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Donovan's Bookshelf


July 2020 Review Issue


Table Of Contents

Prime Picks
Fantasy & Sci Fi
Biography & Autobiography
Mystery & Thrillers
Novels
Reviewer's Choice
Young Adult/Childrens
Literature


Fantasy & Sci Fi

e-Pocalypse - The Digital Dystopia is Coming
Steve Bellinger
Wordwooze Publishing
979-8640980745
Paperback, $12.99; eBook, $3.99
Publisher: https://www.wordwooze.com/
Ordering:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pocalypse-Digital-Dystopia-Coming-ebook/dp/B087NWXXDB/
Author website: www.SteveBellinger.com 

e-Pocalypse - The Digital Dystopia is Coming takes place in the near future when retired Tech Support Supervisor Matthew Williams and his girlfriend Divya Agarwal begin to suspect that a global meltdown is in progress. The company Matty left and that still employs Divya, Roydon Technologies, is apparently behind the threat. This involves them in a struggle to prevent the new social technologies from manipulating the minds of everyone around them. 

As they face a new device that can change reality itself, Matty and Divya find their family relationships, lives, and future challenged in a way they'd never believed possible, even given their technological savvy and backgrounds. 

Readers of high-tech thrillers and sci-fi alike are in for a treat. Steve Bellinger's attention to technological descriptions and detail, social and political conundrums, and changing psychological relationships between characters creates a multifaceted, engrossing story. He draws readers with personal touches and first-person experiences, cements the action with technical description and savvy, and creates a realistic tale that pits each character against not just a single adversity, but their own ideals and acceptance of their place in this strange new high-tech world. 

When the Augie device changes the world to the point where it can't work without them, whomever is at the controls of these socially accepted new miracles is in a seat of power, indeed. It's a role Matty and Divya must expose if the world is ever to become free of their own ideals and creations. 

Bellinger is careful to point out the allure and positive promotions of this technology, which could be boons to society if it was in the right hands: "These damned things are actually pretty amazing.” I had to admit I was impressed with some parts of the system. “This should eliminate traffic violations and accidents completely!” “And more efficient traffic control,” Divvie said. I pulled back onto the highway. With NANA watching over us there would be no surprises on the road. No danger to any of us. And I certainly wasn’t going to run over any disabled people." 

Having the characters not be anti-tech, but already immersed in the culture of new possibilities and life improvements, makes their dilemma all the more compelling.

Readers who enjoy sci-fi rooted in future technology and questions surrounding its use and abuse will find e-Pocalypse powerfully compelling and frighteningly familiar. It's an action thriller with a strong message about values, choices, and new technology's use and abuse. 

e-Pocalypse is highly recommended not just for readers of apocalyptic or dystopian sci-fi, but for thriller readers, who will find plenty of action cemented by strong characterization and a plot that keeps readers on their toes. 

e-Pocalypse - The Digital Dystopia is Coming

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The Faerie Princess
Monica Williams
Independently Published
979-8643886259            $9.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Faerie-Princess-Court/dp/B0884DXCQK 

The Faerie Princess is Book 1 in The Faerie Court series and will appeal to readers of fantasy romance. This audience will enjoy a fine dark fantasy in which a girl's attraction to the woods results in her kidnapping to another world. 

Marika never imagined that her childhood dreams would lead to her destiny as a princess in another world, or having to choose between the world she grew up in and another life entirely. 

She also realizes that, in order to get back home, she needs her kidnapper's help. As she absorbs the politics, strange environment, and her new role in the 'Fae' world, Marika faces a prophecy, alluring chemistry between herself and the strange boy who has lured her to another realm, and the responsibility of an infant who enters her life just as unexpectedly as her new role. 

As Marika seeks solutions to the challenges of her new life, contemplates which world she'll live in, and juggles romance with new abilities and an odd inheritance, she begins to learn about magic and her powers, facing a malicious force that would change everything. 

The Faerie Princess features a spirited, determined protagonist who approaches her world and changed circumstances with empathy and the determination to uncover her destiny and heart's desires. 

As the world of the Faerie court comes to life, she has some difficult decisions to make about not only both worlds, but her place within each. 

Monica Williams does an excellent job of capturing Marika's process of growth and discovery. This dark fantasy is recommended for mature teen through adult readers, offering a self-exploration and adventure that is pointed, revealing, and hard to put down.

The Faerie Princess

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Gates of Mars
Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays
Pumpjack Press
978-1-7345197-0-9
$15.95 Paper/$4.99 ebook          
www.pumpjackpress.com 

Gates of Mars is Book 1 in the Halo Trilogy and is set in the year 2187. Crucial Larsen is making a living on a decimated Earth as a labor cop, satisfied enough with his lot in life, when his young sister disappears on Mars. 

Halo is the most advanced AI in human history, overseeing life on two planets and relentlessly gathering and organizing facts to keep everything running seamlessly. But there's a gap in its knowledge and abilities when it comes to locating his missing sister, and so Crucial is compelled to conduct his own investigation, with dangerous and unexpected results. 

As Gates of Mars evolves, its blend of detective and sci-fi elements moves Crucial from a relatively obedient and apathetic life to one which becomes charged with deadly secrets and discoveries about the truth of his AI-controlled lifestyle. 

As he thwarts an attack on the one person who may hold the truth about his missing sister, Crucial discovers that Halo's seeming omnipresent control has failed in more than one instance. This results in a series of crises that leads him beyond the subject of his sister's whereabouts and into a deeper mystery. 

Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays cultivate just the right blend of sci-fi and investigative elements to keep readers on edge and involved. As the personal story becomes a bigger picture of truth, the foundations of this strange future society are shaken and examined and Gates of Mars evolves into an adventure that is hard to put down. 

The sci-fi fundamentals are believable, the personal conundrums and confrontations that shake beliefs are well drawn, and the story line is replete with twists and turns true to some of the best noir detective pieces—but with an otherworld setting and futuristic society. 

Can anything that is anti-Halo exist, much less survive? And why would a man threaten his familiar routines and predictable life to investigate a world-changing scenario? Only personal attachment could lead Crucial away from his comfort zone. And only these kinds of psychological insights and connections could produce this kind of story, which is riveting, unexpected, and filled with intrigue and change. 

Sci-fi and detective story readers alike will find Gates of Mars one of a kind and worthy of avid pursuit.

Gates of Mars

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Moonblood
T.W. Fendley
Soul Song Press LLC
978-0-9998434-3-7         $13.99
www.twfendley.com 

Moonblood tells of young immortal Ariadne, who resides in the Eves compound, but resists the idea that she can't explore the outside world.  When she sneaks out anyway and finds herself unable to return, stuck in a world of mortals who pursue her, she stumbles upon the Adams, the immortal sons of her sisters, and uncovers a dangerous plan among them that threatens not just her world, but her immortality. 

Ari has always been a rebel who defies her rigid destiny: "We were forbidden to go there alone at night, so that's where I longed to be." This quality serves her well as she hones defiance and survival skills, growing to accept a very different reality about the world from which she's largely been sequestered. 

T.W. Fendley creates a vivid scenario with a world of Eves controlled by Matrons, populated by Adams and Cains, and forces which are far more threatening than any admonition to remain confined at home. 

Ari's encounters with Margie and others outside who present her with their own discoveries about the world ("I never believed suneaters existed, and that's where I was wrong. Suneaters do exist. They're not the evil superhumans the Arm of the Lord and Con Squad fear, but they are different from us.”) also change her perspective about her role in this life and the interactions between mutants, immortals, humans, and a host of creatures in between. Everything Ari knows has come through 'official' channels, but her real education lies in absorbing these unofficial, much more difficult lessons about the strange realities of her world. 

T.W. Fendley captures the nuances of this life by exploring changing perspectives between Ari, Blair, and others. As each character lends a different viewpoint and perception, the story expands to embrace lessons in strategy, choice, and values. 

The characterization is excellent, but what is truly exquisite about Moonblood is the attention to detail in building a society loosely based on religious figures, but steeped in dystopian scenes that young adult and adult readers alike will find engrossingly different and often surprising. 

Fans of dystopian fiction looking for something refreshingly original and truly different in the society-building/destruction theme will find Moonblood a standout. 

Moonblood

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Recombination
Brendan Butts
Independently Published
ASIN:
 B00M0DV5IQ              $2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Recombination-Seven-Novel-Chronicles-Withmore-ebook/dp/B00M0DV5IQ 

Recombination is a dystopian science fiction story that sets the scene of a future climate-challenged world rescued by a corporation that now controls it. It presents this scenario in a prologue narrated from the perspective of a Yakuza underboss, who gives his impressions of this world. 

This prologue not only sets the scene and provides succinct background history, but incorporates the forthright language that is a powerful part of Recombination's attraction: "Times like these make me nostalgic for the old days. I mean it wasn't all sunshine and gravy but at least I was out there, on the street, and not relegated to middle management in a legal criminal enterprise that spans the globe. I fucking hate being a little fish in a big pond. I joined the Yaks for all the right reasons. Well, one reason anyway: revenge." 

This approach is a big draw that does what prologues should ideally do best: grasp the reader's attention, swiftly set the scene, and create questions and confrontations that are gripping and thoroughly engrossing introductions to a powerful tale. 

The hero of this story is Seven Ecks, a genetically modified human who escapes control of the corporation who made him, and is on the run. The engrossing emotional narrative that embraces his perspective and life is part of what makes Recombination a standout as it not only relates events, but carefully weaves in psychological examinations of the characters: "I had to be strong for Sasha. She had grown up a lot in the past few years, but I knew inside that she still thought of herself as the unpopular blind girl. The perfect target for bullies. Before I left the lounge for the ferry to the mainland, I promised her that if she waited for me, I'd be back and we would be together forever. Standing at the stern of the boat in the midst of a crowd of tourists, watching the rolling tide of the ocean and the slowly receding outline of the Dome, I wondered if I'd be able to keep that promise." 

From his escape to the underworld of migrant plantation workers and their involvement in his life to his friendship with a giant of a man (Zenigra) who leads the eighteen-year-old runaway into a battle with their overseers in an effort to gain freedom, Recombination cultivates an adventure-packed atmosphere set in a world of controlling corporations and mega-plantations. 

Brendan Butts' ability to juxtapose fast-paced action, chase scenes, and confrontations with the specter of a world still semi-underwater in physical and social ways cultivates a compelling atmosphere in a story finely interwoven between altercations and physical challenges: "Astonishment slowed my pace fractionally until I got it under control and sped up again. The first several floors of both buildings were under water. Waves crested and broke against the walls of both buildings. The tidal wall that had been erected around this part of the state was meant to keep the water from rising above what had been ground level fifty years ago. Apparently, these two buildings had been built before that. The ocean was only yards away. The buildings were still at least three hundred feet distant. Damn! How the hell did we get in? The only reason we weren't on the ground from tranqs was because we were running so fast we were hard targets to hit from moving vehicles. If we had to slow down and swim, we'd be sitting ducks." 

Readers of dystopian sci-fi typically receive stories either replete in action and shallow in psychological perspectives, or steeped in emotion with a lighter attention to the adventure component. Recombination excels in its ability to create just the right blend of each. This story will satisfy those who want high-octane thriller-style action accompanied by the tempered hand of emotional savvy and revelations. 

The result is a tale that is vigorous, lively, realistic, and driven by characters who live, breathe, and struggle for survival on different levels. 

Recombination is dystopian world-building at its best. It's highly recommended reading for fans of cli-fi, science fiction, dystopian adventure, and thriller stories alike. 

Recombination

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Urgent Launch
Larry Pratt
SMP Press
9780996385565             $12.00
www.amazon.com 

Urgent Launch compliments the prior science fiction tale Urgent State, continuing the story of a project revolving around citizens who form a self-sustaining community on the Wind River Indian Reservation which includes underground accommodations for scientists researching solutions to mankind's biggest problems. 

While the public understands and accepts this mission, business interests are determined to exploit the fruits of their findings. Urgent's growth, overseers, discoveries, and purpose are challenged by not only these special interest forces, but the underlying social, political, and psychological conflicts within the group itself. 

Should mankind's possible salvation be tuned to profit? Does a change of heart hold impossible costs for individuals and communities alike? And can Urgent's mission continue when it's under attack not just from outside, but within? 

Larry Pratt crafts an absorbing, compelling saga that needs no prior introduction to prove accessible. Political insights into social values and business interests are nicely drawn from politician viewpoints and contrast with the information the mission develops, Descriptions of forces of revision and change that sweep society are well done, and both individual and broader concerns are narrated from different characters' viewpoints, from Harold's involvement in adult visions derived from childhood dreams to wider-ranging decisions and their impacts: "Harold Knight and Junior, as they used to call Edward, had passed by this overlook on that horseback ride they took when plotting and dreaming what the village might someday become. It was now obvious they were not very big dreamers. He remembered the reservoir as it was and thought today’s deeper version was much more useful." 

In following these visions, scientific research studies, and social and political experiments to fruition, Pratt provides a positive spin on impending disaster. He challenges his characters to not just survive, but revamp their vision of human activity and choices and their effects on planetary systems as a whole. 

A sense of haste overlays these paths and choices, fostered by impending disaster. This makes for a fast-paced story that examines the basic dreams of humanity that affect survival and climate change. 

These visionaries are tasked with not only saving mankind, but challenging its deepest perceptions of itself and its place in the world: "The work we are doing with that shield has always been a race against man’s mindset. We can’t mistakenly change the earth-friendly momentum of that group-think back towards complacency.” 

The result is another absorbing read about perhaps the greatest human experiment on Earth: an attempt to not just save humanity, but revise its deepest dreams and intentions on a scale embraces physical and psychological revolutions. 

Readers of cli-fi science fiction and social change will relish the struggles each character makes on different sides of the equation. Urgent Launch is both a satisfying compliment to the prior book and a stand-alone story that tackles a deeper threat to humanity's survival than physical challenges alone. It's absorbing, compelling, and sometimes hits a bit close to reality, these days. 

Urgent Launch is highly recommended for survival and sci-fi readers looking for deeper inspections of underlying social motivation and change. 

Urgent Launch

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Biography & Autobiography

The King & The Quirky
Heather Siegel
Regal House Publishing
9781947548954           Price: $15.95
www.heathersiegel.net 

The King & The Quirky: A Memoir of Love, Marriage, Domesticity, Feminism, and Self is a story about mice and men, to begin with, but also delves into realms of transformation as women build careers, leave them for marriage, then seek to return to some degree of self-preservation and enlightenment. 

This process is documented with a combination of anger and reflection tempered by wry humor as Heather Siegel notes the hallmarks of not just her experience, but the progression of other women: "First, you recognize you’re not alone, understanding this metamorphosis can happen to the best of us, to women who once lit pathways for themselves, who commanded their careers and listened to their dreams, or, at the least, those women who once operated as independent beings in the world before they entrapped themselves in marital bliss (or as I like to call it on a bad day, the identity-sucking vortex of domestic life). Second, I suppose you do what you do when you’ve lost anything—say, your keys. You retrace your steps to where you last saw them." 

That process of retracing steps to return to a central pivot point is part of what makes The King & The Quirky a uniquely endearing memoir of change. It captures these moments throughout a marriage's lifetime, from inception to conclusion, successfully documenting the feelings that power relationships, acceptance, giving up, and moving on. 

The beginning of her story is giddy with love's possibilities ("Jon dipped and bobbed up, and I did the same, sliding down beneath the crystalline surface and pushing my toes off the soft sand, back up for air. We kept doing it until we were giddy and breathless, our tongues salted. The sun was high. The sky cloudless. And suddenly I felt primordial, as if connected to the first man and woman on earth, as if at home in the ocean, naked, with my man. And for the first time in my life I understood why people wanted to have children, to clone themselves. It was to make more of this."), and many women will find familiar this euphoric sense of possibility as well as the events which cause it to erode, over time. 

From the prejudices and challenges of makeup school to discovering the feelings and situations that leave Siegel feeling not only needed, but "...to feel above a situation—superior to the world around me.", her exploration of self ultimately leads to a reassessment of love's place in her persona and development: "I knew that my notion of love had changed, just as my definition of soulmates had. Where I had once fallen for the kit-and-caboodle of the fairy tale, thinking that this person, and our rapturous love, would complete me, I now believed that this love had actually been a nudge, or maybe a series of them—to work on completing myself. But were any of these ideas really sustainable? Wouldn’t it eventually be impossible for me not to want from my husband? Was it realistic to be so self-contained within a marriage? I was scared of slipping back into my old ways—especially in light of the mind-body connection." 

The result is a powerful memoir of a process that will be familiar to many women: one which involves the remarkable task of reconsidering life's goals and possibilities within and beyond the traditions of marital bliss and connection. During this process, Siegel is "Writing to discover and evolve." 

Her memoir represents an important survey of both the evolution of hope and self and the end results of such pursuits, creating an accessible, humorous, involving account highly recommended for women at various stages of growth. 

The King & The Quirky

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Mystery & Thrillers

The Accidental Spy
Tom Rattery
Patriot Press/Lilliput Press
www.LilliputPressllc.com 

Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BC6DCG1

The Accidental Spy is Christian adventure fiction that revolves around ordinary man Phil Shepherd, who sets off on a fun sailboat trip in Florida, only to find himself involved in waters far outside his sailing abilities. He's not suited for navigating international treachery, affairs, espionage, or being shipwrecked, and finds himself forced to survive not only physically but spiritually and morally. 

Rescued from his boating accident, Phil finds himself encountering an odd host of characters, from submarine navigator Ace, who is secretly up to no good in American waters, preparing for an attack nobody sees coming, to his encounter with a net that both saves and threatens him. 

Christian sentiments mean that Phil is in constant connection with God as he uncertainly navigates these treacherous waters and faces a series of political confrontations that challenge his worldview, his abilities, and his relationship with his higher power and his country alike. 

From a church prayer chain's influence on events to how Phil chooses to use the information he gains from the sailor on his unexpected journey, readers are treated to a fast-paced story of intrigue and interpersonal connections that is always tempered by references and connections to God. 

Christian readers looking for a fast-paced adventure and thriller rooted in religious examples of God's presence in changing lives will find The Accidental Spy a lively and thought-provoking story. 

From its nautical references such as drift nets, subs, and sailing to its strong spiritual connections, Tom Rattery creates the kind of adventure that Christians will appreciate, punctuating the actions of an ordinary believer with references to his strong connections to God: "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord!  You have really provided, as you say you will. I feel isolated again, especially without the satellite phone, but I know Iʼm not alone. You are with me. I have no idea what else is in store  today, but I trust You to protect me.” 

The result is a clean, action-packed read filled with unexpected twists and turns connected to individual pursuits of God and courage. Christian adventure story enthusiasts are in for a treat with The Accidental Spy's unique nautical, spiritual, and political brand of thriller. 

The Accidental Spy

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All the Good Men
Craig N. Hooper
Independently Published
Paperback: 978-1-7333755-2-8    $10.99
Ebook ASIN: B08BCTLXQ6        $2.99
Website: www.craignhooper.com
Ordering Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BCTLXQ6

Garrison Chase was introduced to fans of political thrillers in The Greatest Good, dealt with being framed and persecuted in A Thin Line, and here returns to face more confrontations and political battles in All the Good Men. Both newcomers to his action and prior fans will relish a thriller that opens with a bang, needs no prior introductions or discussion, and keeps suspense readers riveted throughout. 

Chase is cautious by nature, which is why he's advising a senator to pack heat in the aftermath of a dangerous discovery. But even his careful nature and investment in protecting good men may not win over the bad guys in this story—especially since they involve Washington insiders just as astute and clever as he. 

Politics, suspense, and danger coalesce in a tale that involves combat missions, plausible deniability, homicides and military engagements, and subterfuge that keeps even the savvy Chase on his toes and guessing. 

As the pieces fall into place for the senator and those involved in protecting him, Chase faces some unique and difficult dilemmas in the course of a cat-and-mouse game that plays out in the highest echelons of Washington. 

The format of a detective mystery investigation blends with that of political suspense in a delightful manner. As in his previous books, Craig N. Hooper excels at creating an atmosphere of intrigue that toes the line between a police procedural and something more. 

Garrison Chase is a savvy investigator, a street smart fighter, and an unexpectedly vulnerable fighter for closure and justice for Ramona, Hattie, and others who are involved in an increasingly complex struggle. When this vulnerability is exposed, Chase finds himself at the center of a conflict that could cost him his life. 

Craig N. Hooper creates a believable, perceptive, involving protagonist whose moves and logic are impeccable. Powered by unexpected confrontations, twists and turns, and action that move from political insights to investigative challenges, All the Good Men keeps readers guessing about the outcome. They will be immersed right up to an ending that imparts some international relationship lessons and neatly concludes, while leaving the door ajar for more possibilities. 

All the Good Men

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Belle Vue
C.S. Alleyne
Crystal Lake Publishing 
978-1646693115            $15.99

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1646693116/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Belle Vue is an epic horror thriller spanning centuries of adversity and angst as it documents a betrayal and vengeance that lives on far past its original roots. 

Belle Vue was a Victorian lunatic asylum that, in its modern new incarnation, has become a posh apartment complex that attracts history student Alex Palmer's girlfriend Claire Ryan. 

Alex's penchant for history hadn't included assessments of old-time asylums, but as he delves into the building's past, he uncovers a gold mine of facts about insane asylums and their deadly incarnations: "The amount of material he found on the history of Victorian asylums had surprised him. He was amazed at the speed at which these institutions had sprung up in almost every town. Not only in Britain but America too, followed by other parts of the empire such as Canada, Australia, and India. Like medical mass hysteria. Nothing prepared him for the tales of how the mentally ill were treated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Even in the twentieth century, when he’d supposed medicine and the treatment of the insane had evolved well beyond the unacceptable practices of earlier times, the horrific photographs and articles vividly showed this hadn’t been the case." 

This real-life history permeates a ghost story that quietly evolves a sense of horror and mystery, drawing readers into both history and evolving events with a strong blend of characterization, intrigue, and suspense. 

C.S. Alleyne excels at crafting a dark and deadly atmosphere and force that moves from past into present, introducing threats that the modern-day characters can barely believe, much less cope with. 

As Alex pays the ultimate price for ignorance and investigation and finds his own moral grounds shaky as a result, readers embark on a journey that is filled with surprising, satisfyingly creepy twists as Alex faces cruelty, the truth, and underlying challenges to his assumptions about life and interpersonal relationships: "Alex accepted he would never figure out women, even if he lived to be a hundred." 

Any of these facets, on their own, would be enough to prove tantalizing and involving, but add in the historical backdrop and attention to detail to a solid timeline of events for a horror tale that moves between past and present in a centuries-old mystery that keeps Alex and readers guessing and involved to the end. 

Belle Vue is classic supernatural mystery horror. It's highly recommended for audiences who eschew the usual formula production in favor of a work that is more multifaceted and satisfying on emotional, historical, and philosophical levels alike. 

Belle Vue

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The Detectivists: Dragon Ripper
Melanie Bacon
Del Sol Press
978-0999842584    
$6.99 Paper/$0.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Detectivists-Dragon-Ripper-Spanish/dp/0999842587 

Fans of Sherlock Holmes-type mysteries who enjoy stories steeped in intrigue and cat-and-mouse investigative processes will relish Book 1 of 'The Detectivists', Dragon Ripper, which introduces the sister of Sherlock Holmes, Astraia, who wants to impress her crime-solving brother with her similar abilities. 

The case involves a dragon-like killer, and her sidekick is also a female, Madeleine Barquist. But her brother Sherlock suspects a more dangerous force than a human being, fears for her safety, and becomes involved in the case in an effort to protect his sister and solve the puzzle. 

Having a clash not just between detective and perp but brother and sister, who demonstrate their capabilities on the arena of murder and intrigue investigations, makes for a fast-paced, involving story that includes the back story of Madeleine, who also has a secret to hide. It could change how Sherlock and Astraia feel about her equally-impressive problem-solving skills. 

As Maddie observes her friend in action, comments on the crime scene and explorations that lead Astraia far from her comfort zone, and provides a fine perspective on the events and threats that build, readers will relish the atmosphere and observations that permeate the story with a realistic 'you are here' feel: "Upon entry, it seemed as though we’d stepped into a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. I have not spent much time in taverns and had certainly never entered a place as dark, smoky, loud and crowded as this prototype of hell’s saloon. Upon review, I believe the smell was the worst part of the experience. Happily, my stomach held little sustenance, our wretched tea being some hours past. But I struggled to keep even that small amount remaining where it belonged. I wondered how Astraia managed it, since she did not have my years of shovelling horse manure to precondition her to the stench." 

Another very notable feature to this engaging story lies in the dialogue between Maddie and Astraia, which captures perceptions and efforts in a fine, revealing manner: "They can’t have known about this witness for too long,” I said mildly. “Mr. Hong has only been dead for three days.” “I’ll bet my brother Sherlie knew all about it, even as he pretended he was telling me everything he knew. And I’ll bet that officer you spoke to at the desk yesterday knew all about it—even while you were asking him questions about Mr. Hong, trying to find out how the poor man died, that officer was keeping this little titbit of information quiet from you.” 

The exquisite blend of dialogue, atmosphere, mystery, and supernatural intrigue, tempered by the relationship between all three main characters, gives this story a solid blend of historical backdrop and investigative depth that will keep mystery readers thoroughly engaged in each character's evolution, motivations, and confrontations. 

Very highly recommended reading for Sherlock Holmes fans who will appreciate the female perspective and approaches to problem-solving and relationships. These touches keep this story vivid, accessible, and hard to put down. 

The Detectivists: Dragon Ripper

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Five-Dollar Indian
Lu Clifton
Two Shadows Books
Paperback: 978-0-9985284-6-5         $15.95
Ebook:  978-0-9985284-7-2               $7.95
https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dollar-Indian-Sam-Chitto-Mystery/dp/0998528463/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Five-Dollar Indian will delight mystery readers who enjoy Native American backdrops, as it focuses the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a dilemma surrounding a proposed Native Theme park. As if the joint efforts of an Apache and a Sioux promoter aren't strange enough, a dead boy found in the wilderness attracts the further inspection of investigators who uncover more than just a drug overdose. 

Four tribal lawmen (one Sioux and three Choctaw, including Lieutenant Sam Chitto, the protagonist in this story) join forces, but each struggles with their own psychological challenges as the mystery unfolds and the beliefs, values, and lives of each are challenged. 

As the challenges intensify, Sam becomes concerned that a trait Carl Jung described as the “shadow self” will emerge: “It is a frightening thought that man also has a shadow side to him, consisting not just of little weaknesses and foibles, but of a positively demonic dynamism. The individual seldom knows anything of this; to him, as an individual, it is incredible that he should ever in any circumstances go beyond himself. But let these harmless creatures form a mass, and there emerges a raging monster.” Sam wonders if his fellow investigators will survive as “judicious leaders, or raging monsters? For that matter, would any of them?” 

The "five-dollar Indian" referenced in the title is a white man who poses as native to profit at Native Americans’ expense. Sam Chitto's task is to unravel all the convoluted interrelationships, secrets, and profiteering influences surrounding not just the boy's death, but the development of a lucrative Native American business that could damage the Nation’s standing. 

Discussions of beliefs, varying Native American perceptions of and approaches to life, opportunity, and moral issues, and comparisons between Sioux, Choctaw, and overall tribal heritage add depth and dimension to the mystery, educating readers about Native issues while expanding the intrigue. 

From impasses between opposing forces and powwows that are more than they seem to the infiltration of gang influences and special interests into Native American culture, Sam and the other investigators finds their hands full as Sam struggles to expose some unusual evidence. 

Lu Clifton's mystery is powerful not just because of it fine attention to building intrigue, but because of its focus on exploring Native American culture, interests, values, and points of conflict both within and outside the community. 

The time taken to explore these underlying themes and atmospheres lends to a tale that is educational and compelling in a story of Sioux Nation processes, the repercussions of decisions and opportunities, and decisions made to survive on different levels. 

Readers of such Native American fiction as Tony Hillerman are in for a treat with Five-Dollar Indian. 

Five-Dollar Indian

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The Heavy Side
Ben Rogers
CQ Books
978-1-7343067-0-5         $19.95
www.readrogers.com 

Take a Silicon Valley programmer and match him with a Mexican drug cartel. Now add a couple in crisis, the issue of addiction in America, and international intrigue into the mix for a vivid thriller made all the more engrossing by its narrator, programmer Vik Singh's girlfriend, who harbors special interests of her own in The Heavy Side. 

The first thing to note about this plot and its approach is that Ben Rogers cultivates an enchanting voice in his female first-person narrator. This drives the story line and creates a compelling story: "I know now that there was a young Hispanic man on the hillside above the cottage, watching through binoculars as Vik, a young Indian man, oblivious, did pushups on his Persian rug. I know about the man on the hillside because Los told me when I was his hostage. I know about the Persian rug because Vik told me how he always tapped out his reps with his nose against one of the trees in the rug’s pattern. The tree had an extra leaf compared to the other trees, and this was an intentional flaw: we Persians know that weavers cannot create perfection, only God can. Vik told me he did not know whether there was a God, only that there was a Steve Wozniak, who’d designed every circuit and authored every line of code in the original Apple II computer, and to this day not a single bug found in any of it. But what if perfection isn’t divine? What if bugs are?" 

Remi's lyrical voice captures atmosphere, personalities, politics, and philosophical observations in a manner that is evocative and thought-provoking. All this lends to a story line that is more than just nonstop action and confrontation, already the hallmarks of an engrossing thriller read. 

Rogers additionally cultivates a haunting inspection of life itself. This is one of the factors that keeps The Heavy Side a literary production, as well, as Remi observes the incongruities of American life and values. 

Rogers doesn't use quote marks for his dialogues. This standard form would have clarified points of discussion, and an editor would have gone through the story and added this punctuation. That observation aside, it's fairly easy to understand who is talking to whom. Technically, the absence of quote marks in dialogue is a snafu, but for practical purposes, paragraphs adequately delineate who is speaking. 

The point of view shifts between Vik's experiences (narrated in the third person) and Remi's first person observations. As various kinds of confrontations and struggles divide the two, readers receive a vivid saga of strife that changes both individuals and their dreams and relationship: "...implicit in the distance I felt from our former lives was a heartbreaking reality: we were no longer ourselves. How could we be?" 

As politics, special interests, romance, and relationships change, Ben Rogers creates a tense thriller that is supported by interpersonal connections, creating a read that is hard to put down. 

The Heavy Side is very, very highly recommended for thriller readers looking for something compellingly, refreshingly different.

The Heavy Side

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The Missing Driscoll
Judith Fabis
Vegas Publisher, LLC
978-0996843768            $14.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Driscoll-Judith-Fabris/dp/0996843760 

Penny Wells is the museum curator at The Driscoll Museum, where her grandmother, artist Maud Driscoll, has her art on display. In The Missing Driscoll, Penny is invited to Paris to curate a Driscoll show of works from her museum, only to discover that one of the paintings is a forgery. But she personally supervised every step of the painting's preparation and shipping. How could a thief have gotten under the radar to make the swap on her watch? 

As events progress, readers are treated to a globe-trotting art forgery case that involves Penny on a personal and professional level alike as her reputation is tarnished and she is forced to investigate the truth when a suspicious insurance adjustor suspects her of criminal activity. 

It's refreshing to see an emphasis on the motivation for a non-sleuth to take up the reins to become an investigator. Penny had no inclination of developing her nose for trouble before these events and faces big challenges in pursuing the truth because her interests lie not in PI work, but in art. 

She's a thirty-year-old unmarried woman whose passion, until now, has been relatively singular, but she also harbors strong family ties that are equally tested by tragedy and love. These family connections are also wound into the story and follow her footsteps as the insurance adjustor has an accident and police become involved and questioning, as well. 

Her pride in her museum role and her family heritage follow her throughout her experiences and inquiries. As Penny becomes convinced that Tennent was somehow involved, she curates new exhibits and waits for him to slip up somehow, even as she's drawn into the bigger mystery of Nazi history, art forgeries, and an evolving threat to her career and everything she loves. 

The Missing Driscoll excels in strong characterization and a mystery that avoids predictability and reaches for the bigger picture in the art world, following Penny's journey through singular interests into a wider-reaching set of concerns that involves the global art community. 

Its mystery is well done, intriguing, driven by several tragedies and personal ambition on all sides, and tinged with the promise of a romance Penny doesn't acknowledge or see coming. The question of not only whether she can find the missing Driscoll painting but what happens when she does fuels a family-connected story that keeps readers engaged on more than one level. 

Mystery enthusiasts who enjoy the art world and intrigue alike will find The Missing Driscoll an intriguing, well-crafted story with an international focus combined with many elements of the cozy mystery genre. 

The Missing Driscoll

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No Feign No Gain 
Carrie Ann Knox
Xotolithic Press 
Ebook: 978-0-9990032-2-0           $  3.99
Print: 978-0-9990032-3-7              $13.99
Ordering link: www.amazon.com/dp/B0884M5XM6
Author website: www.carrieannknox.com 

The cozy mystery No Feign No Gain is Book 2 in the Sonic Sleuths Series and returns career audiologist Quinn Bailey to another situation where her chosen profession isn't quite in sync with the intrigue that swirls around her. This draws her in against her best intentions with an allure that runs contrary to her career goals. 

Graduation is on the horizon, she has a good job lined up, and the last thing on her mind is becoming involved in another investigation. Unfortunately, the first thing on the mind of her best friend, PI Sloan McKenzie, is the next case. It's a case that draws Quinn with a little black box, a terrible realization, and a frighteningly compelling sense of mystery that continues to pose challenges to her everyday lifestyle. 

When a coworker vanishes and Quinn and Sloan become suspects, the intrigue gets personal on a level that demands her involvement to clear her name by solving a mystery that has made headlines, propelling them into unwanted fame. 

Sloan's feisty personality gets Quinn into trouble on more than one level, but is a refreshing counter to Quinn's more staid inclinations. Carrie Ann Knox provides a fun series of observations about these interactions and different perspectives that lends humor and fun to the story: "My eyes widened as I watched Sloan scan the room, intently searching again. I had followed her to the party, willingly, but was quickly beginning to rethink my participation. Sloan in a revenge scheme sounded truly terrifying." 

When Sloan's scheme backfires and her own weapons are used against her, it falls to Quinn to solve the mystery—and save Sloan's life in the process—on her own. 

No Feign No Gain cultivates the fine feel of a cozy mystery, exploring the interplays between friends, perps, investigators, and local atmosphere alike. As Quinn perceives a startling truth about Sloan's motivations and relationships, she discovers that her responses to these revelations may affect both her friendship with Sloan and their pursuit of justice. 

Surprises, lies, truths, and new revelations keep No Feign No Gain fast-paced, revealing, and hard to put down, building on Quinn's conundrums as she struggles between friendship, career choice, and investigative results. All these take her far from her comfort zone and into an exciting world that both attracts and repels her. 

Readers will find the mystery absorbing, fueled by Quinn's first-person observations and subplots that keep the action swift and the characters realistic and attractive to the end. Cozy mystery readers are in for a treat—even newcomers, who need no prior familiarity with the first book in order to quickly absorb Quinn's personality, background, and perspectives. 

No Feign No Gain 

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On the Border
Betta Ferrendelli
Independently Published
979-8638815073            $11.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Border-Samantha-Church-Mystery/dp/B087CQM7NP 

On the Border is a new Samantha Church mystery that revolves around an anonymous tip that leads reporter Samantha into a dangerous world of money laundering and murder. 

Sam is no stranger to trouble. She's been there and back again, struggling with a sister's death and a substance abuse problem that threatened the job she loved at the Denver Daily. Finally, she's begun to flourish, is in AA, and has received national acclaim for her groundbreaking stories. 

Living at the ranch with her daughter, Nona, and Howard and feeling the support of coworker Wilson has allowed Sam to recover her equilibrium, but this is shaken when she recruits cub reporter Hunter John Hollingsworth to help her in an investigation that threatens them both. 

As Hunter and Sam near a complex truth, readers join them for a battle between good and evil, with the two reporters edging ever closer to a dangerous truth that will either reveal all or destroy them. 

Betta Ferrendelli created a memorable, engrossing character in her other Samantha Church mysteries, and this stand-alone addition to the series expands Sam's personality and choices in life, using the backdrop of an international encounter to explore her evolving relationships. 

The bilingual Spanish/English encounters, flavor of Mexico, and cross-cultural insights season a series of encounters that teach Sam not only about danger, but Mexican culture. This is a satisfying atmosphere for her latest mystery, adding depth and insights to a story that is filled with satisfying twists and turns. 

As a compliment to the other series titles, On the Border further expands Sam's world. As a stand-alone read, it will attract newcomers to Sam's feisty personality and penchant for investigative prowess, and deserves a place in any mystery reader's library of 'best picks'. 

On the Border

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The Poe Consequence
Keith Steinbaum
Black Opal Books
9781644372685             $15.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle
www.blackopalbooks.com 

Think occult horror, then add more than the usual dash of suspense and thriller components into the mix to understand the special attraction of The Poe Consequence, which follows the violent clashes between two rival gangs changed by a third force neither can control. 

As the bonds between brothers and friends are tested by the threat of an ominous future that defies optimism and connections, readers become immersed in an occult thriller that unravels the strings of social connections, conflict, and the fine line between good and evil. 

Keith Steinbaum takes the atmosphere and spooky intrigue of Edgar Allan Poe and ramps it up a notch, linking supernatural events and encounters with some of the same predictive, growing horror devices that Poe employs in his works, connecting them with Poe's writings in an unusual, compelling fashion. 

Gang members aren't the only ones facing challenges from this murder spree. As investigators probe the circumstances of the deaths to arrive at uncommon relationships connecting them, Steinbaum creates a satisfying juxtaposition between the processes of the law and those of gang interactions. 

He also captures the atmosphere of the Latino community and members who struggle with each other and forces beyond their comprehension, whether they lie in social or in supernatural realms. 

The focus on gang interactions with a supernatural thriller twist to their encounters creates an exceptional occult suspense story that will leave readers on pins and needles, anticipating many outcomes that hold a satisfying twist. 

The blend of excellent characterization, a perfect capture of community concerns and social issues, a series of deadly crimes that involve both sides of the law, and a supernatural mystery makes for a satisfyingly engrossing tale that's hard to put down and packed with all the elements that contribute to a superior thriller. 

With its social, cultural, investigative and occult themes, The Poe Consequence is highly recommended reading for supernatural thriller readers looking for a read more literary and complex than most in its genre. 

The Poe Consequence

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Suicide Squeeze
Steve Hagood
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68433-530-5          $17.95
https://www.blackrosewriting.com/mysterysuspense/suicidesqueeze  

Suicide Squeeze revolves around baseball broadcaster Tom Helmer, who faces an unusual challenge when he travels to El Paso, Texas with the Albuquerque Isotopes team, only to discover a dead body in his luggage...a total stranger. 

The local police want to jail and execute him for murder, but Tom is innocent, and he happens to know a retired police detective friend who can help him.

Forced to set aside his broadcasting life and turn into an amateur PI to accompany his more crime-savvy friend into an underworld in an effort to prove his innocence, Tom embarks on a mission that brings him full circle onto the Vegas Strip to investigate who murdered the girl and why he was framed. 

Chase was one of Tom's best friends in high school, but now he's about to become his salvation, teaching his friend about a world he's only too used to navigating. As they embark on a journey into the dead girl's past and her connections to the underworld and Tom, dangerous truths emerge which turn the case into more than a strange murder mystery. 

Steve Hagood excels at creating unexpected twists and turns of plot as the characters probe a death that leads them onto the turf of the mob and into even more trouble. 

Tom has all the contacts, but Chase holds the savvy to connect the dots. As readers follow their interactions and how they learn from one another, they will appreciate a story that is vivid, fast-paced, and filled with surprises. 

Suicide Squeeze is especially notable in its particular blend of PI investigative processes and expanding relationships between two men who have taken very different courses in life. It probes the underlying influences of social behaviors, rape and relationships, the sex industry, and an evolving threat to Tom's lifetime career.

The story concludes neatly, but leaves the door open for further Chase adventures. Suicide Squeeze is an involving story of investigative processes and intrigue that will keep readers engaged and guessing to the end. 

Suicide Squeeze

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Those Who Hunger
Owen Banner
Independently Published
ASIN:
 B083C26CWM            $5.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Those-Who-Hunger-Vampire-Thriller-ebook/dp/B083C26CWM 

Those Who Hunger is presented as an 'Amish vampire novel', a designation which attracts interest before the story even begins, as these facets are usually not thrown together. 

In rural Pennsylvania, a child is mauled to death. The Amish community knows the truth of his murder, but when a second killing attracts the attention of the FBI, close-held community secrets begin to unfold into frightening discoveries. 

Vampire horror stories and coming of age sagas usually don't include cultural and social inspections, but Owen Banner's story does a superb job of exploring Amish community traditions, perceptions, and responses to pressures both within and outside their circles. This injects a quiet aura of adventure into the story that is satisfyingly revealing beyond its underlying horror theme: "The past was past, but a conference still was held to determine whether the Schwartzes would have a place among them. Longing for forgiveness and acceptance themselves, the community agreed to allow the Schwartzes to buy a plot of land near the Graber's farm that would suit the size of their family. They had settled into the home and worked hard to adjust to the plain life of the Amish. Mina now wore a cap, dress and apron she had stitched all herself. She sewed her son's pants and shirts as well, and her husband's. Holland, himself, had changed. He wore a beard and a hat to go with his suspenders. He was a less hurried man than he had been when he'd first arrived, and he'd found he had a knack with a hammer." 

Banner takes the time to build a slowly-simmering story, the hallmark of good writing, winding social and psychological discovery into a vampire tale that takes daily life experiences and character concerns to a different level of emotional exploration as the characters interact and learn from one another: "How do you live without faith?” Hadassah replied. “I have faith. I just know where I stand with God.” “Where is that?” “Outside the gate.” Hadassah looked into her lap. “And Nathaniel?” “It’s smoke and mirrors to him,” Yves said. “Not real,” he explained when he saw her searching for the meaning of the words. “How lonely,” Hadassah said." 

As themes of miscarriages, marked children, fear, and Amish community values come together, Those Who Hunger becomes a complex page-turner containing many satisfying facets and revelations. 

The result is a tale hard to put down, unexpected in its twists and turns, and full-bodied in its probe of Amish beliefs, community, and the horror that overlays and changes everything. 

While vampire story readers will be the most logical audience for this compelling saga, Those Who Hunger is also highly recommended for readers of suspense, thriller, and intrigue who like their supernatural horror presented on a literary plate of detail and insight beyond violence and threats. 

Those Who Hunger

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Tokyo Traffic
Michael Pronko
Raked Gravel Press
B087QVRXZB               $9.99
https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Traffic-Michael-Pronko-ebook/dp/B087QVRXZB 

In Tokyo Traffic, Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is tracking a dangerous killer through the nightclubs and byways of the city, moving through the city as he tracks his perp through a puzzling series of environments and motives. 

Michael Pronko excels at capturing the atmosphere of Tokyo: "Hiroshi leaned back to look up at the forty-four stories of luxury apartments ensconced in an office-condominium complex carved out of Akasaka’s high-priced real estate. The corners were rounded by mirrored glass and the rest of the outside was lined with deep-set balconies up to the penthouses on the top floors. It was the kind of luxury apartment building he’d only imagined from numbers on spreadsheets. It was hard to believe such places actually existed. “No one this rich would ever need to kill anyone. They could just buy them off,” Takamatsu said." 

Thai girl Sukanya, a victim of sex trafficking, is eluding her former captors in Tokyo. She's also using the city's opportunities to plot revenge. As evidence leads Hiroshi to join others in trying to track this clever girl, the bodies mount, as do the threats to studio contractor Kenta Nakamura and others who have a dangerous inclination to become involved with young girls and trouble. 

Although Tokyo Traffic is the third in the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi series, no prior familiarity is needed in order for newcomers to enjoy this latest adventure. Michael Pronko crafts a fast-paced atmosphere that covers Kenta's involvement in a plot and a dangerous game, tracing the astute detective's attempts to halt the murders that are changing even the underworld. 

As Tokyo's streets and a diverse set of characters come to life, readers will find the underlying social inspection and intrigue revolving around the adult film industry and Jack and Jill Studios to be involving, unpredictable, and a test of even the seasoned Hiroshi's skills. 

Pronko's familiarity with Japanese culture in general and Tokyo atmosphere in particular enhances a story that once again excels in exploring both while presenting a murder mystery and romance that holds reader attention to the end. 

The result is a story that winds through Tokyo's streets and Hiroshi's heart alike, drawing readers through a dangerous game that culminates in an unexpected, satisfying conclusion that further expands Hiroshi's world. 

Mystery readers who enjoy their detective pieces firmly rooted in reality will find Tokyo Traffic an excellent read, highly recommended for those who enjoy tense thrillers that take place in other cultures and affording opportunity for education and involvement in more than one outcome. 

Tokyo Traffic

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Truth Kills
Nanci Rathbun
Independently Published
978-1986762625            $14.99 Paper/$0.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Truth-Kills-Angelina-Bonaparte-Mysteries/dp/1986762629 

Truth Kills is the first book in a new Angelina Bonaparte series about an investigator with a penchant for trouble. She's a 'professional snoop' who is good at what she does. Perhaps this is because, in a former life, she was a middle-aged librarian used to research, who finds problem-solving and troubleshooting a skill that lends to being a private investigator in her new life. 

Angelina is pulled into a case she instinctively resists: investigating the innocence of a mob boss accused of murdering his mistress. If it weren't for his pregnant wife's pleas, she'd never become involved in helping a man she considers basic scum. 

The other challenge in this case is the requirement that she interact with homicide detective Ted Wukowski, who believes that women have no place or talent investigating crimes. As an older woman, Angelina can choose to be either 'invisible' or stand out. That skill serves her well as she embarks on a journey into a world that challenges both her research skills and her perspective of her abilities and life. 

Nanci Rathbun injects a wry sense of humor into the story that plays on Angelina's life and perceptions. Readers will find themselves laughing at the feisty observations of this protagonist as she traverses dangerous ground, continues her probe, and faces the truth that "Secrets take on a life of their own. They fester and grow." 

As she hones her own sharp-edged scruples against the dubious ones of those she meets, Angelina immerses herself both in her real dilemmas and, for escape, reading crime stories by such notable authors as Sue Grafton, reflecting on her techniques in comparison to theirs. 

From Angelina's unconventional relationship with Detective Wukowski to encounters that increasingly threaten her life, Rathbun crafts a story powered by Angelina's first-person observations, struggles, and feisty attitude towards life. 

The attention to psychological depth and detail meld well with the investigative intrigue and moments of comic relief to pepper a story with different twists and turns. This will delight readers who enjoy female investigators with an attitude about life and their work. 

Add a touch of romance for a fine tale that weaves an older woman's life and perspectives into bigger pictures about crime, love, family connections, and life purposes. Mystery readers are in for a treat when they delve into the deceptions and realities of Truth Kills. 

Truth Kills

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The Vessels
Anna M. Elias
Vesuvian Books
978-1-944109-09-7         $18.95 Paper/$8.99 ebook
www.vesuvianbooks.com 

The Vessels follows four broken strangers who volunteer to become human 'vessels' to receive and carry a spiritual host to Earth in a last-ditch effort to save the planet from humankind. 

Mumbai orphan Sanjay's receipt of the Spirit is narrated both from his viewpoint and that of the new entity inhabiting his body. This creates an intriguing juxtaposition of souls that contrasts living ambition with the newfound body and emotions of the dead, who are called back to perform one last duty before facing eternity. 

But what happens when a spirit comes back that doesn't deserve a second chance? When a former serial killer returns for a spree, this threatens an already-dubious mission that needs to complete in seven days to avert disaster, adding a nearly-impossible timeline to events. 

As the spirits return to their homes to encounter those who are grieving loss and suffering from guilt and hatred, their mission becomes even more complicated, blending the wider issue of humanity's survival with questions of personal redemption. All but one, who feels no such compunction to effect positive change. 

The Vessels is an engrossing, compelling saga about a special brand of death. It's about time travel in an unusual sense, opportunities for transition, and what people are willing to sacrifice for enlightenment. 

Most of all, it's about renewed connections and threats. These elements keep the story fast-paced, emotionally compelling, and hard to put down. 

Think of a blend of murder mystery, spiritual travelogue, and thought-provoking thriller packed with intense moments paired with personal revelations. 

The juxtaposition of bigger-picture thinking and the personal entanglements of Spirit and host are beautifully portrayed and, despite a complex-sounding scenario, easy to absorb. Perhaps this is because the swift action is both physical and emotional, connecting disparate peoples, past and present experience, and objectives by both human host and spirit. 

The result is an outstanding, gripping story that keeps readers guessing and involved up to a decisive ending which rewards with an added dash of spiritual inspiration. 

The Vessels

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Novels

Black Hearts and Hungry Bears
Steve Shear
Catalina Sun Press
979-8641124568            $12.00 Paper/$3.00 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Confronting-Religious-Fanaticism-Hearts-Hungry/dp/B088LD662W

Black Hearts and Hungry Bears is Book Two in the novel series Confronting Religious Fanaticism, and will best be enjoyed by readers of the first book, An Eye for an Eye, introducing the problems of Western religious forces. 

This continuation of the tale is an epic journey that requires uninterrupted reading between books, but rewards its readers with a compelling, thought-provoking assessment of family relationships, historical religious precedent, and the evolving tale of Ira Neebest (now sixty and living in San Francisco), who reflects on the true story of three generations of family history. 

Readers are swept into a three-act story narrated through the different viewpoints of would-be writer Ira's parents, wife, and those who affect his world. 

These changing perspectives are clearly delineated in chapters that include each character's name, building the individual's perspective on life experiences. 

The story opens with Natalie's observations and demonstrates Steve Shear's talent in capturing the nuances of relationships and moods: "At the time I was convinced I all the female students in the studio and possibly even the model were in love with him. I wanted to stay there amongst the paints, the people, and the model and wait for Ira knowing in my comatose state he would eventually appear at the top of the stairs long after I became one of the students who never fell in love with Charles." 

Shear is skilled at moving the story line quickly from past to present, injecting elements of social, political, and religious inspection as each character's moves builds background and personality: "Tom Marino and the other FBI agents, our jailers, were just doing their jobs, protecting Ira. He had a ten-million-dollar bounty on his head, a FATWA issued by ISIS and the Ayatollah demanding his presence, all because he wrote a book that was not particularly flattering to their cause." 

When Ira goes missing despite the best security, Natalie finds herself involved in a dangerous game beyond her experience in a vivid story that alternates between personal ambition and choice and political ramifications that set the world afire: "The flames of anti-America burn bright tonight all because of a single book, The First Coming, a novel no less, that was awarded the Nobel Prize. And in the cross-hairs of this full blown hatred is one individual, the novel’s author, Ira Neebest, an American of Jewish ethnicity, and a self-proclaimed atheist.” 

In a comatose state, Natalie relives and revisits the terrible episodes of her life, from social and legal confrontations and childhood rape by a priest to her part in a religious revolution that seems bent on changing the world. 

Ira's mother Rebecca, who was prominently featured in the prior An Eye for an Eye, also returns to reflect on her contribution to life events, struggles with her Hasidic roots, and the underlying guilt which dictates her choices and worldview. 

Black Hearts and Hungry Bears is ultimately about survival and religious inspection. It juxtaposes both elements in a chronicle that weaves through adversity and survival tactics in a manner designed to involve and engross readers in bigger-picture questions and answers about the state of the world and the individuals who affect it. 

Literary, philosophical, and introspective all in one, Black Hearts and Hungry Bears injects elements of revelation and hope while expanding the milieu of An Eye for an Eye in a complex, studied manner that prior fans will find engrossing. It's highly recommended reading for literature readers looking for cultural and religious inspection in a sweeping, epic novel of family and social connections. 

Black Hearts and Hungry Bears

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Dark Descent Into Desire
J. J. Sorel
Independently Published
979-8638851774            $14.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Descent-into-Desire-Sorel/dp/B087FJ9H15 

Dark Descent Into Desire follows Penelope Green's sojourn into the dark side as her affair with the suave and usually cynical, often selfish Blake Sinclair causes her to lose her virginity and her freedom. On Blake's part, Penelope represents a lure that syncs with his need to both control others and keep his past a secret. 

Both clash in the arena of obsession and danger in a story that probes danger, secrets, passion, and moral and ethical challenges on both sides. 

The first note is that J. J. Sorel pulls no punches in her steamy romance. Readers looking for casual descriptions and light romance should look elsewhere, because Dark Descent Into Desire is graphic in its language, sexuality, and descriptions of psychological obsessions on both sides, and is definitely not 'politically correct'. This is a powerful story firmly rooted in the decadent mindsets of characters who have particular perspectives on life, love, and the world, and its dialogue and encounters capture this perfectly: "What about that happily-ever-after scenario? Don’t you want one of those?” “I don’t believe in those. I’ve yet to witness a happy marriage. It’s a life sentence where two individuals trap each other out of fear of loneliness only they end up lonely anyway.” He grimaced. “You make it sound so fucking grim. Don’t you think it’s nice, the idea of a baby bouncing on one’s knee and a hot little wife baking a cake in a skimpy maid’s outfit?” I laughed. “How inappropriate and nineteenth century.” 

Typically, stories focus on one person's addiction and a couple's involvement in recovery, but in this story, both Penelope and Blake are addicted in different, complimentary ways. This makes their evolving connections even more dangerous as they feed upon one another and head in an even darker direction. 

From a mother's death from an overdose of heroin to growing threats, to Penelope's safety both from Blake's choices and within his own circles, the story becomes one of survival on many levels. Both characters join, separate, and reconnect in a dangerous dance.  J. J. Sorel excels at charting this progression, both of the influences on Blake and Penny and the psychological traumas and tendencies that lead them to repeat familiar patterns even when these no longer serve their original purpose. 

Sometimes, nothing changes. Sometimes everything changes. Sorel's ability to dip in and out of the perspectives of each and the "bad habits worn like a badge of honor" between them creates a steamy and thought-provoking blend unusual in an action romance environment. 

Sorel's story of two characters who seem to be unlikely candidates for "happily ever after" is unexpected, compelling, and traces the quiet evolution of each individual as well as their relationship. 

Readers seeking steamy adventures that are ribald, rowdy, and raw with passion and purpose will find Dark Descent Into Desire takes the rudiments of cynical introspection and turns it on end into something different. The satisfying evolution of the story into a true romance adds a fine twist to the outcome of these disparate personalities. 

Sorel's ability to portray these two strong individuals' changing perspectives and insights represents a passionate exploration that will linger in the mind not just for its sexy passages and focus, but for the unexpected journey that swirls around Blake and Penelope. Its recommended reading for those looking for erotic tales finely tuned with unexpected elements of suspense and intrigue. 

Dark Descent Into Desire

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The Girl Who Was Me Is Gone
Michael Brown
Penmore Press
9781950586219             $19.50
www.penmorepress.com 

The Girl Who Was Me Is Gone is set in 1649 Ireland, when Cromwell's army decimated the country. In Dublin, heiress Nora's vision of an adventurous future is changed by both the army and plague, which forces her to flee for her life. 

When Nora dreamed of adventure, she didn't realize that it might involve leaving everything familiar, with little hope of return. On board a frigate headed for America, Nora and her friend experience revelations and battles that challenge their concepts of life and her heritage before they even touch American soil. 

As Nora and Anne become captives, enslaved and then separated in the new world, she is introduced to Jamestown in the English colony of Virginia, encounters Indians who seem friendly but come with their own warning, and struggles to regain something she'd taken for granted all her life—her freedom. 

Aided by Billy and a few others, Nora fulfills her dreams in an unexpected manner, regaining not only the freedoms she once took for granted, but a new place in this strange land. 

The Girl Who Was Me Is Gone excels in a blend of historical narrative and adventure that probes not just the life, but the culture and perceptions of a feisty young Irish girl determined to survive against all odds. 

The confrontations are often unexpected, and the story blends suspense and romance in a balanced, appealing manner as the world is reassessed through Nora's newly-opened eyes. 

The contrasts between 1600s Ireland and America are nicely done, while strong characterization keeps the plot fast-paced and involving. Readers who choose The Girl Who Was Me Is Gone for its transformative title's promise won't be disappointed. This is an involving, solid historical novel that is filled with adventure and realistic scenarios, and proves hard to put down. 

The Girl Who Was Me Is Gone

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Kiss at Midnight: A Town Called Forgotten
Rachel Branton
White Star Press
978-1-948982-18-4         $15.95 Paper/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Midnight-Romance-Called-Forgotten-ebook/dp/B0872NK2GM

Kiss at Midnight is the first book in the series 'A Town Called Forgotten' and opens with a journey Hailey Waters makes to this small town in Kansas where she recalls feeling at home. It's a place where she can remake her life, heal from wounds, and both maintain control of her world and hide. It's also a place where she seeks to live up to the town's name by forgetting her past, which unexpectedly occurs before she even hits the town's city limits. 

She didn't anticipate that this new life would involve not just new connections, but people such as kindly vet Dylan Morgan, who wants to know about that past. Dylan, also, has returned to this small town to heal from the pain of women who always break his heart with their secrets and ultimate rejection. Hailey, with her amnesia, represents the biggest possibility of heartbreak of all. 

Can the two overcome their experiences, and painful perceptions of life to form a lasting bond in a town aptly named for their different notions of setting aside and forgetting their pasts? 

Kiss at Midnight is a romance that is as much about finding one's place in the world as it is about an evolving connection between two lonely individuals who each heal from similar kinds of pain. 

Rachel Branton takes the time to build each character's background, experiences, and psychological profile. This lends to a story whose strength lies as much in their separate progressions towards healing as in their evolving interpersonal relationship. 

She also takes the time to build the small town's atmosphere, building descriptions into the story. This gives life to the tale, moving it beyond any singular focus on the relationship alone: "They sat in silence for a while, feet in the water, enjoying the quiet that was broken only by the occasional call of a bird or the plop of a turtle sliding into the lake. Hailey hadn’t realized how very far they’d come on the path. The way the lake was shaped, she couldn’t even see the park. One lone boat was out on the water. Nothing more. The beautiful turquoise of the water called to her deceptively. Before I leave here, I’ll have to swim just once, she promised herself. That is, if she ever left." 

The evolving conundrums of both characters, their different reasons for rejecting their pasts and attempting to embrace a future without it, and the clash of their personalities and needs as they face unexpected obstacles in their new lives makes for a wholesome, involving romance. This will especially delight women who look for emotionally-driven stories solidified by a solid small-town atmosphere. 

Kiss at Midnight is evocative, revealing, and hard to put down. Its realistic dilemmas and character growth powers a story that is compelling and involving. 

Kiss at Midnight: A Town Called Forgotten

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The Road to Gesualdo
Erika Rummel
D. X. Varos, Ltd.
Paperback: 978-1-941072-70-7    $18.95
Ebook: 978-1-941072-71-4           $  6.99
www.dxvaros.com

The Road to Gesualdo tells of the dilemma 1500s noblewoman Leonora d'Este faces in being betrothed to a widowed prince she doesn't know. It's only after she dutifully but reluctantly marries him that she discovers he murdered his former wife and her lover for adultery, and that his mental state seems precarious, placing her in a similar danger. 

Is Prince Carlo really a monster? How can Leonora protect herself and her lady-in-waiting and friend Livia? Leonora has been raised to take seriously her vows to love and obey her spouse, but if he turns out to be a threat, how far do obedience and promises extend? Leonora is determined to preserve her faithfulness and her life. This mixed ambition, combined with the Prince's unstable reactions to life, makes for a delicate dance with danger indeed. 

As Livia finds that forces in town hold their own grudges against the Prince, and that her own romantic interests are thwarted by vows and dangerous attractions, the two women find themselves in a whirlwind of dangerous forces that extend beyond home life and into the politics and social influences of 16th century Italy. 

The Road to Gesualdo is a vivid historical novel blending romance and intrigue in a female-centered story of strong women who rise above their upbringings and duty to become more effective forces in charge of some aspects of their lives. 

While much is out of their control, Erika Rummel does a fine job of portraying how they face their different challenges, from romance to politics, and how each woman develops a unique perspective on how to navigate impossible circumstances. 

Leonora is expecting a child, but her husband's actions only draw pity from others who also come to believe he may be mad. For his part, the Prince's struggle between God and his conscience is tearing him apart, bringing him into the influence of Livia's admirer Pietro Paci in a pivotal moment that changes everything. Pietro has been present from the start, from the marriage negotiations through the Prince's evolution. His evolving relationship with Livia and his own romantic quest and conflicts also influences Leonora and her Prince's destinies. 

Rummel's attention to strong characterization and capturing the sights, smells, and atmosphere of 16th century Italy contributes to a vivid story that intersects different lives and perspectives. Her characterization is psychologically astute, and the story winds through the complexity of Italian culture and politics with an intriguing approach that keeps readers guessing about both relationships and their outcomes. 

The result is a historical novel that is vivid in its sense of place, compelling in its many social and political conundrums, and cemented by powerful women who may be driven by social mores, but who still wield a sense of identity and purpose that helps each overcome adversity. 

Historical novel readers who enjoy romance and political inspection will welcome the complex encounters in The Road to Gesualdo, which concludes with a satisfying twist to bring the story full circle. 

The Road to Gesualdo

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Reviewer's Choice

ADD and Zombies
Wes Crenshaw, PhD ABPP and Kelsey Daugherty, DNP PMHNP-BC
Family Psychological Press
Hardcover: 9780985283384         $25.99
Paperback: 9781733462372         $16.99
Kindle eBook: $10.99
Audible: TBA

Ordering Link: https://www.amazon.com/ADD-Zombies-Fearless-Medication-Management-ebook/dp/B086B8ZCGV

Website: Familypsychpress.com 

A licensed psychologist and board-certified nurse practitioner specializing in psychiatric medication management create ADD and Zombies: Fearless Medication Management for ADD and ADHD. The subject addresses one of the biggest issues in ADD and ADHD management: juggling meds so that they are more effective when paired with therapy. 

The authors of this approach have two advantages over others who have tried to address the many issues of ADD and ADHD drug management. They are clinicians who work daily in this area and so are in a better professional and personal position to make specific recommendations rather than generalities, and they have experienced firsthand exactly how the medical profession commonly fails to treat ADD. 

ADD and Zombies thus holds two goals: to help consumers become better educated about medical options and effects, and to encourage better doctor-patient relationships by delineating the medical community's response to a diagnosis.

As chapters discuss ADD testing and evaluation methods, case histories illustrate what can go wrong in the process of diagnosis and treatment, clinical effects on patients in psychological programs, and step-by-step explorations of better paths to better lives, as in this example of a teen's treatment: "...rather than try and help Tressa feel better, we changed our focus to helping her do better, accepting the uncomfortable and painful feelings and thoughts her symptoms brought, “defusing” them from her behavior and helping her to choose how she wanted to respond." 

From conditions that can easily be mistaken for ADD to specific steps caregivers and families can take to assure better interactions between themselves and busy professionals, ADD and Zombies is especially strong on self-help admonitions that guide family and friends through the quagmire of determining how to make a difference: "The answer to just about any ADD treatment problem is found in this, our most cherished clinical value: the person writing the scripts must talk regularly to your therapist who must talk regularly to you. Unfortunately, the lack of trained prescribers in integrative outpatient settings is the problem to that solution, because few psychiatrists, PMHNP, and PCPs practice with therapists or even have a working relationship with one. Below, we’ve listed the five most common business models in order of most to least integrative." 

The practical advice ranges from dealing with insurance snafus and requirements and finding ways around coverage obstacles to the side effects of specific drugs and common problems of over-usage: "ADD clients who misuse their meds will eventually need more supply than one prescriber can provide, particularly if they’re out chasing tolerance. Even if they overstate their need, that tolerance only grows, eventually eating up the overage. This leads some people to seek a second prescriber, repeating the same intake they’ve already done at the first office, and ending up with a second prescription for a drug they often claim to have “been on in the past” without mentioning that “the past” was nine o’clock that morning. Such folks will go to great lengths and take great risks to acquire a bunch of stimulants." 

Advice is specific, clinically based on experience and best practices, incorporates real-world dilemmas, and offers many solutions. 

ADD and Zombies is the one book that should be at the top of the reading list for any caregiver of (or those diagnosed with) ADD and ADHD. Its blend of clinical observations, case histories, and candid assessments of what goes wrong and right in the medical and psychiatric communities creates a very specific, practical, essential guide that will make all the difference between frustration and successful, informed treatment. 

Very, very highly recommended. 

ADD and Zombies

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Back on Bonaire: Rediscovering Diver's Paradise as a Father
Andrew Jalbert
Independently Published
979-8633748215            $15.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Bonaire-Rediscovering-Divers-Paradise/dp/B0875XB1QY 

Back on Bonaire: Rediscovering Diver's Paradise as a Father will appeal to readers interested in Caribbean island travel and ecology as it explores the island of Bonaire, identified as 'Diver's Paradise' on license plates. 

Author Andrew Jalbert first visited the island in the early 1990s and kept returning to the region over the next twenty-five years. When he became a father in his 40s, his new role added a duty that challenged some of his prior experiences of the island and his place in it. 

Back on Bonaire is about more than rediscovering paradise. It's about accepting a revised place in life as a parent, bringing the island's attractions to new life apart from the carefree adventure travel focus of a married couple with no children. 

It follows other changing worlds, as well, as it surveys the scuba diving environment, the ecology and culture of the islands, natural history affected by human endeavors, and changing perceptions of the Bonaire that Andrew Jalbert had become accustomed to. 

Descriptions include dives, ecological threats and changes, the efforts and contributions of pioneering conservationists, and experiences unique to Bonaire: "Bonaire is an island of contrasts, of abrupt boundaries and sharp transitions. It's a place where you come upon things suddenly." 

As Jalbert traverses his world, contrasts past and present environments, and considers its changes and revised opportunities and threats, readers are introduced to an island where various forces operate. Jalbert is changed by his experiences there as much as this island paradise is changed by those who visit it. 

Whether it's a diver's paradise, changing social values, lessons applicable to parenting and training divers, or facing fears and becoming fearless, Back on Bonaire documents a journey of personal, ecological, and cultural change. It is a highly recommended, thoroughly engrossing piece for a range of readers, from prospective parents concerned about their formerly carefree lives and how to integrate a child's needs into this world to divers and tourists interested in the unique experience that is Bonaire. 

Back on Bonaire: Rediscovering Diver's Paradise as a Father

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Desert Dust
Paul W. Papa and R. J. “Gill” Gillilan
HPD Publishing
Ebook: 978-1-7344057-0-5           $  9.99
Paperback: 978-1-7344057-2-9    $18.95
https://www.amazon.com/Desert-Dust-Passion-American-Photograph/dp/1734405724 

Desert Dust: One Man's Passion to Uncover the True Story Behind an Iconic American Photograph is a riveting, true work of American investigative history that begins in 1945, when a Wyoming newspaper published an article about a wrangler who had a photographer capture the roundup of wild horses via airplane, and a rare wild palomino in particular. 

Fast forward forty years, when a daughter's question to her father about that now-iconic photo sent co-author Gill Gillilan on a journey to chart the ramifications of its publication, from the bitter battle that emerged between photographer Verne Wood and wrangler Frank “Wild Horse” Robbins over copyright, which struggled through the courts, to the lasting impact of that image on wild animal and horse management choices and systems. 

Over 150 photos (besides the primary shot that sparked this conflict) accompany a description steeped in images of Wyoming frontier experiences, from oilfield camps and auctions to stock shows, journeys across Wyoming in search of history and the truth, and details about justice and struggle. 

One appeal of Desert Dust is that it takes the proper time to describe these frontier environments, reading with the description and drama of fiction to draw readers in, even if they have little prior familiarity with Wyoming: "Nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Laramie had seen snow in both June and July and more than once had to cancel Fourth of July celebrations because of it. If it wasn’t snowing, it was windy. Not breezy, windy. The kind that blows young children and animals off doorsteps. If there was one place in the world where Mother Nature took out all her fury, it was Wyoming, and Laramie in particular. But today was not one of those days. Today the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the wind was a mild twenty miles per hour. It would probably change by noon." 

From interviews with those who captured wild mustangs in the Red Desert and other locales to the author's own musings about various report perspectives, the story is vividly narrated and filled with personal, legal, and social insights as the investigation evolves: "It seemed the reporter was either unaware that Frank Robbins had started using wild mustangs in his rodeos long before Roy, or chose to leave that information out of his article. Either way, Roy was claiming credit for ideas, at least some of which were not his own. Of course, there was the chance that Roy credited Frank for those ideas, but the reporter simply chose to leave it out of the article, since Roy, not Frank, was the subject of the piece." 

Black and white photos and vintage images abound, from rodeo photos from the Frank Robbins Collection and others to reports, publications, and images of horses and corrals. These, combined with vivid written description, do an outstanding job of capturing the milieu of past and present Wyoming.

Using his investigative skills, Gill compiled an impressive array of materials from diverse archives and resources to put together a fine piece of Wyoming experience that otherwise would have been lost. 

Readers interested in Wyoming history, conservation, legal issues surrounding land and wildlife management, and a thoroughly engrossing exploration of a forgotten horse and the conflict surrounding him will find Desert Dust an investigative journey into American history that lingers in the mind long after the story's conclusion. 

Desert Dust

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How to Talk to the “Other Side”
Kevin Wilhelm and Natalie Hoffman
Independently Published
Print: 978-0-578-67132-1              $19.95
Ebook: B087ZQ1FPT           $  9.95
Ordering link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578671328
Company website: https://sustainablebizconsulting.com/
Kevin’s website: https://www.kevin-wilhelm.com/ 

How to Talk to the “Other Side”: Finding Common Ground in the Time of Coronavirus, Recession and Climate Change is a call for open communication and common-sense action that arrives at a particularly turbulent period in American history. It offers a much-needed toolkit full of communication strategies that can lead to understanding, unifying a divided country. 

How to Talk to the “Other Side” focuses on the process of coming together over some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, including the pandemic, recession, allyship, and climate change. Many books and essays speak of the need for candid conversations, but this book is the first to pinpoint the essence of how to hold such conversations. 

For example, the chapter 'The Importance of Allyship' covers a different approach to bridging the communication gap by defending those who are the butt of discriminatory statements and attitudes. Finding a common ground involves identifying common barriers in marginalized communities, developing types of conversations that support empowerment, and acknowledging the power of being an ally for others, assuring that everyone starts the conversation from a position of equity. 

Chapters consider not only the underlying issues in bipartisan perspectives, but examine and aim to unite traditionally divergent viewpoints between opposing sides, including Republicans and Democrats, rural and urban dwellers, business versus environmental interests, and more. 

More than just a cross-comparison of viewpoints, as one might anticipate, How to Talk to the “Other Side" is about finding common paths and points for discussion while fostering solutions amenable to both sides, which makes sense both socially and economically. 

Take, for example, the chapter on 'Big Business versus Environmentalists'. The discussion opens with a historic review of why these interests commonly clash, considers win-win solutions, and even more importantly, surveys underlying issues in critical thinking that need to be amended on both sides: "How can we better collaborate for a better future? How can business leaders begin to see environmentalists as insightful stakeholders who identify future opportunities and grow revenue even during uncertain times? What would it take for environmentalists to see big businesses as important partners for funding conservation/clean energy initiatives and as valuable assets to stabilize our economy, rather than as greedy and power-hungry adversaries?" 

The answers to many of these challenges lie in how businesses make adjustments to their products, deliveries, and audiences, from making Zoom sessions free to K-12 schools to how, during the pandemic, "Luxury goods giant LVMH repurposed its French facilities to make hand sanitizer for the government, for free." 

The answers to these weighty problems cannot come from one perspective, but from a shared interest in a better future. 

In a nutshell, this is the kernel of wisdom contained in How to Talk to the “Other Side" which is too often lacking in the public’s natural inclination to seek understanding from a singular approach. 

Given the depth and extent of division in America, How to Talk to the “Other Side" and its messages on how to achieve unity could not have appeared at a better time. This book is a top pick for any citizen concerned about the country's momentum offers hope to find common ground and a way forward. 

How to Talk to the “Other Side"

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Launch It!
Rick Benzel & Susan Shankin
New Insights Press
978-1-7338411-6-0                 $15.99 Paper/$5.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Launch-Stages-FINALLY-Writing-Publishing-ebook/dp/B086GKBQTY 

Launch It! The 7 Stages to FINALLY Writing and Publishing Your Book is an excellent, informative guide for authors looking to follow through on their dreams of writing and publishing their first book. It explores the entire gamut of 7 fundamental steps of the publishing process in great detail, explained by two highly experienced publishing professionals whose background includes working at major publishing houses and then starting two self-publishing enterprises.   

Each of these seven stages of publishing that they explain requires a different skill set, which is why new authors often bog down either at the beginning, midway, or even just after their book is published. There are many decisions authors must make as they go through the progression of the 7 steps, from deciding what they want to write about and why, to whether to hire an editor or ghostwriter, to choosing and working with a book designer, to assessing the pros and cons of using a book distributor or KDP's print on demand option.  

Launch It! explains everything you need. It helps new authors bolster their confidence to put pen to paper, finish their manuscript, and then understand their publishing options. It also provides post-publication publicity tips such as organizing a launch party. 

Rick Benzel & Susan Shankin's Launch It! not only provides a clear step-by-step game plan, but addresses common obstacles and provides keys to overcoming them with the goal of getting one's great book idea into print successfully, then promoting it to the public through basic marketing strategies. 

Many competing titles address the new writer's concern of how to produce a book, but few others incorporate the additional steps needed to understand not just the writing and creative development process, but the work of publishing and promoting one's words. Benzel and Shankin explain that the ultimate goal goes beyond publishing and explores what makes one's book unique and how to transform publishing a book into greater results such as becoming a speaker, workshop leader, or highly sought-after consultant.   

Launch It! is about launching more than one's dreams, seeing them come to fruition in a logical, organized manner that acknowledges common barriers and provides the tools to overcome them. 

Those interested in self-publishing models for success who have something important for readers and, in these days of often working from home, more time to pass on their wisdom to others will find Launch It! an encouraging and comprehensive blueprint that takes the complex world of book publishing and synthesizes its process into seven key segments that would-be authors can easily understand and employ. Highly recommended. 

Launch It!


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The Luddite's Guide to Technology
C.J.S. Hayward
CJS Hayward Publications
978-1478184911       
www.amazon.com 

The Luddite's Guide to Technology: The Past Writes Back to Humane Tech! comes from the "Major Works" series by C.J.S. Hayward and blends philosophical inspection with science, Luddite orthodoxy, and a curious blend of life inspection. It romps through the world of new devices with a clever eye towards considering the guideposts of technology choices. 

In the discipline of ethics, the Golden Rule represents a feat in formulating ethics: a single, short criterion that sheds light on many situations, and Hayward takes a cue, opening with a formulation of a “Silicon Rule” of “What do Silicon Valley technology executives choose for their children?” with a surprising answer: Steve Jobs did not give his children iPhones and iPads but walls of paper books and animated discussions with them. This single criterion unfolds at length in variations on the theme of right use of technology. 

C.J.S. Hayward (abbreviated “CSH” for “C.S. Hayward” on Facebook) adopts a revealing, chatty tone that winds intellectual debate, spiritual reflection, and cultural and social analysis in a curious, compelling manner. While this tone might not be for all readers, it will prove exceptionally fun and thought-provoking for those who relish both humor and a spiritual/philosophical style of inspection: "I remember, on environmental issues, someone talking softly about how “subdue the earth” in Genesis 1 originally meant a very gentle mastery. That was everything I wanted to believe, and I’d still like it to be true, but it has been said that the Hebrew has the force of, “trample it under foot!” Should we lord it over the earth? That’s one thing I think we have done disproportionately well. However, I bring this up for a reason. I believe we can, should, and perhaps need to lord it over technology, and the basis for our interactions, above the assumed life in the Church and frequent reception of sacraments, is the bedrock to how we should relate to technology. We should reject most use of technology along marketing propositions." 

Indeed, it is the Orthodox reader versed in this discipline and Biblical references and inspections who will most likely be fascinated by the technological probe Hayward undertakes here. This audience will also appreciate the scholarly yet accessible inspections that consider such elements as 'porn mode' in a browser, Newtonian physics, the pros and cons of assistive technologies, and how technology shifts the mindsets of children and adults alike, as in the Lego scenario: "Charles Baudelaire, in his "la Morale du Joujou" ("the moral of the toy") talks about toys and the fact that the best toys leave something to the imagination. Children at play will imagine that a bar of soap is a car; girls playing with dolls will play the same imagined drama with rag dolls as they will with dolls worth hundreds of dollars. There has been a shift, where Lego sets have shifted from providing raw material to being a specific model, made of specialized pieces, that the child is not supposed to imagine, only to assemble." 

While some could say that this treatise is disjointed and too wide-ranging, The Luddite's Guide to Technology always stays true to its foundation subjects—religion, technology, and social impact—even as it traverses historical and social settings with seemingly disparate topics. 

Much like an internet browsing session, Hayward leaps from topic to topic, making logical connections that move readers from Biblical analysis to social and technological changes and back again. 

The result is a literary blend of spiritual, social, and technological reflection wound in an overlay of tongue-in-cheek wry humor. Besides Eastern Orthodox and those interested in Eastern Orthodoxy, the work commends itself to those interested in the social dimensions of technology, including those drawn to the Lead Pencil Society and the Humane Tech movement, and the Nature Connection movement. The Luddite's Guide to Technology will especially appeal to intellectual thinkers interested in the intersection between orthodox beliefs and technology's allure. 

The Luddite's Guide to Technology

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Pandemic Capitalism: From Broken Systems to Basic Incomes
Chris Oestereich
Wicked Problems Collaborative
ASIN: B0889FJG5J              $3.99 ebook
Ordering:
https://www.amazon.com/Pandemic-Capitalism-Broken-Systems-Incomes-ebook/dp/B0889FJG5J
Publisher: www.wickedproblemscollaborative.com 

Pandemic Capitalism: From Broken Systems to Basic Incomes will reach readers who have a special interest in social, political, and economic issues. The book gathers a series of essays that discuss ongoing challenges that have been highlighted by the pandemic, as well as the possibility offered by Universal Basic Incomes. It addresses how such programs might work, and suggests possibilities for social and economic systems that would take better care of the planet and those living on it. 

These essays begin with the author conveying the idea of pandemic capitalism – our inescapable economic system – via a personal story that helps the reader view the circumstances from his perspective. They go on to examine our economic systems and interplays, move to discussions of the many systems that already existed on the brink, and concludes with a review of coronavirus-related developments to help contextualize the challenges. 

The heart of the story lies in discussions of positive economic paths that acknowledge obstacles to change while analyzing logical courses of action and the pros and cons of various approaches: "Universal basic incomes appear to have a lot to offer in improving the way that society functions, but it’s possible that they might do more harm than good. Our social and economic systems are massively complex, emergent phenomena. We need to try lots of experiments and see what we learn. Plenty of potential pitfalls may lie waiting in the road ahead. Thinking through them is essential to crafting the soundest possible plan. Among such pitfalls are (1) the likelihood of rentseeking, (2) the curtailment of welfare programs, and (3) the financialization of basic incomes." 

Chris Oestereich does an excellent job of contrasting different economic and social responses to not just pandemic conditions, but modified social environments and goals for prosperity. 

Chapters remind readers that the power to effect such changes lies not just in government institutions and decisions, but individual approaches to wealth, health, and life itself: "Most of us don’t see ourselves as having a voice in the construction and maintenance of our economic systems. We probably don’t even recognize their creation. But the economy is not some sort of natural phenomenon. We continually invent it. Humans make the rules via the laws and regulations, and we further influence it via a multitude of forces, like advocacy, donations, and extortion. Once we recognize that people create our economic systems, we can begin to think about how we might have a hand in them." 

It should be cautioned that Pandemic Capitalism is not to be considered a game plan for easy transition. It is a call to action that challenges traditional thinking not just about politics and economics, but viable social systems and those which are detrimental to the planet. Its basic contention is that "...humanity isn’t destined to be a laboratory for wickedness.” Its core question, “What would the world look like if we enabled people to choose a collaborative orientation, rather than being forced into a competitive one?" 

There is nothing simple or singular about this approach, and Pandemic Capitalism thus is, of necessity, a straightforward but demanding contrast between the ideals and practical applications of economic and social change. 

The result is a study that questions who will save the economy and society, how, and what revised goals for social, economic and planetary health might look like. 

Anyone interested in the social, political, and economic long-term effects of the current pandemic, and the broader challenges it highlighted, needs to take a serious look at Pandemic Capitalism for a thought-provoking discussion of future possibilities. It concludes with an invitation unusual in the face of worldwide disaster: "While the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc, it is affording us something precious—a moment to think. This is something the systems we live in have long robbed us of. We should not waste the opportunity." 

Pandemic Capitalism: From Broken Systems to Basic Incomes

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Sacred Landscapes of the Soul
Karen Brailsford
Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing
Hardcover: 978-1-948018-81-4     $37.00
Softcover: 978-1-948018-84-5            
www.wyattmackenzie.com 

Things feel as though they are falling apart for people around the world, which is why Sacred Landscapes of the Soul deserves a spot on any inspirational reading list. It offers a breath of spiritual fresh air to anyone looking for uplifting, soulful connections to the Divine no matter what religion they are coming from, focusing on a journey towards healing, peace, and resolution that provides many thought-provoking reflections in a time of exceptional turmoil. 

Take 'Landscape of Immobility' under 'Terrain of Confinement', for example. Karen Brailsford's words are lyrical, compelling, uplifting reminders of daily life's joys as well as its challenges: "TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON, and a rhyme and a reason. The quiet storms are as valuable as the tempestuous cyclones, and there are hallelujahs in the hurricanes. Yes, praise the sun but in the same breath, welcome the dark nights of the soul with amens. There is grace and beauty and healing in all of it." 

Even as this section speaks about confronting fears and overcoming obstacles, it also draws connections between love, spirituality, and interpersonal connections, encouraging readers to gently move forward from adversity with an underlying faith that "God is everywhere." 

Never are these words so heartfelt or needed as today. Much as things are changing, Brailsford reminds her readers that it's a new season in life, and as much a time for spiritual enlightenment and opportunity as for transformation: "It is time to exit the lion’s den. There are no more creatures to wrestle. All that needs to be slain is you—in the spirit. It is time to synthesize the music inside of you. Let the grace notes float into the atmosphere, resound like the music of the spheres. Yes, it is time to walk on water for you are the Christ. Your very life beckons." 

Because these messages are embedded in an overall spiritual coating of trust, faith, and revitalized purpose, they will appeal across religions and beyond Christian faith. 

The result is a rare set of admonitions linked to modern living which offers an inspirational, heartfelt path for reconnecting to God and love by expanding one's boundaries even though life may feel newly limiting and difficult. 

The timing is perfect for this uplifting set of instructions on how to align and realign with the Divine no matter the circumstances of the world. Sacred Landscapes of the Soul is highly recommended for spiritual readers who would use these words of wisdom to change and redirect their lives. 

Sacred Landscapes of the Soul

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Situation Normal A.F.U.
Oscar R. Nordstrom
North Stream Publishing
978-0-9983109-5-4         $19.95 Softcover
www.northstreampublishing.com

Situation Normal A.F.U.: A Flatfooted Soldier Tells All is a Vietnam era army experience that appears long after most such memoirs have been published. Readers might initially wonder at the need for yet another military memoir about these times, but Oscar R. Nordstrom wasn't drafted. He enlisted. This difference in attitude and perspective is one of the strong points in Situation Normal A.F.U, which represents situations from an enlisted man's viewpoint. 

Another difference lies in a sense of irony and humor as stories trace situations within the military while training for the battlefield, lending an unexpected flavor to the events. Nordstrom's humor often translates military challenges and experiences into a wry, satirical look at the Army's impact on its soldiers: "There was another interesting thing I discovered about standing all the time. I heard somewhere that the horse and giraffe are the only animals that can sleep standing up. If that’s true, I should be in the Guinness Book of Records, as I’m living proof that, given enough incentive, humans can do the same. Moreover, given the damage basic training did to my already flat feet, I believe the Army should recognize that the pain and suffering, and resultant damage to the psyche, as a service-related disability." 

Nordstrom completes his thoughts on the subject by opining: “My aversion to standing for any length of time had another unintended, but positive, consequence; I found an occupation doing paperwork that also required an ability to dictate business letters, which doesn’t hurt if you want to be a writer . . . Thus, in a world searching for answers, I can recommend that everyone cultivate the arts of standing in line and sleep deprivation. Doing so will prepare them for any eventuality, from writing a novel to repelling an invasion.” 

As Nordstrom navigates fate, changing duties, and Academy training regimens, readers receive a review of daily routines, military politics, his own choices and decisions that are made for survival and prosperity, and original methods of either beating or working with the system: "Wanting to get ahead of the curve, I spent our meager savings from the month prior to the start of the four‐week course on a spare set of boots, new fatigues, skivvies, and other articles that went into our wall and footlockers. Once I assembled all these   mirror‐reflecting boots and shoes and carefully pressed and folded articles, I never disturbed them the entire time I was at the (NCO) Academy. Instead, I lived out of laundry bags which contained my clean clothes. Rather than gaming the system, I looked upon it as the strategic planning necessary for a future leader of men, like taking advantage of the terrain, or exploiting your enemy’s weaknesses. So, while other less prepared soldiers were busy spit shinning the shoes they scuffed up during the day, I spent my time studying things like how to harass the troops (just kidding), fundamentals of leadership, radio communications, reading maps and using compasses (called orienting)." And despite nearly being kicked out of the Academy for fighting (a recurrent problem), Nordstrom managed to graduate with honors. 

Contrasts between changing technology and Army approaches past and present are injected into discussions which will prove particularly revealing and thought-provoking to modern military participants, as well as those who have never served. For example, while explaining why GPS has virtually replaced the need for the survey training Nordstrom received, he manages to keep the reader’s attention by explaining how it is possible to be in two places at the same time! 

Competing military memoirs provide action-packed battle scenarios and perspectives from a draftee's viewpoint, but Situation Normal A.F.U.'s focus on military processes within the service and the approaches Nordstrom took to be successful both personally and professionally make for engrossing reading even for civilians who may have never seen an Army base or served in any branch of the military. While some may criticize the lack of social commentary on the horrors of war, this approach is quite refreshing. 

Nordstrom's ability to appeal to such a wide audience is part of what places Situation Normal A.F.U above most other military memoirs. Combined with an astute attention to detail about these changing processes and his methods of adapting to his role and responsibilities, and while Situation Normal A.F.U will appeal primarily to military participants and their families, it holds the rare ability to move outside the ranks to educate and even entertain civilian populations. 

This audience, who may be relatively unfamiliar with military protocols and experience, will welcome the opportunity learn from one who relates incidents, accidents, ironies and interpersonal relationships, with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.  Black and white photos also capture the military experience. Situation Normal A.F.U. is thus highly recommended for a much wider audience than those who commonly pursue military memoirs.
Situation Normal A.F.U.

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Snatch 2&20
Luke E. Fellows
Independently Published
979-8639785795            $11.99 Paper/$4.19 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Snatch-2-20-Luke-Fellows/dp/B087KYDPPY 

Snatch 2&20 opens with a bang, juxtaposing the narrator's earliest memory of getting his diaper changed with the present-day fact that this memory is coming to light after a deadly crash as he awakens from a coma, paralyzed. 

This introduction needs no additional lure to prove compelling as Giles Goodenough, a successful Wall Street analyst (thanks to his father's intervention), comes to realize the fraud and evil surrounding him in the world. As he juggles hedge funds, fraud, waste, and greed, Giles faces challenges to his business-oriented views of life's values: "The worst thing that could happen would be for me to lose conviction in any company whose stock was going up, or worse still, to gain conviction in a company whose stock was going down...They say that price is all that matters, and I made that my mantra." 

As his "flair for melodramatic self-pity" and uncertain relationship and fear of his successful father, Andrew Roman Goodenough IV, permeates his life and work environment, readers are drawn into the drama, psychology, and business challenges of Wall Street. These are made all the more powerful because author Luke E. Fellows is himself a "recovering hedge fund manager," and injects the realities of the job and its milieu into Giles's story. 

One could almost say this is autobiography fictionalized, as many of the protagonist's obstacles, challenges, and life perceptions are mirrored in the author's world. 

As intrigue and danger enter the picture, readers interested in business fiction, satire, and dark comedy will find both a fun and pointed read that crosses genres in juxtaposing mystery, moral inspection, psychological growth, and danger into its story. 

Luke E. Fellows excels at carefully crafting these elements into a tale that follows risk assessments, choices, models for success and disaster, and the disparate encounters of a businessman who embarks on a journey that promises miracles and a revolutionary approach for the human race. 

Complex, witty, dramatic, thought-provoking, and filled with business and social inspection, Snatch 2&20 will appeal to readers who like stories rooted in a business environment, but with wider-reaching inspections and subplots that move from the logical to the unexpected, commenting on materialistic goals and the promises and dangers surrounding The Peach and a hedge fund manager who faces its allure and dangers. 

Snatch 2&20 is engrossing, unexpected, and hard to put down, even as it's difficult to easily categorize. 

Snatch 2&20

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Young Adult/Childrens

The 12 Labors of Nick
Amy Wolf 

The 12 Labors of Nick is Book I of the Mýthos Trilogy and provides young adult readers with the engaging story of Nikólaos Chironopolous, a Greek boy who faces bullying, prejudice, and the juxtaposition of a strange world which intersects with his own in unexpected ways. 

Aside from the bullying, Nick harbors a fond affection for other elements of his life, from horses to Downs syndrome children. Even though these other passions are cause for further bullying, Nick sets aside angst and pursues his passions anyway: "He had come to love the musty smell of horses; their sweet, hay-scented breath; the way they put their head on his shoulder like a comforting friend. Though they each weighed more than a ton, Nick wasn’t afraid, even when squeezed, as he was, into a stall with two of them. To him, they seemed more human than people, without the power of speech to insult and hurt him. Of course, Nick thought, he’d even been bullied over his love of horses: since this was “for girls,” he’d been called “fag” and “gay” more times than he could remember." 

But his life, Greek heritage, and real connections to the world aren't as they appear, even though an early key lies in a strange singing woman who suddenly appears, rescues him from more bullying, then vanishes. This leads to further clues that even his parents know that he is truly different from the norm, connected to a world very different from the one he operates in.

When the truth comes out, Nick discovers his own parents are involved in something far stranger than he could ever have imagined. 

The fantasy elements in The 12 Labors of Nick appear early and grow along with Nick's perceptions of and reactions to the world of Mýthos. When he encounters Medusa, renames her Helen, and embarks on a journey with her, teens will welcome the combination of fantasy elements, mythology, and the pragmatic personality of Nick who, used to being bullied and maligned, is surprisingly able to take charge of new realities and find his place in them. 

From encounters with gods and mermen and many of the legends of Greek mythology to the different realities of a world where such beings exist, fantasy readers interested in stories with mythological connections will welcome the juxtaposition of modern and ancient that follows Nick through revised worlds and new challenges. 

The action is nicely paced, characterization well done, and his personal discoveries about his father, heritage, and visions are injected into a story that holds a satisfying gallop to its pace without being overly action-packed. This allows young adults to easily absorb the mythological references and Nick's reactions to his changing world. 

The 12 Labors of Nick concludes by tying up many loose ends, but ends his quest with an open door portending new books in the series. Young adults seeking an adventure story that is nicely tempered with personal challenge, new worlds, and newfound achievements will relish this story's evolution, unexpected twists, and outstanding reinterpretations of Greek culture and mythology. 

The 12 Labors of Nick

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Jesse's Hope
Victor Hess
Independently Published
978-1732215580                    $15.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Jesses-Hope-Searching-Family-Book-ebook/dp/B0BBRV37W7 

Book 2 in Jesse's 'Searching for Family' series presents a new story that dovetails nicely with the introductory book, but adds even more elements of intrigue and suspense to its tale. This approach will satisfy middle grade readers who want an expanded vision of Jesse's pursuits, life, and growing interactions with the world around him. The book picks up at the point where Jesse's future changed in Jesse Sings. 

Jesse has only lived in Sabina for a year and has just begun to put his life together when upheaval threatens again. His mother is determined to become less dependent upon his unpredictable father's child support payments, and has made decisions to move on. But Jesse is not sure he really wants to let go, especially since he's built the beginnings of a new life after much initial struggle. 

As marriage, disappointment, broken and revised family connections, and small life challenges emerge, such as finding an appropriate Father's Day card for one who is less than predictable, Jesse finds new ways of accepting changes and redefining his life and expectations of family ties. 

At the heart of both these Jesse books is this process of revision, contrasting ideals with reality not just in Jesse's life, but the family structures of his peers. 

The past can't be changed, but as his mother brings a disparate group of broken siblings together for the first time and embarks on her own journey to change everything, Jesse and his reader receive invaluable lessons on change and confronting myths and realities both within his community and on a broader perspective. 

The contrast between Jesse and Lynn's perceptions of family ties and their meaning is particularly well done, as is the threat of polio's life-changing effects on both community and individual lives. 

Jesse's involvement in the mystery of a hidden treasure and the clues he unearths in a courthouse clock tower and Biblical verses are nicely juxtaposed with the adjustments and achievements he experiences in his own life. 

How he handles both results in an engrossing story that builds upon Jesse Sings, yet moves in a different direction as Jesse absorbs the lessons of history and heritage during a treasure hunt that promises even more options for positive change. 

The stalwart, determined character of Jesse and his struggles that range from economic to spiritual and social crafts a full-faceted story offering more realistic elements and depth than most sagas about family developments and changing times. 

Middle grade readers will be thoroughly immersed in Jesse's objectives, perceptions, and changes. They will find this second book in the series even more compelling than the first, as Jesse makes the most of what is handed to him and continues his growth momentum. 

Jesse's Hope

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Dylan's Birthday Present
Victor Dias de Oliveria Santos
Linguacious
9781952451607         
$23.99 Hardcover/$9.99 Paper/$2.99 Kindle
www.linguacious.net 

Dylan's Birthday Present, Book 1 in the series Little Polyglot Adventures, receives colorful drawings by Eszter Miklós and tells of an American boy whose parents come from other countries and speak different languages. It's Dylan's birthday, and he receives an unusual invitation from his family to have any present he wishes. And Dylan wants a pet. 

His Ukrainian mother is shocked. Might he want a crocodile or something exotic? Young readers with good reading skills are introduced to a concept rarely presented in a picture book: the use of footnotes, which define the phrases and responses in the Ukrainian and Portuguese languages his parents speak. 

This added value teaches youngsters about first generation immigrant families and their interactions, creating a colorful series of dialogues centered on a child's unusual pet request and why it incorporates his interest in family unity and understanding. 

In the course of enjoying his new pet with his neighbor friend, Dylan has an opportunity to explain the concept of a polyglot such as himself, who can speak several languages, and the value of communicating with all kinds of people...even the grumpy ones. 

The adventure introduces a pet, a quest, and the interactions which surround it, but the action centers upon friendship and the superpower of communication skills and openness to accepting other cultures. 

With its multifaceted educational opportunities couched in the sweet story of a boy's unusual pet and its possibilities for bringing disparate peoples together, Dylan's Birthday Present provides more than just a good leisure read. It's an opportunity adults can employ to teach children the value of languages, understanding, multiculturalism, and the positive aspects of being multilingual. It's available in English as well as in a large number of other languages, including in bilingual editions.  

Dylan's Birthday Present

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Jesse Sings: Searching for Family
Victor Hess
Independently Published

978-0999564011            $10.95 Paper/$2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Jesse-Sings-Searching-Family-Jesses/dp/0999564013 

Jesse Sings: Searching for Family is the first book in the 'Searching for Family' series focusing on eight-year-old Jesse and his mother, who move to a small Ohio town to flee an abusive situation. Instead of finding relief from a dangerous father, Jesse is bullied by a popular boy in school and threatened with foster care by a social worker who means well, but isn't actually syncing with Jesse's own desires for his family. 

When everyone around him feels dysfunctional and dangerous, how can Jesse feel safe, much less cultivate the supportive family atmosphere he longs for?

Jesse narrates his own story as he moves through changing worlds and confrontations in 1950s Midwest America. This imparts a personal touch to his saga that draws readers in with observations that are innocent, astute, and calculatingly compelling: "I wanted to tell him that it wasn't her fault, that that he'd gambled away his pay, but then I'd just be making him mad. It was at this moment that I was suddenly aware of how fractured my family was, with brothers living one place, a sister living on Grandpa Hall's farm, Mom in the hospital and Dad and me about to become homeless." 

These realizations of life's realities, troubles, and approaches to handling them permeate Jesse's story and observations. His struggles with the legacy of a fractured family lends realistic elements to his choices in this story, which moves from a coming-of-age tale to one that assesses the fundamental values of family connections. 

Readers are treated to a tale that moves between Jesse's relationships with an astute eye to dialogue that reveals his conundrums as he faces the complicated interactions of adults and peers around him: "What would I do if you were gone? Dad can't take care of me. Where do you think I'd go? Here, with a mean grandma?" 

When he finds a friend in a fatherless peer, he embarks on a different kind of journey that promises revelations, realizations, and new options. 

Victor Hess excels in capturing both the small-town atmosphere of Sabina, Ohio's daily life and the evolving emotions of a young man who attempts to revise his world and influence adults around him, who don't always make decisions in his best interests. 

Jesse's character is nicely developed and there's even a touch of intrigue added into the mix to bring his varied circumstances and challenges to life. 

Elementary to middle-grade readers will come to care about relish Jesse's resilience and determination, and will find this first story a moving introduction that sets the stage for more journeys, neatly posing another dilemma in which Jesse gets what he wants, but at a price. 

Jesse Sings: Searching for Family

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Our Bodies Stay Home, Our Imaginations Run Free
Lora L. Hyler
HenschelHAUS Publishing, Inc.
978-1595987747            $8.99
https://www.amazon.com/Bodies-Stay-Home-Imaginations-Free/dp/1595987746 

Adults seeking a COVID explanatory book for kids ages 6-12 now have an outstanding presentation that outlines the positive potentials of this new world in Our Bodies Stay Home, Our Imaginations Run Free. 

The story opens with 2nd-grader Maya realizing that today is a different day: "As she wiped the sleep from her eyes, she knew deep down something was different. It wasn’t a school day. She wouldn’t see her lunch lady. She wouldn’t get to bring her favorite art creation for Show and Tell. And worst of all, she would miss seeing all her friends and her favorite teacher. She wanted to get back to second grade." 

As the story documents the changes brought about by COVID-19 from a child's viewpoint, adults and young readers receive not just a survey of newfound limitations and quarantine challenges, but answers on how to live a meaningful revised life under vastly different conditions. 

These are universal questions all ages now ask. Having them tailored to younger readers in Our Bodies Stay Home, Our Imaginations Run Free in no way precludes its relevant message for older readers and read-aloud parents working with younger audiences, as well. 

As the story evolves, Lora L. Hyler is careful to document the realities of the new situation and the emotional turmoil it evokes: "As her mom rounded the corner into the kitchen, Maya burst into tears. “Why can’t things be like they were before the coronavirus? No school. No play dates. No building legos with friends. No pizza parties or bowling. No visiting grandma and grandpa at their house. Everything is different!” 

Hyler weaves virus facts, safety measures, and psychological and social issues into Maya's story, which promotes family and community togetherness and adaptation under revised circumstances. 

Black and white drawings by Ian Wade illustrate these changes and capture the underlying possibility of happiness as Maya takes walks, practices safety measures, and learns how to cultivate a resilient feel of positive approaches to much-changed situations. 

The result is a combination of fictional exploration and nonfiction discussions of virus safety measures, health, and social concern. It's a delightful, important acquisition for any adult working with the young, who seeks a clear, uplifting book that accepts the dangers and emotional challenges of the current COVID situation while presenting alternatives for living in this revised world. 

Very highly recommended for its blend of realistic assessments and uplifting viewpoints. 

Our Bodies Stay Home, Our Imaginations Run Free

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The Unexpected Adventures of Remi
Shweta Roy
APK Publishers
ASIN: B07XDSD49J             $1.99
www.apkpublishers.com 

The Unexpected Adventures of Remi will appeal to elementary-grade readers in grades 4-6 who will appreciate this blend of lovely color drawings and in-depth details about Remi, a little fox terrier who tires of humans' obsession with technology and who leads an animal revolution to rescue her humans from its allure. 

When she leaves the pet store which has been her home, she revels in the thought that she'll have a family to love, at last. The family relationship isn't quite what she'd envisioned, however, as she's been purchased as a gift for young Mia, who still mourns the loss of a prior dog and resents the fact that Remi is a look-alike replacement. Besides, Mia claims that technology has changed her needs:  "Pets don’t interest me anymore. I have a ton of Snapchat friends to attend to." 

But is it really technology, or is Mia hiding her grief and resisting the urge to move on with a new relationship? It's clearly up to Remi to solve this problem, and so she embarks on a mission, involves other pets in her newfound goals, and faces this technology beast with a tenacity that creates an unusual, fun pet story kids will relish. 

Shweta Roy's ability to intersect a dog's viewpoint with the experiences of humans and other animals creates a sense of community, understanding, and insight that elevates this story beyond the usual pet and child adventure. There are many serious considerations couched within Remi's drive to find love and a family, and these are part of what makes this story feel so compellingly different. 

Whether they are obsessed with technology or dogs, kids will find this tale revealing, compelling, and thought-provoking. The Unexpected Adventures of Remi is the perfect item of choice for a leisure read, juxtaposing a strong personality with a lesson about choice, life, and love.

The Unexpected Adventures of Remi

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Literature

The Aspen Grove
Jane Fulkerson
Independently Published
9781734330519             $14.95 Paper/$2.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Aspen-Grove-Jane-Fulkerson/dp/1734330511 

The Aspen Grove centers on an Irish immigrant family in 1883 Colorado, and provides a Western theme with a cultural twist as it inspects the lives of Daniel O'Neal, his wife and daughter, and their hired hands who live on a cattle ranch. 

Their world and habits seem set until catastrophe strikes and changes both the family and everything around it. 

Readers with a prior affection for Western themes will find this story more multifaceted than most, offering a satisfyingly complex series of events that draw together opposing forces in Civil War history, an effort to bring justice to a grieving family, and the lingering effects of the war's political and social changes on the nation. 

This flavor alone sets The Aspen Grove apart from more singular Western productions, but Jane Fulkerson also adds other elements, such as extensive family history, cultural references to immigrant Irish experiences, and discussions of community ties into a classic story of confronting adversity. 

Under another hand, so many subplots under one cover might have proved challenging for readers of Westerns to absorb. Too many Western genre reads are both predictable and light on background history. 

Fulkerson's incorporation of all these themes into a story that is fueled by a range of issues, from jurisdictions that limit the pursuit of justice to a love of family, sense of responsibility, and characters' ability to creatively confront danger, makes for a gripping story that holds a number of surprises as it evolves. 

The result is a literary and historical Western that holds more elements of realistic background than most. The Aspen Grove is a tale that is gripping, educational, and replete in psychological, social, and political inspection. It will delight literary Western genre readers seeking something different. 

The Aspen Grove

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Faith in the Unknown
Anthony Sciarratta
Post Hill Press
Paperback: 978-1-64293-443-4            $12.99
Ebook: 978-1-64293-444-1                   $  7.99
www.posthillpress.com 

Faith in the Unknown gathers thirty inspirational and spiritual poems that focus on connections between nature, love, and spirituality. These pieces follow not only the evolution of a relationship, but topics associated with relationship development and spiritual perception that rarely see explanation in modern poetic form. 

Take, for example, 'The Loss of My Power'. This poem comments on the writer's connections between the forces of love and those of God: "There aren’t enough words that can describe/how the love of a woman brought me to life./A force that rivals only God,/ripping the power from my fingertips./Filled with infinite wisdom of her Queen’s past/a philosopher, with a gentle understanding of life./Calming my mind, with her two hands/reminding me of the things I can’t control." 

This and other rhyming and free verse works are heartfelt, analytical, passionate, and compelling. Each focuses on relationship evolution, aging, and other universal themes, but often brings these reflections into a spiritual realm, whether in a history of the lifelong relationship depicted in 'Quirky Girl' or the spoilage experienced in untrue love in 'Pure Substance.' 

Anthony Sciarratta presents his poems with a handy heavy in allegory, description, and emotional and spiritual presence. This gives his works a vivid immediacy that explores the links and chains of love and its lasting incarnation in life. 

Poetry readers who enjoy literary pieces firmly rooted in emotional explorations yet centered in spiritual lessons and reflections will find Faith in the Unknown a compelling collection that is heartfelt, literary, descriptive, and thought-provoking. It goes above and beyond examining a man's relationship with his beloved and the concept of love. 

This collection is a recommended pick for poets who enjoy precise, emotional overlays with spiritual reflections. 

Faith in the Unknown

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Freefall: A Divine Comedy
Lily Iona MacKenzie
Pen-L Publishing
978-1683131960            $14.97
Ordering:: https://www.amazon.com/Freefall-Divine-Lily-Iona-MacKenzie/dp/1683131967
Website: https://lilyionamackenzie.com/freefall-a-divine-comedy/ 

When four female old friends join together on a four-day reunion to celebrate their long-time friendship, they didn't expect long-held secrets to emerge, nor a new mystery that engrosses and challenges them. But that's what they get when a hike and meeting in Whistler, British Columbia juxtaposes the threat of death and new intimacy with the long-held perceptions that forces each 60-year-old to re-examine her life, choices, and friendships. 

Powered by the ambitious dreams of installation artist Tillie Bloom, the women find themselves undertaking a journey of self-discovery normally relegated to teens entering adulthood. At this stage in their lives, they didn't expect to continue experiencing the world in new ways. Nor did they anticipate making choices that would change themselves and their perceptions of one another. 

Lily Iona MacKenzie flushes out her characters by moving between past and present, allowing readers to contrast their lives, changing personalities, and reactions to life. Her attention to details both within each character and between them helps define their motivations, influences, and interrelationships both with each other and with life. 

It's unusual to receive an 'adventure' focus in a story about older women, but Lily Iona MacKenzie does a fine job of embedding the feel of a coming-of-age novel with characters who are old enough to know more about life, but not too staid to accept that further changes may be in order for them. 

Descriptions are often thought-provoking and give pause for thought with their edgy, adroit observations: "Tillie watches a snail chomp away at a flower. It reminds her of how priests transform bread and wine into body and blood. She almost gags at the cannibalistic quality of the Eucharist, the communicant’s symbolic swallowing of Christ’s body. Yet it isn’t much different from the cannibalistic nature of art, the artist devouring everything in her path that helps express her vision—and art devouring the artist. Consuming each other." 

From a touch of romance to changing perspectives on mortality, Freefall: A Divine Comedy is a refreshing breath of fresh air in the genre of women's literature. It's a read that is especially recommended for older women who will be able to fully appreciate and relate to the sense of transformation, adventure, and interpersonal connections that these four women represent. 

Freefall: A Divine Comedy

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Inferno of Silence
Tolu' A. Akinyemi
The Roaring Lion Newcastle
9781913636029
www.tolutoludo.com 

Poet Tolu' A. Akinyemi's previous writings captured the intimacy of interpersonal relationships, pairing them with life-affirming admonitions and observations, but Inferno of Silence departs from his usual approach by providing a literary short story collection that examines social issues ranging from racism to love in the face of political upheaval. 

Each short work is powered by this social observation, taking individual lives and linking them to broader perspectives and concerns to provide astute insights on mental health, personal struggle, and connections between individual choice and social impact. 

Take the title story 'Inferno of Silence', for example. Here, Kunle is a married man often puzzled by his situation, women in general, and his wife in particular. His helpful father tells him he just needs to learn how to 'manage' women in true Nigerian style, but Kunle finds his attitude and occasional violence against his mother to be distasteful. And so he is stuck in a limbo between different approaches to the women in his adult life. 

He finds marriage principles "almost impossible to abide by" and an antithesis to the initial attraction he felt towards this woman who became his wife. When Adaeze moves in, she changes his life. But, she controls everything from the start. Does his voice deserve to be heard? If so, how? 

The marriage changes everything and challenges him to find his voice apart from cultural traditions and the lack of information from either the pastor or his father. 

'Return Journey' is also a story about men, women, relationships, and social expectations. Ade's argument with his father about settling down is an ongoing one, as he's immersed with pleasing 'Capitalist Investors' over building a life that satisfied his parents and cultural expectations. 

As he faces an unusual woman, situation, and the notion that "...a woman could stand in the place of a diety," he finds not only his life changed, but his attitudes and values, as well. 

Inferno of Silence is a wide-ranging collection that tackles different themes of love, life, interpersonal relationships, and social and political challenges. It's a hard-hitting, revealing collection that keeps readers engaged and thinking with each short exploration of characters who confront their prejudices, realities, and the winds of change in their lives. 

Readers of literary explorations that include African cultural influence and modern-day dilemmas will find this collection engrossing. 

Inferno of Silence

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Marion's 25, Volume II
Marion Hill
Red Mango Publishing
978-1734644500            $10.00
https://www.amazon.com/Marions-25-II-Marion-Hill/dp/1734644508

Marion's 25, Volume II gathers more of book reviewer Marion Hill's collected writings and is recommended for readers who want to locate memorable new authors and books to read, or who want to reread classics such as Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 or David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. 

Under another hand, these classics might be presented on lists that contain older books, but Marion Hill's extensive reading and reviewing differs from most in a key way. He's a generalist, and so his tastes run from the classics to Stephen King, Katherine Kurtz, and a host of lesser-known writers that readers should place on their lists. 

One facet of these reviews that should attract a diverse audience of literary and leisure readers is that each cross-references other works, draws connections between authors and their subjects and approaches. This provides background history that give readers an expanded perception of each book's unique opportunities: "I came to reading The Cuckoo’s Calling as someone who had never read the Harry Potter books or her first adult novel, Casual Vacancy. I had read one of the reasons Rowling wanted to write under a pseudonym was so that her work could be judged on the basis of if it was good or not. Also, she did not want to be judged through the lens as a celebrity novelist. If this were a first novel by Robert Galbraith it would be an outstanding first novel. But it was Rowling’s second adult novel and deserved to be judged on its own merits as a crime fiction novel." 

This collection, as with its predecessor, is particularly notable for its ability to bridge reading gaps, introducing genre-specific readers to notable works outside their usual comfort zones. This is the role librarians used to assume for their readers as they identified superior works, noting their connections between genres to known productions a reader likes, encouraging a broadening of literary horizons with superior works. 

Hill's ability to inject personal notes into each of his reviews creates an accessible, inviting style that is lively and encourages such literary connections: "It is interesting how a certain genre presents itself to you as a reader. I have not been a historical fiction reader through­out my reading life. However, I read several historical fiction novels over the past couple of years. Beginning with the novels of Guy Gavriel Kay like Children of Earth and Sky, A Brightness Long Ago, and the Sarantine Mosaic Series (Sailing to Saran­tium & Lord of Emperors) and I recently finished The Gondola Maker by Laura Morelli. I love reading novels about art, music, food, books and how those things helped shape a society in the story. Well, I add The Chef’s Secret by Crystal King as my latest addition to this neighborhood of books." 

Too many reviewers simply recap plots or approaches, then lend their yea or nay vote to the author's effort. Marion Hill's studied analysis uses the kind of literary references necessary to encourage readers to try different works based not just on plot or premise, but the unique, compelling draw that these selected superior pieces offer to all readers. 

Use Marion's 25, Volume II as a guide to finding new authors and rereading old ones with new understanding. Its format, tone, and analytical references lend to this style of discovery as few others can achieve, placing its detail far above anything a book list could produce. 

Marion's 25, Volume II is very highly recommended for its ability to connect the dots between seemingly diverse writings with the goal of exploring solid, good literature. 

Marion's 25, Volume II

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The Rocky Orchard
Barbara Monier
Amika Press
978-1-937484-82-8         $5.95 Kindle
www.amikapress.com 

The Rocky Orchard tells of Mazie, who has returned home to the family farm to make peace with her life. Driven by Barbara Monier's lyrical language, Mazie's first-person story of her foray into past, present, and future is compelling from the start: "I want to capture the expression on your face and put it in a jar. I want to carry the jar around with me like precious fireflies from a summer night. I have never seen you so relaxed, so contented. As if you know what I’m thinking, you reach for my hand and you kiss it. I am staring at you and you know that I am staring at you, and I tear up and you laugh. You kiss my hand again. You have that shy-but-formidable look, the one you had on our first date, our real first date. The look that makes your one dimple sing out." 

The timeline shifts between these worlds, with each chapter heading giving readers proper perspective. Mazie befriends the elderly woman Lula and, through her, begins to both share and assess her life. 

These reflections of her past move from crises and parent/child interactions where she wished time would stop ("I said nothing. I couldn’t think of what to say. I felt as if there was nothing inside of me. Nothing at all. Not a thought, not a feeling, not a word. And I wanted to keep it that way. And keeping it that way depended on me staying right where I was, right on the porch, on the swing. Maybe forever.") to the fate involved in contemporary connections forged by chance and need: "I may not be able to see the elderly woman when she comes walking through the orchard today. Or, the woman may well decide to bypass the orchard altogether, as she would not be able to see the treacherous rocks endangering her path. In this kind of fog, people and things appear out of nowhere, without hint or warning, when they come close enough to emerge from the fog’s grip. They disappear just as fast. It’s strange. I just met the old woman—if you can even call that a “meeting”—and I feel like I don’t want to miss her if she takes her walk today." 

While on its surface The Rocky Orchard is about an evolving friendship and connection, it's also about navigating the ethereal changes of life and accepting randomness, impermanence, and obstacles and decisions that have lasting impact on the future. 

Mazie's ability to recall this past and consider this future make for quiet revelations that center around her quest for healing from her past and the mystery of what Mazie seeks from this farm of yesteryear, as well as her relationship with Lulu. 

Her home feels both safe, and strange and foreign. As Mazie considers birth, evolution, death, and rebirth in a different way, readers are drawn to her story and its quiet power. Those interested in introspective pieces that follow a 'magnificent life' filled with love, danger and darkness, and a terrifying truth that must be faced by one who "notices everything" and, on some level, never forgets, will find The Rocky Orchard a powerful literary work. 

With its compelling language, quiet secrets, and evolutionary process, Mazie's story will draw and haunt her audience up to its surprising conclusion, which leaves readers thinking long after the final lines are read. 

The Rocky Orchard

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Resolutions: A Family in Stories
Jen Knox
AUXmedia
978-1-7330898-7-6                $16.99
www.jenknox.com
 

Resolutions: A Family in Stories is a collection of separate yet interlinked short stories about different family members who largely share the same narrator/observer (Molly May) and revolves around protagonist and mother of four Jasmine and her connections in a small Ohio community. Resolutions opens with Jasmine's fairly unique ailment and connects this with her evolving quest to change her life's trajectory and her relationships. 

At first glance, Resolutions would seem to be about her process of transformation and family interactions alone, but it's actually much more. Under the guise of a literary production that involves a quest for freedom as observed and narrated by participants and observers in this life, Resolutions assumes an astute blend of self-analysis and outside inspection that is compellingly revealing and psychologically intense: "Today, I am a single mother of four, and I am full of rage. I imagine the faceless monster in front of me represents everything holding me back. I am standing wide-legged and steady, my arms straight and strong. The manageable world awaits; I know it does. I focus on it, this manageable world, and position my finger above the center of the trigger. Humming the theme music from Jeopardy, I press rapidly and with all the strength I can manage, cursing my delicate hands. Weak hands from repetitive motion. They ache with the vibrations that follow each shot, the squeeze and release. The world buckles beneath me, and I exhale." 

As Jasmine confronts her inner demons and her ability to change her life and reactions, readers are treated to a series of stories that contrast her focus with those of her children Myron, Joey, Molly May, and Allie. Each cultivates their own unique vision of their mother. Each perspective is given an evocative, descriptive voice that captures relationships and reactions to them: "I shrug, tracing the roof of my mouth with my tongue where tiny scratches remain from the tough bread. I get hot chills when I’m uncomfortable, and right now I am shaking from the contradictions in my body." 

As the stories build upon one another, they expand the perceptions and thoughts about Jasmine's world. This approach opens up the discussion to incorporate Midwest community perspectives, refuting stereotypes about their relationships and viewpoints of life and providing astute, literary observations that linger in the mind long after their presentation. 

Any reader looking for discussions of family life, Midwestern values, and evolving parental roles will relish the interlaced delicacy of Resolutions, which blends psychological and social analysis with equal talent. 

Resolutions: A Family in Stories

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