GSMC Book Review Podcast

Sarah speaks with Kevin Moore about his debut novel, The Book of Souls, the first book in a new series: "Jack Kelly remembers everything about his wife and children. The wonderful smell of his wife's hair, the way she whispers to him at night. His three children running through the house, the sound of their laughter. That was his life before the accident. His near-death experience left him in the...

Sarah speaks with D.A. Mucci about his debut fantasy novel, the first in a series, Ignatius and the Swords of Nostaw: The towering stone Castle Maol, the unrivaled seat of power in the Kingdom of Skye, sat inland almost bereft of life. Once known for its inspirational beauty, Skye’s forests and meadows were more barren than green now, enveloped by stillness instead of bustling wildlife. Lakes and...

Sarah speaks with Marco Carocari about his debut novel, Blackout: "Strait-laced forty-something Franco definitely picked the wrong night to get freaky. A hook-up with a hot guy on his Manhattan rooftop, and a joint he’s unaware is laced, leaves him dazed. And—if memory serves him—the sole witness to a murder across the street. Except, the cops can’t find a crime scene or a body, and Franco’s perfo...

Sarah speaks with Lori McMullen about her historical fiction novel, Among the Beautiful Beasts: "Set in the early 1900s, Among the Beautiful Beasts is the untold story of the early life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, known in her later years as a tireless activist for the Florida Everglades. After a childhood spent in New England estranged from her father and bewildered by her mother, who fades into...

Sarah speaks with Paul Russell Semendinger about his new book The Least Among Them: "The Least Among Them is a most special baseball book that looks at the New York Yankees history in an original, unique, and never before written manner. Throughout their history, the New York Yankees have been defined by the legends and the successes of their most famous players. But, as part of their long history...

Sarah speaks with Ashley Winstead about her debut novel, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife: "Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to her southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see—confident, beautiful, indifferent. Not the girl she was when she left...

Sarah speaks with Brenda Marie Smith about her new novel, If the Light Escapes: "A solar electromagnetic pulse has fried the US grid. Now, northern lights are in Texas—three thousand miles farther south than where they belong. The universe won’t stop screwing with eighteen-year-old Keno Simms. All that’s left for him and his broken family is farming their Austin subdivision, trying to eke out a li...

Sarah speaks with Marcie Maxfield about her debut novel, Em's Awful Good Fortune: "Part dysfunctional marriage, part global romp, this is not your typical expat story. Em’s Awful Good Fortune is a deeply personal, marriage coming-apart-at-the-seams look at the struggle between a woman’s desire for partnership and her need for identity. Fueled by twin demons, love and rage, Em stomps her way around...

Sarah speaks with Katherine Dean Mazerov about her debut novel, Summer Club: "Normally, politics and parent drama, drunken soirees and sex-capades reign at Lydia Phillips’s swim and tennis club. Now, a strange car following the club manager, a break-in at Lydia’s home, and a shocking discovery on the club grounds have this stay-at-home mom dusting off her newspaper-reporting skills to unravel the...

Sarah talks about books to read for Thanksgiving, and one book to read in November that is NOT about Thanksgiving. If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe to the show: you can find us on iTunes or on any app that carries podcasts as well as on YouTube. Please remember to subscribe and give us a nice review. This way you will always be among the first to get the latest GSMC Book Review Po...

Sarah speaks with Mark Sullivan about his WWII Historical Fiction novel, The Last Green Valley: "In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves—murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” G...

Sarah speaks with JP McLean about her new book, Blood Mark: "What if your lifelong curse is the only thing keeping you alive? Abandoned at birth, life has always been a battle for Jane Walker. She and her best friend, Sadie, spent years fighting to survive Vancouver’s cutthroat underbelly. That would have been tough enough without Jane’s mysterious afflictions: an intricate pattern of blood-red bi...

Sarah speaks with Amanda Kabak about her novel Upended: "Maddie has everything the way she likes it. Her start-up, Mindful Management, is the work of her heart, and her business partner, Joe, the ideal complement to her talents. Of course she’d like to see her younger brother move past his barista stage and get serious, but brotherly obligation means she can work on him during their weekly diner d...

Sarah speaks with Mary Keliikoa about Denied, the second book in her Kelly Pruett series: "A high-risk pregnancy. A dangerous secret. When her case turns deadly, can this investigator avoid racking up a fatal debt? Despite herinjuries, PI Kelly Pruett is eager to get back to work. So when a mommy-to-behires her to locate her estranged dad, Kelly is thankful for the straightforward missing-persons...

Sarah speaks with Reese Hirsch about his second Lisa Tanchik novel, Dark Tomorrow: "FBI special agent Lisa Tanchik is skilled at handling cyber threats, having recently taken down a Dark Web black market worth billions. But ruthless hacker NatalyaX always seems to be a step ahead. The government calls on Tanchik’s expertise when an email attachment causes a fatal seizure at US Cyber Command. But b...

Sarah speaks with Tracy Clark about the 4th book in her Chicago Mystery series, Runner: "Chicago in the dead of winter can be brutal, especially when you’re scouring the frigid streets for a missing girl. Fifteen-year-old Ramona Titus has run away from her foster home. Her biological mother, Leesa Evans, is a recovering addict who admits she failed Ramona often in the past. But now she’s clean. An...

Sarah talks about Halloween! From the origins of the holiday to children's books to cozy mysteries to paranormal romance, this episode has a little bit of a lot (not everything, but a lot). If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe to the show: you can find us on iTunes or on any app that carries podcasts as well as on YouTube. Please remember to subscribe and give us a nice review. This w...

Sarah speaks with Stephanie LaVigne about her cozy mystery, Headlines, Deadlines, and Lies: "Family secrets. A handsome crime reporter. Can a single mom solve the case before her feel-good column gets killed? Piper Harrington’s life is a blur. Between raising two kids alone and scrambling to keep up at work, she craves a chance to prove her own dreams are still valid. When she’s given her lucky br...

Sarah speaks with Kevin D. Miller about his award winning historical fiction novel, White Skies, Black Mingo: "In Ohio Country, 1854, twelve-year-old Margaret flees a terrible epidemic devastating her Ohio Seneca clan. Mentored in the ancient arts of medicine and healing at a young age, she travels to Wheeling, Virginia, in search of a new life with her mother and Shaman grandmother. When Margaret...

Sarah speaks to Sadie Hoagland about her debut novel, Strange Children: "In a polygamist commune in the desert, a fourteen-year-old boy and a twelve-year-old girl fall in love and consummate that love, breaking religious law. They are caught, and a year later, she gives birth to his father’s child while the boy commits murder four hundred miles away—a crime that will slowly unravel the community....

Sarah speaks with Kathleen Shoop about her historical fiction novel, The Magician: "Donora 2019, Ninety-two year old Patryk Rusek is on the run, bath-towel flying off, with nothing but his new Nikes to carry him to freedom. His plan to escape from Blue Horizon Retirement Community is in motion. Except his great-grandson Owen isn’t at the pickup point. Resigned to his fate, Patryk returns to his ro...

Sarah speaks with Clare Whitfield about her debut novel, People of Abandoned Character: "Marry in haste... Murder at leisure? London, 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon. After a passionate honeymoon, she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger. But then everything changes. Thomas's behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and violent. He st...

Sarah speaks with Gale Massey about Rising and Other Stories: "In story after story in her diverse new collection, Rising and Other Stories, Gale Massey illustrates the moments that shape and alter destiny. Bringing each to life through interconnected themes of moving water and a sense of loss, Massey shares with us an unvarnished narrative of a world that objectifies women and the strength and re...

Sarah speaks with D. Hale Rambo about her high fantasy debut novel, Tools of a Thief: "How do you stop being a thief? Zizy assumed quitting her job, stealing from her boss, and flitting magically across the continent was one way to give it a go. Getting in and out of sticky situations is her specialty. A little spellwork here, a little deception there and she's home free. But even a quick-fingered...

Sarah speaks with Susan K. Hamilton about her paranormal romance, The Devil Inside: "Mara Dullahan is a devil with a knack for sniffing out corrupt souls. Taunted for centuries about her lack of devilish wings, Mara has something to prove―and she’s determined to become Hell’s top Sales & Acquisitions devil. But her biggest rival, Kemm, will stop at nothing to steal the coveted top spot, includ...