Customer Reviews

Dead Witness

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The beginning of the book jumps into action when Canadian Valerie McCormick witnesses the murder of two FBI agents while on vacation in Seattle.

The FBI has been trying to track down this evasive Miquel DeOlmos. Witnesses end up dead when they try to testify against this Latin drug lord. Valerie agrees to help, but she has no idea what's in store and ends up in a witness protection program only to find out it's not enough. When her children's safety is at risk, she takes matters into her own hands by hunting down DeOlmos herself.

My only complaint was I didn't completely believe all of the FBI procedures. Keep in mind, I'm not expert and all of it might be true. As a reader, I wasn't convinced.

Although the story was about the FBI and witness protection, it had a CSI Miami feel to it. I loved the story. The characters were crystal clear with depth. Once I got started, I had trouble putting the book down.

Joylene Nowell Butler is an author to put on your watch list. Her books are packed with non-stop suspense and I look forward to reading more.

This thriller by Canadian writer Joylene Nowell Butler is a fast-moving story about a mother who witnesses the murder of two men, an incident that then exposes her and her family to the possibility of being murdered.

Valerie McCormick lives outside of Prince George, British Columbia, and is married to Ed. Together they own a small logging business and are the parents of three daughters, ages 18, 17 and 12. Valerie's girls write a paragraph about their mother for a Mother's Day contest and consequently win her a free two-day trip to Jasper, Vancouver or Seattle.

She chooses the last city at the request of her husband, who in an attempt to woo a new client, wants Valerie to photograph a luxury boat the client is interested in buying, but is too busy to view in-person at the Seattle harbor where the vessel is berthed.

Valerie is on her way to photograph the boat when she witnesses the murder.

Ms. Butler does a great job of quickly establishing what makes Valerie tick and the main problem with which she'll have to contend. Rather than clunk us readers over the head by telling us that Ed is a lout, Ms. Butler instead shows us Valerie's grace and loyalty. She does as her husband asks because he's the father of her three girls and is trying hard to earn the money necessary to keep them safe and happy.

Thus Ms. Butler shows us that above all else, Valerie loves her daughters and will do whatever is necessary to keep them safe.

The question, of course, is how far will she have to go to keep her daughters safe? And thus the story takes off like a shot.

The story also hits upon a unique angle by highlighting the legal and jurisdictional difficulties, obligations and issues surrounding a situation in which a citizen of one country witnesses a crime in another.

Lastly, while Ms. Butler describes many landscapes as the story moves from place to place, from Canada to the U.S. to Mexico, the landscape that's most beautifully rendered is that of the British Columbia countryside.

Martha Engber

The Wind Thief

Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction

Joylene Nowell Butler's mystery, "Dead Witness," is a heart pounding, visceral story about a mother's love for her three daughters and the impossible decision that faces her: should she endanger her own and her family's lives by testifying to a murder she witnessed?

The primary character, Valerie McCormick, will win your heart. Vulnerable and full of self doubt, she is fiercely strong when her family is threatened. And the antagonists, the deadly DeOlmos brothers, are creepy, charming, and gorgeous - enough to make any sane reader get up and lock the doors.

Ms. Butler, a Canadian native, sets her tale in Seattle; Prince George, Canada; and Los Cabos, Mexico. The story races from one place to another, leaving you gasping with its twists and turns. The delightfully complex plot rivals any police story I've read, and the compelling characters far surpass those usually found in genre fiction.

If you like a dynamic read with remarkable characters, get out and buy Dead Witness

`A long, narrow building, beyond the small shed, blocked her view. Valerie inched past a rusty engine leaning against the hut and peeked around the corner. Two men in black tee shirts and black pants stood at the stern of the sleek cabin cruiser docked at the wharf. Three more men stood on the pier: One young, one old, one dangerously attractive. Facing her, she could see he was perfect, in fact. Except, why was he wearing a long, tan raincoat? Maybe she wasn't the only unprepared foreigner. No way would she interrupt their business. Two of them walked way. Mr. Perfect, the handsome Latino in the tan raincoat, smiled after them. His sensuous, slightly accented voice broke the silence. "Gentlemen, please. It has been my experience that even in times of indecision, a solution exists." His arms spread wide as if to embrace them. The two men stopped and turned back. Still smiling, the Latino reached inside his raincoat and pulled out a gun. Valerie gawked at him. She heard a pop. The older man fell backward onto the wharf. Pop. The younger man's head exploded. The man in the tan raincoat leaned down and fired a third bullet in the older man's head. The body twitched, then lay still.'

Valerie McCormick is the mother of 3 beautiful daughters and wife to Ed. Ed owns a timber business in their home town of Prince George, Canada. In the process of trying to secure the business he runs across a possible client who has his eyes set on a boat docked in Seattle, Washington, so when Valerie wins a trip to Seattle, what better time to take pictures of the boat with hopes of scoring brownie points with the client. But when Valerie witnesses the murder of 2 men she decides she must do her duty and report it to the police. To her relief, the police ended up arresting Miguel DeOlmos on a traffic violation and now had him in jail. To her disappointment, after the American FBI talked her into testifying against DeOlmos, he ends up escaping during his trial. And to make matters worse Miguel DeOlmos is the leader of one of the largest drug cartels in the both North and South America. DeOlmos will stop at nothing to keep from being tried in the US due to its death penalty and it's not beyond him to kill the only witness the FBI have against him.

Author Joylene Nowell Butler took me on a ride from Canada, Seattle, Nevada, California and then to Baja as FBI agent Mike Canaday chases DeOlmos while still doing everything in his power to keep Valerie alive. Valerie comes up with her own ideas of how to capture DeOlmos and ends up in the clutches of his psycho brother Vincente. Dead Witness is a superbly written murder mystery that has everything from greed to murder to deceit and of course love. I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading Dead Witness.

Dead Witness has more characterization than many thrillers, so it's a bit unusual, but that worked for me. I enjoy characterization, especially when it's done this well.

This was one of those books I didn't want to end. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Valerie and Canaday, the two main characters. They are vivid and real and somehow compliment the plot, pacing, and twists in Dead Witness. The dialogue in this novel felt a real as it gets, which helped hold me in the story. But yet another reason Dead Witness shines so brightly is the DeOlmos brothers, the bad guys. They're evil but oh so human. Individually, they're scary and believable and sometimes even charming, but there's something about the way they interact and play off each other that makes them all the more realistic and complex and all the more terrifying. But it's Valerie who gets my highest praise. She's a fascinating mix of vulnerability and strength, naivety and savvy, purity and seductress.

The writing style is crisp and dynamic and consistent, perfect for a thriller. I loved reading Dead Witness and hope there will be a sequel.

Valerie McCormick believes in family above all else, a fact that's obvious when she wins a trip to Seattle and ends up spending it doing research on a boat for her husband's company. However, on her free trip she witnesses the murder of two FBI agents and is thrust into a multinational court case against a cartel that puts her life in terrible danger.

Dead Witness is a self published debut thriller with a touch of love story. Valerie is understandably upset by her predicament, and surrounded by daughters who seem sweet, but oblivious, a husband who is using her and various FBI agents who bumble around and ruin her life. The bad guys are evil. The heroes are not quite perfect and over all the book is close, but not quite ready to be on the must read shelf.

Butler is a solid writer, with good potential, but there are several things that end up distracting from the story. To begin with it's hard to connect with Valerie, the lead character. Her personality seems less than three dimensional and while she's understandably emotional, hearing her upset over being in protective custody, and her willingness to be dead rather than without her family made her hard to sympathize with. The FBI procedure in the storyline isn't entirely convincing, leading to mistakes that certainly add to the plot, but can make a reader question the storytelling. Readers will likely also wonder why Valerie's brother, an intelligent, skilled investigator, is smart enough to consistently break through the FBI's cover, but doesn't consider that the bad guys might be watching him.

Finally, it's clear that Valerie is the main character, not just because the story is her story, but because all the secondary characters seem to reiterate what she thinks and feels, as well as that she's a strong, lovely person, in the sections of the story told from their point of view as if they, too, are trying to convince the reader of Valerie's worth. Unfortunately, this ends up feeling insincere, contributing to a disconnect between the picture readers have of Valerie, and the picture Butler is trying to paint.

Butler shows promise, however, and is likely to show up with a stronger work down the road.

If Chapter One doesn't force your adrenaline pumping--you better check your pulse. You've ceased breathing.

Author Joylene Nowell Butler words on a white sheet of paper is the equivalent of a master painter creating a scene that comes to life on canvas in every detail. The reader will make the same journey as her characters--and sense the action, joy and sorrow, as witnessed and experienced through fictional eyes.

Ms. Butler is as talented as those whose names are featured on the bestseller list. Pack up your beach bag, suntan lotion, and a copy of Dead Witness--then lean back in your lounger and enjoy the ride.

--WR.PARK, author of the highly acclaimed suspense-thriller COMA

No good deed goes unpunished.

When Valerie McCormick takes time from her vacation (which she won) to take a photo of a boat one of her husband's clients is wanting to buy. She has only 15 minutes to do this, but that's okay--she can run down the pier. While rushing down the wharf, she comes upon the scene of a double murder of a pair of FBI agents and everything changes.

Valerie is now running for her life whether she knows it immediately or not. The killer, Miguel DeOlmos, is the head of a South American drug cartel no one has been able to identify and that's the way he wants it. DeOlmos is the kind of man who can smile killing a faithful retainer.

You can barely catch your breath while you're reading, "Dead Witness" moves so quickly. Valerie is a flawed and fascinating character as is her antagonist.

This is Ms. Butler's first novel and I sincerely hope it is not her last. If you can find a copy of this book, grab it--and reserve about 4 hours to read it. You won't want to stop.

Rebecca Kyle, September 2008

Imagine being on an innocent vacation - one that has been won, no less, and suddenly being the unwitting witness to a murder. To top things off, this is not just any murder, but the murder of two undercover FBI Agents, the gunman one of the highest on the most wanted lists and the leader of a powerful Latin drug cartel. Murder is horrible enough, but with these dangerous circumstances, it can be deadly to the witness.

Valerie McCormick, a wife and dotting and loving mother of three precious girls, lives in a small Canadian town. After winning a trip to Seattle, Valerie is alone when she encounters a seemingly heated conversation between several men. Before she knows it, one of the men pulls out a gun and kills two of men, right before her eyes. As she turns to escape, she drops her camera, which just happens to have one picture of herself in front of the hotel that she is staying at. Being the honorable person that she is, Valerie goes to the police with what she has witnessed, and her life is never the same again.

Imagine being a mother whose one true purpose and reason for living is her children. Then suddenly being told that you will never again be able to see your children and if you do not cooperate, you will be putting those precious and cherished lives in grave danger. This is just one, but the most vital heart wrenching circumstance that Valerie must come to deal with. Until the murderer is found, her life is no longer her own and it does not take long for Valerie to take matters into her own hands.

Invoking on a dangerous and life threatening quest, Valerie comes face to face with horrors that would break the average person. However, finding a deep inner strength and courage unlike any other, Valerie does what must be done to save her family and regain her life.

I loved the character of Valerie and felt easily connected to her. The development that she goes through, as she engulfs upon this life threatening journey, is heartwarming and makes the reader want to cheer her discovery of inner courage and strength.

Ms. Butler does a superb job of bringing the story of Dead Witness and her characters to life. I found it difficult to put this book down and though greatly satisfied with the ending, I was left wishing for more. Dead Witness is an excellent story of suspense with just a dash of romance thrown in. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great read - you will not be disappointed. From the first word, until the last, there were never any dry spots, over-wording, or story lagging. I, for one, cannot wait to read more by this author and hope that the wait is not long!