Reviews
Adoration and Affliction: Novellas and Short Stories
Robert Scott Leyse (Shattercolors Press)
In Adoration and Affliction by Robert Scott Leyse, love and obsession walk a thin line. Each story explores how desire can quickly turn dark, from unwanted attention at a glamorous party to office flirtations gone wrong. Sixteen-year-old Nicoletta refuses to be a victim when her parents’ friend crosses the line, choosing her own path to justice. In another tale, Penelope’s body draws unwanted attention, leading to misunderstandings with dire consequences. Tales explore the unsettling side of infatuation, offering the possibility of romance, onl...
The Limited Edition Bicentennial Cadillac Convertible Joy Ride
Michael Jai Grant (Word Binders Publishing)
The Limited Edition Bicentennial Cadillac Convertible Joy Ride by Michael Jai Grant follows the unlikely partnership of Eve, a restless and disillusioned Florida teenager, and Muriel, an octogenarian resident of a managed care facility, both running from the confines of their everyday lives. When a chance emergency leaves Eve temporarily in charge of Muriel and the keys to her prized 1976 Cadillac Eldorado, the two impulsively embark on a cross-state (and ultimately cross-country) road trip. Their journey, narrated with wry omniscience by the C...
The Ghost of Seagull Cottage
Anne Allen (Sarnia Press)
Anne Allen’s The Ghost of Seagull Cottage is the ninth book in The Guernsey series, and it tells the story of Annabel Easton, a recently widowed artist, and her ten-year-old daughter Emilia, as they relocate from Manchester to Annabel’s native Guernsey in search of a fresh start. They move into Seagull Cottage—a charming seaside home with a storied past and a resident ghost, Captain Daniel Gallienne, the original owner, who died 70 years ago in 1946. Initially unnerved, Annabel finds herself negotiating a truce with the salty but charismatic Da...
Sketches from the Periphery
MP Summers (MP Summers)
Sketches from the Periphery by MP Summers is a novel set against the backdrop of the Darfur conflict in 2005-2006. Alexander Barr is a young American contractor supporting the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Sudan, and Cassandra is a Belgian journalist navigating war-torn Darfur. Through episodic encounters and multiple perspectives—including those of local rebels like Tariq and everyday Sudanese—the novel explores the intricate relationship between foreign intervention, local resistance, and personal awakenings. As Alex becomes immerse...
The Passionate Sister
John Thorndike (Beck & Branch Publishers)
The Passionate Sister by John Thorndike is inspired by the story of the author’s mother. It follows Virginia “Ginny” Thorndike, a middle-aged, recently-divorced former anesthesiologist, as she struggles to maintain sobriety after a lifetime of addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. The novel opens with Ginny leaving rehab and being driven home by her son Rob, who helps her purge the house of every trace of liquor and pills. Ginny’s path to rebuilding her life passes through her complicated relationships: with Rob and his brother Jamie, bo...
Possum Stew (And Other Apocalypse Recipes)
Eric Locsh (Eric Locsh)
Eric Locsh’s Possum Stew (and Other Apocalypse Recipes) is a darkly comic, immersive tale of survival in a post-apocalyptic America. The story follows Scott Bryant, a once-famous chef, as he navigates the ruined outskirts of New York City after a devastating environmental disaster known only as “the Storm.” He has watched the slaughter of his entire team and carries the stigma in the very core of his being. In the aftermath, Scott is captured by violent gangs, loses his sous chef Ted to brutal violence, and scrambles for survival, sustained by...
The Girl with the Red Nails
G. Spencer Myers (NY Book Publishers)
In The Girl with the Red Nails, G. Spencer Myers introduces Dr. Derk Bryan, who is drawn back from his sabbatical when a woman’s body—encased in an indestructible block of plastic—washes up on the Florida Panhandle. The body, discovered by Estee Sparks, a fierce environmental activist whose own life has been shattered by the effects of plastic pollution, launches Dr. Bryan into an investigation that reaches from the Gulf Coast to the upper echelons of the plastics industry. Estee, seeking retribution for her son’s death and the collapse of her...
The Devil's Quill: A Quartet of Halloween Stories
Andrew Charles Lark and Donald Levin (Whistlebox Press/Poison Toe Press)
The Devil’s Quill: A Quartet of Halloween Stories delivers a unique experience with four unnerving tales perfect for the haunted season. Within these pages, a reclusive genius unleashes a chilling experiment with deadly consequences; a grieving teen discovers that the line between sorrow and the supernatural is dangerously thin; a hardboiled detective is drawn into a web of ancient curses and secrets; and the arrival of a mysterious new kid at school turns childhood cruelty into something truly sinister. Written by Andrew Charles Lark and Donal...
The Fruitcake
Leah Orr (Orrplace Press)
Leah Orr’s The Fruitcake is a darkly comic suburban thriller set in the affluent, sun-drenched Laguna Palms neighborhood on Florida’s Hutchinson Island. The novel begins with Holly Kelly’s reluctant participation in a community fruitcake exchange, only to stumble upon a gruesome murder committed by one of the enigmatic Hudson sisters. As Holly’s narrative unspools—from her family’s move to paradise, through the forming of eccentric friendships (especially with Gina, Greta, and Chloe) to the unraveling of suburban secrets—the story alternates wi...
Chronicles of the Grim Reaper: Volume 1
Griz Calderon (Calliopezen Publishing LLC)
Chronicles of the Grim Reaper, Volume I is a compelling mosaic of stories that explore life, death, and the tenuous threads between them. Griz Calderon crafts a collection of vignettes: from “The Ending” and “The Beginning,” which frame the collection as explorations of transition, to mesmerizing tales such as “The First Harvest,” “The Quilt,” and “The Gift,” which meditate on memory, legacy, and the small acts that define a life. The scope of this collection is vast—the Presence in the Shadows” and “The Visit” offer intimate, spectral encounte...