Ada Lavin

Van Halen Brothers story

Reviewed: 03-18-25

A lot timesthese autobiographies are full of trashy go for the throat dirt towards everyone the person thinks has wronged them. Or it's full of stories of wild parties and all of the women they've met during their years of recording and touring. If you're looking for that kind of book, this isn't the book for you. Instead Alex has given us a straightforward and fact filled book on the relationship between him, Ed and the band. Al lays the story of how the band made the first part of travel to fame. As this book only covers the Dave years. So do we dare to hope there will be a second book to cover the rest of the years Al? Is book came as a wonderful surprise to us fans because we know what a private person Al is. To have him narrate the book is just icing on the cake. It's like having a long conversation with the man himself. Thank you Big Al for this book. It's wonderful to hear from you. Here's hoping for a Brothers Part 2.

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I love a good bad guy. You really get one with this story.

Reviewed: 11-22-24 Listener received this title free

Andi Wayland has gotten home with her mail for her podcast, All Murder. That rotten smell from cleaning out her refrigerator that morning just won't seem to leave her apartment. She checks the trash thinking she might have forgotten to take the trash out. But it's gone. She sniffs her shirt thinking maybe she dropped something on herself, no just fabric softener. So she opens the window thinking it's just trapped in the apartment. Andi starts opening her mail. Sanford the cat is his pesky self begging for food. Finally she gets to the last piece a large padded package. Whatever is in this package has Andi stumped. She thinks it must be really delicate because it's wrapped in layers of bubble wrap. Finally Andi gets to the point where she can see that one side is kind of grey color. It was dripping a strange goo. She finished unwrapping the strange package to open a skinned human face.

Spinks and Loshak partner up again again to chase down a demented killer terrorizing Denver, CO in the new book Lone Wolf.

I would like to thank L.T. Vargus, E.M. Smith, and Tim McBain for allowing me to listen this amazing book for an honest review.

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Never underestimate your maid

Reviewed: 08-11-23

This is a wonderful book. It's full of so many delightful characters, twists and the main character is one of the best I've met in a long time. Just when you think you have Molly figured out you'll find out you don't. You won't regret buying this.

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Finding her way back to herself

Reviewed: 07-31-23

This was another well written book by Koontz. While I enjoyed the story I was a bit disappointed that the science fiction/suspense part of it was not up to his usual standard. It just wasn't as exciting as most of his books.

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Fairy tales can come true

Reviewed: 07-09-23

Truly loved this new book by King a fairy tale for adults. How wonderful to go back and remember that the stories from my youth can be real rewoven into a can't put down story of learning how to trust and love.

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One of my favorites

Reviewed: 06-21-23 Listener received this title free

The neon lights for Big Jon's Travel Center shine like an oasis off of I95 in North Carolina. A beacon for weary travelers to come in and rest. Eat, stretch your legs, fuel your vehicle or just grab some snacks as you travel the long black ribbon of highway that goes north to south on the east coast of the east coast of the US. Tonight truck driver Dwayne Kunkle pulls into Big Jon's a regular stop on his route on I95. He's going to meet up with his friend Randall Hendy who works there and pay him the money he borrowed. Finally be able to get him off of his back about the paltry amount that Randall's been bugging him about. It was great to have that loan but man Randall was a pain in the rear about getting paid back. LOL that's ok, it'll be good to have it done. While Dwayne and Randall are talking they hear a strange sound. Not much of a sound, but something off. Not right, a soft thud and splash. it sent chills down both of their backs. After a minute of doubt they both agree that they need to go look around the lot to see what it might be. Not that either of them want to. As they walk around and through the lines of semis they both it, well her about the same time. It was a girl laying on the ground. Face down, hog tied with slashes all over her back. Her face obscured by murky water from the rain earlier. After getting over the initial shock Randall calls the police. Both knew life would never be the same.

On the drive to Big Jon's Loshak and Darger started going the few facts that they had regarding the case so far from the local police. At this time they knew there 3 victim's, the one in the parking lot at Big Jon's Travel Center and two at The Cozy Motor Lodge, less than a mile from Big Jon's. All three were sex workers who were known to the truckers. When Darger and Loshak arrived they met up Det. Bledsoe at the truck stop and Det. Glenn at the motel. Both knew some of the women who were victims. One was in from out of town. As the investigation moves on and all of the truckers who were there at the center that night were questioned it became clear that one of them was the killer. It also became clear that these three women were not his first victims. That he had been very busy for years as he traveled up and down I95 killing women.

LT Vargas and Tim McBain have been two of my favorite writers for a long time now and I'm quite open about that. I guess that makes me a bit prejudge in my reviews. Yet they so richly deserve every good review and good thing said about their books. I started reading their books several years ago and I have seen them continue to grow in talent and depth with each book. I'm so glad I received that first email from Tim asking me if I would like to read the first book in the series The Scattered and the Dead. I've been hooked ever since. I hope that you will join me in being coming a fan also.

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14 people found this helpful

Double murder delight

Reviewed: 11-21-22 Listener received this title free

Roommates Brain and Cody going back to their room after a night of pledge partying find a trial of blood. Cody tells Brian he thinks it's a pledge horror scavenger hunt. Curious they follow it first to a car, then to the parking lot of the local Auto Zone store when they find a body. Cody laughing still thinking that it's a pledge trick goudes Brain into going over and checking out the body that they find there. To their horror Brian finds that the body is not only real but alive and seriously wounded.

Darger arrives at SMU (South Michigan University) to meet Loshak at the scene of this latest double murder. She's introduced to Officers Kidney and Dixon who explained that the body of the male had been found here at the Auto Zone and the body of the female a few hundred feet away. That it looked as though the man had been shot in the truck of the car and had crawled to the store to find help.

The campus police in this story are less than helpful and truthful. Are more concerned with making the University President, Whitman happy so they don't lose their jobs than solving a crime. Let alone do the right thing. President Whitman is more concerned with making sure that the University has a good reputation than the welfare of the students. Therefore when the reports of a flasher started they were ignored. Reports of rape began, they were buried. Unfortunately, when the murders began they couldn't hide or bury those.

At what becomes, in my opinion, a breaking point in this book, the President holds a press conference to announce that there will be a curfew enacted immediately on campus. That everything except the Homecoming Game will be cancelled. That there will not even be attendance allowed at the game. That announcement causes an immediate reaction from the students that should have been foreseen. A roving band of angry protesters turned into a riot that had devastating consequences. Giving the killer the cover he craved.

Ooh the killer. I dare you to figure out who the killer is before the reveal.

I'll admit at this point that I had a difficult time writing this review. Not because this book was bad NO! Just the opposite. Because I had so much I wanted to put in but was at a loss because I didn't want to make this review too long. I didn't want to put in a bunch of spoilers. I didn't want to write a book about this book. There are so many great characters in this one it was hard to choose which direction to go in.

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Got lost in this story

Reviewed: 06-03-21

Great start to to this horror to this series about a haunted mansion and the people who's lives it terrorised.

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1 person found this helpful

Darger closes a door.

Reviewed: 05-13-20

What do you do when a narcissist true to holds you bound to them. And that's your boss.

While in hiatus from the FBI Violet works for Prescott Consulting. Only to find herself face to face with serial killer Leonard Stumpf. Once again playing a psychological game of cat and mouse. This time will end their relationship.

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Abusive parents & the heartbreaking.results

Reviewed: 04-23-20

If you have a weak constitution this book is not for you. I can't state strongly enough how upsetting and difficult this book is to listen to or read.

But having said that if you want a deep understanding of abusive parents and why people stay in this type of situation. This is the book you should listen to or read.

Greg Olsen does an amazing job telling this story. I can't recommend it strongly enough.

This story is hard, painful and heartbreaking. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. Gregg Olsen tells the story of the tight bonds between three sisters that helps them through the horrific abuse by their mother. They receive no help from their weak step-father and things spiral completely out of control.

The abuse doesn't stop with the sisters. It horrendously affects three others in their close circle. With the deadliest of results.

Olsen finished up this book with a detailed explanation of psychopaths why they do the things they do. But most importantly, strong explanation of why victims of psychopaths stay in the situations they find themselves caught in. Following up also of things that the victims do to help themselves move on and heal.

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