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Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews

Review: The Outlandish and the Ego by O. Ryan Hussain

The Outlandish and the Ego by O. Ryan Hussain

In these days of political turmoil and uncertain global peace, it can be hard to find a reason to laugh, but O. Ryan Hussain’s new novel, The Outlandish and the Ego, provides an uproarious release. In a new genre of literature the author calls “political erotica,” this novel discusses serious topics and trends in the world…without ever taking itself too seriously.

The book is cleanly divided between the sarcastic and the surreal, beginning with the Aide, a ruthless and ambitious wretch who has wriggled his way near the highest halls of power. In his endless bid to increase his own […]

2024-07-30T15:36:10+02:00October 18th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , |
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Review: The Folly of Sweeney by Brian J. O’Sullivan

The Folly of Sweeney by Brian J. O'Sullivan

The machinations of a fractured mind can make for great literature, and in The Folly of Sweeney by Brian J. O’Sullivan, readers get a raw glimpse into a truly unusual brain. Touching on elements of the immigrant experience, mental health, alcoholism, family and self-preservation, this book may be erratic and unpredictable, but there are powerful messages lying beneath the surface of this drunken New York fairytale from a true seanchaí.

The central character of the novel, Liam, is an Irishman who now calls New York home, but he hasn’t lost the stereotypical penchant for alcohol. He is a difficult character […]

2019-01-22T10:33:47+02:00October 16th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |
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Review: McDowell by William H. Coles

In McDowell, tragedy and consequence lead an arrogant and narcissistic Dr. Hiram McDowell to examine his life and search for life’s meaning beyond winning and possessions.

Hiram is first glimpsed leaving his Mt. Everest climbing partner to die. If that’s not enough to establish his unreliability, he goes on to belittle his wife, trick a colleague and ignore his children. Hiram’s the quintessential egoist surgeon: busy, belligerent, brilliant, and self-absorbed.

Author William H. Coles paints a damning picture of the selfish Dr. McDowell. Married for the third time to Carole, he barely acknowledges her and openly cheats on her, […]

2019-01-22T10:34:18+02:00October 15th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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Review: A Nanny for Harry by Sylvia Mulholland

A Nanny for Harry by Sylvia Mulholland

Pregnancy, motherhood and the demands of a career prove to be a tough juggling act in A Nanny for Harry, a touching and often funny work of women’s fiction by Sylvia Mulholland.

Thirty-five-year-old attorney, Kali Miller, is potentially jeopardizing her already slow track to partnership by taking a three-month maternity leave to have a baby. As soon as her pregnancy had been confirmed, she and her handsome husband, Matt, a general surgery resident, purchased a pokey little house in trendy Belmont Shore that they set about fixing before the arrival of their baby boy, who they’ve already named Harry.[…]

2018-10-27T12:24:38+02:00September 18th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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Review: Storm Shelter by Raymond Payne

Storm Shelter by Raymond Payne

Storm Shelter by Raymond Payne is a vivid illustrated novel based on his 2004 novel Shelter from the Storm, which tells the tale of Juan “Johnny” Lopez and his plans to escape from a juvenile detention center.

With a fellow gang member to help him, Johnny thinks he has everything figured out. He will escape and tell anyone who will listen about the conditions at the facility. At the same time that Lopez is planning to obtain his freedom, Danny Matthews – a young boy who had spent a good part of his life in foster care –  is on […]

2019-01-11T14:50:42+02:00September 12th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |
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Review: Three Days in Autumn by Robert Bartlett

Three Days in Autumn by Robert Bartlett

Three dramatic days condense the well-lived life of Cole Murphy, a custom motorcycle builder who reveals his character through a prism of random events that underscore his integrity and goodness in the evocative Three Days in Autumn by Robert Bartlett.

On a ride from Charlotte, North Carolina, to prepare his mountain home for a family visit, an accident blocks Cole’s bike and he’s thrown into a ravine. What comes next is a series of events that tests the big man’s strength as his family and law enforcement search clue by clue to find him.

With a cast of characters that […]

2018-10-27T12:57:14+02:00August 7th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |
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Review: Only Everything by Keith Martin-Smith

Only Everything by Keith Martin-Smith

Broken dreams shroud middle-aged Logan, once a promising novelist, as he stiffly settles himself into a nine-to-five corporate life. Logan marches forward with a beautiful and brightly positive fiancé. He writes marketing copy. He pays his bills. He lives in a well-appointed home. But Logan feels weighted by a past that might be an anchor or a lifeline.

Only Everything by Keith Martin-Smith is a profoundly affecting work of fiction that explores deep truths. With the narrative opening between the present and twenty-something Logan’s life in New York City as he writes his first novel, we get bright future and […]

2019-01-22T10:58:58+02:00July 23rd, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , , |
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The Cretin Gene by Brendan Ball

The Cretin Gene by Brendan BallWhen a mad scientist uses television and junk food to stupefy the British populace, cartoonist Al Horowitz must clear his name of murder, and find the cure to the Genome 9X9 disaster. The people have run amok, and Horowitz enlists his genius nephew Dr. Grossman and his colleague, the mysterious and tenacious Dr. Kamaruzaman. Together, they plot, hide, and attack as they cross England to confront the evil Dr. Proctor, and seek the cure.

Author Brendan Ball creates a clever satire that shreds the vapidity of nationalist pride in The Cretin Gene. He takes junk food, television, and the […]

2018-07-03T07:19:27+02:00July 3rd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |
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