Reviewed by Addison Summers As an avid reader, few books have ever fully captivated me quite like The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker (University Press of Mississippi 2023) by Mark Beaver. This emotional and deeply moving work tells the true story of Karla Faye Tucker, the first woman executed in Texas since 1863. Tucker and her […]
“Moneymaker” by Josh Boldt
May 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Duane Cure Moneymaker (Brown Hound Publishing 2024) by Josh Boldt is set in the late 1990s. As the story opens, Mack Abbott is tasked with the job of watching after a drug shipment in the port in Savannah, Georgia. From the beginning, Josh Boldt impresses with attention to detail, as he paints a […]
“Mechanize My Hands to War” by Erin K. Wagner
May 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Josiah Brown Mechanize My Hands to War (DAW 2024) by Erin K. Wagner is an intense and thought-provoking novel that dives into the complexities of war, identity, and the struggle between humanity and mechanization. Mechanize My Hands to War takes place in the near future as a science fiction story, between 2056 and […]
“A Tissue of Lies” by Mike Nemeth
May 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Na’Yel Camper Mike Nemeth’s A Tissue of Lies (Historium Press 2025) is an exciting mystery set in 1966 about family secrets and the impact of lies. This story follows Eddie, a 15-year-old boy who finds himself caught in a web of deception that changes everything he thought he knew about his family. Fast-paced, […]
“Scorched” by Don Silver
May 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Noemi Martin Scorched (Holloway Press 2025) by Don Silver is set in 1974 in Lakeside, a little town near Philadelphia. The story revolves around fifteen-year-old Jonas Shore, who can be a little troublemaker when he needs to make some money. The novel teaches how letting go can bring peace instead of holding onto […]
SLR editors converse with Robert Bailey, author of “The Boomerang”
April 29, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Introduction: Southern Literary Review is pleased to present this three-way exchange about Robert Bailey’s newest book, The Boomerang, which is his eleventh novel. Robert joins Editor Donna Meredith and Associate Editor Claire Hamner Matturro in discussing The Boomerang, a political thriller that had Donna and Claire both going “Wow” when they read it. Robert is […]