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John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

About John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Providing exceptional writing, editing and publishing services to hundreds of international clients, ranging from nutritional copywriting and long-form ghostwriting to substantive editing, assessment/analysis of academic texts and structural/content editing for bestselling novels.

Review: Blowback ’63 by Brian Meehl

★★★★ Blowback '63 by Brian Meehl

Overlapping timelines in different centuries, epic struggles of self-discovery, and enough fantasy thrills to make your head spin, Blowback ’63 by Brian Meehl is a roller-coaster of a novel, but also a clever and well-planned drama. Following on the heels of Blowback ’07, the first installment of this series, Meehl continues his era-jumping narration and sheds even more light on Arky and Iris, the enigmatic core of these novels.

As in the first book, Arky and Iris are still doggedly searching for their mother, trapped somewhere back in time. The magical family instrument, the Jongler cor anglais, […]

2020-03-02T09:40:06+02:00November 30th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |
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Review: FAKE NEWS by David Hutter

★★★ FAKE NEWS by David Hutter

FAKE NEWS: Strange Historical Facts Reimagined in the World of Donald Trump is a brilliant piece of satire by David Hutter, a young author with a sharp tongue and a unique perspective on the world at large.

The book makes clear that politics has always made for a strange spectacle, and much of it seems downright unbelievable, even in comparison with today’s political circus. Rather than rehashing the madness of the present political situation, Hutter attempts to inject anecdotes from history into the paradigm of today, offering a unique perspective on history and the present day.

What results is […]

2024-07-30T15:36:38+02:00November 27th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |
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Review: Shot Down by Steve Snyder

Shot Down by Steve Snyder

In Shot Down: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth, author Steve Snyder tells his father’s story in World War II in a riveting and unforgettable peek into the past. When Lieutenant Snyder and his crew are shot down over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II, hope of survival is grim, and the brutal nature of wartime is fully revealed.

Based on hundreds of unique accounts, letters, interviews, and intensive research, Shot Down pieces together a profoundly compelling story of survival and perseverance. With such a strong body of material and […]

2019-02-11T09:22:42+02:00November 13th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , |
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Review: Water and Air by Neill

Water by Neill

We all wish to have the strength to find our own inner happiness and the peace we require to survive and thrive. However, there are times in life when we need a nudge in the right direction, or a calming whisper in our ear. For moments like that, Water and Air, the first two meditation guidebooks in a new 5-part series, can help quiet the raucous world around you.

Coupled with an audio CD, Water and Air are distinctly different books, but both seek to achieve similar goals. Water is Book 1, and the accompanying disc taps into musical […]

2019-02-11T09:52:28+02:00November 13th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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Review: Wolf River Dreams by Patrick Sarver

★★★★ Wolf River Dreams by Patrick Sarver

Still reeling from the tragic loss of his girlfriend in an accident in which he was driving, Jesse Hawkins has taken to the road, hoping to exorcise his demons while exploring the endless west on his motorcycle. However, every road comes to an end, and when Jesse finally returns home, he finds that the demons are more real than ever.

Thus begins Wolf River Dreams by Patrick Sarver, a tumultuous novel that blends surreal dream sequences with seemingly waking nightmares, as Jesse attempts to find some sense of normalcy in his haunted days. Regardless of how far he moves […]

2017-12-19T13:16:25+02:00November 7th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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Review: Past Obsession by Richard Keith Taylor

★★★★ Past Obsession by Richard Keith Taylor

In Past Obsession by Richard Keith Taylor, a number of surprising twists, and an entertaining hero, make this novel stand out from other books in the genre. Taylor creates a powerful mood throughout the novel, and readers will be inevitably drawn into this time travel thriller that doubles as a shadowy L.A. noir tale.

Jim Mercer, freelance writer for the LA Times, is handed a puff piece on a gifted artist – Emily Torrance – whose life was snuffed out seven decades earlier. While the story isn’t out of the ordinary, given his professional realm, his instant captivation […]

2019-01-22T05:49:15+02:00October 31st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , |
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The Spy Who Hated Me! (A James Spillaney Casefile) by Shaun Chapman

!: A James Spillaney Casefile The Spy Who Hated Me! by Shaun Chapman is a rip-roaring race through a shadowy noir world of dames and danger, with a healthy dose of technological surrealism that gives this world a slightly unpredictable edge.

James Spillaney epitomizes the stereotype of private detectives, and the novel is an immersive and enjoyable dive into this dramatic style. The colloquial speech and affectations are constant, but within a few chapters, it becomes easier to read – and believe.

The high-speed nature of the novel keeps you interested, even if some of the plot points seem superfluous – a little too much […]

2019-01-22T05:32:45+02:00October 27th, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |
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Review: The Court of Crusty Killings: A Captain Space Hardcore Adventure by Michael Ronson

★★★★ The Court of Crusty Killings

In the realm of the surreal, silly, and downright hilarious, The Court of Crusty Killings by Michael Ronson is an unexpected delight, packed with more tongue-in-cheek humor than one book should ever hold.

Captain Space Hardcore is a character torn from sci-fi pulp thrillers of an older age, but the sharp wit and unique personality of this unforgettable leading man makes him eternally contemporary. His manservant and sidekick, Ebeneezer Funkworthy is an equally entertaining complement to the heroic central figure, and their adventures are truly the stuff of a bizarre imagination.

The premise of Captain Space Hardcore – the […]

2017-11-29T07:49:02+02:00October 12th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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