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Turnabout / Shallow Secrets
Turnabout: Ex-cop Frankie O'Neil is caught in the middle of a murder and money laundering scheme in Florida, forced to fight for his family while trying to survive in a world he thought he'd left behind. Shallow Secrets: An unsatisfactory conclusion to a series of crimes cost James Robinson his career—eight years later, a new wave of murder may finally redeem him.
393 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 8, 2021
Stark House Press offers us a Terrific double feature in an unassuming cover by a writer who should be better known than he is. It’s not often you come upon a two-fer with two “A” sides, but Rick Ollerman pulled it off with two powerful Florida crime novels.
Turnabout is set in the Nineties around the beginnings of the Internet explosion as the General public and criminals as well are just starting to wrap their heads around networking and computer security, but it might as well have been set in the late Fifties or early Sixties. It has the look and feel of one of those early paperback originals.
Frank O’Neill is an ex police officer making a living as a computer security consultant. He got burned out working nights in all the worst neighborhoods, never leaving the job behind, never relaxing. It nearly cost him his marriage. But, as these stories go, retirement is just a fantasy cause the crap has a way of following you wherever you go.
The opening scene will leave your jaw dropping open as O’Neill’s best buddy takes a nose dive into the Gulf of Mexico from a small plane and nothing about is right. O’Neill can’t let this go even if it costs him everything and it nearly does. With a team composed of a born loser working a late night cleaning crew and a 300 pound pickpocket, O’Neill finds the twisted trail to hell as his hunt for his buddy’s killers leads him into the deadly Florida swamps.
Even if O’Neill’s painstaking investigation seems to lead nowhere at first, hang on tight because you are in for a harrowing thrill ride filled with breathtaking twists and turns and it becomes just as action packed as anything.
Shallow Secrets also features a Florida ex police officer, but one who leads a special team investigating a serial killer, leads it, that is, until the new suspect in custody who was caught red handed turns out to have been a houseguest of Officer Robinson. All of a sudden, Robinson becomes a bit of a suspect himself and his career goes down the tubes. You don’t really know through much of the story whether Robinson is Lou Ford or just an innocent guy connected to the wrong person at the wrong time.
This one at first seems to be a bit slower to get going, but rest assured the twists and turns are just beginning and the action when it comes is fast and furious.
Turnabout is set in the Nineties around the beginnings of the Internet explosion as the General public and criminals as well are just starting to wrap their heads around networking and computer security, but it might as well have been set in the late Fifties or early Sixties. It has the look and feel of one of those early paperback originals.
Frank O’Neill is an ex police officer making a living as a computer security consultant. He got burned out working nights in all the worst neighborhoods, never leaving the job behind, never relaxing. It nearly cost him his marriage. But, as these stories go, retirement is just a fantasy cause the crap has a way of following you wherever you go.
The opening scene will leave your jaw dropping open as O’Neill’s best buddy takes a nose dive into the Gulf of Mexico from a small plane and nothing about is right. O’Neill can’t let this go even if it costs him everything and it nearly does. With a team composed of a born loser working a late night cleaning crew and a 300 pound pickpocket, O’Neill finds the twisted trail to hell as his hunt for his buddy’s killers leads him into the deadly Florida swamps.
Even if O’Neill’s painstaking investigation seems to lead nowhere at first, hang on tight because you are in for a harrowing thrill ride filled with breathtaking twists and turns and it becomes just as action packed as anything.
Shallow Secrets also features a Florida ex police officer, but one who leads a special team investigating a serial killer, leads it, that is, until the new suspect in custody who was caught red handed turns out to have been a houseguest of Officer Robinson. All of a sudden, Robinson becomes a bit of a suspect himself and his career goes down the tubes. You don’t really know through much of the story whether Robinson is Lou Ford or just an innocent guy connected to the wrong person at the wrong time.
This one at first seems to be a bit slower to get going, but rest assured the twists and turns are just beginning and the action when it comes is fast and furious.
March 20, 2015
Rick Ollerman in his new book, “Turnabout / Shallow Secrets” published by Stark House Press gives us two different back-to-back adventures.
From the back cover: Remember those old Ace paperbacks, with two actioners in one volume? Stark House is reviving them, with the current offering holding all the slam-bang anyone might want.
In Turnabout, ex-cop Frankie O’Neil is skeptical when a friend’s death is ruled a suicide. He uncovers a crime unknown to the Ace masters: computer theft. These crooks have friends with guns, and halfway along the novel becomes a series of cliffhangers that hit another memory: movie serials. Will Frankie escape in time? Find out in the next chapter. You won’t stop until you know.
Shallow Secrets moves slower, with a subtext: the power of chance to provoke horrors, then avenge them. Cop James Robinson doesn’t just know the accused killer. They’re roommates. The coincidence ruins his career. Then there are fresh killings, and Robinson is “a person of interest.” Near the end, Robinson almost tells a woman that “there wasn’t anything they could do to make the world safe” from murders. But coincidence can bring them down, as when someone sees something he’s not supposed to.
Yes, it is true. There is not one but two action adrenaline laced adventures bound between the pages of this book. Once you finish the first book I recommend that you take a serious break, perhaps go for a long walk with the dog. This way you get some exercise and some air and can calm your nerves after “Turnabout”. Then, once you are refreshed, you can start on “Shallow Secret’s”. Both of them read like the old pulp stories. There is plenty of action, plenty of mystery and suspense and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing as to what is going on. What a cast of characters and all of them are interesting. Mr. Ollerman did a good job and I look forward to more from this talented author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Partners In Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
From the back cover: Remember those old Ace paperbacks, with two actioners in one volume? Stark House is reviving them, with the current offering holding all the slam-bang anyone might want.
In Turnabout, ex-cop Frankie O’Neil is skeptical when a friend’s death is ruled a suicide. He uncovers a crime unknown to the Ace masters: computer theft. These crooks have friends with guns, and halfway along the novel becomes a series of cliffhangers that hit another memory: movie serials. Will Frankie escape in time? Find out in the next chapter. You won’t stop until you know.
Shallow Secrets moves slower, with a subtext: the power of chance to provoke horrors, then avenge them. Cop James Robinson doesn’t just know the accused killer. They’re roommates. The coincidence ruins his career. Then there are fresh killings, and Robinson is “a person of interest.” Near the end, Robinson almost tells a woman that “there wasn’t anything they could do to make the world safe” from murders. But coincidence can bring them down, as when someone sees something he’s not supposed to.
Yes, it is true. There is not one but two action adrenaline laced adventures bound between the pages of this book. Once you finish the first book I recommend that you take a serious break, perhaps go for a long walk with the dog. This way you get some exercise and some air and can calm your nerves after “Turnabout”. Then, once you are refreshed, you can start on “Shallow Secret’s”. Both of them read like the old pulp stories. There is plenty of action, plenty of mystery and suspense and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing as to what is going on. What a cast of characters and all of them are interesting. Mr. Ollerman did a good job and I look forward to more from this talented author.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Partners In Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
March 5, 2015
I love the simple cover, the colors and palm trees spoke to me. Murder and crime are my game, so I was excited to read this twofer. I thought it was two separate mysteries, but it is really one long book. I am going to review it that way.
This noir detective story started out with a splat. Rick’s description of what it’s like to fall (or to be pushed) out of an airplane, with no parachute, counting down the seconds until you hit, knowing you are going to die, had me white knuckled as I read. With a start like that, I am eager to read on. So I did.
Frankie O’Neil sets out to determine what really happened to his best friend. He never believed he committed suicide and he would not let the deed go unpunished. If something happened to me, I would love to have a friend like him.
O’Neil had retired from the police force because it was so hard on his wife. He loved her and did not want to lose her. He knew getting involved in this investigation would take its toll on their marriage, but it was something he had to do. He has a plan, but there are two police officers who are determined to be kept in the loop, dogging him at every turn.
This is in the early days of computers and his friend, Tim Clayton had a consulting business. He had taught O’Neil the ropes and he had started his own consulting business.
Reed is a naive and innocent kid he recruits to help him with the investigation. I love the kid. Poor Katy is caught in the middle.
Five years later, B J Donnelly is busted with a thirteen year old girl in his trunk and he drops O’Neil’s name. They try to keep O’Neil out of the investigation. He had been running the Sun Coast Murders Task Force, but Detective Sergeant James Robinson will be running it now and every time O’Neil turns around, James is there.
O’Neil has become a suspect and once accused, it doesn’t matter much if you are guilty or not. The stigma will follow you everywhere you go. Your life will be ruined.
Now it’s eight years later and there is another body. How could that be if Donnelly was the guilty party? Guess there is only one thing for him to do, and that’s to solve it himself. I knew that, but I am happy to ride along with him as we dodge the dirt and corruption. When you don’t know who to trust, trust no one.
There is more going on than meets the eye. I had my suspicions. I am so glad I did not quit reading after finishing Turnabout and went right on to read Shallow Secrets. Yes, there are secrets. Suspense, oh yeah. Fear, oh yeah. Twists and turns that kept letting me relax for a moment, thinking the story is over, then knocking me for a loop, again and again.
I would highly recommend the debut twofer, Turnabout and Shallow Secrets, by Rick Ollerman.
I received a signed first edition paperback in return for an honest review.
This noir detective story started out with a splat. Rick’s description of what it’s like to fall (or to be pushed) out of an airplane, with no parachute, counting down the seconds until you hit, knowing you are going to die, had me white knuckled as I read. With a start like that, I am eager to read on. So I did.
Frankie O’Neil sets out to determine what really happened to his best friend. He never believed he committed suicide and he would not let the deed go unpunished. If something happened to me, I would love to have a friend like him.
O’Neil had retired from the police force because it was so hard on his wife. He loved her and did not want to lose her. He knew getting involved in this investigation would take its toll on their marriage, but it was something he had to do. He has a plan, but there are two police officers who are determined to be kept in the loop, dogging him at every turn.
This is in the early days of computers and his friend, Tim Clayton had a consulting business. He had taught O’Neil the ropes and he had started his own consulting business.
Reed is a naive and innocent kid he recruits to help him with the investigation. I love the kid. Poor Katy is caught in the middle.
Five years later, B J Donnelly is busted with a thirteen year old girl in his trunk and he drops O’Neil’s name. They try to keep O’Neil out of the investigation. He had been running the Sun Coast Murders Task Force, but Detective Sergeant James Robinson will be running it now and every time O’Neil turns around, James is there.
O’Neil has become a suspect and once accused, it doesn’t matter much if you are guilty or not. The stigma will follow you everywhere you go. Your life will be ruined.
Now it’s eight years later and there is another body. How could that be if Donnelly was the guilty party? Guess there is only one thing for him to do, and that’s to solve it himself. I knew that, but I am happy to ride along with him as we dodge the dirt and corruption. When you don’t know who to trust, trust no one.
There is more going on than meets the eye. I had my suspicions. I am so glad I did not quit reading after finishing Turnabout and went right on to read Shallow Secrets. Yes, there are secrets. Suspense, oh yeah. Fear, oh yeah. Twists and turns that kept letting me relax for a moment, thinking the story is over, then knocking me for a loop, again and again.
I would highly recommend the debut twofer, Turnabout and Shallow Secrets, by Rick Ollerman.
I received a signed first edition paperback in return for an honest review.
September 18, 2017
Both books were pretty good, and enjoyable overall.
June 1, 2015
I thought this book was extremely interesting and well written. The characters were likeable and believable. Very good story. Or shall I say stories! Two for one! This book will not disappoint those of us who like a good suspense.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews