VBT + Review + #Giveaway: The Lizard’s Tale by Kurt Kamm @GoddessFish

The Lizard’s Tale

by Kurt Kamm

GENRE:  Mystery/Crime Thriller

BLURB:

Kurt Kamm has written a novel that's a literary crime novel, with a strong thread of non-fiction running through it. The Lizard's Tale is a tale of crime—with an a wide-ranging cast of characters.

When the DEA goes up against the Sinaloa Cartel, an orphan and an endangered lizard are caught in the conflict. The action moves from Guatemala to Mexico to Catalina Island off the coast of California.

Alejandro, a middle class Guatemalan, wants his share, and makes a deal with the cartel. Now he’s risking his life to deliver the goods.

El Dedo, a brilliant financier, is the Sinaloa Cartel’s banker. He worries about what to do with the billions of dollars collecting dust in his underground vault.

Ryan, a DEA Special Agent, needs to make a high profile case to get a promotion. Is the big yacht headed for California carrying a Mexican drug shipment?

Kate, a wildlife officer on Catalina Island, smells smoke. When she heads out in the middle of the night to investigate a fire, she makes an astonishing discovery.

Jorge, an orphan from the streets of Mexico, is abandoned in the United States. Will he find his way back home and track down his mother’s killer?

Excerpt:

The General’s tank was near empty. Alejandro stopped and took down one of the red plastic gas containers. After he filled the tank, he extracted the second of the three bottles of beer from his cooler. “Bienvenido a Mexico,” he said aloud and held the bottle up in an imaginary toast. The beer was warm, but he enjoyed it anyway. He had overcome the harsh Guatemalan roads and crossed the border safely with his cargo. Now all he had to do was survive the trip through Mexico.

Ahead of him lay 2,500-kilometers on Mexico Highway 200, the main road along the Pacific Coast. The trip north would take Alejandro past Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan before reaching Culiacán. The condition of the road itself had been the challenge in Guatemala, but that was not the big risk on the journey ahead. Highway 200 was a winding, two-lane paved road. The real danger was what Alejandro might encounter. He had been warned not to travel at night. Drunk drivers, livestock, pedestrians, and unlighted farm equipment were some of the lesser hazards. The real threat, day or night however, was robbery and hijacking, and he had read several reports of travelers coming upon roadblocks set by bandits armed with machetes and machine guns, decked out in bulletproof vests draped with hand grenades. Alejandro planned to keep moving and cover about 800 kilometers. By evening, he hoped to reach Acapulco.

My Review:

Upon reading the summary for The Lizard’s Tale I wasn’t real sure how well I would like it but I thought hey, give it a try who knows I might like it and guess what I did more than I ever thought possible. My initial thoughts were maybe I can find out a little bit about the countries portrayed in the story while also finding out a little bit about the world of the drug cartel. You know what I did and a whole lot more.

Not only did I find out about the drug cartel and the people involved I also found out a lot about a very rare lizard. I have said this before and I am saying it again I really honestly and truly loved following along on this Lizard’s tale. I loved the chapters that gave me a little inside information on this wonderful and rare lizard. I think the lizard was my favorite character next to Jorge that is. I even found myself Googling this rare and beaded lizard to find out more about him.

Let me tell you this little or not so little lizard went on quite a journey and met quite a few characters along the way. He met a friend on his little journey; an eleven or twelve year old little boy who has had a rough life. Jorge has been living on the streets of Mexico after the death of his mother for a long time. Jorge travels with the lizard for a while and takes care of him and keeps him safe.

This has been an amazing journey with the beaded lizard and Jorge and all the other people that they meet along the way. I am so glad I gave this little lizard a try I think he will stay with me for a long time to come. Thanks little guy it has been great and I hope to see you in future tales.

  

AUTHOR BIO:

Malibu, California resident Kurt Kamm has written a series of firefighter mystery novels, which have won several literary awards. His newest novel, The Lizard’s Tale, provides a unique look inside the activities of the Mexican drug cartels and the men dedicated to stopping them.

Kurt has used his contact with CalFire, Los Angeles County and Ventura County Fire Departments, as well as the ATF and DEA to write fact-based (“faction”) novels. He has attended classes at El Camino Fire Academy and trained in wildland firefighting, arson investigation and hazardous materials response. He has also attended the ATF and DEA Citizen’s Academies. After graduating from the DEA Citizen’s Academy in 2014, he began work on The Lizard’s Tale.

Kurt has built an avid fan base among first responders and other readers. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Law School, Kurt was previously a financial executive and semi-professional bicycle racer. He was also Chairman of the UCLA/Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Foundation for several years.

Visit his author website at www.kurtkamm.com

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Kurt Kamm   LITERARY AWARDS

TUNNEL VISIONS  (MCM Publishing 2014)

2014 USA Best Book Award -Fiction: General – Finalist

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL  (MCM Publishing  2013)

Best Novel 2013 – Public Safety Writers Association

Winner of the 2012 Hackney Literary Award for best novel of the year ($5,000 PRIZE)

Reader's Favorite 2013 – Finalist – Urban Fiction

The 2012 Dana Award – Finalist

Eric Hoffer Award - Finalist (2014)

Excerpt published in Birmingham Arts Journal  http://www.birminghamartsjournal.com/pdf/baj10-2.pdf

ONE FOOT IN THE BLACK  (MCM Publishing  2012)

The 2012 USA Best Book Awards – Fiction: General  – Finalist

The 2013 Beverly Hills Book Awards – Fiction: General  – Finalist

Excerpt published in Felons, Flames and Ambulance Rides: Stories About America's Public Safety Heroes

CODE BLOOD  (MCM Publishing 2011)

Writer’s Type -  First Chapter Competition.  January 2011- First Place

2012 International Book Awards -  Fiction: Cross Genre Category –  First Place

National Indie Excellence Book Awards – Faction (fiction based on fact) -  Winner of the 2012 Award

The 2012 USA Best Book Awards -  Fiction: Horror  -  Winner

LuckyCinda Publishing Contest 2013  First Place – Thriller

Reader's Favorite  2013– Finalist – Horror Fiction

Knoxville Writer’s Guild -  2011 Novella or Novel Excerpt – 2nd Place

RED FLAG WARNING  Aberdeen Bay 2010

The Infinite Writer– Mystery 2010 – First Place

The Written Art Awards -  Mystery/Thriller 2010 – First Place

Royal Dragonfly – Mystery Category 2011 – First  Place

Buy Links:

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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