Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter by Richard Parks is a swashbuckling set of noir short stories set in mediaeval Japan, where demons, ghosts, and spirits of all kinds bring barely fathomable mysteries to the down-and-out detective, Yamada no Goji. In essence: Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter Yamada-san is officially a lord of the imperial court, but he…
Nobody Wakes Up Pretty by Diane Lefer is a book that takes you on a trip through racist 1990s New York. It’s punchy, gritty, has a few patches of seriously real and squelchy sex, and its message is more than relevant in today’s civil rights climate. In essence Diane Lefer feeds you through a blender…
Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith is a remarkable story, all the more impressive for its knowledgeable backdrop of Soviet life and ideology. (no guesses where I pinched this image from, right?) In essence: Child 44 Child 44 follows the trail forged by a policeman whose job is initially to deny that children are being…
The Book Bird 