Meet BTB Reviewer Teresa Brock

Background: If I'm on the rails, you should worry. I go through life with the best attitude loving every minute of it and trying to get as many books into my brain as possible. I truly love finding new authors and being a conduit of sorts to get their book babies into as many hands as possible.

Go-To Author: AI Finn, Kristin Hannah, Scott Turrow , Erik Larson, Dennis LeHane, Andrews & Wilson, Brad Thor, Jack Carr and Danielle Trussini.

Author People Should Discover: Michele Packard, Andrew Bridgeman, ME Proctor and Joshua Moehling.

Book You Would Recommend From 2024: Love You Till Tuesday by ME Proctor.

Most-Anticipated Book Of 2025: Nowhere by Allison Gunn: a horror author in a very male dominated genre - I am all about that. Robert Dugoni’s Hold Strong , Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz and Family Ties by Michele Packard.

Favorite Local/Indie Bookstore: Butcher Cabin Books in Louisville, Kentucky and A Likely Story in Midway, Kentucky. Both of these are in The Bluegrass State, locally owned and work with local authors and other businesses to support reading.

Favorite Charities: The Wounded Warrior Project.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

View Teresa’s Latest Reviews (book pub. dates)

8114 by Joshua Hull (8/26/25)
The Ever End by Audrey Wilson (8/5/25)
Sister Butcher Sister by KD Aldyn (6/10/25)
No Man's Ghost by Jason Powell (5/6/25)
See How They Fall by Rachel Paris (04/29/25)
Dark Rising by Andrews & Wilson (4/8/25)
Nowhere by Allison Gunn by (03/25/25)
Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski (3/22/25)
The Buffalo Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (03/18/25)
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (3/4/25)
The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff (3/4/25)
Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz (2/11/25)
Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker (2/11/25)
Dark Vector by Ward Larsen (2/4/25)
A Long Time Gone by Joshua Moehling (2/4/25)
The Department by Jacqueline Faber (2/4/25)
The Enigma Girl by Henry Porter (1/28/25)
At Dark I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca (1/28/25)
Penitence by Kristin Koval (1/28/25)
Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade (1/25/25)
The Spear and the Sentinel By J. L. Hancock (1/18/25)
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson (1/8/25)
The Dragon the Eagle and the Jaguar by Rodger Carlyle (01/14/25)
Assume Nothing by Joshua Corin (12/10/24)
The Good Bride by Jen Marie Wiggins (12/10/24)
Nobody's Hero by M.W. Craven (12/03/24)
Baker by Michele Packard (12/01/24)
The Egyptian Enigma by David Darling (11/26/24)
Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi (11/12/24)
Burn This Night by Alex Kenna (11/12/24)
The Lake of Lost Girls By Katherine Greene (11/5/24)
In Too Deep by Lee Child & Andrew Child (10/22/24)
Good Looking Ugly by Rob D. Smith (10/22/24)
Origin Story by A.M. Adair (10/22/24)
The Slate by Matthew Fitzsimmons (10/8/24)
Hometown Vendetta By Traci Hunter Abramson (10/1/24)
Somewhere by Matthew Reed Williams (10/10/24)
The President's Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins (10/8/24)
Not Yours to Keep by Zelly Ruskin (10/8/24)
Fortunate Son by Andrew Bridgeman (09/24/24)
Heroic Measures by Joel Shulkin (09/17/24)
The Bachelorette Party by Sandra Block (9/3/24)
Love You Till Tuesday by M. E. Proctor (08/12/24)
The Chamber by Will Dean (8/6/24)
The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley (8/6/24)
Homecoming Queen by Chad Boudreaux (8/6/24)
Stone Creek by Kate Brandes (8/6/24)
May the Wolf Die By Elizabeth Heider (7/2/24)
Tempest North by Rodger Carlyle (7/16/24)
Show Game by Steve Anderson (7/2/24)
The Midnight Rambler by Don Carr (6/20/24)
Three Burials by Anders Lustgarten (6/18/24)
Dreams in Incarceration by Cillian Dunne (6/18/24)
The Vixen Amber Halloway By Carol LaHines (6/11/24)
The King Street Affair by Jon Sealy (6/6/24)
Moneymaker by Josh Boldt (6/5/24)
A Better World by Sarah Langan (4/9/24)
The Hollywood Con Queen by Scott C. Johnson (6/6/23)

8114 By Joshua Hull

Paul Early is a podcaster, mostly because he really doesn’t know what else to do.  He starts with a story of a student that he went to school with, Adam Benny, who was missing.  Paul did not think about the repercussions of his actions from this podcast.  When his world starts to crumble around him, Paul is suddenly called back to his hometown where he finds that one of his best friends committed suicide in the house where he was raised.   

8114 South State Road 67 is more than a childhood home, it is a place of history and horror.  A place of secrets, infection, disease, rot and contagion.   It is a place that is calling Paul Early back because of his mistakes, and it is hungry.  This book is both immersive and graphic. The reader will begin to wonder if they can actually see and smell what is happening.  Hull perfectly mixes supernatural, horror and psychological thriller elements, peppered with some dark humor making this a must read for horror fans. Warning - read with the lights on.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase 8114
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Ever End By Audrey Wilson

From the prologue to the ending, this eerily unsettling blend of thriller and cult horror will consume you!

Margo’s earliest memories begin at age 4 of a man in the shadows who begs to be let in.  His voice can come to her in moments when she is scared or alone and he promises to protect her.  He is doing his best to take her away from her mother, but she always wonders – is this just a dream or is he just a shadow?  What kind of man can promise everything? 

Margo has recently lost her mother after a fierce and unsettling battle with cancer.  She meets a man, Sam, on the ride to work.  Sam says everything perfectly.  He has a million dollar smile and the ability to make her no longer feel alone.  Six months into this perfect relationship, he asks Margo to marry him.  When she says yes, it is time to take her home to meet his parents.

Sam is from a large family.  They have been following a televangelist for years and fully believe what he preaches.  Sam has never seemed religious and neither is Margo, but for the man she loves, she will respect his family.  She just needs to get through the week.  Little things along the way seem off.  Not enough to jump ship, but enough to make Margo wonder if she is seeing things or if it is really happening. 

As the week progresses, Sam and his family seem to have cocooned Margo – and not in a good way.  They are controlling and nearly robotic.  While they seem welcoming, she must adhere to their rules.  Little red flags turn into giant screaming warnings as the story progresses, but it may be too late for Margo.

If you want a binge worthy read with a twisted dark storyline that you will not soon forget, pick up The Ever End! 

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase The Ever End
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Sister Butcher Sister By KD Aldyn

Three sisters. One killer. Which one is SHE?

When you give me a tag line, like the above, I am going to run as fast as I can to get the book.  Sister Butcher Sister is unyielding and macabre.   In her debut novel, Alyden Immerses readers in a captivating psychological thriller where family ties, hidden truths, and relentless tension intertwine.

The author brings a unique narrative style to the story alternating between the three sisters, Kate, Peggy and Aurora as well as SHE.  A very cryptic, and dark character who has a thirst for blood.  Someone who death brings them joy.  SHE feels as if the work she is doing, hunting and deconstructing bad men, is necessary and right.  

As the story progresses, we get the background of the girls who have had anything BUT an ordinary childhood.  Each one has their own perspective of events, but it is important to pay attention to each one’s memories and keep in mind that we all process things differently.  I found myself cheering on SHE and believing her mission.  

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Sister Butcher Sister
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

No Man's Ghost By Jason Powell

While standing in a line for who even knows what at Bouchercon in Nashville last year, I got to meet Jason Powell.  Listen, this guy is sweet and humble and since he handed me his card, I have been watching closely to see what he would do.  Interestingly enough, I have a son in law who is a firefighter near Lexington Kentucky so you know I was going to read this as soon as I could.

Charles Davids, a probationary firefighter, has recently finished his time at the academy and has been assigned to his station.  Charles is timid, a rule follower, he is shy and not sure of himself.  We get little bits and pieces of his personality as the story progresses and how important the family inside of the FDNY station is to him.  Next, we have Alan Johnson. An unstable, drunk husband on the verge of divorce. His wife throws him out of the house and he hatches a plan to torment her. Every night, he calls in false reports of fires at her apartment, taking twisted delight in imagining her being roused by the blaring sirens and horns. If he can’t find peace in their home, why should she?   Eventually these two will cross paths and what will the outcome be?

It is clear from the writing that the author loves his job and the people and the nuances that go along with it.  Jason Powell provides a compelling, immersive, and genuine look into the lives of the everyday heroes who safeguard New York City from the dangers of fire and more and what their families are going through to support them.  No Man's Ghost doesn’t just explore the physical world; it dives deep into the mind of its characters, exposing their vulnerabilities and the ghosts—both literal and metaphorical—that haunt them. Powell’s use of imagery and symbolism is exceptional, making the reader feel immersed in both the story and the emotional landscape of the characters.

Powell has crafted a story that is not only suspenseful but also deeply human.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase No Man's Ghost
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

See How They Fall By Rachel Paris

Rachel Paris comes blazing onto the scene with this pulse pounding, whodunnit crime thriller.  Knowing that this is her debut novel is a guarantee that I will be coming back for more!

Told between alternating POV’s over the course of 10 days, the amount of action that takes place will leave you breathless.   First, we are introduced to Skye Turner who is married to David Turner.  She has married into a generationally wealthy family.  There are three brothers who have inherited their father’s business and fortune.   Next, we meet Detective Mei O’Conner.  (She was probably my favorite character.)  Part train wreck, part hard ass 100% real.

Beginning on Good Friday, the Turner family was having a get together at the family compound.  When you have a family of wealthy individuals, it’s hard to imagine the number of secrets and lies that are hidden behind closed doors.  While the three brothers, Duncan, Hugo and Jamie seem close, none of the spouses are close.  It is as if each household is isolated.   Things went wrong quickly in what seemed to be a food poisoning incident.  However, when one spouse is declared dead, and one child is on life support due to arsenic poisoning; the mighty Turner family begins to splinter.

Detective Mei O’Conner is called into the investigation, and immediately red flags are flying.  Because of the wealth and pull this family has, things must be kept quiet.  Everyone around this investigation wants it to close quickly.  Things need to be wrapped up neatly, but the evidence isn’t aligning.  The more questions Mei asks, the more suspicious the members of the Turner empire become. 

This is a claustrophobic, unpredictable, must-read psychological thriller with a banger of an ending.  Do not miss this!

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase See How They Fall
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Dark Rising By Andrews & Wilson

Ben, Jed, David, Rachel, Corbin, Sarah Beth, Paster Dee and others are back!  Book 3, Dark Fall,  leaves a little breathing room for the Shepherds with Victor being defeated.  However, there is no rest for the wicked.  During the Dark Rising, the Dark Ones are to select the new General on Earth to do the devil’s will.  Jed finds a new ally in CIA liaison Gayle James.  This group of men, women and children from all over the world and different backgrounds are brought together for this epic battle.

 

The Shepherds Series is about spiritual warfare; about good versus evil.  The hierarchy of The Shepherds loosely mirrors the military structure.  You know who is calling the shots when the rubber meets the road.  There is a lot of prayer, guidance, sacrifice and scripture on these pages.  It should make you think.  Everything that happens in this series happens behind the scenes.  Temptation is happening around us all day, every day even to the Shepherds.   

 

This battle is unlike anything they have encountered.  The Dark Force continually gets stronger.  The divide on the dark side is that women cannot be in charge. The Shepherds are facing a new battle, and they must come together and face the unexpected.  Manboo, an evil woman, brings a lot of magic, power and voodoo to the table causing a rift.  She moves the men who are in power within the Dark Ones organization with ease – like players on a chess board.  Wonderfully complicated layers of characters, growing story lines, themes of sacrifice and temptation fill each page perfectly.  Evil never stops.  It will always try to beat the light. You will want to join the Shepherds on this continuing journey to fight until the end.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Dark Rising
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Nowhere By Allison Gunn

This is a tale of an unrelenting and hungry darkness.  A story of death and tragedy and sorrow.  A place where screams cannot be heard, where fear must be fed and sins go to die.  This is the story of Nowhere – if you dare to open the door and let it in. 

Allison Gunn, is a debut queer woman author in horror/thriller genre market heavily dominated by male authors.  I chose Nowhere as my most anticipated book for 2025.  Not only did it live it to the hype, this book has exceeded all expectations!

Meet the Keenan’s – Rachel, Finn, Charlie, Aiden and Lucy.   Finn was a writer, but more than that, he was/is an alcoholic.  After one too many drinks, he was driving Aiden and Lucy home, and after swerving to miss something he lost Aiden to the river.  Their family was forever changed.  They moved to a small town in Virginia called Dalmouth where she hung up the city detective life to be the chief of police.  Dalmouth has its secrets too, but most of all, they do not like outsiders.  The citizens tend to lean on the religious side of things and they will make sure to point out all of your faults.

Dalmouth, like other small towns in Appalachia is ridden with crime and drugs.  However, something seems a little different this time.  A man, nailed to a tree with his eyes gouged and weird symbols are everywhere.  Unfortunately, the witness that found the body is a well-known meth dealer and all of his ramblings and warnings are dismissed. 

As you turn the pages, you continually dig deeper and find out just how broken the Kennan family is. The story of how Rachel and Finn come together and why they stay together is a story in and of itself.  The reasons behind Rachel’s defensiveness and the walls around her heart truly resonated among the pages.  You will hate them both for most of the book.  After you are done hating them, remember that every person has a backstory that you probably know nothing about.  Actually, you will probably hate nearly everyone in the book (not Jeremy) and that is part of what makes it great.  The neighbors are judgy and hateful, the teachers are know-it-alls, and the religious community is way over the top.  Rachel can be a raging B word and you will want to sucker punch Finn. 

Bottom line – lean all the way into this horror thriller that will stick with you for days.  Allison Gunn is an author to follow and watch for what is next.  The Appalachian Mountains are full of secrets!  One more thing – sleep with the lights on!

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Nowhere
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Where The Bones Lie By Nick Kolakowski

When I started my reading journey, I could not have told you what a noir thriller is. Today – I will pick this over just about anything and I am loving the authors that are putting them out. I was lucky enough to read Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski and I enjoyed every single page. Everything that a reader could want in a crime thriller has been covered by Kolakowski. 

Dash Fuller is a hard boiled, cynical, recovering alcoholic, who is chased by demons and is trying to heal from his past by being a PI (or a comedian) in the Hollywood area where drugs, secrets and murder abound. Dash is flawed and so relatable. He thinks he has ‘outlaw speed’ when it comes to acquiring a target, but really doesn’t want to add a body to his ledger. Madeline Ironwood, daughter of missing thief, murderer and all-around Hollywood bad guy, Ken Ironwood, hires Dash to help her find her father’s killer when his remains are found in a barrel in the middle of a drying lake in Northern California. Madeline is sassy and unpredictable. She is hard headed and strong. So, when they pair up for a road trip to see what they can uncover, they get way more than they bargained for

Corruption, disillusionment, and morally ambiguous characters follow Dash and Madeline as they uncover secrets and lies at every turn. Go ahead and mark your calendars.  This is a can't miss, non stop crime thriller! 

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Where The Bones Lie
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Buffalo Hunter By Stephen Graham Jones

There are a few things that I think everyone should know before they read anything by SGJ.  First, you need to pay attention to every single detail.  Everything is on the page for a reason, and it will come back around.  Second, try not to read too many reviews or spoilers and let the story happen to you.  It will always be worth it.  Finally, you need to expect a lot of gore and death, but hey, you are reading horror so suck it up.  The characters are so meticulously written that you will be invested in each and everyone of them.  Promise. 

We have three narrators and three timelines.  Etsy (short for Betsy), a struggling associate professor. In 2012 a construction worker in Montana stumbled upon a hidden journal belonging to an unknown relative. The University reaches out to her as the next of kin, leading her to uncover the journal of her great-great-grandfather, a Lutheran pastor in Miles City from 1912.  Beaucarne, the minister, has kept meticulous entries from his past including the confessions of Good Stab, a Pikuni who was involved in the 1870 Marias Massacre.  The journal entries from the confession take a little getting used to because of the names of the animals, and places and objects that are described are from the Native American language as transcribed by Beaucarne.  Once you get used to it, it just simply makes things so vivid that you can’t unsee what you read.

The author seamlessly intertwines real people, with real events that happened in the settling of the west with an unsettling fictional narrative, morally grey characters and the perfect amount of vampire lore.  The subject matter is undeniably dark and at times hard to stomach. Yet, it's both captivating and skillfully written, offering a sobering glimpse into a truly horrific chapter of American history. If you're a fan of horror and historical fiction and can stomach the violence and death that pervade the narrative, this book is definitely worth reading.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase The Buffalo Hunter
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Unworthy By Agustina Bazterrica

The Unworthy is an unforgettable, immersive journey through a post-apocalyptic world that is both haunting and surreal, blending terrifying, mind-bending experiences with moments of quiet reflection – all of this is through the journal of a woman who has found her way to a mysterious convent.  As you follow the narrator through their journal entries, the dystopian world becomes hauntingly real, amplifying the terror of its dark reality. A must-read for fans of dystopian and religious horror alike.  The Unworthy, like everything Augustina Bazterrica's writes, will leave you deeply unsettled. Her talent for evoking profound discomfort while delving into the complexities of human nature and the unraveling of society is truly exceptional.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase The Unworthy
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Memory Ward By Jon Bassoff

The Memory Ward is broken into 5 parts for different characters all who live in the perfectly perfect town of Bethlam, NV.  Henry, our neighborhood mailman, does his daily route.  It is monotony at its finest until one day Henry trips and drops letters out of his mail bag and finds them blank.  Henry decides to pay close attention to his surroundings and not just take it at face value.  That’s when he finds several oddities.  On their own, none of these things are significant, but together they show a pattern of maliciousness.  

The novel’s themes of memory, identity, and the nature of reality are explored with haunting precision. Bassoff’s prose is both lyrical and unnerving, effortlessly pulling readers into the disorienting, nightmare-like world Henry inhabits. The pacing is deliberate and measured, allowing for a slow-burn buildup of suspense and a deep immersion into the psychological labyrinth of the characters' lives.

The Memory Ward is a thought-provoking, mind-bending page-turner that will leave readers questioning their own perceptions of reality. With its beautifully crafted narrative and unsettling atmosphere, it is a testament to Bassoff’s exceptional skill as a storyteller. This novel is highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers, literary fiction, and horror—anyone looking for a haunting, immersive experience that challenges the way we see the world.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase The Memory Ward
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Nemesis By Gregg Hurwitz

Evan Smoak aka Orphan X aka The Nowhere man is back in Nemesis. This installment picks right back up where Lone Wolf ended and Evan finds out that his armorer, Tommy Stojak, has (in Evan’s mind) betrayed him.  Evan built his life and career around the ten commandments instilled in him through Jack Johns.  It is safe to say, that no one expected Evan to go rogue, leave the orphan program and try to find a way to do the right thing.  Sometimes the commandments don’t always work and may need to be evaluated or added to. (yes… there is an 11th amendment.  No, I am not telling you)

Evan’s character has grown and changed with every single book.  Being an assassin with emotions would be a delicate balance. Evan’s training keeps him in check and centered because ‘the price for violating a Commandment was chaos’.   While Evan is deciding how to deal with Tommy, he runs into another problem.  A family of innocent people is run over and an 8-year-old boy is murdered.  Evan is a ‘hunter of humans.  The monster sent to kill monsters.’

True to Gregg Hurwitz’s style, this book is full of hand-to-hand combat scenes, shootouts and intense fighting that is perfectly written you can see the splinter in the wood when the door flies off the handle!  Evan Smoak is evolving.  He is changing.  He hurts.  The fact that I finished this book two days ago and I still have a hard time understanding that The Nowhere Man can have feelings should make you reflect on the journey this series takes you.

Yes, this is fiction.  I understand that, but Nemesis covers current, real-world issues that American’s deal with on a daily basis.  Violence, racism, bigotry, corrupt politicians and more are all found on these pages.  Read it. Talk about it.  Change some things.  Cheer on Orphan X!

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Nemesis
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Not Our Daughter By Chad Zunker

Cole and Lisa Shipley are foster parents turned fugitives when the biological mother of the child they were fostering shows up on their doorstep begging them to protect the baby as she dies at their home. At the time Special Agent Mark Burns and the FBI only saw the Shipley’s as the killers because they were devastated at the news that the child was being removed from their home and they went on the run.  Assuming new identities and living a hidden life, they were missing for 14 years until a tip comes in and suddenly this quiet and unassuming life revs up.   

The love that the Shipley’s have for their daughter is authentic and will pull at your heartstrings as they try to save their daughter. The work and the preparation that they have done to keep her safe for reasons that they really have never figured out will have you cheering for them the entire time.  Not Our Daughter is a high-speed game of cat and mouse.  At breakneck speed, across several states the questions and motives come at the reader and play out just like a movie.   All the major players in this novel have a motive, the reader must hang on until the end to figure out what and why. 

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Not Our Daughter
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Dark Vector By Ward Larsen

David Slaton is no longer in the field.  He is the new chief of CIA clandestine operations.  Dark Vector introduces a new protagonist, Tru Miller.   This man is an absolute bad ass.  Even though he is a new addition and has recently graduated from The Farm; he is ready for the field (with some refinement).   He speaks Russian fluently.  Tru Miller is an Olympic-level Bi Athlon competitor, a cold weather survivalist, an expert marksman, lethal in hand-to-hand combat, and is fearless of death. 

Colonel Maxim Primakov has intentions to defect from Russian along with the technology that was developed between China and Russia called Dark Vektor. Unfortunately, Primakov crash landed in Siberia.  Slaton must get a team together to rescue Primakov, get the pieces of technology that are available, and beat Victor Dubonin, a general in Russian Intelligence, to it.  Tru Miller is exactly what is needed in this brutal and unforgiving clash of power, set against the harsh and desolate landscape.

Larsen's remarkable talent shines through in Dark Vector, further solidifying his reputation as a must-read author. With captivating characters, thrilling action scenes, and a gripping storyline, he expertly elevates the genre. This novel is a seamless transition from Slaton to Miller, delivering a perfectly-paced, intense, and action-packed experience. The stakes are high, and the momentum never lets up.  This is an  exciting new series, with Slaton taking charge and Miller honing his abilities while tackling even greater challenges.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Dark Vector
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

A Long Time Gone By Joshua Moehling

A Long Time Gone is the best book yet in the Ben Packard series.   Joshua Moehling’s writing is nothing short of exceptional! He stands out as one of the top voices in contemporary mystery and police procedural fiction. I’ll eagerly read every new release without hesitation.  Details on the pages including real events that happened in the United States and Minnesota are layered in perfectly giving this story another reason to be fully invested.

Moehling has crafted a remarkable character in Ben Packard.  He is empathetic to those around him while processing so many things from his past, including losing his brother, and being able to express his sexuality while being in law enforcement and/or a position of leadership.  Sometimes Ben is a smartass, but he will always be a friend, a son, a brother, and a partner who truly cares about justice.  Justice for him doesn’t stop at finding out what happened to his brother all those years ago. The case that he is working on, the people in his small town and others - all matter. 

Moehling masterfully combines a strong sense of moral integrity with a down-to-earth charm, drawing readers in with every new release. As Ben Packard’s character develops, it unveils complexities that set him apart from other protagonists. From the first page, he pulls the reader in and maintains that grip throughout the entire book. With rich character development, a vivid sense of place, and intricately woven plots, this series excels in creating a truly immersive experience. 

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase A Long Time Gone
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Department By Jacqueline Faber

The Department is told from two alternating perspectives.  You have Neil Weber, a philosophy professor, who is stuck in his past and his own trauma.  He is recently divorced, has zero motivation for his job and has seemingly lost his fire.  The other is Lucia Vanotti, a female college student at the same University where Neil teaches, and she has now disappeared.   Neil becomes obsessed with the disappearance of Lucia, a student that he has never even met, but their paths keep crossing and clues keep bringing Neil into investigation.  Why? 

Red herrings and clues are dropped in each and every chapter as to what happened to Lucia and who did what.  This book is a dance between love and hate, between safety and tragedy, between secrets and the truth.   The heart of this book is set among students and members of the Philosophy Department which brings forward research from philosophers like Friedrich Nietzche, Greek gods like Dionysus and Apollo and secrets and emotions that cannot remain hidden forever.  Control, sex and power chase each other across the pages leaving the reader breathless with the truth is revealed. 

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase The Department
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Enigma Girl By Henry Porter

The Engima Girl starts wide open, leaving readers wondering if having picked this book up you are now in the middle of a series.  Don’t worry, you have not.  Slim’s backstory will become unveiled and necessary as this book continues at a breakneck pace. However, after finishing let me assure you that a prequel or a second book could easily follow, and you will run to pick it up

Alice ‘Slim’ Parsons is a 4th generation spy.  She is a skilled and determined MI5 agent who recently left a deep cover operation in which she was nearly sexually assaulted.  The agency doesn’t see the outcome of what happened as she does.   Everyone must come to an agreement on how to proceed because Slim is a much-needed asset and is great at her job.  Alice is needed to work as a journalist with a regional news source who is exposing secrets that should not be released to the public.  The agency needs to know who the mole is.

As Slim prepares to start her new placement, and begins her research, she finds connections between her future coworkers for the assignment and Bletchley Park, Hut 6, and the German Enigma Operators and Code Breakers.  One of her coworkers' fathers had joined Bletchley Park in 1942.  Her research leads to rabbit hole after rabbit hole giving her fodder to work with. 

Do not let the size of this book deter you or wonder if there will be parts of it that slow down or lag.  Nope!  There's a wealth of content to absorb, and the reader will never lose the need for one more chapter. The story unfolds at a steady rhythm, carefully building the scenes and developing its characters. Just when you think you’ve settled in, a surge of action accelerates the pace, only to ease back before the cycle begins again, keeping the momentum fresh and engaging throughout.  

The Enigma Girl is a brilliant example of modern espionage fiction.  It is thought-provoking and masterfully written blending current events, the characters’ backgrounds and history adding in the perfect amount of danger making this a very memorable story!  Like other readers, I agree, this is very much in the style of LeCarre and those are big shoes to fill. 

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase The Enigma Girl
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

At Dark I Become Loathsome By Eric Larocca

Ashley Lutin has suffered the death of his wife and the loss of his son at a store. To deal with his guilt and grief, he has altered his physical appearance to reflect the pain he feels inside. He spends time online, interacting with people who feel as if the world would be better off without them, offering them a ritual that attempts to use their desire to die to give them a chance at a rebirth and new life.  What he doesn’t realize is that people will reveal things to him that he is not expecting. 

This book is the definition of transgressive horror.  At Dark I Become Loathsome is unsettling, dark and horrific, creating an increasing sense of unease with the reader as you turn each page.  Caging the reader in with less and less room to breathe.  LaRocca uses horror to evoke intense emotions that include empathy, understanding and fear.   

There are a lot of trigger warnings and social issues that will go along with this book.  However, all of them are deftly handled in a way that is truly stunning.  LaRocca peels back layers of the heart and human psyche slowly and delicately to allow these emotions and traumatic events to flesh out and become real.  This is a brutal and vivid read that will be talked about all year.  Be prepared to take a break to get over this one.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase At Dark I Become Loathsome
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Penitence By Kristin Koval

Kristin Koval’s debut novel exceeds all expectations. It opens with the unthinkable, something that happens on the news, and most certainly not in the small town of Lodgepole, Colorado.  Nora Sheehan, thirteen years old, murdered her brother Nico.  Her parents, Angie and David have no idea what to do next and use Martine Dumont as legal counsel.  Martine is not a criminal defense lawyer, but her son Julian is. 

Decades earlier, Julian and Angie were young, in love and always together.  Their untimely separation was due to another familial tragedy that is layered in protection and secrets.  This story is beautifully crafted, with a compelling pace and emotional depth. It weaves together dual timelines and multiple points of view, keeping the reader fully engaged in each perspective. At its core, the narrative explores themes of grief, guilt, redemption, healing, forgiveness, and love. 

 The novel also offers a poignant reflection on the justice system, especially the juvenile justice system, leaving me with much to ponder. Even days after finishing the book, I find myself still thinking about sorrow and regret, and reflecting on things from my own past that I have done wrong.

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Penitence
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Meet The Review Team