Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Chanticleer 5 Star Book Review

FLOWERS Of EVIL: Hani’s Daughter Mysteries Book 1 by N.L. Holmes – Historical Mysteries, Ancient Egypt, Murder Mysteries

In Flowers of Evil by N.L. Holmes, a new generation steps up to face the dangers and intrigue of murder in Ancient Egypt.

The people of Egypt are bustling despite the heat, businesses are thriving, devotion is a way of life, and families are at the pulsing heart of society. Not all is happiness, however. The city hides deceit, malice, and ambition in the shadows. Here, a lethal hand wields a sharp knife. Desperate to save her bleeding patient, Lord Hani’s daughter applies all her medical knowledge. But evil wins and Neferet watches her innocent patient ‘pass to the West’.

She cannot let such a ruthless murder rest until she finds out who did it.

Neferet has seen her father face the dangers of investigation in the past, but she’s determined to follow through for the chief florist of the Hidden One’s temple and to solve the mystery that turned his flowers of beauty into Flowers of Evil. Is she prepared to face the perils ahead?

Lord Hani’s family is a vibrant clan, and his daughter has never shied away from a challenge. Despite the biases and societal rules of ancient Egypt, she has studied healing and medicine in the pursuit of helping people, especially children.

The studies were challenging enough, but after opening the doors of her practice she’s seen few patients seek her services. Neferet confides sadly to her fellow healer and partner, Bener-ib, that patients do not come to them because they do not trust two young women with their health. They vow to change people’s minds. An early-morning patient defies this bias because of desperation, bringing the suffering florist to the women’s doorstep, bleeding vociferously. There is no question this man has been murdered.

Neferet’s father is concerned about his daughter’s involvement in a murder investigation. He worries not only about the violence of a killer, but about the malice of a rival healer, and a potential confrontation with his own sworn enemy – the former chief of police, Mahu. But father and daughter are much alike, and despite Hani’s misgivings, Neferet continues on her investigation, with help from Bener-ib and their medical assistant, a youth who exhibits remarkable detective skills. When the mystery takes a diabolical turn, will Neferet muster the courage to nip the killer in the bud?

Author Holmes creates a compelling historical mystery, full of detail and curiosity.

Flowers of Evil immerses readers deeply into the historical world of Ancient Egypt. Visual descriptions give a colorful perspective in the midst of the culture and community, of the time. This story is a vivid visit to a place long since gone to the sands of history. N.L. Holmes proves herself both a professional archaeologist and an extraordinary storyteller.

This is the first book in the Hani’s Daughter Mysteries, and warmly welcomes readers back to the world and characters of the much-loved Lord Hani Mysteries series. Neferet takes the helm with an exciting and treacherous tale.

October 6, 2023
THE DECEMBER ISSUE by J. Shep – Journalistic Fiction, Contemporary Social Issues, Literary Fiction

In The December Issue by J. Shep, a veteran columnist stands up for his controversial work, despite intense public pressure to disavow it.

Paul, a retiring columnist, has earned vast applause for his amusing, playful, and inspiring monthly column in The Current Front. However, this renown flips on its head after the November Issue’s release, when masses of readers give a hostile retort to his article. His sentiment regarding ‘loss of class’ in American society angered both older and younger readers, as proved by the huge pile of mail on his desk.

The firm’s management can’t help but notice the trouble their most reliable writer has caused.

Dolefully, Paul finds himself pressed to put out a public apology and rewrite the December issue, which he had earlier submitted. But in an unlikely turn, sales of the contentious November publication begin to soar. This sudden success, ensuing shortly after news of Paul suffering a horrifying accident hit the airwaves, sends him into a state of wonder and astonishment.

The December Issue warms up the soul from its first chapter to the last.

Paul’s engaging arc pays homage to a thriving career in journalism, revealing its benefits and drawbacks. His distinctive point of view forms the backbone of the story, which relates to the modern writing of op-ed pieces with ingenuity.

Worthwhile conversations, clarity of thought, defined points of view, and unique characters, all contribute to the stellar whole of this book. Author J. Shep writes with colorful, fast-moving, and provocative style, which evokes fascinating ideas in the reader’s mind.

As Milton Glaser famously said, “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and wow!” The December Issue insists that one should always aim for ‘wow.’

This story will inspire, particularly those readers in the featured vocation of journalism. A worthy read that illustrates how one can recognize, support, and develop the diverse talents in their organizations.

All things considered, The December Issue is a splendid work of enormous value and imagination.

Available for pre-order now!

October 6, 2023
Michael and Hannah and the Magic Money Tree by Anthony C. Delauney – Children’s Money Management, Picture Books, Children’s Fairness Books

Author Anthony C. Delauney and illustrator Chiara Civati bring an element of magic and whimsy to a valuable financial lesson in Michael and Hannah and the Magic Money Tree, the next installment of the Owning the Dash series.

At the start of their spring break, Michael and Hannah are excited to go to the Spring Fair – where they’ve heard there will be a magic money tree! Only a handful of children get to see the tree each day, so Michael and Hannah gather their friends and rush to be the first ones there. Once there, they find the tree with money hanging from its leaves.

They are told they can take the money and buy any of the toys and treats available, or they can pick from a list of tasks to earn money for whatever use they please. Michael and Hannah and all their friends rush for the tree and beginning buying toys and treats, but soon they notice some of their group are upset.

Was the game of the money tree fair? How can they make it fair for everyone? Read Michael and Hannah and the Money Tree to find out!

Delauney once again creates an engaging story to start a conversation about money and fairness to children, along with the beautiful and colorful illustrations of Chiara Civati. Parents and young readers should not miss out on this book – or the whole Owning the Dash series.

October 4, 2023
A CHILD’S LOVE by Anna Casamento-Arrigo – Picture Books, Children’s Family Books, Family Life Fiction

Anna Casamento-Arrigo’s A Child’s Love is a heartwarming story that pays tribute to the loving relationship between a mother and her daughter.

This circle-of-life tale begins with a mother caring for her infant. The poetic storyline unfolds into a role reversal of caregiving from one generation to the next.

As the decades pass, the reader sees the child nurtured gracefully into adulthood and eventually become a parent herself. As time takes its toll, the now-grown daughter and grandchild become caretakers for the aging mother. From lullabies and games of peek-a-boo to walkers, wheelchairs, and visits to the hospital, the love and care the mother once showed to her daughter is now reflected in the daughter’s equal concern and consideration. With the granddaughter, Casamento-Arrigo introduces a third generation to show the continuation of this cycle of kin.

Alex Martinez’ endearing illustrations help define the genuine love and affection between these family members, and the changing needs within each generation as time passes.

Demonstrated again and again in tender detail, with the large and small footprints in the sand as mother and daughter walk hand-in-hand along the shoreline, in the daughter’s last backward glance at her loving home while heading into the wider world with all her belongings, and with the daughter’s recollection of her mom keeping the scary monsters at bay in the closet. The images are solid, genuine, and artfully crafted.

The narrative is composed of simple rhyming lines, each reflective of the preceding illustration’s activity, and should particularly appeal to younger readers.

While intended as a children’s book, A Child’s Love is a beautiful story to be shared by parents, grandparents, and children of all ages. The lasting sentiment is clearly one of love and compassion for those we care about within the familiar bonds between generations.

October 2, 2023
CROSSING The FORD by Gail Hertzog – Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Old West

Crossing the Ford by Gail Hertzog opens in classic Western fashion: a train rolls in, carrying a stranger. Twenty-five-year-old Ruby knows, when she sees “that little lady” get off the train, that life in her rural Nevada town will never be the same.

Until this moment, Ruby’s children and her no-good husband have claimed most of her time and energy. But she gets to know Kenna, the red-headed stranger — and finds herself irrevocably changed in the process.

Hertzog weaves a rich tapestry of the post-Civil War West. Her characters inhabit a world that’s lush and bleak by turns, vivid with details of a landscape that shifts with the seasons, from giving to unforgiving. A thread of magical realism creeps in so subtly readers may hardly notice it at first. By the end, though, this book stands as a testament to how mystical and inscrutable the twists and turns of life can be.

The book is punctuated with vintage-style illustrations and even recipes, which tie in nicely with the plot and help readers immerse themselves in the moment in history.

Kenna soon introduces Ruby to new ways of looking at the world: ideals of feminine independence, the joy of luxury, and even using magic to bend life to your will.

Kenna comes from privilege and mystique, with a Scottish Highland heritage steeped in witchcraft – a stark contrast to Ruby’s bleak past. By turns, Ruby finds Kenna intimidating, frustrating, and awe-inspiring. They strike up a close friendship as the seasons turn.

The novel’s intrigue grows from early on, as Ruby and Kenna hold secrets from each other while holding each other dear. And then there’s Valentine: the local man that Kenna captivates, and Ruby desires from afar (and sometimes, from too close). With the addition of Ruby’s wayward, abusive husband, a tense love square emerges, and it’s not always clear what shape the characters’ lives will end up in. Even Valentine has secrets of his own.

As Crossing the Ford progresses, everyone’s secrets start to catch up to them, while every event is tinted with Kenna’s magic and mythology.

The mood sways from joyful to tragic and back again, from sensitive and compelling depictions of the abuse Ruby endures from her husband, to the life she builds in spite of it with Kenna and Valentine’s help.

This story maintains a confessional quality, as Ruby speaks directly to the mysterious character introduced in the prologue, setting up a satisfying reveal at the end. Over time, Ruby goes from passive observer to active anti-heroine, working to determine her own fate (and sometimes others’ too.) Readers get a deep look at the challenges she’s faced in life, so that when she starts making choices that seem brutal, we can understand her reasons. The action slows for a bit in the middle, but it’s a brief pause, carried by a strong sense of place and Ruby’s compelling voice. You can hear her accent in every word, that of a poorly-educated woman in the rural West, set against the fine and proper language of her best friend Kenna.

Crossing the Ford makes deft use of moral gray areas, as those areas seem to grow bigger with each page.

At first, the narrative raises questions about good motherhood and marital loyalty, but later, ponders questions of life and death. Ruby finds herself forced to answer: Is it ever justifiable to kill? Is it ever justifiable to forgive a killer? These issues ring of truth, as Hertzog paints a clear picture of the perils and quandaries faced by folks in the harsh landscape of the post-Civil War West. In the end, it turns out that everyone has something to run from, but not everyone will escape their fate.

This book is an excellent choice for lovers of historical fiction, complex female characters, and anything with a witchy bent. It shies away from easy answers, instead crafting a portrait of people and places whose outward beauty belies flaws, threats, and hard secrets. The ending is so tragic that it almost feels unsatisfying at first. Hertzog has given us such relatable, compelling characters that readers are left wanting more for them. Yet there’s a deeper truth to this narrative: magic may be real, but it doesn’t always work in one’s favor.

The characters in Crossing the Ford may not get the ending they want, but they just might get the ending they deserve.

Crossing the Ford by Gail Hertzog won 1st Place in the 2022 CIBA Goethe Awards for Late Historical Fiction, and 2022 CIBA Laramie Awards for Americana Fiction.

September 25, 2023
LOST In BEIRUT: A True Story of Love, Loss and War by Ashe Stevens & Magdalena Stevens – Travel Memoirs, Survival Biographies, Lebanon

Seeking to “fill his vessel with the truth,” young Ashe Stevens joins his friends on a thrilling adventure beyond the safety of his comfortable American life to chase stardom in Beirut, Lebanon.

Leaving behind a raucous life of plenty in Hollywood – complete with hot dates, popularity, and financial success – to the unknown of the Middle East teaches Ashe to prioritize his values and beliefs. But nothing could prepare him for what’s coming next.

Journey with Ashe and his friends as they bring the rapper 50 Cent to Beirut, the “Paris of the Middle East.” Along the way, Ashe dates not one, but two drop-dead gorgeous billionaires and falls head over heels for a blonde beauty to whom he promises to devote his life. But just as business is booming and true love reaches the height of bliss, the Israeli military bombs their beautiful city, “weaving a tapestry of death all over the night sky.” The team barely makes it out with their lives in a harrowing escape, leaving their love and livelihoods behind.

Before disaster hits, Ashe reevaluates his life in Beirut, slowly beginning the necessary work of “finding his circus,” drawing on the lessons of his friend and mentor, Roger Henderson.

Loosening his confidence in the United States’ supreme power and security, prioritizing loyalty and love over wealth, and expanding the horizons of his cultural imagination allow him to find safety in himself and accept the reality of the disaster that “washes away his elaborate dreams.”

Just as Ashe develops over the course of his life-changing adventure, those around him unfold with intricate depth. Readers will find themselves sympathizing, loving, protesting, and falling apart as they unspool each person’s threads. Personalities such as the eccentric Danny, the wise Roger Henderson, and the lovable criminal Marwan shape a colorful narrative that feels as real as flesh.

The narrative does tend to prioritize the complexity of its male characters over that of the women. Women’s personalities go unexplored and tied inextricably to the narrative-shaping men who either love or resent them. Ashe complains about his new rich date waiting for him in the car, and his friends exert a patriarchal command over the women in their lives: “‘Make sure you look hot tonight, Sana,’” says Danny to his girlfriend, “‘Okay, my love. I would never disappoint you,’” she meekly replies.

Even so, the memoir’s rhythm of adventure will sustain readers’ devoted attention.

Each chapter heading offers a curious epigraph, which slowly merges together with the others as pieces of a puzzle. Silky smooth transitions lose readers in the vivid imagery and fast-paced movement of the story, such as the “blazing-white sunshine amid the clusters of cars, repetitious horn sounds and the loud chatter of the city.” Ashe navigating the rich culture of Beirut and its new social rules immerses readers in the magic of travel and its potential to deepen the soul.

Overall, Lost in Beirut is a romping adventure full of love, war, and sacrifice.

Religious division, the mysteries of love and lust, hidden secrets of political violence, loss and recovery, and life-like characters pull readers beneath the surface tension of the page. As Ashe reflects on his experience in theater class: “We all look the same, leaving the phantom zone. Lost in our own bodies.” In the same way, Lost in Beirut will lose readers in its trance-like narrative where beauty and ruin melt into each other in a seamless dream-turned-nightmare.

Lost in Beirut won Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Military and Front Line Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir.

September 22, 2023
THE COLOR Of The ELEPHANT: Memoir of a Muzungu by Christine Herbert – Peace Corps, Traveler and Explorer Memoirs, Africa

“The toughest job you’ll ever love.” That was the original slogan for the Peace Corps, one that Christine Herbert found to be wholly true, as she shows in The Color of the Elephant, a journal of her time serving in Zambia from 2004 to 2006.

This is a story about the journey rather than the destination. After all, the destination of any posting with the Peace Corps is the place you first came from, hopefully leaving something positive behind, and having changed and been changed by the experience.

For the author, her experience was that of a muzungu, a word synonymous in southern, central, or eastern African countries with foreigners such as Peace Corps volunteers and Doctors without Borders.

Christine Herbert came to Zambia as a ‘stranger in a strange land’, with the intent to change herself – to break out of her identity as a self-described ‘goody-goody’.

She resisted her family’s best efforts to convince her to stay on a safe and sane path. Volunteering for the Peace Corps, going to Africa for 27 months in the immediate wake of 9/11 was neither.

In her early 30s, a bit older than the usual Peace Corps volunteer, she knew that she wasn’t there to save anyone or anything – except quite possibly herself. The reader walks beside Herbert as she is made and broken over and over again in a tale equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. Her experiences, for at least a little while, take her out of her white, privileged, American mindset and put her feet into the sandals of a world where community is everything.

Herbert does an excellent job of carrying readers on a startling, eye-opening, and life-changing journey.

The author did not undertake this journey for the adventure of it all, because the point was not to return to her old normal life. She sought to change her perspective on what normal can and should be.

Serving in the Peace Corps, that “toughest job you’ll ever love” has been a dream for many more people than have undertaken the actual journey. Any reader who dreamed that dream will be given a glimpse into the challenges of the job and just how much love – of friends, found family, newfound homes, and meaningful work – lay at its heart.

The Color of the Elephant by Christine Herbert won First Place in the 2022 CIBA Military and Front Line Awards.

September 20, 2023
LUNA: Rhone and Stone Book 2 by Strider S.R. Klusman – YA, Action/Adventure, Steampunk
Luna, the second book in Strider S.R. Klusman’s YA Rhone and Stone Series, follows Rhone and his alien partner Stone as they develop a ship that can sail through the air.

The two train to become agents for the Office of Public Recrimination, urged to join by their friend – and now boss – Aundrea. Rhone struggles through training with the help of his trusty partner, but a much more difficult test remains before them – their first assignment.

Aundrea sends them to Corgy, a port town, without explaining their mission. But it doesn’t take long for Rhone to encounter troubles from shore and sea alike.

He and Stone meet Mayor Dugan, who takes an instant dislike for Rhone, posing as a wealthy merchant’s son. But it’s his front, designed so by the ladies of the OPR, and commands a great deal of respect and authority from the locals, if not Bella. Sometimes it’s difficult not to forget his actual purpose for being at Corgy. As an agent of the OPR, he must solve the town’s greatest problem, a rash of pirate attacks on Corgy’s vital ocean-borne trade; if they continue, Corgy won’t survive.

But to fix anything in Corgy, Rhone will need help.

The roguish Captain Black tests Rhone’s sea legs on the Backwater Mistress. Rhone passes the test of rough waters – barely – and garners the good captain’s respect.

He also meets the beautiful Bella, a waitress at The Common House in Corgy. Though he’s smitten with her, Rhone is on a mission, and ends up frustrating her with mixed messages.

Bella responds to him with a fiery personality, but Rhone finds her passion to be as enthralling as it is unpredictable. As he gets to know her, he helps Bella find her place in a society that tries to smother her drive for independence.

She wants to prove that she is as good as any man. And, when Rhone comes up with the idea to hunt Corgy’s pirates from the air, Bella has her chance to do so.

Rhone takes Bella’s opinions and advice as they design a unique kind of ship. Aviation is unknown to this world, but the trio – Rhone, Stone, and Bella – design and pilot their first prototype, named Bo, a hot-air balloon made from a whale’s bladder. While a proof-of-concept, Bo doesn’t last long, and they’ll need a much greater ship to take down the dangerous pirates.

Stone provides immense scientific knowledge, Rhone the training in sailing he received from Captain Black, and Bella a knowledge of materials and the resources of Corgy. Between them, they turn an awkward and dangerous balloon into a vessel worthy of the sky.

Joining with Captain Black, the three plan to stop the pirates in their tracks – despite the great danger.

Tense and descriptively rich action scenes will keep readers turning page after page to find out if Rhone and Bella will survive their flight in an experimental craft – relying on the work of their own minds and hands.

Klusman’s masterful storytelling takes this second book in the Rhone and Stone series to the next level. Readers who have not read the first book will have no problem following this story, but will eagerly go back to join Rhone’s first adventure. Rhone and Stone make a fabulous team, sharing thoughts and trust as they claw their way out of danger time after time.

This book is a five-star read and a great adventure. Readers will be chomping at the bit for book three!
September 18, 2023
THE CANDLE GLASS by Diane Fedt Topolski – Picture Books, Children’s Moral Fables, Children’s Friendship & Family Books

Diane Fedt Topolski’s The Candle Glass breathes vibrant new life into traditional children’s morals, inspiring both young and old to strengthen the light inside them through intentional reflection and connection with a supportive community.

Stunning yet simplistic scratchboard drawings lift the story off the page, capturing readers’ attention and bringing the text to life. This simultaneously comforting and thrilling adventure will stick with readers and shed new light on the capacity for goodness within each person.

Topolski narrates the heartwarming tale of a young boy named Cappy, as he tries to invent a method of uncovering the hidden truth within each person.

When Cappy overhears his parents and grandmother discussing a “bad egg” they know, he concocts a machine to spot “the good, the bad, and the rotten” hidden within humankind. Constructed with two circus mirrors and a brightly lit candle, his remarkable invention shows him the inner lights of his loved ones.

However, the essence of each person is more nuanced than Cappy first assumes. Rather than revealing the ugliness within Cappy’s friends and family, the candle glass displays their inherent good, and the capacity of that good to expand. In fact, there isn’t “one rotten egg in the bunch.” Along the way, Cappy learns to trust his intuition and nurture the light within himself.

With vivid imagery, parents can use The Candle Glass to teach their young readers about seeking the good in every person.

The mesmerizing black and white illustrations complement the story’s theme of moral light clearing the way through the shadows. After all, as Topolski reminds readers, “everyone needs some work. Like the chick in the egg, we are just beginning.” Cappy’s imaginative adventures encourage children to deepen their curiosity about the world and its people, setting their minds and hearts to work.

Overall, The Candle Glass surrounds its readers with a warm, magical glow, allowing access to a world built on security, love, and trust. Readers will find themselves looking inward and realizing that when they join hands with their community in love, “the light becomes dazzling.”

September 15, 2023
THE MONEY MAP: A Spiritual Guide for Financial Success by Kasey J. Claytor – Business Motivation & Improvement, Spirituality Self-Help, Money Management

“There is something magical about money—the way it appears and disappears, grows and shrinks, and, in a similar way of taming a hesitant wild horse, with calm assuredness and confidence, not only will you learn to control it, but you will find you can joyfully master it.” -Author Kasey J. Claytor

Claytor insists that every successful endeavor starts with an individual’s thinking and beliefs. She details this concept – and how to live with it in mind – in her new book, The Money Map: A Spiritual Guide for Financial Success.

From the onset of her business-oriented career, Claytor has drawn from her beliefs as she upholds financial success as a spiritual goal. In this volume, she takes the mystery out of money to show it as an extension of the mind, body, and spirit. Claytor ensures the beginning of an endearing journey toward clearer financial decision-making, investments, and goals by asking readers to identify the worries of their own ego and to eliminate unproductive ideas and actions.

Claytor offers insight on how one can change their thinking and behavior to allow the floodgates of abundance to open up, with solid advice for achieving undivided focus, intelligent poise, and a competent thought technique.

She asserts that everyone can step outside of themselves and hold the point of view of the observer. If one is mindful and aware of their present moment, they can move toward much-needed peace and confidence, allowing the growth of new ideas and productivity.

The route to monetary independence may appear too steep to ascend, but The Money Map will guide readers to the summit, one checkpoint at a time.

This book’s eye-opening revelations about the mindsets of affluent people and its secrets to what they carry inwardly, earn it must-read status in the business resources category.

The Money Map: A Spiritual Guide for Financial Success will provide readers with invaluable advice, standing beside such works as Spiral Dynamics by Dr. Don Edward Beck Ph. D., Map of the Scale of Consciousness by Dr. David Hawkins M.D. Ph. D., and Integral Psychology by Ken Wilbur. The Money Map will aid anyone in discovering the most beneficial path to financial success, regardless of their current situation.

September 13, 2023