Kate’s 2¢: “Black Skies” by Leo J. Maloney

“Black Skies” by Leo J. Maloney

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

There have been so many real Black Hawk helicopter mishaps, killing too many Americann lives, recently, to see any humor in the opening salvo of this story;  it’s too real.    

   The abduction of the Secretary of State presents an interesting dilemma for our heros, adding to the drama.

   I thought this story well written and demonstrated how fatigue, desperation, and frustration can lure people into doing things they would not have otherwise done.

From www.leojmaloney.com

Leo J. Maloney is an American Novelist that once served as a Black Ops Contractor. After enduring and surviving numerous missions around the world, Leo finally left the army and began using his experiences as a source of inspiration for his writing career. Leo J. Maloney is best known for the Dan Morgan books.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Black skies DB108783

Maloney, Leo J. Reading time: 9 hours, 19 minutes.

Read by John Pruden.

Spy Stories

“The Black Ops veteran and “master of the modern spy game” takes listeners inside a global conspiracy to destroy the United States in this military thriller (Mark Sullivan). First, a team of Navy SEALs wiped out in a surprise attack. Then, a motorcade of dignitaries is ambushed-and the US Secretary of State is abducted. Coordinated and flawlessly executed, this is no random act of terror. A vision of evil unprecedented in scope has been triggered . . . The enemy will not stop until the skies over America are black with death and destruction. CIA veterans Dan Morgan and Peter Conley-code names Cobra and Cougar-are America’s last chance at averting an unthinkable scenario of bloodshed . . .” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.

Downloaded: August 15, 2022

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Kate’s 2¢: “Show Me the Deadly Deer” by Carolyn Mulford

“Show Me the Deadly Deer” by Carolyn Mulford

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   I enjoyed this story, the drama, intrigue, and red herrings the author sprinkled throughout the narrative arc  to come to the murderer.  I suspect the discerning reader will spot the perp in the early chapters, though.

About Carolyn Mulford from Amazon:

Carolyn Mulford writes the Show Me mystery series. The books feature a wounded former CIA covert operative, Phoenix Smith, who returns to her hometown to recuperate and relax with a lifelong friend. In Show Me the Murder, Phoenix must adapt her spy skills to help the friend, Annalynn Carr Keyser, discover the truth about her husband’s death–and to survive. In Show Me the Deadly Deer and later books, the two women continue to risk their lives to solve and prevent other murders. Achilles, a Belgian Malinois who flunked out of K-9 training, assists them with the work and with adjusting to personal crises.

In the fifth book, Show Me the Sinister Snowman, a blizzard traps Phoenix and friends in an isolated antebellum mansion with several murder suspects. In a review on Dru’s Book Musings, award-winning book advocate Dru Ann Love said, “I enjoyed the tantalizing trails that the author planted for me in this engrossing drama of suspense and intrigue. The narrative pulled me in immediately … With masterly adept dialogue and a snowbound setting where no one can escape, this drama kept me engaged in all that was happening and entertained as step by step, the plot thickened to a frenetic tempo as the story came to a fitting conclusion. This was a terrific read.”

The first book in the series, Show Me the Murder, received the Missouri Writers’ Guild’s top award, the Walter Williams Major Work Award, in April 2014. The third book, Show Me the Gold, received the Guild’s Best Book Award in 2015.

Carolyn also writes historical fiction for tweens and teens. The Historical Novels Society’s newsletter called Thunder Beneath My Feet “a charming novel with a strong historical setting. The landscape, characters, and manners of speech all set the tone perfectly.” The story takes place during the devastating New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. The Missouri Writers’ Guild gave it third place in its 2016 Major Work contest. Carolyn’s first novel, The Feedsack Dress, became Missouri’s Great Read at the 2009 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Carolyn grew up on a farm near Kirksville, Missouri, and earned an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia. There she became fascinated by other cultures and addicted to travel. That interest led her to visit 75 countries and work as a writer and editor on four continents. Her jobs included editing a United Nations magazine in Vienna, Austria, and a national service-learning magazine in Washington, D.C. As a freelancer, she wrote hundreds of articles and five nonfiction books, edited everything from calendars to conference proceedings, and taught courses and workshops on writing and editing. In 2007 she moved back to Missouri to focus on fiction.

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From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Show Me the Deadly Deer DBC16420

Mulford, Carolyn. Reading time: 9 hours, 58 minutes.

Read by Mary Beth Broughton.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Ex-spy Phoenix Smith and sheriff Annalynn Keyser work together to solve a murder that has been set up to look like a deer murdered a Missouri farmer. Adult. Some violence and strong language.

Downloaded: September 2, 2022

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