On the Bricks, set in the small town of West Plains, Arkansas, is the debut novel from Penni Jones. And from the opening chapters, the hopelessness of a drug-fuelled, dead-end existence for the main characters seeps uncomfortably, yet convincingly from the pages. Ms. Jones’...

The Lies That Bind is a stunning opening in the DarkHorse Trilogy by Ed Protzel, a gripping tale for fans of Southern fiction, and a story of deceit, slavery, and dangerous complicities. The trickster Durksen Hurst returns to Mississippi after being away for a long...

You might be tempted, as I was, to toss Rooks of the Raven by Franklin Neal aside after the first couple of chapters because of what appears to be some incoherence in descriptions, and dialogue that’s occasionally difficult to follow. But persevere. While I’m not...

Thirteen-year-old Poppy Wainwright’s mother is a drug addict and drunk who roams the United States, leaving Poppy to be raised by her Grandma Lainey in Arkansas. When Lainey dies, Poppy is sent to live with her grandmother’s sister in Savannah. Aunt Sookie is an abrasive...

The Regrets of Cyrus Dodd by Bette Lee Crosby is a wonderful tale of life and regret. Cyrus Dodd promised Ruth that he would give her a life she would love. The trouble is, he has a lot of pride and we all know that...

Clemenceau's Daughters by Rocky Porch Moore is an eerie, Southern Gothic novel that details the blood-soaked legacy behind cracks of innocence. The book is separated into three parts. The first part introduces Debbie, a young girl with a strange ability that has led to the...

Every once in a while, I enjoy a good mystery. It is not my favorite genre, but I appreciate a good one. Why Blame the Stars? by Michael Segedy is a good one. I like the way he intertwines mystery and romance. I like that...

I cried, I laughed, I smiled - I couldn’t put down Wide Plank Porches. I am a southerner, though I was born and lived many years in the north as a Yankee; but in Wide Plank Porches I could see friends and neighbors and God’s...

The Whispering of the Willows by Tonya Jewel Blessing is a southern fiction, religious themed story that would appeal most to a mixed audience of adults and mature young adults who enjoy Appalachian drama fiction and can handle a rape scene. The story takes place...

What the River Wants by Arthur Byrd is a gripping Southern fiction novel that features family, love, loyalty, solitude, and the subtle ways the past has its grip on us. The past is not always gone; it lives in our memory and, at times, it...