Greg Barlin
The Spy Coast
★★★★☆ Another story about retirement-age spies? You better believe it! It doesn't quite match up to Killers of a Certain Age, but it's close
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Greg Barlin
- Nov 27, 2023
- 3 min
Again and Again
★★★★☆ A 105-year-old man shares seemingly true stories of his multiple reincarnations and past lives. But is he making everything up?
120
Greg Barlin
- Nov 23, 2023
- 4 min
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
★★★★☆ Set in the 1930s, an expansive cast from the Black and Jewish section of Pottstown, PA come together to rally around a common cause.
130
Greg Barlin
- Nov 20, 2023
- 3 min
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
★★★☆☆ The semi-autobiographical account of the author's childhood, focused on him leaving the reservation to attend a white high school.
40
Greg Barlin
- Nov 18, 2023
- 4 min
Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond
★★★★★ An honest autobiographical account of a showbiz life, infused with humor, self-deprecation and a joie de vivre oozing from every page.
120
Greg Barlin
- Nov 9, 2023
- 2 min
Signal Fires
★★★☆☆ A character study of two neighboring families on the outskirts of New York City. I hoped for spellbinding; what I got was milquetoast.
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Greg Barlin
- Nov 4, 2023
- 4 min
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
★★★★☆ The author of Killers of the Flower Moon returns with an account of a shipwreck in the 1740s and the tale of survival that follows.
160
Greg Barlin
- Oct 27, 2023
- 3 min
Go As A River
★★★☆☆ A mostly tragic decades-spanning debut about a young woman dealing with adversity while growing up in rural Colorado circa 1950.
60
Greg Barlin
- Oct 16, 2023
- 3 min
Strange Sally Diamond
★★★☆☆ Strange is an understated descriptor for the protagonist of this novel, which follows a woman as she tries to find her way to normalcy
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Greg Barlin
- Oct 7, 2023
- 3 min
Mother-Daughter Murder Night
★★★☆☆ A so-so debut that follows the exploits of a grandmother, mother, and daughter as they work to solve a mystery on the California coast
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Greg Barlin
- Sep 16, 2023
- 4 min
Happiness Falls
★★★★☆ A father goes missing, and his son knows what happened but cannot tell anyone due to a disability. Mostly satisfying, but with flaws.
150
Greg Barlin
- Sep 9, 2023
- 3 min
Romantic Comedy
★★★☆☆ It's not especially romantic or comedic, and it lacks any type of misdirection. Weirdly, I still sort of enjoyed it, but I wanted more
60
Greg Barlin
- Aug 29, 2023
- 4 min
Only If You're Lucky
★★★★★ A story of a four tight knit girls at a small college turns dark when it seems they might have been involved with a frat boy's death.
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Greg Barlin
- Aug 27, 2023
- 3 min
The Drowning Sea
★★★☆☆ Book 3 in the Maggie D'Arcy mystery series fizzles compared to prior books; fully set in Ireland, the story feels muddled and forced.
40
Greg Barlin
- Aug 19, 2023
- 4 min
The Battle Drum
★★★★★ El-Arifi builds on her stellar debut The Final Strife (my #3 book of 2022), and does so both ambitiously and successfully.
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Greg Barlin
- Aug 7, 2023
- 3 min
This Tender Land
★★★☆☆ Inflated expectations probably diminished my enjoyment of this river odyssey tale. It's an okay story, but Ordinary Grace it is not.
90
Greg Barlin
- Aug 1, 2023
- 3 min
Happy Place
★★★★★ An exploration of relationships and friendships in Henry's most mature offering yet, centered on a week-long vacation in Maine.
240
Greg Barlin
- Jul 28, 2023
- 4 min
Warrior Girl Unearthed
★★★☆☆ A rushed sophomore slump of a novel that fails to live up to Boulley's first book, Firekeeper's Daughter, in almost every way.
90
Greg Barlin
- Jul 21, 2023
- 4 min
Yellowface
★★★★☆ Societal commentary abounds in this story of a white author stealing the final manuscript of an Asian American author after her death.
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