Tag: American Literature

‘Tinker’ by Jennifer M. Lane: A Compelling Whiskey Rebellion Historical Romance

Tinker is a story of love and rebellion on the early American frontier. Photo: Paste Creative Book Tours, used with permission.

Book Review: Tinker by Jennifer M. Lane

Part of Paste Creative Book Tours

Photo: Paste Creative Book Tours

Adult Alternate Historical Fiction / Romance A propulsive Whiskey Rebellion tale of defiance, rebellion, love, and divided loyalties on the early American frontier.

The people of western Pennsylvania suffer under a hefty tax on whiskey. When the local militia takes up arms against the hated tax collector, his estranged daughter finds herself caught in the crossfire.

The Story

Set in 1794 Pennsylvania, Caroline Neville is on her way to Pittsburgh to buy more ink when she encounters the burning remains of her father’s effigy along the road, alongside several “liberty poles” bearing Liberty and No Excise signs protesting the whiskey tax.

She arrives at Mr. Jeffrie’s small shop to pick up an ordered book and the ink she needs to write an article for the Gazette. Her ultimate hope? To convince the public that her father, the local tax collector, is not the evil man they make him out to be. The locals are angry at him, and any member of his family, and they are out for blood.

While at the shop, she meets Tench Coyle, a reporter for the Gazette and a member of the militia opposing the tax. Tench has no idea that she is Mr. Neville’s daughter.

Becoming “Tom the Tinker”

When open conflict erupts between the local militia and the government, Caroline takes matters into her own hands. She tries to get her father to present the farmers’ case to the President, but he refuses, stating that he’s only doing his job and doesn’t make the laws.

Desperate to turn the tide before her family gets hurt, Caroline adopts the pseudonym “Tom the Tinker” and pens peaceful pleas for tax repeal in the local Gazette, calling for a peaceful gathering.

Not knowing that she’s Tom the Tinker, or even a Neville, Tench gets the Gazette to print the letters. But as the two fall deeply in love, the harder it becomes for Caroline to tell him her true identity. Soon, her efforts at peace take a dangerous turn toward rebellion, and she faces losing everything she loves. Against all odds, she needs to fix it all before she’s charged with treason.

Review

Tinker is a compelling blend of historical fiction, political intrigue, and romance set against the turbulent backdrop of the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. Rich in historical detail, the novel brings to life a little-known chapter of early American history while exploring themes of loyalty, justice, and personal courage.

Set against the rugged backdrop of Pittsburgh, Caroline Neville is a memorable heroine, intelligent, determined, and willing to risk everything to prevent violence and protect those she loves. Her double life creates constant tension, especially when she falls for Tench.

As their passionate, high-stakes romance develops, the tension thickens. Their chemistry feels genuine, while the escalating unrest surrounding the whiskey tax keeps the plot moving at a brisk pace. Lane expertly balances a propulsive plot of divided loyalties with a tender, slow-burn love story where secrets threaten everything.

Vivid Prose & Perspective

The narrative is told through Caroline’s first-person point of view, featuring vivid and highly descriptive prose:

“He pulled his hand back and smoothed his shirt, the fine lines around his eyes softening as the shock of being confronted by a woman overtook his decorum.”

Lane deftly captures the gritty defiance of the early American frontier while delivering a deeply emotional character study.

The Verdict

Overall, Tinker by Jennifer M. Lane is a thought-provoking and emotionally satisfying historical novel that offers readers an inspiring story of one woman’s determination to make a difference during a pivotal moment in American history. Fans of historical fiction with strong female protagonists and a touch of romance will find much to enjoy.

“If he ever looked up from the tasks he performed in honor of George Washington hundreds of miles away, he would see how his disloyalty to his family had cost him a daughter.”

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Get your copy of Tinker today!

About the Author

Jennifer M. Lane is a Maryland native and Pennsylvanian at heart, currently living in the Philadelphia suburbs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a minor in communications from Barton College and a master’s in liberal arts with a focus on museum studies from the University of Delaware, where she wrote her thesis on the material culture of roadside memorials.

She is an active member of the Authors Guild, the Historical Novel Society, and the Independent Book Publishers Association. Her first book, Of Metal and Earth, won the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel and was a Finalist in the 2018 IAN Book of the Year Awards (Literary / General Fiction).

When she isn’t writing, she sits on her township’s historical commission, serves as co-chair of the MontCo (PA) Book Fest, and co-organizes several book festivals each year.

Photo: Paste Creative Book Tours

**Thank you to Stephanie Caruso, Paste Creative Book Tours, and Jennifer M. Lane for the gifted copy for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

‘Sleeping Beauties’ Review: Stephen and Owen King’s Urgent Feminist Fable

‘Sleeping Beauties’ by Stephen King and Owen King. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Book Review: Sleeping Beauties: A Novel

By Stephen King and Owen King

The Synopsis

In the small Appalachian town of Dooling, it’s business as usual. Ree and Jeanette are cellmates in the local women’s prison—Ree is serving time for credit fraud, forgery, and drug possession, while Jeanette is in for manslaughter after stabbing her husband in the groin with a screwdriver.

Meanwhile, Dr. Clinton Norcross, the prison psychiatrist, is at home wondering what he was thinking when he got his wife Lila (the Dooling sheriff) a pool for their 10th wedding anniversary, while musing on his experiences as a mental health professional. Elsewhere, Tiffany, a junkie, lives with her cousin Truman, a meth cook, in an isolated trailer. Out of nowhere, a mysterious woman shows up and kills Truman, leaving Tiffany shocked but alive.

Soon after, a global phenomenon strikes: when women fall asleep, they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If that gauze is disturbed, they awaken as feral, violently protective forces. The authorities name the sleeping disease Aurora.

Only one woman, the mysterious Eve Black, is immune to the condition.

As fear and confusion spread, Eve becomes the focus of suspicion, fascination, and conflict:

  • The Protectors: Some believe she holds the key to saving humanity.
  • The Aggressors: Others see her as a threat that must be eliminated.
  • The Opportunists: Many exploit the chaos to wreak their own vengeance on new enemies.

As the men turn to violence in a suddenly all-male world, the women’s consciousness drifts to “Our Place,” a peaceful, matriarchal alternate world where cooperation and peace seem possible, creating a striking contrast to the chaos unfolding left behind.

Review

In Sleeping Beauties, the powerhouse duo of Stephen King and Owen King deliver a gripping, high-stakes allegory that feels both grand in scale and intimately unsettling.

The narrative heartbeat of the book relies heavily on its fractured character dynamics. At the center is Eve Black. She serves as a living Rorschach test for the town’s remaining men. To Clint Norcross, the empathetic prison psychiatrist, Eve is a patient to protect and a key to understanding the phenomenon. To others, driven by fear and toxic tribalism, she is a demon to be eradicated.

Stephen and Owen King have created a large cast of memorable characters whose strengths, flaws, and motivations drive the narrative. While its length may feel daunting at times, the richly developed characters and escalating tension keep the pages turning.

The prose is vivid and descriptive: “The liquor hadn’t taken over Terry’s mind yet, so far it was only visiting…”

The blend of supernatural horror and contemporary social issues gives the story emotional depth and relevance.

Core Themes

  • Gender Dynamics & Matriarchy: The book aggressively interrogates how society functions without the stabilizing, often invisible labor of women. “Our Place” suggests that a world governed by women inherently leans toward harmony, contrasting sharply with the immediate chaos left behind.
  • The Fragility of Civilization: With women gone, the male population rapidly devolves into primal, warring factions. The Kings masterfully expose how quickly systemic order crumbles into senseless violence when fueled by fear and toxic masculinity.

The Verdict

Ultimately, Sleeping Beauties is a provocative, urgent fable. It uses a supernatural lens to examine real-world gender divides, delivering a thrilling father-son collaboration that prompts readers to consider how fragile civilization can be when fear takes control.

Similar to King’s classics The Stand and Under the Dome, it’s an ambitious, provocative, and engaging novel that will appeal to fans of character-driven horror and readers who enjoy speculative fiction with meaningful themes.

“That was happening more and more: watchers lurking at the farthest reach of her vision. Hallucinations. How long could you stay awake before all rational thought broke down and you lost your mind compeletely?”

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Have you read Sleeping Beauties? Do you think a world without women would devolve as quickly as the Kings suggest? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

About the authors

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch, the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Owen King is the author of the acclaimed novel The Curator, Double Feature, and We’re All in This Together: A Novella and Stories. He is the coauthor of Intro to Alien Invasion and the coeditor of Who Can Save Us Now? Brand-New Superheroes and Their Amazing (Short) Stories. 

Ruthless Pursuits and Twists: What Makes ‘Neon Prey’ a Captivating Thriller

‘Neon Prey’ by John Sandford. Photo: Barnes & Noble.

John Sandford is the pseudonym of John Roswell Camp, an American author and journalist. Camp is the author of more than fifty-four published novels, all of which have appeared, in one format or another, on the New York Times best-seller lists, many debuting at #1. In addition to the Prey, Virgil Flowers, and Letty Davenport novels, all part of the Prey universe, he is also the co-author of three young-adult books in the Singular Menace series, written with Michele Cook, and co-author of the science-fiction thriller “Saturn Run” with Ctein.

“Neon Prey” is the 29th novel in the Prey series. Clayton Deese is a small-time criminal, muscle for hire when his loan shark boss needs to teach someone a lesson. Now, seven months after a job that went south landed him in jail, Deese has skipped out on bail, and the U.S. Marshals come looking for him. They don’t care about a low-level guy–it’s his boss they want–but Deese might be their best chance to bring down the whole operation.

When they track him to his rural Louisiana cabin, they find a jungle full of graves behind a dirt trail. Now Lucas Davenport is on the trail of a serial killer who has been operating for years without notice. The killer is ruthless, and–as Davenport will come to find–full of surprises. (Barnes & Noble, 2025)

Review:
“Neon Prey” is a gripping thriller that has Lucas Davenport, now a US Marshal, pursuing a cunning serial killer with a long history of eluding capture. The story begins with the discovery of a gruesome crime scene and quickly spirals into a tense, high-stakes hunt for a killer whose motives and methods remain elusive. Davenport, always a sharp and resourceful investigator, follows a trail that stretches across states, using his expertise and determination to connect dots that others have missed. Together with two of his most trusted agents, Rae Givens and Bob Matees, as well as the FBI Agent in charge Tremanty, they are hot on Deese’s trail, who is now part of a home invasion burglary ring.

Sandford’s writing is fast-paced and immersive, drawing readers into the intense atmosphere of the investigation. With highly descriptive language, the fights scenes come to life: “Paine rolled up on his side, not screaming but choking and in pain, and with Deese’s pant leg now up, Paine, with no other weapon, bit him on the calf, like a feral tomcat, wrenching his head from side to side as his teeth sank in.”

The detailed character development is impressive—especially of Davenport, who continues to evolve throughout the series. He’s a man of deep intellect, but also someone who struggles with personal demons and moral ambiguities, making him a complex and compelling protagonist. Deese, the antagonist, is equally well-written, with a chilling presence that makes every encounter feel high-stakes.

This suspenseful crime thriller is filled with twists and turns as the hunt for a sadistic killer takes Davenport to the neon lights of Las Vegas. It explores the themes of good vs evil, revenge, death, and friendship and while it does have its dark moments, the satisfactory conclusion is worth the ride.

Overall, with its intricate plot and twists and turns, as well as Sandford’s sharp, engaging prose, “Neon Prey” is a standout in the crime genre. Though it’s a stand alone novel, it continues Lucas Davenport’s journey as a US Marshal. It’s a thrilling, intelligent read that will satisfy both long-time fans of the series and newcomers alike.

“He slipped the tan ski mask out of his pocket, pulled it over his head, turned towards the door and knocked, raising the cane, ready to kick it open. Like many perfect plans, his didn’t go quite right.”

Rating: 4 out of 5.

‘Memorials:’ The Haunting Must-Read New Horror Novel by Richard Chizmar

‘Memorials’ is the new horror novel by Richard Chizmar. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Horror novels captivate readers by tapping into deep-seated fears and the unknown, offering a thrilling escape from reality. They engage the imagination, inviting readers to confront the darker aspects of human nature, often exploring themes of mortality, isolation, and the supernatural. The suspenseful plots, eerie atmospheres, and unexpected twists keep readers on edge, fostering a sense of catharsis through the release of tension. They provide a safe space for exploring fear, allowing readers to experience adrenaline-pumping emotions without real danger. This blend of psychological intrigue and visceral excitement is what makes horror fiction so irresistibly compelling.

I love horror novels and have been reading them since elementary school. There’s a new horror novel out by Richard Chizmar, “Memorials,” that has been getting rave reviews, especially from Stephen King.

“Scary and hard to put down. You might be advised not to read it at night.”
—Stephen King

Richard Chizmar is the coauthor (with Stephen King) of the New York Times bestselling novella Gwendy’s Button Box and “Gwendy’s Final Task,” and the solo novella Gwendy’s Magic Feather. Recent books include the New York Times bestsellers “Becoming the Boogeyman” and “Chasing the Boogeyman,” “The Girl on the Porch,” “The Long Way Home,” his fourth short story collection, and Widow’s Point, a chilling tale about a haunted lighthouse co-written with his son Billy Chizmar, which was recently made into a feature film. His short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustees award. Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.

“Memorials” – 1983: Three students from a small college embark on a week-long road trip to film a documentary on roadside memorials for their American Studies class. The project starts out as a fun adventure with long stretches of empty road and nightly campfires where they begin to open up with one another.

But as they venture deeper into the Appalachian backwoods, the atmosphere begins to darken. They notice more and more of the memorials feature a strange, unsettling symbol hinting at a sinister secret. Paranoia sets in when it appears they are being followed. Their vehicle is tampered with overnight and some of the locals appear to be anything but welcoming. Before long, the students can’t help but wonder if these roadside deaths were really random accidents…or is something terrifying at work here?