Lynn Hesse’s Part of the Stars begins in 1878, Arkansas, when midwife Myra Logan vanishes after visiting the McCurdy family and wakes inside a mountain cave ruled by pale beings. Her husband Zepeda searches across the winter frontier while Myra’s aunt, Nellie Gatewood, presses officials...

Nubia Johnson is a disciplined, principled USCIS officer who discovers that her case files and digital badge are weapons in a hidden war in David L. Wadley’s Passport Bro. She has always believed in justice and fairness, even if it is difficult to find justice...

Pismo Beach Sniper by Topper Jones is a thriller that opens with a disturbing premise. At the competition on the Central Coast, a precision marksman targets young surfers, leaving eleven-year-old Zael Hanlon and his teammates wounded. Zael’s father, Thad Hanlon, investigates the shooting together with...

In Clinton H. Simpson’s Palisade Meridian, firefighter Carter Davis boards the luxury cruise ship Palisade Meridian with his wife, Leah, and their children, expecting a welcome family vacation far from the pressures of life near Chicago. Days after leaving New Orleans, communication systems fail on...

In Painting Over Cracks by Lee Bukowski, Beth and Danny were in an accident. They were hit on Danny’s side of the car; he was thrown out and died at the scene. Beth survived with a few injuries but now faces life without Danny. To...

Parallel Peril by Maria Lynn Barrs is an enthralling story that I rank among my top reads of the year, so far. Dallas TV journalist Vicky Robeson is on vacation and has just been promoted to News Director. While on a two-week vacation in California,...

In James Dunlop’s Plausible in Parts, Andy MacKay returns to his Camden flat after a contract mission in Kosovo that involved an attempt on General Marku Berisha, expecting to resume his routine, but the police arrest him and link the case to his actions abroad....

Patient Zero by Dr. Emil Šabanović follows the stories of five patients as they navigate their struggles with the help of their therapists. A twenty-two-year-old woman suffering from DPDR slowly starts to overcome her dissociation with reality after some therapy sessions. Intrusive, violent thoughts plague a...

Pedaling East by E. A. Coe follows FBI agents Marina Butnari and Doug Hill as they face an unexpected suspension after a tense encounter with a corrupt local militia linked to human trafficking. Instead of just waiting around, they plan a long bicycle trip across...

Party of a Lifetime by Henry Corrigan follows Becca Longford as she heads back home from college, hoping a beach weekend with her old crew will make up for how badly their high school prom went. That prom night was horrible, marked by bullying, a...