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Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke- Review

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 29, 2024
Posted in Book ToursGuest Reviews  | Tagged With: ,

Waterborne by J. Luke BenneckeWaterborne by J. Luke Bennecke

Publisher: Jaytech Publishing, May 2024
Category: Medical Thriller
Tour Dates September 16-October 7, 2024
ISBN: 978-0965771597
Available in Print and ebook, 320 pages

Waterborne

Description Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke

 

Civil engineer Jake Bendel is in danger—in danger of running afoul of the Governor of California.  Jake, the project director of a multi-billion-dollar plan to solve California’s drought crisis, is spearheading a controversial, polarizing, but revolutionary desalination project.  But the project is only 3/5 complete, and time is running out on what’s hailed as a last resort in California’s battle against a brutal, decades-long drought.

Running afoul of the Governor is about to be the least of Jake’s concerns when he and his longtime friend and fellow engineer Paige Terner find themselves terrorized by a maniacal, stop-at-nothing terrorist intent on revenge—revenge and catastrophe.

Jake learns that a mysterious waterborne virus is poisoning people throughout the state—and the source of the virus is his desalination plants.  But how has this mystery virus wiggled its way into the water supply?

In a pulse quickening race against time, Jake must uncover the truth. And that means dodging bullets, confronting the ghosts of his past, weathering a mounting body count, and withstanding threats that come way too close to home.

What Jake uncovers is a secret network of vengeful terrorists with an unspeakably sinister plan. But before Jake can find a way to cure the masses, he is injected with the virus.  Against the backdrop of a ticking clock, Jake is forced to track down the leader of the terrorist group. The stakes couldn’t be higher as he navigates through layers of betrayal and manipulation.

Millions of lives hang in the balance—including Jake’s—in this standout thriller about bioterror unleashed, the brilliance of scientific pursuit, and the enduring spirit of a man who refuses to give in.

A high octane, high tech, high stakes thriller that brims with action, tantalizing twists, and a pulse-racing plot, Waterborne grabs readers from the first page—and doesn’t let go.  Arresting, imaginative, disquieting, and teeming with tension, Waterborne is unrelenting, unquestionably realistic, and unputdownable. J. Luke Bennecke’s Waterborne is a masterfully-rendered, gripping tale that will leave readers breathless.

 

Review Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke

 

“No, Dr. Bendel. I believe we’re looking at a terrorist with a heart, if such a thing exists. Bottom line: if you find the source of the infection and remove it, the outbreak will cease, the virus will stop causing damage. Period. We still must deal with what’s already been done, which right now looks like upwards of maybe several hundred thousand infected men, along with several millions of acres of crops.”

With everything going on in today’s world, it’s not hard to imagine a terrorist plot to poison a state’s water supply. In the book, ‘Waterborne,’ by J. Luke Bennecke, a group of terrorists try to do just that by kidnapping the head of a project that is supposed to change the way that the state of California deals with it’s water supply issues.

Jake Bendel is an incredibly intelligent man, but even he cannot see the terrorist plot coming as the group give him a drug that makes him forget everything that passed while he was kidnapped. Alone and groggy the next morning, Jake wakes up in his own house with no idea that there is even a problem. All he knows is that he is almost done with the water purification plants that the governor has been on top of him about for the entire project, and he is happy to move on. But, of course, that is not how things go.

This was a really thrilling story with a different hero than you might usually find in a novel of this kind.  Bennecke’s writing is both interesting and clever with a lot of gripping moments and tense plotting. I haven’t read anything else by him, but I will definitely be looking out for more in the future! This was just the kind of book that I love!

 

About J. Luke Bennecke

Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke

Multi award winning and best selling author, J. Luke Bennecke is a veteran civil engineer with a well-spent career helping people by improving Southern California roadways. He is the author of three bestselling, award-winning thrillers: Civil Terror: GridlockWaterborne, and his 2023 release Echo from a Bayou

Website: https://www.jlukebennecke.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jlukebennecke
(X) Twitter: https://x.com/jlukebennecke
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlukebennecke/

 

Buy Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke

 

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Giveaway Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke

 

This giveaway is for 1 print or 1 ebook copy and is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on October 18, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Waterborne by J. Luke Bennecke

Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on ClichesMurphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches by Keith Hirshland

Publisher: Beacon Publishing Group (October 6, 2023)
Category: Mystery
Tour dates: May 29-June 28, 2024

ISBN: 978-1961504035
Available in Print and ebook, 356 pages

Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches

Description Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches by Keith Hirshland

 

When we last left Murphy Murphy, the Department of Redundancy Department detective had just solved a mystery that revolved around the popular rock band, Serious Crisis. That success made headlines and sent Murphy’s world spinning. Acclaim followed in the form of TV network interviews, a book deal, and ultimately a call from Hollywood.

Now, back in Los Angeles our intrepid detective goes from movie set consultant to crime solving detective with one, out of the blue, phone call. The Commission on Cliches is in crisis and only Murphy Murphy can solve the case. Murder, mayhem, and a motive as old as the hills ensue as redundancies and cliches abound. Can Murphy crack the case? Only time will tell.

 

Review Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches by Keith Hirshland

 

Guest Review by Mark

“Here’s the long and short of it. The commission, which I may have mentioned I head, has discovered it’s sacred text has gone missing. I fear foul play and intend to move heaven and earth to retrieve it.”

One man, a mission and a veritable smorgasbord of cliches– ‘Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches,’ is a book that I was all in for from the start! I love a quirky mystery, and this book is about as quirky as it gets.

Murphy Murphy is a detective with a redundant name, and a hatred for all things repetitive. Although he is only one of many Murphy Murphy men in his family, he intended to end the naming madness and refrain from having any children. That is, until he met his beautiful girlfriend, Charlie Carlucci. Now he’s not so sure.

But romantic questions are the least of Murphy Murphy’s problems. Soon, he is given a case by the head of the Commission on Cliches, and this one is a doozy.

Murphy has to find a commissioner that has gone missing, along with his ‘sacred text,’ – a book of every cliché that has ever existed. While this prospect might be daunting for some, Murphy has a lot of experience finding missing people. The only thing that bothers him about the case is all of the cliches that he must endure before he can wrap it up.

This novel was like a mystery, a romance and a joke book all wrapped up into one neat little package and I couldn’t get enough! The author really nailed the execution of the funnier moments, and that is something that is definitely not easy. I can’t remember another book that has made me laugh out loud the way this one did.

If you are in search of a hilarious read, look no further!

 

About Keith Hirshland

Keith Hirshland

Award winning author, Keith Hirshland is an Emmy Award–winning sports television producer with more than three decades of experience producing shows that aired on ESPN and ESPN2. Among the first forty people to be hired by the Golf Channel in 1994.

Cover Me Boys, I’m Going In: Tales of the Tube from a Broadcast Brat is a memoir about his experiences in the television industry. It was recognized as Book talk Radio Clubs Memoir of the Year. Big Flies, his first mystery novel, was published in 2016 and is the recipient of the New Apple Awards “Solo Medalist Award. His fourth book was Murphy Murphy and the Case of Serious Crisis, published by Beacon Publishing Group in 2020. Murphy Murphy was named Book talk Radio Club Book of the Year. Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches is his sixth book.

​Hirshland lives in Colorado with his wife, Sarah, and their two dogs.

Website:  https://www.keithhirshland.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/khhauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithHirshlandAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khhauthor/?hl=en

 

Buy Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches by Keith Hirshland

 

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Giveaway Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches

 

This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies. Print is open to the U.S. only. eBook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on June26, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Commission on Cliches

Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin DarrowThe Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin Darrow

Publisher:  The Wild Rose Press (April 8, 2024)
Category: Mystery/Suspense, Murder Mystery, Female Amateur Sleuth
Tour Dates April 22-May 30, 2024
ISBN: 978-1509254194

Available in Print and ebook, 312 pages

Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth

Description Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin Darrow

 

A Buddhist nun returns to her hometown and solves multiple murders while enduring her dysfunctional family.

Ivy Lutz leaves her life as a Buddhist nun in Sri Lanka and returns home to northern California when her elderly mother suffers a stroke. Her sheltered life is blasted apart by a series of murders, which she attempts to solve with the help of a smitten detective.

She understands why someone might want to kill her stepfather, who it turns out to be is a smuggler on the run, but what about her mother? Is Ivy’s unstable sister right that she was murdered, too? Ivy struggles to live by her Buddhist principles and employ her mindfulness skills, and discovers they both hinder and help in her search for the truth.

 

Review Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin Darrow

 

Guest Review by Mark

“Minutes after my mother passed, I was back in Ivyville, the home of Ivy Lutz, the bad Buddhist.” 

What a story, and what a writer! I’ve previously read one of Verlin Darrow’s stunning novels, ‘Murder for Liar,’ last year and I was so taken with it that I gave it a five-star rating.

Going into ‘The Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth,’ I had a feeling that I was going to love it, because of my love for Darrow’s last novel. And boy was I right! Although the two novels could not be more different in terms of the story.

This novel is about a woman, Ivy Lutz, who leaves Sri Lanka where she is living as Buddhist nun to return to San Francisco to be by her mother’s bedside as the she  passes away. The beginning of this story is so touching, as we seen Ivy’s mother die, that I found myself already tearing up only a few pages in. It is not often that a writer is so talented they are able to evoke emotion like that from me so early in the story! I rarly tear up, especially from a book. Fortunately, the humor of the book took over before long, and I found myself laughing, too.

The book takes a turn that will not be unexpected to longtime fans of the amateur sleuth genre, when Ivy discovers that her sister, Jan is under the impression that their mother was actually murdered. Of course, Ivy gets backed into investigating the case herself, as, according to Jan, she has a keen observational mind. Also, Jan believes that the police are not properly investigating.

Ivy has to tangle with the police herself as she ends up needing the help of a detective named Art, who she begins to bond with.

Ivy has to decide if she is ready to find out things about her mother’s life that the woman had kept hidden, and whether or not those things may have led to her death.

 

About Verlin Darrow

 

Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin Darrow

Award-winning novelist, Verlin Darrow is currently a psychotherapist who lives with his psychotherapist wife in the woods near Monterey Bay in northern California. They diagnose each other as necessary.

He is the author of Blood and Wisdom, Coattail Karma, Prodigy Quest, and Murder For Liar. Two of these won major book awards. Verlin is a former professional volleyball player, country-western singer/songwriter, import store owner, and assistant guru in a small, benign cult.

Before bowing to the need for higher education, a much younger Verlin ran a punch press in a sheet-metal factory, drove a taxi, worked as a night janitor, shoveled asphalt on a road crew, and installed wood floors. He barely missed being blown up by Mt. St. Helens, survived the 1985 Mexico City earthquake (8.0), and (so far) he’s successfully weathered his own internal disasters.

Website:  https://www.verlindarrow.com/

 

Buy Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin Darrow

 

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Enter the Giveaway Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin Darrow

 

This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies. Print is open to the U.S. only. ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on May 31, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Follow Not Quite Enlightened Sleuth by Verlin Darrow

 

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