Category Archives: Historical Fiction

California Rain – Frank McAdams

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Set against the backdrop of 1950s America, California Rain delivers a gripping noir thriller that blends the intrigue of political scandal, the fight for justice, along with the glamour of old Hollywood. With an evocative sense … Continue reading

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The Propagandist – Cécile Desprairies, translated by Natasha Lehrer

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Our protagonist had to navigate between truth and lies, reality and denial for her entire childhood. Now as an adult and a historian, she must face these truths and the role her mother played in Fance … Continue reading

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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

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Rakiya -: Stories of Bulgaria – Ellis Shuman

(Reviewed by Don Jung) Rakiya is a very interesting collection of eleven short stories that feature various characters in bizarre situations that cover some of the history of Bulgaria. Each story has a protagonist that struggles to find answers to … Continue reading

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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

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Goldenseal – Maria Hummel

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   Lacey and Edith, ages seventy and seventy-one respectively, have been estranged for forty-four years. It’s now 1990, and Edith decides to travel across the country to visit her one-time best friend. Lacey, born in Prague, … Continue reading

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Mission Churchill – Alex Abella

(reviewed by JD Jung) 1933-Havana Cuba: Irishman Marcus Riley’s objective is to kidnap the visiting Winston Churchill and hold him hostage in exchange for IRA members serving time in London prisons. However former Detective Inspector Walter Thompson, now serving as … Continue reading

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Forgottenness – Tanja Maljartschuk, translated by Zenia Tompkins 

(reviewed by JD Jung) “I was an inconsequential being who had suddenly become deathly afraid of life.” Our present-day narrator suffers from mental/psychological disorders: frequent panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance abuse, and changing levels of agoraphobia. Eventually she breaks … Continue reading

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The Inimitable Jeeves, Deluxe Edition – P.G. Wodehouse

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned I must admit that I was not familiar with the celebrated British humorist P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) until now, when I thoroughly enjoyed the recent release of The Inimitable Jeeves, Deluxe Edition. This sidesplitting story, taking … Continue reading

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Sherlock Holmes & the Silver Cord -M.K. Wiseman

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “I had my holiday. I had enjoyed three years without a single thread binding me to this or that place, any one responsibility save for my own to myself and the fishing of what I … Continue reading

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