The General Fiction Shelf

The Dixie Apocalypse
Richard Fossey
Brown Books Publishing Group
16250 Knoll Trail, Suite 205, Dallas, Texas 75248
https://www.brownbooks.com
9781612545745, $15.99, PB, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Apocalypse-Richard-Fossey/dp/1612545742

Synopsis: "The Dixie Apocalypse" by Richard Fossey is a near-future, post-a= pocalyptic novel. It's the story of retired lawyer-turned-professor Willoug= hby Burns who finds himself trying to survive against hunger and deadly thr= eats in southern Louisiana.

"The Dixie Apocalypse" takes place in an America ravaged by natural disaste= rs, lack of petroleum, plagues, and terrorism. What is left of the United S= tates is controlled by martial law. Life itself becomes primitive and favor=
s those who can grow their own food or handle firearms.

Will befriends US General Merski stationed in Baton Rouge, LA, and founds a=
farming community of fifty farms on the eastern bank of the Mississippi ri= ver due south of downtown Baton Rouge. General Merski enlists Will as a civ= ilian commissary officer, in charge of carrying out errands for his troops = without arousing suspicion.

"The Dixie Apocalypse" follows Will on his travels through Louisiana and Te= xas, as he seeks to establish a sense of order and peace in a dystopian Ame= rica.

Critique: Extrapolating from current social, cultural, political, and clima=
te change projections, "The Dixie Apocalypse" will have a very special appe=
al to readers with an interest in dystopian fiction. Exceptionally well wri= tten by an author with a genuine flair for originality and an effective, na= rrative driven storytelling style, "The Dixie Apocalypse" is highly recomme= nded for personal reading lists and community library collections.

Editorial Note: Richard Fossey grew up in southwestern Oklahoma and graduat=
ed with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. He practiced civ=
il law in Anchorage, Alaska before attending Harvard University, where he o= btained a doctorate in education administration and social policy. He taugh=
t education law and policy for many years at universities in Louisiana and = Texas, where he held endowed professorships. He edited Catholic Southwest, =
a journal of Catholic history in the American Southwest, and was named a Fe= llow of the Texas Catholic Historical Society in 2019.

Code Name Sapphire
Pam Jenoff
Park Row Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780778334293, $28.99, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Code-Name-Sapphire-World-Novel/dp/0778334295

Synopsis: Its 1942 and Hannah Martel has narrowly escaped Nazi Germany afte=
r her fiance was killed in a pogrom. When her ship bound for America is tur= ned away at port, she has nowhere to go but to her cousin Lily, who lives w= ith her family in Brussels. Fearful for her life, Hannah is desperate to ge=
t out of occupied Europe. But with no safe way to leave, she must return to=
the dangerous underground work she thought she had left behind.

Seeking help, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line, a secret resistance network l=
ed by a mysterious woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother Matteo. = But when a grave mistake causes Lily's family to be arrested and slated for=
deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn between her loyalties.=
How much is Hannah willing to sacrifice to save the people she loves?

Critique: Of special note is that "Code Name Sapphire" by novelist Pam Jeno=
ff is a work of fiction that was inspired by incredible true stories of cou= rage and sacrifice in resisting the Nazis in Europe during World War II. De= ftly crafted with memorable characters and a fully engaging storyline, "Cod=
e Name Sapphire" is a compelling and original novel about love, family and = the unshakable resilience of women in even the hardest of times. While unre= servedly recommended for community library fiction collections, it should b=
e noted for the personal reading lists of those with an interest in World W=
ar II stories that "Code Name Sapphire" is also available in a paperback ed= ition (9780778387091, $17.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99), a=
nd as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212223324=
, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Pam Jenoff (https://pamjenoff.com) is the author of several=
books of historical fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers The = Lost Girls of Paris and The Orphan's Tale. Her novels are inspired by her e= xperiences working at the Pentagon and also as a diplomat for the State Dep= artment handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She holds a bachelor's degree =
in international affairs from George Washington University and a master's d= egree in history from Cambridge, and she received her Juris Doctor from the=
University of Pennsylvania.

The Fireballer
Mark Stevens
Lake Union Publishing https://amazonpublishing.amazon.com/lake-union-publishing.html
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781662512520, $28.99, HC, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fireballer-Novel-Mark-Stevens/dp/166251252X

Synopsis: Frank Ryder is unstoppable on the baseball field -- his pitches a= rrive faster than a batter can swing, giving his opponents no chance. He's = being heralded as a game-changing pitcher.

But within the maelstrom of press, adulation, and wild speculation, Frank i=
s a man alone. Haunted by a tragic incident from years past, he yearns to b=
e the best but cannot reconcile the guilt he carries with the man everyone = believes him to be. Frank's path to redemption leads him on a journey back =
to where his life changed forever, to visit his family, his high school coa= ch, and his brother.

Through reconnection and reconciliation with those also deeply affected by = the devastating event of Frank's youth, he finds peace and his place in the=
world both in and outside the game.

Critique: "The Fireballer" is a lyrical, moving story by novelist Mark Stev= ens about the undeniable talent and the life-changing power of forgiveness.=
A subtly romantic ode to America's favorite pastime, "The Fireballer" will=
have a very special appeal for baseball enthusiasts, as well as readers wi=
th an interest in contemporary romance and Coming of Age stories. While unr= eservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it=
should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Fireballer" is also a= vailable in a paperback edition (9781662505638, $16.99), in a digital book = format (Kindle, $4.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilli= ance Audio, 9781799788652, $29.99, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Mark Stevens (https://markhstevens.wordpress.com) as worked=
as a reporter, as a national television news producer, and in public relat= ions. His books include: Antler Dust (a Denver Post bestseller in 2007 and = 2009); Buried by the Roan, Trapline, and Lake of Fire (wich were all finali= sts for the Colorado Book Award (2012, 2015, and 2016, respectively), and T= rapline won. Trapline also won the Colorado Authors League award for best g= enre fiction. Stevens has had short stories published by Ellery Queen Myste=
ry Magazine, by Mystery Tribune, and in Denver Noir (Akashic Books). In Sep= tember 2016, Stevens was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of th=
e Year. Stevens hosts a regular podcast for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers = and has served as president of the Rocky Mountain chapter for Mystery Write=
rs of America.

Hawai'i Calls
Marjorie Nelson Matthews
https://marjorienelsonmatthews.com
Rootstock Publishing
https://www.rootstockpublishing.com
9781578690923, $27.99, HC, 302pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Calls-Marjorie-Nelson-Matthews/dp/1578690927

Synopsis: Sadira Doyle believes the best years of her life are behind her. =
A housewife and mother in a parochial town during the latter years of the d= epression, she yearns for more. Her husband is an alcoholic sinking into de= spair; her eldest son's eccentricities make him the object of bullying; and=
her mother-in-law's religious zeal runs counter to Sadira's own spiritual = sensibilities. The weekly radio show, Hawai'i Calls, offers her a chance to=
escape. When her husband Archie loses his job as a mortician, Sadira decid=
es they will begin anew in Hawai'i.

Archie and Sadira set forth from New York City with their two young sons, b= ound for a place where they know no one. While the fresh start in Honolulu = doesn't transform Archie, and the move exacerbates their son Lionel's emoti= onal struggles, Sadira discovers new possibilities with a job as the societ=
y columnist for a Honolulu daily, finding herself in the company of movie s= tars, politicians, and Honolulu's most powerful players.

This intoxicating, glamorous world soon proves challenging and flawed. The = Japanese attack on Oahu changes the landscape once again, altering daily li=
fe for the islands and for Sadira. With the islands' serenity shattered, it=
s glory days as playground to the stars are over, and Sadira must recreate = herself once more to survive with her family intact.

Critique: With the publication of "Hawai'i Calls", novelist, Marjorie Nelso=
n Matthews clearly demonstrates her genuine flair for originality and a nar= rative storytelling style that keeps her readers full attention from first = page to last. This is all the more impressive when considering that "Hawai'=
i Calls" is her first published novel. An impressively entertaining work of=
fiction, "Hawai'i Calles" is fully and unreservedly recommended for commun= ity library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists =
of those with an interesting Family Life/Women's Domestic Fiction that "Haw= ai'i Calls" is also available in a paperback edition (9781578690916, $18.99=
) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Editorial Note: Marjorie Nelson Matthews (https://marjorienelsonmatthews.co= m/about), born and raised in Honolulu, now lives with her husband in Hanove=
r, New Hampshire. She taught speech and communication courses in both the U= niversity of Hawai'i and the University of New Hampshire systems, and taugh=
t speech and nonfiction writing at Iolani School in Honolulu.

Twinkies & Beefcake
T. H. Forest
Holdorf Press
9798987033012, $29.95, HC, 354pp

https://www.amazon.com/Twinkies-Beefcake-T-H-Forest/dp/B0BMT435BF

Synopsis: Robby is a gay, sharp-witted and posh London teenager who spends = his days with his best friend Dee, sharing secrets and yearning for sex and=
love, while also dodging the torment of bullies from his elite prep-school=
.. When he meets the man of his dreams, he falls fast. Maybe too fast.

Hailing from the dregs of Manchester, and twelve years Robby's senior, Vas =
is gorgeous and irresistible, and swears he's equally smitten with Robby. B=
ut in the midst of their wild, sexual exploration of each other, the camera=
s come out, as do the drugs, and the booze. Soon, Robby is in over his head=
: addicted, porn-famous, and still yearning for love.

Amid family tensions, trips to rehab, and finishing university, Robby's pas=
t finally catches up to him when a bully from secondary re-enters his life = and everything is exposed. Robby is forced to contend fully with the trauma=
of his adolescence so that he can find, and be with, his soulmate. Strivin=
g for happiness, inner-peace, and true love, Robby must decide if his sins = can ever be overcome.

Critique: A riveting and complex coming-of-age story involving bullying, se=
x, addiction, redemption, and a 'longing for true love at any cost', "Twink= ies & Beefcake" by novelist T. H. Forest is a simply riveting read and, alt= hough a work of fiction, plays fair in its depiction of the hazards of bein=
g a gay 'outsider' in a predominantly straight world. While recommended for=
community library LBTGQ+ fiction and romance collections, it should be not=
ed for personal reading lists that "Twinkies & Beefcake" is also available =
in a paperback edition (9798987033005, $16.95) and in a digital book format=
(Kindle, $9.99).

Ginger Star
Diana McDonough
www.dianamcdonough.com
Independently Published
9781733731911, $19.99

https://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Star-Diana-L-McDonough/dp/1733731911

Ginger Star opens in Ghana in 1719, where Amari and Kwasi are enjoying a fr= iendly hunting competition when they run into a Fante warrior who works wit=
h the slave ships, capturing souls for servitude. Their capture and journey=
to Jamaica is fraught with battles between ships and crews. Their introduc= tion to various forms of privilege and prejudice will keep readers thinking=
about the incarnations of both as the story unfolds against the backdrop o=
f pirates, settlers, and those who consider other human beings as fodder fo=
r trade and abuse.

While Amari and Kwasi open the story, a host of other characters are introd= uced to add a full-bodied flavor to the tale from different perspectives. C= abin boy Ronnie Shepherd and Marshall Fergusson of Ramble House Plantation = are juxtaposed against Adria's life of advantage in Jamaica and the secret = she harbors against all odds. The hopes, dreams, and heirs to the Ginger St=
ar plantation intersect on various social and cultural levels to evoke chan=
ge in not just one other, but the world around them.

Guilt and the reality of closely-held secrets that will ultimately prove im= possible to keep dog Amari's increasing involvement with the Maroons, a tri=
be of escaped slaves and Taino Indians. The Maroon's type warfare threatens=
not just freedom and the status quo of plantation life, but the fabric of = colonial society whose expectations and perceptions keeps the story rivetin=
g and multifaceted.

Diana McDonough crafts a novel replete in Jamaican history, the atmosphere =
of the piracy that swirls around disparate lives and changes them, and the = follies of men and women.

Ginger Star's story of prejudice, redemption, time and love is highly recom= mended for libraries interested in thought-provoking tales of the Caribbean=
and lives that evolve into new possibilities. Ginger Star is a story of st= ruggle, strife, and the rejuvenation of a stowaway's life who finds a home = and hope against all odds. Ginger Star is the powerful story of grief, cour= age, and optimism.

The Journey of Karoline Olsen
Ann Hanigan Kotz
https://www.annhkbooks.com
BookPress Publishing
www.bookpresspublishing.com
9781947305519, $24.95 Hardcover/$7.95 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Karoline-Olsen-Hanigan-Kotz/dp/1947305514

The Journey of Karoline Olsen is a novel about an extraordinary undertaking=
made by a woman whose husband dies in 1905, prompting her to bring his bod=
y on a long journey via wagon as she recalls their marriage and move from N= orway.

At this point, it should be noted that Karoline Olsen's fictional journey i=
s based on the author's family stories and experiences. This lends the acco= unt an aura of authenticity created by the author's personal connection to = her story. It should be read as fiction, but this foundation lends to an im= mersive experience that comes to life for Karoline's readers.

From the beginning, one of the striking notes of this story is the sense of=
time's slow passage which is reflected in journeys by wagon across prairie=
s and wilderness. Descriptions of these processes are solidified by insight=
s into the trials produced by even the simple process of bringing a body ho=
me for burial: "The frozen blocks were packed around the body, which was wr= apped in a heavy canvas tarp to keep it from deteriorating until she could = put him into the ground. Karoline had traveled more than two weeks to make = the trip from Soldier to Cedar Falls to retrieve him. Now, she needed make = the journey home."

From solo trips cross-state to acts of kindness and support which enable Ka= roline to achieve her goals, Ann Hanigan Kotz cultivates a personal perspec= tive to the character's actions that embraces her thoughts and experiences = about love, marriage, and survival. As her life unfolds, Kotz is especially=
attentive to creating passages that describe Karoline's expanding world bo=
th within and outside her marriage: "Their conversations always started wit=
h something less personal but then evolved into their questions about men a=
nd marriage as well as their own pains and scars as wives and mothers."

Whether speaking of the process of an immigrant journeying to a new country=
and home, making friends, raising family, or surviving marriage and death,=
Kotz captures this world of changing lives. She profiles Karoline's clever= ness in trying to protect daughter Betsi's reputation and life as well as t=
he progression of 22 years of Karoline's often-stormy marriage to Kristophe=
r. Kotz winds history, love, and survival issues into a thoroughly moving s= tory that will especially appeal to women who look for history-based novels=
that come alive with the quickening of both relationships and survival tac= tics. The result is a story that winds through early 1900s America and the = trajectory of a woman's heart.

Libraries looking for solid representations of these lives and their strugg= les, whether from choices and circumstances or changing interpersonal relat= ionships tested by the rigors of new worlds and opportunities, will find Th=
e Journey of Karoline Olsen a compelling recommendation.

The Lighthouse
Karin Ciholas
https://karinciholas.com
Atmosphere Press
www.atmospherepress.com
9781639885930, $19.99

https://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Karin-Ciholas/dp/1639885935

The Lighthouse is a historical novel and Book 1 in The Cyrenian series, and=
is set in first-century Egypt, which resides under Roman rule. Physician S= imon's life as a Jew is increasingly tenuous in this world; but when his si= ster is kidnapped, Simon embarks on a journey into the slave markets in Ale= xandria and to Jerusalem to find her. Ironically, he is tapped by Roman sol= diers to carry a crossbeam for a stranger even as he feels the swell of ven= geance rise in him. Determined to track down her kidnapper Meidias and exac=
t justice for his family and people, the good physician finds himself at od=
ds not only with society, but his own edict to heal others -- not kill them=
..

His personal journey becomes political as the tides of the first pogrom aga= inst the Jewish people in Alexandria rise to place him and his choices in t=
he cusp of world-changing events. If The Lighthouse seems unusually well-st= eeped in a sense of place, that's because Karin Ciholas embarked on a journ=
ey to the countries she depicts (Italy and the Middle East) to bring them t=
o life. Of course, she couldn't travel back in time -- that must be left to=
the imagination. But, backed by solid research into historical fact and in= sights into social and political currents of the times, Ciholas creates a v= ivid, memorable story powered as much by strong characters as by the forces=
that influenced this world's directions.

Her descriptions are memorable and hard-hitting, embracing not just Simon's=
perspective, but the men and women who circle around him in various ways. = Whether she writes of love, death, or travesty, Ciholas creates a memorable=
saga that rests firmly on the hearts and minds of a diverse group of peopl=
e moved by changing social and political influences. The beacon served up i=
n The Lighthouse is highly recommended reading for any historical fiction l= ibrary seeking powerful, memorable explorations of friends, enemies, and th=
e forces that twist the two together.

Man Wanted in Cheyenne
Richard C. McPherson
Unleash Press
www.unleashcreatives.net
9798986274355, $17.99

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Wanted-Cheyenne-Richard-McPherson/dp/B0BM5FGDKY

Readers looking for Western novels with the flair of literature against a N= evada backdrop will find Man Wanted in Cheyenne more than a cut above the o= rdinary Western production.

Jake enjoys movies almost as much as he enjoys his solitude. So when a Holl= ywood production team plans on using the ranch he's employed at, Jake is op=
en to "teaching them cowboying" and participating in their filming efforts.=
What he was not expecting was the intrusion and changes this effort would = bring to his formerly-peaceful life, which has evolved slowly in the fiftee=
n years since his beloved Sarah died. It feels more than ironic that the mo= vie actor which Sarah idolized is coming to the ranch to be part of this ne=
w production. It's also more than incongruous that Jake's observations of t=
he characters participating in and directing this effort often place him at=
odds with those who would bully him to take charge of and change his littl=
e piece of heaven.

As the movie crew's actions lead to disaster, Jake faces further challenges=
, from health threats that could devastate the cattle herd and new relation= ships with the small but growing bison breeding community to journeys to Ne=
w York, Montana, and places far from the ranch he once called home. Richard=
C. McPherson juxtaposes filming efforts with this Western backdrop of a co= wboy set adrift. These add to the realistic feel of the plot as events evol=
ve to change Jake's life. The author's research into cattle and bison also = inject educational notes into the tale as Jake's world expands to embrace n=
ew ideas and environmental lessons about living in the modern West.

The result is a full-flavored contemporary Western novel that takes the usu=
al specter of the lone ranch hand cowboy and moves it in unexpected directi= ons. Jake navigates unfamiliar terrain. Readers will find themselves avidly=
following him wherever he goes.

Libraries looking for appealing Western stories that place the cowboy in th=
e position of reinventing his life in a changing modern world will find Man=
Wanted in Cheyenne an intriguingly different story that employs the usual = backdrops of the West, but with a satisfyingly original eye to introducing = contemporary issues affecting the land and those who live on and manage it.

The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World
Mark Miller
https://authormarkmiller.com
Montage Press
9781957010229, $17.95

https://authormarkmiller.com/the-two-headed-lady-at-the-end-of-the-world

The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World blends romance with ribald adve= nture and humor in a novel that promises to attract a wide range of readers=
to its unusual escapades and odd characters. Think conjoined twins who exh= ibit unusual traits beyond their physical connection, who present an intrig= uing skill set and connection from the novel's opening lines. Their connect= ion was not forged at birth, but was created by a government snafu involvin=
g a particle collider project hidden underneath the family farm. The Morgan=
twins are on the path to adulthood, facing romantic attractions complicate=
d both by their physical connection and their separate outlooks on life and=
men.

Mark Miller also injects end-of-the-world drama into this story, which come=
s with unexpected differences. One example is two men ensconced underground=
in a survival bunker for 30 years who discover attraction for one another = and reasons for not seeking a return to civilization. This is paired with a=
newly sentient CPU who, lonely for love, seeks a romantic connection with =
a fax machine at the Pentagon. Singularity never looked like this before. N=
or has love.

As events evolve, these disparate characters assume the flavor of Dr. Stran= gelove mixed with a heady rush of hormones that returns a high-octane roman=
ce on steroids. Expect the unexpected, because that's one delightful streng=
th of The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World. It ultimately examines t=
he end of worlds, the beginnings of new worlds, and the promise and rush of=
romance under extraordinary conditions.

A heady injection of social inspection with references to cis-gendered whit=
e male privilege, American patriotism gone awry, and a shockingly definitiv=
e conclusion ices the cake of both fun and serious social and political ana= lysis.

Libraries and readers looking for a mix of romance, sci-fi, and relationshi= p-evolving characters (and machines) will find The Two-Headed Lady at the E=
nd of the World's creative blend of humor and conundrums to be involving, u= nique, and satisfyingly unexpected.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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