Book Spotlight: The Katyn Order by Douglas W Jacobson

Monday 16 May, 2011 by 1 Comment


Title: The Katyn Order
Author: Douglas W Jacobson
Publisher: McBooks Press
Publication Date: May 1, 2011
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN: 978-1590135723
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

About the book:

The German War Machine is in retreat as the Russians advance. In Warsaw, Resistance fighters rise up against their Nazi occupiers, but the Germans retaliate, ruthlessly leveling the city. American Adam Nowak has been dropped into Poland by British intelligence as an assassin and Resistance fighter. During the Warsaw Rising he meets Natalia, a covert operative who has lost everything—just as he has. Amid the Allied power struggle left by Germany’s defeat, Adam and Natalia join in a desperate hunt for the 1940 Soviet order authorizing the murders of 20,000 Polish army officers and civilians. If they can find the Katyn Order before the Russians do, they just might change the fate of Poland.

About the Author:

Douglas W. Jacobson is an engineer, business owner and World War Two history enthusiast. Doug has traveled extensively in Europe researching stories of the courage of common people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. His debut novel, Night of Flames: A Novel of World War Two was published in 2007 by McBooks Press, and was released in paperback in 2008. Night of Flames won the “2007 Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Wisconsin Library association. Doug writes a monthly column on Poland’s contribution during WW2, has published articles on Belgium’s WW2 escape organization, the Comet Line and other European resistance organizations. Doug’s second historical novel, The Katyn Order, which will be released in May, 2011, focuses on one of history’s most notorious war crimes, the Katyn massacre.

For more information about author Douglas W. Jacobson or his books, please visit his website.


Douglas W. Jacobson’s THE KATYN ORDER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘10 officially began on May 2 and ends on June 30 ‘11. Visit here during the month of March to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary ARC of The Katyn Order by Douglas W Jacobson from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.


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Book Review: The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

Friday 13 May, 2011 by 6 Comments


Title: The Sandalwood Tree
Author: Elle Newmark
Publisher: Atria
Publication Date: April 5, 2011
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-1416590590
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

From the Publisher:

A sweeping novel that brings to life two love stories, ninety years apart, set against the rich backdrop of war-torn India.

In 1947, American historian and veteran of WWII, Martin Mitchell, wins a Fulbright Fellowship to document the end of British rule in India. His wife, Evie, convinces him to take her and their young son along, hoping a shared adventure will mend their marriage, which has been strained by war.

But other places, other wars. Martin and Evie find themselves stranded in a colonial bungalow in the Himalayas due to violence surrounding the partition of India between Hindus and Muslims. In that house, hidden behind a brick wall, Evie discovers a packet of old letters, which tell a strange and compelling story of love and war involving two young Englishwomen who lived in the same house in 1857.

Drawn to their story, Evie embarks on a mission to piece together her Victorian mystery. Her search leads her through the bazaars and temples of India as well as the dying society of the British Raj. Along the way, Martin’s dark secret is exposed, unleashing a new wedge between Evie and him. As India struggles toward Independence, Evie struggles to save her marriage, pursuing her Victorian ghosts for answers.

Bursting with lavish detail and vivid imagery of Calcutta and beyond, The Sandalwood Tree is a powerful story about betrayal, forgiveness, fate, and love.

My Review:

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark is a captivating story of Evie and her husband Martin, who along with their son travel to post-WWII India while Martin is on a Fulbright Scholarship where he is to be writing on the end of rule in India by the British.  While Evie’s main hope with the trip is to work to somehow mend her troubled relationship with Martin, Evie soon finds a distraction in a cache of nearly century-old letters that she uncovers in their residence in India, written by two women, Felicity and Adela, who had previously resided in the domicile.  Masterfully crafted, with smooth transitions between the parallel stories, Newmark weaves an intricate plot filled with mystery surrounding questions Evie has about the women she is discovering in these old letters.  Evie, in her pursuit of answers about these women learns a great deal about life in India in the 1800’s and ultimately Newmark brings forth interesting parallels between the two periods as well as parallels between the lives of Felicity and Adela and her own life with Martin.  I think The Sandalwood Tree would make for an excellent discussion group choice.

About the Author:

Elle Newmark is an award-winning writer whose books are inspired by her travels. She and her husband, a retired physician, have two grown children and five grandchildren. They live in the hills north of San Diego.

For more information about author Elle Newmark or her book, please visit her website.

Elle Newmark’s THE SANDALWOOD TREE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘11 officially began on March 1st and ends on May 27th. Visit here during the months of March, April and May to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary ARC of The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.


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The Shepherd by Ethan Cross

Thursday 7 April, 2011 by 4 Comments


Title: The Shepherd
Author: Ethan Cross
Publisher: The Fiction Studio
Publication Date: March 16, 2011
Paperback: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-1936558063
Genre: Fiction, Suspense

Book Synopsis:

Marcus Williams and Francis Ackerman Jr. both have a talent for hurting people. Marcus, a former New York City homicide detective, uses his abilities to protect others, while Ackerman uses his gifts to inflict pain and suffering. When both men become unwilling pawns in a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of our government, Marcus finds himself in a deadly game of cat and mouse trapped between a twisted psychopath and a vigilante with seemingly unlimited resources. Aided by a rogue FBI agent and the vigilante’s beautiful daughter -a woman with whom he’s quickly falling in love- Marcus must expose the deadly political conspiracy and confront his past while hunting down one of the most cunning and ruthless killers in the world.

About the Author:

When a fireman or a policeman would come visit his school, most of his classmates’ heads would swim with aspirations of growing up and catching bad guys or saving someone from a blazing inferno. When these moments came for Ethan Cross, however, his dreams weren’t to someday be a cop or put out fires; he just wanted to write about it.

And his dream of telling stories on a grand scale has come to fruition with the release of his new book, The Shepherd.

Ethan Cross is the pen name of a thriller author living and writing in Illinois with his wife, two daughters, and two Shih Tzus.

For more information about author Ethan Cross or his book, please visit his website.

Ethan Cross’s THE SHEPHERD VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘11 officially began on April 4th and ends on May 27th. Visit here during the months of April and May to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of The Shepherd by Ethan Cross from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.


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Book Review: Love You More by Lisa Gardner

Wednesday 23 March, 2011 by 20 Comments


Title: Love You More
Author: Lisa Gardner
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: March 8, 2011
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-0553807257
Genre: Fiction, Suspense

From the Publisher:

WHO DO YOU LOVE?

One question, a split-second decision, and Brian Darby lies dead on the kitchen floor. His wife, state police trooper Tessa Leoni, claims to have shot him in self-defense, and bears the bruises to back up her tale. For veteran detective D. D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is their six-year-old daughter?

AND HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO . . .

As the homicide investigation ratchets into a frantic statewide search for a missing child, D. D. Warren must partner with former lover Bobby Dodge to break through the blue wall of police brotherhood, seeking to understand the inner workings of a trooper’s mind while also unearthing family secrets. Would a trained police officer truly shoot her own husband? And would a mother harm her own child?

. . . TO SAVE HER?

For Tessa Leoni, the worst has not yet happened. She is walking a tightrope, with nowhere to turn, no one to trust, as the clock ticks down to a terrifying deadline. She has one goal in sight, and she will use every ounce of her training, every trick at her disposal, to do what must be done. No sacrifice is too great, no action unthinkable. A mother knows who she loves. And all others will be made to pay.

Love you more . . .

My Review:

Love You More by Lisa Gardner is the fifth book in the D.D. Warren series yet can be read as a stand-alone novel, however once one reads Love You More one will want to read Gardner’s other books. Once again Gardner creates a masterfully woven and emotionally charged atmosphere in Love You More, which alternates between Tessa Leoni’s narrative and that of the investigation into Trooper Leoni’s life. Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren is paired up with Massachusetts State Police Detective Bobby Dodge in what appears to be a cut and dry case, Massachusetts State Trooper Tessa Leoni murdered her husband, 42-year-old merchant marine Brian Darby in self-defense and her 6-year-old daughter Sophie is missing. As Warren and Dodge probe deeper they unearth more secrets and puzzles. The use of alternating the story from the current investigation to Leoni’s point of view draws the reader even deeper into the web of half-truths, lies, and the proverbial “blue wall”. Gardner has masterfully crafted an intelligent, multi-layered game of cat and mouse which holds the reader’s attention through a twisting plot that only yields Gardner’s secrets at her novel’s stunning conclusion, once again leaving me waiting in anticipation for her next book. I highly recommend Love You More to anyone who enjoys an exceedingly well-written suspense-thriller.

About the Author:

Lisa Gardner is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include The Neighbor, Hide, and Alone. Her FBI Profiler novels include Say Goodbye, Gone, The Killing Hour, The Next Accident, and The Third Victim. She lives with her family in New England, where she is at work on her next D. D. Warren novel, Love You More, which Bantam will publish in 2011. She was recently awarded The International Thriller Writers award for Best Hardcover of the Year for her novel The Neighbor.

For more information about author Lisa Gardner or her books, please visit her website.


Lisa Gardner’s LOVE YOU MORE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR MARCH ’11 will officially begin on March 1 and end on March 23, 2011. Visit here during the month of March to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of Love You More by Lisa Gardner from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.


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Book Review: Anyone Can Die by James LePore

Friday 18 March, 2011 by Leave a Comment


Title: Anyone Can Die
Author: James LePore
Publisher: Story Plant, The; Reprint edition
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Paperback: 48 pages
ISBN: 978-1611880014
Genre: Fiction, Novella

Book Synopsis:

Anyone Can Die is a collection of three emotionally charged stories written by Mr. LePore from the world of his widely acclaimed novel, A World I Never Made.

Till Death Do Us Part: A young couple on their honeymoon in New Mexico find a bond they did not know thay had when they are forced to confront trouble in the form of a surly trio of locals.

God’s Warriors: A cynical American woman on her own in Europe makes a decision that both reveals and belies her true character.

Max: The childhood roots of Max French, a quirky, deadly and, in his own eyes, oddly lovable F.B.I. Agent.

My Review:

Anyone Can Die by James LePore is not a novel, and I need to state this upfront because I assumed it would be, rather it is a very slim volume containing three vignettes; Till Death Do Us Part, God’s Warrior’s, and Max, with the longest being 15 pages and the shortest coming in at 8 pages in length. Considering the brevity of the book, my review will not be long, as most of it is summed up above in the synopsis. While each vignette is beautifully written, and offers a deeper insight and connection into the characters Pat Nolan, Megan Nolan, and Max French, respectively, the power of the vignettes were a trifle lost on me as I had not read LePore’s book, A World I Never Made, and therefore I did not have any connection to or prior knowledge of these characters. LePore has written Anyone Can Die to give further insight into three characters from his book A World I Never Made and I do think Anyone Can Die would be a perfect companion to the book.

For more information about author James LePore or his books, please visit his website.


James LePore’s ANYONE CAN DIE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘11 officially began on February 2nd and ends on March 25th. Visit here during the month of March to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of Anyone Can Die by James LePore from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.


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