IndieReader Discovery Awards 2025 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2025 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
TOUGH TIMES, GREAT PR by Seamus Phan offers a pragmatic and insightful exploration of public relations strategies tailored for navigating challenging economic climates. The book excels in delivering actionable advice, including case studies and a step-by-step approach to leveraging PR during recessions, making it an invaluable resource for business leaders. Phan’s ability to distill complex concepts into digestible, practical tips ensures readers walk away equipped to enhance their brand’s resilience and visibility.
FIONA FOX by Nancy Packes is a beautifully illustrated tale that captures the heart with its poetic storytelling and themes of resourcefulness and kindness. Fiona’s clever solutions to feed her family during the harsh winter and her acts of reconciliation with the forest animals make this a touching and memorable read. Its vivid imagery and warm message about community and sharing make it a delightful book for readers of all ages.
In classic-southern style, this slow build tale ramps up to unexpected twists and turns; MYSTERIES OF THE SOUTHERN GOTHIC does not disappoint in shocking murder mystery admissions. Author Jessica Carrasquillo creates a chilling tale highlighting the lengths the human mind will go to protect through buried memory as she blends trauma, love, familial bonds, and the ultimate sin, murder. More than just a cold case, it’s an investigation deep into the mind of a murderer.
Chris Bennett’s THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION expertly balances historical accuracy with fascinating storytelling, transporting readers to the complexity of the American Revolution through vivid people and wonderfully drawn surroundings. The novel highlights the spirit of perseverance and the challenges of regular people caught up in exceptional times. Bennett’s ability to blend human hardships into larger historical events distinguishes his work from others in the genre.
DELPHI by Karen Martin is a captivating exploration of Greek mythology interwoven with compelling narratives of resilience and transformation that offers readers a highly detailed trip through time and mythology by skillfully fusing historical and mythical themes. Readers who enjoy ancient knowledge and vivid storytelling will enjoy this book.
Lorraine Evanoff’s fourth Louise Moscow novel, WALKING THE CAT, uses Fashion Week in Paris as a backdrop for espionage. Louise is sort of retired from being a spy, although she’s still friends with her former handler. When another ex-spy, now deep in the fashion world, invites her to Paris for a week of fun during fashion week, Louise jumps at the chance. When a photographer’s assistant is murdered during the week, Louise teams up with Parisian police to get to the truth, and finds it tied to her own personal history. Fashion and Paris are more prominent in the book than the darker elements of spy craft and espionage. The world of Paris’s fashion week is well rendered in loving detail, with a strong eye for the drape of a garment, or the perfect accessory, as well as history behind some of the fashion houses and their customs. Food and drink are also prominent in the book, along with the geography and history of some of the most famous Parisian landmarks, making Paris an additional character in the story. Readers who love Paris and fashion will enjoy the latest Louise Moscow tale.
Amitha Kalaichandran’s provocative book ON HEALING is part memoir and also a deep exploration of the complex web that creates “healing.” Caught in a toxic hospital work environment in Ontario, Kalaichandran determined to learn everything there is to learn about the different facets involved in and necessary for healing, on both physical and emotional levels. A thorough researcher and interviewer, she weaves together patient stories with deep histories of various elements of medicine, healing, and spirituality, sometimes reaching back as far as ancient Greece and Egypt while also exploring more modern experiments on the effect environment can have on healing. ON HEALING is a fascinating exploration of just how complicated and interconnected the various elements of healing are, and how little room we are given to fully integrate what we need to heal.
HOW TO HEAR GHOSTS by David Griffiths is a chilling yet insightful voyage into the worlds of spirituality and loss. The book’s complex narrative effectively intertwines the protagonist’s emotional anguish with haunting experiences, resulting in a story that is both thought-provoking and eerie. Griffiths’ powerful storytelling depicts the complications of grief and the search for meaning in the supernatural.
Briskly-paced, action-packed, and with a puckish sense of humor, C.W. James’ MINDFIELD is an energetic sci-fi thriller about a young man with telepathy – and the lengths to which others will go to control him. Bouncing between the “meddling kids” antics of Scooby-Doo and the amoral scientific darkness of Stranger Things, MINDFIELD tells a tight story about the value of friends, the dangers of temptation, and navigating the perplexing world of adulthood as a youth.
D. F. Whibley’s ONE ARCTIC NIGHT wonderfully conveys the essence of Inuit culture and the spectacular Arctic nature through the eyes of Panuk, the novel’s 17 year old protagonist. The work depicts resilience, familial unity, and self-discovery while emphasizing rich traditions and the challenges of life in the North. Whibley’s rich descriptions and moving storytelling make for an engaging voyage that embraces both the severity and beauty of Arctic life.
THE NEW HUSBAND’S SURVIVAL GUIDE by Rick Resnick is a humorous and lighthearted exploration of the realities of married life, offering witty advice and playful insights for newlyweds. With its tongue-in-cheek tone, the book addresses common challenges—from sharing bathrooms to navigating communication pitfalls—making it a relatable and entertaining read for husbands-to-be.
Energetic, puckish, and surprisingly hopeful, Daniel Lawrence Abrams’ IMMORTALITY BYTES is portrait of a society on the brink of collapse – or of transcending the limits of the physical world entirely. Chock-full of winks to pop culture and history, with a self-consciously textual structure encouraging hyperlinking and non-linear engagement, IMMORTALITY BYTES feels like a book both of and about information, technology, and humanity in the 21st century.
Jeffrey M. Feingold’s A FINE MADNESS AND OTHER MAD STORIES is a captivating collection of short stories that fuses sharp wit, surreal scenarios, and profound insight into human nature. With eccentric characters, inventive narratives, and a perfect balance of humor and thoughtfulness, these stories explore life’s absurdities while offering universal truths about love, identity, and connection. Both entertaining and reflective, this collection is an exceptional choice for readers who appreciate inventive storytelling and cleverly crafted satire.
THE FINAL ACCOUNT is the second book in Jeff Cooper’s Jack Collins suspense series. Jack uncovers financial discrepancies by one of his lawyers handling estate and will management and can’t let it go as worried about the repercussions for his recently founded law firm. Set in the well-heeled regions of Greenwich, Cos Cob, and Stamford, CT., Jack has to juggle a lot: his law firm, his wife’s complicated pregnancy, his young son, the need to move to a larger (and more expensive) home. Challenging the status quo puts everything in jeopardy, but there are also consequences in turning a blind eye. Careful not to tie the corruption to a named political party, the book sets out how one bad choice paves the road to others. Fans of the first Jack Collins suspense novel, AFTER THE FACT, will enjoy this one, and be intrigued by the hints of what’s coming next.
The compelling memoir COINCIDENCE, YOU SAY? by Patrick Hogan offers a distinctive viewpoint on life’s unforeseen turns by fusing historical insights with personal tales. Resilience and self-reflection are demonstrated by the author’s detailed account of his experiences, which range from combat in Vietnam to interactions with the Department of Veterans Affairs. This work is notable for its provocative fusion of introspection and more general philosophical inquiry.
THE SCARLET D by Kirsten Pursell is a heartfelt and empowering story about finding love, rediscovering oneself, and starting afresh later in life. Set in Sullivan Island, SC, this novel captures the struggles and triumphs of Scarlet, a recently divorced woman redefining her identity after a thirty-year marriage. With richly developed characters and a relatable emotional depth, Pursell weaves a tale that celebrates resilience, second chances, and the courage it takes to embrace the unknown, making it a relatable and inspiring read for anyone facing life’s transitions.
Alfredo Botello’s SPIN CYCLE deftly and sympathetically navigates the emotional maze of caregiving. Botello creates a profoundly poignant story that addresses the difficulties of dementia while emphasizing the tenacity of familial love through evocative words and real characters. The author’s personal depiction of forgiveness, guilt, and patience will resonate deeply with readers.
Social scientist Marta Lenartowicz challenges readers to navigate their own minds and dreams in her surreal novella THE MINISTRY OF DREAMS, a unique and unusual exploration of the inherent human artistic capacity through a surreal and fantastical lens.. In this world, dreams are collected and curated like art, on several floors, and navigating the journey is anything but linear. Based in the philosophy that any potential answer opens up more questions, it makes this theory tangible with physical doors and floors. Written in the second person, with the use of “you” throughout, it turns each reader into the central protagonist of the piece. It uses the idea of mind/personality as a house – or is it an escape room? It’s an experiential read, where trying to explain what it’s “about” dilutes the experience of the read itself, and each reader’s experience will be as unique as their own minds, hearts, and questions.