Join us for this tour from June 21 to July 2, 2021!
Book Details:
Book Title: Redlined: A Novel of Boston by Richard W. Wise
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), (9 Hours 59 Minutes)
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Brunswick House Press
Release date: May 2020
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. cursing throughout and violence (murder)
Book Description:
The year is 1974. Boston's Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood under siege, a community skating along the razor's edge of decline. The banks have REDLINED Jamaica Plain, causing the housing market to crash, wiping out local homeowner's lifetime investments and opening the neighborhood to blockbusters and slumlords. Now, someone has begun systematically torching those abandoned buildings and the charred body of Sandy Morgan, a dedicated young neighborhood
organizer, has been found among the ashes. Why? Who stands to gain?
Community organizer and Marine combat veteran, Jedidiah Flynt and Alex Jordan, his beautiful Harvard educated researcher together with a group of local property owners are determined to stop the redlining and and bring the arsonists responsible for Sandy Morgan's death to justice. Their search will lead them through a labyrinth of corrupt politicians, Asian gangsters and bent churchmen.
Two interwoven plots work their way through the narrative, one is
absolutely true, the other never happened, but very well might have.
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
I wasn't sure about this book at first but it ended up being a really nice read. Set in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston in the early 1970's era, the banks are redlining the houses causing the market to crash, and many people loosing all they have. Along with many others,, Jedediah and Alex teams together to try and figure out what is going on, but when they found a body in the rumbles of a burned building, they knew someone meant business.
Redline by Richard W. Wise had me biting my nails quite a few times throughout this book. Wise created amazing characters that played there parts well, some better than other of course. It's had to choose the best ones but I think for me it is Alex and Jedediah, I enjoyed following these two as they tried to find the culprit. There were lots of twists and turns in this story. One I thought I knew whodunit another twist shot up just that threw me back in the game again. It was a fun journey though. I enjoyed it when I finally learned who it was. If you love a good suspense thriller, this is a good book for you to try.
Along with the amazing story, this is my first time listening to a book narrated by Bobby Gaglini. I have to say he did a fantastic job with this story. At first I had to really listen to see if it was him or a lady narrating as well. Gaglini's voice is pleasant to listen to and his expressions make the story so much more interesting and fun. I look forward to listening to more book where Gaglini is the Narrator.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
I encourage you to read this interview from author
Richard W. Wise
What made you write a book about the Civil War? Are you a big history buff?
My grandmother was a high school history teacher (and so was her daughter, my Aunt Gay who has helped me do research for my series), and also very into reading historical non-fiction books. She had a room in her house that had bookshelves floor to ceiling on three walls, and a large portion of these were on the American Civil War. I remember sitting in that room, looking through those books, and asking her questions about them. So the names Grant, Sherman, and Lee (along with Lincoln and Jefferson Davis) were well known to me from an early age. My Dad was also a big history buff, though more into WWII as that had been the big event of his childhood. As you can imagine, I took a lot of history courses in college, along with political science. So, when it came time to write a book, historical fiction seemed a natural fit, and it was a toss-up between the American Civil War and WWII. I had several plots in mind for both time periods, but settled on the Civil War story because it seemed the most compelling and timely with all that was currently happening in the world.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?
I have not experienced it yet, I’m happy to say. But I have recently concluded that writing historical fiction gives you a big advantage in overcoming that potential scenario. Each time I have wondered what the plot should be in the next book of the series, I just dive into the historical research (i.e. “What happened in this specific time period in the area where my main characters are located?”) and end up discovering some obscure but fascinating details of things that were actually happening. As they say, “truth is stranger than fiction”, and “you just can’t make this stuff up!” I love including actual people and events in my books, then just weaving my fictional characters in. I think most of my readers would be surprised (if they did the research) to discover how many of the things in my books are factual.
What is your next project?
I’m currently working on Book 6 of Road to the Breaking, and it’s looking like, according to the timeline, it’s going to be a ten-book series to get it to the end of the Civil War. After that I have a few things in mind:
- Continuing with Nathan’s descendants through time, with a tradition of attending West Point and being involved in the nation’s major conflicts
- Writing one of the WWII plots I had originally considered
- A Road to the Breaking prequal (Nathan’s childhood?)
- Or a standalone, spinoff novel focusing one or more of the interesting side characters of the original series.
I’m thinking I may ask my readers for input on what they’d like to see next (maybe do a poll?)
Do you snack while writing? Favorite snack?
I like sipping Scotch with a bite of dark chocolate. One of my favorite quotes is from Hemingway, “Write drunk, edit sober,” which has some truth to it, though I think the Scotch works best in moderation!
Is there a specific ritualistic thing you do during your writing time?
Mostly just the Scotch (see above.) Other than that, I tend to write pretty much any chance I get, so I keep a laptop laying around the house that I can use whenever I have a few spare moments, or an idea hits me. Otherwise, the hardcore writing is done at my desk on a regular workstation, with two large monitors (the one on the left is used for doing the research, and the one on the write for actual writing.)
If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you?
Lord of the Rings, King James Bible, and Road to the Breaking (can I have the whole series?)
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Meet the Author:
American and received his Graduate Gemologist diploma in 1985. He founded his retail company R. W. Wise, Goldsmiths, Inc. in the early 1980s and began traveling internationally, buying gems and writing about them in 1986. In 2012 he retired from business to pursue his writing. He lives with his wife and two cats in Charlottesville, Virginia.
connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ bookbub ~ goodreads
Tour Schedule:
June 21 – Locks, Hooks and Books – audiobook review / giveaway
June 21 – wottaread – book spotlight / author interview
June 22 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight
June 23 – The Book Review Crew – audiobook review / giveaway
June 24 – Literary Flits - book spotlight / giveaway
June 25 – Books for Books – book spotlight
June 28 –Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews - audiobook review / giveaway
June 29 – Leels Loves Books – book review
June 30 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
July 1 – JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 2 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review / author interview / giveaway
Enter the Giveaway:
REDLINED (A Novel of Boston) Book Tour Giveaway
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