Vicky Ball, author of Powerless,
comes out swinging for a TKO in her debut novel. Published in collaboration
with Burton Mayers Books, Powerless is
riveting from the get-go. When their oldest daughter, Beth, went missing seven
years ago, the Kimmings family was shattered. Younger sister, Abby, and her
parents, have marked time in a semblance of normal life ever since. Their
surprise and relief is palpable when Beth turns up on their doorstep on
Christmas Eve with no explanation of where she’s been or what she’s been doing
since the last time they saw her. Abby is glad to have her sister back but
frustrated with her reticence at answering questions. Beth is cagey and needy
in turn and Abby is desperate to know why. The answers she finds are
terrifying. Ball throws thrilling twists and oh-no moments with the ease of a
seasoned ball player. I can’t give this one enough stars for fans of the
suspense and thriller genres.
I loved indie author Mike DeLucia’s
Madness. Likewise, I can heartily recommend his novel, Being Brothers, as well.
Brothers is unusual in its format so don’t let it surprise you or draw you out
of the story. You’ll soon get into the groove. Written as a story within a story,
readers follow along as writer, Mark Marino, hones his screenplay about
baseball loving brothers, Jackie and Sal Amato, in the heyday of Little League
Baseball in Throgs Neck, Bronx, New York. DeLucia masterfully wields the
screenplay format to jump back and forth in the timeline and illuminate the
triumphs and challenges of Being Brothers. This book is a grand slam.
Promised Land by indie writer,
Perry Wolfecastle, is a dystopian future fantasy work which, honestly, left me
a little uncomfortable. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.
Set in the near future, the moon has cracked and monsters plague the earth.
Surviving humans carve out safe spaces for themselves where and however they
can. One group, known as the Sanctuary, has all but depleted the resources where
they live and must find a new home. The Sanctuary, an extremely religious group
led by the zealous Father Lenihan, sends out scouting parties in search of
resources and potential places to inhabit. More and more frequently, scouting
parties aren’t returning. When a cast-out apostate returns, telling Lenihan of
a green, monster-free place, he seizes upon her as their deliverer and the
place she found as the Promised Land. His sermons to the Sanctuary’s
inhabitants teach them that the wickedness of men in the “before” is the cause
of their current plight. These few must hold fast to their faith in God, never
questioning Lenihan’s teachings, in order to ensure survival and salvation. The
Promised Land proves to be both more and less than the community had hoped for.
Some wonder if they have simply exchanged one monster for another. Take a chance
on the Promised Land and Wolfecastle’s new religion.
