Sunday Book Review – Over My Dead Body: Murder at Eurovision by Christoph Fischer

Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

 

Today’s book review is for Christoph Fischer’s – Over My Dead Body: Murder at Eurovision. Christoph is another of my favorite authors who took the plunge into writing cozy mysteries with Book 1 in this series, The Body in the Snow. Christoph is also a prolific historical fiction writer, one of my favorite genres to read, and he never disappoints, not matter what genre he writes in.  What a gift to be able to write as a multi-genre author. If you’re looking for a fun, easy read with colorful characters and a whodunit that will keep you guessing til the end, you will enjoy this book.

 

 

Visit Christoph’s Amazon author page to check out all of his books!

 

Blurb:

On her return from a cruise ship gig Bebe Bollinger learns that fellow Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler has decided to enter a European Song comptition for the UK. While Bebe jealously watches the pre-publicity trail for ‘Eurovision’ in Malmö, a string of ‘odd accidents’ endangers several participants of the competition. This stirs her desire for playing detective again but also a curiosity to check out the suitability of Eurovision for her own career.
Follow Bebe’s continued search for fame and a comeback before it’s too late, step into the weird world that is Eurovision fandom and see how Bebe gets on with her naughty daughter and deals with those evil TV presenters.

 

My 5 Star Review:

Another fun read in this cozy mystery series, Book 2 of the Bebe Bollinger series. Although this book is part of a series, both books could definitely be read as standalones. Each of the books takes us into the life of flamboyant almost ‘has been’ singer Bebe Bollinger, looking to make her musical comeback after the peak of her fame began to fade.

In Over my Dead Body, that’s exactly what Bebe plans to avoid when she decides to kill two birds with one stone by going to visit the annual Eurovision music contest being held in Sweden. When Bebe’s friend Tom the blogger, convinces her to join him in Malmo for the event to put herself back in the limelight and gossips to her that mysterious accidents have been occurring on the set, Bebe decided it would be a great idea to get herself some publicity while getting another chance to put her amateur detective skills to work.

Fischer has a fun writing style in this book and brings us some wonderfully painted colorful characters and descriptions of the goings on, enlightening us to what Eurovision represents. As well as being introduced to some of the characters taking part in the competition, Fischer brings back Beth, ex-cop and friend who she invites into her private investigation, as well as her troublesome daughter Helena who seems to know where to find her mother no matter what country she is in.

This book is a quick-paced. fun read and I do hope Mr. Fischer will be coming out with a new story about Bebe again. Bebe could probably have her own TV series with the no shortage of pickles she gets herself into.

 

Sunday Book Review – The Sanctuary on Cayman Brac – Key to the Truth – Christoph Fischer

Sunday Book Review

Book reviews by D.G. Kaye

 

Today’s Sunday book review is on Christoph Fischer’sThe Sanctuary on Cayman Brac – Key to The Truth. I am a great fan of Christoph’s books and this one stood up another 5 Star Review. This book is part of the ‘Fraud or Miracle’ series, Book 3, but it’s most definitely a standalone read in case you haven’t read The Healer and The Gamblers, where Fischer brings in characters from both books into this beachy, yet whodunit type of read.

 

The Sanctuary on Cayman Brac: Key to the Truth (Fraud or Miracle? Book 3) by [Fischer, Christoph]

Get this Book on Amazon!

 

Blurb:

Arpan has set up a training school and spiritual retreat on the small island in the Caribbean. Yet, the peaceful and quiet existence he has sought soon comes to an end. The arrival of Erica teaches him that lose ends won’t stop until they’re truly healed and dealt with.

Erica, out to seek revenge for past wrongs soon begins to fall under the Caribbean spell and the magic of Arpan. Torn between her desire for justice and her own longing for peace, what she discovers at the school sets her again on the path of confusion and distrust.

Set in a beautiful location and spiked with a crossover from the cast of Fischer’s other mystery novel, “The Gamblers” this is another fast-paced psychological thriller about faith and deceit. Erica will finally find out the full truth about who tricked whom and we’ll all get an answer as to who will walk away with the last laugh.

 

My 5 Star Review:

This is the third book in the Fraud or Miracle trilogy, and I enjoyed this one just as much as Book 1 and 2. In this book, we are taken to Cayman Brac where Arpan has moved his new retreat – a spiritual healing training center where his new peaceful hideaway becomes the center for chaos, deceit and a thrilling ride of who is authentic and what are the character’s motives for showing up to the retreat in this mystical thriller. Greed is the motive for all these characters wanting to destroy Arpan and steal his business.

Erica returns to find out from Arpan if he is truly a healer or merely a con man pretending to heal her of a disease she’s not sure she really had. While taking part in the classes, she spends secret time investigating the truth behind Arpan and his dealings with the two mysterious women Julia from the pharmaceutical company who forbid Arpan to practice healing after her company bought the rights for the so called ‘elexir’ which Arpan had given up and Hilda, Erica’s ex assistant who was part of the scheme with Julia to make Erica believe she had terminal cancer but was miraculously healed. We also find Ben the accountant from the Gamblers, who shows up wanting to put his spiritual side to good use by joining the retreat, but are his intentions honest or is he part of the deceitful clan who power this story?

Fischer has a great talent for keeping his readers hooked til the very end of his books. His characters are memorable and well fleshed out. This book will keep you wondering all the way who is good and who is evil. A superb ending I never anticipated. A great whodunit for mystery lovers.

Here you can find my reviews for The Gamblers and The Healer

Sunday #BookReview – Featuring Ludwika by Christoph Fischer

sunday-book-review

 

Today’s book feature is Ludwika, by Christoph Fischer. I recently had Christoph over to my blog as my Friday Guest Author, featuring his newest book, Body in the Snow. But this book is in the genre that many of his books are written in, historical fiction. Christoph’s books, although fiction, are fact-based historical settings, often with events and characters written from actual people and places. I’m a huge fan of Christoph’s writing and storytelling, and this book in particular, has won many awards, recently, The Readers Favorite Book Award 2016.

 

ludwika

Get this book on Amazon Here! 

 

The Blurb:

 

It’s World War II and Ludwika Gierz, a young Polish woman, is forced to leave her family and go to Nazi Germany to work for an SS officer. There, she must walk a tightrope, learning to live as a second-class citizen in a world where one wrong word could spell disaster and every day could be her last. Based on real events, this is a story of hope amid despair, of love amid loss . . . ultimately, it’s one woman’s story of survival.

 

chris-reader-award

 

My Review: 5 Stars

 

In keeping with historical fiction of World War II, Fischer takes us on a journey of one woman’s life in Poland, living on a farm in a small town, where the Germans are beginning to occupy. She is faced with a decision to go to Germany with a German SS officer who has taken a shining to her in exchange for safety, and the safety of her family who are to remain on their farm. Her biggest fear is having to leave her daughter behind, a heart tugging decision, which reminds me a lot about the book Sophie’s choice.


Once in Germany, and the beginning of the third Reich occupying much of Europe, Ludwika finds herself in the midst of several occurring circumstances while trying to find work, as a Pole, to survive and hide from the Nazis after unfortunate circumstances happen with her German suitor.


This book takes us through the trials and sufferings of one courageous woman, her sacrifices and sufferings to survive, and her undying desire to find her family.


A deep look into humanity, humility and determination, Ludwika will capture your empathy as she takes us with her on her perilous journey to survival.
Though parts of this story are true, the author notes about his research and his choices to use fiction to help create this incredible story. A captivating read!

 

Visit Christoph’s Amazon Author Page to see all of his wonderful books!

Mystery Mondays: First Reviews for “THE BODY IN THE SNOW” | writerchristophfischer

book reviews

 

Today’s Sunday Book Review is a little different. I usually post a book I’ve read with my review, but today I’m posting Christoph Fischer’s newest book, which I can’t wait to read, but have come quite a bit behind in my reading, and will be reading soon. I’ve read a few of Christoph’s books and I can tell you he knows how to captivate a reader! This is his first book in a new genre for him, and according to the reviews I’ve been reading, it’s already a smashing success. So today I’m introducing Christoph’s book (a reblog from his page), The Body in the Snow – a cozy mystery, so you too can be captivated.

 

bebe-1

 

Thanks for these first amazing write-ups: Fantastic and Suspenseful!

 

5 Stars This review is from: The Body In The Snow: A Bebe Bollinger Murder Mystery (Bebe Bollinger Murder Mysteries Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
The Body in the Snow is a fantastic suspenseful murder mystery. Bebe used to be quite the entertainer, however as time goes on her fame starts to fade. However she is bound and determined to regain her fame at any cost. When a murder happens in her neighborhood and her daughter is a suspect the story really takes off. I was on the edge of my seat in this murder mystery trying to figure out “who done it.” Let’s just say the author did a fantastic job keeping me guessing. This book is fast paced and highly entertaining. I hope we get to read more about Bebe in the future. Excellent read!

Read more reviews by following this link 

 

Get Your copy Here on Amazon

 

Visit Christoph’s author page on Amazon to have a look at his marvelous catalogue of books. 

Source: Mystery Mondays: First Reviews for “THE BODY IN THE SNOW” | writerchristophfischer

Guest blogger: D.G. Kaye | writerchristophfischer

 

Festisite Reblog

How exciting to be invited for interview with author/blogger, bookreviewer, Christoph Fischer! 

 

Christoph has begun a new series of interviews on #blogging. He has a series of questions he asks on how we began our blogs, and how we manage to keep up with them. Have a look below at my replies:

 

Today I have the special honour of welcoming a dear friend and an excellent writer and blogger: D.G. Kaye, the author of Conflicted Hearts, Meno-What? A Memoir, Words We Carry, and Have Bags, Will Travel. She is a nonfiction writer of memoirs about life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.

How did you attract the audience?

 

“I noticed that my following was growing after I began to establish myself more on social media platforms. I also started following several blogs which interested me, and through visiting those blogs, I came across other blogs by introduction of guest posts, etc. I also interact on those blogs, not just by ‘liking’ posts, but also by sharing them on various social platforms and leaving comments. I noticed that my comments had led to forming many wonderful friendships with fellow bloggers. Before I knew it, I was . . .Continue Reading

 

Source: Guest blogger: D.G. Kaye | writerchristophfischer

Review: Conflicted Hearts by DG Kaye | writerchristophfischer

Reviews

Lightning struck twice in the past week while visiting blogs, and I stumbled across another wonderful review of my memoir, Conflicted Hearts on author Christoph Fischer’s blog.

 

There is no bigger compliment for an author than a 5 Star review, and it was a fresh dose of motivation for me as I’m currently deep in rewrites on my upcoming book, the sequel to Conflicted Hearts, titled, P.S.  I Forgive You.

 

PS I Forgive You

Thank you Christoph.

DG quote guilt bleed out CH

 

Review: Conflicted Hearts by DG Kaye

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Today I have something very special: “Conflicted Hearts – A Daughter’s Quest for Solace from Emotional Guilt!

 

Conflicted Heart is an emotional and amazing read. It is a few years old and a sequel is in the making but that doesn’t make it any less of a worthy read. We’ve heard about motherlove and the best they can do. Now let’s hear from someone who tells what happens when it doesn’t work so well.

The author writes with raw honesty about her tough childhood and her personal journey. Cruelty and abuse don’t have to be physical. This little girl became a victim of her parent’s war with each other.

It isn’t all doom and gloom, though. The author writes with humour at times and there are also some happy memories included, all of which have helped the writer to evolve as a person and draw a line under her past. Accepting hard truths and moving on is hard and I am impressed how thoughtful and balanced this memoir is.

There is warmth, humour and much entertainment to be had as well. The author had an interesting childhood and career and a beautiful writing style. Honest and refreshing, despite the difficult subject. A great achievement. Read Original Post Here

 

Source: Review: Conflicted Hearts by DG Kaye | writerchristophfischer

Book Review – The Luck of The Weissensteiners by Christoph Fischer

book reviews

Ever since I read one of Christoph Fischer’s books, I’ve been hooked on his writing. We all have quite a lengthy TBR list and great intentions of moving up a book in line from time to time.

Between the ‘must reads’, ‘want to reads’ and the shortage of time, sometimes I just say to myself, “I feel like reading a book of which the subject matter fascinates me” and I just move up the book. That’s what I did with Christoph’s book, The Luck of The Weissensteiners while I had time to read at the pool on my winter vacation. This book which is much longer than the average page count I prefer to read, captivated my attention through every page. Here’s my review below:

luck-of-the-wassersteins

 

In The Luck of the Weissensteiners, Fischer weaves a story of humanity, compassion and anticipation with historical facts. I was engrossed with his ability to draw us in to his believable characters.

 

With the advent of WWII in the town Bratislava, the Weissensteiners, headed by the patriarch, Jonah, a hardworking man running a successful weaving business with the aid of his daughters and several employees, is faced with the dilemma of first believing if this new Aryan dominance could actually be true and if it would be affecting his and his family’s life eventually. Being a non- practicing Jew, and keeping a low profile, Jonah believes he might be safe.

 

As the story unfolds and new characters come into the life of the Weissensteiners, mainly by Jonah’s daughter Greta meeting and falling in love with a Protestant boy, the complications begin to ensue with the mixed marriage of Greta and Wilhelm at a time where religion was becoming a time of persecution and the Germans and Russians would soon be invading this little town on the Czech border.

 

Fischer captures our anticipations and emotions with the decisions made by the families as their complications in life ensue. First there are conflicting decisions to flee, where to flee, then will they be discovered?

 

The characters are well developed and the history is well researched as we’re taken through the journey of the Weissensteiners, we’re drawn into the history of the war and its effect on human life, psyche and degradation.

 

This book was a page turner. From the beginning I was taken in by the likeable characters and then by my anticipation to follow them in worry for their safety in escaping the horrors of being captured or killed in a conflicting war of race and religion, and for being Jewish in a wrong time of the world.

 

You can find Christoph on social media and his other wonderful books at the links below:

 

Website: http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/

Blog: https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer

Amazon: http://ow.ly/BtveY

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFFBooks

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/christophffisch/

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/106213860775307052243

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=241333846

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WriterChristophFischer?ref=hl

 

DGKaye©2016

2015 Best NonFiction Excellence Awards by Christoph Fischer

DG quote success new

 

I know I’ve put out more posts than usual this week. But it has been a most unusual and exciting week for me here around the blogosphere with getting enormous response to my copyright post, and then with all your heartfelt comments you’ve left me on my interview with Dan Alatorre. But just when you think it can’t get any better. I woke up to this post today by Christoph Fischer.

Christoph has included my book Have Bags, Will Travel in his 2016 Excellence Choice Awards for nonfiction, amongst some other esteemed authors and their books. So naturally, I have to share it here. Thank you again Christoph for choosing my book to add to this prestigious award! 2015 Christoph Fischer Best Non Fiction Award | writerchristophfischer

Excellence award

 

Source: 2015 Christoph Fischer Best Non Fiction Award | writerchristophfischer 

“It’s been a busy year for Indie writers with many challenges and setbacks, not least due to Amazon deleting reviews and decreasing our visibility. So I decided to give out some Awards for the Best I have read this year. It was tough and I’m aware of a lot of fantastic books that didn’t make it to the final shortlist.

I’ll start with the Best of Non-Fiction for 2015. Four excellence Awards and one winner for outstanding Non-Fiction:

26631952Have Bags Will Travel by DG Kaye is an outstanding and hilarious DG Kaye awardtravel memoir. You can’t help loving this author with her honest and witty approach to anything she writes about. This is a great read.”

 

Continue reading here for more of Christoph’s excellent choices.

 

 

DGKaye©2015

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