My review of "Knockout!" by Emma Calin

My father’s sister was a prolific reader.  The librarian in my small hometown of Mangham, LA was a friend of hers and made sure that Aunt Maude got all the new releases.  Irving Wallace’s novels were a favorite -- with one caveat.  In my aunt’s vernacular, they were “racy.”  The more explicit tomes earned a special designation.  Aunt Maude would say, “I had to wear my ski mask when I read that one!”  She did most of her reading in the small neighborhood convenience store she ran and didn’t want people to see her reading that genre. But read them, she did!

A description on the cover of Knockout! by Emma Calin alerts readers that this is “A Passionate Police Romance.”  And it’s not talking about Law and Order.  Romance and romantic thrillers/mysteries are not genres with which I’m familiar.  But dear old Aunt Maude’s (R.I.P) bibliophilic legacy must be in the family genes. I decided to give it a go and Knockout! was my maiden voyage into the category.  I’m a virgin no more.

Readers learn early on that Calin’s protagonist, Anna Leyton is a detective inspector with Scotland Yard and is on special assignment for Interpol.  What appears to be a chance encounter with a man who eventually shares her cab (and her bed) turns out to be -- wait -- no plot spoilers here!  We do learn that it’s been “so long” since she’s had sex, that her hormones are primed and ready to boil over any minute.  Men have often been criticized, condemned, and complained about because they let their hormones affect their judgement -- and their ability to tell the truth.  Will that happen to Anna?  Perhaps the fact that her new boss on this special assignment is a former lover will be a clue. View the video book trailer HERE.

For readers familiar with romantic thrillers, Knockout! will be a treat!  It’s a fast, fun read and will certainly satisfy their desires.  Anyone not familiar with this genre will find Knockout! a representative introduction, and like me, may learn a few things about body chemistry and anatomy.  

One thing’s for sure, Aunt Maude would have loved it, ski mask and all! 

This is a man reading the e-book version on his computer. It could be me, but I can't tell because of the ski mask! I don't have a  portable e-book reader and no plans to acquire one.  

Follow the author's blog HERE.

Knockout! is available on Amazon worldwide.  Here’s the link for U.S. customers.

Murder in Print

A writer friend of mine and I were discussing a mutual friend of ours, also a writer, who would, when the action began to wane in his stories, just kill off a character.  As it turns out, this writer friend of ours likes to put a lot of characters in his books, so when he kills one off, that person isn’t often missed -- but it adds drama and, of course, action to the story.  Often times, writers do kill characters off to build interest or create a crime for someone to solve.

After that discussion, the question crossed my mind, “How does the murder rate in real life compare to that in fiction?”

According to WikiPedia, “The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) monitors both the number and type of books published per country per year as an important index of standard of living and education, and of a country's self-awareness.” That report indicates that for the last few years, the United States has produced over 250,000 books per year.  To be conservative, let’s say that in just 100,000 of those books, someone is murdered. Heck, even the Holy Bible has a significant number of murders.  And to continue with our conservatism, let’s say that in those 100,000 books, only one person gets murdered.  That’s still 100,000 murders per year.

The most recent data available from the U.S. government, (the FBI) is from 2008.  Their report published online by The Guardian, reveals over 14,100 homicides that year.  Add to that, over 300 “justifiable homicides” committed by law enforcement officials, and we have almost 14,500 deaths per year (I doubt that they are going down.).  Again, being conservative, let’s round that number down -- way down -- to 10,000 per year.

These numbers can be interpreted into an annual “Murder in Print” rate that is ten times the actual (real live) rate.   

What does all this mean?

Should we be concerned?

If the pen is indeed mightier than the sword, should supporters of the Second Amendment be concerned?  Should authors be wary of how many characters they kill off?

Does the N.R.A. have a position on this alarming statistic?

What about our liberal progressive friends on the left?  Are they concerned that the plethora of murders in novels have an impact on the real life murder rate?  Should they be?

Or is the First Amendment the one that’s more at risk?

In my first novel, The Tourist Killer, (to be released later this year by VentureGalleries) my main character is an elite professional assassin that has dispatched (that sounds so much better than “killed” or “murdered”) thirty-seven people in an incredible career that spanned thirty years. My low profile character would never be suspected of such a career in real life.  

But let a team of Navy S.E.A.L.’s take out a high profile target, and they not only get fame, but glory, too!  

Where do we draw the line?  Who decides who lives and who dies?  Are some targets of either private or government assassins deprived of a fair trial in exchange for expediency?  Are the answers to these questions easy to answer? Are they all black and white -- or does a gray scale exist?

One thing is for sure. If the murder rate in real life was the same as that in fiction, we’d be at risk of extinction a lot sooner than if we wait on global warming!