Kristy Oaks – “Shooter” to her friends – is a divorced academic and a lifelong skeptic transitioning into retirement, but her newly purchased ranch holds dangerous secrets hidden just below the topsoil. She is quick to find indigenous allies and a local love interest, but her arrival also brings suspicion, gossip, thieves, and dirty cops who are led by little more than greed. Never one to […]
Jaway, Pama, Serra, Krizzles, and a myriad cast of other future soldiers lie at the heart of this story, as they try to unite The Land and avoid the insolent incursions, and explosions, of the Rebels. This classic premise of good and evil takes place in an insect-infested world that nature has begun to violently reclaim, which ends up posing more of a threat than enemy soldiers ever could. Many […]
Author Nandita Banerjee delivers yet another tangled knot of family drama with No. 7: The Date, the second installment of this eerie and thoughtfully crafted series.
Still reeling from her newly upended life, and the consequences of her husband’s sinister cabal activities, Priya must muddle through the aftermath of ghostly encounters, controlling relatives, natural disasters, unwanted advances, and even her son’s marriage proceedings in an endless quest to find peace. Armed with quiet perseverance, she must hold her family together on opposite sides of the world, all while juggling a dangerous and growing list of secrets – about her husband, […]
A young Polish immigrant trapped in an abusive marriage in rural Wyoming finds the strength within herself – and her family – to fight for freedom in A Time for Reckoning by Neil Turner. Supported by Grazyna’s uncle from Chicago and his sharp-tongued partner Penelope, this is a character-driven thriller that fearlessly reveals the dark corners of human nature – misogyny, greed, violence, power, and control. Driven by strong dialogue, unpredictable twists, and more than a dash of colloquial country charm, this savagely honest novel is a stellar addition to the Toni Valenti Thriller series.
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Just as months and seasons have their own personalities, Johnson has grouped these haikus under loose themes – “January” questions independence and personal disappointment, “February” focuses on the trials and triumphs of family, “March” is a series of prayers and reflections on divinity, and so on throughout the year. Whether readers consume this […]
A cave-dwelling architect hiding a horrifying secret collides with AJ Conti, a dauntless investigator who knows how to take a hit, in Casualty of Innocence by James A. Bacca. A swirling and sinister story of child trafficking, murder, dangerous manipulators, and the lengths we go to protect those we love, this novel has a triggering edge, while also being timely and powerful. In a serial killer thriller, much of the tension depends on nuanced dialogue and subtle narration, which Bacca puppeteers masterfully. There are exchanges where the prose feels heavy-handed or too leading, but overall this thrilling drama is a […]
Author Christopher Leite drops readers into the mind of a ruthless android in Pink Gallery to Mar Suite, a grim and bloody novel of revenge, lust, and the existential angst of an AI assassin.
In this gritty slice of the future, ICQA-1037 is just a hard-working robot killer trying to get laid after four long years, but his standards are high, his patience is thin, and his temper seems perpetually ready to boil over and explode. Being one of the most advanced forms of technology on the planet doesn’t make up for his loneliness, or confusion at the petty […]
Navigating the assassination attempt of her dear friend Father Melvyn, Mrs. B. is back in the hunt for the would-be killer with quiet determination, wicket wit, and her feline-boosted sleuthing skills. The crime hits close to home, and brings her even closer to Detective Jake, adding strong emotional tension to an already taut narrative.
Balanced well between bursts of action, lightbulbs of discovery, intimate moments of reflection, and meticulously written dialogue, Della Notte […]