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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
The Scent of Burnt Flowers – Blitz Bazawule
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned It’s the mid-1960s and an African American couple, Melvin and Bernadette are on the run. Melvin sees that their only chance is to flee the U.S. Back in college, Melvin saved the life of a … Continue reading
Posted in African Literature, Historical Fiction, World Literature
Tagged 1960s, colonization, FBI, Ghana, racism
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Comeuppance – Frank Honorof
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned It’s the end of World War II and American military attorney, Philip Almeister, is sent on a liaison mission to Austria to help restore assets stolen by the Nazis. While working there he uncovers a … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Historical Fiction
Tagged intrigue, thriller, WWII
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I Buried Paul: A Novel: Bruce Ferber
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned This is the story of forty-nine-year-old Jimmy Koslowski and his uncertain life as a struggling musician. It starts off with his family, where his father is an orchestra leader, and his older brother is a … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged Beatles, music, rock music
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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Riddle of the Sphinx – Alexandre Montagu
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned How do I begin a review of a novel that kept me captive from page one and didn’t release me until the very end? I didn’t want to break for work, family, friends, or anything. … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged Iran, Islamic revolution, LGBTQ, Shah
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The Uniform – G. Gruen
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned David Korda is close to getting his medical degree in Nazi Germany when it is discovered that he is Jewish. Instead of joining his graduation class, he is sent to a concentration camp to do … Continue reading
The Woman in the Library – Sulari Gentill
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Four strangers sit in a reading room at the Boston Public Library when they hear a bloodcurdling scream. It appears that a murder has taken place and the four are forced to remain there until … Continue reading
Posted in Australian Literature, Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged Australian fiction, Boston, library, murder
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The Lisbon Syndrome – Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles (Translated from the Spanish by Paul Filev)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “I feel a deep regret for encouraging them to dream, for reinforcing illusions that will lead nowhere, because they’re unattainable, because this county is finished. It stopped existing a long time ago. We are the … Continue reading
Posted in Immigration, Latin American Literature, World Issues, World Literature
Tagged corruption, Lisbon, political activism, Portugal, Venezuela
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Beach Detective: Exploding Surfboard-Fred Fuld III
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) #CommissionsEarned This is one of those delightful, easy reads perfect for the summer season. Harry Lido, a PI in the laid-back town of Redondo Beach, California has a mystery to solve: who is trying to … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged mystery, Southern California, summer
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