Like the Rockford Files, you’ll love Big Shoes by Jack Getze #JackGetze

Posted on October 16, 2016 by fundinmental

Series: Austin Carr Mysteries
Paperback: 198 pages
Publisher: Down & Out Books (September 7, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1943402051
ISBN-13: 978-1943402052

MY REVIEW

I have been with Jack Getze’s Austin Carr since the beginning and if you are a fan of The Rockford Files, this stand alone series is a must read. Big Shoes is the latest edition to this rollicking good fun reading and I am very excited to share it with you.

In Big Shoes, Austin Carr is back from a ‘suggested’ vacation and I can’t help but wonder what is in store for him. I know there will never be a dull moment.

Austin Carr always seems to be dodging bullets and being drawn into dangerous situations through his relationships with the quirky, off the wall characters that come into and out of his life.

His biggest downfall is the dame and when she walks into the room, his common sense goes out the window. There is always one involved and he cannot say no to her. He is quick with words and it seems like every time he opens his mouth, he’s getting himself in deeper, pissing off those who would rather punch him than talk to him.

I love the pistol packing, Mama Bones. If organized crime were a comedy, Austin Carr and Mama Bones would be the stars. She carries a ‘bag of tricks’ and ya never know what she will pull from it.

Jack Getze’s marvelous characters and writing keep me cracking up as I weave through the mysteries. His pin-up girl would be Lucille Ball, so that gives you a hint of Jack Getze’s writing style.

If you are looking for a dark comedy mystery noir, Big Shoes and the Austin Carr series fits the bill to a T! The who, what, when, where, and why aren’t as important to me as the hilarious journey to the answers. Ya never know when the bullets will start flying, so be alert and DUCK!

I received a free copy of Big Shoes from Jack Getze.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 5 Stars

ABOUT THE BOOK

Jersey Shore broker Austin Carr wants out of the stock and bond business but un-hooking from his mobbed-up partner won’t be painless. Angelina “Mama Bones” Bonacelli is best known for professional consultations that deteriorate into criminal violence, breakfast appointments raided by the FBI and one particular Power Point presentation to a Jersey state racing commission that ended in automatic weapons fire.

Good thing she likes Austin.

She just won’t let Austin out of the business. Plus Johnny “The Turk” Korsay is on a rampage and had his crooked cops arrest Luis, the bartender Austin’s best friend. Why? Because Austin saw The Turk kill Heriberto. And now he’s gunning for the stock broker.

It’s another brush with violent death and a sexy redhead for Austin Carr when Mama Bones and her rival Jersey associate of a fading New York crime family battle for the future of imported sex slaves, boardwalk tourist business and surprising horse racing secrets, past and present.

“Big Shoes is a five-star romp.”
—Rick Bylina, best-selling author of One Promise Too Many

You can purchase BIG SHOES at the following Retailers:

TEN RANDOM THINGS BY JACK GETZE

(Spare time)

First off, I don’t allow myself a ton of spare time, not since I turned a certain age. Time isn’t catching up, it has intercepted me. The last few years, I like to write as much as I can.

I used to start every day by reading two newspapers with my coffee, a habit one learns as a news reporter. (How else could you know what’s news?) I still look at headlines, online, but I can’t take newspapers anymore. Either I’m an old fogey or the news is no longer written by impartial journalists. Maybe both are half-true. J

I watch some television at night, preferably a baseball game or a good movie, but there are a couple of regular drama shows I like. The Vikings. Ray Donovan. Homeland.

My wife and I enjoy gardening together, although lately I think she gets to pick the plants and I get to clean up. But I must admit she’s made a beautiful sanctuary out of the backyard, where she demanded “everything must bloom.” It’s a place we often survey quietly together in the morning and evening.

I like to cook a little, especially one-pot dinners and Mexican food because I can’t find any good local tacos and burritos.

I used to play a lot of golf. Back in ’84, I was a public-course club champion, a two USGA handicap. Now it takes up way too much of the day. I golfed one or two rounds last week with my number-two son — it’s great dad-son time — but I haven’t played since last year when he was in town.

I worry a lot, and though I’ve improved since I recognized how much time was involved, concern for my family, friends and the future occupy time every day. Sorry to make you part of my therapy, but this is good for me to talk about.

If you like rock and roll, give me a guitar, I can make you dance.

My wife and I enjoy dining out when we can, especially near the ocean. Last month I gobbled up a small dish of spaghetti with aged parmesan cheese and cracked black peppercorns, then a chunk of halibut over lobster risotto. My first newspaper job, I would have had to work three weeks to pay the bill. This tab I gave to my successful wife.

I spoil my pets, offering dinner scraps afterward. My wife doesn’t like it, scolds me. But I can’t help it. Those animals know how to stare at me.

Great post, Jack. Like you, I am an old fogey and proud of it. I thought I would develop more patience, but I have even less. Worries, I’m not going there. News…what’s that? The media chooses what it wants to share and I don’t think the truth matters much to them. I love eating by the water, who wouldn’t? And Mexican food…my favorite. The margaritas are on me! Cheers.

Book Nerd Spotlight

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can follow the tour HERE.

Former L.A. 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. His award-winning Austin Carr mystery series is published by Down & Out Books. The latest, BIG SHOES, won Deadly Ink’s David Award for Best Mystery of 2015. His short fiction has appeared in A Twist of Noir, Beat to a Pulp, The Big Adios and several anthologies.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
Problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Other reviews for Jack Getze:

Save

Giveaway & Excerpt: A Storm of Secrets by Shona Perrett

Posted on December 9, 2015 by fundinmental

Welcome to my tour stop for A Storm of Secrets by Shona Perrett! This is a new adult psychological thriller. The tour runs December 1-11 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

About the Book:

Special Agent Rios wakes up in an abandoned aeroplane. He finds himself on an unfamiliar island in the Bermuda Triangle, suffering from what appears to be amnesia. He must search for clues about his identity, as well as decipher the secrets of the island itself.

But will the truth be too terrifying to live with? Strangers hell-bent on murder, stranded young pilots, and signs of organized weapons trade. These things only touch the surface. What lurks in the skies above is far more sinister.
There is a strange energy high above the clouds, stewing deep within the Bermuda waters. And it grows restless. A storm is coming. A storm like no other, seeking to invade their minds. With the help of his newly acquainted team of special ops pilots, Rios must find a way to stop the storm before it destroys them…from the inside out.

Goodreads | Amazon

EXCERPT

Timothy had just about taken his first mouthful, but then hesitated. He looked at Rios and Yale who were talking, smiling. Acting ordinary. But they weren’t ordinary, were they? They were operatives.

What if they had been instructed to eliminate the group tonight? What if they had been ordered to solve the problem of the three civilians that had survived unexpectedly? Rios and Yale would have to follow orders.

Timothy flinched and dropped his fork onto his plate. Rios glanced at him, then continued to talk with Tia. Timothy looked at Yale, who got up from her seat on the kitchen bench and walked into the bathroom. What was she doing? Getting into an opportune position to strike from behind? No, surely not.

She had kept the group alive these past few days. They had become friends, hadn’t they? Friends don’t assassinate other friends. Unless they’re government operatives, maybe.

“Rios” Timothy said, not knowing what to say next, but sensing the urgency to intervene on the potentially poisoned dinner Tia and Aiden were about to consume. “You mind testing my fish for me? I’m allergic to soy.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s in the marinade.”

Rios paused for a while, flicking his eyes between Tia, Aiden and Timothy. “There’s no soy.”

“Better safe than sorry though, right? I’ll swell up like a balloon. It’s very unpleasant to behold, trust me, I’m doing you a favour.” Timothy held out his plate to Rios, opposite him at the dining table. “Be a pal, yeah?”

Rios stared at the plate, a slight frown on his face. “Alright.” He picked up his own fork and cut off a chunk.

“I didn’t know you were allergic to soy man” Aiden said.

Timothy nodded once, eyes staying on Rios. Yale was still in the bathroom. Tia leaned her head down against her palm absent-mindedly, her arm resting on the table.

“You’re good” Rios said with a side grin, chewing.

“See, no worries” Aiden said. “Now how ‘bout that whiskey I spotted in your purse Rios?”

Timothy and Rios held their stare a fraction longer, Rios pointedly swallowing the piece of fish. He smirked, which seemed in mockery of Timothy’s paranoia, then chucked a bottle of whiskey from his satchel without looking, into Aiden’s hands, who opened it and poured himself half a glass.

A flush came from the bathroom.

Timothy breathed out, realizing his mind had gotten away on him.

He had to trust them. Rios and Yale were the group’s best chance at getting off the island.

***

About the Author:

Shona Perrett is a first time author, blogger and closet poet. Her novel A Storm of Secrets is due to release November 2015. Shona studied applied writing in her home town of Whangarei, and is now looking to branch out into creative business enterprising.

Passionate about finding beauty in the dirt, she aims to write stories of redemption. Shona believes that narratives exist to teach us how to love one another. That every day, we all communicate through the medium of story, seeking out ways to connect with the world around us.

She believes they are one of the most ancient forms of creative expression and vulnerability, and are therefore a fundamental part of what it means to be human.

You can visit her at www.shonaperrett.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shona.perrett

***

GIVEAWAY:

$25 Amazon gift card (INT)

Paperback of A Storm of Secrets (INT)

Ends December 16th

Prizing is provided by the author. Must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Amazing Giveaway with Review: The Right Wrong Thing by Ellen Kirschman

Posted on November 5, 2015 by fundinmental

The Right Wrong ThingEllen Kirschman

Genre: Mystery, Crime

Published by: Oceanview Publishing

Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Number of Pages: 256

ISBN: 978-1-60809-154-6

Series: Dr. Dot Meyerhoff Mystery, 2

Purchase Links:

Add to me Goodreads now.

MY REVIEW

The Right Wrong Thing is a great title and once you read the book, you will see how appropriate it is. Ellen Kirschman does a great job with this police procedural novel that tells Randy Spelling’s story, when she does The Right Wrong Thing.

The Kenilworth Police Department needed women officers and Randy Spelling fit the bill. She gets in deep from the getgo and I can see only bad things happening for her. The game of second guessing an officers actions and reactions has begun. Does it play a part in their future actions, causing them to hesitate or jump the gun?

Dr Dot Meyerhoff is a police psychologist for the department and must get involved whenever there has been an incident.

The childish and, what I consider to be, stupid pranks by the male officers towards the new police chief, Jacqueline Reagan only show their immaturity and chauvinism. I do believe a lot of this still goes on, in light of all the “rogue” incidents we have seen since cell phones and police car cameras.

My emotions let me know they were aIive and well. I was pissed at the disrespect the officers showed to the chief. It doesn’t matter if they are male or female, black or white…it is showing respect for the position and keeping a united front for the public. How confident will we be in their actions, if they play like children in a sandbox?

When the second incident with Randy Spelling happens, all hell breaks loose. It’s really bad and reads as if it really could have happened. The biggest question for Randy, can she live with it?

This review is hard to write because of my cynicism. I am hesitant to believe the victim’s family in a situation like this because I don’t trust their motives and the victim’s innocence. The family is looking for someone to blame.,

In this case…when the cop says STOP…STOP! Why don’t people listen? How many times do we see them run, stick their hands in their pockets, start walking toward the officer…Why do people do that?

As the circus begins, it’s hard to tell who is the slimiest, the media, the lawyers…It reads as if it is nonfiction. Ellen Kirschman’s descriptions of the people, the things they said, the progression of events makes me think I have seen it all before. If the book was longer and more in depth, I think my head would have spun like the girl in The Exorcist. lol

It is awful and tragic but Randy Spelling did nothing wrong. She may not have done everything exactly right, but that is what training, rules and experience are all about. It really surprises me that it doesn’t happen more often.

The Right Wrong Thing takes a twist that adds to the tale. It is a small book, but it contains a wealth of issues, information, and characters covering what happens when…

The Right Wrong Thing by Ellen Kirschman is a thought provoking novel that stayed with me long after the reading was done.

I received The Right Wrong Thing by Ellen Kirschman in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Hesitate or Respond—Either Choice Can Lead to Disaster

Officer Randy Spelling had always wanted to be a police officer, to follow in the footsteps of her brothers and her father. Not long after joining the force, she mistakenly shoots and kills Lakeisha Gibbs, a pregnant teenager. The community is outraged; Lakeisha’s family is vocal and vicious in their attacks against Spelling. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and filled with remorse, Randy is desperate to apologize to the girl’s family. Everyone, including the police chief, warns her against this, but the young police officer will not be dissuaded. Her attempt is catastrophic. Dr. Dot Meyerhoff, police psychologist, plunges herself into the investigation despite orders from the police chief to back off. Not only does the psychologist’s refusal to obey orders jeopardize her career, but her life as well, as she enlists unlikely allies and unconventional undercover work to expose the tangled net of Officer Spelling’s disastrous course.

Praise for Ellen Kirschman & the Dot Meyerhoff Mystery Series:

“Ellen Kirschmann’s Dot Meyerhoff is the most intriguing character in contemporary fiction. Her narrations remind me of a cabbie I had in Istanbul. He drove too fast, took me down dead ends and through dangerous neighborhoods. He yelled at pedestrians and cursed at dogs. And just when I finally decided he was hopelessly lost, he delivered me safe and sound to just they place I wanted to be and left me on the sidewalk, shaking and smiling.”

—J. Michael Orenduff, award-winning author of the “Pot Thief” murder mystery series

“Ellen Kirschman is a no-nonsense writer. She manages to set the scene smartly, populate it with sharply drawn personalities, and pour the story over us without wasting a word. Her confident wit, energetic prose, and special insight into the workings of the human mind make The Right Wrong Thing an outstanding read. In this timely novel of strained community relationships, where police department psychologist Dr. Dot Meyerhoff is held hostage in a way, there’s no relief from the suspense and the exciting journey into the motivations of people on both sides of the law. But even as Dot is pushed to the limit, she’s determined to do the next right thing, no matter the cost.

—Camille Minichino, physicist and award-winning author of the Periodic Table mystery series

“[A] breathtaking first novel by an author with the writing skills of a seasoned veteran. . . . Burying Ben rings with authenticity, about real cops and a real cop therapist that everyone will enjoy.”

—Allen R. Kates, author of CopShock: Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

ABOUT ELLEN KIRSCHMAN

Ellen Kirschman, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in independent practice. She is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Society for the Study of Police and Criminal Psychology, the American Psychological Association, and the International Association of
Women in Law Enforcement. She is the recipient of the California Psychological Association’s 2014 award for distinguished contribution to psychology as well as the American Psychological Association’s 2010 award for outstanding contribution to the actice of police and public safety psychology. Ellen is the author of the award-winning I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need to Know, I Love a Fire Fighter: What the Family Needs to Know, and lead author of Counseling Cops: What Clinicians Need to Know (2013). Her debut novel, Burying Ben: A Dot Meyerhoff Mystery (2013) is about police suicide told from the perspective of the psychologist. Ellen and her husband live in Redwood City, California.

Catch Up:

Please, note, in no way does Ms Kirschman condone unjustified brutality at the hands of police. She offers insight into the other side of a possible situation. The possible outcome is very moving, and thought provoking.

Tour Participants:

WOW! An Amazing Giveaway!:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Ellen Kirschman & Oceanview Publishing. There will be 1 winner for this tour. The winner will receive 1 Oceanview Publishing Thriller each month for 1 year. This giveaway is for US residents only. The giveaway begins on November 1st, 2015 and runs through December 2nd, 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Teaser Tuesday #47 – A Killer Past by Maris Soule

Posted on August 18, 2015 by fundinmental

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of adailyrhythm.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~

A Killer Past by Maris Soule

Can we run from the past? I don’t think so.

Add me to Goodreads now.

TEASER

“He’…How to explain? ‘I think he threatened me.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me to stop checking into Mary Harrington’s background. Said if I didn’t my actions could have consequences.”

(57% on Kindle)

SYNOPSIS

When two gang members choose Mary Harrington as their target, the quiet widow has a secret to share of her own

Most people in the town of Rivershore, Michigan view Mary Harrington as a quiet widow whose only oddity is that she spends a lot of time at the gym. Her son thinks it’s time for her to move into a retirement home. Two gang members think she’ll be an easy target. No one in Rivershore knows what Mary did in her younger years—really did—but the two gang members discover they’ve underestimated their victim . . . and Mary fears reverting to old habits may have jeopardized her future.

Cover linked to Amazon. I am an affiliate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

What are you reading?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Friday 56 #48 & BB #24 – #SteveAlten and Megladon

Posted on July 31, 2015 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it..

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~~~~

I have tried to come up with a way to make things simpler for myself when it comes to choosing my next novel to share. This is what I have come up with.

I am starting with the first novel on *this* bookshelf and…

now I am on to the second novel, Meg by Steve Alten

2015-07-23 03.12.21

I have been a huge fan of Steve Alten’s for some time now. I find his creatures amazing and love having them come alive on the pages as I read each new story. I am always eager to see what he will come up with next and I think he is taking this series of novels in a direction most of us fans never saw coming.

BUT, let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

Meg by Steve Alten

Are you afraid to enter the ocean?

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY FRIDAY 56

Jim shot a quick glance over his right shoulder and saw jaws wider than a school bus snap shut, catching nothing but water. As the Meg’s torso plunged headfirst and down into the wave, the surfer cut again hard to his right, accelerating n the dark, shooting past the last place he’d seen the luminescent white monster.

(56% of a hardcover)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

The Professor:

“Imagine a great white shark, fifty to sixty feet in length, weighing close to forty thousand pounds. Can you visualize that?” Professor Jonas Taylor looked at his audience of just over six hundred and paused for effect. “I find it hard to imagine myself sometimes, but this monster did exist. Its head alone was probably as large as a Dodge Ram pickup. Its jaws could have engulfed and swallowed four grown men whole. And I haven’t even mentioned the teeth: razor-sharp, seven to nine inches long, with th e serrated edges of a stainless-steel steak knife.”

SYNOPSIS

Revised and Expanded. On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean’s deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom. The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he’s sure he saw but still can’t prove exists – Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds. Taylor spends years theorizing, lecturing, and writing about the possibility that Meg still feeds at the deepest levels of the sea. But it takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high-tech miniature sub. Diving deeper than he ever has before, Taylor will face terror like he’s never imagined. MEG is about to surface. When she does, nothing and no one is going to be safe, and Jonas must face his greatest fear once again.

I love covers!

Meg has a couple of covers for different editions.

Which one do you like the best and why?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!