Herberick. This is the true story of Albertina Zimmerman who told stories of great fascination to her grandson, Bernard. Albertina was not the ordinary grandmother, she had lived an extraordinary life.

Born in 1856 in Silesia, situated between Germany, Poland and Bohemia, Albertina was born to a distinguished family and was name for Queen Victoria’s Prince Consort, Albert of Saxe-Coburg.

Tina, as she was known in childhood, lived a fairy tale life, replete with being orphaned as a child. She would grow up to become a very well known Lady with a life full of artists, composers, politicians and would end up in America due to the strife of two world wars.

America was culture shock, but Albertina held with a firm grasp traditions that would spoil her beloved grandson Bernard.

I won’t go into more detail, but I will say this, you history buffs, Queen Victoria fans and those with a love for all cultures will want to read this, nay, you need to read this exquisite little book. The only bad thing I can say about it is that I only wish there were more of Albertina’s stories.

I do hope you will leave a few thoughts here once you have devoured it. Until next time I remain your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I would like to thank D. Herberick for the review copy, my opinions are my own.

Mystery Monday

4 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons,

This gem came to me in the form of a small, compact photo album. The old fashioned kind with black pages to anchor the photos. Upon carefully opening it with the tip of my claw, a puff of black smoke appeared and something akin to a small explosion rocked the album and the tale came billowing out.

This is Dragon Feeder Julie Bergman’s “The Fatal Creation”. A mystery, a madman and a tenacious detective.

This is the tale of Air Force Sergeant Evelyn “Mac” McGregor, Paralegal to the Area Defense Counsel and sometime detective. Mac herself has a mysterious past and it slowly unfolds in bits and pieces as the hunt for a serial killer takes place.

I liked this story. Mac is likeable and the romance that takes place in the book comes about naturally. The other characters are believable and the scenarios with the killer are based in reality. It was fairly fast paced and yet Ms. Bergman does a great job with character and back story development.

I would have liked Mac’s backstory to have either been given a bit more detail or a brief mention and been explained more in the next book. It was a bit distracting. But, I’ll be happy to read about it in the second installment. This is a standalone story, unless you are like me and want to meet Mac again in the next book! I think you will.

If you have Kindle Unlimited you can get this excellent gem for free! Grab it quick!

Until next time, I remain your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I would like to thank the author for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

G

Mystery Monday

                    5 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons,

Our gem this evening came in the form of a black rose with thorns as sharp as razor blades and emanating the sickly sweet scent of putrifaction.  This is Dragon Feeder S.W. Frontz’s “Don’t Look Back”.

Once again we are whisked away to the island on the Northeast corner of North Carolina that is Land’s End. We see Sam recovering from her kidnapping and assault in Book One, and everyone trying to find normalcy. Not an easy task with the Hell that was foisted upon them. Meanwhile evil is brewing in Florida….

Psychology Professor Kellyn Grindstaff has a chance encounter at the grocery store with a handsome young man with Latino looks and a voice dripping with Southern charm. He asks her out but she tells him he is too young for her and she moves on. He doesn’t. Oh,no Madd will not be put off so easily…he will not be denied.

So how is Land’s End tied to Florida? What does a Florida Psychology Professor have to do with Sam and the gang on the island? You’ll have to find that out for yourself because I don’t do spoilers…but I can tell you that you’ll be sorry if you don’t. Crime fiction fans here is a nasty little man you will love to hate.

For my fellow Land’s End enthusiasts you definitely won’t be disappointed. “Don’t Look Back” will have you looking forward to Book Three. Get it at your favorite place for fine tales. Check out Amazon for ebook specials as well! And S.W. Frontz’s author page on Facebook.

Join me next time for another Tale From the Book Dragon…as always I remain your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

Many thanks to S.W. Frontz for the review copy. My opinions, as always, are my own.

Freakish Friday

5 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons,

Our Gem tonight does not take us far from my home here in the Appalachian Foothills. A mere two hours as the Dragon flies. It came to me in a wooden box. A bit of long, course hair – reddish brown in color and emitting a horrible stench of putrifaction.

This is Les O’Dell’s “Old Man of the Mountain: The West Virginia Big Foot”. It is unique in that there is very little commentary or speculation, these are simply the unadulterated testimonies of those who have had encounters with the elusive cryptid. They are bone chilling.

Before we get into those, let me introduce you to Mr. O’Dell himself. He is a Bigfoot researcher and founder of West Virginia Cryptids and Strange Encounters. He also has a YouTube channel. And you can follow him on Facebook. He gathered these testimonials from people all over the state of West Virginia.

This book answers lots of questions, and gives food for thought on the entire subject of the Bigfoot myth. And before you shake your head in disdain or roll your eyes in disbelief, read these words with an open mind. The interviews and testimonies are from those who live in the mountain, often they are hunters, housewives and the elderly. They know these mountains, they know the wildlife and they aren’t ignorant nor are they cowards.

No matter where you stand on my Cryptid friends, this is extremely interesting stuff. Be prepared for goosebumps. And remember, these are the people who live in these mountains, they know the difference between a bear and anything else. Get it today. It’s available on Amazon and directly from 35th Star Publishing, which has an extensive collection of books on all subjects West Virginia.

Until next time, I remain, your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

Many thanks to #35thStarPublishing for the review copy, my opinions are my own.

Freakish Friday

5 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons,

I hope everyone is starting to enjoy the weekend. I started this week with a package from a tried and true Dragon Feeder. The package was wrapped in brown paper. When I opened it, I realized there was a crack in the contents and it was leaking water and tiny bits of white, then I realized what I held in my claws was a snow globe, it had at one time been very pretty, but the crack had caused the glass to mildew and most of the snow and water had formed a slimy goo that had spread on to the casing. There was one saving grace, it began to play a very old song, that of Warrior Women, Savage Daughters they were called. This is Jafe Danbury’s follow up novel to his tale “Leaving Phoenix”, this is simply “X”.

Phoenix, that redheaded fireball is back, and she is ready to fight. I don’t do spoilers so I’m going to tread carefully here…Her daughter is taken, but not for ransom. There are Monsters,but not the endearing Universal kind. These Monsters walk on two legs and there is only an X where their souls should be.

This is Jafe’s best work yet. I really liked Phoenix, but I love “X”. The characters are definitely not stereotypical. Seventeen pages in and I had a knot the size of a basketball in my gut. I managed to read this in two days.

I had to know. I had to know how all this evil turned out. Jafe Danbury’s Phoenix is a wild and at times wreckless woman but she loves her family as fiercely as they love her.

If you love Psychological Thrillers with human monsters, you HAVE to get this, now, ASAP.

Until next week , I remain, your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I thank Jefe Press for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

Sacred Sunday

5 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons, I hope you have enjoyed a restful weekend. Our gem this evening came to me in the form of an alabaster rose. I brought it to my nose and instead of a sweet smell, this rose had the stinking odor of corruption spilling from it. In the center of the rose was a very, very small swastika, almost imperceptible. I used my claw to remove it and the odor began to change and the rose glowed with the purest white my old eyes had ever seen. This is Dragon Feeder J. Walter Ring’s “From The White Rose to Ravensbruck”. A tale of bravery, cowardice and sacrifice.

This is the story of Beth Ramka, a Munich Medical Student who begins her journey apolitically. She doesn’t care what a bunch of Nazi blowhards are saying, she just wants to get through Medical School and begin her life. But through a school friendship all that changes when her friend takes her to a meeting of the White Rose Society.

The White Rose Society, for those of you unfamiliar with this part of WWII history, was founded by Munich University students who desperately wanted Hitler out of power as they had begun to discover his atrocities. They were never violent, they wrote tracts, spray painted graffiti and wrote letters. Yet, even these activities were enough to be sentenced to death or a concentration camp during that time.

I devoured this book in two days. Mr. Ring created a most clever and interesting story of The White Rose Society through his main character, Beth Ramka. Beth as well as several other characters, is a fictional character, but she interacts with all the non-fictional figures. In doing this he has created an interesting, gut wrenching, rollercoaster ride through a part of human history that must be told, that must be kept alive, always, lest we forget.

I would encourage each and every one of you to get this book. Give it to your teens who read, to those who’ve read The Diary of Anne Frank, to history buffs and those who love a great story. I personally am contacting my local highschools to speak with the English and History Teachers to possibly get it on their reading lists.

This book is sold on Amazon and other online book sellers.

Join me this coming Friday when we will be examining a new tale. Until then, I remain, your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I thank Mr. Ring for my review copy of his book. My opinions are my own.

Time Travel Tuesday

5 Flames

Good Evening my fellow Book Dragons,

I hope you are finding ways to beat the heat. Our gem this evening was left at the door of my Cave in a brown paper envelope. It is a Code Book. An old fashioned Code Book such as was used by those two rivals from the Cold War, small, brown notebook and a wire spine across the top.

As I held it in my claws, frost formed on the tips of my claws, a vibration began and suddenly the wire turned white hot and the notebook went up in a flare. The tale formed from the ashes. This is Dragon Feeder Chip Riggs “The Coldest War”.

Set in 1965 Henry Engel, the CIA’s Top Man in Berlin, is informed of his father’s death. His father is The Top Man the CIA has and he’s just been assassinated by the KGB. Can Henry find his father’s killer?

No spoilers here, but when Henry works out his father’s hiding place for his notes the mole hunt begins and there are no humane traps in this hunt.

This is the second best Cold War novel written since John LeCarre’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”. The only one better, in my humble opinion is my recently reviewed “Baker Street Irregular” by Craig W. Fisher.

Mr. Riggs’s Henry Engel was raised by his father, as mentioned top agent, Conrad. Henry doesn’t get the normal upbringing of an upper class boy in the 1950s, his mother passed away and Conrad, who adored his son, did things a bit differently. He taught Henry to think, really think, using puzzles. Henry becomes adept at solving them by thinking critically and logically. Henry loves his father, though he is a bit scary. In time, that education and upbringing will be all Henry needs to solve this ever twisting case.

This book is extremely well written, the characters are people, not stereotypes. Mr. Riggs honestly shows what the work place was like for women with career goals, those who married government men and those who just want to live. He also shows what it was like for those growing long in the tooth and how espionage and spy work changes a person when the stakes are high.

I loved this tale! I read it in the space of about a week because I was addle brained with Fever and could only read when my head didn’t hurt. If you love historical noir, if you love reading about that period in history when the Soviet Union and the free world, especially the United States were grappling to be the world’s super power you do NOT want to miss this! To Mr. Riggs I can only say this was the first in the series, when can we expect to spy with Mr. Engel again?

Until next Tuesday when I’ll be reviewing a new historical fiction novel, I remain your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I thank Hound Dog Media for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

Freakish Friday

5 Flames

Good Evening My Fellow Book Dragons. It’s Freakish Friday when we look at gems with monsters, evil or other freakish elements. This evening’s gem has a monster both subtle and evil. The gem came to me in the form of a horse chestnut, or as they are known in Ohio, a Buckeye.

I turned it over in my claws and it cracked open, spilling a black, vicious smelling substance on to the floor where it ate a small hole in the woodwork. This is gem maker Darin Miller’s “Reunion”.

Set in Southern Ohio along the river and foothills to the Appalachians, Mr. Miller weaves a tale of mystery, murder and mayhem involving a guy named Richard Dwayne Morrow, who just wants to go to his 15th high school reunion, see his old friends after all this time and head back to his life on the outskirts of Columbus and his computer business.

Instead Dwayne finds out his best friend from highschool, Ryan, is dead, murdered just a few days before. There are no suspects. No clues. The local constabulary doesn’t seem to be in any big hurry to find either. Ryan’s mother asks Dwayne to see what he can find out and reluctantly he agrees.

Our reluctant detective suddenly discovers that his old stomping grounds has a monster with a skull tattoo, a knife and the uncanny ability to find Dwayne.

I have been reading mysteries since I was cutting my fangs and this ranks in the top ten. The characters are very realistic, no over the top stereotypes here. The situations, the places, the atmosphere is absolutely perfect. I live in this neck of the woods and I felt these folk could be my next door neighbors. The writing is superb. The plot and it’s twists had me hanging on to every page. I read this novel in just over 24 hours. I had the bloodshot eyes to prove it.

If you love mysteries, monsters and an excellent tale told well, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t read it. It’s sold where all good books are sold. I look forward to the next in the Dwayne Morrow Mysteries.

Until next time I remain your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I thank http://www.darin-miller.com for the review copy. My opinions are my own.