-
-
About
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
But Not for Me – Allison A. Davis
(Reviewed by JD Jung) It’s August 1958 and black renters, homeowners and business owners are getting kicked out of the Fillmore district of San Francisco due to redevelopment and urban renewal. Developers are using unfair tactics to enforce eminent domain. … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction
Tagged beat generation, corruption, Crime, jazz, justice, Mafia, racism, San Francisco
Comments Off on But Not for Me – Allison A. Davis
Pentimento Mori – Valeria Corciolani
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “It’s simply a matter of yellows, figs, vans, and kites…Why can’t I get a nice simple gang murder or an old-fashioned serial killer?” Public Prosecutor Jacopo Bassi has had enough of this murder case, the victim … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Italian Literature, World Literature
Tagged art history, cozy mystery, Italian literature
Comments Off on Pentimento Mori – Valeria Corciolani
Liars: A Novel – Sarah Manguso
(Reviewed by JD Jung) When Jane met her future husband, John Bridges, she was ecstatic. Since she was a writer, she was attracted to him being an artist and photographer. What she didn’t realize was that the demands of … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged marriage, relationships
Comments Off on Liars: A Novel – Sarah Manguso
Blood and Mascara – Colin Krainin
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…all the women he had known and loved, the idea of them was there in front of him…and once he had come to love then, had he not carried them about within him forever after, like … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged crime fiction, noir, obsession
Comments Off on Blood and Mascara – Colin Krainin
The Blind Devotion of Imogene: The Misadventures of Imogene Taylor – David Putnam
(Reviewed by JD Jung) It’s 1973, and seventy-five-year-old Imogene Taylor has just been released from the Chino Institute for Women after serving time for second-degree murder. As she returns to her home in California’s Inland Empire, readers are immediately … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Humor & Satire
Tagged humor
Comments Off on The Blind Devotion of Imogene: The Misadventures of Imogene Taylor – David Putnam
Bad Tourists – Caro Carver
(Reviewed by JD Jung) In this riveting novel, three friends in their forties—Darcy, Camilla, and Kate—embark on an extravagant trip to the Maldives to celebrate Darcy’s lucrative divorce. Since their backgrounds and personalities are very different, we wonder how and … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged crime fiction, divorce, friendship, Maldives, suspense
Comments Off on Bad Tourists – Caro Carver
The Last Shadow – Michael Allen Zell
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Retired New York cop Julius Mosley found a new life in New Orleans. As a martial arts instructor, he is able to find an inner peace that was not available to him in New York. … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged crime fiction, martial arts, New Orleans
Comments Off on The Last Shadow – Michael Allen Zell
The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden
(Reviewed by JD Jung) It’s 1961, almost twenty years after the war, and it would appear as if the Netherlands has recovered. However, scars linger beneath the surface in unimaginable ways. Isabel, who is almost thirty years old, doesn’t have … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks, World Literature
Tagged Dutch literature, Netherlands
Comments Off on The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden