Hi guys!
Welcome back to the site that aims to please the reader in you, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're playing host to a Tribute Books Blog Tour starring a Paranormal Mystery/Thriller that'll have you questioning the facts left and right...the sign of a good mystery, right? Perhaps, but I'll discuss my experience a bit more in a moment. Let's jump right into things, as this one is hot off the presses, as we explore book four in the Samuel Roberts Thriller series...
Samuel Roberts Thriller, Book 4
by
Camel Press
9781603812917
About the book....
Samuel Roberts, a lawyer in Champaign, Illinois, has just moved to a new home to escape the memories of his old place—the stray body parts left by evil entities as well as traces of his relationship with Susan, who left him because he couldn’t stop risking both their lives trying to save the world. That leaves Sam free to fall in love again. Sam falls hard, suspiciously hard, for Bridget Gillis, a beautiful fortune teller who also happens to be a witch and a member of a coven. The village that encompasses the coven was founded by Bridget’s great-great aunt, also named Bridget and a dead ringer for her descendant. The new relationship quickly gets complicated. It is two days before Halloween, and Bridget is about to be tried by her fellow witches for the crime of practicing dark magic involving the blood of children. The punishment is to be burned at the stake. Bridget needs an advocate, and Sam is the perfect man for the job.
Sam brings in Bob, who is suspicious of his best buddy’s sudden passion. The two of them have until the Witching Hour on Halloween to clear Bridget’s name and find out who is killing the local children. As they comb the area for clues, quiz the locals, and take a crash course in witchcraft and Wiccan customs, Sam and Bob can’t shake the question: is Bridget a good witch or a bad witch?
Sam brings in Bob, who is suspicious of his best buddy’s sudden passion. The two of them have until the Witching Hour on Halloween to clear Bridget’s name and find out who is killing the local children. As they comb the area for clues, quiz the locals, and take a crash course in witchcraft and Wiccan customs, Sam and Bob can’t shake the question: is Bridget a good witch or a bad witch?
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Though reviewing it in November, I actually read it the same dates pretty much that it was playing out. Creeeeppppyyyy! *-* But really...
It was definitely a good pick for the season, Halloween and all, considering the paranormal content, time and place it takes place, and the murder and mystery afoot. Sam is likeable enough and a pretty big skeptic considering all the run ins he has had with other worldly beings and whatnot (all alluded to having occurred in previous installments). Perhaps that is part of his charm, but for me...it didn't last. Maybe if I had read the other installments, my relationship with him would have been more solid but seeing how easily he was roped into the clutches of Bridget's magic and the unending mind battle he faced between logic and witchcraft, I wasn't convinced. Did he serve his purpose? Yes. Was the awkward distance between him and I the result of the spell (which one I shall not say)? Maybe, but it's hard to say with any amount of certainty. We just didn't mesh. If we continue down the line of characters, I have to say Bridget was pretty darn formidable but not truly imposing until closer to the end, Bob was actually an unusual sidekick that proved truly worthy of hero status, and the rest...they leave their mark when given the limelight. It's not often, but it happens.
Story wise, there's mystery and murder, crimes most heinous, and a plant that will scare the bejesus out of any horticulturist (truly horrible). The path taken to uncover the truth was murky but believable though with a touch TMI on the actual craft employed; the twist towards book's end another surprise that fit well. The only hang up for me once again came into play with Mr. Roberts. He's a lawyer in the real world, I get it. A duck is a duck. Here he's part detective though and his sleuthing skills though perhaps jaded once again by the spell are definitely not up to par. There's a little detail regarding a particular painting that I questioned along the way as a possibility in solving the whole thing and he doesn't pick up on it until the last twenty pages or so. *ahem* Believe me, I'm no Sherlock Holmes either so I kind of felt it was a discredit to the character to have him miss something THAT obvious. Again, having a history with him would have told me whether or not he would have normally picked that detail up but alas, it wasn't there to pull from.
In the end, though we weren't a match made in heaven, I can't say my time spent in this curious magical village just this side of Amish country didn't intrigue and enchant. I mean the final outcome alone is enough to make the read worth your while (~shudders~), I just wish some of those "missing links" were a little smaller. Would they be solved by starting at the series beginning? Perhaps...but alas, that's a journey you'll have to check into on your own and report back. (If you have or do, please stop back and share!) As for me, I'm content with my visit and think many of you will be too. Recommended read for adult Mystery and Thriller fans alike that enjoy a heavy dose of magic in the tales they choose to peruse; the stipulation on "adult readers" is for limited content and some violence.
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About the author...
Author and attorney Scott A. Lerner resides in Champaign, Illinois. He obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. He is currently a sole practitioner in Champaign, Illinois. The majority of his law practice focuses on the fields of criminal law and family law. Lerner’s first novel and the first Samuel Roberts Thriller, Cocaine Zombies, won a bronze medal in the mystery/cozy/noir category of the 2013 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Awards. The second book in the series is Ruler of Demons. The Fraternity of the Soul Eater is book 3. Book 4, The Wiccan Witch of the Midwest, will be released on Halloween, 2015.
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Special thanks to Nicole at Tribute Book Blog Tours for the copy for review and the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this tour, the title featured, the author, the publisher, or those tours on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title just celebrated its book birthday October 31st, 2015 via Camel Press, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.
Until next time...happy reading!
Hmm, I had such high hopes for this one but reading your review I'm not so certain. Still, probably a book I'd pick up if I were to see it in the library, I just wouldn't buy it.
ReplyDeleteGina, thanks for the review! :)
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