BLURB:
Four
brothers raised in the Northwest.
Two
choose to stay and pursue life in Oregon. Two are seduced by the promise of
Hollywood.
Life
throws the Palmer brothers an ugly curve when two are killed in preventable
accidents. Even more upsetting is the lack of justice in the trials of the
perpetrators.
The
remaining brothers will find justice using a shared passion of all the
participants--motorcycle poker runs.
My Review:
This was a short story/novella (60-70 pages) that I read over the course of a few days. The story starts out with tragedy and then turns into a tale of revenge. The two brothers and their girlfriends get back at the justice system's lawyer and judge plus an unscrupulous doctor by taking advantage of their friendship. This trio of horrible men book a motorcycle trip with a poker theme.
Most of the book centers around the bike run and bar stops. I really liked the motorcycle detail the author put into the story. I personally don't know much about biking, but at the end of the story I could see the attraction some people have for the Easy Rider lifestyle. She wrote with authority on bikes and motorcycle clubs. I liked the poker theme and the story made me wonder if that's how a lot of bikers meet each other. The brothers and their girlfriends get their revenge.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. Without spoiling the ending, I wondered how the manipulation of the cards affected the story. The dialogue and characters were convincing. I would especially recommend this story to readers who want a quick bite of fiction and like motorcycles, although I think most readers would be entertained.
EXCERPT
.
2004
The squeak of his teeth against each other reverberated in
Joey's ears.
"Joey? Joey!"
The plaintive cry brought his attention back to the moment.
Kandace, Kandi, O'Connell ripped her hand from his, rubbing the appendage and
pushing her bottom lip into a formidable pout.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You nearly crushed my
fingers!"
He resumed glaring across the courtroom at the dapper figure
vigorously shaking the lawyer's hand.
"Joey! What is your problem?" Kandi sidled up to
the man, running her hand along his muscled arm.
He slowly pivoted her direction, staring in disbelief.
"Do you think he got what he deserved?"
The couple glanced at the defense table. Corey
"Slide" Rigby grinned at the mob of young females clustered near the
waist high, wooden retainer separating the spectator section from the main body
of the courtroom. Bentley Wellington IV snapped his briefcase closed and looked
up at the Hon. Scott Fournier, currently vacating the bench; few noticed the
slight nod passing between the two.
Joey surveyed the growing mayhem in the courtroom.
"I need to get some fresh air." He powered through
the writhing mass of humanity trying to grab the attention of the action
adventure star and marched to the open colonnade.
Kandi scrambled to keep up with his strides, dodging the
gauntlet of pushing cameramen and reporters shoving microphones in her face and
shouting questions at her.
Joey steered them to the side of the building away from the media
circus.
"Damned vultures." He reached around to his hip
pocket and withdrew the round tin whose impression was permanently stamped on
all the back pockets of his jeans. Twisting the lid, he snagged a pinch of
brown flakes between his thumb and forefinger. Using his middle finger, he
tucked the flakes inside his bottom lip.
"I really wish you'd give that up. It's
disgusting." Kandi wrinkled her nose.
"I suppose your herb habit is any better?"
Kandi sniffed.
"It's medicinal."
"Right, and I'm a virginal school girl."
The crowd in front of the building began buzzing until the
sound engulfed the immediate area. Cameramen and reporters started spreading
across the lawn and down the side corridors of the building, edging toward the
couple.
"Must be the star making his appearance," Joey
stepped off the concrete walkway onto the manicured lawn and peered at the
building's facade. The wide sidewalk in front of the judicial edifice was a sea
of reporters clutching microphones aimed in the direction of a podium.
When the action hero stepped up to the provided mike,
multiple voices vied for the attention of the man.
The actor flashed his best on-screen smile to the mob and
raised a hand.
"I'll get to all your questions--later. Right now I
need to give credit where credit is due…"
Joey curled up one corner of his mouth and turned from the
scene. A familiar form caught his attention, and he slowed his gait as he
watched Bentley Wellington IV casually slip from the gathered insanity.
Odd. I've never seen him relinquish the limelight. He
shadowed the lawyer, ducking behind the columns when the man glanced over his
shoulder. As Bentley neared the main building, a side door swung open and Judge
Fournier stepped into the breezeway. Joey darted to a pillar near the pair. He
watched as the lawyer reached into an inner pocket of his suit coat and
retrieved a bulging sealed envelope. He started to hand the packet to the
judge, glancing Joey's direction.
Joey slipped behind the post, holding back a well chosen
swear word.
"I believe this is yours. I found it in my briefcase
this morning."
The crinkle of paper tickled Joey's ears. Another familiar
voice reached him.
"Uh, oh, oh my. I'm so sorry."
Kandi. He couldn't help himself; he peeked around the
support. She was rising slowly and handing the envelope to the Judge with one
hand, her opened cell phone in the other.
"No problem, miss. What are you doing here?" The
tone of the question was tinged with suspicion.
"Isn't this the door to the ladies' room?"
Joey stuck his crooked forefinger between his front teeth
and resumed his hiding spot. He could imagine her big green eyes, luminescent
in the refracted light of the windows as she ran her pink tongue over her plump
melon tinged lips.
Silence permeated the moment.
One of the men cleared his throat.
"No, ma'am. The public entrance is back down the
breezeway and to the right. I'm sure one of the reporters will be glad to
direct you from there."
He could hear Kandi giggle. "I'm so directionally
challenged. Thank you."
The click of her heels on the concrete echoed against the
building. Joey held his position.
"Do you think she knows?" The voice sounded like
the lawyer's.
"No. She's too dumb. Did you see her…assets?"
Joey ground his right fist into his left palm.
"Yeah. That'd sure look good on the back of my
Fatboy."
Both men laughed and the tension filling the air dissipated.
"You doing the Jay Leno ride?"
"Naw. The in-laws are in town and I'm going to have to
pretend to be a good husband."
"Better you than me. Maybe we can sneak in a quick ride
to Donna's Hideaway on Sunday."
"I might be able to finagle my way free for the
afternoon. I'll get hold of you by Sunday morning."
"Not too early. Unlike you, I have no wife…"
"Currently."
"…yeah, whatever. So I plan on hitting the clubs on
Saturday night. Don't call before ten."
"It's going to take us a couple hours just to get
there."
"Yep. That's why it's called a road trip."
The sound of footsteps ricocheted back to Joey, and he
ventured to peek from behind his column.
He was about to walk
toward the front of the building and locate Kandi when a pair of hands grabbed
his side.
"Boo!"
He snapped around, arm cocked, hand fisted.
Her eyes were wide and rounded, her face devoid of all
color.
"Christ, Kandi. I nearly hit you!"
"S-s-sorry."
She wiggled her cell phone back and forth in front of him.
"I got pictures of the envelope," her sing-song
announcement reminded Joey of his six year old nephew.
"Terrific. You have pictures of a white envelope
stuffed with…"
"Money." Kandi closed her eyes. "My
favorite."
"… strips of paper cut in the shape of dollar
bills."
"WHAT?!" Kandi's eyes popped open.
Joey put his hand over her mouth and snugged her to him.
"Shhh."
The two legal figures standing near the undulating crowd of
reporters soon disappeared into the mass.
Joey peeked from behind his stanchion and swore under his
breath. His gaze fell to the furious green eyes trying to burn a hole through
his head.
"That's the story they would tell anyone who asked. You
don't think they'll admit to an exchange of money? And face it, sweetheart,
you're not a very reliable witness."
"OUCH!" He whipped his hand from her mouth.
"That hurt!"
Kandi stepped away from him. "Then don't put it where
it doesn't belong." She stomped toward the parking lot.
Joey caught up with her and slipped his hand through her
arm, turning her to face him. He pulled her wiggling body to him and caught her
lips beneath his own. The maneuver worked. He felt her relax.
Breaking off the kiss, he put his lips next to her ear. The
floral smell of her shampoo tickled his nose and he pulled in the fragrance.
"Sorry, Babe. We just need to be smarter than they
are."
She looked up into eyes brimming with pain and gently kissed
his chin. "I know. We'll think of something."
"Right now, I'm in the mood for a road trip. Feel like
going to Donna's?"
"I was hoping you'd want to ride. I traded shifts with
Ally, so I don't have to be back to work for two glorious days."
The pair headed to the parking lot, avoiding the gaggle of
television crews intent on getting the first scoop in the Alex Palmer vs. Corey
Rigby wrongful death suit.
Joey swung his leg over the bike and backed it out into the
street. Kandi stepped on the peg and flipped her leg over the backrest. Pushing
the button to start the bike, Joey gave the throttle a full twist. The engine
roared to life, echoing off the surrounding towering high-rises as the back
tire spun in place filling the parking lot with billowing, acrid white smoke.
Recognizing the maneuver, Kandi wrapped her arms around
Joey's waist and clinched shut her eyes.
The motorcycle screeched out of the lot, leaving a black
rubber streak on the pavement. When the smoke cleared, the bike and its
occupants were nowhere to be seen.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
C. L. Kraemer
is a wanderer, a way of life started when her father served in the U.S. Marine
Corp. She’s carried on the tradition seeing most of the continental United States
as well as Hawaii and Alaska.
Three
contemporary romance novels written under the nom de plume, Celia Cooper: Old
Enough to Know Better; Sun in Sagittarius, Moon in Mazatlan; and If Only were
gifts from the writing gods. A fourth novel, Cats in the Cradle of
Civilization, written as C. L. Kraemer is her first venture to the mystery
genre. Wings ePress, Inc. is the publisher of these four offerings.
Healthy
Homicide, the October 2008 launch book for a new publishing house,
RoguePhoenixPress, picks up the torch again in the mystery world. In February
2010, she contributed writings to two Valentine’s Anthologies at
RoguePhoenixPress: A Valentine Anthology, with The Lending Library and A
Different Kind of Valentine with The Prize.
She completed
the base story in a Dragon fantasy series, Dragons Among Us, for RoguePhoenix
Press. The second in the series, Dragons Among the Eagles, was released June
2011.
Meadows of
Gold, another faerie story, was released March 2011 as part of A St Patrick’s
Day Tale. A novel based on one of the first mass shootings, which took place in
Salem, Oregon in 1981, Shattered Tomorrows, was released August 2011. Currently
in the works for publication is a commuter book featuring a motorcycle poker
run, Joker’s Wild, and the third in the dragon series, Dragons Among the Ice.
For more
information, visit:
www.celiacooper.com
www.clkraemer.com
