The Spy House

4 men from various military forces from the around the world, are found brutally killed behind a locked and sealed door underground. Sounds a bit like some math or science puzzle but that is precisely behind the premise behind Matthew Dunn's latest novel The Spy House, the fifth book in the Spycatcher series. I have truly loved this entire series that takes readers into the life of William Cochrane, (think of Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt) who has at this point been asked to leave the MI6 and CIA after serving so many years for both organizations. He has become a bit of a liability that they can't control.

But just what can a man do now after this has become who he is? He contracts out his work now so he doesn't have to answer to anyone but that also means that he isn't provided with the creature comforts he was used to in order to accomplish his goal. This mission takes on a bit of a personal nature when Will learns that the man they are accusing of being guilty is his mentor and best friend. There is no possibility that the blame that they are placing on him is true and besides taking on this contract, he is also taking on the personal responsibility to oversee the investigation.

This has all come to a culmination when an Israeli Ambassador to France is killed in cold blood by what some believe is a Hamas sniper in a Paris square. Israel wants to retaliate, but they lack the facts to connect these crimes to Hamas with 100% certainty. They have given the U.S. two weeks to provide the hard cold facts in this matter, before they launch their own mission against those they believe responsible and if they do so, it will put the U.S. in a position to choose what side they will support. A matter that could potentially led the entire world into a third world war. Now it's a race against time for Will to provide the answers but likely all could espionage thrillers, there are those that wish to prevent that from happening and soon the body count not only begins to rise, but becomes personal in nature to Will as well.

I received The Spy House by Matthew Dunn compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review. This truly falls into the lines of such notable authors as Ian Fleming and John LeCarrè, so fans of their literary works will love this entire series. Some readers might take offense to the profanity used in this novel, so with that being said, I wanted to disclose that about the novel. It strikes me as odd how this novel came out just before the terrorists strikes in Paris and helps you understand the dark undercover work that our nations leaders use to help prevent things like this from happening, but they can't always prevent. I love that Matthew Dunn writes from the experience as a former MI6 officer and thus brings that sense of realism to his series. For me this one rates a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Spy House, Matthew Dunn or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Spy House by Matthew Dunn

You can find Matthew Dunn on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Spy House, please visit William Morrow's website. 

• Series: Spycatcher (Book 5)
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (October 20, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062309498
• ISBN-13: 978-0062309495
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches

NOS4A2

"Do you believe in a place called Christmasland??

What would YOU do for a lifetime pass to a place where every morning is Christmas Morning and unhappiness is against the law? 

Don't give up on wonder!

Don't give up on your dreams!

We're looking for Go-Getters who LOVE children and aren't afraid of adventure! Inquire about Special opportunities for our Security department. 

This isn't just a job...

It's a LIFE!

Christmasland is waiting for YOU!"

This was the ad that he couldn't wait to reply to and was hoping that this would literally change his life. Bing Partridge believed in something much more something just like this that would show people around him that he really was cut out for so much more than simply working for the last 18 years as a Janitorial Manager at NorChemPharm in Sugar Creek, Pennsylvania. All he simply needed now was a response to his letter of application to the 1949 advertisement in Spicy Menace.

Victoria McQueen or Brat as her father lovingly referred to her is about to discover something very special about her latest birthday present, a blue Raleight Tuff Burner bicycle. When she overhears a heated argument between her parents over the loss of her mother's diamond bracelet. She leaves the house, taking her bicycle out for a spin thinking all the time about how if she could just find the bracelet, it would end the fight between her parents. She soon learns that she has a special ability to time travel on her bicycle via the Shorter Way Bridge to find items that are lost. The Shorter Way bridge was a covered bridge that was seventy years old, three hundred feet long, and beginning to sag in the middle. When someone tried to drive his car across it, he went right through and brought down most of the bridge with him. What was left was demoed and it was that bridge that only appeared to Victoria when she rode her bicycle to look for lost things. When she decides to go looking for trouble one day, she finds Charlie Manx.

Charlie Manx was the only person who could take children to Christmasland. He saw himself as a bit of a savior rescuing children who he believed were unhappy and abused by their neglectful parents. He has taken over 200 children there including his own two daughters when he believed his wife was an unfit mother. Now Charlie spends his time looking for children to take to Christmasland in his 1938 Rolls Royce Wraith with the license plates NOS4A2. Victoria McQueen was the only child who he was never able to take to Christmasland and now he will stop at nothing to find her and make her pay. He lucks out when after all his years of trying to find her, he locates her son and soon learns that love makes for a very strong bait to lure Victoria to Christmasland after all.

In the horror novel, NOS4A2 by Joe Hill, the reader is definitely taken on one nightmarish adrenaline pumping ride. This is a hefty novel coming in at almost 700 pages in length. I must warn readers that this contains graphic sexual content, profanity, vulgarity and violence. The storyline is simply one I have never read before and literally had me wondering just how this would end. I didn't catch the vanity plate reference until I was more than half way through the novel and it makes complete sense when you consider it. I did find all the sexual references and profanity to be distracting and wanted to make sure I read this in its entirety to provide a fair review.

I received NOS4A2 by Joe Hill compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and have received no compensation to provide a fair evaluation. Based on my personal rating system, I'd have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars. Had the book removed the graphic sexual references, profanity and violence, I would have rated this story much higher based on the premise behind the novel. This is definitely not for the squeamish and is geared for those readers who love the Horror/Suspense Thriller genre. Considering who his father is, Stephen King, I had expected to read more horror and suspense content without all the extras to distract me from the meat of the story.

For more information about NOS4A2, Joe Hill or where to pre-order a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

You can also find Joe Hill on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

Crashers - Giveaway and Review

In these hard economic times, it's hard sometimes to stay on the straight and narrow, especially when people are out to get you and get ahead, no matter what it takes. Take Shari Barnes, your average hard working waitress who is barely making enough to make ends meet, not to mention trying to get to work on time at a diner named Milts in downtown Los Angeles. No matter how many times she attempts to use the excuse of traffic, she is perpetually late. Now she learns that her former boss, Milt has sold his business to a new owner that is willing to keep her on board while learning the ropes, but Milt is retiring.

Thankfully she returns home to find her boyfriend Nathan Townsend's planned a wonderful dinner surprise. He finally feels the big promotion he has waited for his entire life as Vice President for his firm is just hours away from becoming a reality and he proposes to Shari, promising her a life of nothing but desserts from now on. Only this is when life is about to be turned upside down for the both of them. One by one, the brass ring slips further out of their hands, first Nathan losing his job, then Shari and finally Shari gets into a car accident on the way home which is her fault.

But life is about to through them a curve ball when it turns out the accident has been staged and the players except for Shari are all involved in insurance fraud. Shari and Nathan realize that revenge for what has happened to them is best served cold and in the form of paybacks. But will they make enough money or will life suddenly take a complete turn for the worse?

In the novel Crashers by Lindy S. Hudis we are taken inside the illegal operations of insurance fraud and how people and their driving habits in Los Angeles are just the ticket to make fast money for all the players involved. Knowing how much drivers are stressed out, in a hurry and often take out their rage on the road, just makes the gamble for an accident that much more likely to happen. In this suspense thriller, the author shows the reader what can happen when greed becomes the only motivator for a get-rich-quick scheme and the results are more than you ever bargained for.

I received this novel compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours and Bettie Youngs Books for my honest review and have to say it was a thrill ride. I could see how easily Shari and Nathan could be enticed into this world of easy money especially when the bills are mounting up and everyone else around you is moving ahead that don't deserve it. This book does have a considerable amount of profanity in it that some readers may find offensive but over all the author does the story line justice and keeps it moving all the way to the end. This does give the reader an inside look at what scams some people actually run, both on the insurance side, the legal attorneys as well as the medical doctors all being involved. For that reason, I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to Bettie Youngs Books and Pump Up Your Book Tours, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog. Here are the details to enter.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3. Leave a comment below along with your email address and tell me why you'd love to win a copy of this book. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner via email and post the results on my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart when the giveaway ends on September 15th.

For more information on Crashers, Lindy S. Hudis and where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Crashers by Lindy S. Hudis

You can also follow more reviews from this book tour, by clicking here.

Visions of You

Every once in awhile as a book reviewer, you become interested in a book based on the synopsis of the storyline. While this genre is generally right up my alley, I found it difficult to concentrate on the story based on a few factors.

Keeping in mind that the author, C.Y. Bourgeois, was trying to write this for a Young Adult audience in mind but for the occasion curse word, she had to reclassify this one under Adult Suspense Thriller. It's also hard not to attempt to compare her to Stephanie Meyers who's writing style is superb. But based on these facts, the story involves a serial murderer who is hunting down and kidnapping young high school girls from Palmer, Alaska. While it seems like the crimes are not connected, Shelby Leight (pronounced Light) receives visions from the dearly departed asking her to help track down and stop the killer.

When she learns she is gifted in this area based on a casual conversation on the way to the bus stop, Shelby feels she has to try and help before someone else she knows winds up dead or worse even she becomes the next victim.

When Shelby is introduced to the new student in school, a young brooding teenage boy named Paul Thatcher, who she develops an attraction to and tries to befriend in her Chemistry class. (Sound familiar so far). He is a pale, tall and wears dark glasses to keep from getting headaches in the bright lights and sunlight. Yet unknown to Shelby, Paul has a dark secret he is keeping, one that his mother is working on dealing with the changes he is going through, and one that requires him to drink blood.

While the storyline sounded promising, for me if left me with a desire for wanting more from this one. I found myself re-reading the content because the author spends so much time detailing her descriptions of virtually everything in the book, it becomes distracting. There are even parts of the book where the author re-describes something that you begin to wonder if you've missed something and are re-reading a portion of the book again and again. So for me, this really interrupted where the story was heading.

I received Visions of You compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review and found this one hard to stick with. Perhaps with other readers this book might become a favorite but for me, it wound up lacking in so many areas. For that reason, I have to rate this one a 2 out of 5 stars.

For more information on this book, the author or where to pick up a copy of this one, you can click on the link below:

Visions of You by C.Y. Bourgeois