Michael's bookshelf: kindle-first en-US Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:26:13 -0700 60 Michael's bookshelf: kindle-first 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Constance (Constance, #1) 56326737 A breakthrough in human cloning becomes one woman’s waking nightmare in a mind-bending thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Gibson Vaughn series.

In the near future, advances in medicine and quantum computing make human cloning a reality. For the wealthy, cheating death is the ultimate luxury. To anticloning militants, it’s an abomination against nature. For young Constance “Con� D’Arcy, who was gifted her own clone by her late aunt, it’s terrifying.

After a routine monthly upload of her consciousness—stored for that inevitable transition—something goes wrong. When Con wakes up in the clinic, it’s eighteen months later. Her recent memories are missing. Her original, she’s told, is dead. If that’s true, what does that make her?

The secrets of Con’s disorienting new life are buried deep. So are those of how and why she died. To uncover the truth, Con is retracing the last days she can recall, crossing paths with a detective who’s just as curious. On the run, she needs someone she can trust. Because only one thing has become clear: Con is being marked for murder—all over again.]]>
343 Matthew FitzSimmons 154201428X Michael 4 kindle-first 4.03 2021 Constance (Constance, #1)
author: Matthew FitzSimmons
name: Michael
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/29
date added: 2021/08/29
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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<![CDATA[The Air Raid Killer (Max Heller, Dresden Detective, #1)]]> 38198067 As the Third Reich ends, a killer’s game begins.

In the final days of the Third Reich, with the historic city of Dresden on the brink of destruction, terrifying rumors spread about the Fright Man, a demonic killer who exploited the cover of a nighttime air raid siren to mutilate and kill a young nurse. Just as seasoned detective Max Heller begins investigating, the Fright Man kills again�

The investigation seems hopeless. Desperate refugees flood the streets, all of Heller’s resources are depleted, and his new boss is a ruthless SS officer. And like so many others, Heller and his wife, Karin, survive on meager rations while fearing for the lives of their sons at the front. But as tensions mount and enemy firebombs decimate the city, dangerous new clues come to light—and the determined Heller pursues a violent and twisting path to unmask a monster.]]>
316 Frank Goldammer 1503955664 Michael 4 kindle-first
The book is structured chronologically and opens in November, 1944 when the mutilated body of a young woman is found. Police detective Max Heller is assigned the case. At this time, most Germans are beginning to realize that the war is lost and the avenging Russian army is fast approaching from the east. Food and basic supplies are growing scarce, the city is filling with refugees and still the Nazis are wreaking havoc trying to arrest Jews and confiscate their assets for the Reich. Air raid drills occur frequently but, so far, the city has been spared. However, it is during these drills that the killer seems to operate. Heller has to navigate through all this chaos to hunt this killer.

The author, Herr Goldammer, does a fine job in building the suspense taking us through each phase of the case as the fateful day of the firebombing approaches. The description of Heller's experience of the bombing is harrowing and intense. And afterwards, while struggling to survive in his now destroyed city, he must somehow continue to try to track down the killer. A satisfying, well-written (and well translated) historical crime thriller.]]>
3.95 2016 The Air Raid Killer (Max Heller, Dresden Detective, #1)
author: Frank Goldammer
name: Michael
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2018/04/20
date added: 2018/04/21
shelves: kindle-first
review:
This is an historical crime thriller set in Dresden, Germany in the weeks leading up to the infamous firebombing that destroyed the city in February of 1945. On a recent trip to Germany I got a chance to visit Dresden and explore the now rebuilt and restored city and so I was intrigued by the premise of this book.

The book is structured chronologically and opens in November, 1944 when the mutilated body of a young woman is found. Police detective Max Heller is assigned the case. At this time, most Germans are beginning to realize that the war is lost and the avenging Russian army is fast approaching from the east. Food and basic supplies are growing scarce, the city is filling with refugees and still the Nazis are wreaking havoc trying to arrest Jews and confiscate their assets for the Reich. Air raid drills occur frequently but, so far, the city has been spared. However, it is during these drills that the killer seems to operate. Heller has to navigate through all this chaos to hunt this killer.

The author, Herr Goldammer, does a fine job in building the suspense taking us through each phase of the case as the fateful day of the firebombing approaches. The description of Heller's experience of the bombing is harrowing and intense. And afterwards, while struggling to survive in his now destroyed city, he must somehow continue to try to track down the killer. A satisfying, well-written (and well translated) historical crime thriller.
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The Food of Love 30826171 A loving mother. A perfect family. A shock wave that could shatter everything.

Freya Braithwaite knows she is lucky. Nineteen years of marriage to a man who still warms her soul and two beautiful teenage daughters to show for it: confident Charlotte and thoughtful Lexi. Her home is filled with love and laughter.

But when Lexi’s struggles with weight take control of her life, everything Freya once took for granted falls apart, leaving the whole family with a sense of helplessness that can only be confronted with understanding, unity and, above all, love.

In this compelling and heart-wrenching new work by bestselling author Amanda Prowse, one ordinary family tackles unexpected difficulties and discovers that love can find its way through life’s darkest moments.]]>
364 Amanda Prowse Michael 4 kindle-first 4.25 2016 The Food of Love
author: Amanda Prowse
name: Michael
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/19
date added: 2016/11/19
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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Doubt (Caroline Auden, #1) 29391036 When Caroline Auden lands a job at a top Los Angeles law firm, she’s excited for the challenge—and grateful for the chance to put her dark past as a computer hacker behind her. Right away, her new boss asks her to find out whether a popular GMO causes healthy people to fall ill. Caroline is only supposed to dig in the trenches and report up the ladder, but her tech background and intuition take her further than planned. When she suspects a link between the death of a prominent scientist and the shadowy biotech giant, she cries foul and soon finds herself in the crosshairs. The clock is ticking and thousands of lives are on the line…including her own.

Now this rookie lawyer with a troubled past and a penchant for hacking must prove a billion-dollar company is responsible for thousands of deaths…before they come after her.

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346 C.E. Tobisman 1503991822 Michael 3 kindle-first 3.85 2016 Doubt (Caroline Auden, #1)
author: C.E. Tobisman
name: Michael
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/15
date added: 2016/07/15
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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We're All Damaged 28959148 284 Matthew Norman Michael 4 kindle-first 3.83 2016 We're All Damaged
author: Matthew Norman
name: Michael
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/05/07
date added: 2016/05/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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<![CDATA[Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind]]> 25789572 History is storytelling. But some stories remain untold.



In fifteenth-century Italy, Paolo Uccello recognizes the artistic talent of his young daughter, Antonia, and teaches her how to create a masterpiece. The girl composes a painting of her mother and inadvertently sparks an enduring mystery.



In the present day, a copyist painter receives a commission from a wealthy Chinese businessman to duplicate a Paolo Uccello painting. Together, the painter and his teenage daughter visit China, and in doing so they begin their escape from a tragic family past.



In the twenty-second century, a painting is discovered that’s rumored to be the work of Paolo Uccello’s daughter. This reawakens an art historian’s dream of elevating Antonia Uccello, an artist ignored by history because of her gender.



Stories untold. Secrets uncovered. But maybe some mysteries should remain shrouded.]]>
244 Anne Charnock 1503950433 Michael 4 kindle-first 3.07 2015 Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind
author: Anne Charnock
name: Michael
average rating: 3.07
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/12/13
date added: 2015/12/13
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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The Barkeep 18882072 2015 Edgar Award Nominee

Justin Chase is the perfect barkeep, tending bar as he lives his life, in a state of Zen serenity. At least until Birdie Grackle, a yellow-haired, foul-mouthed alcoholic from Texas, walks into his bar, orders a Mojito, and makes a startling confession.Six years ago Justin’s life was ripped apart when he discovered his mother’s bludgeoned corpse in the foyer of the family home. Now Justin’s father is serving a life sentence and Justin, after a stint in an asylum, drowns his emotions in a pool of inner peace. But when Birdie Grackle claims to be the hit man who murdered Justin’s mother for the money, Justin is hurled back to the emotions, the past, and, most frightening of all, the father he tried to leave behind.Who hired Birdie Grackle to kill Justin’s mother? Was it Annie Overmeyer, the sexy young woman with whom Justin’s father had been having an affair? Was it Justin’s brother, who took advantage of his father’s conviction to take control of the family business? Was it someone from his mother’s secret life, the shocking details of which Justin is only learning now? Or was it maybe his imprisoned father, to whom Justin is suddenly growing dangerously close? For all of Justin’s efforts to banish emotion and attachment from his life, this searing journey into his past affects him in ways he could never have anticipated.As Justin pieces together the truth, a merciless killing machine begins stalking him, leaving a trail of dead in his wake. Someone wants to bury the truth, and maybe Justin, too. As the terror closes in, Justin had better find some answers quick, because the stakes have been raised—his life is on the line and murder is just not Zen.]]>
460 William Lashner 1612183948 Michael 4 kindle-first 3.58 2014 The Barkeep
author: William Lashner
name: Michael
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2014/03/04
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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The Bird Eater 18616071 10 Ania Ahlborn 1480581054 Michael 3 kindle-first 3.50 2014 The Bird Eater
author: Ania Ahlborn
name: Michael
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2014/03/20
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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<![CDATA[A Cold and Broken Hallelujah (Long Beach Homicide, #3)]]> 22363240
The suspects are already in custody, and the evidence is overwhelming—but when one suspect’s brother is targeted for murder, Danny starts to think there may be more to this seemingly clear-cut case.

Obsessed with discovering the true identity of the victim, a gentle vagrant who may have been hiding a tortured past, Danny and his team start to uncover a high-reaching conspiracy that puts them all at risk—and threatens to open new wounds that could cut even deeper than Danny’s old ones.]]>
298 Tyler Dilts 1477874496 Michael 3 kindle-first 3.77 2014 A Cold and Broken Hallelujah (Long Beach Homicide, #3)
author: Tyler Dilts
name: Michael
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2014/08/16
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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<![CDATA[Herald Square (The First Trumpet #1)]]> 21058159
But at the Garden his closest childhood friend, Morris Rose, approaches him for help. Rose asks Collins to safeguard microfilmed documents that he says will prove his innocence in a State Department loyalty investigation. Out of friendship, Collins reluctantly agrees to hold the microfilm for a week.


When Rose disappears from the scene, and FBI agents begin asking hard questions, Collins must solve a puzzle that somehow involves his friend, a shadowy former OSS officer, and a beautiful refugee, Karina, with a troubled past.

When Collins discovers that both American and Soviet operatives desperately want the documents he is holding, he is drawn into a twilight struggle between intelligence agencies that will challenge his loyalties and test his courage.


Rich with historical detail, Herald Square tells a story of intrigue and deception, of ordinary people propelled into a dangerous, clandestine world where duplicity reigns and any misstep can have dire consequences.]]>
392 Jefferson Flanders 0615647197 Michael 3 kindle-first 3.88 2012 Herald Square (The First Trumpet #1)
author: Jefferson Flanders
name: Michael
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2014/09/01
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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Tunnel Vision 22589398 Some mysteries are better left unsolved.

It’s been fifteen years since Mandy Reasoner was murdered—a crime for which her boyfriend, Duke, was convicted. But when best friends Betty and June discover that Mandy was June’s long-forgotten aunt, they decide to pursue the mystery. Galvanized by the growing community who doubts the evidence against Duke and is rallying to free him, the two girls start on a path that will bring them not only to Duke himself but smack into Nickel, a canny, tough-as-nails teenage P.I. attempting to keep his own life together. They make a good team, but Nickel is on his own mission of revenge, and the web of lies surrounding Mandy’s murder is growing ever thicker.

The closer they get to the truth, the less clear the path becomes. Will they survive the fight to bring Mandy’s killer to justice?

Award-winning author Aric Davis brings back his captivating anti-hero, Nickel, in Tunnel Vision, a work of edgy noir about unlikely friendship and long-overdue justice.

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300 Aric Davis 1477874941 Michael 2 kindle-first 3.38 2014 Tunnel Vision
author: Aric Davis
name: Michael
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2014/09/16
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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End of Secrets 23387398 Though her specialty is foreign cyberterrorism, CIA agent Kera Mersal finds herself plunged into a bizarre domestic case. Singers, writers, and artists are disappearing, leaving no trace in a world where everyone leaves a digital footprint. Posing as a journalist, Kera attempts to track the artists� last-known movements.

On a hunt that takes her from the underground art scene to a rogue domestic spying program, Kera finds her investigation on a deadly collision course with ONE Corp., the world’s largest multimedia conglomerate. As she’s drawn deeper into the investigation, she discovers that an enigmatic young ad exec, a wealthy playboy, and a mysterious website may connect the missing artists and ONE’s growing power. And with each discovery comes confirmation of a terrifying truth—no one’s secrets are safe.

A smartly suspenseful and timely thriller, End of Secrets dives into the depths of our culture’s two most relentless obsessions: entertainment and profit.

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401 Ryan Quinn 1477875514 Michael 3 kindle-first 3.59 2014 End of Secrets
author: Ryan Quinn
name: Michael
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2014/11/18
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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<![CDATA[Guardians of the Night (Gideon and Sirius, #2)]]> 23117777 As the sole members of LAPD’s Special Cases Unit, Detective Michael Gideon and his German shepherd partner Sirius work investigations considered bizarre even by Los Angeles’s standards. Yet their latest case is more than strange—it might be out of this world.

Ronald “Wrong� Pauley is a homeless man long fallen from grace. When Pauley’s late-night drinking is interrupted by a detonation of light, he sees what he describes as a “being of light� in the alley below. Pauley tries to help, but ends up as a witness to what he believes is the murder of a fallen angel.

Gideon and Sirius are already in the midst of trying to determine the identity of the so-called “Reluctant Hero� who seemed to magically appear just moments after shots began ringing out at an elementary school. Braving gunfire, the hero tackled the shooter, and then disappeared.

Both cases defy easy answers, but when Pauley turns up dead, the detectives are left with two murders to solve and lots of questions. Gideon and Sirius—along with help from a newfound friend—investigate that thin line between the real and surreal to make sense of these possible crimes.

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352 Alan Russell 1477875832 Michael 3 kindle-first 3.85 2015 Guardians of the Night (Gideon and Sirius, #2)
author: Alan Russell
name: Michael
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2014/12/25
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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Heart Collector 23387402 Finding murderers is just a day on the job for police captain Nadia Barka. But when a mutilated corpse is discovered in an old baptistery, she’s faced with some difficult questions: Who left a young woman’s body in a high-security museum in the middle of the night? And where is the victim’s heart?

Barka has no leads, until several days later when unassuming computer technician Julien Lombard comes forward, claiming to have had a premonition of the woman’s abduction and murder. The ensuing investigation turns up nothing, however, and Julien is just as skeptical about his intel as the police are. But, after another woman goes missing, Barka decides to take a chance and trust in Julien’s gift. Does Julien hold the key to preventing another gruesome crime? Working together, can they find the murderer before he steals another heart?

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447 Jacques Vandroux 1477876804 Michael 3 kindle-first 3.46 2013 Heart Collector
author: Jacques Vandroux
name: Michael
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/13
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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The Hundred-Year Flood 23999904
This beautiful and dreamlike story follows Tee, a twenty-two-year-old Korean-American, as he escapes to Prague in the wake of his uncle’s suicide and the aftermath of 9/11. His life intertwines with Pavel, a painter famous for revolution; Katka, his equally alluring wife; and Pavel's partner—a giant of a man with an American name. As the flood slowly makes its way into the old city, Tee contemplates his own place in life as both mixed and adopted and as an American in a strange land full of heroes, myths, and ghosts.

In the tradition of Native Speaker and The Family Fang, the Good Men Project’s Matthew Salesses weaves together the tangled threads of identity, love, growing up, and relationships in his stunning first novel, The Hundred-Year Flood.]]>
236 Matthew Salesses 1477878378 Michael 3 kindle-first 3.16 2015 The Hundred-Year Flood
author: Matthew Salesses
name: Michael
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2015/08/19
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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The Perfect Son 25228579 From a distance, Felix Fitzwilliam, the son of an old English family, is a good husband and father. But, obsessed with order and routine, he’s a prisoner to perfection. Disengaged from the emotional life of his North Carolina family, Felix has let his wife, Ella, deal with their special-needs son by herself.

A talented jewelry designer turned full-time mother, Ella is the family rock…until her heart attack shatters their carefully structured existence. Now Harry, a gifted teen grappling with the chaos of Tourette’s, confronts a world outside his parents� control, one that tests his desire for independence.

As Harry searches for his future, and Ella adapts to the limits of her failing health, Felix struggles with his past and present roles. To prevent the family from being ripped apart, they must each bend with the inevitability of change and reinforce the ties that bind.

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398 Barbara Claypole White 1477880046 Michael 4 kindle-first 4.00 2015 The Perfect Son
author: Barbara Claypole White
name: Michael
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/09/04
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: kindle-first
review:

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