#Bookreview of Mortal Vengeance

By: Alejandro Torres De la Rocha

Publication Date: June 25, 2025

ISBN: 979-8289696717

Reviewed by: Ephantus Muriuki

Review Date: October 13, 2026

Alejandro Torres De la Rocha's Mortal Vengeance, a searing psychological thriller, dissects the corrosive power of guilt, the trauma of betrayal, and the terrifying ease with which ordinary people justify the unthinkable. The story is driven by pent-up anger and the desire to take justice into one's own hands.

Five high schoolers led by Marcos, the one who "snaps," find themselves at the edge of an irreversible act. Marcos is a young man who sees himself as an instrument of a shared grievance. He sees his rage as a scream for justice on behalf of everyone who has suffered in the hands of the teacher they call "the classroom tyrant, the purveyor of fear and humiliation." Close to him are his similarly aggrieved peers including Alex, the architect of a cold, chilling strategy; Enrique, the willing hands that carry out "the deed;" Mario, whose conscience screams "this is wrong;" and Manuel, who has decided that going along is safer than standing apart.

These are not just angry teenagers venting. They are scared ones too. They are afraid to stand apart from the pack. But unbeknownst to them, something is out there waiting to exploit this weakness. It won't allow them to hide and won't stop until it has forced them to stand apart, whether they want it or not. Perhaps most shockingly, it has an accomplice, a familiar face hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to execute a personal vendetta.

This story is structured as a series of revelations, each one re-contextualizing what came before. After "the deed," for example, the reader would want to believe the worst has happened. However, the next revelation reveals that the incident was just an inciting scene to something worse. The reader is not only shown the consequences of a previous action; they are also set up for the next revelation. And when it comes, they are sunk deeper into answers and truths that make their anxiety even worse. When Enrique and Melissa go for a date, for example, you’d expect romance. Instead, the book hits you with a truth that sends shockwaves into everything you thought you understood. That's a book that understands that the reader doesn't want to be pulled up. They came for the descent. And that is exactly what it gives them.

Quill says: Mortal Vengeance’s structure is deliberate and integral, and makes the novel go beyond what ordinary thrillers achieve. Readers who love stories with a psychological stance that force them to confront the possibility that even the most compassionate impulses can be twisted into something deeply monstrous will find this book impossible to forget. Its dialogue flows naturally, the prose is cinematic and sensory, and the pacing is quick. It's the kind of book that makes you side eye your own friend group, and wonder if anyone is holding a grudge from years back.

For more information about Mortal Vengeance, please visit the author's website at: mortalvengeance.com/

 #Authorinterview with Carmen Amato

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Alma Boucher is talking with Carmen Amato, author of Dragon Cartel: A Detective Emilia Cruz Novel.

FQ: Emilia Cruz is already under considerable pressure when DRAGON CARTEL begins. What inspired you to place her in this particular situation?

AMATO: Emilia is the first female police detective in Acapulco. The police department never wanted a female detective and they still don’t. She’s always juggling that tenuous position with the suspicion in inherent in a corrupt system lubricated with drug cartel cash. She never knows who can be trusted.

In DRAGON CARTEL she’s looking for a teenaged assassin who calls himself El Barracuda. He killed several US diplomats and shot her boss in the previous book, BARRACUDA BAY. So she already has her hands full when she’s asked to look for a missing Customs inspector.

Each book reads like a standalone, although they reflect a series arc.

Author Carmen Amato

FQ: El Barracuda is a particularly dangerous antagonist. What did you want readers to understand about him, and what makes him such a formidable threat to Emilia?

AMATO: El Barracuda is the nephew of an El Chapo-like drug cartel kingpin who escaped police custody and is a fugitive outside Acapulco. The kingpin has a simmering interest in Emilia that occasionally boils over.

The nephew is the anointed heir but wants to break free from his uncle’s control and make a name for himself in underworld circles. He thinks if he kills Emilia, his uncle will finally respect him.

FQ: The shipping container lists become an important clue in the investigation. What drew you to the world of ports, customs, and commercial shipping in the story?

AMATO: The initial inspiration for DRAGON CARTEL was a shocking statistic: an increase of more than 8000% in the number of Chinese nationals coming over the US-Mexico border during the Biden administration. I also wanted to write a missing persons story but it had to tie into the Chinese angle. Commercial shipping gave me a way to do that.

FQ: The novel introduces a mysterious Chinese national with multiple passports and encrypted communication devices. What attracted you to the idea of bringing international espionage into Emilia's investigation?

AMATO: A 30-year veteran of the CIA, I understand how China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) works and how deeply it is integrated into all of China’s overseas activities.

Pitting Emilia against an MSS agent, when he has the full picture and she just sees a sliver, made for a great catch-me-if-you-can plot element.

FQ: Acapulco plays a significant role in the novel. How important is the city itself to the Detective Emilia Cruz series, and what aspects of Acapulco did you particularly want to capture for readers?

AMATO: Acapulco is a great place for a mystery series. Beaches, resorts, restaurants, glamor and nightclubs. It is the ultimate vacation destination.

Outside the tourist zone, however, Acapulco’s high poverty rates, abandoned buildings, and cartel violence are starkly evident.

Emilia Cruz has to navigate both the highs and lows of Acapulco. She’s from a poor neighborhood but now lives in a luxury hotel with her boyfriend, the hotel manager. Her job as a female police detective takes her into places where life is cheap and loyalty is for sale.

FQ: What research did you undertake into cartel operations, Mexican law enforcement, customs procedures, and international crime while writing DRAGON CARTEL?

AMATO: Besides my own experiences in Mexico and Central America for so many years, I’m a newshound. I read the news coming out of the region every day and keep a file of events that I can use. Google Earth, real estate listings, maps and YouTube are my go-to sources for incidental details.

FQ: How do you balance the procedural elements of Emilia's investigations with personal development of the protagonist?

AMATO: Every Detective Emilia Cruz thriller has 3 core elements: the main crime, a secondary crime and a personal issue that keeps Emilia up at night. In DRAGON CARTEL, she’s dealing with the hunt for El Barracuda, assisted by a DEA agent working out of the US consulate in Acapulco. Then she takes on the hunt for the missing Customs inspector, only to find a link between the two cases.

At the same time, she has canceled her wedding plans and is unsure about marriage. Emilia is a tenacious detective but terrible at emotional commitment.

FQ: Your novel brings together cartel crime, a missing person, organized corruption, and international intrigue. How do you keep multiple storylines manageable while maintaining suspense?

AMATO: I plot each book using color coded notes to keep all the threads organized. I aim to give the reader an exciting escape into the world of Detective Emilia Cruz, complete with vibrant characters, twisty storylines and situations that connect on an emotional level.

The color coded outline helps me create cliffhanger chapters, big action scenes, and a page-turning pace.

When you put down an Emilia Cruz book, I want your heartrate to slowly go back to normal as you think, “If Emilia can do hard things, so can I.”

FQ: For readers who are discovering the Detective Emilia Cruz series with this book, what would you like them to know about Emilia and her world?

AMATO: Think Hawaii 5-0 meets Narcos, with the character depth of Vera.

If you’re discovering Emilia Cruz for the first time, you’ll quickly find out that she’s a strong, compelling woman navigating cartel crime and corruption in contemporary Acapulco. Her survival is a daily battle of wits and resilience.

Surrounded by bad actors, she holds onto her own moral compass with both hands yet being a good liar is one of her best weapons.

Her journey unfolds over 10 books and counting, so if you love international crime fiction by Ann Cleeves, Jo Nesbo, and Ian Rankin, you’ll love the Detective Emilia Cruz series, too.

For more information about Dragon Cartel: A Detective Emilia Cruz Novel, please visit the author's website at: carmenamato.net/

 #Bookreview of The Daydreaming Sink

By: J.H. Diehl

Illustrated by: Kathryn Freeman

Publisher: Leaning Rock Press

Publication Date: July 9, 2026

ISBN: 978-1-960596-41-3

Reviewed by: Rebecca Jane Johnson

Review Date: September 30, 2026

The Daydreaming Sink: A Book of Household Limericks is a delightful read, written by journalist and author J.H. Diehl with drawings by poetic realist artist Kathryn Freeman. This collection of poetry amuses a reader with rhyme, humor, and quirky illustrations that make everyday household objects come alive, feeding the imagination of any age reader. The images and nonsense ideas can lighten us all up. This book invites absurdity and easy silliness into the hardest and darkest days.

Not only is this a book of rhymes, rhythm, puns, and wordplay that gives youth and those young-at-heart something to share with each other out loud, but it also celebrates the amusing kinds of mischief we like to indulge in within domestic settings. What happens when the refrigerator gets moody or the dinner plate gets bossy? And what kinds of mischief erupts when the toothbrush decides to wield a sword? Wasting time, dallying, singing as we please in the shower, preferring ice cream to doing the laundry: these are all behaviors that get the spotlight in The Daydreaming Sink.

Recently, researchers have reported that people are speaking to each other fewer and fewer words each day; this book, however, has the power to revive our human longing for spoken word connection. Not only will you want to read-aloud these rhymes to your loved ones, but you will also want to make up silly rhymes about the tired phone charger, the swooning tea spoon, or the shy toilet seat. Imagine young readers getting a kick out of these rhymes and feeling inspired to make up their own rhyming and rhythmic puns and word play about objects all over the house! This book gives the impression that everyday objects can be endowed with personality, emotions, and secret lives of their own. This teaches young readers the art of personification and emotional intelligence. Also, these nonsense lyrics are a tribute to Edward Lear who was a famous artist and writer who lived a fascinating life and embraced nonsense. This book encourages readers to learn more about the history of the limerick form and others who have tried their hand and imagination at writing limericks and nonsense. The rhymes and rhythm are so catchy and clever, you’ll be repeating them in your mind. This book can be read over and over. It’s perfect for an elementary school library book shelf or for a bed time routine.

In a recent interview, the author said, “Something I learned from my dad reading to me aloud is that nonsense writing can be a kind of literary balm,” (from an online interview with Deborah Kalb). This book is a balm and when life doesn’t make sense, there is never too much nonsense.

Quill says: The Daydreaming Sink gifts readers with a delightfully fun, lyrical, lively, and humorous experience. The amusement this book gives has the power to inspire a strong foundation for a lifetime of love for poetry and song. It’s sure to bring smiles when we are in the darkest of moods and pulling the longest of faces.

For more information about The Daydreaming Sink, please visit the author's website at: jhdiehl.com

 #Bookreview of Secrets of the Emerald Tablet

By: Stewart F. Brennan

Publisher: Friesen Press

Publication Date: September 12, 2026

ISBN: 978-1038381026

Reviewed by: Ephantus Muriuki

Review Date: September 29, 2026

Secrets of the Emerald Tablet is book two in Stewart F. Brennan's New Horizons series. This intriguing action-packed thriller, and the sequel to The Shard of Asclepius, pulls you into a world where nothing is as it seems.

We are first introduced to Colonel Cedric Marshall, the second in command to Isaac Roth, a senior director of the Collective, who has just been vaporized together with his men while on a mission to destroy a terrorist cell and to apprehend an energy device. Marshall narrowly escapes the same fate, just in time to witness the horrifying event, when two beams of white energy vaporize Roth and the rest of the team in a split second.

One name lingers on Marshall's lips: David Collins, the man who carries a weapon unlike anything the Collective has seen before. From later pages, we learn that David doesn't see the weapon as his, but as something to share and use for the good of others. He also sees it as a key to something greater than just destruction. This stems from the realization that it comes from an ancient civilization, a civilization that was destroyed thousands of years ago, but left the weapon behind so that humanity might one day rediscover what it had lost.

While Marshall dreams of holding the weapon in his hands and watching his enemies disintegrate before him, David kneels beside the wounded and pours energy into their bodies until they are whole again. This simple contrast forms the spine and axis on which every event, decision, and consequence in the novel rotates.

The brilliance of this story lies in how it expands beyond the aforementioned characters. It reaches into history, bringing back to life Kemet, the ancient name for Egypt, The Order of Thoth, the guardians of the ancient record, The Order of Hermes, the protectors of esoteric knowledge, as well as the Shards of Asclepius and Thoth, tools that open the mind, heal the body, and connect consciousness. These are not just mentioned. The book places them in the reader's hands, letting them see them, feel them, and sense their weight.

The ancient world comes back to life because the characters interact with it. They enter the catacombs. They read The Emerald Tablet. They wear the rings. They carry the record forward. Also, the present world’s stakes rise because the ancient world is not just history, but a warning. The cataclysm happened before. An asteroid called Apep crashed into the ice sheet. The poles reversed. The sea rose. Ultimately, a civilization was destroyed. The world was reset. It happened before. It can happen again.

This story rides on the use of technology as a narrative device. And it rides well. Every decision, implant, drone, phone and shard serve a purpose. In a world where technology in writing is often used as a prop, this book uses it as the story's language, the means by which control is enforced, resistance is mounted, and transformation achieved. That is rare, the kind of rare that makes you refresh the author's website every day, every hour and every minute, hoping for a sign of the next book in the series.

Quill says: If you enjoy thrillers that move fast, technology that means something, and ancient mysteries that feel real, or pacing that never lets up, and writing that never wastes a word, you won't go wrong with Secrets of the Emerald Tablet. It's lengthy in the best way, allowing you to bask in the atmosphere, the tension, and the slow burn of a story that never rushes, yet never drags.

For more information about Secrets of the Emerald Tablet, please visit the author's website at: stewartfbrennan.com

 #Bookreview of Victory Syllabus: A Graphic Novel

By: Dean Ware

Publisher: The Victory Syllabus Company

Publication Date: August 25, 2026

ISBN: 979-8234136480

Reviewed by: Ephantus Muriuki

Review Date: October 2, 2026

A lot of sports manga have been written. We’ve had Ninja volleyball and superpowered soccer. We have seen tennis players who’ve looked like they could bend the laws of physics. We’ve also seen basketball players who can dunk from the three-point line. But we have never seen a fully realized, competitive sport that fuses basketball and tennis together, not just in a compelling manner, but also in a way that feels like you could walk to the nearest abandoned tennis court and play it yourself. It’s been like that until now, thanks to Dean Ware’s Victory Syllabus: A Graphic Novel.

A group of 3-4 freshmen lost a pick-up game to the JV basketball team. Out of frustration with the traditional basketball, one of them asked, “what if we made our own game?” They went to a place called Larklaw’s place and invented it. One of the illustrations presents basketball as a sport and a system that was built on ego, reputation, and crushing of the weak. That’s exactly what the freshmen intended to remove.

Their invention was a game called Travelling. It wasn’t just a physical game but an intellectual one too. You could only get better by carefully studying the Map. The map treats rules with the same reverence as fantasy books treat magic. It comprises a set of details that turn the sport into a puzzle, a puzzle similar to a fast-paced game of chess, where the board is a tennis court, and the pieces your own movements. Every step is calculated. Every dribble is well-thought out.

Ware has dedicated enough space to the actual rules of Travelling. Most comics would simply show the protagonist studying them. Ware refuses that. He instead pulls us into the game’s mechanics to understand them, and to keep up with the players. By doing that, he turns us from passive spectators into active participants, who, just like the players, feel the weight of every Forward Reset, the risk of every Folly, and the ticking of the 22-second rally clock.

This character-driven story is propelled by art that doesn’t just show us what’s happening but also, how the characters feel about the happenings. Their faces are incredibly expressive, which is really important to the reader for such a sport that’s deeply psychological. They enable the reader to see the mind behind the action and the movements.

Ware uses a saturated and bold color palette that pops off the page, making everything feel alive and energetic. He also strategically uses color change to signal shifts in tone, the way a filmmaker uses light. He uses red during tense moments, blue during cleaner, more strategic moments, and purple during moments of shock or revelation. That color variation makes the reader feel the game and experience it from the inside.

Quill says: Dean Ware’s Victory Syllabus: A Graphic Novel is for the young reader who appreciates a protagonist who wins with his brain as much as his body. But more than anything, it’s for the reader who doesn’t mind being trusted by the author to memorize the mechanics and understand its characters on a psychological level. It’s a great graphic novel, and one whose art serves the story.

 #Bookreview of Behaving Badly: A Tess Hammond Novel

By: Rochelle Staab

Publisher: Garfield & Lloyd

Publication Date: April 30, 2026

ISBN: 979-8-9956763-0-0

Reviewed by: Lily Andrews

Review Date: October 2, 2026

In Behaving Badly: A Tess Hammond Novel by Rochelle Staab, Tess Hammond, a crime journalist for the Los Angeles Examiner, rushes to the King Edward Hotel following a call about shootouts in the hotel's tunnels. To her shock, she finds her detective husband Johnny lying on the floor, shot. He and his partner have been gunned down by an unidentified informant. Johnny dies, but his partner survives.

As soon as the funeral ends, Tess goes back to work. She can't afford to survive without working now that Johnny's salary is gone. At first, she is asked to cover preparations for the 1932 Summer Olympics happening in August. But later on, she is asked to investigate the disappearance of Merilee Lockwood, the teenage daughter of a prominent banker. This, she hopes, will be her ticket back to the front page, proving she hasn’t lost her edge.

The investigation happens when the depression is at its worst. Families are struggling. Banks are failing. People are standing in bread lines. The Dust Bowl is beginning to displace farmers in the Midwest. But nothing will stop Tess: not the corrupt cops, not the men who tell her to sit down, not the prohibition, and certainly, not the empty pillow beside hers.

Tess has spent years covering the crime beat. She knows what violence looks like. She knows what the mob is like. But nothing has prepared her for what she's about to uncover, precisely as she tracks the missing girl to a no-tell speakeasy: "A twenty-four-hour cop-and-gangster haunt with bootleg booze and live jazz." She discovers from her husband's red notebook that this is the same place where Johnny was meeting someone called Willie Wilke. It is also the same place he took his last breath. The girl disappeared a night before he died. The timing is too close. Tess cannot ignore this. She marches forward to connect the dots. But the truth might be something she never wanted to know.

The best mysteries do not hide the truth, rather they place it in plain sight. This book does the latter. It plants clues, but misdirects the reader from them by having the protagonist trust the wrong people. Consequently, the reader trusts them too. This technique is classical. It is taught in every writing program. But most authors use secrets, lies, or red herrings to distract the reader. Staab uses grief. Grief is the book's atmosphere and the lens through which everything is seen. It bypasses the intellect, going directly into the heart. Grief blinds the reader. But it's what makes the story haunting.

Readers will appreciate Staab's creation of several villains. Each one of them is a product of their own circumstances, but they all come together under the web of the same evil. They are not strangers to the protagonist or the reader. The reader has to pay attention to understand them, lest they find themselves accepting the surface. In doing so, they are given the experience of discovering that evil is not a stranger, but a network of the unexpected and the seemingly trustworthy.

Quill says: Every part of Behaving Badly: A Tess Hammond Novel--the dialogue, the pacing, the clues, the twists, and the mystery--will pique your curiosity, keep you guessing, and reward you for paying attention. This is a fancy way of saying that you will be unable to put this story down, you will forget to eat, you will cancel your plans, and then you will, in the best way, blame it all on Staab. It's well-written, flawless, and it deserves a place on your shelf and in your hands.

For more information about Behaving Badly: A Tess Hammond Novel, please visit the author's website at: rochellestaab.com/

 #Bookreview of Dragon Cartel

By: Carmen Amato

Publisher: Laurel & Croton

Publication Date: July 20, 2026

ISBN: 979-8-950864-01-8

Reviewed by: Alma Boucher

Review Date: October 1, 2026

Carmen Amato’s Dragon Cartel: A Detective Emilia Cruz Novel plunges readers into Acapulco's dangerous underworld, where corruption, organized crime, and international intrigue collide.

Detective Emilia Cruz is already stretched to her limits as she hunts El Barracuda, a ruthless cartel hitman, whose violent trail has left the city reeling. When a Customs inspector disappears from the port, his desperate wife turns to Emilia for help, forcing the detective into an investigation that quickly becomes more complicated than a simple missing-person case. Port officials resist her questions, the inspector’s colleagues remain suspiciously uncooperative, and the only tangible clue is a list of commercial shipping containers. Then Emilia discovers an identical list during an operation targeting El Barracuda. Could the missing inspector and the cartel assassin be connected? As the investigation deepens, the interrogation of a mysterious Chinese national introduces multiple passports, encrypted communications, and the unsettling possibility of international espionage. What begins as a local crime soon expands into a dangerous conspiracy reaching from Mexico and the United States to China.

Emilia Cruz is a compelling central character, and Amato gives her the determination and resilience expected of an experienced detective as readers can see the toll her work takes on her. Emilia is not simply chasing criminals; she is navigating institutional resistance, personal danger, and a city where powerful interests can make the truth difficult to uncover. The supporting characters add further layers of suspicion, particularly those connected to the port and the enigmatic Chinese national whose secrets broaden the investigation. The novel explores themes of corruption, loyalty, greed, justice, and the consequences of treating human lives as expendable commodities. One of its strongest underlying ideas is that criminal enterprises rarely operate in isolation. Seemingly unrelated crimes can connect through money, power, and international networks, and uncovering the truth requires persistence and courage.

Amato’s writing is crisp and atmospheric, effectively capturing the contrast between Acapulco’s beauty and the darker forces operating beneath its surface. The setting feels integral to the story rather than merely providing a backdrop, while the criminal and international elements create an increasingly tense atmosphere. The pacing is deliberately driven by investigation, discovery, and escalating danger, with new clues continually raising questions rather than providing easy answers. The shipping container lists provide an intriguing thread that gradually connects the strands of the mystery. The combination of police procedural, cartel thriller, and international conspiracy gives the novel a broad scope without losing sight of its detective at the center.

Quill says: Carmen Amato successfully combines a missing-person mystery with cartel violence and espionage, creating a story in which every clue seems capable of leading Emilia deeper into danger. With its determined heroine, atmospheric setting, and steadily mounting tension, Dragon Cartel offers a suspenseful crime thriller that keeps the question of who can be trusted at the forefront.

For more information about Dragon Cartel, please visit the author's website at: carmenamato.net/