Two agents of the nearly defunct FBI, Mason and Zahra, are given a seemingly open-and-shut murder case, but their prime suspect reveals a dark secret – the real killer was actually inside the victim’s mind, puppeteering the young boy to his death. In this tech-mad carnival mirror of America’s fractured future, citizens can escape the brutality of life by existing online in a fully immersive augmented reality, but like any digital space, […]
Pulling back the curtain on the profession of death investigation, Mary Jumbelic, M.D. has crafted a gripping and original memoir in Here, Where Death Delights. Reflecting on the unexpected tragedy that defined her young life, and expounding on her consequent decades of work as a medical examiner, this memoir is an intimate exploration of mortality and the lifelong task of processing grief. Open and honest discussions about death are often avoided or seen as taboo, which makes Jumbelic’s journey through morgues, crime scenes, and the maze of human emotions such a revelation, written with a deep sense of sensitivity […]
Explaining the lifelong journey towards realization and grace, from a miraculous and precocious childhood to studying in the presence of a legendary guru in India, this narrative journey balances universal truths and musings with deeply intimate portrayals of a mystical Self. There are accounts of detailed psychedelic experiences, inexplicable predictions come true, and mysterious links to the minds of others, told in such an empowered and confident tone that their veracity becomes […]
A character-driven leap through a gateway to the future, Archipelago by H R Hawkins is an immersive thrill for fans of cosmic drama and technological prophecy. When a splinter civilization on the edge of the galaxy reaches out with a bizarre message after fifty years, it pulls a long-lost son back into the chaos and beauty of liberated space, for a work of top-shelf sociological science fiction.
Assigned to a high-level delegation to the distant Archipelago cluster, Ren Markov represents multiple interests seeking to re-establish contact after a violent coup cut the “Arc” off from the rest of the galactic […]
Intriguingly wise and emotionally nuanced, Unbearable by Amy Winfield is the surreal story of a lost young camper befriending a curmudgeonly bear – one who can somehow talk, drive, cook, and even debate semantics. Whether the bear is educating Brandon about the danger of stereotypes, saving his life with plant medicine, or begrudgingly becoming his loyal companion, Smokey retains a clever sass that is both sarcastic and smart. Underlaid with lessons about personal responsibility, unfair prejudices, anger issues, self-reliance, bullying, and compassion, this witty and well-conceived short novel is heartfelt, original, and wholly entertaining.
[…]
After a young woman’s brutal murder in the English countryside, the hunt for her killer quickly spirals out of control in The Pike, a gripping UK thriller by J.J. Richards, and the second in his DCI Walker Crime Thrillers series. As potential suspects begin desperately trying to skip town and jumping in front of trains, the heinous killings don’t stop, hinting at a far more sinister explanation than teenage hedonism gone horribly wrong. The repartee of the investigators, particularly between Briggs and DCI Walker, keep the procedural elements of the plot informative and well-paced, without giving away the whodunit, […]
An intense collection of characters in emotional tumult, Loves and Entanglements by Lewis Bogaty demonstrates the author’s sensitivity to the human condition, and the impossible choices we are so often forced to make.
These thirteen quick-moving vignettes vary in time period, subject matter, writing style, and tone, but are tied together by enticing human drama – desire, disappointment, heartbreak, and possibility. Some tales end with a sudden twist, others with a single powerful line that leaves the emotional weight hanging thick, without resolution, yet still somehow satisfying. Manipulating readers’ expectations and emotions with ease, this collection is a masterclass in […]
Author Fred D. Hannah III delivers another installment of his Recreation series with The Dead Zone 4: Sleep Now, Forever Do Us Part, a breathless new adventure pitting cosmic Queens against Dark Lords in the DreamSpace outside reality. In a freshly forged universe packed with androids and magic, Aliana bides her time for revenge against the evil force who defeated her friends and eliminated all she ever knew. While things may look normal on the outside, the truth is that reality has become stranger than fiction, and Aliana must tap into all of her spectrum powers if she hopes […]