John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

An imprisoned mercenary takes on a slate-cleaning mission that lands him at the center of a galactic conspiracy in A Dark Culling by Jonathan Staten, a gripping mash-up of crime thriller and science fiction. Rick Dawson has been slowly shaving years off his murder sentence by handling hits and unsavory tasks for the Warden of the Ceris Max prison, but a high-end hunt for the enigmatic Imogen Rivera offers him a shot at actual freedom. However, a revelatory change of heart shifts Rick’s loyalty to a more worthy cause, setting this antihero squarely against the sinister powers that still hold […]

Striving to capture the fleeting beauty of an instant, An Unlikely Sunset by Joe Giampaolo is a powerful collection of traditional Japanese poetry. The poet’s serene and unhurried poetic voice draws readers into the simple majesty of our vivid world, summoning lyrical metaphors that vividly convey the complexity and depth of our inner lives, loves, and losses. Unveiling these poetic reflections in the stark and simple forms of haiku, tanka, and chöka, Giampaolo’s mastery of these revered styles is undeniable. Lilting, playful, profound, and reverent, these meticulously curated poems, many of which are published here for the first time, stand […]

A sweet yet scandalous thriller about lies, lust, and the lengths we go for love, Point of the Triangle by Roseanne Burke is both a tantalizing mystery and a bold portrait of modern romance. Olivia Bloomfield’s career, marriage, and hopes for a family have hit a wall, so after discovering that her arrogant surgeon of a husband is having an affair, she finds a charming coffee shop lover of her own. However, when pregnant Olivia mysteriously disappears from her friend’s lake cabin, Detective John Bison begins to fear the worst, but crimes of the heart are rarely simple. Uniquely structured […]

A practical and easy-to-follow guide for financial independence and future planning, 12 Steps to Eliminate Debt and Build Wealth: A Step-By-Step Guide to Become Financially Independent by Jay Rigler is a straightforward handbook for anyone struggling to make ends meet and prepare for the future. Drawing from his own experience with overspending and slipping into debt after college, Rigler offers a transparent and relatable peek into his choices, as well as the turning points that led him to develop his comprehensive yet common-sense plan. While the information can be a bit repetitive and the writing unpolished, the author doesn’t claim […]

A haunting exploration of class dynamics and the internal struggles of poverty, grief, family, and courtship, Two Souls by Maksim Haretski, translated by Olya Ianovskaia, is a powerful portrait of Belarus and its existential upheaval more than a century ago. As much a philosophical treatise as a stark interpersonal drama, Haretski’s words still ring with clarity and wisdom, especially given the changing political and economic dynamics today. Ignat is the semi-orphaned son of a Belarusian military officer, grappling with controversial new ideas of societal hierarchy and nationalism, while fumbling his way through romance and mental liberation, as his tumultuous family […]