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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.
Category Archives: Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Errata – Michael Allen Zell
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “New Orleans seems to exist as a blank slate for outsiders to grasp and cast their own aspirations, pretenses, and prejudices upon. A few of the outsiders always end up lingering, holding fast, and adding to … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Modern Literary Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged book reviews, mystery, New Orleans, noir
1 Comment
Shadow Truth (a Novella) – Bill Larkin
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…the elimination of costly criminal trials, freeing the truly innocent, simplifying background checks, and making society as a whole more honest. Other than curing terminal diseases, can you think of anything more important?” What personal liberties … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
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Russian Roulette (One Eyed Jack) – Christopher J. Lynch
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “There are plenty of people in this world who want to see me dead, what the hell difference does one more make” That’s one of the occupational hazards of being a professional blackmailer, which John Sharp … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
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Defection Games – Haggai Carmon
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned The CIA and Mossad (Israel’s intelligence agency) engage in a constant battle to thwart Iran’s nuclear capabilities. This is how we meet up again with former Mossad agent, Dan Gordon, as he continues his dangerous … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Modern Literary Fiction, World Issues
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Stone the Devil – Jac Simensen
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) They say that money is power, so what would happen if an American billionaire decided to take international affairs into his own hands? Specifically, what if he could change the balance of power in the Middle … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
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Tales of Tomasewski – Del Staecker
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) No one remembers your accomplishments, only your last mistake. And it was a whopper. In fact it would plague Jan Tomasewski (aka Jake Thompson) for his entire career in the Chicago PD. While busting a Guatemalan … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
3 Comments
The Stonecutter – Camilla Läckberg (Translated by Steven T. Murray)
(reviewed by Renée Kay) I came across The Stonecutter by Camilla Läckberg while at the library picking up another book I had reserved. What caught my attention was that is was yet another Swedish mystery, which I can’t seem to get … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Scandinavian Literature, World Literature
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One Eyed Jack – Christopher J. Lynch
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) < I love a good villain…at least in novels. So when I came across extortionist John Sharp, I just had to get to know him better. John, or “One Eyed Jack”, as they call him knows … Continue reading
The Big Clock – Kenneth Fearing (Introduction by Nicholas Christopher)
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) Everyone adjusts their life to the big clock; sometimes it races forward, sometimes it moves backward. It impersonally reaches for some, and forgets others. George Stroud is one who it reaches for, but fortunately misses. Stroud, a married … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Lost and almost forgotten, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged 1940, book reviews, mystery, noir
2 Comments
Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders – Gyles Brandreth
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) What happens when the self-indulgent, romantic poet Oscar Wilde joins the reserved and pragmatic Arthur Conan Doyle to solve a mystery at the Vatican? You get Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders, a fun read featuring … Continue reading