In this month’s roundup of the best-reviewed self-published titles, we highlight a resource for the wives of wounded warriors and a horror novel about a resurrected metal band, as well as a romance, a thriller, and some literary fiction.
★ Banshees
Mike Baron
Plot: In Baron’s horror novel, when the dead members of a notorious satanic metal band return to life and the stage, the son of the group’s drummer teams up with a reporter to uncover the grisly truth.
PW’s Takeaway: Horror buffs and metal fans will marvel at every grinding detail in this meaty, grim fantasy.
Comparable Titles: The Armageddon Rag, The Returned
Sample Line: “There was no escaping the banshee screams, a high-pitched atavistic vibration that shook the spine like a rag doll.”
Wounded Warrior, Wounded Wife
Barbara K. McNally
Plot: Physical therapist McNally’s stories describe the bitter joy that comes with being a wife of a wounded military service member.
PW’s Takeaway: After more than a decade of Americans fighting battles on multiple fronts, this is a deeply necessary and poignant offering.
Comparable Titles: Once a Warrior Always a Warrior, Afterwar, What Have We Done
Sample Line: “Walking away from your partner can feel like a profound betrayal, but sometimes it’s the only choice that remains.”
The Dining Car
Eric Peterson
Plot: A football star turned dining car bartender journeys across the country and finds himself.
PW’s Takeaway: Inspires dreams of savoring decadently elaborate foods and drinking fine wines and specialty cocktails.
Comparable Titles: The Nero Wolfe series
Coming Out
Seven Slade
Plot: This comedy of sexual misinterpretation follows lifelong friends as they navigate love and sexuality in their small hometown.
PW’s Takeaway: Bittersweet fun... This charming story will win readers’ hearts.
Comparable Titles: Losing It
The Hunting Ground
Jean Heller
Plot: Chicago journalist Deuce Mora investigates the mystery surrounding a child trafficking ring.
PW’s Takeaway: Heller crafts a tightly constructed mystery featuring a protagonist of tremendous empathy.
Comparable Titles: Red Wolf, Behind Closed Doors
