Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Culling the Herd by Edward R. Etzkorn

The seemingly innocuous phrase, “The few for the many,” proves to be a chilling mantra in Culling the Herd, a riveting thriller by Edward R. Etzkorn.

Tired of her four-year stint as women’s health editor for a second-rate magazine, Chloe Freestaff left the jungles of New York City twelve months earlier for the harshness of Kenya’s Mwenga National Game Reserve. Now nearing the end of her tenure, Chloe learns that an old African tradesman has stumbled upon “something evil” inside the game reserve. The long-suppressed journalist in Chloe smells a story, and she convinces him to show her what […]

Marta Cheng2018-06-19T06:09:55+02:00April 11th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Portraits by Higgs Boson

Portraits by Higgs Boson

Portraits is quite an achievement, as dauntingly detailed in its character descriptions as Shaw (who also wanted his actors to have particular heights, clothes, and eye colors, and his sets to have specific furniture), and as discursive in its stage directions as O’Neill.

This not to say Portraits is Shavian, or as steeped in naturalistic turmoil as O’Neill. Rather, as Higgs Boson (an amusing pseudonym) states in his author note, it’s an attempt, on the whole successful, to revive the Theatre of the Absurd, with its echoes of Ionesco, Sartre, and Durenmatt, and, farther afield, A Frolic of His Own[…]

Nolan Powers2020-02-21T07:30:55+02:00April 4th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Theatre Book Reviews|

Review: Rise and Run (A Broken Man Novel #1) by RJ Plant

From the first few pages of Operation Rise and Run, readers know they are in for a grim, mysterious, and well-crafted novel. Author RJ Plant has delivered a stunning introduction to her vision of the future, not one of atomic destruction or a zombie apocalypse, but rather a fate that seems disturbingly probable, where science fiction and geopolitical realities have brutally collided.

Following the destructive end to the war on terror, the world has turned a new page, one in which power is more centralized – in the Government Directive International (GDI). The reason this book sends shivers, however, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-06-14T06:44:13+02:00April 3rd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Who Can Fix It? by Leslie Ann MacKeen

Who Can Fix It? is a delightful problem-solving picture book for young readers, written and illustrated by Leslie Ann MacKeen.

On his way to his mother’s house for Sunday dinner, Jeremiah T. Fitz’s car comes to a complete stop and then quits running altogether. Jeremiah wonders aloud who can fix his car and despite visits by the likes of Kara Kangaroo, Elmo Elephant, Gloria Gorilla, Petunia Peacock, Barnabus Bear and several others, all of whom offer Jeremiah encouragement and unique ideas to fix his car, no one is able to find a solution.

It’s not until the last animal comes […]

Marta Cheng2018-06-04T13:30:19+02:00April 2nd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Children's Book Reviews|

Review: The Rising (The End Time Saga Book 3) by Daniel Greene

This third installment of Daniel Greene’s End Time Saga pushes the envelope even further in its post-apocalyptic hellscape, making The Rising one novel you should not miss, whether you’re new to the series, or you’ve been along for the ride in this oddly addictive work of zombie fiction.

The survivors from the first two books are still plowing through their harrowing missions, fending off the living dead and fighting for a cure. The virus that threatens the planet has laid waste to society and the rule of law has shattered. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and with the ultimate […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-21T09:37:19+02:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Stolen Obsession by Marlene M. Bell

A centuries-old curse, romance and multiple murders abound in Stolen Obsession, an irresistible page turner by Marlene M. Bell.

Country-loving antiquities appraiser, Annalisse (Anna) Drury, is horrified to discover a gold bib necklace, identical to a bracelet owned by her recently murdered best friend, in a showcase during the launch of an art gallery opening by her favorite client, Generosa Zavos. The necklace is part of a centuries-old collection of jewellery created explicitly for the Persian royal family that carries with it a deadly curse.

Anna enlists the help of Generosa’s son, Alec, who’s also at the gallery opening, […]

Marta Cheng2020-01-03T06:39:24+02:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Romance Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: In Times of Silence by Merwyn Spears

In Times of Silence by Merwyn Spears is a comforting and poignant work of literary fiction about looking back on times gone by when the present seems to be fading away.

The narrator of this short novel is the last survivor of a group of childhood friends with the recent death of Megan, the leader of their childhood group, and someone who has held a special place in his heart. As he ponders her funeral and carefully puts her obituary clipping into the folder where all the others are kept, he’s filled with a deep sense of regret over Megan’s […]

Marta Cheng2018-04-17T07:33:27+02:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Welcome, Reluctant Stranger (Between Two Worlds Book 3) by Evy Journey

A foiled assassination attempt, a corrupt government and an almost two decades’ long mystery are the surprising and intriguing elements in Welcome, Reluctant Stranger, the standalone third installment in Evy Journey’s excellent Between Two Worlds romance series.

At age nine, little Leilani Torres’ seemingly perfect life was uprooted when her mother suddenly arrived at her school and took her out of class before whisking her to the airport. There, she and her two siblings, along with her mother, boarded a plane and left behind her island home on Costa Mora – and her physician father.

Eighteen years have now […]

Marta Cheng2019-01-22T11:09:48+02:00March 23rd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Romance Book Reviews|