Category: iRead tour

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.

Book Trailer

The Giveaway

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