John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Before the Sun Goes Down by Clif Petty

Ancient beliefs and modern madness converge in Before the Sun Goes Down, a military thriller from Clif Petty that touches on everything from Native American traditions to the looming threat of global war.

Reuben Axtell is an unassuming college student, fumbling his way through the world, when his life is suddenly swept into conspiracy and confusion following the death of his friend Rains. What begins as a localized murder mystery – albeit a strange one – soon becomes a broad and sweeping thriller that goes far deeper than old ghost stories told around the reservation campfire.

Clif Petty captures […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-07-05T09:53:06+02:00May 31st, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Terrorist Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: The Custodian Chronicles, Volume 1 by Tim Will Hunting

Seeing the world through a new pair of eyes is what reading is all about, but when turning the pages of the Custodian Chronicles, Vol. 1 by Tim Hunting, you might want to wear safety goggles. This custodian, writer, philosopher and hilarious observer of the human condition gives readers a rare peek into the world of education by walking a mile in his shoes – those of a custodian at an elementary school.

Both laugh-out-loud funny at times and worryingly serious at others, this pen-wielding janitor has a lifetime of opinions and insights into the educational system and is more […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:49:38+02:00May 26th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Education, Social Science Book Reviews|

Review: Maybe God Is An American by Bernie Donnelly

Maybe God Is An American by Bernie Donnelly

Following the thrilling events of Maybe God Was an Irishman, author Bernie Donnelly brings readers back to the surreal premise of a 21st century Second Coming, where there is still much work to be done, in Maybe God Is An American. With the same blend of religious philosophy and off-the-cuff humor, this new book reveals what happens after Father Sean disappears, and welcomes readers into a new adventure on the other side of the pond.

Father Sean may have disappeared in the eyes of the world, but his disciples, Linda, Miguel and Anna, know that he is very […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-28T10:12:27+02:00May 26th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Religious Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Among the Branded by Linda Smolkin

★★★★ Among the Branded by Linda Smolkin

Finding hidden treasures in forgotten relics of the past is a romantic notion that has played out in countless books and films, yet the thrill of the mystery never seems to lessen. In Among the Branded, a new novel by author Linda Smolkin, readers are thrown into a slowly unfurling mystery surrounding a sheaf of “Love Letters From the War.” Stephanie Britain, a bold and impulsive art director, is the narrator and focal character of the novel, as well as the person who stumbles across the love letters at a flea market.

When she shares her exciting discovery […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-06-30T09:50:48+02:00May 18th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, World War II Book Reviews|

Review: Winchester’s Bargain (Bart Northcote #4) by Murray Lee Eiland Jr.

Taking on the world’s financial elite – and threatening the one thing they hold dearest in the world – is no small task, but Bart Northcote never backs down from a challenge. In Winchester’s Bargain, the fourth installment in this PI series by Murray Lee Eiland Jr., the stakes for Northcote and his investigative team have never been higher, and the writing itself has never been better.

A mysterious man named Winchester Lee approaches Bart Northcote with some disturbing news: the New York Stock Exchange is being controlled by a shadowy Chinese cabal with trillions of dollars at their […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T08:40:16+02:00May 16th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Crime Fiction Book Reviews, Detective Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Tipper Lake: A Tyler Monroe Mystery by Walter Thomas Geer

There is a strange allure to the Deep South that has captivated authors and readers alike; life moves slower, but mysteries seem to run deeper. In that beloved tradition, author Walter Thomas Geer presents a new halfhearted hero, Detective Tyler Monroe, in Tipper Lake. This novel unrolls like a slow Southern drawl, but the scenes and characters are edged with danger, betraying something more menacing just below the surface.

After a judge is murdered in what appears to be an open-and-shut case, Tyler Monroe moves down to a temporary post in Georgia, where his New York background is far […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:11:04+02:00May 10th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Crime Fiction Book Reviews, Detective Fiction Book Reviews, Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: Ravenwood Risen by W.C. Maher

★★★★

Being wrenched from a life of pastoral normalcy and forced into a destiny fraught with sacrifice and struggle is a common foundation for many fantasy novels, but in Ravenwood Risen, author W. C. Maher takes a new angle on this classic theme. Although the rumors swirl and dangers appear to be creeping in at the edges of Aman, the small region of Colore seems relatively untouched. Ephraim and Jules Ravenwood unwittingly go about their daily lives, ignorant – but not unprepared – for what the world will soon demand of them.

In the same vein as the Shannara […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-05-11T03:32:05+02:00May 2nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Traveller – Inceptio by Rob Shackleford

★★★★

Author Rob Shackleford goes beyond the nitty-gritty physics and paradoxes implicit in time travel in his new book Traveller – Inceptio, an impressive new addition to the time-travel niche and an exciting start to a new series.

The story begins simply enough: a group of Australian graduate students researching security technology stumble onto the potential for a time-travel device and the world immediately takes notice. Governments begin clamoring for the technology, but a more methodical approach is required for such world-changing technology. A destination is chosen – Saxon England, about 1,000 years in the past – and […]