Suspense Magazine July 2013

SUGAR POP
MOON
By John Florio
Being the
perfect definition
of ‘misunderstood,’
main character,
Jersey Leo, is a bit of an outcast.
He keeps a low profile amongst
the tough guys working in the
speakeasy business in mobster-run
New York.
An albino of mixed-race,
the locals have given Jersey the
nickname Snowball. He works
tending bar at a place called the
Pour House, which is owned by
the mob and located in Hell’s
Kitchen. He doesn’t have a group
of guys to hang with, and even his
own mother abandoned him long
ago. Although his father is still
around, the man is a former boxer
and doesn’t like Jersey spending
his time at a place owned by a
notorious gangster.
One fine day, Leo buys some
counterfeit moonshine (AKA:
Sugar Pop Moon), with the boss’
money. No, Jersey isn’t trying to
do himself in; in fact, he must turn
to his father to help him find the
bootlegger in order to save his own
life. But while Jersey is searching
for the seller, there’s also someone
waiting in the darkness searching
for him.
The reader gets a taste of
literally everything; from the
historic areas of NYC; to an
interesting psycho who loves to
wield a cleaver; to a Christmastree
farm that is the location for
far more than just decorative pine
trees. In other words, this author
made sure to produce a fast-paced
tale where you never know what’s
coming next.
This book represents one of
those good, old prohibition-style
mob stories that brings a tear
to the eye and a laugh out loud,
depending on the situation. Jersey
Leo can never be called a hero,
but he sometimes acts like one.
He has a caring way for the people
he works with—not to mention,
friends and family—but his real
focus is on trying to save himself…
and who can blame him
After this small taste, readers
will definitely hope that the author
produces more Jersey Leo stories.
Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author
of “The Sapphire Storm: Tallent &
Lowery Book Two” published by
Suspense Publishing, an imprint
of Suspense Magazine ■
UNSPEAKABLE
By Kevin O'Brien
Suspense lovers will be thrilled to see another work by this author who is a master at keeping everyone
on the edge of their seats. O’Brien is so skilled at bringing the reader into the fear, you’ll almost want to read
this book with your eyes closed.
Olivia Barker is a hypnotherapist in the state of Washington who’s faced with an unusual problem. A
young man who claims his name is Russ Leander, even though the name on the caller ID is C. Stampler, sets up
a meeting with the doctor. When he arrives for his session, Olivia feels as if she’s experiencing déjà vu because
the new client looks so familiar.
He admits to Olivia that he had given her a fake name because he used to be a child-star, Collin Cox, and
didn’t want his identity known. Russ/Collin alerts her to the fact that something bizarre happened when he
was hypnotized by a friend, and he wants Olivia to hypnotize him to see if it would occur again. Putting him
under, a new personality suddenly enters the room by the name of Wade, and the game of fear begins.
Wade is frightening; he murdered a family back in the 60s in their hotel room. He goes on and on, listing
violent crimes committed in the area that happened before her patient, Collin, was even born. Olivia knows
nothing of these horrible slayings, but through hypnotherapy, she learns details of the killings that only the
murderer would know.
Having no proof other than what she’s heard in her sessions, Olivia gets pulled into a nightmare. As the
body count starts to pile up, her life is put in danger. Determined to find out what’s going on, she continues
seeing Collin, but the truth will amaze, astound, and scare her to death.
Every thrill-seeker who picks this one up should make sure they have their blood pressure checked before
reading.
Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of “The Sapphire Storm: Tallent & Lowery Book Two” published by
Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine ■
VERLAND: THE TRANSFORMATION
By B.E. Scully
Part noir, part dark romance, part nightmare, “Verland: The Transformation” is a tale of loss, pain,
suffering, and redemption, woven into the construct of the vampire.
Elle is a crime writer. Successful, she is still seeking answers to unspoken, unformed questions from her
mother’s murder two decades prior. Kingman is a Hollywood superstar with a string of directing hits under his
belt, who sits in prison convicted of murder. As Elle begins to write his story, a tale far more dark and haunting
emerges: a story of death, murder, necromancers, and vampires. Are vampires real Who is Verland and can
his diary be believed
The narrative shifts dramatically between past and present, with Elle’s story juxtaposed with the diary
entries of this supposed vampire. Death and transformation create a thematic link between both stories.
Verland is transformed into a vampire, but he also experiences a spiritual transformation. His descent parallels
Elle’s ascent out of her past as she delves deeper into Kingman’s frightening and bizarre world of wealth, power,
and violence. The characters are well-drawn and the secondary cast is almost as delightful as Elle and Verland.
Delightful details enrich the narrative, which serve to keep the novel from getting bogged down in intense,
dark imagery and provide an edge of comic relief. Both Verland and Elle have a dramatic story to tell, and
Scully’s multifaceted narrative through the use of a diary makes it all work.
Do not let the presence of a vampire scare you. This is not horror as we know it today but a fast-paced
thriller story that could stand alone as a superb crime fiction novel. The diary serves as a parallel story to
explore very dark themes. Scully explores the question of murder and death through both Kingman and the
vampire. They each represent the criminal element of the killer we fear in society. Reaching into the Gothic
literary tradition, Scully weaves a spellbinding fusion of crime thriller and supernatural tale.
Reviewed by Drake Morgan for Suspense Magazine ■
VEILED THREAT
By Alice Loweecey
The coolest ex-nun turned P.I. in the mystery world is back for a brand new adventure—
and the author has once again brought a whole lot of fun to the genre. If fans haven’t read the
first two in this series, they should fix their mistake immediately. This is one author that has the
ability to take her characters into fascinating scenarios that ooze with intelligence.
Giulia Falcone, a former teacher in a convent, is up-to-date on current problems and is
a very astute investigator, having the ability to read people easily. In a relationship with Frank
Driscoll, her partner at Driscoll Investigations, Giulia and Frank run the gamut of friend, boyfriend and back
to friend, keeping a tremendous amount of respect for each other in the process.
The partners are asked by their friends, Anya and Laurel, to help them out because their adopted baby
girl has been kidnapped. It doesn’t seem to the two women that the police are paying a lot of attention to their
plight, so they ask Driscoll Investigations to step in and make it right.
Giulia soon unearths two other kidnappings in cities nearby that mirrored this one exactly; the children
were both taken from same-sex couples and both cases ended extremely badly. Going undercover as a
housekeeper in a local resort that catered to the other victims, Giulia sets her mind on finding out what’s going
on. But even with Frank and a friend of his from the police department backing her up, she still manages to
get into a bit of trouble.
The setting is Christmastime. And this third book in this very addictive series is once again a winner. The
author has used her own experiences to take her main characters on a ride to a surprising conclusion, and the
plot even offers a new little spark of romance which should make book four a blast!
Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of “The Sapphire Storm: Tallent & Lowery Book Two” published by
Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine ■
40  Suspense Magazine July 2013 / Vol. 049