27-10-2011

The Executioner by Chris Carter

Genre: Crime
Series: Robert Hunter #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Find the author: Website | Facebook
Buy the book: The Book Depository
Source: Bought
He knows what scares you to death....

Inside a Los Angeles church, on the altar steps, lies the blood-soaked, decapitated body of a priest. Carefully positioned, legs stretched out, arms crossed over the chest, the most horrifying thing of all is that the priest's head has been replaced by that of a dog. Later, the forensic team discover that, on the victim's chest, the figure 3 has been scrawled in blood.

At first, Detective Robert Hunter believes that this is a ritualistic killing. But as more bodies surface, he is forced to reassess. All the victims died in the way they feared the most.
Their worst nightmares have literally come true. But how could the killer have known? And what links these apparently random victims? Hunter finds himself on the trail of an elusive and sadistic killer, somone who apparently has the power to read his victims' minds. Someone who can sense what scares his victims the most.
Someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted aim. (backcover)

Robert Hunter is back. Our nearly perfect detective, together with his partner Garcia. To be honest I've come to like Garcia better then Hunter because Hunter just is a little bit to perfect for my taste (a second pair of handcuffs????)
But that said this is yet again a great written crime novel. It's dark and gritty. And definitely isn't for the faint hearted. The crime scenes are graphically written and there is a seriously sadistic serial killer on the loose. 
  
Just as in the Crucifix Killer we get two serial killers for the price of one in this book. In the Crucifix Killer the 'secondary murderer' really added nothing much to the story but this time this 'secondary murderer' is woven well into the story. Although I wasn't all that fond of the psychic part which came with this part of the story.

The story is fast paced and had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. With the events taking place and the short chapters it is really hard to put the book down. And even though the motive is revealed halfway through the story the identity of the killer was a surprise for me. I would not have guessed that and Chris Carter even had me fooled at one point. The plot was well thought out and the motive of the killer is a global, social issue which makes it that even though this is a sadistic serial killer this makes him human.


I really enjoyed this second installment of the Robert Hunter series and I'm looking forward to reading more from Chris Carter.


My rating: 4/5

26-10-2011

Winners On the Soul series by Krisi Keley

 
Winners!!!!!!

Krisi Keley is kind enough to offer every commenter on her giveaway the eBooks of her On the Soul series! So everyone will receive both ecopies of On the Soul of a Vampire and Pro Luce Habere I!!!!

Thanks so much Krisi for this awesome giveaway!

And to the winners: Enjoy reading!

22-10-2011

Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Living with the Dead #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Find the author: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy the book: The Book Depository
Source: Bought
Meet Sarah and David.
Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On the routine trip to their counsellor, they notice a few odd things - the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard and the fact that their counsellor, Dr. Kelly is ripping out he previous client's throat.

Meet the zombies.
Now Sarah and David are fighting for servival in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But just because there are zombies doesn't mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don't eat their brains first, they might just kill each other... (backcover)
I had so much fun reading this book. I was giggling throughout the book and it even gave me a few laugh out loud moments. Sarah and David are bickering about everything throughout the book while trying to survive this zombie apocalypse and this makes for a funny combination. So how are Sarah and David staying alive? Well with loads of luck, who knew a high heel shoe, a doctor Phill book and even a toilet seat would be good material to take a zombie down? Also the loads of (zombie)movies that David watched seem to help a bit. And aiming their frustration towards the zombies instead of each other not only seems to save their lives, but maybe their marriage.

The story is told from Sarah's point of view. Sarah is funny, witty and brave, she keeps a hold on herself during this zombie apocalypse. I liked her. It's mostly just Sarah and David and the zombies. The few other characters that pop up don't stay long.

This is such an entertaining read. Sarah and Dave are bickering about everything and nothing and since they are mostly together that is quite some bickering. Between and during the bickering there is lots and lots of zombie killing action going on in this book. It's not a a romance novel this is zombie mayhem in the most funny way.

My rating: 4/5

21-10-2011

Winner Literary Bloghop


Congratulations!

Congrats to: The Book Whisperer.

You win your book of choice of one of the books listed below



I'll send the winner an email, please respond within 72 hours.

And thank you Judith from Leeswammes's blog for hosting this amazing bloghop.

15-10-2011

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

*CLOSED*


The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop is hosted by Judith at Leeswammes' Blog.
Between now and Wednesday, October 19th, you can hop to over 50 different book blogs, all offering one or more giveaways of books or bookish items. All books are literary, (non)fiction or something close to that.

You know this is October and I think something scary is in order. So I took a look at my bookshelves in search of something that still fits the literary part of this blog hop (well at least a little). So what are my shelves full of that don't include the supernatural?
Yeah Serial Killers! So I picked my favorite serial killers I read lately.



Taboo by Casey Hill (Reilly Steel #1)
The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter Series #1)
The Executioner by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter Series #2)
Die For Me by Karen Rose (Daniel Vartanian #1)

So I will be giving away one of the books mentioned above. Winner's choice.

The book will be shipped through The Book Depository so this giveaway is open to wherever The Book Depository delivers.

So what do you have to do?
* Leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact you if you won.
* Tell me which book you would like to win
   (Just because I'm curious, you can change your mind)
* You do not have to be a follower but it is much appreciated.
* This giveaway ends on October 19th 2011
* Winner will be picked by Random.org
* I will notify the winner by email. The winner has to answer my email within 72 hours.
   No answer means I will pick another winner.
* Do not forget to read my giveaway policy.


*CLOSED*
winner announced soon
Now if you're done then hop on over to Leeswammes' Blog where you can find Judith's giveaway and a list of all the other blogs that are participating in this Blog Hop.

And don't forget to enter my giveaway for the On the Soul Series by Krisi Keley. Three books, two winners!
These books are my favorites I've read in a really long time.

05-10-2011

Guest post Krisi Keley and giveaway

Today I welcome Valéry from the On the Soul series on my blog.
He is one of my favorite characters and I'm really happy he was willing to take the time to come over today.

Don't forget to look for the giveaway at the end of the post.


A Friendly Word of Advice from a Vampire

Vampires can’t be real, right?  I mean, in this rational and scientific age, who could truly believe in an undead being who sustains immortal bodily existence simply by feeding on the blood of living beings?  It’s just an ancient myth, further perpetuated by medieval man’s inability to understand disease or the natural process of death, coupled with some of his religious hang-ups about good and evil, his concept of sinful lust and the universal “there’s got to be a terrible price to pay for accepting earthly immortality over the spiritual kind” thrown into the mix.  You agree?

Yes, well…  This theory sounds fairly reasonable on the surface, I admit.  .But there are a couple of holes in it.  Of the fatal neck wound variety, one might say.  Actually, maybe more than a couple, but here are a few that stand out:  The myth long predates any Judeo-Christian concept of sinful lust (think the Sumerians circa 3500 B.C. and more ancient still).  It exists in almost every culture and religion, some with extremely variant ideas on both lust and immortality.  It has survived into this rational and scientific modern era which does understand disease and the natural process of death.  And it still captivates the mind, and maybe something even deeper, as much as it ever has.

This makes one wonder then, doesn’t it, what is the power in this myth?  What about it makes it able to cross divergent cultures, worldviews and millennia?  Why does it survive, even if only as interesting fiction to most?

Some might suggest that it is because myth is not, in fact, synonymous with fiction, as is a frequent modern misconception.  Others might say that not even fiction is ever fully fictional.  Instead, it might be said that all myth and fiction are founded in truth, however obscured, and that they call to our awareness of that truth, no matter how deeply buried it is inside of us.

My suggestion is that you ask yourself these two simple questions:  can something be true, but still be missing the fundamental truth?  Or can it be true, but misinterpreted severely enough that it renders the truth unbelievable?

If you can answer “yes” to either of these questions, read on for a little more reflection because, I daresay, you already believe that vampires can be real.

Bloodlust

A defining characteristic of the modern vampire, to be sure; but what if this most important of traits is where man has been so led astray?  After all, in these enlightened times, it is pretty difficult to see how simply sipping the red stuff could bequeath bodily immortality.  There are quite a few creatures that live on it, from a breed of bats to leeches to those pesky unwanted summer visitors.  But as eternally annoying as mosquitoes can be, we all know they don’t live forever.  To the contrary, a few months, tops, I believe.  So, outside of one’s own veins, blood would seem to have no magical properties of life.

Now, not to suggest that the legend has gotten it all wrong.  Far be it from me to take the most spectacularly horrific trait from the thing.  God knows no one less than a monster would consider spilling a human being’s blood.  And drinking it?  How gross – unless it’s cooked up in a juicy steak, of course.

Still, even if blood can’t supply immortality, have you ever thought on this:  if a creature’s fulfillment required bringing about a death that was slow, intimate and more sedating than traumatic, what would be the most optimum way to deliver it?  I grant you, if the death was all that was desired and the blood was not the source of nourishment, it would seemingly be pointless to drink it.  Mm, yes, but then again, how many colas and cupcakes have you eaten this year?

Just Plain Lust

This is the strangest one, from my point of view, yet the most popular in modern times.  An association with guilt over lustful desires might have been a factor in the legend from early medieval times into the early 20th century, but that’s a pretty much discarded guilt these days, from what I can see.  And nonetheless, vampires seem representative of sexual desire more than ever.  Odd, all things considered, that in an age where sexual violation and non-consensual relations are almost the only kind frowned upon, a creature that kills his date at the end of the night is considered sexy.  But medieval moralizing aside, even the simple idea that a being considered all but dead would be, nevertheless, a sexual being, has always struck me as bizarre.  Sex is all about life; vampires all about death.  So how is it the twain did meet?

Well, this one’s a little complex for a casual article on the topic, but for those who still do believe man has a spiritual nature, not only a physical one, have you ever thought deeply on how the two are connected?  In other words, if all earthly experience has an impact on the soul and prepares one for spiritual existence, where does sex, pardon the pun, fit in?

And Last But Not Least…

Immortality.  Great subject and just never gets old, does it?  Also the last sticking point in the whole crazy myth, I imagine.  For, after all, who lives forever?  And even if one could, modern scientific genius has not worked out the problem of aging.  Creaky joints and tooth loss wouldn’t make for the most skilled vampiric hunting, assuredly.

Well, here I’ll just suggest that the word “undead” is causing all the problem – you know, the whole walking corpse thing Eastern Europe fixed in everyone’s mind.  Not to put to fine a religious point on it, for those who avoid that sort of thing, but there is at least one story about resurrection in which the protagonist returns much more than a reanimated dead body, isn’t there?

But, how dangerous can a vampire be, if he’s offering advice to his victims about the existence of his kind, you might be thinking.  And I’d agree this conclusion has merit.  But, of course, if vampires are real, I’d be one among many.  So if you’re now a little bit worried you discarded the myth or chalked it up to entertaining fiction prematurely, you might want to do some further reading, if only for the sake of self-preservation.

Thanks for the warning Valéry I'll definitely keep it in mind.
And thanks so much for stopping by today.


Krisi Keley has a degree in theology from DeSales University and has also studied foreign and classical languages. She was born in Philadelphia and currently lives in Chester County, PA with her family and eight dogs. On the Soul of a Vampire is her first novel and a second edition of the book with TreasureLine Publishing is now available on Amazon. Pro Luce Habere Volume I, Book II in the On the Soul Series, is expected to be released this summer, 2011 and the author is presently at work on Book II Volume II and Book III of the series.


Check out the website of Krisi Keley for an excerpt of the books and more information HERE. You can also find her on Facebook. 

Buy the books:
On the Soul of a Vampire: Smashwords | Amazon | Amazon (Kindle)
Peo Luce Habere: Smashwords | Amazon | Amazon (Kindle) 

My review of:

On the Soul of a Vampire   |    Pro Luce Habere I


Giveaway


Thanks to Krisi Keley I will be giving away an ebook of On the Soul of a Vampire and Pro Luce Habere I to one winner and a ecopy of either On the Soul of a Vampire or Pro Luce Habere to another winner. So there will be two winners! This giveaway is international.

So here is what you have to do:

* First check out my giveaway policy
* You do not have to be a follower but it is much appreciated.
* Leave a comment with your email
* This giveaway will end October 22th 2011
* Winners will be chosen by random

You get an extra entry if you tweet about this contest (don't forget to leave a link in the comments)

03-10-2011

Pro Luce Habere I by Krisi Keley

Genre: Paranormal
Series: On the Soul series
Publisher: TreasureLine Publishing
Find the author: Website | Facebook
Buy the book: Smashwords | Amazon | Amazon (Kindle)
Source: I received a copy from the author

For eight hundred years, Valéry Castellane has known only one kind of light - the light in those human beings he's had to kill so he might live. The last of these has been the most brilliant light of all, the light of the one sent to tell him that heaven was never really lost to him. But did he destroy all hope for it in attempting to make this angel a human love he could hold forever on earth, or is the mystery of this vampire's salvation yet to be fully revealed? Sometimes the key which unlocks the secret of what's to come is hidden in the past. Take another journey with a vampire, through eight centuries of dark human history which have, all along, been leading him to the light.

Volume I: "You continue to see the lie before you, no matter how often it speaks the truth!" Valéry warned Angelina in On the Soul of a Vampire, when she refused once again to see in him the monster he saw in himself. And as at the end of his first story, she lay dead in his embrace, it would seem it was he, not she, who had the clearer sight. But in the place between life and death, the soul is exposed to the light. Relive the memory of Valéry's descent into darkness as he does, from the child of faith who set out on the Children's Crusade in 1212 to desperate 14th century creature of the night, before deciding who was really right.
This is the second installment of the On the Soul series and is a prequel to On the Soul of a Vampire.

In Pro Luce Habere we go back in time to 1212, when Valéry is just a 14 year old boy set out to join a children’s pilgrimage together with his best friend Noël. For the first part of the story we follow Valéry in this pilgrimage where they encounter hardship, shipwreck, loss of friends and the betrayal that comes to make him a slave. Four years later after being nearly beaten to death he is saved by Lukios, an ancient vampire, but at a terrible price which Valéry isn’t sure he wanted to pay.
After this we travel with Valéry on a journey through Europe over a period of three centuries where Valéry tries to discover who and what he is now.