My Summer Reads (so far)

Thanks for all of the great summer reading recommendations! Feel free to send more. Here are the books I’ve read this summer (so far anyway) and what’s on deck for the rest of the summer.

Use of Force, by Brad Thor
Part of the Scot Halvarth series.  Halvarth is a former navy seal, transformed into a spy.  Action packed, interesting insights into the biz of espionage and all the things we think are happening behind the scenes, but don’t want to ask.  4 stars.

Code Name Camelot, by David Archer
Part of the Noah Wolf series.  Noah is a tough dude, with no emotions.  This special characteristic allows him to act violently with no remorse.  But it’s a two edged sword.  3 stars.

Testimony, by Scott Turow
A legal thriller with interesting twists.  Bill ten Boom changes his life and takes a position as a prosecutor for the International Criminal Court.  His first case is the investigation of into the disappearance of a refugee camp.  5 stars

Camino Island, by John Grisham
A gang of thieves steal irreplaceable and priceless items from Princeton University.  An novelist, Mercer Mann, is pulled into the intrigue. 4.5 Stars.

The Stranger, by Albert Camus
An ordinary man, is drawn into a murder on an Algerian beach.  3.5 stars

On my  “To Read” stack:

The Tender Bar by JR Moerhinger – Thanks to Jake Brand PI subscriber Stephanie who suggested this book.

Summer Reading List Giveaway

What’s on your stack of books to read over the summer?  M. wants your summer reading recommendations and to spice things up, he’s offering to give away a copy of one of his books for his favorite recommendation (paperback, ebook or audiobook).  Check out what he has been reading lately below and use the form to send him a book recommendation.  If he picks your suggested book, we’ll email you to let you know you’ve won.  And YES there could be multiple winners so suggest away!

What author M. Louis has been reading lately: 

Currently reading:  “She”, by H. Rider Haggard, I’m lovin it so far.

Recent reads:

  • An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt. Nice beach read, 4 stars.
  • Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark Sullivan. Incredible true story about a young Italian man surviving world war II in a heroic fashion, 5 stars.
  • The Secret Wife, by Gill Paul. I loved this. Parallel love stories stretched over time and entwined, 5 stars. My recent favorite.
  • Departure, entertaining sci fi about unintended consequences, 4 Stars.
  • A Criminal Defense, Nice beach read, 4 stars.
  • I read 6+ John Le Carre books (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, etc.) all excellent books depicting George Smiley as an unassuming but effective spy for the British during the cold war. 4-5 stars.
  • The Revenant, by Michael Punke, better than the movie, helped with timeline, 5 stars.
  • Almayer’s Folly, by Joseph Conrad, Intriguing depiction of an unusual spot in the world where cultures clashed in the 1800s. 5 stars.
  • Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty. One of those books that succeeds on the screen as well. Murder in an affluent neighborhood. 5 stars.
  • I read several Raymond Chandler books, (Farewell by Lovely). Kind of loses itself in todays world, ie socially insensitive to be mild. 3 stars.

Jake is racking up the ⭐ Stars!

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Jake is racking up the stars for his audiobook adventures! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Reviews👁 🕵  💪:

AudiobookReviewer.com
⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Lots of action and danger!…Fun yet full of twists and turns. … Colin Iago McCarthy does an excellent performance.”
https://audiobookreviewer.com/reviews/secondhand-smoke-jake-brand-pi-book-2-m-louis/

Audible.com Listeners
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Would sit in car to finish chapters! … When a book leaves me wanting more, I know I’ve hit a winner!”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I loved the internal repartee carried on in Jake’s head and his vulnerability, while being the tough noir PI. Very entertaining!”

Brian’s Book Blog
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 “A thriller filled with twists and turns.”
http://briansbookblog.com/secondhand-smoke-by-m-louis/

Me Love Books
⭐⭐⭐⭐
“If you are looking for a fast-paced and action-packed detective thriller that reads/sounds like a proper action movie, Secondhand Smoke is definitely a great choice.”
https://melovebooks.wordpress.com/2016/12/05/arc-review-secondhand-smoke-by-m-louis/

Erika Loves To Read
⭐⭐⭐
“I think this book would probably make an enjoyable movie due to the numerous action-packed scenes. P.S. This book made me wanna visit Portland!”
https://erikalovestoread.com/2016/12/11/audiobook-review-secondhand-smoke-jake-brand-pi-2-by-m-louis/

 

Smart Alec Detective Saves Woman from Boring Workout

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Below is a message we received from a reader in Portland, Maine.

Dear Jake –

Once again my new year’s resolution is to up my fitness game and walk on my treadmill for an hour a day.  Yes, a whole hour – go big or go home I say.  I even got a jump on things and started the day after Christmas.  I’d forgotten just how totally boring a treadmill is, so I did some research and found this post about how audiobooks help get the best of your workouts.  Searching for exciting audiobooks (I get bored easily) I downloaded Angel’s Devil from Audible and gave it a try.  It was just what I was looking for!  Before I knew it I’d done 90 minutes of walking and just to get to the end of the chapter.  I actually looked forward to the next days workout to find out what happened next.  

Happily I found you had a second audiobook and am in the middle of that.  Really, why are you always tangling with your yoga instructor?  You have crimes to solve!  But anyway I wanted to say thanks for making my workout fun and keeping me on point.  I don’t know what I’ll do when I finish book 2 but I’m glad I found you and look forward to book three!

Gratefully, 
Janet Loomis, a new fan

Jake Brand PI on Audible   |  iTunes  |  Amazon

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Where Jake Went: Books FTW

A BIG thanks to everyone who took Jake Brand PI on vacation with them.  We hope you had as much fun reading and taking funny photos as we did seeing where Jake ended up.   A compendium of photos is below for your viewing pleasure.

Reading books For The Win! 

And thanks to Jake Brand super fans on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for sharing the love! M. did a live video interview on the Books Go Social Readers Group last month – check it out on Facebook.

The NEWS:  BOTH Secondhand Smoke and Angel’s Devil are available as audiobooks!  #Yay!

 

Your commute is about to become WAY more FUN!

Your commute / workout / dog walking / cooking / boring job is about to become WAY more FUN!

Secondhand Smoke (Jake Brand PI 2) is now available as an audiobook!   Over 7 hours of danger, twists, turns and  smart alec repartee are now available to vastly improve some of the more hum drum parts of your life.  (Ok, well some people actually like working out but even so, a rollicking good story with thrills, laughs and a touch of romance is going to level up a workout from “like” to “love” right?)

Secondhand Smoke by M. Louis, narrated by Colin Iago McCarthy
Audible / Amazon / iTunes

Set on the espresso stained streets of Portland, a simple missing person case is just the beginning of a trail of danger & intrigue.

In the midst of peril, Private Detective Jake Brand still finds time to annoy his yoga instructor, and fall for the woman with more secrets than answers.
 
“…endlessly entertaining in any situation, especially the perilous kind.” -Kirkus 
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Free Sample via YouTube Below

Angel’s Devil Gets 4 Stars from AudiobookReviewer.com

We are totally pumped about the first review of the audiobook version of Angel’s Devil from AudiobookReviewer.com!

4 stars!  Yay!

“M. Louis does an excellent job of making Jake likable by adding in Jake’s devil and angel side-kicks. . . .

The story flows well, keeping the listeners on their toes.  Fast paced but not rushed, Louis reveals just enough keeping the action riveting.  Masterful story-teller, Louis keeps the listener on the edge of his seat.

Colin Iago McCarthy is a wonderful narrator, keeping the action and emotions steady and peaking when it is. . . . ”

-AudiobookReviewer.com

You can read the full review here.

People are loving the audiobook and it’s been flying off the virtual shelves over at Audible.com, iTunes and Amazon.  Inspired by Jake’s enthusiastic welcome to the world of audiobooks we have just started production on the audiobook of Jake Brand PI book 2, Secondhand Smoke.  Stellar voice actor Colin Iago McCarthy returns as the narrator and you can look for this new audiobook to be out in the fall of this year.

We also have a new trailer with a free sample of the audiobook version of Angel’s Devil available on SoundCloud  and YouTube (or listen below and save yourself a click / tap).

AngelsDevilBookPromoSlide_narrator

Take Jake Book Tour Contest

M. is super busy writing the 3rd book in the Jake Brand Private Investigator series and watching Game of Thrones (which he calls “research”) so we at Team Jake Brand are taking things into our own hands to launch our latest crazy idea to get the word out about his fun and fast paced crime thrillers.  So, we bring you (drumroll)…

The Take Jake Book Tour Contest!

Jake Brand book one, Angel’s Devil and book two, Secondhand Smoke are going on a book tour with YOU!

All you need to do is take a photo of one or both books out there in the wild and post it to Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #TeamJakeBrand or you can email it to us at  info@mlouisbooks.com

Extra credit for:

  • Both emailing a copy AND posting on social media
  • Letting us know where the photo was taken

There will be prizes!

Every month we will select a winner and award them either an Amazon gift card or a gift certificate for their local indie bookstore.

Follow M. Louis on Twitter @Jake_Brand_PI  |  Instagram @m.louis.author.guy and the hashtag #TeamJakeBrand to quadruple your fun!

So take your copy of Angel’s Devil or Secondhand Smoke with you out there in the wild world, prepare your selfie sticks and enjoy being a part of our latest crazy idea.

PS: Kindle / Ebook readers you can participate too! Just make sure that the cover of the book is visible on your reader when you take the photo.

Team Jake Brand Contest

And Some Other Stuff, Also on the Run

Wait for it…

there are donuts involved.

(Promise.)

Secondhand Smoke – Jake Brand PI book 2 – by M. Louis – Available on Amazon (free on Kindle Unlimited / 2.99 ebook) and these fine Indie Bookstores:

Boulder Book Store
1107 Pearl Street (on the Pearl St. Mall)
Boulder, CO

Boulder Bookstore Online

Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 SW Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97219
503-246-0053

http://www.annieblooms.com/

Broadway Books
1714 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
503-284-1726

http://www.broadwaybooks.net/