I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has purchased, read, and taken the time to review one of my books. All profits from my books go to help get dogs like Blackie, Gumdrop, Rusty, Gretzky, Kylee, Allie, Addi, Evie, Buck, Morty, Shadow, bonded siblings Silas & Sebastian, bonded siblings Lady & Layla, Milo, Fergie, Princess, Bonded siblings Thelma & Louise, Bella, Humphrey, bonded siblings Bam Bam & Pebbles, McKenna, Anne, King, Atlas, Rigo, Zora, Cora, Jessie, Maisie, bonded elderly siblings Tito & Jessa, Rocky, Little Boy, Maggie, Sasha Pierce, Stannis, Priscilla, Levi, Ginger, Bruno, Abby, Bronson, Cesar, Sunny, bonded siblings Bella & Lala (see photos below) out of kill shelters. So far in 2019 260 dogs have been rescued. In 2018 670 dogs have been rescued. In 2017 we’ve helped free 904 dogs. In 2016, 250 dogs were freed. In 2015, 149 dogs were freed.
AND please for everyone who’s purchased a book could I humbly ask you to write a review when you’ve completed the read. Amazon promotes and ranks books according to number of reviews in addition to sales. Every voice helps spread the word and that is an energy that can help a dog.
LINK TO PURCHASE ALL MY BOOKS and to see all reviews for all my books click on the books cover:
AMAZON U.S.
AMAZON U.K.
And on all other Amazon sites around the world.
AMAZON RANKING
My books have been ranked in the top 100 best sellers on Amazon U.S. in their categories (historical fiction, teen and young adult, and literary fiction). What an honor to be ranked #87 LITERARY FICTION BEST SELLER next to Paulo Coelho; incredible author of The Alchemist and The Pilgrimage.
Amazon Australia ranked my book NUMBER ONE in all it’s categories: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction & Teen and Young Adult and is #3 best seller in the entire kindle bookstore.
And in Amazon U.K. it just made it to#1 Best Seller List in Teen & Young Adult Category and #3 in Historical Fiction Category and #24 best seller in the kindle books store.
NEW RELEASE AMAZON RANKING #3 FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF ANGEL
RECENT REVIEWS FOR IRMA’S ENDGAME
AMAZON U.S.
May 28, 2019
I enjoy smart novels, the kind where you learn specialized work like medical terms and procedures. For that I was drawn to this work. The author has done their homework and mixed it with a passion for story, and the end result is wonderful.
May 27, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
As a fan of this author, I am always keen to read her latest work and I was thrilled and surprised to see she had departed from her usual historical fiction for this modern-day unrequited love story that spanned half-a-lifetime. Irma and Peter found and lost each other at College but when Peter’s career and future is being destroyed by charges of culpable homicide, it is Irma who knows she must help him. This is a rich, warm, fast-paced story that just highlights the talents this writer has, across all genres. I can highly recommend this read that covers the whole gamut of human emotions.
May 26, 2019
Irma’s Endgame is truly an emotional rollercoaster ride! It’s a page turner from beginning to end. The author has obviously done a lot of detailed research for this book and pours much of her life experience as a nurse into her writing. The character development is excellent; the reader can’t help but feel something for hero and villain alike. What runs through this story, in addition to a good dose of mystery and suspense, is the power of love through the years, how it ebbs and flows and influences the direction our lives take. A must read – highly recommend!
May 24, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I rarely finish reading a book within three days and Irma’s Endgame broke my record. Not only I couldn’t put it down but also thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I have so many good things to say about it. First of all, the writing is superb and it’s full of vivid imageries and metaphors. I can easily picture all the characters, feel their dilemmas, and even smell them. The author explores each character’s emotional journey and psychological development, and I sympathize with them. Peter is an accomplished heart surgeon but is trapped in an unhappy marriage. Amelia is a wealthy housewife but also tormented by her childhood trauma. Irma has her success and loss but she strives to help others. Ben is a loyal friend. The writer’s confident writing style drew me in right from the first paragraph. The mystery part is less important to me, but it certainly helps speed up the reading. There are many fascinating issues being touched upon in the story including the personality change resulting in organ transplant. It’s also a multi-genre literary work that has elements of romance, mystery, and thriller. I highly recommend it!
May 24, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Another great novel from Paulette Mahurin, “Irma’s Endgame” is something you won’t be able to put down. The story revolves around a medical mystery with a doctor who has prescribed incorrect medication for his patients. When it came to the last five or six chapters, I had to postpone dinner to find out what really happened.
I have read other novels from Ms. Mahurin and this one stacks up well against the others. She has the unique ability to describe characters, locations, emotions and actions with such intricate descriptions, it makes you feel as if you are right inside the story, elbow to elbow with the characters. In my opinion, this book is well worth the time.
May 22, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
AH! Where do I begin? I really loved this book, as it reminded me a lot of a mix between James Patterson and Mary Higgins Clark. Medical mysteries are fascinating, but when they include complex characters, and many layers of uncertainty and moral confusion, it’s the perfect combination of a book that I can’t put down. I read this in a day and a half. The scare-factor of a drama like this is that you can absolutely imagine this happening in our world today, right now, as it deals with things very real in our lives rather than abstract concepts.
The main character, Irma, is complex and passionate, which instantly had me personally invested in the fate of the characters, and of the mystery that she was trying to solve. As Jeff Goldbloom said over twenty years ago, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not you could that you didn’t stop to think if you should!” That’s a quote that echoes throughout this novel in conjunction with the mystery itself.
Then, enter Peter, a heart surgeon at the crux of a murder investigation… although my skeptical mind wanted to assume that he was guilty, I also hoped that he wasn’t, he was written in a sense that you feel invested in his general motivations and the struggle of who he really is deep down is always just scratching at the surface. I don’t want to give away the twists or the ending, but this is definitely a fast-paced, well-developed page turner and I absolutely plan to check out more of Paulette’s work!
May 21, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This is a great read with lots of stuff in it and I totally recommend it to anyone wanting a thriller without all the gore. This one makes you think. I don’t often re-read books, but this one will stay in my tablet. I may have missed something and will pick it up again.
May 19, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This book delivers at so many levels. The prose entices with a harmony that is both beautiful and unique to this writer’s voice; ‘The door to her closed heart had been kicked open.’ I could share many powerful phrases like that one, and thus Irma’s Endgame Kicks open the reader’s curiosity and anticipation.
I don’t like to review with spoilers and that is a hard thing to do with this multifaceted story-line in which one explores dynamics in unique relationships. The kind of encounters that fate thrust upon people with no warning or expectation.
As the characters suffer, as a reader I felt their pain. When they found light, I did as well. I cannot stop thinking of so many aspects in the story-line.
I took a four-hour train ride after I finished the book and found myself talking to a fellow traveler, a stranger, about cellular memory as explored in this storyline. He wrote down the book’s title. I know in the next few weeks I will Google it often!
The story takes place during the course of several years. This was written with a clever backdrop of global events, as a reader it placed me right there.
The type of brilliant book that is thought provoking and lingers on long after one reads the last page.
May 18, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This thriller is most interesting because of the realistic and well drawn characters. Many current thrillers are just something you read to get to the end where there will be the inevitable twist and the final reveal of whodunnit. This one makes you actually care for the characters and their situations.
I particularly felt for Peter, his outward appearance and inner reality were so much at odds. His complexities are well described and you are left wondering if you dislike him, or feel sorry for him. Either way, I found myself hoping he would be vindicated.
I would recommend this book for people who are looking for something a bit more than a way to waste a few hours in a book. You will need to think and feel to fully enjoy the story.
May 14, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Irma’s Endgame explores the unique intertwining of lives that occurs when Randolf’s wife’s, Lexi’s, heart is transplanted into Jeffrey Kincaide’s disease weakened body by surgeon Peter Dayton. How this heroic act results in a murder is a mystery that pulls Dayton’s first love into a cast of dis-functional characters and unresolved questions. The ins and outs of the story and fascinating characters kept me turning the pages long past my bedtime. Pretenses abound in this modern day tale set against the backdrop of California’s complex politics and conflicting strata of society. A narrator’s point of view weaves the intricate plot lines and backstories together in a way that’s captivating and curious, heartbreaking and homey. I highly admire the author’s ability to make this mystery – love story compelling and authentic. The twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very end. Highly recommended.
May 12, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Paulette is becoming a master storyteller!!!! In this mystery of who did it, there is a lot of dialog that reads so smoothly you feel like your sitting in the room or on the phone being part of the conversation. The writing is flowing and keeps you at the end of the sit. Whats going to happen and who did it? Its been a while since I’ve read a book that I couldn’t wait to have a free moment to read. Can’t wait until the next book……
May 24, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Paulette Mahurin has a unique talent for finding and furthering our understanding of intense human crises. IRMA’S ENDGAME resonates with an exceptional issue of personality changes in heart transplant patients when they manifest characteristics of their donors. This psychological thriller keeps the reader on pins and needles to see the resolution come about. Clues suggest various possibilities but the truth will out. When the surgeon’s prescriptions for contraindicated medications threaten patients’ lives until one dies, his first love sets out to determine where answers are to be found. The doctor is shunned, loses his practice as a world renown physician and endures many months of self-examination. Relationships evolve in curious ways as the donor’s husband and the recipient are drawn to one another in a unique friendship. Characters are finely detailed as they grow on the page. Unexpected answers ultimately appear as relationships shift and the murderer is determined in hr mental illness. The surgeon is exonerated and finds he will leave the field to follow his original dreams
.Mahurin weaves in historical events and trends from political crazes to environmental crises, from horrific threats to peace and reason to significant potential for changes. Mahurin’s medical background, familiarity with the court system and her love of dogs come through loud and clear. Thank you Paulette Mahurin for always shining the light on important issues.
May 10, 2019
Format: Paperback
Another insightful read by one of my favorite Indie Authors, Paulette Mahurin. Is there anything to the notion of personality transference in heart transplant patients? In this contemporary page turner, Irma and her friend and crack journalistic investigator follow her instinct and a very thin thread of a clue to the heart of the matter. Mahurin skillfully leads us through twists and turn that frankly had me guessing until the very end. Great plotting and in-depth characterization makes this one stand out as one of her best!
May 9, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
No spoilers.
Sorry to disappoint. I love finding new authors and this was one for me. This was like no other book I had read before. It was original and well written and kept me engaged. I guess what kept me most tuned in was the fact that it was loosely true from event cases of transplant patients.This is surely a highly recommend read.
April 28, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This beautifully woven mystery thriller begins with the tragic death of a young woman whose heart will save another. It quickly spirals into questions regarding deeply held beliefs that shake the moral fibers that either hold us together or tear us apart. The seasoned and astute attorney, Irma Mullins, is shocked to discover her first true love, Peter Dayton, may have committed a terrible murder and she toughens her heart and puts on her sleuthing hat to try and exonerate him. This novel is like nothing I’ve ever read before. The characters are boldly written and feel like real people facing impossible circumstances. The medical background of the story is solid, as is its perfectionist doctor, Peter who is hopelessly trapped in ways few would realize. I particularly enjoyed the ending where Irma and her partner Ben’s dogged dedication to pursuing the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it might be, reveals . . . ? Sorry no spoilers here! I will give you a hint though– this fine novel delivered a great sense of vindication coupled with satisfaction at its conclusion. Highly recommended!
April 25, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
A mysterious death and sensational headlines sends two families into chaos in this well crafted, well-written fast-paced medical/legal mystery. What starts out as an ordinary day for an attorney, Irma, is anything but when she sees the front page of the Los Angeles Times screaming that her ex has been charged with murder. Her ex is an international heart-transplant surgeon, Peter Dayton, with an unblemished record. When Irma sets out to help exonerate Peter, she elicits the help of two of her best friends: another attorney and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Through a road that leads to one dead end after another, Irma refuses to give up when Peter espouses his innocence. But when no other suspects show up on the horizon and Irma’s team starts to doubt Peter’s veracity, she is not deterred. Refusing to give up, it is in Irma’s search for the truth that she discovers that reality isn’t always what we “think” or “believe” it is. And in constructing solid data that would stand up in court, Irma discovers that sometimes you have to start with the unseen, an intuition and follow your gut despite all temptation not to. It is her faith in this unknown element of existence that Irma, along with her two friends, walk the path against resistance to find that the road to truth is filled with decoys and detours. And the answer she finds is not what she anticipated. Right to the end, we don’t know if Dayton did it. Were Irma’s efforts all in vain? Was she a puppet to some insane manipulation? Or was she onto something incredible? No spoilers here. This was a compelling, hard-to-put-down read. Entertaining and educating for I learned some amazing things about modern-day medicine regarding heart-transplant patients. Great read!
AMAZON U.K.
27 May 2019
I have the author’s previous books, which portray matters of social interest in historical settings, and appreciate her style of writing, so was keen to see what a book in a different genre would bring forth.
I was not disappointed!
I had never heard of personality transfer in transplant cases, but as Irma the lawyer forges on in her attempt to save her first love, a distinguished heart surgeon, from accusations of murder, this proves to be, dare one say, at the heart of the matter, where a transplant case gives rise to personality change and the consequences which this has on famly and others….leading to murder.
Well drawn characters…the author is tops at showing rather than telling…..who bear you along with them as the story unfolds in a context which first of all appears to the layman to be incredible but which becomes all too real.
A great read.
25 May 2019
Not my usual read, but boy, was I glad I picked this one up.
It’s a roller coaster ride of emotions as we follow the lives of these well written and believable characters in this medical thriller. No, spoilers, but I’d highly recommend you get to know Irma and her ex, you won’t be disappointed.
23 May 2019
A very different and original plot. What stood out the most for me about this book was, aside from being well-written, it was a treasure trove of the characters’ personalities and emotions and how they were described in such a detailed way and to such a level to bring rise to questions to connections within ourselves.
The world-building of this story and the level of description is second to none and the storyline unfurls to reveal hidden branches, of which I won’t go into here as there has been enough been written about the plot in other reviews.
It leaves me to say that I really enjoyed this book and will be very interested to see what the author brings next.
16 May 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I’ve read this author’s historical fiction books and have been impressed the quality of writing. This is a cozy crime mystery with medical and legal overtones, which blend very well to produce a convincing story. The characters are well developed, memorable and believable in their situations. Their backgrounds, struggles and relationships are expertly crafted. The intricate plot moves along at a steady pace and the unfolding mystery kept me turning the pages. The central topic is novel, poses a fundamental question about the wider impact organ donation, and had me pondering the possibilities after I had finished the book. The author has used her experience in medicine to add great credibility and depth to the story. Highly recommended.
9 May 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This was a fascinating, thought-provoking read. It’s far more than just a legal thriller, delving into issues such as the effects of child abuse, social pressures and love lost. What I found particularly interesting however was the exploration of personality transference in transplant patients- much of the material in the book is based around real life cases and I found this thoroughly fascinating.
Paulette Mahurin’s writing is engaging, with a great sense of time and place. I loved the references to real-world current events to place the story in time.
A wonderful, multi-layered read.
8 May 2019
Verified Purchase
From the pen of one of my favourite authors comes a rivetting thriller with explosive tension, heart break and excellent twists.
It’s hard to describe the enormous value of this book without giving away plot twists and some of the surprises that hit me so hard while reading this book.Irma is a lawyer who takes on the seemingly hopeless case of her ex-boyfriend, a surgeon on trial. Set in the world of heart transplants the book touches on many deeper issues and philosophical questions related to organ donation.Woven into this are complex characters and strange personal developments between the characters that come together in a truly unbelievable denouement. Mahurin never lets up the tension and drama, pushes us to think about ethics and surprises us with facts and connections I never saw coming.Fast paced, engaging and thought-provoking, informative on a medical level and satisfying on an emotional level this is Mahurin at her best. While I perferred her historical novels in the past, I feel the medical thriller genre has found a new kid on the block to watch out for.
Highly recommended.
AMAZON FRANCE
29 avril 2019
What if the human heart was not just a mechanical pump in the body, an organ with purely physiological properties? What if it were something altogether more complex and mysterious?
When renowned transplant surgeon Peter Dayton removes the heart from the victim of a road traffic accident, Lexi Parkhouse, and transplants it into the dying body of Jeffrey Kincaide, a chain of events is set in motion with devastating consequences. In the sumptuous Bel Air mansion that is home to the wealthy Kincaide family, the couple’s previous domestic harmony turns sour as Jeffrey recuperates with his new heart. Initially overcome with gratitude at the miraculous intervention that saved her husband’s life, Amelia Kincaide, becomes increasingly disturbed by what she perceives as abnormal changes in him, changes that inspire suspicion and hatred. At the same time, Lexi’s grieving widower, Randolf Parkhouse, is struggling unsuccessfully to get over the loss of the woman he loved. In an attempt find solace, he starts to explore far-fetched, quasi-spiritual notions about communion with the dead, becoming gradually convinced that he is still somehow connected to his wife, whose presence lingers on earth through the heart which now beats in the chest of Randolf.
Unaware of all this, surgeon Peter Dayton continues to operate. He is a man who, on the surface, has everything–money, prestige, a brilliant career and international reputation–but, apart from his job and his affection for his dog, Bella, he is carrying out a meaningless existence in a loveless marriage, consumed by regret for the woman he loved and lost years ago through his own bad choices. Unknown to him, that woman, Irma Mullins, is about to enter his life once more when she opens a newspaper and reads that her former lover has been arrested on charges of killing one of his patients. ‘Involuntary manslaughter…’ Shocked to the core, Irma has no doubt as to her ex-lover’s innocence, and, convinced he is the victim of a vendetta, determines to clear his name.
What starts as a classic, suspenseful whodunnit gradually turns into something far more complex and multi-layered. Author Paulette Mahurin puts her characters under the microscope, scrutinising what is going on in their ‘hearts’ in the wider sense of the term, dissecting in forensic detail the way they live, their innermost feelings and passions, how their backgrounds have shaped their personalities, the motivations behind their behaviour and, more immediately, their reactions as events unfold with a frightening inevitability, sweeping them along like a flash flood. The tempestuous rumblings in their personal stories are eerily mirrored in what is happening on a planetary scale. Global political and economic upheaval, growing social divides in Western societies, the devastation raging in war torn countries, the apparent increase in extreme weather events–all these contribute to an ominous feeling that the world is off kilter, out of balance, chaotic. We sense that things are slipping beyond our control, our belief in the rational, the scientific, the provable, is shaken, our certainties over-turned. As Irma remarks, becoming more and more stressed by the agonising drag of the legal process and the seeming impossibility of altering its course, it is ‘like trying to mold pottery with over-wet material while in handcuffs.’ The tension builds as the characters react to the growing pressure (I found myself experiencing sympathetic stomach pains), with even those most convinced of Peter’s innocence, including himself, beginning to have doubts.
By crafting such detailed portraits of her characters and their growing emotional turmoil, Mahurin anchors her story in the real, the every-day, and is thus able to give credibility to the incredible, when at last Irma’s team begin to make progress, discovering a thread which, unbelievable as it may appear, offers a chance of building a solid case in Pete’s defence: ‘a small, barely visible thread that (leads) to a Sherman tank.’
It’s impossible to do justice to all the admirable qualities of this author’s latest work in a short review. Suffice it to say that that ‘Irma’s Endgame’ is one of those books which not only keeps us captivated until the last page, but also prompts us to ask questions about our own lives, the mistakes we make, the paths we choose and their validity, and our dimly perceived apprehension of the greater truth behind Hamlet’s words: ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamed of in your philosophy.’
RECENT REVIEWS FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF ANGEL
AMAZON.U.K.
25 April 2019
This books mingles the factual story of Nelly Bly with fictionalised characters whose backstories are based on fact.
Investigative journalist Nelly Bly had her self committed to a mental institution in the 1880s in order to expose the mistreatment that was common practice. Using fictional characters, the story become more humanised, exploring the lot of both women in need of mental care and those who found themselves there because they were an inconvenience to someone with more power than them. You can’t help be moved by this story and by the support the inmates give each other in this bleak existence and oppressive cruelty.
RECENT REVIEWS FOR HIS NAME WAS BEN
AMAZON U.S.
April 29, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This was such a heartbreaking, emotional, and wonderful read. Two cancer patients – both with issues from their past, the will to live, and the hope to find meaning in living. I found this to be a profound look at life, love, and the choices we make along the way. Such a beautiful story of the human spirit and overcoming adversity. Be prepared for all the feels.
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Word Building: 5/5
Story Flow: 5/5
RECENT REVIEWS FOR THE SEVEN YEAR DRESS
AMAZON U.S.
May 24, 2019
The author created in Helen the lessons we need to learn: life is worth living and that loving kindness conquers all hate.
AMAZON INDIA
1 May 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
I find the subject of holocaust to be fascinating and depressing at the same time. Every time I read a book that covers holocaust, whether real or fiction, it leaves me drained for days. The Seven Year Dress is the story of a real survivor presented in a fictional form.
The story starts with a young girl looking for accommodation and meeting Helen Stein. She feels that the questions asked by Helen were very personal and though she feels uncomfortable, she ends up renting from Helen. The readers then find out more about Helen who was born and brought up Germany in 1930s. She grew with love from her family and seeing hatred on the streets. This book is her journey from being a young carefree girl to ending up in Auschwitz.
The author has done an impeccable job of painting the character of Helen. The character grew through the book from a young soul to that of an old soul through her experiences. Through the protagonist, the author has painted a picture of what life was like for the common people and the Jews in that period. What I liked the best about the book was the part in Auschwitz that portrays human bonds at its rawest form. The fact that there was hope and kindness in a camp like that is unnerving yet optimistic.
The author has also explored the idea that sexuality is a part of one’s identity with the backdrop of the war. On one hand, we see Helen’s rollercoaster journey taking her to places she couldn’t have imagined all the while growing into and accepting her sexuality irrespective of the situations that she was in. On the other hand, through her best friend we see the plight of a gay man during the Nazi reign.
The title of the book, which originally confused me in the beginning, comes from a dress that Max had gifted Helen. What that dress stood for and why it meant so much to Helen will be clear once you read the book and in turn help you understand the title. All in all, this was an interesting book to read. Depressing at times, this only goes to show how capable an author Paulette Mahurin is, it is a heavy book that needs to be given time and attention.
GOODREADS
Outstanding novel, well written and emotions stirred to release a tear here and there
DOGS RESCUED FROM KILL SHELTERS
Blackie has been rescued
Blackie’s freedom photo
Gumdrop has been rescued
Gumdrop’s freedom photo
Rusty has been rscued
Rusty’s freedom photo
Gretzky (named by rescued) has been rescued
Gretzky’s freedom photo
Kylee has been rescued
Kylee’s freedom photo
Allie has been rescued
Allie’s freedom photo
Addi has been rescued
Addi’s freedom photo
Evie has been rescued
Evie’s freedom photo
Buck has been rescued
Buck’s freedom photo
Morty has been rescued
Morty’s freedom photo
Shadow has been rescued
Shadow’s kennel info
Shadow’s freedom photo with new sibling
Silas has been rescued with his bonded sibling Sebastian
Silas’ freedom photo
Sebastian has been rescued with his bonded sibling Silas
Sebastian’s freedom photo
Bonded siblings Lady & Layla have been rescued together
Lady & Layla’s shelter information
Lady & Layla’s freedom photo. The bonded siblings are so happy to be together.
Milo has been rescued
Milo’s freedom photo
