Living with ghosts, swamp witches, history boring deep into the bones of the inhabitants of an old rickety manse, this story has lovely elements of gothic horror, including spooky children. I highly recommend it. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy from the publisher Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley.
An old west atrocity becomes a modern day ghost story. Even psychopathic killers have feelings, which a posse finds out after they disrespect an outlaw’s body, pinning his murderous ghost to the site. Over a hundred years later, investigators come to Comanche, Texas, to rid the town a second time of the Piney Woods Kid. Humor and irony abound in this delightful tale of a pissed off ghost. I highly recommend this book for fans of ghost stories, westerns, and cozy mysteries. I was fortunate to received a digital copy from the publisher Imbrifex Books through NetGalley.
On the way home from their wedding, amidst political protests, Sarah pulls an activist into the car to protect her, changing her new husband Ali’s destiny, as military police drag him from the car. Sarah’s cousin is with the military police force, and Ali’s sister is a protestor, bringing untold shades of gray into this harrowing family drama unfolding within political turmoil in Iran. Sadr is an amazing storyteller, and I was fortunate to receive a digital copy of her novel from the publisher Blackstone Publishing through NetGalley.
The simple writing style belies the message of how our connection with nature improves our health and life holistically. Summer shares ideas of how to make that connection, ideas that are part common wisdom, part niche urban nature guru, part natural home guide. It’s worth it to learn as much as you can about the subject, especially if you’re not inherently outdoorsy, or have lost the tenuous connection due to work, living environment, or lifestyle choices. I received this lovely book from the publisher Summer Press through NetGalley.
A mysterious benefactor rescues teenage drug dealer Daniel from his path to prison. The benefactor runs a “school” with unorthodox teaching methods, sometimes with deadly results. Hopkins creates beautifully flawed characters in an impossible situation at an already highly emotional time in their lives. At times belief must be suspended with a strong will, but this is still a story I recommend for its compelling storyline and sympathetic, vulnerable characters. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy of this award-winning novel from the publisher Text Publishing through NetGalley.
A disturbing tale about assimilating in a country where the president incites violent prejudice, the main character Matt Kim feels himself slowly disappearing. Learning that there are other versions of his girlfriend and himself, he believes he may be transitioning to another dimension, perhaps to the one in which his doppelganger disappeared. Salesses describes the ambiguity of fearing and desiring being invisible, not knowing which could be safer. I highly recommend this novel for the storyline and for learning about different perspectives. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy from the publisher Little A through NetGalley.
This collection digs deep into humanity ensnared in the frustrations of the way things work, with compassion thwarted by bureaucracy, beauty tainted by facts of life, and thus forth. It’s not for the delicate. I highly recommend it for the pragmatic prose and storytelling. I was fortunate to receive this short story collection, reminiscent of the style of one of my favorite storytellers Steve Carr, also for the emotionally hardy reader, from the publisher University of Nevada Press through NetGalley.
Rachel Krall goes viral when her true crime podcast sets an innocent man free, prompting someone from a small town to reachj out to her regarding a trial for a golden boy accused of raping the police chief’s granddaughter. As she investigates, detailing progress on her podcast, she’s returned to the night her own sister disappeared through inextricable links to the present trial. Goldin expertly shifts the story back and forth, not only between the past and the present, but between the innocent and the guilty. This is a worthwhile read for the shades of gray characters, tension-filled storyline, and superb storytelling. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy from the publisher St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.
Pia Lange watches the 1918 pandemic rage through her Philadelphia community, taking her mother while her father is at war. Succumbing herself, she loses her twin baby brothers to a neighbor whose baby died of the flu, and she ends up in an orphanage. She spends her life searching for her siblings. This is a heart-wrenching tale of a young immigrant facing obstacles she never expected, yet pursuing her truth to find her family. I was fortunate to receive this well-written and well-researched novel from the publisher Kensington Publishing Corp. through NetGalley. I highly recommend it, but maybe not just yet…maybe after our own pandemic is tailing off to its end.
Meant to be read in various ways, to gain the story through vignettes, or chronologically as three separate tales, this is a tale of a love story stretching romance throughout infinity through body snatching and searching for the one true love. I highly recommend this wonderful novel told in a unique style, rampaging through times and cultures, infinitely fascinating. I received a digital copy from the publisher St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.