Historical Fiction Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Pattern Maker by Richard Snodgrass

Murder and mysticism weave within the turbulent times of the 1970s Rust Belt in Richard Snodgrass’ new novel, The Pattern Maker. Subtle thematic elements of media consumption and the blending of reality and fantasy swirl around a violent spate of murders in Pittsburgh, a troubled city with a strange allure and a powerful heartbeat that permeates these pages.

Paul Slater, the honorable center point of this story, is a restless mill worker who returns to his hometown of Furnass after years of haunting military service. Perennially ready to fight for the underdog and put his life on the line […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-25T11:39:48+02:00February 2nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Into the Suffering City by Bill LeFurgy

Baltimore from a century ago gleams under a sinister spotlight in author Bill LeFurgy’s electric Into the Suffering City.

Dr. Sarah Kennecott is a gifted medical examiner, but eccentric behavior and a brilliant mind in a woman is not appreciated in such misogynistic times. Finding herself an unlikely ally in a local private detective, Jack Harden, she is determined to see that justice is done for a murdered showgirl, even if that means doing it outside the boundaries of the law. In a town where violence, corruption, brutality and ignorance still reign, Sarah is a fiercely independent light and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-01-23T08:22:26+02:00January 23rd, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Courage and Complicity by Claudette Languedoc

Memories of a former teacher in a residential school for Indigenous children are provoked by a strange gift and a mysterious visitor in the evocative novel Courage and Complicity by Claudette Languedoc.

Mary Block is a naïve but adventurous girl living in Toronto in relative comfort and safety when she answers an ad in 1947 to teach Indigenous children in the backwoods town of Bear Lake. She will board with a local lady and work under the sway of Catholic nuns and monks.

She at first concentrates on pleasing her employers, being the ideal teacher and tenant. But as initial […]

SPR2019-12-20T08:35:41+02:00December 20th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

1969: A Brief and Beautiful Trip Back by Sea Gudinski

1969: A Brief and Beautiful Trip Back by author Sea Gudinski is an authentic and immersive journey back to the sixties heyday.

When the enigmatic Dave rolls back into town with a legendary stash for sale, Rhiannon Karlson has no idea that her life is about to change forever. Thrown thirty years back in time in the midst of a wild DMT trip, Rhiannon finds herself tuning in, turning on, and dropping out in San Francisco at the peak of the Love Revolution. From Grace Slick buying her a beer to an epic trip to Woodstock ’69, this book is […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-11-27T09:27:01+02:00November 26th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Audiobook Review: The Leaves of Fate by George Robert Minkoff

Author George Robert Minkoff has solidified his place as a brilliant author of historical fiction with The Leaves of Fate, the third and final installment of the In the Land of Whispers series, which details the trials and tribulations of the Jamestown colony, as well as its heroic leader. This epic end to Captain John Smith’s legendary journey is unraveled in unpredictable detail and explores a critical period in history from a unique and captivating perspective.

Following on from the fever dreams and expansive storytelling of Book 2, The Leaves of Fate brings readers back across the mighty ocean, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-01-03T08:25:46+02:00November 13th, 2019|Categories: Audiobook Reviews, Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Restrained Justice by Christopher Molleda

Set a decade after the divisive pain of the Civil War, Restrained Justice is an intimate slice of history from Christopher Molleda that strikes hard at old American wounds, while still hitting plenty of modern nerves.

Though this is a work of historical fiction, the issues at hand and the drama that unfolds in the small Texas town of Seguin expose the dark legacy of racism and injustice in the United States. With expositional tact and narrative flair, Molleda sucks readers into another world – the true Wild West – forcing them to reflect on the past, and look in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-10-11T10:07:10+02:00October 11th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Western Book Reviews|

The Talisman by R.L. Kasprzycki

Set against the stunning backdrop of British Columbia, The Talisman is an unforgettable novel by R.L. Kasprzycki that explores the rich history and traditions of Native Americans in that region of North America. Centered around the Eagleton family and a priceless talisman from their mysterious cultural past, this is a story of familial belief, cultural evolution, respect for nature, love, loss, guilt and finding peace within a changing world.

When Marie seeks to sell a precious heirloom to help her son with his future, against her husband’s wishes, she could never have predicted the chaotic series of events that would […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-10-02T06:21:37+02:00October 1st, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Winter Sisters by Tim Westover

Most people know the fundamental bones of America’s past, but with thousands of hidden corners scattered across that massive nation, there are countless secret histories tucked away in unexpected places. In The Winter Sisters by Tim Westover, the strict edge of semi-modern medicine is met by the fierce roots of traditional healing in the hills of northern Georgia, a place of mysticism, old beliefs and stubborn minds.

This entrancing slice of early, and eerie, Americana begins as a classic story of two worlds colliding: the past and the future creating a nexus of human drama and progress. Centering on the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-09-30T09:31:01+02:00September 28th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|