The Book: The Bones of Odin

The Author: David Leadbeater

The Story: The Bones of Odin is the first novel in the Matt Drake thriller series. It has been a number one bestSeller in Thriller and Action/Adventure in the United Kingdom. David Leadbeater points out: “My latest novel follows an ex-SAS soldier in his explosive quest to unravel an ancient mystery and make the greatest archaeological find of all time that will save the world.

The second volume, The Blood King Conspiracy, has just been released.

A Review by B. R. Stephens:  “I have always loved a good mystery and this is a good mystery. Throw into the mix a military slant, a bit of photography and a region close to my heart in the form of York and yes it had grabbed my attention before the story had really started.

“I was intrigued to see where the plot went, and I was never disappointed. Great value from a book that cost less than two dollars.

A Review by Scott Whitmore: “The Bones of Odin by David Leadbeater (@dleadbeater2011) is a fast-paced thrill-ride of a book where the action starts on page 1 and doesn’t let up as hero Matt Drake and his cohorts battle the bad guys throughout locales as exotic as Paris and as dangerous as the inside of a super volcano.

“My taste in genres is pretty broad. I like a deep, introspective mystery or epic sci-fi saga as much as the next person, but sometimes as a reader I want to dive into something a bit more straightforward. To grab some popcorn, settle into my seat and get swept away as the bullets fly and bodies fall into bottomless pits. The Bones of Odin absolutely delivered and I had a lot of fun reading it.

“If (when, hopefully) some smart person in Hollywood decides to turn “Bones” into a movie, there is no doubt in my mind it will be a Summer Blockbuster starring the latest stars. There are plenty of big action scenes, starting with the opening set in York, England at — of all things — a fashion show attacked by masked terrorists.

“There is also a mystery here, a riddle revolving around the mythology of Odin, the Norse “Father of all Gods and Men” and the Nine Pieces of Odin, which may spell the end of the world as we know it if put together just right. This mystery propels the action forward, as ex-SAS officer Drake and his team — including a damaged New York City detective and a naive university student/musician – race to collect the Pieces before the bad guys.

“That’s bad guys, plural, and they are truly deliciously drawn in their evilness.

“On the flip side, the good guys are good but not infallible, and one of the things I enjoyed was how Drake came to terms with the fact that he is no longer capable of the same feats as while on active service with the SAS. The dialogue and interplay between the characters sparkles, which means even exposition-heavy scenes as Drake and crew unravel the mystery don’t slow the flow of the story.

“I highly recommend adding The Bones of Odin to your eReader of choice for the beach, on a fishing trip, the airplane ride, those lazy summer days and nights — anywhere, really. It is a fast, fun and exciting read, and I’m pleased to see Mr. Leadbeater has a second Matt Drake book out, which is going on my To-Read List.

The Book: Murder in Room 305

The Author: Gary C. King

The Story: A shocking true story of sex, greed and cold-blooded murder! Veteran true crime author Gary C. King spins a gripping real-life tale of a woman caught in a deadly web of lust and violence…a riveting story of love gone horribly, tragically wrong.

Kathryn Ann Martini graduated from Yale with a bright future in the banking business. Young, beautiful and ambitious, she had everything going for her. Until she met Michael David Lissy, the sleazy proprietor of a scuba diving school who was a coke addict that consorted with pimps, prostitutes and other known criminals. Burned out and broke, he had nothing going for him. Then he met Kathryn…a match made in hell.

On July 6, 1984, the raped and mutilated body of Kathryn Martini Lissy was found at the Valley River Inn in Eugene, Oregon. Soon afterward, police arrested Michael David Lissy, Kathryn’s husband of one year. A few months earlier, Lissy had taken out a large insurance policy on Kathryn’s life, naming him as sole beneficiary. Then he hired an underworld assassin to stalk and kill his wife. After one of the most sensational trials in Eugene’s history, Lissy was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Notice to readers: This book was previously published as Web of Deceit.

A Review by R. J. Parker: “MURDER IN ROOM 305 is written by one of the best crime writers in the business, Mr. Gary King. This book is fraught with extensive details relating to the premeditated murder of Kathryn Ann Martin. From murder to conviction of Michael Lissy, the book is captivating to the end. Well researched and written. A must read for true crime readers.”

A Review by Kimmee: “Kathy was an energetic young woman with a bright future. A Yale graduate and savvy business woman, she happened to fall in love with the wrong sociopath-enter Michael Lissy. From the very beginning Michael spun lies to lure Kathy in as a lover and wife while he laundered money from the business, committed insurance fraud for money and spent money on prostitutes. His initial intentions with Kathy were not clear-he lied to multiple people about his intentions to borrow money from Kathy’s family or use her business contacts to gain a large loan for his failing scuba shop business. After Kathy is found dead (while on a business trip) in her room – 305, the suspect list begins to grow.

“The novel begins on the night of Kathy’s murder and introduces the cast one person at time. This story reads like a mystery at times-which almost all suspicious murders are. Although this is not a “crime diary”-it is told by following the detectives and investigators through the investigative process. Key pieces of evidence are noted, but it does not need read like a police report. Parts of the investigation were (no doubt) omitted-but evidence is presented in the novel at the appropriate time to give the reader time to digest each piece. There are a few pictures included of the original crime scene-and a few of the people involved.

“Because of the intricate network of prostitutes and criminals Michael Lissy associated with, there are a number of people to keep track of. Some roles are slightly redundant (a few different prostitutes relaying the same storying or pointing in the direction of the same person), and many people have multiple aliases.

“This book focuses on Kathy’s murder but does go into detail about the past crimes of Michael Lissy and others involved in the murder. All of these facts put the murder into context and set the stage for the murder. The author adds the facts and bits of personal history at just the right time-and none of it distracts from the present. I recommend this book to anyone who likes crime novels – but it can be disturbing at times.”