Jeff Bailey Reviews Kez St. George's Metal Mermaid

 

                

The Metal Mermaid by Kez Wickhan St. George was a read worth the time. It was a memoir of an epic trip up the coast of Australia and across the North Island of New Zealand. A journey of the spirit as well as a description of the wonders of these lands. Kez tells it all from the loss of a husband (not overtold or overwrought) in the middle of the trek to the final sea cruise home. Metal Mermaid reminded me of the American book: Zen, And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: A walk-around of growth and meditation. I’ve never been to Australia, but I was enthralled with the richness of the descriptions. I even got out a map if Australia and traced the route as best I could. For me, Metal Mermaid was superb, five stars.

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The Second Law (L.A. Starks) The Back Story

 

One of the aspects of being an author that I particularly like is meeting all the interesting people that I do. L.A. Starks is one of the real delights. Recently, she told me where the inspiration for her novel, The Second Law came from.

In her own words, "I lived in New Orleans four years, a scholarship chemical engineering student (Tulane University) easily distracted by the all-senses lure of the French Quarter. Indeed, one summer I worked for The Hungry Artist Studio, selling the eponymous artist’s sketches and watercolors to French Quarter tourists. Happily, for my “research notes,” aka experience, the studio was located on Bourbon Street. My New Orleans and Louisiana familiarity form the backstory for many scenes in The Second Law."

It seems that we lived in the New Orleans area (I lived in a suburb called La Place) and frequented the French Quarter at the same time. She said that she sold the art to the tourists by standing outside the art studio effectively selling on the sidewalk. Well, I spent some time virtually every weekend at the French quarter, mostly walking the streets and eating in the restaurants. As I reread The Second Law, I wondered how many times I passed L.A. Starks on the street in front of the art studio, how many times see looked at me. Knowing The Back Story made the book so much more personal for me.

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Jeff Bailey Reviews Janet Kravetz's Sky Curse: The Chosen Five

 

Janet Kravetz’s new book, Sky Curse, is an epic in the George Orwell, 1984 genre, on steroids. In 1984, the government put cameras and microphones in all spaces occupied by people: the ultimate surveillance? Hardly. Sky Curse: The Chosen Five brings the idea into a frightening prediction of our future. Everyone’s brain is connected via WiFi to everyone else’s brain and to all existing computers. Couple this with Kravetz’s character Cecilia and her sister Malee's dystopian adventures and we have a scary read. Now, Cecilia and Malee are on a quest to save the dying earth. What could go wrong? How weird can it get? Isaac Asimov would love the ‘I, Robot’ aspect of this adventure. Sky Curse was quite the epic, debut novel. Excellent.   #JeffBailey

For more on Janet Kravetz, go to her Home Page or follow him on LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Amazon, and GoodReads.

For more information on Jeff Bailey, go to his Home Page or follow him on Amazon, GoodReads, FaceBook, or his LinkedIn Blog.

Adam Sikes Reviews Jeff Bailey's Not On My Watch

 

Not on My Watch is a worthy read. Jeff Bailey has taken a catastrophic scenario and developed a plausible story that will keep you turning the pages. But what I appreciated most was that the protagonist was not superhuman--although tough and quick on her feet, she also had fears, doubts, and made mistakes. She's the kind of character who you might have met once, know as a friend, or have in your own family. Well done, Jeff.

For more on Adam Sikes, go to his Home Page or follow him on LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, Amazon, and GoodReads.

For more information on Jeff Bailey, go to his Home Page or follow him on Amazon, GoodReads, FaceBook, or his LinkedIn Blog.

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CJ McKivvik's Review of The Defect

 

The Defect is an intriguing novel about a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility. The premise is somewhat frightening if it really happens (or perhaps it hasn’t happened but has come close?) I don’t want to give too much away, but as you read the novel you get more and more convinced that a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility really could happen even if security precautions are many. Jeff Bailey has written this novel that keeps you reading, and as it is based on his in-depth experience of working in a nuclear power facility we are under no illusions about the factual basis of the storyline. This is an obvious strength to the book, but it is also a bit of a weakness.

I say that because, as much as I tried, at times I got lost in the technical details, and wondered if all the detail was necessary. It’s a tricky balance to get right, and I think Jeff has gone to far to the technical side. Interesting all the same. It slows the pace of the novel, but obviously important.

That said, I think the story would be better told as a film. The need-to-know technical material and the relevant back stories can be communicated in some tight narrative – as in Save The Cat (the Pope in the Pool technique). That strips the storyline down into its key elements. A screenplay will challenge Jeff Bailey (should he choose to write it), to bring the duller technical elements to life, which I believe he can do .

To me, the most interesting and engaging part of the book was at the end, which almost seemed like a post-script. Again, I don’t want to give it away, you’ll need to read the book yourself.

If you like reading books that make you think, and you see the plausibility of fiction in the non-fiction world, then a story has done its job. You should read this story.

For more information on CJ McKivvik, go to his Home Page or follow him on Twitter,  InstaGram, Amazon,  GoodReads.com.

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Jeff Bailey Reviews L.A. Starks The Second Law

 

            I just finished reading THE SECOND LAW by L.A. Starks, the third book in the Lynn Dayton thriller series. The story can be read as a standalone, but I think that THE SECOND LAW is best read in series order. The story centers around Lynn Dayton, an Energy executive investigating software malfunctions at a refinery in the San Francisco Bay area that ultimately results in the death of several employees. Was this an inside job or did someone hack into their systems or was this a simple coding mistake gone horribly wrong? And the fast-paced story is off and running. The Second Law is a conspiracy thriller buff’s conspiracy thriller. Great action. Strong character development. International settings. What more could a reader want. Kudo’s L.A. Starks.

For more on L. A, Starks, go to her Home Page or follow her on FaceBook, Amazon, or YouTube.

For more on Jeff Bailey, go to his Home Page or follow him on Amazon, GoodReads or his LinkedIn blog.

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Jeff Bailey Reviews Kerry Kennedy's Dakota

 

Kerry Kennedy’s drama thriller, Dakota, was definitely worth the read. It’s a family drama wrapped into a thriller. The family members all have a dark undertow in their lives and sometimes, that creates drama. It’s when the drama turns tragic and maybe deadly that all the social play and drama play out. The characters were so well developed and their actions so … well… real that it added an extra measure to the enjoyment. I could easily see Dakota as a Lifetime miniseries. Five starts for both Kerry Kennedy and for Dakota. Three cheers for the Dakota character. I highly recommend it.

For more on Kerry Kennedy, go to her Home Page or follow her on Amazon, GoodReads, LinkedIn , InstaGram, TikTok, and on Twitter.

For more on Jeff Bailey, go to his Home Page or follow him on Amazon, GoodReads or his LinkedIn blog.

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