New Releases | Self-Publishing Review

Lucky Tom by Federico Muchnik

A crime thriller that feels ripped from the crises of today’s headlines, Lucky Tom by Federico Muchnik is a fast-moving and gritty peek into the streets.

The drug market in Boston is filling up with fentanyl, and bodies are beginning to drop on college campuses, bringing in Detective Del Vecchio to sniff out the murderous link in the chain. Lamont is a misguided young kid grief-stricken over his drug-sharing role in his own stepsister’s death. Tom is just an Uber driver who wants to make some extra cash dropping off deliveries for a slick French criminal named Francois Laax. Their […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-07-22T01:43:02+02:00July 5th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Sealed With A Lie by Brett Monk & McKenna Langford

Sealed With A Lie by Brett Monk & McKenna Langford Brett Monk and McKenna Langford do not disappoint with the thrilling continuation of their Moms Who Lie series, Sealed with a Lie.

This installment delivers mystery and action in equal measure as the main characters must unravel family secrets and murderous plots, in an expertly crafted whodunnit. Driven by a cadre of fascinating characters, their backstories sometimes go back decades, impacting the events unfolding in this small town, with the narrative hopping from one point of view to another, which adds layer upon layer to the mystery.

Readers will be easily drawn into the many angles of this complex […]

SPR2023-01-09T14:27:35+02:00June 24th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Mystery Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Tattered Coat by Mike H. Mizrahi

Tattered Coat by Mike H. Mizrahi A tense Tennessee drama set in the early 20th century, Tattered Coat by Mike H. Mizrahi is a powerful tale of Southern justice, racism, truth, and courage.

A ten-year-old already scarred by too much trauma and loss, Hickory Crabtree is the only witness to the violent murder of a young white woman in the woods. To save a wrongfully accused black musician from an inevitable lynching, Hickory must find his voice, speak truth to power, and overcome a lifetime of fear. Exploring not only the twisted tools of injustice that define America’s past, this book also strikes a contemporary chord, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-13T06:23:05+02:00June 10th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Seven Beyond by Stella Atrium

Seven Beyond by Stella Atrium Wielding a wickedly original pen and a universe-shattering imagination, author Stella Atrium delivers a tour de force of sci-fi fantasy in her sprawling novel, Seven Beyond.

Presenting an unseen world of immortals and powerful beings, as well as alien races that have intermixed with humanity, this novel is a symbolic and allegorical tale of spiritual connection, and the dark edges of consciousness beyond our understanding. Dr. Meenins sits firmly at the center of this story, as he is taken on an internal journey to free his troubled mind, embarking on this metaphysical quest to perhaps find the answers to […]

SPR2023-05-23T16:49:34+02:00June 10th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews, Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|

Caribbean Counterstrike by Edward M. Hochsmann

Caribbean Counterstrike by Edward Hochsmann

The USCG Kauai and its crew are back for another fast-paced thriller in Caribbean Counterstrike by Edward M. Hochsmann, the second installment of his Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures series.

Fresh off their lethal drug ring battle a few months earlier, the cutter has been quietly promoted to perform sensitive missions under the Director of National Intelligence, thanks to its elite crew. Their latest assignment brings them into even more dangerous waters, where they hunt down a murderous drug cartel boasting biochemical weapons, along with an international crime syndicate that knows how to hold a grudge. The rugged crew returns for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-08T06:49:18+02:00June 7th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Dagger Quest by Edward M. Hochsmann

Dagger Quest by Edward Hochsmann Submerging readers in the octane-fueled action of America’s coastal military, Dagger Quest by Edward M. Hochsmann is a highly entertaining cross between a seafaring adventure and a high-stakes military drama.

When a suspected drug-running ship is found destroyed in Cuban waters, Ben Wyporek, the Executive Officer of a Coast Guard cutter, is plunged into an international quagmire of missiles, secrets, and organized crime. Though the nuclear premise is exciting enough, the more interesting tension of the novel comes from the richly penned cast, with their interpersonal struggles, romances, bruised egos, and conflicting philosophies of leadership. The relationship between Sam and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-08T06:52:19+02:00June 7th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Public Opinion by Nathan Pettijohn

Public Opinion by Nathan Pettijohn Part exposé about the seedy underbelly of Hollywood public relations, part history of private investigations and hacking techniques, Nathan Pettijohn’s slick and bawdy novel Public Opinion tells the story of a morally gray protagonist who blackmails the stars.

Melvin Ritkin bills himself as an IT professional who serves the rich and famous of Los Angeles. In reality, he’s a fleecing grifter who uses countless online personas to spread fake news and influence popular perceptions about clients. After starting a tempestuous relationship with an adult film star and agreeing to manipulate the reputation of an abusive director, Melvin will have to […]

Michelle Hogmire2022-06-02T06:49:04+02:00June 1st, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Every Awful Thing by S.E. Bourne

Every Awful Thing by Sophia Bourne S.E. Bourne unleashes her life through language in the standout collection of flash fiction and poetry, Every Awful Thing.

This collection is an acknowledgment of struggle, a tour de force of vulnerability, and a celebration of life’s arcing flow. There is a gritty, matter-of-fact feel to Bourne’s early pieces, but the tone matures along with the writer as she moves through her own scattered memoir. From her youthful thieving antics and teenage chambermaid duties to Mexican road trips and cigars on the Mag Mile, the first half of this collection sparks with energy and potential in every direction. The flash […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-06-20T10:51:14+02:00May 25th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews, Short Stories Book Reviews|