Book Reviews

By Gary Roen

The Injustice James Patterson and Emily Raymond Jimmy Patterson Books/Little Brown and Company c/o Hachette Book Group USA 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017 www.HatchetteBookGroupUSA.com 9780316478830, $9.99 www.amazon.com

“The Injustice” begins with Theo Foster, a high school student accused of posting a compromising picture of a student athlete on the internet. Theo states he is innocent, but no one believes him, because the circumstantial evidence against him is overwhelming. Determined to prove his innocence. He involves others to help him find the truth he believes is out there. The tale races along with many complicated twists and turns to the finale “The Injustice” is a warning of how careful we all have to be with social media and other related forms of communication today. Paterson fans will not be disappointed with this fine chilling tale for all ages to enjoy.

Mark to Murder Death in Budapest Moris Senegor Create Space, 4900 LaCross Road, North Charleston SC 29406 978197409907, $20.00, www.amazon.com

“Mark To Murder Death in Budapest” is the first of a series of novels about San Francisco radiologist Mark Kent. This time out receives a message from a childhood friend to meet him in Budapest. When he gets there, he is informed his friend has been murdered. Kent makes it his mission to find out why and who killed his friend as he enters the dark side of the sex world with massage parlors and other places on the trail that just might get him killed as well. The clues take him across several continents until the very end of the story. “Mark to Murder Death In Budapest” is a fast-paced mystery that races along to its final revealing conclusion.

No Slam Dunk Mike Lupica Philomel Books c/o Penguin Group USA 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014 www.penguin.com 9780525514855, $17.99, www.amazon.com

“No Slam Dunk” is more than just a good basketball novel. It is about the importance of family and teamwork with characters faced with many challenges and conflicts that move the story along to its conclusion. Lupica has always told a great tale of sports but “No Slam Dunk” is one of his best ever. Wes has a father in the military who returns home from war who just is not

there for him while he is competing with another athlete on the basketball team. The characters are well defined as the writing deftly moves along to the very end. “No Slam Dunk” is excellent reading for all ages.

Wild Card Stuart Woods Putnam c/o Penguin Group USA 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014 www.penguin.com 978035219281, $28.00, www.amazon.com

“Wild Card” is another great Stone Barrington mystery in the long running series. Stone Barrington once again is a target an assassin’s bullet. Opening with an attempt that fails, Stone stays one jump ahead, until the very end when things are tied up again in a neat little package. Along for the ride are Dino and other familiar characters who add to the mix of suspenseful circumstances that meticulously unfold. “Wild Card” opens with a bang then briskly moves along to its final fun ending. Woods is in top form with “Wild Card.”

In Odd We Trust Created by Dean Koontz Written by Queenie Chan and Dean Koontz Del Rey/Ballantine Books c/o Random House www.delreybooks.com 9780345499660, $10.95, www.amazon.com

Graphic Novels are perfect ways to introduce new readers to an author’s works in two different art forms. Dean Koontz took the plunge with “In Odd We Trust” where he presented his character from several of his novels to an entirely new audience of readers. Odd Thomas is nineteen years of age who is a cook at a local diner in the town of Pico Mundo California. People come to the location to try his special creations of tasty pancakes. More important he is able to communicate with the dead. He is very helpful to police to solve cases of murder because he is able to tell many times who committed the act by his ability to talk to the victim. He is brought in to help stop a serial killer on the loose. “In Odd We Trust” is a fast-paced story, that has a lot of twists and turns, to the very end, sure to please Koontz fans.

Gleden Oaks The Streets Show No Love Jeremiah Jones Legacy Book Publishing 1883 Lee Road, Winter Park Fl 32789 www.legacybookpublishing.com 9781947718128 $17.95, www.amazon.com

Chad Johnson is trying to distance himself from portions of his negative past while caring for a grandmother, going to college and working in a steady job while attempting to make something of himself. He reconnects with a childhood friend who offers a quick way to get ahead that will take him into the darker side he is determined to leave some day. Now he has to lead a double life to get to his goal that he hopes will never be revealed to those he loves. “Glend Oaks” is a well written story of a character trying to not go back to his negative roots of street gang dome while trying to accomplish so much at a young age for so many other people. The author drives the novel along with several conflicts that are in disharmony with each other that races along to a very satisfying ending. “Glend Oaks” is a gritty well written thriller that is the first novel by a very talented author.

Escape From The Union School A Teacher’s Untold Story After Desegregation Karen Jorgensen Legacy Book Publishing 1883 Lee Road, Winter Park Fl 32789 www.legacybookpublishing.com 9781947718234, $19.95, www.amazon.com

“Escape From the Union School” moves along at a brisk pace until its powerful ending long after a period unrest in the nation’s history. Mrs. Arlington is a young woman new to the profession of teaching, who is determined to do a great job, no matter, where she is sent to teach. She is enlightened to the needs of the school and its students she is directed to. that is all black, back in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement period of the country’s history. Being a white person, she does not understand the plight of her classes and the school’s administration but she undertakes to accomplish while she is employed at the school in North Carolina until the day of the assignation of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King where she realizes it is unsafe for her to continue there because of the unrest of the students who are deeply distressed by his death. “Escape From The Union School” depicts the complicated issues of the one turbulent times of turmoil in the nation’s existence.

Becoming Michelle Obama Crown c/o Random House www.crownpublishing.com 9781524763138, $32.50, www.amazon.com

For the first time Michelle Obama tells all about her life before and after being first lady in her revealing auto biography “Becoming” We’ve heard some of the stories about her growing up and becoming a figure on the world stage but now she candidly goes into more detail about such things as when she was a child and how her parents shaped her brother’s and her life, her

days in college, her first jobs, meeting Barack Obama and the path of her life after marrying him. “Becoming” is an amazing positive story of one woman’s voyage to accomplish so much throughout her life. All Americans can be proud of all the achievements Michelle Obama’s deals with in “Becoming” that is an inspiration to all of us to lead more rewarding lives.

A Whisper from Within My Life My Terms Theresa Gattuso O’Connor Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson Inc c/o HarperCollins Christian Publishing P. O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214 www.harpercollinschristian.com/thomas-nelson.com 9781512704853, $13.95, www.amazon.com

“A Whisper from Within My Life My Terms” is the story of one woman’s remarkable triumph over overwhelming odds to persevere on her journey through life. At an early age Theresa endured a brain aneurysm to become disabled. Through a caring network of family, friends, professionals, and faith in God, she has overcome so many negatives to lead a more normal existence. Many of her goals would never be obtainable because of limitations, but she has never let them get in the way of tackling many different challenges, to still accomplish so much. “A Whisper from Within” is a shining example of telling yourself, ”you can” instead of “can’t” that is inspirational reading, for all of us to instill in our lives.

Never Get Angry Again David J. Lieberman Ph.D. St Martin’s Press 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 www.stmartins.com 9781250308351, $16.99, www.amazon.com

I have to admit, “Never Get Angry Again” enticed me enough, to learn how to not be angry anymore. After a few chapters, I disagreed with David Lieberman’s explanation that we lash out in anger because we are angered with our own selves. He later comes up with more premises that just do not add up for why there is so much anger in our society. “Never Get Angry Again” reminded me of the premise of “you can not love someone else unless you can love yourself” laid out in the wonderful book “The Art of Loving” by Eric Frome. Frome made a lot of sense but Lieberman’s title makes none as he says we walk around the world ready to lash out at everyone and everything because we are angered with ourselves. His projections are reminiscent. of the those, of Sigmund Freud’s three controlling factors of the makeup of a person. “Never Get Angry Again” is not worth anyone’s time who wants to deal better with being angry. Reviewed by Gary Roen