Featured Review Archives - Page 12 of 22 - BestSellers World

The Umbrella Maker’s Son by Tod Lending

February 15, 2025

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

The Umbrella Maker’s Son is a painful story about Reuven, a Polish Jew, and his family. Reuven worked in his father’s umbrella shop. He was very much in love with Zelda. Life seemed good until one day it all changed. Poland was invaded by the Nazis, and it did not take long for them to take over Krakow where Reuven and his family lived. Zelda and her family left Krakow to stay with relatives. Each day, everything got worse. The Nazis took over the umbrella shop and demanded that Reuven and his father do manual labor by helping to rebuild the railroad tracks. Reuven, at times, looked at his father’s reactions to the Nazis as weakness. As time passed, he changed his mind and knew it was really strength. Purchase Here.

Reuven’s father committed a crime, and he knew his family must leave before the Nazis find out what he did. Their dangerous journey begins as they try to flee.

Reuven ends up working for a farmer. The farmer is happy to have him helping with the farm; however, for the farmer’s wife it is a different story. Reuven must make another decision.

What is really amazing is Reuven’s determination to find Zelda.

Will Reuven find Zelda? Will they all survive?

I loved this author’s writing style. His descriptive writing is magical and filled with so much clarity and detail when describing someone or something. It is obvious the author did a great deal of research to write this book.

This story will fill you with many emotions. We have all read many true stories about the attack of the Nazis and how the Polish Jews suffered. Even though this story is fiction, the terrible atrocities about what happened to the Jews during WWII are portrayed in a superb manner. If I had to sum up this story about Reuven’s family in one word, it would come down to “resilience”. The Umbrella Maker’s Son is not only a story about the terrible things that happened to the Polish Jews, but it is also a love story.

This book is filled with memorable characters who each play an important role. One other thing…be sure to have some tissues by your side as you read this book because many parts of the book will bring tears to your eyes.

The Umbrella Maker’s Son is a fascinating and memorable read!

Justice Never Rests: A U.S. Attorney’s Battle against Murderers, Drug Lords, Mob Kingpins & Cults by William Kolibash, with Jon Land and Sheriane Kolibash Taylor

February 9, 2025

Reviewed by Russell Ilg

“JUSTICE NEVER RESTS” NEVER LETS UP OR DISAPPOINTS

As soon as I slid the contents from the envelope, I knew it was a bomb.

So opens JUSTICE NEVER RESTS: A U.S. Attorney’s Battle Against Murderers, Drug Lords, Mob Kingpins and Cults (Post Hill Press, $19.99, 320 pages), a scintillating and seminal narrative of groundbreaking U.S. Attorney William Kolibash’s dogged efforts to fight all manner of crime in the Northern District of West Virginia. Purchase Here.

Being a sucker for John Grisham and Scott Turow, I devoured what read like a factual version of their fiction, employing an occasional pinch to remind myself it was all real. Kolibash is Frank Galvin from “The Verdict” without the alcohol problem, Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller without the Lincoln, and Perry Mason without the theme song.

Writing with bestselling author Jon Land, working in tandem with his daughter Shariane, Kolibash fashions a tale steeped in history, as well as the law. While Wheeling and other West Virginia cities might not have the luster of bigger, glitzier ones, they were facing the very same criminal scourges that were roiling the entire country. To fight them, the crusading Kolibash scored the first successful RICO prosecution in the nation’s history, while also forming the first ever federal investigative grand jury, and pioneering the use of multi-jurisdictional task forces.

A good thing since he took on some truly memorable bad guys that included a moonshining family that traded their stills for marijuana fields, any number of gangsters that included notorious Midwest kingpin Paul Hankish. The chapters covering him shares the book’s center stage with the investigation into a murderous and corrupt Hari Krishna swami based in Kolibash’s backyard, a case that garnered national headlines.

Kolibash puts thriller author Land’s sense of pacing and suspense to splendid use by stitching together a narrative of mostly independent episodes dealing with pretty much every crime imaginable with the help of an “Untouchables”—, or “Magnificent Seven”—like team of specialists from the IRS, West Virginia State Police and FBI. Some of the bad guys they took down were really bad, while others brought a lighter touch to the table.

The main witness against Jesse was the prostitute’s pimp. His name was Bobby Mitchell. On the Friday before the trial, I went to see Mitchell at a Grafton, West Virginia jail where he was imprisoned at the time. I told Mitchell that we were going to call him as a witness and he had no choice but to tell the jury what had happened. Mitchell agreed to testify on one condition: that we let him wear his pimp outfit, which consisted of a purple-blue velour suit and shoes that had a glass heel with a goldfish enclosed.

Mitchell ended up testifying, but sans goldfish, because they weren’t allowed in court. Kolibash’s memoir is chock full of anecdotes like that, injecting a verve and vitality rare for narrative nonfiction in general and legal tomes in particular. Always riveting, sometimes raw and often relentless, JUSTICE NEVER RESTS is an extraordinary achievement that stands alongside F. Lee Bailey’s “The Defense Never Rests” and Alan Dershowitz’s “The Best Defense” as classic works of real-life courtroom drama. A mesmerizing, mind-numbing masterpiece of an evolving criminal mindset that William Kolibash was equal to at every turn. Not only does justice never rest, neither will you until you finish this book.

Book cover: "Layered Leadership" by Lawrence Armstrong.

Layered Leadership: Drive Double-Digit Growth and Dominate Your Competition with Creative Strategies and Execution by Lawrence R. Armstrong

February 6, 2025

Reviewed by Timea Barabas

Lawrence R. Armstrong peels back the layers of leadership to display multitudes. Drawing inspiration from a surprising array of sources he weaves a unique holistic perspective on how to achieve personal and business success. Engaging and thought-provoking, Layered Leadership bridges the gap between theory and practice; it provides actionable strategies to elevate your leadership and drive your business forward. Purchase Here

Leaders are not born, they are made. Armstrong reflects on his own journey of becoming a leader, which began with a seized opportunity. From there, he navigated a winding path, guided by the flashes of light sparked by revelations. These glimmers often come from the most unexpected or even ordinary sources, like going for a walk.

Sharing his personal transformation and mapping out the strategic growth plan for Ware Malcomb (the full service design firm where Armstrong built his career) is what adds true gravitas to the read. However, what is particularly interesting is the symbiotic relationship between him and the firm. As the author’s role in the company evolved, he enacted a stronger influence, and Ware Malcomb slowly but strategically stretched outside its initial frame.

Layered Leadership presents many different techniques sourced from leadership books that stood the test of time, as well as insights from real-world experiences. Armstrong presents how at Ware Malcomb they used different ingredients to create a roadmap for success. Now, you’re invited to blend these insights with your own unique approach to drive success in your business.

For example, the Visible Light Spectrum is a powerful tool for strategic diversification. It helps determine whether a new product or service aligns with the company’s core strengths (within the spectrum) or is too far outside its expertise (beyond the visible light). This framework ensures more focused growth decisions.

While the book explores many layers of leadership, a few key concepts stand out, such as opportunity. You must not only recognize and seize opportunities presented before you for your own growth but, once a leader, also create space for others to develop and thrive.

Above all, Layered Leadership is an invitation to open your mind and your life to new challenges. Lawrence R. Armstrong encourages creativity and multi-lateral development to open up new dimensions. By staying curious about the (natural and man-made) world around us, we stimulate our innate creativity, which will reveal new paths to success.

Colorful book cover with woman by cottage.

A Summer House on Arran by Ellie Henderson

February 4, 2025

The two women agree to share the little cottage and so begins a summer of rediscovery, friendship and laughter that soon brings together a community of women across the island.

Kitty finds herself embracing life again — but could that also be thanks to handsome Logan, aka the Tartan Wanderer? His intense dark eyes and broad shoulders make her weak at the knees.

But then Olivia’s toxic ex-boyfriend arrives on Arran and threatens their summer of sisterhood.

Can this band of women come together to reclaim their summer bliss?

Purchase Here

Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI by Faisal Hoque

February 3, 2025

Reviewed by Diana Coyle

In “Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI” by Faisal Hoque the author takes us on an educational journey of teaching us about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and just how integrated it is in our lives already. Without putting much thought to it, everyone carries a cell phone with them. Within that phone, some use facial recognition technology to unlock it. In our messaging apps, you have the autocomplete tool when you are typing a message. AI enhances our daily routines by providing us advanced technology to allow us to do things faster or even more efficiently than before. Purchase Here

Hoque explains that in order to understand what truly matters with AI, we must all first understand what our priority level is in using AI technology numerous times throughout our daily routines. For some, it might have significant importance, especially when running a business. To others, it might just be a technology that’s nice to use, but they aren’t dependent on it.

Some people are worried about AI technology feeling that we may be giving up our freedom to do things ourselves, instead of relying on technology to do things faster and even more efficiently than we ourselves are doing. In truth, AI is really what you make of it. It all depends on your need and how much you want to rely upon AI to get through your daily routine.

I definitely was amazed at just how much the author opened my eyes in regard to just how much AI is already present in our world without us even realizing the extent of dependency in each of our lives. Besides our phones making things easier for us, think about the music we listen to, or the people we interact with online. All the social media platforms are using AI and in each one of us interacting on social media with people and companies, we too have AI entwined in our lives without us putting much thought to it.

One thing I would like to mention that I hadn’t put much thought to before reading “Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI” was just how much the medical industry has incorporated AI in their field. It’s used to provide invaluable diagnostics regarding a patient’s health. It’s used to develop prosthetics and even to assist in daily operations. Although we already knew hospitals and doctors were doing these things, I personally never stopped to think about it being so encompassed around AI. This intelligence is saving human lives daily and if we chose not to use it, think of how behind we would be in technology. People are fearful that AI is giving up too much of the personal touches, but when you think about how it has made such a positive impact on the medical field, one has to stop and wonder if they should re-evaluate their perspective on AI as a whole.

Although there are many AI books saturating the market, this is one in which will make you think about how you are presently using AI in your life. It will have you re-assessing if you are as safe as you think you are by having AI as such an integral part of your daily life. After reading this book, you’ll be able to see the pros and cons of having this technology in your life, and it will give you the knowledge needed to make educated decisions if you should be as dependent as you are on AI. Knowledge is power and “Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI” by Faisal Hoque gives every reader plenty of information on the different forms of AI that surround us. It is for each reader to make their own decisions how far they should allow AI to be a part of their individual lives. Well done!

2025 Book Awards – Bestsellersworld.com

January 20, 2025

Nominations are now open.

All books written in English, are eligible to win.

The judging panel is comprised of BestSellers World reviewers, some of whom are authors. All are active in the literary community. A few areas of criteria to be judged will include:

Plot
Ability to Engage the Reader
Title of Book
Book Cover Design
Grammar
Content
Originality
Conclusion

We will use a point system to determine three finalists. A judging panel will determine the first, second and third place winners.

Due to postage increases, we are encouraging only PDF copies of your book. Be sure the PDF includes the front book cover. You will be notified when to forward the PDF.

Deadline for nominations is December 15, 2024.

Winners will be announced by January 1, 2026. There will be three winners in each category: one first place winner, one second place winner and one third place winner.

Winners will be given a free author page on Bestsellersworld.com.

Each winner will receive a digital seal and certificate.

Names of winners will be listed in our blog.

Names of winners will be listed in our newsletter.

Names of Winners will be listed on our Facebook page.

Names of winners will be listed via a tweet.

Names of winners will be listed on the Bestsellersworld Award page on Goodreads.

If your book is reviewed on our site, we will add the award logo to your book review page on Bestsellersworld.com.

For more information, go to this link:

2025 Book Awards

Unicorns Can Be Deadly (A Discount Detective Mystery) by Charlotte Stuart

December 23, 2024

Reviewed by Daniel Ryan Johnson

Unicorns Can Be Deadly is an interesting twist on a classic mystery novel. The book is centered around a private detective agency that offers low rates to provide investigative services to people on a budget. While the story does have a central mystery that propels the narrative forward, the true focus of the book is on the myriad issues faced by the homeless population in Seattle and the lack of resources to address these complicated problems. Purchase Here.

Author Charlotte Stuart jumps right into the action with the first sentence of the book introducing a young boy running for his life. Fortunately, this boy crosses paths with Cameron Chandler, a private investigator and single mother who sees him in danger and acts to protect him. This spontaneous action pulls Cameron and her investigative partner Yuri into a search for a missing homeless woman named Bess. Their inquiries bring them face-to-face with the homeless population of the city and force them to confront the many challenges faced by this community.

Charlotte Stuart does a great job of posing difficult questions about serious issues without weighing down the tone of the book. She weaves many moments of levity into the story while maintaining respect for the community she is writing about and the problems they are confronted with on a daily basis.

As the investigators in the story search for the missing homeless woman, they end up taking on several other cases revolving around the homeless community, with each case revealing additional issues that we as a society are not doing enough to address. While Unicorns Can Be Deadly highlights critical problems, Stuart does not preach an agenda but simply poses questions to the reader as food for thought.

Overall, Unicorns Can Be Deadly is an enjoyable and quick read. The plot keeps the reader engaged and keeps you turning the pages to find answers to the mysteries our investigative protagonist is trying to unravel. The characters are all well-defined and the heroes are quite likable making it easy to root for them. Unicorns Can Be Deadly is the 5th book in the Discount Detective Mystery series, and as my introduction to the characters, I look forward to going back and exploring their previous adventures while waiting to see what the author has planned for them next.

Book cover: "Wisdom and the Baobab Tree".

Wisdom and the Baobab Tree by Edward R. McMahon

December 8, 2024

Reviewed by Daniel Ryan Johnson

Wisdom and the Baobab Tree is a story set in a foreign context that manages to hit close to home for readers in the United States, as well as readers throughout various other parts of the world. Set in the fictional African country of Kombonia, the book explores the struggle of a country to fully embrace democracy. While the nation has been a democracy in name for a few decades when the book begins, true democratic elections have never taken place. Purchase Here.

Much of the story is told through the eyes of American Adam Edwards, who is in the country working for the Center for Democratic Progress, an independent organization with funding from the U.S. government. The purpose of his mission in Kombonia is to help ensure the elections coming at the end of the year are fair and democratic. He is tasked with sharing the knowledge gained by the U.S. and other nations in their experience with democracy to help create a framework for a true democracy to succeed in Kombonia.

While Wisdom and the Baobab Tree portrays a nation that is just beginning its democratic journey, many of the challenges this fledgling democracy faces reflect issues present in U.S. politics, as well as other nations with a long democratic history. Political violence, threats to a peaceful transfer of power, distrust in the electoral process, election interference, and a deep divide between different population groups are key issues addressed throughout the book that many democracies throughout the world are facing today.

When drawing these parallels between the challenges regarding democracy in Kombonia and the United States, author Edward R. McMahon takes several different approaches. At some points in the book, these similarities are subtly hinted at, while, at other times, he clearly connects the dots for the reader.

While Wisdom and the Baobab Tree shows how challenging it can be to build and maintain a democracy, especially in times where trust in the media and the information we receive is incredibly low, the overall tone of the book is a hopeful one. It shows that while there will always be struggles along the way, there is a path forward, that the checks and balances of the democratic system are necessary to ensure human rights, and that the system must constantly be reevaluated to ensure it works for the modern age.

Girl on Fire by Eden Hart

December 1, 2024

Reviewed by Lily Andrews

The first book in Eden Hart’s dystopian adventure epic, “Girl on Fire,” centers on a young girl who battles a fatal disease and whose world almost falls apart when a deadly fever begins claiming thousands of lives, including people who matter to her. Purchase Here.

According to Kassia’s most recent diagnosis, her myeloid leukemia, which was in the most aggressive stage, was becoming worse. As her family ruminated on her sickness on Thanksgiving night, they were stunned by the most spectacular display of red dots that glittered everywhere. As everyone looked up into the sky in shock and bewilderment, the air felt thinner, and there was a foul odor around them, despite her father’s assurance that they were most likely fireworks. Their greatest fears were, however, confirmed when dead pigeons started falling over their roof and onto the street below.

The death toll was in the tens of thousands and rising, and no one was safe. While humanity was on the brink of annihilation, a few individuals, like Kassia, were surprisingly immune to the illness. So was Lynxx, an Outlander who had, for sixteen years, blended in among humans without anybody noticing that he was a hybrid. Two months ago, he was assigned by his guardian to monitor the effects of the First Wave on the people of New York and document the rate at which they died of the outbreak. A lot of people were drawn to his physique, including Kassia, whom he shortly after fell in love with. But when he realized she had cancer and that, despite the outbreak, she had not died within the projected time frame, he was astonished and decided to use her as a test subject.

This story skillfully takes a fresh approach to the idea of “survival of the fittest.” It draws readers into the life of a protagonist who, in addition to a life-threatening disease, is also trying to cope with her mother’s rejection. As death stares at her, she is faced with tough decisions and bewilderment, throwing her hope of ever being loved or surviving away. The author also presents a character who questions human resiliency and is taken aback by their strength, joy, optimism, and love even at the most difficult times. This contradicts his long-held conviction in human inadequacy, sending him along a bizarre path that quickly earns him the term “traitor.”

This book’s startling turns and steadily increasing intensity kept me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. Its sequence of horrific events that progressively lead to a deep comprehension of the nature of love and the things that can awaken any soul is captivating. With their interesting banter, curiosity, and wit, the well-developed characters complement one another, making the story a progressive one. With its slow-burning romance and heart-pounding action, “Girl on Fire” by Eden Hart is among the finest dystopian adventure epics that create immersive worlds that stir the imagination and enthrall the reader. Highly recommended for all young enthusiasts of post-apocalyptic books.

Cartoon dachshund running through a field.

Roxie the Doxie Finds Her Forever Home by Jody A. Dean and Illustrated by Susie Lee Jin

November 16, 2024

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

Roxie is filled with excitement because today is her special day. Her foster mom reminded her that she will be going to her Forever Home. Although Roxie has never met her new mom and feels a bit anxious, her foster mom, Dawn, reassured her. Dawn has met Roxie’s new family members and has seen their house, which is perfect. Purchase Here.

Roxie wondered what her new mom and house would be like. She was excited to have a sister to play with. When she saw her new mom come to the door, she felt happy.

Now came the difficult part. Roxie felt sad because she knew she had to say goodbye to her foster mom and dad. Her mom told her not to be unhappy, as she could visit them whenever she wanted. This reassured Roxie and made her feel very happy.

This is Roxie’s first ride in a car, and she even has a special doggie seat. Excitement grew as they drove up the driveway to meet her new sister and see her forever home. Her new sister’s name is Mina. They became great friends as they ran and played together, eventually getting so tired that they fell asleep side by side. They shared dinner and even learned to share the same bed.
As Roxie fell asleep, she realized that it didn’t matter what her new mom looked like, what the new house was like, or what color her new sister was. She knew she was loved by her new family, and that was all that truly mattered.

This book includes pages with information about the real Roxie the Doxie. Also included is a guide to adoption for parents and therapists. The illustrations are charming and colorful, perfectly capturing the essence of the author’s message on each page. Roxie the Doxie Finds Her Forever Home is a joy for both parents and children, offering a wonderful reading experience for anyone involved in the adoption process. It delivers a powerful message that resonates deeply. Roxie the Doxie Finds Her Forever Home is recommended for ages 4-9. This book is perfect for reading aloud to your children and makes an exceptional gift.