Review: A Killing Truth by DV Berkom

 

Leine Basso has a complicated life. In this series prequel novella, she’s a professional assassin for an ultra-secret agency, the lover of a man in the same line of work—and a single mother. Things get even more complicated when her boss at the Agency seems to become as  dangerous as her work itself. Berkom’s writing is tighter than ever. The pace is riveting, the plotting masterful, and the characters deep. A shocking twist at the end is gut-wrenching. I’ve read one of the Leine Basso thrillers, The Body Market, and I know I’ll be reading more of them. Berkom is one of my go-to authors. I can turn on my Nook and start the first page assured that not single page that follows will let me down.

Find sales links for this and other great thrillers at http://dvberkom.com

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How I Choose a Good #Indie Book

Never bought an indie book before? Try it. A lot of readers haven’t, but it’s a low-risk adventure. I’ve paid as much $14.99 for a traditionally published e-book that I didn’t like, and I just paid $8.49 for one that’s only 67 pages. (Fortunately, I like it so far.) The most I’ve ever paid for an indie e-book is $4.99 and I’ve liked almost all of them. The only way I take traditional or indie publishing into consideration as a factor in choosing a book is that I love indie prices. Of course, there are a lot of other factors that go into my choice of a book, and this may explain why I’ve had such a satisfying indie reading experience. The following criteria have helped me find some great writers.

• Have people whose opinion I respect given it good reviews? These might be people I know well on Goodreads, reviewers I follow on Booklikes, or personal friends, but they are all people who care about quality. I found Martyn V. Halm’s compelling Amsterdam Assassin Series this way. I’ve reviewed on one of the short stories in this series on this site, and all the books and singles on both Goodreads and Booklikes.
• Is the author a member of Sisters in Crime? http://www.sistersincrime.org This has been a 100% reliable way for me to find good mystery authors. (By the way, though Sisters in Crime started as an organization to support women writing in the mystery genre, we have male members.) The organization educates its members with classes and workshops and discussion groups, and local and national chapter meetings. SinC’s “Guppies” group—short for the Great Unpublished—has many published authors who continue their membership because of the support they get and can give to new Guppies. I’ve never read a SinC member’s book that let me down. SinC members whose books I’ve reviewed on this site include J.L. Simpson, DV Berkom, Anna Castle and Diane Vallere. I’m currently half-way through SinC member Lois Winston’s hilariously inventive cozy mystery, Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun. Even the title made me laugh. Look for a favorable review coming soon.
• Did the book earn a B.R.A.G. Medallion? This award for the best in indie writing isn’t a contest—it’s an ongoing process. Books submitted to the Book Readers’ Appreciation group are read and evaluated by numerous people, not just one or two judges or critics. I’ve never read a B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree book that let me down. DV Berkom’s and Anna Castle’s books mentioned above earned B.R.A.G. medallions. (So did my murder-less mystery Shaman’s Blues, but of course I haven’t reviewed my own work.) If you’ve never read an indie book before and you like #mysteries and thrillers, you could start with one of these books. I think you’ll get your money’s worth—probably more.

Reviews:

https://everywhereindies.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/two-reviews-the-daisy-dunlop-mysteries/

https://everywhereindies.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/review-designer-dirty-laundry-by-diane-vallere/

https://everywhereindies.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/review-murder-by-misrule-by-anna-castle/

https://everywhereindies.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/review-the-body-market/

To find the books not linked to reviews, Shaman’s Blues and Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun (and many more) go to

https://everywhereindies.wordpress.com/books-by-genre-mystery/

Review: The Body Market

It’s a cliché to say a book was hard to put down—but this one was really hard to put down. The story concept is original, and Berkom is a master of pacing. Every scene is crafted to move the plot and keep the reader wanting to know what happens next, with a balance between intense action scenes and suspenseful scenes of quiet tension that build to the next explosion.

Leine Basso, a former assassin, is now working to rescue victims of human trafficking. When she tangles with the traffickers, her skills from her old profession are needed. Leine is a kick-ass heroine, but not super-human. She networks with people who can help her accomplish a mission, and those networks are set up early in the plot so none of the events becomes a deus ex machina twist. With everything set up so precisely, the Body Market peaks with one of the best surprise endings I’ve read in a thriller—and yet another one, if you read the bonus short story at the end. (You should.)

The scenes in the point of view of Elise, the kidnapped teenager Leine is trying to rescue are even more gripping than those in Leine’s point of view, because this girl has no weapons, no training, no access to people who can help her, and no experience outside of her Beverly Hills rich kid world. I never knew if Elise would survive, or how, though I could see the roots of her strength beneath her spoiled-brat surface.

This book recently received a well-deserved B.R.A.G. Medallion, which is given in recognition for the best in indie writing. To learn more about the B.R.A.G. Medallion go to http://www.bragmedallion.com/

Berkom has such an extensive list of publications I can’t fit them all on this site. You’ll find The Body Market on the mystery page—it’s both mystery and thriller—and can find sales links for Berkom’s other books on her web site. The newest in the Leine Basso series, Cargo, came out August 1.

http://www.dvberkom.com

https://everywhereindies.wordpress.com/books-by-genre-mystery/

The first Leine Basso thriller, Serial Date, is currently free, and when I went to Barnes and Noble to download it I was pleased to discover the Kate Jones series as well. I’m looking forward to reading more by Berkom.