Harlan Coben is a #1 bestselling author and one of the world’s leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with seventy-five million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series has earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many of his books have been developed into Netflix series, including his adaptation of “The Stranger,” headlined by Richard Armitage, and “The Woods.” His new book “Win” is a thrilling story that shows what happens when a dead man’s secrets fall into the hands of a vigilante antihero—drawing him down a dangerous road. (amazon, 2021)
“Win” revolves around heiress Patricia Lockwood who over twenty years ago was abducted during a robbery of her family’s estate then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors and the items stolen from her family were never recovered. Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead — not only on Patricia’s kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case — with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man. Windsor Horne Lockwood III — or Win, as his few friends call him — does not know how his suitcase and his family’s stolen painting ended up with a dead man. But his interest is piqued, especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism — and that the conspirators may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades, but Win has three things the FBI does not: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice.
‘The Missing Element’ by Debra Silverman. Photo: amazon
Debra Silverman has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology & Dance from York University and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University. Over the past 40 years of professional experience and private practice, she has specialized in helping thousands of individuals achieve emotional health and wisdom based on their unique personality and the four elements: water, air earth, and fire. Her work with families, individuals, and couples has her standing out in a sea of therapists and coaches. She has taught at the internationally renowned Esalen Institute, and her work has taken her around the globe, practicing and lecturing in places like New York, Los Angeles, London, Vancouver, Seattle and Boulder, Colorado, where she now lives. In her book “The Missing Element: Inspiring Compassion for the Human Condition,” Debra Silverman describes human nature in a compassionate and concise way.
“The Missing Element” begins with a Prologue where Debra Silverman explains that with all the problems going on in the world today, it may seem like an impossible task to try and create change for the better. The best way to do it? “….global change begins at home. We heal one person at a time, and we start with ourselves.” In her opinion, the best way to do this is to become familiar with the Four Elements as they pertain to us and to become an Observer and stand back and make changes by “altering the way you see and live your own story.” She writes that we are all made of four basic elements – Water, Air, Earth, and Fire and when we are in pain, it is because the elements are out of balance. Her goal in writing this book is teach readers about the different elements and how to reflect on their personality to be able to distinguish which parts are out of balance and use the Observer in themselves to experience life without judgement. Most importantly, the author wants everyone to use this knowledge to show more compassion towards other people and understand why they behave a certain way. Once she describes why the earth and humanity is in trouble and what makes up the Observer, the rest of the book is divided into the Four Elements: a description, how to work with each one, and the differences between men and women of each element.
By combining psychology and astrology, Debra Silverman provides readers with a deeper insight into personality traits based on the Four Elements. Her compassion for helping people shines through every page and her use of simple and easy to understand language keeps it all within reach. Even for readers who are not into astrology, her life advice is spot on; for example: her stance on how every time we experience pain, we have the option to either learn our lesson and change or repeat the story again and again. Her teachings come from the vantage point of “The Elders” and her attempts to help others accept themselves along the path of self-improvement. After she describes each element in terms of personality traits (in the first person point of view), she shows readers how to work with each to improve their lives and the lives of others. All this information is based on the Wisdom of the Elders who, based on different cultures, used the Four Directions, the Four Elements, the Four Noble Truths, and the Four Worlds to navigate life. It may not be for everyone, but “The Missing Element” by Debra Silverman is an inspiring guide to getting to know ourselves better and in turn reaching out to others and helping the planet. It is recommended for readers who appreciate self-help books with a strong foundation on astrology, metaphysics, and psychology.
“The elders of the American Indian and Chinese cultures looked seven generations ahead as they made their decisions. We have neglected such wisdom, living more from what will make us happy today, rather than what will bring peace to our great-great-grandchildren and their grandchildren.”
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
‘Infinite’ is Brian Freeman’s new psychological suspense novel. Photo: amazon
Brian Freeman is an Amazon Charts and The New York Times bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Frost Easton and Jonathan Stride series. His books have been sold in forty-six countries and translated into twenty-two languages. His stand-alone thriller, “Spilled Blood,” was named Best Hardcover Novel in the International Thriller Writers Awards, and his novel “The Burying Place” was a finalist for the same honor. “The Night Bird,” the first book in the Frost Easton series, was one of the top twenty Kindle bestsellers of 2017. Brian is widely acclaimed for his vivid “you are there” settings, from San Francisco to the Midwest, and for his complex, engaging characters and twist-filled plots. He was selected as the author to continue Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series, and his first Bourne novel, “The Bourne Evolution” was named one of the Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. His new novel just released this month, “Infinite” is an explosive psychological thriller that pushes the limits of reality as we know it. (amazon, 2021)
In “Infinite,” one rainy night, the unthinkable happens: Dylan Moran’s car plunges off the road into a raging river, his beautiful wife drowning as he struggles to shore. In the aftermath, through his grief, Dylan experiences sudden, strange visions: wherever he goes, he is haunted by glimpses of himself. Dylan initially chalks it up to trauma, but that changes when he runs into a psychiatrist who claims he is her patient. She says he has been undergoing a unique hypnotherapy treatment built on the idea that with every choice, he creates an infinite number of parallel universes. Now those parallel universes are unlocked―and Dylan’s doppelgänger has staked a claim to his world. Can Dylan use these alternate realities to get a second chance at the life that was stolen from him? Or will he lose himself…to himself?
‘The Missing’ is Olin Lester’s haunting debut novel. Photo: amazon
Olin Lester served as a US Army Ranger with 1st Ranger Battalion and for the last twenty years, as a police offer in his local community of Charlotte, North Carolina. Over the decades, he has dealt with the evils of this world and writing has become a way for him to cope with them. He uses these experiences and combines them with his imagination to create unique works of fiction. In his debut novel “The Missing: a Mecklenburg Story,” the town of Mecklenburg has soured; people are missing and evil is running amuck. (amazon, 2021)
In “The Missing,” while investigating an incident 7000 feet deep inside the Duke copper mine, Tom Porter stumbles across a doorway that transports him into a parallel world of hell. He wakes up hairless, bloody, and naked in a wasteland controlled by an insidious faction of people, led by Chief Sanders, Trashman, and The Preacher. Follow Walter Pauls, Tom Porter, Charlotte Kane—her dog, Bran—and others as they discover supernatural forces eating the soul of this town, while they fight to survive. This is a haunting tale of spilled blood in a town that God has forsaken. Why are people missing, and why do so many bad things happen in Mecklenburg? Inspired by Stephen King’s novel “Under the Dome,” “The Missing” will make you think twice about visiting small towns. Read an excerpt here.
Dean Koontz’ new suspense novel ‘The Other Emily’ will be out March 23, 2021. Photo: amazon
International bestselling author Dean Koontz was only a senior in college when he won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition. He has never stopped writing since. Koontz is the author of fourteen number one The New York Times bestsellers, including “One Door Away from Heaven,” “From the Corner of His Eye,” “Midnight,” “Cold Fire,” “The Bad Place,” “Hideaway,” “Dragon Tears,” and “Intensity.” His books have been published in thirty-eight languages and have sold over five hundred million copies worldwide. In his new book “The Other Emily,” he takes readers on a twisting journey of lost love, impossible second chances, and terrifying promises. It will be released on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. (amazon, 2021)
In “The Other Emily,” a decade ago, Emily Carlino vanished after her car broke down on a California highway. She was presumed to be one of serial killer Ronny Lee Jessup’s victims and her remains were never found. Writer David Thorne still has not recovered from losing the love of his life, or from the guilt of not being there to save her. Since then, he has sought closure any way he can. He even visits regularly with Jessup in prison, desperate for answers about Emily’s final hours so he may finally lay her body to rest. Then David meets Maddison Sutton, beguiling, playful, and keenly aware of all David has lost. But what really takes his breath away is that everything about Maddison, down to her kisses, is just like Emily. As the fantastic becomes credible, David’s obsession grows, Maddison’s mysterious past deepens―and terror escalates. Is she Emily? Or an irresistible dead ringer? Either way, the ultimate question is the same: What game is she playing? Whatever the risk in finding out, David’s willing to take it for this precious second chance. It has been ten years since he has felt this inspired, this hopeful, this much in love and he is afraid.
‘Cosmic Queries’ is the new book by Neil DeGrasse Tyson with James Trefil. Photo: amazon
Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson is the host of the popular podcast StarTalk Radio and Emmy award-winning National Geographic Channel shows StarTalk and Cosmos. He earned his BA in physics from Harvard and his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Columbia. The author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry,” Tyson is the first Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. James Trefil, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University, is internationally recognized not only as a distinguished scientist but also as an expert in making complex scientific ideas understandable. He is the author of numerous magazine articles and books on science for the public, including both editions of National Geographic’s “Space Atlas.” “Cosmic Queries” is the thought-provoking follow-up to acclaimed “StarTalk” book, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tackles the world’s most important philosophical questions about the universe with wit, wisdom, and cutting-edge science. (amazon, 2021)
For science geeks, space and physics nerds, and all who want to understand their place in the universe, this enlightening new book from Neil deGrasse Tyson offers a unique take on the mysteries and curiosities of the cosmos, building on rich material from his beloved StarTalk podcast.
Illustrated with dazzling photos and revealing graphics, Tyson and co-author James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia–How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone?–and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories. Populated with paradigm-shifting discoveries that help explain the building blocks of astrophysics, this relatable and entertaining book will engage and inspire readers of all ages, bring sophisticated concepts within reach, and offer a window into the complexities of the cosmos.
For all who loved National Geographic’s StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, and Space Atlas, this new book will take them on more journeys into the wonders of the universe and beyond.
‘The Code Breaker’ by Walter Isaacson will be released on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Photo: amazon
Walter Isaacson, University Professor of History at Tulane, has been CEO of the Aspen Institute, chairman of CNN, and editor of Time magazine. He is the author of “Leonardo da Vinci;” “Steve Jobs;” “Einstein: His Life and Universe;” “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life;” and “Kissinger: A Biography.” He is also the coauthor of “The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made.” His new book “The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race,” is a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies. It will be released Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Excerpt available here. (amazon, 2021)
When Jennifer Doudna was in sixth grade, she came home one day to find that her dad had left a paperback titled “The Double Helix” on her bed. She put it aside, thinking it was one of those detective tales she loved. When she read it on a rainy Saturday, she discovered she was right, in a way. As she sped through the pages, she became enthralled by the intense drama behind the competition to discover the code of life. Even though her high school counselor told her girls did not become scientists, she decided she would.
Driven by a passion to understand how nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions, she would help to make what the book’s author, James Watson, told her was the most important biological advance since his co-discovery of the structure of DNA. She and her collaborators turned a curiosity of nature into an invention that will transform humanity: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as CRISPR, it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions.
The development of CRISPR and the race to create vaccines for coronavirus will hasten our transition to the next great innovation revolution. The past half-century has been a digital age, based on the microchip, computer, and internet. Now we are entering a life-science revolution. Children who study digital coding will be joined by those who study genetic code.
After helping to discover CRISPR, Doudna became a leader in wrestling with the moral issues that come along with it and, with her collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier, won the Nobel Prize in 2020. Her story is a thrilling detective tale that involves the most profound wonders of nature, from the origins of life to the future of our species.
Ben Carpenter began his career as a Commercial Lending Officer at the Bankers Trust Company. Two years later he joined Bankers Trust’s Primary Dealer selling U.S. Treasury bonds. After a brief stop at Morgan Stanley, Ben joined Greenwich Capital which, during his 22 year career there, became one of the most respected and profitable firms on Wall Street. At Greenwich Capital Ben was a salesman, trader, sales manager, Co-Chief Operating Officer, and Co- CEO. Currently Ben is the Vice Chairman of CRT Capital Group, a 300 person institutional broker-dealer located in Stamford, CT. His book “The Bigs: The Secrets Nobody Tells Students and Young Professionals About How to Find a Great Job, Do a Great Job, Be a Leader, Start a Business, Stay Out of Trouble, and Live A Happy Life” is an invaluable guide for all college students, young professionals, and anyone seeking the hard-earned wisdom of a man who has won and lost many battles while winning the war of personal fulfillment.
“The Bigs” begins with a Preface by the author where he explains how this book came about. One day he received an email from his daughter Avery, who had just gotten a job, asking him if it was okay to send an email to her new boss asking if she could start “a week from Monday.” After the panic subsided, he responded with a list of items Avery should consider following at her new job, and afterwards, his friend suggested that he write a book on the topic. After a series of health scares, he seriously gave it more thought because he felt his daughters “could benefit from my experience, knowledge and mistakes even if I wasn’t there to tell them.” The final project turned out to be a combination of a memoir, a how-to book, and a collection of stories he lived through, all meant to dispense advice. It is divided into two parts: Part One, “How to Survive, Thrive, and Have Fun in the Big Leagues,” – teaches readers how to think about the kinds of issues that they will encounter in the real world; and Part Two, “How to Choose, Get, and Do a Great Job” – teaches readers specifically how to accomplish these critically important tasks. Ben Carpenter uses the baseball analogy to get his points across. In baseball, “the bigs” is slang for the big leagues. When you become responsible for yourself, and you are being paid to do a job, you are in “the big leagues.”
For the most part, life consists of lessons learned along the way that help pave the road to happiness and success. These lessons are as varied as humans are, and it is always advantageous to read about other people’s experiences in the hopes of learning something new. Such is the case in “The Bigs,” an American story of one man’s journey through his life and career. He recounts the people he met, the experiences he had, the mistakes he made, and what he learned along the way. Readers will encounter a colorful cast of real-life characters which include Big Hank, Hoops, Sweater Girl, The Zombies, Mr. Nuts, The Cheese, Deep Throat, and The RAT. Their tales stories are followed by a “lessons learned” section. The only downside is that it has too many sports analogies and that might be a turn off for readers who are not into sports. Since the language is easy to understand, it is suitable for all ages, but mostly for young people just starting out on life. One chapter that stands out because it has general advice for any age, is Chapter 5: Living a Happy Life. It contains stories and advice such as: The Secret- happiness is in your hands, Creating a Happy Life– you must create your own happiness but it takes maturity, self-awareness, hard work, and intelligence, and Money and Happiness- be happy with what you have. For example, on The Rude Waiter: he stresses that he is unwilling to ever allow poor service to spoil his dinner. He may not return, but he will not allow a rude waiter or bad service ruin his evening. While the real world can be fun, it is sometimes an uphill battle, and any type of advice should be embraced. “The Bigs” is full of practical advice, amusing stories, and lessons that anyone can use in their daily lives. It is recommended for readers who are sports fans and open to a different perspective on life.
“Most young entrepreneurs make the mistake of asking themselves ‘What product or service do I want to sell?’ More often, the better question is, ‘What product or service do I want to buy that I can’t easily find?’
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
‘From Ashes to Song’ is Hilary Hauck’s debut novel out April 20, 2021. Photo: google
Hilary Hauck is the author of “From Ashes to Song,” her debut novel. A writer and translator, her work has appeared in the Mindful Writers Retreat Series anthologies, the Ekphrastic Review, Balloons Lit. Journal, and the Telepoem Booth. After meeting her husband, Hilary came to the US and drew inspiration from Pennsylvania coal history, which soon became the setting for her debut novel. Hilary is Chair of the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies, past president of Pennwriters, and a graduate of RULE. Inspired by true events, “From Ashes to Song” is a story of unconventional love, hope, and the extraordinary gifts brought to America by ordinary people in the great wave of immigration.
Synopsis: It is 1911 in Italy, and Pietro’s life on the family vineyard is idyllic. He has at last captured the melody of the grape harvest on his clarinet and cannot wait to share his composition with his grandfather, but before he can play, news arrives of a deadly disease sweeping the countryside. They have no choice but to burn the vineyard to stop its spread. The loss is too much for Pietro’s grandfather, and by morning, Pietro has lost two of the most precious things in his life—his grandfather and the vineyard. All he has left is his music, but a disastrous performance at his grandfather’s funeral suggests that music, too, now seems beyond his reach. Adrift with grief, Pietro seeks a new start in America. He goes to work in a Pennsylvania coal mine where his musician’s hands blister and his days are spent in the muffled silence of underground. When the beautiful voice and gentle heart of a friend’s wife stirs a new song in him, Pietro at last encounters a glimmer of hope. From a respectful distance and without drawing the attention of her husband, Pietro draws on Assunta for inspiration and soon his gift for music returns. But when grief strikes in Assunta’s life, Pietro is to blame. When Prohibition steals Pietro’s last pleasure, he must do something before Assunta’s grief consumes them both.
Pietro breathed lightly into his clarinet so his song would not travel the length of the grapevines that stretched like lines of music on either side of him. He didn’t want Nonno to hear it—not yet. On his oath, he’d make himself play it for him in the next week.
The song was Pietro’s first composition—not that anyone could credit him, he had simply captured the sounds of harvest, of the annual tending of plants whose roots had burrowed into the soil long before he’d been born.
Without a specific plan in mind, he had tucked away the beats and notes, adding new rifts each year until this summer, when it had all begun to spread out and rearrange in his mind. The paper-light tremble of leaves had given him the rhythm. It scampered so heartily it might have dissolved into chaos if it hadn’t been grounded by fruit held by the improbable strength of the vine. The grapes were a firm, reliable beat.
The only thing that had eluded him had been the ending, but now he had found it, he couldn’t imagine it any other way. It brought the music together, so it no longer felt like a rough sketch of a song, not telling the whole story at once as it did now.
He’d found the ending in the celebration that followed the harvest when family and friends gathered around the table heaped with a feast that had taken an entire week to prepare. The culmination of the long season that brought both relief and melancholy for the end of the summer days, even though Pietro could depend on the same cycle beginning all over again next year.
At this year’s celebration, he’d wait until the food was gone and glasses filled with last year’s wine were raised to this year’s grapes, when he, Nonno, and the others gathered their instruments to shroud the night’s sky with song—that was when Pietro would play his music.
First, though, he needed the courage to play it for Nonno. Only then would he know if his efforts were worthy.
‘Lone Stars’ is Justin Deabler’s debut novel. Photo: amazon
Justin Deabler grew up in Houston. He dropped out of high school when he was fifteen, went to Simon’s Rock College, and graduated from Harvard Law School. He is the General Counsel for the Queens Public Library. His debut novel “Lone Stars” follows the arc of four generations of a Texan family in a changing America. (amazon, 2021)
In “Lone Stars,” Julian Warner, a father at last, wrestles with a question his husband posed: what will you tell our son about the people you came from, now that they are gone? Finding the answers takes Julian back in time to Eisenhower’s immigration border raids, an epistolary love affair during the Vietnam War, crumbling marriages, queer migrations to Cambridge and New York, up to the disorienting polarization of Obama’s second term. And in these answers lies a hope: that by being true to ourselves―as immigrants, smart women, gay people―we find power in empathy.
SA Examiner 