Hidden Currents by Claire Booth Blog Tour Book Review

 

HIDDEN CURRENTS

by Claire Booth

August 24th - September 18, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

SHERIFF HANK WORTH MYSTERY SERIES

 

Another outstanding book in an ever-evolving police procedural series perfect for fans of Terry Shames and Steven F. Havill.

When spring settles over Branson, Missouri, Sheriff Hank Worth hopes for a quiet season. Instead, the town is rocked when Gene Willard, owner of the local fishing stores, is savagely murdered. What looks like a burglary gone wrong quickly descends into something far more personal. Gene’s messy divorce, his resentful stepson, and a terrified employee with a violent ex all weave a tangle of motives. As Hank digs deeper, the investigation collides with the long‑delayed, politically explosive trial of the men charged in his chief deputy Sheila’s near‑fatal assault. Tempers run high throughout the county, stretching Hank’s department to the breaking point. With personal stakes rising and the community on edge, Hank must unravel lies, expose old betrayals, and confront a killer driven by revenge. In a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business, the hardest secrets to uncover may be the ones floating right near the surface.

My Review:

I liked this entertaining mystery set in the COVID era. It has a small town vibe with many relationships important to the murder investigation and the other issues going on. There are three subplots including one deputy planning a wedding while there is a court case involving a brutal attack on another deputy and then the recent murder the department is investigating. The narrative focus frequently changes from one subplot to another so there is not a smooth continuation of action through the book. But it was not confusing and it did help me see how busy and complex the work of the sheriff department can be.

I liked the characters. The sheriff and his deputies are hard working and committed to the community. I especially liked the sheriff, a compassionate man but also one who would do whatever it takes to catch the villain. This book is down the line in the series and some of the action in this one is a result of actions in previous books yet I felt it read really well on its own.

My rating: 4/5 stars. 

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedural
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
Number of Pages: 240
ISBN: 9781448313891 (ISBN10: 1448313899)
Series: The Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery Series, Book 8
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Books-A-Million | Goodreads | BookBub | Severn House

Read an excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

The lake was calm and glassy, reflecting the bluffs on the other side. The giant bur oak rustled above them, its foliage almost fully returned after its winter shedding. The tree had stood near the White River for more than two hundred years, adding rings as settlers built Branson around it and dammed its river to create the lake. On this side, the shoreline was flat, dotted with homes, a cabin resort, the edge of downtown where Main Street met the water, and the park where Sam Karnes and Brenna Cassidy now stood.

It would make a beautiful background, Brenna said. There was no guarantee the weather would be good, Sam thought. But he looked at his fiancée’s face and kept his mouth shut. They had decided on a May wedding, before everything got too hot and sticky with summer humidity. That didn’t mean they’d be safe from the rain, though. That could come any time. He thought maybe he should suggest a contingency plan, then remembered his boss’s advice. “You can have an opinion on the food and the music. Everything else—tread carefully.”

So he stood quietly as Brenna framed potential photos with her hands. Where to take the wedding party pictures was one of the last decisions they needed to make. He hoped.

“This area looks good,” he said. “Doesn’t it? It’s not too far from the church.”

She half-nodded and moved to eye things from a different angle. “I don’t know how to avoid that darn plaque. It ruins every shot.”

He walked over to it. It was such a part of the scenery, he’d almost forgotten it was there. When some enterprising 1970s tree aficionado figured out the oak was older than the country, it became the Liberty Tree and the plaque went up in time for the bicentennial. Now the thing needed a good cleaning and, if Brenna had anything to do with it, a relocation.

“If we shoot this way, you don’t see the lake. And if you do it that direction . . .” She sighed. “Big old ugly plaque.”

It stood on a waist-high column. Sam leaned against it and watched Brenna wander around this end of the park. The darn thing was wider than he was. He thought about that and stepped away. Then did some hand measurements.

“What if we covered it up?”

Brenna walked back to him. “What do you mean?”

He moved so he stood directly in front of it. It was clearly visible behind his thin frame. “We put Roddy in front of it.” He spread his hands out a foot on either side, which was about how wide his groomsman Roddy Hale was. “He’d block the whole thing. We just have to arrange the order of everybody so he’s right here.”

Brenna considered that. “I think that could work. Don’t move. Stay right there.”

She walked fairly far away while Sam stood with his hands out as if he was illustrating the size of a particularly large trout. A mom with two young children walked by and gave him a look. He wished he had his sheriff’s deputy uniform on. Then he’d look like he was doing something important instead of just standing around like a sketchy weirdo in the park. The lady hustled her kids past and headed to the picnic area. Sam watched her go as another group came by on their way to the shoreline. By the time they noticed him, Brenna had gestured that he could put his hands down.

“Yes, that’s going to work. Good thinking, babe.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. “And good thing you have a football linebacker as a friend.”

Sam laughed at that. Roddy’s size had come in handy many times growing up. He told her a few stories as they walked back to his car. By the time they got there, the group near the picnic area had equipment out, and a lady in slacks and a silk blouse was pointing them in multiple directions.

“Looks like someone else is planning an event, too,” he said, opening the passenger door of his Subaru for Brenna. “The way they’re measuring things, maybe it’s a whole wedding ceremony.”

She scoffed. “That would be way too risky. What if it rained?”

CHAPTER TWO

Sheila Turley had left him a note. And a file. It never boded well when she did this. Hank Worth sat down at his desk and cautiously slid the paperwork closer.

Gursey’s at it again. He’s all yours this time.

The Branson County sheriff opened the file and pulled out the arrest report. Sheila, his second-in-command, only printed things out when she wanted to make a point. Or wanted quick action. Because Hank wasn’t known for staying on top of his email. And she knew this particular suspect was a pet project of his. Gursey Rugg.

The young man had shoplifted again. The twenty-three-year-old was always plucking cheap items off the shelves of local retailers. If it was food, he’d eat it. If it wasn’t, he’d sell it on cheaply to friends and use the money for drugs. If the shopkeepers caught him, they’d call Hank’s deputies and Gursey would spend a while behind bars. But only rarely did people press misdemeanor charges. It wasn’t worth anybody’s time and, even if it had been, the sticky-fingered addict would still be back out on the street soon enough. So instead, he sobered up in Hank’s jail, swore he’d stay off the meth, and slouched back off into an existence where everyone involved deserved better and no one knew how to accomplish it.

But this time, Gursey overstepped. A magpie entranced by bright and shiny, he’d scooped up a handful of the wrong thing in the wrong store. Fourteen hand-tied, rare-feathered flies from Reel Life Outfitters. The owner was a newcomer. Purchased the two venerable fish and tackle stores on opposite ends of Lake Taneycomo when Lyle Boskins retired and seemed to be doing well. But it turned out he wasn’t willing to do nice. He wanted to press charges. And that meant a felony, because of the misdemeanor convictions Gursey had already accumulated. And a felony meant a stint in state prison, which wouldn’t be good for the fragile kid.

Hank re-read the narrative included in the arrest report. Then he got up and walked over from his office in the sheriff’s department Forsyth headquarters to hear from the man himself.

“Hi, Gursey. How you doing?”

“Hey, Sherf.” A disheveled scarecrow the color of a ghost rose to a seated position on the cell bunk. The jail scrubs hung off him in folds, and his dull brown hair stuck out in a dozen directions. At least it was clean. The young man blinked blearily and steadied himself on the mattress.

“What happened?” Hank leaned against the bars. “Last I heard, you were doing pretty well.”

Gursey shrugged, clavicles jutting like wings. “I was. Ask my addiction counselor. I got one of those, did you know? Nice lady. Always worried all the time, though.”

“It sounds like she was helping. When was the last time you saw her? Because right now you don’t look so hot.”

Gursey rubbed his wrists together. “Don’t feel so hot, neither.”

“You coming down off something?”

“Not really. Not like last year. At all, man, I swear. Just a little bit when Morty come to town.”

Hank had no idea who that was. He sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair in frustration. “And when did Morty come?”

“’Bout two weeks ago. He brought some homemade stuff, fresh cooked. I don’t remember much after that, ’til last night—I think. There weren’t no Morty anymore and I was at some trailer someplace.” He shifted suddenly from staring at the ground to looking Hank straight in the eye. “And that sucked, man. It was gross, and I was gross, and I don’t like that anymore.”

Hank blinked in surprise. After every previous arrest, Gursey had promised to stop the drugs. But until right then, he’d never come close to saying he wanted to stop. He kept Hank’s gaze as he continued to talk. “I walked ’til I got past Honey Lane and then saw that fishing place. Figured it would have a bathroom. I went in, and bro, I just wanted money for food. Thought I could turn some stuff over for a few bucks. I—”

“Stop talking,” Hank said. “Just take a deep breath and stop talking.” The goal of keeping Gursey out of state prison would not be helped by a confession to the county sheriff. He considered the inmate. In their numerous interactions in the four years since Hank became sheriff, Gursey had never made this much eye contact. It gave Hank hope. And made him a lot more willing to do what he was going to do once he left the cell block.

***

Excerpt from Hidden Currents by Claire Booth. Copyright 2026 by Claire Booth. Reproduced with permission from Claire Booth. All rights reserved.

 

Author Bio:

Claire Booth spent more than a decade as a daily newspaper reporter, working all over the country—from Washington, D.C., to South Florida, the Seattle region, and the Bay Area. She spent much of it covering crimes so convoluted and strange they seemed more like fiction than reality. Eventually, she had enough of the real world and decided to write novels instead. Her critically acclaimed Sheriff Hank Worth mystery series takes place in Branson, Missouri, where small-town Ozark politics and big-city country music tourism clash in, yes, strange and convoluted ways.

Catch Up With Claire Booth:

ClaireBooth.com
Severn House
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub
Instagram - @claire.booth10
X - @clairebooth10
Facebook - @claireboothauthor

 

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I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Awake Sleeper! by Mark Alan Leslie

About the Book:

Discovered floating down a river, renowned singer Christiana is as comatose as much of the church is today.
What was once reprobate becomes accepted, what is accepted becomes celebrated, what is celebrated becomes normalized. Anyone opposed is ostracized.
Join detectives Seth and Sophia MacGregor and Police Chief Ian McElroy as they investigate whether Christiana’s fall into the river was accidental, suicide, or attempted murder. They discover a disturbing plunge from faith in this dramatizing of today’s Christianity, which in large part has succumbed to the dogma of compromise.
Eighteen-year-old Christiana was riding atop the world of Christian music when her parents were murdered by a man who meant to kill her because of her lyrics declaring, “Jesus is the only way.” Blaming herself, she left her career, lost her faith, and spiraled into other religions and a world of sins.
Rescued but lying unconscious in a hospital, her condition frames the question: Is the church savable?
Read to the end … and you decide ...

My Review:

This is an entertaining allegory of the American church, nearly dead, in a coma, on life support. There is a contributing story line of two people, Seth and Sophia, investigating, trying to find out what happened to leave Christiana in this dire situation. In the course of their investigation, they find many clues as to what led to her current condition.

Mostly, this book is a critique of the contemporary modern, liberal church. Messages other than the gospel being preached from pulpits, for example. The author has a narrow view of what it means to be a Christian. You cannot be a Christian and be a Democrat, for example. (41) If you criticize Israel or are pro-Palestinian, you are anti-Semitic. (91) (Regardless of war crimes.)

Seth is a hard line Christian, with a condemning and judgmental attitude without any compassion or mercy. He seems to embody what I would call the extreme right. I liked Sophia much better. She evidenced mercy and compassion, praying for those being led astray, for example.

This is a thought provoking novel exploring how the church has strayed from the pure gospel. It is by no means politically correct. It may be considered shocking, the idea being to wake Christians up from the slumber they are in. I just wish there had been more love and mercy shown for the deceived and lost.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

The winner of seven national journalism awards and described as a "master wordsmith," Mark Alan Leslie has authored 15 books, including a dozen historical and contemporary novels from the Christian worldview. American Family Association’s AFA Journal called Leslie’s A Cause Most Splendid: The Battle for the Bible the best novel of the year in 2022. His True North: Tice’s Story about a young slave’s escape from Kentucky to Canada was a Publisher’s Weekly Featured Book and set the stage for his speaking to numerous schools, historical societies and elsewhere across New England. He and his wife live in Maine.

Elk Lake Publishers, 182 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

The Economy Always Gets Better by Nikki M Finlay, PhD

Dr. Nikki Finlay's

 

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR

 

OF

 

The Economy Always Gets Better: Navigating Turbulent Times with Confidence

About the Book:

For those of us who forgot what we learned years ago or never had the opportunity to take an economics class, terms like recession, depression, tariffs, inflation, and gross domestic product can make our heads spin.

If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.

In The Economy Always Gets Better, award-winning economist Dr. Nikki Finlay explains the economy in its simplest terms, making it easier to understand and giving readers the tools to approach even the most distressing economic information with confidence.

Dr. Finlay combines her knowledge and years of academic experience in this practical and accessible guide for anyone wishing to better their understanding of the economy. Using personal stories, useful metaphors, visual representations, and statistical data, she makes economics accessible to everyone.

Whether you’re worried about the current economic troubles or trying to figure it all out for the first time, The Economy Always Gets Better will leave you better informed and better prepared to thrive.

Publisher: Amplify Publishing 

AISN: B0GVVTV6K7

ISBN-13: 979-8891388826

Print Length: 240 pages

Purchase a copy of The Economy Always Gets Better: Navigating Turbulent Times

with Confidence on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.org.

You can enter for an opportunity to win a copy of the book here. (Scroll all the way down to the bottom of that page. Opportunity ends August 30.)

My Review:

I have always considered economics one of those subjects like quantum physics. It would take years and an advanced degree to understand it. I really appreciate how Dr. Finlay explains everything in ways I was able to grasp. She challenges readers to explain the concepts to an eight year old so has made the information that clear.

I appreciate her helping me understand all the aspects of the economy, like pricing, inflation, unemployment and trade. She also clearly explains what the US government and the Federal Reserve do to regulate the economy and what is means to have an economy that is running well.

I recommend this book that takes a complex subject and explains it well.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Dr. Nikki Finlay is an economics educator and author of The Economy Always Gets Better: Navigating Turbulent Times with Confidence. She helps adults who feel intimidated by economics understand how it actually works in their everyday lives—without the jargon.

With over two decades of teaching experience at institutions including Clayton State, Georgia State, and Gwinnett Technical College, Dr. Finlay has worked with students of all backgrounds and experience levels. Her approach is simple, practical, and rooted in real-life examples that make complex economic concepts easier to understand.

Through her writing, Dr. Finlay translates topics like inflation, employment, and economic cycles into clear, relatable insights that help readers build confidence—not just knowledge—about the world around them.

She lives just outside Atlanta, Georgia with her husband of over 40 years and enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her children and grandson.

You can follow the author at: 

https://nikkifinlay.substack.com

www.linkedin.com/in/economics-for-the-rest-of-us

Amplify Publishing, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through WOW! Women on Writing. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Waters of the Deep by Jonathan Freed

About the Book:

What really happened “in the beginning”?

For centuries, Christians have wrestled to harmonize Scripture with science. Did God create the universe billions of years ago―or just thousands? Were the heavens and the earth formed in the same week, or is there a deeper story written between the lines of Genesis 1?

In Waters of the Deep, physician and researcher Jonathan Freed, MD, explores an evidence-based creation model that affirms both the authority of Scripture and the vastness of the cosmos. Building on the hydroplate theory and a close reading of the biblical text, Dr. Freed proposes the Old Universe / Young Earth framework―one that restores reason, reverence, and coherence to the creation narrative.

Written for sincere Christians who love God’s Word but struggle with the seeming conflict between faith and modern science, Waters of the Deep offers a compelling, scientifically informed, and biblically faithful vision of creation―one that strengthens confidence in both the Bible and its Author.

My Review:

Understanding how science and the Bible relate with respect to the universe has long interested me. How do we reconcile what the Bible says in Genesis to what Science has discovered about the Universe? How do we create a model that respects the authority of Scripture as well as integrates evidence from the natural world? Freed explores the previously proposed models and evaluates them.

He advocates an Old Universe/Young Earth Hydroplate Theory view. It allows for a universe billions of years old and an earth with life only thousands of years old. Water under the crust of the earth is key. The water is expelled at the Flood. A feature of this theory is that created beings, such as angels, could exist before the creation of the earth. The rebellion of angels and the introduction of sin could have happened during this time.

While I don't think his proposed theory answers all of the issues involved, I think it does get us to a place for serious consideration. This is certainly a book worth reading for Christians interested in the creation and science topic.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Jonathan Freed, MD, is a plastic surgeon from Auburn, California. He has been involved in Creation Science education for over 20 years. He has a passion for mission service having served as a short-term volunteer missionary in India, Central and South America, Africa and the South Pacific. Active in leading Bible studies, he is an elder in his church in Granite Bay, California and has served on educational and missionary boards.

Carpenter's Son Publishing, 158 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Destination Funeral by Paige Harbison

About the Book:

When Babe―the complicated, magnetic matriarch of their teenage summers―dies, four estranged friends return to sleepy Mercy Island, a storm-swept stretch of coastal Georgia, summoned by the reading of her will.

Didion arrives at the timeworn pink house to find the friends she never thought she’d see again―along with the tensions, attractions, and unfinished business that once bound them together and broke them apart.

What should be a brief weekend of small talk quickly unravels when they wake up and discover...it’s Saturday. Again. And again. And again.

Trapped in a time loop with no end and no instructions, they’re forced to confront the betrayals, breakups, and buried truths that shattered them all those years ago. Because maybe, just maybe, an endless weekend is exactly what they all need to save their own lives.

My Review:

This is an enjoyable novel that explores life and what one can do, how we experience grief. The characters are drawn lifelike. There is magical realism included as time repeats, like Groundhog Day. That provided time for contemplation of life and actions and the rebuilding of relationships. This book is a new twist on an old theme. It's entertaining but not spectacular.

St Martin's Press, 352 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

The United States of Oligarchy by Casey Michel

About the Book:

A staggering examination of how America's wealthiest infiltrated the government and allied with dictators, transforming the U.S. from democracy to oligarchy.

For years, a small group of billionaires has amassed increasing power, steering American politics for their own benefit. Many of these figures are familiar. There’s Elon Musk, who has used his wealth to help place Donald Trump back in the White House. There’s Mark Zuckerberg, who has used his resources to transform America into his own digital playground. There’s Jared Kushner, who has used family connections to gain more political power than he ever dreamed of.

There is only one word to describe such extreme levels of wealth, avarice, and political control: Oligarchy. But the oligarchs are not working alone. From China to Russia to Saudi Arabia and beyond, many of these men have cultivated alliances with America’s most notorious adversaries, opening the doors for autocrats around the world to sink their teeth into the U.S. Placing profit over patriotism, they have transformed into vectors of influence for some of the world’s most repulsive dictatorships, all of whom are trying to create a world dominated by imperialism and tyranny. Connecting everything from the devastation in Ukraine to destruction in Gaza to destabilization in Greenland, these oligarchs have transformed American policy and American politics into their own private fiefdoms, regardless of what Americans actually want.

In United States of Oligarchy, Casey Michel illuminates a story decades in the making, from the earliest efforts to corral and combat American oligarchs, to the new crop of individuals monopolizing American democracy and making the world safe for dictatorship – all for their own benefit.

The oligarchs have risen, and are attempting to reign. The only question remaining is whether or not it’s too late to stop them.

My Review:

This is a frightening book. I was shocked at the power the wealthy have and how their influence has been detrimental to democracy. I was shocked at the revelation of the true cuts DOGE and Musk made and how cutting pro democracy programs benefited authoritarian countries like China. Many of the regulating and investigative agencies have been gutted, causing financial guardrails to be eliminated. Recent actions have opened the door to the US becoming an oligarchy with unregulated political funding by foreign powers through corporations and dark money groups.

Michal presents the information in a compelling way. The book is well written and well documented. The recent tax breaks for the wealthy and previous Supreme Court decisions allow the wealthy to accumulate so much and have so much power in politics, I wonder if democracy in the US will survive the next few years.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

I'm currently the Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation, as well as a writer, analyst, and investigative journalist working on topics ranging from kleptocracy, illicit finance, dark money, foreign lobbying, and foreign interference to the legacies of Russian and Soviet colonialism.

I’ve testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on kleptocracy and oligarchs, and I received my Master's degree in Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe Studies from Columbia University's Harriman Institute.

St Martin's Press, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Temperature Rising by Joel Burcat Blog Tour Book Review

 

TEMPERATURE RISING

by Joel Burcat

August 17 - September 11, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

 

A deadly secret. A dangerous game. How much is she willing to sacrifice to expose the truth?

Anna Freeman never expected a routine errand to change everything. But when the ambitious law student and environmental activist retrieves a harmless videotape on energy policy, she unknowingly steps into the heart of a ruthless conspiracy. Powerful lobbyists, corrupt politicians, and billion-dollar interests will do whatever it takes to keep their secrets buried—and now, Anna is in their crosshairs.

Before she realizes it, she’s pulled deep into the very system she once despised, embraced and seduced by those orchestrating the cover-up. They think she’s one of them. But Anna has other plans. Working undercover for The New York Times, she’s determined to expose the truth—no matter the cost. The only problem—she falls in love with the industry’s most trusted lobbyist.

With every step she takes, the danger intensifies. Lies mount. The deeper she infiltrates, the harder it becomes to save herself and her friends from the ultimate outcome. When the threats turn personal, Anna faces an impossible Will she risk everything—her career, her relationships, her friendships, even her life—to bring the truth to light? Or will she be silenced before she has the chance?

Temperature Rising is an electrifying political thriller packed with pulse-pounding suspense, forbidden romance, and high-stakes deception. As Anna races against time, one thing becomes clear—some secrets are worth killing for.

Praise for Temperature Rising:

"A timely and poignant thriller of political machinations, threats and lies. I enjoyed Temperature Rising, it heats up quickly and burns hot."
~ Robert Dugoni, New York Times Bestselling Selling author

"Burcat’s sharp execution offers plenty of surprises. The timely boardroom intrigue offers plenty of thrills. An intriguing conspiracy tale that finds fresh energy in familiar power struggles."
~ KIRKUS Reviews

"Original, deftly crafted, compelling, and a wild ride of a suspense thriller from start to finish."
~ Jim Cox, Midwest Book Review

My Review:

The events in this novel may be set decades ago but they could be happening (again) today. That climate change is caused by human action has frequently been opposed, especially by the oil and coal industries. Burcat does a good job of fleshing out that controversy in an entertaining and informative novel. I learned a great deal about lobbying and fundraising and suppressing scientific studies.

This novel revolves around relationships more than suspense. One issue is the possibility of letting personal relationships get in the way of revealing the truth. A romantic relationship may temp one to be less than honest. There is also the issue of possibly losing one's career as a result of doing the right thing.

There is a short burst of suspense near the end and many times I held my breath to see how an event would work out but in general, the plot moves along at a steady pace. This is a very good book to read right now, considering the current US administration's actions toward energy production and international efforts to control climate change.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Book Details:

Genre: Political Suspense Thriller
Published by: Milford House Press
Publication Date: June 16, 2026
Number of Pages: 289
ISBN: 979-8888193587
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub | Sunbury Press Bookstore

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 40

A familiar sound awoke Anna.

Click-click-click.

The sound floated through her head. It stopped. Then it began again.

Click-click-click.

Anna sat up with a start.

Silence.

She went to the door and held her breath.

Nothing. Just the humming and buzzing from the electrical systems. A clock ticking down the hall.

Slowly, she tiptoed to Connor’s office. She stood behind a stack of file cabinets and looked. Dim light leaked under the door. Anna froze.

Anna wanted to run away, but she slowly walked closer.

It was dark. No steel balls clicking. The only light at this end of the floor was from the streetlights.

She calmed herself as she realized that the streetlights cast a glow into the window near Donna Russell’s desk. She hoped that was the light she saw.

“Mr. Connor?” Anna whispered.

Silence.

She lightly tapped on his door.

“Mr. Connor?” she said more loudly.

Quiet.

Slowly, Anna tried the knob.

It was locked, but not pulled shut all the way.

She was sure it had been locked tightly when she tried it before.

She pushed the door open. The room was dark, illuminated only by the streetlight from outside. The desk was empty except for Newton’s cradle.

It swayed back and forth, the way it did as it was coming to rest. Conservation of momentum. Conservation of energy.

Anna gasped. Why was it moving?

“Mr. Connor?” she said more loudly. She looked around the office.

No reply. She quickly looked behind Connor’s big leather chair. Nothing.

“Mr. Heftig?”

Silence.

Slowly, Anna turned and looked behind the door. She felt a creeping sensation on her back. The fine hair on her neck stood up straight.

Nothing.

Slowly, she continued turning to survey the entire office. Then she jumped. The air conditioner clicked on and a woosh came through the vent. A mountain range of goosebumps rose on her bare arms.

She looked at the desk. The Newton’s cradle was swaying in the breeze. She held her hand over the toy. The AC blew directly onto it. Just enough to make the balls click together quietly. They swayed in the breeze from the vent. Together. All five balls. Had this always been the case? Was the office so noisy during the day that she hadn’t noticed the quiet sound?

Anna took a deep breath, backed out of the office, and pulled the door until it clicked shut.

As she returned to her office, she glanced at the clock. It was 4:15. She was fifteen minutes late to meet Dread.

“Oh crap.”

Anna shot down the hallway to the freight elevator. It seemed to take forever to come to her floor. As the door closed she remembered something and stuck her hand into the narrow opening, pushing the rubberized safety bar and making the door open. She ran to room 2-Y and used her key to get back inside. She grabbed the beat up briefcase from the corner, the one with SOF stamped on the side, and ran back to the elevator.

The elevator slowly descended to the basement. No matter how many times she pressed the button, it went at the same annoying speed. She worked her way through the maintenance room and placed the cardboard into position at the door. She put the briefcase in the corner on the loading dock. Then she hustled to L Street and looked up and down. No Dread. No people. Not even a taxi.

The air was chilly and Anna regretted forgetting to put on her sweater, which was draped on her chair in her office. She walked up and down the street and didn’t see any sign of Dread anywhere. She looked at her watch; it was 4:20.

“Damn. Damn. Damn.”

Finally, a pair of headlights approached on L Street. The car was moving slowly. A big, dark green SUV, a Suburban with an extended back, pulled up and stopped. The driver wore a flannel shirt and had a beard. Anna thought she recognized him from the bar in New Jersey. He smiled pleasantly at her.

Anna smiled at the man.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Anna. Sorry, I was late.”

“Hey there, Anna. Call me Jack. Don’t matter to me, baby.”

“Did it take you a while to get here?”

“Hours. Been looking for you for a while.”

“Sorry. I fell asleep. Are you ready to do this?” Anna said.

“Never readier,” the man replied, smiling. He patted the passenger seat.

“You can pull into the alley over there.” Anna pointed. She started to open the door.

“Sure, if you say so.” The man craned his neck to see the alley. “Is that where it’s at?”

“Yes. That’s where it’s at. Where’s Dread?” Anna asked, looking around.

The man made a face. “I’m past dread, baby, unless you’re with the cops. What do you charge? I’m just looking for some quick head. I can give you twenty bucks. We can do it in the back of my Suburban or right here on the front seat. Whatever works for you.”

Anna recoiled from the man. “Oh God,” she said. She hopped out and retreated to the nearest doorway. The man watched her through the open window.

“Hey, come on, baby,” he called. “We can do it quick. I promise. I’ll give you twenty-five bucks.”

Finally, he slowly moved on when another vehicle pulled up behind him and flashed its lights. A pickup truck.

Anna waited in the darkened doorway until the window of the pickup opened. It was Dread.

“Hey, Anna, hon, we thought maybe you gave us the wrong info when we talked. We were here at ten of. This is the third time we’ve circled around the block.”

Anna opened the door and got inside. Her hands were shaking.

“Calm down, hon. We got this. You look sick. Here, this will help.” Dread handed her a brown paper bag.

Anna wondered what variety of alcohol Dread had in the bag. She hoped it was vodka.

“You want a cookie?” Dread asked. “They’re chocolate chip. I baked them myself.”

“You bake cookies?” Anna broke into a smile.

“You got a problem wit’ that? Camden County’s junior baking champ in twelfth grade. I’ve got the blue ribbon at home to prove it.”

Anna finally laughed and opened the bag, releasing the smell of brown sugar, vanilla, and chocolate. The cookies were huge and smelled glorious. She took a piece of cookie from the bag. In fact, it was scrumptious. “Oh God Dread, these are yummy!”

Dread smiled her smile and Anna directed her to the alley and told her to back in. Another pickup truck backed in behind them.

“That’s Max,” Dread said, keeping her hands on the wheel and pointing with one finger. “One of my boys with the Devils. I borrowed this truck from another guy, and Max agreed to come down with me. We convoyed all the way here. Did I see you talking with someone in an SUV?”

Anna nodded. “Yes. I thought it was one of your guys. It wasn’t. He thought I was a hooker.”

Dread was twisted around her seat as she backed into the alley, and she put her foot on the brake and looked at Anna. “I can see that. A little skinny, maybe, to earn a good living. Not nearly enough meat up top. But most guys aren’t picky at 4 a.m. What did he offer you?”

“Twenty bucks for a B.J.”

“Twenty? At this time of night, poor horny dude was probably desperate. You should have held out for forty.” Dread cackled, a long drawn-out laugh. After a moment, Anna laughed too.

They slowly backed into the alley, all the way to the dumpster. Anna hopped out first. As soon as her sneakers touched the ground, something didn’t seem right. She immediately went to the place where the documents had been hidden.

They were gone.

***

Excerpt from Temperature Rising by Joel Burcat. Copyright 2026 by Joel Burcat. Reproduced with permission from Joel Burcat. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Joel Burcat is an award-winning novelist and retired environmental lawyer whose thrillers blend high-stakes suspense with real-world issues. He is the author of Drink to Every Beast, Amid Rage, Strange Fire, Reap the Wind, and Temperature Rising, as well as the historical novel Whiz Kid, co-written with his late father, David S. Burcat. His books have earned multiple honors, including Readers’ Favorite Gold and Silver Medals, a Kindle Book Reviews Semi-Finalist award, and recognition from PennWriters and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Finalist). Drawing on more than forty years of environmental law practice, Burcat now writes full-time from central Pennsylvania.

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I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)

Augusta Pine Does Not Exist by Emily Lloyd-Jones

About the Book:

I was fifteen when I became a murderer.

After a hack gone tragically wrong, a teen girl is given an ultimatum: accept a harsh prison sentence or leave her old life behind, adopt a new identity, and use her talents in the service of a covert government agency.

Three years later, the newly-named Augusta Pine has become a skilled wraith, one of the Identity Security Division’s secret operatives. She has no home, no family. Her only friends are her coolly professional handler and a snarky sentient AI spybot. So when Augusta is sent to Portland for her next assignment, she seizes the chance to glimpse her beloved grandmother and rents the apartment next door.

But what begins as a little nostalgic stalking quickly turns into a fight for survival. With her quick wit, tech savvy—and help from an unexpected ally—Augusta must race against the clock to stay one step ahead of a band of deadly cyberterrorists.

Unfolding through a suspenseful narrative interspersed with case-file excerpts, this is a pulse-pounding novel about identity, connection, and justice.

My Review:

A fun futuristic read for youth. The plot moves fast and would be of interest to youth who like spy novels and lots of super technology, like AI. The characters are interesting. Augusta is a tough girl and there is an exciting terrorist attempt that she must thwart. Potential readers should know it contains foul language.

Balzer & Bray, 410 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)