Posted on by Angela

Restless Bones by Gillian French: Book Review

This is a free download by NetGalley in exchange for a written review. 

Restless Bones by Gillian French is the second Shaw Connolly book and finds the fingerprint analyst trying to put her life together again after the discovery of her sister’s remains and putting her killer behind bars. Now her life centers around four areas. Her youngest son being bullied in middle school. Her estranged husband wants to reconcile. She finds herself working with a detective she finds herself attracted to in ways she shouldn’t. And perhaps most difficult, she is asked to once more face the man who killed her sister and nearly killed her.  

There are a lot of threads to pull in this book and four plot points is enough to make a head spin trying to keep everything straight.  Gillian French does a good job of weaving them together. Her son’s problem in middle school causes Shaw and her husband, Ryan, to come together over for their son. This causes them to work on their relationship. It is a little confusing to keep the two work plots separate. I believe, for me, it was because I had not read the first book and jumped into the second book.  

I found it difficult to like the character, Shaw. She wasn’t someone I could rally behind. I found her to be self-centered, foulmouthed, and bad-tempered. At other times she was silly and insecure. She was still grieving the murder of her sister, and that grief affected her responses in many of her choices, most of them negative.  

I cannot say I liked Restless Bones; I didn’t dislike it either. This lukewarm attitude toward the book will probably not lead me to go back and read the first book. I would not avoid another book by Gillian French. I think she did a good job writing this book and weaving the plot points together to a suitable resolution.  

Restless Bones by Gillian French rates a 4 out of 5 stars from me. The writing is good. The rating comes from my lukewarm response to the book, my dislike of the main character, and the use of foul language. It wasn’t good enough to earn a spot on my bookshelf. I would not recommend this book to anyone under 18.  I want to read more by the author because the plot points were woven together to a complete end. One book doesn’t diminish or increase an author. I look forward to reading more of Gillian French. 

All for One  

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

Supermoon Protocol by J. T. Fluhart – book review

The book Supermoon Protocol by J.T. Fluhart seemed to have it all. A CIA cover up, Mexican cartel, prostitution, science experiments gone wrong, car chases, guns, death, murder, the list goes on. I am not sure what else could be crammed into this book of 318 pages, except chickens trying to kill people. Oh, wait that was there too. Yep, you read that right. If you ever raised chicken and had a rooster look at you the wrong way, then be warned the opening scenes are a wild ride of rooster revenge. The wake left behind destroys a family and eventually separates a brother and sister until history threatens to repeat itself fifty years later. 

Supermoon Protocol is set in Northeast Texas around the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex area. Rob Florchett is plagued by nightmares and is about to find himself homeless. He seeks the help of therapist Dr. Maria Sheltie. She helps him unlock his nightmares and helps him uncover and understand more of his family’s wrecked past. She puts him in touch with another individual who knows more about what happened on his family’s farm all those years ago that led to mental instability, broken relationships and resulted in Rob and his sister, Mel, in foster homes. Sheltie helps Rob escape when the CIA shows up, and they are both lucky to escape alive. In the meantime, Rob is desperate to find his sister who has become caught up in the Mexican cartel headed by Jeffe Manuel and has fallen from grace to having to prostitute herself to pay off a debt to stay alive. When they finally meet, they find themself pursued by the CIA and the Mexican Cartel. It is a run to the Mexican border to find their father and the family they thought was lost all before the next supermoon rises and what was started fifty years ago happens all over again.  

J.T. Fluhart has written a fast-paced action thriller. The plot is unique and well-paced. Fluhart has a two-pronged plot in the book and solves one by the end of the book and continues the second in the sequel. There is a great deal of violence in the book, some of which I could have lived without. Fortunately, the author does not spend a great deal of time describing the violence beyond what is necessary. There is mention of rape in the book so readers should be aware if this is a trigger for you. It is not described but mentioned as having already happened. There is foul language as you would expect in this sort of book, but it is kept as a minimum.  

I would rate Supermoon Protocol by J. T. Fluhart four out of five stars. The writing was well done, and the fast-paced action kept the book moving. There was a great deal of violence, and I was not a fan of the ending. I can’t say I liked the book, but I didn’t dislike it either. It certainly was not what I expected. I can only recommend this book to readers ages 18 and over with cautions.  

All for One 

Angela