by Kristopher | Aug 6, 2019 | Review
If written by a less astute writer, The Wolf Wants In – a story permeated by the opioid crisis and rise in crime in rural locations – would have been a depressing slough difficult to get through, but under Laura McHugh’s guiding pen, it becomes essential reading and a...
by Kristopher | Aug 1, 2019 | Review
In Never Have I Ever, Joshilyn Jackson turns the iconic party game into a method for harassment. While the whole neighborhood will eventually end up in turmoil, it is Amy Whey who might just have the most to lose. It all starts when the neighborhood’s newest resident,...
by Kristopher | Jul 30, 2019 | Review
Despite being titled The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone, Felicity McLean’s debut novel is much more concerned with those left behind. In particular, Tikka Malloy – through whose lens all the action is filtered – and her older sister, Laura. The Malloy sisters were childhood...
by Kristopher | Jul 25, 2019 | Review
The Swallows, Lisa Lutz’s latest novel, is one of the most provocative, astute, and indelible books to come along in ages. While it is unlike anything she has written before, The Swallows continues Lutz’s tradition of crafting extremely complex characters, throwing...
by Kristopher | Jul 23, 2019 | Review
Melissa De La Cruz’s The Birthday Girl is a perfect summer read – fast-paced and easy-to-read with short chapters and plenty of unexpected revelations. Readers who have experienced any of the vast number of books in the De La Cruz oeuvre know to expect a pop-culture...
by Kristopher | Jul 16, 2019 | Review
If Alfred Hitchcock guest-edited Martha Stewart Living, the result might look something like Hallie Ephron’s latest novel, Careful What You Wish For. This domestic suspense novel focuses on a professional organizer who finds herself completely tangled up in the...