The Mighty Quinn by Paula R. Stiles

Quinn Bolcan is a small-time ex-criminal who has the ability to drain energy from things, be they physical or magical. This talent proves to be beneficial (defusing bombs) and deadly (body heat loss can lead to frostbite). When the story opens, Quinn is unaware of his ability but, over the course of the novel, learns how to control it. Needing to get out of town (Vancouver) after a pot farm raid, he takes on the role of courier. His lawyer has a package that needs to be delivered to Montreal and it "isn't the kind you want to send by Fedex."

While the story could've been about Quinn's cross-country trip (Canada is big and interesting enough), Stiles only details two stops: a bar in the Rockies where Quinn has a run-in with a supernatural biker gang and the delivery of the package in Montreal. They do factor into the novel later on though. The real action happens across the border in Vermont where Quinn accidentally defuses a nuke. The rest of the novel covers Quinn's reluctant assistance to DHS agent Nan Carreira's investigation of the terrorists who set up the bomb in the first place.

Ok, so it's not the best cover. I've seen far worse since I came on board here at the New Podler. I believe that it's meant to convey the swarm of foes that Quinn faces, though a better cover might've been one of him draining the magic out of a zombie or holding a bomb in his hands as he's about to drain it. But I digress.

The story is told in multiple POV's, which enable Stiles to develop her characters. Stiles starts with Quinn's story, told in first person, and then switches to third person to relate Agent Carreira's encounters, along with those of the villains. Considering that a large chunk of the action takes place away from Quinn, this is essential as we'd miss the scheming of the villains, who would otherwise be two-dimensional. Quinn is the strongest, and most likable. We're privy to his thoughts and his wry sense of humor. It's through him that Stiles conveys her mastery of imagery (smells too!).

Stiles could be accused of going overboard with the supernatural stuff. There are lycanthropes, vampires, ghouls, sorcerers, zombies, demons, fairies, and more. There are some naturally occurring events too which, for me, were a bit over the top. These are explained as being a side effect of Quinn's energy draining powers, but I felt this avenue was left unresolved, particularly how he deals with these events.

As for the technicals, the manuscript is fairly well-edited, but it definitely could've used an extra pair of eyes as a few passages fell through the cracks. For example, refer back to the first paragraph of this review. I quoted a passage from the story where Quinn is talking to his lawyer about the package. It says "Fedex" but the proper name for the company is "FedEx".

The Mighty Quinn is an entertaining read. Its titular character carries the story through a gauntlet of supernatural entities and is almost as surprised as we are that he came out the other side. While Stiles is adept at her use of imagery and developing her protagonist, some unresolved elements lead me to think she may have bit off more than she could chew by cramming too much into one novel.

The Mighty Quinn is available in print and on the Kindle. For more information, check out the author's website.

Bitternest by Alan Draven (B)

Available from Amazon.com

Detective Graves enters a pact with the Vampires in order to save his town, and ultimately, the world from the ravages of avian virus. All he was to do is get rid of some half-breed vampires that have mysteriously grown in number as a result of the bird flu. The half-breeds are making alliances of their own too, and soon the town of Bitternest is set to explode in war between the Vampires, Humans, and half-breeds. But there are other players in the game that neither side had counted on.

Bitternest is an interesting mix of detectives and vampires, thought it is a bit unclear why a detective is picked to help the Vampires eradicate the half-breeds. Surely Graves is not going to kill all the half-breeds single-handedly. After all, he's not Rambo. This bit of a twitch gives the story a somewhat contrived feel and is a source of some disappointment-about 170 pages into the novel, the detective is not really doing anything to eradicate the blood mongers and yet this is his apparent goal.

But the writing is edited well enough and there is good action:

The person casting the shadow had its head lowered, so they couldn't make out its face. It looked human from where they were standing, but then again, vampires also looked human at first glance. "Can you tell us where we are?" Graves asked. No answer. He, she, or it just stood there, motionless.

"Don't you just hate it when you meet someone two hundred feet below the ground, and it doesn't answer you back?" Vallejo asked. Graves put a finger over his lips, telling Vallejo to shut up.

And creepiness:

"I'll get your tongue," it said, chuckling. It was a child. They weren't too sure if it was human, but it was a child, all right-a little girl with a high-pitched voice. Her words sent shivers down Vallejo's spine.

Nora turned around and gasped. Before she had time to scream, a large pack of red-hooded children leapt at her. Within seconds, they were all over her, biting the flesh off her neck, arms, legs, breasts, and tearing her face apart.

In the end, Bitternest is a good first effort from a promising writer.

Rebirth by Scott McKenzie (B+)

A high-octane action piece featuring secret societies, Vampires, and Tom Ryder, detective, who gets caught in the timeless struggle. Fast action and fast writing make it tough to put down.

Printed: 240 pages, 6" x 9", perfect binding, black and white interior ink
Copyright: © 2007 Scott McKenzie Standard Copyright License
Language: English
Country: United Kingdom (Great Britain)
Available online at: Lulu

First impression: I like the cover. This is important because it makes me want to look inside. What do I like about the cover? It's simple, black, the red letters of the title arouse my curiosity — Rebirth of what?

The book begins with a strong prologue that is action-packed and well written. It is well executed and poses a question—who or what escaped from the lab? I found myself hooked by the first two sentences, then by the prologue itself, which is a good indication of what follows. I would like a bit more detail as to what the lab is about. For example, is this person who escapes infected with something? That would add a nice bit that would increase the suspense. Still, the opening impresses me.

In chapter 6 we meet the protagonist, Detective Tom Ryder. Like all cops, he has a bad marriage and a boss that he doesn't quite get along with. True to form of their relationship, his boss assigns Tom the Mantek case. As a result, he comes into contact with Jane Simpson, the WHO operative introduced in chapter 5. The relationship between the two starts off somewhat cold and professional. I would like to see, personally, a bit more here. Of course, Rebirth is an action-oriented novel, but, still, I think that the very first meeting between Tom and Jane should create a spark of some kind. Of course, the chapter in which we meet Jane would stand some improvement as far as developing who Jane is. Still, the opening chapters are pretty good.

Another thing that is effective in this book is the brevity of the chapters. This is a good habit in thrillers and action novels where you want to make your story points clearly and not engage in too much fluff.

The author stumbles a bit in the distinction between the antagonists. The questions that poses itself after chapter 12 is—does the assassin who kidnapped Doctor Owens work for the Brotherhood? Clarity is the beginning of true suspense, and it would be intensified in this book had this been more clear. The action and the writing, however, are good enough to compensate for the glitch.