The 5-Star Reviews Are In!
“A brilliant, enthralling, and haunting read, author Gary Westphalen’s Murdered for Nothing is a fantastic and must-read crime thriller…”
“If you want to vicariously live through a move abroad, Plan A Never Happens by Gary Westphalen is the book for you.”
Both of my current books have been gathering great 5-Star reviews! Writing is a fascinating career, not unlike my previous career as a television journalist and documentary film-maker. In both instances, you toil away in near anonymity, often in dimly lit rooms late at night. You agonize over the smallest details; Should there be a comma here? Is this the beginning of a new paragraph? Did Bobby steal the cigarettes before or after he met Deb? Throughout the creative process, you never know if your efforts are going to amount to anything. It’s only after the film or book has left your control that you find out if all the work you have put into it will be well received.
Thankfully for me, the answer to this lingering question is a resounding Yes!
Plan A Never Happens is actually not the first book I have written, but it is the first book I have published. Remember what I said about not knowing if a book will be a success until after you publish it? There’s an even darker side to that point, which is that sometimes you know a book is NOT going to cut it even before you publish. Such was the story with my first book. But, fear not. All the work I put into that project may yet be resurrected. I am giving serious consideration to returning to that manuscript, in order to make another run at it. Who knows, it may yet become my third book release. But, I digress…
In the short time that Plan A Never Happens has been on sale, the reviews on Amazon have been tremendous. The Covid-induced anxiety of our times has many people thinking about escaping, and this book humorously lays out the tension-filled path to doing so.
“If you want to vicariously live through a move abroad Plan A Never Happens is a delightful read.” That’s how one reviewer titles her review on Amazon. She goes on to say, “Westphalen delivers a funny, anxiety inducing first-hand account of his and his wife Carmen’s journey from the Washington, DC area to Tamarindo, Costa Rica…Westphalen is a clear and engaging writer. If you’re thinking about living abroad, or just want to dream in more detail, read this book.” Thanks to my wonderful readers for this and other reviews of Plan A Never Happens. Read all of the reviews here.
Murdered For Nothing is a crime novel unlike any other you have ever read. Yeah, yeah. I know. That’s what every author says about their book. But I can back it up. This book takes you inside the minds of the criminals, their victims, their victim’s families, the cops, the lawyers, and even the news media covering the spectacle. Every character in the book is tending to their own agenda. That it is a fictionalized story based on a real event I covered as a young journalist in Rochester, New York adds a heavy dose of realism missing from most crime novels.
“A brilliant, enthralling and haunting read” is how professional book reviewer Anthony Avina titles his review of Murdered For Nothing. “This was a truly engaging and chilling crime thriller,” he continues.
“The author perfectly captures the raw emotions and vicious nature of the small-town crime that often gets overshadowed by the media, while also balancing this out with fast-paced storytelling and haunting use of imagery within the writing itself to bring these crimes and the lives of those involved to life.
What really stands out of course is the amazing character development within this novel. The author not only hones in on the mindset and personalities of the criminals, the police, and those involved in the case but even brings to life the small-town of Rochester itself, showing the townspeople and how these brutal crimes affected them.”
Avina has much more to say about Murdered For Nothing in his 5-Star review, which he has posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and his own website.
Avina finishes his assessment of Murdered For Nothing by saying, “Not only does the story itself draw the reader in, but the fact it’s a fictionalized narrative based on true events makes the story much more engaging, and will have readers clamoring to learn more about this case. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!“
I couldn’t agree more.