Bullet Riddled - Grant M. Whitus

Publisher: Waldorf Publishing

Published: September 2016

ISBN: 9781943276028

Grant Whitus joined the Colorado SWAT in 1992. His 17 year career was one of constant headlines. Among leading countless drug raids and hostage situations, he was on the front lines of the Columbine Massacre, the Platte County Tragedy, the Albert Petrosky shooting, and the Granby tank rampage.

Speaking for the first time, Whitus gives the unvarnished truth of those, and many other, major SWAT operations. Now retired, he opens up about his time behind the shield. Bullet Riddled is the full unabridged disclosure of what happened during his storied career; including the brutal morning of the Columbine Massacre. More than just a retelling, Bullet Riddled is an in-depth look at the day-to-day of SWAT and focuses on the men and women who inherit so much pain to keep us safe.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy. The following days saw major changes within SWAT: Men cracked, leaders folded and the entire country demanded changes. But these changes, like all reforms, met with stiff resistance from the old guard. Friendships turned into rivals and the infrastructure of SWAT began to unravel. As resignations piled up, Grant rebuilt the entire team from hand-selected recruits. He finally had his elite team, one that would face new demons and disorders. 

My review
First of: if you are faint of heart or do not like foul language, you better think again before reading this book. Officer Grant gives you an insight into a day in the life of a SWAT member. And what a day: you not only are taken inside of Columbine, but also at some other horrific days where brain matter is splashed across the ceiling and poor girls are shot point blank in the head. So, definitely make sure your lunch or diner is properly digested before starting this book.
Whitus is brutally honest in his autobiography. Some would say he is an arrogant jerk, and a lot of people take offence on his language and rampage on bad guys. But although you may not agree with him, the book will give you an idea what the police goes through during those kinds of shoot-outs or tragedies. 
As a European I can't imagine why there are people in the United States still pro-guns after reading the tragedy at Columbine. Of course we have our share of horrible tragedies, but since we are not allowed to own a gun, these kind of situations as at Columbine are very foreign to me. To read about it (even as it is horrific) is very educative and informative. The writer takes you on a trip on memory lane, with every chapter a new phase or incident in his life. He takes you by the hand and leads you by all the tragedies step by step. He explains why they do what they do and how. And also what was changed in their working methods after each incident. It's a lot of food for thought, and no matter your opinion on officer Grant as a person, I think you can not disagree with me that this guy (with his row of honours and prizes) has been a valuable member of the police force. And next time you see or hear about a hostage situation or a shoot-out, you can relate to how the officers at the scene must feel and act. A deep bow for Grant Whitus. And four stars for Bullet Riddled.  

Switching Gears - Chantele Sedgwick

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Published: February 2017

ISBN: 9781510705067

Still mourning the loss of Lucas Nelson, the boy she loved in secret for years, seventeen-year-old Emmy Martin turns to her passion for mountain biking to try to fill the empty void in her life. But just when things start looking up, Emmy discovers her mom has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Confused and angry that her parents didn’t tell her sooner, she throws herself into mountain biking like never before.

When Cole Evans, the rich boy who usually doesn’t care about anything but himself, offers to train her for the biggest mountain biking race of the season, she accepts, determined to beat her nemesis, Whitney, and prove she’s good enough for a sponsor. The more time she spends with Cole, the more she realizes he’s different than she’d expected, and, to her surprise, she’s falling for him. Torn between the deep feelings she still has for Lucas and her growing ones for Cole, she knows she must choose a path: one offers her the chance to love again, while the other is blocked by the overwhelming heartache for the boy she lost.

As she drifts further away from her family and closer to her dream of being sponsored, a terrible accident threatens any semblance of peace and happiness she has left. Instead of closing herself off to the people she loves, Emmy must learn to rely on those she has pushed away if she’s going to have any chance of getting her life back again.

My review
The blurb of this book made me curious. Since I'm currently working for a company in bike supplies, this book was right up my alley. Bikes, romance, drama, definitely sounds interesting. And yes, the book started of great. You are swept into the mourning of Emmy over losing her neighbour and best friend Lucas and the determination of Emmy to beat her nemesis Whitney. Chantele Sedgwick certainly knows how to describe her characters and make you feel their pain and sorrow. And of course their laughter. Kelsie, Emmy's BFF is a wonderful girl, trying to keep Emmy from sliding back into the dark feelings of depression she felt when her secret love Lucas died of cancer. 

However, Em's life isn't getting on track yet. Her mother gets diagnosed with early Alzheimer's and she discovers that her parents have known this for over 6 months, before telling her and her brother Gavin. Angry, confused and sad, she tries to keep everybody at a distance. Especially Cole, her rival teamcaptain from the bike team. But Cole doesn't let her. He keeps popping up and tries to help her train and cope with her frustration. 

So, Cole kind of grows on you. And that's the moment when I kind of lost the feeling with the book. Chantele did an excellent job in creating the tension between Cole and Emmy, the heartbreak of Emmy over Lucas and the banter between Kelsie and Emmy. But when the end of the book was coming nearer, the story sort of drizzled to an end. It was kind of when you bike up an enormous mountain, barely missing all kinds of obstacles, sweating all over the place and then arrive at the top of the mountain, where it's all foggy. All this hard work, and no view. So, three out of five stars from me. The climb to the top was awesome, unfortunately the view was obscured by fog.