The Brighter the Light, the Darker the Shadow

The Brighter the Light, The Darker the Shadow by Verlin Darrow

Reviewed by Rahul Gaur

Long before this book, Carl Jung famously said, “The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.” This means that we all have a light side and a shadow. When something becomes more intense or prominent, its opposite also becomes more pronounced. This book is about what happens when both are exposed.  Purchase Here.

The Brighter the Light, the Darker the Shadow by Verlin Darrow takes place in the Santa Cruz mountains, where spiritual leader Kade Tobin leads a small spiritual community called the Brethren of Congruence. They want peace and to live in harmony with life. But everything changes when Kade’s dog finds a dead woman near his home. Soon, this peaceful retreat becomes the site of multiple murders.

As the story progresses, different characters are introduced whose lives intertwine. Each character comes with their own set of complexities and acts from their backstories. Trauma shapes behavior. Ambition shapes judgment. Fear shapes accusations. The good thing is the book doesn’t label anyone good (bright) or bad (dark). It just showcases human beings’ reality. The community is full of regular people with problems. This is evident in characters like Jim, Martha, Susan, and Wayne. Then there is Detective Bill Cullen, who shows some interest in Kade’s philosophy. Other cops, like Jeff McCall and Michael Quinn, treat the community like a cult. The DA, Marion Burke, has personal reasons to go hard on Kade. Her daughter, Susan, lives in the community. Every character plays an important role in the story progression.

The Brighter the Light, the Darker the Shadow explores the clash of identity and power. Kade believes people suffer when they fight reality instead of accepting it. When the police arrest him for murder, his belief faces a real test. Some officers push hard during questioning. They try to scare Kade. The prosecution uses weak witnesses. This tussle is shown beautifully, and some descriptions are outstanding. One example is the moment Cullen receives the preliminary forensic report: it identifies the victim as a fit, fair-skinned Caucasian woman in her early twenties, shot at close range with a large caliber handgun sometime between 2 and 4 AM. Another is Cullen’s sharp, methodical way of cornering liars during his interview rounds.

The second half happens in court. The court system does not look fair. The judge is biased. Kade is stuck in jail, but he makes friends with a gang leader for protection. However, the pace drops during court scenes and jail reflections. But this seems intentional. It wants us to think about how belief systems work under pressure.

The author’s main argument is clear. The more someone shines, the more they attract doubt and attack. Light creates shadow. Life is not a straight line or just yes or no. There is a greyish area with lots of ups and downs. Kade is not perfect, and his spiritual authority makes him a target. He also lives in the U.S. without legal status and hides that truth. That is part of his shadow. The legal system sees facts and records. Kade sees meaning and lessons. These two views clash throughout the novel.

This is a solid story. It has suspense, court drama, and real thoughts about life and justice. The clever tricks and character ties make it fun to read. If you like mysteries with deeper meaning, pick this one up.

 

 

 

The Winter Verdict

The Winter Verdict: A Legal Thriller by Dan Buzzetta

Reviewed by Lily Andrews

“The Winter Verdict” by Dan Buzzetta is a book that follows Tom Berte, a lawyer who has traded the chaos of the high-stakes world of Washington D.C. for a quiet life as a small-town attorney in the ski resort town of Castle Ridge, or “the Castle” as locals call it, in upstate New York. Through his harrowing journey, the novel explores themes of redemption, the inescapable pull of the past, and the impossible choices a man must make when his family’s safety hangs in the balance. It is set against the brutal beauty of an upstate New York winter, and weaves together the stories of Tom, who is trying to rebuild his life far from the corruption he left behind, Faith McReynolds, the third generation owner of the ski resort who is fighting to protect her family’s legacy, a shadow consortium called Phoenix Holdings who has mysterious designs on a plot of land by the reservoir and an unknown threat that will force Tom to confront the question of how far he’s willing to go to save the people he loves.  Purchase Here.

The story begins with what should be a perfect morning, with Tom skiing the empty slopes before dawn, enjoying the peace he worked five years to build. He glimpses movements in the woods over his right shoulder, right before a shrill shriek stops him in his tracks. Thinking someone might be injured and in dire need of help, he scrambles down the icy embankment only to be ambushed and brutally attacked and left for dead in the snow.

The state police believe that whoever attacked him deliberately avoided killing him, likely intending it as a warning or simply to scare him. But soon after he is cleared by the doctors, the ski resort’s main chairlift gets sabotaged in a devastating cyberattack that kills numerous people. But before the dust even settles, a cryptic note warns him that something far worse is planned for the Fourth of July, and that his wife and daughter will be harmed if he goes to the authorities. This leaves him alone and feeling trapped between his oath as an officer of the court and his primal duty to protect his family.

Buzzetta, a litigation partner in a national law firm – the author of this book – brings an authenticity to the legal maneuvering and investigative work that few thriller writers can match. His novel carries a sense of relentless pacing and a willingness to put its protagonist through what feels like a hell designed to finish him off completely. He has not drawn Tom as an invincible hero but as a man who bleeds, who doubts himself, who makes mistakes, and whose love for his family is both his greatest vulnerability and his only weapon.

The author’s intimate knowledge of how power actually works in the courtrooms, corporate boardrooms, and in the shadowy spaces between is what I believe lends every twist and revelation in this book a chilling credibility. I could not fail to notice the well-drawn bond between Tom and the resort’s former marine head of security, through whom we are shown how trust can be forged in the crucible of shared danger. The depiction of the antagonist’s compound, with its cold ideology and meticulous planning, felt brilliant, and like the perfect reminder that the most frightening enemies are sometimes the very people who believe utterly in the justice of their cause.  “The Winter Verdict” by Dan Buzzetta is a gripping, pulse‑pounding thriller that left me wondering, ‘What then?’ when the law won’t protect the innocent. With its unforgettable protagonist, breakneck pace, and deeply satisfying conclusion, I believe that it cements Buzzetta’s place among the finest writers of legal suspense today. For anyone who believes that the line between hero and outlaw is actually thinner than anyone would dare to admit, this novel is an absolute must-read.

 

 

The Altaire Malnuals: Book Awards

The Altaire Manuals: Book Awards

The Altaire Manuals: Book Awards provides the required data to the questions: ‘what book awards’, ‘which genres’, ‘how to submit’, ‘where are they’ and ‘what does it cost’. The publishing guide contains 1,277 listings for international book awards and awarding organizations, first categorized by country and then genre.

The Altaire Manuals: Book Awards directory contains the following information: the awarding company or sponsor summary, the book award information, the submission requirements including book genres accepted, the prize amounts or type granted, the cost of the application, and the contact information with website addresses. The 1,277 distinct book award entries included in the directory span American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Irish, Asian, South Asian, South African, African, European, Middle Eastern, Caribbean and other international English-speaking awards and prizes, including global online book awards, and awards for audiobooks.

The Altaire Manuals: International Publisher and Author Resource  contains over 4,000 pages of tabled listings. The Altaire Manuals offer publishers, independent authors and book marketing and public relations professionals the precise tools, data and resources required to capitalize on all sectors of multinational marketing options for published books, with the ultimate aim of selling books. These are the sole global publishing directories designed to deliver the full spectrum of international post-production book marketing, book distribution, book review and book sales opportunities available to traditional publishers, small presses and independent authors.

Purchase The Altaire Manuals:  Book Awards

Visit the Author’s Website

The Malady of Love

The Malady of Love by Sierra Ernesto Xavier

Reviewed by Lily Andrews

There are some lies that enter a relationship so quietly you do not notice them at first, and by the time you do, they have burrowed too deep to be removed without pulling your heart and emotions apart. In Sierra Ernesto Xavier’s novel, “The Malady of Love,” a single deception does exactly that. It worms its way into the space between two people who believe they have found in each other a refuge from their deepest wounds and psychological traumas. This all unfolds through dialogue, where both their voices weave in and out of each other’s sentences.  Purchase Here.

The first character, a man, carries a wound he cannot name. It is something that has lived inside of him since childhood, something that has made him afraid of his own voice. When he was young, he learned that speaking could be dangerous, in that it could make some people laugh at him or simply disappear from his life altogether. Therefore, he grew up believing that silence was safer and that keeping his thoughts locked away would protect him from further hurt. The woman he meets understands this fear. We learn that she carries her own wound in the form of a memory of her twin sister, who died inside their mother’s womb. This was a tragedy she has been unable to shake, and one she has always believed was her fault.

When the two meet and begin to talk, something shifts in both of them. The man finds himself eager to speak, and the woman finds herself eager to listen. You can sense that she wants to hold his fears as gently as she would have held her sister if only she had been given the chance. For a while, it seems like their love might actually heal their old wounds, which undoubtedly have kept them lonely for so long, but unbeknownst to them, the foundation they have built that love on might not be as solid as they think. Beneath their happiness lies a secret, a deception tied to loss and motherhood, one that feels like something that might rise up when they least expect it and test everything they think they know about each other.

What I believe makes this book powerful is how deeply it makes you care for these two characters. It doesn’t make external descriptions of how they look or what their names are, which I believe is deliberate in order to force the reader to focus entirely on what matters- their inner lives. I also believe that by employing this approach, the author trusts the reader to fill the blanks and bring their own imagination to the story. Their dialogue feels raw and honest, primal in its need to be heard, and the gentle pacing pulls you right into their struggles. The chapters unfold with what feels like a quiet precision, tender and hopeful at first, then tighter and more urgent, before arriving at moments so sad and painful, they might leave you breathless for a while. I believe this structure deepens the reader’s emotional investment, so that by the end of the story, they feel they have lived it, and the final revelation lands not as a magical twist but as an expected outcome.

This story implores us to recognize the lies we sometimes convince ourselves are necessary and how they often become the very things that destroy us. It does not offer a happy ending, only hard truths about grief that has not been allowed to fully heal, about childhood wounds that shape everything we become as adults, and the devastating weight of betrayal that leaves you wondering whether you can personally forgive when the damage runs this deep. “The Malady of Love” is a book I believe will stay with the reader long after they finish it, not because it is easy or comforting, but because it is real and true. They should, however, be aware that it explores sensitive topics which may be distressing to some audiences.

 

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Cachinnation/Doc In A Box by William Leroy

Reviewed by Douglas R. Cobb

Two, two, two books in one! That is how I’d initially describe the two short novellas, Cachinnation and Doc In A Box , included in the prolific and talented author, William LeRoy’s, latest page-turning book. After you read Cachinnation, simply turn the book over and upside-down, and viola–there is the second novella, Doc In A Box , awaiting your engaged perusal! I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of these novellas, but I’d say, of the two, I give the edge to Doc In A Box. I would add that I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery novels combined with a generous dose of humor. I have read several of LeRoy’s novels before, and I always look forward to reading any new one he has written, and this book is no exception.  Purchase Here.

I would also recommend that  Cachinnation is read first. That’s because it covers Max Morgan’s case in the month of November, while Doc In A Box covers one in the month of December. Morgan, who is a rather corpulent man, is retired from the Postal Service and is a Notary Public who is unmarried, still lives at his mother’s house at the age of 52, and has as his office a “work station cubicle” at a local “Mister Quickie copy shop” in a small town in Oklahoma.

Morgan doesn’t have many, if any, actual friends, but he does have a lot of acquaintances, like the ones who make up a group of men who call themselves the Furries. The two members of the Furries who play the largest roles in Cachinnation are Possum McGill and Leo Wolfe, two ostensible friends who also have a mutual love interest, Possum’s wife, Lil. The two names, McGill and Lil, sort of reminded me of of a love interest in the Beatles’ song, “Rocky Raccoon,” though this might be coincidental.

Along the course of Cachinnation, Max discovers not only some dirty little secrets of some of the local townsfolk, but also learns how to laugh at himself and others. So, I would say that IMHO Cachinnation is a great start to this two novella combo, which, potential Spoiler Alert, also features a poisoned cupcake and a dead beaver.

In the second novella, Doc In A Box , it is the following month, December. Author William LeRoy’s always intrepid Max Morgan finds himself getting a bit of unwanted attention from his doctor’s wife, Candy Sanders, a “cougar,” who he believes is always on the prowl. Candy has other motives for what she does in Doc In A Box , but Morgan deduces, shall I say, otherwise.

Candy perhaps should be happy with having a doctor as her husband, but her marriage has grown from being one of convenience to inconvenience. She finds herself in an economic position where she uses her job working for her husband to get some of the doctor’s aging male clientele the prostate and ED treatment she strives to convince them that they need.

Dr. Sanders has dreams of retiring to Florida to play golf there and enjoy his retirement years, but he is retiring too early for his wife’s liking. He has not saved up enough money to satisfy her because she is several years younger than him and she wants to make sure her golden years are spent comfortably, with or without her spouse. Also, in Candy’s viewpoint, her husband’s life insurance policy wouldn’t make her golden years comfortable enough, so she doesn’t want him to retire yet.

Morgan believes Candy’s “treatment” at Dr. Sanders’ office must be because she is attracted to him and has a lustful, rather than financial, motivation for her actions. If the famous detectives he has read about in literature and their cases are any indication, Candy must be a femme fatale with murder on her mind to get her husband out of the picture, permanently. Morgan does the best he can to warn Dr. Sanders before it’s too late, and his wife does him in.
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William LeRoy’s two novellas, Cachinnation and Doc In A Box, are both entertaining and page-turning reads. Mystery fans who like playful and satirical humor tales will get a kick from checking out this two-for-one Max Morgan combo by LeRoy. I also highly recommend the other novels that this prolific author has written, and I look forward to reading more of LeRoy’s books in the near future.
Holiday Spirit

Holiday Spirit Book 1 by John DeGuire

Reviewed by Christine Kinori

Holiday Spirit by John DeGuire is probably one of the coolest holiday-themed horror novels I have ever read. John DeGuire takes us to a world where old classic monsters are reimagined. Forget everything you have read about the monsters under your bed. This visceral, bold genre-blending exploration, which sees legendary 19th-century gothic villains such as The Invisible Man, Count Dracula, and Frankenstein’s monster come together, is a must-read! Purchase Here.

The book is set in Killington, a quiet town in Vermont. One Halloween changes everything and awakens an old, vengeful witch. The town falls into paranoia as more strange things continue to happen. As they seek answers, the townsfolk put the blame on innocent monsters. Logic be damned, as the panic escalates once the children start going missing.

This is when three unlikely monsters step to the plate to protect the town from itself and the darkness within. Among them is Saul, Frankenstein’s patchwork EMS captain. Saul is a selfless and kind man who has dedicated his life to saving lives. Then there is Count Dracula, the wise and empathetic leader of the group. DeGuire skillfully reimagines this iconic monster, traditionally viewed as a villain.  In this book, he is the voice of reason, a devoted protector, and husband. Oh, and in this version, he is married to a werewolf, Aoife. She is a fearless alpha werewolf, loyal and cunning when necessary. She is pretty much the glue of the group.

Together, the group tries to bring down Bridgett Bishop. A victim of circumstances, Bishop has suffered a lot of abuse and prejudice from the townspeople because she is a witch. Over time, the grudge festers, turning into the desire for vengeance.  The Halloween prank gone wrong launches her into her villain era. They say hell hath no fury as a woman scorned, but by the end of the book, you will realize that hell hath no fury like a witch scorned!

The coolest thing about this story is that John DeGuire reinterprets classic monsters, humanizes them, and gives them a heroic arc. He expertly executes the subversion of classic tropes, offering a refreshing perspective.

The genre-defying writing style also sticks out in this book. The novel starts with a whimsical warmth as the town prepares for Halloween; however, the tone perfectly shifts as we slowly descend into the adult horror elements of the book.

Thanks to DeGuire’s medical background, the scientific aspects, such as the clinical phobias, feel real and at times gross. He also leans into his medical background to create Saul and Doctor Ralph’s characters. This gives the book a touch of psychological realism and authenticity, which most readers will appreciate.

Readers will also enjoy how DeGuire blends horror with humor and creates the perfect atmosphere for the story. He doesn’t use the environment as a simple background. He seamlessly incorporates it into the story and delves into the emotional weight it brings to the characters.  From the thematic complexities to the theological allegories and his eloquence, DeGuire’s writing style stands out for its intellectual depth.

Ultimately, the real message of the book is not lost on us. It is a book about prejudice and the dangers it brings. It serves as a reminder that the real monsters are not hidden but in plain sight. That the true nature of a human’s heart is deceptive.

It is also a story about the power of found family. The people who see the best in us and remain loyal even when the world turns against us. It is a story of a tight-knit group of outcasts who find it in their hearts to help those who judged them for their outward appearances. Given all the bias and profiling currently going on in the world, the relevance of this book is evident.

Holiday Spirit is a plea for empathy and a bloody reminder that we need to find the holiday spirit every day, and not only on Christmas. It is a mirror challenging society to not let us be defined by our differences and illogical fear of the unknown, but by our unity.

Coal Dust on Purple Asters

Coal Dust on Purple Asters by Jeffrey L. Carrier

Reviewed by Matthew McCarty

Appalachia is a wonderful place. The stories, legends, and myths of this American region are fascinating. Appalachian literature is about faith, family, hard work, and the extended kin networks that meld the dark hollows (pronounced “hollers” in the mountains) into a wonderful tapestry of what the world really should be like. Author Jeffrey L. Carrier, in his short story collection Coal Dust on Purple Asters, has added a new depth to the characteristics mentioned above that make Appalachian literature truly an inspiration. This short story collection is an easy read, but contains powerful and identifiable emotions such as poverty coupled with home, that many Appalachians know all too well.  Purchase Here.

Coal Dust on Purple Asters is the multi-generational story of the fictional Gibson clan and their relatives in Burfield county, an idyllic locale that could be any real county in Eastern Kentucky. Each of the stories shares the struggles, dreams, and sadness that make the Gibson family so relatable to Appalachians everywhere. Every Appalachian has heard the accounts of working in the coal mines, farming on the hillsides, natural disasters, and emotional turmoil that have made this region home. The Gibsons are not any different. Their stories are true tales from the mountains.

Carrier uses Appalachian language and dialect skillfully throughout the stories. Each story ties into the next with a fluidity that leaves the reader wanting to find out what happens when the page is turned. Accurate and appropriate Appalachian dialogue is hard to create. Carrier seems to be able to craft the words of the family in each story with ease. This helps the reader to visualize the world of the Gibsons and other families in Burfield county. This world is still very much alive in the hollows and hills of the Appalachians.

Coal Dust on Purple Asters is an excellent little volume. It is a book that one can read on a weekend. It is also a road map for Appalachians who have moved to every corner of the United States and who seek some semblance of a home that is unlike anywhere else. This reviewer grew up in the Appalachian mountains, in the heart of the Southwest Virginia coalfields, spent a great deal of time in Eastern Kentucky, and enjoyed the glimpses of home that this collection inspired. Carrier has written a wonderful collection of stories. Any reader who is interested in Appalachia, its history and literature, would do well to make this collection a prominent part of their spring reading.

 

 

 

 

Destroy All Monsters

Holiday Spirit Book Two: Destroy All Monsters by John DeGuire

Reviewed by Daniel Ryan Johnson

Holiday Spirit Book Two: Destroy All Monsters brings us a cast of familiar literary characters brought into the modern world with a new twist. From Frankenstein to Dracula to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, author John DeGuire takes these famous characters and puts his own spin on their personalities and history.  Purchase Here.

The book is fast-paced with short action-packed chapters throughout, making it a quick read that can be hard to put down. With a large cast of characters, we bounce around from one storyline to another until they begin to inevitably intersect. With most of the action of the book taking place in Paris, the reader is treated to a madcap adventure in the City of Lights.

DeGuire has a playful style to his writing, often employing alliteration, words with multiple meanings, and other quirks of language to accentuate passages of frivolity and farce and alleviate the mood in moments of morbidity.

Destroy All Monsters is not for readers looking for a peaceful and PG-rated read. There is plenty of gore, violence, mayhem, and foul language throughout, but the author does a fine job of keeping the book from crossing over to the point where it is overly obscene for a more squeamish reader looking for a book with adult themes.

Beyond telling the story of forces looking to destroy the well-known monsters of literary legend, the book contains many references to the modern world and explores the many problems that face the world today, including climate change, the global rise of authoritarianism, mob mentality, and the pervasive distrust and hatred of people who are different. At times, author John DeGuire addresses these issues head-on, while at other points in the text, they are referenced more subtly.

Holiday Spirit Book Two: Destroy All Monsters is a rollercoaster ride with far more screaming drops than anticipatory climbs. The action never lets up for long as our heroes face one challenge after another in a world that seems determined to destroy all monsters, but can’t seem to properly identify the true monsters that need to be stopped.

 

 

 

 

 

Poison Pill book cover with patient image.

Poison Pill by Anthony Lee

Reviewed by Lily Andrews

“Poison Pill” by Anthony Lee is a gripping medical thriller that plunges readers into the murky intersection of modern healthcare, corporate influence, and the greedy human desire for a quick fix. Told through Dr. Mark Lin, who speaks in the first person, it constructs an intelligent narrative that is not only suspenseful fiction but also a sharp critique of systemic failures within contemporary medicine and wellness culture.  Purchase Here.

Dr. Lin, a hospital-based internist at Ivory Memorial, encounters two medical cases that initially appear unrelated but later converge into a single investigative arc. The first involves a twenty-four-year-old male, Hector, who has been diagnosed with severe renal failure, where the arteries going into both kidneys are abnormally narrowed, almost blocked off. The second case involves a thirty-one-year-old male, Robbie, who has progressive respiratory failure. Both cases take Dr. Lin by surprise, not just because of the patients’ relatively young age, but also because neither condition has an immediately clear cause. As he investigates further, he discovers that both patients have a troubling pattern. They have been using weight-loss substances and energy boosters- a herbal supplement in Hector’s case and a pharmaceutical medication in Robbie’s case. What initially appears coincidental gradually evolves into suspicion, then into a clinical concern. Beginning with Hector’s case, his online search initially reveals nothing linking the supplement to renal failure. On the contrary, websites present the supplement as safe and beneficial. This absence of evidence just deepens his concern, pushing him to expand his search to the second case. He, however, is unaware that at this point he is no longer investigating an illness, but that he is approaching a system that will not merely resist exposure, but will respond with force, secrecy, and a craving for blood.

Dr. Lin’s as the narrator and protagonist, serves as the perfect anchor for this medical thriller. What’s most remarkable about him is how his determination is fueled not by hunger for ‘glory’ but by a relentless need to know and to help. His language is professional even when he is emotionally exhausted, and doesn’t overwhelm the reader or his distressed patients. One feels that he is not just eager to treat diseases but also the people, through ways that sometimes blur professional boundaries and place his career at risk. The supporting characters have been well crafted, each contributing in distinct ways to his mission. They include Dr. Carlos Chavez who helps Dr. Lin unfold a system that often treats symptoms, not mysteries, Ethan Harrington and Jennifer Brinks who personify the aggressive marketing machine, Alfonso Romano who offers a surprise, critical plot twist and Harold Lin, Dr. Lin’s father who becomes the protagonist’s emotional catalyst, and whose actions and moral stance propel his son into a visceral, deeply personal crusade.

“Poison Pill” by Anthony Lee is without a doubt a rare medical thriller that transcends genre through its portrayal of an industry where good intentions, financial survival, and greed often become dangerously intertwined. Its title functions as a metaphor, symbolizing toxic substances, poisoned systems, and the often invisible yet dangerously consequential forms of manufactured harm. Undoubtedly, it is a timely read, offered to the world at a time when wellness influencers are dominantly taking over digital spaces, and when the line between ‘well’ and ‘woo’ is getting more blurred by the hour through slick marketing. I believe that its clarion call is loud enough to have readers look twice at what they consume, what they trust, and what they believe.