Indie Scouting Report: July 2018
A roundup of the best-reviewed self-published titles from BookLife authors.
In this month’s roundup of the best-reviewed BookLife titles, we highlight three thrillers—about a haunted house,
a reluctant homicide detective, and a weapon of mass manipulation—plus an audiobook and a romance.
★ Shy Grove by Scott A. Johnson
Synopsis: In this thriller from Johnson, after the death of his aunt, Gary inherits her house in the remote town of Shy Grove. But once he moves his family into the old house and looks to turn his marriage around, things take an unexpected turn.
PW’s Takeaway: Creepy, twisted, and relentlessly unsettling... This is an impressive new take on classic horror themes.
Comparable Title: Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House
Sample Line: “The place felt like a museum, a shrine to a dead woman’s tastes and passions.”
★ Infinite Us by Eden Butler
Synopsis: Butler beautifully weaves three interracial romances—taking place in Brooklyn, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C.—into a satisfying and complex work.
PW’s Takeaway: The complex structure crystallizes into an impressive resolution that ties up loose threads hidden in the very first pages. This splendid story is destined for many a keeper shelf.
Comparable Title: Renée Carlino’s Wish You Were Here
Sample Line: “Once there was an ordinary girl who held an extraordinary hope.”
Terminal Rage by A.M. Khalifa; narrated by Scott Brick
Synopsis: After a terrorist takeover of a skyscraper, former FBI agent Alex Blackwell is dragged from retirement.
PW’s Takeaway: A totally satisfying audiobook.
Comparable Title: Daniel Silva’s The Black Widow
★ Shadowed by Death by Mary Adler
Synopsis: In 1944 San Francisco, detective Oliver Wright has returned from combat in the Pacific and has mixed feelings about his first homicide case.
PW’s Takeaway: A superior whodunit.
Comparable Titles: Sheldon Russell’s Hook Runyon series
★ Gone Viral by J.A. Knight
Synopsis: When a man creates a weapon of mass manipulation, he finds himself involved with a shadowy intelligence agent.
PW’s Takeaway: Fans of intelligent thrillers will relish Knight’s promising debut.
Comparable Title: Christopher Farnsworth’s Flashmob
