Author: Blaine Harden

Release date: April 27, 20201

Publisher: Viking

Buy from Amazon: Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West: Harden, Blaine: 9780525561668: Amazon.com: Books

In 1836, Marcus Whitman, along with a ragtag band of fellow missionaries and fur traders joined a wagon train to the Oregon Territory. He and his wife, Narcissa, along with Reverend Henry Spalding and his wife, Eliza, and William Gray, founded a mission at present-day Walla Walla, Washington. They had come to the area to convert local Indians to Christianity. For the next ten years, their efforts at conversion were met with only limited success and as more white settlers descended upon the region and intruded upon sacred Cayuses lands tensions between the settlers and tribal leaders began to arise.

Following the deaths of a large number of natives from an outbreak of measles (which was brought to the area by the white settlers), some of the tribal leaders accused Whitman of murder and in retaliation, a renegade group killed Whitman and 11 others on November 29, 1847, an event that came to be known as the Whitman Massacre. This event led to continuing warfare between settlers and native people for several years and reduced the indigenous population even further.

This massacre is known as one of the most notorious episodes in the US settlement of the Pacific Northwest and its shock and horror directly led to Congress establishing the Oregon Territory. The tragedy remains controversial and Whitman and other missionaries are regarded by some as heroes, while others view them as liars, cheats, and interlopers who attempted to impose their religious beliefs on unwilling Native Americans.

“If you think fake news started in 2016, think again. Alternative facts, self-mythologizing, and outright lies have long played a starring role in American history, nowhere more so than the expansion west in the 19th century.”

In Blaine Harden’s new book, Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, It’s Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West, he takes a closer look at the Whitman Massacre and its enduring impact on the region and on the Native American tribe, it helped to destroy. Harden is a contributing editor for The Economist, PBS Frontline, and former bureau chief for the Washington Post. He is a New York Times bestselling author who has penned several works that include A River Lost (1997), Escape from Camp 14 (2012), and The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot (2015).

“They traveled west into . . . the thick darkness of heathenism . . . during a peak season of godliness in the United States. Called the Second Great Awakening . . . Their quest, as they described it, was to convert the benighted Indians to Christianity and civilize them so that they might survive a looming stampede of westbound white people.”

In this fascinating well-written exposé, Harden has done a brilliant job of not only looking at the life and legacy of Marcus Whitman but also examining the context in which his tragic death begot “one of the great hoaxes in the history of the American West.” A lie that led directly to the ruin of the Native Americans of the Columbia River Plateau. For nearly 175 years the Whitman massacre victims were celebrated as martyrs, but Harden reveals that this was all just an elaborate tale spun to raise money and found a college.

In Murder at the Mission, Harden skillfully brings to life the collision of myth and reality. He has managed to write a fittingly timely book that fits well into the post-Donald Trump era of false narratives, conspiracy theories, and cries of fake news in which a large segment of the Naïve American population was deceived into believing utter nonsense by destroying others in order to make themselves feel good about themselves.

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on April 27, 2021 – a book review by Michael Thomas Barry: Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West (nyjournalofbooks.com)

Author(s): James Patterson & Matt Eversmann

Release date: February 8, 2021

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Walk-My-Combat-Boots-Americas/dp/0316429090/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=james+patterson&qid=1612889025&sr=8-5

The sacrifices of service are indescribable—except by those who have made them. Their personal stories of battlefield life reveal: the goal to be ready every day, every single day, and how that can quickly descend into chaos. The realization that every soldier must be okay with dying, consciously or subconsciously, to be good at this job. How we all need to serve something bigger than ourselves.

Men and women from every branch of the US military and every occupational specialty—armor technicians and tank commanders, combat medics and flight nurses, psychological operatives, and weapons truck drivers—tell exactly how it feels to jump out of airplanes, to be boots on the ground, to shoot and be shot at, and to recognize that they might never get back home. The dedication of these men and women to overcoming tremendous obstacles and achieving everyday victories, in combat and on the home front, is profound.

Walk in My Combat Boots: True Stories from America’s Bravest Warriors by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann takes an authentic look at what its really like to be a member of the US military. Patterson is the bestselling author of countless works that span numerous genres and his books have sold millions of copies. Matt Eversmann is a former Army Ranger of Black Hawk Down fame. In 2004 he co-authored the gripping narrative The Battle of Mogadishu: First-Hand Accounts from the Men of Task Force Ranger.

In this broad and captivating assemblage of firsthand experiences, Walk in My Combat Boots includes before, during, and after wartime stories. It is told through the words of military veterans of varying backgrounds and expertise. Patterson and Eversmann have complied and created a suspense-filled, heart-pounding narrative that succeeds in painting a picture of what it is really like to serve on the frontlines of the US armed forces.

“Ten of our twenty patients are stretched out on litters . . . some of them are all shot up, and some have lost limbs . . . We have to treat patients while dealing with the stresses  . . . Someone screams to use the restroom . . . Someone screams for narcotics . . . another patient sits quietly, staring . . . I want to go back . . . I’m good, I want to go back, I’m ready. He’s not the only soldier who says this to me . . . All the guys on board want to go back. Every single one.”

Spanning nearly 50 years of US military actions from Vietnam to the present day, each of the over three dozen stories are divided into four parts. Written in clear and matter-of-fact style that keeps the reader engaged in the narratives to take an even-handed look at individual military service experiences in an honest and frank manner. It avoids unnecessary analysis and description while succeeding in assembling an absorbing and truthful picture of what war was really like for those who have served. Although the true strength of the book lies in its contrasting experiences, which allow the reader to interpret each unique and individual story for themselves on its merits. This collaboration is sure to be a bestseller.

This review first appeared in the New York Journal of Books on February 9, 2021- https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/walk-my-combat

Author: Eleanor Herman

Release date: September 22, 2020

Publisher: William Morrow

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Presidents-Outs-White-House/dp/0062970569/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=sex+with+presidents&qid=1600979114&sr=8-2

Why are so many Americans obsessed with the sexual transgressions of their elected officials? On one level, it’s quite simple to see because it’s just another version of the old saying that sex sells; on another level, it’s just weird. Each time a new scandal breaks it seems to shock the public and there are new ones surfacing practically daily; and the question at the center of it all is character: What was he or she thinking? How could they have taken the risk? But what if, before people judged, they could see inside the person, see the humanity, see what it feels like to be them? Why do we put our political leaders on a pedestal only to tear them down? This is one political issue that everyone seems to have an opinion about, and yet people still ask: Why did they do it?

Sex with Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House by Eleanor Herman attempts to answer some of these questions. She does a remarkable job of psychologically profiling and detailing the many sex scandals that have dogged nearly a dozen men who have held our nation’s highest office, as well as other high-profile politicians. Herman is the New York Times bestselling author of several books that include Sex with Kings (2004) and Sex with the Queen (2006). She is also the host of Lost Worlds for the History Channel, The Madness of Henry VIII for National Geographic Channel, and America: Facts vs. Fiction for the American Heroes Channel.

“It is a logical assumption that most sane people would not want to become president of a nation . . . Americans have a reputation for being straight-laced, many of the nation’s leaders have been anything but puritanical.”

In this fascinatingly humorous and surprisingly illuminating book, Herman does a terrific job of psychologically profiling and re-examining the sex scandals that shook the White House and the nation. She does a thorough and exceptional job of answering several tantalizingly provocative questions: What is sex like with a president? Does charisma, passion, and zest for power make it better than average? Does a strong sex drive has any relevance to political success or failure? And does rampant adultery show a lack of character needed to run the country?  

“The sex drive . . . is resistant to common sense. This primeval instinct overpowers us, causing us to lose all self-control. Such loss of control never has had more explosive consequences than when played out in the bedrooms of world leaders . . . They affect entire nations.”

Overall, Sex with Presidents is a delightfully shocking read, and like with her previous books on sex with powerful people, Herman maintains both her sense of humor and commitment to research. With loads of spicy tidbits that include riveting insight into the past, Herman brings sympathy and kindness to those who deserve understanding, explaining that it isn’t easy to stand next to a person in power who displays despicable behavior while keeping your head held high.

She also declares, “Given that so many men who seek high office suffer from hubris syndrome, bipolar disorder, narcissistic disorder, and a superfluity of testosterone, it is likely many of them will continue to seek sex on the side, in ways both dignified and sordid.” Thus if you find yourself mesmerized by the private sex lives of public figures such as US Presidents then this is the book for you!

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on September 24, 2020 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/sex-presidents

Author: Jessica Garrison

Release date: August 4, 2020

Publisher: Hachette

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Harvest-Terrorized-Community-Californias/dp/0316455687/ref=sr_1_2?crid=38KGWH0H810L2&dchild=1&keywords=the+devil%27s+harvest+jessica+garrison&qid=1598116950&sprefix=the+devil%27s+harvest%2Caps%2C267&sr=8-2

Jose Manuel Martínez was born and raised in California and blended in easily among the farm laborers of California’s San Joaquin Valley where he lived a modest and unassuming life. But in stark contrast to the adoring and dedicated family man he appeared to be, there was an evil flipside that allowed him to pursue a frightening line of work as a hitman and enforcer for a Mexican drug cartel—a wicked profession that he carried out with such precision and technique that he went undetected for decades and claimed the lives of dozens of victims.

Martinez tracked one victim to one of the wealthiest corners of America, a horse ranch in Santa Barbara, and shot him dead, setting off a decades-long manhunt. He shot another man, a farmer right in front of his young wife as they drove to work in the fields. The widow would wait decades for justice. Those were murders for hire. Others he killed for vengeance.

The Devil’s Harvest by Jessica Garrison is a captivating true crime story of unbelievable terror that shockingly spanned nearly four decades in California’s central coast and valley. Garrison is an investigative editor for Buzzfeed News and spent more than a decade as a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. This is her debut nonfiction work.

Garrison asked Martinez why he had murdered so many people and how he had gotten away with it for so long? How he could “kill without remorse” and sometimes “even relish” it, while at the same time be so kind and generous with his own family. Martinez “paused for a moment, and then he laughed ruefully. It’s a long story.”

In June 2013, Martinez was arrested for the murder of Jose Ruiz and eventually confessed to killing three dozen people in a murderous crime spree that crisscrossed numerous states between 1980 and 2011. In California, he pleaded guilty to nine counts of murder and was sentenced to life in prison and received similar sentences in other states. Most of his crimes were related for Mexican drug cartels, but he also killed out of revenge and pure anger. He claimed that all of his victims deserved to die because many of them had abused women or children.

So how did Jose Martinez manage to evade law enforcement for so long? According to Garrison, he was a sly, savvy character who knew how to circumvent a systemically prejudiced and often narrow-minded criminal justice system: If you killed the right people, people who were poor, non-white, and who didn’t have anyone to speak up for them, you could literally get away with murder. Well, almost get away with murder.

The Devil’s Harvest is a must-read for any true-crime aficionado and is a story that desperately needed to be told. It is well-researched and detailed—a riveting in-depth narrative that explores the complexities and failures of the criminal justice system. Jose Martinez murdered without consequence for decades. He left a trail of death and devastation within the migrant farm communities of California’s central valley, a community that was left reeling and pleading for justice that went unanswered for way too long.

“Year after year, Martinez operated with impunity. In Tulare County, where he lived for decades, officials suspected him of murder after murder and yet never charged him. Next door Kern County, where he also lived for a time and committed several murders, has one of the highest murder rates in California and one of the lowest murder-solve rates in the nation.”

Garrison’s years of investigative reporting adds credibility to the narrative and thoroughly details how law enforcement was able to track down and eventually capture Martinez, but she also controversially scrutinizes the failures that allowed the Mexican drug cartels and a psychopathic madman to roam free for decades: shockingly killing without most people ever hearing about it.

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on August 21, 2020 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/devils-harvest-ruthless-killer

Author: Carlene O’Connor

Release date: February 25, 2020

Publisher: Kensington Books

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Irish-Cottage-Village-Mystery/dp/1496719050/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1582666510&sr=8-2

Family is everything to Siobhán: her five siblings; her dear departed mother for whom the family business, Naomi’s Bistro, is named; and now her fiancé, Macdara Flannery. So precious is her engagement that Siobhán wants to keep it just between the two of them for a little longer.

But Macdara is her family, which is why when his cousin Susan frantically calls for his help, Siobhán is at his side as the two garda rush from Kilbane to the rural village where Susan and her mother have recently moved. Unfortunately, tragedy awaits them. They find Susan, who is blind, outside the cottage, in a state. Inside, Aunt Ellen lies on her bed in a fancy red dress, no longer breathing. A pillow on the floor and a nearby teacup suggest the mode of death to their trained eyes: the woman has been poisoned and smothered. Someone wanted to make sure she was dead. But who?

Devout believers in Irish folklore, the villagers insist the cottage is cursed—built on a fairy path. It turns out Ellen Delaney was not the first to die mysteriously in this cottage. Although the townsfolk blame malevolent fairies, Siobhán and Macdara must follow the path of a murderer all too human—but just as evil. . . .

Carlene O’Connor is the USA Today bestselling author of the Irish Village Mystery series. Murder in an Irish Cottage is the eagerly anticipated fifth installment of the wildly successful series. Other books in the collection include Murder in an Irish Village (2016), Murder at an Irish Wedding (2017), Murder in an Irish Churchyard (2018), and Murder in an Irish Pub (2019).

In Murder in an Irish Cottage, summer has arrived in the picturesque village of Kilbane, County Cork, where Siobhán and her brood are on a short 10-day vacation. We soon learn that she and fellow police officer Dara Flannery’s slowly evolving romance has now blossomed into a secret engagement. The action heats up when Dara receives a panicked call from his cousin, apparently his Aunt Ellen is in some sort of trouble. Distressed by the call, the pair heads off to find out what has happened and soon horrifyingly discover that his aunt has been murdered. We follow the pair as they try to unravel the mystery and find the killer.

Wonderfully captivating, Murder in an Irish Cottage does not disappoint. Interwoven with charming descriptions of lush green Irish landscapes and tales of folklore and legends, it is a thrilling addition to the murder mystery series. Readers have over time bared witness to Siobhán O’Sullivan’s personal growth from the beleaguered caregiver of five siblings to self-confident police officer.

“The meadow glistened and Siobhán could smell the peat and imagine how soft the ground would be beneath their feet. The sun was out now, and just as Siobhán had the thought, she turned and saw it; just behind the largest hill arched a magnificent rainbow. The colors were so bright and clear, it didn’t look real.”

Carlene O’Connor has continued to evolve the storylines of each of her characters into people that are likeable and engaging. She has done an outstanding job of crafting distraction and misdirection that is essential to any successful murder mystery. As the plot unfolds in this current tale, there are loads of twists and turns that keeps the reader riveted to their seats, guessing whodunit until the very end.

The review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on February 25, 2020 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/murder-irish-cottage

Author: Maja Lunde

Release date: January 14, 2020

Publisher: HarperVia

Pages: 304

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/End-Ocean-Novel-Maja-Lunde/dp/006295136X/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=maja+lunde&qid=1579113673&sr=8-2

In 2017, 70-year-old Signe sets out on a hazardous voyage to cross an entire ocean in only a sailboat. She is haunted by the loss of the love of her life and is driven by a singular and all-consuming mission to make it back to him.

Twenty-two years into the future, David flees with his young daughter, Lou, from a war-torn Southern Europe plagued by drought. They have been separated from their rest of their family and are on a desperate search to reunite with them once again, when they find Signe’s abandoned sailboat in a parched French garden, miles away from the nearest shore. As David and Lou rummage through personal effects from Signe’s travels, their journey of survival and hope weaves together with Signe’s, forming a heartbreaking, inspiring story about the power of nature and the human spirit.

The End of the Ocean is Maja Lunde’s second foray into adult fiction and is a spellbinding read that focuses on the realities of climate change though the eyes of a father and daughter. Lunde is one of Norway’s most prominent authors and screenwriters, who is best known for writing the critically acclaimed international bestseller The History of Bees (2015). Her previous writings focused on children and young adult themes.

First published in 2017 in Norway, The End of the Ocean centers on base level survival in the not too distant future. Mankind is facing possible multiple ecological calamities that include droughts and a lack of sustainable resources. The plot focuses on three characters: Signe, David, and Lou. Signe’s narrative is based in present day Norway where she has lived a lifetime of activism fighting for conservation of natural resources. During her college years, she meets Magnus, and they become lovers. Both initially want to protect the environment, but after graduation Magnus takes a different path that leads him to harvest glaciers and sell the ice. Because of this the pair drift apart. The legacy of their actions impact the future.

“All life is water, all life was water . . . It gushed from the sky as rain or snow, it filled the small lakes in the mountains, lay in the form of ice in the glacier, it flowed down the steep mountains in thousands of small streams . . . The ground, the mountains, the pastures were tiny islands in that which actually was the world. I called my world Earth but thought that is should actually be named Water.”

Storyline two follows the father-daughter duo of David and Lou. They reside in France several decades in the future where mankind is struggling to survive in a world filled with chaos. Because of severe drought there are massive wildfires ravaging Europe and food, water, and medical supplies are in short supply.

“. . . the stores were emptied of food staples, and the city became emptier, quieter. And hotter. The drier the earth became, the hotter the air. Previously the sun had applied its forces to evaporation. When there was no longer any moisture on the earth, we became the sun’s target.”

Chillingly frank in its discussion of our planet’s fragile ecological system and the fight to save our basic natural resources, Lunde’s two superbly written interlinking narratives are emotionally charged and the beautifully expressed underlying message of hope, love and forgiveness helps to soften the ominous realties that could befall humanity if nothing is done to reverse the bleak certainties of climate change.

***This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on January 14, 2020 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/end-ocean-novel

Author: Nicholas Meyer

Release Date: October 15, 2019

Publisher: Minotaur Books,

Pages: 256

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Adventure-Peculiar-Protocols-Adapted-Journals/dp/1250228956/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=nicholas+meyer&qid=1571263812&sr=8-1

January 1905: famed detectives Sherlock Holmes and his associate Dr. Watson are summoned by Holmes’ brother Mycroft to embark on a secret investigation. An agent of the British Secret Service has been found dead in the River Thames. In the agent’s pocket is a document that appears to be the notes of a meeting of a secret society that’s focused on taking over the world.

Based on real events, the adventure takes the fabled private detective’s and other captivating characters through the heart of Europe aboard the legendary Orient Express. As they travel from Paris into the heart of Russia, Holmes and Watson attempt to trace the origins of the dangerous document. Hot on their heels are men of dubious loyalty, who will stop at nothing to prevent the release of the secret plans. 

The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols is Nicholas Meyer’s third Sherlock Holmes novel and in this highly entertaining murder mystery we are whimsically transported back in time. Harkening back to the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, Meyer’s capably takes the reader on a gripping journey where Holmes and Watson exposes a secret so massive it shakes the duo to their core. An Academy Award nominated film writer, producer, and director. Meyer’s is also the author of three additional Sherlock Holmes novels that include The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1974), The West End Horror (1976), and The Canary Trainer (1995).

In this newest adaption we find Sherlock Holmes contemplating his future in the new century. The year is 1905 and there are fewer and fewer mysteries to solve. The aging detective finds himself at a crossroads with technological advances. Just before he and his distinguished partner John H. Watson, M.D. are set to retire, they find renewed propose as they are drawn into another exhilarating murder mystery.

At first the detectives are skeptical of the facts but as they wade deeper and deeper into the case it becomes crystal clear that the stakes are dire. Will Holmes and Watson be able to solve the mystery in time to prevent the secret organization from succeeding in their bid for global supremacy? It is set on the fabled Orient Express, which was made famous in the writing of Agatha Christie. Along the way, Holmes and Watson find themselves intertwined with several eccentric characters. As they contemplate the mystery that is currently unfolding they also ponder the changing world.

“A revolution was taking place half a world away. Events were unfolding that, if the nearsighted chemist enjoying Holmes’s sherry was correct, could conceivably drag the rest of Europe into a conflagration in which massive quantities of British gunpowder might well be required.”

Meyer’s expertise with Sherlock Holmes’ exploits are undeniably evident in this newest adaption. He effortlessly combines his screenwriting and storytelling skills into a fresh take on an old-fashioned murder mystery. While the exchanges between Holmes and Watson feel natural, Holmes’ side narrative of sibling rivalry with his older brother is undeniably entertaining.

“How is your French, Sherlock?” Holmes endeavored to conceal his surprise. “Schoolboy at best, as you are aware,” he confessed. Mycroft, I knew, spoke at least six languages, claiming it took but eight weeks to master a new tongue, which Holmes sneeringly once asserted in my presence was a sure sign of idiocy.” “It will have to do for now,” his brother replied, handing him the envelope.”

Invigoratingly engaging from start to finish, Nicholas Meyer has yet again created a fresh take on an old genre. The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols is a sure bestseller in which 21st century readers are gloriously transported back to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.  

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on October 16, 2019 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/adventure-peculiar-protocols

Author: Caz Frear

Release date: July 2, 2019

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 368

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stone-Cold-Heart-Novel-Kinsella/dp/0062849883/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=caz+frear&qid=1563226392&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Caz Frear has done it again. The author of the critically acclaimed bestseller Sweet Little Lies (2018), has created another can’t miss summer hit with Stone Cold Heart, the sophomore edition of the Cat Kinsella detective mystery series.    

After a brief stint in the mayor’s office, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is back at the London Metropolitan Police, wisecracking with her partner Luigi Parnell and trying to avoid the wrath of the boss, Detective Investigator Kate Steele.

But for Cat and Parnell, it’s serious business when a young Australian woman turns up dead after a party thrown by her new boss. The initial investigation of Naomi Lockhart’s murder points to Joseph Madden, the owner of a coffee shop around the corner from police headquarters. Madden insists he’s innocent, that he was home with his wife Rachel at the time of the murder. When police question her, Rachel contradicts his alibi, swearing that she was home alone.

While the team builds its case against Joseph, Cat is tasked with getting to the heart of the Maddens’ marriage. Cat knows that one of them is lying—but the question of which one, and why, is far more complicated than she could have expected. As she tries to balance the demands of the investigation with a budding romance and unresolved family drama, Cat has to decide how far she’ll go to keep her own past mistakes buried.

Caz Frear grew up in Coventry, England, and spent her teenage years dreaming of moving to London and writing a novel. After fulfilling her first dream, it wasn’t until she moved back to Coventry 13 years later that the second finally came true in 2018 with the publication of Sweet Little Lies.

In Stone Cold Heart we witness the highly anticipated return of the unforgettable Cat Kinsella, the smart and sassy London Detective Constable. And like its predecessor this novel is spellbinding from start to finish. Frear effectively combines a family drama with a captivating psychological mystery, while incorporating effective descriptions of police procedurals. Blend all of that with an unpredictable and intelligently witty storyline and you’ve got a winner.

“. . . pretending I haven’t heard him over the incessant gurgle of the coffee machines and the insipid soft jazz. I’m nearly out the door now. Just a few more strides and I’ll be safely outside, away from Casanova’s attention and basking in the scents of a grimy London summer. Warm beer. Bus diesel. Raindrops hitting the hot pavements. Bliss.”

Our character, Cat Kinsella is a strong and feisty woman, who also happens to be an excellent detective. Her character’s sarcastic sense of humor is appealing on so many levels but most importantly her everyday imperfections allow her to stand out because she doesn’t let herself be defined by these shortcomings. This character continues to resonate with readers because of her struggles balancing a dysfunctional personal and family life with career. Although her personal development is less of a focus in this book, that minor fact does not diminish the novel’s appeal. If you haven’t read Sweet Little Lies, it is highly recommended to catch up on all of the happenings and to fully appreciate Kinsella’s multilayered and enchanting character. Efforts like this are rare in fiction publishing today, and Frear has succeeded in this sequel where many writers have failed.

Overall, Stone Cold Heart is masterfully written, and Caz Frear’s trademark sense of humor shines brightly; add in a character worth cheering for and plenty of mystery and suspense (that leaves you guessing to the final pages), and you’ve got the recipe for a sure thing bestseller.

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on July 12, 2019 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/stone-cold-heart

Author: Darynda Jones

Release Date: January 15, 2019

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Pages: 304

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Summoned-Thirteenth-Grave-Charley-Davidson/dp/125014941X?keywords=darynda+jones&qid=1547654104&sr=8-1&ref=sr_1_1

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper extraordinaire, is pissed. She’s been kicked off the earthly plain for eternity, which is the appropriate amount of time to make a person stark raving mad. But someone’s looking out for her, and she’s allowed to return after a mere 100 years in exile. Is it too much to hope for that not much has changed? Apparently it is. Bummer.

She’s missed her daughter. She’s missed Reyes. She’s missed Cookie and Garrett and Uncle Bob. But now that she’s back on earth, it’s time to put to rest burning questions that need answers. What happened to her mother? How did she really die? Who killed her? And are cupcakes or coffee the best medicine for a broken heart? It all comes to a head in an epic showdown between good and evil.

In Summoned to Thirteenth Grave, New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones brings the beloved paranormal Charley Davidson series to a satisfyingly brilliant conclusion. The winner of numerous literary awards, Jones has penned over two dozen novels that includes the wildly successful YA Darklight trilogy series.

Charley Davidson is back from exile after “One hundred seven years, two months, fourteen days, twelve hours, and thirty-three minutes.” She’s been tormented by dreams of a husband she could not touch and a daughter she could not protect. Davidson finds upon her return that an evil force has emerged out of the hell dimension. A portal that she unintentionally opened and it’s taking over Albuquerque. “. . . did we just start the zombie apocalypse? Is the extinction of the human race going to be on our heads?”

How appropriate is it that this is the 13th and final installment. A brilliant and fitting ending to a wickedly adored series. It is choke full of everything a reader of the genre would want, humor, suspense, and most of all, the ultimate love story between Charley and Reyes.

What is most impressive is how Jones balances wit, suspense, and sultry sexiness, while adding crazy new developments to the plot. She effortlessly manages to tie up the loose ends for the each of the main characters, which is a daunting task, but Jones does it easily and effectively. Charley Davidson and her snappy and often sarcastic sense of humor will be missed.

“bring one person back from the dead and bam. Banished for all eternity. Exiled to hell with no light, no hair products, and no coffee.”

Davidson is an amazing character augmented by a cast of extraordinarily engaging secondary characters. The entire series hasn’t been solely about resolving mysteries or fighting evil, it was about building bonds of friendship. These relationships are at the center of the series and this is the essential reason why these novels have been so successful.

With a whimsical plot and is an astonishingly bitter sweet, yet satisfying conclusion, Summoned to Thirteenth Grave does not disappoint. Fans of this series will be delighted and while the number 13 is considered by some people to be unlucky, the only unfortunate ones will be those that don’t pick up a copy of this book.

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on January 15, 2019 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/summoned-thirteenth

Author: Lars Petter Sveen

Release Date: October 16, 2018

Publisher: Graywolf Press

Pages: 256

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Children-God-Lars-Petter-Sveen/dp/1555978207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540394413&sr=8-1&keywords=children+of+god+lars+Petter+Sveen

“Jesus turned to all the others gathered there. He raised up his hands and said, Demons have occupied this land, they’re the army of darkness. A legion of them is moving across the land . . . Their evil fills us until we can’t take any more, until we carry out the most abominable acts. Their darkness makes abode in us, their evil becomes our evil . . . I will drive out those demons. I say to you, I will push them out, I will throw them into the abyss.”

Lars Petter Sveen was named one of Norway’s ten best authors under 35 and has won numerous literary awards. Children of God is his first book to be translated into English (Guy Puzey) and was first published in Norway where it won the Per Olov Enquist Literary Prize. Thought provoking and reflective, Children of God sheds light upon obscure stories and people of the bible who have been marginalized. It gives voice to those living on the peripheries of the New Testament such as thieves, Roman soldiers, prostitutes, lepers, healers, and the occasional disciple. Sveen delves into well-trodden territory but delivers a marvelously refreshing and unusual fictionalized literary interpretation that’s devoid of judgement or preaching.

In 13 easy to read chapters Sveen explores such poignant story’s such as the detachment of Roman soldiers who question and hesitate to carry out King Herod’s decree to kill all the young male children of Bethlehem. Other accounts include a group of thieves who encounter no good Samaritans but themselves on the road to Jericho. While another follows a woman searching for her dead lover but cannot find comfort.

At critical stages throughout each of these stories evil appears, urging each of the characters to give in to their shadowy impulses. The battle between good and evil is never ending and as each of these uniquely intertwined accounts unfolds, the moral and ethical dilemmas never fail to surprise.

“We’d stared off counting all the children, but lost track of the number as the night went on. Our orders were hopeless: this wasn’t what we were fighting for . . . we’d been sent to this place at the edge of the Empire, where everything was so mixed up, so confusing . . . The chorus of wails had not died down and could still be heard like a wind blowing from the wilderness . . . but this was something different . . . It belonged to the wind or the rain or the sea or whatever grows in the depths below . . . We did whatever we could to put off having to shut our eyes and be left alone in the dark.”

Children of God brings the stories of the New Testament into a fresh light by focusing on the importance of storytelling as it relates to religious interpretation in the 21st century. Sveen is convincing and conclusive as he reflects on the challenges of traditional religious beliefs as they pertain to the never-ending fight between good and evil. A truly spellbinding and original read that captures the chaos and confusion, as well as the fear and uncertainty that followers of Jesus experienced.

Michael Thomas Barry is a staff reviewer for the New York Journal of Books and the award winning author of eight nonfiction books.

The review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on October 23, 2018 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/children-god-novel