#Bookreview of Treacherous Hack

By: Kevin G. Chapman

Publication Date: January 4, 2026

Publisher: First Legacy Publishing LLC

ISBN: 978-1958339305

Reviewed by: Lily Andrews

Review Date: November 11, 2025

Treacherous Hack: A Mike Stoneman Mystery by Kevin G. Chapman is a gripping story that begins with a code, a killing and a lie that sets off a storm no one can contain.

Lou Palazzo, a whiz at computer hacks since his years as a foot soldier in the Gallata crime organization, is first shown arguing on the phone with Cannon, a current Gallata lieutenant to whom Lou offered to sell a heavily encrypted data file which was hacked by the Chinese Mob. Lou thinks the file could be a gold mine and that its content could be worth much more than the hundred-thousand-dollar fee he had charged. Fast forward to the time the file is open, and Cannon arrives accompanied by two armed men. Lou, however, knows better than to just hand him the file. His plan goes south when the meeting turns chaotic, setting the stage for the murder investigation that drives the plot.

As detectives investigate, the case starts to shift from a simple homicide to a tangled web of mob corruption and cyber-crime. This connection is revealed through how the file initially came into Lou's hands. His nephew Ryan and his friend Will, both students in a cybersecurity course, developed an idea, a class project to show their professor how a hacker on the dark web might try to infiltrate a computer system. All goes as planned, much to their fascination, until they find a hidden file inside the user account created by a Trojan Horse program from the hackers. Unbeknownst to both Ryan and Will, the file is not a harmless digital leftover, but a vault with the potential to trigger a chain of life-threatening events that can follow them if they dare to look into what the file contained.

This story, unlike traditional police procedurals that focus majorly on street-level crime, emerges as unique because of its utilization of modern digital warfare. One cannot resist its careful balance of old-school detective feel and modern cyber intrigue. Each chapter is electrifying and so is every one of its characters, from the steadfast and hawk-eyed detectives to the desperate mobsters. Right from the opening scene, where no clear motive is revealed and where more questions than answers hang in the air, the story hooks the reader, not with sudden twists but with a sense of methodical revelation that comes in slowly. It feels like a cat and mouse game setup that intensifies with every new page, with scenes that end with either a question raised or a threat unresolved.

Treacherous Hack: A Mike Stoneman Mystery by Kevin G. Chapman has a simple setup for readers to follow easily, as well as multiple perspectives through which detectives, journalists, hackers and mobsters allow the reader to see every side of the crime. This is a unique idea that also make the story larger, sharper and more emotionally charged.

Quill says: Of all the thrilling mysteries you've read, this story will grab you the hardest and refuse to let go. Chapman writes with the clarity of a journalist as well as the insight of a story teller, to give his audience a read whose climax feels urgent, not to find out who does what, but to see how all the pieces finally lock in place. Readers who enjoy layered storytelling and cinematic tales should not miss this book!

For more information about Treacherous Hack, please visit the author's website at: kevingchapman.com/

 #Bookreview of Tissiack: A Sierran Siren

By: Charles Weeden

Publication Date: May 12, 2025

ISBN: 979-8309759903

Reviewed by: Lily Andrews

Review Date: December 31, 2025

Tissiack: A Sierran Siren by Charles Weeden follows Awena, a half native American (Miwok) and half white American who finds herself caught in between two worlds: her tribe and the American culture.

The former wants her to learn their language and culture, while the latter is offering her opportunities that will help secure her future. She has a passion for running and in the first pages we meet her on a racing trail, where she hopes to earn a spot in the Sierra High cross-country team. However, a strange murmur whispers in her ear the word 'túya.' It's not a familiar word but one that deeply resonates inside of her soul. It is when she meets her grandmother, who is shown as a custodian of cultural memory and history, that she learns of its uniqueness and its divine mandate to draw her towards something extraordinary. What takes her aback after that revelation is an unexpected surge in energy that courses through her legs as she runs, each time the word echoes in her mind. Unbeknownst to her, this is just the first step towards 'running' for something far greater than just the finish line.

This tale takes the reader down forgotten histories, all the way to the foot of a mountain where a historical and ongoing adversary is still actively casting its long shadow against a people, whose voice although buried for so long remains unbroken, and remains eager to be heard once again. Here, the reader is introduced to John, a white man and a father who married into a tribe and who chose to wield the tools of the very system that once sought to erase his wife's people. Then there is coach Les, whose world's success is largely governed by stopwatches. His inclusion is key to the tale, in that it redefines what it means to truly win and to be strong, when one acquires the courage to follow the sometimes unorthodox, seemingly narrow path.

What captivated me most in this story is its strong, evocative prose, its layered use of 'running' as a metaphor and as a symbol, the internal conflict in the protagonist, and its spiritual, mythical undertones which had me feel the story rather than just read it. I liked that it doesn't rely on the usual twists and turns in most plot-driven narratives, but rather finds its strength in emotional and spiritual authenticity where the real tension is not in what happens next, but in who the protagonist keeps becoming with every new chapter. There is a lot to takeaway here: that identity is something you chose and fight for, not something you are born into; that the past is not static rather, it can be reclaimed; that freedom is only found when you start moving towards a purpose; that oppressive systems can be challenged, not just accepted; and lastly, that the most powerful revolutions are those that are collective and shared.

Quill says: Tissiack: A Sierran Siren by Charles Weeden is a book that will entice everyone who has felt the pull of a place or the quiet calling to become more than they imagine they can be. It is an essential read for youngsters navigating identity, as well as seekers of stories with the ability to heal, reclaim and transform. It could be a meaningful read-aloud with guided discussion as well, for mature teens in need of an inspiring story with the ability to leave them with a lingering echo in their bones, a reminder that the endeavor to run toward who you truly are is a journey worth taking.