Skip to main content

Editorial Content for The Wolf Tree

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

If you like your mysteries and thrillers filled with gothic intrigue and just a touch of village paganism, then Laura McCluskey’s THE WOLF TREE should be right up your alley.

Eilean Eadar is a barren, windswept rock off the coast of Scotland with a small population of very secretive, suspicious inhabitants. Their claim to fame up until a recent tragedy was the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers in 1919. Now, at the base of that very same lighthouse, the body of a young man named Alan Ferguson is found and initially is written off as a suicide. Read More

Teaser

Eilean Eadar is a barren, windswept rock best known for the unsolved mystery of the three lighthouse keepers who vanished back in 1919. But when a young man is found dead at the base of that same lighthouse, two detective inspectors are sent from Glasgow to investigate. Georgina “George” Lennox is happy to be back from leave after a devastating accident. That is, until she meets the hostile islanders and their enigmatic priest, who seem determined to thwart their investigation. George’s partner, Richie, just wants to close the case and head home to his family. But he hasn’t heard the wolves howling or seen the dark figures at their window at night. He’s too busy watching George as if waiting for her to break. With the dark secrets of the island swirling around them, George and Richie must decide who to trust and what to believe as they spin closer to the terrible truth.

Promo

Eilean Eadar is a barren, windswept rock best known for the unsolved mystery of the three lighthouse keepers who vanished back in 1919. But when a young man is found dead at the base of that same lighthouse, two detective inspectors are sent from Glasgow to investigate. Georgina “George” Lennox is happy to be back from leave after a devastating accident. That is, until she meets the hostile islanders and their enigmatic priest, who seem determined to thwart their investigation. George’s partner, Richie, just wants to close the case and head home to his family. But he hasn’t heard the wolves howling or seen the dark figures at their window at night. He’s too busy watching George as if waiting for her to break. With the dark secrets of the island swirling around them, George and Richie must decide who to trust and what to believe as they spin closer to the terrible truth.

About the Book

Eilean Eadar is a barren, windswept rock best known for the unsolved mystery of the three lighthouse keepers who vanished back in 1919. But when a young man is found dead at the base of that same lighthouse, two detective inspectors are sent from Glasgow to investigate.

Georgina “George” Lennox is happy to be back from leave after a devastating accident. That is, until she meets the hostile islanders and their enigmatic priest, who seem determined to thwart their investigation. George’s partner, Richie, just wants to close the case and head home to his family. But he hasn’t heard the wolves howling or seen the dark figures at their window at night. He’s too busy watching George as if waiting for her to break.

With the dark secrets of the island swirling around them, George and Richie must decide who to trust and what to believe as they spin closer to the terrible truth. Laced with Scottish legend yet sharp and modern in voice, THE WOLF TREE announces a spellbinding new voice in crime and mystery fiction.

Audiobook available, read by Kirsty Cox

Editorial Content for The Last Room on the Left

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Christine M. Irvin

When Kerry signs up to live for a month as a caretaker at a roadside motel in the Catskill Mountains, she is looking forward to some peace and quiet away from the city, an escape from her mixed-up life, and the time to write a book that she is under deadline to finish. But what she gets is nothing like what she had envisioned. Read More

Teaser

Kerry’s life is in shambles. Her husband has left her, her drinking habit has officially become a problem, and though the deadline for her big book deal --- the one that was supposed to change everything --- is looming, she can’t write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a revitalized roadside motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It's the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh. But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: a pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains and alone with a dead, frozen body, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ.

Promo

Kerry’s life is in shambles. Her husband has left her, her drinking habit has officially become a problem, and though the deadline for her big book deal --- the one that was supposed to change everything --- is looming, she can’t write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a revitalized roadside motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It's the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh. But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: a pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains and alone with a dead, frozen body, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ.

About the Book

The caretaker at an isolated mountain hotel finds herself fighting for her life --- and sanity --- in this twisty, addictive thriller.

Kerry’s life is in shambles. Her husband has left her, her drinking habit has officially become a problem, and though the deadline for her big book deal --- the one that was supposed to change everything --- is looming, she can’t write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a revitalized roadside motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It's the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh.

But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: a pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains and alone with a dead, frozen body, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ.

Audiobook available; read by Karissa Vacker, Erin Bennett and Julie Webster

Editorial Content for A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Stuart Shiffman

If you love sports, you probably have one that you prefer over the others. For me it is baseball, which I first enjoyed in the early 1950s when I sat in the right field bleachers of Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs played the Brooklyn Dodgers. Read More

Teaser

Professional baseball has featured a bevy of superstars over the past century and a half, but only a few of them have impacted their sport and cities as deeply as Willie McCovey and Billy Williams. Born just a handful of miles apart in 1938, they grew up in and around one of the sport’s true cradles, Mobile, Alabama, on their way to producing two iconic careers in Major League Baseball. In A TIME FOR REFLECTION, Jason Cannon examines these two legends of the game. Overcoming the heinous racism of the Jim Crow South as part of the second generation of African American major leaguers who followed in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson, they became two of baseball’s all-time greatest players. Off the field, they took impactful stands for racial progress that continue to resonate today.

Promo

Professional baseball has featured a bevy of superstars over the past century and a half, but only a few of them have impacted their sport and cities as deeply as Willie McCovey and Billy Williams. Born just a handful of miles apart in 1938, they grew up in and around one of the sport’s true cradles, Mobile, Alabama, on their way to producing two iconic careers in Major League Baseball. In A TIME FOR REFLECTION, Jason Cannon examines these two legends of the game. Overcoming the heinous racism of the Jim Crow South as part of the second generation of African American major leaguers who followed in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson, they became two of baseball’s all-time greatest players. Off the field, they took impactful stands for racial progress that continue to resonate today.

About the Book

A fascinating look back at the incredible lives and careers of baseball Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Billy Williams.

Professional baseball has featured a bevy of superstars over the past century and a half, but only a few of them have impacted their sport and cities as deeply as Willie McCovey and Billy Williams. Born just a handful of miles apart in 1938, they grew up in and around one of the sport’s true cradles, Mobile, Alabama, on their way to producing two iconic careers in Major League Baseball.

In A TIME FOR REFLECTION, Jason Cannon examines these two legends of the game. Overcoming the heinous racism of the Jim Crow South as part of the second generation of African American major leaguers who followed in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson, they became two of baseball’s all-time greatest players. Off the field, they took impactful stands for racial progress that continue to resonate today. Their personal resolve, leadership in the clubhouse and dedication to their baseball communities endeared them to teammates and fans alike.

Featuring original interviews with family members, friends, teammates and Williams himself, A TIME FOR REFLECTION brings to life their monumental accomplishments on the diamond, while also detailing how McCovey and Williams grew into pillars of San Francisco and Chicago and inspired future generations of ballplayers.

February 14, 2025

Wow, this has been one great week, with lots of wonderful author experiences.

On Monday night, I had the pleasure of interviewing Marie Benedict about THE QUEENS OF CRIME (an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On pick) at the Brielle Public Library. To give those of you who have not attended a book event a look at the excitement behind the scenes, above you can see Marie and me before we headed on stage; me with Peter Albertelli, the owner of BookTowne in Manasquan, NJ, the bookseller for the event; and Marie as she's getting ready to sign books. She loved how they had the books all lined up!

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

February 2025

I was a huge fan of Charmaine Wilkerson’s first novel, BLACK CAKE. So when I heard that she had a new book coming out, I was looking forward to reading it. I am happy to share that GOOD DIRT is another powerful work of fiction that spans generations. Charmaine has a beautiful way of telling a family story, filling it with emotion and history.

Ebby Freeman is at the heart of the book. As a young girl, she witnessed her brother being killed in a home invasion, but she holds back from revealing everything she saw that day. For years, she is looked upon as “the poor Freeman girl,” and what happened to her is whispered about. Ebby already stands out as the stunningly beautiful Black woman in her affluent, all-white neighborhood. All this history makes the pain of being left at the altar on the day of her wedding at her family home that much sadder. She stumbles through life for a while before jetting off to France to get away from it all. But even there Ebby’s past follows her.

Do you look at blurbs (brief quotes from authors and influencers) when considering buying or reading a book? Please check all that apply.

February 14, 2025, 662 voters

February 14, 2025 - February 28, 2025

Here are reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for the contest period of February 14 - February 28.

The Savannah Book Festival was moved up a week, so it ended up competing with Super Bowl weekend instead of Presidents’ Day weekend. There’s no word yet on what the change might have meant for attendance. Saturday's weather was perfect for walking between the seven speaker venues and grabbing a bite from one of the food trucks.

Victoria Christopher Murray, author of Harlem Rhapsody

In 1919, high school teacher Jessie Redmon Fauset has been named the literary editor of The Crisis. The first Black woman to hold this position at a preeminent Negro magazine, Jessie is poised to achieve literary greatness. But she holds a secret that jeopardizes it all. W. E. B. Du Bois, the founder of The Crisis, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife nor their 14-year age difference can keep the two apart. Amidst rumors of their tumultuous affair, Jessie is determined to prove herself. She attacks the challenge of discovering young writers with fervor. Under her leadership, The Crisis thrives. When her first novel is released to great acclaim, it’s clear that Jessie is at the heart of a renaissance in Black music, theater and the arts. But as she strives to preserve her legacy, she’ll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.

Erin Crosby Eckstine, author of Junie

Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie. When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act --- one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that no longer can be ignored.