Review – The Last Track by Sam Hilliard @samhilliard #mystery

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I picked up The Last Track by Sam Hilliard on 10.20.14 and I am glad I did.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I was scrolling through my books to be read and came across The Last Track by Sam Hilliard. The cover and title made me curious and when I saw that we had a mystery with a paranormal twist and a young man with asthma, alone, lost in the woods, running for his life, I had to know more.

Mike Brody is a former Special Forces operative and a master tracker, with psychic abilities that enhance his tracking talents. When he learns an asthmatic, young boy is lost in the woods, maybe being chased by those who he saw commit a murder, he knew he had to find him.

Mike has his own demons, nightmares from his past that haunt him. And it is a horrid past that no child should have to go through. That is what motivates him.

A murder, sure, but a mystery that goes so far much farther than the loss of one life. I had my sites on several as the villain, but Sam Hilliard does not make it easy to commit to one or eliminate another. Danger surrounds Mike Brody and his family. Threatening phone calls, people creeping in their rooms, makes ME nervous, so why doesn’t Jessica hold her cards closer to her vest. They have traveled together, even though Jessica and Mike are separated. They still have a good relationship and a child that they love. She is an investigative reporter, with resources that will come into play, but I worry that she isn’t more careful about her person, her room, her child.

As we track the boy, the murder starts to take a backseat to the complex mystery of what is really going on in the town and who is behind it. I love that I had the villain(s) in site, but could never make up my mind if it was them or not. There are so many of them and some others that could be and could not be ruled out..until Sam made it official. I love when I say yeah, its him, no, it’s not…..

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Mike Brody, the man you want when the one you love is missing.

After an asthmatic boy witnesses a murder and goes missing in the Montana wilderness, police turn to Mike Brody, a former Special Forces operative and master tracker with psychic abilities. But as Mike and a local officer follow their elusive quarry deeper into the woods, the killer begins a hunt of his own…

Some say his gift is supernatural, others consider it a curse. To Mike Brody, it’s a penance.

From the back cover:
“A good mix of mystery and adventure, The Last Track will appeal to any thriller reader. A good yarn, not to be missed . . . highly entertaining and extremely difficult to put down.”
~John A. Dunay, Police Lieutenant (Ret. ‘06)
~Police Advisor to Department of Justice, Dinwanyah and Kurdistan, Iraq ‘08

“The Last Track, by Sam Hilliard, is full of mystery and suspense to intrigue the mind. The story captures the thrill of the chase and the fear of the unknown. What kept my interest was the struggle for that we desire most in the form of love, success, money, and complete control. This book will keep your reading lamp on in the wee hours of the night!” ~Spc Amanda Daigle, Jan-Dec 09, Kirkuk, Iraq.
~Purple Heart, Feb 09

“The Last Track is one of the best thrillers our book club has ever read. Chock full of unexpected twists and turns, this well-crafted mystery kept us guessing up until the very last page. A natural storyteller, Hilliard knows how to build suspense and create compelling characters. We can’t wait to go on another adventure with Mike Brody!” ~Revolution Reading Club

ABOUT SAM HILLIARD

For seven years Sam Hilliard served as the IT Director at an all-girls boarding school, where he learned world class drama first hand, as well as the proper role of martial arts in secondary education and the need for a very strong deadbolt on his office door.

Currently he lives at an undisclosed location in New Jersey with his wife and Cat Army. On the long dark nights, he works on the sequel to The Last Track, which despite allowing the manuscript sufficient breathing space at times, is not, in fact, writing itself. He also works at Princeton University.

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Cover Reveal – Thorns At Sunrise by Janeen Ippolito @XpressoTours @JaneenIppolito #fantasy #fairytales

Thorns at Sunrise
Janeen Ippolito
Publication date: March 23rd 2023
Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

A young queen. Her imaginary friend. A kingdom on the verge of death.

She believes she’s crazy.

Queen Usilea has a secret–and he lives in her mind. Ever since she was six years old, her imaginary friend has been her closest companion, and her arranged marriage has been a great dread. When she learns her betrothed and the royal family have suddenly died, she feels obligated to attend the funeral in the foreign land of Absteph–and perhaps learn more behind their mysterious passing.

He only wants the truth.

Petar endures great pain to protect those he does not remember. His only solace is a shadowy woman who he loves–even though she denies that he exists. When a terrible tragedy occurs in his kingdom, that mysterious woman is his only hope of bringing justice to light. For the cage that imprisons him grows harsher every day, and he is losing the fight.

But there are thorns at sunrise.

Brought together on the barest thread of reality, Usilea and Petar must discover what really happened to the royal family. But Petar’s time is running out. Soon not even a Mender like Usilea will be able to save him.

This YA romance features a gender-swapped Sleeping Beauty in an original fantasy world on the brink of doom.

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Author Bio:

Janeen Ippolito believes you should own your unique words—and make them awesome! She’s a multi-published author of bestselling fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She’s also an experienced book editor and marketing strategist, plus the CEO of Uncommon Universes Press, a publishing company with award-winning books. She hosts the podcast Own Your Unique Words, which helps gutsy fiction authors grow their businesses without burning out. In her spare time, she helps her missionary husband with his youth swordfighting ministry, indulges her foodie ambitions, reads whatever books she feels like, and explores a slew of random hobbies. Her life goals include traveling to Antarctica and riding a camel while wearing a party hat. This extrovert loves to connect, so join her on social media or at janeenippolito.com

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Giveaway – Not Me by Charlotte Stuart @dollycas @quirkymysteries

Not Me: Speluncaphobia, Secrets and Hidden Treasure
(Macavity and Me Mystery)
by Charlotte Stuart

About Not Me! 

I loved this cover soooo much, I had to share it.


Not Me: Speluncaphobia, Secrets and Hidden Treasure (Macavity and Me Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Seattle (where the protagonist lives), Vancouver BC, and a trip up the Inside Passage
Taylor and Seale Publishing (July 29, 2022)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 242 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1940224225
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1940224220
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B8187514

Aztec gold artifacts from the 16th Century, a fake treasure map, and cryptic clues leading to a cave in the Canadian wilderness—

• Feuding family members
• A suspicious death and surfeit of suspects
• A sailboat trip up the Inside Passage and . . . a stowaway cat

Two cousins get together to investigate the death of a favorite uncle and to honor his legacy by fulfilling his dream to recover Aztec gold. They are thwarted in their efforts by greedy family members, a jumble of challenging clues, a prank from the grave, and unscrupulous treasure seekers.

What begins with a letter from the deceased leads to a wilderness adventure and ends with revealed secrets and a confession.

About Charlotte Stuart

Charlotte Stuart PhD is an award-winning mystery writer who got her start in academia, left a tenured faculty position to go commercial fishing in Alaska, spent a frustrating year as a political speech writer, enjoyed time as a management consultant, and survived several years as a VP of HR and training.

Her current passion is for writing mysteries with complex characters and twisty plots. Books in her Macavity & Me Mysteries have won a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, a gold Global Ebook Award, and a Firebird Book Award for humor. Two were NYC Big Book Distinguished Favorites, one was a finalist in Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion contest, and Not Me! is currently a finalist in the Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem competition.

Charlotte lives and writes on Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest and is the past president of the Puget Sound Sisters in Crime.

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