Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Necessities Author: Boyd Taylor ISBN: 978-0-9894707-3-5 Publisher: Katherine Brown Press Part of a Series: Donnie Ray Cuinn Series Type of book: PTSD, war hero, double amputee, determination, newspaper business, quirky characters, wealth, secrets, Akron Ohio, Austin, Texas Year it was published: 2017 Summary: Donnie Ray Cuinn returns to Austin to defend a war hero accused of murder. David Lewis lost both legs in Iraq, but he has overcome his nightmares and his disabilities by sheer willpower. He has learned to run and to box and is a successful newspaperman with a beautiful wife and son. Now the nightmares have returned and he must stand trial for murder. With twists that never seem to end, this gripping legal thriller is filled with suspense and indelibly drawn characters dealing with love and betrayal. Characters: Main characters include David Lewis, a war hero of Iraq who is a double amputee and has married into the wealthy Lehrer family. David...

Name of Book: The Monkey House Author: Boyd Taylor ISBN: 978-0-9894707-1-1 Publisher: Katherine Brown story Part of a Series: Donnie Ray Cuinn Story Type of book: Austin, Velda, suspense, old vs new, monkey, discrimination, lawyer, family, old friends and new Year it was published: 2015 Summary: In this, the third Donnie Ray Cuinn book, Donnie returns to Austin from his law practice in the Texas Panhandle to confront All-American football player Wesley Bird, his former best friend. In the company of beautiful, athletic Anna Kaye Nordstrom, Donnie experiences the “new” Austin of glitzy condos, trendy restaurants and social media. He also revisits the “old” Austin of barbecue, power politics and greens versus developers. Donnie finds that not much has changed. Characters: Main characters include Donnie Ray who is a lawyer at a town called Velda.  Donnie Ray hasn't been back to Austin in ages and sometimes doesn't make the smartest decisions, although he ...

Name of Book: The Antelope Play Author: Boyd Taylor ISBN: 978-0-9894707-0-4 Publisher: Katherine Brown Press Part of a Series: Donnie Ray Cuinn Type of book: Velda Texas, water rights, healing, grief, legal, "terrorists", small town, people, friends, work, politics, suspense, drug cartel, death Year it was published: 2013 Summary: When Austin native Donnie Cuinn accepts a job as an associate in a Texas Panhandle law firm, his boredom and disdain for Velda, a sleepy Texas town, is forgotten when he gets caught up in a struggle over water rights, possible radioactive contamination of the nation's largest underground fresh water supply, and the violence of an invading Mexican drug cartel. Along the way, Donnie learns to respect the local rancher, whose brother is at the center of the troubles, and to come to terms with the violent death of his young Mexican wife. Characters: In this book the characters are certainly more memorable than in previous on...

Name of Book: Hero Author: Boyd Taylor ISBN: 978-0-9894707-2-8 Publisher: Katherine Brown Press Part of a Series: Donnie Ray Cuinn series Type of book: Mysteries, "alternative news" politics, history, two sides, modern times, fact checking, learning lessons, Austin Texas, family, friends Year it was published: 2012 Summary: When budding historian Donnie Ray Cuinn stumbles upon an old letter in the musty bowels of the Texas State Archives, he believes he has uncovered the true story of Sam Payne's valiant, or perhaps not so valiant, capture of Mexican leader Santa Anna during the Battle of San Jacinto. Cuinn's findings are published in a local magazine. But the article eventually becomes fodder in the gubernatorial race between Democratic upstart Bob Braeswood and Republican favorite Sam Eben Payne V, the great-great-grandson of the Texas hero. Braeswood is intent on exploiting the past, while Payne will do anything to suppress it. In the ensuing ...