The Yellow Dog – Georges Simenon (translated by Linda Asher)

Posted on July 29, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Originally published in 1931, in English in 1939, and now re-released in English, The Yellow Dog offers readers a taste of Georges Simenon's signature crime storytelling. Set in the small seaside town of Concarneau, France, a series of unsettling murders and attempts shake the town. Most of the crime scenes seem…

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America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State – Randall Balmer

Posted on July 25, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) For years Americans have taken for granted the most cherished and essential constitutional principles, one being the separation of Church and State. Historian and ordained minister Randall Balmer presents a timely, thoughtful, and deeply researched examination of this issue from the 17th century to current day in his book, America’s Best…

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The Obsessions of Harvey Usher – David Putnam

Posted on July 22, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “ Eighty-three-year-old Harvey Usher is a recluse who still, after two years, mourns the death of his wife. When he finds a young woman inside his house who claims to be his wife, he’s sure that he’s being conned. He calls the police to get her out, but this redhead ---whom…

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Outside The Law: How An Ex-Cop Became America’s Most Prolific Bank Robber Since John Dillinger – Mark Ogden & Paul Ogden

Posted on July 19, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch)   Outside The Law follows the life of Bruce Davidson, a decorated Marine, police officer, lawyer, and family man, as he heads down a destructive path of depression, alcoholism, divorce, and financial collapse, before finally turning to a life of crime on the run. I felt that the writing in…

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A Friend of Dorothy’s – Richard Willett

Posted on July 16, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by John Heilman) A Friend of Dorothy’s manages to capture a young gay man’s search for belonging while simultaneously describing another young man’s decline during the early days of the AIDS epidemic. The book is a powerful reminder of the devastation of AIDS before effective treatments became available. This is a must read for…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Invisible Helix – Keigo Higashino (Author), Giles Murray (Translator)

Posted on July 12, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “ If you're searching for a crime thriller that grips you from the first page and doesn't let go, Invisible Helix is the novel for you. When homicide detectives investigate a plausible murder: a man floating in Tokyo Bay, shot in the back, they think it will be open and shut.…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Tenth Commandment: A Cat Caliban Mystery (The Cat Caliban Mysteries) – D. B. Borton

Posted on July 8, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff)   “I’m too tired. I just want to go to bed with a book.” In Chapter 1, sixty- one -year-old Cat was asked what she was good at. She thinks: “Certainly not marriage or motherhood or housekeeping, despite my years of practice.” And she describes other things she’s not good at…

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Wordsworth in Bogotá – Scott E. Sundby

Posted on July 3, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   Colombian drug lord Diego Velasquez is facing financial ruin. It’s right after 9/11, and the U.S. borders are tightening, and corrupt officials are now refusing bribes. His two sons represent the family’s split identity: Carlos, deeply enmeshed in the cartel, and Esteban, with no interest in the family business, is…

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The Silence of Flesh: A Novel of Conscience, Identity, and Holy Vows – Glenn Cooper

Posted on June 30, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “People who are different, even outcasts by some, are not outcasts to the Lord.” Cardinal Anthony Budd had no desire to become Pope. Also, it was unlikely since he was an outsider and would be only the second British Pope in history. When the papal conclave was hopelessly deadlocked, Budd was…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Central Places – Delia Cai

Posted on June 27, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   Twenty-seven-year-old Audrey Zhou is leading a life most of us would be envious of. Living in New York City as a sales rep for a newspaper, she has many friends and is engaged to a witty and handsome man from a wealthy family. In contrast, Audrey is from Hickory Grove,…

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