Review ~ Lowlifes by Simon Wood

Lowlifes
Author ~ Simon Wood
Publisher ~ CreateSpace
Pages ~ 136 pgs
Publication date ~ December 9, 2010

From Amazon ~ 

San Francisco Detective Larry Hayes thinks he's hit bottom when he wakes up in an alley after a bad trip with no memory of the last four hours. This is only the beginning of his problems. Two blocks away, Hayes' informant, a homeless man named Noble Jon, lies dead, beaten and stabbed. The eerie pangs of guilt seep into Hayes. Is he Jon's killer? The mounting evidence says so. Hayes mounts his own investigation to stay one step ahead of murder charge and disappears amongst the city's homeless community.

My thoughts ~ 

What’s it going to take for San Francisco Detective Larry Hayes to hit rock bottom? His beautiful daughter Victoria? His career? Will it be the fact he has no clue where his car is after his latest bender? Maybe it will be waking up in an alley with no recollection of the past few hours. Could it be that one of his informants, Noble Jon, was viciously murdered just a few blocks away and leaving him wondering if, in his drugged out state, he could have killed him? Larry’s drug issues aren’t secret, as much as he would like to think they are. There are those on the force who would like to see him gone. And when the evidence starts to point directly at him, Larry knows he must do whatever it takes to find out if in fact he is guilty of murder, or if he’s now got a target on his back and someone is trying to take him down. The story, though, isn’t just about Larry, his addiction, the potential set up, and the informant’s murder. We’ll also see a glimpse of his ex-wife, Jennifer, and of Lauren Ortega, a beautiful PI, both of whom play pivotal roles that you’ll find out about later.

Lowlifes has the most amazing concept. He’s put together a multi-dimensional way to delve into this story. First - read the book. You will see the action through Larry’s eyes, how he perceives what is going on in the world around him. It’s relatively short, at about 136 pages, but filled with enough murder, deceit, tension, betrayal, drugs, guns and a captivating cast of characters you probably wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley to fill the pages of a “normal” length novel. Then, go here ~ Jennifer's Blog. Here you’ll read how Jennifer, Larry’s ex-wife, views things, what causes her to do the things SHE does, and the repercussions of her actions. And that will certainly get you thinking. Finally, go here ~ Ortega's Video's. Now you’ll see how things look from the eyes of private eye Lauren Ortega. What does she see that no one else sees? What does she know that no one else knows? Sure, anyone can write a book from the different perspectives of each character. But Simon Wood knocks it out of the park with this one. You not only get the different views of some key players, but you get to experience it in completely different medium not usually associated with a book. The book can certainly be read as a stand-alone (it’s fantastic in and of itself), but you really should check out the rest of the story – you never know what you might get.

 About the Author ~ 

Simon Wood is an ex-racecar driver, a licensed pilot and an occasional private investigator. His crime fiction has garnered him an Anthony Award and a Crime Writers Association Dagger nomination. He's had over 150 stories and articles published. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines anthologies, such as Seattle Noir and Thriller 2. He's a frequent contributor to Writer's Digest. He's the author of Working Stiffs, Accidents Waiting to Happen, Paying the Piper, We All Fall Down and Terminated. As Simon Janus, he's the author of The Scrubs and Road Rash. Curious people can learn more at www.simonwood.net. Robert Pratten is an award-winning feature filmmaker and transmedia consultant. He first met Simon in 2004 at the World Horror Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. His movies include London Voodoo and Mindflesh. Robert spends far too much time playing computer games can often be discovered wondering the post-apocalyptic wilderness of New Vegas around the year 2218. He is founder of TransmediaStoryteller.com an online service for audience engagement.

Visit Simon's website 
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Email Scott at ~ simonwoodwrites AT yahoo DOT com

Other books by Simon ~ 

FTC Full Disclosure: The author sent me this book in the hopes that I would review it.

Review - The Fall Guy by Simon Wood

The Fall Guy
Author - Simon Wood
Kindle title ~ $1.99

Todd Collins has failed in every job he's ever undertaken, but that all changes when he backs his jalopy in a shiny, new Porsche belonging to a drug dealer. When the police stop the drug dealer for a broken taillight that Todd has caused and discover a cocaine shipment, a West Coast kingpin holds Todd responsible. On the run from organized crime, Todd discovers his true calling.

My thoughts ~

The next time you bump into a car and even contemplate not leaving a note, think of Todd. A simple hit and run starts Todd on a journey of not only trying to keep himself alive, but also one of self discovery.  The 'Small Man' wants Todd to pay for the loss of his drugs (they were in the Porsche when it got pulled over for the busted light), and sends him to Dallas to deliver what he thinks is "just a car." But nothing is ever "just" anything in the land of illegal doings.  Todd soon finds out there is much more involved, and begins to live the life of a criminal. A life that is both completely foreign to him, yet somewhat exhilarating. He soon wonders if he could be cut out for a life of full time crime as he certainly seems to have the knack for it. As Todd zig-zags his way from San Fran to Texas to Seattle and home again he tests the boundaries of the law and how close he thinks he can come to going over the line. While he wasn't Mr Perfect (hello, he did hit a car and leave a fake note), he isn't/wasn't a hard core criminal. But will he become one? Will he be pushed to his limits? Will he do whatever it takes to save himself? Or will he run from everyone and live in hiding, working dead end jobs for the rest of his life, just below the radar? Can he ever find his way out of the wrong place, wrong time position he continually finds himself in?  The Fall Guy is the true definition of a thriller ~ depicting a great mystery with exciting plot twits and suspense galore, with a character that struggles daily with choosing his true moral compass or a life he thinks he is meant to live.