Reviewed by Lesley Jones for Readers' Favorite

In Pretender by Steve Piacente, after ten years Dan Patragno’s journalist career seems to be over and his marriage is hanging on by a thread after his infidelities. He accepts the fact that his job at a launderette and a hostile marriage is his life now. Then he receives a mysterious message from an ex-Senator he helped imprison a decade earlier. Senator Mac McCauley promises he has information that will propel him back into the journalism spotlight, so Dan agrees to meet him. Former KKK leader McCauley is now an aging man halfway through his sentence for a racist murder and wants to unburden his guilt and tell his story. Patragno discovers that McCauley’s confession, if revealed to the outside world, may blow apart the up and coming election.

Pretender by Steve Piacente is a brilliantly written story involving race relations and historical events. McCauley is an excellent antagonist, full of his own self-importance and with a vile arrogance about his actions. The scenes between him and Dan Patragno were electric as they played a psychological game of cat and mouse. The subplots were equally riveting, especially the relationship between McCauley and Haryette Coleman, a strong female personality who fights for racial equality. The author has created a piece of work that explores political corruption, forbidden love, and morality. I was hooked from the first chapter. The account of historical and blatant racism in the South was chilling, and the dialogue suited the characters' personalities very well. Even the minor characters had depth and were believable. I loved the way Piacente weaves so much detail into his story and ties all the loose ends together in a surprising twist at the end. A gripping novel from start to explosive end.

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Awakening of the Summer by Yorker Keith is a literary fiction story with fine elements of romance. Featuring an interesting cast of characters, the story introduces readers to a love triangle explored from very unique angles. James is an economist at a Wall Street firm, a man with a strong passion for painting. When he takes his summer vacation in a mountain resort, he encounters two sisters, Sophie and Kelly. While he is excited by Sophie’s intellect (she is an editor of a law review magazine), he is hopelessly attracted to Kelly’s sensual beauty. When James rescues Sophie from drowning, Kelly sees him as a hero and falls for him. There are twists in the story, and through a series of events and heartaches, James gets to gamble with the hearts of both sisters. But for how long can the love triangle continue?

This is a brilliantly plotted story that deals with love, family, friendship, and art. The characters are complex and I enjoyed the way the author builds up the tension, creating an emotional conflict that is at the same time intriguing and at the center of character development. James is a fascinating character, a skilled professional with a powerful gift with the brush. This is a story for readers who enjoy examining the hearts of complex characters and navigating hidden and delicate pathways. Yorker Keith’s writing is beautiful and polished, filled with insightful passages and dialogues that read like real life conversations. Awakening of the Summer is an emotionally engaging story with characters that are easy to like.

Reviewed by Melinda Hills for Readers' Favorite

FBI Trackers Adrian Dillard and Cat Morgan are drawn into a case involving a fellow law enforcement officer with the disappearance of Laredo ATF agent Stuart Dyson in A u 79 by Anita Dickason. Without much to go on, the pair have to depend on local police, the Texas FBI and the ATF to make headway, but encounter resistance and outright hostility. As the clues begin to surface and the connections are made, the action heats up with ever-widening implications. Local Homicide Detective Tracy Harlowe is a big help while also being a loose cannon, and an ambitious young wanna-be reporter may or may not be creating more trouble than his curiosity can handle as all their paths continue to cross.

With internal complications on top of getting any information from the people under investigation, Dillard and Morgan have their hands full. At least the tech guru of the Washington office has a new system up and running that helps to analyze thousands of bits and pieces of information that point them in the right direction. Will the team be able to get to the bottom of the agent’s disappearance before there is a major incident?

Anita Dickason has created an amazing adventure with this riveting action thriller. The action spirals progressively to an explosive conclusion with fantastic details of the process of investigating a major FBI case. There are so many characters that some confusion could arise, but a convenient list of characters helps to keep things clear as the pieces fall into place. Terrific dialogue, amazing intrigue and intense action keep you turning pages to find out what the real mystery is and what Agent Dyson’s involvement actually is. Well written and well worth reading, Au 79 is a great book. Excellent story! I would love to read more!

Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

Kat Michels takes readers back to the US Civil War era in this engrossing historical fiction where genteel Southern belles wore massive hooped gowns and fluttered coquettish eyelids as they played the piano to a room of eligible, admiring males. The beautiful young Kady is one of these belles, the apple of her father’s eye. But it is actually her mother, Anna, whose love and admiration Kady craves. It takes a heartbreaking series of events before mother and daughter can truly find, understand and appreciate each other, something they achieve by working together as spies…and against their own Confederate husbands! In Anna’s case, the circumstances of her marriage readily explain her betrayal. In Kady’s case? Well, you will need to read the book to understand how and why she too worked against a husband she grew to love.

While these two women are at the forefront of the characters in this book, a number of the males captivate readers’ minds too. Some, like Kady’s father (Anna’s husband) are loathesome and cruel. Others, like Kady’s husband, kill for survival or when under orders and hate themselves for it. As is shown repeatedly in the book, war can make good folks do bad things. Through the thoughts, actions and dialogue of the characters, the author explores the racial tensions and often inhumane treatment black slaves endured. Readers unfamiliar with that era will find themselves repulsed and saddened by what they read.

It’s a joy, even a privilege, to find a book that is not only a wonderful read, but wonderfully written in all respects, including its grammar and style. In a Time Never Known is just such a book. This is not a short book but its characters, plot and numerous subplots keep readers turning the pages, unaware that by the time the story ends, they have read nearly 500 pages. That’s how absorbing a read this book is. Given that historical fiction has never been my first choice in books, I’m amazed at how much I enjoyed it. I sincerely hope Kat Michels has another novel in the works, but in the meantime, this one is 5 stars all the way.

Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

In the scintillating supernatural mystery, Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky, two young men battle family discord and the forces of the occult. Percy's parents had no place for him in their busy lives and left him with their close friends, the Dodges. Percy was the same age as the Dodges' son Johnny, and the two boys grew up together as brothers. When they were young, Johnny's Aunt Alice died unexpectedly during a house party. Alice had lived an extraordinary life, and her death was out of the ordinary. Rumors of murder had been whispered about, but nothing ever came of the innuendos. Many years later, at a weekend house party the Dodges are giving for old friends and family, things again take an unexpected and shocking turn, and Percy is surprised to find himself in the midst of it. For a bit of fun, Johnny and Percy delve into one of Alice's ancient occult books and receive unexpected results. A lot of old secrets are revealed, and the familial fur begins to fly. Will Johnny and Percy survive the family celebration without being disinherited or exiled? Or even worse, will they suffer the same fate as Alice?

Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the story line. The intriguing tale is told from the main character Percy's point of view, engaging the reader with his articulate and conscientious personality. From the beginning, Percy relates his history and that of each person in the narrative, melding their past with the present. Despite the chronology of the many events the characters had experienced before the story began, they are combined to create a fabulously spine-chilling plot. This is an amazing novel, and I recommend it to those who love a spooky mystery with a supernatural flavor. However, it would be more suitable for a mature audience as there are a few mild references to drug use and sexual encounters.

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Glossolalia is the opening book in the Agents of the Nevermind series by Tantra Bensko, a psychological thriller narrated around very complex themes, great conflict, and unforgettable characters. It’s a world where nothing is what it seems, with dubious programs created by governments and organizations to control the people, and hide their sinister esoteric and criminal activities while growing their wealth and power. However, one woman dares to expose the devious duplicity of the powers that be. Read on to discover the powerful psyche of Nancy and what happens when it collides with the dark forces of organized crime. Here is a book that has a lot to provide the elements readers seek in thrillers — psychological depth, phenomenal conflict, intense action, suspense, and powerful themes.

Tantra Bensko plunges readers into a political conspiracy bigger than anything they’d imagine in books of this nature. Government mind control programs come across in the story in a startling way and they are at the heart of the conflict. Join the cast of compelling characters as they engage in secret rooms, jittery sex moments, chases, and psychological battles. I enjoyed the protagonist, a courageous woman who follows her instincts and who takes the risk to develop and use her gift to unveil the truth, but can she really withstand a confrontation with the dirty truth and deadly agents? Glossolalia is deftly written and well balanced, with a powerful political, historical, and physical setting. The writing is excellent and readers will be lost in the vivid and engaging descriptions of both scenes and settings, as well as the insightful passages. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Compelled is a private investigator mystery novel written by Inge-Lise Goss. Sidney was fit and healthy, so her sudden attack in the middle of the night came as a total surprise. The agonizing tightness of every muscle in her chest and difficulty in breathing had her convinced she was having a heart attack. Chas, her husband, made the call and the EMS rushed her to the nearest Nassau County, Long Island, hospital, but the doctors found nothing wrong with her heart or any other physical system in her body. No one could explain the pain that remorselessly coursed through her body. Bernice was a medium in Florida whose dreams were nightly punctuated by the screams of a woman who kept on repeating a man’s name. When she was discussing the problem with a friend, she was visited by a woman’s spirit who claimed her husband, Aden, was innocent and told Bernice she needed Sidney to help her. Contacting Sidney, a Nassau County police officer and former CIA agent, was Bernice’s desperate attempt to help her ghostly visitor and get some sleep. Wracked with pain and worry over her health, Sidney’s first inclination was to ignore the pleadings of the strange female caller, but then she discovered that her pain eased when she spoke to Bernice. It seemed like she would have to solve the mystery of Aden and his wife’s murder or be doomed to a lifetime of agonizing pain.

Inge-Lise Goss’s contemporary paranormal sleuth mystery novel, Compelled, is a taut and absorbing story that follows a former CIA agent’s attempt to find the murderer of a San Diego woman. Goss weaves tantalizing traces of the paranormal throughout this well-told tale as Sidney travels to San Diego and tries to piece together a puzzling and complex crime that makes little sense, with the help of Sam, a local private investigator. Aden and Mara were deeply in love and had two children, in spite of their recent crisis and turmoil over his having had a one-night stand with a co-worker while away on business. Even Mara’s parents are certain Aden would not kill his wife. Sidney is a multi-faceted and highly competent sleuth whose combination of brains, ingenuity and superb physical conditioning make her a match for anyone. Goss’s plot includes numerous blind alleys and red herrings for mystery lovers to mull over as they try to figure out the identity of the killer. Compelled is well-written, suspenseful and action-packed, and it’s hard to put down. It’s highly recommended.

Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers' Favorite

Wow! Just, wow! That's exactly what I thought when I finished reading The First Lie, which is Book One of the Selkie Moon Mystery Series by author Virginia King. This book gripped me from the very first page and kept me obsessively reading it all the way through to the last! Follow the story of Selkie Moon, a woman who has fled the clutches of an abusive husband and a controlling stepmother, uprooted her life from Sydney and moved to Hawaii, in the hopes of finding peace. But when mysterious and scary things begin to happen to her, even in her new environment, Selkie begins to wonder if she truly has made the right choice. The further Selkie goes in trying to find the truth, both of what is occurring now, and the truth of who she truly is, the more twisted and fascinating the tale becomes.

I loved The First Lie. Loved. It. How's that for a review? Well, it's how I really felt about this excellent start to what promises to be a fantastic new paranormal mystery series by author Virginia King. This story is unique and interesting, the characters, especially Selkie, are vividly drawn and relatable, and the story line is just fantastic. Any reader who enjoys mysteries, paranormal fiction, novels with a strong female protagonist, or just a great read of fiction in general will absolutely love this book. I am so pleased to highly recommend The First Lie and I am very much looking forward to reading more from author Virginia King as soon as I am able to!

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

What if you discovered that people were disappearing at an alarming rate? What if those mysterious lights in the sky had something to do with the disappearances? What if the world as you knew it could change in a blink of an eye, a past totally wiped out and re-written? What if you really didn’t have any control over anything in your life?

David (Dave) Reed works for the CIA. He works for the Message Watch Office, monitoring emails that arrive, making sure nothing unusual pops up. He’s also been studying to get his Master’s degree in world history, in the hopes of improving his career options. Dave believes he has his life and career all planned out. But he has this insatiable fascination with UFOs, an interest that has consciously and subconsciously marked his life since a mysterious encounter while serving at the Hummel Airforce Base in Alaska. Recent UFO activity in the small town of Ramps, Virginia, sparks his interest and a weekend camping trip with a co-worker, who’s also interested in UFOs, takes a different direction when the two decide to make Ramps their camping destination. And even their destination of Ramps becomes another anomaly in an already unusual plot.

Bill Higgins’ science fiction novel, Modify Destiny, is full of unexpected and unusual twists and turns. There is something very top secret about these UFOs and only the highest level of command with the highest level of security knows the full truth. As the plot thickens, the reader wonders if this ‘very top secret’ knowledge will, at some point, be revealed. At first glance, the novel is another UFO mystery. But deeper into the plot there is a multitude of characters and interactions that create the illusion of a real life scenario, one that someone involves the assassinated President Kennedy. And where will this mystery lead? This is a fast-action page-turner, with a very believable plot and personable characters. It will certainly make readers want to question the many what if’s of life and what really is the truth.

Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers' Favorite

In an exciting and adventurous new read by author Bjarne Rostaing, Epstein's Pancake: A Political Thriller will take readers down a path they certainly may not have expected. Following the story of Vietnam veteran Rob Price just at the tail end of the Reagan years, readers will find enough intrigue and innuendo in this storyline to fill three books! Rob has just lost his Wall Street job, and has taken a new one at a small government agency. He definitely has a chip on his shoulder, and when he finds that the obscure little agency he's working for isn't quite the way it first appeared, well, that's definitely where the real action begins!

I very much enjoyed Epstein's Pancake. In a unique tale of secret deals, secret manipulations, and secret government agencies, readers will find that they are truly surprised as the story wends this way and that, and will never quite be sure where it will end up. Author Bjarne Rostaing has done a great job in creating interesting and dynamic characters that will stay in a reader's head long after the story is done. If that isn't a hallmark of a great writer, I'm not sure what is. I am pleased to recommend Epstein's Pancake to any reader interested in political thrillers, especially those that they won't be able to figure out from the very start. I certainly hope that author Bjarne Rostaing is already hard at work on his next novel. With his unique voice and talent, any new offering would certainly be a winner!