2018-08-24 by Karen

Circumstances of Childhood by John W. Howell #BookReview @HowellWave

Cover: Circumstances of Childhood
by John W. Howell

The author sent me an ARC of this book (epub format) in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (five stars)

Plot
(by Goodreads)

When a former pro football star and broadcaster, now a Wall Street maven is accused of insider trading, will he be able to prove his innocence and expose those who are guilty?

Greg and his boyhood pal dreamed of big success in professional football and then later in business. Greg was the only one to live the dream. Now the founder of an investment fund Greg is faced with a routine audit finding by the SEC. The audit points to irregularities and all the tracks lead to Greg. The justice department hits him with an indictment of 23 counts of fraud, money laundering, and insider trading. His firm goes bust, and Greg is on his own.

His best friend knows he is innocent but has been ordered under penalty of eternal damnation not to help.

If you enjoy stories of riches to rags, redemption, brotherly love, and a little of the paranormal, Circumstance of Childhood will keep you riveted.

Genre(s):	Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Biographical > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Legal Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Financial
Series:	n.a.
Length:	299 pages
Release date:	2017-10-01

Teaser

“Yes, it will be a big adjustment for all of us. We don’t have a quarterback. I’m afraid I put all my eggs into the Keith basket.”

Right then, I thought hard about having Greg take over as quarterback. He knew the plays better than anyone. Hell, he was the brains behind many of them. I said out loud, “Why doesn’t Greg do the quarterbacking?”

The coach looked over to where I stood as if he heard me, although impossible. “Greg, would you consider taking over as quarterback?”

My Opinion

This book provides you with a first look at Greg, whereas Keith introduces you to the story.

With Circumstances of Childhood, John W. Howell has created a unique story of friendship, loss, and much more. Greg and Keith are very likeable characters; as the story proceeded, I became their invisible friend. The story comprises a variety of craftily elaborated characters with depth and interesting interactions until the last page. I had a great time reading Circumstances of Childhood – it is a very intriguing and intense read; it turned me into an invisible ally and/or friend of the believable protagonists. I was drawn into the story right away, eager to learn more. Some of the events may start a new train of thoughts, maybe even shine a new light on something familiar.

This is for you if you like thrillers with excellent twists, interesting and complex characters, a touch of the paranormal, and – food for thought.

A compelling and remarkable read by a master of story-telling.

Highly recommended!

In brief:

Cover	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (four stars)
Writing	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (five stars)
Plot	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (five stars)
Characters	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (five stars)
Mood	Suspenseful
Pace	Fast, steady
POV	best fit for every scenario
Language	– 😳 (decent enough; some medium swearwords)
Violence	😳 (some violence)
Sexual content	(decent)

About the author

John W, Howell began his writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive business career. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. His first book, My GRL, introduces the exciting adventures of the book’s central character, John J. Cannon. The second Cannon novel, His Revenge, continues the adventure, while the final book in the trilogy, Our Justice, launched in September 2016. Circumstances of Childhood in October 1st 2017. The latest, The Contract, was launched the week of June 4th, 2018. All books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

John lives in Port Aransas, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/john.howell.98229241
Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/HowellWave
Authors db – http://www.authorsdb.com/authors-directory/6604-john-w-howell
LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-w-howell/48/b59/462/
Google + – https://plus.google.com/+JohnHowellAuthor/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/johnwhowell/
Shelfari – http://www.shelfari.com/johnwhowell
Amazon Author’s page – https://www.amazon.com/author/johnwhowell
Buy links: books2read.com/u/4AYaXJ

Please take a look at my statement on reading in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂

My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about Circumstances of Childhood? Or – if you did not yet read Circumstances of Childhood – are you now interested in reading it yourself?

I am looking forward to reading your comments. 🙂

Book review: My GRL (John J. Cannon Series, #1)

Book review: His Revenge (John J. Cannon Series, #2)

Book review: Our Justice (John J. Cannon Series, #3)

10 Statements – John W. Howell

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2016-11-12 by Karen

Our Justice (John J. Cannon Series, #3) by John W. Howell

our_justice

The author sent me an ARC of this book (mobi format) in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Plot
(by Goodreads)

The terrorist leader and financier Matt Jacobs has figured out a way to eliminate the President. He believes he has come up with the ultimate weapon and needs help in getting close enough to the president to use it. He is relying on John Cannon’s stature as a hero to help him carry it off by providing the entry into the Oval Office. When confronted by Matt, John finds himself walking the fine line of pretending to help Matt while trying to figure out a countermeasure to the plan.

The action begins with John fearing for his life. John is forced to run from his house to avoid a killer. Clearly, whoever is trying to get him has a mission to accomplish, and the elimination of John is at the top of the to-do list. One survival does not a story make and the quest to thrive takes John and his love, Stephanie from the beaches of Port Aransas to West Virginia and finally to Matt Jacob’s corporate headquarters at the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. There John finally understands what he needs to do to protect Stephanie and him from further mayhem. He chooses a path that takes him to the ultimate test while jeopardizing those he loves.

The third book in the John J. Cannon Trilogy brings together two strong wills for a showdown. The question to be answered is who will feel the satisfaction that the achievement of justice delivers? John, Matt or neither?

Genre(s):	Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
Series:	John J. Cannon Series, #3
Length:	284 pages
Release date:	2016-09-23

Teaser

“You’re preaching to the choir, John. I’m kind of glad I was de-activated from the FBI and am a simple small town police chief again. I don’t have to deal with this whole thing anymore.”

“Lucky you. I still have to appear as a prosecution witness. Also let’s not forget that Jacobs is still on the loose, so he could still be interested in seeing me dead. I’m sure that when he got wind of the fact his little plan to discredit the US backfired, he started making a plan to get even.”

My Opinion

This book begins with John J. Cannon, finally back in Port Aransas, organising repairs of his home and car. It doesn’t take long until he has to run – again.

With Our Justice, John W. Howell has created the thrilling finale of his fast/steady-paced thriller trilogy with a quite normal protagonist who still does not see himself as a hero. John J. Cannon and Ned are very likeable characters; as their friendship grows, so does the reader’s friendship with them. The story comprises a variety of craftily elaborated characters with depth and interesting interactions until the last page. I had a great time reading Our Justice – it is a very intriguing and intense read; it turned me into an invisible ally and/or friend of the believable protagonist. I was drawn into the story right away, cheering John on. In these days, some of the situations make you think; similar stuff might happen.

This is for you if you like steady-paced thrillers, interesting and complex characters, series, thoroughly researched matters, and – food for thought.

A compelling and remarkable thriller – a worthy finale for John W. Howell’s memorable trilogy.

Highly recommended!

In brief:

Cover	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Writing	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Plot	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Characters	⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Mood	Suspenseful
Pace	Fast, steady
POV	First person – present tense
Language
Violence	😳
Sexual content	– 😳

About the author

John’s main interests are reading and writing. He turned to writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive career in business. John writes thriller fiction novels and has a number of short stories published in various on-line magazines. One of his short stories has been recognized by Writers Digest in the Popular Fiction Writing contest. His novel, My GRL published by Martin Sisters Publishing and is the first of many exciting adventures of the book’s central character John J. Cannon. The second, His Revenge published by Keewaydin Lane Books is now available in Paperback and Kindle formats.

John lives on Mustang Island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of south Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.

Connect with the Author:

Please take a look at my statement on reading in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂

My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about Our Justice? Or – if you did not yet read Our Justice – are you now interested in reading it yourself?

I am looking forward to reading your comments. 🙂

Book review: My GRL (John J. Cannon Series, #1)

Book review: His Revenge (John J. Cannon Series, #2)

10 Statements – John W. Howell

Save

2016-01-13 by Karen

10 Statements – John W. Howell

Photo by Tim Burdick

John’s main interests are reading and writing. He turned to writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive career in business. John writes fictional short stories and novels as well as a daily blog. His first novel, My GRL is available on Amazon and wherever e-books are sold. His second, His Revenge is just being launched and is available on Amazon and KDP Select.

John lives on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of South Texas with his wife and spoiled rescue pets.

Find me…

My personal motto:

“This life is the only shot you have so don’t mess it up.”

10 statements

A typical work day begins with… a quick review of the e-mail and blog post replies. I generally do this while having a cup of coffee. After that, it is time for a walk on the beach with the dogs. They have a routine which includes out in the backyard first thing, a nap and then a beach walk. Once I have conformed to the dog routine, I grab a bit of breakfast and then get down to writing the day’s one thousand words. I find if I do a thousand words first thing I am then available for other activities during the day.
I lose track of time… when I am deep into writing a critical scene. I have had some situations where I thought perhaps I was having some kind of consciousness problem. Since the time flew so fast, I thought I had blacked out. This is especially true when writing the last scene of a book.
I have always… wanted to be a writer. When I was in grade school, I used to drive my teachers crazy with the way I presented book reports and other assignments as if I was living in the situation. In high school, I took some creative courses only to give up since I didn’t meet the established criteria for the assignment. In college, I finally found a degree of freedom and so solidified my desire to write.
I have never… felt the need to achieve something in life bad enough to take advantage of another person. Growing up in a tough side of Detroit gave me a perfect excuse to duplicate the behaviors of some of my friends. It would be easy to join in the rough scrabble methods of gaining influence and credibility. Strong parental control made all of this to be unacceptable.
Home means to me… the place where my family and I share time together. My wife and I are empty nesters with the exception of three fur children. We all enjoy spending time doing very mundane things. I feel at home when we are all in the living room relaxing. The two boxers and cat have one couch and my wife and I the other. Our time is spent reading, talking, (yes the fur kids join in) and watching our one hour of TV. (a recorded show without commercials and 15 minutes of news)
I am inspired by… stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I continue to be in awe of our armed forces and first responder’s sense of duty even if it means giving up their own precious time on this Earth.
I would like to meet… Kurt Vonnegut. He has had the most influence on my writing. I like the way he used historical backgrounds for his stories as well as humor to make his points. He cleverly weaved a number of elements into his books including continuity of several characters that were not necessarily part of the story but an enhancement to it.
My worst character trait… is spending too much time worrying about things I can’t control. All my life I have had to have small pep talks with myself on getting out of the worry cycle. I found a system that seems to work is to ask myself,”What is the worst that could happen if my worry came true.” These worries in retrospect always seem to be ridiculous but at the time very real.
My best character trait… is my ability to see the positive side of any problem. I have had some real challenges in life but have managed to keep them from affecting my optimistic outlook. My personal philosophy is centered on no matter how hard things are they are only temporary and can be overcome.
The best advice I was given… when I started writing full time was to keep writing no matter what. I have finished four books and in those moments where I had questions about whether or not what I was doing was worthwhile, I remembered the advice and stopped the questioning. I simply went back to the keyboard and kept writing. I continually have periods of doubt but haven’t stopped writing yet.

My GRL_johnwhowell

My GRL is the story of John J. Cannon, successful San Francisco lawyer, who takes a well-deserved leave of absence from his firm. He travels to a small Texas fishing town and buys a boat, unaware that his new purchase, renamed My GRL, had already been targeted by a terrorist group. John’s first inkling of a problem is when he wakes up in the hospital. He learns he was found unconscious next to the dead body of the attractive young woman who sold him the boat in the first place. John now stands between the terrorists and the success of their mission.

His Revenge front final America loves John J. Cannon, its newest hero, and the President wants to present him with the highest civilian medal for bravery for saving the Annapolis midshipman from a terrorist plot to destroy them. While in Washington for the award ceremony, John unwillingly becomes an accomplice in another plan by the same group to attack the credibility of the US President and the stability of the worldwide oil market. There is no way out as John either becomes a traitor to America or causes thousands of innocent people to die if he refuses.

The second John J. Cannon Thriller moves from a barrier Island off the coast of Texas to Washington DC, then to Northern California, and finally to Ecuador. John is on the receiving end of an offer he cannot, refuse. His avowed enemy Matt Jacobs now wants John to help him shake the reputation of the US in the world political arena. If John refuses, Matt plans to murder innocent Americans including John’s latest relationship. John’s only way out is to pretend to go along with the plan and hope for a miracle.

2015-11-12 by Karen

New thriller: His Revenge by John W. Howell

His Revenge by John W. Howell is now available in paper and ebook on Amazon.

The sequel to My GRL titled His Revenge is available and a new story continues where My GRL left off.

His Revenge is available in the US in Paper and Kindle editions

In Canada in Paper and Kindle editions

In the UK in Paper and Kindle editions

Here is the blurb:

America loves John Cannon, its newest hero, and the President wants to present him with the highest civilian medal for bravery for saving the Annapolis midshipman from a terrorist plot to destroy them. While in Washington for the award ceremony, John unwillingly becomes an accomplice in another plan by the same group to attack the credibility of the US President and the stability of the worldwide oil market. There is no way out as John either becomes a traitor to America or causes thousands of innocent people to die if he refuses.

The second John J Cannon Thriller moves from a barrier Island off the coast of Texas to Washington DC, then to Northern California, and finally to Ecuador. John is on the receiving end of an offer he cannot, refuse. His avowed enemy Matt Jacobs now wants John to help him shake the reputation of the US in the world political arena and disrupt confidence in the government at home. If John refuses, Matt plans to murder innocent Americans including John’s latest relationship. John’s only way out is to pretend to go along with the plan and hope for a miracle.

Excerpt from Chapter one

The water rushes over my head. I’m sinking and don’t know why. With my breath held, I have trouble stopping the air from escaping since the pressure drives the air up and out. I try to keep my mouth closed, but the water pressure pushes the air out more and more. Will I pass out? In the distance, the light is dim. To rise to the surface in time might not be possible─I need to breathe right now. Toward ending the pain in my chest, my rambling mind rationalizes taking a deep breath—even knowing it will end my life. In conflict with the irrational thought of ending it, my body won’t let me suck in the water, as it fights to retain the little bit of oxygen left to fuel my brain.

The despair is nearly overwhelming, and my mind considers other ways to battle the feeling. What more could I have done with my life? The pressure becomes more intense, and I’m about to lose it all, and I decide I’ve lived the way I wanted and have no regrets. I close my eyes and hear only the roar of the sea. I’m so tired. Exhausted. Sleep will fix everything, and I want to give in.

About the Author

John’s main interests are reading and writing. He turned to writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive career in business. John writes fictional short stories and novels as well as a blog at http://www.johnwhowell.com. John lives on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of south Texas with his wife and spoiled rescue pets. He can be reached at his e-mail johnhowell.wave@gmail.com, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/john.howell.98229241 or Twitter at @HowellWave.