Book Review: Hunting of Men by Lance J. Lorusso

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Hunting of Men is Book 1 in a series. The narrative follows the transition of Johnny Till, the main character, to his new role as a homicide detective and a missing young woman, named Hannah.
As the plot unfolds, the chapters alternate between Johnny Till and Hannah. Lorusso keeps you engaged until the very end. I was immediately curious about how the stories of Johnny and Hannah would collide, especially since Hannah was missing and Johnny was working on a cold case, involving a school resource officer. My favorite part probably was the bank robbery. I was completely caught off guard by it, and I couldn't figure out how it would relate to the plot.

Lorusso does an excellent job of captivating the reader. Since he is a former police officer, Lorusso adequately describes events within the book that makes it completely fascinating. Because of the realistic nature of the book, I found myself seeing each scene unfold. I grew to really like Johnny Till and his dedication to being an excellent homicide detective. I devoured the book within a day or two. The most significant aspect of the book is how it brings attention to a real issue that is plaguing the United States and the World: sex trafficking. I don't think people talk about this issue. As a professor of public policy, I believe that this issue should get more attention than it does. I think Lorusso adequately entertains his readers while ensuring that attention to sex trafficking is addressed. Thus, the end of the book includes an author's note about sex trafficking with specific statistics, as well as a section to educate the readers about how they can stop human trafficking.

Here is some of the useful information included in the book:

• Call 911.
• Text HELP or INFO to BeFREE (233733) for the National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888)
• Download the See Something, Send Something app.
  
  

About the Book: 

In Hunting of Men, LoRusso draws upon his diverse law enforcement background that saw him work the street, serve as a trainer, hostage negotiator, and an investigator.  The book launches the career of central character, Johnny Till who will be the key character in all the Blue Mystery books. The book’s title, Hunting of Men, is drawn from Ernest Hemingway’s quote, “There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”  The mystery in Hunting of Men focuses upon a cold case murder.  

Johnny Till is a force to be reckoned with as a new homicide detective for the Lawler County Police Department. As tradition demands, on his first day on the job, Till pulls a cold case file to investigate. The file in question is one that has haunted the department and community for years: the cold-blooded murder of Officer Michael Dunlap, gunned down in the black of night some twenty years earlier.

Now, in order to solve the murder and heal the victims left behind, Till must reopen old wounds and retrace the final days of Dunlap’s life. The journey will lead him down a rabbit hole to a darker, more sinister conspiracy, one that threatens to steal the lives of children around the world. In order to close this cold case, Till must not only come into his new role as a homicide detective,  but face his own fears to truly become a hunter of men.

 

Virtual Book Tour - Dharma: A Rekha Rao Mystery by Vee Kumari

I am happy to share with you a book, unlike any other book that you have read. Lately, I find myself reading more fiction, and I wanted to share a unique book, Dharma: A Rekha Rao. I was very fascinated with the synopsis of the book and felt that my readers would enjoy it. Below I have included information about Dharma and share the Question and Answer discussion with Vee Kumari. Let me know your thoughts when you finish this book.

“A polished, confident whodunit brimming with personality and the right amount of intrigue and mayhem.” – Kirkus Reviews

         Paperback: 302 pages

         Publisher: Great Life Press (March 2020)       

About the Book:

Rekha Rao, a thirty-something Indian American professor of art history, is disillusioned by academia and haunted by the murder of her father. She believes police convicted the wrong person and moves away from her match-making family. 

She’s focused on managing her PTSD and healing her heart, broken by an abusive boyfriend. She gets entangled in a second murder, that of her mentor and father figure. The murder weapon, an idol of the Hindu goddess Durga, is left behind on the body. Detective Al Newton asks her to look into the relationship, if any, between the meaning of the statue and the motive for the murder.

Rekha is attracted to Al but steers clear of him because of her distaste for cops and fear of a new relationship. The two constantly clash, starting a love-hate relationship. Meanwhile, her family sets her up to meet a suitor, an Indian attorney. When police arrest one of her students and accuse her mentor of idol theft, Rekha is left with no other choice but to look for the killer on her own. 

Despite admonitions from Al and bodily harm caused by an intruder, Rekha finds the killer, and in the process, emerges from the cocoon of a protected upbringing to taste the prospect of romance and discover her true identity.

"A murder mystery set against an intriguing backdrop of Indian mysticism and archaeology makes this a very good pick. Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery may also provide some readers with a glimpse into the rich religious history of India's gods, rich mythology at least as rich to American readers as the more familiar Greco-Roman gods and goddesses. It's one of the hidden treats that makes this novel an enjoyable read for mystery lovers everywhere." 

- Chanticleer Reviews Rating: 5/5 star

About the Author:

Vee Kumari grew up in India. She loved to read, and often used it to avoid her mother, who might want her to do a chore or two. It was her mother who directed her to use the dictionary to learn the meanings of new words and construct sentences with them. Vee wanted to become an English professor but went to medical school instead.

Upon coming to the US, Vee obtained a doctorate in anatomy. She became a faculty member at the UC Davis Medical Center, where she worked for over 35 years, and later worked for the Keck School of Medicine for five years. Teaching neuroanatomy to medical students became her passion. She published many scientific papers and won several teaching awards. 

Vee Kumari

When she retired in 2012, she took classes from The Gotham Writers' Workshop and UCLA Writers Program. Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery is her debut fiction that incorporates her observations on the lives of Indian immigrants and Indian Americans in the US.

Vee lives in Burbank and is also an actor who has appeared in TV shows, including Criminal Minds and Glow, and produced and was the lead in a short film, Halwa, which garnered the first prize in HBO's 2019 Asian Pacific American Visionaries (APAV) contest.

She is at work on her next novel about an Indian immigrant family whose American dream shatters when one of their twin daughters goes missing.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook: @veekumari

Instagram:  @vee6873hollywood

Twitter: @veekumari1

Author website: https://www.veekumari.com

Question and Answer with Vee Kumari

Where did you grow up /live now?

I grew up in the south of India in a coastal town called Trivandrum. I now live in Burbank, CA

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I loved words, and I wanted to be an English professor.  

 When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Or what first inspired you to write?

As a scientist, my fall back was reading fiction. When I retired, it gave me the time to try it.  

What inspired your story?

I watched an OPRAH/Dr. PHIL an episode about a family who came to get help after the father came to the realization that he was always gay. Their genuine grief and need to find their way back as a family touched me. It’s best to keep this under cover since this is one of the threads that’s revealed only towards the end!

How does a new story idea come to you? Is it an event that sparks the plot or a character speaking to you?

All of those. I may hear something on the news or watch an episode of a TV show, or watch a movie, and my head gets filled with “What Ifs”. Some of these take life, others don’t. Right now, I have my second novel almost finished, and several premises written, based on these “What Ifs”.

2018 Mississippi Book Festival: Miss Titta Nurse Chloe by Regena Hoye

Regena Hoye

Last year, I attended the Mississippi Book Festival for the first time. I met the author, Regena Hoye, who wrote the book, Miss Titta Nurse Chloe.  Ms. Hoye was extremely nice and shared her book with me. I didn't get to stay long because of the heat, and having to pick up my children from the library. However, Ms. Hoye was the highlight.

Here is the excerpt from her book:

Miss Titta is a southern mystery. Miss Titta, a widow, is a graceful woman, of medium height and caramel skin, with brown eyes that wisely appraised. In the 1950’s, she applied her hands on the southern community of Lena that had faith in, and depended on her healing powers. Miss Titta is the midwife, the healer, and the comforter and a mentor to thirteen-year-old Chloe Harris. The southern country town’s daily life was familiar, but among the familiar came the unexpected.When Chloe’s father is involved in a terrible accident while on the job at the turpentine plant and all the plant workers find themselves being dangerously compromised, Miss Titta intervenes to seek justice.Then another cruel tragedy happens to Chloe’s family that caused Miss Titta to risk her life to investigate the cause and to bring justice so that the perpetrator of the horrific crime is punished.
Will you join Miss Titta as she risk her life for justice and to expose the truth?

I would highly recommend that you check out her book. Her book is truly a "southern gem." Learn more about Regena Hoye on her website.

Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley

Thanks to reading Vern's Book site, Prissy Book Snob Blog, I discovered Walter Mosley. I am glad she didn't disappoint me! Blonde Faith was my first book by Walter Mosley AND my first Easy Rawlins Thriller. I really enjoyed reading this book. The continuous twists and turns of the plot kept me wanting more. I like how Mosley make Easy so real. The imagery and dialogue draws the reader into a world unknown but familiar. Easy Rawlins is almost your suspicious but likable neighbor next door. Even though a fictional work, Mosley teaches you how gullible and dangerous you can be with people, who you do not know, and the importance of filtering information you know to someone. Mosley also shows how even the toughest can be the softest, when it comes to matters of the heart. Unfortunately, I did not like the ending, but this book was definitely the outlet I needed.

Now here is what you can do since you have read thus far!!! You can click on the link and order the book I have just shared with you. If you really enjoyed reading about this book, share this post on Twitter or Facebook. Don't forget to share you thoughts and comments below.