Blog Posts

Cigar City Slaughter - The Black Hand In Tampa

4/15/2015

Live By Night by Dennis Lehane
This is another superstar of crime fiction and I enjoyed this novel cover to cover. An inside look at organized crime during roaring twenties. Big business under prohibition, rum runners and lots of action in Tampa Florida. The main character Joe Coughlin goes from being a petty thief to convicted criminal to mob boss. This well crafted crime fiction novel is fast paced, hard-boiled and extremely entertaining. It's a gritty page-turner that keeps you guessing until the surprise ending that you'll never see coming. Dennis Lehane is awesome crime writer, some of his bestsellers include: Mystic River, Shutter Island and The Drop., which was recently made into a movie with Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini. I would highly recommend it for crime fiction lovers.

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A Terrorizing Race Against Time!

3/23/2015

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The Customer is Always... by Stuart Keane
This novella rocketed into my weekend, grabbing hold and didn’t let go until I ran out of pages. I was so stunned by the intense breakneck speed at which this suspense thriller unfolded that I read it in one sitting. Mr. Keane skillfully immerses the reader into a crazy emotional race against time to save a life. What seemed like a regular day for this customer service representative takes a bizarre deadly turn. An irate customer calls and threatens murderous retribution after having his insurance policy canceled. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep pages turning until the explosive conclusion. I highly recommend Stuart Keane and this thrilling fast read.

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Rock Solid Spy Fun!

2/23/2015

American Assassin by Vince Flynn
A few months ago I was at my local Drug Store waiting for a prescription, when I randomly started picking up paperback novels from the display rack. I decided to read the first sentence of each novel to see who had the best opening line and cared the most about grabbing readers and not letting go. To my surprise, I read twelve top bestselling mass market paperbacks before I hit lucky thirteen, 'The Last Man by Vince Flynn'. Wow talk about a great first sentence. I looked him up and started with his first in the series, 'American Assassin', It is an amazing novel Mr. Flynn introduces the reader to the beginning story of the New York Times Bestselling series about Mitch Rapp and it blew me away. This is a total standout and although critics complained about typos ruining it for them, I enjoyed this rock solid spy action adventure. I read it in a few days and couldn't put it down. No spoilers from me... I didn't know anything about it, but it has all of my favorite elements for a fast gritty story line. Get it now and find out why Vince Flynn has sold millions of books.

Spy, Sci-Fi and Thriller too… Awesome Page-Turner!

2/9/2015

Connect: The Call by Michelle Medhat
Michelle Medhat takes on and pulls off a Herculean feat by seamlessly merging Espionage, Science Fiction and Thriller genres. I had no idea at the beginning that this husband and wife team that started out having a normal morning would end up fighting terrorists. Very unlikeable and nasty terrorist have a new weapon in Nano Technology and their victims will never see it coming. Mysterious, gruesome with an exciting mix of events makes for a wild ride well worth the trip. Don't miss this well crafted and fantastic debut novel in The Connected series. I already have book two 'The Shift' on my reading list.

On The Edge Of Your Seat Spy Thriller

12/8/2014

An Involuntary Spy by Kenneth Eade
When a genetic modified food biologist turns whistleblower and escapes with top secret reports to Russia you get an awesome spy adventure. An Involuntary Spy is a fast paced thriller that is well written, well researched and held me cover to cover. Seth Rogan’s life on the run in Russia takes a shocking turn when he discovers a food safety cover up. Spy training, falling in love with a beautiful young teacher and trying to stay alive was a blast. Plenty of twisted and turns kept the plot steaming along with lots of political tension and an action packed ending that absolutely rocked. I’m looking forward to the next Kenneth Eade novel.

Crime Fiction Book of the Year!

11/24/2014

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In the Morning I'll Be Gone: A Detective Sean Duffy Novel by Adrian Mckinty
I'm not a fan of detective novels, but when Adrian McKinty creates a good cop that's pissed off and backed into a corner, I'm coming along for the ride. This novel was everything I had hoped it would be, gritty, action-packed and full of nasty surprises.
No spoilers from me. A good cop, fed up with a gangster attitude. He’s willing and able to give bottom feeders their own medicine. The plot rockets along at a frantic pace, I just couldn’t get enough. The trilogy was simply brilliant with a gripping ending that left me stunned.
What a gift, thank you Mr. McKinty.

Irish crime fiction at its best!

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Dangerously Intriguing Nail Biter

11/20/2014

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Cold Shadows by Jeff Critser
On the edge of your seat international nail biter. I couldn't wait to get back to where I left off the night before. Cold Shadows pulls the reader in deeper and deeper as the plot unfolds with murder, government agencies and secret underworld nooks and crannies. Well-crafted, excellent writing with detailed research that made the story incredibly real. I highly recommend Mr. Critser for anyone who’s looking for a Jack Ryan replacement. Can't wait for his next novel. Super stuff!

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Electrifying Crime Thriller!

11/18/2014

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In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke
His bad guys are nasty, his action scenes brutally tense and his novels are gripping page turners. Mr Burke has such an amazing way with words. His can make you vividly see a rainstorm coming in from a distance, or Mockingbirds playing in a tree and even feel the cold barrel of a gun against your neck. James Lee Burke is the Grandmaster of American Crime Fiction and he proves it again with another Dave Robicheaux winner, 6th in the series. To top it off this time he has some paranormal help. I loved it. His natural dialogue style and no nonsense action makes this one of my favorite crime fiction series. Pick one up and find out why.

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Not Your Grandma's Kidnapping Tale

11/15/2014

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An Untamed State by Roxane Gay
Expertly written with prose that read like a fast-paced first person crime novel. This story has no fluff at all and takes the reader on a trip from America to Haiti. A young family is visiting relatives when the young mother is kidnapped front of her husband and young son. Her father, a rich construction businessman refuses to pay ransom and she is forced into a nightmare world of unbelievable brutally. She's beaten, raped and burned by a group of men who keep her against her will. Her ability to fight back against overwhelming odds and defy her captors is truly heroic. I couldn't help but cringe at the physical and psychological damage Mireille faces throughout this story. Touching and emotionally real, I found myself drawn in and rooting for Mireille to be released or escape. A gripping page-turner, I couldn’t put down.

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Insane, Psychotic or Brilliant?

11/13/2014

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The Contortionist Handbook by Craig Clevenger
If you tried to kill yourself every time you got a migraine headache it might make you neurotic, compulsive and delusional. This novel captures it so well that I started feeling nervous and jerky myself. At times I felt overwhelmed by every minuet detail in the hospital and with therapists, but it serves to drive the point home that this guy is totally messed up. Each time John is revived from his self-medicated near death experience he tries to trick the doctors of his intention and identity. All the psychotic repetition is well worth it. It helps to set up his relationships women. My favorite was Sudden a woman who’s a stripper and gets him hooked on cocaine. Her erotic dark side was fascinating and left me wanting more. John’s criminal ability to switch his persona with other people was amazing. I would’ve loved more dating and crime but I still loved this twisted story. I’m still wondering if John was brilliant, insane or crazy.

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131 Reviews, 53 are Five Star ★★★★★. 73% of reviews are 4 and 5 Star. Review Average 4.0
A modern & gritty suspense novel thrusts war veteran into the brutal New York crime underworld. Bill Conlin survived the risks and rigors of serving in Afghanistan, can he find his way out of New York City’s dark crime underworld with his life and dignity intact?
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About Me:
Garrard Hayes is a lifelong New York resident whose ancestors made their living on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. His love of action and crime fiction, together with a knack for good, gritty story telling, sparked him to write Bourbon & Blood. He lives in New York with his wife, two children, and three dogs.

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Cigar City Slaughter - The Black Hand In Tampa

A Terrorizing Race Against Time!

Rock Solid Spy Fun!

Spy, Sci-Fi and Thriller too… Awesome Page-Turner!

On The Edge Of Your Seat Spy Thriller

Crime Fiction Book of the Year!

Dangerously Intriguing Nail Biter

Electrifying Crime Thriller!

Not Your Grandma's Kidnapping Tale

Insane, Psychotic or Brilliant?

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