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Refuge
Bill VanPatten
This beautifully told, of-the-moment novel from VanPatten (author of Sometimes You Just Know) finds hope in heartbreak when a pair of tragedies bring together an uncle and niece who unexpectedly find themselves able to help each other heal. Six months after losing his husband, David, to cancer, Jesse Pérez and his son, Matthew, are still learning to carry on. Their doorbell rings late one night, and Jesse’s 15-year-old niece, Gloria, stands on their doorstep, asking for help. She’s been raped, has become pregnant, and has left Texas and her judgemental parents to come to California, where abortion is legal—and, as Jesse tells them, a minor doesn’t need parental permission. “You probably think I’m just a teenager,” she says. “But I know how to research things. I know how to find out about my rights.”

VanPatten broaches difficult subjects with respect, empathy, and apparent ease. Jesse has already long been disowned by the same Texas family for being gay, called nothing less than “a disciple of the devil.” VanPatten, a humane and thoughtful writer, makes clear that Gloria and Jesse’s family (and their Everlasting Word Evangelical Church) and that most of the other Texans whom the protagonists must deal with do not at all agree with the extremes of that church or the political decisions that have resulted in Gloria being viewed as criminal.

From page one readers will be drawn into these lives and the warm community surrounding them. VanPatten makes it easy for readers to feel the often-conflicting emotions that come with complicated families. As the Texas family retaliates, Jesse, the only person that Gloria has left, must also consider how every choice will affect his son with autism, including the pressing question of how to move on after David’s death. Through VanPatten’s rich characterization and assured storytelling, readers will be moved by these convincing, relatable characters and how they handle everything thrown their way—and still live to love.

Takeaway: Moving story of facing religious extremism and Texas abortion laws.

Comparable Titles: S.E. Green’s The Family, Laurie Frankel’s This Is How It Always Is.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Refuge
On Madera Creek
Rachel Goss
Goss’s crime thriller, set just after the end of the Second World War, centers on the intersecting paths of Natasha Baranov, a Soviet spy who is ushering Russian operatives across the Texas border into the United States, and Imogene Park, a young woman inadvertently caught in Baranov’s web. After she’s befriended by Baranov, Imogene’s quickly taken in by the older woman, but their relationship goes south when Imogene discovers Natasha’s dark side—and ends up testifying against her in court. Though the two start off on opposing sides, circumstances reunite them throughout the novel, culminating in their united effort to thwart larger Russian espionage.

This second installment in Goss’s Science, History, and Espionage series (after Driven by Conscience) is fast paced and propelled by constant action. Whether it’s Natasha’s revenge-driven stalking of Imogene, Imogene’s efforts to escape her troubles by enlisting as a wrangler on a Texas ranch, or the uncovering of a dangerous Russian spy ring, there’s never a dull moment. Adding to the intrigue is the intricate web of lies and espionage spun by Goss’s characters, resulting in a breakneck race to determine who, if anyone, can be trusted. Goss punctuates the plot with romance, though the story’s setting—US borderlands fraught with danger—steals the spotlight with starkly beautiful descriptions of the Texas and New Mexico landscape: “Nestled against the canyon wall, the adobe lodge appeared to blend into the cliff, much as the ancient dwellings had done.”

Despite the novel’s gripping premise, Goss’s abundance of murder, espionage, and twisty dealings, all driven by a young, inexperienced woman at their forefront, swamp the story in places, leading Goss’s characters into staggering situations that will require a satisfying stretch of imagination for readers. The romance takes a backseat to the action, but readers who relish Cold War intrigue and dizzying action will find much to embrace here.

Takeaway: Cold War intrigue combines with unbridled action in this breakneck thriller.

Comparable Titles: Kerry Chaput’s Daughter of the Shadows, Stephanie Marie Thornton’s A Most Clever Girl.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+

Click here for more about On Madera Creek
The Millionaire: A Maureen Gould Legal Thriller
Keenan Powell
Powell's second Maureen Gould thriller (after Implied Consent) packs a wallop. Trial lawyer Gould now represents Tony Paredes, a young man accused of murdering his abusive childhood chess coach, Oscar Wenderholm. Despite a successful prior trial against his coach, Tony and Maureen faced an overturned verdict due to a technicality; now under arrest on suspicion of Oscar’s murder, Tony is imprisoned and brutally beaten, giving Maureen added incentive to save him. Meanwhile, Maureen's own difficult childhood rears its ugly head, making the case exponentially more taxing.

A parallel plotline finds charming car salesman Rick Stevens being groomed for a California state senate position, while his handlers worry about his connection to Oscar. Through Stevens's story, Powell skillfully delivers a character both contemptible and pathetic, and the tale only becomes more intense, effectively—and grimly—evolving into true tragedy. Powell’s courtroom scenes and backdoor maneuverings are as realistic as they are gripping, guaranteeing a white-knuckle ride for readers. The plot moves quickly, but Powell devotes extra attention to character; Maureen especially comes across beautifully, as someone who has managed to create a happy life for herself despite her disturbing childhood.

Though there’s plenty of sweetness in Maureen’s story, this is not a cozy read. The crimes are appalling, and Powell spares no details, recounting Maureen’s troubled past in raw, heartbreaking tones alongside the gritty minutia of Stevens’s sordid existence. Maureen struggles with her estranged father and wages war with herself about which dark family secrets to share with her daughter—personal tensions that Powell cleverly reflects in Tony’s trial, granting this mystery a refreshingly holistic view rarely found in legal thrillers. Even relatively minor characters are nicely fleshed out, and all get their just deserts in a wind-up that is both surprising and satisfying, leaving readers to eagerly await Maureen's next case.

Takeaway: A lawyer defends a man wrongly accused of murder while facing her own childhood demons.

Comparable Titles: Scott Turow, Michael Connelly.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+

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A Fitting Epitaph
Michael Decker
Decker’s briny, memorable debut, the story of three down-on-their-luck fishermen, revolves around a plan to sail to Mexico to fish for albacore. Things don’t go exactly as planned, of course, but that’s the way of the sea, and this beautifully told novel, like all journeys, is fundamentally about the experience—and, as the narrator notes, it’s also about a “communion,” of a sort, “the joining between the sea and the old sailor who knew her so well.” That sailor is Ike, a blistering old salt who’s been at sea all his life. He’s joined in this undertaking by Tom, a neophyte with a penchant for adventure, and Bill, unemployed and broke after pouring all his money into the Skate, an old and worn-out boat whose apparent seaworthiness stirs a teenager to say “Either you're brave as hell or you're crazy.”

The narrative is a little slow to pick up, and it may take landlubbers some time to get used to the slang and terminology—Decker knows and loves sailor speak. But once you settle into it, the story breezes along, flowing on its natural currents, distinguished by Decker’s surehanded understanding of the work, rewards, and dangers of such an odyssey. Prose and dialogue are sparse and gruff (“Ain't nothin' on the land or in the sea stronger'n a shark,” Ike notes). The elemental realism will hook lovers of adventure stories drawn from life, and Decker reels readers in deeper as his men reveal themselves, their vulnerabilities as engaging as their actions. And just when the seas seem comfortable, everything gets shaken up, with two strong climaxes back to back.

Lovers of the sea and sailing will really enjoy this book, which is attuned to beauty but also to danger. The meditative passages are rich in mood, character, and a stirring sense of the power of nature, as Decker’s pacing reminds readers to live in the moment, aware that everything can change in an instant.

Takeaway: Marvelous sailing adventure, action-packed and meditative.

Comparable Titles: Peter Nichols’s A Voyage for Madmen, Joshua Slocum’s Sailing Alone Around the World.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about A Fitting Epitaph
Pet Poems Plus: How to write poems about pets (also not just pets)
Sean Petrie
“Poems are word music,” Petrie writes in this interactive follow up to Pet Poems, which has been crafted to shepherd younger readers towards writing fun, creative poetry. Rich with hands-on material and brilliantly hued watercolor illustrations by Amanda Hoxworth, the guide teaches the art of poetry on a beginner’s level, explaining different types of poems—question, imagine, and describe—while delving into tips and tricks of the trade. Included in those pointers are ways to incorporate similes, metaphors, and personification into poems that are centered mainly on animal subjects but can be generalized to any theme.

Petrie delivers a striking balance between educating readers on the technicalities of poetry and allowing them creative space to construct their own poems. Opportunities for inspiration abound, as readers are coached on ways to make their poetry “sparkle,” whether that’s cleverly breaking up text lines, drawing on the five senses to elevate writing, or nailing down a rhyming pattern that sounds natural. “Everyone has a unique view of the world,” Petrie declares, and that individuality is what makes poetry so fascinating: when penning descriptions, readers should be “as weird or strange as [they] want,” while spicing up a poem can be as simple as dropping an unexpected object into a verse (random animals and places are just some of Petrie’s suggestions).

From hints on how to master structure to understanding poetical rhythm, Petrie leaves no stone unturned, offering endless prompts that will transform poetry writing into an entertaining and worthwhile pastime for younger readers. Creative expression is key throughout, and Petrie includes opportunities to cut out Hoxworth’s jewel toned pictures for inspiration, as well as spare pages at the end for continued compositions. Particularly helpful are Petrie’s eight possible ways to end poems—including a cliffhanger ending to “[leave] everyone wondering”—and sections of review sprinkled throughout the guide. This artistic, fresh approach to poetry will delight young writers.

Takeaway: Creative, inviting approach to poetry for younger readers.

Comparable Titles: Michael Rosen’s What Is Poetry?, Marilyn Singer’s Follow the Recipe.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Pet Poems Plus
Who She Left Behind
Victoria Atamian Waterman
This touching multigenerational story of women facing trauma over decades draws readers to the harrowing journey of Victoria Karadelian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide, as she navigates the challenges of displacement, loss, and the quest for a new life. Losing her father and brothers in the war, Vicky and her remaining family face exile to Aleppo, Syria, only to be further separated as she becomes a maid in the Yavuz household—a situation she needs to escape from. "That was how it was,” observes Waterman’s narrator. “People moved on, or they were moved along.” Spanning continents and generations, the story eventually turns on the discovery of a pair of Armenian dolls buried in a gravesite, holding the potential to reunite lost families and begging to heal an enduring intergenerational trauma.

Historical authenticity is a standout feature of Waterman’s debut, as Who She Left Behind expertly delves into Armenian heritage, while the striking descriptions imbue this Aleppo with cultural richness and a vivid sense of the textures of life, from Ascension Day feasts to the intoxicating feel of a waltz. These ties connect the characters to the lost threads of generations over decades. Waterman brings insight and empathy to this cast, who emerge as complex and convincing people. Like her mother, Vicky shares the burden of shame from her fate in the Yavuz household. Determined to keep her secrets to her grave, she inadvertently creates an invisible divide between herself and her family—one that, decades later, her niece Rose is determined to resolve.

Distinguished by brisk storytelling and a deftly handled interplay between past and present, Waterman’s novel portrays with power the dynamics of trauma and abuse faced by displaced women. Who She Left Behind is a moving story of a refugee's legacy and motherhood, extending beyond familial lineage to encompass the exploration of intergenerational trauma, displacement, and survival that readers of sweeping, thoughtful novels will find resonant.

Takeaway: A generational story of exile, displacement, and motherhood in a foreign land.

Comparable Titles: Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Who She Left Behind
Privilege Lost: How a nice Jewish boy survived five years in America's darkest prisons.
Joshua Elyashiv
In this heated and pulsating memoir, Elyashiv recounts his five-year imprisonment for conspiracy to commit fraud—a RICO conviction, he reports, that came without evidence that he had actually committed a crime. "The reason the feds prevail [in RICO cases] is because they have created a law that eliminates the burden of proof," he writes, while painting a picture of being targeted by the vengeful husband of a woman with whom he had “a fleeting affair.” Describing being “beaten to a pulp, even tortured” and wondering “why … won’t they just kill me?” while enduring solitary confinement, Elyashiv laments how someone like him, an educated and upright man from a law-abiding Jewish family, could wind up in the filth and stench of prison life, where one either dies prey or lives a predator. He recounts the move from jail to Century Correctional Facility, where he befriends and defies the worst of inmates, and gradually drifting away from his principles.

Elyashiv’s account alarms as he describes being grouped with serial killers, rapists, and others despite being charged with a “conspiracy to commit” a fraud that hardly threatens humanity. Witnessing firsthand the maltreatment from both inmates and authorities, the abuse of power of officers, and the normalcy of violence breeding further violence, Elyashiv asks an urgent question: "Wasn’t prison supposed to be a place where criminals were reformed?"

The narrative seamlessly transitions between the intense, adrenaline-fueled conflicts—combat with the head of a criminal organization and a suicidal plea for mercy killing to a psychopath, among many others—and soul-searching reflections of survival within the harsh confines of the penal system. Life seemingly stopped for five years for Elyashiv, but there are certainly hard-earned lessons from the unexpected camaraderie formed and unresolved childhood and familial issues finally confronted, making up half the bulk of this book. The narrative occasionally lingers in explicit depiction of brutal prison life that readers may find mentally disturbing, but it serves as a raw and dogged testament to human resilience.

Takeaway: Unfiltered, outraged account of survival in a harsh American prison.

Comparable Titles: Anthony Ray Hinton's The Sun Does Shine, Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Privilege Lost
Where's B?
Robert Herrick
The big concert is approaching, and all the letters of the alphabet desperately need to practice their rendition of the alphabet song—but when they kickstart the last practice session, “B” has gone missing, sending the letters into a tizzy and threatening their performance. At first, they attempt the song backwards, in hopes that B will show up unannounced when his turn rolls around, but when the song flops and B’s still nowhere to be found, they vow to hunt him down. Herrick (Ten Is Too Many!) takes readers on a wild ride with the book’s alphabet cast as they take over B’s home and the local zoo in search of the elusive escapee.

Aside from giving young readers an entertaining opportunity to practice their alphabet, Herrick offers plenty of fun as well—particularly as the alphabet searches high and low in B’s house. “P” of course makes a beeline for the playroom, joined by a few friends, to take up a game of pool, while “H” heads to the hallway, only to miss B waking up late in his room. As B realizes, much to his embarrassment, that he’s missed concert practice, he quickly gets ready, taking care of a morning routine that even includes some time on the toilet. The other letters continue their clumsy search in every nook and cranny, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, “Z” has zoomed off to the local zoo, convinced that B can be found in his favorite exhibits, but his mission’s a failure too—and even puts him in danger of missing the concert performance. Herrick’s computer-generated illustrations are a collage of brightly hued letters in very relatable situations for young readers, including “L” making a mess of B’s laundry room and “K” raiding the fridge. Ultimately, they all manage to reunite just in the nick of time, giving this amusing story a well-earned happy ending.

Takeaway: Entertaining alphabet cast searches for a letter who’s gone missing.

Comparable Titles: Nancy Lessard Downing’s My Alphabet Soup, Audrey Wood and Bruce Wood’s Alphabet Mystery.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Where's B?
It's Not EWWWW...It's YOU!: Un-Yucking The Grossest Wonders of the Human Body
Sharon Leya
Leya’s charming, hilarious picture book approaches the bodily functions that so often ick kids out from a clear-eyed, scientific perspective, using the titular maxim to encourage children to see our inner workings as natural processes required for optimal health. The distinguished narrator, Professor Ewe—who dons a shirt reading “everything is relative”—guides readers through eight of “the grossest things our body parts DRIP and SPEW,” including mucus, poop, gas, saliva, urine, ear wax, sweat, and blood. The good professor sets out to un-yuck the processes that result in these discharges by explaining the science behind each bodily wonder. “Mucus,” for example, “helps your nose stay clean and stops dust and germs from getting through.”

However, Professor Ewe is not the only instructor. Leya’s illustrator, Janna Maru, depicts a whole menagerie of characters, featuring hippos, turtles, sloths, raccoons, dogs, birds, and more, that visually instruct readers on these physiological functions, but the illustrations are far more than instructive; they are also entertaining. In the sweat section, a host of animals, including a perspiring panda, enjoy an afternoon at the beach amid a pickleball tournament played with actual pickles instead of balls. In another clever instance, Professor Ewe takes a canoe ride into an ear canal, armed with a lantern and Q-tips.

These details, along with Professor Ewe’s rhymed narration, encourage engagement and repeat readings, but another stand-out component of Leya’s book is the concluding “Prof. Ewe Explains” discussion guide that offers a more detailed overview of each of the bodily processes and helpful similes. For example, “sweat... acts like your body’s own air conditioner,” and “poop... is like your body’s own garbage disposal!” Young children (and those who read to them) will delight in Leya and Maru’s combined brilliance and remember that “the next time mucus drips from your nose or you have a stinky fart” it’s just the body helping you be you.

Takeaway: Amusing, educational picture book that un-yucks the bodies’ vital processes.

Comparable Titles: Kim Norman’s Give Me Back My Bones!, Justine Avery’s Everybody Poops!.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about It's Not EWWWW...It's YOU!
Pet Poems (also not just pets)
Sean Petrie
Poet Petrie (Cracked & Broken) and artist Amanda Hoxworth delight with simple, accessible poetry for all age readers that delves into the minds of dogs and a variety of other animals. The poet and artist came together during the pandemic to work off each other’s talents in “a journey of accidents and experiments. Of delightful discoveries and inspiration.” Hoxworth has their subjects in iconic poses in a splash of vibrant watercolors, lively, alive in their element, and some, especially the dogs, with expressive smiles. Petrie paired his poetry to the enigmatic creatures in a gamut of pet thoughts and activities.

Dogs dominate the pages. Some are playful, like the laser focused dog ready to play in “Ball Is ALL,” and the one who accepts all the blame in “The Truth.” Other poems reveal the emotional adjustments in a dog’s life, from a pup determined to make a new location a home in “Foster,” to an ode to the “Family Dog” whether they have a whole family to love or just a single owner, and a pit bull convincing you his breed doesn’t deserved a “Bad Reputation.” Other highlights include the snuggly kitten in “Warmth,” the mesmerizing cat’s eyes in “Medusa,” and a helpful rabbit in “Bunny Aid.” Non-pets explore their environments. A wolf challenges his opinion of people in “Fear,” a skittish fawn hopes you’ll stand “right there” very still in “Clarification,” a hippo swims cautiously in the river in “Beneath the Surface,” “Sloth Secrets” reveals what these slow cuties really like to do, and don’t ever call a mountain goat a sheep in “Perched.”

These elegant, modest poems infiltrate the minds of anthropomorphized animals as we imagine them to be and hope they see us too. Readers will feel closer to their beloved dog or to animals in the wild with these brief, heartening, thought-provoking poems and dazzling artwork. This is a good, edifying book to keep handy to read over again.

Takeaway: A heartening celebration of animals in verse and illustration.

Comparable Titles: Julie Paschkis’s Flutter & Hum, L.E. Bowman’s What I Learned from the Trees.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Pet Poems (also not just pets)
How to Get a Job and Keep a Job: The Fundamentals of Organizational Politics
Keith Calhoun-Senghor
The lessons start from the first page in this brisk, direct, and illuminating guide to achieving just what its title says inside companies, organizations, firms, and more. “Idealists don’t have to be incompetent at organizational politics.,” writes Calhoun-Senghor, a veteran of the Clinton White House, international law agencies, and more. Making the case that one need not be a cynic to gain success—and, yes, power—in any organization that has its own internal politics, Calhoun-Senghor lays out a set of clear-eyed rules for thriving in any position.

The advice offered here, updated for the remote-work era, is keyed to what it actually takes to find and secure one’s place and position within an org, from someone who understands that it takes power to make change—in fact, the first step, Calhoun-Senghor writes, is for individuals to decide what it is they want to accomplish with the power that they accumulate. “Otherwise,” he notes, gathering power is “just an ego trip.”

Keeping the job comes first, though, and the guidance on how to “play The Game successfully” blends the highly practical—work on writing and public speaking skills; master a foreign language; “turn your major weakness into your killer stroke”—with a shrewdness about social interactions. “The trick with cocktail conversation,” Calhoun-Senghor writes, “is to transform a brief encounter into a memorable event.” Chapters cover detailed strategies for dealing with colleagues who simply don’t like you, tips for when you must report bad news (among them: do so early and “believe your own story”), and why small problems should be pounced on before they get big, Later chapters dig into landing a job, with clarifying advice about what those with the power to hire actually look for. The guidance throughout emphasizes knowing one’s self, seizing opportunities to stand out and demonstrate one’s capabilities, and to anticipate and deftly manage challenges—in short, the skills that success within organizations truly demands.

Takeaway: Valuable guide to succeeding—and making a difference—within organizations.

Comparable Titles: Jay Sullivan’s Simply Said, Adam Tarnov and David Morrison’s The Edge.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about How to Get a Job and Keep a Job
Everyone's Included at the Animal Party: The Little Girl Learns about Patience & Imagination
Catie "Aunt Kiki" Greene, PhD, LPC
In Greene’s encouraging picture book, a little girl learns coping skills to deal with feelings of restlessness and impatience. Early one morning, the girl wakes up excited to leave for her family’s beach day—but her father, Daddy B, informs her that they have to prepare first and suggests making a schedule to help her know what’s coming. Having a predetermined list of tasks helps the little girl calm her wiggles and jitters, but on the way the family encounters heavy traffic, and she becomes distraught that her itinerary has been disrupted. That’s when the girl’s parents help her use the power of her imagination to envision the family at an underwater party with a wide array of animals.

This comforting story offers gentle guidance to help both young people and adults handle big feelings. K.K.P Dananjali’s expressive illustrations show the curly-haired, bright-eyed little girl as she helps her fathers prepare for their trip, her excitement over their adventure evident on her face. The most delightful images show the family’s undersea gathering, with a grinning, brightly colored octopus, elephant, penguins, jellyfish, and other deep-sea denizens joining them for cupcakes and coffee on the ocean floor.

In keeping with this book’s ethos of inclusivity and acceptance, the little girl is part of a two-dad family, with her fathers’ affection for her and each other evident in their interactions. At the end of the story, Daddy B and Daddy Y share a quiet moment together on the beach, remembering a time when their loving marriage could have only existed in their imaginations. This will provide children and adults the opportunity to talk about the many different ways families can look. Each page also provides helpful questions for discussion, inviting readers to explore their own strategies for handling impatience and dive deep into their own imaginations.

Takeaway: A little girl learns coping skills to deal with feelings of restlessness and impatience.

Comparable Titles: Rob Otte’s Lily Discovers People are Like Donuts, Anne Wynter’s Everybody in the Red Brick Building.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Café de Sophia
M. A. Alsadah
A celebration of the power of ideas, this thought-provoking novella begins with Nate River, a 16-year-old who describes himself as a “lost soul with no passion in life,” getting caught up in a surprising, clarifying colloquy that puts him on a new path. While waiting for his mother in Café de Sophia, Nate meets a retired educator nicknamed Plato, who invites him into an intellectually stimulating conversation that leaves a lasting impression in his mind. "At that moment, I felt that I needed the company of someone like Plato in my life," Nate says, aware of his need for guidance. This pivotal encounter propels Nate into a series of rendezvous with Plato and his circle of like-minded thinkers who he deems could set him in the right direction in life.

Rather than adhering to traditional story structures with peaks, twists, and suspense, Alsadah's thoughtfully compelling narrative follows Nate's apprenticeship in philosophical thought and living, revealing the young man’s growth through discourse with Plato and his cohort. This philosophical and conversational approach persuades readers through examinations of justice, equality, morality, perfection, love, and many others. "I see the mind as the most valuable thing a human has," Plato declares, “and only through speech, along with writing, is it ever translated and known.” That captures the essence of both his character and the story itself.

The dialogues are similar to each other, with formulaic structures and a lack of distinction among characters. But they serve as the driving force that Alsadah uses to explore compelling arguments, hypothetical scenarios, and intriguing conclusions that illuminate the significance of self-awareness, the diverse spectrum of human perceptions, and the challenges inherent in upholding one's ethical compass amidst the complexities of humanity. Through the lenses of knowledge, reason, and logic, readers are compelled to form their own hypotheses and conclusions, thereby actively participating in the intellectual and thought-provoking journey.

Takeaway: Richly philosophical dialogues in an exquisite Parisian cafe.

Comparable Titles: Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World, Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Café de Sophia
Preacher Stalls the Second Coming: (Evan Wycliff #4) (Evan Wycliff Mysteries)
Gerald Everett Jones
The standout fourth entry in Jones’ Evan Wycliff mystery series sparkles, despite its protagonist, the one-time pastor of Missouri’s Evangel Baptist, finding himself at his lowest ebb. “I’m unchurched, defrocked, and if it weren’t for the boundless generosity of one Zip Zed letting me housesit a broken-down little trailer rent-free, I’d be homeless,” Wycliff declares—and that’s not even touching on his separation from his wife, Loretta, and the loss of his beloved dog, Murphy. Even the new friend he just met, an aged German who drags him out of that borrowed manufactured home for pancakes and heady conversation at the C’Mon Inn, is quickly ripped from Wycliff—and this mortal coil—by a passing F-150. But as Wycliff looks into the accident, plus a missing girl and the arrival in his patch of southwestern Missouri of a cultish end-times commune, he can’t stop thinking about the German’s warning: that someone out there could be planning to fake the Second Coming of Christ, this time through advanced digital technology.

Like its predecessors, Preacher Stalls the Second Coming blends unusually humane and thoughtful procedural sleuthing with a brisk pace, winning local color, and ace scenecraft and surprises, all powered by a strong undercurrent of moral and spiritual inquiry. It won’t surprise readers of mysteries (or of newspapers) that Pastor Obadiah of the End-Times Retreat Center has secrets in his past and monetary and political entanglements with the politicians up in “Jeff City.” But Jones’s depiction of this milieu—of believers and belief, of trailer parks and superstores, of the tensions faced by the woman pastor who has replaced Wycliff—is always revealing and surprising, both warm and incisive.

Highlights abound, with a tense discussion of the Book of Revelation between Wyclif and Pastor Obadiah proving more gripping than many mysteries’ shootouts. The same goes for a scene of faith healing. Both author and detective are touchingly open to people’s better angels but not all that shocked by corruption, charlatans, and killers.

Takeaway: Standout mystery of faith, corruption, and a minister at his lowest ebb.

Comparable Titles: Ann Cleeves, Julia Spencer-Fleming.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Killing Johnny Miracle
J.K. Franko
Franko follows up the Roy Cruise Series with a pleasurably mean Texas thriller of love, revenge, and the law. Johnny and Mary Miracle are a young couple of means who have fallen out of love. Well, that’s not completely true—Johnny is actually in love, just not with Mary, his wife. Once he learns Mary’s darkest secrets, he plans to divorce her right away, and he has the leverage to make it hurt her–and profitable for himself. With nothing less than a vineyard and a Monet to lose, Mary must take action. Raising a glass to toast “motivated women,” she hatches a plot of her own. She knows plenty of Johnny’s secrets, too, and she’s willing to kill to keep her lifestyle. From the grabber of a first page, she’s committed to just what the title promises: she will see Johnny die.

No thriller worth its salt is that simple, of course, and it turns out that Mary isn’t the only one who has beef with Johnny. Franko wrings suspense from the questions of who will get to him first and who might get hurt in search of revenge, employing non-chronological storytelling from a variety of viewpoints to build to twists, turns, and revelations that will sweep up readers of dark suspense and leave them eager to guess at how the pieces could possibly tie together in the end. Getting into the minds of these witty characters throughout is a poison-laced pleasure.

Love, lust, betrayal, and the complexities of securing a fortune keep the pot boiling. Fans can expect the brisk, purposeful pace that Franko has demonstrated in previous books, a plot whose surprises can’t be gamed out, incisive attention to the legalities of it all, and a host of vibrant characters whose schemes, secrets, and chatter (“Gotta die of somethun’,” the sheriff declares after being warned that his glazed donuts aren’t good for his health) keep the pages turning.

Takeaway: Captivating marital thriller of love, lust, revenge, and murder.

Comparable Titles: James Chandler’s Sam Johnstone series; Alice Feeney’s Rock Paper Scissors.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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Reimagining Success: Manifesting Happiness and Fulfillment
Maureen Fallon-Cyr, LCSW
Passionate about cultivating true success, which she defines as the ability to “manifest the life we have always wanted to live,” psychotherapist Fallon-Cyr offers readers her tried-and-true methods of achieving self-satisfaction in this well-structured debut. “Success in one area of life doesn’t guarantee success across our life,” she writes, as, drawing fresh insight from her professional experience, she breaks down seven domains—physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional, relational, spiritual, and integrative—that impact individual well-being and functioning. Each domain is essential for true success, according to Fallon-Cyr, a stepping stone to leading “satisfying, meaningful lives.”

Fallon-Cyr’s writing is clear, objective, and overflowing with self-reflection prompts and exercises that drive home her prescribed path to success. She reiterates throughout that defining success according to conventional measures—money, fame, and power—doesn’t serve as a true measure of contentment, advising readers instead to increase their health in each of her specified domain areas, with the end result of “integrative functioning”—a superpower, of sorts, that embraces achieving one’s full potential. All seven domains are broken down and explained in easy-to-understand terms with tailored advice: the mind/body connection, as part of Fallon-Cyr’s Physical Domain, is a powerful key to “healing our wounds and releasing our limiting beliefs,” while the Psychological Domain comes with specific steps to nurturing a strong mind (recognizing and releasing limiting beliefs is critical).

The ultimate goal is to master Fallon-Cyr’s Integrative Domain, an area that entails competence across all other domains, to “[open] a new sense of who we are and what it means to live successfully.” In the process of working towards integration, readers will discover deep insights on spirituality, emotional balance, and more. Fallon-Cyr closes with a nod to community, identifying “true success for all” as “Living our True Nature, as best we can, right here in this moment, and helping others do the same.”

Takeaway: Clear steps to achieving personal contentment and mastering meaningful living.

Comparable Titles: Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, Tessa Cason’s Awaken, Emerge, Become.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Reimagining Success
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