Editorial Reviews

Introspective, exhilarating, and haunting in equal measure, Unleash The Fury: A Storm of Vengeance on Eastern Sands by Joseph Paul D’Aquisto is a Far East vigilante thriller with a layered and fast-paced storyline. A retired detective who never truly laid down the badge puts himself squarely in the midst of a mob war in Sri Lanka, where he nobly defends the oppressed women and common folk of a small struggling town. Wrestling with his own vicious ghosts and navigating the twisted ethics of survival and street justice, John’s story fearlessly gazes into the unswept corners of human nature. While the […]

A fourth-wall-breaking spree of vigilante action and international rabble-rousing, Saving Maria by Truant Memphis is a surreal tale of unsung heroes fighting fearlessly for the masses. When a priceless art collection is stolen in a daring daytime heist, the case is taken on by the Electric Medicine Men, a ragtag cabal of clandestine antiheroes, including Littlethumb Brooks, the monk-like artist in mourning who created the pilfered paintings. Laced with wry wit and off-kilter, unpredictable prose reminiscent of Tom Robbins, this farcical novel is both strange and sharp, touching on everything from grief, geopolitics, and societal oppression to kung-fu monkeys, Hitler’s […]

A grim but masterful work of dark fantasy, A Queen in Blood (Warriors of Spirit and Bone Book 3) by Nick Snape is the emphatically impressive next installment to this sprawling and imaginative saga. Desperate to save her realm from a sinister blight spreading through the land and overtaking innocent souls, Queen Erin must turn to an unlikely ally, with the full horror of the Fleshmaster’s forces pushing through the thinning veil to Brandshold. A voracious dragon of the veil is intent on devouring the spirits of The Seven House leaders themselves, unless Laoch can overcome his grief and harness […]

An homage to a beloved piece of boardwalk history, Mr. Fascination and the Fascination Machines by Michael Jasorka is an eye-opening peek into the colorful history of electro-mechanical pinball machines. This niche graphic novel traces the century-long journey of the mechanized arcade game Fascination, telling the tale of its mysterious mob ties, cult classic fame, and underdog survival in that growing industry. Written in comic book style, there is an overreliance on expositional bubbles that can be difficult to differentiate, but the illustrations and obvious passion for the project elevate the book over some stumbles in presentation. Celebrating a piece […]

An extraordinary adventure into the darkest halls of power, Menace: An Agent Dean Cold Novel by Ray Keating is a confidently cool piece of Cold War sci-fi, coupled with top-secret action. To stop a clandestine takeover of the Soviet Union by mind-controlling tech, Agent Dean Cold must put aside his grief at the loss of his partner and face down a sinister cabal of Commanders bent on pushing the world towards nuclear war. Joined by a handful of Secret Service vets and a drum-playing chemist, this spy-game group of companions becomes the first and last line of defense against a […]

A gritty but tongue-in-cheek satire of hard-boiled gumshoe fiction, Sham Shamus by Charlotte Stuart is a creative twist on the private eye genre, where the lines between hunter and hunted disappear entirely. When P.I. Eric Henderson is hired to find a ruthless political climber and informant who’s wanted by the mob, the case hits shockingly close to his dangerous double life. Cleverly laced with witty dialogue, a razor-sharp protagonist, and slick but believable supporting characters, this multilayered work of detective fiction manages to be both amusing and suspenseful, expertly pillorying old-school detective novels while also showing abundant reverence for the […]

A stunning read that swelters with tension and sultry grit, The Devil Take the Blues by Ariel Slick is a macabre masterpiece of family, sacrifice, and the seductive charms of darkness. In a bid to save her sister’s life, Beatrice must make a deal with Old Scratch, who’s currently seeking desperate souls and top-shelf music in small-town Louisiana. As forbidden hearts entangle and time runs short on Beatrice’s hunt for the would-be killer, the full picture of this hellish web dramatically comes into focus. This immersive and sharply penned novel is marked by consistent linguistic flair and the author’s unflinching […]

A heart-rending tale centered on faith, power, independence, and redemption, Please Don’t Marry Me: The Alyssa Holt Story by Irene Williams is a searing portrait of feminine survival in a world built by men. On the cusp of womanhood, Alyssa Holt runs away to Los Angeles to escape a marriage proposal from her lecherous small-town pastor, eventually finding happiness with new friends and a positive direction in life. However, Alyssa is soon drawn into another marital scam, one that echoes her past trauma, forcing her to confront what she truly desires in terms of love, connection, and commitment. Despite leaning […]