Book Review of Try Dying by James Scott Bell

Premise: Ty Buchanan is a rising star on track to be a partner in his L.A. law firm, until the suspicious death of his fiancée, Jacqueline Dwyer, forces him into the underbelly of the city to discover the truth behind her death. He soon has more than his career on the line, as he finds himself tangled up with a mysterious group of former gang members and becomes the target of a killer.

Review: In this fast paced thriller, Try Dying, lawyer Ty Buchanan is faced with the grim reality that his life is forever changed on a wet Tuesday morning in December when a man, Ernesto Bonilla, decides to end his life and his wife’s as well in a murder suicide. The problem with Ernesto’s suicide was that it happened on an overpass of a busy road in Los Angeles. He pulled the trigger causing his fall onto Jacqueline Dwyer’s car as she drove to work that morning.

The chain of events for Ty Buchanan flies quickly from grief to trying to find the killer of his fiancée, all while trying one of the biggest cases of his career. While I read this book, I was rooting for Ty Buchanan. James Scott Bell is a definite master of his craft. His mixture of humor, suspense and mental pictures is a great combination.

The only thing that I can compare this book to is a show that was cancelled a few years ago called Eli Stone. The only difference between Ty Buchanan and Eli Stone is Eli had a brain tumor. Ty Buchanan just mentally snaps while trying to prepare for a major trial against big bully lawyer, Barton Walbert. While Ty is also dealing with investigating the death of his fiancée, he is assaulted physically several times. I ask… Wouldn’t YOU snap too while being bullied and tired of basically being told what to do from the gang thugs, his boss and Barton Walbert? I believe this book is a fun adventure and suspenseful pleasure to read. I give Try Dying a 4 ½ out of 5 stars.

Be blessed!

Brad

What to Do

April 1st... Beginning of a new month. Spring is finally here and the pollen has me sneezing. I have decided to right one blog a month where I free think it and not edit that much. Now, I have only one problem. Do I want to write what I want to write or the ideas of followers of this blog? I want to hear what you think. Do you want to give me ideas or me to randomly pick an idea that week and write what I want? If you want to pick then reply to this blog with I pick followed by your topic idea.

For today only until I get at least one response, I will talk about What to do.

What to do... Where is the clue?
Is it under a rock or in my sock?
Probably not oh what to do...

Gone is yesterday and today almost
But tomorrow is coming guess I can coast

What to do??? What to do?
Could play Disc Golf again today
Nope because I am too sore anyway
Reading is all I do like I have crawled in a shoe
What to do? What to do?

If you've got a clue to this poem
I don't mind what your shown
OK this is not very good
Can't do anything and wish I could

Be blessed!

Brad

Book Review of Between Two Kingdoms by Joe Boyd

Premise:

In this work of allegorical fantasy, author Joe Boyd takes us on a pilgrimage to a land of two kingdoms, but with only one true King. An ancient land, where children never grow old, is the first setting as a living land called the Upper Kingdom. Here foundations grow in trees and rivers sing and breathe. The second setting is a dying land, where the darkness of a false prince threatens to swallow everything in its shadow, called the Lower Kingdom.

Enter the adventure with Tommy, a child of the Great King, as he and his friends accept the challenge to live as grown men and women in the Lower Kingdom. Here hope is hidden, vision is clouded, and pride twists truth into a beautiful yet deadly deception.

Review:

Between Two Kingdoms is a fantasy book with use able data for our daily lives. This is the first thought I had while reading these stories filled with verbal imagery. What I found was so much more. There was one surprise after another as I read each and every chapter. I saw me in those pages. I saw you in those pages. Joe Boyd has a great imagination and grasp on all things not of this world and of this world. The way he describes constant distractions that keeps our lives from being 100% happy and free is one extreme. All the ideas I realized I have on Heaven and the way the church should be are revealed as another.

The Lower Kingdom in this book is filled with filth, doubt, pain, tears, fear and so much more. It is what we may already know about Earth and things we wish we could forget. On the other hand, the Upper Kingdom with the King on the throne and the Prince by his side are glimpses of Heaven for me.

Do you like to read stories that stand alone as individual pieces or be a part of one giant story or puzzle? Do you like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien fantasy books like The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings? Have you read The Shack by William P. Young? If you have, then this book fits right in with those stories and descriptions of who, what and where God is and Jesus his son. If you have not, I hope that you will read them all in the future. You don’t have time to read them all? Ok, then read this one first because it is the shortest and then work your way to one of the others. I believe you will love this story and place it on your shelf for many to read. It will be a classic in the future just like all of C. S. Lewis’ works. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Be blessed!

Brad