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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
The Wrong Side of Murder (Curtis Westcott Book 2) – Jeff Buick
(Reviewed by Don Jung) The Wrong Side of Murder involves a twenty-year murder mystery that catches you off guard with all its twists and turns. It features detective Aislinn Bryne who has to cope with a long-lost high school friend … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged crime fiction, detective fiction, mystery
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Cenotaphs – Rich Marcello
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “If you live long enough, most people leave, a few by staying true to themselves, more by death, indifference, or being driven away. “ Seventy-five-year-old retiree Ben Sanna realizes that no one has stayed with him … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged death, grief, loss, love, redemption, relationships
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Antiman: A Hybrid Memoir – Rajiv Mohabir
(reviewed by JD Jung) “I wanted to stop hiding. I wanted to tell them that I was queer. Queer sexually, queer religiously, queer by caste, and queer countried.” Rajiv Mohabir never felt that he belonged. As a resident of Central … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Immigration, Modern Literary Fiction, World Issues
Tagged class, culture, Guyanese, immigration, India, LGBTQ, multiculture, political activism, race, sexuality
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The Broken – J.J. Hernandez
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) There are quite a few novels that chronicle the struggle of formerly incarcerated individuals returning to civilian life, but none that I have read that are as good as The Broken by JJ Hernandez … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged fiction, incarceration, social justice
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Cyclops Conspiracy: An Adam Weldon Thriller – William McGinnis
(Reviewed by Don Jung) If you like spy thrillers, Cyclops Conspiracy is an exciting fast-paced story you’ll enjoy. This is the third book featuring the ex-Navy Seal Adam Weldon and his girlfriend, Tripnee, as they try to retrieve small nuclear … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged espionage, Greece, spy thriller, terrorism
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Lilia: a true story of love, courage, and survival in the shadow of war – Linda Ganzini
(Reviewed by Heidi A. Swan) If you love historical fiction, WWII and a book that will make you cry, this book is for you. Lilia is a true story about a young girl’s impoverished life growing up in Italy in … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged biography, Nazism
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Broken Pieces of God – David B Seaburn
(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Broken Pieces of God is a fictional name about a couple and their struggles with cancer, unemployment, financial hardship, and religious reliance. Eddy works for a cable company and loses his job. Gayle is a tax … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged cancer, faith, God, health
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Dangerous Conjectures – Brian Finney
(reviewed by JD Jung) “She couldn’t decide which was deteriorating faster—her life or the country. They were all in the hands of a president who was spreading misinformation as fast as the virus was spreading infection across the world.” “Even … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction, Political fiction, Romance
Tagged adultery, COVID-19, disinformation, drug addiction, emotion, facts, family, misinformation, QAnon, San Francisco
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Arsène Lupin, gentleman-burglar – Maurice LeBlanc, Edgar Jepson (Translator)
(reviewed by JD Jung) “You don’t know who Lupin is? The most whimsical, the most audacious, and the most genial thief in France. For the last ten years he has kept the police at bay….In fact, he’s our national robber.” … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Lost and almost forgotten
Tagged class, Crime, Lupin, social justice
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