The One True Faith: Michael J. McCann

Showing posts with label Michael J. McCann. Show all posts

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Putting Out the Fires

Detective Constable Kevin Walker and Detective Inspector Ellie March, work together again, to solve the arson that has terrorized the Leeds County community. Whenever you have a March and Walker mystery, you have the makings of a good crime novel. Michael J. McCann's Burn Country is well researched with specific police procedures.

Unfortunately, I was put off in the first ten chapters of the story. There are too many characters. I was forced to take a pen and paper to write them all down. The positions and names drove me crazy: detective constable, detective sergeant, detective inspector, OFM investigator, OPP Identification Sergeant, Forensic Identification Unit, Identification Constable, Detachment Commander, Deputy Commissioner, Provincial Commander of Investigations and Organized Crime, Quick Response Team Mountie, Integrated National Security Enforcement, Regional Intelligence Coordinator. And these are just titles. The names attached to them made my list two pages long!

Fortunately, I became interested in Kevin Walker’s home life. He’s a kind, reflective, honest, and intelligent investigator. Ellie March is a machine, but an effective one. She’s intelligent, experienced and focused. Her personal life suffers from her detailed fixation, but she’s successful. Walker’s priorities aren’t so singular. They do make a good team.

The story develops around a murder/arson crime. The victim is a senator and also an artist. As a politician, he had enemies. His political work involved sensitive material, so even the prime minister was concerned. The man, Senator Darius Lane, also was an artist—a good one. You could even say a successful artist, or he would have been if he weren’t an alcoholic. The investigation went off in different directions due to the political intrigue, artistic jealousy, and personal grudges. There were several good suspects.

The question though was the other fires. Was this murder the same arsonist? Was the fire a cover-up for Senator Lane’s murder? Were all the crimes related?

Walker worked the interrogations. He intuited that he was looking for a serial arsonist and zeroed in on a young, emotionally fragile young man. March handled and sorted out the various police and government interests. It turned out that the senator’s murder was a cover-up and the murderer was not the serial arsonist. But both criminals are brought to justice.

The story is good. The pace is perfect. On the whole, I enjoyed Burn Country. But there were too many characters. I still do recommend the book. I also recommend that the reader just skim over the names and not concern himself with them. Get to the story. I received a free copy of Burn Country by Michael J. McCann from Tribute Books. No other compensation was received and my review is my honest evaluation.

Prices/Formats: $5.99 ebook, $24.99 paperback
Genre: Murder Mystery
Release: March 17, 2017
Publisher: Plaid Raccoon Press
ISBN: 9781927884096

Amazon buy link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XQPLB45?tag=tributebooks-20

Kobo buy link:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/burn-country

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Shots Unheard

Shots Unheard on a Cold Night

In criminal investigations one has to be thorough. This is what the main character, Detective Ellie March, personifies in Sorrow Lake, by crime writer Michael J. McCann. Upon first meeting Detective March, the reader doesn’t warm up to her. She’s a terrible mother. But the reader will have to admit that she knows how to lead a criminal investigation.

Conversely, March’s cohort, Constable Kevin Walker is likeable, immediately. Even though, the plot puts Kevin in a compromising position, the reader emotionally supports him. (No spoilers)

The crime itself is a good puzzle. A well respected business man is found shot to death and left in a farmer’s field. The investigation itself is a developing plot that unfolds as the reader follows the detecting procedures. It’s quite scientific. In fact, the details may be too much for some readers; nonetheless, the investigation demonstrates good police procedures.

Michael J. McCann definitely has researched his story. His characters are drawn well. The team of March and Walker is a good one. A series of their collaboration looks to be forthcoming. The novel is good and I recommend it as an interesting crime story, even though I was given book specifically to write a review; it is still my honest opinion. Sorrow Lake will have you looking for another Michael J. McCann book.

http://wallsofnightmare.blogspot.ca/

Michael J. McCann's Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/michaeljmccann/

Sorrow Lake Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499018-sorrow-lake

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Sorrow Lake blog tour site:
http://sorrowlakeblogtour.blogspot.com

Michael J. McCann's Bio:

Michael J. McCann was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) with a major in English Literature from Trent University in Peterborough, and a Master of Arts in English from Queen's University in Kingston, ON.

He served as Production Editor of Criminal Reports (Third Series) at Carswell Legal Publications (Western), where he was also Co-ordinator of Law Reports, before joining Canada Customs, now the Canada Border Services Agency. While at CBSA he was a training specialist, project officer, and national program manager before leaving public service to write novels full time.

Mike now lives and writes in Oxford Station, Ontario. He is married to supernatural novelist Lynn L. Clark. They have one son.

Mike is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and the Horror Writers Association.

He is an author of crime fiction and supernatural thrillers. His Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series includes Blood Passage, Marcie's Murder, The Fregoli Delusion, and The Rainy Day Killer. He is also the author of the supernatural thriller The Ghost Man. His most recent novel, Sorrow Lake, is the first book of his new March and Walker Crime Novel series set in eastern Ontario, Canada.

Sorrow Lake Book Summary:

Detective Inspector Ellie March of the Ontario Provincial Police is called in to investigate when a man from the village of Sparrow Lake is found shot to death, execution style, in a farmer's field in rural eastern Ontario.

Leading an inexperienced team of detectives, she probes beneath the wintry surface of the township to discover the victim had a dark secret--one that may endanger others in the community as well.

For young and enthusiastic Detective Constable Kevin Walker, the chance to work with Ellie March is an honour, until the situation turns ugly and unexpected betrayal threatens to destroy his promising career.

Video Trailer YouTube embed code:
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="197" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cz3uySAROcI" width="350"></iframe>

Price/Formats: $5.99 ebook, $19.99 paperback
Genre: Murder Mystery
Pages: 316
Publisher: Plaid Raccoon Press
Release: April 30, 2015
ISBN: 9781927884027

Amazon buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UZBQ6XE?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes and Noble buy link
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sorrow-lake-michael-j-mccann/1121716996?ean=9781927884027

There is also a $25 Amazon.com gift card/PayPal cash giveaway going on at:

http://sorrowlakeblogtour.blogspot.com/

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Caught in the Rain

Book Review

The Rainy Day Killer by Michael J. McCann

The rain brought the killer out. That’s when he tortured and killed. Then he bragged about it. He taunted the police. That’s how it was.

One never knew when or where he would strike. But when it rained, the woman stayed inside. They didn’t answer the door bell. That’s how it was.

The women were all mutilated. Their breasts were cut off. They were positioned in obscene postures. The killer sent the police the breasts. That’s how it was.

And that’s how the police found all their victims. The police, homicide detective Lieutenant Hank Donaghue, and detective Karen Stainer, are working on the case, with FBI profiler Ed Griffin. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Detective Stainer is getting married. In fact, the killer has marked her, as his next victim.

The killer is just an ordinary, unassuming man. The women never expected danger, not for a second. He’d offer his umbrella, and when he was standing close enough, he’d jab a sedative into his victim. It happened so fast, there were no witnesses. He cleaned everything up, afterwards. He was impossible to track.

He does himself in. First by targeting the detective Karen Stainer, who has been trained to fight. Second, by regularly telephoning detective Donaghue to brag and harass. Stainer is getting married, so the reader’s sympathy and suspense senses are tingling. The author was clever to use this situation. Even though the reader knows the wedding and the bride are the next hit, the reader can’t relax—not with our minds and hearts racing to scan through all the wedding guests. Who is it? The wedding planner, the photographer, the video tapper? A waiter? Valet?

The pace of the story is good. The reader is kept on the edge, even knowing that Detective Stainer is the next victim. The characterization is believable and adaptable to do a series. This detective series is going to be a hit.

I received a free copy of The Rainy Day Killer by Michael J. McCann from Tribute Books. No other compensation was received and my review is my honest evaluation.

Prices/Formats: $3.99 ebook, $19.99 paperback
Pages: 290
ISBN: 9780987708786
Publisher: Plaid Raccoon Press
Release: August 30, 2013

Kindle ebook buy link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EWQT8Z6?tag=tributebooks-20

Amazon paperback buy link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0987708783?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes and Noble buy link
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rainy-day-killer-michael-j-mccann/1117105043

iBookstore buy link
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/the-rainy-day-killer/id723233597?mt=11

Sony buy link
https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/michael-j-mccann/the-rainy-day-killer/_/R-400000000000001138555

Kobo buy link
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/the-rainy-day-killer

Smashwords buy link
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/363571

Powells buy link
http://www.powells.com/s?kw=the+rainy+day+killer&class=

Amazon UK buy link
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rainy-Killer-Donaghue-Stainer-ebook/dp/B00EWQT8Z6/

Amazon CAN buy link
http://www.amazon.ca/Killer-Donaghue-Stainer-Series-ebook/dp/B00EWQT8Z6/

Fishpond AUS buy link
http://www.fishpond.com.au/c/Books/q/the+rainy+day+killer?rid=2102031192

Fishpond NZ buy link
http://www.fishpond.co.nz/c/Books/q/the+rainy+day+killer?rid=1211354772

Author’s website:
http://www.mjmccann.com/

Blog Tour Schedule:
http://therainydaykiller.blogspot.com/

Michael J. McCann's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-J-McCann/130617140389341

Michael J. McCann's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MichaelJMcCann1

Michael J. McCann's Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4724806.Michael_J_McCann

Michael J. McCann's Mystery Blog:
http://michaeljmccannsblog.blogspot.com/

Michael J. McCann's Paranormal Blog:
http://wallsofnightmare.blogspot.ca/

Michael J. McCann's Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/michaeljmccann/

The Rainy Day Killer Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18669147-the-rainy-day-killer

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

The Rainy Day Killer blog tour site:
http://therainydaykiller.blogspot.com/

Take a Chance at the Raffle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The One True Faith

Search This Blog