Tag Archives: good novels

Van Gogh, Encore, A Novel

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The Deepening Recommended Novel iconby John A. Karr

There are many excellent reviews from both readers and reviewers giving this novel high recommendations, with adjectives describing it as eloquent and intriguing. As with most self-published books, there is the common issue of less-than-pristine editing, including redundant sentence structure, but all readers agree that the snafus shouldn’t deter your reading experience. I’m giving this one a TD Recommended. –D. L. Keur, The Deepening World of Books

AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE FORMATS FROM AMAZON.COM
Van Gogh, Encore KINDLE FORMAT

ABOUT THIS NOVEL

cover, Van Gogh, Encore, a novel by John A. KarrImagine Vincent van Gogh in our modern world. Suppose, during the last year and a half of his life, when he severs part of his ear and commits himself to the insane asylum, he stumbles into the very circumstance he has longed for his entire adult life — a family. Would his life change for the better, or would his self-destructive tendencies again prevail? Van Gogh, Encore is a speculative novel based upon the last year and a half of Vincent van Gogh’s life. The tale, set in the United States, presents an alternative dimension to the complex and fascinating artist who died impoverished and unappreciated … while the images he created went on to have global impact, and can be found on everything from vodka bottles to vehicle dashboard covers, television commercials to t-shirts, and whose original works sell for millions.

  • Paperback: 394 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace (September 18, 2010)
  • Language: English

READ AN EXCERPT HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author’s bio: Fiction writing each day helps keep the demons at bay. I am the author of a handful of novels: Death Clause, Hippocrates Shattered, Rhone, and Van Gogh, Encore. My short stories have appeared on webzines Allegory, The Absent Willow Review and Danse Macabre. More works are in progress and in the marketing queue.

Visit author John A. Karr on the World Wide Web at http://www.johnakarr.com/

The Crown (Joanna Stafford), New Historical Novel

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by Nancy Bilyeau

With excellent readers reviews across the board and rave professional reviews, this historical novel comes well-recommended. –D. L. Keur, The Deepening World of Books

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM

ABOUT THIS HISTORICAL NOVEL

cover, The Crown, new historical novelAn aristocratic young nun must find a legendary crown in order to save her father—and preserve the Catholic faith from Cromwell’s ruthless terror. The year is 1537. . .

Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake. Defying the sacred rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousin’s side. Arrested for interfering with the king’s justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London.

The ruthless Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, takes terrifying steps to force Joanna to agree to spy for him: to save her father’s life she must find an ancient relic—a crown so powerful, it may hold the ability to end the Reformation. Accompanied by two monks, Joanna returns home to Dartford Priory and searches in secret for this long-lost piece of history worn by the Saxon King Athelstan in 937 during the historic battle that first united Britain.

But Dartford Priory has become a dangerous place, and when more than one dead body is uncovered, Joanna departs with a sensitive young monk, Brother Edmund, to search elsewhere for the legendary crown. From royal castles with tapestry-filled rooms to Stonehenge to Malmesbury Abbey, the final resting place of King Athelstan, Joanna and Brother Edmund must hurry to find the crown if they want to keep Joanna’s father alive. At Malmesbury, secrets of the crown are revealed that bring to light the fates of the Black Prince, Richard the Lionhearted, and Katherine of Aragon’s first husband, Arthur. The crown’s intensity and strength are beyond the earthly realm and it must not fall into the wrong hands.

With Cromwell’s troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must now decide who she can trust with the secret of the crown so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. This provocative story melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England’s past.

  • Hardcover: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone (January 10, 2012)
  • Language: English

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nancy Bilyeau is a writer and magazine editor who has worked on the staffs of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. She was born in Chicago and grew up in Michigan. Now she lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her debut novel, The Crown, is set in 1537-1538 England. The heroine of this extensively researched thriller is a young novice at a Dominican Priory in Kent who must find a mysterious relic to save her loved ones and her way of life from Cromwell’s advancing army of destruction. Deborah Harkness, author of A Discovery of Witches, says The Crown “has all the ingredients of the best historical fiction: a broad cast of characters, well-imagined settings, and vivid story-telling.” Nancy has finished writing a sequel to “The Crown,” which is called “The Chalice.”

Believing the Lie, a new novel

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by Elizabeth George

TD Recommended IconThough some George fans abandoned her when she killed off the inspector’s wife and baby, many more wait impatiently for her next release. Believing the Lie comes out today, much to their delight. Elizabeth George’s books consistently find a large audience, and, while I don’t rate her as my absolute favorite PI author, I do follow her work. –D. L. Keur, The Deepening World of Books

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM

novel cover, Believing the Lie, a new novel by Elizabeth GeorgeABOUT THIS NEW NOVEL

After writing sixteen Inspector Lynley novels, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George has millions of fans waiting for the next one. As USA Today put it, “It’s tough to resist George’s storytelling, once hooked.” With Believing the Lie, she’s poised to hook countless more.

Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he’s sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man’s uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio’s digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives.

Deborah’s investigation of the prime suspect-Bernard’s prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict-leads her to Nicholas’s wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim’s bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family’s veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth George is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels of psychological suspense, one book of nonfiction, and two short-story collections. Her work has been honored with the Anthony and Agatha awards, the Grand Prix de LittÉrature PoliciÈre, and the MIMI, Germany’s prestigious prize for suspense fiction. She lives in Washington State.