Toxic Relationship by Richard Hacker: Review, TrailerExcerpt: RABT Tour Stop

 

 

   

 

Suspense/Mystery

Date Published: 8/6/12

Publisher: Champagne Books

Synopsis:

After a murdered partner, a cheating wife and a lost job in Houston, Nick Sibelius sets up a private investigation business in a small Texas town hoping to find some peace and maybe, himself. When a couple disappears and a bass fisherman turns up dead, he finds himself drawn into a web of toxic relationships: MaryLou, a beautiful woman with a mysterious past; Junior, a failed farmer whose best intentions seem to always result in a dead body; Barry, a sociopathic dentist turned illegal toxic waste entrepreneur with visions of grandeur. When the felon who killed his partner in Houston joins forces with Barry, Nick must not only stop the toxic waste dumping while finding his client’s missing daughter, but keep from being killed in the process. In the end, MaryLou’s dark secret will either save him or kill him -- whichever comes first.

“Tight suspense with wonderful laugh out loud moments. Richard Hacker is a master storyteller."

Pam Binder, Pacific Northwest Writers Association President and author of the NY Times Best Selling anthology, A Season in the Highlands

"Many times I found myself getting strange looks because I was laughing out loud...Highly entertaining and sure to be enjoyed by fans of mysteries with humor. I highly recommend it and hope that there will be more stories to follow."

Purchase Links:

Amazon  |  Kobo  |  Champagne Books

 

 

Nick’s pulse quickened at the distinctive two part sound of a 12 gauge shell being chambered.  He threw his car in reverse, the big V-8 roaring, tires eating into the dirt track, a cloud of dust enveloping him, as he put the truck between himself and the shotgun. A blast, shattering the passenger side glass, sprayed across his seat, but Nick had already opened his door, rolling out onto the ground. He made his way to the back tire, listening for Junior Pendleton’s position. Junior made it easy.

“Get the hell off my property, goddammit. You got no right to be here.”

Crouching, Nick used the rear of his truck for cover. Junior had walked up to Nick’s pick up,  sticking his head through the shot out window. Nick rushed him from behind, slamming him hard into the truck, the shotgun firing into the ground by Junior’s feet.

Junior screamed, “Sonofabitch. My damn foot. Son-of-a-bitch.”

Nick kept Junior jammed into the window, ripping the gun away from the farmer’s hand. As Junior continued to struggle, cursing, Nick noticed several pellet holes clearly visible in the man’s worn cowboy boots.

“I don’t think that’s how you want to start this conversation, Junior.”

 

 

 

5 STARS

 

One of the most enjoyable books I have read in quite a while, this book was remarkably easy for me to get into.  I loved the characters, in particular, the bad guy characters!  I often laughed out loud at the imbecilic stunts and conversations.  There would be all these grand plans that would never work out quite as expected.  Just too funny!  But, the reason it resonated so well with me is because I have known people with similar traits, attitudes, and quirks that could be substituted in a few of the roles with little difficulty – and that is just so sad, really!  Sad, but positively hilarious, too. 

 

The story also has outstanding structure, the pacing fits the voice of the tale, and overall tone of the narrative is country-friendly and laid-back, but the author still manages to maintain the suspense throughout.  The mystery is complex enough for me that I was kept fully engaged but not so convoluted that I ever had trouble keeping track of the various characters.  If you are looking for something just a bit different, something that will seduce you into forgetting about your undone chores, then this book is for you, too.

 

This book was provided free to me by the author and Reading Addiction Book Tours in return for my honest review.  I have not received any other compensation, and the opinions stated are solely my own.

 

Reviewed by Laurie-J

 

 

 

 

Richard Hacker’s novel, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, released August, 2012 by Champagne was a 2011 Writer’s League of Texas (WLT) finalist, where in addition, SHAPER EMERGENCE won best novel in the Science Fiction category. He is a member of both the Writers’ League of Texas and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

After living many years in Texas where he worked as a leadership coach, public speaker and management trainer, he moved with his high school sweetheart to Seattle. While he misses the big skies of Texas, Richard has grown pretty fond of the Pacific Northwest. Along with his wife, Sidney, they hike, kayak and have adventures on his Vespa scooter. His writing partner is a springer spaniel named Jazz, who helps with proofreading and ball fetching.

DIRTY WATER, the next novel in the Nick Sibelius series after TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, will be released June, 2013. He is currently working on the third book in the series, as well as a young adult fantasy entitled INKER WARS: THE FIVE PENS OF JOHANN.

Contact Information:

Facebook  |  Twitter: @Richard_Hacker  |  Website

 

 

 

FULL TOUR SCHEDULE

 

October 4 - Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

October 5 - Turning the Pages - Excerpt/PROMO

October 7 - Sweeping the USA - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

October 8 - Kaisy Daisy's Reviews - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

October 10 - The Adventures Within - Review/Interview/Excerpt

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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*