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COPYRIGHT: A Novel is a psychological thriller mystery. It carried me, the reader, through some of the darkest places a human being can go. As the main character, Amber, was given opportunities to break free from her self-destruction, I hoped she would choose to rescue herself and agonized with each decision which devastated her life and the lives of her loved ones. Lori’s book grabbed me and didn’t let go until it had carried me through to the last page, twisting and turning until it reached its shocking and unexpected denouement. I cared about the people Lori created. I felt this book fully as I read, sometimes wanting to shake Amber and yell at her to snap out of it before it was too late. Lori’s writing is smart and rich, and she paints vividly emotive pictures in prose.

Its fast pace, smart writing, and innovative plot grabs a reader’s attention from the first paragraph and holds it to the last. Lori’s novel is proof that independent authors (the novel was published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform) should not be overlooked because they don’t have large publishing houses behind them.

As the first novel in the Yellow Hoods series, Along Comes a Wolf is a great introduction to Adam Dreece’s fictional world. The characters are rich and vibrant, and the mystery which drives the plot is exciting. Despite the peril faced by the characters, Dreece’s adventure-loaded story is balanced with levity and silliness. The characters and emergent technology evolve with the plot, and the novel delivers a tantalizing glimpse of what is to come in the series.

While Dreece segues his flashbacks well, it can make the narrative confusing and even jarring at times. Quite a lot of backstory is introduced through characters’ internal conflict and flashbacks. However, the flashbacks and the internal narratives develop a richness and depth to the characters who populate Adam Dreece’s world.

This delightful tale is a rollicking ride on a sail-cart through his wonderful world, which cleverly combines nursery rhymes and steam engines. With his clever and humorous storytelling fueling this genre mash-up, I believe Mr. Dreece blends these two disparate genres quite successfully.

Along Came a Wolf is a grand adventure to read aloud as a family or for tween-aged readers to read for themselves.

A gritty urban fantasy thick with occult, suspense, horror themes, Junior Inquisitor is an edge-of-your-seat novel that keeps a person up at night reading. It was not only the suspense and terror which had me reading it overnight; I could not put this book down once I started reading it.

The novel is written in first person narrative, so we are right there with the novel’s main character as he slides deeper and deeper into situations he cannot control. I really appreciate that when things go from bad to worse for Brother Sebastian, he wants to be part of a team even as he is forced to be a lone wolf.

Farish’s paranormal creatures (like ogres and werewolves) are innovative; these are not the monsters of legend readers have come to expect in fantasy novels. Junior Inquisitor‘s characters are fleshed-out and interesting, the world is dark and real, and the conflicts are riveting and captivating. One could almost believe this is happening around us, obfuscated by both sinister and benevolent forces. While I did feel the absence of empowered female characters, the tale is gripping and compelling precisely as it is.

Lincoln S. Farish is an author to read and watch, and he and Junior Inquisitor are discoveries worth making today.

A whirlwind tour of Toronto, Ontario, combined with a paranormal epic adventure of mythological proportions, this fantastic and perverse tale has that same bite to it as a Christopher Moore novel with a kiss of Ernest Cline's retro pop-culture worship. Gross and grisly, rude yet respectful, this smart novel is filled first page to last with humorously bleak fun. Also, I consider Hell Comes to Hogtown by C.D. Gallant-King as wholly rereadable and a savvy addition to one's personal library.

Reward yourself with this laugh-out-loud (and groan-out-loud) book. It's one helluva wild ride.

Drew Hayes delivers a solid role-playing game lit novel that would fit in shelved among any of the 1980s and 1990s offerings with NPCs (Book 1 of the Spells, Swords, and Stealth Series). The premise is interesting, the characterizations are good, and the dramatic story arc is right in the zone for this type of novel. It's a light read containing good tabletop action, so I definitely recommend it for fans of the RPG-lit genre.

To be perfectly honest, I was concerned when I was recommended this book to read. I am a Linux end user, and I'm familiar with BSD, and I even once was a BSD GUI-facing end user. I just don't have the depth of programming ability to get to a command line and start fixing things at terminal level without an inordinate amount of hand-holding.

So it started, for me, as an amusing 3 then 4 out of 5 that turned "unputdownable" about a quarter of the way in. M. W. Lucas beautifully portrayed the intense social anxiety of the main character, Dale Whitehead, on the ADD medication and then the mind-jarring experience being off the medication. The main character's journey through this novel was a beautifully intimate understanding of that inner world and the concerns of a sufferer just trying to get along in an overwhelming world.

The murder mystery was entertaining, the characters were wonderfully flawed, and the processes of investigation using the digital landscape were clear enough for me as a person who's always looked at that world from the outside in. For a person on the inside of the programming culture, I think it would be an entrancing murder mystery. While I did get tripped up by a few issues missed in the final proofreading pass, this story is an immersive read.

This is a Do Not Miss! read for classic murder mystery fans who love free and open-source systems, and a recommended read for everyone else. Also, I consider it has a good reread factor, so it's definitely a book to add to a personal library.

Psychic Blues is a good read for any waffling skeptic of the world of psychic entertainment. This journey of a magician and mentalist turned psychic-for-hire is revealing. He's open about his experiences--including the inexplicable, bizarre synchronicities and coincidences-- as he parlays his natural and developed talents from the magician/mentalist trade (especially to pay attention to the details) into a psychic entertainment career.

It's a bleak yet humorous exposé both of humanity from every level of American society and of Mark Edward's personal failings, failures, and fortunes. And, like Mr. Edward, I also think having someone affirm our existences and confirm what we know yet don't want to admit can be enriching--it just doesn't replace professional legal, medical, or mental help.

As a "pantser", I will spend weeks trying to put an outline together after the fact. Libbie Hawker's book, Take Off Your Pants!, teaches how one can create a loose-enough trellis for even a pantser's writing style to hold to a clean story structure.

I'm delighted to have it as part of my writing reference library. It looks great on Kobo!