IndieReader Discovery Awards 2024 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
In the sixth installment of an amateur sleuth mystery series, a delusional psychopath leads a cat-and-mouse chase as he terrorizes an idyllic PNW island by targeting the water supply tanks. Author Ted Mulcahey’s cast of adept characters creates the perfect combination to thwart the lunatic in this brain-teaser TANKS: Evil Lurks on Whidbey Island. Cleverly plotted, this adventure delivers numerous adrenaline-fueled twists and turns to exceed reader expectations.
LS Delorme’s BRIGHT MIDNIGHTS presents an appealing plot centred around 17-year-old Amelie, whose life is burdened by a mysterious gift that attracts others to her with tragic consequences. Delorme skillfully blends elements of metaphysical Sci-Fi, time travel fiction, and romance as Amelie finds solace in her dreams and encounters the enigmatic Clovis, whose secrets intertwine with hers. With compelling characters, intricate plot twists, and a looming sense of foreboding, the novel offers a thought-provoking exploration of love, secrecy, and the almost otherworldly complexities of human connection.
What happened to nine-year-old Alice is the impetus of WHEN I KILLED YOU, a psychological thriller by Liam Fialkov filled with fantastic plot twists and mis-directions that will keep readers guessing. A cast of deeply emotionally flawed characters and a fast-moving mystery unfolds to an inconceivably shocking conclusion.
In Shawn Elliot’s guide, A BUSY PARENT’S GUIDE TO PREVENTING CHILDHOOD OBESITY, readers get an insight of how to tackle childhood obesity through the holistic approach. By prioritizing health over numerical metrics and addressing societal influences, the book offers practical strategies for parents. With an emphasis on emotional support and practical solutions, Elliot equips readers with tools to foster healthier lifestyles for their children.
SPACE BOY by Lillian China Smith is an adventure tale that is out of this world. With sharp, colorful pictures by illustrator Gerry Alvarez, the story of father and son has the two on an exploratory space mission, visiting the moon. This easy-to-read bedtime story gives a few simple facts about the moon that may lead children to learn more about outer space.
Told from the perspective of Travis Sivart, an Air Force officer wrestling with PTSD, LIFE AT THE PRECIPICE explores the eccentric community and mysterious folklore of The Segway, an isolated town on Vancouver Island, riddled with strange seismic activity and geological anomaly. As he tries to unravel fact from fiction, puzzling complexities emerge, causing Travis to finally confront the traumatic events that led him to discover The Segway. LIFE AT THE PRECIPICE is a remarkable book that effortlessly dissolves genre boundaries to bring a captivating and unique story to life. Surreal, fascinating, threaded with humor, and a wonderfully bizarre array of quirky characters, Vincent has produced a stunning novel, full of imagination, originality, and pathos.
IN THE FANGS OF JACKALS, author E. S. Ramirez narrates the tale of Karl Wagner, a professor and former Wehrmacht leader, whose intentions to spend time with his family are thwarted by a new assignment from a group of generals who think they have found a means to undo the atrocities of World War I. Wagner is taken aback to see a general who has been declared dead and is additionally embroiled in a flurry of details on a secret mission gone wrong that he is supposed to finish. Deep secrets and inconceivable occurrences about the Great War are revealed in this adrenaline-fueled, thought-provoking, and interesting novel that both historians and mystery enthusiasts will not want to miss.
OF MUD AND HONEY by Roxana Trabulsi skillfully blends the personal challenges of the Barucha family with the tumultuous political climate of Aden, demonstrating a deep understanding of local history. Through adept storytelling that spans different eras and perspectives, the narrative captures readers with its captivating and profound depth. Overall, the book is a compelling choice for those looking for a nuanced exploration of human resilience and the significant influence of historical events on individual lives.
Debbie Schrack demonstrates artful genius by combining the ideas behind several true crime events into a suspenseful thriller in her latest, OVER THE FENCE. Seventeen-year-old Eve, abducted as a child and continually abused by her captors, and similarly aged Emma, the sister of a violence abuse victim, unknowingly share a connection through a fence adjoining their backyards. Raw and unnerving, though not overly graphic, OVER THE FENCE is entirely absorbing.
FLIP YOUR WIG by Roy Chaney features complex plotting, a huge cast of characters and a slew of graphically described murder victims, all set into the music scene of the 60’s by an author whose writing is unusual, even quirky. In a tragi-comedic way–stylistically and thematically–this is a unique and powerful novel.
A captivating mystery full of unexpected twists, Anne Mikaitis’s BLACK PLUME is a thriller following relatable, flawed characters who are struggling to mentally overcome a past traumatic experience, but are now being physically hunted as those around them are being murdered at an astonishing rate in a small town where violent crime is a rarity.
Barbara A. Kerr’s ZERU ZERU GIRL is a heart wrenching tale, told mostly from the perspective of Alex, a woman with albinism who was smuggled out of Tanzania to the U.S. as a child, due to the practice of witch doctors hunting, maiming and murdering those with the condition for the use of body parts in their rituals. Kerr writes concisely with a level of compassion and empathy that flows through the prose, delivering an emotional punch that keeps the reader engaged throughout the harrowing journey.
Full of heartbreak, anguish, and healing, Shanessa Gluhm’s A RIVER OF CROWS tugs on emotional heartstrings with the depth of character development. The story keeps readers hooked with the mysterious, supposed death of a young boy years ago that unravels troubling family secrets from both the past and present.
BLUE-EYED DEVIL is MJ McDuffie’s debut novel, and the first of her Celtic Seven Kings series. It’s a paranormal romantic political thriller, set across decades and continents, entwining Irish political strife with current events. Belle Brooks is a recent widow; she suspects her billionaire husband was involved in shady dealings. As her psychic abilities grow, she discovers his involvement with a secret society, an Irish election, and a disturbing demand in his will. FBI agent and widower Remy Montgomery reads auras. Their paths cross when Remy’s investigation into Belle’s husband (and Remy’s childhood friend) takes a strange turn, and uncovers secrets in both their families. McDuffie sets up formidable obstacles for them to overcome in this book, and promises more for the rest of the series. Readers who are swept up in the strength of their romance will be eager to see how Belle and Remy handle what’s coming next.
ONE VETERAN’S PERSPECTIVE is an astute text by Tosh Cole with a new-fangled style of writing involving a far-reaching interview of an anonymous US war veteran that took place during the 2020 Pandemic. The seven sections in the book discuss salient and resonant themes likely to evoke an inspirational drive in readers, encouraging them to find happiness in a world full of challenges and create an algorithm of success that works for you. Cole further addresses life in the military exposing some unsaid truths about America’s rights and freedoms. Altogether, it is a companionable text for those seeking to find order in today’s chaos.
In David Grosz’s PROVIDENCE, a young editor and freelance writer discovers by coincidence the sad incident that led to his family’s closest friends being cut off from their lives. After so many years apart, he turns out to be the unexpected hero who pulls everyone back together. A powerful and enjoyable illustration of the importance of friendship and a strong reminder to cherish your relationships in all of their complexity.
Having the weight of the world on one’s shoulders is a lot to handle, especially for a 12-year-old girl entrusted with a life-or-death family secret. VIVIE’S SECRET by Terry Lee Caruthers takes readers back in time to the 1956 invasion of Hungary by the Soviet Union. Historical fiction—and cat—lovers may learn a bit about life as a refugee and cat rescuer in this page-turner for teens and adults.
A reenlisted father and his faithful canine companion embark on a courageous journey during the tumultuous early days of the Civil War in Terry Lee Caruthers’ meticulously researched THE FAITHFUL DOG, a pitch-perfect example of children’s historical fiction vividly depicting the harsh realities of war through the eyes of a truly remarkable dog.