Canals by Everett Powers.

Canals starts off as a typical crime thriller as Detective Daniel Lawless comes to the scene of a dismembered body by a canal in California. Everett Powers then develops a wonderful story written in the style of a good police drama. Every character the reader meets is given a full introduction, it is not a case of "this is John, a 20 year old man" - you get to know each character as a real person. This character development is true for everyone, whether they continue to the end of this novel or meet a violent death.

Detective Daniel Lawless is a different type of policeman and has a quirky character. He likes opera and has a collection of 82 pairs of shoes giving him the nickname of shoe boy when he was at school. Before he can solve this death by the canal, another death occurs along a nearby canal. Something is going on around the canal network but can Danny solve the case before more people are killed?

Slowly the reader finds that this is not your typical crime thriller. Little bits of information are drip fed into the story to make you think that something nasty may be lurking in the canals. Bit by bit this story becomes a science fiction novel.

Everett Powers develops a wonderful plot that bit by bit becomes a race for Daniel Lawless to save the day. The reader along with Daniel begins to understand just what is going on along the canals and we begin to get the bigger picture.

Canals is a very entertaining read. I like the way it moved from a crime thriller to a thought provoking science fiction story. The message at the end is very moving and forces you to consider real life global issues.

I can find nothing wrong with Canals. It is a great story that was told with precision and detail. The writing is top quality and it was a joy to read. I enjoy walking my dog along canals and now I will always wonder what may be in the water. I vote this book the top score of 5 stars. Canals is available as a 609 KB Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2011.

Bishop's Isle Vol. 1 by Luke Shephard.

This is a short story of just 162 KB, part of a series written in 2013. The setting is a small island off the north west coast of Scotland. A pretty little island with 2 lighthouses and a harbour that would prove popular with tourists. Only thing is that the latest visitors are a little different!

Bishop's Isle is a flesh eating zombie tale where the residents of the island struggle for their lives. It is easy reading and the dark humour will raise a smile. The story is told in the style of the popular television programme called Heartbeat. Bishop's Isle is nothing special and ends when the two central characters, the lighthouse keepers, meet up.

Bishop's Isle did not inspire me, so I will not be buying the sequel Volume 2. This short story is an okay read and I vote it 3 stars.

Forbidden by Cege Smith.

Forbidden is a short ghost story of just 157 KB, that was written in 2013. Grace Fox is a junior at Winston Monroe College. Walker Hall has a reputation for being haunted and Grace goes on an adventure to see if she can connect with a ghost.

Cege tries very hard to set the scene and to create a spooky atmosphere. But there is nothing special about this tale. Forbidden is a disappointing coffee break read of no greater merit than a throw away magazine article. I got to the end and thought "yeah, well, okay". Forbidden is a POOR read and I vote it only 2 stars as there are far more entertaining short stories out there.

All In My Head by Troy Sheppard.

All In My Head is a semi-autobiographical novella of 226 KB that was written in 2012. Meet Josh, a 23 year old drug addict living in America. This is his tale of slipping into drug addiction and losing everything. Follow the tale as Josh goes to rock bottom.

This novella is one very powerful story which grips at the heart of drug dependancy. Troy, from his own experience, explains to the reader what the life of a junky is like. This is not a glamourous tale but a gritty reality of a tragic life.

Josh explains to the reader why he took drugs and how he became addicted. His first person narrative is very compelling and I learned so much from this short novel. I have never taken drugs and found this story amazing. Josh tells you what goes on inside the head of a junky, the intense feeeling of a hit and the overwhelming desire to score another hit. There is nothing more important to the junky than obtaining the next hit.

Troy, within those 226 KB of text has managed to give me, a non-drug user, the full experience from the safety of my armchair, of the highs and lows of a junky. He talks in language that non-drug users can understand. This other world is explained because we all get feelings of hunger and know what it is like in that search for the next meal. We understand how powerful our everyday hunger pangs are to our mood, motivation and stomach. We also know the instant good buzz feeling when we drink a beer and how much we will love another one.

It is an experience to read All In My Head because the narrative is so powerful and the learning curve so steep. It is a roller coaster ride as you start to understand the mental turmoil inside the head of a junky. I am truly glad that I have downloaded this Amazon Kindle eBook because it is such an eye opener and I have learned so much about desire. I can find nothing wrong with this novella and I vote it the top score of 5 stars.

The Dr. Birch Files by Mike Valasek.

This is a short story that was written in 2013 and published for the Amazon.. Kindle. This eBook is just 126 KB and is a coffee time read. But your coffee will not go cold as this book is rubbish. Yes, the title draws you in, Dr. Birch could have been a whipping fantasy. What you get is a childish tale of twin sisters, an exorcism and a sexual tease. This short story fails big time and you will find a bus timetable a more interesting read. Do not waste your time on this short story as there is more enjoyment to be had from reading a mail order catalogue. I vote this awful tale the minimum score of 1 star.

Time After A Time by Khaled Elshmaa.

This novella of 206 KB was written in 2013 and published for the Amazon Kindle. It is a first person narrative of a son grieving the death of his mother. The son left his mother's home in Cairo 20 years ago to start a new life in Oslo. He has never been back since and has only returned for the funeral.

Time After A Time is a tale of childhood memories, how people move apart and how they cope with the death of loved ones. The son stays with his only brother in Cairo and together they attend the wake and the funeral. Afterwards they clear out and prepare his mother's old home for sale.

This is not a happy book to read, it is all about loss and the reader feels like a spare at a wedding. I thought it was a way for the author to grieve the loss of his own mother until I got to the twist in the story. Maybe it is a bit of both, with the twist inserted to spice up this novella. If so, I am sorry for his loss and I am sure he realizes that life moves on, like the birth of his son in Olso.

Time After A Time is a sad tale with nothing special to recommend about it. I found it a poor read, so I can only vote it 2 stars.

Sabaka by E. C. Belikov.

Sabaka is a post apocalyptic short story of 220 KB available on the Amazon Kindle and was written in 2011. Tamara has been sent on a mission to fix some electrics in Outworld, the remains of our destroyed planet. All her life she has lived below ground in Inworld. There are legends about the dangers and monsters that inhabit Outworld, now Tamara will find out if any of the legends are true.

Sabaka is a very well told horror story. E. C. Belikov paints a very accurate picture of a possible workaday life in the near future. He describes this new world so well that Tamara appears just like the girl next door. I was surprised at how real this near future story felt.

I like the way this story is told. It is rather clever how Belikov has packed so much character, detail and action into such a short story. The quality of writing is good and Belikov clearly has the skill of telling a good tale. I can find nothing wrong with this eBook, so I will vote it the maximum of 5 stars.

The ending is good and when you go to sleep tonight you will wonder if there is a Sabaka creeping into your back garden.

Without You by E. L. Black.

Without You is a novel written in the first person. Join Emily Larson who has an abusive husband called Jerry. I found the abuse that Jerry gave Emily rather funny because it put the woman in her place. Without You is written from a woman's perspective but it is a challenge for male readers to have empathy for Emily as she is not pulling her weight. Married men will have sympathy for Jerry because women can be quite lazy but love to spend big time in the shops.

As so often happens in real life, victims of abusive relationships leave their partners only to become involved in yet another abusive relationship. So Emily leaves Jerry and hooks up with Vinny and the cycle of abuse continues. So does Emily's habit of little work but lots of shopping!

Without You is set in America and Emily is living a luxurious lifestyle, with little work and lots of eating out plus shopping malls. But this is not just a love story because Emily and the reader suspect that Vinny is up to something dodgy as her tale unfolds.

Without You is available as a 393 KB Amazon Kindle eBook that was written in 2013. It is easy reading and made me chuckle in places. I did warm to Emily as she started to get her act together and turn her life around. E. L. Black's writing is easy to follow and the story is full of content and social observations. This is a good book and should appeal to both genders. I enjoyed reading this book which has a creepy end and I vote it 4 stars. This is a good story that would also make a good film, a romantic comedy with a creepy twist.

Rain by Constance Cummings.

Celeste is sheltering from the rain in the doorway of a coffee shop. Marc barges into the same doorway hiding from the rain and nudges Celeste in his hurry. He apologises and invities her to share a coffee with him. They hit it off and Marc takes Celeste home with consensual sex on both their minds.

Rain is a short 168 KB adult erotic story available on the Amazon Kindle. It was written in 2013 and like the scenario can be described as a coffee break read. But like coffee, you get some good blends and some poor ones.

Rain is a very regular and tame erotic adult tale. For a sexy story it is very dull. There is nothing special about Rain. The dialogue is very unimaginative and the setting unrealistic. The sex is rather boring and conventional. The sex does not turn the reader on, as it is about as erotic as watching two dogs in the park. There is nothing unusual as Marc and Celeste roll around on the bed.

Rain is a bad read and I vote it the minimum of 1 star. This adult short story is one to AVOID.