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UnderratedReads is devoted to discovering underrated books and under-represented authors. We highlight hidden gems from around the world–honest reviews only, never pay-to-play.
Author Archives: J D Jung
Coming Through Slaughter – Michael Ondaatje
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…and you like a weather bird arcing round in the middle of your life to exact opposites and burning your brains out so that from June 5 1907 till 1931 you were dropped into amber in … Continue reading
Posted in Dark/Sordid/Bizarre, Historical Fiction, Lost and almost forgotten, Music inspired
Tagged Buddy Bolden, Historical fiction, jazz, New Orleans
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Down Solo – Earl Javorsky
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I’m jonesing pretty bad, so, bail out of the morgue, score some dope to tide me over, and then on to the next order of business: finding out who killed me.” Huh? Charlie Miner, our … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged book reviews, crime fiction, mystery
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Die For Me: A Bragg Thriller – Jack Lynch
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Follow the grief and you’ll find the killer.” Peter Bragg, a former San Francisco Chronicle reporter turned private investigator is contacted by a woman, Maribeth, from his past. It’s not what you think. When he was … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged book reviews, crime fiction, mystery, San Francisco
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Medusa – Michael Dibdin
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Every woman is Medusa. When you look into her eyes, you see the entire history of the human race. That’s enough to turn anyone to stone.” Those were the words of a soldier, Leonardo Ferrero, whose … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged book reviews, crime fiction, Italy
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Poison Pen – Sheila Lowe
(Reviewed by Cathy Carey) What does your handwriting tell about you? What does the slant of your writing, the pressure of the writing, opened loop versus closed loop ( like with the letter “g” or “y”), cursive versus print all mean? What … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged book reviews, crime fiction, handwriting analysis
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Fatale – Jean-Patrick Manchette, Afterword by Jean Echenoz, (Translated from the French by Donald Nicholson-Smith)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) ” I don’t tell them I’m a killer. I’m a woman, and they wouldn’t take me seriously. I tell them that I know a killer. Sometimes I let them assume that he is my lover. That … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, French Literature, Lost and almost forgotten, World Literature
Tagged book reviews, French literature, noir, world literature
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Madame Alexandra’s Rules of Business: The Enduring Principles of Business Success – Claude Roessiger
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…money brings the only worthwhile thing it can bring: freedom…it being only the medium of exchange between a man’s labor and his freedom. Labor is not dishonorable, nor is the money which is only the comestible … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Business
Tagged biography, Business
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The Dangerous Edge of Things – Tina Whittle
(Reviewed by Lee Nelson) I am a Trey Woman and I cannot lie! I just finished Tina Whittle’s debut novel, The Dangerous Edge of Things and fell madly in love with her style, her characters, and her ability to truly … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged mystery
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Rupert: A Confession – Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, (Translated from the Dutch by Michele Hutchison )
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “She was my martyrdom, my masochism, and my sugar-sweet, shimmering Mira. She appeared like a reflection before my eyes the first time I saw her, she killed me when she was mine, and she finally brought … Continue reading
Posted in Dark/Sordid/Bizarre, Modern Literary Fiction, World Literature
Tagged Dutch literature
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