Book Review
The Esmeralda Goodbye
by Karen Rigby
Delighting in the excess of 1950s Southern California atmospheres, "The Esmeralda Goodbye" is a winking noir novel with a winsome hero. Featuring American celebrities and cultural icons, Corey Lynn Fayman’s crime novel "The Esmeralda...
Book Review
The Jinn Daughter
by Karen Rigby
Death is owed a debt, and a mother and daughter face underworld threats, in Rania Hanna’s lush fantasy novel "The Jinn Daughter". Nadine, a jinn, consumes the souls of the dead, which take the form of pomegranate seeds. She tells their...
Book Review
The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist
by Karen Rigby
In Anders Sparring’s humorous chapter book "The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist", the sole redeeming member of a family of bandits is a scrupulous boy who can’t seem to lie. Theo’s parents and sister have a penchant for thievery....
Book Review
Empire of Shadows
by Karen Rigby
In Jacquelyn Benson’s adventure-filled novel "Empire of Shadows", a British bluestocking teams up with a dashing American surveyor in hopes of finding an ancient secret. In the nineteenth century, spirited, impulsive Ellie harbors...
Book Review
The Fallen Woman's Daughter
by Karen Rigby
Consequences and forgiveness interweave in Michelle Cox’s enthralling historical novel The Fallen Woman’s Daughter, about a young heartland bride whose unfortunate choices create hardship for her children across decades. In the...
Book Review
The Lady with the Dark Hair
by Karen Rigby
Dual storylines connect across time in Erin Bartels’s historical novel "The Lady with the Dark Hair", about women who expand their visions of themselves through art. In midlife, Esther cares for her schizophrenic mother, a reclusive...
Book Review
Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other
by Karen Rigby
Writing ignites “a politics of attention” in Danielle Dutton’s literary, unconventional essay collection "Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other", whose entries are bound by energy, sharp awareness of the world’s dangers, family...
Book Review
Magnificent Mess
by Karen Rigby
A reluctant law student muddles her way through love and work in "Magnificent Mess", a romance novel that doubles as a realistic exploration of navigating one’s twenties. In Elizabeth Standish’s romance novel "Magnificent Mess", a...