New Releases | Self-Publishing Review

Killer Competition by Tom Kranz

In Killer Competition, a new novel by Tom Kranz, the struggle for legitimacy and redemption plays out in dramatic, violent fashion.

Bud Remmick has a short temper and a recent stint in jail under his belt, but after proclaiming himself a changed man, he slides into a position at a Philadelphia news outlet. It doesn’t take him long to realize that his star photographer is also a criminal, committing the very offenses that he then delivers a scoop on. Bud is also battling his demons and fighting for his family, and must find a path through new adversity without resorting […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-12-18T08:25:28+02:00December 12th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Read to Succeed by Stan Skrabut

Stan Skrabut, an instructor and tech expert, offers cogent suggestions for developing reading techniques to enhance professional success in Read to Succeed.

Skrabut’s manual covers a wide breadth of topics related to reading, with an emphasis on self-improvement. Reading improves memory, enlarges vocabulary, increases knowledge, and is inexpensive or even free. Many of the founding fathers, US presidents, military leaders, and business leaders have been dedicated readers. Establishing reading’s relationship to success, Skrabut lays out a foundation for effective learning. For example, libraries can help organize reading interests, and one should choose books geared to their profession. Kindle and […]

SPR2018-12-12T12:30:22+02:00December 11th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Promises of Betrayals: The History that Shaped the Iranian Shia Clerics by Fazle Chowdhury

Promises of Betrayal: The History that Shaped the Iranian Shia Clerics by Fazle Chowdhury tells the story of the fall of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in 1979, which altered the course of the second half of the twentieth century up to the present day.

Partly due to internal factionalism, Chowdhury asserts, Iran and its oil reserves were traditionally an easy target for outside domination – Ottoman, British, Tsarist, Soviet, and American. After long centuries of oppression as a minority sect of Islam, the Shias finally rose to prominence after their successful 1979 rebellion. But Shia leaders now face major internal […]

SPR2018-12-05T10:49:05+02:00December 3rd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: History Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Shifting Sands (A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story) by Ray Keating

Pastor Steven Grant always manages to find himself in the middle of a thriller, and author Ray Keating has created yet another complicated plot for his favorite protagonist in Shifting Sands.

Although considerably shorter than many of this series’ full-length novels, this quick read features Pastor Grant and a cadre of his old friends taking in the sights of an outdoor volleyball tournament with a deadly secret. As is so often the case with Keating’s hero, it isn’t going to be a peaceful getaway for the intrepid holy man, not with a terrorist plot brewing amidst the sun and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-11-28T11:39:43+02:00November 28th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

The Unkillables by J. Boyett

Blending genres is a popular approach in modern literature, as these fusions have endless potential for new revelation, so clearly shown in The Unkillables, a surprising dark horse of a novel that pits cavemen against zombies, with a few time travelers thrown in for good measure.

Gash-Eye and Chert stand at the center of this strange story – she a clever Neanderthal prisoner, and he a stubborn Cromagnon ruler, bound by a child and their determination to survive in a rapidly changing world of zombies and death. Romance takes a distant backseat to the action of the tale, but […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-21T09:36:44+02:00November 16th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Transcending Vision: Christian Theology in an Age of Empiricism by Don McIntosh

Christian writer Don McIntosh effectively demonstrates how Christianity is relevant for all people and for all times, despite the modern, scientific and humanist tendency to downplay its eternal truths in Transcending Vision: Christian Theology in an Age of Empiricism.

The author speaks of the opposition of empiricism (that proof must come from experience) and foundationalism (that proof can be, and often is, accepted on faith). Faith, or fideism, is a virtue precisely because it offers no evidence. Jesus did not ask for intellectual understanding. The God of Christianity wants us to vest our hopes in Him, acknowledging that our […]

SPR2018-11-07T10:15:25+02:00November 6th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Religion Book Reviews|

Undead: A Max Ahlgren Novel (Crucible Book 2) by Ryan A. Aslesen

Undead, the new novel by Ryan A. Aslesen, and the second in the Crucible series, is a refreshing take on zombie fiction in a crowded genre.

Max Alghren narrowly escaped in Alaska when he first crossed paths with the alien life form that could threaten all of humanity. When he is presented with a way to uncover the truth about his painful past, he once again puts his life on the line and leaps into the alien fray, this time in North Korea, with even higher stakes and more unbelievable monsters.

With graphic and gruesome descriptions, terrifying creatures, and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-05-21T11:30:48+02:00November 2nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Inevitable Dreaming by Dave Dröge

In Inevitable Dreaming, the new novel from Dave Dröge, readers are pulled into a heartfelt story of loss and redemption.

When Waldemar van Splunteren’s life collapses in dramatic and tragic fashion, he finds himself with few friends and no idea how to move forward. As a forensic psychologist, Waldemar understands how complex and dangerous the human mind can be, but when a friend of his late wife suggests a cutting-edge form of digital therapy, he agrees, desperate for closure and peace. Quite the opposite happens, however, and he gradually begins to uncover the truth behind his painful past, launching […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-11-02T11:40:22+02:00November 2nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|