Happy Sun Farm: Behind the Façade

by

Deven Greene

Riveting agricultural thriller!

In the final semester of her senior year at Purdue, Strawberry "Berry" Fields looks forward to graduating with a degree in agricultural finance and accounting, and returning to her parents' farm near Bakersfield, California, where she plans to apply her education to improve its operations and, eventually, its profits. However, her father's sudden death has her going home much sooner than planned, where she learns her mother has sold up to the local, foreign corporate farm conglomerate, Happy Sun Farm, a move her father had been completely against. Her mother immediately embarks on a new life, free of the farm, leaving Berry to wrap up all the loose ends of their life in the two weeks before she must vacate her childhood home. As she prepares to bury her father, Berry questions the lack of an investigation into his suspicious death and soon finds herself a target when she shares her concerns with a former childhood acquaintance. Suddenly, Happy Sun Farm's strong-arm tactics appear to be only the tip of the iceberg as to how far they'll go to continue with their plans and in silencing any opposition. 

Happy Sun Farm: Behind the Façade by Deven Greene is a fast-paced and shocking murder mystery combined with a political thriller with an unusual and alarming agricultural storyline. With stories about foreign investments in real estate and large corporate farming operations putting generational farms out of business appearing regularly in the news, this is fertile ground for this thrilling tale, and the plot has a frightening and realistic feel. 

Berry Fields is a genuinely likable protagonist, and I was immediately behind her in her efforts to discover what was going on behind the façade of Happy Sun Farm’s successful image. She is joined by her childhood crush, CJ, as she seeks answers and justice, not only for her father, but also for the many others who've been affected by the mysterious corporate giant. She keeps a pretty cool head while things go squirrelly, and as they encounter the many twists and turns in the plot. Besides the thriller aspect, Berry's story also explores the impact of a war veteran's unchecked PTSD on his mental health and his family, and there is the depiction of an unsuccessful attempted suicide midway through the book, so readers sensitive to these topics should take note. 

With its engaging main characters and page-turner of a story, I recommend HAPPY SUN FARM to readers of mysteries and thrillers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

Tick, Tick, Tick…Boom

by

Felicia Ferguson

High-stakes thriller with relatable characters racing against the clock.

Army CID Warrant Officer Gabby Carmichael gets a 2 AM wakeup from an unknown caller warning her he’s going to detonate a bomb and hurt a lot of people, and the location of the bomb lies within Gabby’s past. It is up to Gabby and her team of Army specialists working with her psychologist husband’s team of FBI agents to deconstruct her past, decipher any clues to the bomber’s identity, and stop the bomb. Oh, and they only have 24 hours to save the day! 

Tick, Tick, Tick…Boom by Felicia Ferguson is suspenseful and tense; the story’s action hits the ground running from the opening page, with its menacing middle-of-the-night phone call, and never lets up. You know that person who doesn’t realize they were holding their breath? In this case, it’ll be you, the reader. 

The story unfolds from multiple points of view: Gabby’s, Gabby’s husband, Matt’s, and that of the unknown person behind the revenge bombing plot. Readers are privy to the inner thoughts and feelings of these complex characters, gaining empathy for some and experiencing breathless terror because of the other. 

Gabby is a smart and strong protagonist, but is suffering from the guilt she bears for the death of her younger, less-experienced partner some months earlier. Her unaddressed trauma has driven a wedge between her and Matt, who, besides his private practice, is also a profiler in the local FBI office. Their marriage is literally crumbling around them as she refuses to accept help for the impact of her partner’s murder. While they initially met on the job working a joint case for their respective agencies, their pairing at this particular time may have been a mistake. Gabby is a seasoned leader, and she and her team operate with smooth, practiced efficiency, even as she succumbs to the stresses of working with Matt on this desperate case. 

Dr. Matthew Carmichael had hoped that their working together again might recreate the bond he and Gabby had once had, but sadly, they seem to clash at every turn, drawing attention to their private struggles. Still, he puts the job first, offering any insight he can into this unknown antagonist, at times drawing his wife’s public scorn for his ideas. I couldn’t help seeing him as an underdog. 

I enjoyed the El Paso setting and was riveted by the process of their investigation, taking such a small amount of information from the bomber’s very first call and parleying it into ideas, then clues, and finally, answers and evidence. I was on the edge of my seat until all was revealed during the final resolution. 

I recommend TICK, TICK, TICK…BOOM to readers of thrillers, mysteries, and tales of suspense.

For this and other reviews, visit my blog at Guatemala Paula Loves to Read or Boys' Mom Reads!

Just A Hat

by

S. (Shanah) Khubiar

The unique coming-of-age story of a small-town, Persian-American Jewish teen in 1979 Texas.

Just A Hat by Shanah Khubiar is the vivid and evocative coming-of-age story of young Joseph Nissan, a Persian-American Jewish teen whose family had immigrated to the U.S. to escape the Shah of Iran's police. The multi-layered story features Joseph's school life, home life, and life in general in his small Texas town at the start of the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. 

The main character is Youssef (or Joseph as he is known at school) Nissan, a 13-year-old transplant from California, living in Hazel, Texas (somewhere outside Dallas) with his Baba and Maman, who had years earlier fled their home in Iran just ahead of the Shah's police. Besides navigating the emotional minefield of middle school, he's on the cusp of manhood, studying for his Bar Mitzvah and slowly changing his relationship with his parents. He's frequently mistaken for Hispanic; his best friends are Mateo and Roberto Ybarra, and there are no other ethnically Persian families (or Jews) in the entire county, so he is unique to the area's residents. 

Joseph struggles with wanting to do the same things other kids do and still respect his parents' wishes, especially his father's. Still, their culture and, sometimes, religious restrictions present a conflict. He's quiet, studious, and academically adept. Joseph has a healthy temper that he must constantly work to control. His nemeses in the town are two cousins, Larry and Brian Edmondson, who are revealed later to have their own interesting backstories, who generally make Joseph's life miserable at school and in the neighborhood. 

In Texas, football is a common denominator, a great equalizer that brings diverse groups of people together, creating otherwise unlikely allies (and hitting people is considered a legitimate and acceptable practice.) Joseph makes the fortuitous decision to join the football team where he shows a lot of promise. I enjoyed how Joseph observed the "tells" of the two Edmondson cousins that telegraphed their moves on the field and how he used it to even out their relationships with one another. 

The story includes details of Joseph's culture and religion, with celebrations attended by extended family from across the country or Israel. The discussions of the extensive preparations for his Bar Mitzvah were eye-opening and informative, as was the talk about the political situation back in Iran that had prompted many of the characters to immigrate to the U.S. 

Joseph's life is further complicated by his crush on a classmate, the daughter of a disapproving and narrow-minded Christian pastor. Baba, who knows the tough path such an alliance would pose even if the two kids were older, does not support the friendship either. The confrontation between the two fathers is frighteningly intense but Joseph sees a side to Baba that he's never seen before: one that he'd been worried was absent. It was so satisfying to see father and son open up at different times during the story and reveal their secrets to each other. And I loved when Maman revealed that she, too, had hidden depths. (I would have thrown a hissy about those apples.) 

Ramiz Monsef narrates the Audible audiobook and is one of the best at this craft. His voice is warm and welcoming, using subtle changes in tone, accent, and pitch to differentiate this broad cast of characters that include male, female, young, old, and native English, Spanish, and Farsi speakers. The production is just great. 

With its wonderfully relatable characters and unique coming-of-age story, I recommend JUST A HAT to readers of young adult fiction.

For this and other reviews, visit my blog, Boys' Mom Reads!

Death on Dickens Island

Books on the Beach Mystery, #1

by

Allison Brook

A solid mystery entwined with family drama and a surprising paranormal element.

Death on Dickens Island is the first book in author Allison Brook’s cozy new Books on the Beach Mystery series and is an absorbing mix of mystery and family drama, with a surprising paranormal element. With its multiple compelling storylines and relatable characters, this complex and satisfying tale had me firmly in its clutches from the very start. 

Delia Dickens had returned to Dickens Island to help her father with the family general store and try to build a stronger relationship with Connor, the son who had grown up with her parents while she established her career in the city. Delia felt she had fumbled the ball with Connor, as her demanding job and early, ongoing difficulties finding safe childcare had prevented her from keeping him by her side. Her mother and father had been a godsend, stepping in when childcare had repeatedly failed and soon became the answer to providing a consistent and nurturing environment while Delia earned them a living. Connor, now fifteen, was having a hard time forgiving, forgetting, and just adjusting to living with his mother full-time again. 

Delia and Connor were not the only ones experiencing family drama on Dickens Island. When Delia decided to move back home and into the house left to her by her grandmother, her mother took the opportunity to move into Delia’s Manhattan apartment for a little “Me” self-care time away from her husband and the island community that soon stretched into months, with no firm end date in sight. Additionally, her Uncle Brad and Aunt Reenie, an island councilman and the town manager, were publicly at odds with each other over town council business and the unusually keen attentions of a flirtatious single councilwoman. But when the problem councilwoman is found murdered in her home, the stakes get even higher as both Brad and Reenie suddenly become suspects in her death. 

Delia has her hands full trying to reconnect with her teenage son as a full-time mom, and I didn’t envy her the task of mollifying her dad with his constant requests that she convince her aunt and uncle to reconcile. Awkward. I was glad she was able to fulfill his request without aggressively meddling in something she was aware was none of her business. She had her own struggles, including the reappearance of her old high school sweetheart in her life. 

The plot is complex, to say the least, with multiple storylines, all clamoring for attention. The author does a stellar job establishing each one and entwining them so well. There’s a friendly stray dog who comes into their life at just the right time, Connor’s treasure hunting dreams with his friend, Trevor, who has a bad reputation and a worse homelife rounding out the picture, and a hidden room in Delia’s house with an even more unexpected visitor: her dearly departed Grandmother Helena with questions of her own and, perhaps, the answers to long-held island secrets. 

I liked how Delia finally stood up to her father about her purpose at the store, and he was able to see her side pretty quickly. Of course, her addition of a book nook to the general store was an attractive one to me. Delia is a thoughtful, contemplative woman, and she takes the time to analyze her feelings for Jack and the best approaches to take with her wayward family members. I enjoyed how the storylines converged, some leading to clues that solved several mysteries and to the resolution of both a decades-old disappearance and the present-day murder. 

I recommend DEATH ON DICKENS ISLAND to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy stories full of family drama, New York/Long Island-ish settings, and paranormal elements. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Sun Tzu’s Café

by

Dr. Eric Bornstein

Top drawer espionage/revenge story combining fact and fiction for a rivetingly realistic thriller.

The espionage thriller, Sun Tzu’s Café by Dr. Eric Bornstein, is an absolutely riveting read, combining fact and fiction, historical and current events, historical figures and engaging fictional characters. It is a tale of insidious revenge, eked out over many decades until some of the main players practically become institutional memories. I was glued to this story! 

Li Qiang is a good son; he loves and honors his parents and accepts his father’s generational desire for revenge against the country of his birth (the U.S.), passed down from HIS father, without question. He’s smart and excels at school, and just when he left college to begin his own life, he was snatched up by the U.S. government to be used in secret, unethical research. The story of his twenty-five years at the mercy of the government is incredibly tragic and heart-wrenching. Even knowing his goal was to destroy the U.S., I still rooted for him to escape his life of servitude in the name of false patriotism. I was conflicted about how I felt about this character until the end. 

Similarly, I ached for the position young Dr. Guilford Champlain finds himself in. Deliberately and ironically, Qiang manipulates the young Ph.D. student into the same program he himself abhors. Both had little choice but to comply and were trapped, weighed down by the same disgust of what the government was doing. 

Throughout the story, the author cites sources for names, events, science, and technology, establishing which specific elements are factual rather than fiction. Some of the issues involved, such as the prohibition of the TikTok app on government devices, are amazingly timely. I wondered, as I read, how much I assumed was fictional I was wrong about; it was plausible and so realistic. 

The tension builds slowly at first but gradually and increases until it’s almost in full panic mode by the eleventh-hour climax. At this point, the author alters his chapter lengths to almost paragraph size, switching between the points of view of those involved in the unfolding excitement, each ending with a cliffhanger as the perspective changes. The action was breathtaking and edge-of-your-seat stuff, and no one will put this book down when they get to this point of the story. 

I enjoyed the interesting mix of historical figures with fictional characters and the saga-like span of time the book covers. The story is well-paced, even with its inclusion of the scientific and technical descriptions of the processes under investigation and the history of the different eras. The footnotes could keep readers busy going down rabbit holes for weeks after reading the story. 

With its highly sympathetic characters, clever, long-haul plot, and historical settings, I recommend SUN TZU’S CAFÉ to readers of espionage tales, revenge stories, family sagas, and political thrillers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.