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The Emerald Scepter is one of those rip-roaring adventures that I didn’t see coming.  It was a book that I found intriguing after reading its description online.  But it turned out to be one of those books that will never have a description that can do it justice.  We’re talking a 500 page novel that is cover to cover action and suspense.  The characters and interesting and engaging while the plot leaves the reader with a constantly evolving understanding of the protagonist’s past and present.

All of this is an exceptional treat for fans of the thriller genre as many will recognized Paul Kemprecos’s name from his collaborative work with Clive Cussler on The Numa Files (the Kurt Austin series).  And while it comes as no surprise that Paul is a gifted story-teller, The Emerald Scepter proves that he has saved his best work for his solo career.
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Every once in a while I come across a book that is pure genre fun.  Being a big fan of classic monster movies, I’ve been disappointed at the way vampire fiction has devolved in recent years.  The target audience appears to have shifted and with it the content and quality of the fiction has degraded.  Whatever happened to classic vampire fiction?  I want the really old school stuff like Bram Stoker’s original novel, Dracula— or the low budget Hammer Horror films.  The current trend in vampire fiction is enough to turn me off the topic altogether.

If you’ve been feeling like I have, there’s great news!  Kane Gilmour’s, The Crypt of Dracula, is a novela that is just what we’ve been waiting for.  It’s the tried and true vampire story that gets your heart pounding and once again brings life to the things that go bump in the night.  This is the kind of story Bram Stoker would write if he were still alive and kicking.  Very much in the same vein (sorry, it had to be done) as Stoker’s original Dracula tale, this is a period story which takes place in Transylvania.  A grieving stone mason is hired by a mysterious Count to repair his damaged and neglected castle located outside a remote village populated by troubled, xenophobic farmers who have come to fear the night.
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An unpredictable series of events are trigger when hardware store owner, Bill Ferguson, interferes with the kidnapping of a teenage girl from a local highway rest stop.  The would be kidnaper turns out to be an elusive serial killer/kidnaper who has been eluding the FBI for nearly three years.

When Ferguson prevents the abduction, he puts himself and his family in the crosshairs of the deadly fugitive.  From there the story takes off as an FBI manhunt spares no manpower in the search for the famed “I-90 Killer.”  But it’s the direction the story takes after this that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Folks squeamish to child violence might be sensitive to parts of this book.  That said, the author has done a masterful job of navigating a very delicate line.  Both with his prose, and with the plot.  This is a story about a sadistic kidnaper and killer but it’s also the story of a hero and a man willing to do absolutely anything to protect his family.  So those sensitive should be warned but they should not dismiss this book outright.  This is one of those visceral empowering stories of good versus evil but it’s one you can have confidence in the outcome.  This is worth your time.  The resulting anxiety is well developed and properly rewarded.  It’s the sort of writing that makes for a successful thriller, and that is exactly what Allan Leverone has done.
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A few years back, a series of books made an international splash.  The central thread of the trilogy was a young woman who was mistreated and abused in a horrific fashion.  And throughout the three book series, the central character ultimately had her revenge.  That series was ultimately known as the Millennium Trilogy and was written by Stieg Larsson.  Many know the series better by the title of the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  It was an international smash hit and, at its core, it dealt with a woman who had been horribly wronged.

Fans of the Millennium Trilogy are likely to appreciate the visceral drama at the heart of Rise of the Dark Angel.  Only where Stieg Larsson literally spent hundreds of pages slowly spinning his tale and taking lengthy side trips, Carol Brearley tells a tale that is much more on point while equally gritty and engaging.  It’s the story of Aingeal, a young woman living in New York City.  The story opens strong and hits the reader hard as we experience how Aingeal is wronged first hand, through her eyes.

In many ways, this is one of the things that makes this story so powerful.  It’s told in the first person.  The reader experiences everything through the character’s eyes.  The fear, the pain, the need to heal, and ultimately the thirst for revenge.  The author, Carol Brearley, puts the reader there, front row for the roller coaster ride that is both Aingeal’s pain and her road to recovery.
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Jeremy Robinson comes through again with another great action/thriller. While the chilling danger faced by the characters of this novel is fiction, shockingly it is grounded in fact. The infamous Unit 731 was obviously the inspiration which fueled this novel. And while the book shines a light on many outrageous atrocities, few readers are likely to realize how many historic references are factual.

Island 731 is a chilling thriller and a troubling cautionary tail warning of what might happen scientific advancement is put ahead of human decency and morality.

Looking for more information on Jeremy Robinson?  Find it on his web site, at www.jeremyrobinsononline.com. You can also find him on Facebook as well as Twitter.