SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
It’s 1972 and 13-year-old Danny Novak is hired by the Oregon Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America to spend the summer working at Camp Baker. The youngest staff member, Danny, quickly realizes that the troubled home life he’s escaping may have been easier than trying to fit in and be accepted by his older teenage workmates, as he must contend with the brooding, intimidating Mark, a 16-year-old senior staff […]
When it comes to solving heady and head-scratching cases, John Consequent is the philosophical key for any bizarre lock, and the police have once again come knocking at his door. Putting his circuitous wit and wisdom to the test, this brainy sleuth must outmaneuver a wickedly sharp intellect whose existentialism has turned to murderous nihilism.
Celebrating the beauty of that which cannot be tested empirically, this is a clever thriller, and surprisingly light, […]
When a young boy disappears from the small town of Sandy Beach, everyone fears the worst, but there may be older and more dangerous forces at work than a mere kidnapping. Months later, Detective Bobby Justice is still on the case, and follows a lead to the Sand Beach Hotel, a haunting testament to a horrific beachside crime. The mysterious Marina Kerrigan, looming like a ghost over her hotel, is just one of […]
Divided into three thematic sections – “You,” “Me,” and “Us” – these lyrical verses are journeys into the arms of the divine, along with all the comfort and deliverance one might find along the way. The language is carefully chosen and laden with wisdom, asking readers to challenge themselves and their own ideas of satisfaction, becoming something of a work of self-help. Exploring the relationships we have with ourselves, our loved ones, and […]
Reminiscent of the pacing and subject matter of Charles Bukowski, at times, the poetry is gritty and raw, yet still polished. Reflecting on everything from laziness and responsibility to loyalty in relationships and the grind of work, these are everyman poems, shining an honest light on the exasperating business of being alive. “The Poem I Never Wrote” is a standout, capturing that unique tone of visceral human experience. Tired and begrudging as the […]
The moving and drama-filled novel Aren and Élise by Ettenig Sayam brings two very different people into a post-midlife romance that finds each of them navigating very unfamiliar territory.
When 50-year-old Haitian foreign language teacher Élise falls during a hike in Vermont, she is rescued by Aren, a vibrant 63-year-old engineer of Armenian descent who seems to have found the woman he didn’t know he was looking for. Sharing little in common beyond a history of political violence, the confident and charming Aren woos the shy and reluctant Élise with persistence, romance, and erotic sexual adventure, until the couple encounters […]
On the planet Eiyesa, the population can’t reproduce and could disappear while political rivalries threaten both the society’s stability and the young hero Sergen’s efforts against all the adversaries and obstacles that confront him. An innovative tale that interweaves multiple issues – politics, the environment, and discrimination alongside family bonds and struggles – the novel balances well the hero’s quest with timely themes.[…]
Still grieving the violent murder of their four-year-old daughter, Allison, seventeen years before, Lorraine and John Steads are now reeling from more unthinkable grief: their son Erik is in jail accused of killing his brother, Mat, while they were on their annual elk hunting trip. Erik swears it was an accident and that he only fired once, but when police find two bullet holes in Mat, his death comes under investigation.
As the search for the truth ensues, additional […]