Editorial Reviews

Brett Monk and McKenna Langford once again deliver a fast-paced mystery in Trapped By A Lie, the third book in their Moms Who Lie series, which gets better with each installment. By now we know the players, or at least we think we do, as the investigation of a teenager’s disappearance in the seemingly idyllic town of Toxey reveals more about the town and its denizens, coloring in elements from previous installments. The authors are experts at letting the mystery unfold piece by piece until reaching a satisfying conclusion, which hooks readers in for another installment. The book’s many […]

Author Rick Mammoth drops an explosive new novel in Driving Unclaimed Cargo, a short and astute read for those who love offbeat military thrillers. When a prototype weapon is accidentally sent to Estonia, instead of Florida, the powers that be in Washington need to get it back quickly and quietly. A shadowy member of the top-secret “Animal Kingdom” enlists his curious and adventurous nephew to secure the package and drive it to France, without setting off any international alarm bells, or starting a nuclear war. This high-stakes road trip novel is cleverly crafted, but the editing needs work, with […]

A dramatic, dialogue-driven portrait of an imploding marriage, Maria Daversa’s Sweet Baby Mine intimately depicts the impact of mental illness and secrets on a partnership. Daversa has a keen eye for powerful description, and the story is a nuanced commentary on how nostalgia can fuel unhealthy relationships past the breaking point. The starkly honest passages about the characters’ pasts and motives create an intimate portrait of the protagonists, which heightens the uncertain moral tension on these pages, weaving together a pervasive sense of psychological stress that is ultimately hopeful. A tense yet delicate exploration of addiction, regret, and toxic cycles […]

A page-turning mystery set within the aristocratic world of wine-making, Tainted Wine by Linda Watkins is the second tantalizing installment of her Steve Daniels Mystery series. A hard-nosed investigator must dig into the devilish past of the heiress to a winery, but he risks being pulled into an intoxicating web along the way. With the blunt and declarative storytelling style of classic noir pulp, and the sharp tête-à-tête of cleverly crafted dialogue, readers are quickly immersed in the bold attitudes, old-fashioned language, and nostalgic mood of the 1950s. Though there are some superficial errors that could be polished with a […]

A paranormal tale of good versus evil, The Charterhouse of Evil by Janice Tremayne is a fun but chilling work of supernatural horror with a stellar protagonist at the helm. Spirit hunter Clarisse Garcia is investigating mysterious deaths at a Benedictine Monastery, aided by her husband’s spirit-tracking technology and challenged by powerful demons and the monks’ code of silence. While the plot unfolds somewhat slowly due to retelling elements from previous installments, which distracts from Clarisse connecting the accumulating clues, the mystery itself is engrossing and evocatively told, with the book ultimately working as a standalone novel. Fans of paranormal […]

Peeling back the sinister layers of conspiracy, espionage, and manipulation that shift beneath our modern world, Contrarian by Lucas Sterling is a complex thriller that hums with both tension and humanity. From lockdowns, bad water, and ecosystem collapse to deadly terror plots and shadowy assassins, the novel is a character-driven puzzle that presents readers with contemporary dilemmas of morality and duty. Though Sterling has a habit of giving away a bit too much information in his narration, this breakneck international drama is steeped in the deadly seriousness of today’s environmental crisis, for a timely and riveting read.

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A grim look into the tangled fates of decent men gone wrong, Bad Cop by Peter Sarda is the dark but gripping second installment of the Hamburg Noir series. When a hungry underworld rises up to claim the scattered pieces of a heroin empire, bloody chaos and desperate violence are inevitable, but two veteran detectives at the crosshairs are up to the task, cleverly digging into the dirt of hired hitmen, crooked allies, and a laundry list of ulterior motives. With two classic noir protagonists, sharp dialogue, and a sinister edge of vigilante justice on the gritty streets of Hamburg, […]

A page-turner ultimately about second chances, 5th and Vanguard by Lee Adams is an engrossing thriller written in classic noir style. It’s 1999 and writer Julie Page is a recovering addict hoping to retrieve her artistic muse when she finds herself a chance witness to a crime in front of Bob’s Liquor Palace at the corner of 5th and Vanguard. Supremely well-written with characters, exposition, and dialogue authentic to the genre and an earlier era, this tight, compelling novel is somewhat weakened by occasional grammatical errors, but these issues will be easily overlooked by fans of dark, gritty, fast-paced crime […]