Book Feature and Spotlight: "Nemesis" A Suitcase Mystery II by Steven Nedelton aka Ned Stevens

Now available, a book I edited, Nemesis, A Suitcase Mystery II, by Ned Stevens aka Steven Nedelton, in Kindle and Trade Paperback editions.  This book, which is a spy-thriller heavy on espionage, is the sequel to A Suitcase Mystery, available for Kindle here, and best rest in order.  However, it can be read as a standalone if you wish; due to my schedule I did not have time to read the first book before I edited this one, and was still able to follow the plot, although I imagine there might have been details or hints I missed since I didn't read the first one.

Because I edited it, and because it is not the type of book I typically read, I don't feel comfortable reviewing or rating it, since I have no real basis to judge by; but the writing is competent and strong, and if you like spy thrillers and complex books featuring espionage, take a look.

Here's some information about the book from the author, and a few links for stalking purposes.

‘Nemesis’ is the Part II, the ending of ‘A Suitcase Mystery’ thriller. In a few words—a deadly secret is found in a suitcase full of stolen gold. Years later, it leads to a series of unexplainable murders while the FBI hunts for a top foreign killer spy.

The story starts in Latvia, near Riga, during the final days of the Second World War. A young boy Ben Kalninsh searches an abandoned coal mine tunnel for stolen guns the soldiers hid inside. Unfortunately for him, he meets an AWOL Soviet Army officer on the run instead. The officer is involved in a theft of a large amount of gold from one of his superiors and had it hidden inside the same tunnel. Unknown to him, one of the valises holds also a diary with top Soviet secrets related to espionage in the US. And so, by entering the tunnel, Ben sets into motion deadly events which will follow him into his adult life.

Years later, in Minnesota, his father is gunned down. And no one knows why. FBI agents approach Ben with the news of the murder of his father. Special Agent Miriam Dokes and Agent Book are assigned to the case which includes the torture and murder of his father’s doctor friend, Karlis Goulbis.

The FBI manager, Bob Sawyer, has a hunch there's something much more valuable than the stolen gold. Due to so many secret projects and so many years gone by, the affair becomes the proverbial search for a "needle in a haystack". In order to find the answers, Ben, the principal character, needs to go back to Switzerland, to a bank where the gold is hidden. And, from there on, Death stalks Ben and all other participants in the gold heist. Nemesis provides the denouement of the story.

Visit www.snedelton.com

Steven can also be found on Pinterest, Facebook, Amazon, Shelfari, and Twitter.

Book Review: "Moonlight Rises" by Vincent Zandri

Moonlight Rises review
Author: Vincent Zandri
3 out of 5 stars

Book Info: Genre: Suspense Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of thrillers

Disclosure: I received this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from the back of the book: Dick Moonlight was dead. or so he thought. Thanks to a trio of Obama-masked thugs in a dark downtown Albany alley, he feels his free and floating spirit moving toward the Pearly Gates before getting pulled back into his pummeled body. Then the real trouble starts. Moonlight’s brain may have worked better before it had a bullet in it, but he knows he’s still in danger. The clues point to his latest client, Peter Czech, a handicapped nuclear engineer who the thugs believe gave Moonlight a secret box – and they’re willing to get it any deadly way they can. Only Moonlight can’t remember any box – but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it. He just better figure out where it is before he winds up dead for good this time.

My Thoughts: This is a fast-paced story, enjoyable enough in a potato chip way, but nothing ultimately terribly impressive. The main character, Dick Moonlight, is a former cop, occasional private eye, and owns a bar that was given to him in lieu of payment for a job. He also has a fragment of a bullet in his brain that causes him to have occasional short-term memory loss and difficulties with things like blacking out and losing his balance, as well as being in danger of a stroke. Ultimately we don’t learn much about him, though, or his much-more-interesting friend Georgie. I think if Zandri had taken the time to develop the characters a bit more, this would have been a much better book. As it was, it was average. While I read it pretty much straight through, for me it was like an action movie, a dime-a-dozen story with nothing much to differentiate itself from any other genre book.

So, if you like suspense thriller-type books, if you like action movies, you will probably enjoy this book, but if you’re looking for intricate plots and character development, you can keep moving along. Story is continued in Blue Moonlight,
which I will be reading next.

Giveaway #8 for "Playing Harry" has ended!

Hey, folks. Giveaway #8 was, as you recall, for an eBook copy of Playing Harry, spy/crime caper by Nick Wastnage.

I have awesome news for the seven people who signed up for this giveaway - Nick was originally going to be providing five copies, but decided to go ahead and give a copy to all of you! Congratulations!

I'll be sending out the coupon code for your free copy of the ebook in just a few minutes. Thanks for signing up and watch out for next week's upcoming giveaway - I've scheduled Lenore Wolfe's new Western Romance, Hawk.