Reviews for the “Mary Jo Melendez Mysteries”…
[Note from Steve: In an attempt to declutter my web page “Books & Short Stories,” I’m going to start collecting some significant reviews for each book or series in the blog category “My Reviews.” When all is said and done, readers can search for a book title and see the reviews. This might be doubly important, because good reviews I’ve received are often NOT on Amazon. I exclude all reviews by trolls, of course, most of which have zero content and contain only vitriol—Lord knows why. You’ll find most of those on Amazon and its sister-site, Goodreads…along with more reviews!]
Muddlin’ Through (MJM #1)…
“Steven M. Moore takes ex-military master at arms Mary Jo Melendez and puts her through the ringer! She is given trial after trial and muddles through, as the title suggests. This was a bit of a change of pace for Moore, who seems to usually write more tightly woven stories, but it had his usual interesting characters, a series of geographically diverse settings and plenty of action. Did I buy it all? Well, I did while I was reading and what more can you ask? Perhaps this is not Moore’s best, but it’s really good, s fun, quick, exciting read!”—S. D. Beallis, in his five-star Amazon review
“A wrongly convicted woman seeks to clear her name, experiencing a series of adventures along the way. Moore creates an excellent and deep character in Mary Jo. Strong and smart, yet conflicted, she retains her humanity when her enemies lose theirs — all across the globe. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and recommend it to readers who enjoy intrigue.”—Debra Miller, in her five-star Amazon review
Silicon Slummin’…and Just Gettin’ By (MJM #2)…
“I’m a big fan of Steven M. Moore’s work, and enjoyed Mary Jo Melendez’s first adventure. But this one took the series to an even higher level for me. It combined a bit of serial killer horror (no really graphic violent scenes, though) with an excellent thriller which draws upon Moore’s SF/tech background. In this one, Mary Jo’s myriad of misadventures in the first book are coming back to haunt her. There are people who want to know what she knows…and one guy who appears to be simply fixated on her.
In this book you get your usual mix of Moore’s interesting characters who, when forced to interact with each other, find that they somehow become better and/or stronger people. Mary Jo leaves of trail of devastation in her wake, but none of it is precisely her fault. She’s a victim of circumstances that are as interesting and compelling as anything Moore has written to date. I really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to see what happens to Mary Jo in the future.”—S. D. Beallis, in his five-star Amazon review
Goin’ the Extra Mile (MJM #3)…
“It all begins with an attempted kidnapping of her two adopted children, and things only get heightened when her entire family is abducted. The Chinese are after Mary Jo and they want answers that she can’t give them. They want the MECHs that she helped, but she can’t give them information that she has no idea of knowing. Too bad they aren’t buying that she doesn’t know and will do whatever it takes to acquire what it is that they want.
Goin’ The Extra Mile by Steven M. Moore is the first book that I have read by this author. This book is book three in the Mary Jo Melendez mystery series, but I don’t feel like it is imperative that I read the first two books in the series. The author does a good job at filling in details in the right places so that I can have a bit of backstory as well. I like how much of a mystery and thriller this story is. The author really keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as they follow along with Mary Jo and Marguerite Fontaine, a French physician. This story is gripping from beginning to end as Mary Jo faces so many obstacles to try and reclaim her family. This story spans more than one country and keeps the reader engaged.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I will give this warning…the story switches back and forth between Mary Jo and Marguerite. There are no defining points of when this will happen. At first, I didn’t like these unexpected transitions and wanted them defined so I’d know, but the more I read I found I actually appreciated them. The switches kept me on my toes as I didn’t know what to expect with the turning of the page/beginning of the next chapter.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I don’t read a lot of mystery espionage novels, but this book is worth picking up. It will keep you intrigued from beginning to end. So if you like a story with a woman who will do whatever it takes to get her children back and some adventure mixed in grab this book!”—Seraphia in her five-star Amazon review
“WOW! What an exciting story from Steven Moore. A total page turner from the start. There are no doubts who you’re cheering for and who you want to lose in this exciting espionage story.
BACKGROUND: While in the CIA, Mary Jo was sent to reclaim two MECHS (mechanically enhanced combat humans) that were stolen from the CIA by Russian operatives. Instead, she freed them, then the three of them destroyed the laboratory and escaped to freedom. That was years ago and they have had no contact with each other since then. But nobody believes Mary Jo. The Russians and CIA keep trying to find the MECHS and they still believe Mary Jo knows where they are.
CURRENT: Mary Jo is former Navy and now a former discredited/framed CIA agent. Her husband is a former FBI agent, now all they want us to live the American dream of raising a family in peace. But it appears the Chinese have different ideas for the future.
When Mary Jo’s husband and two children are kidnapped, we start a rescue operation that jumps between France and America and ends up in Bejing.All kinds of alphabet agencies are involved, FBI, CIA, DSGI, DSGE, MSS, etc.
Woven throughout the story are references of the Wall a previous President built, the disrespect of our leaders by the leaders of other countries, the decay of American values and freedoms, becoming more of a third-world country than a powerful leader of the world. Unfortunately, this part of the story is partially true and just may be our actual future.
This story of political power devolving democracy and the free world deserves 5 stars.”—Diana Raven in her five-star Amazon review
“Goin’ the Extra Mile is one in a series featuring Mary Jo Melendez, but can be read independently, as enough background information is provided to sufficiently explain the back story.
Mary Jo, living a calm family life, is thrust into an international plot to locate humans who were modified to be the ultimate soldiers. Striving to protect both her family and the ex-soldiers, she is forced to endure torture to achieve her goals.
I enjoyed this book as well as its political critiques. I recommend it!”—Debra Miller in her five-star Amazon review
“I guess the CIA is not something you can just leave – not without ongoing repercussions. Hanging out with (or being the adopted child of) is a wild ride – literally. And that’s just the beginning. It is a great story with twists and turns and lots of action.”—Dr. Patricia Eroh in her five-star Amazon review
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Comments are always welcome.
Evergreen Series: “Mary Jo Melendez Mysteries.” Mary Jo’s MECH friends embroil her in a world of mystery and intrigue in this trilogy (MECH = “Mechanically Enhanced Cybernetic Human”). In Muddlin’ Through, a bloody and violent kidnapping of the MECHs at her new place of work leads to her sister and brother-in-law’s murders, and she’s framed for them to cover up the incompetence of a secret US government agency; she spends the rest of the novel on different continents proving her innocence. Silicon Slummin’…and Just Gettin’ By has Mary Jo at a new security job in California’s Silicon Valleyh, but the CIA and SVR still want to know where she left the MECHs after saving them in Moscow; she also acquires a stalker who makes her life even more complicated. And in Goin’ the Extra Mile, China joins the pursuit of Mary Jo, kidnapping her family to get at information about the MECHs, but family, friends, and the MECHs try to come to her aid. In addition to the mystery and intrigue, these novels all full of heart-pounding action. They’re ideal as holiday gifts for the ebook reader, evergreen because they treat themes that are as current now as when I wrote them…perhaps even more so. Available on Amazon and everywhere ebooks are sold.
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
