Briana Cole’s “Behind Her Lives” elicits the plural, as the word “lives” may suggest. I kept waiting for the hammer to drop as Kennedy’s lives unraveled to the point of a woman ending up on the autopsy table from an apparent suicide as our opening chapter reveals. As old friends and less-than-stellar, drop-by-boyfriends kick this story off, each page turn was a twist waiting to slam into me. … More “Behind Her Lives” by Briana Cole
“Sandmann” introduces readers to Hannah Monakee, a local reporter who follows true crime in her small hometown. In addition, she is the drummer in a rock cover band. She also seems to be the next victim of a mysterious murderer. Her former lover, Quint, happens to come back to town during the same period that some women have been killed. Is he now after Hannah after all these years? Are these killings somehow related to each other? Do they relate to Hannah’s brother’s death? … More “Sandmann” by Glenna Jarvis
“Homespun” is the definitive installment, book 3 of 3 in The Silk Trilogy by Sophia Alexander. It showcases the resolutions and growth of the Greeleyville and Kingstree families, as they once again seize command of their fates with absolute conviction that their finest state of living is feasible. … More “Homespun” by Sophia Alexander
In his new novel, “Murder for Liar,” Verlin Darrow takes his readers into the world of a therapist who is worried he is losing his sanity. He’s so focused on his own sanity, that he is not keeping up well with the issues that his patients are coming to him with. Throughout the novel, the reader is presented with so many twists and turns and murders that it might seem a bit difficult to keep up. But I assure you it is well worth the ride. … More “Murder for Liar” by Verlin Darrow
Nathan is in need of $10,000 to enter his idea into a startup incubator competition. Alongside his friends, he agrees to be a tester for his neuroscientist grandmother’s new virtual reality game, Just City. In what he hoped would help him make a quick buck, Just City changes the trajectory of his friendships, his life motto, and his relationships. Through the game, Nathan is placed in the body of a homeless man. This experience changes his perspective, teaching him empathy and causing him to reassess his friendships and views on the world, and ultimately leading him to change directions on his startup idea. … More “Just City” by Olga Tymofiyeva
“Into the Blue Again” is the sequel to the intensely mesmeric “Like Sapphire Blue,” and Marisa Billions does not disappoint. The charming albeit flawed main character, Emma Landry, returns on the tail end of her prison sentence, haunted and ashamed of her past but propelled to move forward by the prospect of love. Readers also get granular with the new love interest, Marisa, as we learn the intimate details of her harrowing past through her journal entries. … More “Into the Blue Again” by Marisa Billions
Two strangers find themselves connected to a series of bizarre murders in which the victim’s limbs are severed then reattached with meticulous stitching to resemble string puppets. The evidence suggests a psychopathic killer who is quickly dubbed The Marionette Murderer. Ritualistic in nature, the authorities are at a loss given the obscure clues until Sage Stevenson and Marq Marchant connect the killings to the city’s most generous benefactor, Tony Burton. But who is pulling the puppet strings? At the center of it all is Artemesia, Tony’s recently deceased sister, whose search for transcendence set fate and free will on a collision course doomed for disaster. … More “Artemesia” by DC Mallery
“Secrets in the Mirror” by Leslie Kain is an immersive psychological coming-of-age book highlighting the peril of mental illness, particularly the generational type—deeply embedded within families and has mainly gone undiagnosed. Told from the third-person perspective and following Gavin DiMasi, the teen faces an ongoing inner battle between feeling responsible for his twin and being imprisoned by his cruel torment. … More “Secrets in the Mirror” by Leslie Kain
“Silhouette” by acclaimed writer and Psychologist Paul G. Swingle is an intelligently lucid novel that takes a keen look at the impacts of anxiety and depression through two fictional characters, Jim and Gladys. Jim, a widower and real estate lawyer with his private law firm, trudges through his days with little enthusiasm, and his only source of comfort is walking his dog, Gus, every night. Gladys, on the other hand, is a healthcare provider living alone in her apartment but struggling with feelings of depression and self-hate. … More “Silhouette” by Paul G. Swingle
“Grateful” by Marnie Olson introduces readers to Grace Elliott, a woman who is dealing with loss and tragedy, and Kent, who is a self-described handsome and hopeless romantic who is just looking for “the one” but tragically ends up hurting the ones he loves until he finds a replacement. Grace and Kent are living their lives until fate or, if you want to call it disaster, steps in and their lives interact. Can Grace overcome her grief in time? Will Kent finally find his “one?” … More “Grateful” by Marnie Olson
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