Aiden's Sphere by Jonathan Brizendine.

This book gets off to a good start with twin plot lines about a strange forcefield and a mysterious virus, divided into short chapters. Aiden's Sphere was written in 2013 and is available as a 408 KB ebook. It is lightweight reading that is enjoyable and fun.

Aiden Walker is a 17 year old living in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is a bright kid with a "can do" attitude who can get things done. This novel has a good storyline that maintains a mystery of how the forcefield and the virus will turn out. Aiden is lucky at how things are easily available for him to use and how he can go straight to the top among government agencies.

Aiden's Sphere is not a challenging read or a literary masterpiece. It is second rate science fiction where you wonder whether the forcefield or the mystery virus will kill them first. This novel is not true to life but a fun make believe story. There is no realism but plenty of escapism in a kids story way.

This is a good book that I will vote 4 stars. The ending is rather predictable in a sugary sweet way. It is a funny, sweet American story where the good guys win in the end.

Walk a Mile In My Shoes (I'm a Survivor NOT a Victim) by Kristie Romero

This book is a short memoir of just 161 KB that was written in 2013. Kristie just wanted to be a normal kid growing up with her single mum. Kristie had a bad start in life. Sadly her childhood was not normal and Kristie fell victim to abuse, harassment, imprisonment, neglect, rape, self harm and violence.
Kristie was a victim of her circumstances, over which she had no control. No sooner had Kristie escaped one abusive encounter, had she stumbled into another abusive situation. You then realize how unlucky some people can be when family lets them down. You discover how easy it is for victims of all types of abuse to be targeted by other abusers and the cycle of abuse continues.
Kristie stood strong through all that life could throw at her and after all the trauma, this memoir has a happy ending. Walk a Mile In My Shoes is a very good book and I vote it 5 stars. There are quite a few typos within the text but do not let them spoil this amazing story. I am pleased that Kristie has put her story into the public domain, as I feel it will help other victims of abuse recover from their ordeal. Her memoir is a true inspiration to victims of all types of abuse. This is an exciting story for readers of a regular childhood and adult life, I really enjoyed reading it.

Underneath by Kealan Patrick Burke.

Dean is being bullied at school and his bully has set him the challenge of having a date with the school freak. Stephanie has a badly scared face and other pupils poke fun at her. Dean asks her out in the hope that the bullying will stop if Stephanie agrees to a date. Stephanie gives Dean a keen and wanting look as she is normally ignored by all the other boys.
Underneath is a short story of just 205 KB and was written in 2010. It is a quirky read all the way to the end and it is rather refreshing. Dean is apprehensive about going on his first date but is spurred on by the look in Stephanie's eyes. I developed a lot of empathy for both characters and wondered where this novella was going.
There is a lot of intrigue in this story which addresses a lot of social issues. Underneath is not just about the menace of bullying but also about how people judge others only by what is on the surface rather than what is underneath. People's surface can hide both sadness and joy.
Underneath is a good read and I vote it 4 stars. There is a twist at the end and this novella has a strong social message to take away with you.

Looking Good Dead by Peter James.

Tom Bryce finds a CD on a train and inserts it into his laptop. Then the trouble starts and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is on the trail to solve a murder and more. This novel is set around Brighton and has a good plot with a plausible background. This entertaining story gives a nice insight into the work of the Police High Tech Crime Unit and how criminals may use computers.

Looking Good Dead is another crime thriller in the DS Roy Grace series. Although the main character in this series is DS Roy Grace, it is all about networking and working as a team. Lots of favours are asked between various people, who respond and together save the day. There is a nice dry gallows humour between the Police Officers...

A good choice of location for a safe house, Grace thought, except for one minor detail that appeared to have been overlooked. Who in their right bloody mind would put a paedophile in a house a few hundred yards away from a school playing field? He shook his head. Didn't anybody ever think?
'Is Mr D'Eath expecting us?' Nicholl asked.
'With morning coffee and a box of Under Eights I expect.' Norman Potting said, following this with a throaty chuckle.

...This book is a brilliant illustration of the wonders of team work. Without the flagging and passing on of tiny bits of information between many Police Officers, these crimes would not have been solved. Peter James is very good on police procedures in this book of 519 pages which was published in 2006.

Looking Good Dead is a good story and I vote it 4 stars. This is a stand-alone novel, although reading it straight after Dead Simple, it is a seamless follow-on. I am a little disappointed at how much appeared to be brought over from Dead Simple, which is quite lazy as this was not new content. There is another dramatic ending in the style of an action hero movie.

Looking Good Dead shows how ordinary acting and looking people could be involved in the darker side of society, without anyone suspecting.