New Book Alert The Long Game: An Amy Radigan Thriller by Ian Conner; Complex and Multi Plotted Political Thriller Closes Outstanding Reading Year

 

New Book Alert: The Long Game: An Amy Radigan Thriller by Ian Conner; Complex and Multi Plotted Political Thriller Closes Outstanding Reading Year

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: There are some authors that their very name tells you what book that they are going to write. Even in my experience with my blog, I have found that authors have preferences for certain genres and tropes. I see Kathy Ann Trueman or Catherine Dove's name and I know that I will read an Epic Fantasy or Regency Romance. Tom Vater will lead us straight to a Mystery by a European detective in an Asian location. Lee Matthew Goldberg will take you through a trippy Horror or Science Fiction with lots of drug use involved. Melissa Muldoon and Kit Sergeant will take a trip through Historical Fiction with strong confident female leads that are artists and spies respectively. Rob Santana will be counted on for a novel with a modern setting, plenty of biting satire,social commentary, and desperate not always likeable characters doing desperate things. Sawney Hatton is going to take his Readers through a bloody short trip into Supernatural Horror.

Yes, some authors leave their fingerprints all over certain books so Readers can recognize those fingerprints instantly. Then there are authors who are like chameleons. Each book is different from the others and they have next to nothing in common.

Take Ian Conner for example. His novel, Dark Maiden is a Supernatural Horror set in the limited setting of Pequabuck Lake in Nollesemic Village, Maine. It is set throughout four centuries and involves a sinister lake creature that haunts the village, especially two families that it considers its enemies.

Conner's next book, The Long Game: An Amy Radigan Thriller could not be more different from Skadegamutc Ghost Witch if it tried. Instead of supernatural horror, it is a political thriller set in the real world and involves real world issues like environmentalism, censorship, sexuality, hate crimes, xenophobia, and corruption. Instead of being contained in one rural setting,The Long Game goes all over the world from California, to Washington DC, to China, to Vietnam and so on. With such a wide setting, there are many plots that involve many characters unlike Skadegamutc Ghost Witch which features a much more limited cast that take on this demonic entity. Long Game is complex and multiplotted and handles itself well with interesting characters and strong political themes.

The plot or rather plots in The Long Game are rather intricate and varied but I will do my best to summarize (or as Indigo Montoya said, "I will explain. No it's too long, I'd better sum up").

 Along the California coast, Captain James Quinn's ship was sabotaged, nearly killing him. It's followed by another explosion along the San Onofre harbor. It may have had something to do with a sample of water outside the nearby San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station or SONGS that Quinn gathered and had analyzed. This water is revealed to be contaminated and toxic. The mysterious explosions, contamination, and sabotage are being investigated by intrepid journalist, Amy Radigan.

Meanwhile, journalist Amir Husseffgi is reported missing in Saudi Arabia. Even though the Saudi Prince denies any involvement and U.S. President Colin Rockwell swears that he won't investigate it, video footage of Husseffgi's murder and beheading in the name of the prince is leaked. It is revealed Rockwell has been currying favor with the Saudis and doesn't want to break those connections.

On the South China Sea, two U.S. Naval ships are attacked leaving several sailors dead. Vice President Susan Ralston wants to confront the Chinese government but Rockwell refuses. He has been having an affair with the Chinese ambassador, Xin Zhui, and is soon to be caught literally with his pants down. All of this leads to an impeachment investigation towards Rockwell and his affiliations with the Chinese and Saudi Arabian governments.

During their separate investigations into these events, both Ralston and Radigan and their friends and family are viciously attacked. Ralston in a deliberate plane crash and Radigan by an attempted hit. Don't worry, Reader, it all makes sense and everything is revealed to be connected to everything else, eventually.

Connervbrilliantly balances all of these plots rather well. He also has a handle on using them as mirrors for real life occurrences. The most obvious is the murder of Amir Husseffgi based on the real life assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Colin Rockwell's obstreperous misogynistic racist attitude is all too similar to a certain real life ex President. A smart calm independent female Vice President is certainly based on the real life Kamala Harris. They are groundbreaking female Vice President for different reasons. (First African American and Indian American for Harris and first LGBT for Ralston.) Also, the alternate universe scenario reveals that Harris herself, after getting the top job, was fatally wounded during an assassination attempt by a Trump supporter claiming to "stop the steal." (If that doesn't recall a certain insurrection by a multitude of Trumpers egged on by their cult leader, I don't know what does.)

As with many books that I have reviewed these past couple of years have proven, what we once thought existed only in fiction is no longer out of the realm of reality. It would have been ludicrous to assume that followers of a President would believe his claims that the election process was fraudulent and even after several investigations proved that there was no corruption, they still rioted at the Capitol verbally and prepared to attack the former Vice President and several Congress members. Not to mention that even though they had literally millions of eyewitnesses watching it in real time, said former President and his supporters still had people insisting that it was a spontaneous gathering of harmless tourists (or that it was an insidious plot by Antifa or BLM to make Trump look bad, even though they did a good enough job on their own).

After that, it is definitely not impossible to believe that a future President could openly conspire to assassinate his Vice President or pull a gun on those who are charging him with crimes. The only way the Long Game could be more synced to real time is if a 24 hours news station's correspondents could insist that Rockwell's impeachment investigation was a conspiracy and that Ralston secretly worked for the Deep State.

The Long Game is only a couple of steps off from what really happened and what still could happen.

With such a twisted plot, one would suspect that Conner would have trouble juggling such a large cast of characters but he excels at that as well. Many have outstanding moments. There is Randall, a bodyguard hired to protect Radigan and her girlfriend, Lily Pham. Randall is a real softie as he reveals in his dialogues with Twizzler, a troubled teen turned sidekick and informant.  

Lily also proves her mettle when she gets the better of a hitman. He thinks it will be an easy job and she immediately proves him wrong. Both Lily and Ralston's girlfriend, Carol Lee are the definite "Ride or Die" supportive spouses, ready to stand by the women in their lives, no matter what.

Amanda Rockwell, the First Lady, holds a press conference to put her husband in his place and uses the First Couple version of "Not tonight, Couch Boy." Meanwhile, Xin Zhui could be seen as a femme fatale but also has enough insight to take part in Rockwell's downfall. Then there's the President that Readers will love to hate, or just hate, Colin Rockwell himself. He takes Donald Trump's worst qualities up to eleven (if such a thing were possible) and thankfully gets his commeuppance. 

By far the standout characters are Amy Radigan and Susan Ralston. They are similar in many ways. Both are dedicated in their fields of journalism and politics respectively and both are lesbians in loving committed relationships. They also are born survivors who are able to get through touch situations such as surviving assassination attempts and conspiracies.

Their investigative techniques are very different and are respective of their positions in life. Radigan has to contend with slamming doors, voice mails, and receptionists giving her the run around. These are hurdles that Ralston's title and influence can open. Radigan however has the passion, idealism, and integrity that Ralston lost in her years of compromise and working in business and politics. It's not a surprise that when  the two women meet, they become friends. Radigan is the woman that Ralston once was and Ralston is the woman that Radigan could become. The two women bring out the best in each other and are able to see through the many tangled strands in this intricate spider web.

The Long Game is a brilliant complex novel that proves Conner has a great handle on plots and characters. He proved that she can write Horror and now has proven that he can write Political Thriller. His book is a great final well written word on 2021.

New Book Alert: Stories From The Vale: Gifts Of The Elven by Kathy Ann Trueman; Return to The Vale Now Troubled With Prejudice Towards Gifted Individuals

 

New Book Alert: Stories From The Vale: Gifts Of The Elven by Kathy Ann Trueman; Return to The Vale Now Troubled With Prejudice Towards Gifted Individuals

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: When it comes to Bookworm Reviews authors, Kathy Ann Trueman is the champ. With Epic Fantasies under her real name and Regency Romances under her pen name of Catherine Dove, this is the fifth book of hers that I have reviewed by request making Trueman one of the most reviewed authors on my blog. (Phillipa Gregory and Jasper Fforde have more.) Of course this blog is only almost five years old and I only started reviewing new books four years ago, so it's not a worldwide great achievement. But still quite impressive by my standards. Not only is she the most prolific reviewed author but every book received positive reviews, and two (Stories From The Vale: Path of the Dragonfly and Greenspell)  ended up in Best of the Best Year End countdowns. Anyway, when it comes to Bookworm Reviews Authors, Kat you are the GOAT!

And she continues to deliver with the sequel to Stories From The Vale Path of the Dragonfly with Gifts of the Elven. She takes the excellent world building and characterization of the predecessor to a higher level by deepeng on the themes of love and acceptance that are so prominent in the real world as well as a fantasy one.

In the previous book, Path of the Dragonfly, Shak, a middle aged and retired soldier is assigned to protect two children: Falin, a thief with the ability to freeze time and Celia, a mage with the ability to communicate with dragons. While looking after these children, Shak is seeking revenge against Lord Sefal, a childhood friend turned noble, whom Shak blames for the death of his wife. Meanwhile, Sefal is on a journey of his own, to search for his long lost son, who, surprise surprise, turns out to be Falin. Well, after many sleeps in inns, sword fights a plenty, encounters with snooty elves, an arrival of dragons, and magic spells galore, Sefal and Falin are reunited. Shak and Sefal restore amends. Shak discovers a familial connection with Celia and becomes an honorary uncle to the kiddos. Celia gets proper training from Shak's eccentric grandmother. Friends and family are united and goodness reigns overall.

The action of Gifts of the Elven is set over 20 years later and things have changed in the fantasy kingdom of the Vale, to say the least. "Medieval Yuppie," Lord Sefal has become king with Falin fully established as a prince and has had more children and grandchildren. Shak lives in comfortable retirement on a farm (and unfortunately does not appear in this book much.) Celia is a well known sorceress but mostly stays out of politics. The former children have grown, married other people, and have had children of their own. Things should be good but they're not.

Falin and Celia's abilities are not a one time thing. Many other children since then have been born with unique abilities like invisibility, telepathy, and  shape shifting. They are called the Gifted but to some they are more like the Cursed. They are ostracized, attacked, and treated like second class citizens. It's gotten to the point that families that are supportive of them have to keep their children hidden. Sefal created rules protecting the Gifted though some suspect ulterior motives. They are not that far off. Besides Falin, he has a grandson, Arlin, whose abilities are extremely hard to hide. He has an enormous pair of sharp wings and can fly. Unfortunately, Arlin accidentally injured his Aunt Celia and terrified and remorseful, he ran away from home.

On a road, he encounters Fiella, an apprentice book binder and seller. She too is Gifted, though with mental manipulation. The two meet and go through the usual animosity brought on by class distinction and differing personalities. A friendship is formed as they make their way to Safehold, a haven for the Gifted.

Meanwhile, Shonwin of Kuturan, a shape shifter, and his mother bear a grudge against Sefal. They long to seek revenge and what do you know, his grandson is wandering around the Vale with a bookseller, making a perfect opportunity for kidnapping.

Gifts of the Elven works on so many levels. It has the tone of a humorous buddy adventure. Fiella and Arlin are the typical adversaries turned friends from opposite sides of the economic spectrum. Arlin grew up pampered and spoiled until the moment when he ran away. It is kind of ironic since his father did not exactly have an easy childhood, separated from his parents and raised as a thief. I suppose he was the type of parent who overcompensated by giving his children everything that he never had growing up. Not to mention that the book upfront says that Falin and his wife unashamedly played favorites and Arlin was often left out. Instead he was preferred by Grandpa Sefal and since we saw what a great influence he was in the previous book, it's no wonder Arlin grew up as he did.

Fiella is that kind of rare character who is both book and street smart. As an apprentice bookseller, she loves and cherishes the written word. She is well versed in many subjects and is able to converse on multiple levels with other people from every class and walk of 

life. She is also very tough and practically carries Arlin through their adventures. However, Arlin has the political and diplomatic experience that she lacks and has only experienced through books and travels. Like all true friendships, each character is able to fill the deficiency that the other needs. Arlin needs to learn to be self sufficient and Fiella needs to learn refinement. 

It's also nice that unlike other Epic Fantasies, a romance does not develop between the two characters. In fact, Fiella falls in love with another character and there are implications that Arlin's romantic interests lie elsewhere. This is mirrored in the predecessor when Falin and Celia, despite being thirteen years old, do not fall in love with each other and in fact later marry other people.

Through Shonwin and his mother, Trueman shows that redemption does not come easy. In this book, Sefal is not the same arrogant social climber that he was in the previous book. He has amended his ways, but his previous actions are still called into question. He made a lot of unscrupulous decisions and hurt a lot of people to get where he is.

If he didn't have any former enemies, that meant he would have gotten off too easy for his earlier mistakes. Shonwin and his mother show that redemption and forgiveness are things that it takes along time to really get and accept even within oneself.

The other way that Gifts of the Elven works is as a metaphor for the world that we live in reality. Using special abilities as an allegory for racial, gender, and sexual identity is nothing new. X Men is the most prominent example and I have encountered it myself in many of the books that I have read. But in a time when division is most prominent and even the very idea of discussing such inequality in schools is being challenged, this theme could not be more prominent. Arlin, Fiella, and the other Gifted are trying to claim and accept their identities and learn who they really are. Society also needs to accept and learn to understand them as well and give them that geographical and psychological space to live their lives.

 

Hopefully, this won't be the last trip through the Vale. In fact since the books are not numbered, it would be nice for Trueman to do a midquel to reveal exactly how Falin and Celia met their spouses (a muscular warrior woman and a slightly spaced out troubadour respectively) and how they got brought into the family. 

I have a feeling there will be many more trips through the Vale to come. At least, I hope so.

New Book Alert: Dreams of Darkness and Desire B.L. Cagle; Dreams Are Highlight of Somewhat Questionable Supernatual Romance Between Witches and Warlocks

New Book Alert: Dreams of Darkness and Desire B.L. Cagle; Dreams Are Highlight of Somewhat Questionable Supernatual Romance Between Witches and Warlocks

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: The highlights of B.L. Cagle's Dreams of Darkness and Desire are the dream sequences. They take a large chunk of the book and they purposely confuse the protagonist, Kira and unsettle the Reader. 

The dreams are prophetic and sometimes metaphorical. Kira's first vision involves her falling and being introduced to a handsome man. She is surprised to see that man moving into a house near hers. The man, Blake, instantly captivates the young dance student in her fantasy and in reality.

The dreams are the types that cover full chapters so the Reader can't tell what is real and what isn't.  There are some pretty intense fantasies that are sprinkled throughout the book. One of the more frightening passages is when Kira dreams that she and Blake are at a carnival. The action takes almost Twilight Zone levels of fear as the two encounter an ancient enemy that doesn't spell good for either Kira or Blake.

Another chapter carries on the whole idea of "dream within a dream" when Kira foresees a confrontation between Blake and her alcoholic soon to be ex boyfriend, Colin. Kira visualizes a couple of different scenarios in which the two engage in violence before it happens. The dream sequences make it hard to tell where fantasy begins and where it ends, inviting the possibility that the entire book may be one extended dream.

Unfortunately, while the book's dream sequences are top notch, the romance is unfortunately lacking. With Kira, Cagle creates a well written female character. Both of Kira's adopted parents died so she lives with her friend, Kat. Colin, her boyfriend, is becoming an alcoholic and keeps making excuses for his bad behavior, including sleeping with other women. Besides her personal life, Kira is a dancing student pushing herself to succeed. Also her dreams and other burgeoning abilities reveal that she is not only a witch, but one of the most powerful witches in the world.

While Kira comes across as a decent character, Blake does not. He is the typical brooding antiheroic character seen in these types of books. He and his friends are part of a group of warlocks and magic hunters. 

They perform a ritual on a young witch that seems like something between a transorbital lobotomy and a ritual sacrifice. It's pretty brutal, making it hard to root for these guys who seem easy going romantic fun loving guys one minute and resorting to such violent actions in another. They also have a very questionable relationship with a group of witches and there seems to have been more than an understanding between the warlocks and Kira's birth mother, another powerful witch (which leads to some very unfortunate implications between Blake and Kira's future).

It's also important to mention that in most supernatural fantasies where witches and warlocks are the main characters, magic hunters are usually the antagonists. Blake and Co.'s behavior doesn't help that reputation. True we find out the reasons that they are doing this and in the last few pages Blake seems to genuinely like Kira rather than trying to assess her abilities as he has been doing through most of the book. But these revelations come too little too late for Blake and Kira to become a couple worth rooting for. In fact, Kira seems to be going from one troubled relationship to another one.

After Dreams of Darkness and Desire, I can only dream about a better romance.

Weekly Reader: Murder By The Coven (A Belfast Murder Mystery Book 3) by Brian O'Hare; Supernatural Unnecessarily Brought In For Otherwise Thrilling Police Procedural Murder Mystery

 Weekly Reader: Murder By The Coven(A Belfast Murder Mystery Book 3) by Brian O'Hare; Supernatural Unnecessarily Brought In For Otherwise Thrilling Police Procedural Murder Mystery

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Granted, I have only read two books in Brian O'Hare's the Belfast Murder Mystery Series, so it's hard to tell which is the weird one: Murder by The Coven for openly involving the supernatural or Murder on the Dark Web which is a police procedural which does not. Judging by the description of the other three books in the series, Murder by The Coven is the most likely outlier. Because of that, it is nowhere near as powerful and graphic as Murder on the Dark Web.

Now don't get me wrong, I love supernatural mysteries. I love when the protagonist has psychic abilities along with massive powers of deduction in their arsenal. I love when "murder by dark magic" could logically be considered as a means for murder. I don't even mind when genres mix. However, in a long term series it has to do it from the beginning. To throw supernatural demonic influences on a mystery series which was fine being a typical police procedural with human murderers and pedophiles is jarring at best and sends mixed messages at worst.

Maybe I am particularly hard on Murder By The Coven because I loved reading Dark Web Murders so much. In fact it was one of my favorite mysteries that I read this year so the follow up was bound to be lacking in comparison. Murder on the Dark Web subverted the ideas of heroes and villains, good and bad, by making the murder victims reprehensible and guilty of crimes in which they were never caught nor charged because of their wealth and power. The murderer was victimized by these horrible people and seeks vengeance the only that they can. However, the fact that they take it too far and harm innocent people makes the murderer a bit hard to root for though understandable. The subversion is ever present and was what made The Dark Web Murders so great.

Murder by the Coven also has some of those same themes. When it explores that theme, it is very exciting and thrilling.

The prologue is set in 1995 and takes place during a terrifying ritual. A woman is brutally murdered in a sacrifice by a Satanic cult. The cult members are hooded and unidentified. Twenty one years later, an older couple is murdered. Meanwhile, Sheehan and his team investigate the skeleton of a woman that has been dead for over 20 years. After some investigating, the team learns that there is a connection among the skeleton, the couple's murders, and the Satanic coven which is alive and well.

Murder by the Coven is similar to Murder on the Dark Web which the rich and powerful's crimes are buried because of names and connections. Many people are left suffering in their wake and one seeks vengeance because of a lifetime of suffering from actions that have gone unpunished. Some of the murderer's actions are unconscionable and their overall personality is very different from the previous murderer of the Murder on the Dark Web. Many times they are just as cold blooded and methodical as the coven of Satanists. The Satanists created the circumstances in which the murderer acts and the murderer takes it to a higher level. The Satanists are the cause and the murderer is the effect.

There is some heart stopping suspense and a nice subplot involving coroner, Andrew Jones and Selena Carrington, a young woman involved in the investigation. When Murder by the Coven is set in the procedural world, it works.

That is how this book should be, unfortunately it isn't always like that. In the last book (and from reading the descriptions of the other books), faith is a strong theme throughout the series. Sheehan is a die-hard Catholic and in Belfast, the struggles between Catholics and Protestants are still present. In fact, the book is set against the backdrop of The Twelfth, an important day in Ulster history honoring William of Orange, the Protestant King of England. The Twelfth is still a day of contention between the Christian denominations in Northern Ireland. Sheehan and his team put their own religious divide and personal animosity to keep the peace. Faith and spirituality is important to the series but it has always been in the background until Murder by the Coven.

What doesn't work is that the book takes a hard left into the paranormal. One of the coven members invokes a demon to curse Sheehan and his crew. Suddenly,this awesome police force and their loved ones act like bickering and whining children accusing each other of infidelity, police corruption, and sloppy investigation tactics. If these were presented as legitimate concerns that the characters have had over the years that manifested itself into internal suspicion, petty bickering, or even joking asides or disagreements, it could be symptomatic of buried resentments now coming into focus because of a stressful case. But no, instead one minute they are acting as a team and the next they can't stand to be in the same room together. It takes the work of an exorcist to break the curse.

This subplot could have worked as a maybe magic maybe mundane situation where coincidences or hidden circumstances that could be attributed to otherworldly forces but it is so blatant here and seems to come from The Exorcist rather than a realistic crime drama.

This passage almost sends the book to an unnecessary detour into the supernatural. The Sheehan series seemed to exist in a regular real world where human beings sometimes did despicable hateful

things to other human beings. They didn't need demonic influences to act. Sometimes the darkest hearts can be with humanity itself and they get justly punished for their actions. Inserting paranormal forces into a series that didn't occur before is like throwing a dragon into Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series. It may shake things up and it was probably O'Hare's intention to do something different with this book. But it comes across as awkward and in this case contradicts messages from the other books.

Murder by the Coven seems to imply that the coven got where they were: rich, powerful, and corrupt because of their pact with Satan. It's the old "Devil Made Me Do It" defense that demonic influence, not human behavior, is the real enemy. So in this world if the Devil influences characters, does that work for the rest of the series? (I hope not. That club in Murder on the Dark Web are complete human a$#@_&es who definitely didn't deserve such an out.) Putting demons in a series that previously didn't have it removes the thought that ultimately humans are responsible for their actions for good or bad.

In a different book, the supernatural might have been an interesting addition to a crime drama series, but not in this one which operates and depends so much on real world issues and real world laws. Perhaps instead O'Hare could do a supernatural based series which directly involves such diabolic vs. angelic conflicts but not in a 

police procedural series and, volume in particular, which worked just as well without it.

New Book Alert: The Cabin Sessions by Isobel Blackthorn; Limited Setting and Ominous Sense of Dread Highlight This Session

 

New Book Alert: The Cabin Sessions by Isobel Blackthorn; Limited Setting and Ominous Sense of Dread Highlight This Session

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: The strongest adjective that I can use to describe Isobel Blackthorn's The Cabin Sessions is "ominous." On the surface not much happens until the very end but the entire book fills the Reader with such dread and anticipation that they know something bad is going to happen long before it does.

The Cabin Sessions is different from Blackthorn's previous works, Prison in the Sun and The Ghost of Villa Winter. Both of those books were mysteries involving murder, hate crimes, and sexual assault set against the backdrop of the beautiful Canary Islands. In those works, the exterior setting was just as important as the plot and character's actions. The beautiful island is a contrast to the darkness that the characters suffer. 

The Cabin Sessions does something similar but with a different type of setting. Instead of opening up, the action is contained and limited. The setting of the book is mostly on Christmas Eve inside a bar/nightclub/local hangout in small town Burton called The Cabin. At The Cabin, musicians and other entertainers of dubious talent entertain the locals one night a week. Most of the locals attend the sessions to drink, listen to or mock the music, and try their best to ignore their troubles. 

It doesn't help the creepy atmosphere that The Cabin Sessions is full of miserable characters with enough emotional baggage to fill an entire airport terminal. The character's interior lives add to the overall dread as they are filled with secret sins, obsessions, and relationships ready to come out.

The cast includes: 

Adam- A guitarist and newcomer to Burton. He just ended an unhealthy relationship with the abusive rocker, Juan. He is dealing with the death of Benny, his close friend and mentor and Juan's jealousy over Adam's friendship with other men. He also is terrified  when he sees a sinister unknown man outside the Cabin that may have done something illegal. When Juan barges in to fill in for the recently deceased Benny, Adam is filled with revulsion and longing for his ex.

Philip and Eva- They are a brother and sister who live next to Adam and across the bridge from The Cabin. Philip is a plumber and handy person who has his way with many of the women (and some of the men) of Burton. He has a salacious history and is one third of a love triangle that is in the process of ending badly.

Eva is usually in her own little world doing peculiar things like collecting stamps from her job at the post office, holding her breath under water for a record time, and talking to "mermaids" that only she can see. However, her chapters reveals forbidden longings and desires that she is unable to reveal. 

Rebekah and David- The proprietors of The Cabin and organizers of the Sessions. They are an ultra religious couple that try to keep a firm hold over their daughter, Hannah as she serves food and buses tables. Unfortunately, Hannah rebels against their watchful gaze by sneaking around with men. She ends up in a very precarious situation.

Cynthia- Dulcimer player, local eccentric, and some believe witch. She is in mourning for her sister, Joy, who most believe disappeared but she is convinced that she died. Cynthia also has a prophetic gift in which she displays that one of the gang is going to die before the night is through.

Delilah- She is the closest thing that Burton has to a diva. She is often the center of attention and acts as a confidante to many of the other characters. Also her father was the pastor at Burton but was defrocked after a sex scandal. She may have some buried rage against those who made it happen.

There are also a few other characters like Nathan (terrible songwriter, Hannah's boyfriend, and is also close to Eva), Alf (blues guitarist with a questionable musical history that he often embellishes), and Joshua and Ed (a duo who are often together, the former has a criminal history and the latter a bad tempered wife). 

With the small cast and limited setting, The Cabin Sessions would make a good stage play or short film. (Eva's chapters in particular would make effective monologues of a woman who may be in the process of losing her sanity and could be a very unreliable narrator.)

Most of the conflicts are implied and revealed through conversations and inner thoughts which often contradict each other. Everyone is hiding something and no one is revealing anything until they are forced to.

Most of the troubles are hinted at and it's partly because of the setting being largely in the Cabin. Despite some dramatic confrontations and dreadful situations throughout the night (like a rancid smell, Cynthia's predictions, and the strange man outside) no one makes an effort to leave the Cabin. It almost invites the possibility that they can't or won't leave. Perhaps The Cabin serves as a sort of Purgatory or holding pattern, even an askew and imperfect sanctuary, which tries to keep the bad things away. 

Unfortunately, The Cabin Sessions shows that troubles don't end at the front door of The Cabin. Sometimes they bang the door down and shake the Cabin's walls to create a giant explosion making what was once hidden and ominous become upfront and terrifying.

Lit List Short Reviews Blight and The Blarney by Rosemary J. Kind; The British Marine Engineer Poems and Stories by Lianna Margiva; Don't Floss by Deleon DeMicoli; Left by Stefanie Hutcheson; Requisite Records of a Misplaced Hero by Envy Mercury

 Lit List Short Reviews Blight and The Blarney by Rosemary J. Kind; The British Marine Engineer Poems and Stories by Lianna Margiva; Don't Floss by Deleon DeMicoli; Left by Stefanie Hutcheson; Requisite Records of a Misplaced Hero by Envy Mercury

Blight and The Blarney (The Tales of Flynn and Reilly) by Rosemary J. Kind

Blight and The Blarney by Rosemary J. Kind is a detailed and heartbreaking novella about a family faced with poverty, starvation, and some very tough decisions during the Irish Potato Famine.

In 1852, the Flynn Family was impoverished and on the brink of starvation. Potatoes no longer grow well in Ireland because of a blight and the English government evicts several Irish tenants and are extremely slow in responding with aid. Family patriarch, Michael is milling an offer from his landlord (one of the few kind ones) to move himself and his family to America. Of course it means saying goodbye to everyone and everything that they ever knew so it's a giant step. Things get even more complicated when Michael's brother, brother in law, and their families get evicted turning a homestead with barely enough to feed four into an overcrowded house of twelve. It doesn't help that Michael's brother in law, Seamus, is getting fed up with the mistreatment and looking towards more politically active and violent means to fight against the English.

Even though The Blight and The Blarney is short, it packs quite an emotional punch. Enough of a punch that any longer and it would be overdone. The most heart wrenching moment occurs during the death of one of the central characters. The illness is long term so it's not a surprise when it happens. But the build up and loss are moving and tug at every emotional fiber that the Reader has. 

The book is also good at showing different ways people react to difficult times without judgment or saying which way is the best way. Some like Michael opt for more peaceful resolutions like taking care of their family first and sometimes move on to another place. Others like Seamus fight against the circumstances that cause this misfortune and against those who profit off of it. Neither way is looked at as wrong or right and sometimes those choices lead to harder ones later on.

Unfortunately, the end of the novella suggests even more strife for the Flynn Family and the title of the next volume, New York Orphan, suggests there will be much more heartbreak and tougher choices to come.

British Marine Engineer Poems and Stories by Lianna Margiva

Liana Margiva's British Marine Engineer Poems and Stories is a dark, moving, depressing, and sometimes disturbing anthology about love and loss.

"The British Marine Engineer" is a moving story about lost love and second opportunities that arrive almost too late. Lorena, a Russian woman, falls for Douglas, a widowed British marine engineer. The two engage in a love affair and exchange passionate letters despite cultural differences and physical separation. They make plans to get married but are separated by circumstances beyond their control.

The love story between Douglas and Lorena is moving. Since they are in their 60's and 80's respectively, one gets the idea that since they are so much older, this may be their last chance for love. The letters that the two exchange are romantic but filled with an awareness of loss and sadness. This makes their separation all the more emotional because this was a couple who waited their whole lives for this kind of happiness only to have it snatched away.

"The Witch" is a twisted tale of revenge and obsession. After she learns that her husband, Marco, has been cheating on her with her friend, Emily vows to get revenge. An elderly woman, Granny, discovers that Emily is a fellow witch so Emily uses her new found abilities to get even.

"The Witch" is a strange tale with an even stranger protagonist. Many could understand and relate to Emily's anger about being betrayed but some of her actions are questionable. Most alarming is when she entices a young woman dying from a venereal disease (implied to be AIDS) to sleep with Marco purposely to infect him. She cares very  little for this woman's welfare, only what she can do for her. Involving Marco and Emily is one thing, but pimping out and destroying an innocent party's short life is another.

What does save this situation is that the story shows that Emily's desire for revenge ruins her. It seems to turn on her own health and personality (perhaps a visual representation of the beliefs that some Wiccans have over the Rule of Three: What you send out to the universe returns to you threefold). Both Emily and Marco end up as miserable people and somehow get the most acceptable deserving punishment in the end.

"Vincent Island" is a story of a troubled relationship in a beautiful setting. In the lovely Vincent Island, newcomer Ofra and local Spartacus fall in love. Unfortunately, their love is tested by rumors of infidelity and an affliction that consumes the island's residents.

"Vincent Island '' spends a great deal of time describing the setting as a beautiful vacation spot with sunny beaches, easy going people, and unique customs. It's the kind of place where one would think nothing could go wrong which of course means that it is going to. The dichotomy between setting and character is intentional as the beautiful Paradise location can't contain the dark souls that inhabit it.

Of the stories in this anthology, this probably has some of the lightest moments partly because of the setting but also the writing. Ofra makes friends with a woman named Desdemona who talks about her exes Othello and Hamlet (Someone not only brushed up their Shakespeare but they mixed him up as well.) The mostly light tone makes the ending somewhat jarring and out of place but it is also well written.

There are foreshadowing hints throughout the story that Ofra and Spartacus are not destined for a good ending. The island's residents have some regulations regarding the end of the relationship and Ofra receives hints from others that her relationship is not as strong as she believes it to be. The ending suggests that their end is inevitably likely to end badly.

The anthology also contains shorter poems and essays. All of them, like the stories, carry a somber feeling that love and loss unfortunately go together. 

Don't Floss by Deleon DeMicoli

Deleon DiMicoli's Don't Floss is a very broad parody about a renegade gang of dentists who plot to take over the world (Yeah you read that right). It almost reads like a Month Python sketch or an animated cartoon with its odd premise and over the top farcical characters.

Divorced private investigator Hugo Picoli is hired by a woman named Farrah to look for her missing dentist husband, Jolly. The last anyone saw Jolly was when he got rough with a teenage boy who harassed his mother. The first place to ask questions is Crowns Social Club, a hangout for all the prominent dentists. Of course they aren't exactly forthcoming with information.

 Oh yes and  Hugo's ex wife, Frida, a social activist and Beef, a reality show star/ex football player get involved. That's not to mention the secret behind dental floss. The plot gets convoluted and more confusing as it goes along

The plot and characters are broad and farcical to the point where it's hard to take anything in the book seriously. Since it's a short work, it's hard to see beyond the face value of parody. One could believe that the ridiculous idea of a conspiracy involving dental floss and an organization of dentists could be making fun of real life conspiracy theories. Those theories are just as arbitrary and sound just as ridiculous as the real life ones so much so that it's hard to tell what's a parody and what's real.

There are some moments of genuine suspense like a kidnapping attempt and a few chase scenes which show people getting hurt and worrying about the consequences. But most of the writing is played for laughs and with a short length that's all it has or needs.

Sometimes with a parody you can search for meaning. Sometimes you can search for laughs. With Don't Floss, it's definitely the latter.

Left by Stefanie Hutcheson

Stefanie Hutcheson's George and Mabel trilogy is a series of sweet and moving stories about a lovely middle aged couple who are happily married and spread that love towards others. Her follow up, Left could be described as the "Anti-George and Mabel." It is about a married couple on their last nerve who are miserable either together or separate.

An unnamed husband and wife are to say the least having the mother of all marital troubles. One day the wife just leaves her husband at a convenient store leaving him to walk home alone. Most of the book consists of the husband at home in denial about the decline of his marriage and struggling to commit to his daily activities and the wife's time of self proclaimed freedom in hotels which are not free from loneliness or guilty feelings.

Left spends a lot of time deconstructing the couple's marriage and shows that while the end is a surprise to the somewhat oblivious husband, it's not to the wife. It comes after years of silence, small talk, tolerating annoying habits, and having little to do with each other. In her eyes, it's not the decline of their marriage that is a surprise, it's the way that it happens. She second guesses herself not for leaving him at all but leaving him at the convenience store (which is admittedly pretty low. She couldn't have driven him home and left him afterwards?) 

The husband and wife are the ultimate can't live with them can't live without them pair. As the husband goes through his shock and denial, he realizes that yes his marriage wasn't as perfect as he remembers and yes they had flaws that neither could live with. Meanwhile, the wife's guilt over the faltering marriage takes over her independent life in hotels. Their feelings reverse as the separation strengthens him but weakens her.

Left ends on a heartbreaking but unfortunately inevitable note as the couple who had so little to say to each other, so little in common except some exchanged vows said years ago, are finally deprived of the chance to actually talk, reconcile, or find any sort of closure. 

George and Mabel they're definitely not.

The Requisite Records for a Misplaced Hero by Envy Mercury

Though brief, Envy Mercury's The Requisite Records of a Misplaced Hero is a unique voice in the Epic Fantasy genre. It takes the Chosen One story to a different level by showing what happens to the Chosen One after the legend is over, the foe is vanquished, and the hero returns to the normal world older but maybe no less wiser.

 

About twenty years after he rescued a fantasy kingdom, saved a princess, and returned to the ordinary world, Beck finds himself coasting along in said ordinary world. He is stuck in a job that he hates, is addicted to drugs, has PTSD, and has huge gaps in his memory that occurred during his fantasy life which he doesn't remember. 

One day he passes out and finds himself surrounded by anthropomorphic humanoid creatures. He is referred to as Rezner, Prince of Darkness, and is either welcomed back or cursed because of his return. Sure enough Beck is back in the fantasy world in which he left behind previously and has to fight former enemies out for revenge while reuniting with former allies like the demon familiar, Mecci and Princess Valentine, his former love interest.

This is a short work that can definitely be longer. While it makes sense to skim over Beck's previous adventure (after all it would be the standard paint by numbers epic fantasy), Beck's return and adult life could use more dissection. Here we have the life of a hero after the return. Beck is someone who is floating along in the real world because he doesn't feel a part of it. Even though he doesn't remember his time there, he is haunted by those missing memories. He loses himself in drugs and apathy so he can reach a place that is in the far reaches of his memory. He knows it but he can't quite see it.

Of course no sooner are we introduced to Beck than he returns to the world and reunited with the friends that he doesn't quite remember. Because his memories are misplaced, he has to practically be carried along by the more self assured stronger characters like Mecci. Everything is a new, or rather familiar but not quite, experience so he really doesn't know what he's doing. His decision to stay is made less for altruistic reasons to help out and is more because there is no one to miss him in the real world where he is considered a loser. He would rather be in a world where people admire, befriend, and some would fight and die for him. Of course his journey strengthens him and reopens talents and experiences that were never gone, just hidden.

The Requisite Records for a Misplaced Hero is a unique voice in the sometimes overdone epic fantasy genre. It's a brilliant idea that needs more exploration.

New Book Alert: Cinema 7 by Michael J. Moore; Nightmare Inducing Zombified Children Are The Ultimate Fear In This Dark Disturbing Supernatural Horror

 

New Book Alert: Cinema 7 by Michael J. Moore; Nightmare Inducing Zombified Children Are The Ultimate Fear In This Dark Disturbing Supernatural Horror

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: I really thought after all the psychological thrillers and supernatural horrors that I have read and reviewed over the past five years, I thought that surely nothing could scare me. Yes folks, I was immune from nightmares. 

Clearly, Michael J. Moore was on a mission to prove me wrong.

Because no sooner than I began reading the first chapter of Moore's gruesome dark disturbing horror novel, Cinema 7 a chapter in which Kim, a little girl stabs her mother and mother's boyfriend at the behest of a monstrous figure in her room than my subconscious became severely affected. 

Not only does that lovely image begin the book but three other children do the same to their families leaving six parents dead and four children self made orphans and missing. Oh and right before these not so adorable tykes commit these horrific murders, they go through a change that seems to be a composite of the evil monster sexually abusing them then eating them alive.

 Not only do these kids become undead psychopaths but their bodies are altered to make them almost demonic with gravelly deep voices and orange lights in place of eyes. Ah yes, reading this book late at night with the lights off does wonders for an already fragile psyche that imagines killer demon children with glowing eyes. (The description does not do it justice. Trust me, Moore's writing style definitely makes the Reader shiver with unbridled terror.)

Unfortunately this attack is not an isolated incident. Kyle McIntosh, a local high school boy with a tenuous connection to where the murders take place (his former girlfriend, Claudia, lives in the same trailer park where they happened), runs into the children in their demonic glory. Terrified, he tells the police who surprisingly believe him (video camera footage also showed the kids). Unfortunately, attacks are starting to increase as this strange monster possesses more kids and more family members turn up violently murdered leaving Kyle, his friends, family, and his new girlfriend, Marie, to face this seemingly unstoppable army bent on violence, mayhem, and revenge.

The Nightmare Fuel is palpable throughout this book. It's the type of book where a seemingly happy family could one night fall prey to violence by their youngest child who barely understands what they are doing before they pick up a knife and slaughter their parents, older siblings, and pets.

 There are some ghoulish images of small infants unable to walk, all of a sudden springing up to commit murder. A toddler whose neck is broken during an escape attempt has a conversation with his older brother with his head leaning over what remains of his neck. And those eyes, the glowing eyes burn from the page into the Reader's souls. 

What also makes this situation more monstrous is how it starts and how it continues. I won't reveal too much but the monster is motivated by hatred at someone. Someone human did something horrible to begin this rampage and was never caught. Sometimes as horrible as the supernatural is, the natural, the human can be far worse.

There is also the fear over how unstoppable this attack is. The monster goes throughout the town attacking family after family. Even the protagonists' families are attacked. It is not understated how this attack traumatizes everyone involved. Almost a whole generation of an entire town's childrens are possessed and parents are violently killed. Those that survive are certain to have the worst kind of PTSD imaginable. All because one character did something horrible and another sought revenge by punishing everyone around them.

The fear factor of the monstrous children and their leader's motivations and origins are the most memorable parts of the book. It overshadows some of the downfalls of the book. Kyle's romance with Marie is the stuff of typical teen angst and brings down most of the plot, except when the attacks affect them personally. Also his earlier relationship with Claudia ends up being unnecessary, especially since she herself barely appears in the book and is mostly talked about barely shown. Kyle and Marie also make some questionable decisions that are probably meant to make the Reader suspicious, but since they are proven to not be important. They don't lead to anything except for the Reader's exasperated sighs over how foolish these characters act.

But what can't be forgotten is how terrifying the monsters in this book are. It is the type of book that is best read in the dark for a good scare but only after checking the hallways, through the windows, and the children's bedrooms for pairs of eerie glowing orange eyes.

Weekly Reader: The Berlin Escape (An Aubrey Endeavors Spy Thriller Book 1) by Warren Court; Badass Female Lead In Thrilling pre-WWII Spy Thriller

 

Weekly Reader: The Berlin Escape (An Aubrey Endeavors Spy Thriller Book 1) by Warren Court; Badass Female Lead In Thrilling pre-WWII Spy Thriller

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers:. Warren Court's Aubrey Endeavors is sort of like what would happen if the unconfirmed historical rumors about Amelia Earhart actually being a spy for the United States were true. The first book in the series, The Berlin Escape involves a gutsy female pilot who after her aviator career becomes stalled, accepts a position to work as a spy in Nazi Germany right after Hitler assumed power and years before the United States got officially involved.

Even though Aubrey Endeavors is a fictional character, she would fit right in with the Female Spies of Kit Sergeant's book series. She has the same bravado, courage, feminism, and adventurous spirits that her real life counterparts did in similar situations. 

Aubrey is trying to make her mark as an aviator. This is the time of women like Earhart, Anne Morrow  Lindbergh, and Bessie Coleman so the sky's literally the limit for these brave and talented women. Aubrey is quite an accomplished pilot well known for the flying circuits and competitions including one in Poland in which she tried to sneak out a refugee trying to escape. It doesn't end well and before he dies, the man tells Aubrey to pass messages to people named "Lazarus" and Lydia." This assignment nearly cost her life and a flying competition which made short work of her Sopwith Camel severely injured Aubrey and nearly ended her flying days permanently.

That is until her "Uncle" Arthur (her father's war ally and best friend and whom Aubrey has a slight weird crush on) gives her a very tempting offer to work for the U.S. government. When another offer involving her advertising soap from the back of a truck falls through, Aubrey decides to take Arthur up on the offer of working as a spy. 

Before her assignment Aubrey has to go to Paris to get some espionage training from Hewlett Purnsley, an MI6 handler who is not happy to train this young greenhorn. Aubrey gets a crash course on memorizing details, sticking to her cover Identity, and escaping from perilous training.

Aubrey's assignment is to go to Germany as herself. (She is well known in Europe as an aviator so there is no need to assume a disguise. In fact her reputation might open doors.) Her cover story is that she is writing a series of articles on German planes for an American flight magazine so she has to take copious notes at the air shows. She also has to meet and accept information from a fellow spy, whom no one in Arthur's camp knows what they look like. While in Germany, she captures the attention of Count Helmut Von Villiez, a wealthy nobleman and wanders off the assignment path to see if she can locate Lazarus and Lydia.

The Berlin Escape is reminiscent of those old WWII spy movies or a James Bond installment rather than any real tale of spying and espionage, in comparison to say Sergeant's Female Spies books. While all are historical fiction, Sergeant's are more based on reality than Aubrey's adventures. Of course Sergeant's books are based on real people and Court's is complete fiction. Oh, both series are filled with suspense, moments where the characters are surrounded by enemies, and real consequences if they are caught (and some are). The protagonists are very strong willed, courageous, and dedicated to their missions. However the reality and the fantasy of espionage are very present within these books. 

Sergeant's protagonists have varying degrees of action. Some are caught in tense moments where they have to escape or strive to get to know their target um horizontally. But the majority of the actions consists of these women observing and paying attention to details. They have to attend balls, listen in on conversations, serve in other people's houses, keep their eyes out for battle plans, bite their tongues as soldiers board inside their homes, listen for gossip that could be important, and trade letters back and forth in secure locations. Sometimes being a spy largely consists of being aware of one's surroundings and taking copious notes rather than any thrilling chases and escapes with gun play.

The Aubrey Endeavors series has more of the romantic thrills. It is no less a good series than Sergeant's but definitely filled with the romance and excitement of espionage novels and films. Aubrey's early experiences give her an idea of what she is up against. Rescuing the refugee during the air show puts her in definite danger and fills her with guilt so that she is determined to make things right including taking time during her assignment to locate Lazarus and Lydia.

Even her training from Hewlett shows definite hints of what is to come. At one point he disappears leaving her to find a way to escape from a crowded French restaurant without making much of an impression and keeping a clear head as she does this. 

Of course the training and early assignments are nothing compared to what she is faced against. From the second that she arrives in Berlin, she is caught up in one suspenseful encounter after another. Some of it involves her status as a newbie to the spy game. 

There are moments where Aubrey is right in the middle of Nazi Central and has to find clever ways to follow her assignment and get out quickly. She misses her contact and has to re encounter them at a party attended by none other than Hermann Goering. 

She also makes mistakes as she trusts the wrong people and reveals more than she should. Likewise, her wrongful suspicions towards other characters causes her to withdraw valuable information and nearly puts her and the whole mission in jeopardy. 

There is even a point where she is imprisoned and severely beaten partly because of her errors in judgement. Much of her errors can be chalked up to her being new to the game. Still her stubbornness and perseverance comes through as she is able to face every challenge and treat it as a learning experience.

Thankfully, an escape calls for her to resort to her greatest love: aviation as she flies her way out of trouble.

The Berlin Escape is certainly a trial by fire crash course in espionage. If Aubrey survives this, she could be well on her way to becoming a legend in the spy game.