Death Before Coffee by Desmond P. Ryan @RealDesmondRyan @damppebbles #bookreview #deathbeforecoffee

Happy Saturday, yay it’s the weekend!

Excited to share with you today my review for this compelling book. A huge thank you to Emma for my invitation to the tour!☕️

Book Blurb:

By 2:27 on a Thursday afternoon, the one-legged man from Room 8 at 147 Loxitor Avenue has been beaten to death with a lead pipe. Twenty-eight minutes later, Detective Mike O’Shea is testifying in a stuffy courtroom, unaware that, within an hour, he will be standing in an alleyway littered with beer cans and condoms while his new partner—the man who saved his life thirteen years ago—flicks bugs off of a battered corpse with a ballpoint pen. When a rogue undercover copper prematurely hauls in the prime suspect, Mike blows a fuse, resulting in an unlikely rapport developing between him and the lead homicide detective sergeant, a woman known for her stilettos and razor sharp investigative skills. At the end of his seventy-two-hour shift, three men are dead and Mike O’Shea is floating in and out of consciousness in an emergency room hallway, two women by his side.

Death Before Coffee, the second book in the Mike O’Shea Crime Fiction Series, weaves a homicide investigation through the life of an inner-city police detective intent on balancing his responsibilities as a son, brother, and newly single father with his sworn oath of duty. When faced with death, Mike is forced to make decisions that stir up old memories, compelling him to confront his demons while fighting the good fight.

My Thoughts

This book is like a cup of coffee… dark, strong, and caffeinated. This is the second book in the Michael O’Shea series, and I think I might have missed a little having not read the first book. From what I gather this book takes up 13 years after the previous book and now Mike is no longer working on juvenile cases. This book was very real and raw. Very reminiscent of some of the better police programs on TV such as NYPD Blue or my beloved Law and Order. Also I’m not quite sure I’ve ever seen the murder weapon being a lead pipe other than in the board game Clue. I’m kind of rambling, but I really don’t know if I should say much about the plot, I think it might spoil it?

Mike is an old school detective, a bit grumpy with some strong family ties. I really love his large Irish family, especially mom! The mystery was very intriguing although quite dark. In fact the entire book had a bit of a bleak and gloomy air about it. Although I think this just added to the overall tone of the story, definitely didn’t take anything from it.

An extremely well done crime thriller that will leave you wanting more!

*** Big thanks to the author for my copy of this book ***

About Desmond P. Ryan:

For almost thirty years, Desmond P. Ryan worked as a cop in the back alleys, poorly-lit laneways, and forgotten neighbourhoods in Toronto, the city where he grew up. Murder often most unkind, assaults on a level that defied humanity, and sexual violations intended to demean, shame, and haunt the victims were all in a day’s work. Days, evenings, midnights–all the same. Crime knows no time.

Whether as a beat cop or a plainclothes detective, Desmond dealt with good people who did bad things and bad people who followed their instincts. And now, as a retired detective, he writes crime fiction.

Real Detective. Real Crime. Fiction.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealDesmondRyan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DesmondPRyan/

Website: https://realdesmondryan.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B07H9MMV81?_encoding=UTF8&redirectedFromKindleDbs=true&ref_=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1&rfkd=1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Before-Coffee-OShea-Fiction-ebook/dp/B07NJNYGP3/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Before-Coffee-OShea-Fiction-ebook/dp/B07NJNYGP3/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=death+before+coffee&qid=1552730233&s=gateway&sr=8-7

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/death-before-coffee-1

Publishing Information:

Published in eBook and paperback on 8th February 2019.

Dyed Souls by Gary Santorella @dyedsouls @rararesources #bookpromo #Q&A #dyedsouls

Dyed Souls

Described by John Lloyd of The Bookbag as “Catcher in the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Dyed Souls is a gritty coming-of-age literary novel, set in a residential treatment center in 1980’s California.

Charlie Lyle loves science, natural history, and the world of the mind, and it is his refuge and salvation as he copes with his drug-addicted mother and a world of circumstances well-beyond his grasp. More a work of philosophy than psychology, “For the teen it has a galling coming-of-age, redemption quest. For the adult it has that, as well as a literary look at a singular fictional life.”

Purchase Links

Troubadour – https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/contemporary/dyed-souls/

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dyed-Souls-Gary-Santorella/dp/1788038096

US – https://www.amazon.com/Dyed-Souls-Gary-Santorella/dp/1788038096

Gary Santorella, Owner, Interactive Consulting is a Lean implementation, organizational development, conflict resolution, and team-building specialist. He has a BA in Behavioural Psychology from Providence College, Providence, RI (1980), a Master’s Degree in Occupational Social Welfare from UC Berkeley (1990), and is a licensed cognitive-behavioural therapist in the State of California. His book: Lean Culture for the Construction Industry: Building Responsible & Committed Project Teams 2nd Edition was published by Productivity Press (a division of Taylor & Francis) in 2017. His first novel, Dyed Souls, was published by Matador Publishing in 2018.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/Dyed-Souls-577806782579433/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Tweets by dyedsouls

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38451700-dyed-souls

Dyed Souls has won two awards:

Silver in the 2018 Global eBook Awards – Young Adult Fiction Category

Chill With a Book Readers Award.

Q & A

Author Questions

1 have you always wanted to be an author? If yes why? If no what else did you want to be?

I’m never sure how to answer this. I think writing is something that picks you – a response to what you see in the world that doesn’t fit with your soul and you feel compelled to say something about it. I think if you intentionally try to become an author, you just come off as a narcissist. Writing is something that I do, not my identity.

2 where did your idea for this book come from? Do you plan or fly by the seat of your pants?

I worked in settings described in the book early on in my career. Most of us were fresh out of college – hardly what you’d call responsible adults. We’d pour over case histories, diagnoses, and treatment plans, but that always seemed to me to miss the larger point. We evolved to live in small tribal groups, held together by shared values, taboos and mores. But we’ve radically, and rapidly altered that paradigm. Rather than doing what’s best for our tribe’s interest, we do what is our own interest. We live in vast cities and suburbs, held together by laws, which may or may not be enforced, and are often subjectively interpreted. We seek out those who share our interests (and often enable harmful behaviour), but in our internet age, even these connections are tenuous. My goodness, if someone ever invents lifelike sex robots all intimate human interaction may cease to exist. Evolution has no set end game, it just is. But when you look at where we are going in the US – away from acquiring wisdom and knowledge – and ever onward toward materialism, entertainment, and a wide array of pseudoscientific and irrational beliefs and behaviours, you can’t help speculate that throwaway kids I write about are the by-product of such shallow values. This is the story I wanted to tell. Sure, you can point to biological damage, and abuse, and substance abuse, and poverty, and failed educational systems. But we’re the one’s who created this, aren’t we? It’s laughable to me when people say that redistribution of wealth coupled with more government programs is the answer. Unless we address the fundamental narcissism at the core of these issues, all the money and government programs in the world won’t mean a damn thing. And the far right is just as misguided. What is more narcissistic than believing there is a God that watches over us, and if we pray hard enough and live by the inconsistent and contradictory doctrine espoused by various religious texts that all will be well? To me, all of this is a problem: our beliefs on the left and right are far too human centric. As beings, we are an infinitesimally small part of a vast universe. We have to stop acting like we’re the only ones that matter, and that our happiness and all of the plants and animals on the planet are at our disposal. Though we think otherwise, except in the scientific community, we are only one very small step removed from the leap that Copernicus made. And in many ways, we are going backwards. We are becoming more, not less egocentric. (If you doubt this, spend five minutes on Twitter, or watch The Kardashians, which are veritable homages to narcissism.) The book conveys my fervent belief that it is our duty and responsibility to help each other – not because we are trying to gain God’s favour or fulfil some socialist ideology – but because that it what we evolved to do. It’s how successful tribes flourish. The greatest travesty inflicted on mankind is a modern one: that we are somehow not fully responsible regarding our obligations toward others and that government exists to fill this gap. Once you deflect individual responsibility toward an abstract third entity, you will have what is depicted in this book. This is why I think it’s an important read.

3 Who is your favorite character in your upcoming book? Are they based on anyone you know in real life? And why are they your favorite?

I love Margo and Javier. They know who they are. This doesn’t mean that they will have better outcomes than Charlie, but they have a certainty about themselves and their view of life that I loved writing. There is a strength and goodness about them. They makes mistakes, but they have the courage of their convictions. They aren’t based on anyone in real like – more like an amagam. In reality, I’m probably more like Charlie, the lead charactor. He’s ponderous, self doubting, often paralyzed by indecision. He goes through life in an accidental way, probably because he’s often punished when he does try to take a stand. That’s not who I am now, but that was certainly true of me in my youth.

4 if you could have dinner with any authorliving or dead who would it be and why?

Charles Darwin, hands down. The depth of his understanding, and the sensitivity behind his writing is awe-inspiring. I’d love to know why he withheld publishing Origin of the Species until Wallace forced his hand – what backlash he worried about, what his hopes were for people coming to a new understanding about man’s place in the animal kingdom (no longer being a divine creations). Honestly, that would be the best dinner ever.

After Jessica by Morgen Bailey @morgenwriteruk @BOTBSPublicity #bookreview #afterjessica

Happy weekend all!

Delighted to share with you today my review for this gem of a book many thanks to Sarah for my invitation to the tour🌸

My Thoughts

A peppy little story packed with intrigue and Mystery! This book starts with a bang and then takes you on a wild and crazy ride that will make your head spin! After Jessica, indeed!

This book is told in short dynamic chapters. It is a fast pace addictive read that is really hard to put down. The short chapters are told from multiple characters perspectives, all seemingly disconnected. As the story progresses things become more and more clear, the threads start to come together. The ending is quite spectacular, your jaw will drop, and you will be thinking, “what just happened?“ morgen BaileyI sure hope there is a follow up, holy cliffhanger!

The perfect book when you’re in the mood for a zippy little story that will keep you on your toes!

*** Big thanks to the author for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

Jessica is an ordinary girl who comes across extraordinary circumstances and pays for them with her life. As well as identifying her body, her brother Simon then has to wind up her affairs but gets more than he bargains for. Who is Alexis, and why are Veronica and Daniel searching for her? Why is there a roll of cash in Jessica’s house, and what’s the connection between his sister and Alexis?  

About the Author

Morgen Bailey (Morgen with an E) is an author (of novels, short stories, writing and editing guides), freelance editor (for publishers and indie authors), writing tutor (in person and online), Writers’ Forum magazine ‘Competitive Edge’ columnist, blogger, speaker, and co-founder of Northants Authors. The former Chair of three writing groups, she has judged the H.E. Bates Short Story Competition, RONE, as well as the BBC Radio 2, BeaconLit, and Althorp Literary Festival children’s short story competitions. She also runs her own monthly 100-word competition. 2018 events include talks and workshops at Troubador’s Self Publishing Conference speakers, workshops and panels at Delapre Book Festival, interviewing and workshops at BeaconLit, and NAWG Fest with her ‘Editing your Fiction’ weekend residential course. Morgen can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and many others. Her blog is

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