Lead Story | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Point of Murder by Lorne Kent

Author Lorne Kent delivers a twisted mystery that puts deadly pressure on a “nice neighborhood policeman” in his intro to a new investigator series, The Point of Murder, an engrossing, well-researched, globe-hopping thriller.

When a thirty-year-old Russian activist attempts to flee the oppressive motherland, his escape sets in motion a murderous drama that plays out on the typically quiet streets of Ottawa. Driven by a stellar cast of three-dimensional characters, including a masterful assassin who kills without remorse, this is a gripping dive into evil.

DI Brian Golding is the rule-bending cop who catches the case when bodies start […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-10-10T12:28:40+02:00September 10th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Forget Me Not by Torri L. Fisher

Teaching caregivers how to effectively serve someone with Alzheimer’s, while also caring for themselves, Torri L. Fisher’s Forget Me Not: A Caregiver’s Guide to Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease: Tips for Caring for Your Parent While Maintaining Your Peace and Avoiding Burnout is indispensable reading for those going down the path of chronic illness with a loved one.

Beginning with the basics of dementia and Alzheimer’s, the opening chapters are general introductions to these afflictions, including the range of their symptoms, which may help caregivers recognize any advancements in the loved one’s condition. This leads naturally into the basics of caregiving, what […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-09T13:48:32+02:00August 25th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Health Book Reviews|

Review: The Blackest Blue by Luna Wright

A classic fellowship fantasy with original twists and a dystopian mystique, The Blackest Blue by Luna Wright is an ambitious novel that tackles broad ideas of power, loyalty, and freedom. A young woman living a double life – plotting long-term revenge on a society that demands absolute subservience – seeks to expose the truth, even if it costs her everything, in this powerful piece of cautionary fiction.

Sy shines at the heart of this story, brazen and bold in her deception as an acolyte of the all-powerful Rem, deeply committed to a dark purpose instilled in her after witnessing the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-18T14:25:13+02:00August 18th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Dystopian Fiction Book Reviews, YA Fantasy Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman

Heartfelt and uniquely heroic, Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P. Roman is an electrifying opening chapter to a new superhero series. An average kid lands an impossible spot at the most exclusive high school in the world, and must overcome his own self-doubt, recognize his powers, and seize his birthright.

Fueled by the same YA fervor as Harry Potter, this superhuman high school series deals with the supernatural and superhuman, but also explores the deeply relatable issues of growing up feeling different. Regularly challenging the boundary between reality and fantasy, from the prologue onwards, this is […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-16T18:04:22+02:00August 16th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews, Superhero Book Reviews|

Review: A Disturbing Nature by Brian Lebeau

A deep, character-driven mystery, A Disturbing Nature by Brian LeBeau is a patient maze of a novel, leading readers on a grim journey through suspicion, murder, and obsession.

Mo is a quiet and mysterious young man with a mind that never caught up to his impressive size, and a lifetime of taunts and tragedies that never leave him. Even as he starts a new chapter at Bryant College as a groundskeeper, where for the first time “independence is not equated with exile,” the jagged pieces of his past are impossible to leave behind. Unfortunately, new surroundings don’t mean an end […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-05T05:38:04+02:00August 4th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Mystery Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Dreamslayers by J.W. Webb

J.W. Webb weaves a masterful standalone fantasy with Dreamslayers, the newest installment in the expansive Legends of Ansu series. Spinning the worlds of two master warriors into a deadly orbit, this story immerses readers in an unstable world of magic, ever-changing allegiances, power struggles, and the mystical pull of destiny.

When Tulomon Caze suddenly reappears in his daughter’s life, desperate and damaged, the pair must go into hiding from a host of sinister enemies. The powerful Yanturi has eradicated their family and seized their land and possessions. This deadly coup is only the beginning, as there are other powers […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-01T05:24:46+02:00August 1st, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Mundanity by Jonathan Carreau

Author Jonathan Carreau sends readers on an over-the-top journey into madness in his novel, Mundanity, an alien satire of human life as we know it.

When green-skinned Vince Patelo moves to the city of Mundanity for a new job, he isn’t expecting so much drama in such a dully named town, but such is the price of survival. While he blindly toils as an anonymous tool for an evil corporation, protesters rail against quadlithium mining, in an effort to save the environment, and a grifter politician in town is tapping into the power of social media to stir up […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-07-06T08:55:26+02:00July 6th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Satire Book Reviews, Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Blood for the Fisher King by Endy Wright

Author Endy Wright unleashes his imagination and narrative sensitivity in Blood for the Fisher King, a continuing tale of his fascinating work of science fiction, The Omicron Six.

Following the harrowing revelations at Deep Woods Academy from the preceding book, Cooper and Coupe attempt to return to a normal life, but the truth, scope, and origins of their powers are hard to ignore. Coupe has begun to flex his impressive intellectual muscles for the first time, while Cooper continues to explore his shocking physical gifts, but their newfound skills aren’t going unnoticed, particularly by the black SUV following […]