Monday, December 31, 2012

Giveaway: Seven Locks ~ by Christine Wade (via the Happy New Year 2013 Hop)

seven locks

Book giveaway: Seven Locks ~ by Christine Wade.

  • We have one copy for a US address.
  • Please be a reader/follower to enter this contest. You have several options available below.

It’s historical fiction set prior to the US Revolutionary war with links to an American folktale. Gotta love that.

Blurb:   The Hudson River Valley, 1769: A man mysteriously disappears without a trace, abandoning his wife and children on their farm at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. At first many believe that his wife, who has the reputation of being a scold, has driven her husband away, but as the strange circumstances of his disappearance circulate, a darker story unfolds. And as the lines between myth and reality fade in the wilderness, and an American nation struggles to emerge, the lost man’s wife embarks on a desperate journey to find the means to ensure her family’s survival . . .

This book giveaway is courtesy of Atria Books and will be published in January 2013 as a Trade Paperback, and is 352 pages.

My first thoughts after reading a few chapters are that Seven Locks feels like women’s historical fiction and so far is a page turner.


Happy New Year 2013

This giveaway is part of the Happy New Year 2013 Giveaway Hop from January 1st - 7th 2013. It’s hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Babs Book Bistro

Pick one way to to follow or keep up to date:

  1. Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog.)
  2. Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend.
  3. Your Email Box
  4. Feed Reader
  5. Twitter (I will follow back, for any of these social media sites.)
  6. Google+
  7. Pinterest
  8. Goodreads (No giveaway updates here only reviews.)

Now - completely fill out the (red asterisked) Google form entries otherwise your entry will be VOID.

 

(Please remember that your personal information is private and will only be used for the purposes of this contest and will be deleted once the contest has concluded.)

This hop is now closed. Please come back soon for future giveaways, reviews, guest posts and more.

A big congrats to our winner Elizabeth H. from Florida.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Giveaway: The Turning Point ~ by Balasa Prasad, MD and Preetham Grandhi, MD

turning-point

Giveaway ~ we have one copy for a US address of this terrific book that is perfect for making changes for the New Year.

The Turning Point: Conquering Stress with Courage, Clarity, and Confidence ~ by Balasa Prasad, MD and Preetham Grandhi, MD. Cedar Fort, Inc. (December 11, 2012) 176 pages.


Read from Shellie’s 4.5 star review:

It’s a “tell-it-like-it-is,” down to earth, concise yet readable book which persuades the reader into accepting the true nature of our world (it’s brutal out there) and then choosing a “turning point” to create a happier life.

http://www.layersofthought.net/2012/12/review-turning-point-by-balasa-prasad.html

The publisher’s blurb: Available for the first time in book form, the proven Turning Point Program offers you a life totally free from stress. Through poignant personal experiences and actual patient case studies, you'll discover a systematic approach to understanding the nature of stress and how it affects you. Refreshing and realistic, this book will guide you step by step to a stress-free future!

Dr. Balasa Prasad is a British trained psychiatrist and an American trained, Board Certified Anesthesiologist. He founded his Behavior Management clinic in 1980. He was introduced to Truth Serum Treatments while he was a resident in Psychiatry in England. Over the past two decades, he has perfected “Turning Point Treatments” to treat addictions and phobias.

Dr. Preetham Grandhi is an India-born immigrant, born and raised in the city of Bangalore, India. Preetham’s childhood determination for success and change led to a new life in the USA. A practicing psychiatrist, he found himself working with children and their families in the inner-city Bronx, families who had even more complex issues than his own.

http://www.theturningpointprogram.com/


You do not need to follow the blog to enter this contest.

But if you would like to know about other giveaways, reviews, author interviews or guest posts here are a number of optional ways to keep up to date:

  1. Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog.)
  2. Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend.
  3. Your Email Box
  4. Feed Reader
  5. Twitter (I will follow back, for any of these social media sites.)
  6. Google+
  7. Pinterest
  8. Goodreads (No giveaway updates here only reviews.)

You must, however, completely fill out the Google form otherwise your entry will be VOID.

Please remember that your personal information will only be used for the purposes of this contest and will be deleted once the contest has concluded.

Good luck!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Review: Tomorrow the Killing ~ by Daniel Polansky

tomorrow the killing

Review by John for Tomorrow the Killing ~ by Daniel Polansky

The second in the Low Town series, this is a hard-boiled noir thriller with a touch of fantasy mixed in for good measure. A remorseless, violent and twisty story that is filled with intriguing characters.

About: The Warden, the main character, sort of rules over a squalid and drug-infested corner of Low Town. An ex-soldier and intelligence office who has fallen far from grace, he now sells (and frequently consumes) drugs. The Warden is hard, smart and extremely bitter, and he oozes cynicism.

With frequent flashbacks to the years he spent fighting for his country in a dreadful, carnage-filled war, the story starts when the Warden is summoned to the house of an old general, and finds out that the general’s daughter has run off and disappeared into Low Town. She is trying to find out why her brother was murdered several years before and who was responsible for his death. Her brother was an inspirational leader who also fought in the war; and the Warden knew him well. The Warden reluctantly agrees to help but, to no-one’s great surprise, the daughter too is brutally murdered.

This sparks a trail of revenge and destruction that envelopes both the guilty and the innocent – though it seems like in Low Town no-one is entirely innocent. Fuelled by drugs and old enmities, the Warden is pulling strings and orchestrating a lot of the violence, but inevitably things spiral way beyond his control as higher powers and politicians strive to achieve their hidden agendas.

John’s thoughts: I like the Warden – he’s a terrific character. Horrendously scarred by his troubled past, he is now a dark and dangerous man, but he hasn’t quite lost his humanity and just sometimes is driven by his sense of justice. Living in a dark and corrupt world, you can almost forgive him for some of his selfishness and outrageous actions. Here the Warden plots and schemes and has to work hard to try and stay one step ahead of an ever growing list of adversaries. He mostly succeeds but regularly ends up on the wrong side of a beating. This is not a squeaky clean hero who always gets his way. MeanLow Townwhile the Warden (or Polansky) has a great way with words and many of his acidic descriptions and banter brought a big smile to my face.

In this book he is surrounded by many other interesting characters – including the Warden’s giant one-eyed army buddy and business partner, the malevolent Old Man that runs the country’s internal security forces, the witch-woman Mazzie of the Stained Bone, and the psychopathic young vice-lord Adisu the Damned. As these people are woven into the story, the plot twists and turns and is unpredictable – always a good thing.

Compared with Polansky’s first Low Town novel (reviewed here http://www.layersofthought.net/2011/10/review-and-guest-post-low-town-by.html), Tomorrow the Killing has less magic and fantastic elements and is a somewhat more realistic tale, albeit set in an alternative world. The war that provides a main foundation for the plot has a lot of parallels with World War One, and Polansky does a great job of describing its horrors. You now understand a lot more about what has shaped the Warden and made him what he is. Personally I like the more realistic orientation of this story and prefer it to his first novel.

If you haven’t read the first Polansky novel and are worried about reading this in case it doesn’t make sense – don’t! This is a complete story and stands on its own two feet. I’d rate this four stars and thoroughly recommend it to anyone who likes noir, crime thrillers or earthy urban tales. If you enjoyed reading Low Town, this is a “must read”.


Tomorrow the Killing ~ by Daniel Polansky ; Hodder; UK publication is 11th October 2012;  368 pages.

Also included in the link for John’s review link for Low Town (or The Straight Razor Cure – UK title) is a guest post from the author which highlights his clever and direct writing style.

www.DanielPolansky.com

Friday, December 21, 2012

Review: Cash Out ~ by Greg Bardsley

cash out

Review by John for Cash Out ~ by Greg Bardsley

A madcap caper set in the unlikely location of Silicon Valley – an ordinary guy tries to cash out while everyone else seems determined to try and stop him.

About:   Dan Jordan thinks he’s a pretty ordinary guy – an ex-journalist who happened to find himself working as a speechwriter for the CEO of a Silicon Valley startup. The company grows like gangbusters and Dan’s stock options become worth over a millions dollars. But he has to be still employed by the company on the day when his stock becomes eligible for cashing out; and now he is counting down the last few days.

He despairs about the Silicon Valley culture and lifestyle/work-style; he really doesn’t fit in and dreams of using the money to drop-out with his wife, hoping to move to the California coast and to live a life they’ve always wanted. He just has to hold on for those last few days.

The trouble is that there is an ever-growing mob of people who seem to be doing everything possible to stop him reaching that milestone – including a gang of nerdy IT kidnappers, a muscle-bound corporate security hit-man, ultra-competitive “colleagues” and a long list of others I can’t describe without spoiling the plot. Contrastingly, in theory Dan has helping him out a sociopathic neighbor and a friend from school days who happens to be a professional cage-fighter. Funny thing is that at times it sure doesn’t feel to Dan like they are helping him at all.

Meanwhile his marriage is in danger of crumbling and he cannot recover from a simple medical procedure which becomes ever-more embarrassing and painful during this stressful romp. Nevertheless, he just has to hold on for a last few days!

John’s thoughts:   This is a light-hearted easy read, very much in the style of a farce where everything that can go wrong seems to do so; and then some. Bardsley creates some delightfully whacky characters, my favorite being the totally gross guy who is a lodger with the sociopathic neighbor; and the neighbor himself is a fabulously weird creation.  As for the main character himself, you certainly start out feeling highly supportive of Dan, though as the story progresses and one crazy dilemma follows after another follows after another, the plot becomes so far-fetched that I stopped thinking of him as a real character and just went along for the humorous ride.

Is Silicon Valley really like this? Well, Bardsley has “done his time” there, having worked as a speechwriter and ghostwriter for Executives, much like Dan Jordan – so he has certainly used his real-life experience as a launching pad for this story and the characters in it. Exaggerated? Of course, but that’s what makes it fun.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of modern slapstick or to those who have worked in the tech industry and enjoy poking fun at some of the odd characters and culture found there. I’d rate this light-hearted read three stars.


(Harper Perennial ; October 2012; Trade Paperback; Pages: 400)

For more about the author Greg Bardsley see his website: http://gregbardsley.com/

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Giveaway: Handmade Signed Greeting Cards by Deborah A. Mills ~ Dec 21st to 27th

midwinters eve

Welcome to The Third Annual - 2012 Mid-Winter's Eve Giveaway Hop! From December 21st to 27th. Hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer (badge above links to our host’s the page) and co-hosted by Oasis for YA.


We have 3 sets of 3 signed, handmade greeting cards created by artist Deborah A. Mills for 3 US or Canadian residents.

Copies of the prints for the illustrations featured in her husband’s (Daniel Rabuzzi’s) Longing for Yount young adult fantasy book series - The Choir Boats and The Indigo Pheasant. The three cards are trimmed to 6 x 9 envelops, each card has an $8 dollar value, and will be sent by the artist to each of the three winners. The names of the prints pictured below are the Strix (owl) card, Maggie's Ukara, and the Dutch tiles cards. 

Longing-for-Yount-Greeting-Cards_DAM

Deborah’s carvings also appear on the book covers below and also grace the interior of each of the books. And for more fun and games is The Indigo Pheasant’s cover was recently entered in The Ranting Dragon’s 2012 Annual Cover Battle . Very exciting and well deserved. If you have not voted yet, get on over and do so. There is some fabulous cover art featured there.

choir boatsindigo pheasant

  • The Choir Boats (#1) September 2009; 406 pages. Read an excerpt from The Choir Boats.
  • The Indigo Pheasant (#2) October 2012; 350 pages. Link for an excerpt at ChiZine for The Indigo Pheasant.

About Deborah A. Mills: She has been carving wood professionally since 1991. She has also studied wood sculpture while living in Norway with master woodcarver Erik Fridstrøm at the Viking Ships Museum in Oslo. In 1991 Mr. Fridstrøm hired her to assist him in carving a full scale replica of the twelve-foot-tall Ål Portal, an 800 year old stave church doorway in the collection of the Historical Museum in Oslo. (See the amazing Liturgical Doorway page and to view work-in-progress photos of all stages of the project.) And for even more about artist Deborah Mills, link to her website.

If you are interested in purchasing one or all three of these cards you can email Deborah at (no spam - deborahmillswoodcarving {at}earthlink{dot}net). A signed set of 3 cards would be $20.00 (USD), one signed card $8.

Now for the giveaway:

  1. You DO NOT need to be a follower to enter this contest.
  2. But please fill out the form completely.
  3. If you do not add your full name, address, and email your entry will be be VOID.
  4. Remember that your personal data will not be used for any purpose other than this contest and will be deleted once the contest in complete.
  5. Promise.

Optional ways to keep up to date:

  1. Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog)
  2. Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend
  3. Your Email Box
  4. Feed Reader
  5. Twitter (I will follow back, for any of these social media sites.)
  6. Google+
  7. Pinterest
  8. Goodreads (no giveaway updates here only reviews)

This hop is now closed. Please stop back by for future reviews, giveaways and more.

Congratulations to our three lucky winners - Deborah, Raymond, and Julie!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Review: The Turning Point ~ by Balasa Prasad, MD and Preetham Grandhi, MD

turning point

Review by Shellie for The Turning Point: Conquering Stress with Courage, Clarity, and Confidence ~ by Balasa Prasad, MD and Preetham Grandhi, MD

It’s a “tell-it-like-it-is,” down to earth, concise yet readable book which persuades the reader into accepting the true nature of our world (it’s brutal out there) and then choosing a “turning point” to create a happier life.

About:   Written primarily by Dr. Balasa Prasad, a practicing psychiatrist who has developed his Turning Point Plan over 30 plus years. In the book he highlights the human burdens of stress on our physical bodies and our emotional lives; then examines the origins of stress and the importance for us to accept the unchanging “laws of nature”. He also talks about the link between addictions and stress, and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and stress. He then moves onto the importance of realizing one’s place in the world, and the responsibility and courage for making changes in our lives. At the end of the book there is a special and insightful section (by Dr. Preetham Grandhi – a child psychiatrist and Prasad’s son in law) on stress in children.

Also an anesthesiologist, Dr. Prasad has cured many of his patients, including those with phobias and addictions. Interestingly he gets to the root of the problem quickly within a few sessions questioning each individual about their past, even administering a “truth serum” which helps them to reveal hidden experiences, traumas, and beliefs. He then suggests in a clearheaded way - logical solutions which amount to choices by the patient so that he/she can move forward and enjoy a less stressful life.

Thoughts:   This is a terrific book (and I’ve read A LOT of self help books). It’s clear and easy to read, and it’s written by two experts in the field. Even better is that it’s slim and accessible, and jammed packed with thoughtful truths about our natures and our world. Also included are case studies and personal examples. In my opinion Dr. Prasad is very grounded and has a extremely clear view of what life is about.

Granted the book may look like many of those fluffy self-help books on the market (with its typical sounding alliteration in the title), however, this book does exactly what it promises. My only negative thought about The Turning Point is that I’m not sure everyone will be able to recognize their own dilemmas - those that are so easy for Dr. Prasad to observe and which are showcased in his book. But hopefully reading his book will push those in need into finding help? I think that if Dr. Prasad and Dr. Grandhi included several sessions using the Turning Point Method with the purchase of the book (I could use a session or two) the book would be perfect!

If you’re going to read a recent book on bettering your life (or give one to a needy, faltering friend or loved one) I think this may be it. It’s direct and packs a punch that may push lost individuals back on track. Highly recommended for looking toward the new year and making significant and important changes for a happier life. This is a 4.5 stars in my opinion.


For more on the book and the authors see the book’s website: http://theturningpointprogram.com/

About the authors:

Dr. Balasa Prasad is a British trained psychiatrist and an American trained, Board Certified Anesthesiologist. He founded his Behavior Management clinic in 1980. He was introduced to Truth Serum Treatments while he was a resident in Psychiatry in England. Over the past two decades, he has perfected “Turning Point Treatments” to treat addictions and phobias.

Dr. Preetham Grandhi is an India-born immigrant, born and raised in the city of Bangalore, India. Preetham’s childhood determination for success and change led to a new life in the USA. A practicing psychiatrist, he found himself working with children and their families in the inner-city Bronx, families who had even more complex issues than his own.

Preetham Grandhi is also the author of A Circle of Souls, which I reviewed when I first started blogging. It’s a wonderful book. To take a look at my review for the book and my first review here on Layers of Thought (it will show you how far I’ve come with my blogging skills – it’s quite good for a giggle) link on the book title’s text.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Review: The Immortality Factor ~ by Ben Bova

immortality factor

Review by John for The Immortality Factor ~ by Ben Bova

A thought-provoking novel on the possibilities, rights and wrongs of stem-cell research and associated medical science.

About:  The Marshak brothers are both brilliant doctors - Arthur focusing on leading-edge research and Jesse focusing on trying to help poor and disadvantaged sick people. While Jesse goes on to win a Humanitarian of the Year award, Arthur covets the Nobel prize.

Arthur is now head of a research laboratory, pushing back the boundaries of medical knowledge and techniques. In particular he and his team are making great strides in working out how to regenerate limbs and organs – and in the process have caused great angst among many religious groups, conservatives and people concerned about ethical and moral aspects of the research. Most importantly, as far as the arc of the story is concerned, Arthur’s own brother becomes opposed to the research.

In order to try and clear the way ahead for his work, Arthur manages to convene a “science court”, designed to help the scientific community pass judgment on the validity of the research. Inevitably the court sessions become something of a circus, straying far beyond the scientific issues and attracting the attention of powerful lobby groups, politicians and the media.

As the court proceedings come to a head, the story examines the conflict and dynamics between the brothers, some of the troubling aspects of the research and the corporate goings on in the company that owns Arthur’s laboratory.

John’s thoughts:  This is great subject matter and the plot is nicely teed up, but somehow the book never quite took off for me. The main problem was the characters – they felt a bit two-dimensional and some of their motivations and actions just weren’t quite believable. In particular the relationship between the brothers and the woman they both love just didn’t feel realistic.

I do like the way that the story explored various aspects of the controversial subject matter, but even then some issues are brought up but never come close to any sort of resolution or meaningful debate, a case in point being animal experimentation and vivisection. In most instances Bova made it quite clear what his views were on issues, but on the use of animals in research I have no idea what he thinks.

I’d never read a Ben Bova novel before, and he had come highly recommended, so I was a bit disappointed with this read. It was still ok, but I was expecting so much more. I’d say this is one for Bova lovers and anyone with an interest in issues around stem-cell research. I’d rate it three stars.


Tor Books; August 2012; Trade Paperback; 480 pages (original publication -April 2009.)

Ben Bova is a prolific author (he has written and been included in 124 books) and just celebrated his 80th birthday. For more on Ben Bova link to his website: http://www.benbova.com/

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Review: El Gavilan ~ by Craig McDonald

El Gavilan

Review by John for El Gavilan ~ by Craig McDonald

An unflinching tale of how three different US cops react to the wave of illegal immigration and try to maintain control amidst the turmoil.

About: Tell Lyon is an ex-border patrol officer who takes over as police chief in an Ohio town which is beset by a wave of immigration – much of it illegal. He soon bumps into county Sheriff Able Hawk (hawk is “gavilan” translated from Spanish, which provides the title for the book). They are two very different characters who approach their jobs in very different ways. Lyon is a fluent Spanish speaker who was married to a Mexican-American woman, before she was murdered by a Mexican gang who fire-bombed their house. While tough, he is keen to be fair and soon wins the trust of most of the local Latino population. Hawk, on the other hand, is a much rougher character who takes a very hard line with illegal immigrants and also has little tolerance for what he sees as weak federal government. But he is fiercely protective of legal immigrants, Latino or otherwise, and forms a strong bond with some of them.

After some initial sparring and testing each other out, the two agree to work together and soon find themselves pitted against the corrupt sheriff of a neighboring county, Walt Pierce, who will stop at nothing to maintain the peace in his territory. Matters quickly come to a head when Thalia Ruiz, a legal immigrant that Hawk had taken under his wing, is brutally raped and murdered and dumped in a spot close by the county line.

We learn the horrific back story of how Thalia’s family made the illegal journey into America several years previously, during which many of them died while walking across the Sonoran desert. Only a young child at the time, Thalia could never understand why they had left their tropical and bountiful home, but for her parents the siren call of the rich promised land to the north proved irresistible. The remnants of the family find the US anything but bountiful, barely managing to exist while having to take low-wage menial jobs. Over the years Thalia drifts north, eventually becomes legalized, and then loses her new husband in an explosion at a factory, leaving her to somehow care for their daughter on her own.

Thalia’s murder threatens to ignite the local Latino population, so Hawk and Lyon are determined to quickly solve the case, but they face an ugly battle with Pierce who insists that he has jurisdiction over the case. The growing tensions divide families as careers and more lives are threatened.

John’s thoughts: This is a great topic for a novel. Despite the sloganeering of many politicians who want to make immigration a simple black-and-white issue, this can only be seen as many colors of gray – which provides a lot of material that authors can use to create rich backdrops for their novels. And McDonald does a fine job of crafting an interesting plot that does provide a variety of perspectives on immigration.

At the same time this is a good police procedural novel, following the cops as they try to unravel a vicious crime, while at the same time getting tangled up in complex personal, career and inter-departmental issues. No-one comes out of this squeaky clean, though for sure some are a darn sight cleaner than others.

It is a fast-paced and easy-to-read novel that I devoured quickly. I would opine that it has a little too much going on it, resulting in some things seeming a little rushed or not adequately developed. The same thing goes for some of the characters, though I did like the way that McDonald developed the Lyon and Hawk personalities. They feel like good material for a movie or TV show; and I’m thinking there may be follow-up novels on the horizon?

Anyhow, overall I found it an enjoyable read and would rate it 3.5 stars. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a good police/thriller novel, and also to anyone who wants to read a story focused around immigration – a subject which doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention in novels.


432 pages | Tyrus Books | December 2011 (first published November 18th 2011)

See Craig McDonald’s website for more about this Edgar Award nominated journalist, editor and fiction writer, and his books: http://www.craigmcdonaldbooks.com/

Monday, December 3, 2012

Giveaway: Book Lover’s Holiday Hop ~ from December 4th to 10th

book-lovers-giveaway button

Welcome to the the 2nd Annual Book Lover's Holiday Hop from December 4th to 10th. Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and co- hosted by Chapter by Chapter.


mandarin gate

We have one copy for a US address of Mandarin Gate (Inspector Shan Tao Yun -Volume 7) ~ by Eliot Pattison

Although this book is the 7th in the series it is a stand alone.

Publisher’s blurb:   In Mandarin Gate, Edgar Award winner Eliot Pattison brings Shan back in a thriller that navigates the explosive political and religious landscape of Tibet.

In an earlier time, Shan Tao Yun was an Inspector stationed in Beijing. But he lost his position, his family and his freedom when he ran afoul of a powerful figure high in the Chinese government. Released unofficially from the work camp to which he'd been sentenced, Shan has been living in remote mountains of Tibet with a group of outlawed Buddhist monks. Without status, official identity, or the freedom to return to his former home in Beijing, Shan has just begun to settle into his menial job as an inspector of irrigation and sewer ditches in a remote Tibetan township when he encounters a wrenching crime scene. Strewn across the grounds of an old Buddhist temple undergoing restoration are the bodies of two unidentified men and a Tibetan nun. Shan quickly realizes that the murders pose a riddle the Chinese police might in fact be trying to cover up. When he discovers that a nearby village has been converted into a new internment camp for Tibetan dissidents arrested in Beijing's latest pacification campaign, Shan recognizes the dangerous landscape he has entered. To find justice for the victims and to protect an American woman who witnessed the murders, Shan must navigate through the treacherous worlds of the internment camp, the local criminal gang, and the government's rabid pacification teams, while coping with his growing doubts about his own identity and role in Tibet.

Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (November 27, 2012)

For a listing of the series, link to the author’s web page: http://www.eliotpattison.com/inspector.html 

Bio: Described as "a writer of faraway mysteries," Eliot Pattison's travel and interests span a million miles of global trekking, visiting every continent but Antarctica. An international lawyer by training, he brings his social and cultural concerns to his fiction and has also written on several books and dozens of articles on legal and business topics, published on three continents. He is the author of the Edgar award-winning Inspector Shan Series, the Bone Rattler series, and Ashes of the Earth, the first novel in a new dystopian series. But his sentiments for Tibet and the Tibetan resistance run deep. His Inspector Shan books have been characterized as a new "campaign thriller" genre for the way they weave significant social and political themes into their plots. Translated into twenty languages, the books have been adapted to radio dramas and become popular on the black market in China.


Now for the Giveaway!

Please be a reader or follower to enter this contest, and fill out the Google form:

You must do one of the three below:

  1. Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog) or
  2. Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend or
  3. Your Email Box

Optional ways to keep up to date on giveaways, reviews and more:

  1. Feed Reader
  2. Twitter (I will follow back, for any of these social media sites.)
  3. Google+
  4. Pinterest
  5. Goodreads (no giveaway updates here)

This hop is now closed. Please stop back by for future giveaways and more.

Congratulations to Ron our winner of this contest!

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