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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
Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See – Juliann Garey
(reviewed by Renée Kay) Greyson Todd, a very successful studio executive, suffers from bipolar disorder. Todd detested his own father whose manic episodes created tremendous chaos both financially and emotionally for the family. On the other hand, he adored his mother … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
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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
A Vicky Hill Exclusive! – Hannah Dennison
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) Buy it! Imagine that a young journalist is stuck in a small town working for a small newspaper, but is plagued with a huge imagination and a tendency to stumble into even bigger predicaments. You say … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
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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
Through These Veins – Anne Marie Ruff
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) Imagine that a cure for AIDS is well within our reach but research is halted and discoveries kept from the public because it may not be lucrative enough. Author Anne Marie Ruff explores this premise as … Continue reading
What You See in the Dark – Manuel Muñoz
(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) “The woman had to live before she could die…Even if it was the vulgarity of real life—the needs and the mistakes, but also the desire to correct them, the effort toward a forgiveness of herself. A … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Historical Fiction, Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged noir
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Elevating Overman: a novel – Bruce Ferber
(Reviewed by Don Jung) *Buy it!* Veteran sitcom writer Bruce Ferber is switching gears with his debut novel, Elevating Overman. This clever, off- beat, kooky story centers around a 55-year-old loser who is experiencing a mid-life crisis. He realizes the … Continue reading
Posted in Humor & Satire
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