A Thousand Fiendish Angels: Stories Inspired by Dante’s Inferno by J.F. Penn.

Joanna wrote these three short stories as part of an online contest for the launch of Dan Brown’s thriller novel, Inferno. At the end she explains about her writing, the language, imagery and symbolism used.

Joanna writes really well and this is quality on the page. These three horror stories really pack a punch. A lot of work has gone into these short stories and the writing is rich in content, depth and language. Her writing style is top quality and the best way for me to describe it is to give a brief quote to illustrate her talent…

Simon had succumbed to his own tug of desire for influence far beyond his brother’s petty pleasures, but there were days when he still longed to lose himself in an orgy of flesh, and take intimacy to the realm of ritual.

...You don’t get this quality of writing in many short stories and Joanna has really raised the bar with her collection. I got a lot of pleasure from reading her three short stories. They are also great in length to read one within your 45 minute tachograph rest break. These stories are snappy, you can finish them and not have to drive for up to 4 hours 30 minutes before you can find out what happens next!

I was really impressed by these short stories and found them to be top class entertainment. I could find nothing wrong with them and they made me one very happy reader, so it’s 5 stars from me.

A Thousand Fiendish Angels is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.

Wanted (A Leopold Blake Thriller #1) by Nick Stephenson.

Follow criminology consultant Leopold Blake with his big ego as he romps around Paris with his two lap dog girlfriends Mary and Sophie. Hang on tight for this fast paced, far fetched, unbelievable thriller.

Oh dear, this is a tale of puerile fantasy where a billionaire playboy can afford to do whatever he wants with the other characters jostling to wipe his backside. The plot is typical James Bond and people are killed willy nilly.

I was unable to find any depth to this novel. Oh yes, there was plenty of action but it was all far fetched. The plot was quite simple and lacked realism. Character development was basic and I felt no empathy for these throw-away characters.

The lack of realism irritated me and the comic book storyline gave me very little reading pleasure. This book was simply an okay 3 star read, something better than a daily newspaper to read but only just. It is light reading but the enjoyment is also light.

If this was a television pilot, I very much doubt it would be commissioned. It is shallow and the viewers would drift away after wasting their time on the first episode. Nick calls his novel Wanted, a better title would have been Wasted. Why… because of the number of characters who were unnecessarily killed and the time the reader has Wasted.

Wanted is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.

Darla the Muse by Kerry Barger.

Erik fancies a waitress called Darla in a diner. This is his story and Erik believes that Darla is his Muse.

This book is quite a mixture, a love story but only told from Erik’s point of view plus an exploration of this Muse concept throughout history. There is also quite a lot of religion thrown in plus some science fiction. The story starts off as a regular boy fancies girl tale, then all this stuff about a Muse inspiring people through history and how Darla inspires Erik. Then I thought that Erik was a victim of a spiked drink and the drugs had sent him off his trolley but this was the start of the science fiction section. In the end things are rounded up about how Erik’s life continued after he first met Darla in that diner.

I found this book unusual as it was such a mixture. I thought the religion was stupid and childish. I liked the start but did not like the way this book developed. As I read further this tale became more and more unrealistic. Okay, this is a cross-genre book but it does not achieve a good reading pleasure in any aspect of the text.

Darla the Muse is very different to regular novels. The change was refreshing but my reading enjoyment was simply okay. It was like reading a travel brochure in that it sparks an interest but will never be an outstanding read. I liked how the feelings Erik had for Darla and this Muse concept were fully explored. This raised the quality of this book in my eyes and am glad to vote this novel 3 stars as I found it to be an okay read.

There is one little riddle that made me think, smile and then laugh when I worked the answers out. When Erik first met Darla at the diner he asked her if she knew about Eileen who worked there...

“Oh, you would remember Eileen,” he said. “She only has one leg and wears a pink tutu over her cheerleader costume. She usually wears her hair in pigtails. Her oriental friend named Irene also works at IHOP. Eileen keeps her pet horse in a hole in her backyard.”

Darla the Muse is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2015.

Behind the Blade by Jenny Marie Parks.

Behind the Blade is a short story about Kirstie, a 14 year old girl who self harms.

Okay, Kirstie did not get the best of starts in her life and was raped by her cousin. You should feel sympathy for the character and develop a strong empathy for her. However, the way this sorry tale of a short story has been written, I did NOT develop an empathy for Kirstie.

I found the format of this short story to be POOR. I thought it rambled on and on about her victim status for too long. The reasons for her self harming and the release it gave were not fully explored.

The whole viewpoint of this tale was from Kirstie’s angle and it felt quite claustrophobic. I got no pleasure from reading this sad and uninspiring tale. It did have a happy ending apart from the relief I had finished it and could move onto something better. This book FAILED for me and did not live up to it’s promise, so I will only vote it 2 stars. All short stories should be snappy and delight the reader but Behind the Blade fails to slash any interest from me.

Behind the Blade is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2015.

Shifting Skin (DI Jon Spicer #2) by Chris Simms.

Follow DI Jon Spicer in this crime thriller set around Manchester.

Although this is the second book in the DI Jon Spicer series, each novel can be read as a stand-alone. I have not read any of Chris’s books before and found Shifting Skin very easy to get into.

What I liked most about this novel, was it’s balance. There is a lovely mix of character development, workplace dynamics, crime scene and detection, current trends moving through society and a very good plot. It fitted in well with my work day life, going to work and reading some in my rest break followed by reading some more when I got home. It was like how people follow others on Facebook or Twitter - we get our newsfeed on what has happened next to DI Jon Spicer and his partner DI Rick Saville.

Chris tells his story very well and you feel as though you are working alongside Jon and Rick as they try to capture the Butcher of Belle Vue. You also feel as though you are best friends with Fiona Wilson and want to guide her away from danger. But this is not all crime scene investigation, it is about living life as an adult. Characters have friends and family that are important, Jon has a dog who he adores.

I got a lot of pleasure from reading Shifting Skin. There are no dull bits or padding in this book, it is all quality stuff. It got me guessing about what was going on, if the Police were getting it all wrong and would they catch the Butcher of Belle Vue.

Shifting Skin was a great book for me. I felt as though I was getting the whole picture which enabled me to feel I was living the book. There was even the mention of a National Express coach departing from Chorlton Street Station to make me feel at home! I was very comfortable reading this book and it gave me all I wanted for my daily reading fix. I had forgotten how much things had moved on since 2003 when this story was set. It was before smoking in enclosed public spaces was banned and Jon went proudly to the bar with only £5 in his pocket but came away with two drinks!

I was very impressed with the quality of Shifting Skin, so it gets the top score of 5 stars from me. I look forward to reading more from Chris Simms and joining DI Jon Spicer drinking plenty of beer in the pubs of Manchester.

Shifting Skin is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2006.