Fiction
One More Seat at the Round Table
Susan Dormady Eisenberg (Atmosphere Press)
One More Seat at the Round Table by Susan Dormady Eisenberg is a smart novel that is cleverly plotted with colorful characters and a lot of drama. While Jane Conroy works for a literary agent, her dream is to find a job behind the scenes on Broadway stage and when Max Conroy, her uncle, gets her a job as Friday girl for Brock Remsen, she finds herself in the exhilarating world of musical performance. Producer Alan Jay Lerner, for whom Brock Remsen works, partners with Frederick Loewe to produce a new show, Camelot. Jane dreams of a career in th...
Breach of the peace
C R Dempsey (CRMPD Media Limited)
Breach of the Peace by C R Dempsey is a historical thriller with a richly drawn setting in Ireland in the 1590s. Eunan Maguire is an enviable character now, living his best life — a position in the rebel army, marriage into a powerful family, and control of his family lands. But to stay at the top, he must meet the expectations of his father-in-law. With the Sheriff of Sligo as an archenemy, the future doesn't look quite bright for Eunan. His friendship with Seamus MacSheehy has deteriorated and that doesn't help matters. When war breaks out, E...
Blackwater
Paul Vincent Jacuzzi (FriesenPress)
Blackwater by Paul Vincent Jacuzzi has an irresistible appeal to fans of military thrillers. When nuclear materials from the Cold War era that are capable of unleashing unimaginable destruction in the world go missing in North Africa, Dalton Drake is tasked to track and recover them. The former CSIS agent is the best operator for the job and by teaming with other agencies, the mission should be smooth, but then Drake has former enemies who are after him, the distraction of a former lover, and his own secrets that can stand in the way. Time isn'...
Becoming Nora
Margaret Farrell Kirby (Proving Press)
Becoming Nora by Margaret Farrell Kirby is a compelling narrative that follows Nora as she faces the part of her that has remained buried over the years. This nuanced and intelligently crafted tale presents Brad and Nora Stanton as they navigate the most crucial moment of their lives. Everything has been perfect for Nora — a seemingly happy marriage, a great career, and lovely kids. That is until her husband tells her that he is unhappy and needs time to sort things out. Nora is shocked. She is even stunned that her husband has already started...
Topanga Canyon: Fire Season
Barbara Bryan (Atmosphere Press)
Topanga Canyon: Fire Season by Barbara Bryan is a wonderfully crafted novel with strong themes and a young protagonist that instantly wins the sympathy of readers. Matt's alcoholic mother sends him away to his grandfather's horse ranch in Topanga, California. ''Her goodbye hug held only hot anger, which she wrapped around him until its searing heat penetrated his bones.'' In the new world, the teenage boy must learn to quickly adapt, facing new people and dealing with animals. As his love for horses grows, he notices that his grandfather might...
The End of May
Kem Richards (Grandeur Publishing)
The End of May by Kem Richards gives a stunning portrait of the fall and rise of a woman, Marcella ''Marcy'' Burke, a story that is as spellbinding as it is emotionally gripping. She is a young woman from Ohio who moves to New York City to pursue her dreams, and everything seems to work perfectly well for her as she moves in with Luke, her partner. They live in a penthouse in one of the lush neighborhoods in the city. She lands her dream job in the fashion industry and is set to climb the corporate ladder. But as she is getting ready to take bo...
Society, Suspicious
Freeman Smith (Atmosphere Press)
Society, Suspicious: A Novel by Freeman Smith is a political satire that is seasoned with humor readers find nowhere. The story is told by a narcissistic poet, a music aficionado, and a man who faked his death and stole a citizenship card that allowed him to leave fame behind and live free. He has been a janitor, a junior high school counselor, a golf pro, a homeless man, and a private investigator. This narrator takes readers on a hilarious romp through America, exploring American narcissism incarnated by Trump and building a plot that outline...
The Final Eight Seconds
Olivia Godat (Atmosphere Press)
Joey McBride has eight seconds to tell his story and convince the Disbursement Department that he is worthy of going to heaven in Olivia Godat's The Final Eight Seconds. Joey is a bull rider. He entered a contest, injured himself badly, and is now in the hospital, fighting for his life. While there, Joey receives a visit from a Delivery Angel. She's from the Department of Procurement, and her job is to help him crossover. Confused by the situation, Joey refuses to accept his condition and what the Delivery Angel has told him. ''This...
The Price of Worthlessness - Petra's story
Gloria Eveleigh (Gloria Eveleigh on KDP)
The Price of Worthlessness - Petra's Story by Gloria Eveleigh is a novel whose strength is in the powerful message it conveys. Fourteen-year-old Petra has been the in-door kind of kid who prefers to play with her siblings than be outside with her age mates. She has confidence issues and overhearing her parents talk about her not going out is not even pleasant. When she meets Marvin, a twenty-eight-year-old man, she believes her world is about to change — for the better. Her world changes, and in a direction she never could have imagined. Now sh...
So Far from Home: The Pearl Bryan Murder
Robert Wilhelm (Night Stick Press)
In January 1896, the headless body of a woman is discovered in Northern Kentucky. The body is eventually identified as 22-year-old Pearl Bryan from Greencastle, Indiana. The viciousness of the crime inflames the community. Demands for swift and retributive justice are loud and they get louder by the day. The attention of law enforcement is directed toward two dental students, Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling. A cousin of Bryan introduced her to Jackson and a relationship allegedly blossomed. The same cousin alleges that Bryan was pregnant and w...
