fiction – Page 4

They Died So Young by William Mansfield

For twenty years Alex Wright, the Laguna Beach surfing real estate appraiser, has believed that his parents died in a freak auto accident on their way home from a weekend in Palm Springs. Now he learns that they were killed, mob-style, with single bullets to their heads. Why would they deserve to die this way?

Meanwhile, Alex’s wife, Rachel Fix, is not adjusting well to the settled life of wife and mother. She is drawn back to the excitement of celebrity and fame that she enjoyed during her ten years on the pro surfing tour.

So begins the seventh story in the Alex Wright Mystery saga. Will the marriage survive the tension of competing desires? With the help of his law enforcement buddies and a big assist from appraisal partner, Heather Maybach, Alex follows the thread of his parents’ lives from their marriage to their untimely deaths. For, in fact, THEY DIED SO YOUNG…

Sergeant Stubby In The Great War by Melissa Pilgrim

By Book Lovers Magazine

Sergeant Stubby In The Great War by Melissa Pilgrim

When a little stray puppy befriends a soldier named Robert Conroy training to go to war in 1917, he starts out on an amazing journey as the private teaches him all he needs to know to become a U.S. Army soldier too. After sneaking him on board a ship heading to Europe, the two best friends fight side-by-side in what soon becomes the biggest war the world has ever seen!

The little dog, affectionately named “Stubby” because of his stout tail, learns to bravely confront all the brand new warfare devices he encounters including tanks, machine guns, planes, and mustard gas as he proudly serves his country in the First World War and becomes a true American war hero.

This well-researched historical fiction novella makes reading about history fun for readers both young and old(er). It’s an entertaining way to introduce young readers to all the “firsts” of World War I as they experience it all through the eyes of this real little dog who served in it so bravely.

There is a historical facts sheet at the end to let readers know which parts of the story were taken from real places, events, and battles and which parts were fictionalized (to keep the storyline moving at an interesting pace).

NOTE: A Lesson Plan and Glossary of terms related to the time period are available for FREE on the book’s website to accompany this book in a classroom setting.

The Key to the Ranch by William Mansfield

By Book Lovers Magazine

The Key to the Ranch by William Mansfield

The discovery of a fifty-year-old corpse leads Alex and his law enforcement friends on an amazing adventure. How to investigate a cold case this old? Where do you begin? What do you want to learn? What will represent the end of the search – truth, blame, or just an unanswerable question?
And so begins the sixth story in the Alex Wright mystery series. Alex Wright, Laguna Beach surfing real estate appraiser. He discovers the skeletal remains while measuring a house for an appraisal. Now he feels compelled to dig deep into the past to find out what happened on that certain day in February, 1957.
As a newlywed, Alex has much on his mind. The red hot Orange County real estate market is peaking. His new bride, Rachel Fix, is adjusting to the settled life after a decade on the Pro Surfing Tour. But there is a mystery to be solved. The excitement and compelling action build from there leading to a guaranteed shocking conclusion!

The Dim-Witted Hitman: A Cruise Crime by Deb Graham

By Book Lovers Magazine

The Dim-Witted Hitman: A Cruise Crime by Deb Graham

“Dimmie, my boy, it looks like you’re going on a luxury cruise.”
With those words, the hot-headed Irish mobster sends his best hitman to take out his old rival. He’ll never control the mob so long as Kerrick is alive.
Dimmie (short for Dim Wit) O’Malley, who has never been out of New York City, is trapped in a life he didn’t choose. Completely out of his element, he makes a mistake that’ll cost his life…if he returns home.
A former mob boss, grieving the loss of his wife, refuses to stay in Witness Protection another day, and retires on a cruise ship. Having no idea he’s Dimmie’s next target, will his old skills save him in time?
Dimmie, realizing at the last that he’s better than he’s been told his whole life, has a change of heart that only serves to put him in Lucky’s crosshairs. When their paths collide on a luxurious New England cruise ship, only one of them can leave the ship alive. Or will he?
From the author of Murder on Deck, Peril in Paradise, and the best-selling Cruise Addict’s Wife series.

Tree of Lives by Elizabeth Garden

By Book Lovers Magazine

Tree of Lives by Elizabeth Garden

Based on true events, Tree of Lives is a riveting two-track story of a horrific public murder in 1930 that became a long buried family secret. The lost ghost of the murderer, Raymond, roams the earth until his abused great niece, Ruth, a promising artist, confronts her deeply troubled family. It is a story of unfolding forgiveness, survival and triumph over unaddressed trauma as this determined woman navigates her thorny life path. Illustrated.