Linda L. RichardsReseñas

Dead West by Linda L. Richards
The Endings Series #3

I had trouble relating to the main character and it took a while to get into the story. I am not sure if coming into the series on the third book was the reason why I felt the disconnect or if the female assassin was so lacking in depth that it felt plodding, then again, perhaps she was plodding through life and that feeling is what was what the author was trying to achieve.

Katherine Eveline Ragsdill seems to have taken up killing for money after a traumatic event occurred in her life. The event was no doubt covered in previous books along with her decision to step into her new job description. I believe, from reading reviews and book synopses, that the previous two books might give more insight into Katherine and would have helped me know her better.

Anyway, this book has her sent out with a designated kill contracted for. Meeting the mark, finding out that he is a good person with high ideals, and feeling drawn to him are the first mistake she makes in being able to fulfill the contract. Then Walker is kidnapped, she feels the need to “save him”, and the plot thickens. Katherine has to contend with as the story progresses including truly evil men who use and abuse, a man she admires but can’t have, someone young that she feels connected to and helps in a big way, many she will not see again, and a new course to set at the end of the book. The final scene is of Katherine driving down the road with her dog toward…well…I’m not sure where she will end up.

I never really got to know the woman who is the main character. I don’t know if she has a moral compass or not. She has killed before and perhaps some of those killed were not evil. Perhaps she is growing and evolving and coming out of the stupor of grieving to find herself capable of moving on to something positive and she will end up somewhere better in the future. I might give the next book in the series a chance to see what happens next with her and the dog she is now traveling with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanvies Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

An assassin is dispatched to kill a rancher but when she meets him and the mustang horses he's trying to protect, she finds herself asking questions particularly when he disappears and then he changes his stance. It's complicated and messy and I honestly found myself putting it down easily, though that might have been partially down to the ereader and the PDF format. The end went quite quickly but the start took it's time to catch me. It's not a bad read but I felt that I wanted more.

Received from LibraryThing Early Reviewer.½

I would review this book but I never received it. By the time I realized this it was to late to do anything. Sorry I did not have the opportunity to read the book.

This was a gripping story with fun characters and unique twists that kept you on the edge of your seat. This story had many different layers including hitmen, love, a ranch fighting for animals, kidnapping, some comedy and of course death and it was all eloquently pieced together. Baking scones during an escape plan was my favorite part. I will definitely be going back and reading the others in this series.

Dead West is a gripping thriller that explores the dark and haunting history of the American West. The story follows the journey of Cathrine O'Neill, a successful journalist, who returns to her hometown of Deadwood, South Dakota to investigate s mysterious death that occurred years ago. However, as she starts digging deeper into the case, she finds herself facing personal demons and dangerous enemies that put her own life journalist who is deeply affected by the death of her father, a legendary cowboy and rodeo star. When Catherine receives a mysterious package from her father's former business partner, it sets off a dangerous chain of events that leads her deep into the heart of the Wild West.

The novel is filled with rich and vivid descriptions of the Western landscape, and the characters are complex and intriguing. Catherine is a strong and resourceful protagonist, and her emotional journey is both relatable and engaging. The supporting cast is equally compelling, with a range of individuals who all have their own motives and secrets.

As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that there are dark forces at work in the West, with a dangerous group of individuals who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. The tension builds steadily throughout the story, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very end.

One of the main strengths of the book is the way in which it captures the atmosphere of the American West. The landscape and its history are woven seamlessly into the plot, creating a vivid and immersive reading experience. The author's prose is beautifully crafted, with a lyrical quality that adds to the haunting and atmospheric tone of the novel.

Overall, Dead West is a thrilling and thought-provoking read that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Highly recommended for fans of Westerns, thrillers, and literary fiction alike.

Exit Strategy by Linda L Richards is one of those books I jump on as soon as I see it. I love books about assassins and hitmen, especially when they are women.

She puts her head down and moves forward. For what? Why does she get up in the morning, other than the dog? She needs something to have some meaning.

She is an assassin, but she wants out. No more killing. That is not to be. She is being solicited for another job, but this is the opposite of what she is normally hired for. She is hired to save someone from another assassin. Her instincts are sharp and even if they are not always one hundred per cent accurate, it’s close enough.

Financial wheelings and dealings supplied the perfect title.

Lots of action, but not the heart pounding kind. After all, assassins have to do their research so it resembles a police procedural…sort of.

I haven’t read Endings, the first book in the series, but after meeting her, I want to know more. Did this affect my rating? I wanted to love this book, but couldn’t quite get there. That being said, I would still recommend it to readers like me that cannot resist a strong female characters that does what needs to be done.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Exit Strategy by Linda L Richards.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

“Endings” by Linda L. Richards is unique because of its structure in the first person-present tense. Descriptions set the tone of the narrative and pull readers into the midst of the action. What does it take for a nice person, like the narrator, to kill a person, multiple people even? Readers soon find out. Step by step events unfold; no warning is given. “Not much, anyway. Just before I plug three silenced shots into his chest.”
She once was someone’s wife and someone’s mother, but now things are different. She is different. Now she is someone “nice” people contact when they need someone killed. As soon as she first killed for money, everything fell into place like dominoes tumbling into each other in an orderly fashion. Then things change dramatically; there is a job that is not a job. Jobs come and go; jobs are completed, over, finished. This is an obsession, and once she commits to something, she follows it through to the end.
There are no spoilers in this review, which is a difficult task. The narrative is compelling, addictive, gut wrenching and teeth grinding. Her life once was orderly, organized and focused; then suddenly it is not. I will just say that she keeps the puppy. Plan your time wisely when you start reading, because once you start you will not be able to put this book down. I received a review copy of “Endings” from Linda L. Richards, and Oceanview Publishing. I read it in one day

WHEN BLOOD LIES
I received “When Blood Lies” as a Library Thing Review copy. This is the second in a mystery series by Linda L Richards in the Rapid Reads collection. Nicole Charles, gossip columnist, is back and being downsized. If she is to work at home she needs a new (to her) desk. When she is bidding at an auction for a desk her competitor in the bidding is suddenly arrested by the police and so the desk is hers. She and her brother find a secret compartment in the desk containing wine bottles which Nicole discovers are very valuable but someone else, of course, is after those wine bottles and is determined to get them back. Nicole is determined to solve the mystery and to get a good story out of it for her newspaper. The plot is intriguing, but with some loose ends, and Nicole is an appealing protagonist. Although I don’t normally read short stories I have found the books in the Rapid Read series to be good reads which finish too soon for me. I hope to see more in this series.½

This is the fourth book in the Rapid Reads series I have read and I think this is my favourite of them all.
The writing was clear and not overly-adorned and the story was interesting. I was waiting for a big
finish because I had read an early review online but there wasn't a tremendous amount of surprises by
the end of the book. I like the main character and her brother and I would definitely read more books in this series. I think it will be interesting to see the way the society newspaper writer-the main character of the novel continues to grow as the series proceeds. This was a quick (which is the point of the Rapid Reads series)and very pleasurable read. I didn't often feel I could pass on former Rapid Reads to fellow
readers but I think I know people who will also enjoy this one as much as I did.

A quick read about an aspiring reporter, Nicole Charles, who finds a secret compartment in an old desk she buys at an auction, She is not the only person who wants the desk, but she cannot figure out why he wants it so badly. The reason is a surprise to her when it is finally revealed.

This is a nice little story about a junior reporter in Vancouver, Canada, who accidentally stumbles upon a mystery. It is a short, interesting read, although the topic and characters could do with a bit more depth. Asides from a few repetitions, it is a nice debut novella, and I look forward to see the sympathetic main character grow in complexity in future episodes, as the author develops her style!½

This book seemed to be all plot without much substance --- like an outline for a book. It never did say what happened to the valuable items she found in the desk. The ending seemed rushed. I just now found out that this is a Rapid Read which I didn't know before I reviewed it (8/10). I guess since it is designated as such, the book met all requirements, but I would like to see it flushed out and plot holes filled in.

A bit of a slow start, but I really liked the book. Rookie newspaper reporter Nicole Charles is finding her perfect job to be somewhat boring, for want of a better word. At least she has a place in the large newspaper she is calling home. Through the unexpected yet unquestioned death of the society reporter, she falls into his job. She trained to be a news reporter, what happened to reporting on crimes? What happened to following up leads? For that matter, what happened to working in her own office? The paper is downsizing, as so much media is, and much of the staff now works online from home. Working from home slightly compensates for lack of office space, but Nicole needs a desk to work at. Her best option appears to be an auction, where she finds the "perfect" desk. As bidding starts she is not the only one who wants this desk. Just as she reaches the final limit to bid, police storm in and arrest the other bidder! An extreme but fascinating interruption but fruitful because the auction must begin again. With the only other bidder gone, she gets the desk for a much lower bid.

Looking it over, she notices someone has tried to get into one of the locked drawers. Is the key lost? What could be so important? Her brother Kyle joins her to bring the desk home, but once it is installed the search for what secrets it may hold begins. At the same time, their parents' home is broken into. Is there a connection? If so, what could it possibly connect to?

This book has a lot of surprises, a story of love and loss, crime and vintage wine, memories and misguided moments. For readers who know Vancouver, it will bring familiarity, well depicted. Activity escalates throughout Nicole's investigations. I enjoyed the book for all these reasons. I look forward to another Nicole Charles Mystery. I'm left wondering, what happened to the wine?½

A delightful little story full of intrigue.
Nichole Charles full time reporter, part time sleuth. Nichol is a young reporter trying to work her way up.
But, due to downsizing she is told to work from home. She buys a desk at an auction. This is no ordinary desk, it is full of surprises that lead her to solve a mystery.Will this be the break she needs?
A good short read you will find entertaining. Add this one to your bookshelf.

Good story; written with just enough detail to tell the tale but not so much to bog down the reader. There are a few twists and turns and at least one red herring to hold the readers interest. It's a relatively short book and would be a handy companion for that short flight or waiting in an airport or doctor's office.

I am grateful to author Linda L. Richards and LibraryThing Early Reviewers for having provided a free advance reading copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

This is a short book only 147 pages with short chapters. All in all I'd say it was a pretty good read. It moved along at a good pace and kept my interest until the end. There was good rapport between the characters and it was easy to follow along.

There was nothing that was really exciting, kind of like a wow factor, it was just a steady read.

What I didn't like about the book was the ending. Didn't seem to be any real ending to me, just confusion and the character's determination to carry on.

I'd rate this book higher, if it were a bit longer and more complex. At under 200 pages and a fairly large font, it was too fast a read. That said, the plot was interesting and the main characters were described well. Nicole is a society reporter for the Vancouver Sun, but wants to become a beat reporter. She falls upon a story while purchasing a desk at an auction. While pursuing the story, she learns one of the main characters actually used to play with her brother as a child. I was surprised to see how quickly the case was resolved. I think, if the author chooses, this sort of plot could be expanded and made more complex (thus bringing the reader in for a longer book) in future adventures of Nicole.

I didn't see when I entered the drawing for the book that it was a "rapid read". I finished this book in just a few hours. For the time it took to read it, I'd say it was all right. It wasn't a very deep book. Everything was pretty shallow, on the surface. There wasn't enough book there to go any deeper.

Things that it took the heroine a while to figure out, I had figured out pages and pages ago. That made the book kind of boring. However, the premise of the book was okay. It was a somewhat unique and original story line. Places in it were redundant. Places in it were boring. The upside is that it's so short and you can get through it so quick that those parts don't last very long.

I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone, but I wouldn't say nay if someone asked me about it. It wasn't my cup of tea, but it's sure to be someone's.

Rapid Reads is right! This book moved quickly, introduced the characters and off we went to the mystery. Neat premise with a newspaper reporter who already likes to investigate so it is a natural fit that she wants to find out more about her mystery desk she purchased at auction, but almost didn't get except the other bidder was arrested during the bidding.
Easy to sit down and devour in one sitting. Enjoyable and I hope there are more to this series.

I received a copy of When Blood Lies by Linda L. Richards through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. This was a fast-paced, quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'd like to read more by Linda Richards and her main character
Nicole Charles.

Very well done, though this might qualify as a long story or novella. Liked Nicole, the other characters need fleshing out, but that would require more space. Nice feel for a modern newsroom. Who will go after the stories when the papers are gone?

It could have been better. As an adult, I found it a little too simple. If it were longer, and the characters had more depth, I think it would have been better. The mystery, also, wasn't developed very well. The main character, Nic, was more than dissatisfied with her job as a reporter, and tried her hand at detective work. I think it would be a good book for a YA.

Meh. This qualifies as a Rapid Reads - it's novella length and moves along quickly - but that's part of the problem. We don't really spend enough time with these characters to learn anything about them, which makes it hard to understand how/why they are acting as they do. Add to that, this is a mystery that isn't really that mysterious (I had strong suspicions early on) and it wraps up with a lot of lucky guessing at the end.

The publisher states that this imprint is for adults with literacy problems (among others). If the others in the imprint are like this one, it will serve that purpose well. It's easy enough to read and is definitely an improvement to the "see Spot run" types of books.

Quote from the Orca Books / Rapid Reads website found here.

In our increasingly fast-paced world we believe there is a need for well-written, well-told books that can be read in one sitting. Rapid Reads are short books for adult readers. They are intended for a diverse audience, including ESL students, reluctant readers, adults who struggle with literacy and anyone who wants a high-interest quick read.

As I read If It Bleeds, I kept reminding myself that I wasn’t the target audience for this book, something I didn’t realize when I requested it from the ER program. The problem, ultimately, was that I didn’t find the book well written or engaging. I’ve read many novella length works that I’ve enjoyed, but this wasn’t one of them.

I’m a mystery fan, but this book seemed to focus more on the heroine’s dissatisfaction with her job as a society reporter with a newspaper in Vancouver (a job for which this person should never have been hired) than on the murder. For a short book, the plot was slow. I also have issues with a book purportedly for readers developing their reading skills using poor grammar and lazy sentence construction.

Perhaps some of these flaws can be attributed to the needs of the Rapid Reads series – simple plot, simple language. And perhaps I’m being a bit harsh. There were some sections that read well and it tightened up near the end when the focus was mainly on the crime. I hope, however, that other entries in the series are much stronger, or a number of people may be put off reading altogether.

I wish I could find something nice to say about this book, but I'm limited to the following: it was short and a relatively quick read.