The Story Behind This Book
Does Oprah have the magic to inspire people? You bet she does. Can Oprah reach out to people to inspire them to become something that even they may never have thought possible? You bet she can. What is it about Oprah that makes people even begin to think of the infinite possibilities that await them if only they would try by beginning to believe in themselves and what that belief can foster in the way of creativity? Its quite simple actually. Its her inspiration, her positive beliefs that anything is possible. When you say, "yes I can", instead of, "no I can't", the world instantly becomes your canvas where you can create and make possible anything for the world to see and enjoy. I believed it. You just have to change your attitude, to believe in yourself. I came away believing in that too. These are the subtle messages that Oprah gave to me on that spring day back in 2000 while watching one of her shows. I came away inspired, believing that I could write a novel.
And so I began my dream the next day, putting fingers to the keyboard and began typing the first sentence then the next and the next and before I knew it I had a paragraph and then another paragraph until I had a page and then another page and then another and so on until a year later I had a novel. Was it good enough to present to the world? Was it something I could and would be proud of if someone other than me was to read it? No, it wasn't. It needed work. And so I forgot about it, thinking I didn't have what it took to make my dream come true. Then a year later I opened the file and looked at it again and thought back to what Oprah had said. Was I a quitter I asked myself? Was I going to take the easy way out and give up? After all, it doesn't take much effort if I was and the result would surely be what I and anyone else would have expected if I did. But I didn't. I persevered and worked on it off and on over the next 5 years, making sure I got it right the first time because as an author you never get a second chance, sometimes going as long as 6 months without even touching it before once again going through the long, drawn out process of revising what I had written until I created the final draft of what I and others believe, according to their reviews, is a great story.
Praise and Reviews
Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune says: "Dressed for a Kill is a fine book. The characters pop off the pages."
Mississauga Radio Host, Cap 'n Dave of thehazeFM.ca:
"I had the pleasure to read your book, Dressed for a Kill and found it a complete joy to read. I love a good mystery novel and you nailed it. The story outline is unique and instantly engages you. The characters are smart and well thought out. The main character 'Miles' is a real guy who falls right into this story, his dedication to his work and personal life stretches him thin, yet he is still driven to solve this case. While I was reading Dressed for a Kill, I found that while I was doing something else, I couldn't help but think what was happening next to Miles. My only disappointment was when it ended. I wanted more Miles. I hope your working on a new story involving this character. Thanks again and keep up the good work."
Missouri Author, Barbara Watkins
"A Thriller From Start To Finish",
March 23, 2010
Dressed for a Kill by Brian Bianco, is a gripping suspense thriller. I
picked it up, turned the page, and did not stop reading until the last
word was read. The author stimulates your imagination with twists and
turns - keeps you captivated throughout your read. What makes a great
suspense thriller? In my opinion, a great suspense thriller has to have
precarious situations, unique characters, and a strong plot - hence,
once again I introduce you to Dressed for a Kill.
Chicago Tribune reporter, Miles Fischer, wants the story and all the
glory that goes along with it. This thrilling tale of suspense starts
out with Mr. Fischer covering a trial involving rape and murder. Soon
after the defendants are acquitted of all charges, they are found
murdered - both killed by arrows of a crossbow. With an abiding passion
for finding the truth, Miles does his research and discovers two more
cases that oddly resemble the most recent crime. Employing whatever
means it takes to get the story; he often uses such tactics as
intimidation - making several enemies along the way. He turns up the
heat when the FBI and a former police officer, turned private
investigator, join the hunt. As the plot thickens, so to speak, Miles
Fischer finds himself in danger of being the next target.
The main character, Miles Fischer, often walks a fine line when
trying not to break ethical rules. His personal life is a catastrophe.
His impetuous behavior and reputation as a womanizer ultimately destroys
his marriage. However, when his investigative instincts kick in, his
brutal determination and disregard for his own safety is without flaws. I
found the author, Brian Bianco's, writing similar to that of Kurt
Luedtke and David Rayfiel, author of Absence of malice - not as much as
in the story subject, but as in the way Bianco displays the art of
utilizing psychological twists with exuberant anticipation. I would also
like to mention the exquisite book cover for this literature; it is
truly a piece of art! I give Dressed for a Kill by Brian Bianco 5 stars -
6 stars if I could!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Book Review - Dressed For A Kill
An
enjoyable read. This novel has lots of twists and turns, which keeps
the reader interested and in anticipation of more suspense.
As
a mystery/thriller lover, I found this book to be engaging and one that
I definitely would read again. The plot was well organized and the main
character is a character you just love to hate. There are many things
that he does that can and probably will leave your jaw agape and you
asking yourself if there are really people out there who are like this.
All
of the characters intermix well and it climaxes with a powerful ending
to the overall book itself. For a first book the author has done a good
job at solidifying his style and his place as a up and coming writer for
the future. I definitely recommend to other individuals who love
thriller/mystery novels!
Dressed for a Kill Reviewed By Mary Lignor Of Bookpleasures.com
A debut novel with a very strong plot
and interesting characters. A good read with lots of action
throughout the entire book.
Miles Fischer, a reporter
for the Chicago Tribune is assigned to cover a trial in a small
town. The defendants were accused of perpetrating a horrendous
crime of rape and murder of two teenage girls. They were career
criminals who had been in jail most of their lives. One, an
orphan with no family, and the other the son of a very wealthy man
who ignored his son. The trial had gone on for three weeks and
finally was given to the jury, who deliberated four days. Their
lawyers were provided by the wealthy father and the men were found
not guilty due to a lack of evidence. The townspeople were up
in arms but were powerless to do anything about it. Very soon after,
the two men were drinking in a local bar and harrassing the help.
As they were leaving the bar they were both killed by the arrows from
a crossbow and left lying in the muddy parking lot. Later,
Miles becomes suspicious when he researches murders by crossbow and
discovers two more cases resembling this one. He believes that
this is not a coincidence and thinks that he has met the crossbow
killer in an unrelated incident involving an interview he is sent on
in Seattle. The FBI zeroes in on Miles and comes to him for
help which Miles refuses to give, wanting to keep the BIG story and
all the glory included for himself. He goes to Seattle to try
and intimidate people into telling him what he wants to know and runs
afoul of the FBI and a former policeman turned private investigator
to get the information he seeks. What he is not aware of is
that there are many things that he doesn't know and is in for a few
big surprises before this game is over.
As I said
before, the plot of this book is extremely well planned out.
The main character, Miles Fischer, is not a very likeable guy (this
is only my opinion). He is brash and intrusive and can turn you
away from him in an instant. His personal life is in a shambles
and he is becoming interested in a co-worker when his wife is in the
hospital having their first child. There are a handful of
newspaper reporters and editors who are forever throwing the first
amendment in everyone's face, some FBI agents who could help out if
only they could have done their work without chasing this reporter
forever and an ex cop who is hired by the wealthy father to find out
who killed his son.
The way that this book
is plotted, everyone has their job to do and does it well. The
ending is superb and will not happen until the very last pages.
(That, to me, really sells it.) If the author wanted his main
character to act like a reporter and give everyone a hard time being
a pushy, nosy all around meddlesome jerk, it really worked!!! I
really enjoyed reading this book and I have to say that the
presentation of the book is beautiful, the promotional items are
great and I wish the author much luck with it. I highly
recommend this book to all thriller/mystery readers.