John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Ray Keating takes a new angle on his long-time hero in Past Lives, the latest installment of the Pastor Stephen Grant series. A mysterious enemy from the past comes back to haunt the warrior priest in this uniquely styled first-person story. As the clues mount, so does the body count, giving Grant yet another baffling and high-stakes case to unravel. This quick read is an enjoyable diversion from Keating’s normal narrative style, but it often feels rushed, and the diary structure has limitations, making the prose inconsistent when it leans towards more traditional storytelling. That said, this condensed mystery […]

Pairing the writings and wisdom of Frederick Douglass with the dynamic events and political structures of our modern world, The Frederick Douglass Project by Steve Amoia is both educational and rousing. Composed of short essays and articles written in 2007 and repurposed for the collection, this is a well-researched homage to one of America’s most impactful abolitionists. Today, in an era when those same claims of racism and injustice are ringing loudly across the country, Amoia’s accessible and inspiring pieces resonate greatly. Some of the articles do feel unnecessarily condensed, and more expansion on certain ideas or subjects would be […]

An electrifying new novel of self-discovery, liberation, and radical justice, Athens Ophelia the Partitioner by Zachary Aneiress is a bold and refreshing achievement. With an introspective protagonist facing multiple uphill battles, and a fantasy-driven plot that feels torn from a graphic novel, this fearless tale has attitude, insight, and a raw voice for a younger generation of readers. Drawing from a broad spectrum of genres and wielding an ambitious stream-of-consciousness style, there is a rugged informality to the prose. Some of the narration feels too unpolished to be intentional, but this is a surprisingly profound adventure celebrating diversity, purpose, representation, […]

A rough-edged piece of historical fiction, As the Road Narrows by James Anhalt is a tangled tale of murder, revenge, politics, and finding your own path in life – no matter how strange the road might get. A police procedural and a visceral snapshot of the seventies, this novel winds cleverly between genres, bringing to life quirky characters and ruthless criminals. The prose is informal, but impactful, and the author has a sharp, journalistic style that keeps the pace high and the story engaging. Despite the occasional conveniently closed plot hole that might raise an eyebrow, this colloquial adventure through […]