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A novel based on a true story, Purity Found by Jane Catherine Rozek is a tale of spirituality, bravery, trust, and love. Fleeing her past to start over, 22-year-old Kate immigrates to the Canadian wilderness with little beyond her deep belief in God and the messages she receives from the Spirit through a communion with nature. There she is transported in time to the pioneer days, testing her limits. A story about living off the grid and the love that can blossom away from the pressures of the modern world, this spiritual-minded novel is an inspiring testament to the power […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

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 […]