All That Dies in April – Mariana Travacio (translated by Samantha Schnee and Will Morningstar

Posted on September 12, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Lina wants to leave her Argentinian quebrada, where the soil is dry and the land barren, no longer offering them anything for sustenance. Her only son left years earlier with her younger brother. She is not sure exactly where she will go but has general directions from a local medicine woman.…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Cyclops Conspiracy-William McGinnis

Posted on September 7, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung)   If you like spy thrillers, Cyclops Conspiracy is an exciting fast-paced story you’ll enjoy. This is the third book featuring the ex-Navy Seal Adam Weldon and his girlfriend, Tripnee, as they try to retrieve small nuclear bombs stored in suitcases. Interpol adds a female operative to the group who specializes…

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The SILO – G. S. Heist, Greg Heist

Posted on September 3, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) This psychological thriller happens in one day. Well- written with vivid character development, we see Frank Braun on his last day before retiring from the Police Department. He gets an unusual request to interrogate young Jacob Weaver, who has been charged with a DUI and drug possession. What starts out as…

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The Awkward Optimist’s Guide to Human Connection – Hector M Rodriguez

Posted on August 30, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Version 1.0.0 For men who feel awkward navigating the world of dating, Hector M. Rodriguez offers a refreshing guide that is equal parts practical advice and comic relief. The Awkward Optimist's Guide to Human Connection isn’t the work of a self-proclaimed “dating expert” but rather an honest…

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All We Trust – Gregory Galloway

Posted on August 26, 2025 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Half-brothers Peck and Al, launder money for a local crime lord through a bar and hardware store. They have been partners in petty crime since childhood, but adulthood has only deepened their dependence on each other. When Al’s home is partially destroyed in a fire, and his computer’s hard drive goes…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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