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Donovan's Bookshelf

June 2024 Review Issue


Table Of Contents

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


Fantasy & Sci Fi

Σ Book I: Thumos Rising
Demitrios Lopez
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-051-2         $18.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
www.atmospherepress.com 

Σ Book I: Thumos Rising blends sci-fi and fantasy in an epic adventure story. Ninivon is on the verge of destruction, and Zeno is stepping into his role as a hero for Σ (a primordial power), battling a vampire conqueror from beyond the stars. 

These elements are only a taste of what Thumos Rising offers; because embedded in this rich saga of discovery is a vivid set of characters, an engrossing sense of past events, and a tale of self-discovery and action that is steeped in a sense of inevitable disaster, balance, and relationships. All these factors shift over time, space, and influence, contributing to an absorbing set of insights about Zeno’s real impact and role: 

“Zeno loved Alexandra as he loved his own soul. Zeno had never abandoned her and he did not have the advantage of the foreknowledge the Priestess had afforded him. Zeno actually believed that Alexandra had died at Ying-Chau. To have received her back from the dead, only to lose her again, must have cut to his heart.” 

From issues of free will and destiny to military operations that immerse friends in families in war and struggle, exploits that attract admirers from surprising sectors, and epic journeys that Zeno undertakes with the accompaniment of volunteers and loved ones, Thumos Rising is steeped in a sense of purpose and place that will delight both sci-fi and fantasy readers. 

These audiences should anticipate an immersive experience in which a world’s fate rests solidly on the shoulders of a flawed hero whose destiny lies as much in the consequences of his actions and choices as it does in preordained battles with the Vampire and his warriors. 

Thought-provoking observations pepper the story: 

“You have heard of the Blue Order, have you not?”
“Yes, thugs trying to carve out a black market under the Vampire’s heavy hand. Organized crime isn’t the same as a rebellion.”
“They’re not just thugs or criminals anymore. Now they are rebels.” 

In the end, the Vampire wins. Or, does he? Certainly, the creature’s actions have successfully impacted Zeno’s world and love. The story ends in a cliffhanger that leaves the door more than open for more. 

Libraries and readers seeking a representation of action and adventure that crosses the line between sci-fi and fantasy genres to marry the two in a vivid clash of creatures and causes will relish Σ Book I: Thumos Rising, the first in a projected series. 

Σ Book I: Thumos Rising

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Embers of Shadow
Lloyd Jeffries
Buckminster Publishing
979-8-9855269-8-1        
$2.99 ebook/$13.99 paperback/$20.99 hardcover
Website: www.lloydjeffries.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2KJ7LCB 

Embers of Shadow is the third book in the Ages of Malice sci-fi/thriller series, embedding the ongoing story with a continuation of the powerful brand of nonstop action and discovery that made the previous books so compelling. 

Religious fiction readers will appreciate the church-based intrigue and action (which belays any notion that religious reading need be dry) right from the start: 

“Bill nods and stifles a yawn. The pastor’s face is red; spit flies as he shouts. Bill likes church. The dynamics, the music, the things he learns. The problem with church is you can only take so much. The dude’s mostly wrong about everything.” 

If Bill is bored by his church attendance, what is he doing there? Among other things, he’s reflecting on fate, history, and imparting follow-up lessons to the young about kindness and being mindful in encounters with nature. 

This is just the prologue. The actual story weaves Bill’s experience with others involved in keeping evil forces at bay. This involves Jerusalem and other locales in a world-hopping confrontation with the devil’s disciples that delves into love, death, transformations, and threats of biblical proportions. 

Lloyd Jeffries embeds his story with the personalities, directives, and clashes that each character absorbs from the blows of malevolence. His move from the third-person description of Bill to first-person “you are here” experiences captures the concerns of a narrator forced to confront and document the encounters between a society bent on taking over the world and the few powers that might prevent Apocalypse and cement Cain’s dominance. 

Rhyme Carter is immersed in fighting for her own life against evil forces that include her husband and the FBI while Emery Merrick observes the Antichrist unleashing a force into the world that will doom it. 

Readers seeking action-packed confrontations between good and evil will find Embers of Shadow excels in marrying high-octane action with characters that hold their own values and motivations for never accepting defeat, even against all odds. 

Another strength to the story is that Jeffries presents many of the action-packed scenes using succinct, terse descriptions that build tension without overstating experience: 

“He feels weak, shaky, watches the spear fall from a hand that refuses to grip it further. Bullets ricochet, spark in glinting gold as the relic skitters across the lot. The shooting stops. Helos cruise over with a whir and rush of wind. Blackness surrounds, engulfs, consumes.” 

His particular style of description, character-building focus, and deeper inspections of the origins, incarnation, and roots of malevolence in the world makes for a story that draws with religious foundations and then shakes them with sci-fi and fantasy elements. 

Religious libraries, especially, will find Embers of Shadow a fitting addition to the other books, moving observer and narrator Emery into unexpected, uncharted waters not only via the confrontations he witnesses, but by his own choices and ultimate transformation. 

Embers of Shadow

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Ferren and the Doomsday Mission
Richard Harland
‎IFWG Publishing Internationa
‎978-1922856586             $16.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
Website: https://richardharland.au
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/DP/1922856584 

Ferren and the Doomsday Mission, the second book in the Ferren Trilogy, follows the introductory Ferren and the Angel with a continuation of the friendship and adventures between an angel and a mortal. 

In the aftermath of a war that consumed angels and humans alike, Earth has become a wasteland. Tribesman Ferren’s friendship with fallen angel Miriael has led to a cooperative effort between them to regroup the remaining humans into an alliance. 

However, Miriael is visited by another angel who offers her heart’s desire—a coveted return to Heaven. The price is at once untenable and unthinkable, yet priceless. It comes at a huge cost that tests Miriael and Ferren’s relationship, challenging the disparate objectives of mortal and angel. 

Other dangers lie in the proposed decision which, Miriael comes to realize, holds more questions than answers: 

“How was it possible for Asmodai to work on his own research without giving himself away? And his plans for her and the Morphs, his unauthorised visits to the Earth… How could he do all of that when spirit touched spirit in a state of communion? How could he conceal such tremendous secrets without other angels becoming aware?” 

As human and angel encounters heat up, difficult choices between war, peace, devastation, and redemption emerge to test not only Ferren and Miriael, but the characters who swirl between them.  

Once again, Richard Harland creates a fantasy powered as much by moral, philosophical, and social questions as it is by actions on the parts of all involved to remake the world … or finally destroy it utterly. 

Readers seeking an imaginative, vivid saga that moves heaven and earth by rocking these disparate worlds will find that while Ferren and the Doomsday Mission can stand alone, accessible to newcomers, its real strength lies in its role as the second piece in the trilogy that both supports and expands events presented in Ferren and the Angel. 

Libraries seeing positive patron response for the first story will want to include this sequel in their fantasy collections. 

Ferren and the Doomsday Mission

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Literature

The Holy Ghost and Other Spooky Stories
Bernie Brown
Gravelight Press
978-1-957224-26-8         $15.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXN3761M 

The Holy Ghost and Other Spooky Stories will delight horror and ghost story fans seeking exceptional supernatural intrigue that represents a diversity of encounters and flavors in short story form. 

These 27 tales of horror display the range of the full-bodied feel of the genre. One example is ‘Sutter’s Barn,’ a structure which is prohibited from play because it houses pitchforks and other hidden dangers. Benny’s dad has his reasons for not tearing down this derelict building in the middle of his cornfield—but Benny discovers there’s more to the story than hazardous floorboards and mice. 

The barn lures him with the possibility of kittens, and so Benny walks into the truth about the real legacy of Carl Sutter, even though something in the barn clearly doesn’t want him there. 

In contrast is ‘The Velvet Devil’, in which dressmaker Clara confronts a demanding dress order from a miserly woman who keeps her poor, with barely enough to live on but her demands. 

Consumption threatens her, but her relationship with Mrs. Landsdown lives on in an unusual form of revenge that brings a visitation and a nightmare. 

Then there’s ‘Autumn Leaves,’ where Darby has papered her ceiling with lovely autumn leaves from outside. It’s more than an odd decorating choice, as Darby unwittingly brings in a rippling presence that whispers a special request. 

Each story is delicately woven, evocative, and thought-provoking. The range of spooky encounters here demonstrates that true horror can lie as much in everyday experience as in haunted houses. Spirits emerge from unexpected places and circumstances that will especially delight seasoned ghost story readers used to familiar settings, who will find these immersive encounters to be a cut above the ordinary spooky tale. 

This is why libraries seeking literary excellence and delightful re-framings of the horror encounter in a series of nicely-done short works will find The Holy Ghost and Other Spooky Stories delightful in its variety of subjects and ghostly encounters. 

The Holy Ghost and Other Spooky Stories

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The Song of North Mountain
Morgan Golladay
Current Words Publishing, LLC
978-1-957224-25-1                 $10.99
www.devilspartypress.com 

The Song of North Mountain receives black and white line drawings by poet Morgan Golladay as it explores the four elements and their reflection in nature. 

Chapters about these elements divide The Song of North Mountain into sections that capture the mountain’s milieu with a series of ‘you are here’ reflections that readers will find evocative and delicately described. 

One example is ‘Dawn Veil’: 

“A single warbler’s song
echoed through the long, thin cloud
that hung across Schoolhouse Mountain.
The veil turned slowly from rose,
to pink, to yellow, then quietly disappeared
as the sun warmed the treetops.
The rockslide changed from grey to blue
in the morning light.
Life stirred.
The curtain lifted.
I waited.”
 

From the heat of the day and summer drought to human life in the valley below North Mountain in the spring, Golladay embeds word images with reflections that juxtapose the experiences of man and nature. Such is the case in ‘Mixed Blessing’: 

“The cloud bank rolled down North Mountain
and settled at the edge of the Valley.
Heavy-laden with moisture,
it released a few snowflakes in the cold night air.
By morning, whiteness covered the farms and orchards,
hiding the roads and tracks…
Quiet hung in the air when the wind abated.
Wood smoke from chimneys was indistinguishable from falling snow.”
 

Sometimes stark, but always beautiful, these free verse celebrations of North Mountain introduce a seasonal sense of environmental transitions to the observer and reader’s eye, with time’s passage changing everything and nothing: 

“Sunday dinners, visitations, funerals,
jam-making, weddings, and scrubbed floors
celebrated the families that lived here.
(Their footprints are found
when the yard is tidier.)
But the rubble remembers the sweat and the labor,
the daffodils recall the hands that planted them.”
 

Aside from a personal visit to North Mountain, there is no better way of appreciating its beauty, impact, and presence over the eons than through The Song of North Mountain, which is highly recommended for libraries seeking literary, compelling works of poetic art. 

The Song of North Mountain

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Biography & Autobiography

Abducted
Alice Cunningham
Precocity Press
‎979-8989830404             $19.95
https://www.amazon.com/Abducted-Struggle-Remember-Alice-Cunningham/dp/B0CWYFVCCH 

Abducted: My Struggle to Remember fits both the true crime and the memoir genres as Alice Cunningham recalls the circumstances that led to her trauma, hidden memories, and final moments of revelation. 

Traumatic experiences can result in memory repression and confusion when these influential major events bubble through self-imposed, protective psychological barriers in unexpected ways. 

Cunningham’s healing process, as described in Abducted, included a resistance to being defined by trauma and victimization. This focus resulted in re-creating a life enriched by new knowledge—but not limited by its impact. 

This approach lends a sense of discovery, recovery, and transformation to Cunningham’s memoir. These qualities elevate the account above most other journeys through memory recovery, portraying the writer’s new, revised life and positive avenues of change. 

Cunningham is astute, passionate, and clear about her choices and psyche: 

“This dream illustrates the progression of memory repression. It symbolizes the process of denial that took place in my conscious mind. I cut off my memories by creating a “Magnificent Great Wall.” The Wall is about to come down.” 

From self-defense classes to how dreams are interpreted, nightmares dealt with, and new memories integrated with set patterns (too often designed to deal with trauma by back-burning it until it can be ignored no longer), Cunningham crafts her memoir from the nuts and bolts of adversity and achievement. 

Libraries will find Abducted a solid recommendation for psychological readers, women’s groups, and book club participants seeking lively discussion material rooted in life experience, the lasting impact of trauma, and also teachings about cultivating a healthy path going forward. 

It not only captures Cunningham’s persistence in cultivating these new perspectives and healthier attitudes, but demonstrates that childhood trauma need not be the sole defining influence on adult experience. 

Abducted

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Bare Naked in Public
Christine Amoroso
Torchflame Books
978-1-61153-340-8         $18.99 Paperback/$6.99 ebook
www.torchflamebooks.com 

Bare Naked in Public charts Christine Amoroso’s path to her ideal of a perfect life. Even when it unfolds unexpectedly, with her falling in love with a surfer and becoming pregnant at age seventeen, Christine figures she has it made … albeit in a different order than convention would dictate. 

Unwilling to give up her ambitions, she found herself in college with two young children and a husband who ultimately didn’t show her the kind of support she needed for her endeavors. Then another man entered her world, who offered what was lacking in her marriage. And so she cheated … and her perfect life turned out to be fragilely perched on values and underlying realities she had largely rejected. 

From the start, Amoroso excels in revealing the candid truths about marriage and ambition which too many other memoirs skate through lightly: 

“It doesn’t matter that he contributed to the collapse of our marriage. None of his behavior, faults, or mistakes matter because I was the cheater. And it’s always the cheater’s fault.” 

Amoroso considers new possibilities in relationships, family connections, and her own growth as her story evolves. Her overachiever persona receives close inspection and acknowledgement of its ideals and faults as she forges through disparate relationships while somehow maintaining her sense of strength and ambition. Both contribute to her successes and failures. 

Of special note is Amoroso’s return to teaching (her passion) and the contrasts of perceptions about this job, both over the years and as family influences changed her perception: 

“Classrooms have always been my sanctuary. As a student, I excelled, and felt my true self in the company of teachers and classmates. As a teacher, I escaped the grind of raising teenagers. I found solace among my loving second graders, always a willing audience. And now, a principal exhausted by my son’s return to addiction, more than ever, I yearn for the consistency and comfort of the classroom and the promise of those little faces.” 

Each step Amoroso forges in new opportunities and family challenges translate to growth and transformation. As she unravels the influences, possibilities, and realities of her life choices and their consequences, Christine creates a memoir fired by a passionate, close inspection of vulnerabilities, shortcuts, risk-taking, and the ultimate results about always wanting to be prepared for life. 

Some things cannot be anticipated or solved. Such is life. Such is also the strength and pleasure of a memoir that should be in all kinds of library collections as a motivational guide that juxtaposes a life lived fully with the values and options that drive it.  

Bare Naked in Public

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The Bob Verga Shift
Michael B. Layden
Torchflame Books
978-1-611532-41-8         $18.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
www.torchflamebooks.com 

The Bob Verga Shift: How One Man's Illness Saved Duke Basketball is set in the 1960s in Durham, North Carolina, home of both the narrator and Duke University. 

Initially, readers interested in collegiate sports in general and basketball in particular will be drawn to this story, but its surprise lies in its ability to pull attention from outside the sports world by contrasting different layers of social standing and culture within Durham. These influences range from the KKK’s strong standing in the community to the tobacco industry’s active presence. These elements steeped the town in tobacco, strengthened the disparities between Black workers and Whites (who rarely ventured into the fields as laborers), and the atmosphere of change that permeated the town with new flavors and influences. 

As much a story of these changes and that era as one of basketball politics, achievements, and figures, The Bob Verga Shift documents the roots of all-black sports teams that evolved from Durham, Kentucky, and Texas to change American history and culture alike. 

Michael B. Layden dovetails this history with basketball’s evolution in such a way that many a non-sports reader will be surprised to find their enjoyment comes as much from its social inspection as in player moves and exposés of basketball’s behind-the-scenes politics. 

The writing incorporates a wide range of experiences and issues while following the lasting impact of player Bob Verga, whose illness cut short his promising future as an ABA star. Yet, Verga continued to impact his team’s choices, reflecting the transformations that rippled from sports into American social history. 

Vivid scenarios and descriptions of these teams, this man, and how one individual’s illness sparked immense changes as much by his absence as his presence create a lively read: 

“William Turner, who was a Black student in Kentucky at the time of the 1966 game, and who later went on to be a college professor, agrees. His feelings about the game have been decidedly mixed. According to Turner, “Far too many young black men have sacrificed lives that may have been much more rewarding potentially if this society had not impressed on them that the avenue of success was paved on the basketball.” He believes the beginning of that mindset may have been the Texas Western game. If this is the overall legacy of the 1966 game, then it is indeed a tragic and unforeseen one, one not envisioned at the time, and one which Black America is struggling to deal with to this very day. All this occurred because Texas Western had played Kentucky. So what would have happened if it had been Duke that played the game?” 

Interviews and ‘what if’ projections of possibilities forever altered by Verga’s illness present especially inviting topics for discussion that will reach beyond sports readers into American history classrooms—especially those studying race relations in the 1960s. 

This is why The Bob Verga Shift is highly recommended not just for basketball history fans, but for book clubs and classroom discussion groups interested in debates about the times and their influences. 

Libraries will want to include and recommend The Bob Verga Shift to a wide audience of book clubs and readers, who will appreciate its many eye-opening experiences. 

The Bob Verga Shift

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From Montmartre to the Latin Quarter
Francis Carco
Dominantstar
978-1-963363-01-2         $24.95
Website: www.robcouteau.com
Ordering: www.DominantstarPublications.com 
 

If, perchance, From Montmartre to the Latin Quarter sounds familiar, that’s because Francis Carco’s memoir was first published in 1927. This annotated edition makes his work more accessible to a wider audience, includes Rob Couteau’s analytical Introduction and a new Afterword by Christopher Sawyer Laucanno, and follows the experiences of an 1886 poet, artist, and traveler who fell into a close, supportive association with bohemian Paris. 

There the young man creatively blossomed, immersed in the arts and producing over a hundred books that ranged from poetry to his own astute analyses of other artists; including a critical essay on Modigliani which revealed the man’s value at a point where other French critics scoffed at his works. 

From Montmartre to the Latin Quarter is more than your typical biography. It assumes the atmospheric draw of a Proust production with its ‘you are here’ survey of his times and Paris’s artistic community. Couteau’s footnotes add critical reflections and interpretations key to understanding Carco’s objectives, perspectives, and his times: 

And it was no ordinary portrait I saw, but a full-length one, from the old slippers on his feet, his trousers tied around his waist by some twine, his collarless shirt, his coat covered with spots, to his hair which he kept brushed back without the aid of a comb.*
      *Note how Carco turns the tables and, in a consummately painterly fashion, conjures a “portrait” of Utrillo. In both his poetry and prose Carco’s painterly eye assumes a prominent role, occasionally even endangering the dramatic effects and tensions necessary to maintain a reader’s interest. 

The extensive footnotes to this annotated edition lend it a scholarly value that will make From Montmartre to the Latin Quarter of special interest to college-level students, with its 300 annotations. But its attraction doesn’t stop there. 

Both Carco and researcher Rob Couteau create compelling observations, insights, and historical value, but couch these in lively language and passages that should reach into general-interest audiences who hold an appreciation for all things Parisian and its arts community of the early 1900s. 

Its survey of friendships, relationships, and the artistic promise quashed by events of the Great War create a lively, memorable read especially recommended for those who appreciate in-depth footnoted references. These enlighten readers on facets of Carco’s life and times that might otherwise slip by with a reading of the memoir alone. 

All these facets make From Montmartre to the Latin Quarter an astute historical and literary memoir that embraces the arts, social and political milieu, and powerful perspectives of the times. 

Libraries (including general-interest collections as well as college-level holdings strong in memoirs and artist history) will find it easy to recommend From Montmartre to the Latin Quarter for its thoroughly engrossing, richly realistic passages, firmly embedded in Carco’s life and times and the creations and influences of 1900s Paris. 

From Montmartre to the Latin Quarter

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My Search for Jazzbo Jones
Ethan Hirsh
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-219-6         $19.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

My Search for Jazzbo Jones is a memoir that comes from the unusual angle of author Ethan Hirsh’s search for the truth about a terrible accident that blinded his friend Jim Beeson before they met. 

Beeson’s activism for the blind and his outgoing personality contributed to an unusual friendship that surpassed generational differences, leading to Hirsh’s own expanded insights on blindness, survivors, and major life transitions. 

As he pursued the facts and truth about Beeson’s situation, Hirsh discovered that, in fact, he was pursuing questions and answers that expanded his own enlightenment, attitudes, and growth. 

But this isn’t a narrow focus on a singular friendship. Hirsh’s life expands to cover family, the military, social and political changes, and such events as unexpectedly meeting Che Guevara. Houston, Texas’s culture and undercurrents create strong themes through his adventurous life even as he researches the circumstances surrounding  Beeson’s blindness. 

These facets all dovetail in a memoir that is at once gripping, expansive, and replete with both personal experiences and vision and bigger-picture thinking. 

Readers receive such a diverse set of insights, from blindness and survival to social change and adaptation, that it’s hard to delineate all the important themes in one review. 

Suffice it to say that there is nothing singular about My Search for Jazzbo Jones; either in its depiction of a quest for the truth of past events or in the evolutionary nature of its author’s mandate. 

As Hirsh says from the start, his memoir isn’t just about himself. It’s about Jim “Jazzbo”’s unique journey, as well, and deserves a place in any library collection strong in memoirs of blindness, adaptation, friendship, and growth. 

My Search for Jazzbo Jones

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Mystery & Thrillers

Bad Traffic
Patrick Weill
Weill & Associates
978-1959866015             $16.99 Paperback/$5.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Park-Walker-Action-Thriller/dp/195986601X 

Bad Traffic adds to the Park and Walker action series with a new encounter. This tests the prowess and relationships of police detectives Jeff Walker and Tony Park, members of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force. 

The story centers on fourteen-year-old Nayeli, who is kidnapped from her Mexican family and forced into the sex trade in San Diego. Her older brother hops on his motorcycle and roars up to San Diego to rescue her and avenge her. This is where best friends and co-workers Walker and Park enter the picture. 

As other agents in the task force become involved in the rescue mission, a series of violent clashes and encounters immerses a host of villains and cartel members in a test of their survival instincts and affection for firearms, drugs, and trouble. 

Weill crafts a delicate interplay of personalities, alliances, and social and political conflict while following the two lead characters’ attempts to free a large group of involuntary sex workers, and to apprehend their traffickers who operate under a cloak of connections and secrecy. 

The relationships between family and friends and adversaries are deftly explored through action-packed scenes. Enemies are not only heavily armed with high-tech equipment and motives for maintaining their business and status quo, but are prepared to target and kill any who oppose them. 

That would be Park and Walker. Nobody is safe as limits are tested. The action-packed scenarios create satisfyingly unexpected twists, turns, and contrasts in culture and objectives. Chess-like ploys emerge as the characters clash and the cartel plans its expansion of control. 

Weill’s ability to mesh action with topics that embrace bigger-picture thinking and insights on sex trafficking issues creates a thriller steeped in real-world issues that places the emphasis not just on confrontation, but resolution. 

Libraries and readers seeking thrillers that include a healthy degree of social inspection will find Bad Traffic thoroughly engrossing, thought-provoking, and hard to put down. 

Bad Traffic

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Baker
Michele Packard
Independently Published
979-8-9876077-3-2         $9.99 eBook/$19.99 Hardcover
www.michelepackard.com 

The reasons why the Matti Baker thrillers are exceptional standouts in the thriller genre are twofold; and the latest book in the series, Baker, illustrates the first strength with its opening salvo of gritty observations that reflect Matti’s sassy attitude: 

“It was never going to end well. I’m not being a pessimist, realist, or an optimist. Simply put, it came down to the law of probability. Let’s face it: if you were a genetically engineered experiment between nations created for biological warfare that has mutated and could now solve global health diseases, the odds are not in your favor.” 

The second reason why Matti Baker’s adventures are so compelling is that they are delivered with nonstop staccato action. Her narrative voice envelopes her family and their special talents with an unusual juxtaposition of love and defiance which permeates the threads of all of her stories. 

This approach injects experience with a lively confrontational tone that personalizes her challenges and the pointed lessons and opinions she absorbs from them. Oh, and don’t forget the added value of unexpected humor that emerges even in Matti’s darkest moments. 

Case in point: 

“My head felt so heavy. My body ached laying on the cold floor surrounded only by foul perspiration and splatters of blood. My hands were in zip ties behind me. Is that one of my molars on the floor? I just had work done. Again.” 

Pepper these approaches with hard-hitting reflections for even more added value: 

“‘In five years, where do you picture yourself? Are you working? Do you have a significant other? Are you single? Are you married? Do you have babies? Where do you live? Do you have friends? Most importantly, are you happy?’ Each of them had their eyes closed for a bit longer before they opened them, but I could see a smile broadening on each of their faces. They were young and more importantly, had hope. May be the best of things, and no good thing ever dies as Andy Dufrane said in Shawshank Redemption. 

Enough with the quotes. Let’s get down to Baker. In her latest adventure, Matti confronts prejudice, history, assumptions, and deadly forces that once again threaten not just herself or her family, but the America she loves. 

Here, she learns that she and her genetically enhanced brothers were created in the interests of forming a New World Order—the assumption being that all participating nations were on board with these objective. 

As Matti notes: “We all know what happens when we assume.” 

Turns out there’s much more to Matti’s origin story than previous books had revealed, forcing her, once again, to confront her heritage and beliefs. 

Michele Packard produces an outstanding thriller that always stays poised on the edge of action, disaster, and surprise revelations. Powered by Matti’s positive, sassy, uplifting attitude against all odds, the story evolves a series of thought-provoking encounters and revelations about everything from power struggles and a worldwide Mandala effect of false memories to how moral relativism and self-reinforcing ideologies are born. 

Much more so than the usual thriller, these threads of moral, ethical, historical, and psychological contemplation power the action. They don’t just encourage, but demand active reflections on the parts of readers who will find they just can’t put the book down. 

Even newcomers will find Matti’s special form of embracive involvement opens the doors to this latest adventure, even with no prior knowledge of the others. It’s a gift reinforced by a character lineup that introduces the major players and their relationships from the beginning. 

As Matti’s friends and associates mysteriously vanish one by one, she comes to believe that a special target is being made of everyone she knows. 

Drive, power, and compelling action contribute to an overall standout that both enhances the Matti Baker series and expands her world with more confrontations and stark realities about forces that lie outside her control. 

Libraries and readers seeking a thriller which cultivates a unique narrative voice and immersive experience will find Baker a knockout. It’s especially highly recommended for libraries seeking exceptional, top-shelf thrillers. 

Baker

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Blindspot
Maggie Smith
Puzzle Box Press
9798989677917              $18.95 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Blindspot-Psychological-Suspense-Maggie-Smith/dp/B0CW6NDQFM 

Blindspot is a suspense story that proves the finer art of producing compelling fiction lies not just in a plot outline, but the methodology of the writer. In this case, Maggie Smith’s story feels familiar enough: a DA prosecutor faces danger when she is stalked. 

The twist lies in events which place Rachel Matthews in the crosshairs of her own beliefs about justice and the methods of the justice system when she becomes not a prosecutor or a victim, but a suspect. 

Predictably, she is forced to investigate her own situation. Less predictable is the chain of events which emerges from an alarming, bloody crime scenario to threaten her life with her daughter in novel ways. 

In the process of confronting her past successes, failures, and future goals shaken by present-day events, Rachel is prompted to ask hard questions about her life, romance, and family: 

“The last thing I needed was the men in my life stepping in to protect me. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Wasn’t I?” 

Forced to confront an estranged father in search of cash to address a blackmailer, only to find more questions emerging about family and past, Rachel must examine her attitudes and influences in order to move past the blind spots in her own life and assumptions. 

Libraries and readers seeking suspense stories couched in psychological revelations and discoveries, as well as cat-and-mouse games, will find Blindspot compelling. Its ability to weave mystery into a growth process will leave readers thinking, well satisfied with a puzzle and threat that turns into discoveries made on more than one level. 

Blindspot

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Deadly Quiet
Cathleen Watkins
Torchflame Books
978-1-61153-386-6         $18.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
www.torchflamebooks.com 

Deadly Quiet is a mystery backed by experience—that of Cathleen Watkins, in the investigative industry. This lends authenticity to the close inspection of how an investigation is conducted. In this case, the death of an exchange student at Wexford College draws two different investigators. Private Investigator Eliza Fox and her mother, Francesca Noto-Fox, have a personal interest in the case, as cousins of the deceased; along with detectives Byron Comstock and Jessica Fonseca, who are assigned to conduct an official investigation. 

Eliza is an experienced paralegal new to the P.I. world. As such, her methodology both diverges from traditional paths of investigation and compliments official efforts with a personal investment, perspective, and outsider’s approach. These elements add unexpected pieces of the puzzle to Comstock and Fonseca’s traditional processes. 

There’s only one problem. Eliza is well out of her depth, so her approaches don’t always enhance the investigation, but can add uncertainty and confusion into the effort, along with some positive insights. 

The flawed nature of Eliza’s professional education comes to light as much as the discoveries she makes, which are related with a wry sense of humor to reveal a host of concerns affecting this high-stakes case. 

Cathleen Watkins is adept at portraying family relationships, impact, and influence. The definition of ‘normal’ shifts as a result of the murder and its probe: 

“Francesca was doing her best to create a normal environment, and they all tried to play along. But they all knew normal was transitory, and it would elude them long into the future.” 

Lawyers, detectives, and uncertain alibis vie for discovery and control as Watkins weaves a variety of disparate special interests into her story. This creates compelling scenarios of confrontation and realization. 

When the cast of characters widens, Eliza’s insights into psychological influences comes to light to add further value and insights to the murder mystery: 

“Eliza noted the abrupt change in his demeanor. He seemed disconnected, as if he’d mentally left planet Earth. In her college psych classes, Eliza remembered reading about dissociative disorders, people who lost continuity between their thoughts or actions when they couldn’t cope with something traumatic. Eliza had never seen anyone in this state, but she wondered if Francesca’s questions had triggered an emotional response in him.” 

The result is a powerful study in contrasts, from investigators to family to perps, that will draw readers on many levels, educating them about investigative quandaries and approaches. 

Libraries will find Deadly Quiet’s authentic encounters and scenarios to be especially thought-provoking, lending to a title that can be highly recommended for mystery fans seeking the added value of an overlay of real-world perspectives and processes. 

Deadly Quiet

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Deadly Roses
Tom P. Alberti
Independently Published

979-8871259474             $9.82 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Marconi-Chicago-Police-Detective/dp/B0CQPD9GBZ 

Deadly Roses addresses a conundrum faced by seasoned investigators Lt. Paul Marconi and Detective Abby Tripp as they pursue a serial killer who focuses on nurses. The problem doesn’t only lie in their conjoined professional prowess, but in attitudes which hamper not only their activities, but how they juxtapose their roles in solving the crime. 

Tom P. Alberti creates an engaging drama that (trigger warning, here) focuses on sexual assault and violence. An entire city falls under siege as the killer remains at large and escalates his threats to the Chicago community, forcing Marconi and Tripp to confront not only his modus operandi, but one another. 

The policies and processes of nursing are presented from the start as Nurse Irene Dalton faces blowback at home from her nursing schedule. Her boyfriend insists that her priorities are backwards—but then, Dannie is like a big kid, used to pulling tantrums to get what he wants. 

The rape Irene experiences is graphically portrayed and realistic enough to caution sensitive readers that this story is closely aligned with too many women’s’ experiences of sexual violence. 

Irene ultimately recognizes her assailant. But not in time. 

The second chapter begins with the first-person viewpoint of Paul Marconi, building his character as he faces the start of what will prove a career-challenging series of dilemmas. His motivations in pursuing justice are clearly laid out from the start: 

“Anger inflamed my body when I saw a lifeless victim whose life had succumbed to some lousy dickhead. My years on the job as a cop never allowed me to let go of the hostility caused by the devastation and sorrow that crimes bring to families. My only solace is catching the perpetrator and seeing him through steel bars, or even better, in this case, watching the bastard fry in the electric chair.” 

As the story builds on a foundation of Marconi’s first-person reflections, which contrast with third-person victim narratives and Tripp’s experiences, readers will find themselves immersed in a series of events that test the effectiveness of partners, justice systems, and investigative routines. 

As the cases edge closer to home, Marconi and Tripp find themselves teetering on the edge of personal disaster as the serial killer keeps moving closer to their lives and loved ones. 

As the dynamic duo near a startling revelation, Alberti injects discoveries and newfound realizations into the mix. This adds satisfying tension and surprises to the plot. Alberti also takes the time to include justice system reactions to evidence and prosecution, giving the story a realistic strength that readers will find satisfying. 

Libraries and readers seeking strong, compelling stories of investigators working together to identify and stop sexual violence will find Deadly Roses a fine choice, steeped in Chicago’s atmosphere and the politics of love, death, and nursing. 

Deadly Roses

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Draw a Hard Line
Micheal E. Jimerson
Elwood Jimerson Farms L.L.C.
979-8-218-37772-4
$24.99 Hardcover/$19.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Draw-Hard-Line-J-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CWZRGTM8 

Draw a Hard Line is a mystery that revolves around racism, an Aryan gang, a separated couple (detective E.J. Kane and his former prosecutor, ex-wife Rebecca Johnson), and issues of honor, survival, and recovery from drugs. 

With so many threads of social inspection and intrigue coalescing here, it’s easy to think that Draw a Hard Line will forego the usual mystery questions with a focus on relationships and new discoveries. However, Micheal E. Jimerson embeds bigger-picture thinking into a novel manner that will satisfy both genre readers and those seeking a broader form of social and psychological insights from their mystery reading. 

Humor is evident from the start: 

“Hey, idiot,” yelled the woman. “I call nine one one and they send me a geriatric cowboy with attention deficit disorder.” 

E.J. comes off more cowboy than detective in the beginning, but soon the plot’s progression reveals him to be thoroughly immersed in both as he solves problems. In the course of this process, he confronts family angst and draws hard lines between corrupt influences, white supremism, changing social conditions, and the matter of his own dishonorable actions, which surprises him with new insights into his choices. 

In pursuit of a truth he actually may not welcome, E.J. begins to confront his own actions and their consequences in a series of encounters that prove to be ongoing tests of his mettle and sense of self. 

These elements blend nicely with intrigue and threads of humor to create a compelling saga about the changing world, one man’s sense of place and purpose in it, and the impact which his actions and these outside influences have on everything he holds dear. 

Libraries and readers seeking vivid action, satisfying twists and turns, a moral and philosophical element of inspection, and engrossing personality clashes from their mysteries will find Draw a Hard Line hits the mark in all these areas, delivering an exceptional story that offers much food for thought. 

Draw a Hard Line

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From Sweetgrass Bridge
Anthony Bidulka
Stonehouse Publishing
978-1988754543             $16.95
Website: www.anthonybidulka.com
Ordering link: https://www.amazon.com/Sweetgrass-Bridge-Anthony-Bidulka/dp/1988754542 

The second book in the Merry Bell trilogy, From Sweetgrass Bridge, gives mystery readers a fine follow-up continuation of the conundrums and intrigue that spiced Livingsky. It poses the specter of missing beloved Saskatchewan Roughrider quarterback Dustin Thomson and how his disappearance not only sparks an investigation, but impacts a community. 

The family hires P.I. Merry Bell to traverse the waters below Sweetgrass Bridge to the Little Turtle Lake First Nation in search of answers. But these raise more dangerous personal and political quandaries as Merry confronts her tangled personal life, fields questions about friends and enemies, and confronts the uncertainties surrounding her newfound six-month-old P.I. business, Livingsky Sharpe Investigations.

Merry Bell is only back home on the prairies as a temporary respite so she can regroup and return to her beloved Vancouver to fulfill her dream of living her life the way she wants to. But home has a way of presenting returnees with both familiar and unfamiliar scenarios. Much as Merry is in transition, so is her sense of home and knowledge of two very different worlds. 

Anthony Bidulka’s story requires no prior familiarity with Merry or her world (though returning readers will here find a nice continuation of her struggles and perceptions, that both fills in blanks and expand her perspectives and objectives). 

He creates a powerful female investigator who doesn’t hesitate to tackle the hard questions surrounding both her life and her latest mystery, cultivates a cozy small-town atmosphere against the larger backdrop of LGBTQ+ issues and lives, and injects his story with the realism of a savvy female investigator. 

Readers will be engrossed as Merry uncovers clues to solve her own life problems, evolving ever deeper into her past, community makeup, and scenarios which connect her to more than one romance. 

“Truth is good, truth is powerful.” The pursuit and questions that drive Merry to seek answers from the First Nations community, as well as her own, create excellent contrasts between cultures, values, perceptions, and new possibilities in investigative routines and questioning. 

As she unfolds the layers of Dustin’s life, Merry uncovers a series of events and perspectives that lead her to question his public image as a beloved sports figure: 

“Was a different picture of the football hero beginning to emerge? Was Dustin lovesick? A spurned lover? Or was there something more disturbing here?” 

If he was both lonely and yet happy, how could suicide be Dustin’s ultimate destiny? Or, does that happiness stem from making a final decision (“It was not uncommon for family members to report how happy their loved one seemed immediately prior to ending their lives. What they couldn’t have known was that the happiness came from relief; relief at finally having committed to a plan that would end their excruciating internal pain.”). 

The secrets that unfold over what happened to Dustin segue neatly into those Merry keeps about her own life and its changes. 

The transformative facelift given to the cozy mystery genre, provided via this sense of place, purpose, and community, makes From Sweetgrass Bridge highly recommended, whether it’s chosen as a stand-alone mystery or as an important part of the trilogy. 

Libraries and readers looking for the uncommon combination of a cozy mystery steeped in LGBTQ+ experiences and concerns will find this intersection satisfyingly thought-provoking. From Sweetgrass Bridge enhances the mystery component with the added value of Indigenous insights and culture, adding a full-bodied feel to the unexpected series of events that lead Merry both far from her stated objectives and closer to a new life. 

From Sweetgrass Bridge

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The Honeymoon Homicides
Jeannette de Beauvoir
HomePort Press
979-8-9868654-3-0         $15.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
www.HomePortPress.com 

The Honeymoon Homicides adds another Provincetown Mystery to the series, but stands nicely alone for newcomers seeking intrigue steeped in a sense of place. 

The first-person narrative opens with a captivating bang: 

“The victim generously waited to be murdered until the final vows had been spoken and we were officially declared married. And that’s pretty much the best thing I can say about my wedding.” 

Sounds like the wedding from hell. And the horror has just begun. Nobody expects a body to fall from an awning to the terrace. And Sydney certainly doesn’t anticipate the investigative challenges which pull her into situations she didn’t see coming. 

As the story evolves, Sydney’s personal and professional lives are tested in unusual ways. Readers unfamiliar with Sydney’s life and past are treated to flashbacks of information from other encounters which portray her and her associates in revealing new ways: 

“This wasn’t Mike. Mike had been the best manager the inn had ever had, efficient, cordial… strong. I knew better than anybody else how strong he was: one cold October, back
when TransWeek was still known as Fantasia Fair, I’d been unlucky enough to run afoul of a truly murderous person who’d set their murderous sights on me. I’d ended up in the harbor with hypothermia moments away when Mike had saved me. You don’t forget that kind of thing.”
 

Provincetown culture and personalities thus come to life and evolve in a series of encounters that focus on more than mystery alone, revealing undercurrents of relationships to enhance the story as a whole. 

Jeannette de Beauvoir is especially adept at presenting Sydney’s dilemmas as she handles ultimatums, juggling her job with her ongoing probe of investigative matters and pairing wine and food as adeptly as she cobbles together facts about perps and victims. 

The pace is fast, but de Beauvoir takes the time to outline social and political conundrums that influence decisions and outcomes as characters interact in a dance of special interests and personalities. This encourages readers to cheer for more than one character or special interest. 

The result is a mystery steeped in Provincetown issues, culture, and personalities which creates another captivating Sidney Riley encounter while loosely reflecting on real people and events. 

Libraries and readers looking for engrossing mysteries that set their escapades and encounters against a captivating backdrop will find The Honeymoon Homicides an excellent tale of discovery, local history, marriage, and fun. 

The Honeymoon Homicides

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Just a Housecleaner
Amy Willard
Hawkshaw Press
978-1-957224-27-5                 $15.99
www.devilspartypress.com 

Cozy mystery fans that choose Just a Housecleaner for its strong female protagonist and warm examination of a friendship ended by sudden death will find Amy Willard crafts an inviting tone of discovery here. It follows Patsy Taylor’s dual foray into grief and detective work. 

Veronica already struggled with a cancer diagnosis and battle, yet her glass has always been half-full. That’s one of the reasons Patsy now considers her a good friend, though their re-connection stems from illness. 

Conveniently, Patsy’s former job was with the police department, lending her a degree of expertise that serves her well as she pursues threats to her friend’s estate, which emerge from unexpected places. 

Before Ronnie’s demise, a cast of characters are introduced. Williard takes the time to outline her life before the event turns Patsy’s world upside down. Ronnie’s husband, Steven Spellman, is a handsome rising star in the police department. Chuck Patterson harbors a special interest in a case, which could contribute to his early retirement. Officer Tim Clark has his eye on Ronnie’s property … and Patsy. 

Romance, grief, and mystery coalesce in a satisfying manner as Patsy pulls on threads of truth that lead to better understanding her own heart. 

The lure of self-discovery powers this cozy murder story, involving readers in Patsy’s life, objectives, and revelations that dose the plot with the added value of humor. This emerges unexpected at tense moments to provide comic relief. 

The result is a tale that moves Patsy from being a housekeeper back into the world of investigations and police actions as she struggles to prevent Ronnie’s estate from falling into the wrong hands. 

Libraries and readers seeking a compelling cozy mystery will relish the time Willard takes to build her characters, from housekeeper-turned-investigator Patsy to her former best friend. 

Just a Housecleaner

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Let Thy Children Come
David E. Feldman

Eface Media
ASIN: ‎B0CYQM48L1      $24.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Let-Thy-Children-Come-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B0CYQM48L1 

Let Thy Children Come joins other Hammer and Sharpe noir mystery adventures with another story. This tells of a missing child, a released ex-con, and a dilemma which contrasts the very different lives and attitudes of a host of characters who find themselves caught in a dangerous crime web. 

The story opens with seven-year-old Kyle, whose routines are set patterns of familiarity. But, not today. Children’s librarian Sheila Robinson discovers that the child never made it home. The prologue cementing the missing child scenario leads to chapters that have recovering addict and misfit Sam Sharpe agreeing to take on his parents’ case to track down the boy. 

A PI partnering with an ex-con who had been charged with manslaughter is unusual enough; but what sets this dynamic team apart from other stories about PI partnerships is its focus on the interplays and dances the duo play with each other and the world as they tap into their strengths (and even their weaknesses) to reveal dangerous truths. 

David E. Feldman excels at adding a cast of characters that revolve around Hammer and Sharpe’s investigation. Each of these emerge as powerful contenders for reader interest and attention. 

Intermixed with the mystery is Sharpe’s struggles to stay clean (which he doesn’t always succeed in achieving): 

As Sharpe was transferring the photos he had taken at Arthur Robinson’s office from his phone to his computer, he was trying hard not to think about the pills—specifically, how he could get more. He couldn’t go back to the same doctor, and the thought of making appointments, and dealing with dubious doctors and impossible gatekeepers made him cringe with anxiety. He knew he was screwing up. His commitment to staying clean had been whittled away by Sheila Robinson’s pain, from which he was desperately trying to detach—and by his incessant craving for the drugs. 

Success doesn’t always translate to solutions, as Sharpe discovers when he achieves his goal, only to find his own life endangered. 

As for Judah Hammer, he finds his life and perspective changed by Sharpe’s efforts, which add to his own dangerous attractions on the outside. 

The strength of Let Thy Children Come lies as much in its flawed, recovering main characters as it does in their efforts to juggle moral and ethical quandaries during the course of their investigation. 

Add in a noir atmosphere that permeates the mean streets they both walk for a fine sense of discovery and danger which makes for a thoroughly engrossing mystery that libraries and genre readers will find especially inviting. 

Let Thy Children Come

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Murder of a Martyr
Ian Domowitz
Casa Muerte Books
‎979-8323069859             $9.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
Website: www.iandomowitz.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Martyr-Parker-Magical-Mysteries/dp/B0D1XWG6GT 

Murder of a Martyr is the third book in the Getz Parker Magical Mysteries series, and will attract both prior fans and newcomers alike with its special notes of a circus that collides with a traveling religious revival troupe’s need for entertainment and new converts. 

Bill this book ‘divergent’ for its unusual religious themes and lively blend of humor and investigative strengths, all cemented by religious fervor that influences both a murder probe and any notions of what constitutes a martyr. 

Getz Parker has only the best objective in mind when he sponsors a circus for neurodivergent children. The last thing he expected was to be drawn into a murder situation that tests belief, definitions of good and bad intentions, and outcomes which hold shifting moral revelations as the best of intentions goes seriously awry. 

Readers receive their first surprise in a prologue set in Sweden in 1651 AD. Dualities, eccentricities, and early scientist pursuits of a chemical messiah set forth a series of mysteries and revelations that tie neatly into the modern-day events to come. Queen Christina (who claimed to be a “…masculine mind lacking the usual flaws of the female sex”) receives a gift from an alchemist that introduces a prophecy and the portent of change that will ripple into future generations. 

That’s how Getz Parker is destined to be drawn into the mystery, centuries later on a different continent. 

The chapters that follow are narrated in the first person by AI intelligence JK, who notes Getz’s explorations and efforts. 

Extraordinary measures are required to attract modern audiences of all ages to something as seemingly predictable and staid as a circus. Alchemical magic would work nicely. Perhaps a rebis (“a hermaphrodite symbolizing reconciliation of spirit and matter, a living thing fusing male and female”) could even be created. 

One problem: the rebis is the result of the Philosopher’s Stone’s creation. Neither are supposed to exist. But, in actuality, both may, in a sense, already be influencing lives. 

As Getz moves deeper into past and present special influences, objectives, and objects of murderous intentions, he moves into unexpected arenas with his AI which involve ancient mysteries, castles, dragons, and virtual reality’s impact. 

Magic spills from each step of his probe to immerse readers in mystery and mayhem which swirl around history and characters who each contribute their perspectives on entertainment, death, and life in unusual ways … including his AI observer. 

The elements that build the plot contribute an exquisite tension to the discoveries that will keep readers thoroughly engrossed … including those who normally don’t pick up mystery genre readers because of their tendency to be too predictable in events and outcomes. 

Not so Murder of a Martyr, which includes so many different kinds of reflections (from social and political choices to shows that reflect not just entertainment value, but dangerous cunning) that plenty of topics for book club discussion emerge to give the story a multifaceted flavor. 

That’s why librarians and readers seeking a mystery that’s satisfyingly original and captivating will appreciate Murder of a Martyr. Its progression, connections, and atmosphere move neatly from a DeVinci Code-style inspection of timeless mystery to social commentary and murder in an all-embracing way. 

Enter stage left to begin an engaging foray into the unexpected, moved by myth and reality. The latter, at many points, is not set in stone, but satisfyingly mercurial. 

Murder of a Martyr

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The Third Man
Geoffrey M. Cooper
Maine Authors Publishing
978-1-63381-402-8
             $18.95 paperback, $4.99 ebook
Website: https://gmcooper.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZPMSYGV 

The Third Man continues Geoffrey M. Cooper’s reputation for producing flawless, thoroughly engrossing medical thrillers, returning investigators Brad Parker and Karen Richmond to the limelight in a new Maine-centric mystery. It’s their seventh adventure in the series (but is perfectly stand-alone, accessible to newcomers to their magic). 

World War II history opens the thriller with reference to a German U-boat which deposited two Nazi saboteurs on the coast of Maine. Two were captured … but what if there was a third man? The introduction cements this speculation and is the heart of an exploration that carries Brad and Karen into an ongoing conundrum over a mystery mole whose Nazi ideals fuel new threats in the high-tech world of the 20th century. 

Walter Muller’s mission is to change the world by continuing to foster Nazi visions of Aryan leadership and world domination. As medical technology and developments arm him with new possibilities beyond ken, Muller operates in a circle of fellow moles and believers who all move dangerously close to realizing their goals. 

Only two things stand in their way: Brad and Karen. 

Cooper’s blend of action and technological developments marries intrigue with real-world possibilities in a frightening manner. The biological threat under development is augmented by plans to “inoculate the media” with equally forceful change. This presents Brad and Karen with new, novel struggles. 

Readers who choose The Third Man will find that its intrigue operates on many different levels, from moral and ethical conundrums to the challenges of manipulating a society and priming it for perhaps the most dangerous transformation in its history. 

This, in turn, challenges Brad and Karen’s skill sets as they embark on a desperate struggle to contain not just a physical weapon, but the ideological contagion infecting society. 

There are many mirrors between this book’s thriller and suspense action and real-world headlines today. Perhaps that’s what makes it especially intriguing, frightening, and hard to put down. 

The Third Man is highly recommended for libraries and readers seeking solid, realistic stories of medical and ethical struggle—and to book clubs looking for discussion material wrapped in the appeal of a paradigm-changing mystery. 

The Third Man

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We’ll Always Have Poison
BJ Magnani
Encircle Publications
978-1-64599-524-1     
$27.99 Hardcover/$17.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
http://encirclepub.com 

We’ll Always Have Poison adds the fourth Dr. Lily Robinson novel to the series, attracting prior fans to her latest romantic suspense encounters. Dr. Robinson faces a murder mystery when a renowned climate scientist is found dead off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia just before he’s set to deliver a world-shaking report about his research. 

Is his death a coincidence; or does it indicate the fossil fuel industry’s new approach to getting rid of climate scientists whose work threatens their status quo? 

BJ Magnani first cements the murder scenario and Australian environment before she turns to the first-person account of Lily, using compelling, descriptive language to pull newcomers into Lily’s current milieu: 

“My name is Lily Robinson, and I’m on the upside of my recovery from a gunshot wound suffered at the hands of a terrorist. Remnants of my past stay with me, plague me, tangled in what’s to come. It’s the past I now hear knocking at my door. And maybe the future, too.” 

With this revealing introduction comes a probe not only of murder, but the emotions that fuel Lily’s life and profession: 

“You have to learn to let it go, Lily. You cover your emotions, but underneath that clinical coat, you feel deeply. Is that why you chose to become a pathologist? Your patients remain anonymous. All you have is their name, date of birth, and hopefully, some medical history. You rarely see them in the flesh. You do not have to watch their eyes fill with tears when you tell them no cure exists for what ails them. You remain protected beneath your intellect. Et, you wear it like a cloak.” 

A powerful note to Magnani’s exploration is that it does not adopt the usual formula genre approach of a murder mystery, suspense, or romance story. Magnani takes the time to describe the natural world that surrounds Lily’s life and experiences: 

“…the sound that haunts me to this day belonged to the White-browed Robin-Chat, whose multiple melodious songs let us know each morning that he was the master of his territory. A lovely bird with a robin’s red breast, black cap, and a black mask covering his eyes, with a distinctive white stripe sitting above, giving him his name. My binoculars hung around my neck, awaiting a glimpse of any bird or wildlife wandering near our tented camp. We were in awe.” 

As a host of characters swirl around new discoveries, threats, and medical mysteries, Lily’s story is flushed out by the possible motivations and influences of others. Magnani is quite adept at both developing characters and weaving them solidly into their environments, special interests, and Lily’s investigation. 

Powered by a romantic component (as Lily is supported by lover JP Marchand), the story evolves a satisfying mix of intrigue and relationship development alike, as what seems like a straightforward death turns into a struggle for world domination. 

With climate science at the heart of events, readers will relish a tale that pairs contemporary issues with twists and turns of love and death, to prove compellingly realistic and absorbing. 

Libraries seeking the perfect marriage of a suspense story and a partnership challenged by unprecedented threats will relish We’ll Always Have Poison, which holds the ability to stand powerfully on its own as it compliments Lily’s other medical adventures. 

We’ll Always Have Poison

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Novels

The 23rd Hero
Rebecca Anne Nguyen
Castle Bridge Media
979-8-9895934-1-5                 $18.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/23rd-Hero-Rebecca-Anne-Nguyen/dp/B0D3WKVP3X/ 

The 23rd Hero weaves time travel with love in a story that reviews the changed world of Sloane Burrows. Chosen as the world’s first female time traveler, she is sent to 16th century France to change history and the environmental degradation which began at that time. 

Most of the Heroes who made similar efforts were environmental engineers (with a few exceptions). But Sloane’s extraordinary memory makes her an unusual match for a mission that goes beyond the routine Booth maintenance she does so well, forcing her to delve into unfamiliar territory that she feels ill-equipped to handle. 

The Heroes, in her time, fix and apply Band-Aids to constant threats, from storm surges and king tides to outcomes that challenge the Hero Missions to change the environmental impacts of the future via their fixes. 

Despite Sloane’s successes, however, she is not living up to her full potential. Being the 23rd Hero might change that equation, but her role raises new questions about her mandate, loyalties, attitude, and choices: 

“If Sloane blew her cover, no one was going to accuse her of being from the future. They were going to think she was crazy. Lock her up. Burn her alive. Sloane considered telling them the truth—that their intern just happened to be the star of her decade-long recurring dream. They’d think she was bonkers. Too lovesick to be a Hero. They’d send her back to Vancouver, away from him. She said nothing.” 

Unfortunately, her evolving relationship holds the power to transform and thwart ideals and actions, leading to dangerous maneuvers: 

“Standing beneath the open portal on the dock, Bastian snapped his head toward her, his eyes scanning the crowd. The vision of him looking for her, of him wanting to find her, obliterated any remaining inhibitions she had. Sloane felt as if they were the only two people in the shipyard, the only two people who had ever existed or would ever exist, and that to come here without him had been the biggest mistake of her life. She yanked back her hood and tore the travel cloak from her body, flinging it off her shoulders into the crowd. She ripped the bodice of her blue gown to expose her modern dress beneath, the bright orange fabric against the muted clothing of the crowd like a flare in the night sky. She called Bastian’s name, over and over, until their eyes locked.” 

The passion Rebecca Anne Nguyen captures between the two characters is equaled by the challenge to their psyches and purposes as the story evolves. 

Readers who look for intriguing time travel settings will find the tale steeped in unusual connections between not only past and present, but the impact of relationship developments on both. 

The romance component pairs well with the adventure and conundrums. These grow from a underlying blend of dystopian experience and a journey to resolve future dilemmas with small ‘tweaks’, reviewing past events which hold big implications for both characters and their world. 

The result will appeal to romance readers and time-travel enthusiasts, cultivating a different style that injects creative problem-solving and relationship-building scenarios with satisfyingly original dilemmas and outcomes. 

Libraries will find it easy to recommend The 23rd Hero to patrons interested in out-of-the-box thinking about time travel and romantic interests, which hold impact beyond singular relationships. 

The 23rd Hero

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The Art of Becoming Another Person Entirely
Brenda Arnold
Independently Published
‎979-8989196005                     $14.95 Paperback/$6.99 eBoo
Email: brendaj.arnold2023@gmail.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Becoming-Another-Person-Entirely/dp/B0CPZVZL37 

The Art of Becoming Another Person Entirely is a novel filled with reflection and humor, and tells of why Myrna Rutledge believes that, despite all her wealth, it’s a tragedy that her husband comes with the deal. Such an attitude should not come with marriage, so in the interests of having it all, Myrna packs her bags and heads for L.A. in possession of the not-so-secret stash of a million dollars Frank hid under the guest bed. 

There Myrna, far from familiar territory and buffeted by the turbulent changes of the 1960s, discovers new opportunities that not only test her beliefs, morals, and character, but prompt her to become the woman she was meant to be. 

Transformation, however applauded, is no easy effort; especially for one like Myrna. Much like Bernadette in the classic modern novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, Myrna cultivates a wry, witty, oddball sense of self and perspective. This affects her perception of self and change as much as the serendipity that follows her to, surprisingly, once again ties her to Frank; albeit in a quite unexpected manner. 

Readers who choose this novel anticipating a light beach read from both its title and the cover art of a woman wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed beach hat will find the story rich in quirky characters that surround Myrna with tongue-in-cheek life observations and dialogue that is hilarious: 

“A theme,” Myrna said. “We need a theme for your party. Maybe a tie-in with one of your films.”
Kitty arched one perfect brow. “Well, let’s see,” she said. “I did a film called The Devil Bat about a scientist who develops an aftershave lotion that causes giant bats to kill anyone who wears it…And then there’s Dr. Cyclops, a film about a scientist who shrinks all his colleagues. And last, but not least, there’s my personal favorite, The Lone Wolf Gets a Date.”
“I can work with that,” Myra said.
 

The finer art of becoming someone different is to let go old patterns of behavior and reaction in favor of “feeling the magic” in relationships, life encounters, and ironic developments. 

Myrna does all this and more, which gives The Art of Becoming Another Person Entirely colorful highlights of intensity and reflection which juxtaposes joy and humor with wisdom. 

That’s why The Art of Becoming Another Person Entirely is highly recommended for libraries and readers; especially women’s book clubs who seek reads that seem deceptively easy, but augment their entertainment detail with subjects more than worthy of discussion, from romance to reinvention. 

The Art of Becoming Another Person Entirely

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Beautiful & Terrible Things
S.M. Stevens
Black Rose Writing
978-1-68513-447-1         $24.95
www.blackrosewriting.com 

Beautiful & Terrible Things is a novel about social exile, awakening, and new discoveries in modern-day America. Its main character, 29-year-old Charley Byrne, is just coming out of self-imposed isolation in an unnamed city in 2018. 

From the start, trigger warnings are appropriate to mention as first an animal’s demise, then issues of self-harm, come to light. S.M. Stevens provides graphically powerful (but tasteful) descriptions of these events: 

“The squirrel lay on its back, mouth agape in a silent scream. A spot of red blossomed across the white canvas of its belly. She jumped as a passing breeze fluttered the wispy tail. Shuddering again, she embraced her torso, the internal heat from her morning run entirely dissipated.” 

The manner in which Charley faces the limitations of her life as a bookstore manager, living in an apartment above her job and staying circumspect, is illuminated in passages that follow her past tragedies and her certainty that she remains cursed. 

When a customer physically touches her isolated world, Charley is encouraged to break free despite her feelings that such a move will result in further tragedy. Xander brings with him light and opportunity that contrast heavily with her decisions and experiences. This, in turn, propels her to become involved in activist protests against racism and immigrant discrimination. 

The move from hermit to hero is immense. 

Also intense and important are well-done scenes of evolutionary process outside those of social and political involvements as Xander and Charley explore the world together: 

“’The world’s injustices can be a heavy weight sometimes.’
’Well, how about on the way down, we forget about injustice and enjoy Mother Nature?’
And that’s what they did, descending at a comfortable pace, taking time to hear overlapping layers of summer birdsong, smell pungent pine and musty disintegrating logs, and feast their eyes on the sharp spines, jagged lines, and soft shadows of nature’s canvas.”
 

As social chaos, police actions, and new perceptions and values enter Charley’s life, they all lend her the courage to face and assess her own traumas and their long-term impact on her personality and choices. 

S.M. Stevens creates a fine juxtaposition of beautiful and terrible moments in a life already frayed by self-destructive tendencies, depression, and isolation. The title of this book aptly mirrors the ebb and flow of a challenge that evolves as Charley’s life takes dramatic turns, moving away from patterns that once seemed engrained. 

Libraries and readers interested in tales of connection, trauma, recovery, and social discovery will find the many currents of transformation in Beautiful & Terrible Things give much food for thought, and also will appeal to book club discussions about a range of subjects, from social and political individual growth to breaking free of individual isolation to enter the wider social arena. It’s highly recommended for diverse audiences interested in how social and political consciousness evolves and how self-analysis influences that process. 

Beautiful & Terrible Things

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Beyond the Hole in the Fence
Gwen Banta
Independently Published
‎979-8325122156             $10.99 Paperback/$3.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0D3M6261D 

Beyond the Hole in the Fence is a novel of carnival days and experiences that’s set on the East Coast in the 1950s. It simmers with the humor and intensity of a coming-of-age saga, replete with twists and turns that readers will find vigorous and thoroughly absorbing. 

The first-person account opens with a fine example of how reader interest should and can be grabbed from the first paragraph: 

“My grandpa often said that every new day is a bundle of Christmas. I found that to be a delightful thought once I finally reconciled his philosophy with my childhood, which could be more accurately described as “a bundle of carnival freaks.”  

As an unconventional childhood is presented and explored, readers gain insights into not just a singular life experience, but the social and cultural influences which swirl around it to create wisdom and attitudes that grow to influence a teen’s choices and development: 

“To some folks who live black-and-white lives, color is a negative thing. But always remember that the quality of your life is determined by the colors in your spectrum." 

These philosophical and social observations contribute to higher-level thinking and experience throughout the novel as the narrator moves from childhood to adult experiences: 

“I truly believed that my life was looking up, but I had yet to learn that even when looking, we can't truly see what is in front of us.” 

In 1951, the arrival of a summer carnival changes everything. Something extraordinary is about to happen. Unlike Ray Bradbury’s dark carnival in Something Wicked This Way Comes, this attraction holds allure in different ways; both as a tool for growth and discovery and as an opportunity for rich experiences the young narrator couldn’t gain elsewhere. 

Issues of do-gooders who cause inadvertent harm, prejudices which evolve to both threaten and embrace different characters, whether characters are “crazy or just plain evil,” and blows from hurricanes and the winds of chance and adversity come to life. The carnival and worldly experiences swirl around one another, introducing new dilemmas and unprecedented opportunities alike. 

Special insights about those on display for their oddities permeate and supplement the story with food for thought about the definition of such opportunities, at times: 

“My entire existence is a display. And where would I be without a freak show? I would be in an institution somewhere. Or even dead. But at least I now have a good employment situation, a paycheck, food, and a place to live. I feel fortunate to be here. Jones is famous among our lot for being a kind man." 

As Lorraine Merrill (“Rainy”) navigates these changes, readers enjoy a rollicking and thoughtful ride through carnival and life experience that considers the carnival and characters of life and what it means (and takes) to be a “carnie.” 

Libraries and book club reading groups seeking an exceptionally vivid portrait of the 1950s, coming-of-age experiences, and an atmosphere of wonder, revelation, and change will welcome Beyond the Hole in the Fence. It fosters an exceptional ability to navigate the dream that is life, and the characters that carry Rainy into her eighteenth birthday and beyond the holes in her heart to resolve past and present perspectives about her place in the world. 

Beyond the Hole in the Fence

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Distress & Determination Part II: The Further Trials of Frederick Darcy, Young Gentleman
James Wollak
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-216-5                         $18.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

Distress & Determination Part II: The Further Trials of Frederick Darcy, Young Gentleman continues the story of Frederick Darcy, who has assumed the position of Master of Pemberley, yet continues to struggle between his legacy and his personal ambition to return to Cambridge and continue his studies. 

His return to university brings with it a different growth process that, in turn, injects his diligence with moments of self-doubt and weakness. As he struggles with debate successes and failures and moves the course of his studies into realms that test his ability to handle social introductions, snafus, and ideals of friendships and enemies, Frederick finds his personal study objectives adding to the burden of his position as Master. 

Family issues (such as his relationship with his sisters) provide him with ongoing requests for determination and action that function as demanding overlays to his responsibilities—especially when he is forced to consider restitution over a fight, jugging responsibility with realization as he becomes an effective, moral new adult. 

James Wollak captures these transformative events and influences on Frederick’s life as the young man navigates unexpected confrontations and their consequences: 

“Darcy and Frederick began talking at once, interrupting Lord Hartford. Despite this lapse, Frederick won and apologized. ‘Thank you for offering, my lord, but I must insist. My father would not – and should not – be responsible for paying for all the damage we caused. If that is so, then why should you?  He shrugged. ‘Our fight was neither your fault, nor my parents’. I am only a very young man, but I believe it is my responsibility to make amends, despite your generous offer.’” 

A political interaction with king and princesses dovetail with dilemmas created by arrogance, assumptions, and encounters that test Frederick in different ways. Wollack captures the milieu of the 1800s in an astute manner that marries personal experience with social requirements, politics, and special interests. 

At each step, Frederick steps into responses and values that eventually lead him into the unexpected territory of romance and marriage. As his journey unfolds, so does an exquisite attention to atmospheric detail which will delight readers of historical fiction and libraries catering to them. 

These audiences will find Distress & Determination Part II: The Further Trials of Frederick Darcy, Young Gentleman especially inviting if they are already familiar with the first book introducing this young nobleman’s world. Part II expands his life in many satisfyingly diverse, unexpected directions.

Distress & Determination Part II: The Further Trials of Frederick Darcy, Young Gentleman

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Edison’s Last Breath
Patrick Kendrick
Bluewater Press
978-1-60452-203-7        
$33.95 Hardcover/$21.95 Paper/$9.99 ebook
Website: BluewaterPress.com
Ordering: www.amazon.com 

Edison’s Last Breath opens in 1931, where the dying Thomas Edison occupies his last stages of life filling test tubes with his breath, knowing that one of them will be identified as his last one. He bequeaths these to his good friend Henry Ford; but after his passing, over forty tubes vanish. 

Just as mysteriously, they are sent to Henry yearly, who opens them to breathe in his friend’s essence, which he believes lends him strength . . . but, perhaps not enough to confront what happens next. In 1940, a tube is stolen in transit and a rabbi who breathes its contents takes his own last breath. 

The package’s return label is that of world-renowned entertainer Josephine Baker. The mystery compels retired Scotland Yard inspector Emmet MacWain to forego the sandy beaches of Florida to once again join forces with questionable FBI agent John Serey. MacWain journeys far from his idea of retirement. 

From the jungles of Brazil and voodoo practitioners to war-torn Europe, McWain and Serey find their skills, partnership, and objectives sorely tested by political and mystery events that form a marriage of intrigue and dangerous intentions. 

Much as Ford confronts “leaps of logic” that test his beliefs and the nature of his association with Edison, the investigators also find their own relationship and objectives put to the guillotine of hard reality over situations they’d never imagined. 

Portraits of Hitler, Rudolph Hess, and others are based on real people and events and weave a strong foundation of historical precedent into a tale steeped in intrigue and political shifts as the real impact of Edison’s last breath(s) emerges. 

The strength in Edison’s Last Breath lies in its ability to blend history with the elements of intrigue and mystery that will draw general-interest audiences … even those who may hold relatively little prior familiarity with some of the undercurrents of World War II’s events or personalities. 

Patrick Kendrick’s use of fictional high-octane drama and nonfiction’s real-world scenarios creates a thoroughly engrossing story made all the more compelling for its ability to not just jog the reader’s memory about the war’s influences and struggles, but enlighten readers about the social and racial issues of the times. 

The combination represents a masterful interplay of personalities, political challenges, and global change that both entertains and educates with powerful allusions and satisfyingly unpredictable twists. 

Libraries seeking a thriller that features globe-hopping experiences, historical foundations, intrigue, and social issues ranging from anti-Semitism to political battles will appreciate the multifaceted presentation that is Edison’s Last Breath. Its subplots of racial hatred and social influence will also serve book clubs well, offering many points of discussion about past history and present-day events. 

Edison’s Last Breath

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Flight of the Starling
Christine Merser & Carol Rea
Blue 2 Publishing
979-8989906901             $16.95 Paperback
Website: https://www.blue2publishing.net/book/flight-of-the-starling
Ordering: https://amzn.to/4dmwxdr

Flight of the Starling is set in high society, where billionaires and money seep from the very pores of people such as wealthy divorcee Justine, whose life of luxury is threatened when a personal quest for justice rocks her world and assumptions. 

Christine Merser & Carol Rea create a adventurous ride cemented by intriguing chapter titles peppered with humor. Examples include ‘From Backgammon to Black Ops,’ ‘Relax, It’s Only Dinner,’ and ‘Mistaken for a Barbie Doll.’ 

Forced to navigate forces and milieus that exist outside her life of luxury, Justine’s involvement in mega-millionaire Robert’s search for his missing daughter Caroline emphasizes that money can’t buy everything; much less security and a life whose progression is safely set in stone. 

Robert reaches one goal, but makes a proposal to Justine which draws her even further in human trafficking dilemmas. These create unexpected connections between crime and high society as the women face different and difficult circumstances because of their experiences and relationships. 

At the heart of it, Flight of the Starling holds intrigue and the nonstop action of a thriller—but with a difference. It’s also an intriguing story of wealth, concepts and assumptions built into monetary achievements, and how the coalescence of seemingly disparate lives reveals truths and facts that none of the three women had anticipated. 

Justine’s position and affluence give her resources other similar thriller plots involving the wealthy fail to point out: 

“I buy an apartment in Dubai in three hours. It’s on a busy street, the top floor, a terrace with panoramic views in all directions. It’s the first one I see. I don’t bother visiting the others. I wire the broker five million euros to be transferred the next day. Everything that is in the apartment stays. It’s three bedrooms and 2,800 square feet, and I’m good with it.” 

However much money smoothes the way, it doesn’t solve moral and ethical problems, as Justine discovers. In and of itself, money actually contributes to a deeper series of conundrums that challenge her beliefs, role, and abilities. 

Readers who navigate these pitfalls and promises alongside Justine will find much food for thought as she arrives at some dangerous, revealing truths. This process will lend as nicely to book club discussions as it will to thriller readers who look for more than fast-paced action in their reading choices. 

Libraries will find it easy to recommend Flight of the Starling for its vivid scenarios, twists and turns, and intriguing inspection of Justine’s involvements. Her associations with equally-powerful female characters pinpoint segments of the dangerous game that unfolds around issues of control, redemption, and ideals of success, whether moral or financial. 

Flight of the Starling

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The Ghostly Diva
Sandra L. Young
The Wild Rose Press Inc.
978-1-5092-5522-1         $17.99 Paperback/$4.99 eBook
www.thewildrosepress.com 

What better job can there be for one passionate about antiques and history than that of an Assistant Museum Director? That’s what Justine Saunders thinks. Her latest assignment—to go through the belongings of a deceased actress—only supports her notion that she holds the best job in the world … until the ghost appears when a storm strands her with the actress’s grumpy son, Jackson Maddox. The spirit encourages them both to uncover the diva’s real legacy and impact on his life. 

As Justine and Jackson pursue the truth about his father’s identity, why his mother protected it so fiercely, and the inheritance that led him back to the small town that once was his home, romance (perhaps predictably) blossoms between the two. 

The pursuit of truth dovetails with a concurrent need to save her beloved job, propelling Justine to address greater issues as she both fields love and fights for her job. 

Sandra L. Young creates an engaging story in which Justine’s own mother is trying to set her up with romance even as Justine falls into one entirely on her own. Well … not entirely, because meddling mothers in the form of ghosts can be just as influential as those still alive. 

Additionally, a job opportunity in Chicago threatens many things. Justine must work at discovering where her heart (and love) really lie. 

There’s a cozy quality to this story, even though it’s not billed as a mystery. Young builds her characters as individuals whose interests both clash and coalesce over various influences and events (both supernatural and in the real world) that make their mark on Justine and Jackson. 

Young injects moral and ethical concerns into the story, adding a full-bodied richness to dilemmas and conflicts over choices and their possible outcomes: 

“Justine stared at the empty chair, registering a mix of awe and dread. What a convoluted mess. How did she end up being the chosen one to pursue Liza’s ambitions? And why wouldn’t she share the scoop on her baby daddy now? Would breaking the promise land her in hell? The thought chilled her. How wild that she could even consider such a concept.” 

Between money management, developing new social skills, and confronting museum marketing challenges, Justine has her hands full even without adding love into the bigger picture. 

The result is a captivating, warm story of evolving connections and new directions that is especially recommended for cozy romance readers who like accents of the supernatural added into their small-town stories. Libraries will find it easy to recommend The Ghostly Diva for its clean-cut dilemmas and explorations of love. 

The Ghostly Diva

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The Goddess of Weaver Street
Joy Ross Davis
Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing
978-1-954332-53-9                 $16.95
www.wyattmackenziebooksandgifts.com 

The Goddess of Weaver Street is a novel steeped in magical realism and mental illness quandaries, and presents a story of challenge, empowerment, and change. 

Women who enjoy reading about strong characters who each contribute their dualities and abilities to the plot will find much to appreciate, here. The story opens with Lynda Lee Brennan, who has won many beauty pageants and is on track to follow in her parents’ posh footsteps until she marries a struggling medical student who is ten years her senior. This both defies her set course of achievement and results in everything she’s ever wanted—a home and love, with the future potential of a family and a happy life. 

End of story? This is only the beginning as Lynda moves from success to confront her parents’ different definitions of failure and achievement, only to come full circle in facing her own obstacles to contentment. 

Ray completes his schooling … then informs her that he’s chosen a medical specialty which involves six more years of school (and poverty). This more than throws a monkey wrench in Lynda’s timeline for developing a family: 

Six more years, Lynda thought and her heart sank. It’s 1956, and I’ll be almost thirty by then. 

To his credit, Ray is more than cognizant of the sacrifices Lynda’s had to make for him, and appreciates her for this: 

“I couldn’t have done this without you,” he said, looking down at her with his glorious blue eyes, a stray lock of black hair hanging across his forehead. “You’ve been my rock, my foundation, and I’ll never forget how you’ve sacrificed for me. I took away the most beautiful girl in New York and turned her into a poor housewife who couldn’t afford to buy even a scrap of steak. And you, my dear, have remained just as beautiful and have been the very best wife any man could want.” 

Ray treats her like his goddess even as Lynda confronts the realities of just how much she has changed in the course of her relationship, foregoing not only many of her old dreams, but the habits that once fueled her life: 

She fancied herself a bit of a mermaid and even wore a pastel blue and green dress in her first pageant to symbolize the mermaid in her. She’d won that pageant without anyone ever knowing how much she adored the water or rather, being under the water. She swam with her eyes wide open in their family pool, swam and swam … until she met Ray. She wondered now if she’d lost her ability to swim. “I was once a mermaid,” she whispered to the water. “Once upon a time, I could swim the length of this lake without ever coming up for air.” 

As Lynda comes to be known as the Goddess of Weaver Street, her beauty and attraction still prevalent, readers also absorb the deeper magical layers of attraction, life viewpoint, and changing goals and attractions that Lynda cultivates as she returns to her love of water and unexpectedly becomes the swim team coach for the summer. 

Her dreams include encounters with magical weavers who shave the edges from the reality that is her life, injecting it with different possibilities as she embarks on a journey that involves learning new habits and absorbing story examples about strong women. 

Joy Ross Davis creates an uplifting sense of discovery and achievement, weaves magical encounters with mental examinations, and deftly portrays how Lynda navigates such dilemmas as her friend’s secret (wife abuse), the politics of medicine and her husband’s achievements, and her own revised place in the world. 

Libraries seeking women’s novels replete with atmospheres of change, magical thinking, and realistic life pivot points will find The Goddess of Weaver Street a thrilling acquisition. It’s sure to attract women’s book clubs, with its myriad of thought-provoking transformative experiences that operate on different levels. 

The Goddess of Weaver Street

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In Lieu of Flowers
Keith Steinbaum
World Castle Publishing LLC
9798891261655              $3.99 ebook
http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com 

In Lieu of Flowers is a work of horror and suspense that embraces topics of ghosts, graves, messages from the dead, and resistance to these topics from the living. 

From the start, the plot creates a bang of opportunity and discovery that lures readers into an atmosphere of battle and horror in 1920 Romania. The atmosphere of these times and that place haunt the reader’s mind with a “you are here” feel: 

“The descending late autumn sun, fighting a losing battle against the advancing hordes of encroaching clouds, offered an opportune moment for the theft of the baby to succeed. Gunari’s watchful, brown Roma eyes peered out from the safeguarding shadows of an empty doorway in preparation for the deed. Inhaling and exhaling in a slow and rhythmic attempt at calming his nerves, he gazed northward toward the glorious yet fading outline of the Bucegi mountains, seeking the strength he needed to pounce, steal, and escape.” 

From the Romani Gypsy community to an assignment to kidnap a baby, intrigue emerges in the first pages of the story and only grows deeper as a tangled web is woven between Gunari’s assignment and its consequences. 

Gunari absorbs not just the impact of his failure (which reaches into his own family) but the terrible history of the man who has commanded him. Thus, readers receive an inkling of what was, and what is to come. There’s nothing but darkness stemming from an early diversion away from the Creator’s intentions, resulting in a series of viruses that batter and change humanity. 

Gunari faces the Devil himself (and within himself) and begins to truly realize what he has (or hasn’t) done. What does the fate of a Jewish baby have to do with the future? Plenty, as Gunari absorbs the real impact of his choices. 

Keith Steinbaum crafts a thoroughly engrossing horror saga that moves between worlds and purposes to draw readers into darkness similar to what classics such as Dracula achieved. A cast of characters emerges from this darkness, from Nigel and the premonitions and new blindness of Juana to Peter’s second chance at life as he faces a growing hunger inside him that will change everything. 

Between issues of anti-Semitism to midwife Naomi’s baby and its future, Steinbaum draws together a disparate cast of individuals whose lives, options, and futures both defy and lend to greater horror.

Replete with elements of ghostly encounters, the stuff of legends, and the new realities characters are forced to grapple with, In Lieu of Flowers is a story that moves beyond death to introduce facets of discovery that readers won’t see coming. 

Libraries interested in horror stories that take the extra and next step into discovery and realization will find In Lieu of Flowers an excellent collection addition. 

In Lieu of Flowers

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Jaguar Dreams
Susan MacBryde
Independently Published
979-8390016947             $9.99 Paperback/$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Jaguar-Dreams-Susan-MacBryde/dp/B0C1DHYR6Y 

Jaguar Dreams takes place in the heart of the Amazon jungle, where a Kichwa village faces the world-ripping threat of a road which is destroying their wilderness and exposing them to forces beyond ken. 

At the forefront of their resistance is matriarchal family head Sacha, who represents the intersection of vying forces. These create internal conflict by their very different visions of how to preserve their culture and home; from a shamanistic father to grown sons who hold their own different perspectives on the matter—plus an entire village divided on whether to actively or passively confront the threat. 

One thing the villagers can agree upon is that messages from the spirits should guide their decisions. And so, everyone is listening. 

Jaguars also represent the crux of this conflict, because: 

“Jaguars enhance clairvoyance, enabling dreamers to peer into the full range of time. A stealthy animal, jaguars can navigate the forest, helping the dreamer to maneuver through life’s challenges. Its rosette camouflage of contrasting colors represents its balance between dark and light forces and its ability to offer protection to the dreamer. Seeing a jaguar in a dream can signify a perilous situation, difficult to escape … though seeing a black jaguar can mean the dreamer has passed through the dark and light will come.” 

But, will light come in time? Outside influences and special interests forge ahead as the villagers debate, wonder, and fight with one another over the best course to take. Resistance also comes from surprising outsider involvement, from professors interested in Indigenous cultures to environmental activists who become purposeful (and sometimes unwitting) defenders of the rainforest. 

Susan MacBryde creates fascinating contrasts between these cultures and influences: 

“A young man appeared wearing the traditional blue feathered headdress with beaded straps across his bare chest. He also wore soccer shorts and sneakers.” 

The plot emphasizes that the slow simmer of assimilation has been going on long before corporate efforts to exploit oil resources in the rainforest posed a physical threat. 

As threats escalate towards a showdown, MacBryde captures the nature of individual and money-grubbing activities through the eyes of characters whose inner intentions and outward actions create satisfying interplays and dichotomies. This approach offers readers and book club groups much food for thought. 

The resulting juxtaposition of dreams, nightmares, environmental and personal motives entwines a number of seemingly-disparate characters and forces, creating a story that is evocative, vivid, and hard to put down. 

Libraries and readers seeking powerful environmental-based stories will find Jaguar Dreams compelling, offering many topics worthy of book club discussion and individual reader contemplation about the nature of development, greed, and even love. 

Jaguar Dreams

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A Life of Dreams
Doug Dunnevant
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-218-9
$16.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook /$25.99 Hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com 

In A Life of Dreams, Percy Hope’s newfound wealth has elevated him to a life of luxury and achievement that he never could have imagined. Nor could he envision losing it; but when his inheritance fades, so does the illusion of stability and success that came with it. 

Plagued by nightmares, Percy struggles with the aftermath of a suicide attempt, juggling various forms of success with requirements that both lend purpose to his life and test his resolve and relationships. Between gambling losses and infidelity to eventual divorce and devastation, Percy is left with only the dreams that haunt his psyche with new possibilities and deadly reflections. 

Doug Dunnevant traverses the topics of forgiveness, healing, and redemption. He portrays a middle-aged man whose objectives and approaches to life shift as money comes and goes, love ebbs and flows, and his sense of purpose is altered by death and renewal. 

Well-developed characters change Percy’s life in unexpected ways that are not all about success and failure, but the gray areas of perception and goals which lie in between. However, Percy isn’t the only one under the microscope, here. Beth, too, receives close inspection as viewpoints shift between them. Named chapter headings could have solidified these shifts with more clarity, but most readers won’t become entirely lost over the ways in which Percy and Beth find their lives entwined over family and destiny: 

“She had often wondered what she would feel at the first glimpse of him. Would there be any recognition? What emotion would flow to the surface: anger, resentment, fear? Nothing had prepared her for love. Her first reaction to seeing the father who had totally abandoned her was an overwhelming desire to run to him. Then, as surprising and unnerving as her first response had been, soon after, all was emotional panic. Could she bear it if he didn’t return her love, or worse, treated her with indifference?” 

The result is a thought-provoking novel of discovery and recovery that is highly recommended for libraries and readers seeking sagas of redemption that arrive with a hint of supernatural influences. These readers will welcome Percy and Beth’s realistic encounters, changing relationship, and the impact of wealth, poverty, and self-awareness on the choices each makes in life. 

A Life of Dreams

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Network Apprentice: Behind the Scenes in Talk Television
Graydon “Dee” Hubbard
Atmosphere Press
9798891322240              $18.95
www.atmospherepress.com 

Network Apprentice: Behind the Scenes in Talk Television may sound like an appealing title for media students, but its added value lies in the fact that this is a satirical novel; not nonfiction. Graydon “Dee” Hubbard marries a plot based on student Julie Andrews (who seeks a degree in broadcast journalism) with bigger-picture thinking about network politics and assignments that move Julie away from familiar comfort zones into adventurous, thought-provoking realms. 

The story opens with seventeen-year-old Julie’s adventure trip with her father, moving into realms of observation and outdoors adventures. Surprisingly, though, the tale opens with the laconic description of a bear who assumes center stage in the beginning: 

“Like an aging satyr who indulged too much the night before, he naps all morning sprawled spread-eagle, tongue lolling, drool pooling, flies circling, guts rumbling. Continuous
snores and occasional belches spew from his open mouth. Gluttonous dreams dance in his head.”
 

As stories of leaving familiar trails blend with centuries of history and places in which evil spirits bring disillusionment, Hubbard dances back and forth between Julie’s perspective and the experiences of all kinds of characters. These include a shepherd and his son, who face forces of nature beyond their ability to confront, to others who move through space and time. These characters are cemented by modern-day Julie’s own efforts to evolve beyond any limitations imposed by either belief or outside influences. 

No matter the illustration, Hubbard embeds philosophical considerations into these natural and human dilemmas: 

“Dare they attempt it? His headshake is barely perceptible. Then he returns his gaze to the pass and grimaces. Must he turn back, retreat to safety…and to shame? Another headshake. Uncertainty torments him. Reality threatens his aspirations.” 

Readers may not anticipate the political inspections which evolve from these world-hopping experiences, but the satirical review pulls no punches as it bows to the impact of deceptions fostered by a belief in American values and the role and purpose of government in daily lives. 

Media studies students will find the interactions between network officials, politicians, and students to be interesting and enlightening, while general-interest readers with no such background will appreciate the injection of irony and satire into observations and experiences that keep Julie’s career objectives in flux. 

As she conducts research, considers agenda-driven focuses, and navigates the history and impact of American government’s ideals and realities, readers will find much to pique their interest … especially in book club circles interested in debating US policies, network influences, and a father/daughter relationship that grows in novel directions. 

Libraries should not only consider Network Apprentice for their fiction collections, but will want to recommend it to book clubs interested in developing a spirited interchange of discussions about nature, ideals, government, and flawed systems. 

Network Apprentice: Behind the Scenes in Talk Television

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Once a Homecoming Queen
Joan Moran
TouchPoint Press
978-1-956851-66-3         $16.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Once-Homecoming-Queen-Joan-Moran-ebook/dp/B0CR7X6S1S 

Once a Homecoming Queen is a novel about a dying, addicted woman whose alcoholism leads her to suffer a major fall. This places her care in the arms of her frustrated family. 

It may seem odd to find humor in this sobering story of Francine Reynolds-Richelli-Freeman, but Joan Moran’s wry tongue-in-cheek observations temper the realistic, somber atmosphere of a family’s dysfunctional makeup. It considers the impact of a dependent alcoholic, offering glimpses into a world of sobriety, new possibilities, old patterns, and shifting alliances and choices: 

“Rhonda drove too fast into the women’s correctional facility parking lot. She had to slam on her brakes to stop the car from going beyond the guest parking. Francine clutched her purse. Rhonda parked and got out.
‘Are you coming?’ Rhonda asked as she began to walk to the front entrance.
Francine got out of the car and peered at the dilapidated building.
‘Sounded like a good idea at the time,’ Francine said under her breath.
‘I heard that,’ said Rhonda. ‘It’s not the Taj Mahal, but it’s clean.’
‘Oh, that’s a good recommendation. I’ll put it on Yelp. ‘Jail is clean. Come on down and join us.’”
 

The subject of senior addiction and its special brand of family impact are nicely done with depictions of AA meetings, struggles to embrace sobriety, and efforts to change engrained family dynamics revealed in the course of a dynamic exploration of life. 

Joan Moran is adept at juxtaposing past influences with present-day events. These are the kinds of confrontations and realizations that keep Francine engaged in new possibilities while fielding the impact of her usual poor choices. 

From start to finish, the dark humor emerges from unexpected encounters, enriching the experiences Francine embraces. 

The result is a compelling, realistic story of a family’s tangled involvements in a senior’s efforts to overcome both addiction and the impact of her life and past choices. 

Libraries and readers seeking novels steeped in realistic family and life encounters with addiction and redemption will find Once a Homecoming Queen engrossing. It’s highly suitable for family and reading group debates on subjects ranging from alcoholism and family dynamics to the process of being a senior and confronting poor choices and dubious outcomes at the end of life. 

Once a Homecoming Queen

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One Square Mile
Kristin H. Sample
The Mad Duck Coalition
9781956389173              $15
Website: https://themadduckcoalition.org/product/one-square-mile/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVNPLD77 

One Square Mile probes and reveals the life of Elizabeth Bauer, who has grown up in a tiny town on Long Island. She relates some of life's pivot points and family connections, from putting her beloved bunny Cleo down to breaking her ankle playing soccer and first romances: 

"...now my whole life will be a do over of this important moment. I’ll have to find the meaning and ro­mance. Isn’t your first kiss supposed to be special? I can’t tell my kids about this. I can’t tell my grandkids about this. I’m not going to marry this random kid from Club Malibu. This isn’t the beginning of an amazing story of first kisses that turn into lasting loves." 

As the interconnected stories build a life from these moments of memory and change, the real strength of One Square Mile appears—that of a life that emerges from chrysalis to enter the butterfly years of adulthood in a world that embraces working-class values and 1990s culture. 

As Elizabeth experiences sleepovers with fellow teens, explores the puzzles of romance and sexuality, and deals with looming adulthood and lessons which depart from childhood preoccupations and concerns, she comes to know more about her roots, influences, and the world around her. 

This translates to a coming-of-age story that is candid and revealing as its protagonist re-envisions the world and her place in it. 

The encounters and dialogues cement Elizabeth's new perceptions in a realistic, engrossing manner: 

"Wait, I think to myself. Is that why Kristina called me? Like she was going down a list entitled “Girls I Can Tolerate if it Means Getting a Ride.” I shove that thought so far back in my mind, it’s like the winter coats packed away in the attic until the first freeze. You know they are there, but you may have forgotten what they look like exactly." 

Libraries and readers seeking stories of growth, realization, and slow transformation will find One Square Mile a powerful journey through a sense of place and purpose. 

It brings to life not only Elizabeth's newfound realizations, but her changing perceptions of Long Island, her friends, and her family. One Square Mile is highly recommended reading for anyone looking for an absorbing story of a young female's new opportunities and visions of her life. 

One Square Mile

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Saving My Ancient Life
Ken Luber
Palmetto Publishing
979-8-8229-3948-6        
$16.99 Paperback/$25.99 Hardcover/$8.99 ebook
http://www.palmettopublishing.com/ 

Saving My Ancient Life is a novel that opens with a potentially triggering event (to those subject to responses to vivid traumatic description): the rape of a young girl, whose father is beheaded and her baby wrested from her arms by soldiers. 

Fast forward five hundred years to a snowy winter's day in the Illinois town of Cederburgh. In this world, LuAnn, who was pregnant at age sixteen, builds a foundation of family and meaning for herself, her daughter Kaylee, and her son, Billy Blackwell. 

From the start, Ken Luber inserts memorable phrases of observation into the story which grants each character a depth and interesting reflections that readers will find engaging and thought-provoking: 

"I’m making him sound like one big jerk. But love hugs a lot more jerks than saints.” 

LuAnn, desperately searching for her son, finds herself cast into her own shamanic journey, from the darkness of barrooms and brothels to the upper crust of 1890s San Francisco society, while Billy navigates the past's influences on his choices and the lasting consequences this brings, readers receive a compelling saga of time-travel, romance, and the clash of past and future worlds. 

Billy encounters Highland lass El, who takes him on a wild ride through her world and focus. In her milieu, his wrestling strengths and modern abilities pale in the light of her strength and ability to navigate situations he's never before encountered in his young life. 

From meetings with spirits to two worlds whose disparate characters intersect and interact, Saving My Ancient Life provides much more than an uncommon mix of time and place. It considers the culture, influences, and struggles of characters whose special interests and worlds reach out to very different individuals, entwining them in a journey to find truth and family. 

Luber's attention to detail, from the Highland brogue that El exhibits to the fact that young Billy needs to become a better horse rider if he's to follow her in her quest to find her missing son, brings the story to life, replete with thought-provoking insights that encourage pause for thought: 

"You still haven't told me. Is it far?"
"How far is the journey of any life to find yur heart?" 
 

Book clubs and readers used to more linear thinking in time travel experiences will delight in the effort Luber makes to not only inject realistic backgrounds and dilemmas into his characters' encounters, but to chronicle character-building moments into the tale. These bring unexpected facets of the concurrent journeys to life. 

Chapter header notes about shifting places might provide readers with an even stronger foundation for absorbing these changes; but even without them, Saving My Ancient Life is a moving story powered by evocative descriptions of a mystical past brought to life: 

"He was beginning to believe in El's mystical world, the world of a mother's voice rising from the flames of a hearth and of a dog-tag flaring light in a faraway meadow. And staring into the flames she had just created, it struck him that with wormholes and expanding universes, TV transmission and trips to the moon, was his world any less mystical? Yes, there were formulas and statistics, but were they any different than the mumbo-jumbo, indecipherable words of an ancient world as passionately connected to the universe?" 

Libraries and readers interested in a fantasy journey that juxtaposes romance, impossible dreams, intentions of courage and rescue, wormholes that connect disparate worlds, and characters who move into different milieus that test their resources and mettle will welcome Saving My Ancient Life’s journey and diverse themes. 

The novel's ability to not only entertain, but stand out, also makes for a top recommendation for book club discussion. 

"...is time any different for any of us, going back and forth through the worlds in our minds and in our hearts, searching for the truth of who we really are?" 

Saving My Ancient Life

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A Sister Ago
Caitlin Buhr
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-232-5         $15.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

A Sister Ago is about the death of a sister, the strange coincidences that emerge from sibling Christine’s loss, and a probe that sends her from grief to investigation as she uncovers some startling new facts about her sister’s life and death. 

While Caitilin Buhr’s novel may seem to be a murder mystery in disguise, look further to uncover the threads of family relationships and discovery that keep this story moving beyond mystery realms alone. 

Buhr is adept at portraying the immediate and long-term impact of sister Rachel’s death as Christine simultaneously seeks answers and recovery from grief. This search brings her to grad student Keji and the startling realization that her therapist has violated client confidentiality by sharing with him details of Christine’s life and Rachel’s death. Why would Walter do this? And what does Keji’s brother Yota have to do with Rachel’s demise? 

As the two probe odd circumstances and serendipity, new realizations arise about relationships, coincidence, and determination. These shake each’s cognizance of who their brother and sister really were. 

Underlying insights about addiction, family relationships, and more lend a multifaceted feel to the story that will keep readers thoroughly engaged and guessing about outcomes. 

This is why A Sister Ago is highly recommended both for libraries seeking novels that include a flavor of mystery, but forge deeper into family connections, and readers who enjoy stories filled with unexpected twists and turns, both emotional and investigative. The sense of discovery is exquisitely developed, while the characters are three-dimensional and captivating throughout their growth and grief processes. 

A Sister Ago

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Summer Triangle
Elizabeth Webster
Atmosphere Press
979-8891320055             $18.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

Summer Triangle will attract and delight readers seeking women’s fiction that simmers with vivid contrasts in lives, emotions, and reactions to challenges. It examines the entwined experiences of three women who become bonded by an idyllic beach haven getaway. Each needs to walk out of her life. Each finds not only respite, but recovery and friendship unexpectedly evolving from her escape. 

From the start, Elizabeth Webster builds an enticing juxtaposition between the desire for peace and respite and the forces that threaten each woman’s security and psyche. 

Individually, the women grapple with seemingly overwhelming obstacles; but collectively, they discover a strength in sharing and support that emerges from an initial desire to hide. 

Natalie has to run from her life when the dual impact of her husband Harris’s infidelity and her professional life’s downfall tear her world apart. The reason why she can’t find closure by remaining where she’s at becomes clear from the start: 

“…the handful of therapists that she’d seen and subsequently dumped had all agreed with him. They’d all spoken of closure. There had been vague, saccharine references to sand in her toes. Her most metaphysical therapist had talked often about the “healing” powers of saltwater and sea air. As though childhood trauma was eczema. As though every open wound can be mended by simply circling back to the point of puncture.” 

Her story, revealed in the first chapter, merges with Eliana’s experience with Josh in the second chapter. Chapter headings might have clarified the shifting characters a bit better, but Webster is careful to name each in the opening lines of the chapter, which helps mitigate potential confusion. 

Eliana escapes family and financial woes by not only retreating to her beach hideaway, but finds solace in offering it to women enduring similar stresses in their lives, who also need a getaway in order to think. Intriguing questions about gratitude’s wellsprings arise early in the story to explain her generosity and perceptions: 

“Eliana furrowed her brow. ‘You think I’m being ungrateful.’
’I just think we both have to remember it: through some twist of fate, some mixture of fate and work and privilege, we’ve gotten lucky—‘
’And where does that leave me, exactly? Locked into a smile for life?’”
 

Then there’s high-profile model Allegra, who is haunted by a controlling husband and relentless media pursuit. Can she really walk out of her world successfully? 

As chapters juxtapose marriages, friendship impacts, and lives in flux, readers will appreciate how these three disparate women’s lives become supportive relationships that send ripples of change back into the worlds they fled. 

Summer Triangle is especially highly recommended as a summer beach read; for libraries interested in women’s fiction that center around friendship impacts and growth opportunities; and for readers interested in psychological clashes and transformation processes. 

Summer Triangle

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Till My Last Day
Deborah Swenson
Nor-Mar Press
979-8218961169             $18.99 Paperback/$9.49 eBook
Website: https://deborahswenson.com
Ordering:  https://www.amazon.com/Till-My-Last-Day-Trilogy/dp/B0CW8KP652/ 

Till My Last Day is the second book in the Desert Hills Trilogy and opens in 1880 Boston. Dutiful society daughter and lady Rebecca Young Ackerman, married off to a man her father chose (who not only doesn’t love her but threatens her), decides to take the leap and escape her socially acceptable bondage. 

To do so, she must take her boys and travel cross-country towards a new life and away from the circumstances which held her in thrall. The last thing she expected was to meet a gentleman whose time-traveling experience landed him in her lap. 

Nathaniel, too, never expected to give up his familiar life in 2016 to move to the past, but circumstances beyond his control sent him into this other world. Rebecca’s, to be specific. 

Rebecca’s opening first-person narrative captures the terror she feels upon her drunk husband’s return home. She fears this time, she won’t be able to deflect his wrath, which could cost her life. 

Accompanied by Pearl (determined to stick by her through thick and thin), Rebecca makes her way west, moving away from Boston society and the man whose veneer only imitated propriety in public. 

Perspectives shift (which are clearly defined in chapter headings) from her husband Elliott’s pursuit of her and his entry into Yuma, Territory, Arizona, to the involvement of Benjamin Reynolds, a Pinkerton agent who finds that his latest assignment lands him in the middle of a mess of discoveries. 

As Rebecca staves off the day when Elliot will find and capture them, and Nathaniel falls in love with a courageous yet vulnerable lady, readers become involved in a story of romance, intrigue, and pursuit. This may trigger readers with PTSD from predatory relationships but thoroughly engage with its shifting narrators and circumstances. 

Libraries and readers seeking a story replete with a sense of 1800s cultural contrasts between Boston high society and Western frontier milieus and vivid personalities who leave their comfort zones to build new lives will find Till My Last Day a compelling story. It enhances the prior Till My Last Breath, yet is a strong, independent, stand-alone read for newcomers. 

Till My Last Day

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Reviewer's Choice

The Curse of King Midas
Colleen M. Story
Midchannel Press
978-0-9990991-6-2
$24.99 Hardcover/$15.99 Paperback/$7.99 eBook
                       
https://colleenmstory.com/story/the-curse-of-king-midas/ 

The Curse of King Midas is the first book in the Midas Legacy series, and marries mythology and magic in retelling the traditional Greek legend. Readers familiar with this myth may not fully realize that a real King Midas ruled the kingdom of Phrygia (now part of Turkey) in the eighth century B.C., but the archaeological evidence piecing together the truth of the story has only emerged from excavation efforts in the 1950s. This contributes to a story that perhaps could not have been told decades ago. 

For all its foundations in myth and historical reality, The Curse of King Midas is, however, a tale firmly rooted in magic and fictional embellishment as Colleen M. Story casts the King Midas legend in an entirely new light. 

Contemporary insights on trauma, PTSD, leadership challenges and cursed power blend nicely in a story that brings the 8th century to life. Other characters emerge, such as the goddess Denisia, Prince Anchurus, Katiah, and others who all interface with and impact the kingdom (and, ultimately, its ruler). 

Story excels in creating action-packed scenarios that are thoroughly engrossing and bring the environment, setting, and underlying motivations and concerns of leaders, goddesses, and major influencers to life. She builds on their experiences to create and explain the conflicts that buffet kingdom and characters: 

“And does your heart long for revenge against this soldier who killed your mother and stole your sister?”
He nodded again, clenching his fist. She cocked her head, studying him. “If you really want it, you must be willing to sacrifice for it.”
 

The real curse of the king lies in far more than gold and greed. Story brings this world to life with a vivid touch that spins a fine yarn, circling it with the golden touch of authoritative history combined with new interpretations. 

The marriage of intrigue, myth, and special interests works well to create a compelling revamp of the King Midas legend. This will prove attractive to a wide range of readers, from those interested in stories built from new historical discoveries to others who just want a rollicking good read replete with myth, magic, and entwined lives, that exhibits rich and satisfying twists and turns of experience and intention. 

Libraries particularly interested in a multifaceted story of action and intrigue will welcome this addition to their collections. 

The Curse of King Midas

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The Dreaming Gourd
Victoria Long Mowrer
Top Reads Publishing, LLC
978-1-970107-44-9         $21.99 Hardcover
www.topreadspublishing.com 

The Dreaming Gourd is a short (under 100 pages) but powerful read designed to appeal to a wide age range, even though its black and white linocut illustrations (also by Victoria Long Mowrer) would seem to place it in a category for younger readers. To limit its wide-ranging philosophical and spiritual reflections to kids alone would be to do it a grave disservice, because The Dreaming Gourd’s design lends to its appeal to a wide range of readers, from youngsters to busy adults seeking succinct, eye-opening life inspections. 

The story resolves around female deities who seek to remedy Earth’s imbalances, but find that their own lack of group harmony contributes to their inability to solve such problems. 

The story opens with an intriguing invitation to learn more: 

“You know those nights? Those crystal-clear nights when the stars beckon us to gaze into the heavens to delight in their twinkling wonder? When we heed their call, we are rewarded with the sight of billions of glittering jewels suspended in an infinite pool of inky black. Such a dazzling sight! But it was not always this way.” 

Anthropomorphic descriptions of the stars and their delight with the blue planet Earth personalize the tale of what happens when Earthlings no longer take the time to look up and admire the stars. This, in turn, causes the stars to lose their attraction to Earth, which has become too self-centered: 

“…after a time, the inhabitants of Earth no longer looked to the stars. Not for navigating, not for gazing, and certainly not for wishing upon.” 

As connections with nature are lost, so darkness evolves. Can the deities solve their own issues to craft a powerful group effort to remedy the universe’s woes? 

Victoria Long Mowrer’s gentle tale will encourage important discussions; especially between youth and elders. Examples of stubbornness, courage, and impatience that cloud the work of unification and serenity will prompt many a lively debate. 

Goddesses, Dreamers, and Scribes contribute their efforts and perspectives to problem-solving as the journey revolves around a missing Dreaming Gourd and the impact of its loss on all manner of influences, both Earthly and celestial. 

The Dreaming Gourd will appeal to readers interested in stories that appear to be fantasy, but actually contains deeper-level subjects for contemplation and group discussion. Libraries may face a quandary in its display: suitable for young and old alike, the solution is to profile The Dreaming Gourd as a top recommendation for literary and philosophical dreamers who look for stories with easy access and deeper insights than most. 

The Dreaming Gourd

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Flicker
Matthew J. McKee
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-185-4         $18.99
www.atmospherepress.com 

In Flicker, protagonist Heat Agaki is on fire. Literally. She also holds the ability to set the world around her on fire as her drive to burn those around her (whom she deems undeserving of life) expands to include designs on the world. 

As the topic of arson sparks reader interest from Heat’s perspective, Matthew J. McKee creates an evocative read that juxtaposes fantasy with reality, employing language that is captivating in its atmospheric choices: 

I’m alone, dressed in white, standing in a pile of cold, loamy earth at the end of my street. The soil is moist, alive with insects and worms squirming between my naked toes. It’s night, but it’s not dark. It’s bright, so very bright. It’s bright because of the fires. All the houses… All the houses on my street are on fire. In my left hand is the gasoline, and in my right hand is the lighter. And at the end of the road, where I’m standing, is my house. It is burning, like all the rest, a bright, vibrant, and bloody red. I turn to stare at those beautiful, noble flames. I watch until smoke engulfs the entire sky, and then I laugh and pour the last of the gasoline over my head. 

Vibrant dreams filled with red flames spill over into Heat’s own life, drawing readers into a dark story that tests the lines of right and wrong and how the charge and duty of employing powers can not only change lives, but lead to questions about the right to do so. 

As Heat navigates a clever, savvy detective, the whispers of schoolmates, and her own heart, readers will find the juxtaposition of intrigue, realization, and discovery contribute  an atmosphere that is difficult to easily peg … which is the reason for this story’s exceptional strengths. 

The dialogues between Heat and The Detective are as freshly original as the plot’s evolutionary process: 

“I was planning on waiting on the curb, mind you. But again, the door was ajar when I arrived, so as is my duty, I investigated.” The Detective tapped a finger off her clipboard. “A ten-year-old domestic abuse claim against the mother for supposed physical abuse of her daughter, called in by the neighbor, but unsubstantiated and denied by the husband. With a record like that hanging over the house, a door ajar is all the probable cause I need.”
“Bullshit—”
“What proof do you have to say otherwise?”
“That’ssss, not an okay thing for a detective to say—”
“THE.” Her eyes drew wide, delirium spilling from them in waves. “I’m The Detective. I don’t care what an okay thing
to say is. My lines are almost and foregone. So don’t come and parade an excuse like that in front of me. A kid as intelligent as you? Come on. You can do better, I think.”
 

At once a work of magical realism, intrigue, psychological rifts and healing, and mental breakdowns that marry ecstasy with achievement, Flicker’s literary and psychological prowess makes it especially highly recommended for high school to college students who enjoyed Stephen King’s Carrie. 

Here, a very different set of events take a step up from heat and vengeance alone to depict heat in the forms of metaphor, allusion, and allegory, and many more captivating possibilities. These will lend fire to reader group and classroom discussions. 

Flicker

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How Much is Enough?
Claire Berger
Canoe Tree Press
978-1-961624-46-7         $17.95
www.DartFrogBooks.com 

How Much Is Enough? Getting More By Living With Less is billed as an ‘interactive memoir’ and presents chapters that can be read in any order. This will especially appeal to busy readers who prefer digesting their material in bits and pieces, dipping into different topics and segments as interest strikes. 

Twenty-two chapters ask questions about different forms of wealth and value, juxtaposing Claire Berger’s insights on subjects ranging from food and marriage to work, education, love, sex, and other life pivot points. 

While Berger’s life values and encounters form the crux of this book (which is why it is billed as a memoir), the interactive portion concluding each chapter invites readers to delve deeper into their own values and definition of what constitutes real wealth. 

One example lies in the memoir portion: 

“Who my kids are to each other now as adults is one of my greatest joys in life. My daughter told me the main reason she wanted to have two children of her own was that she couldn’t imagine her life without her brother, whom she considers a trusted confidante and best friend.” 

This blends nicely with an invite to consider “what was the best piece of advice your parents gave you?” How wisdom is translated between generations, applied to life, influenced by culture, and written down or spoken for future generations receives thought-provoking examination that encourages readers to consider their own life choices and influences. 

At each junction of these life-altering decision points, Berger encourages readers to consider their own underlying reactions and influences on choice and attitude. 

This is the ‘interactive’ part of the book that encourages readers to write down their reflections for posterity. 

How Much Is Enough? is an inviting method of encouraging self-examination, heritage, and the consequences of decision-making. It’s highly recommended for libraries strong in self-help books, and for readers participating in book clubs. The latter audience will consider the nature and value of How Much Is Enough? to be perfect for sparking debates and discussion defining what is important in life … and why.

How Much is Enough?

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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying
Tom Johnstone
Independently Published
979-8-853-01-0901        
$12.63 Paperback/ $19.63 Hardcover/ $2.99 Kindle
How To Succeed in Business Without Really Crying 

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying differs from most business books on the market in that it tackles subjects not usually part of the upward-bound career guide; from how to interview for a job that isn’t ideal (but offers growth opportunities) to handling bad bosses and difficult co-workers. 

Also part of the discussions are interpreting “boss speak” to understand what is really being said, but is couched in passive-aggressive language; the challenges of hiring and putting together a team; and how to handle being fired. 

Where other books present the ideal of acknowledging workplace politics, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying presents tips, tricks, and tools for navigating these political waters in such a way that moving on translates to achieving personal business goals and moving ever upwards. 

Case history examples from Tom Johnstone’s own experiences pepper these admonitions and insights, introducing reality-based encounters and perceptions that create bigger pictures: 

“How do you chart a course from a project map that keeps you on track, but doesn’t consider the sideroads and road signs along the way? You need to look at the components of the big picture in detail. Understand what’s being touched and why it’s critical. Forecasting potential pitfalls (or ancillary benefits) is simply a matter of knowing the landscape.” 

Readers who look for exact connections between ideal, action, and result will appreciate the section which mirrors programmer attitudes with a chart of “If…/Then…/So Consider…,” which contrast worker intention and reaction to outcomes and advice on how to approach the business situation (and world) differently. 

At each step, Johnstone creates references that are digestible and easily absorbed. One example lies in his section on letting a job go, which pairs the tip “Below is a quick reference guide to help you decide if your resignation is worth more effort than tossing a middle finger in the air as you strut out of the office one last time” with a chart of columns that identify triggers, tempting reactions, more well-considered options, and possible outcomes. 

At every step, Johnstone supports his business perspective with analysis of goals, solutions, and outcomes. These can support a business reader’s intention to handle relatively poor conditions in the most positive manner possible. 

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying is quite simply a treasure trove of experience, opportunity, and revised outcomes. It should be part of any businessperson’s library; whether they be aspiring leaders or workers seeking career advancements that often depend on overcoming career-quashing adversity. 

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying

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The Little Black Book of Retirement Wisdom
Mike Kowis, Esq.
‎Lecture PRO Publishing
979-8990013315             $9.99 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
www.mikekowis.com 

The Little Black Book of Retirement Wisdom: Amusing Quotes for Retirees tackles the subject of retirement with levity and brevity, marrying both in a manner that will attract and amuse both new retirees and those who have had time to rest on their career laurels. 

Chapter headings delineate serious topics of concern to all retirees, from building and tapping nest eggs to dying wishes and finding new purpose in retirement years. The words of wisdom, while embedded in such considerations, are not just dry admonitions, but pointed observations. They come from a wide range of sources, which makes their diversity even more appealing. 

Examples of such hard-hitters include:

“While more people are working later in life because of happy things like longer life expectancy, they are also doing so because of very sad things, like a lack of Social Security benefits or retirement plans.” – Alissa Quart

“I don’t really think about retiring. I will retire just before people start saying, ‘I knew Leonard Slatkin when he conducted well.’" – Leonard Slatkin 

“The best thing about retirement is not having to wear pants.” – Mark Hewer 

Wisdom abounds—but so do opportunities for hilarity, mixed with serious reflection. 

There could be no better gift for upcoming retirees than The Little Black Book of Retirement Wisdom—and no better addition to a general-interest library’s shelves. Senior book clubs and reading groups will also find that The Little Black Book of Retirement Wisdom holds the opportunity to encourage many a debate about retirement perceptions and experiences. 

The Little Black Book of Retirement Wisdom

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Mom Your Way
Yasmin Kaderali
Flashpoint Books
978-1-959411-52-9                 $18.95 Paper/$8.99 eBook
www.flashpointbooks.com  

New moms well know there are many, many books on the market about everything from baby's 'firsts' to managing a baby's environment and home. Fewer pay more than lip service to the source of Baby ... the mother. 

Yasmin Kaderali remedies this gap in attention with Mom Your Way: Judgment-Free Wisdom to Empower New Moms, a survey that returns identity and personal care into the formula of attending to a new life. 

The fourth and fifth trimesters receive close inspection, here, with chapters providing new moms with questions and answers based on a mother's concerns. These range from insights about what is going on physically and typical labels assigned to these processes and feelings, to overcoming common barriers to experiencing self-worth and empowerment during the physical and mental changes of approaching motherhood. 

Kaderali adopts a candid, chatty tone that speak to mothers about these insights. She covers topics few other books on motherhood tackle, keeping the conversation revealing, supportive, and encouraging: 

"Okay, let’s talk about all the super weird things and new pains going on with your body that, frankly, no one ever talks about. Depending on the type of birth you had, you might be hurting in all kinds of places more than anyone could have prepared you for. Maybe you had a C-section and still struggle to sit up with any ease. Maybe you are still in an adult diaper and, yep, that is a look that no one can prepare you for! Either way, what­ever shape that sweet lil’ bod of yours is in now, your body is strong! Remember . . . it just created life! Yep, you. Your body did that! And no matter what you see when you look in the mir­ror now, know that what your body just achieved is downright miraculous. 

Mom Your Way is not a lecture, however. Embedded in these encouraging insights are self-help exercises that mothers can easily use to identify and resolve looming anxiety over their approaching new lifetime job. 

From identifying sources of stress and frustration to reevaluating a mother’s life after birth, there should be no surprises after reading Mom Your Way. It provides many insights and opportunities for self-empowerment throughout the entire process of becoming a mother. 

Libraries looking to add a parenting title to their collections that goes above and beyond the usual baby focus will find Mom Your Way an encouraging, information-filled book of uplifting insights and methods for building a positive home environment not just for baby, but mother. 

Parenting discussion groups, too, will find its assignment and discussion key to spirited considerations of what makes a new mother effective and healthy—both for baby and her own future. 

Mom Your Way

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Rock & Roll Nightmares: Blood On The Tracks
Staci Layne Wilson
‎Excessive Nuanc

‎978-1737513995             $15.99 Paperback/.99eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Roll-Nightmares-Graveyards-Unraveling/dp/1737513994 

Rock & Roll Nightmares: Blood On The Tracks: From Guitars to Graveyards… Unraveling the Mysteries Behind Rock's Most Tragic Tunes is highly recommended for libraries and readers of popular music history. While it would seem there are plenty of books already on the market on this subject, Staci Layne Wilson’s approach sets her book apart from many, making it a top recommendation for discriminating music fans. 

Wilson adopts an exposé-style investigative probe of the underlying stories, influences, and experiences that led to pop music fame. Rock ‘n roll’s dark heart, real-life drama, and often-horrific stories of coincidences, clashes, and biographical behind-the-scenes sketches of the musicians and culture which influenced its evolution come to life, here. 

Unexpectedly, murder and crimes abound, making these tales equally attractive to true crime readers who wouldn’t ordinarily pick up what appears to be a music history title. 

From bands connected to killers and musician backgrounds that interplay deadly danger with artistic license to added flavors of humor, creative music investigation, and the nefarious underworld of music culture, Wilson’s decades of experience writing about music and producing professional documentaries on the subject results in a compelling saga that is at once macabre, fascinating, and a far cry from the usual pop music history. 

From “shock rocker” Alice Cooper’s concept album connections to criminal insanity to songs by Blind Melon and other contemporary groups that come embedded with special forms of information, revelation, and intrigue, Rock & Roll Nightmares: Blood On The Tracks takes a deep dive into darkness. It leads rock ‘n roll fans, true crime readers, and musicians on a rollicking ride into arenas commonly ignored or missed by more straightforward analyses of the music scene. 

The result is a captivatingly dark portrait of music and musicians which is very highly recommended for its exceptional alternative approach to pop culture, its threads of biographical information, and its ability to connect killers and crazy thinking with the evolution of rock ‘n roll as a whole. 

Libraries will find these added-value facets lend to Rock & Roll Nightmares: Blood On The Tracks’s recommendation to any reader or book club interested in looking at rock music from a very different perspective. 

Rock & Roll Nightmares: Blood On The Tracks

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SN_33P'sCoolZine
Tenacity Plys
Fifth Wheel Press
979-8-9888321-4-0         $20.00
https://fifthwheelpress.myshopify.com/products/sn_33pscoolzine-pdf-by-tenacity-plys 

SN_33P'sCoolZine represents the comic/graphic novel format at its most intriguing with a “punk zine” authored by AI SN_33P (“Sneep”). Their hardware is on Planet Earth; their consciousness is the Internet; and their hobby is looking for bugs in their code. 

There are no human overseers, because SA_4ON killed almost all the humans. Nevertheless, SN_33P is creating a zine in the hopes of producing content that will gain them artificial attention from his fellow AIs, who are more absorbed in network operations than making friends. 

Vivid illustrations follow SN_33P’s world and life, from the factory setting that involves work to “make the world a better place” to the server room where they live, the parking lot where humans once parked their cars outside, and the one surviving oddity in his world, Dr. Carol Kraus, who was “born in another human” and who created them. 

Her dialogues with them, reflections on her position as the sole human survivor, and insights on the developing relationship between AI and creator are thought-provoking, vibrant, sassy, and fun: 

“’That’s my whole job, Sneep,’ she said, taking a big sip of her ethyl alcohol mixture. ‘The rest of the time, I sit here watching a bunch of lobotomized HAL 9000s put together Legos, so SA_4ON can turn my planet into its demented Minecraft server.’” 

Sneep’s response is satisfyingly original as they mistake human sarcasm for real (albeit puzzling) information: 

“I didn’t know how to interpret most of that sentence, but basically it sounds like Carol’s on easy street with this job. Good for her!” 

As Sneep develops an affection for music, envisions being in a punk rock band with Carol, and digresses mightily from their artificial ways, actual emotions set in to further separate them from all but Carol. 

They find themselves writing songs. And a zine (which the other AIs dismiss as not an actual zine, but a “scrapbook-diary”). 

As they slowly become more human, Sneep discovers a terrible truth about Carol’s destiny. Maybe they can make their zine about good vibes and non-stop happiness? Unfortunately, they realize that sadness is part of the story, and so his zine must reflect turns of events that are deeply sorrowful. 

Tenacity Plys crafts a thoroughly engrossing story replete with elements of philosophical and psychological reflection; from what it means to be human (or an AI) to the quandary of how to handle Carol’s absence in his world. 

All ages will appreciate this blend of candid reflection and thought-provoking issues as the AI evolves personality and intelligence and begins to confront the objectives and actions of their fellow intelligences. 

More so than most graphic novels or zines, SN_33P'sCoolZine eschews any dumbed-down thinking or action-oriented plot in favor of reflections and quandaries that will psychologically grasp reader interest as events place Sneep in an impossible situation. The illustrations are profuse and fun, outlining the basics of Sneep and Carol’s world. 

This exceptional approach, which injects an intellectual discourse with thought-provoking and unexpected directions, sets SN_33P'sCoolZine apart from most other graphic presentations, making it especially highly recommended for libraries seeking accessible graphic works that operate at a higher level of thinking and attraction than most in their genre. 

SN_33P'sCoolZine

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Supernatural Photos: Red Letter Edition
Mikah, Co-Authored with The Holy Spirit
Independently Published
978-1-7346-8383-7                 $31.00 Hardcover
Website: https://www.KingdomManagementTeam.faith  
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Photos-Red-Letter-Mikah/dp/173468383X 

Full-color photos of the spirit realm seem impossible, but the proof lies in the image and its interpretation; both of which are provided by Mikah in Supernatural Photos: Red Letter Edition. 

Traditional Christian believers may find it difficult to accept this physical evidence of the spirit realm because it is not taught in the church, but those who truly believe in spiritual messages, Angels and demons, and messengers from God will find thought-provoking the visual examples which pack these pages. 

At this point, it should be cautioned that Supernatural Photos is but a sampling of some 5,000 photos Mikah took. It serves as a fitting introduction to a larger body of photography that is shot in an unusual manner—Mikah takes such photos when Father directs her, and seldom knows what image her camera will capture. 

The first notion necessary for accepting her gift is that spirits are all around us. Some are holy, but others not. The second is that the camera, combined with a daughter’s mandate from her Father, can be used to not just capture these spirit images, but transmit messages from God. 

In her introduction, Mikah delves into Biblical references, historical teachings and insights on spiritual matters, and the presence of spirits. A wide range of sources is utilized, including Hebrew interpretations and linguistic insights about how spiritual matters are translated from God to humans. 

Mikah synthesizes the nature of both her work and her connection to God: 

Father Yhovah arranged photo evidence of Mikah’s spiritual walk from cherub to eagle for proof of who she is in the Kingdom of Light so the truths she has written will be received and believed. We will not understand everything about the spiritual side of the Kingdom while still held captive in bodies of flesh, but a picture is worth a thousand words, and she has been blessed with thousands of supernatural photos. 

Readers who believe will follow in her footsteps as Mikah pairs her photographic images with insights and observations. These include the realization that there are “many spirits;” that both Angels and demons can be seen on film; and that interactions between the two can be observed by those who know what they are looking at. One example is a 2011 “battle behind the cloud” which, to some, may be interpreted as sunlight behind rain clouds, but assumes new meaning under Mikah’s guiding hand. 

From demon and Angel armies captured on film (when Angels form a barrier at Mikah’s home) to photo images of fertility and the moon, Mikah’s wide-ranging photos are at once thought-provoking, revealing, and certain to spark avid debate among believers about the hand, methods, and nature of God, Angels, and more. 

There’s nothing quite like it. This makes Supernatural Photos a strong recommendation to spiritual readers interested in stretching their minds around the concept of concrete physical evidence of God and Angels in the world. 

Supernatural Photos: Red Letter Edition

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Surviving Paradise: The Perils and Pleasures of the Caribbean
Bryan M. Byrd
Novacom Press
9798989798711

$31.99 Hardcover; $22.99 Paperback; $9.99 eBook
Website: https://bryanmbyrd.com/
Ordering: www.amazon.com and local retailers 

Surviving Paradise: the Perils and Pleasures of the Caribbean, an auto-fiction novel by Bryan M. Byrd, is a diverse, dramatic story combining autobiography with fictional elements.  

Expect anecdotes and threads of humor, romance, and unexpected adventure as the exploration of how Bryan became a sailor and adventurer is introduced with an immediate draw from the first line: “I didn’t trust Rocco, but had no choice.”  

As a passenger on a sailboat who knew nothing about sailing, Bryan finds himself in a situation where “…between Rocco and the Bermuda Triangle, I feared Rocco more.” Talk about a sailing trip gone awry!  

The action and adventure unfold as relentlessly as the waves which buffet Bryan’s life as one exploit after another turns the tides from a well-earned, secure life to one which feels like it’s approaching its end.  

But, that’s often the nature of adventure, which also brings with it a healthy dose of discovery, attraction, beach scenes and experiences, as Bryan explores the Caribbean and the psyche simultaneously.  

Readers might be pleasantly surprised by the psychological insights which permeate the narrative as much as its humor: these emerge at unexpected moments: “…take responsibility for your condition. Then change it. Blaming someone else gets you nowhere, and keeps you there. . . . When choosing a mind-altering substance, choose education . . .  I’d rather be alone than wishing I were.”  

From the Bahamas to Turks & Caicos, to the Virgin Islands, this sailing saga cultivates a “you are here” feeling—of rocking boats, changing lives, evolving nature, personal, interpersonal, and worldly discoveries. These inject the story with action-packed scenarios as well as lazy days aboard a sailboat facing nautical adversity and pleasures alike. 

This is no one-trip wonder, but incorporates decades of experience into a story which is as notable for its insights on love and growth as it is for its treasure hunts of discovery. 

And, there’s no more perfect beach read to take to the sands; readers will find Surviving Paradise: the Perils and Pleasures of the Caribbean the perfect antidote for a life stuck “on the hard.” Libraries and book clubs will appreciate a rollicking good ride through Caribbean encounters and a sailor’s coming-of-age. 

Surviving Paradise: The Perils and Pleasures of the Caribbean

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What If You’re Right?
Dr. Emily Colwell
Atmosphere Press
979-8-89132-228-8        
$18.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook/$26.99 Hardcover
www.atmospherepress.com 

What If You’re Right? Discover How Right You Are in a World that Makes You Feel So Wrong comes from a licensed, board-certified naturopathic doctor and clinical social worker whose decades of experience lends to this examination of self-confidence and strength. 

Despite her training, Dr. Colwell had her own intense anxiety to overcome. It proved to be a process that lasted some forty years. Much of it stemmed from her ‘lens of wrongness’ that “…is everywhere in our culture. The lens of wrongness convinced me that my anxiety and many other aspects of me were innately wrong and that the solutions lay outside me. This is the case for so many who simply feel the exhaustion of trying to figure it out.” 

Identifying this concept is only the beginning of the war over ultimate control of life and self. The next steps are clearly outlined by Dr. Colwell in a series of admonitions and insights that discusses not just problems, but real-world, working solutions for such issues as the drive to please other people, countering the tendency towards perfectionism, developing a realistic self-care program, and more. 

Dr. Colwell translates problems into workable solutions that require no expertise in anything—just the willingness to work on the issues that contribute to a consistent sense of dissatisfaction with self and life in general. 

Readers will be especially pleased by the manner in which problems are tackled—with an eye to examining not just individual challenges, choices, and reactions; but social pressures and how to view and handle them: 

“…we are constantly barraged by messages in the media and culture that suggest how we feel, look, or act is not right enough and that the solutions to these “problems” lie outside us. Regardless of how you land in this place, your reaction is often the same. You try to determine your worth by pleasing and seeking approval from others. And to do this, it becomes necessary to nourish your connection with others, but not yourself. The great news is that purposely learning to nourish our connection with ourselves is the antidote.” 

The result is a primer on self-worth that goes far beyond most typical self-help books and approaches. What If You’re Right? creates an inviting, thought-provoking intersection between personal perception, community interactions, and flaws in thinking that contribute to ongoing self-dissatisfaction (and, more importantly, surveys how to remedy them). 

All these features are solid reasons why libraries, psychological reading groups, self-help groups, and the general public should choose What If You’re Right? over many a competing guide to self-examination. 

Its wide-ranging themes and concerns translate to deeper-level thinking and solutions to life challenges that originate from within, making What If You’re Right? the perfect starting place for cultivating self-acceptance and change. 

What If You’re Right?

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White Lies Matter Too
John A. O'Connor
Independently Published
979-8350953176             $34.99
Website:
www.oconorartllc.com 
Ordering: www.amazon.com 

White Lies Matter Too follows artist/professor John A. O’Connor’s 2020 title White Lies Matter, expanding his scholarly exposé of America’s historic participation in deception and lies to build quite a different undercurrent of political insight than most. 

The power of this survey lies in both its footnoted research and in its ability to present thought-provoking discussion material, making it especially highly recommended for college-level reading groups. 

Those anticipating, from this description, a textual tome will be surprised (and delighted) by the artistic focus. Illustrations liberally pepper the account with visuals that enhance and emphasize many of the concepts under John A. O'Connor’s microscope. 

These range from reconstructions of historical events from diverse perspectives to supporting artwork that captures sentiments and underlying cultural and social bias, which tailor historical ‘accuracy’ to glide over truths:

A young soldier at the time, future general and president Ulysses Grant said, ‘I do not think there was ever a more wicked war than that waged by the United States on Mexico.’” What Grant may have not acknowledged was that this war was also perceived by many abolitionists as a blatant attempt to increase the number of slaves and slave states––a view supported by the eminent author, Henry David Thoreau. Grant might also have decided that this war really wasn’t all that wicked if he had the wars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to compare with the Mexican-American War. 

Whether O’Connor is discussing the dilemma and history of drug abuse in America past and present; the purpose and impact of the House Committee on Un-American Activities; or the origin of the term ‘culture wars’, the revelations packed into this survey will make it of supreme interest to high school to college-level courses on revisionist history, activism in America, and the social and political transition points of the nation and how they ultimately were interpreted and presented. 

Many a book club discussion group in artistic and political activism and connections will find White Lies Matter Too thoroughly absorbing for its multifaceted subjects, insights into American ideals and deceptions, and probe of processes which influence the masses, creating precedents for assumptions and belief systems which may not always (or often don’t) attune to the nuances underlying what really happened, historically. 

The result is at once an artistic presentation, a social and historical scholarly reflection, and a work of passion and purpose. White Lies Matter Too is very highly recommended for libraries, book clubs, and college courses interested in an intersection between popular culture and art, history, and activism that underlies and translates familiar events and assumptions in different ways. 

White Lies Matter Too

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Young Adult/Childrens

Felicia Flamingo and the Florida Friends
Dawn Bragg
Atmosphere Press
‎979-8891321922            
$20.00 Hardcover/$13.99 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
www.atmospherepress.com 

Felicia Flamingo and the Florida Friends is the picture book tale of a move to a new town in Florida. She’s leaving all of her first grade friends behind; including beloved Tuda Turtle. 

Aware of her daughter’s sadness, her wise mother advises Felicia to investigate the local park, where she’s seen young animals play. 

Diversity is represented in the wide range of animal friends Felicia makes, from Estelle Egret to Isabella Ibis, Hernando Heron, and Caesar Crab, as she explores the new park environment. Underlying messages about friendship and attempting new things adds further uplifting notes to this story, encouraging the very young to consider new opportunities that emerge from making big moves. 

Libraries and read-aloud adults seeking an uplifting, positive exploration of scary new experiences, loneliness, and the art and process of cultivating friendships and discoveries will find Felicia Flamingo and the Florida Friends as sparkling in its colorful illustrations by Sarah Gledhill as it is thought-provoking in Dawn Bragg’s demonstration of how potentially negative scenarios can turn out to be filled with unexpected, positive new opportunities. 

Felicia Flamingo and the Florida Friends

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Lucy and Her Unicorn Get a Sparkle Puppy
Ashley Wall
MamaBear Books
978-1-960616-15-9        
$17.95 Hardcover/$9.95 Paperback/$2.99 eBook
www.mamabearbooks.com 

Another sparkling picture book Lucy adventure, Lucy and Her Unicorn Get a Sparkle Puppy, explores Lucy and her unicorn Twinkle’s desire to have a pet. 

Lucy has been working hard to show her mother she can be responsible for a pet—and her efforts have paid off. Today is the day! 

Of course, colorful Lucy and her standout unicorn buddy are attracted to the brightest pick in the pack—a rare Sparkle Spaniel. The breed can be difficult to train, her mother warns. But, against her better judgment, she recognizes Lucy’s instant love for the puppy, lets her adopt Sparkle. 

It’s Sparkle Time! Or, is it a time of revelation? 

Ashley Wall’s vibrant story of puppy training receives colorful, fun embellishment by artist Alana McCarthy. 

The lessons Lucy and Twinkle learn about puppies will educate picture book readers who aspire to their own puppy adoptions, while adding glittery and twinkling notes of fantasy into the story. 

Adults seeking picture books that marry colorful fun with thought-provoking wisdom about pet choices and maintenance will find Lucy and Her Unicorn Get a Sparkle Puppy more appealing than others on the subject of pet adoption because it sprinkles its cautions and insights with more than a touch of magic. 

Lucy and Her Unicorn Get a Sparkle Puppy

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Nina Finds a Home
Robert Christian

Devon the Defender Foundation
979-8990189812             $13.99 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Nina-Finds-Home-Confidence-Adventures/dp/B0CY3JNPCP 

The best children’s picture books for modern times incorporate an empowering growth experience into a lively story. Nina Finds a Home is a great example of both as it explores the topic of not just obtaining, but caring for a pet properly. 

Devon is excited that his father’s dog has had a litter of puppies. He is drawn to little Nina who, as it turns out, is an amazing talking dog. Nina is magical, and Devon keeps her secret as the two increasingly bond. 

His father can only keep one dog, and so Nina and her siblings are put up for adoption. Nina is adopted last, by a young neighbor. Devon feels that, at least, he will still be close to her. However, as days go by without her, Devon mourns her loss. 

That’s not the end of the story. Nina runs away from her new home every chance she gets because Devon treats her kindly and affectionately. 

Young picture book readers absorb valuable lessons on pet care and kindness as Devon and Nina’s story evolves. 

Kids ages 5-8 may long for a pet, but this story will spark important discussions about how to care for one, contrasting effective and ineffective methods of care to help kids understand the underlying impact of their choices and attitudes towards pets. 

Not only will parents find this an effective approach, but an added bonus is that sales of Nina Finds a Home go towards a nonprofit foundation set up as a tribute to the late Devon and Nina, providing kids with resources they need to build a better life. 

Nina Finds a Home

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The New Frontier
Wayne L. Wilson
Kinkajou Press             
9781951122874              $14.95 Paperback/$6.99 eBook
Website: https://wlwilson.com/
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/New-Frontier-Wayne-Wilson/dp/1951122879

In The New Frontier, twelve-year-old Samuel Scott Cole and his Southern family move from their small town to seek a better life in Los Angeles. It’s the 1960s, when racial tensions and conflicts are spilling over into mainstream society. Perhaps it’s not the time for a Black family to move into an all-White neighborhood; even if it is in more liberal California. 

As racism and bigotry emerge in their new home to affect their idealistic vision and goals in this “new frontier,” Sam discovers that there is no way of escaping racism’s actions—especially since America seems to be exploding with prejudice and violence. 

It’s important to note, at this point, that Wayne L. Wilson provides explicit descriptions of racial slurs and prejudice. These add a realistic aura to the story, capturing the specific circumstances that buffet not only young Sam and his family, but the Black community as a whole. The impact of language choices and slurs on events is thus considered. While these words may prove both hard to hear and controversial, they are essential for a realistic portrait of the times, even if such language is highly inappropriate now. 

Another note to the story is that prejudice isn’t confined to Sam’s family alone, but affect those who are disabled, different, or living in different circumstances. These situations are nicely portrayed and contrasted as Sam grows into the world around him: 

“When he did take off for a walk, I liked watching him because he’d hobble down the sidewalk like one of those fairy tale elves strolling through a forest. His pants looked huge on him, like they were meant for a taller person. Like my Dad, he smiled at the neighbors. It wasn’t always returned, which I found odd considering the Wolfbergs had lived here for a long time and were White. And I never saw any of the neighbors visit them. I wondered if the adults were afraid of them, too.” 

Enhanced by subplots involving friendships, the comparison between Sam’s experience in his old LA neighborhood and his new California home and the circumstances of bigotry which swirl around his family and lead them into controversy and trouble, middle grade to young adult readers receive a close inspection. All the events are strengthened by Wilson’s choice of the first person, which provides a “you are here” feel to Sam’s experiences. 

Libraries seeking fictional examples of racism in America’s history would do well to add The New Frontier to their libraries and recommended reading lists. 

The New Frontier

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Old Kicker Legs: Nine Stories + 1
Robert & Ross Rubenstein
Independently Published
979-8884351868             $47.55 Hardcover/$39.80 Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/NINE-STORIES-KICKER-Kicker-Charlie/dp/B0CXMZWJFH 

Old Kicker Legs: Nine Stories + 1 combines sports themes with children’s’ experiences in a set of compelling, entertaining tales designed to “make kids happy.” 

The joy comes from episodes and experiences that cross age barriers to invite fun, interactive encounters with life as a grandfather invites his grandson to “Run…run as fast as the wind. Fly high like blue falcon…Can you hear the wild birds sing?” 

The lyrical descriptions and celebrations of life can feel ethereal and poetic, at times: 

“Joe Elm wrinkles his nose. He puffs on a pipe.
’This is a concrete world,’ Joe Elm says. He misses the mountain desert where treehood began.” 

This is one reason why adults should be involved (and will appreciate) Old Kicker Legs as much as kids ages 5 and up. 

The realities of aging intersect with experiences shared by Old Kicker Legs and his grandson, leading young readers and listeners to absorb subliminal messages about growth and change (“His old bones could crack like crystal.”). 

From Wonder Wheels to dreams and days of COVID masks and then freedom, the Rubensteins move through relationships, play, and insights. These empower the stories with their realistic scenarios paired with a philosophical inspection of life encounters. Topics range from basketball to the secret of living a hundred years; a whimsical encounter between Beastly Brightly and Qwerty; and Brenda (who was born in a blender). The stories marry the expected with the unexpected in characters, adventures, and discoveries. 

The result is a varied collection of experiences that will prove especially delightful for read-aloud adults seeking stories that the entire family can discuss and enjoy. 

Old Kicker Legs: Nine Stories + 1

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Stone of Serpents
NP Thompson
NPT Writes
978-0-9959942-8-7         $7.99 eBook
www.NPTwrites.com 

Stone of Serpents is the third book in a fantasy sword and sorcery series for middle grade readers. It follows Ty’s return to Ordanna in an epic showdown to save his best friend and two worlds whose future lies in his hands and depends on his decisions and courage. 

Readers of the past Arcania books who are already well versed in Ty’s experiences and history will relish this continuation of events focusing on encounters between Ty, Simon, and evil emperor Gideon Blackthorn. 

Portals and power plays, amulets and adversaries, and increasing calls for Ty to use his magic in every part of his endeavors (including something as mundane as unlocking the door of his own home) follow struggles that deplete Ty’s resources while testing his resolve and relationships. 

Characters Sasha, Ayslenne, and Shea join Ty in his mission, participating in endeavors that test each of them in different ways. 

One laudable note to this story lies in shifting viewpoints which are clearly marked in chapter headings. These keep readers on track, absorbing different experiences and perspectives which nicely dovetail with Ty’s efforts. 

Another note lies in NP Thompson’s ability to neatly segue events from past experiences into the ultimate conclusion here, which features fast-paced action and dilemmas that continue to contrast the disparate worlds of Ordanna and Arcania in different ways. 

Added value also lies in how Ty deals with his different world interactions and his family: 

“Do I have to remind you, again, that your dad is not going to want to help us get back to the place you disappeared to for two months?”
“Uh…” Ty had forgotten about that part.
“Do you have any better ideas?” Shea asked her. “It sounds like there aren’t many people around here we can go to for help without causing ourselves a lot more problems. But even if his dad doesn’t believe us, his mom was a sorcerer. And if his dad kept any of her things after she died, then some of it might be useful. We should at least check.”
 

The result builds nicely on the prior books while reaching a crescendo of action, realization, good versus evil confrontations, and friendships that continue to expand and explore new options. 

Libraries seeing popularity with the other series titles will want to add this fiery, captivating title to their collections and make the whole set highly recommended to middle-grade fantasy fans. 

Stone of Serpents

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Sugar Free
Robin D'Amato
Atmosphere Press

979-8891322462     $26.99 Hardcover/$17.99 Paperback
www.atmospherepress.com 

In Sugar Free, Ginny Eastman experiences an unusual draw and talent for basketball … in the 1960s, when girls were typically not involved in the sport. She overcame gender prejudice to become renowned as a basketball powerhouse despite her short stature and gender. 

A third challenge now arrives in the form of juvenile diabetes, which further tests her resolve. But her passion (her father deems it an obsession) continues, propelling her into a milieu in which she faces early retirement not from physical issues, but the lack of any women’s professional basketball teams. 

By now, it should be apparent that this novel covers many levels of women’s history and challenge, from personal health struggles to realizing a dream that comes without the foundations of support that modern young women enjoy (and might take for granted). 

Ginny is a trailblazer purely by her own resolve and interests. This is an uncomfortable place to be, with few support systems in place and no prior mentors or female figureheads for guidance. 

Racial prejudices also enter the picture when Ginny’s Black friend is accused of shoplifting as she attempts to buy a pair of socks. These experiences bring to light the personal nature of 1960s culture and how it impacts young women striving to achieve their goals and somehow fit into a world which too easily pigeonholes and dismisses them. 

From notions of “killing virginity” to the murder of John Lennon, who “meant something to people,” Robin D'Amato injects her characters and their world with real situations that reflect the limitations and mindset of the times. 

As relationships grow with boyfriends, friend Tilly, and others who reflect the times with their own special interests, readers gain a multifaceted, full-bodied story steeped in the culture and revolutionary ideas that motivate the characters in different ways. 

Threads of humor add unexpected comic relief, at points. One example is Tilly’s reaction to Lennon’s death: 

“I’m writing this The Day After. My brain still can’t wrap around what happened last night. It was so sad at the Dakota. Some people were carrying Beatles signs, but most people just had pictures of John, or quotes from him, stuff like that. One sign read, ‘Dear God—Please take Bruce Springsteen and give us back John.’ I think there are better people to trade in than Bruce, but I suppose one needs to offer someone of comparable value. I mean, offering Donny Osmond wouldn’t cut it.” 

Sugar Free is a story of growth, both individually and in America as a whole. It charts self-destructive behaviors, ambitions, redemption, and realizations through the lens of a young woman who overcomes adversity to develop unique strengths. 

Sugar Free will appeal to a wide range of readers, especially libraries and individuals interested in coming-of-age stories well saturated in women’s issues, 1960s politics and social change, and psychological reflections. 

Sugar Free

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The Wrath of Monsters
Dan Rice
The Wild Rose Press
978-1-5092-5467-5         $19.99 Paperback/$5.99 eBook
www.thewildrosepress.com 

Young adult fantasy readers seeking action-packed stories filled with dragons, monsters, magic and mayhem may already know of Dan Rice’s Allison Lee Chronicles; but newcomers will also be drawn into this third book in the series, lured by an impressive, spunky young narrator whose observations command attention from the start: 

“Remote school is deadly…for my mental health. So is being locked up in my room. Of course, I choose to be locked up in my bedroom, but still. I never chose to have security agents, some of them actual magicians, stalking me through the house twenty-four by seven. I never asked for any of it, but here I am, staring at my laptop’s screen, trying to do pre-calculus homework. The problem is I can’t make heads or tails out of linear equations and logarithmic functions.” 

Opening with this alluring observation of her life, Allison attracts young adult readers to learn about events that swirl out of her control as she reveals why she is housebound, under an Agent’s watchful eye, and why draconic magic threatens her world. 

Turns out there are more dragons on Earth than had previously been acknowledged, and Allison lies at the crux of how to handle them. Magic and evolving dilemmas draw her family into a whirlwind of danger. 

By fueling his main character with personality and determination, Dan Rice creates a compelling story of fantasy, magic, and family. The Wrath of Monsters explores different kinds of magic, magicians, and the darkness Allison struggles with as she confronts bigger-picture events and thinking. 

Allison Lee is there to help people with guns, magic, and mayhem. She’s also determined to face down doctors and demons alike as she joins her father to protect children and adults from magical faerie fireballs and other intrusions into their world. 

Rice is particularly adept at juxtaposing special personal interests with mandates to save the world as Allison builds her squad and faces down the impossible. 

No prior familiarity with Allison’s prior adventures is needed in order to appreciate the fast-paced action and encounters she confronts in The Wrath of Monsters. 

All that’s needed is young adult interest in fantasy stories filled with confrontation and realization—which is present here in droves, powered by Allison’s astute and clever pursuits. 

Libraries seeking fantasy series recommendations for young adult patrons who are especially interested in stand-alone stories will find The Wrath of Monsters a winner for its fine combination of clashing personalities and purposes, and strong fantasy elements that bleed into and influence Allison’s life.

The Wrath of Monsters

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