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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: Reviewers’ Top Picks
Aiming High: How a Prominent Sports and Celebrity Agent Hit Bottom at the Top – Darren Prince and Kristen McGuiness
(Reviewed by Heidi A. Swan) “At 15 years old, my love for baseball became a million-dollar baseball card business. By my late teens, I had turned my hobby into a successful memorabilia company. By the time I was 25, I … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged drug addiction, memoirs, sports
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Fire and Vengeance (Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery Book 3) – Robert McCaw
(Reviewed by Don Jung) When I first started reading Fire and Vengeance, I didn’t know what I was in for. What I soon realized was that I was experiencing a thrilling murder mystery amidst the gorgeous Big Island in Hawaii. … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged crime fiction, Hawaii
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The Dead Don’t Sleep – Steven Max Russo
(Reviewed by Don Jung) When I started reading The Dead Don’t Sleep, I soon realized that I would be in for an engrossing journey. Frank Thompson, a Vietnam vet, goes to a local shooting range accompanied by his nephew. They … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged PTSD, thrillers, Vietnam War
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Only Lies Remain: A Psychological Thriller – Val Collins
(Reviewed by Don Jung) This story takes place in Ireland and starts out slowly as the characters emerge in this psychological thriller. A husband, Danny Walsh, disappears and his wife Maura is left alone to raise five sons. She mysteriously … Continue reading
A Killing Game (A Curtis Westcott Crime Thriller Book 1) – Jeff Buick
(Reviewed by Don Jung) I started reading A Killing Game during a long flight to New Zealand. The problem was that upon arrival, I didn’t want to go out and see the sights. I just had to stay in my … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged crime fiction, detective fiction, mystery
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Bound by Blood: An Erotic Thriller – Clare Castleberry
(Reviewed by JD Jung) (A recent re-release. This was formerly titled What Lies Within, and was reviewed under that title.) “…I learned how a body could become a beautiful contribution to the power of cosmetics…the most exquisite, deepest shade of … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Dark/Sordid/Bizarre, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged fiction, horror, New Orleans, psychological thriller, San Francisco, suspense
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The Riddle of the Sphinx – Alexandre Montagu
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Eric (Keyvan) fled Iran as a child during the Islamic revolution and grew up in Paris. He later studied Comparative Literature at Princeton. That is one scenario. What would have happened if he was forced … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Modern Literary Fiction, Philosophical reads, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged identity, Iran, Islamic revolution, LGBT, Shah
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A Rebel in Gaza: Behind the Lines of the Arab Spring, One Woman’s Story – Asmaa al-Ghoul (Author), Selim Nassib (Author), Mike Mitchell (Translator)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I think the real occupying forces are the internal ones, Hamas, Fatah, the parties…then comes the major occupation: Israel. We can’t get rid of the latter without first of all getting rid of the former. To … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Politics and Social Justice, Reviewers' Top Picks, Social Justice, World Issues
Tagged Gaza, Hamas, Middle east war
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From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia – Michael McFaul
(Reviewed by Cathy Carey) “I have spent the greater part of my life trying to deepen relations between Russia and the United States. But in 2014 all these efforts seemed for naught. Heightening my sense of frustration, I was banned … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction, Politics and Social Justice, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged cold war, diplomacy, Obama, Putin, Russia, treason, Trump
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