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Falling Apart At The Edges
Falling Apart At The Edges is the latest thriller from the productive Maynard Sims writing team. “Maynard Sims successfully ventures into thriller territory” Publishers Weekly John Blake fights crime the only way he knows how, fast and dirty. There is a killer on the streets and John has to track him down. When his wife is kidnapped and he has to find her, his personal life starts to spin out of control. Blake has his own set of moral codes that allow him to challenge the evils he sees on the streets on his own terms. But can he win his battles and save his marriage and his career? Excerpt Blake half turned to look at them, the movement masking what he was doing. What he was doing was taking out his Glock. Without haste or undue movement he turned to the man holding the two guns and shot him between the eyes. The second man flapped his hands in front of him as if willing a weapon to appear. Blake shot him in the neck and the right eye. Gregorio was not slow but he wasn’t quick enough to beat Blake. He leapt from the plastic chair and tried to reach a weapon. Blake shot him in one leg and then the other. “These ladies are not merchandise, they’re not whores. They are someone’s daughter, and you’ve stolen them from their families on promises of a better life only to violate and beat them into submission and then sell them to the highest bidder like unwanted product on eBay.” Blake shot him twice in the stomach. “Gut shot. Slow and painful. The insides bleed for a long time before the heart realizes it’s a lost cause and packs up.” Gregorio was writhing in the dust of the floor. ENDS See the trailer on YouTube Maynard Sims Falling Apart At The Edges Visit the author website www.maynard-sims.com Visit the Maynard Sims Amazon Author Page Falling Apart At The Edges is the story of a man on the edge of destruction. Living dangerously in his personal life he risks his marriage for a relationship he cannot even define. In his job he is successful because he takes risks but that comes at a price. The killer has to be stopped but what if the price he has to pay to win that battle is the life of his wife?
- GenresCrime
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2014
14 people want to read
About the author
Maynard Sims
73 books36 followersMAYNARD SIMS www.maynard-sims.com
The DCI Jack Callum series of crime novels - No Evil,Prime Evil and For Her Sins with The Detective Jack Callum Trilogy. The Bahamas series of thriller novels - Touching The Sun, Calling Down The Lightning, and Raging Against The Storm. The Department 18 series of supernatural crime novels - Black Cathedral, Night Souls, The Eighth Witch, A Plague Of Echoes, and Mother Of Demons. The crime novels Let Death Begin, Through The Sad Heart, and Falling Apart At The Edges. The supernatural novels, Shelter, Demon Eyes, Nightmare City, Stronghold, and Stillwater. The erotic romance novels, under a pseudonym, - The Love Project and The Romance Project.
One screenplay, based on the first two Department 18 books, won the 2013 British Horror Film Festival Award for Best New Screenplay.
Numerous stories have been published in a variety of anthologies and magazines. Collections include, Shadows At Midnight, 1979 and 1999 (revised and enlarged), Echoes Of Darkness, 2000, Incantations, 2002, two retrospective collections of their stories, essays and interviews, The Secret Geography Of Nightmare and Selling Dark Miracles, both 2002, Falling Into Heaven 2004, The Odd Ghosts, 2011, and Flame And Other Enigmatic Tales, and A Haunting Of Ghosts, both 2012. Their tenth collection of ghost stories and strange tales – Death’s Sweet Echo – which includes all their recent and new stories, many of them previously unpublished, is 2016.
Novellas, The Hidden Language Of Demons, The Seminar, His Other Son, and Convalescence have been published in 2002, 2003, 2013 and 2015 respectively. All their stories and novellas have been reprinted in eight uniform volumes through The Maynard Sims Library in 2014. An erotic romance novella, First Time Love, 2015 and First Time Arousal, 2016. Devil is a 2016 crime novella..
They worked as editors on the nine volumes of Darkness Rising anthologies. They co-edited and published F20 with The British Fantasy Society. As editors/publishers they ran Enigmatic Press in the UK, which produced Enigmatic Tales, and its sister titles. They have written essays. They still do commissioned editing projects, most recently Dead Water, and the Capital Crimes anthology for the ITW. They do ghost writing commissions.
Email contact can be made at [email protected]
Find Maynard Sims on most social media - links are on the website
The DCI Jack Callum series of crime novels - No Evil,Prime Evil and For Her Sins with The Detective Jack Callum Trilogy. The Bahamas series of thriller novels - Touching The Sun, Calling Down The Lightning, and Raging Against The Storm. The Department 18 series of supernatural crime novels - Black Cathedral, Night Souls, The Eighth Witch, A Plague Of Echoes, and Mother Of Demons. The crime novels Let Death Begin, Through The Sad Heart, and Falling Apart At The Edges. The supernatural novels, Shelter, Demon Eyes, Nightmare City, Stronghold, and Stillwater. The erotic romance novels, under a pseudonym, - The Love Project and The Romance Project.
One screenplay, based on the first two Department 18 books, won the 2013 British Horror Film Festival Award for Best New Screenplay.
Numerous stories have been published in a variety of anthologies and magazines. Collections include, Shadows At Midnight, 1979 and 1999 (revised and enlarged), Echoes Of Darkness, 2000, Incantations, 2002, two retrospective collections of their stories, essays and interviews, The Secret Geography Of Nightmare and Selling Dark Miracles, both 2002, Falling Into Heaven 2004, The Odd Ghosts, 2011, and Flame And Other Enigmatic Tales, and A Haunting Of Ghosts, both 2012. Their tenth collection of ghost stories and strange tales – Death’s Sweet Echo – which includes all their recent and new stories, many of them previously unpublished, is 2016.
Novellas, The Hidden Language Of Demons, The Seminar, His Other Son, and Convalescence have been published in 2002, 2003, 2013 and 2015 respectively. All their stories and novellas have been reprinted in eight uniform volumes through The Maynard Sims Library in 2014. An erotic romance novella, First Time Love, 2015 and First Time Arousal, 2016. Devil is a 2016 crime novella..
They worked as editors on the nine volumes of Darkness Rising anthologies. They co-edited and published F20 with The British Fantasy Society. As editors/publishers they ran Enigmatic Press in the UK, which produced Enigmatic Tales, and its sister titles. They have written essays. They still do commissioned editing projects, most recently Dead Water, and the Capital Crimes anthology for the ITW. They do ghost writing commissions.
Email contact can be made at [email protected]
Find Maynard Sims on most social media - links are on the website
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 22, 2014
John Blake was going to meet Gregorio (Ukraine) a warehouse. He had some merchandise for him. There were 3 other thugs besides Gregorio.
The merchandise was brought out 3 very young girls. The 3 men were killed by John, & Gregorio was shot in both legs & then 1 of the girls slit his throat.
They would have a safe life in the US.
John next stop was Sara (interior decorator, John mistress) house.
Edward Armstrong Kimball (A/A, detective) called John (35, detective).
A man had been shot with a shot gun in Culpepper Alley.
Dr. Michael Macklin (ME), the lab techs & later the Mobile Crime Unit (MCU) showed up at the crime scene.
Suzy Blake (wife, attorney) & John were having some serious marital problems. Imagine that!
Dr. Macklin confirmed that Cuba Jesus Davenport (drug pusher) was the homicide victim. He worked for Joseph Joe Capelli (mobster boss).
Eddie & John went to tell Helen Davenport (nee Portman) the news.
Monique (Helen lesbian lover) snuck out of the house & gave the 2 detectives some information also.
John went to see Jim Reynolds (30, men’s clothing store) & Dvorcy Reynolds (50, f, men’s clothing store). The 2 of them are the go-between PPL that found the 3 girls & others wonderful family to live with in the US.
The next case was Maxwell Capelli (lawyer, Joe Capelli grandson) had been murdered.
Eddie & John went to talk with Joe Capelli (75, mobster boss)
Funke (A/A boutique) was helping John with young female trafficking from Sierra Leone.
An anonymous phone call tip Excelsior Hotel (21 B), who/what will Eddie, John, & Armed Response/SWAT team find there?
Who is behind the killings?
Will Eddie & John bring the assassin to justice?
Who is Peter Morrissey (29, attorney, former USMC)?
What happened to Suzy?
Wow, I went to Woodstock right out of HS something I will never forget.
The kind of clientele I worked with as a MSW. John needs to see the P/D shrink & anger management.
My favorite. “That guy (girl) kissed so many asses on his (her) way to the top he (she) walks with a permanent stoop & talks shit every time he (she) opens his (her) mouth.”
My last 9 yrs. of working I had female supervisors.
& another; “I know that if you crawl low enough along the ground you get yourself dirty.”
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very powerful well written crime thriller (could be true-to-life) book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. A book you won’t want to put down. This could also make another great crime thriller movie, or mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free book (Story Cartel)
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
The merchandise was brought out 3 very young girls. The 3 men were killed by John, & Gregorio was shot in both legs & then 1 of the girls slit his throat.
They would have a safe life in the US.
John next stop was Sara (interior decorator, John mistress) house.
Edward Armstrong Kimball (A/A, detective) called John (35, detective).
A man had been shot with a shot gun in Culpepper Alley.
Dr. Michael Macklin (ME), the lab techs & later the Mobile Crime Unit (MCU) showed up at the crime scene.
Suzy Blake (wife, attorney) & John were having some serious marital problems. Imagine that!
Dr. Macklin confirmed that Cuba Jesus Davenport (drug pusher) was the homicide victim. He worked for Joseph Joe Capelli (mobster boss).
Eddie & John went to tell Helen Davenport (nee Portman) the news.
Monique (Helen lesbian lover) snuck out of the house & gave the 2 detectives some information also.
John went to see Jim Reynolds (30, men’s clothing store) & Dvorcy Reynolds (50, f, men’s clothing store). The 2 of them are the go-between PPL that found the 3 girls & others wonderful family to live with in the US.
The next case was Maxwell Capelli (lawyer, Joe Capelli grandson) had been murdered.
Eddie & John went to talk with Joe Capelli (75, mobster boss)
Funke (A/A boutique) was helping John with young female trafficking from Sierra Leone.
An anonymous phone call tip Excelsior Hotel (21 B), who/what will Eddie, John, & Armed Response/SWAT team find there?
Who is behind the killings?
Will Eddie & John bring the assassin to justice?
Who is Peter Morrissey (29, attorney, former USMC)?
What happened to Suzy?
Wow, I went to Woodstock right out of HS something I will never forget.
The kind of clientele I worked with as a MSW. John needs to see the P/D shrink & anger management.
My favorite. “That guy (girl) kissed so many asses on his (her) way to the top he (she) walks with a permanent stoop & talks shit every time he (she) opens his (her) mouth.”
My last 9 yrs. of working I had female supervisors.
& another; “I know that if you crawl low enough along the ground you get yourself dirty.”
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very powerful well written crime thriller (could be true-to-life) book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. A book you won’t want to put down. This could also make another great crime thriller movie, or mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free book (Story Cartel)
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
November 11, 2014
John Blake is a police detective with a special job – beyond his normal police work – a job he can’t even share with his partner, Eddie Kimball, or his wife, Suzy. He is also a man with demons. His relationship with his wife is troubled, and he can share his troubles with no one. When a hired killer, Cuba Davenport, is killed and mutilated, and the trail leads to mobster Joe Capelli, Blake must face his demons – or die trying.
Falling Apart at the Edges by Maynard Sims takes the reader into the mean streets and the tortured minds of a group of characters with shady pasts and uncertain futures. The dialogue, though a bit stilted in places, is pithy and the settings are as grimy as one would expect from a noir mystery. I received a free review copy of this book.
Though well told, the book could benefit from a better editing job. Some of the grammar mistakes cause a reader to pause and re-read to make sure of the meaning of the passage. Despite the errors, it is still a fun read for fans of the genre.
Falling Apart at the Edges by Maynard Sims takes the reader into the mean streets and the tortured minds of a group of characters with shady pasts and uncertain futures. The dialogue, though a bit stilted in places, is pithy and the settings are as grimy as one would expect from a noir mystery. I received a free review copy of this book.
Though well told, the book could benefit from a better editing job. Some of the grammar mistakes cause a reader to pause and re-read to make sure of the meaning of the passage. Despite the errors, it is still a fun read for fans of the genre.
August 23, 2016
This was another riveting read from the pens of Maynard and Sims. The main character is John Blake, a police Detective. He is also used in some secretive and unorthodox methods to combat certain elements of organised crime, so secretive that he can't even tell his partner or his wife. During his daytime job it seems that a killer is loose on the streets, and even though this also seems to be targeted at organised crime, it is up to Blake and Eddie Kimball, to catch this mysterious assassin. Normally successful in their efforts against crime, the partnership suffers a setback when it appears that Blake's wife has gone missing. Could she have been kidnapped in a bid to cloud Blake's thinking?
A good plot, well thought out and well told. There is always something happening, and the tension builds nicely throughout. Plenty to keep, and hold, the reader's attention.
A good plot, well thought out and well told. There is always something happening, and the tension builds nicely throughout. Plenty to keep, and hold, the reader's attention.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews