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Book Details:
Book Title: Boy on the Beach by R.D. Maddux Category: Adult Fiction; 304 pages | Genre: Mystery / Thriller Publisher: Ezekiel 12 Publications | Release date: March 11, 2017 Tour dates: July 9 to August 17, 2018 Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There are implied sex scenes but no graphic descriptions of love making. There is some profanity. There is one scene with some violence.) Book Description: Andrew Foster is a developer with aspirations of making it big in the San Diego real estate market, but he can’t seem to shake the ghosts of his past. He starts to wonder if he’s destined to be just another has-been when an investor offers to finance his dream project. Everything seems to be falling into place for Andrew in business, life, and even love, when he starts dating the beautiful and business-savvy Nicole. As their relationship deepens, Andrew opens up to Nicole about the many loves and adventures that have taken him from the crazy days of sex, drugs, and rock and roll to success in business. Her wise insights help him face the character flaws that have caused him to fail in his past relationships. Rounding out his social life is his once-a-week task of assisting his sister with her nanny job watching a young boy named Chandler. They build sand castles on the beach and enjoy the beauty of nature together. But then the ominous weekly appearance of a strange car at the beach awakens Andrew’s fears. Is the boy in danger? Or worse, has an enemy from Andrew’s past come seeking revenge and now Chandler’s caught in the middle? A strange twist of events threatens to destroy Andrew’s dreams, but as he searches for answers, a sudden revelation offers hope of a future he never imagined.
MY REVIEW: (LAWonder10)
In this novel, it opens with Andrew reflecting on earlier years, when he was caught up in drugs, sex, and careless adventures. Bringing his thoughts back to the present, he questions his choices in giving up everything in pursuit of financial success. Now in his "mid-life" he is alone, except for his niece. She has him assisting her, once a week, in entertaining a six year old boy she is overseeing. He will greatly miss the time he spends on the beach with him, when his niece no longer tends the boy. However, lately, he has noticed the same ominous RV with black tinted windows, parked near their position on the beach. The same vehicle has been parked near his office building, then close by his home. Is someone from his past stalking him? He can't bear the thought of the boy in danger, so hires a friend who is, also, an Investigative detective. He must know who it is! The story reverts back and forth between past and present, but it is done so "smoothly" it is easy for the reader to follow without losing interest.The gradually unfolding mystery and the building suspense keeps the reader captivated and trying to figure out, "who id\s it". until the very end! The characters are easily envisioned and the scenes are described fairly well. -They slightly lacked a vividly clear "picture" The Book cover was simple and okay, but would, most likely, fail to attract "the browser", as would the Title, although it is a "fitting play on words". The story was quite creatively unique. Reader Beware: There are sexual situations but not totally explicit. There is also some profanity. I offer a Four Stars rating*This book was gifted me with no requirement for a positive review. This is my honest review.
GUEST POST: Paranoia at strange car I don’t know if you ever wondered why some car following you home for the last few miles hasn’t turned off and headed up another street. Could it be some stranger with ill intent or a friend coming to visit? I’ve never had such a scenario ever turn out bad. It’s always been my overactive imagination playing tricks on me. But for the main character in my novel it turns out that someone is tracking him. That odd black SUV that keeps showing up is an enigma but what he doesn’t realize that other things that appear to be wonderful just may lead to his total ruin. Sex, drugs and rock-n-roll - haunting side-effects, right? Ever since the crazy 60’s and 70’s the culture of California has been a big part of shaping the mores of the rest of our nations. The endless party that out here on the left coast has been both fascinating and the shocking to the rest of the county. But for all the partying there comes a price with it. Just look at the homeless camps and burned out souls in our metal institutions. The protagonist had thought he’d left the “sins” of his youth far behind him but suddenly they all come home to roust and with them comes the possibility of him ending up one of those burned out lives as well. Mind games while on pot? Having been a “tripper” in my younger years, I can remember times when even my best friends played “mind games” on me. If you’ve ever smoke pot with friends perhaps it happened to you. I’m sure it was all in good fun when I was subjected to it but for some of my former fellow “cosmic” travelers it was a trip that ended in a nightmare. The protagonist in my new novel finds things shifting in his world of business when a dream offer comes his way. The big question is whether it’s for real or just a real-world way of someone to play the ultimate mind game on him. Real Estate and betrayal Living in San Diego for the last 30 years I’ve seen our skyline change dramatically. Even though I live in the suburbs, I visit the downtown often. What was once a modest cityscape is now filled with towering high-rises crowding our beautiful bay. All of this the result of a real estate boom driven by a growing economy and the allure of our lovely weather. There’s money, big money to be made here. The protagonist in my novel is hoping to make it big here as well but what he doesn’t realize is that maybe, just maybe his hopes for success here have lead him into a “shark tank” where he can lose everything and be betrayed by things he set in motions years before. San Diego’s beaches can be scary at night In the daytime, San Diego has some of the loveliest beaches in our country. But at night they can be mysterious and even a little scary. When the fog roles in and darkness settles over this idyllic region shapes that during the day were inspiring can appear ghost like. The dramatic rise of cliffs and the jagged giant stones at their base can become jaw like ogres and the cascading of the waves can sound like the loud whispers of a lurking enemy. The protagonist of my novel has a harrowing night there alone facing the demons of his past. It’s been fun turning this area I love to frequent into a place of mystery and intrigue. ![]()
About the Author:
R.D. Maddux has story telling in his blood. Since he was young he’s always loved a good tale. He’s been writing seriously since he was in high school and college. His novels range from Mystery and Intrigue to Sci-fi/fantasy. With Boy On The Beach he’s set the story in modern America, to be exact, on the West Coast of California. He’s a native of the golden state and has been a resident of San Diego since 1987. Before that he grew up in northern California and lived in the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area with sojourns in some of the beautiful parts of our state. Living in California for over 60 years he couldn't help but watch the way things have changed in our culture and the impact this coast makes on the rest of America and the world. So even though Boy On The Beach is fiction, like most serious novels, it is not without a context and comment on issues we all face in our changing world. It takes place in real locations that are very familiar to him and its characters, which are fictional, no doubt have their counterparts in the real world. Boy On The Beach is a story of intrigue, suspense, revenge, love and redemption with flashbacks to the era when sex, drugs and rock and roll set our culture on it's inevitable journey to our present day. This idea has been rattling around in his heart and mind for a decade and it's finally coming to the page. Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
Here is the tour schedule
Giveaway:
Prizes: Win a print or ebook copy of Boy on the Beach by R.D. Maddux (print for USA only, open internationally for ebook and GC - 5 winners will also get a $15 or $10 Amazon GC - 7 winners total)(ends Aug 25, 2018)
2 Comments
8/10/2018 09:29:18 am
Thanks Lu Ann. I really appreciate your review. Have a blessed weekend.
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