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THE GOOD KILL – A Review by Meg Orton

If you were to have asked me as recently as a couple of months ago just before I released my latest novel what the state of the literary union was like, I would have answered most assuredly that it was in a sad and rapid state of decline.

However, after spending the past couple of months hustling daily in search of reviews for my book, I have come to realize just how vast and seemingly growing the union actually is.

I am wholly amazed and completely impressed by how active… nay, not just active, but how enthusiastically aggressive this wondrous and brightly beaming ecosystem of book readers and reviewers actually is.

And as I daily seek out new reviewers to pester with my requests by scrolling through the WordPress “book-reviews” tag, it seems that the list of reviewers that the tag calls forth is more than just a defined ecosystem of readers, it seems as if I am scrolling through an infinite universe of literary lovers of the highest order…

Literary lovers who I find, unsurprisingly, to be mostly young women.

Young women such as book enthusiast and prolific reviewer Meg Orton.

I strongly invite you to check out not just Ms. Orton’s deeply penetrating and intellectually engaging website review of my book, which I’ve reblogged here for your entertainment and instruction, but also her Instagram site where she is a popular bookstagram reviewer and photographer.

Thank you Meg, both for reviewing my book with such thoroughness and intellectual vigor, and for giving me the grateful understanding and joy that our literary future is in goods hands… and even better minds.

For the Love of Meg

BOOK REVIEW:

Title: The Good Kill

Author: Kurt Brindley

Date published: 2019

Published/printed by: Prosoche

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

{I was graciously sent this novel by the author himself in exchange for an honest review}

What is a ‘good kill’? What is so poignant to this story is making sure that you DO NOT (I repeat: DO NOT) make a clear distinction between wrong and right. Ever since I can remember I have always believed in the shades of grey that exist within, as well as outside the realm of good and evil, and in order to understand our hero, or ‘anti-hero’ we must accept that these particular characters exist. In Kurt Brindley’s novel our protagonist and our ‘anti-hero’ is Killian Lebon, a former Navy Seal whose experiences in Iraq have left him both severally injured physically and psychologically traumatized. Medically retired from the Navy Killian must now attempt to exist…

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THE GOOD KILL – A Review by Peyton Hammond

I’ve sent out many review request emails since I’ve published The Good Kill and after emailing one to Ms. Peyton Hammond the other day, I had just assumed, like most other requests, it would be a hit or miss whether it would get answered or not… mostly not as I’ve come to find out. As you can imagine if you’re an author in constant (desperate?) search of reviewers as I am, I was very surprised when I received a response from her that same day graciously informing me that she would review the book. That almost never happens. But then she surprised me again by telling me she would have the review up within a week. That never happens and I honestly, while thankful for the intent, was a bit skeptical. But I’ll be darned if she didn’t surprise me one last time by actually having the review posted within the week as advertised.

How cool is that?

Dry ice cold, that’s how cool it is.

I am a slow reader, almost as slow as I am as a writer, and I am so very envious of Peyton and others like her who posses the gift of not only being able to read a book all lickity split-like, but also being able to comprehend what has been read so quickly and then write about it in interesting ways that inform others as to why the book should or should not be read.

It truly is a gift, as it would take a month, at least, for me to read a book the size of my excessively wordy beast. And then to put a review together for it… it wouldn’t happen in a matter of days, that’s for sure.

Anyway, enough about my literary lameness and back to how very impressed I am with Peyton’s industriousness and the high quality of reviews that she so regularly posts to her well-kept, well-regarded, and interesting site, a site in which I recommend to you and all other book lovers like you most highly.

Thank you, Peyton!

Life in Books

Title: The Good Kill: A Killian Lebon Novel

Author: Kurt Brindley

Number of Pages: 404 pages

Publisher: Prosoche

Publication Date: May 1, 2019

Purchase: Amazon

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A former Navy SEAL turned vigilante hitman already in the crosshairs of corrupt Russian agents finds himself in even deeper trouble after rescuing a sex trafficking victim against her will just as she is about to be delivered into the hands of an unscrupulous corporate mogul, an impetuous and dangerous man who will not be denied his purchase. . .

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

During the battle to liberate Mosul from the brutal grip of the Islamic State, Killian Lebon, a war-weary Navy SEAL Senior Chief, sustains life-threatening injuries from an explosion during a rescue operation that goes horribly wrong.

Forced into early retirement from a vocation that for almost twenty years had been his sole purpose…

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THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME by Donald Ray Pollock – A Review

BOOK | FICTION | LITERARY
THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME
DONALD RAY POLLOCK
AUDIOBOOK
RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★★

Set in rural southern Ohio and West Virginia, The Devil All the Time follows a cast of compelling and bizarre characters from the end of World War II to the 1960s. There’s Willard Russell, tormented veteran of the carnage in the South Pacific, who can’t save his beautiful wife, Charlotte, from an agonizing death by cancer no matter how much sacrifi­cial blood he pours on his “prayer log.” There’s Carl and Sandy Henderson, a husband-and-wife team of serial kill­ers, who troll America’s highways searching for suitable models to photograph and exterminate. There’s the spider-handling preacher Roy and his crippled virtuoso-guitar-playing sidekick, Theodore, running from the law. And caught in the middle of all this is Arvin Eugene Russell, Willard and Charlotte’s orphaned son, who grows up to be a good but also violent man in his own right.

From the Book Description
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THE GOOD KILL — A Review by Imani Amour

When Imani Amour (cool name) requested a copy of my book during my summer giveaway, I first went snooping around her site before responding to see what her literary interests and writing chops were like. The first page I hit was her about page and I immediately became concerned when discovering that according to it she was still in high school. My book covers some very mature themes, many of which are potential triggers, so I thought that perhaps she wasn’t yet ready for it. However, after reading through several of her well-written and compelling posts, I realized that despite what her about page said regarding her age, she was very mature intellectually… probably more so than yours truly.

Fortunately, the arbitrary age thing was a non-issue because I learned after chatting with her that she was already in college and just hadn’t had the time yet to update her about page.

Lucky for me because I am now graced with a powerful and informative critique of my work and I would like to thank Ms. Amour for investing so much of her time and talent into it. I strongly recommend that you first, read the review of course, then continue on to read more of the many interesting pieces that she has posted to her site. You’ll be happy you did, believe me.

Now excuse me while I go and hunt me down some various typos…

The Writing Wave

download.jpgToday there’s an undertone of social injustices plaguing our world with a threatening yet taboo sense of doom that seems unspeakable by most. Discussions on suicide, PTSD and human trafficking have either seemed hushed or handled controversially…that is, until Kurt Brindley came along. His novel, The Good Kill is an emblem of progress for all those who dare rise up against the enslaving silence in our society in hopes of sparking change. Brindley harnesses these frightening topics by the reigns and skillfully tames them into a narrative where readers can discuss, comprehend and conquer these social demons. Equally riveting as it is revealing, The Good Kill exposes the love and logic behind hateful underground crimes that we witness today; it is a story about innocent youth, broken military vigilantes and even senile pastors learning how to fight for the family, friendships, “God and Country” that they believe in.

tgk-2.jpgTo list…

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THE DISTANT SOUND OF VIOLENCE by Jason Greensides — A Review

BOOK | FICTION | LITERARY
THE DISTANT SOUND OF VIOLENCE
JASON GREENSIDES
RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Do we ever escape the decisions we make when we’re fifteen?

Nathan Dawes, the loser from school, an outsider, street philosopher and member of The Grove Runners gang, needs Ryan’s help to get Stephanie to fall for him. When Ryan’s lawnmower is stolen, Nathan sees this as his chance to enlist Ryan in his plan. 

Although Ryan knows becoming friends with Nathan could lead to trouble, he reluctantly agrees to help.

Stephanie wants nothing to do with either of them. Besides, she’s more interested in the one guy in the world she really shouldn’t be.

As Nathan continues his pursuit of Stephanie, and Ryan gets mixed up with The Grove Runners, soon events overtake them all, haunting their lives for years to come.

Part coming of age, part mystery story, The Distant Sound of Violence is a heartbreaking tale of bad decisions and love gone wrong. It’s about choices that lead to violence, loss and tragedy.

Amazon Book Description
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THE LESSER DEAD by Christopher Buehlman — A Review

BOOK | FICTION | HORROR
THE LESSER DEAD
CHRISTOPHER BUEHLMAN
AUDIOBOOK
RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The secret is, vampires are real and I am one.
The secret is, I’m stealing from you what is most truly yours and I’m not sorry… 

New York City in 1978 is a dirty, dangerous place to live. And die. Joey Peacock knows this as well as anybody—he has spent the last forty years as an adolescent vampire, perfecting the routine he now enjoys: womanizing in punk clubs and discotheques, feeding by night, and sleeping by day with others of his kind in the macabre labyrinth under the city’s sidewalks.

The subways are his playground and his highway, shuttling him throughout Manhattan to bleed the unsuspecting in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park or in the backseats of Checker cabs, or even those in their own apartments who are too hypnotized by sitcoms to notice him opening their windows. It’s almost too easy.

Until one night he sees them hunting on his beloved subway. The children with the merry eyes. Vampires, like him…or not like him. Whatever they are, whatever their appearance means, the undead in the tunnels of Manhattan are not as safe as they once were.

And neither are the rest of us.

Amazon Book Description
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The Good Kill: A Killian Lebon Novel – A Review by Lee Hall

Many thanks to Lee Hall for reviewing my latest novel THE GOOD KILL. It’s such an honor and so very rewarding when someone like Lee gets your work.

You really need to learn more about Lee if you are just now being introduced to him. He is not only the creator of fine, independent literature himself, he is also one of its biggest supporters with his willingness to focus so much of his time and effort in reading and prolifically reviewing the work of so many other independent authors, authors who I am sure are just as grateful to Lee as yours truly right here is.

Lee's Hall of information

An enthralling, gripping tale of epic proportions taking the reader on a ride full of twists, turns and action…

goodk.PNG

Kurt Brindley has constructed an intricate  story that immediately immerses readers into the brutal world of organised crime,  drug and sex trafficking and a gangster underworld all of which is centered around main character Killian Lebon. This warrior and former navy seal embarks on a journey in search of answers and revenge while also dealing with a huge level of trauma. He’s a character that for all of his flaws and even dark moments you cannot help but admire and get behind.

The story unfolds gradually via a gripping and very readable style with the emphasis on Brindley’s descriptive full sentences (proper sentences, how I have longed for thee…)  with a series of stories and characters that all eventually find themselves linked later on. There are a wealth of three dimensional realistic characters…

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I’ve been got…

For years my barely read first novel INSIDE THE SKIN (formerly The Sea Trials of an Unfortunate Sailor) had been pegged at 15 meager but oh so appreciated and loved Amazon reader reviews…

about

However, as of today there are now only 7.

I mean, c’mon…

Thanks Amazon.

Sigh…

#itainteasythiswritinggig

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COCOA FIERCE & THE PANTYHOSE STRANGLER by Sean C. Wright-Neeley

1977
He drove to a secluded, leafy spot, and looked at Cocoa covertly when they stopped. She patted her blonde wig, contrasting her chocolate skin, and popped her gum, pretending not to notice him pulling out a pair of nylons. Cocoa slammed his head against the steering wheel before he could act. He was out cold. Cocoa handcuffed him to the steering wheel. Vice arrested The Pantyhose Strangler. However, his car remains where he intended to assault and kill his fourth prostitute.

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There’s a story here somewhere…

This abandoned car is oh, I don’t know, maybe a half mile or so from my humble yet lovely abode and it’s been parked right there for as long as I’ve lived in my said humble yet lovely abode, which has been oh, I don’t know, maybe eighteen years or so.

Every time I pass the beautiful, wabi-sabi of a relic on one of my walks, I always think to myself, I bet there’s a heck of story to go along with that thing…

And I also always tell myself that one of these days Ima gonna write my own story about it.

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