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 Dice
Angel
by Brian Rouff
copyright 2001
$14.95
222 pages
Fiction
Paperback
ISBN: 0-9717148-1-9
Hardway Press
Even though he runs a bar in the heart of Las Vegas, Jimmy Delaney is no
gambler. He's learned the hard way that when his luck goes sour, it goes
the whole way, so he's stayed away from the tables.
Then a break-in empties his video poker machines of $12,000, which his
insurance doesn't cover, and his accountant disappears along with every cent
Jimmy owns. It turns out the fleeing accountant hasn't paid any taxes and
the IRS is threatening to put Jimmy's bar up for sale.
A rock and roll playing IRS agent agrees to take the heat off Jimmy if he
hires the agent's band. But with a song list that includes only Jimmy Buffet
tunes that are so obscure that even Buffet himself couldn't remember them,
the band is driving customers away so fast the doors of Jimmy D's will end
up shuttered long before the looming foreclosure date.
One by one Jimmy's options close down, until his last remaining card appears
to be a dirty square of cardboard handed to him by a homeless man, a
business card reading "DICE ANGEL. I will bring you luck at
craps."
With nothing left to lose, Jimmy arranges a meeting. Amaris, the Dice Angel,
who tells him she can make him a winner, but only if he follows her
instructions exactly. Jimmy can't help entertaining doubts, especially when,
according to Amaris, the path to the fifty thousand he desperately needs
apparently means casting off the habits of a lifetime. It not only means
trusting her implicitly, but submitting to some arcane New Age massaging of
his karma. Before Jimmy can embark on the project, a cop friend turns up a
rap sheet on the angel that's even longer than the reach of the IRS, and it
begins to look like Jimmy's last hope just went up in smoke.
Brian Rouff's "Dice Angel" is a fast-paced, dialogue-heavy book
told in first person by the main character. It helps that Jimmy Delaney is a
likable character and possesses the seductive appeal of a gifted raconteur.
His humorous, faintly ironic voice seems more bemused by his misfortunes
than shattered by them.
Expect enough gambling jargon to send non-gambling readers scrambling for
their copies of "Hoyle's Rules of Games", but even without knowing
the rules of play, non-gamblers can appreciate the fact that a lot is riding
on Delaney's dice throws and shouldn't have any problem following the
action.
Brian Rouff writes well and "Dice Angel" is a story in which the
pace never flags. If Rouff has a failing it's that he tends to let his
characters tell one another one old joke too many. And, if you want to
really get picky some of the incidents in the wrap-up might strike you as
just a tad contrived. But any reader prepared to overlook such minor flaws
can look forward to an entertainment as good as anything Las Vegas has to
offer. Put your money on this one.
Five chips out of five
Bill Stephens
GWN Book Reviewer
bill_stephensca@yahoo.ca
January 29, 2003
 The
Seed of the Dogwood Tree
Greg Cicio
American Book Classics - June 2002 - $22.00
ISBN 1-58982-006-1
For Michael Sinclair and his friend Bruce Plantard, two Archeology students
at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), the field trip to the Mendip
Mines of Somerset (England) was supposed to be "just another field
trip." Little did they know that it was the beginning of an adventure
which would alter their destinies.
The discovery by Michael of the writings of the first Baldwin King of
Jerusalem (3 letters), with the help of Bruce's Uncle Edmond's book by
the Prieuré de Sion could be the key to Celebrity for the two
youngsters, or something more sinister.
Their first dilemma is to decide if they'll tell the World about their
discovery or if they'll keep it secret and look for more buried clues in the
Mendip Mines. After lots of consideration, they opt for the latter.
As soon as they return to Scotland, Michael's twin sister, Elizabeth-Marie
brags about her new promotion as assistant of Dr. Hapsburg, a prominent
scientist doing research on the possibility of cloning from blood in any
condition by reconstructing its foundational DNA. Michael convinces Bruce to
let him tell Elizabeth about their discovery.
Michael and Bruce know that they have to go back to the Mines. Scattering
all their meager resources, the two students gather all the necessary
material, and with the financial and moral help of Bruce's Uncle Edmond,
hire a boat, and are soon back to Somerset to conduct more research, this
time, without the knowledge of their University or colleagues.
Never in their wildest dreams would they have thought about the incredible
discovery they'll make in the Mines, a discovery which could catapult them
into the world of fame. Alas, Uncle Edmond believes that the discovery
cannot be broadcast yet. He will entice professor Stuart, Michael and
Bruce's mentor, to schedule another search expedition to the Mendip Mines,
so the students can legitimately get the credit for the find.
But fate has other plans for Michael and Bruce. After a violent altercation,
Bruce leaves the apartment he is sharing with Michael.
This is only the start of an incredible string of nightmarish adventures for
Michael, his twin sister, father, which will lead them to uncover a
centuries old global conspiracy involving Heads of States, Kings,
scientists, big corporations, several sects/orders, members of his own
family.
He will discover that people who have surrounded him, and trusted all his
life, are not what they appear to be. His life changes when he realizes the
magnitude of the consequences triggered by the fateful trip to the Mendip
Mines. He understands that nothing can stop the people who are really
pulling the strings of the unaware puppets whose lives have been manipulated
as if they were pawns on a chess board.
Mr. Cicio's characters are very well defined, even the most evil ones are
quite credible. The conspiracy plot is plausible, especially in the light of
some recent events. Cloning has attracted a lot of attention. The fact that
British scientists successfully cloned "Dolly" the sheep makes the
idea of human cloning perfectly feasible to any scientist. This is one
interesting novel.
4 ½ chalices out of 5
Johana Smith, GWN Book Reviewer
Teeter
Totter: Lee Ann’s Diary
By Ruby A. Sampson
iUniverse.com, www.iUniverse.com
Self-help
Paperback
2001
ISBN: 0-595-17248-2
This is the author’s own story of five years of incestuous abuse from her
father. To tell her story, she had to adopt a fictional persona, Lee Ann
Black. She utilized the writing for therapeutic value. She says that it was
only because of this book that she was finally able to let go of her past.
Lee Ann’s parents were separated and she lived with her mother. Her father
used his love for her as a means to place guilt on her for not spending time
with him. She visited him out of self-imposed duty. The first time he tried
to abduct her, his bus broke down and he was forced to return her. He worked
only long enough to get the money to repair his bus.
Her father carried her away from her mother when she was only ten. He
immediately began to sexually assault her. He utilized threats to keep her
quiet, saying he would kill her family if she ever mentioned anything that
he had done to her to anybody. He also threatened her. But it was her fear
and love for her family that kept her silent.
Lee Ann was returned to her mother when her father learned that he had
prostate cancer. He planned to refuse treatment and felt that she would be
better off with her mother. Still, Lee Ann was supportive of him. She
visited him at the hospital and maintained a relationship with him.
Lee Ann was lucky enough to meet a boy who showed support and understanding
for what she had experienced. Her family helped her to get through the
difficult parts. In time, she began the long process of healing.
This is the author’s first book. Her storyline flows smoothly and
chronologically through the years and events. The characters are believable,
but dulled by the manner of delivery of the story. The story does elicit
emotions. You will feel the pain and confusion right along with Lee Ann. You
will be angry and sickened with the father. You will feel sympathy for the
mother and siblings.
The book has a page touting that it was “Edited by Jackson Webb.” If
someone
will bring him to me, I will break his red ink pen off in his nose! If the
author paid this “editor,” she should file a suit in small claims court
for
a refund of her money and punitive damages to her reputation as a writer.
The book is a 202-page nightmare of grammatical errors: run on sentences,
misspelled words, omitted words, and subject/predicate conflict, to name
only a few. Every time someone speaks, there is a version of he said/she
said…even when the speaker’s identity is clearly obvious to the reader.
Most
of these should be removed. In short, this book was not ready for
submission! It needed to be edited. It still needs to be edited! I would
consider it nothing more than a rough draft.
--Alicia Karen Elkins, GWN Online Book Reviewer
Alicia_karen_elkins@hotmail.com
12-07-2002
The
Breathing Field: Meditations on Yoga
Poems by Wyatt Townley, Images by Eric Dinyer
Bulfinch Press
Nonfiction Self Help
Small gift hardback
May 2002
71 pages
$17.95 US
ISBN 0-8212-2794-7
To properly perform yoga as an exercise or meditation, one needs two
things...a calm frame of mind and steady, deep breathing. In this
small book of 16 poems and matching pictures lies a possible way to both.
Each poem is accompanied by a picture which is only slightly -- if at all --
related to the words. The poems are separated into three
sections...one for "Undoing" or getting the body to relax and the
mind calmed for meditation, "Stepping Over" where there are poems
suited to the rhythm of actual yoga positions, and "Reverse Zoom,"
which I refer to as the cooling down period. The poems are actually
rather pretty, referring to the concepts and spirituality (as in, getting in
touch with personal spirituality, not the worship of and particular Deity,
making it open to all faiths) inherent in yoga. I think you could read
them to get your self in the proper mind set before the exercises or
meditations, or just as a celebration of the yoga lifestyle itself.
They are very contemplative poems and they force you to think.
"The Key" mentions a small fear "Folded like a
sweater" and urges you to asks yourself what fears you have folded away
in your ! heart. "Corpse Pose" has a rhythmic feel, as if
you're being lead through the exercise. They're also filled with
pretty images, for example, "This fistful of stars/ strewn across
darkness/burned out long ago/in the shape of your initials," from
"The Fire Takes Shape" is particularly evocative. I think
that these poems might even be better as audio, because sometimes it is
harder to meditate while reading (but then that could be my personal
preference) than while sitting peacefully and listening.
The art that graces every other page is as strange as it is sumptuous.
Photographs are melded into the paints, creating images that can be
extremely haunting. It forces you to sit there and study it out, study
your reactions to the art. There is one picture than I could sit and
stare at for hours, and just loose myself in the peaceful lushness of it,
another that I flip past quickly. The reader can meditate on these
just as well as they meditate on the poems, for the pictures are well done
and intriguing, a good mating of words and pictures. Both
aspects are done in a modern style, giving it a New Age feel that adds to
the over all sensibility of the book.
This book would be enjoyable to those who love the sort of contemplative
poetry it provides, as well as the pictures. I think yoga
practitioners who are into the lower impact, higher meditation type of yoga
will find this a wonderful tool.
4 out of 5
--Cindy Lynn Speer, GWN Book Reviewer
8/13/2002
Wild
Pitch
Fiction
Mike Lupica
Putnam, Sep 2002, $24.95, 352 pp.
ISBN: 0399149279
Though he was one of the reasons the Mets won a hundred games and played in
the post season, young fans either never heard of Showtime Charlie Stoddard
or think of him as a phenom footnote. However, Charlie, who believed in two
things, baseball and partying, hurt his arm in the ’88 playoffs and never
came back that is until now years later at the age of forty.
After years of boozing, womanizing, and gambling, Charlie meets therapist
Chang who provides his aching arm with relief that feels so good the former
pitcher makes a comeback with the Red Sox, who as usual are hurting in their
run against the Yankees. As he returns to the mound, Charlie also tries to
reconcile with his former wife who believes a continent may not be enough
landmass between them. Charlie also makes an effort to reconcile with his
son who loathes him. While laboring over straightening out his personal
life, Charlie works hard on helping the Red Sox overcome the Killer Bs (the
curse of the Babe and Buckner’s Dent) that haunt New England.
Though the story line is evident from almost the start, sports fans will
enjoy this amusing look at baseball, especially in light of the recent
settlement. Charlie’s injury will remind the boomers of the Bird, but his
reaction is so different from Fidrych’s contented return to his farm. Mike
Lupica provides an entertaining tale that is a walk off home run winner
except this reviewer from the Bronx points out that only in fiction could
this ending occur.
4 out of 5 cloaks
Harriet Klausner, GWN Book Reviewer
8/31/2002
Shrink Rap
Mystery
Robert B. Parker
Putnam, Sept 2002, $24.95, 304
ISBN 0399149309
When a person sees Sunny Randall for the first time, the individual thinks
cute and perky. However, Sunny is a private detective with a spine of steel
and she’s not afraid to use the gun she’s permitted to carry.
Psychiatrist Dr. John Melvin stalks romance author Melanie Joan Hall, so
while she is going on a book tour she hires Sunny to be her bodyguard.
While on tour, the two women see Dr. Melvin many times but are helpless to
do anything about it. Melanie Jones starts confiding in Sunny and the
private detective realizes the stalker is committing actual crimes against
his patients. Determined to put him away, Sunny poses as his patient and
sets herself up as bait.
Robert B. Parker, the author of the famous Spenser series, creates a totally
new series using a different voice when he writes about Sunny Randall. In
SHRINK RAP, although the reader knows what is going to happen, the fun is in
watching a twisted and evil person get his comeuppance. This crime thriller
is heading for the bestseller lists.
Harriet Klausner
4 1/2out of 5 cloaks
Harriet Klausner, GWN Book Reviewer
8/31/2002
Crime School
Mystery
Carol O’Connell
Putnam, September 2002, $24.95, 352 pp.
ISBN 0399148287
She was a wild child living on the New York streets with only a few uncaring
prostitutes to watch over her at times. She was saved from that sordid
existence when a kindly police officer and his sweet wife brought her into
their home. Their love ultimately saved Kathy Mallory, turning her into one
of the finest detectives in the special crimes unit of the Big Apple.
Twenty years ago, a woman was killed in her apartment but thanks to sloppy
police work the killer was never found. Two decades later, a prostitute is
killed in a similar manner. The police theorize that it’s a copycat
killing even if they don’t understand how the perpetrator has the details
that were kept from the public. Mallory is one of the investigators on the
case as a series of murders connect Kathy the child to Mallory the
policewoman.
It has been four long years since a Kathy Mallory novel was published, but
the long wait was worth it. Fans of Mallory actually get to see her as a
child surviving by her wits on the street. Carol O’Connell still has the
magic touch when it comes to creating fascinating police procedurals that
enthrall the audience. Let’s hope we won’t have to wait another four
years for a novel starring this complex yet likable heroine.
5 out of 5 cloaks
Harriet Klausner, GWN Book Reviewer
8/31/2002
 Cavalry
Scout
Dennis Patrick Michels
Writers Club Press (iUniverse, Inc.)
Action (War) Paperback
Copyright 2002
www.iuniverse.com
273 pages
$15.95 (US)
ISBN 0-595-22343-5
Thomas Mitchem needs to explain his situation to Jessica. He feels
that in order for her to understand, he must write it out. A few
sentences and carefully chosen words just won't fill the bill. How
would he explain the satisfaction he felt during the war? Not
necessarily in the killing, but in the enemy's defeat. How would he
tell of the missions deep into enemy-held territory in words and gestures?
No. It would have to be written in story form. Something
she could read and re-read with places that she could skip if she felt
uncomfortable. And all of his thoughts and feelings could be better
expressed if he were telling it from his heart and not having to pause for
questions. So he sat down at the typewriter.
The Cavalry Scouts. That group of the U.S. Army's Cavalry that goes in
first to scout enemy territory and direct the Army's firepower into the
heart of enemy operations. Mitchem is part of that elite group.
The Scouts are in a training exercise when the newly-formed Persian State
invades Turkey. Mitchem and his fellow Scouts "read between the
lines" of news broadcasts and determine that the U.S. will soon be
involved in the war. So they begin to make preparations. When
the word finally comes down, they're totally ready for the event.
They are flown to Turkey and, as common with such events, must wait for the
heavy units to arrive in country. When the Scouts are "turned
loose," the enemy finds itself being forced back from whence they came.
While reading "Cavalry Scout," I was given an insight into the
Scout's ability to not only define the enemy, but to take appropriate
actions to ensure their own safety and security. The characters
supporting Mitchem in this story were unique in their abilities, and when
the action started, I could hear the artillery and small-arms fire.
As a writer and former military, I offer four Sabers out of five. In
the words of the author, Dennis Michels, "Scouts Out!"
Walter Ihlefield
GottaWriteOnline Reviewer
"Banshee Rising" (2001)
"Controlled Conclusion" (2002)
"Treasure at Eagle Point" (2003)
Velvet
Sky
by Rusty Van Reeves
Trafford
http://www.rustyreeves.com
275 pages. Paperback
ISBN 155369314-0
$15.00 (shipping free)
Principal settings: Mississippi; Gulf Shores, Alabama
Rusty Van Reeves is a storyteller with a true gift for sustaining suspense.
His novel "Velvet Sky" benefits from this skill plus a reliable
sense of pacing. The story builds almost perfectly, balancing a leisurely
beginning with well-paced final chapters; the outcome is always in doubt as
the story races toward its conclusion. "Velvet Sky," in fact,
reads so much like a movie scenario that it's easy to imagine it
adapted to the screen.
The book centers on the story of four young people growing up in rural
Mississippi in the 1970s. Strong family bonds are counterpoised to the
brutal schemes of dangerous and malevolent human predators with the
potential to bring ruin to all the young folk's dreams. Even as it
celebrates typical small town virtues of kindliness and caring, "Velvet
Sky" with its compliment of murders, suicides, and child abuse, can
hardly be accused of being an idealized portrait of small town existence.
The main narrative tells the story of a young woman named Chelsea, her
eventual escape from an abusive father, and her struggle to build a normal
life. She's an engaging character that the reader can't help rooting for.
Some of the other characters are equally well-drawn, if occasionally
somewhat predictable. They don't, however, appear to be cut out of cardboard
and readers will find them believable, even if not always likeable.
As a storyteller Rusty Van Reeves already knows what to do; as a writer, on
the other hand, he suffers some limitations, among them grammar problems, an
over-reliance on adjectives, and a tendency to default to clichés. A good
editor could have done wonders for this book, ideally someone with the
ability to catch the true gaffes and the good taste to preserve the regional
flavor of some of the author's usage.
Only once does the author's storyteller's instinct desert him, and that is
in his decision to tack on an epilogue that not only brings the characters
up to date but follows them well into the future. Wise readers will close
the book at this point because the epilogue only imposes itself between the
reader and the story.
While it teeters on the edge of soap opera and sentimentality, "Velvet
Sky" avoids crossing the boundary. In any event the novel is redeemed
by the author's careful plotting and deft use of suspense. It's a good
story, and if a reader can overlook some of its obvious flaws, "Velvet
Sky" is a book that is well worth reading.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
GWN Book Reviewer
bill_stephensca@yahoo.ca
Three bullets out of five
September 4, 2002
Francesca’s
Party
Patricia Scanlon
Dunne Books
ISBN #0312301723
In London, Francesca Kirwan has spent more than half of her forty years
contently married to Mark. Everything changes when she drops off her husband
at the airport so he can fly to the continent on business. Mark left his
cell phone in the car so Francesca parks and enters the terminal to bring it
to him. However, she sees Mark kissing a woman. Francesca learns that Mark
has been having an affair with Nikki.
She kicks Mark out of their house so he blithely moves in with Nikki. At
first Francesca expected Mark to beg her to allow him to return, but he
never even plea bargains with her. Francesca begins to fall into a deep
depression until her two adult sons and her sister try to help her become an
independent woman. A bit of revenge on her spoiled, soiled Mark would
sweeten her life immensely.
On the surface, FRANCESCA'S PARTY is like a zillion similar books starring a
middle-aged woman whose sheltered life crashes around her, but somehow out
of the ruins she turns into a super-person. Getting past the simplistic
assumption that one is a better person following recovery from a traumatic
event, readers will find this novel is quite amusing. The key to the story
line is the effortlessly shifting of perspective between several characters
(not just the title protagonist) so that the audience understands the same
event from different perspectives. This technique, carried off quite
smoothly, shows that Patricia Scanlan is a very talented author who
entertains the sub-genre crowd with a strong contemporary character study.
5 out of 5 hearts
Harriet Klausner, GWN Book Reviewer
9/10/2002
THE
SEAT BESIDE ME
Nancy Moser
Multnomah
Jan 02
ISBN 1576738841
Inspirational fiction
Three
This book is especially difficult to read in light of current
events, but it is a powerful novel with much to say. With points of
view shifting between several passengers, Ms. Moser tells the story of a
plane crash, and the lingering effects of it on those who survive.
Out of over a hundred passengers, only five live, plus a reporter who
was scheduled to be on the plane and did not board because she had good news
that negated her need to make the trip. Ironically, she is the one assigned
to write the story of the other survivors. With the exception of one, all
are people who lived because one man chose to pass them the life line
instead of taking it himself. The other survivor is an arrogant
doctor who snatched the lifeline from another person because he felt he
deserved to live.
Life is not at all easy for these people. One has to deal with the
reprecussions of her cut throat tactics in life, a second finds that she can
no longer live as she had been, taking revenge on life. A man who lived when
he wanted to die finds that he is the only hope one woman has to go on
living, and must find a new purpose for his life. The arrogant doctor learns
that his actions and attitude are not without consequences, and finally, the
woman who lost her whole family must learn to go on without them. The
reporter, too, must struggle with why she made it when so many did not, and
how she can ethically write the story of a lifetime.
This book is difficult to sum up. There are multiple plot lines,
coming together to form the whole. Though well written, and profound, I can
not say I enjoyed it. It makes one uncomfortable as you have to face which
passenger you might be, and look inside yourself. Their struggles become
yours. If you can face it, this is a moving, rewarding book.
--Amanda Killgore, GWN Online book reviewer
1/29/2002
 Sean:
The Story of a Child’s Life and Death
by
Julie Maude Miller
Dry Bones Press
1999
ISBN: 1-88393-839-2
235 pages including credits
Julie Maude Miller’s journal of the days after her child’s death are
laden with emotion and inward struggle. This dear mother was clearly
passionate about her son, his life and all he stood for. After his
death, she experienced every emotion at its utmost height and utter
depths. Through pain, suffering, bitterness and sorrow, Julie emerged
a new person. Miller’s book does not end idealistically with a
miraculously changed life and refreshed heart, but she does seem to come to
a peace about her son’s death.
Sean was a strong boy and his story is told through his mother’s
eyes. She tells of his embarrassments, his trials and his victories
and describes Sean as a “cheerful, optimistic child who wanted everyone
around him to be happy.” Sean’s influence on his friends, family
and even strangers is outlined through the grief and loneliness of his
mother.
At times Miller becomes more accepting of her son’s death, but just as
soon as the journal entries take a positive turn, they will roller coaster
back into depression. This mother is bluntly honest about her true
feelings and longings and truly shows the reader the journey of a grieving
mother.
For parents suffering the grief of a lost child, this book will empathize
and encourage honestly and for those of us who have never known the grief of
a lost child, it opens our eyes.
-Five hearts out of five
-Amy Renea Harrison, GWN book reviewer
5/10/2002
An
American Redneck in Hong Kong
by Michael LaRocca
NovelBooks, Inc., 2002
P.O. Box 661
Douglas, MA 01516
Nonfiction/autobiography
122 pages Paperback, Electronic Download
ISBN 1-59105-011-1 Electronic Download $5.50
ISBN 1-59105-036-7 Paperback $15.00
(There is a $2 discount if ordered through the NBI website
at www.novelbooksinc.com on the paperback, only.)
Principal settings: Watha, North Carolina - Hong Kong
You've never met a redneck like Michael LaRocca. And, unless your concept of
a redneck is someone who loves animals, delights in encountering people from
different cultures, and moves easily between environments as diverse as an
electronics firm, a pig farm, and mainland China, expect Michael LaRocca to
redefine that term for you.
The author is one of those natural raconteurs who stretches your notions of
what you'll find interesting. Still, if you knew in advance that a good
portion of the book would be devoted to biographies of every pet he has
owned and an extensive rendering of his duties in a pig-breeding operation,
you might be inclined to skepticism. Doubt not, in Michael LaRocca's
accomplished hands animals become fascinating personalities, and the details
of pig-breeding offer an insight into the dedicated human effort that lies
behind those slices of bacon on your breakfast plate.
While written in a light and engaging manner, this is not a book without
tragedy. Its first chapter opens with the suicide of a younger brother and
ends with the death of LaRocca's mother, a hard-working woman who surely
deserved a better and a longer life. A good chunk of the remaining book
takes place against the offstage events of a deteriorating marriage and a
few hurricanes. In short, Michael LaRocca has not had an easy life, but
rather than leaving him miserable and subdued, it has gifted him with a
highly developed sense of irony and an appreciation of the absurd. When bad
things happen, LaRocca makes insightful notes and moves on, a man who meets
life facing forward, and who never fails to communicate the plain random joy
of living.
The author's energetic and staccato prose straddles the distance between
North Carolina and Hong Kong as easily as it bestrides the disparate
co-realities of hog farm and electronics firm. And we always have Michael
for company, a dog-lover, a cat-sap, an appreciator of peculiar characters
and someone who's always ready for something new. He's the sort of person
who takes in strays and strives to get to know their individual natures.
He's the sort of person who can give up everything he's ever known and fly
to Hong Kong to follow up an internet romance, vaulting the corporate
cubical in a single bound and resigning by e-mail from half-a-world away.
A funny and surprising man with the skill to put himself on the book page in
living color, he possesses the kind of unreserved honesty that most of us
achieve only after a few drinks.
His works include an earlier autobiographical book "Rising From The
Ashes," a novel "Vigilante Justice" and "The Chronicles
of a Madman", a short story collection.
Get to know Michael LaRocca. Spend some time with him. You won't regret it.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
GWN Book Reviewer
bill_stephensca@yahoo.ca
Four tail wags out of five
July 17, 2002
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