Tag Archives: new jersey

One Sentence Review – Smash Smash Smash by Philip Fairbanks @kafkaguy #truecrime

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Smash, Smash, Smash: The True Story Of Kai The Hitchhiker by Philip Fairbanks was an immersion into the corruption running rampant in New Jersey and, even though we hear Kai’s story, it almost takes a backseat as the details unfold with the haves and have nots, where justice does not always prevail and sometimes it’s more about money and who you know.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

“That woman was in danger, so I ran up behind him with a hatchet… Smash, smash, SUH-MASH!!!”
Millions of people heard these words and shared the viral video with their friends. This mysterious surfing hitchhiker then vanished as quickly as he appeared, only to reappear on many late night talk shows and fan videos. But 3 months later, he was arrested and charged with killing a prominent New Jersey lawyer… in self defense against a sex assault.
Who is this mysterious hitchhiker? What was with that lawyer who drugged and assaulted him? Why would the investigators destroy evidence, tamper with witnesses, and shut the public out of the trial?
For almost a decade, the public was kept in the until investigative journalist Philip Fairbanks searched for the truth in mountains of government records, witness statements, and hard evidence. At long last, he found the answers to these burning, aching questions…
And they will surprise you.

  • Genre: True Crime
  • 454 pages, Hardcover
  • Published February 6, 2023 by Is It Wet Yet Press

ABOUT PHILIP FAIRBANKS

Philip Fairbanks is a writer with 20 years publishing experience covering entertainment media, news reporting. His work has appeared in the peer-reviewed journal of art Afterimage, CUNY’s graduate newspaper The Advocate, Ghettoblaster magazine, New Noise magazine and several other print and online publications. He has spent years researching and covering online child grooming, the Jeffrey Epstein case, MK-Ultra, the Finders cult and several other topics that are discussed in the Pedogate Primer.

Website / Twitter

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Giveaway – Knitmare On Beech Street by Peggy Ehrhart @dollycas

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Knitmare on Beech Street (A Knit & Nibble Mystery)
by Peggy Ehrhart

About Knitmare on Beech Street


Knitmare on Beech Street (A Knit & Nibble Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
10th in Series 
Setting – Charming fictional town of Arborville, in northern New Jersey
Kensington Cozies (November 28, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496738861
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496738868
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BZBM8P55

Knit and Nibble member Pamela Paterson, and her best friend, Bettina, stumble on a body in a once grand Victorian house when they join a group welcoming new residents to Arborville—and must figure out if old secrets killed the new neighbor . . .

When Pamela, Bettina, and their friends show up at the Voorhees House to greet its new owner, they’re met with a most unwelcome sight: a dead body on the kitchen floor. Tassie Hunt just inherited the old Victorian, which had been occupied by a reclusive widow for many years and had a reputation for being haunted. But Tassie would have been unlikely to be spooked since her career involved debunking such paranormal phenomena.

Her demise sets off a new flurry of gossip and ghostly speculation in the New Jersey town, of course—and it’s tempting to think spirits were indeed involved considering there’s zero evidence so far of foul play. A nosy neighbor reports strange lights and sounds, and a man obsessed with the Victorian era starts photographing the place from the street. But it won’t take long before Pamela and Bettina are moving in on a killer . . .

Excerpt 

Pamela led the way down the steps, down the narrow concrete path, and along the sidewalk, until they reached another concrete path. From this path, steps led up to another porch, smaller and with a plainer railing, onto which the back door opened.

Saying “I’ll try again,” Marlene hefted the gift basket and headed up the steps. As she pressed the doorbell, the rest of the group joined her on the porch one by one.

Marlene turned away after a few minutes and much enthusiastic pressing of the doorbell. “No answer,” she murmured. “And I was sure ANGWY was clear about the date and time.”

She shrugged, edged past the others, and started down the steps. Bettina, however, stepped closer to the door and tipped her head to peer at the doorframe. “I’m not sure it’s closed all the way,” she said and gave the

door a tentative push.

The door swung open easily. After a shrug and a glance at the other women, Bettina raised a stylishly shod foot and stepped over the threshold.

“Tassie?” Her voice rang out with a cheerful lilt. “Hello? It’s the ANGWY committee.”

She disappeared inside, but a moment later she was back in the doorway. Her cheer had vanished, leaving her face a wan canvas that made her careful makeup appear garish.

Ignoring her heart’s sudden lurch, Pamela took a few quick steps and joined her friend in the doorway. Bettina backed up against the door, anchoring it in a fully open position, and Pamela slipped past her into the kitchen.

A woman lay sprawled on the ancient linoleum, a slender blonde woman wearing a light cotton robe printed with small flowers in shades of blue and lilac . . .

About Peggy Ehrhart

Peggy Ehrhart is a former English professor with a doctorate in Medieval Literature. Her Maxx Maxwell mysteries, Sweet Man Is Gone(2008) and Got No Friend Anyhow (2011), were published by Five Star/Gale/Cengage and feature a blues-singer sleuth.

Peggy is currently writing the Knit & Nibble mysteries for Kensington Books. Her amateur sleuth, Pamela Paterson, is the founder and mainstay of the Arborville, New Jersey, knitting club, nicknamed Knit and Nibble. Knitmare on Beech Street is book #10 in the series. Peggy herself is an avid crafter, dating from her childhood as a member of the 4-H Club in rural Southern California.

Peggy is a longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She regularly attends mystery-writing conferences and participates in conference panels. She also gives talks on mystery fiction at libraries and other venues in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Author Links

Purchase Links – Amazon – Barnes & Noble     Bookshop.org      Kobo

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The Spotlight Is On The Psychologist’s Shadow by Laury A Egan @ireadbooktours @EganLaury

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Book Details:

Book Title:  The Psychologist’s Shadow by Laury A. Egan
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 336 pages
Genre:  Psychological Suspense
Publisher:  Enigma Books, imprint of Spectrum Books, UK
Release date:   Nov 18, 2023
Content Rating:  PG-13. One scene of violence, no sexual scene
“…a ‘I-read-it-in-two-days’ book. Egan creates a gifted analyst and gripping case studies of her clients, one of whom is a disturbed admirer. The novel delivers chills in a highly sophisticated, wise, and ultimately poignant psychodrama.”—Karla Linn Merrifield, author of Psyche’s Scroll
Click Here to Read Book Excerpt
Book Description:

In October 1992, Dr. Ellen Haskell begins a new therapy practice in Princeton after a tragic error with a former client. Demoralized by her failure, Ellen strives to restore her emotional and professional confidence. Her parents have departed for Greece, leaving Ellen alone in their secluded country house. As the reader is introduced to her roster of clients through their individual sessions, Ellen becomes unnerved when she receives hang-up phone calls and a series of bizarre gifts from an anonymous admirer—at first at her office and then at home. As the obsessive lover increasingly invades her life, Ellen’s anxiety crescendos and she begins to fear the stalker’s behavior will escalate into violence.

The Psychologist’s Shadow is a portrait of a compassionate, introspective therapist who finds herself in a dangerous struggle with an unknown stalker. The novel is a simmering literary suspense, one in which tension accumulates as the reader gains insights during sessions with clients—one of whom may be the psychologist’s shadow—and through the stalker’s journal entries, which serve as a discordant counterpoint.
Buy the Book:
Amazon 
add to Goodreads

Also available at all other fine bookstores!

Meet the Author:

Laury A. Egan is the author of eleven novels, The Firefly; Once, Upon an Island; Wave in D Minor; Turnabout; Doublecrossed; The Swimmer; The Ungodly Hour; A Bittersweet Tale; Fabulous! An Opera Buffa; The Outcast Oracle; and Jenny Kidd; in addition to a collection, Fog and Other Stories. Four limited-edition poetry volumes have been published: Snow, Shadows, a Stranger; Beneath the Lion’s Paw; The Sea & Beyond” and Presence & Absence.”She lives on the northern coast of New Jersey.

connect with author: website ~ X/twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads



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    • Spotlight on Murder in the Neighborhood by Ellen J Green @EJGreenBooks @pumpupyourbook

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    .

    MY REVIEW

    As soon as I saw the tagline, ‘The true story of America’s first recorded mass shooting,’ I had to read it.

    September 6, 1949.

    Non fiction. Historical fiction. Camden, New Jersey. Twelve minutes. Thirteen dead. A missing gate.

    Howard Unruh. He had been bullied his entire life. He was a war veteran.

    Ellen J Green used all the available tools of research that were available, putting them into an easy to read and follow story. I like the way it was written.

    Murder in the Neighborhood shows has far reaching a tragedy like this is and the fallout for those left standing.

    Mass shootings seems to me to be a uniquely American phenomenon. There is no blanket solution to the problem, no easy way to predict who will do what when, but judging by current events…

    I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Murder In The Neighborhood by Ellen J Green.

    Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
    4 Stars

    Murder in the Neighborhood—the story of the first mass shooting in the US
    Ellen J. Green

    Genre: True Crime
    Publisher: Thread Books, Hachette UK
    Date of Publication: 4/28/2022
    ISBN13: 9781909770706
    Number of pages: 324
    Word Count: 85k
    Cover Artist: Thread books

    Book Description: 

    On 6 September 1949, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in less than twelve minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey. The shocking true story of the first recorded mass shooting in America has never been told, until now.

    The sky was cloudless that morning when twelve-year-old Raymond Havens left his home on River Road. His grandmother had sent him to get a haircut at the barbershop across the street—where he was about to witness his neighbor and friend Howard open fire on the customers inside.

    Told through the eyes of young Raymond, who had visited Howard regularly to listen to his war stories, and the mother trying to piece together the disturbing inner workings of her son’s mind, Murder in the Neighborhood uncovers the chilling true story of Howard Unruh, the quiet loner who meticulously plotted his revenge on the neighbors who shunned him and became one of America’s first mass killers.

    Amazon     Audible     AppleBooks


    Excerpt:

    That September morning started much like any other. Camden, New Jersey, the sparkling little sister of Philadelphia, connected by the high arches of the Delaware River Bridge, was waking up to heat nearing the mid-seventies—by nine o’clock the humidity was sitting high above the city, waiting to descend.

    Cramer Hill, a small section of Camden, bound by the Delaware River to the west, the Pavonia Train Yard to the east, State Street to the south and 36th Street to the north—a grid of streets twenty-four blocks long, and about five or six blocks wide contained within—was about to draw the focus of the world but nobody knew it, not that morning at nine o’clock.

    River Road cut a swath through Cramer Hill where open-bay trucks rumbled through all day long, overloaded with tomatoes headed for the Campbell’s soup factory a few miles away. The clearly visible cargo was only held in place by wire mesh caging along the sides. The loud engine sounds called to children to get out of the street, to stand and watch, waiting for a tomato to break loose and fall into their small hands. They were often rewarded when a bump in the road threw a few of the greenish-red fruits into the street.

    The smells of the river wafting in, the sounds of the boats, the hint of tomatoes cooking at Campbell’s, the smoke from the stacks of Eavenson and Sons soap factory a mile away—it was all there. But mostly it was the shoemaker’s pungent aroma of tannery oils, the lingering, savory fragrance from Latela’s Italian luncheonette on the corner, the endless din of Engel’s bar across the street, and the music that poured out of its doors after the sun went down that filled every home.

    Five businesses shared one side of the small block—a cacophonic mix of a pharmacy, a barbershop, a cobbler, a tailor and a café. The other side only had two: a grocery and a bar. Most of the owners lived there, nestled in their small apartments above their establishments. They all knew each other well enough on that small stretch of River Road. Enough to pull a chair out onto the sidewalk on summer nights for a chat. Enough to get a drink at Engel’s now and again. Enough to keep an eye on things and on each other. But not one of them saw it coming. Not the Pilarchiks, the Hoovers, the Hamiltons, the Zegrinos or the Cohens. They’d safely shared that space together for years, but not one of them was spared. 

    About the Author:

    Ellen J. Green is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Ava Saunders novels (Absolution and Twist of Faith) and The Book of James. She attended Temple University in Philadelphia, where she earned her degrees in psychology, and has worked in the psychiatric ward of a maximum-security correctional facility for fifteen years. She also holds an MFA degree in creative writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Born and raised in Upstate New York, Ms. Green now lives in southern New Jersey with her two children.

    Website https://ellenjgreen.com/

    Twitter https://twitter.com/ejgreenbooks

    Amazon Page https://amzn.to/3Hnikh2

    Newsletter Sign Up https://ellenjgreen.com/newsletter/  






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    • Another hilarious adventure with Austin Carr in Big Mojo by Jack Getze

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    Jack Getze’s novel, Big Mojo, sent  me off on another wacky adventure with Austin Carr. Austin seems to be a bit too trusting and he will pay for his naivety. Jack Getz will keep you on your toes with this Rockfordesque story and his slightly (lol) dysfunctional cast of characters.

    I have read some of Jack Getze’s work (see below) and enjoyed it so much, I eagerly look forward to the next adventure.

    The covers are gorgeous, the colors leaping off the page. What do you think of them?

    Add me to Goodreads now.

    Big Mojo by Jack Getze

    Down & Out Books

    Cover:  J J Lindroos

    MY REVIEW

    I love the Austin Carr book series and Big Mojo is Jack Getze’s latest. The covers are gorgeous and each novel can stand alone. His novels make me think of Janet Evanovich and I love the fun and witty writing with quirky characters and snarky dialogue.

    I am asking you, ” Are you ready for a good time?”

    Austin Carr has an ability to find trouble, so buckle your seatbelt because it will be a bumpy ride.

    Austin’s business is in New Jersey securities and with his penchant for redheads who walk on the wild side, I don’t see much good coming from his meeting with Patricia Willis. He has a tendency to think with his “small brain”. He’s a good guy that bad things happen to, no matter how hard he tries to do the right thing.

    Austin is no stranger to Mama Bones Bonacelli and he knows better than to cross her. She is not like any Mama I’ve every known.

    Vic, Mama’s son is an idiot.  He wants revenge on Austin, but she won’t do it. She knows he doesn’t deserve it. Mama finally relents and agrees to a magic spell instead of a hit.

    The mention of a second kitchen in the home makes me think of my best friend’s family, not to mention a house I owned  in New York. It is quite common for Italian families to have a second kitchen in their basement.

    I laughed my way through the beatings, double crosses, triple crosses, magic potions, insider trading,  and shootings.

    Austin parks his home in his buddie’s, Luis’ parking lot of his Mexican restaurant. It brings back memories of Jim Rockford on the Rockford Files TV show and his less than savory friends and acquaintances. He has an ability to defy the odds, whether it is a beating or a shooting.

    So many suspects and so much action, along with all the convoluted happenings and characters, will have you wondering what will happen next and who will be doing what to who. So, pour yourself a cocktail, put up your feet and enjoy Jack Getzke’s latest hilarious adventure with Austin Carr.

    I received Big Mojo by Jack Getze in return for an honest and unbiased review.

    Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos   5 Stars

    ABOUT JACK GETZE

    headshotFormer Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Getze is Fiction Editor for Anthony nominated Spinetingler Magazine, one of the internet’s oldest websites for noir, crime, and horror short stories. Through the Los Angeles Times/Washington Post News Syndicate, his news and feature stories were published in over five-hundred newspapers and periodicals worldwide. His two screwball mysteries, BIG NUMBERS and BIG MONEY, are being reissued by DOWN & OUT BOOKS, with the new BIG MOJO to follow. His short stories have appeared in A Twist of Noir and Beat to a Pulp. Getze is an Active Member of Mystery Writers of America’s New York Chapter.

    Author Links:  Blog  /  Website  /  Goodreads

    My review for Big Numbers by Jack Getz

    My review for Big Money by Jack Getz

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