My Buy Essay

The Crack in the Teacup, by C.M. Albrecht, is a mystery fiction novel with a slight seasoning of romance and suspense to spice things up. The story line is centered in a small Californian town where an 11-year-old boy, Jerry Beakey, goes missing on his way to a music lesson. Author C.M. Albrecht skillfully walks the reader through every aspect of the case and what happens in police departments, support centers and within the family of the missing person.

There are two main characters in The Crack in the Teacup. Detective Steve Music and his co-workers butt-heads with the FBI while working on the case. Lovely, and sympathetic, Shelly Lambert guards an awful secret and harbors a guilt that drives her to volunteer at the Missing and Exploited Children Coalition whenever she could get away from her job as a Notary.

Whenever Detective Music and Shelly meet during the investigation, something deeper between them happens. Neither of them seems to know what to do about it. Steve discovers Shelly’s secret when he looks into her past and creates a huge rift between them that could destroy their romance.

A classic who-dun-it written in the Agatha Christi style with a very unusual motive for child kidnapping. I suspected nearly everyone involved at some point in the book and I liked that the characters represented true society, with people of different races, ideals and backgrounds. The Crack in the Teacup has very little violence, but a lot of mystery and a happy ending.

ISBN#: 1-59466-037-9

Author: C. M. Albrecht

Publisher: Port Town Publishing

Excellent! The best children book of this genre that I have had the pleasure to review!

A Monster Named Criney Who Makes Kids Whiney by Heather Zuckerman can be classified as a juvenile fiction geared for children aged between three and seven. Mood-setting bright color full pages greet the reader upon opening the durable cover. Superb use of rhythmic cadence and clever design entices the reader to use voice characterization and promotes interaction with the readers. Because of these traits, this book would work wonderfully when read aloud to a group of children.

Whenever Criney stops near a home to rest his weary feet, the children inside become upset and whine. The story has Criney ‘visit’ several homes before a solution is found. I think it will help children realize how silly and useless their whining and pouting is. The book goes one step further by teaching children a tool to conquer those awful feelings and change their emotions through laughter. Laughter IS the best medicine after all!

Light-hearted and warm &ndash this book really had me grinning! This could be incorporated as an excellent tool that uses humor to aid parents, educators and anyone else in fields working with younger children, against the nerve-grating whining and anger that all children experience.”

ISBN#: 0974430706

Author: Heather Zuckerman

Illustrations: Shelly Meridith Delice

Publisher: Merry Lane Press

The dedication in this book is a work of poetry in itself. I had a distinct recollection of ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’ when reading this book, but this story has some very unique twists and turns. The characters seemed very real to me &ndash I live in a small town and we are just like that!

Here, we are shown the psychological cycle of the victim of domestic violence (Alison) and her growing awareness that some things can change for the better, trust can be had and given, and faith in inner strength can grow.

Like many who crawl out of hellish conditions, Alison did not do it on her strength alone, but through a few strong, giving individuals who contributed a gesture or a friendship along the way. Yet, most healing of all is to find a new, healthy love and good, solid relationships with others &ndash a most difficult thing for victims of abuse to do. If it was the author’s intent to use the main character to bring depth and understanding into what people go through in situations like these, then she accomplished this goal admirably!

Readers are shown how being rich, good looking and well-educated &ndash having all the benefits one could desire - cannot lead to happiness. Mr. Bruce Cockburn says it best in a song of his which says ‘though chains be of gold, they are chains just the same’.

Amey Tippett has accomplished a work of art with this book. I really felt like I was right there watching the children play during the festivals and feeling the pain and fright of impending danger, and endured the hellish nightmares along with Alison.

This was a fantastic read and I would not hesitate to recommend Alison’s Journey.

ISBN#: 1413740073

Author: Amey Tippett

Publisher: Publish America

Alan Heywood writes a stimulating, though sometimes improbable, adventure novel in Amapola. What I mean by this is that the characters are seemingly very lucky or were simply at the right place, at the right time. Yet, other scenes are somewhat reminiscent of a James Bond movie. I liked the humor Alan dabbled throughout the novel and admired the strong female characters. This book certainly has a heavy slant towards the importance of friendships and a pro-Canada theme &ndash which I loved.

George Magee, a retired Major, was never able to forget Sakai, a Costa-Rican woman, who despite the number of years that separated them easily stole his heart. He thought that he was doing the right thing by leaving the young beauty, but the torment in his heart was not eased by the passage of time.

Now retired, he fills his days with an import-export business that requires him to return to Mexico periodically to deal with his customers. His emotional void is filled by his Sister’s family &ndash since he does not have one of his own. Sadly, members of a drug cartel heartlessly murder his brother-in-law and young niece, and George is filled with seething anger.

When the Canadian government requests George to assist their war on Mexican drugs by using his business as a cover, he jumps at the chance to strike out in revenge. Fueled by his anger and his hopes of reconciling with Sakai, George is taken on a thrilling adventure in and out of the drug trade.

ISBN#: 101894942130 or 13678189492137

Author: Alan Heywood

Publisher: Zumaya Publications

This very fun, exciting, fast-paced, warm novella - Bob the Dragon Slayer by Harry E. Gilleland Jr. &ndash was a great afternoon read. In only 99 pages, this poet and author takes readers on a glorious adventure.

Bob, an orphaned peasant lad witnesses a dragon destroying an entire village and dreams of becoming a knight. Within a short time Bob is presented with a historically important magical sword by a strange wizard named Stephen. The trouble is that no one else can see the wizard who only appears when people are not around. This does not damper the doubt in the minds of those around the ambitious peasant boy.

Bob’s fierce, but chance victories with dragons build respect from the people throughout the land. Soon it is discovered that Bob has royal lineage &ndash in fact the brave peasant dragon-slayer that had once desired to be a knight above all else, is actually the rightful King. Bob becomes the only hope of uniting the people of his land against an evil King bent on conquering and destruction.

Saving the kingdom with the help of his mighty sword, a meddling wizard and loyal friends takes the young man on adventures he had never dreamed of before. Far beyond involving dragons, damsels in distress, civil war and romance, he also had to think his way around of legal obstacles along the way and politics between peoples.

This is an excellent book for anyone over the age of 10. ”

ISBN#: 1411633156

Author: Harry E. Gilleland, Jr.

Publisher: Lulu Press

Author of two books and many short stories, J.P. Ransom is busily writing a series of books called Colla’d Greens and two more upcoming books including a sequel to Born Evil.

Born Evil is a compact, 150-page book that is printed on acid-free paper &ndash which may be of interest to the environmentally conscious consumer. I would categorize this book as a chilling horror, which involves an infant that is born evil. Traumatized by early experiences, only compounds Jonathan’s natural inclination &ndash a cruel desire to cause harm. Unprepared for a disturbed child, his adopted parents are continually wallowing in deep pits of overwhelming uncertainty. Rick suspects the truth, but Trish finds it very hard to imagine or even accept that little Jonathon is capable of such hateful acts.

I think the book makes a good point that some people are simply born with a desire to do harm, with no abusive situation to attribute these urges to. Readers are also shown how these urges can easily be encouraged through socially acceptable entertainment and through being witness to violent acts.

While reading Born Evil, I experienced a wide range of emotions from anger to sorrow and shock. The conclusion was exceptional and I look forward to J.P. Ransom’s sequel.

ISBN#: 1410788520

Author: J.P. Ransom

Publisher: Author House

Be careful what you wish for! Birthday wishes may just be a little more powerful than we give them credit for…

Caleb’s Birthday Wish is a wonderful tale about holding on to one’s dream despite whatever we might see as obstacles. Written by David Villanueva jr. and illustrated by Edmundo Sanchez, Caleb’s Birthday Wish brings us a wonderful, freckle-faced 8-year-old boy in a wheelchair that wanted very much to fly. Caleb goes on a fun and exciting balloon trip where he is briefly caught in a tree, had a slight alligator scare, enjoyed a chimpanzee race, met a sneezing giraffe and had a close call with a zooming jet. Finally, aided by friendly ducks (and his powerful birthday wish) Caleb finds his way back to the birthday party that is still going strong in his back yard.

The last few pages are well designed for this age group with a maze, seek and count games and a word search. 40-pages are filled with a light-humor and the main character has a cheerful and dream-filled disposition. His faithful dog, Ozzy, is there with him throughout the tale &ndash with the exception of the flight itself.

I can say with honesty, that I enjoyed reviewing this book…

ISBN#: 0-9771971-8-2

Author: David Villanueva jr.

Illustrator: Edmundo Sanchez

Publisher: A Better Be Write Publisher

Jocelyn has an excellent knowledge and understanding of the writing craft. The author interweaves multiple, strong, leading characters and two completely different time frames masterfully. Crest of Eagles reminds me of some of the great works of Wilbur Smith. This book certainly ranks with some of the best that I have reviewed to date and I would not hesitate to give Crest of Eagles the highest rating available.

Mandhla is taken prisoner by terrorists during an attack of a mission run by white people with generous hearts for children who had no one to turn to. Everyone was mercilessly killed except those who could not be turned into soldiers or whores.

Peter Kennedy, leader of the top military team, set out to save the children, but in fouling the job, Peter earned the revenge of one very mixed-up boy. Kuru joins Peter in the war against the terrorists with the hope of saving his brother &ndash never dreaming that when he did meet Mandhla again, it would be as enemies.

Ancient tribal religion works its way into present day. The lives of Tcana, a high priestess, and Rebecca, a bombshell journalist, are connected in some kind of cosmic manor - though they live centuries apart.

Romance, adventure, suspense, ancient tribal history and modern day action &ndash this book has it all! Crest of Eagles is destined to be one of the most dog-eared fiction books in my collection.

ISBN#: 0976773252

Author: Jocelyn Howe

Publisher: A Better Be Write Publisher

Now this could definitely be a movie! Dark Autumn is fantastic action-packed futuristic thriller that had me riveted for days. The energy was kept very high throughout the book. Occasionally Clint Dunshee’s characters performed seemingly super-human tasks, similar to James Bond or Dirk Pitt. However, the reader is also shown their flaws and the strength of intimate friendships &ndash bonds that are so deep they are willing to risk their lives for them. The abilities of these characters are made more believable because of the incredibly difficult training scenarios the author leads the reader through.

The theme is set in the future when space travel and space science is a part of life. Earth is contacted from another planet when one of the science probes is picked up by alien humans. As it turns out Earth is only one of hundreds of planets with intelligent life, only some were human. Many planets in the universe helped bring Earth’s technology up to par in exchange for the planet’s rich agriculture and minerals. Most planets worked on a good trade relation in relative peace, but the trouble-making Marvonians were on the edge of acceptance. This planet took it upon themselves to steal from Earth and attack their ships within a few light years of Marvon.

The main characters of the book, Alan, Bill, Carrie, Julie and Angela are all highly intelligent youth that are singled out for highly trained positions. Despite their youth and inexperience, they were considered Earth’s only chance to avoid a war with a technologically superior race. Bounty hunters and sabotage plays a part in a deadly scavenger hunt while plans are laid to rescue the hostages held by Marvonians. Earth has a chance to destroy their image of being a young planet and elevate into more sophisticated, honorable one that the other planets can respect and hold trade with more readily.

In order to do this, Earth must play the game carefully and honorably - at the same time the team must eliminate the dangerous problems with Marvon and free the Earthling prisoners before it is too late.

I believe this book deserves the highest ratings and I would recommend it to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Publisher: Publish America, Inc.

ISBN#: 1413750923

When I first read the basic theme of the book, I thought seemed far-fetched. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In fact, the last 30 pages were so spell-binding everything else in my life had to wait until I finished the book. Author Margaret Lenois takes on a difficult task with this serial killer story line. Deadly Duplicates is a fiction novel about super-natural identical Siamese twins that would fit in with the genres of suspense and psychological thriller.

Separated Siamese twins Deborah and Doreen Price were the subjects of gossip for hospital staff from the moment they were born &ndash and it was not being identical or their scars that set them apart. As young children, their mother’s mind snapped after several frightening and horrifying events including witnessing her own parents being burning alive in her childhood home. Yet she must rein over her self-imposed comatose state in time to save her girls.

Has their mother been absent so long that she cannot make a difference? Can the love of two detectives &ndash the very men who adore them at home, but investigate the murders by day - save them? Read the book and find out!

ISBN#: 0976773244

Author: Margaret LeNois

Publisher: A Better Be Write Publisher