Sunday, September 15, 2013

One for the Detectives in Us All

Collateral Damage
An Annie Ogden Mystery 
by Frederick Lee Brooke

My rating on a 100-point scale: 94

My recommender:
Novel Publicity provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My synopsis: 
   Annie Ogden has moved in with Salvatore D'Angelo, who propposes marriage to her the same day she's attacked on her morning jog. But her attacker ends up being Annie's old fiance from Iraq, and he's come to take her back into his arms of sunshine and passion. Annie has to choose between a man who treats her right and her burning flame for an ex-con she knew as a soldier in Iraq. And then a murder happens, and Annie's old flame is the prime suspect...

My review: 
   This is an awesome book! It's thrilling and intriguing, even if you can guess early on who done it. The characters are great, and realistic. The plot is clear and has some nice twists. The writing is generally good, but there are a few things I could complain abot. There were definitely times that I was like, "Wow! What great imagery!"
   Check out some of my updates while reading this book below. To read the full comments, check them out here on Goodreads.

   "... I'm thoroughly enjoying the adventure!"
   "... Nevertheless, this storry is exciting!"
   "This is the kind of book you don't want to put down until you've finished - you wanna just keep on reading to find out what hapens next."
   "Still interesting, but a little predictable I think. Interesting all the same."
   "Wow! The descriptions are stunning! They really pull you into the story and keep you there."

I recommend to: 
Fans of mystery novells and thrilling reads with romance.

Suggested restrictions: 
I do not suggest this novl for anyone less than 15 years of age, due to adult language, themes, and situations.
Link: 
Get Collateral Damage from Amazon for only 99 cents during this tour!

My interview with the author, Frederick Lee Brooke: 
What inspired you to write your Annie Ogden mysteries?
   I love the early mysteries by Carl Hiaasen, books like Nature Girl and Skinny Dip. I read all of them and really adored the combination of zany humor and people cheeting and lying and betraying. I wanted to write my own style of unconventional mysteries – plenty of humor, strong women, and absurd situations revolving around people lying to each other and themselves.
Frederick Lee Brooke, photo from rabmad.com

If you were to compare yourself to each character in Collateral Damage, who would you most be like and why?
   I’d like to think there’s a bit of Salvatore in me. I like to cook, I’m stable and hard-workin, and loyal. Salvatore’s also a romantic, and that’s me all over. But there’s a little of Michael in me as well – Michael is passionate and sensitive and artistig. Fortunately, I don’t have Michael’s strong self-destructive streak.

Do you always write from the first-person perspective? Why or why not?
   I decided on first-person for Collateral Damage because I wanted to probe Annie’s psyche as far as I could. Also Salvatore’s. This book was intended more as a love triangle than as a murder mystery, and I think it lent itself to pirst-person. You can go just as deep in the third-person, but I wanted to try it. Mostly, in fact, I write in the third person, which alows me to roam around in the minds of multiple characters.

Is your main character, Annie, based on anyone you know in real life? Will you share with us who, if yes, and why you modeled your female heroine after her?
   Annie Ogden is a returned Iraq War vet who has her own little problem with lying – both to others and herself. She’s an amalgamation of sevaral people I’ve known. I like to play with characters who aren’t perfect and make mistakes, and see how they deal with their mistakes. I think Annie could be anyone you or I know.

What can we expect from you in the future? What are you currently working on?
   My new series is set in the United States in the year 2021-2022, and for the nost part has entirely new characters. It was partly inspiret by The Hunger Games, and the first book in the series will be ready in November 2013.
   Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog!
Of course! It was great having you :) 


Author bio: 
   Frederick Lee Brooke is the author of the widely-acclaimed Annie Ogden mystery series, which includes Doing Max Vinyl, Zombie Candy, and Collateral Damage. The books do not have to be read in order. Having lived in Switzerland for the past two decades, Brooke has taught English, run a business and learned French, German and Italian. You can find him online at www.FrederickLeeBrooke.com. Sign up for his newsletter and read all about his travels, recipes, and upcoming works! Connect with Fred on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or GoodReads.



Blog tour stuff: 
Visit the Novel Publicity Tour page here.

Prizes include two $50 Amazon gift cards and an autographed copy of Collateral Damage!

Visit the other participating blogs (list here) and leave comments on each to win one of the two gift cards!

To win one of the other two prizes, participate in the Rafflecopter Giveaway (link above)!

Official synopsis: 
   When Annie Ogden’s ex-boyfriend Michael Garcia reappears, she has to confront a lie dating back to her time in Iraq. Will she go back to hot, passionate Michael, who has developed a disturbing interest in meth, or stick with her pudgy PI partner and fiancĂ©, Salvatore? The calculus changes when Michael is arrested for murder. When Salvatore refuses to help investigate, Annie is forced to try to find the killer herself. Meanwhile her sister’s creepy husband, Todd, is making more of an ass of himself than usual. Annie's problems with three obsessive men suddenly pale in significance when she realizes the killer has set his sights on her. Having changed his mind about helping her, Salvatore finds himself in a desperate race against time, the only man capable of finding the killer before it’s too late.  

Special detective challenge: 
   One of the $50 Amazon gift cards for this tour will be rewarded to one random commenter. There are two answers revealed in this post, so use your detective skills to figure out what Fred's favorite color is and something specific he likes to cook with - leave your answers in the comments below!

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