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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: Fiction
Maximum Taxi – Douglas Bales
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “As I come out of the tunnels on my way home, the city lies below me with its lights sparkling. I think about Misty and Mickey and all of the screwed-up people running around the … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged dark humor, drugs, society
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The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants – Orlando Ortega-Medina
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “We were a family of emigrants, on the move from generation to generation. Forced to flee our homes because of intolerable situations imposed on us by those in power. The United States was meant to be … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Modern Literary Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged addiction, family, immigration, Judaism, LGBTQ, Religion, San Francisco, thrillers
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The Blue is Where God Lives – Sharon Sochil Washington, PhD
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “If Satan is successful, the family’s history will end with the blue baby girl.” It is currently 2008, and Blue (referenced above) is grieving the murder of her daughter. She questions God’s existence, which leads … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology
Tagged African literature, class, folkore, magical realism, mysticism, poverty, slavery
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The Vulture Fund (Curtis Westcott Crime Thrillers Book 3) – Jeff Buick
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned Two unlikely murders that don’t appear to be related become the focus of Boston detective Curtis Westcoast and his team as they try to unravel one mystery after another. This is a murder mystery series … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged hedge fund, India, murder
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Sweet Undoings – Yanick Lahens (translated by Kaiama L. Glover)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Nowadays, in the cities, you’ve got to drink it all in, the honey and the bile. All in the same cup.” Judge Raymond Berthier has just been murdered, and his nineteen-year-old daughter, Brune, is grieving … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Culture, World Issues
Tagged corruption, Crime, culture, Haiti, Haitian literature, murder
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PRIMO—a stageplay: Auschwitz through the lens of time – Ed Davidson
(Reviewed by Heidi A. Swan) #CommissionsEarned Primo Levi was a writer, chemist, and a survivor of the Holocaust. This tightly written one act play is a fictional account of the last day of his life. As he goes through his … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction
Tagged audio book, Auschwitz, Holocaust, stage play
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The Dish Dog – Peter Davidson
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned Kimberly King turned down a golden opportunity to work at her father’s highly successful investment fund company. Instead, she wanted to make her own mark in the world. She now works as a forensic accountant … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged crime fiction, FBI, insider trading, New York, Wall Street
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The Flowers of Buffoonery – Os Amu Dazai, (translated by Sam Bett)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “A man crushed by reality puts on a show of endurance.” This is exactly the case with twenty-five-year-old Yozo Oba, who is sent to a seaside sanitarium to recover from injuries due to failed suicide … Continue reading
Posted in Far Eastern Literature, Lost and almost forgotten
Tagged Japan, mental illness, short books, suicide
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The Lord’s Tusks – Jeffery Ulin
(Reviewed by Ann Onymous ) #CommissionsEarned “…Michael nodded, climbing into his car and silently steering back toward camp. He passed by the troop of baboons, still frolicking in the savanna, slowly making their way back home, oblivious to the powers … Continue reading
Posted in Environmental, World Issues
Tagged Africa, environmental fiction, Kenya, poaching
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