A Conflict of Interest by Adam Mitzner Review

by Adam Mitzner
Gallery Books
ISBN:978-1439157510
Review posted 06/10/2011

Alex Miller is a defense attorney, married and the father of a young daughter. His father just died and he travels down to Florida to attend the funeral. It is there he meets his father's lifelong friend, Michael Ohlig, who asks Alex to represent him in a criminal case against a company Michael had set up.

What Alex is not aware of is what this defense of his father's lifelong friend will bring up and then starts a series of personal and public turmoil, such that Alex feels his life turning upside down.

A Conflict of Interest brings the reader into the life of the character Alex Miller with such ease and then force, that you are leaning against something to hold on. Adam Mitzner puts you into the legal process of defending a client and even throwing some interesting things in there about a so called 'judge lottery.'

The writing in this story is striking and even for some readers who may know little about a lawyer's life or what they do without joking about it, will find this book fascinating and well worth diving into. If all else, Adam Mitzner has been a new tone on Lawyer and court drama, one in which his mark on the publishing world will never be forgotten.

LEGACY BOOK ONE OF THE BLOODLINE SERIES by Michelle Bredeson Review

by Michelle Bredeson
Pill Hill Press
ISBN: 978-1617060663
Review by:Gina Desory
Review posted 06/09/2011

Carly Morneau is a teenager who just lost her mother and her father has a new job that has moved them to a small town of Sterling. She starts to have dreams of a wolf and snow, not sure where they are coming from she puts it aside. Then on her first day of school, she meets a boy named Gabe. He and his friends seem nice enough and she starts to hang out with them learning the legends of the caves by her home. These legends are not only part of the Sterling community, but part of Carly's past. As time goes on Carly learns the secrets of her family and what it means to be part of the group of friends she now has. Her journey through what 'shape-shifting' means changes Carly's life forever.

Legacy is a story that takes the reader through a fantastical world of change in not only shape-shifting, but life itself. As with the likes of Mercedes Lackey, Bredeson shows us that life is not just life, but wonders beyond our imagination can exist. This story holds the reader tightly, and a want to help Carly and be her friend is strong. Bredeson awesomely lets us into her world and allows the door to be open, but seriously, after reading Legacy, who would want to leave?

Warm Bodies: A Novel by Isaac Marion Review

by Isaac Marion
Atria Press
ISBN:978-1439192313
Review posted 06/07/2011

A young man, well, not a young man anymore, but a recently turned zombie, who is called R, lives in an airport with others like him. They travel in pacts to hunt, they can think, somewhat, memories are in bits and more of them are just from the human's brains they eat.

R takes his turn in eating brains in a hunt with the others. However, this particular human, named Perry, who's brains R eats, leaves more than just memories, leaves his emotions and thoughts. Perry's girlfriend, Julie is nearby and R suddenly finds himself feeling emotions he can't remember feeling since his new condition.

Warm Bodies is a charming tale of love. For a hardcore zombie fan as I am, I was curious on how love could be put in the same category as zombies. However, this tale does the trick. It warms your heart to the core to see how R handles his feelings, how he awakens his senses and how even though he is a zombie, Julie, his love interest, seems to think of him of not so much a zombie.

This story tells of how no matter what, the human core is compassion. In the fight to survive, love can be there no matter what you are or could be. There is hope within us all to be alive.

Warm Bodies has changed my outlook that monsters can't love or the stereotype that Zombies just need to fall apart or munch on brains.

It is the love of the author for his story that allows me as a reader to feel the same passion for this book and its characters as I know you will if you just turn the first page.

HEINOUS by Jonathan Moon Review

by Jonathan Moon
Library of Bizarro Horror Press
ISBN:978-1461096221
Review posted 06/05/2011

Imagine bodies laughing as they are mutilated, blood spurting everywhere. You are walking, but behind something that looks like another version of you. Is it real or just a dream?

In Heinous by Jonathan Moon, the dreams of Gavin Wagner become true. After a small trip into the forest with a friend, Gavin discovers a stone in which he can't let go of. His friend warns him of the danger that seems all around them, but Gavin holds on to the stone. Then, something like no other thing goes into Galvin. Spikes, unthinkable feelings, takes a hold of him. Now like no other time, he becomes what this creature wants him to be, pure evil.

Dive into the mind of Mr. Moon. It is a scarey place filled with horrors only thought of by the masters such as Clive Barker. The thrills, the chills, the blood, and let's not forget the gruesome nightmares, are all part of thoughts that invade our souls as the pages turn and our fear becomes part of reality. Unlike anything since Clive Barker, have we experienced such impacting writing and a want to have the hell literally scared out of us.

Picking up the Ghost by Tone Milazzo Review

by Tone Milazzo
ChiZine Publications
ISBN: 978-1926851358
Review by:Gina Desory
Review posted 06/04/2011


Cinque was a young boy who dealt with his cousin's constant harassment and living with his mother who was now going to school at night. He didn't know his father, as he left when he knew Cinque's mother was pregnant with him. However, one day a letter comes for Cinque informing him his father has died and all of his father's estate is his. He argues with his mother and than makes a choice to go to Chicago where his father had lived.

But the story doesn't stop there. A world unknown to Cinque suddenly opens up. A world with an African witch Doctor and a creature that shows up from time to time. In this world Cinque discovers several things about himself and those around him chasing the ghost of his dead father.

At first when I picked up this story, I thought it would be just that another ghost story. But, not only was I surprised, but was delighted to learn the depth of Milazzo's talent. In each page I was taken into the world this author created, finding myself drifting along with Cinque and wanting to know how he would deal with the strange things that kept popping up as the story evolved.

A must read for anyone who wants a story that gets you involved and wanting to know more.

Sustenance by Nate D. Burleigh Review

by Nate D. Burleigh
Panic Press
Review by Terry Morgan
Review posted 05/27/2011

Coert was dealing with everyday stresses of a high school student. However, the concerns of prom and graduation take a back seat to what horror. is unleashed.

Sustenance is a young adult novel that has the horror and suspense you would expect for younger readers. I was able to tell the plot very easily, which in some ways for what was supposed to be a somewhat suspenseful book was disappointing. There were moments in the story where Coert was confused and scared. The author did a wonderful job at detailing this particular character out.

The story was overall was a decent read. But do remember that if you are looking for a hardcore scare, this book may not be for you.

Rope of Thorns by Gemma Files Review

by Gemma Files
ChiZine Publications
ISBN: 978-1926851143
Review by Robert Walter
Review posted 05/24/2011

This is Gemma Files second book in the three part Hexslinger series published by Chizine Publications. The first The Book of Tongues was published in April 2010.

This book continues where The Book of Tongues left off. It is a bit confusing in the prologue due to the choppy writing to give the effect of old-time Western Union wire messages, but this gives way fairly quickly to the story itself. We come back to the characters “Reverand” Asher Rook, Chess Pargeter, Ed Morrow etc and get to know some new ones as well and leaves the reader ready for the third and final book in the series, A Tree of Bones, due in 2012.

Ms. Files has a unique style that melds magic hexes with Mayan mythology along with fantasy in a wild-west setting heading for an end of the world apocalypse. While much is familiar to the wild-west fan (Pinkerton Detectives looking for criminals) there is plenty different as well (In this wild-west the characters don’t use six-guns, they use hex-guns). It does get difficult at times to recognize which point of view is speaking as well as understand all of the action, but this book pulls the reader in past these difficulties into the world of the characters.

As with the previous book, there are some homosexual language/scenes in the book which seemed a bit too raw and graphic for the purpose of the story. This does add to the unique nature of this book since homosexuality in a western story is so rare.

This book overall has enjoyable writing and characters as well as a richness to the story. Due to the unique mix of the story, I recommend it to anyone of age, even if they don’t normally enjoy westerns or fantasy.