Into the Fire

No Filter is Book One in this Barks & Beans Café Cozy Mystery Series by Heather Day Gilbert. 

Macy Hatfield is recently divorced when her brother Bo calls with a new business venture that not only surprises her but requires her to move home to her deceased Auntie A's home in Lewiston, West Virginia, where she and her brother were raised after their parents died in a flood. It sounds like just what she needs.

Bo has already done extensive remodeling to Auntie A's house and is close to opening. Macy's moved into the other portion of the house and is impressed and grateful for the added addition to the place for customers to interact and hopefully adopt shelter dogs while enjoying their coffees, other drinks, and magnificent homemade pastries. Macy's a dog lover and finds her match in the beautiful black Great Dane "Coal" recently brought to the shelter because of the murder of his owner who was a golf instructor at the multi-faceted Ivy Hills Spiritual Center. Their connection is immediate and heartwarming. When Macy discovers an underside addition to Coal's collar, she senses it must be important and removes it, securing it in her hidden safe until memorizing the information on it and handing it over to the police. 

The adventures amp up as Macy gets sucked into "investigating" who might've killed the golf instructor after someone breaks into the house and takes Coal. Multiple suspects, strange events at the "spiritual" center, and determination to find her dog keep driving her forward. Bo gets involved to help, and one solution comes through a curious source. 

In order not to reveal too much, suffice it to say, it's a good cozy mystery for fans of the genre, and Heather gives the reader plenty of suspects, some surprises, some real danger, an amazing brother, and a good dog to help Macy along the way. No Filter provides an extra bonus in this story for dog lovers who treasure that connection between a man or woman and that certain dog. Not exactly a cliffhanger but an inkling of what's ahead in the series.

Father, please continue to bless Heather's writing, providing all she needs for her to tell the stories you have just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What a great song. Love it. Way back when . . . we had such good music. 

Father, continue to bless your singers and musicians. Let them know who gave them their wonderful talents and gifts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Jungle by Mark Dawson is Book 9 in The John Milton Series.

John "Smith" is still in London living his austere, minimalist lifestyle when he volunteers to help an acquaintance (Tommy) from his AA group to drive some furniture to Calais, France. Once that's done, as John and Tommy travel back to catch the ferry for Dover, refugees from the encampment known as "the jungle" threaten to get in the trucks lined up in the slow going traffic. After finally making it through to the ferry, everything seems in order when they disembark, but when they open the locked door to the back of the trailer, they discover men inside who entered through making a slash in the roof.

The final young man (Samir) is reluctant to come out, so John climbs up to assist before the police manhandle him to get him out. He explains he's come to find his sister (Nadia) who was sold to sex traffickers after they came on a boat from a place in Africa. He begs for John's help, so that's all it takes for guilt-laden John to find a purpose after advising the young passenger to ask for asylum. 

John gets as much information as he can from Samir before he's introduced to an asylum attorney at the detainee center. 

The process to find the Albanians who use the purchased girls for prostitution isn't easy, but John's not easily deterred. When what he manages to do requires help, he calls Hicks who helped him take down the killers of a taxi driver he knew in AA and through John's and Hicks' combined efforts rescued Hicks from a serious attachment in The Ninth Step while providing the money needed to treat his wife's cancer. 

John dares to travel to Tripoli to find the man responsible for these "arrangements" for people seeking opportunities to find work and better lives – it's the sad worldwide tale for those in third world countries. While he isn't able to do as he'd hoped there, he learns what he needs to make headway at the jungle. Except that his efforts go horribly wrong.

With unforeseen trouble that could easily lead to both Hicks' and John's deaths, their predicament finds them in the worst of hands. 

It's ironic that John doesn't believe in God but thinks he can atone for the wrongs he tallied up while being the number one assassin for Group 15. Again, through each circumstance where he decides to help someone, his God-complex allows him to execute some of the same kind of individuals as he did while serving in Group 15. At times, when he struggles with empathy and awkward displays of affection or appreciation, the reader sees him as a man stripped of his emotions in order to complete his near impossible but impeccably planned – even if often bizarre – missions both previously as Number One and presently as a private citizen. It seems somehow he needs to come to terms with the fact that there is evil and he worked against it in his past and now in his present. Not everything in his past needs atonement – even if he could atone for any of his sins, past or present. The fact that he can eliminate one kind of evil by using what he learned from his past does little to satisfy his innate desire for atonement. And that is something only God can provide.  

This was perhaps the most difficult of the series so far (for me) to read which is why the ending was so satisfying. 

Profanity present.

God, only you provide what we ultimately need. Only you. Please continue to give Mark the stories you have just for him to write. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

     Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

     The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

     He told her, "Go call your husband and come back."

     "I have no husband," she replied.

     Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

     "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

     Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

     The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

     Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

John 4:13-26 (NIV)

Race

MONDAY

One

It was hard to say what witnesses noticed first—the shrill piercing screams or the nearly naked young woman uttering them. Apparently she woke up next to a dead boyfriend, both of them allegedly passed out from too much alcohol consumption. The designated “sleeping” tack rooms at the track were located at the end of the long shedrows. Though not large this couple’s was tidy with a few creature comforts such as the mounted flat screen, a queen-size bed, a sturdy and colorful throw rug, a small locked black metal file box, and what looked like a well-preserved near-antique chest of drawers with a pole rigged above it to hang clothes on.

     When I arrived at the scene at 3:30 AM, Carmella Ortiz stood barefoot on the dirt in the shedrow, now clad in the couple’s bedspread concealing her apparently barely there lingerie. She spoke fast with intermittent tears and a hint of a Latino accent. Her story was she’d gone over to her sister’s place for some girls’ night-out event and proceeded to get too drunk to drive back, so her sister dropped her off at one of the racetrack gates, and after she staggered into the tack room, she passed out. When I spoke to her I asked if Mr. Wonderful was present at the time, she said she thought so but couldn’t really remember. Must’ve been some girls’ night-out. Easy to verify.

     After speaking with the young woman, I took a few moments to survey the group huddling behind the tape and to inhale the familiar fragrant aroma of horses, listening to the whooshes of their nostrils, some of them pawing their hard rubber mats at the fronts of stalls wondering what all the commotion was about. Brought back memories of high school summers spent working at the track, of underage drinking and girls who liked taking their clothes off, guys who loved it when they did. Funny how some things never change. 

     Next I needed to ascertain Mr. Wonderful’s whereabouts the previous night and wait for the determination of cause of death. Turned out his name was Roman Diego, the assistant trainer for Walter Casey who was kind of a local big-shot, perennially in the top five leading trainers. Lying on his right side at the edge of the bed, Roman’s only clothing was the beige sheet covering his manhood, no blood anywhere, and it looked like he fell asleep—or passed out—and never woke up. Long dark wavy hair obscured his face, but his torso and left arm bent at the elbow and resting on the mattress were well-muscled which made me think he probably exercised the Thoroughbreds at his barn.

     The crime scene tape forbade entrance to the immediate area which would surely annoy the people who had to work at this end of the barn and live in the neighboring tack rooms, not to mention spook a few Thoroughbreds with its unfamiliar yellow color flapping in the cool breeze.

     Death always presents an inconvenience.

Father, plain and simple, your Word: Apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Dad and Mom. Miss them. Loved them. So much. Classy. Loving. Best parents ever. 

God, I can never thank you enough for allowing me to be born to these parents. They gave me so much love in spite of me. Like you do. Of course they weren't perfect and neither was I, but in my heart they were the best parents ever. I loved them so much. My rebellion was never at them. It was because I didn't know your Son. Thank you for rescuing me. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

In Keukenhof, you can find a bunch of classic Dutch bridges. This is one of them right at the entrance, surrounded by a sea of colorful tulips.

Lines and lines of tulips, hyacinths, and narcissus flowers in between the trees.

The world-famous ‘Blue River.’ A road of blue grape hyacinths zigzagging through the trees.

Father, thank you for leaving us beauty to see, touch, and experience. Your creation touches hearts all over this fallen world. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Great Canadian band Guess Who had a major hit with this one in 1969 (my first year on the racetrack). Loved this song. Also a terrific song by Sugar Loaf. Man, we had some great tunes back in the day. 

Father, so many gifted musicians and singers. May they have found you, Jesus . . . In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Headhunters by Mark Dawson is Book 7 of the John Milton Series. (I've mentioned how much I like the covers of the John Milton novels, but this one? It looks like a woman carrying a jacket or a large purse. Definitely doesn't work this time. If you go to Mark's homepage, the picture there is stunning and perfectly matches the one you want to have of John Milton. It's also used on the cover of The Cleaner.)

John Milton looks up an old military buddy now living in Australia who operates and works at sheep shearing stations. It's not a "nice" job in that there's plenty of filth involved in getting the little buggers clipped properly, but once John learns the methodology, the competition is on. Between his friend and the man's gorgeous younger sister (Matilda, aka Matty), John gets close to their totals but comes in second to one or the other. He can take some pride in that he's beaten their two co-workers once he gets his procedure down. It's actually very hard work in suffocating heat, and although the crew prefers to spend some of their after-hours at the bar, John hasn't struggled with resisting alcohol on this trip. 

Having left New Orleans and the painful threat of the former Mossad psychopath killing machine Avi Bachman, John isn't expecting trouble when he and Matty are kidnapped on their way to dinner one evening. As the danger increases, he realizes a lot of things are going to have to happen before he can put this clash of the "headhunters" to rest once and for all. 

Meanwhile John's old "friend" and genius hacker (Ziggy) has a huge mess to clean up in Tokyo and it just so happens that John once again needs his assistance. 

The last third of this story is a nail-biter and John is clearly in another real life and death battle. Again. Ziggy is a consistently awkward character but a technological wizard, and Matty is entertaining in her feisty, gutsy, irrational, and sullen behaviors throughout the story. 

From sheep-shearing in Australia to a ride in a container in Tokyo, trying to get on the offensive side of this cat-and-mouse struggle proves worthwhile in the end. 

The complex nature of the disciplined and mostly celibate John Milton and his conflicts with his past force him to realize that certain things about himself cannot be changed or ignored. As he tries to escape those things he so deeply regrets, the necessity to rely on what he must use from those acquired skills to not only survive but to succeed in helping others that cross his path often confounds his hopes of ever leaving it all behind. 

The John Milton Series is as addictive as any series I've read. Just can't quit them.

Profanity present.

Father, again, only you know hearts and souls. Only you. Please continue to bless Mark's writing and stories. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Impossible to take . . . The Ninth Step

The Ninth Step by Mark Dawson is Book 8 in the John Milton Series. 

If you're at all familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous, you know it's often called a 12 Step Program. John has been attending as regularly as he can in cities almost worldwide for several years. By now, if you're a reader of this series, you know John's existence is consumed with guilt over his life in MI6's Group Fifteen where he reigned as Number One for a considerable amount of time. Suffice it to say he had triple digit kills during his tenure before he exited the Group (aka The Firm) and was pursued by Control's agents to make sure John was neutralized. They failed. 

The Ninth Step instructs alcoholics to make amends/peace with those they've hurt or done harm to if they can and if it won't bring more pain to those where harm was somehow inflicted. It's the one rule or step that hangs up and snags John's thoughts time and time again. Those he "harmed" are dead. 

In this story, John remains in London and at one of the meetings (or "the rooms") he meets a younger taxi cab driver (Eddie) who confides in John about his background and his family history. There is incredible pain and a determination to make things right which by doing so will prove to be quite dangerous. After talking with Eddie, John volunteers to accompany him to a meeting Eddie's arranged with a journalist to expose some dreadful events and people he knows are dangerous and influential. 

Eddie never shows up to meet the journalist.

Enter Hicks, a young husband and father of two whose wife is battling cancer. Hicks was a former military man and a good one. He's been approached by a former General and his group of ex-military who provide "protection" for various types of clientele. When a "target" is slated for disposal, Hicks finds himself conflicted, and when he recognizes John "Smith" is John Milton and has a connection to the target, everything turns upside down for Hicks. 

There are bona fide gangsters, a narcissist General, a crooked cop, a good-hearted young husband who Milton recalls as a true soldier, a sad and earnest taxi cab driver, and a hyper-focused and poor decision making journalist. And then of course there's John: a former assassin who regrets that he was the best at his job before he quit. However, he seems to fail to realize that his former skills are always demanded of him when he seeks to right a wrong – and he's not afraid to use them. His ice-blue stare is renowned for its total lack of empathy and sincere threat to exact harm. 

The Ninth Step is an intense and multi-faceted tale of complex planning where so many things can go absolutely wrong and nearly do. 

Profanity present.

Father, thank you for writers/authors. Please continue to bless Mark. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

     To this John [the Baptist] replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less."

John 3:27-30 (NIV)