Latest Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Houdini and Doyle: The Return of Jack by Leon Cygman

An untamed thriller that pits the bloodiest lore of England against a pair of legendary historical figures, Houdini and Doyle: The Return of Jack by Leon Cygman is an entrancing historical thriller.

Thirty-five years after Jack the Ripper’s murderous spree in the back alleys of Whitechapel, a vicious copycat emerges to continue his legacy of terror and gore. One of the city’s first female constables is on the case, along with DI Swanson and Chandler, but the investigation is further aided by two unlikely sleuths -legendary author Arthur Conan Doyle and the master of deception himself, Harry Houdini.

When Harry […]

Review: Where’s Jackson Pollock? by Jim Davidson

A casually hilarious caper through the dirty end of the art world, Where’s Jackson Pollock? by Jim Davidson delivers a twisted plot and a swirling cast of cutthroat characters.

Russell Henderson is a charming white-collar criminal in dire straits, and with his offshore accounts drying up, he decides to liquidate two of his unexpected assets – a Mark Rothko and a Jackson Pollock that have been hanging in his bedroom for years. Despite their decidedly sketchy origins, his ex-art dealer girlfriend, Victoria Scarsfield, offers to help him move the high-end art through her old stomping grounds of Richmond, Virginia, without […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-12-09T16:08:39+02:00December 9th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Seven Days of Mercy for the Apostatic Priest by Z. Bennett Lorimer

An imaginative plunge into battle for the very soul of a mystical realm, Seven Days of Mercy for the Apostatic Priest (The Divine Heretic Book 1) by Z. Bennett Lorimer is a uniquely captivating novel to launch a new series.

Tasked by her order to slay a reborn G-dling, Ruxindra is a cold and calculating weapon made flesh. Upon arriving at Mahakalpe to carry out her grim task, she discovers that the city hides even more secrets, including ancient wards linked to Eldritch arcana, and who or what they are remains an ominous mystery.

There appears to be a conspiracy […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-12-03T11:32:45+02:00December 2nd, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Winter Comes in June by David Crane

A visceral and intimate account of two future parents who know the world is about to end, Winter Comes in June by David Crane is an intriguing mixture of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.

When a scientist on the moon discovers a planet-killing asteroid on a collision course with the Earth, humanity has 30 days to prepare for annihilation. Told through the converging stories of Oksana, an astronaut close to the disastrous discovery, and Michael, a geologist on Earth who survives the Amira impact, this is a before-and-after account of worldwide devastation.

From the impenetrable depths of Hydra Cave and the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-12-02T11:52:03+02:00December 1st, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Revenge on Ice by Linda LeBlanc

Bad blood thrives on the mountaintops in Revenge on Ice by Linda LeBlanc, a vividly crafted second installment of the Sara/Ryker Mysteries.

When world-renowned mountain climber and local hero, Vance Miller, is found dead in a meat locker, the bizarre case lands in the lap of Sara and Ryker, the newest partners of the Reunion Heights Police Department. Members of the local Hiking Club – including the victim’s climbing team from a previous Everest summit – had gathered for the culmination of an intercontinental climbing contest Vance had presumably won, which included a small fortune in prize money.

However, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-11-25T18:04:55+02:00November 25th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Mystery Book Reviews|

Review: Vold Book’s Oceans of Curtains by John T. Trautman

A parable wrapped in a fantasy, complete with an eclectic soundtrack, Vold Book’s Oceans of Curtains: A Novel Set to Music by John T. Trautman is a delirious plunge into a mystical new world.

The realm of Ksevia has been harmonious and unified for generations, largely because its people have maintained “homeostasis of the communal anthos,” a group-mind version of their collective spirit, achieved through the widespread use of a stabilizing drug. It is widely believed across society that sustaining this shared homeostasis “provides nourishment to the soul of the universe.”

However, a radical faction of the citizenry who have […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-11-21T16:55:21+02:00November 21st, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews, Latest Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews, Music Book Reviews|