Category: iRead tour

In this riveting technothriller, The CleanSweep Conspiracy, investigative blogger Matt Tremain is covering devastating riots in Toronto when he learns of a plot to rid the city of “undesirables.”

About The CleanSweep Conspiracy

In this riveting technothriller, investigative blogger Matt Tremain is covering devastating riots in Toronto when he learns of a plot to rid the city of “undesirables.” The operation is called CleanSweep, and appears to be led by billionaire Charles Claussen, who want to sweep Toronto clean of all street people and any citizens who don’t match his restrictive screening matrix.

Matt questions whether he has the courage, skill or influence to take on Claussen, but the murder of one of his sources convinces the blogger to put his life on the line. He gambles on the loyalty of a Toronto police detective and a local TV reporter for help. If his trust is misplaced, Matt will become yet another victim of CleanSweep, and the truth will be buried with him forever.

My Thoughts

A thrilling, fast paced novel about a blogger in Toronto who uncovers a horrifying plan to rid the city of the people who are deemed ‘undesirable’.

While the plot itself is horrifying, you can see that it is a possibility when you watch the news everyday. The thought that even today there are people who want to get rid or hide groups of people that they don’t feel are acceptable to society, whether it be based on their economic status or the colour of their skin. In this novel, Claussen uses a plan based on the teachings of his Grandfather (who was part of the Nazi) in a trial in Toronto. They arrange for complete chaos and when the police can’t control it, he sweeps in to regain order and begin to implement his plan.

Matt is the one person who stands in his way. Matt is a blogger who was contacted by a member of Claussen’s team. He isn’t sure at first how true this plot is but when people begin to go missing an others murdered, he knows his own life is at risk. He must race against time, decipher who is friend and who is foe and to stop the Clean Sweep from taking over his city.

This was an exciting novel and very fast paced, I had to go back a few times to re-read certain chapters to ensure I understand the characters and plot development properly. But definitely well worth the read!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Chapters Indigo.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Chuck Waldron is the author of four riveting mystery, thriller and suspense novels and more than fifty short stories. Inspired by his grandfather’s tales of the Ozark Mountains and local caves rumored to be havens for notorious gangsters, Waldron was destined to write about crime and the human condition. Those childhood legends ignited his imagination and filled his head with unforgettable characters, surprising plots and a keen interest in supernatural and historical subplots.

With literary roots planted in the American Midwest and South, and enriched by many years living in the fertile cultural soil of metropolitan Ontario, Waldron now resides on Florida’s fabled Treasure Coast with his wife, Suzanne. While keeping an eye out for hurricanes, alligators, and the occasional Burmese python, visitors will find Waldron busy writing his next crime thriller.

Connect with Chuck on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Austin Paradox continues the remarkable saga of Robert James Austin in a gripping emotionally-charged thriller that explores the most compelling issues of our time.

About The Austin Paradox

Having lost his extraordinary intellectual powers in a laboratory explosion that was intended to kill him, Dr. Robert James Austin, the greatest genius in history, whose medical cures saved countless millions, struggles to find meaning in a life that has become devoid of purpose.

As he embarks on a journey of self-discovery in an effort to regain his abilities, Austin battles private demons, otherworldly forces, and a government obsessed with controlling him. When ruthless political and business interests align to pose an existential threat to humanity, Austin is thrust into the maelstrom.

Doubted even by those who love him, Austin is confronted by a harrowing paradox as time runs out to save mankind from extinction.

The Austin Paradox is the sequel to the critically acclaimed, award winning novel, Miracle Man, which was named by Amazon as One of the Top 100 Novels of 2015, a Top 10 Best Selling Thriller and a Top 10 New York Times/Amazon Best Seller.

My Thoughts

In the Miracle Man, Robert always knew his time was limited to do great. I think that is why he always pushed himself harder and further than any person has ever done before. By doing so, he was hailed as a saviour and a miracle worker with his cures and all of the lives he saved all around the world by making access to his cures affordable for all.

Not all viewed him in the same good light and he made strong enemies with the pharmacy industry. He destroyed their business of making money off of illness and they wanted him stopped. They even went as far to have him killed – instead of killing him, they destroyed a worse part at the end of the Miracle Man. His intelligence.

In a blast designed to kill him, Robert survives but loses all of his genius abilities – he can not even follow his own formulas and notes. When many thought he would lose meaning in life, it is his wife and the birth of their first child that gets him through the worst. While a part of him is always itching to understand, he begins to discover a new way of life. They settle into the witness protection program and life looks like it can finally be “normal”.

A man like Robert can not just let his abilities lay dormant – especially when he was on the verge of discovering the cure for AIDS. He begins his own journey of self discovery, unfortunately behind the back of his wife and his assistant – the two women in the whole world who love him unconditionally.

This is all played out in the backdrop of one of the world’s worst plot to destroy humanity – a bioengineered disease that will kill millions without a pharmacy owned cure. This plot was developed by the same team that tried to destroy Robert’s life.

Not only is he out of time for giving himself the time he needs to recover, he needs to act fast or the world that he lives in will be destroyed forever. You are on the edge of your seat the entire time, watching, waiting and praying. Not to mention being horrified at how quickly this disease spreads and can be spread (and the real life consequences of this type of warfare).

This was a thrilling novel from start to finish with multiple levels of plots that will have you not wanting to put this book down. It is a definite must read!!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

William R. Leibowitz practices law internationally and prefers not spending too much time in any one place. He is a graduate of New York University and Columbia University Law School.

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Miracle Man is the winner of a Best Thriller national award, and was named by Amazon as one of the top 100 novels of 2015, a top 10 best selling thriller and a top 10 New York Times/Amazon best seller.

About Miracle Man

The victim of an unspeakable crime, an infant rises to become a new type of superhero. Unlike any that have come before him, he is not a fanciful creation of animators, he is real.

So begins the saga of Robert James Austin, the greatest genius in human history. But where did his extraordinary intelligence come from?

As agents of corporate greed vie with rabid anti-Western radicals to destroy him, an obsessive government leader launches a bizarre covert mission to exploit his intellect. Yet Austin’s greatest fear is not of this world.

Aided by two exceptional women, one of whom will become his unlikely lover, Austin struggles against abandonment and betrayal. But the forces that oppose him are more powerful than even he can understand.

My Thoughts

This was an extremely powerful and though provoking novel that I could not put down. I had to keep following the incredible life of Robert James Austin as he fights the corrupt and greed of corporate America.

Robert had a very unique, sad and almost short start to life. He was left for dead as an infant and was rescued by a surprising saviour. This began his journey into foster care – he was one of the lucky ones and was welcomed into a beautiful, loving family. It became clear quite quickly how unique Robert truly was. While his foster parents knew he was special, they were more concerned about the dark side effects of this genius. Throughout the novel, we experience glimpses into this dark side and your heart aches for him. He puts far too much pressure on himself and his intelligence all in the aim to not waste the gift that he was given (it must have been a greater purpose that he was saved and received this gift?).

The government on the other hand sensed his raw potential and wanted to foster it. Trying to protect him but also balance the needs of his genius, Robert is sent to a special school for intelligent children. He not only shines, he excels in every subject. He pushes the brink of knowledge and what people held to be true. He comes up with new formulas, new discoveries and so much more. This all takes a toll on his mental health and physical well-being but the government did not care.

It is actually during a trip to volunteer at a children’s cancer ward and through many conversations with the man who becomes like a father figure to him, that Robert realizes his true calling – discovery cures to diseases that kill and destroy the body.

He quickly becomes the greatest enemy of the government and the pharmacy industry, who have grown rich on disease. They would do anything to stop him (more so the pharmacy) but the government, while not happy with his choice, understand they need to protect their greatest asset. The pharmacy greed knows no boundaries as it becomes evident throughout the novel – including murder and bribery!

This was mind-blowing, get you thinking type of novel. You are in awe of his genius, his resilience but also worry for his well-being. You keep waiting for that one moment that it will all come crashing down, as one person can not carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. He is kindness and humbleness and this is shown through his acts of selflessness – instead of trying to profit off of his cures, he makes them available to all regardless of wealth. This is what we need more of in the world – protecting all members of our society. This is an amazing novel that I could not put down – I can not wait to start the second part, Austin Paradox – review coming soon!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

William R. Leibowitz practices law internationally and prefers not spending too much time in any one place. He is a graduate of New York University and Columbia University Law School.

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

In a Boy on the Beach, a strange twist of events threatens to destroy Andrew’s dreams, but as he searches for answers, a sudden revelation offers hope of a future he never imagined.

About Boy on the Beach

Andrew Foster, a real estate developer in San Diego, is a man suddenly haunted by his past. Memories, like specters from his former life of sex, drugs and rock and roll have come crashing into his current world of business in this sunny coastal city. The ominous, repeated appearance of a black SUV at the beach where he meets his sister each week, has triggered fears that it’s payback time for a bad choice he made years ago.

To add to his frustrations, his hopes of a big breakthrough in the San Diego real estate market haven’t come to pass. He’s starting to wonder if his visions of success will ever come true when an investor offers to finance his dream project. Soon things start to fall into place for Andrew in business, life, and even love. He starts dating the beautiful and business-savvy Nicole but even with her at his side he can’t seem to shake the ghosts of his past. As the relationship with Nicole deepens, Andrew opens up to her about the many loves and adventures that have taken him from the crazy days of living in Big Sur and Joshua Tree to business success in San Diego. Her wise insights help him face the character flaws that have caused him to fail in his past relationships.

Rounding out his social life is his once-a-week task of assisting his sister with her nanny job watching a young boy named Chandler. They build sand castles on the beach and enjoy the beauty of nature together. But the now ominous weekly appearance of a strange car at the beach has awakened Andrew’s fears. Is the boy in danger? Or worse, has an enemy from Andrew’s past come seeking revenge and now Chandler’s caught in the middle?

A strange twist of events threatens to destroy Andrew’s dreams, but as he searches for answers, a sudden revelation offers hope of a future he never imagined.

My Thoughts

Boy on the Beach takes an interesting angle of both past and present and how our past actions can sometimes come back to haunt us.

Andrew had a very interesting and unique past, with the carefree lifestyle of casual sex and drugs. At that point in his life he was selfish and at times uncaring. His actions were done in the moment with little thought to the future and to others. While at times, this served him well he did make a few enemies this way. One in the form of the woman he had thought he was going to marry at one point and the other in the form of a man who claimed he had spiritual powers and could lay curses on others.

In our present view of Andrew, we see a man who has struggled with his personal business and the demons that haunt him from his past. He has made a few business deals but not enough in the building industry to make a name for himself. When the dream job lands at his feet, he is cautious at first but throws that all to the wind for the chance to complete his dream job. What he didn’t know were the lies, betrayal and revenge that were hidden behind this dream job that left me as the reader reeling.

This was an intense story of betrayal and revenge. As we flip from his past to his present, we are presented with a complete story of how Andrew made it to where he was and we find out more about why someone would want to hurt him with his business. When we find out the  connections between our characters, my mind was blown – I never saw it coming! While it was a shock, the ending left me with a sense of hope and maybe some peace for Andrew. That he could finally forgive his own actions and move forward, making better choices for his future and those who he loves.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

R.D. Maddux has story telling in his blood. Since he was young he’s always loved a good tale. He’s been writing seriously since he was in high school and college. His novels range from Mystery and Intrigue to Sci-fi/fantasy. With Boy On The Beach he’s set the story in modern America, to be exact, on the West Coast of California. He’s a native of the golden state and has been a resident of San Diego since 1987. Before that he grew up in northern California and lived in the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area with sojourns in some of the beautiful parts of our state.

Living in California for over 60 years he couldn’t help but watch the way things have changed in our culture and the impact this coast makes on the rest of America and the world. So even though Boy On The Beach is fiction, like most serious novels, it is not without a context and comment on issues we all face in our changing world. It takes place in real locations that are very familiar to him and its characters, which are fictional, no doubt have their counterparts in the real world. Boy On The Beach is a story of intrigue, suspense, revenge, love and redemption with flashbacks to the era when sex, drugs and rock and roll set our culture on it’s inevitable journey to our present day. This idea has been rattling around in his heart and mind for a decade and it’s finally coming to the page.

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.