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Saturday 31 May 2014

CLOCKWORK DOLLS by WILLIAM MEIKLE


A novella from DarkFuse. HARDCOVER EDITION NOW SOLD OUT.


Does all human passion, all memory, all imagination come merely from the chemistry in our brains, like the movements of a clock follow from the arrangement of its cogs and wheels? Are we just clockwork dolls? Or is there an organizing principle at work, something we can ask for answers to the important questions of existence... something that might answer?
Dave Burns has asked.
Now he, and his friends, might not live long enough to understand the reply.

Full of strong and well written characters, an ever building sense of dread, topped off with a satisfying conclusion. This novella hits the mark perfectly.- Ginger Nuts of Horror

DarkFuse


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Friday 30 May 2014

His Uncle's FavoriteHis Uncle's Favorite by Lory Lilian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Pride and Prejudice variation that takes place after the Netherfield Ball and when Jane and Elizabeth Bennet are staying at their Aunt Gardiner's in Gracechurch Street. Where we meet her good friend Lord Matlock and his family; Darcy and the Bingley's.
How smooth is the way for Darcy and Elizabeth?

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Thursday 29 May 2014

ISLAND LIFE by WILLIAM MEIKLE


"Some legends are true... The old stories tell of an evil far beneath the earth. When an archaeological expedition ignores local wisdom and opens an old barrow on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides, they unleash a horror beyond their darkest nightmares. Will anyone survive the onslaught of the Island Life?

I love monsters....especially black and white ones with the zips showing. Treat this novel like a fifties monster flick and you'll have a great time with it."

AMAZON



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Wednesday 28 May 2014

THE MIDNIGHT EYE FILES: THE AMULET by WILLIAM MEIKLE


Paperback edition from Seven Realms Publishing.


It was supposed to be an easy case. Fast money, and a way to kill some time-something Derek Adams, a down-on-his-luck Glasgow private investigator, has way too much of. Recover a stolen family heirloom.
Easy. But the Johnson Amulet is no mere trinket...and Derek isn't the only person trying to find the priceless relic. Before long he's up to his armpits in bodies, femme fatales... and tentacles. The stars have aligned...
An ancient evil has awakened.To save the day, Derek must take some dark pathways, and not everyone is going to make it back out into the light.

Meikle’s writing makes you feel like you’re there, in the rain with Derek Adams, searching seedy pawn shops and bars for the answers. The atmosphere is terrific, and the author knows that sometimes less is more. - The Lovecraft ezine

AMAZON | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA | B&N


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Tuesday 27 May 2014

Darcy's Tale, (Volume II: Into Kent)Darcy's Tale, by Stanley Michael Hurd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Volume 2 covers the time just after the Netherfield Ball to the unfortunate proposal at Rosings, again from Darcy's perspective.

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Monday 26 May 2014

Darcy's Tale, (Volume I: Into Hertfordshire)Darcy's Tale, by Stanley Michael Hurd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Pride and Prejudice variation is written from the viewpoint of Darcy. It covers the period from Darcy and Bingley's arrival into Hertfordshire and their leaving just after the Netherfield Ball.

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Sunday 25 May 2014

The Secret Betrothal: A Pride and Prejudice Alternate PathThe Secret Betrothal: A Pride and Prejudice Alternate Path by Jan Hahn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this Pride and Prejudice variation Elizabeth Bennet is secretly betrothed to Wickham!. I was not sure before I read the book whether I would find this action believable but the writing propelled me through the story.
Can Darcy win the hand of Lizzy as they meet at Rosings and Brighton?
I do not give any book on the first read 5 stars, but I believe this is one of the books that once I have read again I will change to 5.



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Saturday 24 May 2014

THE MIDNIGHT EYE FILES: THE SIRENS by WILLIAM MEIKLE

Paperback edition from Seven Realms Publishing.

PI Derek Adams is on a remote island and up to his hips in mer-women, shape-changers and ancient fisher cults.

Running back to the city doesn't help; there's magic and mayhem loose on the streets. An ancient god is waking up... and only blood will stop him!

AMAZON | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA




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Thursday 22 May 2014

Love at First SlightLove at First Slight by J. Marie Croft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this Pride and Prejudice variation the genders of the characters have been changed.
So it is Mr. Bennet's aim to marry off his five sons - Martin, Charles, William, and the twins, Kit and Laurie. Especially when Mrs Jane Devonport, a widow (nee Bingley) and her friend Miss Elizabeth Darcy comes to Netherfield, with Mrs Devonport's two brothers and sister-in-law.
There is also Sir Lewis de Bourgh, and his son Andrew; Felicity Wickham, Oliva Collins and the Matlocks.
Very enjoyable read.

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THE MIDNIGHT EYE FILES: THE SKIN GAME by WILLIAM MEIKLE


Paperback edition from Seven Realms Publishing.


Things are finally looking up for Glasgow private investigator Derek Adams. The agency is flush with cash and finally getting some respect, and the nightmares? Well, there's booze for that. But the dark side isn't finished with Derek. What starts off as a simple inquiry into the dealings of a shady bookie quickly descends into a battle with the shadowy unknown.
Before he knows it, Derek is on the run, framed for an impossible murder. His only leverage is a strange skin belt that seems to have a life of its own, but hanging onto it might cost Derek more than just his life.

AMAZON | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA




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Tuesday 20 May 2014

The Red ChrysanthemumThe Red Chrysanthemum by Linda Beutler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Pride and Prejudice variation begins at the Inn at Lambton intermingled with the 'language of flowers'.
Darcy visits Elizabeth at the Inn while she reads a letter from Longbourn but not the letter stating Lydia's elopement. Moving on to Elizabeth spending more time at Pemberley, with the Gardiners, Charles Bingley and Jane. How and when will ensuing problems be solved?
I am not keen on reading about sex scenes which there is very near the end of the book. Next time I read the book I will probably skip to the part where Darcy sends a letter to Mrs. Bennet and if I enjoy re-reading the book as I expect I will, then give it five stars.


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Monday 19 May 2014

Nemesis  (Marcus Didius Falco, #20)Nemesis by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In 77AD, Falco is suffering from two family deaths.
A murder comes as a welcome relief to him. A statue maker who was a supplier to his father Geminus has disappeared. He discovers a family of freedmen, the Claudii who live south of Rome in the Pontine Marshes, are terrorizing the area. Then another body is found



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Sunday 18 May 2014

PROFESSOR CHALLENGER:THE ISLAND OF TERROR by WILIAM MEIKLE


(Paperback)

Available now from Dark Regions Press.

Strange lights on the moors, weird noises in the night, cattle disappearing; these things alone are more than enough to prompt Malone’s newspaper to send him to investigate. And when his old companion Professor Challenger also goes missing, the hunt is on.
The trail leads Malone to the British military, and to a research station in the Bristol Channel, where an old terror proves, once again, that some things are not meant to be contained.

Mr. Meikle continues to write outstanding stories, and Professor Challenger: The Island of Terror is no exception, it further cements his place as one of the best storytellers writing today and I highly recommend it. - FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND


DARK REGIONS | AMAZON


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Wednesday 14 May 2014

Alexandria (Marcus Didius Falco, #19)Alexandria by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's A.D. 77, and Falco with Helena Justina and family have travelled to Alexandria for a holiday.
Until a dead body of the Head Librarian is discovered under suspicious circumstances, but this is not the last one.



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Tuesday 13 May 2014

A Stitch of LifeA Stitch of Life by Melanie Schertz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Pride and Prejudice variation, which takes place after the proposal at Hunsford. Mr Bennet and Elizabeth are involved in a carriage accident whereby Mr Bennett dies, and Elizabeth is lost for many months. In part more Mrs Radcliffe than Jane Austen.

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Monday 12 May 2014

Saturnalia (Marcus Didius Falco, #18)Saturnalia by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Marco and Helena have returned from Greece in time for the Roman holiday of Saturnalia.
They get involved in the marital problems of her brother Justinus as his first love - Velda - is brought to Rome as a hostage, and escapes, while leaving a corpse behind .

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Sunday 11 May 2014

DARK MELODIES by WILLIAM MEIKLE

(Paperback)


Wayne Miller, who also did the covers for THE CREEPING KELP, SHERLOCK HOLMES: REVENANT and CARNACKI: HEAVEN AND HELL has done another sterling job with this one.

Music can transport you. It can bring sunshine on a cloudy day and lift your heart in times of trouble. But there is another side, a darker side, to music. Allow yourself to be open to a different melody, and who knows where the music will take you.

In this collection you will follow the dance into dark places, down dark passageways, where dark melodies play.


William Meikle and Dark Regions Press have really put together an excellent collection that should be at the top of your to be read pile and I highly recommend it - FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND.
DARK REGIONS | AMAZON | AMAZON UK


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Saturday 10 May 2014

CRUSTACEANS by WILLIAM MEIKLE


(Paperback)


Crustaceans is available in 2 shiny print editions. There is a limited (13 only) signed, leather bound deluxe hardcover edition, and a trade paperback edition (first 100 signed).

It's definitely horror, but it's also Science-fiction, in a very 1950's B-Movie kind of way, a creature-feature if you like


I don’t think you can have much more fun reading a book than Crustaceans. It is one hell of a ride that will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can read them. - Famous Monsters of Filmland

At bottom, it’s a fun book, written to show the reader a good time and nothing more than that, on which level it succeeds admirably well. I thoroughly enjoyed its pulp(ish) pleasures. --   Peter Tennant, BLACK STATIC #31

Dark Regions Press | AMAZON | AMAZON UK


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Friday 9 May 2014

Follies Past: a Prequel to Pride and PrejudiceFollies Past: a Prequel to Pride and Prejudice by Melanie Kerr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Follies Past starts about a year before the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, with the Bingleys spending Christmas at Pemberley.
It follows Georgiana Darcy and her schooldfriend Clare Langford as they arrive in London, meeting among others Caroline Bingley.
We are also introduced to Lord Ashwell, Colonel Fitzwilliam's elder brother, Mrs. Younge, and Wickham; as they converge on Ramsgate.

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Thursday 8 May 2014

CARNACKI: HEAVEN AND HELL by WILLIAM MEIKLE


(Paperback)


In the late 19th and Early 20th centuries Sherlock Holmes, John Silence and Allan Quartermain all fought against the powers of darkness. One other man fought the same battle, armed only with his wits, his science, and his arcane knowledge.

Meet an Edwardian occult detective who goes where no other gentleman will dare, venturing deep into neolithic barrows, into the crypts of ancient cathedrals and fighting the elemental powers of darkness on his own terms.

Meet Carnacki: Ghostfinder

William Meikle does a stand up job here of capturing the tone of the original stories. - British Fantasy Society

This version of Carnacki seems a bit more voluble than the one I remember, but horror stories of this type generally assume a more relaxed and intellectual air than most modern ones. It's a style of writing that I appreciate, and miss. - Don D'Ammassa 

Dark Regions Press (HBCK) | AMAZON | AMAZON UK 


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Wednesday 7 May 2014

THE CONCORDANCES OF THE RED SERPENT by WILLIAM MEIKLE

(Paperback)




Patty Doyle holds the secret to eternal life, but it may only bring her an early death.

Patty is working on a journal of a 14th Century alchemist. But after mentioning it in her blog she gets to the office to find everyone brutally murdered. Now she's on the run pursued by a killer who wants the secret of eternal life it contains.

AMAZON | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA | B&N


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Tuesday 6 May 2014

See Delphi and Die (Marcus Didius Falco, #17)See Delphi and Die by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Falco and family are off to find his brother-in-law who had gone to study law in Greece and has come across a murder, involving a travel agency and tourists.

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Sunday 4 May 2014

Pride and PersistencePride and Persistence by Jeanna Ellsworth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Pride and Prejudice variation whereby Darcy just after giving the letter to Elizabeth suffers a head injury and does not remember that he had proposed. And he continues to do so, does persistence pay off?

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Friday 2 May 2014

Enter to win 1 of 2 great prizes. Winner’s choice of a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 Paypal Cash! The first prize is available via the rafflecopter below. The 2nd is available only to bloggers who post about this giveaway. You can find info on how to enter the 2nd giveaway in the rafflecopter. Kindle Fire May

Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HDX (US Only - $229 Value)
  Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)
  Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)
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Thursday 1 May 2014

SHERLOCK HOLMES: REVENANT by WILLIAM MEIKLE


(Paperback)

A strange sickness affecting the members of the House of Lords starts a new adventure for Holmes and Watson, one that will see them on the run, accused of murder and pursued by both the police and a deadly gang of assassins.

The case takes them up and down the country, from Scotland to the Houses of Parliament and leads them down arcane paths, following their relentless foe in pursuit of the lost secret of immortality.

Their adversary seems hell-bent, not only on their destruction but on an act of terrorism that will shake London to its foundations.

Holmes must catch and unmask the revenant, and only by confronting his own past will he be able to prevail.




Baker Street Irregulars should quickly secure a copy of the book. - British Fantasy Society 

...a splendid and entertaining diversion - Black Static #28

It's a nice blend of mystery and occult adventure and you don't find that particular flavor much any more - Don D'Ammassa 

Dark Regions Press | AMAZON | AMAZON UK


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