Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Empty Quarter: The Heredity of the Sands by Baltasar

Attempting to achieve something profound through a graphic novel is a major challenge for many artists and writers, namely because so much has to be expressed in such a short and condensed amount of space. In Empty Quarter: The Heredity of the Sand, a new graphic short by Baltasar, there are plenty of ideas on display, but the book struggles at times to keep the flow of meaning clear.

Based on the Empty Quarter area of the Arabic Peninsula, this is a simply illustrated book, primarily visualized with stock-posed characters over photographic backgrounds and speech bubbles. The premise is […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:31:50+02:00March 4th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Comics & Graphic Novels|

Review: Routine Patrol by Bart Ringer

In today’s troubled times, the idea of the police has changed dramatically, and the old image of small-town cops has all but disappeared. However, as author Bart Ringer is happy to remind readers in Routine Patrol: Memoirs of a Small-Town Cop, the Wild West is still alive and well, particularly in the small towns of Wyoming. In this collection of stories taken from his more than 35 years on the tiny but mighty force of the Riverton Police Department, the tales swing from tragic and moving to downright hilarious, told with gentle skill and undeniable honesty.

What strikes a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-03-11T12:45:24+02:00March 4th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Memoir|

Review: Radioactive Evolution by Richard Hummel

In Radioactive Evolution, a new iteration of a dystopian world, is painted in graphic detail by debut author Richard Hummel. After humanity has destroyed itself through nuclear destruction, the wealthy have fled to their safe havens in the sky, leaving the rest of humanity behind to fend for themselves in a world all too eager to destroy them.

The focal character of this novel, MC, is not your typical dystopian hero; in fact, in many respects, he is quite the average protagonist, but with endless potential. This lends itself well to the style of the book, which reflects a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-03-26T07:35:46+02:00March 4th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic|

Review: The Siegfried Contingency by Steven Laskin

The Siegfried Contingency by Steven Laskin is a gripping novel that will satisfy thriller fans and book lovers alike. With a dangerous book containing a world-changing secret sitting at the core of this fast-paced thriller, the author has leaned into an old framework, but also twisted it within a new setting and time period that features definitively unique characters.

When bookstore owner Carl Traeger is accosted by some no-nonsense German mobsters in his Seattle shop, demanding that he turn over what they seek – despite not being clear on what the object is – Carl realizes that he is in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-03-01T12:57:19+02:00March 1st, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: LGBTQI, Thriller|

Review: Kidnapping the Prince of Albany by James J. Dunn

To create an enthralling account of a significant crime, author James J. Dunn has embellished events that emphasize our legal history in the riveting Kidnapping the Prince of Albany: The Real Story of the 1933 Kidnapping of John “Butch” O’Connell, Jr.

When John “Butch” O’Connell was kidnapped in 1933, the United States was a more lawless place. Prohibition was coming to an end, meaning less money for bootleggers, but as much or more for legitimate manufacturers. Among those former bootleggers in Albany, New York now going legit was the powerful clan led by Dan O’Connell, notorious mobster and political mover […]

SPR2019-03-25T09:04:34+02:00February 28th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Biography, History|

Review: Urban Justice (Vigilante Justice Book 2) by John Etzil

Things can change fast in a small town, and a few weeks after Jack Lamburt handles the initial drama at The Red Barn and the violent fallout from the mafia, trouble is still lingering on the horizon. Urban Justice, the second novel in the Vigilante Justice series by John Etzil, picks up right where the first left off, welcoming back eager readers to Lamburt’s unique form of justice.

The sister of the Sheriff’s bartending lover is still missing, and despite using all the formidable tools at his disposal, Jack keeps coming up short. Inevitably, he has to leave the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-05-02T06:37:54+02:00February 27th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: John Etzil, Thriller, Vigilante Justice Series|

Review: Silent Spring – Deadly Autumn of the Vietnam War by Patrick Hogan

As one of the darkest periods in America history, the Vietnam War continues to fascinate new generations. In Silent Spring – Deadly Autumn of the Vietnam War, author Patrick Hogan pulls back another curtain on that brutal conflict, and the battles that it is still causing today.

Many people are cursorily familiar with the devastating use of chemical weapons in Vietnam by the American military, including the widespread application of napalm and Agent Orange in defoliation campaigns. Savagely effective, but relatively untested, this attack strategy by America remains one of the dark marks on US history.

In this book, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:17:45+02:00February 23rd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: History, Memoir, Military|

Review: The Little Love That Could by Pamela Capone

Autobiographical anecdotes, humorous afterthoughts and messages of faith entertain and inspire in The Little Love That Could: Stories of Tenacious Love, Underdogs, and Ragamuffins by Pamela Capone.

As a self-professed “professional unpaid people watcher and evidence gatherer” by day and “an insomniac dot connector” by night, Capone shares her insights into life and living through a series of autobiographical anecdotes that are candid and humorous. Her tone is conversational, upbeat and quirky, but always heartfelt.

Capone shares her vulnerabilities and fears through her adoption as a child and the uneasy relationship she had with her “bio-illogical” birth parents in “The […]