FROLICKING IN THE SNOW, LYRICALLY.

"She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie,
Cocaine"
—Cocaine, Eric Clapton

“There’s too much coke and too much smoke
Look what’s going on inside you”
—That Smell, Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Headin’ down Scott, turnin’ up Main
Lookin’ for that girl who sells cocaine
Cocaine, runnin’ all ‘round my brain”
—Cocaine, Jackson Browne

“What you get and what you see
Things that don’t come easily
Feeling happy in my vein
Icicles within my brain (cocaine)”
—Snowblind, Black Sabbath

Also known as “Snow White” and “Nose Candy,” the cartilage-devouring powder has inspired any number of sound recordings, as well as it has more than its fair share of literary fiction. And the scaly story of corruption currently under examination is not at all an exception. My fellow reader, I present to you—via this analysis—an initial three-way confessional. A curse and a great proverb, if you will. My fellow reader, meet the spiritually-dead men who account for your top-billed cast. Gentlemen, I will now ask you to proceed. Zack, we’ll start with you.

ZACK.

Hello. My name is Zack Wilson. And I used to be somebody. Well, I’m still somebody, sort of: I’m a TV sports analyst now. But I used to be somebody worth writing home about. I was the man, the big man, “Mr. Bigtime,” somewhat of a god. Well, at least that’s how millions and millions of people perceived me and treated me. My former teammates used to carry me on their shoulders. And the crowds, man, I tell you, they were my adrenaline. Everybody loved me. And everybody cheered me on. Hey, like General George S. Patton once said, America loves a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Yeah, well, that was me, what a winner. I was a huge winner. And America loved me. But that was a long time ago. A very long time ago. In case you don’t follow pro football, I used to be a linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. I had it all then: fame, riches, wealth, any woman I wanted, the whole kit & kabang. Is that what it’s called? Kit & kabang? Oh, hell, I don’t know, but they were all at my feet. They were eating out of the palm of my hand. But that was a long time ago, you know, before the injuries. That was what ended my career, you know? The constant injuries and the broken bones and the concussions and the drugs and the debilitating pain. I played through it all because my machismo wouldn’t have had it any other way. I played hurt while my buddy, Steve, handled all of my finances. Steve has always had my back. I trust him. I trust him with every single dollar I have in the entire world—all 12 million of them. Twelve million dollars. That’s what I earned for all my pain and suffering on the pro football field. And it’s plenty enough to pay back what I owe to Haney the Rat in Vegas, $2 million. I need to get the Rat and the Syndicate off my cleats. Maybe Steve’s and my annual hunting trip up in Montana is just what I need to clear my mind of all this.

STEVE.

Hey, I’m Steve Montclair, a self-made millionaire. I’m not only one of the best investment bankers on Wall Street, but I’m also best friends with one of the greatest linebackers that ever played in the NFL. Yeah, that’s right, Zack Wilson. See, my clients love me because I make ‘em rich. I make ‘em all rich. And I get my percentage, too: I take the cream right off the top. I’m the man with the money plan, and every jock in professional sports will tell you the same. Do I worship the almighty dollar? Hell, who doesn’t? It’s how I stay rich. Well, I used to be rich; I’m flat broke now. But Zack doesn’t need to know that. He’s already damaged goods. He doesn’t need to know what happened with Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley. Or with Citigroup and the damn Fed. Jeez, his $12 million portfolios. God, he will friggin’ kill me if he ever finds out. He’ll kill me. But just like him, I’ve grown accustomed to the good life. I am just looking to survive, man. Hell, I’ll be doomed to the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels before I live out the rest of my life a poor man - surviving on food stamps and state aid like the bottom feeders in society. My old lady, Marcie? Well, she couldn’t take that. Marcie’s used to the best, you know? Uptown, limousines, fine Park Avenue clothes. We’ve been together since we were kids, Marcie and I. And now we’ve got two beautiful kids of our own, Susanna and Jason. I love my family more than my own life. And I’d be willing to suffer the second death to defend them. They mean everything to me. And I’ll either kill or be killed before I let anything happen to them. But back to Zack. God, how am I going to tell him? He’s gonna crush me with his bare hands if he ever finds out. I have to do somethin’, and I have to do it quickly as I only have ten days. We’re going on our annual hunting trip, Zack and I. Maybe I’ll break the news to him then. Heh, hell, we’ll shoot an elk or two and laugh about it over a bottle of hundred proof Jack.

CURT.

I’m Curt Weathers, your friendly hunting guide and proud Native American. These are my lamentations. My grievance is with Pale Face. Oh, how destructive he can be! How beautiful Montana had been before the arrival of the White man. The European is a conqueror and a destroyer. Oh, how the wildlife thrived and lived in peaceful harmony with the true natives of the land before the arrival of the Wihio - that’s what we Native Americans call the White man. I have a wife, Diana. And she’s beautiful. Oh, how beautiful things had been for us on our perfect ranch before the foreclosure notices from the bank started rolling in: whatever happened to honor, dignity, and integrity in this here great land? My people, the Native Americans? We were the salt of this great earth before Pale Face arrived and ruined it all. Now I have to watch as they come here to this natural habitat to murder off what’s left of our fascinating wildlife. I have no choice but to stomach it because we need their money. I’ve got two guys coming up - the football player and his accountant. They’ve been coming up here to these parts to hunt every year of the last three. And I’ve always been their gracious guide, cooking meat from the very animals they so viciously slaughter. But I swear I wouldn’t even do this self-deprecating crap if my Di and I didn’t need money like yesterday. My ancestors? Ha! They were better than this. I’m gonna hand it back over to the reviewer now.

CAT ELLINGTON.

Welcome to a frigid Montana, where the fir and the pine trees tower over humans, and the cliffs pride themselves on their jagged steepness. Here, the snowfall knows no limit as it is at liberty to drape the mountainous landscape as deep and often as it so pleases. The gorgeous birds revel in their power of flight. And they populate the spacious skies. The elk and the wildcats and the Moose live side by side, and the grizzly bears reside in their natural habitats on glorious land. All is peaceful in these parts on God’s great earth. That is until a situation of evil presents itself. And it will be a bloody—and destructive—experience for all of those involved, including both man and beast.

A bird of a different type has given up the ghost and fallen from the snow-white skies above down to the blanketed terrain beneath. It’s a plane, a single-engine Bonanza G36. The pilot is missing, but the cartel isn’t. And while in the area seeking safety from a full-grown grizzly bear on the hunt, Zack stumbles on the wreckage. After surveying the aircraft’s contents, Zack finds a set of coffins. But there is only one problem: the coffins are empty of the dead; instead, they contain kilos upon kilos of packaged powder. The powder is white as the arctic snow. And, of course, the former NFL star knows right away what he has happened upon, considering his past usage. But whose is it? And where’s the pilot? Who has left behind such valuable cargo? Those questions and more are like needles in the mind, baffling the former superstar linebacker just as his “best friend” and accountant Steve arrives at the scene.

Another one who enjoys the recreational feeling of “blowing his nose,” Steve, a man with much to hide at the moment, immediately concocts a master plan: steal the stingy, fiery, voluptuous, and ever-pleasing lady cocaine from her rightful owner, and share her with Zack. Yeah. Sounds like a good plan because they need the money. Repeat. They need the money.

Upon their return to the camp, Zack, feigning honesty, tells Curt about the crashed plane. But he neglects to mention the abandoned “lady,” sprawled out in her wooden beds. What he hadn’t counted on, though, was Curt’s insistence that they call the police. In Curt’s do-gooder opinion, the police would have to be informed about the crashed aircraft anyway to investigate the scene, not to mention beginning a search and rescue mission for the missing pilot. Zach had not counted on that. And neither had the lying and deceptive Steve.

BEWARE OF THE MONKEY WRENCH.

The former pro footballer and his accountant have set their scheme in motion. They’ll abandon the hunting trip and take off with the blow. And Curt will never suspect a thing. They’ll sell it, fast, to their many fellow nose-blowers in both pro sports and the big money universe of New York finance. If lucky, they’ll bank at least $10 million. And they’ll split it even right down the middle. Aw, yeah, they’ll be back. Back to their former selves in no time. Yeah. It sounds easy enough. All they have to do is get the cocaine across state lines. Yeah, yeah, none the wiser.

Indeed, human beings make plans, but, well, you know the rest. It is not the intention of pale face to share the newfound (and illegal) wealth with the aboriginal Native of this great land. Especially not when that newfound wealth is 200 kilos of cocaine that will be worth a fortune (well over $100 million) on the street—be that street called Wall or Main. It was, however, the blatant intention of pale face to steal the red man’s vehicle to make a clean getaway. And that ol’ horse-hauling truck is the monkey wrench that will throw itself—like a horseshoe—right in the middle of the thieving accountant’s master plan: for a fiery and voluptuous lady can bring men—both the weak and the strong—down to their knees in no time flat. But if tainted in error, a fiery and voluptuous lady can also escort the souls of men down into the hollow trough of death and decay. And on these vile pages, she has found herself a nearly all-male ensemble to entice. Indeed, the lady cocaine—playing the unfaithful harlot behind the back of the virulent and dismembering Veracruz cartel, to whom she belongs—is on display. Enticing the men of this tale with her succulent thighs, she is as cold as the climate on these pages: for she is mesmerizing. And she will bring obliteration to those who lust for her. And now sandwiched between the former NFL star and his lowdown, dirty scoundrel of an accountant, the lady cocaine wears an arrogant smirk and peers at her ignoble abductors with eyes crooked as snakes. Indeed, she toils to twirl both them and any other wretched soul that may stumble into the fray right over the edge of a cliff—down into the waiting jaws of the carnivorous Serpent of Old.

PITY THE FOOLISH.

Pity the broke and desperate fool who wills himself to heist from one of the most notoriously ruthless drug lords known to the Coca plant of South America. El Trapero, otherwise known as Ragman, is the deadliest Mexican in the Western Hemisphere. He is the man who makes it snow in Miami. And thus far, his snowmaking machine is short 200 keys, no thanks to Steve Montclair and Zack Wilson. El Trapero, otherwise known as Ragman, wants his Mexican lady back. But the two White American men have already taken turns on her.

And they like her passion too much to let her go. So much so that they want to pass her around to those of their kind, you know? Oh yeah, bro: the blood and guts will most definitely spill and flow.

THE CO-STARS.

From Bozeman to Aspen to New York to Miami to Vegas to Utah to Chicago, the chase is on. And the hunters have now become the hunted. As Steve and Zack skid their way across one snowy road after another in a desperate attempt to escape their viciously angry and deadly pursuers, the reader gets introduced to an exceptional unit of supporting players who marvelously complement our sensational ensemble of leading men, including Monica Cruz, the lovely and long-suffering ER doctor in Los Angeles to whom Zack Wilson is engaged; Kenny Stauffenberg, a Native American and bigoted Gallatin County Sheriff who desires to bring down the Lord’s vengeance on the adversary known as Pale Face; Tranquilo, a hardcore runner in the Veracruz cartel and the missing pilot whose crashed plane has been spoiled of its valuable contents; Diego, a trigger happy henchman for the Veracruz cartel who has been sent out to retrieve the crime family’s property (by any means necessary) from the likes of Zack and Steve; María Christina, a Harvard grad and exceptionally brilliant business woman who is the fire-breathing daughter of the Veracruz cartel founder, El Trapero; Duane McCord, the DEA Field Division Office director in Denver and this dialogue’s Samuel Gerard; Whitney Castro, a DEA special agent, an assistant to Duane McCord, and this dialogue’s Erin Poole; and Emily Rausch, the sleazy former girlfriend of Zack Wilson, now shacking up with a former defensive coach in the NFL.

This already hefty ensemble works in harmony with an itsy-bitsy cast of bit players, including:

• Deputy Lopez and Deputy Weismann. These two men are colleagues to Kenny Stauffenberg.

• Nick Holstein appears as the Undersheriff.

• Rob O’Brien as Zack Wilson’s agent.

• Benny Silva is Zack’s producer.

• Detective Goldberg is the now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t New York lawman out to capture the famous financier who is Steve Montclair.

• Ibrahim Al Kahtani is the high-and-mighty Manhattan investment banker who is both Steve Montclair’s fellow and foe.

COMING DOWN FROM A HIGH.

Only a few members of this wildly sensational cast would have been enough to warrant an award of excellence in honor of their earthly creator, Mike Bond. But that was a few too many. The author, obviously gifted in the craft of literary composition, just had to overdo it with the cast list and the details.

Though the elements of excitement, suspense, bloodshed, and maniacal viciousness intertwine themselves like snakes in the very soul of its body text, Snow continuously allowed way too much confusion to intrude throughout its presentation. Bond’s error here? Too many characters. And where there are too many characters in a work of fiction, it is there that confusion will be – stinking up the place and wearying the reader. And that is never a good thing. What might have been a five-star review—courtesy of Reviews by Cat Ellington—was entirely ruined by too many characters. After a while, they began to trip over one another in their futile attempts to follow a script that had absolutely no idea as to where it was leading them at times. And that served as a strike against the novel.

While I commend Mike Bond on a well-written effort, I must shun the author’s lack of self-control that shamefully exposed itself on these pages: for a lot of what Bond crammed into this narrative could have perhaps been salvaged for a two-part series. Book one would’ve made for a fine novella—a cliffhanger introducing the reader to the ensemble and their sordid lives, if you please—followed by a full-length sequel with book two. The cast here is a talented bunch, do not get me wrong, but they number too many. And the details that accompany them are all over the place, begging and pleading to be noted. Completing this work took me just that much longer for a reason. It emerged from its stall loaded with potential, sure, but it had too much to prove. And its impatience came back to bite it in the end.

Where creditableness is concerned, Snow is a fictional tale that I would most certainly recommend to any individual pundit of crime thrillers infused with cruel action. However, I would also caution the same about the effort’s tendency to be highly disorganized in certain sections. With that, dear reader, I wish you a happy reading experience.



REVIEWER’S NOTE: It is my kind pleasure to thank Mandevilla Press, as well as NetGalley, for the advanced review copy of Snow in exchange for my honest review.

Analysis of Snow by Mike Bond is courtesy of the Reviews by Cat Ellington book series.

Date of Review: Saturday, August 25, 2018

This is the second book I've read by Mike Bond and it's safe to say I won't be reading anymore. The descriptions sound amazing and settings are spot on, but the stories just aren't for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I was excited to read this book and break out of my typical genres of choice, and the synopsis of this story caught my attention. However, it fell flat. I had trouble connecting with the characters and the way the story was written didn’t catch my attention like I was hoping. This was a miss for me.

Really good read overall, but for whatever reason it just didn't hold my attention and I struggled to get through it. I honestly think it was a timing thing and I will pick it up again sometime and give it another shot.

This is one of those really weird storylines. It starts out fairly innocently, but ends up with someone making a bad decision for bad reasons, sucking other people in to the vortex and being totally out of control. And the point of the bad decision in the first place, well, best to just wait it out as it all turns out okay in the end. Except for the person making the decision, that is, and those who got dragged along for the ride. A really good story about bad character.

What a book. The suspense, the heartbreak, the anger...the greed. This book will pull you in from the first chapter. Mike Bond knows how to weave a story. This book will have you guessing, wondering and understanding each persons decision. Each of his characters come to life in his words. You feel like you know them inside and out. Hope you enjoy.

This book was a little slow and I had a hard time finishing it. I tried going back a few times, but lost interest. I'm sorry.

I was expecting something much more exciting than what I got. The opening definitely grabbed my attention, but the author tried to follow too many storylines for the story to stay cohesive. The pace was slow and the changing between storylines was unexpected in a bad way. It was more confusing than anything. 2.5 stars

An unplanned find followed by one bad decision and another until it just cannot be undone. The suspense builds all the way to the end. Lives gone totally wrong, just how can one fix this?

I enjoyed the suspense throughout this book and I thought it was exciting with great plot twists, good characters and a satisfying ending. I would recommend it to other readers!

First off I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and of course the publisher, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

When three friends go an annual hunting trip, they never planned for an adventure like they were about to go on. Zac, a former NFL player, has run up huge gambling debts in Vegas; Steve who was handling his investments on Wall Street has wiped out his savings. Thus putting a stain on their friendship, and might cost everything, including his family. Curt, is trying to do everything he can to save his family ranch from developers for an energy company from taking it out from underneath him. Each friend has their own problems, but little do they know their problems are going to get a lot tougher for them.

Zac comes across a small plane which has crashed. Inside they find kilo’s upon kilos of cocaine. Steve immediately see’s dollar signs and tells the others of his plan, in which to take the cocaine and sell it themselves. However, Curt isn’t with them when they find the plane and decide to keep this secret between them, after all what are friends for. Little do the guys realize the cocaine belongs to a drug cartel. Do they really think they can get away with it, that the head of the cartel doesn’t want the drugs let alone the money from the drugs.

The plot to me seemed like a few other books that I had read, it was fast paced and read along the lines of an packed action-packed book.

Storyline was good however seems to have a lot of extra information which was harder to read. LIke a crisp storyline with a little detail to add information.

Snow=cocaine, so there’s the cartel, the mafia, the DEA, other cops, and a lot of good people gone bad. I wasn’t as interested in a setting involving the drug subculture as I thought I would be, but it was a very well written book. Fans of political thriller/drug culture suspense will adore this book.

I received a free copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A great book of who done it. This book had me hooked from the first chapter. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen the plot changed up on me. I will add more to this review at a later time.

I really wanted to love this book but sadly it fell slightly short for me and I abandoned it about a quarter the way through.
Nothing against the book or the writing, it just wasn't a fit for me.
Sorry

This book was a thrill ride from page one ! I am a fan of this authors writing and with this book he truly excels in writing the perfect thriller to keep every reader engaged.
Two friends and a guide are on a trip in the Colorado Rockies when they stumble across a down plane full of Cocaine. The friends made a bad decision to help themselves and begin to distribute it .They are not criminals and soon attract the attention of the wrong people who want their product back. The problems reach dangerous levels when they are hunted by a cartel, the FBI and various thugs. This is a non stop thrill ride that takes the reader from the rocky mountains to the corners of the seedy drug trade in Colorado. A very fun read.
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.

Title: Snow
Author: Mike Bond
Publisher: Mandevilla Press
Date Published: 2017
Buy Link: https://goo.gl/Bpr14z

Book Blurb: “And up in the hill, in the deepening snow, a plane of cocaine worth ten million.” (Location 526 of 4052 Kindle Edition)
This is a story of two men, Zach and Steve, who were taking a retreat into the mountains with a guide, Curt, whom they had been doing the same thing for years. But this trip was different. The two stumbled upon a plane that had crashed. The plane was carrying a lot of cocaine. Thinking the two could make some money the two pick up the cocaine and decide to sell it. But there were some other people looking for it. Maria Christina and Diego were also looking for the cocaine. She had apparently hired someone to move the cocaine so that she could sell it to the buyers. The plane crashing put a chink in her plan. The DEA too was looking for the plane and also those who were selling the drugs. The book takes you on a journey through the mountains as the two men attempt to offload the cocaine while not being murdered or arrested as the owners of the cocaine look for it.
I won’t bore you with any more details, as that is as good a synopsis as I can think of. I enjoyed this novel because it delivered in terms of three things:
1. Action
2. Story
3. Resolution.
First off, the action was to not be played with. From shooting in the beginning while they are in the mountains, to switching cars and airplane rides. The story is developed slowly but quickly enough to answer any questions you may have along the way and even some that you don’t think of. There are some points, however, that you may want to stop and think about what you read. And the resolution – well if you couldn’t guess it I won’t be the spoiler.
Needless to say that this book is well worth the purchase and the rating it is about to get.

I give this book 4 ½ stars. I would have given it a five had it been a little more action packed but it was good enough.

Disclosure: I received this book from the author/publisher via Netgalley to do a book review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this book.

Didn't like any of the characters, so didn't care what happened in the book. Not bad writing, just not my type of book.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Run....to buy this book. Read in 1 day. Thrilling!

Very fast paced and very intriguing. I enjoyed how it kept me hooked and it was an original story. Nowadays so many books read the same. Highly recommend