Dingbat Publishing

Hi, I’m Gunnar Grey. I write books. I’m a historian, a forensics nut, a target shooter, and a retired adventurer and equestrian. I read avidly and post reviews or at least ratings for most of the books I read. In addition, I format ebooks for myself and a few clients, including indie writers and a no-longer-quite-so-small publishing company. If you need an ebook formatted or want to meet my references, check out my blog, Mysteries and Histories.

I live in Humble, Texas, just north of Houston, with four parakeets, the aforementioned husband (who’s even more entertaining than the birds), a fig tree, a vegetable garden, the lawn from the bad place, three armloads of potted plants, and a coffee maker that’s likely the most important item we own.

Website: http://www.the1940mysterywriter.com/index.html
Twitter: @JGunnarGrey
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://www.the1940mysterywriter.com/random-moments-blog.html

http://www.amazon.com/J.-Gunnar-Grey/e/B004YR0LAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Alan Goldstein

April Kelley Jones

Bruce Rolfe

Bruce Rolfe

Charles Salter

Felicia Rogers

J. Gunnar Grey

J.L. Salter

J.L. Salter

John Babb

Kay Springsteen

Lori Lapekes

Matt DiPalma

Patricia Kiyono

Patricia Kiyono

Ruth J. Hartman

Sherry Gloag

Vivian Roycroft

Zeppy Cheng

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• Horker's Law on Aug. 15, 2011
  
  There's a new breed of novel arising, the self-pubbed novel with a great story that would have benefitted from an equally good editor. This is one of the best examples of that category I've yet read. "Horker's Law" has a solid, well-developed plotline with enjoyable characters. It's clearly set up as the first of a series and a sample of the next book is included at the end. Mike Lee is definitely an author I'll be tracking, even if I did predict one of his twists at the end. At the same time, there's a lot here a good editor could have improved. Some scenes are overly developed and go on for too long. Although it's true you never know when something carefully worked into a previous scene will return to bite you, it's also true that these scenes would read better with some judicious cutting. While there are no misspellings or formatting errors, there are poor grammar choices and obvious outright mistakes. An example is consistently using "it's" when "its" would have been correct. Therefore, grammar purists might prefer to give this book a miss. But if you can allow the author some patience, and prevent the errors and slips from pulling you out of the story, "Horker's Law" is clever and fun. I give it five stars for the story, and four for the book as presented
  
• The Night the Lights Went Out on Sep. 05, 2013
  
  Of all the books I've read this year, this is one of the most difficult to rate and classify. It's an intense read, densely written, heavy and realistic; but at the same time it's hopeful and light on its feet. The ending is left open, as if for a sequel, but because of the realism factor there's no other way it could possibly have ended. The climax is strong and satisfying, but the denouement and falling action drag on a bit. It's possible the story would be stronger with a couple thousand words chopped off the end; but it wouldn't be the same book and the effect on the reader would be neither as heavy nor as hopeful. The characterization is excellent. The author could use a professional copy editor or at least a good proofreader, and there are some sentences where I never did figure out a satisfactory meaning. But even when it threw me out of the story, there was never any question but that I'd dive back into it. If you like post-apocalyptic fiction without the tired tropes of nuclear holocaust or zombies, well, I've read worse. Much worse. And I guess that answers the how-many-stars question: this story will stay with me. Knock off one for the lack of proofreading and the questionability of those ending chapters, then let's say four stars and one contented if wondering reader.
  
• The Irishman&Other Stories on Sep. 11, 2013
  
  This is another difficult book for me to rate. The author's writing skills are excellent, fluid and exact; his characters, situations, and themes are utterly real. And therein lies the problem. It seems I'm currently more in a mood for escape than for reality, and at this time these stories simply aren't reaching me. In no way is this the fault of the author; his book description is spot-on, no false claims involved. And allow me to emphasize that this is an entirely subjective assessment. There's no doubt other readers will not agree. With the author's polished skills, it's easy to imagine others awarding this anthology five stars and buying every book he's written. What makes my funk even worse is, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review, and this is the best I can currently do. My thanks to the author for the opportunity to experience his work — and it's an experience, rather than a read, it's that real — and should this escapism funk ever break, I'll revisit these short stories and give them a better, fairer chance.
  
• Falken's Woods on Sep. 23, 2013
  
  Nice YA romance, with mysterious paranormal/horror and coming of age elements extending and strengthening the story line. Strong, believable characters with real development, and if there are traces of instalove in the immediate attraction between H and h, the realistic romantic development makes up for that. One good touch was the common sense shown by the h while she's investigating the mystery; too often an amateur sleuth parks her brain and does stoopid things to move the plot along and set up scary scenes, but this author didn't resort to such measures. That's worth an extra star, right there. Note that this book does need a line editor and proofreader. There are problems with verb tenses, missing and added words, and the occasional clumsy sentence. For the most part, these errors don't detract from the book's enjoyment factor, but readers, if you're sensitive to such, consider yourself warned. Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book through the Library Thing Member Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review. This assessment would be no different if I had bought the book or nabbed it as an Amazon freebie.
  
• Arlo's Epiphany on Nov. 06, 2013
  
  This is a cute "secret lives of animals" short story. Engaging characters, entertaining storyline, and lots and lots (and lots) of narration. It includes one of the most hilarious chase scenes I've ever read, one of the best feline secret agents ever, and if the narration were trimmed down some this would easily garner four stars. As it stands, let's call it 3.5 stars. I received a free copy of this short story through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway program. Thanks for the fun read, Ms Oldaker.
  
• A Day at the Office or The Bastard on Nov. 06, 2013
  
  A clever short story with a unique twist at the end. I did not see that one coming.
  
• Hope on Nov. 17, 2013
  
  This is a full-length epic contemporary fantasy novel, with winged demons, winged knights (definitely not angels), telepathic horses, and weapons and armor that shape themselves to their owners. The plotline is solid -- I enjoyed the read -- but I kept wishing the world-building had been more solid, that there were more background details to keep me "grounded" in the author's universe. There just wasn't the overall flavor of immersion that truly satisfies the dedicated fantasy reader. However, my major issue with the book is a trick of the author's wordsmithing. She tends to omit certain important details until after the fact, and then spring the detail as a surprise for the reader. As an example, a character might be held at knifepoint, then fight free using a knife the reader knew nothing about. This is just off the top of my head, not a real example from the book, so no spoiler there. But several major plot twists were sprung using this "Gotcha!" technique, and I'm not a fan of it. I am a fan of the storytelling and the author's universe, even incomplete. There's a rough depth to the characters, a strength to the plotline, that will draw me back for future installments. Hope founds a fantasy world and is clearly intended as the basis for a series, with several questions remaining unanswered, invitingly so. Keep writing, Ms Rook. Please note that I received a free copy of this novel through the Library Thing Member Giveaway program. The price of the book never dictates the honesty of the review.
  
• The Littlest Spycat's First Christmas on June 16, 2014
  
  This is an adorable, feel-good Christmas story, and the author is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Her style is unique, both in writing organization and in plots, themes, and characters, and she does more with a talking animal story than any author since Dodie Smith. Although I must admit, that style does take some getting used to. It's well worth the time.
  
• Barrenlands on Aug. 24, 2014
  
  Loved it. Good deep characters with some development, interesting storyline even if the villain was predictable, and fun to read. Also a reasonably professional presentation, with decent proofreading and good formatting and editing. Thanks very much for the read!
  
• Dun Lady's Jess on Aug. 24, 2014
  
  Excellent premise and good story. A magicked horse from a sophisticated fantasy world winds up in modern America, transformed into a human. Love the characters, especially Jess and Carey, but also Jamie, and it's good to see dressage treated as a serious sport. 4.5 stars
  
• Upon A Midnight Clear on Oct. 07, 2014
  
  Heartwarming and realistic sci fi short story, if that's not an oxymoron, and it's firing on all thrusters. Four and a half stars.
  
• The Mighty Peculiar Incident at Muddy Creek on Nov. 25, 2014
  
  Very clever, Mister Healy, very clever indeed. This is a sci fi-slash-Western short story, with good characterization, good clear writing, and a neat plot. I'd compare it to Cowboys and Aliens, but it's more realistic, doesn't have any aliens, and takes place on a train. A strong four stars.
  
• Mitchell Parker's Anniversary Gift on July 06, 2016
  
  Sweet short story from a good writer.