KN Magazine: Reviews

8/30/24 8/30/24

Pocket Full of Teeth

By Aimee Hardy
Review by Chloe York

Pocket Full of Teeth
Aimee Hardy

Running Wild Press
$19.99
978-1960018533
September 13, 2024

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Flannery O’Connor meets Shirley Jackson meets Stephen King in Aimee Hardy’s debut novel, Pocket Full of Teeth—a slow-burn, southern gothic frame story about grief, mother/daughter relationships, and the circular, iterative nature of story-telling.

Pocket Full of Teeth follows four women across a 30-year span of time—Eddy, Cat, Sarah (Cat’s mother), and Beatrix (Eddy’s mother). Eddy’s narration comes in the form of a police interview transcript. She is being questioned after her family locket is found in the bottom of a well with a dead body on the grounds of a creepy mansion and its even creepier rose maze. During the interview, Eddy reads aloud from a manuscript dug up on the same property years before that her historian mother Beatrix had been analyzing. Beatrix’s point of view is included as footnotes within the mysterious manuscript, which follows the story of teenage Cat as she navigates the death of her mother Sarah and her new life under custody of the abusive Ray, Sarah’s long-time romantic partner. What follows is a deliciously gothic tale interwoven with ghosts, fairy tale beasts, and an unforgettable ending perfect for those of us who love to say, “good for her.”

From the opening interview, Hardy deftly establishes a sense of intrigue. Whose body is in the well? What will Cat’s manuscript reveal about it? How reliable are any of these narrators? Hardy handles the challenge of writing from four different perspectives with great skill—each narrator has their own effortlessly distinct voice and the epistolary technique is perfectly utilized.

Beatrix’s footnotes provide ample world-building of Cat’s little Southern town and a deeper look at the fairy tales and myths Cat references. Eddy’s police interview provides an

anchor that ties each narrative together, while Sarah’s journal entries convincingly track her descent into madness and the bittersweet revelation of exactly how she died. In addition, Hardy’s use of fairy tales and myths works extremely well in establishing another layer of magic and intrigue to this gothic tale. The minotaur in the maze, the faun Pan, and the princess who shrank her captor monster until all that was left of him was his teeth in her pocket.

At its heart, Pocket Full of Teeth is a story about stories—how we “hold stories in our hands, and we have hope, even when we feel all is lost. We long for a happy ending where everything is okay because it gives us hope that all could be okay with us as well, that someone might hold our stories in their hands and hope that everything will turn out okay for us too.” This unexpectedly warm message against a background of chilling death and violence is what makes Pocket Full of Teeth so special. That even in the face of loss, abuse, and hopelessness, we might reclaim our power through words and walk away with our own pockets full of teeth.

7/5/24 7/5/24

The Recruiter

By Gregg Podolski
Review by Debbie Burke

The Recruiter
Gregg Podolski

Blackstone Publishing, Inc.
$16.25
979-8212026406
July 23, 2024

BUY HERE

THE RECRUITER is a riveting, darkly comic thriller by debut author Gregg Podolski (Blackstone Publishing, release date July 23, 2024).

Wise-cracking anti-hero Rick Carter runs a successful business as an executive recruiter for the underworld. If you need persuasive muscle, cyberhackers, or assassins, his criminal rolodex is second to none. He offers a “no police guarantee,” but he draws the line at hits on law enforcement.

When a shadowy client named Trish demands hired guns to kill four federal agents, Rick tries to talk his way out of the job, especially since one target is the fiancé of his ex-wife. But Trish insists. If Rick refuses, she promises not only his business but his life will go down in bullet-riddled history.

Rick pretends to fulfil the contract but secretly warns several intended victims. At the same time, he makes a perilous journey across the US, dodging Trish’s henchmen, to locate his children, his estranged ex-wife, and her federal agent fiancé. He’s ready to sacrifice himself for his family's safety, but that isn’t enough. The henchmen arrive first. Now what?

With unpredictable plot twists, breakneck pacing, and dark humor, THE RECRUITER delivers the goods for a compelling, unconventional thriller. Highly recommended.

Debbie Burke writes the award-winning Tawny Lindholm Thriller series. She also blogs for the popular crime writing site, The Kill Zone. Her eighth book Deep Fake Double Down was the mystery/thriller finalist for the 2023 BookLife Prize.

5/3/24 5/3/24

Reflections In A Dragon’s Eye

By Bradley Harper
Review by Leigh Hall

Reflections in a Dragon’s Eye
Bradley Harper

Papillon du Père Publishing
$16.25
978-1915221094
September 14, 2023

BUY HERE

Would you give your soul to stop the dragon…?

Former boxer KO Bannon won’t. He can’t because it would mean losing himself—for good this time—to the bottle, condemning him to a life on the streets away from his beloved daughter and grandson. He can’t allow himself to go back there, to where he saw the body splash into the freezing water of the Baltimore Harbor. And the dragon that watched them both.

Would you condemn another’s soul to catch the dragon…?

Detective Sgt. John Mankiller would. If it means stopping the killing of innocent women. For him, the end justifies the means… when you need it to. Not so for his partner, Maria Ruiz. Though desperate to crack the case and save the life of the next woman, the question remains: Is the price of one life for another too high?

Would you offer your soul to be the dragon…?

Marty Hightower would. Smooth, handsome, privileged, and rich, he likes nothing more than to seduce a woman and see the light in her eyes fade away as her life leaves her. For him, it’s the ultimate high. Except with the last woman, the one that fought him and caused him to rush her end on the waters of the Baltimore Harbor as the dragon watched them both.

The paths of the witness, the cops, and the murderer will inevitably collide when what is right could stand in the way of saving the next life. Set in the streets and around the waters of Baltimore and perfect for fans of James Patterson, Stuart MacBride, and Michael Connelly, this atmospheric police thriller posits how far the ends should justify the means.

My review:

I was hooked from page one. Mr. Harper does a fabulous job of embedding you into the pages. The way you get dipped into every character’s mind is flawless. I felt KO’s struggles, along with the detective’s urge and Marty’s frustration. He painted the scenes flawlessly; I felt the harsh wind hitting my face just as it did to the characters on the pier. KO’s addiction and his struggles really hit home. Having to make such a selfless choice is difficult when you are trying to solely focus on bettering yourself for once. There is so much pain in this book, but there is an equal amount of triumph. Looking forward to seeing what happens next. This is sure to be an incredible series.

1/12/24 1/12/24

The Child Riddler

By Angela Greenman
Review by Venita Bonds

The Child Riddler
Angela Greenman

Bella Books
$16.25
978-1642473650
July 19, 2022

BUY HERE

Sex. Drugs. Rockin’ death. Zoe Lorel’s uncle trained her from childhood to become an assassin. His brutal training and abuse were aimed at removing the qualities that made her human, preparing her to work at an international spy agency. Employing techno-gadgets worthy of Mission Impossible, Zoe engages in missions to eradicate terrorists threatening civilization. The trouble is, she is so psychologically scarred that she must take her agency-prescribed drugs to amp her up to kill.

Confused and struggling to figure out a guiding compass, Zoe’s inner conflict presents in masochistic, dangerous sexual practices. While she has been trained to be amoral and unquestionably obedient to authority, she draws the line at children. When she uncovers a plot to use a child as a vessel of destruction, she breaks all rules to save her.

Zoe’s actions put her in the crosshairs of enemies and supposed friends. When she learns that those she’s trusted are using her to achieve world dominion, she employs her skills to fight “the good guys.”

There is a secondary plotline in Zoe’s relationship with the woman she wants to marry. Her lover wants to have a child, but Zoe’s trauma is too great for her to risk opening her heart to this degree.

As I read the book, I came to appreciate the damaged parts of Zoe’s character: her tough-as-nails persona hides a vulnerable core. Her psychological flaws, remembered pain, and inner conflict make her a real person.

THE CHILD RIDDLER is a thrilling action story replete with complex, multi-dimensional characters. I loved the author’s description of places, especially the Czech Republic—I could tell she has been there. When the book ended, I was still intrigued as to what would happen next. I hope Ms. Greenman writes the sequel.

Angela Greenman is an internationally recognized communications professional. Her career has spanned the spectrum from community relations in Chicago to US and world governments’ public communications on nuclear power.

She has been an expert and lecturer with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for over a decade, and developed the communication standards for the IAEA’s Corporate Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) program. Ms. Greenman also participated as a team member for the France and Czech Republic Corporate OSARTs.

The IAEA published two of her papers, Communicating Risk to the Public and Achieving Successful Communication. At the invitation of the IAEA, she spoke at the agency’s prestigious International Conference “Topical Issues at Nuclear Installation Safety: Continuous Improvement of Nuclear Safety in a Changing World” that was held in Beijing, China.

As a spokesperson for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), she advised senior management and staff on media issues, conducted interviews and press conferences, and was actively involved in public meetings. Her guidelines, Conducting Public Meetings, were published by the NRC. She was a recipient of multiple awards from the agency.

In Chicago, she served as press officer for the Chicago Human Relations Commission, the City’s civil rights department. In this position, she worked with the department’s six community advisory councils, and managed city-wide media campaigns, community meetings, and events.

Ms. Greenman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications with Honors from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She also received advanced training in the Executive Media Relations program of the Chicago Police Department, and studied at the U.S. NRC’s Technical Training Center.

She has traveled the world (21 countries and counting), sailed the turquoise Caribbean waters, and now her imagination is devising plots in the exciting places she has explored for her new chapter as an author.

12/4/23 12/4/23

Ghost Tamer

By Meredith R. Lyons
Review by James L’Etoile

Ghost Tamer
Meredith Lyons

CamCat Books
$27.99
978-0744302790
September 19, 2023

BUY HERE

Imagine living your best life when everything you know turns upside down and inside out. That’s exactly what happens in Meredith Lyon’s Ghost Tamer. Raely survives of a horrendous commuter train crash , in fact she’s the only one who made it out alive. She’s guided out of the wreckage by a stranger—a stranger she soon learns no one else can see but her. He’s a ghost.

Her spirit, who Raely snarkily names Casper, has been following her for as long as he can remember. Raely only became aware of him after her injuries in the train accident and she’s not at all comfortable with a ghost watching her every move. She soon learns there is another shadow world where ghosts and spirits exist, and she shouldn’t be able to see and interact with them. She questions her sanity and what this new ability means for her. Raely comes to understand she’s actually interacting with ghosts, and some of them aren’t benevolent spirits.

Interacting with ghosts draws the wrong kind of attention from the demon world and now she finds herself on the run. It’s a battle for her life and her soul.

You wouldn’t guess this is Lyon’s debut novel. She has a gift for dialogue, and these characters are well-defined. You immediately care what happens to Raely as she wanders down this paranormal path. The story will keep you glued to the pages and the ending will surprise the reader.

Meredith has agreed to give us a little behind the scenes of Ghost Tamer:

Why did you choose to write a story about a snarky protagonist who sees ghosts after her accident?

Honestly, I’m not sure the decision was that well thought out. I had nothing to write and had a nightmare about a train accident and decided to write the nightmare. As far as Raely, I wrote her to say all the things I wish I had the courage to say to people, whether they’re appropriate or not. And banter is fun to write!

Ghosts? You believe they exist?

I’m open to arguments either way, but I do believe I saw a ghost once. When I was very young, I would occasionally wake up to find a girl walking up and down by the foot of my bed talking. In my half sleep state, I never questioned this and just listened, but if I ever tried to comment on anything she said, she would turn, look at me, then vanish. I would go back to sleep. Never thought of it in the morning. Then one night I woke up and she was standing right at my bedside, not at the foot, right beside me. She was looking down at me with a huge smile on her face and she said, “Goodbye!” I asked, “Where ya going?” But she just kept smiling as she faded away. After that I remembered all the other times and never saw her again. Wherever she was off to, I could tell it was someplace she was really delighted about.

As a debut novelist, what’s the biggest surprise you encountered in the process?

The rampant insecurity! You'd think that once you cross that milestone from being a writer to an author, you’d attain some new level of confidence, but I'm still floored when someone tells me they loved my book. Which, in a way, is a great feeling, to be genuinely surprised and thrilled every time. I still have to work past a fear of ‘bothering’other authors I know when I ask something, like for a blurb. I force myself to do it, because rationally I know it’s what you do, but it’s like fighting through a beaded curtain of anxiety every time. It’s a lot of fun too, don’t get me wrong, I love going to conferences and events as an actual author, but I still feel like I have a hill to climb. I mean, it’s just one book. I’m not sure when that goes away. Does it go away?

Raely is a fresh, new character with a balance of smarts and snark. What were the influences in creating her character?

First of all, thank you. Raely and I are both blushing. I basically looked at my younger self and made her cooler. And also, much more damaged. I used a lot of my experience in Chicago theatre to build her comedy background and my own experience with loss and crutch behavior to inform what Raely is going through and how she self-destructs. Then I just threw her into a place where she had a ghost following her around and watched what she did! She and Casper wrote themselves.

What’s next for you?

Anxiety spike! I don’t know! I release in September, which is exciting, and I’m trying to line things up for the release event and line events up after that. I’m also on submission with two different books. One to agents, one direct to publishers, which is what I did with Ghost Tamer. Don’t worry, I have spreadsheets for both. And I’m working on the sequel for Ghost Tamer, it’s going slow with everything else that’s happening, but I had so many early readers ask when the sequel was coming out, I was surprised. So, I thought I’d get started and see how it goes.

Meredith grew up in New Orleans, collecting two degrees from Louisiana State University before running away to Chicago to be an actor. Between plays, she got her black belt and taught martial arts and yoga. She fought in the Chicago Golden Gloves, ran the Chicago Marathon, and competed in the Savate World Championships in Paris. Although she did each of these things twice, she couldn’t stay warm and relocated to Nashville. She owns several swords, but saves all swashbuckling for the page, gardening, visiting coffee shops, and cuddling with her husband and panther-sized cats.

Meredith Lyons’ debut novel is paranormal joyride with well-developed characters you want to care about, and a story about family, heartbreak, and redemption. You can’t help but wonder after reading Ghost Tamer—are we really alone? I hope we see that sequel soon as Lyons crafted a sizzling pager turner. Highly recommended! I’d give this one 5 Ghosts!

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