BookTrib’s Bites: From Science Fiction to Murder Mysteries
(NewsUSA) - Baby X by Kira Peikoff
With a vivid imagining of the future, Gattaca meets Black Mirror in Kira Peikoff’s Baby X. In the near future, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black-market site devoted to stealing DNA. He hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.
Working for Thorne, Ember’s focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.
Brilliantly plotted and terrifyingly prescient, Baby X is an unpredictable and relentless speculative thriller perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and John Marrs. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3qoHg3y.
Dialogues with the Wise Woman by Richard Todd Devens
Scammed by an evil Las Vegas con artist, pianist George Sister descends into a deep depression; and even after three years, his pain, guilt, self-loathing, rage, and desire for revenge remain. Through an acquaintance, he contacts Mildred Markowitz, a psychologist and philosopher of genius.
This is more than a novel. It is a psychological and philosophical treatise that tackles many important issues: What is evil? Can good and bad be determined? Is revenge ever justified? What is the best way to deal with the current violent crime epidemic? Can all criminals be rehabilitated? What is self-esteem, and how does one acquire it? How can we determine the most ethical course of action? What is happiness?
A no-holds-barred search for truth that encourages readers to utilize their own rational judgment, perfect read for intelligent skeptics everywhere. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3Ikyzwl.
Murder in the Tea Leaves by Laura Childs
In this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series, when tea maven Theodosia Browning reads the tea leaves on the set of the movie, things go from spooky to worse. Lights are dimmed, the camera rolls, and red-hot sparks fly as the film’s director is murdered in a tricky electrical accident.
Or was it an accident? Nobody admits to seeing a thing. And when Theodosia’s friend becomes the prime suspect, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation. But who among this Hollywood cast and crew had murder on their mind?
Between hosting a Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tea, a Poetry Tea, and trying to launch her own chocolate line, Theodosia hunts down clues in the seemingly haunted Brittlebank Manor. And just when she’s ready to pounce, a Charleston Film Board member is also murdered, throwing everything into disarray. Includes delicious recipes and tea time tips! Purchase at https://bit.ly/48wsoAy.
The Disgrace of Sant’ Ambrogio by Michael Turturici
August 1944 – Florence, Italy. "Everybody out," a German lieutenant yells as the citizens in the river district are forced out of their homes. "They're going to blow our bridges," an old man shouts. That night, as the bridges are destroyed, smoke and flame light the air as a revered Renaissance painting is stolen by the known Gestapo collaborator, Father Danilo Lombardi.
September 1978 - Vatican City. A young American priest from Boston is summoned to the Vatican on a fateful journey. The disgrace of Sant' Ambrogio sends Father John Conley on a pilgrimage, from the catacombs of the Vatican to the summits of the Alps, the Monastery of Saint Benedict, and through the gates of East Berlin. Confronted by a blizzard, angry secret police, and unrequited love, he must remain faithful on his mission to redeem the Church of Sant' Ambrogio. Purchase at https://bit.ly/47Byi3j.