John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Pulling back the curtain on the profession of death investigation, Mary Jumbelic, M.D. has crafted a gripping and original memoir in Here, Where Death Delights. Reflecting on the unexpected tragedy that defined her young life, and expounding on her consequent decades of work as a medical examiner, this memoir is an intimate exploration of mortality and the lifelong task of processing grief. Open and honest discussions about death are often avoided or seen as taboo, which makes Jumbelic’s journey through morgues, crime scenes, and the maze of human emotions such a revelation, written with a deep sense of sensitivity […]

Intriguingly wise and emotionally nuanced, Unbearable by Amy Winfield is the surreal story of a lost young camper befriending a curmudgeonly bear – one who can somehow talk, drive, cook, and even debate semantics. Whether the bear is educating Brandon about the danger of stereotypes, saving his life with plant medicine, or begrudgingly becoming his loyal companion, Smokey retains a clever sass that is both sarcastic and smart. Underlaid with lessons about personal responsibility, unfair prejudices, anger issues, self-reliance, bullying, and compassion, this witty and well-conceived short novel is heartfelt, original, and wholly entertaining.

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After a young woman’s brutal murder in the English countryside, the hunt for her killer quickly spirals out of control in The Pike, a gripping UK thriller by J.J. Richards, and the second in his DCI Walker Crime Thrillers series. As potential suspects begin desperately trying to skip town and jumping in front of trains, the heinous killings don’t stop, hinting at a far more sinister explanation than teenage hedonism gone horribly wrong. The repartee of the investigators, particularly between Briggs and DCI Walker, keep the procedural elements of the plot informative and well-paced, without giving away the whodunit, […]