#Bookreview of Honeycomb

By: R.A. Van Vleet

Publication Date: January 13, 2026

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Reviewed by: Lily Andrews

Review Date: December 30, 2025

Honeycomb by Richard A. Van Vleet is a gripping thriller that begins with Sam Williams, a thirty-two-year-old realtor and part-time actress who, unbeknownst to her, is being surveilled by two inept henchmen on the orders of her jealous and controlling agent, Ray Calderon.

Early in the read Ray comes across as manipulative and violent, as seen at the scene at a Home Depot parking lot where he aggressively confronts Ian, a thirty-eight-year-old former marine, who earlier had accidentally collided with Sam while she was looking for Ray's truck. Here, Ray shoves Sam before throwing a punch at Ian who blocks and breaks Ray's nose in self-defense. These actions leave both in the hospital where they give their statements, thus setting the stage for a career threatening exposure that ends up unexpectedly bringing two people with a similar past together.

The tale tightens the screws of suspense to an almost unbearable degree from chapter four. Readers are shown a terrifying trap around the protagonist that will leave them questioning what safety remains. As the immediate physical danger recedes, psychological and moral costs come next, creating charged moments that will leave readers breathless, questioning who is pulling the strings and what line an unexpected "Samaritan" will cross to protect a woman who is rapidly becoming much more than a stranger in need.

Sam is a great female character whose resilience, vulnerability and lingering trauma make her the story's emotional heart. Her role comes out as that of a catalyst and a survivor, whose presence ignites the plot and her struggle for autonomy and security drives the suspense and the romantic arc of the story. Then there is Ian, whose skills, secrecy and decency drive the action. Additional is Ray, a well-hewn antagonist whose obsession and entitlement serve as the engine for the main plot. And then there are Harold, Eddie and Hernandez as well as Vernon, Virgil and Willy, all of whom are multi-layered individuals, who are used to generate heightened visceral threat and add depth and complexity while broadening the conflict beyond a simple cat and mouse chase.

Quill says: This book stands out for its gritty, cinematic pacing and its masterful layering of intimate character drama over a framework of sprawling interconnected threats. Reading it feels like watching a tense thriller unfold on screen as a movie with tangible suspense that is amplified not by hyperbolic action, but by the chilling plausibility of the danger, especially in the case of emotional betrayal, rather than the threat of physical violence. It is no doubt that readers who enjoy propulsive, character driven thrillers and romantic suspense akin to the focused tension of Laura Griffin's Tracers series will not only find much to love here, but will thoroughly be absorbed by its layered mystery. Honeycomb is a great read, but firmly an adult novel owing to its graphic violence, strong language, disturbing thematic elements and complex moral and situational gray areas.

 #Bookreview of Morning of a Crescent Moon

By: N.J. Schrock

Publisher: Indigo River Publishing

Publication Date: January 27, 2026

ISBN: 978- 1969935039

Reviewed by: Alma Boucher

Review Date: January 12, 2026

N.J. Schrock’s Morning of a Crescent Moon is a deeply human, historically grounded story set against the rising tensions of the Virden miners’ strike. The novel follows Cate, a young woman who arrives in a new town anxious about starting her life over, both in a new community and in her new position as a primary-grade teacher.

Cate’s past still shadows her: long, grueling hours as a nurse alongside her colleagues left her exhausted, and one terrifying night she and another nurse were attacked by four men. They were saved by the timely arrival of the police. As Cate attempts to rebuild her sense of safety and purpose, she meets Noah McCall and his younger siblings. Their friendship grows naturally, adding warmth, compassion, and a sense of belonging to Cate’s new life.

Noah McCall stands as one of the novel’s most compelling figures, steady, responsible, and unexpectedly heroic. Acting as both brother and provider, he shoulders the burdens of adulthood, far more than parenting his sibling, yet never loses his sense of integrity. As tensions rise in Virden, Noah and the miners find themselves fighting their own war for dignity. The miners had long been denied the pay they were promised, and Fred Lukins’s attempt to bring in scab workers pushed the community toward breaking point. With businesses pressuring Lukins to resolve the strike before violence erupts, the narrative skillfully intertwines personal struggle with collective resistance, showing how economic injustice affects every layer of community life.

Themes of courage, justice, and unity run throughout the novel. Schrock highlights the exploitation miners faced, poor conditions, insufficient wages, and the wealthy extracting profit from those who labored without protection or voice. The historical Battle of Virden becomes the emotional and thematic backbone of the story, reinforcing the idea that true power emerges when ordinary people stand together. Cate’s journey mirrors this truth in a quieter but equally meaningful way: she learns that new beginnings, like social change, require bravery, trust, and the willingness to link arms with others.

Schrock’s writing blends accessible prose with vivid historical detail. The pacing moves smoothly, balancing emotional introspection with moments of suspense and community conflict. Characters are thoughtfully developed, with clear and authentic motivations, and their relationships are believable. While the novel does not center on illustrations, its descriptive richness paints scenes with clarity and impact, allowing the reader to visualize both the gentle rhythms of small-town life and the tense buildup surrounding the miners’ standoff.

Morning of a Crescent Moon is a compelling and heartfelt work that brings history to life through personal struggle, found family, and the enduring fight for fairness. Readers who enjoy historical fiction with strong character arcs, social justice themes, and emotionally grounded storytelling will find much to admire. With well-crafted tension, meaningful lessons, and empathetic portrayals, this novel earns a solid recommendation.

Quill says: Morning of a Crescent Moon is a compelling reminder of resilience, solidarity, and the courage it takes to stand together for what is right.

For more information about Morning of a Crescent Moon, please visit the author's website at: njschrock.com/

 #Bookreview of Whiz Kid

By: Joel Burcat and David S. Burcat

Publication Date: July 1, 2025

ISBN: 979-8888193297

Reviewed by: Ephantus Muriuki

Review Date: January 8, 2026

Whiz Kid by Joel Burcat and David S. Burcat is a remarkably absorbing book. On one side it comes out as a coming-of-age tale about a young man who gets caught up at a generational crossroad, and on another, a rich historical tapestry that examines the tensions between tradition and assimilation as well as ambition and desire.

At the center of this unique blend is Ben Green, an intelligent and introspective 25-year-old Jewish Navy veteran, whose ambition to become a successful author shows early in the read. His personal journey mirrors the underdog story of the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies, a baseball team that has had only one winning season in three decades and is famously known for trading away players, bad management and enduring losing records so poor that they set modern-era benchmarks for failures. On the other side, Ben is shown as greatly haunted by his father's death, an event that brings to an end much needed guidance, love and stability, and just like the Phillies who have always lacked competent leadership, he is left emotionally orphaned, and with a void where every challenge feels more immense and every failure more personal with every passing day.

This internal struggle is sharply externalized by his wife who issues a searing ultimatum: either he secures a book deal by October, or he abandons his dream for a proper, more secure job. Suddenly, this ultimatum makes his aspirations to stop being a quiet pursuit and instead turn into a high stakes race against time, mirroring the Phillies' own tense pennant drive that pushes them to play every game under immense weight of a city's longing, their own history of collapse and in perfect knowledge that their roster may be in one in a generation chance to redeem themselves, fast. For both Ben and the Phillies, every decision matters, and every setback threatens more disaster. But what remains as time quickly passes is the irreducible human need to prove that their long history is not the end of their story, but a prelude to a triumph that would mean nothing without the struggle that came before it.

This is a tale whose brilliance lies in its dual narrative where a young man's personal crisis unfolds alongside a city's historic baseball season. This dual unfolding beautifully creates a powerful momentum that ensures the plot never drags, but rather thrums with parallel suspense. Its strength also lies in its characters, from Ben, a relatable but flawed, earnest but torn protagonist; his father, whose drive for assimilation and success seems to suggest a deep-seated anxiety about slipping back into the poverty he likely escaped; Stan, a charming, loyal, witty, and financially 'carefree' who provides comic relief and a window into a world of privilege which Ben desperately craves, and lastly; Ilene van Cleve, who flirts with Ben, in a show of provocation that promises to offer an escape route from his strenuous duties and responsibilities, as well as an alternative path of artistic freedom and desire. Central to their roles is the concept of shared hope, which comes out as the exact force that shapes the novel's structure. Here, hope is portrayed with its complexities: as both a lifeline and a burden, and as a rare language with untapped potential in an already divided society. The book poses questions that require the reader to wrestle with questions, such as whether hope is a reliable anesthetic to daily struggles, and whether the very act of hoping collectively can help forge the resilience people need to endure both individual and collective trials.

Quill says: You will want to read Whiz Kid if you have ever been caught in between the temptation of "selling out" and staying true to your passion. Also, if you have felt the pressures of new parenthood or found yourself navigating complex friendships that pull you in different directions, this is a story that will greatly resonate in you. It is that historical fiction that refuses to be confined by its period setting, speaking instead to timeless struggles of identity, loyalty and ambition, with a clarity that hopes to keep resonating long after the final page. It will leave you with the question we all face at some point when the world expects a win from us: do you play it safe for the crowd, or risk everything for the dream that keeps you up at night?

For more information about Whiz Kid, please visit the author's website at: joelburcat.com/

 #Bookreview of The Big Dream

By: Owen Thomas

Publication Date: October 31, 2025

Publisher: OTF Literary

ISBN: 979-8987167786

Reviewed by: Alma Boucher

Review Date: January 5, 2026

In The Big Dream, Owen Thomas presents a gritty, emotionally resonant crime novel that fuses hardboiled detective fiction with a profound exploration of loss, ambition, and moral dilemmas. Once again, Thomas proves his talent for creating intricate narratives where the external mystery reflects the inner conflicts of his characters.

Former Chicago homicide detective Mack now leads a life as an unsuccessful crime fiction author, grappling with alcoholism, PTSD, a lung issue, and Triple-D, an out-of-body experience that allows him to observe himself from afar. His only companions are a bottle of bourbon and Philomina, the cat of his deceased wife, Marlo. He navigates a complex web of corruption in search of answers about his late wife’s enigmatic past.

A missing informant and a dead man’s camera thrust Mack into the limelight, shattering his life. He is hunted by his former boss, who suspects Mack is targeting his position, and by José Beggemon, known as Big Man, a relentless adversary tangled in drugs, murder, and sex trafficking. A foreign agent operating beneath the FBI’s radar is using Mack as a pawn to dismantle Big Man.

New truths about Marlo emerge, and Mack questions whether he ever truly knew his wife. He is driven by a need for answers and navigates a city filled with corruption involving the police, governor’s office, and even the mayor. The storyline is a mix of noir, thriller, and psychological suspense. The chapters reflect the fragmented psyche of a man deprived of sleep.

Equipped with his acute instincts and memories of his wife, Mack prepares for his final confrontation, with only Phil the cat, possibly witnessing his success or failure. As someone once told Mack, he has one foot on a ladder leaning against the clouds, the kind that allows one to leave everything behind and vanish into the great dream. As the narrative progresses, Mack uncovers layers of deceit, shatters ambitions, and long-hidden truths.

Thomas’s writing is incisive and succinct, intertwined with moments of dark humor that alleviate the tension and prevent the story from becoming excessively grim. The characters are imperfect, relatable, and frequently navigate moral ambiguities, lending credibility to the narrative and maintaining the reader’s engagement.

What truly enhances The Big Dream is its emotional richness. Beneath the mystery, the book delves into themes of sorrow, remorse, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of dreams within a harsh reality. Thomas refrains from providing simple solutions or tidy endings, instead allowing readers to confront the unease and intricacies of the narrative.

Quill says: A thought-provoking, dark crime novel that combines an engaging mystery with profound emotional depth, The Big Dream is an exceptional choice for enthusiasts of contemporary noir and literary thrillers.

For more information about The Big Dream, please visit the author's website at: owenthomasliterary.com/

 #Bookreview of The Russian Doll

By: Owen Thomas

Publication Date: November 1, 2022

Publisher: OTF Literary

ISBN: 978-1737737698

Reviewed by: Alma Boucher

Review Date: December 31, 2025

Owen Thomas returns with The Russian Doll, the second installment in his Raymond Mackey Mystery series, delivering a dark, layered crime novel that deepens both character and intrigue. Picking up after the emotional and professional fallout of Message in a Bullet, Thomas places former Chicago homicide detective Raymond “Mack” Mackey in another seemingly straightforward case that quickly unravels into something far more sinister.

Mack is back to work with the Internal Affairs Division and trying to regain his personal and professional life. Of course, this is a character that does not like to play by the rules and cannot, much to his supervisor's dismay and frustration, avoid straying from the path of trying to weed out the bad cops. Nadia King and her daughter, Danika, come to Mack to find a sentimental and important family heirloom, a Russian nesting doll. The nesting doll was stolen from her mother’s house the night her brother, Joe, was murdered. What should be a very easy case turns out to be an extremely difficult endeavor. Mack is assaulted and threatened to be killed. He does not have a lot of trust in those around him nor a lot of help along the way.

The quest to recover a missing Russian nesting doll is the heart of the novel. This object seems innocent but is tied to cold cases, corruption, and brutal violence. The doll is the driving force and a powerful metaphor in the plot. Mack, haunted by grief and anger, feels realistic as he operates the way he seems fit. The supporting characters, particularly Nadia King and her daughter, Danika, add depth to the narrative.

The writing style is engaging and keeps reader’s attention throughout. The pacing allows tension to build that keeps you on edge. The plot is complex but never feels overwhelming. Each revelation fits neatly into the larger plot, much like the nested layers of the nesting doll.

The book excels as a crime mystery and as a character study. Themes of grief, corruption, and trust are woven seamlessly into the narrative. Readers new to the series will engage fully, and returning fans will appreciate the deeper exploration of Mack’s struggles. Owen Thomas is a skilled storyteller, capable of crafting intelligent and emotional crime novels that linger long after the final page.

Quill says: Dark, layered, and emotionally charged, The Russian Doll peels back its mystery with precision and grit, delivering a crime novel that is as psychologically compelling as it is suspenseful.

For more information about The Russian Doll, please visit the author's website at: owenthomasliterary.com/

 #Bookreview of Message in a Bullet

By: Owen Thomas

Publication Date: September 30, 2021

Publisher: OTF Literary

ISBN: 978-1734630381

Reviewed by: Alma Boucher

Review Date: December 30, 2025

Owen Thomas presents a striking new detective in Message in a Bullet, the opening novel in the Raymond Mackey Mystery series. Raymond “Mack” Mackey is a former Chicago PD homicide detective whose world has fallen apart after the devastating loss of his wife, Marlo, and his sudden, unexplained dismissal from the police department after being exposed as a traitor. Mack is trying to rebuild his life as a novelist, but suffers from writer’s block. Mack is soon pulled into another investigation that is far more dangerous and intricate than what he has expected.

An ordinary inquiry deepens into a suspenseful and multifaceted mystery filled with deception, violence, and ethical uncertainty. As Mack pieces together the clues, he is forced to face uncomfortable revelations about both the case and his past. Mack was diagnosed with depersonalization-derealization disorder, and this condition causes him to perceive his life from an almost observer-like perspective. This distinctive trait enriches the story and provides readers with a revealing glimpse into his internal conflicts.

Thomas’s writing style demonstrates a strong command of atmosphere through vivid and controlled descriptions and his prose highlights the background. Mack’s emotional state and the intensity of each event is realistic and draws the reader fully in to experience the events. The novel was written at a measured pace and allows enough time to process an event before moving on. The tension builds up as the narrative moves forward and will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Mack is an authentic and intriguing protagonist. He is not perfect and has many flaws. His practical way of solving problems makes him easy to connect with. The supporting characters each have a unique and specific role in advancing the mystery. Their background made it easy to understand them. The dialogue is crisp and clear, effectively shaping the character arcs and plot development. Familiar and the new traditional detective fiction is woven through the plot with a contemporary storytelling style. The mystery is excellently crafted, with many twists and turns and a rewarding resolution, while clearly setting the stage for future books in the series.

Quill says: Message in a Bullet is a confident and compelling debut that delivers a tightly paced mystery, a strong central character, and a classic detective tone with modern sensibilities. Readers will be eager to follow Mack into his next investigation.

For more information about Message in a Bullet, please visit the author's website at: owenthomasliterary.com/

 #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/