The Night Swimmer – Simon J Houlton

Posted on August 22, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Bill Eckersley, in his late thirties, drifts through life in the working-class seaside town of Hastings, England. He’s the kind of character who reminds us of the troubled, unstable writers we’ve all read about—but without the spark or drive to finish even a single story. He’s unemployed, and his only social…

Read More →

Posted in Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Night Swimmer – Simon J Houlton

Leverage – Amran Gowani

Posted on August 19, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) At only twenty-seven-year-old, Ali Jafar is a high-performing hedge fund manager for Prism Capital in San Francisco. He’s smart, respected, and has earned the confidence of his powerful boss, Paul Kingsley, founder of the firm and a man whose influence stretches deep into both government and law enforcement. But when Ali…

Read More →

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Leverage – Amran Gowani

The Man of Middling Height – Fadi Zaghmout (Author), Wasan Abdelhaq (Translator)

Posted on August 15, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) In most societies, identity and status are shaped by gender—and often, by the body parts we are born with. Jordanian author Fadi Zaghmount flips that concept on its head in his provocative speculative novel The Man of Middling Height.  Here, he imagines a world where height classification, not gender, defines power,…

Read More →

Posted in Middle Eastern Literature | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Great Again – Bill Day

Posted on August 11, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Ex-Marine Jack O’Mally is divorced and estranged from his adult daughter. He just can’t accept that she is married to a black musician and living in California. Jack is captain of his New Jersey neighborhood watch, which targets undocumented workers. Of course, they conveniently overlook the fact that neighbors rely on…

Read More →

Posted in Immigration, Political fiction, World Issues | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Great Again – Bill Day

An UnderratedRead Revisited: A Death in Valencia – Jason Webster

Posted on August 4, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) When I visit a city for the first time, I like to go to a local English-language bookstore---if I'm lucky enough to find one--- to discover novels featuring the town, incorporating its culture into the story. A Death in Valencia does just that as it combines the history and culture with…

Read More →

Posted in Revisited | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on An UnderratedRead Revisited: A Death in Valencia – Jason Webster

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Selamlik – Khaled Alesmael (translated from the Arabic by Leri Price)

Posted on August 1, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I am so glad I was born in Syria and get to be young in Damascus, no matter the fear and danger. I love Damascus even if she is cruel to me.” Our narrator Furat lives in the shadows and has always had to hide his sexuality. There are places where…

Read More →

Posted in Revisited | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on An UnderratedRead Revisited: Selamlik – Khaled Alesmael (translated from the Arabic by Leri Price)

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…

Read More →

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, French Literature, Lost and almost forgotten | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Yellow Dog – Georges Simenon (translated by Linda Asher)

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…

Read More →

Posted in American Politics, History, Politics and Social Justice, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged , , | Comments Off on America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State – Randall Balmer

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…

Read More →

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Obsessions of Harvey Usher – David Putnam

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…

Read More →

Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Outside The Law: How An Ex-Cop Became America’s Most Prolific Bank Robber Since John Dillinger – Mark Ogden & Paul Ogden