First Place: Tokyo Juku by Michael Pronko

Tokyo Juku by Michael Pronko

Reviewed by Timea Barabas

A teacher’s murder changes a young student’s life forever and threatens to rip through the social fabric of Japan. At first glance, Michael Pronko’s Tokyo Juku appears to be a suspenseful modern detective novel. However, it quickly becomes clear that the story offers much more. Beneath the tightly woven murder mystery lies a sharp critique of a uniquely demanding education system and its many ramifications, both on an individual and societal scale.  Purchase Here.

What truly brings the novel to life, though, are the characters; each vividly portrayed as their lives unfold between the lines. Michael Pronko’s characters simply exist, without ever needing to persuade. Their actions, interactions, words, and thoughts are so organic that they naturally inhabit the space within Tokyo Juku.

After failing her exams the previous year, Mana is enrolled in the juku system to train mind and spirit in preparation for another attempt at gaining admission to a top university. She is determined to turn failure into conquest, akin to a ronin. What was meant to be another sleepless night of intense study takes a dark turn when the deep stillness is shattered by unexpected noises. Hesitant, Mana goes to investigate, only to discover her mentor, the school’s most prominent professor, had been stabbed.

Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is assigned to lead the murder investigation. Stepping outside his usual comfort zone, forensic accounting, Hiroshi brings a unique perspective to this complex case. As he follows multiple leads, he uncovers the murdered professor’s polarizing presence in both professional and personal spheres.

Just as he begins to get a firm grip on a thread that could reveal the motive and the perpetrator, a new dimension to the case emerges. The numerous conflicting leads threaten to overwhelm the investigation (and the narrative itself), but Hiroshi, guided by Michael Pronko’s precise penmanship, expertly maintains control and delivers a neatly packaged resolution.

What gives this work of fiction its strong sense of authenticity is, in large part, the infusion of the author’s own experiences. Michael Pronko, an American-born literature professor who has been living in Japan for more than two decades, pulls back the curtain to reveal the inner workings of the Japanese education system.

In my view, the most distinctive quality of Tokyo Juku lies in its sense of in-betweenness. The author passionately explores the spaces in between identities, cultures, and states of being. His characters embody this tension: some come from multiethnic backgrounds, while others travel and immerse themselves in new cultures. While a few seamlessly integrate multitudes, others can’t seem to settle on stable ground. Yet the most striking liminal space is the period of preparation before the exams; a suspended moment for students who have previously failed, caught between past disappointment and future possibility.

While Tokyo Juku is the seventh book from The Detective Hiroshi Series, it also stands firm as an independent book. Michael Pronko’s welcoming narrative voice makes any reader feel at ease, no matter when they arrive.

Imperfect Happiness

Imperfect Happiness: A Journey of Perfect Twists- Thirty-Day Devotional to Living Life Well by Terry C. Fleitz

Reviewed by Lily Andrews

“Imperfect Happiness: A Journey of Perfect Twists – Thirty-Day Devotional to Living Life Well” by Terry C. Fleitz is an inspiring Christian devotional that aims to inform and help readers navigate various challenges and thus be able to live in the best way possible, with a strong sense of purpose, wisdom, positivity, and faith.  Purchase Here.

Fleitz begins with a childhood memory. He remembers his sixth-grade teacher, Sister Magdalene, explaining what would, in years to come, become a strong basis for his understanding of integrity. She was the first person from outside the home to challenge him to think seriously about right and wrong, and also to see moral choices as deliberate acts rather than automatic responses. His parents were, of course, the first ones to instill in him a sense of honesty, hard work, and compassion. This they did, not through stern lectures but through deliberate behavior and choices. Over time, he would come to discover several life-changing truths. They include: living the best life is directly connected to building a closer relationship with God, that true success cannot be measured by material gain or social status, and that the depth of one’s faith and the sincerity of their relationships is directly tied to a lasting sense of joy, peace, and fulfilment.

As you read through this book, you can’t fail to notice Fleitz’s use of metaphors and imagery to communicate certain truths in more depth. They include “From the Ocean to the Mountain,” a real transition that he uses to describe two contrasting stages in his life’s journey, “The Organization” which apart from being a physical place, dramatizes general worldly success and moral compromise, “The Desert,” which represents a state of burnout and spiritual emptiness that follows overwork and misplaced ambition, and “The Room of Shame,” a metaphor that illustrates the inner chamber of conscience, that is, the place within oneself that holds guilt and regret. These, among others, beautifully and profoundly create a literary structure that mirrors his message, each marking a stage in the reader’s heart as they learn to live well.

This book is rich with scriptural references, especially verses from the Book of Psalms. This rich incorporation makes it feel meditative and authentic, with a sense of spiritual intimacy that draws the reader inward. It has the advantage of combining a devotional sense with memoir, in that the author can merge experience with reflection, grounding his words in a realism readers can relate to and, maybe, learn from.  Talking of structure, this book is complex, but in a good way. Every chapter has a “Pause and Reflect” section that feels intentionally placed to interrupt the narrative flow and shift the reader’s attention to self-examination. Additionally, the structure shifts between narrative, to prayer and song, in a multi-layered design that is a show of clever craftsmanship and a form of artistic control. Readers will agree that this style of writing is unique and helps prevent the text from becoming monotonous.

“Imperfect Happiness: A Journey of Perfect Twists – Thirty-Day Devotional to Living Life Well” by Terry C. Fleitz is a book that needs to be studied with a pen and a notebook, owing to its depth, density, and reflective nature. This study’s approach is also likely to move the reader from passive observation to active participation. Readers seeking meaning beyond material success, as well as those who have spent years chasing achievement, will deeply identify more with Fleitz’s experiences and discoveries. Additionally, those who have faced illness or loss will find genuine comfort in his honest retellings, which do not sensationalize suffering but rather treat it as a teacher that often helps draw meaning from even the darkest experiences. This is an essential read that intelligently reveals just how adversity can be redemptive and how faith can transform pain into purpose, despair into growth, and hardship into spiritual renewal. Excellent work, Terry Fleitz!

The Day I Lost You

The Day I Lost You by Ruth Mancini

Reviewed by Ephantus Gold

“The Day I Lost You,” by Ruth Mancini opens in Lauren’s house in Mantilla de Mar, Spain, where she is being accused by the police of abducting a two-years five-months English boy who bears a similar name like her son. She informs them that the child in question is her biological son, and that she has all the necessary documents to prove it. Immediately after the police leave, Lauren’s decides she is not safe, which leads her to pack and leave with the help of her newly found friend, Gabe, who she has long suspected to have feelings for her that run deeper than friendship. They move to a remote, rustic cabin in the Pyrenees mountains that belonged to Gabe’s grandparents. While hiding, she makes contact with Anna, her best friend, who connects her with a criminal defense lawyer who advises her that the only way she can avoid a protracted extradition battle and potential months in a Spanish prison, with Sam going to foster care, is for her to return to the UK voluntarily. But what she doesn’t know is that the truth of what happened in the hospital where Sam was born will be even more shocking than anyone has dared to imagine and turning herself in will only force it into the light, destroying every version of her story.  Purchase Here.

This story is constructed from a series of tragic twists that force the reader to closely evaluate the previous chapters as well as any hidden motives in what the characters say. These twists mirror the reality and sometimes messy nature of life, where villains turn out to be the same people who portray themselves as saviors and safe havens. In this story, the twists create a persistent state of unease, giving a sense of a destabilization that can occur any time. This is sure to offer the reader a richer, more demanding and more memorable reading experience.

The characters in this novel are hewn from their respective traumas. Each one of them has had devastating events in life that become the raw material that shape their moves and decisions. The beauty of this is in how these trauma-defined edges clash and grate against each other and how this friction becomes the very engine of the plot. Another thing that makes this story unforgettable is the choice to incorporate a young child as the central character in the story. It is a brilliant choice that weaponizes emotions and beautifully transforms the novel into a gripping emotional ordeal.

“The Day I Lost You,” carries unsettling truths that will leave the reader actively haunted after the final choice is made, as well as forced into a deeply personal reckoning with the very definition of true love. It will also leave them with a sense of the catastrophes that can arise when we keep telling ourselves potentially dangerous lies, especially where survival is involved. This is one of the books out there with deeply flawed characters, which means that readers looking to follow a clear, morally righteous hero may find it easily frustrating. However, those who enjoy being their own detective, sifting through conflicting testimonies and timelines will love every bit of the plot.

 

Long Lost Midwife

Long Lost Midwife by Skye Smith

Reviewed by Timea Barabas

Skye Smith’s Long Lost Midwife offers a captivating exploration of life’s winding path. Set in the 1930s, the novel blends a journey of self-discovery with sharp societal critique. While it may be tempting to interpret the story through a modern perspective, it’s important to approach it within the context of its own time.  Purchase Here.

We first meet Franklin and Pamela Dorset just after their wedding, when they are settling into their much-admired home and enviable lifestyle. As they embark on their honeymoon across Europe, however, cracks begin to show in their new marriage. Both are learning who the other truly is, pushing against each other’s comfort zones in the process.

Their travels are shadowed not only by the strains of their relationship but also by the growing political unrest in Europe, a subject that weighs heavily on Franklin. He eagerly seeks conversation about world affairs, yet finds little engagement from his new wife, who is reluctant to enter such debates. Pamela also shows hesitation when it comes to physical intimacy, further testing the foundation of their young union.

After their return, Franklin and Pamela continue working on their relationship, which eventually bears fruit when Pamela becomes pregnant. While the entire family urges her to deliver in a hospital under the care of trained medical professionals, Pamela is haunted by a distant memory.

She recalls Miss Minnie, the woman who not only brought her and her sister into the world but also cared for them as small children. Instead of the cold, sterile atmosphere of a hospital, Pamela longs to give birth as she was born: at home, surrounded by warmth and compassion.

While Long Lost Midwife begins as a story about navigating the challenges of early married life (set against the backdrop of looming global political unrest), it quickly shifts its focus to a deeper, more complex exploration of racial segregation and evolving societal norms.

Pamela’s husband and family are firmly opposed to the idea of a home birth, especially one attended by a woman of color. Despite her wishes, Pamela finds she has little say in the decision. To her relatives, allowing two Black women to help with household duties is already considered an eccentric indulgence.

Yet Pamela cannot escape the tender pull of her memories with Miss Minnie. Compelled by a force she can hardly name, she makes repeated attempts to reach out to her. Once their paths finally cross, Pamela begins to unravel the deep ties binding their lives and the lasting consequences they carry.

As she learns more about this complex, enigmatic woman, long-buried family secrets come to light, secrets that will forever alter her understanding of herself and her world. Then, in an unexpected turn, the novel shifts into a gripping murder mystery.

Because of its mature themes, Long Lost Midwife is best suited for adult readers. It sparks meaningful conversations on a wide range of issues and, though set in the 1930s, its themes remain strikingly relevant today. Covering subjects such as sexuality, gender roles, racial dynamics, and societal taboos, the story offers something that will resonate with a broad and diverse audience.

View the Trailer for Long Lost Midwife

Missing Sister

Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson

Reviewed by Ephantus Gold

“Missing Sister” by Joshilyn Jackson is the kind of story that opens with more questions than answers – a body on the cold floor, a young, inexperienced cop haunted by the one person she couldn’t save, and a feeling that this time she’s too deep to walk away.  Purchase Here.

Penny never dreamed of becoming a cop as a child. Her tender heart often left her father wondering if the role was really right for her.  Her desire to protect and serve arose after the tragic death of her twin Nix Albright, who had wanted nothing but to make the world fair. In the present day, Penny is at her first crime scene, where a familiar-looking man has been brutally murdered. He is someone she wished to meet when he was dead and “sprawled like roadkill,” and well, here he was. A dark joy fills her as she realizes that two of the three people she hated most had died. However, their death timing, both in two months, has her questioning whether it was a pure coincidence. When she interviews the assailant, a woman covered in blood-drenched clothes gripping a box cutter, she finds herself caught up in a dilemma when the woman threatens her, before muttering out a word- “a bigger word than rules, or law or rightful,” leading Penny to do the unthinkable.

Penny’s gentle voice takes the reader back in time to the events leading to Nix’s death. Here, she shows how people blamed the girl for what befell her. In these lines, themes of social judgment, grief, and loss, as well as victim, arise. After her burial, Penny is shown wondering what she could have changed about the past, but she knows she can’t. That feeling of helplessness lingers on and later shapes how she carries her grief and what she later becomes. As a cop in training, Penny is later questioned by detectives. Here, her silence weighs heavily, challenging her sense of justice and forcing her to face the kind of officer she is becoming. Here, themes of identity and duty, as well as redemption and responsibility, surface. The sense of being watched after the interview adds to her unease, blurring the line between guilt and persecution, and reminding her that further silence may only lead to more entanglement.

Joshilyn has structured this tale with skill, layering the past and present in a way that constantly keeps the reader wondering what really happened to Nix. The shifting timelines don’t feel forced; rather, they make the story breathe and move like a memory itself. She has used short, sharp scenes that build tension without giving too much. The dialogue feels grounded, almost personal. You can tell Joshilyn understands grief and guilt and how they both can influence the choices people make. The suspense is steady, not loud or overdone, and the pacing pulls you along quietly, and before you know it, you are too deep to step back. Penny, as a young heroine, is one of the book’s best decisions. She is flawed and uncertain, which makes her believable and relatable. Through her, Joshilyn speaks to young readers who may be struggling with questions of justice and what it means to be good in a broken world.

“Missing Sister” doesn’t just entertain but also provokes thought. It’s meant for readers who enjoy character-driven stories featuring young heroines, as well as crime fiction that remains haunting and lingering lo

 

Second Place: A National Park Love Story by Chris Truxell and Jeff Crum

A National Park Love Story: 63 Parks, 15 Years, One Dream by Chris Truxell and Jeff Crum

Reviewed by Matthew McCarty

America’s national parks are full of breathtaking awe and wonder. The amazing views, natural scenery, and awesome experiences make national parks a great place to form friendships, meet new people, and even fall in love. Authors Chris Truxell and Jeff Crum use their commitment to visiting America’s national parks to strengthen their bond with each other.  A National Park Love Story: 63 Parks, 15 Years, One Dream (Self-published, 2025, 346 pages) is the chronicle of the authors’ desire to experience the world around them and each other through visits to the national parks. A National Park Love Story is an enjoyable read that reflects the authors’ desire to share their relationship and their world with the reader.  Purchase Here.

America’s national parks are a great place to rest, relax, reflect on, and contemplate the world of Mother Nature. Chris and Jeff decide to explore all 63 national parks to understand what their life together is about and how the struggles of emerging from two toxic marriages can sometimes overwhelm people simply looking to find someone to spend time with. A National Park Love Story underscores the importance of understanding just how complicated relationships can be. Their commitment to recovering from their pasts and to sharing that recovery with the reader is the foundational element that makes this a good story. Their nonjudgmental view of life and of the baggage of creating a new family from the broken parts of others helps carry A National Park Love Story to the finish line.

Books like A National Park Love Story tend not to pique this reviewer’s interest. These books are usually found to have too much detail that does not support the overall story. However, this story was different. A National Park Love Story was written to illustrate the idea that family and relationships are an ever-evolving work in progress. Relationships are not perfect and require the kind of effort that is almost superhuman to maintain. Chris and Jeff are open and honest about their struggles and how their life together is not viewed through rose-colored glasses.

A National Park Love Story is a well-written story that anyone who has been through trauma and the renewed energy of hope and relationships can sympathize with and identify with. The narrative flows easily and reads like a novel of hope and sacrifice. The language is simplistic and engaging. A reader looking for an engrossing nonfiction journey would do well to read A National Park Love Story. This reviewer enjoyed it immensely.

 

Third Place: Assimilation by Lonnie Busch

Assimilation by Lonnie Busch

Reviewed by Jacquelyn Tolksdorf

As the book introduces us to Kercy — a wheelchair-bound teen surrounded by her wealthy but dysfunctional parents in an isolated Canadian cottage it winds its way from in a ‘close encounter’ thriller that bends into a Sci-Fi epic of alien experiments and violation. Kercy is visited by subterranean amphibious creatures in her bedroom. When she wakes up the next day bleeding her mother just shrugs it off as menstruation. The next day her father disappears on the lake. Compounding a severe sexual trauma she must stow away in her psyche so she can process her father’s disappearance.  Purchase Here.

Ironically as Kercy grows stronger physically of her disability and mentally into academia – she pursues a PhD; in Anthropology seeking the understanding of how humans behave. And after way into her adulthood she returns to the cabin after her mother’s death with her boyfriend to have memories and revolutions “flood” back to her.

And as the title suggests, as more revelations come to Kercy – will she assimilate with the beings from her haunting past and join them in the bay by the cabin?

The conclusion of ASSIMILATION by Lonnie Busch is a haunting, ambiguous ending that merges the novel’s themes of transformation, identity, and connection between human…and alien life.  It suggests that assimilation is not conquest but evolution: a merging of species, consciousness, and identity, blurring the line between human and alien, science and myth, self and other.

In essence, ASSIMILATION closes on the idea that survival—and perhaps salvation—lies in surrendering the illusion of human dominance and embracing connection, however terrifying or unfamiliar it may be. The novel intertwines themes of alien contact, bodily transformation, parental betrayal, and identity. It reads as both a coming-of-age horror story and a meditation on what it means to be human—to evolve, assimilate, and survive when one’s very nature is in question.

Dying Cry

Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima

Reviewed by Daniel Ryan Johnson

Dying Cry is a thrilling installment in Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series. This series is centered around Deputy Mattie Walker of the Timber Creek County Sheriff’s Department and her K-9 partner Robo. The book opens with Mattie taking a long weekend with her family at a local resort. While snowshoeing one last trail before heading home, they hear a piercing scream. Mattie and Robo go to investigate and lend assistance if anyone is in trouble, while the rest of the family heads back to the resort for help.  Purchase Here.

After Robo leads Mattie to a body at the bottom of a cliff, the mystery kicks into action. It quickly becomes evident that the fall was the result of foul play, and the investigation becomes very personal once the identity of the deceased is revealed.

Mizushima masterfully shows how a murder investigation can become very complicated in a small community where law enforcement can’t easily distance themselves from the suspects and victims, as is common in a big city.

Dying Cry demonstrates the myriad ways a K-9 unit can benefit law enforcement, with these highly trained dogs possessing skills that humans cannot replicate. In addition to helping Mattie with her investigation, Robo also helps with her professional and personal relationships. Her work with the dog and the bond they have built has helped her break down some barriers that trauma built.

Mizushima’s characters are fully fleshed out, and their actions are believable. Even more minor characters who don’t receive a lot of time on the page feel real and like they serve a greater role than to simply benefit or deter our protagonist. The dialogue is natural and flows well. There are subtle nods to plot points from past books in the series that make a new reader interested in exploring other Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries without making them feel like they should abandon Dying Cry until they have caught up.

With tension that continues to build as the story goes along, you will have a hard time putting the book down. Instead, you will find yourself right there alongside Mattie and Robo, trying to solve the crime and find the killer before anyone else gets hurt.

First Place: Seventeen Missions to Save the World by Leyth Sharaf

Seventeen Missions to Save the World by Leyth Sharaf

Reviewed by Timea Barabas

Your life can change in unimaginable ways in the blink of an eye, whether during a college basketball game or while picking up Seventeen Missions to Save the World by Leyth Sharaf. While the book mainly targets a younger audience, it is a refreshing read for all ages. The author’s vivid narration makes the story cinematically unfold before the reader’s eyes.  Purchase Here.

This young adult novel blends humor, satire, and touches of surrealism to explore a grand theme: saving the world. Rather than treating this ambitious goal as an impossible challenge, the author breaks it into seventeen smaller, achievable missions.

It all begins with a teenager who simply wants to win a basketball game for his team. But in the middle of the match, a shimmering portal opens, and a mysterious being known as the Reminder steps through, bringing a warning of impending doom.

The future is collapsing, and only the protagonist, Leyth, holds the key to saving it. By a twist of fate, his teammate Ellie is drawn into the mission as well. Together, they journey through a magical portal that transcends time and space, witnessing possible futures across the world as they strive to set things right.

Our two heroes embark on seventeen missions to save the world as we know it. Each mission unfolds in two parts. First, Leyth and Ellie are given a glimpse into a dystopian future that magnifies a pressing global issue, such as poverty, gender inequality, or rampant overconsumption. These scenarios are depicted in vivid detail, infused with sharp satire, humor, and wit. Then, they are transported back to the present day, where they must confront and resolve the problem before it spirals beyond control.

Seventeen Missions to Save the World by Leyth Sharaf is a light-hearted and thought-provoking exercise on enacting positive change in the world around us. It shows over and over again how even the smallest good deeds can reverberate into causing global change.

If two teenagers can save the world seventeen times, surely, collectively, we should manage to be able to as well. Leyth Sharaf serves as our Reminder of how we continue to neglect our responsibilities to care for and protect one another and our home.

Second Place: A Case Against Jasper by Clifton Wilcox

The Case Against Jasper by Clifton Wilcox

Reviewed by Lily Andrews

“The Case Against Jasper” by Clifton Wilcox takes us right into the Wildwoods Farm, where rumors are running wild and trust hangs by a thread, in one of the most chilling tales of deception vs. truth you’ll ever encounter. There, “A scream, a slip…” becomes the spark that sends little Jasper on a desperate journey for answers that no one dares to speak aloud.  Purchase Here.

Jasper and Jenny are enjoying their favorite game when the latter suddenly hits the ground with a thud that no creature can ever forget. In a short while, accusations fill the air that Jasper deliberately shoved her. “He could never compete with Jenny, and he loathed that…” they say. Invited by the elder of the farm, enters Ink, a clever ferret detective with a quick wit and a keen eye for details, and Fiona, “The Whisper,” whose reputation for her uncanny ability to pick up on cues and to overhear whispers and quiet conversations precedes her. Eager not to let the whispers write the ending, the duo sets out to untangle the rumors. But little do they know that the truth is darker and far closer than anyone dares to imagine.

What follows is a walk down a detective’s journey. Ink and Fiona are not just following what everyone is saying; instead, they are looking into what one can easily overlook, including non-verbal cues of their suspects —the pause before a name, a shaky voice, the nervous flick of a tail. At the farm, looking the other way is the path of least resistance that may keep them safe and liked. Their choice here becomes the story’s moral heartbeat and Wilcox’s belief that justice is not found in consensus but in courage.

In “The Case Against Jasper,” one senses early into the read that the animal characters are not simply personalities but moral instruments, with each of them embodying a distinct attitude towards fear, truth, and justice. Each of them represents a recognizable human tendency, including innocence, idealism, moral laziness, and reason and empathy. By giving them these human traits, Wilcox frees the story from direct human context, allowing the reader to examine moral failure in its purest form. He has also given them distinct behavioral language, which enables the reader to learn who they are by how they sound and react, not just by what they say. Of worthy note is how he allows the characters to change throuh understanding, a quality that elevates the book, distinct from a mere fable, and far less cynical than popular ‘Animal Farm’ stories.

Wilcox has written with a measured, lyrical precision that feels timeless. His sentences unfold with the rhythm of oral storytelling that is clear enough for young readers, yet layered enough to engage adults looking for reflection and allegory. His tone is morally charged, inviting contemplation rather than shock even in moments of tension. Fans of reflective mysteries as well as those who enjoy gentle yet profound storytelling will resonate most with his style. Whether approached as a fable, a mystery, or a mirror held up to our own worlds, “The Case Against Jasper” will leave its audience with a lasting sense of the foundations upon which justice stands.