Synopsis When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting. Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can’t […]
Mystery
Review: The Bloodstained Doll by John Everson
Synopsis When her Mum dies unexpectedly, Allyson thinks her world has hit rock bottom — until she goes to live with her estranged Uncle Otto at his country mansion in Germany. The gardener and the housekeeper make her feel anything but welcome, and her cousin Martin gives her the creeps. Then, after a child’s empty […]
Review: Dream of Death City by P.J. Nwosu
Synopsis Chilling, dark fantasy with a heavy dose of Sherlock Holmes in this new series of twisty mysteries in fantasy worlds. Pale moths haunt an icy frontier. Beneath the shadow of a drowned death god, a frozen body is unearthed from the snow. Investigators arrive to a superstitious island to solve a brutal crime. Among […]
Review: A Pale Box on the Distant Shore by P.J. Nwosu
Synopsis A silent killer stalks the slum towers of Death City. In the shadow of a drowned death god, a young soldier risks his life to solve a violent crime. To catch a killer, Soldier Honnan Skyin carves a bloody trail over the behemoth bones of a dead giant and through the deepest forest of a […]
Review: Pyres in the Long Night by P.J. Nwosu
Synopsis A vast, rotting city set aflame by Purge House. A crowd gathers in the shadow of the Red Palace to watch the pyres burn. A bitter ex-soldier infiltrates the city’s greatest gold house, determined to locate the slave he seeks. Diem Lakein might not like what he finds. Welcome to the Red Kingdom. Pyres […]
Book Review: Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
TL;DR Review: Sherlock Holmes meets the League of Extraordinary Gentlewomen. A gothic mystery that sucks you in, with marvelous characters that keep you coming back for more. Synopsis: In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale—part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery—the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power. At the dawn […]
Review: And He Shall Appear by Kate Van Der Borgh
And He Shall Appear is very much a spec-fic character and psychology study, with few and unexpected answers, beautiful if at times self-indulgent prose (which fits perfectly in context) and very lyrical narration carried out by an unreliable and (very cleverly) unnamed narrator.
Review: Under Her Care by Lucinda Berry
Synopsis From the bestselling author of The Perfect Child comes a shocking thriller about the disturbing complexities of a mother’s love and the deadly consequences of unravelling family secrets. On a humid summer day in Alabama, a mayor’s wife turns up brutally murdered under a railroad bridge. Standing next to her body is fourteen-year-old Mason Hill, the […]
Review: Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio
Synopsis The author of sales sensation If We Were Villains returns with a story about a ragtag group of night shift workers who meet in the local cemetery to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave. Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a […]
Review: A Killer and A King by Tom Dumbrell
Synopsis Cadreal is the capital of Fermantia and the centre of the realm’s power, an empire to strike fear into the heart of opposing nations—but could a motivated killer bring the giant to its knees? Prince Leander is frustrated with his present position, always keeping one eye on the future. He’s never short of grand […]
Review: Cut & Thirst by Margaret Atwood
Synopsis Three women scheme to avenge an old friend in a darkly witty short story about loyalty, ambition, and delicious retribution by Margaret Atwood, the #1 bestselling author of The Handmaid’s Tale. Myrna, Leonie, and Chrissy meet every Thursday to sample fine cheeses, to reminisce about their former lives as professors, and lately, to muse about […]
Review: Sledge vs The Labyrinth by Nick Horvath
Hands down one of the most cathartic and bloody books you’re going to read.