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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
Confessions of a Gentleman Killer – Johnny Payne
(reviewed by JD Jung) “If I didn’t kill them afterward, you’d say I was the perfect client, boyfriend, husband, or lover. And believe me, that’s the man I want to be, the man I tried to be. And failed.” It’s … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Dark/Sordid/Bizarre, Historical Fiction
Tagged crime fiction, London, serial killers
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Searching for Sarah – Phillip Vega
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) This is a love story. Not that Love Story but a NEW love story. A mother’s love for her two adult children. A parent’s love for their children. A love for a sibling, a colleague, … Continue reading
The Tailor of Riga – Jonathan Harries
(Reviewed by Don Jung) Joe Harris thought that his ancestors weren’t particularly interesting, as he came from a family of tailors from Riga, Latvia. His views changed though, when he met a distant relative at a convention who told him … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure
Tagged Action thriller, book reviews. fiction, Jack the Ripper
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Bloodsworn: Book 1 of the Avatars of Ruin – Tej Turner
(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Blood Sworn is a dark fantasy action-adventure set in a euro-centric secondary world. It is the first book of the Avatars of Ruin series, and it begins with Kyra running late for the males of Jalard … Continue reading
Posted in Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology
Tagged Science Fiction & Fantasy
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My Part of Her – Javad Djavahery, Preface by Dina Nayeri, Translated by Emma Ramadan
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “For what reason did the people take to the streets to demand the Shah’s departure? I assure you that if we asked the question today, the majority of Iranians wouldn’t know how to respond. For liberty? … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Political fiction, World Literature
Tagged Iran, Islamic revolution, Tudeh party
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The Epistles of Jesus – Bayard Hollingsworth
(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) The Epistles of Jesus is a fictional story. It provides a theoretical approach to the question of what if we discovered that Jesus had written down his teachings himself, and those teachings had turned out to … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction
Tagged Jesus Christ, Religion
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In the Shadow of Gold: A Tale of the Lost Confederate Treasure – Michael Kenneth Smith
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) Michael Kenneth Smith’s book, In the Shadow of Gold, is a historical thriller set during the end of the Civil War. It follows the parallel paths of a disgruntled Confederate midshipman intent on stealing the … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Historical Fiction
Tagged American Civil War
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No Room at the Morgue – Jean-Patrick Manchette, Translated by Alyson Waters
(reviewed by JD Jung) “They’re going to lock me up. I’m the perfect fall girl. My fingerprints are everywhere, even on the knife that belongs to me, and I got blood all over me.” Maybe another reason that this femme-fatale, … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, French Literature, Lost and almost forgotten, World Literature
Tagged French literature, noir
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The Sins of Others – Florian Schneider
(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) The Sins of Others is a historical fiction set in 1933. It tells the story of Ben Heimlich and his estranged mother, who happens to be a militant fanatic on the run. Jane Abbott, an English … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction
Tagged Bosnian war
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The German Client: A Bacci Pagano Investigation-Bruno Morchio
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “If Germans and fascists don’t shoot us, Americans bomb us.” Private Investigator Bacci Pagano doesn’t have an easy relationship with the past. He grew up poor as his mother worked in a cigar factory and … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Italian Literature
Tagged Genoa, Italian literature, translated world literature, WWII
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