As Ireland marks the centennial of the Easter Rising, Thomas Flanagan’s nearly two thousand page trilogy—The Year of the French, The Tenants of Time, and The End of the Hunt—immerses readers in Ireland’s struggles between 1798 and 1923, culminating with the creation of the Irish Free State. The Year of […]
Lazarus of Bethany: A Novel, By E. Ann McIntyre
Fictionalized representations of biblical characters often miss the mark. Nevertheless, the Bible serves as a vast treasury of plots and characters, including intriguing hints of narratives read between the lines. One of the most fascinating but little-known characters in the New Testament is Lazarus of Bethany—The Friend of the Lord. […]
Americanah, by Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie
Americanah is a tale of two countries, Nigeria and the USA. The protagonist, Ifemelu invites the reader to sit with her at a braiding salon in Newark, New Jersey as she prepares to return to Nigeria after ten years in the USA. She chats candidly with the stylists and other […]
Murder as a Fine Art, by David Morrell
David Morrell blends horror, history and mystery in his tale of narco-political terrorism with a twist. The author opens with a narration by “The Artist,” the antagonist who in 1854 savagely murders members of a London household near Ratcliffe Highway. This reenactment of of the 1811 Ratcliffe Highway killings presses […]
The Accidental Alchemist, by Gigi Pandian
Gigi Pandian’s murder-mystery offers comfort on rainy days with teahouses, a warm kitchen and a fun read. She sets her scene in Portland, Oregon, a.k.a. Portlandia, the epicenter of the alternative fringe—a perfect place to hide in plain sight. So thought Zoe Faust, a 300 year old who doesn’t look […]
Testing Liberty, by Theresa Linden
She lies in her darkened cell, alone, cold, hungry and exhausted, awaiting the tortures of the Re-Education Facility. The Regimen Custodia Terra have Liberty 554-062466-84 of Aldonia, exactly where she wants to be. Something of a MacGyver, Liberty becomes more dangerous in captivity than on the loose—always improvising, planning and […]
Stay With Me, by Carolyn Astfalk
Shopping for yogurt can change your life, especially when it brings together two strikingly attractive twenty-somethings. Chris immediately responds to Rebecca, setting up a first date. Could this be the result of the alignment of the stars, an inborn response to hormones and pheromones, or God’s using biology to call […]
Saint Magnus, the Last Viking, by Susan Peek
Susan Peek invites her readers to meet Saint Magnus, one of her friends in high places. Although he lived 950 years ago, he speaks, through his heroic example, to modern readers on the most fundamental of current problems. Standard definitions tell us that Vikings were pirates, plunderers, and raiders known […]
Review for Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery — Theresa Frailey
Our Young Adult review series continues, Theresa is doing a great job! Enemy Brothers was one of those books you easily finish and then fling against the wall saying “Why isn’t there a sequel!” It was a fascinating read, and its greatness went beyond the plot. The story was […]
The Dead Key, by D. M. Pulley
The author, trained as a structural and forensic engineer, designed her young structural engineer protagonist, Iris, in her likeness. Iris’ boss at Cleveland-based WRE, asked Iris to map the inside of a mothballed 15-story bank building, an edifice with a complex and dark history. Lonely, scared and vulnerable, Iris was […]