Corporate attorney Brent Michaels confronts the sinister and Satanic in Johnson's formulaic supernatural thriller. Michaels, a descendent of ancient prophets, is called upon by David Baumann—a friend of his late father—to locate the Scrolls of Darkness: ancient Satanic scripts sought by the evil Sons of Darkness. Throughout the novel, plot elements are reminiscent of Ian Fleming's James Bond series, but the author's uninspired prose and pedestrian foreshadowing fail to inject tension into the narrative. Even the plot device that resolves the final crisis is flimsy, and Baumann's ultimate double-dealing is too heavy-handed to surprise readers. The book's conclusion points to a sequel, but few readers will likely be interested in a second helping.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

Novelist and playwright Sibley (Any Kind of Luck) returns with a melodramatic, spunky tale of good intentions, mistaken identity, and mixed signals. For Lester Briggs, a softhearted man serving a half-decade prison sentence for felonious theft, prison life can get stagnant and restless, and passionate sex with cellmate "Little Ray” only goes so far. So Briggs takes to the personal ads and begins a long-distance correspondence with Laurel Jeanette Yancey, with whom he soon falls in love. Freed on good behavior and filled with anticipation, he heads to Rockport, Tex., to meet his long-distance love face to face, only to discover that "Jeanette” is actually closeted Rev. Philip Yancey, who lives with his lesbian sister, Luz. A forgiving soul, Briggs gels with the Yanceys and becomes enriched (and titillated) by them both. A whirlwind of colorful characters populates Sibley's well-crafted novel including kooky locals Melanie and Daniel, who initially drive Briggs into Rockport and befriend him. While these folks add flavor to Sibley's crisply written narrative, it's very much Briggs's story about burgeoning emotions and living a true life. Sibley demonstrates dexterity in prose, deft characterization, and command of a fresh, contemporary plot line about redemption and starting over that entertains with feel-good appeal.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

Maryland author Poe's deep, moody semi-autobiographical novel follows the plight of Simon Powell, a man who has spent his youth rejecting his homosexuality. This self-denial began at 17, when, after an "acid-induced revelation,” he joined the Unification Church, run by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and began a "spiritual journey” that he hoped would assist him in cloaking and repressing gay urges from himself and his conservative-leaning family. Ten years later, Powell returns home to Sibley, Ark., and becomes increasingly in charge of his ailing father Lenny's health care. After Lenny dies, Powell feels adrift and flees to Los Angeles, reuniting with old friends, including a pill-popping drunk, embarking on a violent, self-destructive drug- and alcohol-fueled existence that dominates a good portion of the novel's second half. What follows is a revolving procession of grimy hustlers and episodes of shallow sex, and a final and disastrous crack binge heralds cathartic hopefulness. Stark and gritty, Poe's story about the search for self-discovery is a sobering testament to the author's own personal journey through Rev. Moon's Unification Church, which makes the story resonate that much more powerfully. However, more detail on his main character's time with the cult and less on its self-abusive aftermath would have given this promising novel the heart and soul it truly deserves.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

Like graphic depictions of violence against women and sententious mythological blather? Then this is the book for you. New York City neighbors Rose and Martin have a chance encounter and quickly develop a passionate affair. Their relationship has more than the usual challenges given that Martin's father is a master sadist who believes his violence is part of a larger plan: clan war linked to prophecies leading up to Armageddon. It's conceivable that the right author could employ gripping prose and well-realized characters to generate reader investment in a story line that most people would find distasteful. That doesn't happen here. Instead of inspiring fear and creating suspense, graphic scenes (e.g., when a person's eyelids are nailed open) repel rather than engage.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

In Passananti's thriller of political corruption, greed, and global terrorism, Lena Mancuso, after barely escaping an explosion at the law firm of Rutledge & Smerth, risks life and family to assist FBI agents Henry Redwell and Maxwell von Buren investigate her employer—who they suspect is in league with terrorists. Diving into a muddled vortex of murder and betrayal, Lena must unravel a byzantine conspiracy that could spark another world war. Unfortunately, quick pacing and effective prose are marred by underdeveloped characters that, in many cases, amount to little more than caricatures. While Passananti expertly exposes the dark workings of big government, she populates a potentially exciting world with a cast that will appeal to few readers. The result is an uneven thriller that fails to enliven the genre stereotypes in which it indulges.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

"Perhaps they had souls behind Disney software and plastics and they were screaming, trapped in an endless, repeating performance of mock swashbuckling revelry for drone-like millions, entombed in a subterranean gulag under the streets of Anaheim.” Gifted novelist Bardessono offers this cunning observation as his protagonist Daren, a drunken college underachiever, visits Disneyland's biggest attraction for the first time. Observations like this guide readers through the author's relentlessly raw and, often, darkly humorous account of youth and young manhood set in the gritty, neon-colored Los Angeles of the 1980s. Bardessono skillfully weaves a tale of drugs and alcohol in which young men discover the music scene of this lost generation while trying to keep their heads at the same time. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending upon how he views it—Daren meets Lee, an older Native American woman who could change his path. Bardessono's novel is idiosyncratic, hilarious, deeply emotional, and an excellent representation of the time in which it's set.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

In Sarles's novel, set during WWII, Manya von Falken is a young East Prussian aristocrat in love with Joshi Karas, a Romani doctor. As the Russians are steadily encroaching into East Prussia and battling the Germans, the two young lovers get caught in the middle. Joshi is arrested by the Germans and taken to Stutthof, a forced labor camp, where he witnesses Nazi inhumanity firsthand and learns to do whatever he needs to survive. Manya and her family flee, but the journey to safety may end up costing her everything, including Joshi. While the Russians in this novel are little more than caricatures, the sentiments and terror of the protagonists are well rendered, keenly felt, and quite vivid. Sarles adapted her novel from the real-life experience of her grandparents, and readers will appreciate the characters' quiet heroism and be intrigued by this affecting tale of WWII.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

Daniel Peters is an American living in Copenhagen. He works in the Kierkegaard Research Center as a translator and suffers from Asperger's. When his boss (and former fiancée) is murdered soon after the discovery of a new Kierkegaard manuscript—a collection of poetry believed by some to be a forgery—Daniel is a prime suspect. His condition makes it difficult for him to tolerate changes to his routine or interpret people's behavior, but he is drawn into the mystery despite himself and must work with the police to uncover the truth. Satterlee clearly is familiar with Copenhagen and Kierkegaard, and this knowledge grounds the story and lends it realism. This is a deftly crafted mystery that will leave readers curious and surprised, as well as empathetic to Daniel, whose Asperger's is portrayed realistically.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

Graduate students Kathy Olson and Julie Lozano find that interest in scientific genius Nikola Tesla attracts menace from sinister forces. Men in black, suspicious janitors, hooded figures, and an elusive dean are determined to suppress Tesla's discoveries in the field of free energy. As the novel progresses, stilted dialogue and paper-thin characterizations derail any suspense or tension. Absurdity rules with Tesla-inspired technology mowing down SUVs and the existence of a talk radio show that conveniently has a segment on Tesla. The unexplained disappearance of Kathy and Julie at the end opens the door for a sequel, though readers may not be interested enough in the characters to come back for more.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink

Sagstetter tells the tales of two families—one white and one African-American—and explores their differing paths from the Great Depression through the end of the 20th century. Willie, an African-American oysterman in Galveston, Tex., kills himself as the Depression takes its toll on his family. His daughter later goes to Vietnam as a translator and falls in love with a Vietnamese man—an affair that leads to tragedy. These are some of the many loosely interwoven vignettes that make up this collection, which asks readers to reflect on humanity, and interpersonal and intercultural relationships. It is difficult, at times, to see the connections between Sagstetter's stories, although each one works independently of the others. Readers will appreciate the attention to setting and character in each of the stories, but will struggle to find unifying meaning from tale to tale.

Reviewed on 04/19/2013 | Details & Permalink