Working the Devil by John Hagar
Working the Devil by John Hagar is a caustic novel about one man’s attempt to bring peace and justice to an indigenous community on a small island called Infierno in the Caribbean. “Infierno” is right (“Hell” in Spanish) as the island is teeming with violence, racism, and a sadistic prison named the Sepulcher. After escaping the island during extreme unrest, Pike returns to the community with an eye on repairing a multitude problems. He has to contend with corruption from above and below: both oil corporations and the society’s own history of ingrained brutality.
All in all, Working the Devil[…]
The Street Rod Mystery by Judy Iverson is a spirited and engaging mystery about the disappearance of a young woman girl at a fifties car show. The girl is kept captive by a car-obsessed man who first fell in love with a 1959 Buick Electra 225 convertible. A huge manhunt begins for the young woman, while she tries to evade her captor, and we learn of his twisted impulses that led to the abduction, a plan that was thirty years in the making.
Dismantling Evan is a moving and harrowing novel about coping with bipolar disorder – not just the disease itself, but how everyone reacts to those who suffer from mental illness. Evan Phillips is moved to a small town in Texas after suffering a nervous breakdown. Her parents hope that a new setting in a calmer environment will help her recover. All does not go as planned, as Evan’s family moves next to Gavin Ferguson, a teenager who has mental illness problems of his own. A group of gifted, but troubled, teenagers bond together, but become vicious targets as the town […]
Beyond the Horizon is Marvin Wilmes’ moving memoir about growing up in the turbulent sixties and trying to maintain his Catholic face amid family tragedy. It can be said that every life is worthy of a memoir. Every life is dramatic – every family likely faces illness and certainly faces deaths of loved ones. Wilmes certainly had a storied life and he has crafted an uplifting tome that should help readers navigate through their own troubled times.
Shades: The Gehenna Dilemma is the extraordinarily original and inventive science fiction/dystopian novel of a bleak future where the IRS bring back debtors from the dead as “Shades,” turning them into servants of the state. As the old saying goes, “The only thing certain in life are death and taxes.” Shades takes this literally and combines the two ideas.
Pianist in a Bordello by Mike C. Erickson is a political satire about a congressional candidate who, ten points down in the polls, decides to tell the truth about his life in an incendiary memoir. After the introduction where his handlers are imploring him to not release this autobiography, the bulk of the book is the autobiography itself, where we learn that the congressman-to-be was raised by a hippie father on a commune, and gets involved with all types of women, nearly gets arrested for spilling state secrets, and basically doesn’t behave very well for someone hoping to enter politics.[…]
Nick’s Very First Day of Baseball, a Hometown All Stars book, is a charming book for ages 3-7 about a baseball-obsessed boy’s first day at baseball practice. Leading up to the big day, Nick learns the basic about baseball, and sees baseballs wherever he goes. At practice he gets a jersey, picks a number, and learns some basic calisthenics. In this way Nick’s Very First Day of Baseball is a very thorough look at practicing a sport. It’s an important lesson in fitness as well as a book about baseball.