Who Will Win? You Get To Decide!
The Reviewers & Their Reviews | Vote Now | Learn More About The Book
We selected the four contestans for The World’s Next Top Reviewer. They recieved an ARC of A Better World by Sarah Langan, submitted reviews and now you get to determine the winner.
The World’s Next Top Reviewer will receive a $100 gift card from their favorite Indie bookstore.
Vote For The World’s Next Top Reviewer
***Voting is closed. Thank you to everyone who voted. The winner will be announced on 4/10/24.***
The Book: A Better World By Sarah Langan
You’ll be safe here. That’s what the tour guide tells the Farmer-Bowens when they visit Plymouth Valley, a walled-off company town with clean air, pantries that never go empty, and blue-ribbon schools. On a very trial basis, the company offers to hire Linda Farmer’s husband, Russell, a numbers genius, and relocate her whole family to this bucolic paradise for the .0001 percent. Though Linda will have to sacrifice her medical career back home, the family jumps at the opportunity. They’d be crazy not to take it. With the outside world falling apart, this might be the Farmer-Bowens’ last chance.
But fitting in takes work. The pampered locals distrust outsiders, snubbing Linda, Russell, and their teen twins. And the residents fervently adhere to a group of customs and beliefs called Hollow...but what exactly is Hollow?
It’s Linda who brokers acceptance, by volunteering her medical skills to the most influential people in town through their pet charity, ActHollow. In the months afterward, everything seems fine. Sure, Russell starts hyperventilating through a paper bag in the middle of the night, and the kids have become secretive, but living in Plymouth Valley is worth sacrificing their family’s closeness, isn’t it? At least they’ll survive. The trouble is, the locals never say what they think. They seem scared. And Hollow’s ominous culminating event, the Plymouth Valley Winter Festival, is coming.
Linda is warned by her husband and her powerful new friends to stop asking questions. But the more she learns, the more frightened she becomes. Should the Farmer-Bowens be fighting to stay, or fighting to get out?
Sarah Langan’s latest novel, A Better World, is gleefully ruthless in its dissection of wealth, power, and privilege, timely in its depiction of a self-destructing world—and it is a prescient warning to us all.
Preorder A Better World
(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
James Winchell
Background: Medically Retired Army Veteran, currently works in the Government system as a Store Manager for DeCA. Started reading because of Tom Clancy's stories. Expanded my reading while in the military as an outlet after each days events. Enjoy all military style writing along with psychological thrillers. Loves the Atlanta Braves.
Go-To Author: Brad Taylor. Brad brings his experience into his stories. When I read his books I see Pike and Jennifer as Brad Taylor and the DCOE. His research is spot on and it brings you into the story. Brad knows when to bring those one liners into the story to break the suspense but not to destroy the narrative.
Author People Should Discover: Isabella Maldonado, she writes stories based on her time working in the FBI. She takes possible real life situations and turns them into an unbelievable story to read. Her writing keeps the reader interested and engaging.
Book You Would Recommend From 2023: Don Winslow's City Of Dreams. This is the second to last book Don is going to write and he has taken a great story and turned it into a great trilogy. The story follow Danny on his life as a bag man to being a boss. With everything bad that can happen to someone have happen but it shows redemption can bring happiness back into his life.
Most-Anticipated Book Of 2024: Brad Thor's Shadow of Doubt.
Favorite Local/Indie Bookstore: E. Shaver Books in Savannah, GA.. Beautiful building with a great variety of national bestsellers and local writers. Situated in beautiful downtown Savannah near amazing squares which are great spots to read just not during the hot summer months.
Good book with the twist and turns that only a roller coaster can provide you. It’s a slow-paced ascent to the top of the first hill but once that roller coaster gets over the top, you better hold on. The story has twist and turns like you can experience on a roller coaster. Just like when the ride ends you can finally breathe. The story will leave breathless. The story is based on a dysphoria state, The Farmer-Bowen family is struggling to survive outside of a company town, when along comes an offer to join A Better World. At first it seems like a dream come true then they arrive to find out differently. Sarah Langan tells the story of how this family tries to fit in but at every turn they are shunned until Dr. Farmer is welcomed, but at this very moment things only get worse. Dr. Linda Farmer shows how she is a very caring person who only wants to find out why the kids are sick and help them. But in A Better World you cannot or are excepted not to ask questions. Mind your business sit tight and wait for that Golden Ticket to come years later.
Steve Thomas
Background: I live in Orlando and am happily married to my wonderful wife Mia. Sons Andrew and Jonathan are both in college (but graduating soon) and our daughter Samantha is married to Nick and they have our one and only (so far) granddaughter, Madison (4 months old). I am a retired Army Colonel after serving as an Armor officer for 30 years. I am now the director of sales for a large import company that specializes in bringing tasty food from the UK. I love to golf and try to swing my clubs at least once a week. But my all-time favorite hobby is reading. I have been a voracious reader since I was a child and have shelves filled with Thrillers and Historical Fiction.
Go-To Author: Extremely difficult to pin this to just one but Don Bentley has to be it for me. His Matt Drake series is superb and the work he did with the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr series found me unable to put them down (I bought the audiobooks books as to enjoy them a second time). I can’t wait to see what he does with the Mitch Rapp series. As much as I love Don’s work, it was hard to pick him over other favorites like Brad Taylor, Jack Carr, Mark Greaney, Mark Cameron, Ben Coes, Barry Eisler, Simon Gervais, Andrews & Wilson, Gregg Hurwitz and Brad Thor. I pre-order all of their books.
Author People Should Discover: Ryan Steck and Connor Sullivan. Both write thrillers that keep you up late at night trying to finish the chapter. Ryan did such a tremendous job as The Real Book Spy I was not surprised that he has such talent as a thriller author. And Connor Sullivan has writing skills that remind me of Nelson DeMille. These two authors can’t be missed.
Book You Would Recommend From 2023: Seriously? 2023 had so many books that were fantastic that it is an impossible take to narrow to just one. That said, Forgotten War by Don Bentley knocked me off my feet. The freshness of the subject (post-Afghanistan war) along with the depth of Don’s connection to the topic comes across in this Matt Drake thriller. If action-thriller is a genre that you enjoy/love, Forgotten War is a must read.
Most-Anticipated Book Of 2024: For me, I anticipate every book on my TBR pile next to my bedstand. But I couldn’t wait to read the latest in the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz and Lone Wolf (released this month) has not disappointed. Evan Smoak/Orphan X is a protagonist that answers he call with “do you need my help”… and Joey brings a chuckle regardless of the stress of the situation that Orphan X finds himself immersed in. And two of my other favorite authors that I have been waiting too long for are Ben Coes and Barry Eisler. Hope to see you both in the new releases soon!
Favorite Local/Indie Bookstore: The Book Dragon Shop. Fantastic service and selection. My go to when I need to find an autographed selection.
Favorite Charities: INUA Partners in Hope. My wife Mia and I sponsor and lead a golf tournament here in Orlando every year to raise money for this charity.
Follow Steve on Twitter or Instagram.
Just in time for beach weather, A Better World brings the reader a terrifying view into the future as big corporations use their elite situation in society to develop sanctums in a failing society for those chosen. This fascinating yet intense thriller is filled with intrigue, action, and fantastic storytelling by Sarah Langan. A Better World may not be what it appears to be.
In A Better World, Linda Farmer is grateful that her husband has gained an opportunity to move to Plymouth Valley, a corporate town that interviews and selects its inhabitants but offers an improved life for her family. Her family leaves a dangerously destabilizing New York and heads to PV but immediately feels unease by the strange behavior of the citizens there. Her new neighbors in PV are all aiming for a “golden ticket” to stay in the clean air and free homes and food in this monoclastic town that leaves offerings for the Hollow. But Linda and her family realize that they must get out … if they can.
Langan has delivered with this superb, nail-biting thriller that you won’t be able to put down. You will feel the stressful, uncomfortableness of Linda, her husband, and her twins as they seek acceptance within this community until they realize that it may not be their family that is the problem. Your emotions will be tugged as you pull for Linda as she continually struggles in the situations that she finds herself in until she and her family find themselves in a race for their life to extricate themselves from this nightmare that is the farthest things from a better world!
A Better World will be one of your favorite reads this summer!
Teresa Brock
Background: Teresa Brock, married to Andrew Brock. Mother of 4 (3 girls and and 1 boy) ages 25-19, grandmother of 3 boys. Currently learning how to wade through the empty nest life after raising a house full of athletes. I own and operate my own business that has allowed me to be involved in my kids lives, church and community. I love anything outdoors including hiking, kayaking and boating. Reading is my go to activity. My favorite genres include thriller, mystery, horror, true crime and historical non-fiction.
Go-To Author: For thrillers, Lucinda Berry is a go to for me. I would also put her with the likes of Lisa Gardner, Rachel Hawkins and I adore Gregg Hurwitz. I count on authors who give me all of the tension without giving anything away and making me feel like I am part of their story. I love a well researched book that validates the words I am reading as fact.
Author People Should Discover: Jenny Kiefer. She just published This Wretched Valley. A horror/thriller book that takes place in Kentucky. She is also the owner of Butcher Cabin Books. If this book gets picked up for a horror movie I will not be surprised.
Book You Would Recommend From 2023: I Kill Killers by ST Ashman (yes I know volume 2 is coming out in 2024 but I had to pick something else t- tee hee). This book just grabbed me from the beginning. I love a BA woman. She has all the money and talent and everything needed, but a thirst like no other for justice (I may be jealous).
Most-Anticipated Book Of 2024: The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. Why? Time travel plus good versus evil plus super powers mixed with books = count me in while I do the pee peep happy dance waiting on this one.
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: We support The Wounded Warrior Project, the Knox-Whitley Humane Association and FRYSC Knox County Public Schools
Follow Teresa on Instagram or Goodreads.
A Better World is a dystopian psychological thriller that will have you thinking about your future and asking yourself a lot of questions. What secrets are being hidden from us? How easy are we all led around? What will you do for your family?
Richard, Linda and their twins are living in turmoil. During the ‘Era of the Great Unwinding’ all things that people came to depend on (ie healthcare, government, roads) were falling apart. The world was split between the haves and the have nots, the colonies, and the cities, the clean and the dirty, the fed and the hungry.
Richard had the ability to get his family into a colony, Pleasant Valley (PV). PV and other colonies are owned by Better World, the producer of Omnium and the only way to survive. BetterWorld offered everything they needed to stay alive, to raise their family and to prosper. However, outsiders are not easily welcomed. There are conditions to be met, barters to be made and traditions to learn.
Once they get to PV, everything is not how it seems and fitting in does not seem possible. They must learn, accept, and participate in a series of customs, events and beliefs called The Hollow. Adapting must be quick and quiet without fanfare. The family must break into the right clique to get their ‘Golden Ticket’ (a lifetime pass into the colony). Linda breaks into the right group of women and is able to practice medicine. However, she doesn’t like to take things at face value. Linda is a doctor, her husband does research, they have lived outside the walls and the numbers are not adding up. Linda is warned over and over again to stop asking questions. The more answers she gets, the more frightened she becomes. Can they ever leave PV?
Let me leave you with this… Cognitive dissonance is real. Should you accept the discomfort you feel and get in line with the others, or do you do what aligns with your morals?
Michele Packard
Background: Your Bio: Award-winning author, Michele Packard, comes from a military family and worked as a cable tv executive before staying at home to raise her three children. She has written in both the fiction and non-fiction genres, utilizing her experiences and wit to share stories with others. Her family calls her "AESOP" as she tends to exaggerate. A lot. Packard grew up watching her father read Patterson, Child, Flynn, Clancy, and Woods and soon developed a penchant for conspiracy theories with strong protagonists in the psychological, political, and military thriller genres. Her books tend to lean heavy on sarcasm as she intertwines current and historical events for thought-provoking stories. Recently deemed as one of the top political thrillers of the year and a name to watch. She’s loving every minute of it.
Go-To Author: Brad Thor. What man or woman wouldn't love his MC, Scot Harvath? Patriotic, great looks and unlimited resources. Sign me up!
Author People Should Discover: Thriller - Dina Santorelli. She has a series and stand-alone books, well researched, thought provoking and overall just a good person.
Short stories - Nanette Kreitzman. She writes in various genres and it takes true talent to convey emotions in short bursts. She's a master at word play.
Sci-Fi/Military - Tripp Ainsworth. His writings are raw, inappropriate, original, and you fall in love with the characters.
Book You Would Recommend From 2023: The Pretty Ones by Jamie Lee Fry. This book captivated me with its gripping first-person narration, which kept me engrossed and on the edge of my seat. The skillful use of alternating timelines added depth and intrigue, allowing me to uncover details while eagerly flipping pages to unravel the story's conclusion. A truly well-written and suspenseful read.
Most-Anticipated Book Of 2024: Too many to list right now. I have a group of “author” friends in all genres and try to support them all.
Favorite Local/Indie Bookstore: Books Are Awesome in Parker, Co. They only promote Indie authors (and just a quaint place).
Favorite Charities:I recently launched a non-fiction book that 100% of net proceeds (ongoing) will go to national and local charities for suicide awareness and prevention. The first checks are slated for Project Refit and Robbie's Hope.
Follow Michele on Instagram and visit her website.
Moving into a new town is always challenging, especially when you feel out of options. The narrative of A Better World by Sarah Langan delves into the profound repercussions of our choices, navigating a futuristic town laden with an eerie ambiance, sinister neighbors, and stressed family relations. This book immerses readers in a blend of mystery, suspense, and a dystopian world where the convergence of elements and thought-provoking theme has the reader pondering what would you do for your family, safety, and what will you overlook for personal gain and acceptance. A fusion of a Tim Burton quirky perspective had he directed The Stepford Wives awaits you.
