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John Valeri

Book Review: I’ll Stop the World by Lauren Thoman

By John Valeri

May 8, 2023

Nashville’s Lauren Thoman is an admitted entertainment junkie who studied music education before following the call of pop culture. A passion for watching and analyzing content led her to contribute to such topical forums as Parade, Vulture, Pop Sugar, Looper, and Collider. Thoman recently made her debut as a novelist with the genre-bending I’ll Stop…

Book Review: Hollow Beasts by Alisa Lynn Valdés

By John Valeri

April 28, 2023

Alisa Lynn Valdés is a storyteller of experience and skill. An award-winning print and broadcast journalist, the Albuquerque native served as a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe, and was once named among Time magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America and a Latina magazine woman of the year.…

Book Review: How I’ll Kill You by Ren DeStefano

By John Valeri

April 13, 2023

Here’s a bit of backstory for you. Connecticut’s Lauren DeStefano—a graduate of Albertus Magnus College with a concentration in creative writing—was already a New York Times bestselling author of YA and children’s fiction (the Chemical Garden trilogy, the Internment Chronicles, etc.) when she decided to rebrand herself as Ren for her transition to the adult…

Book Review: The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson

By John Valeri

April 4, 2023

Bostonian Peter Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels (including last year’s Nine Lives) that have been translated into thirty languages. Also a poet, his verse, short fiction, and feature stories have appeared in a variety of publications, from Asimov’s Science Fiction to Yankee Magazine. His newest genre offering, The Kind…

Book Review: What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

By John Valeri

March 23, 2023

The pseudonymous Alex Finlay—by day, a prominent Washington D.C. attorney with an extensive history of appearing before the U.S. Supreme Court—has quickly established himself as master of the high concept suspense novel. He made his debut with 2021’s Every Last Fear, now in development as a streaming service series, which was followed by The Night…

Q&A with Marie Still, author of We’re All Lying

By John Valeri

March 20, 2023

Marie Still’s story is a familiar one and yet entirely her own. She spent her youth obsessing over words, imaginary characters, and the darkness that unites them. Then, after college, she did the pragmatic thing and got a job—or a series of them—that would afford her financial security while still allowing her to work with…

Book Review: The Greedy Three by Karen Katchur

By John Valeri

March 17, 2023

It’s been a long three years since Amazon Charts bestselling author Karen Katchur’s last book was published. Spring Girls was the third entry in her stellar Northampton County series following River Bodies and Cold Woods. Prior to transitioning to straight-up suspense, Katchur—who earned degrees in criminal justice and education before turning to the page—also wrote…

Book Review: The Angel Maker by Alex North

By John Valeri

March 15, 2023

Alex North is as much a mystery as the books he writes. A British crime novelist and family man, he has achieved international acclaim and bestseller status under a nom de plume. His previous North novels, The Whisper Man (2019)—soon to be a feature film—and The Shadows (2020), are a potent blend of searing suspense…

Book Review: The Drift by C.J. Tudor

By John Valeri

February 16, 2023

C.J. Tudor may well be on her way to becoming this generation’s Stephen King. Since making her debut with 2018’s The Chalk Man—which won the Barry Award, the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel, and the Strand Critics Award for Best Debut Novel—she has earned a legion of fans who will snap up…

Book Review: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

By John Valeri

February 13, 2023

Benjamin Stevenson may not have the name recognition of the genre’s heavy hitters (yet), but as a veteran of the industry, he knows what it takes to get there. Having worked for both publishing houses and literary agencies in Australia and America, he is also an award-winning comedian who has sold out international venues. Stevenson…

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