Editorial Reviews

An ambitious young soldier marches boldly to war, only to find disillusionment and a newly embattled spirit in Riding With Forrest: The Memoir of John Barrett, Escort Company, Forrest’s Cavalry, CSA, during the War Between the States by L. E. Denton. A fictional memoir set during America’s vicious internal war, this novel traces the journey of John Barrett and his devoted service to a legendary and ruthless commander, Nathan Bedford Forrest. A detailed imagining of life as a Confederate soldier, and the painful revelations that battlefields can bring, this is a carefully crafted and vulnerable coming-of-age tale. Despite its historical […]

Encouraging active navigation towards a perspective of abundance, Heart and Mind: A Synchronous Dance with Higher Dimensions by Verniece Ross is a refreshing guide for those seeking a more peaceful and fulfilling life. Though many of the more abstract concepts brush against spiritual ideas, the wisdom on these pages is non-denominational and grounded in well-established practices such as meditation and intention-setting. From the foundations of mindfulness, affirmations, and self-esteem to the nuances of creativity, intuition, and logic that define our existence, Ross has penned a comprehensive roadmap to inner alignment and mental wellness.

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A well-researched portrait of artist Billie Lawless and his controversial sculpture “Green Lightning” is revealed in Michael F. Rizzo’s Fifteen Minutes: Bamboozled in Buffalo. Rizzo analyses the process by which the infamously lascivious sculpture was mistakenly commissioned by Buffalo city officials who were offended by the finished product, and swiftly ordered it to be dismantled, resulting in a court case that Lawless eventually won. Revealing in part the conventionality of the staid art establishment, as well as Lawless’s singular vision, this book not only exposes how an artist tricked a powerful clique of public art commissioners, but also […]

Written to improve police procedures around drunk driving prosecutions and properly equip defense teams, Drink Driving: Police Custody Procedures by Joanne Caffrey is a comprehensive guide informed by the author’s direct career experience as a UK police officer, trainer, and expert witness. By identifying the problematic steps of common custody procedures, particularly as they relate to common mistakes, evidentiary lapses, or the unfair handling of detainees, this book intends to clarify and standardize procedures for UK authorities and legal entities related to the critical titular issue. The target readership of this officer-penned read may be relatively small, but as a […]

Adrian Green, an American software engineer, plans to “free himself from the endless noise of the States,” in Michael R. French’s eclectic and engaging Ghost with Two Hearts. Having relocated to Japan, Adrian indulges in a tantalizing romance with a resident ghost, and attempts to reconcile past wrongs by returning the Samurai sword his grandfather stole from a Japanese officer during WW2. Throughout the story, French seamlessly weaves fascinating facts about Japanese culture and Shintoism into his insightful and original narrative. A novel that is both character-rich and page-turning, this story will have readers yearning to explore and discover […]

Dropping readers into the first-person perspective of Pastor Stephen Grant, Christmas Bells at St. Mary’s by Ray Keating is an intimate twist on this ever-growing series. Told through Grant’s journal entries about his pastor friends and one particularly eventful Advent, this epistolary novel pulls back the personal curtain on this series’ spiritual spymaster even further. Whether he is helping a young priest navigate a crisis of faith, exploring the cinematic nuance behind his favorite festive films, or investigating the mysterious resentment of a troubled young man, Stephen Grant continues to be an original and unexpectedly heroic protagonist. Cleanly edited, fast-moving, […]

Examining the nebulous nature of forgetfulness, Memory Neural or Not Neural by Annie De Muynck is a probing essay about Freud’s dynamic theories of anticipatory ideas, transference, and the emotional susceptibility of memory. Using Freud’s own experiences during a seminal journey to illustrate the malleable nature of memory, the author masterfully links different aspects of psychoanalysis to linguistic theory and the philosophical rhetoric of Lacan. Intended for a deeper dive into familiar realms of analytic thought, this brief yet comprehensive read is an illuminating thesis on one of Freud’s many paradoxical revelations.

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Years after a covert mission turns sideways and deadly, revenge comes calling for one warrior’s family in Turning Pro by M.J.S. House, a compelling thriller with an original premise. Basketball is life for Jake Delaney, a star college player with the NBA calling, but aside from navigating March Madness and collegiate crushes, he also has a bloodthirsty arms dealer looking to end his nascent career – and his life. The question is, will Jake’s super-spy father and a team of Navy SEALs be able to stop the assassins with the NCAA tournament also at stake? Aside from some necessary suspension […]