Editor’s note: This review and roundup appears in several Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia newspapers and magazines, including at https://cullmantimes.com/2025/03/11/review-a-sip-of-spring-fiction-with-a-bit-of-history-for-flavor/

A sip of spring fiction, with a bit of history for flavor

By Tom Mayer

On the cusp of the 80th anniversary of the atrocities ending with World War II’s VJ Day, comes an important reminder in the form of cinematic storytelling from the pen of best-selling author Robert Dugoni, assisted by fellow academic researchers Chris Crabtree and Jeff Langholz.

Five hundred-page novels that contain more than a hundred pages of afterword and notes aren’t typical fare for the type of thrillers Dugoni writes; and if cinema is used as an adjective for such tomes it generally implies “best documentary” rather than “best picture.” But this fictionalized re-telling of the end of the war is anything but documental, especially with its final 150 pages moving full steam ahead, filled with submarines, warships and Clancyesque code breaking.

“Hold Strong” (Lake Union) tells the story of Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber, young sweethearts from Eagle Grove, Minnesota. It’s the end of the Great Depression and looking for a way out of his and his parents’ misfortunes — the family farm has been repossessed — Sam joins the war effort. Finding that the Army life suits him, he rises through the ranks. In 1942, he’s taken prisoner by the Japanese and survives the worst that that experience can offer, including the Bataan Death March in the Philippines and captivity in the hold of a Japanese “hell ship,” the Arisan Maru.

Through this, Sarah, and Sam’s family, receive no word about him, and the Army records him as missing in action. Though the couple made a promise to each other but never cemented an engagement before he left, Sarah especially is left in limbo, loving a man who she knows could be dead.

But Sarah’s strong, independent character is coupled with a brilliant mathematical mind, and she’s recruited out of college by the Navy to become a code breaker in the service of the WAVES — Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service — helping to turn the tide of the war, and possibly even unknowingly, Sam’s fate. The upshot is that no one, not even their families, can know what the women are doing, even to the point of telling others if asked that they are nothing more than secretaries in the service of Uncle Sam.

The story of Sam and Sarah is just that, a story, but Dugoni and company get it right, opening new and little-known chapters on the hells of that war — and the critical roles of female recruits — with startling and stark reality.

“Hold Strong” works well as a novel, and its secondary characters, such as Father Tom with his unflappable faith and Grace Moretti with her unbounded optimism, are extraordinarily well-developed. But this is one book bound for the big screen, and with its historic foundation underpinning a captivating wartime love story, one that is sure to become the sleeper read of the year.

Another novel of potential sleeper status comes to us as a dream in the charming coming-of-age “The Rainfall Market” (Ace). Written by a young South Korean novelist, You Yeong-Gwang (whose own dream as a young author is this story), and translated by Slin Jung, this magical novel tells the story of the impoverished teenager Serin and an abandoned house on the outskirts of Rainbow Town.

The legend says that if you send an essay explaining your misfortunes to that address, you could receive a ticket in return, and one that not only allows entrance to the Market beyond the house’s front door, but the offer to swap your life for another.

The odds are long but Serin sends off her letter and gets in return a ticket and an invitation to visit the Market for the duration of the rainy season — those who overstay the welcome are destined to never leave — with the total of its enchantments, including a magical cat companion named Issha.

Travels and travails follow Serin and Issha as they are plagued by Dokkaebi — goblin-like creatures taken from the pages of Korean folklore — who run the individual shops in the market, each offering a “happier story in our stock.”

With help from Issha and others that she befriends, Serin traverses the market’s allegorical landmines, comparing one life’s outcome with another until she comes to the end of her visit in this predictable but rewarding fairytale.

Other notable titles out this spring and worth the price of admission — no essay required — range from the fantastical to the feral with a number of big-hitting authors submitting some of their best work, including sequels:

“Witchcraft for Wayward Girls” (Berkley) by Grady Hendrix: 15-year-old Fern arrives alone and scared and pregnant at the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida — as are all the young woman and girls living at the home. Life is strictly regulated under the tyrannical control of the adults until Fern is gifted a book about witchcraft — and the power it contains to both create and destroy.

“The Ends of Things” (Blackstone) by Sandra Chwialkowska: A romantic lovers’ paradise is anything but idyllic for Laura Phillips and her boyfriend as shea becomes involved in the disappearance of the lone traveler befriended on the beach. An exotic getaway soon itself gets away from Laura as garnished cocktails and sumptuous suites turn into a murder investigation — and a fight for her innocence.

“Somewhere Toward Freedom” (Simon & Schuster) by Bennett Parten: Parten, a Georgia-native university professor with an expertise in the Civil War period, shines with storytelling as his reporting illuminates new, and unconventional, light on one of the most well-documented and well-known war episodes in our nation’s history — Sherman’s march to the sea. Subtitled “Sherman’s March and Story of America’s Largest Emancipation,” Parten re-tills well-trodden ground, telling the story of the thousands of enslaved people who followed Sherman and his army, turning a march of destruction into the launch of liberation in this meticulously researched book.

“Cupid on the Loose” (Blackstone) by John J. Jacobson: This timely novel that slipped into best-selling list early in February is nonetheless a timely tale for the ages, and especially for those who love a love story in the vein of Nicholas Sparks, and the romantic mayhem of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — an author who incidentally plays a prominent role of his own in this fun read. Centered on a “kindred kind of romance” that needs a bit of tender to set it ablaze, enter a meddling grandmother whose intentions are as well-conceived as they are misguided.

“Destiny’s Way” (Berkley) by Jack Campbell: In this sequel to Campbell’s “In Our Stars,” the time traveling part-human, part-alien-DNA Selene Genji is thrust 30 years into the past, before the Universal Way destroyed the world, in an attempt to save Earth — excedpt those alive who want her dead after being declared a traitor by the Earth Guard. Assisted by at least one friend from the first part of the “Doomed Earth Duology,” Selene must find a way to save a prejudicial mankind that wants this independent and strong woman dead.

“The Secrets of Flowers” (Blackstone) by Sally Page: A story floating from the depths of the Titanic — and we never get tired of those — Page crafts a unique, heart-healing tale of Emma, who is bereft following her husband’s death. Told through the language of flowers, Emma discovers the lost story of a girl from the ship, one told in the arrangements of the flowers on board during the maiden, and final, voyage, that might just blossom into the healing of her own grief.

“The Memory Ward” (Blackstone) by Jon Bassoff: A seemingly Elysian small town is the scene of bizarre oddities, and postal worker Hank Davies isn’t the first to notice — he comes to realize he’s delivering mail filled with blank pages — but he’s the one whose willing to cry foul. A secreted story discovered beneath the walls of Hank’s bedroom touches off pages of alternate reality as Bassoff delivers a tale of trauma and altered identity, and one questioning the concept of humanity itself.

“American Fever” (Arcade) by Dur e Aziz Amna: This engaging and humorous novel centers on a Pakistani exchange student in rural Oregon who finds herself between worlds — and entrenched in the navigation of first love, racism, Islamophobia and homesickness. When she finds herself quarantined after a diagnosis of tuberculosis, her world shrinks further as themes of religion, family and national identity take on increasingly larger proportions.

“Protecting Jess” (Arcade Crimewise) by Karna Small Bodman: A White House economist and rising star, Jessica Tanner, has both brains and beauty. Sent to Brazil to speak at an international conference on behalf of her boss, a planned exotic dream assignment descends into a dangerous and foreboding nightmare.

“Don’t Tell Me How to Die” (Blackstone) by Marshall Karp: Marshall Karp, of NYPD Red series (aka, co-conspirator of James Patterson) fame, offers a taut, sharp and on-target psychological thriller in “Don’t Tell Me How To Die” (Blackstone). Told in parts, past and present, Karp crafts a evolving storyline centered on 43-year-old Maggie, a woman who is not only diagnosed with the same deadly disease that claimed her mother but vows to not recreate the adolescent hell she endured because of the passing. Seeing firsthand her dying mother’s warning that, once she died, women would flock to 17-year-old Maggie and her sister’s father “like stray cats to an overturned milk truck” and that it would be up to girls to protect him. Which they do, admirably — until one slips through their gatekeeping. … Determined that the same thing won’t happen to her own family, Maggie devises a plan to find a perfect match as wife and mother … before she dies. If this were all to the plot, the storyline would be worth an afternoon, but in succeeding parts of the novel, Karp continuously turns everything upside down, projecting surprise after surprise in a trope-laden, over-blown style that works perfectly for a main course instead of the appetizer it would have been coming from a lesser pen. Karp is a veteran in keeping the cinematic action going and the shocks coming — both of which are abundantly on display in his latest.

“Cold Iron Task” (Berkley) by James J. Butcher: In this Book 3 of 3 in Butcher’s “The Unorthodox Chronicles,” Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby — one of the most notable names in literary history — has solved at least one case, but he’s still a beginner in Boston’s Department of Unorthodox Affairs. As he joins an unlikely partner in the heist of of an otherworldly vault, Grimsby touches off past and closely guarded secrets, freeing demons and monsters, Usual and Unorthodox, that could be his demise in this series finisher.

“The Gate of the Feral Gods” (Ace Hardcovers) by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl series): Welcome, Crawler, to the fifth floor of the dungeon in Book 4 of Dinniman’s quest series, and one filled with warrior gnomes, malfunctioning machines and a deadly, haunted crypt. On the eve of utter failure, Carl and his team find they must rely on the untrustworthy crawlers trapped in the bubble with them.

“The Summer Guests” (Thomas & Mercer) by Tess Gerritsen: In Book 2 of The Martini Club, retired covert agent Maggie Bird has “retired” to the seaside. In Purity, life is quiet, but it’s not without murder as a friendly neighbor of Maggies becomes embroiled in double homicide charges. It’s up to the Martini Club, a circle of ex-CIA friends book club, to find the truth behind the secrets that portend more murder on the horizon.

“Gothictown” (Kensington) by Emily Carpenter: What if you could purchase a Victorian home for $100 in a small Georgia town eager to spur its pandemic-riddled economy? So begins this story of Billie Hope’s dream of fleeing cramped and crimped New York City with her husband and daughter. Dreams, as they often do in the offerings from Carpenter — a Birmingham, Alabama, native now living in Georgia — descend from opportunities to devilish bargains, and “Gothictown” is part and parcel of the oeuvre. More than genteel charms lurks beneath the facade of Southern hospitality in this town. View a free 66-page teaser of the novel (“Gothictown: A Sneak Peek”) at online booksellers.

“Home Is Where the Bodies Are” (Blackstone) by Jeneva Rose: Questions and secrets arise when three estranged siblings begin to sort their mother’s estate — and discover a VHS recording of their blood-soaked father involved in a death of which none of them have any recollection. Revive the past or leave it buried with their mother? That becomes the question … with no easy, or safe, answers.

Reach Tom Mayer at tmayer@cullmantimes.com.

An intriguing short story about the town of Bethlam, Nevada, a small but perfect town. However, one day, Hank Davies, a postal worker, notices that a letter that he needs to deliver was blank, and life isn't what it seems and he starts to uncover the truth behind the town of Bethlam and realizes that his memories of his life, might all be a lie.

I was hooked from the first page of this book as more was revealed. While I do wish that there was a bigger reveal at the end that just shocked me, in addition to the smaller reveals throughout the story, I do think that this book was executed pretty well in terms of adding a "world of madness "and thriller aspect to this book. Even though I knew where the book was going, it still made me question everything and who was a part of it all.

Thank you to Jon Bassoff, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

At no point did I know where this book was going. I made assumptions and I was wrong!

I'd put this in the same realm as the speculative thrillers John Marrs rights. That "5 minutes in the future" feel. You could tell me this is something that is happening now and I'd believe it.

Very quick thriller. I had both a kindle and an audio copy. The narrators did a great job. I was able to speed it up quite a bit and still tell the difference between characters.

Mindboggling. Don’t try to find out what’s going on in this story. You will definitely be wrong.

Hank delivers letters in the idyllic town of Bethlam, Nevada. Everyone is friendly and the sun always shines. But one day he finds out that all the letters he delivers are just blank pages. He begins to suspect that the neighbours are not just friendly but they are watching him. And his wife seems to act strange, too. What is going on in Bethlam?

This story is confusing at first, then it gets really weird and at the end you will scratch your head and wonder what the hack you just read. I suggest that you go into it blind and find out what’s the matter with Hank on your own. But don’t expect to get it all wrapped up nicely. Be prepared to be left with a lot of questions.

I enjoyed this book. It was different and unusual.

This was my first introduction to author Jon Bassoff. The premise sounded so intriguing and truly one of a kind. It will be hard to give this review without spoilers, so this will be short and sweet.

I could feel the eerie vision this plot was trying to put off, but the writing style and overall delivery was so repetitive and boring that I lost interest and checked out of the story before the "explanation".

Honestly I was left confused and questioning if I missed important elements of the story, but it honestly wasn't even worth re-reading to double check my misgivings. The reveal was so anticlimactic I thought I missed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing my an advanced e-copy to read and give my honest review. It was a 3 star read.

"The Memory Ward" is currently available for purchase. It has plenty of 4 and 5 star reviews, so clearly many people enjoyed it.

Happy Reading!

Fans of The Matrix, Black Mirror, and Don't Worry Darling, drop everything for The Memory Ward (I promise, you won't regret it). This book is sickenly entertaining, from start to finish, and when you walk away from it, you are bound to be questioning your own reality at least a bit.

Alright, lets get into it.

Story- I think the concept and the story is really the star of this book. Hank is about as normal as you can be, a postal worker in an idyllic small town. So when he starts noticing that the things around him aren't quite adding up, he's left to wonder "why me?". I found myself completely entranced by the mystery of this story, and although this concept has been done before, I just enjoyed the direction that Jon Bassoff went with it so much. I loved the layered story telling, and the raw sense of wrongness the emanated from every encounter that Hank had. The Memory Ward was that quick, wild, bingeable type of story that I often crave. 5/5

Characters- It takes some talent to make a literal murderer likable, but Jon Bassoff manages to do just that. Our main character here is handled very well in my opinion, despite being several different people through the story, the author maintains a palpable sense of individuality within Hank (or whatever you'd prefer to call him) that I really respect. The 'nature vs. nurture' aspect is evident and plays out nicely, and the overall themes about identity are really brought out through Hank's different lives. Outside of our main character, the side characters are extremely hollow, which would typically be a mark against a book for me, but here it is necessary. The "off-ness" of the other people living in this small town work so well, and at times I found myself getting chilled by just how wrong each of the other players felt. 4.5/5

Atmosphere- Bethlam was perfect in my opinion. The isolation of the desert mixed with the eerie suburbia of the town and it's inhabitants was spot on. The atmosphere here was perfect, and it played so well into the story that Jon Bassoff was telling. 5/5

Writing- While I loved the other building blocks of this book, I do have to say that the writing itself was nothing special. I would have liked to see the author take a little more risk in this department and develop his prose. As is, the writing in this story is quite basic, and I'm afraid that this holds the story back. In some ways, the simplicity does help solidify the naivety of our main character, but I feel that there are other ways to do that that would be more effective, and I truly can't tell if the simplicity of the writing was a conscious choice or not. I find myself curious as to whether or not this is the case for Jon Bassoff's other works, and I plan to seek out more of his stories in time.

I enjoyed my time in The Memory Ward, as I'm sure many others will.

3.5⭐️ This book was a little mind-bending. The first half reminded me a lot of the movie The Truman Show. It was a slow burn and I found myself becoming bored. The book picked up in the last half when it provided more detail about the character Catherine. It held my interest pretty well from there.
I would say this book fits the genre of sci-fi.

I love his previous title Beneath Cruel Waters. And was to express to see a new story released.
The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff keeps you hooked till the very end.
A well written suspense filled with twists that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
A quick and fun read that I finished in a few hours.
The characterization was superb, the writing pacey and flowing, and the tension delivered in a series of shocks and twists along the way.
This is a tightly written story, with well developed characters and enough suspense to keep you reading.

I’m ultimately giving this 3.25 stars, because, while I was intrigued by the story, the last quarter of it was wholly unsatisfying. All that buildup, and then I was left confused and grasping for an explanation that made some kind of sense.

The premise is interesting enough: someone finds out he’s been delivering blank letters in his picture-perfect neighborhood, and everyone seems to be a little too interested in what he’s doing. Something is off, and it’s very unsettling. And so the investigation begins….


Content warning: there are a few extremely gruesome scenes. Proceed with caution. I personally won’t be reading this again.

My thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Jon Bassoff’s The Memory Ward is a psychological thriller that masterfully blends elements of speculative fiction, science, and mind-bending suspense. This gripping novel unravels a reality so intricate and unsettling that it forces readers to question perception, identity, and the boundaries of memory itself.

The story, reminiscent of the psychological unease in Don’t Worry Darling, takes the concept of distorted reality and enhances it with a scientific depth that adds layers of complexity. Bassoff crafts an eerie, immersive world where truth is elusive, and the mind becomes both a refuge and a prison. His sharp prose and measured pacing create an atmosphere of unease that lingers long after the final page.

What sets The Memory Ward apart is its ability to not only surprise but to challenge readers, prompting them to rethink their assumptions at every turn. The novel thrives on its intricate storytelling, weaving together psychological tension with thought-provoking questions about identity and control. Fans of cerebral thrillers that push the boundaries of reality will find this book a deeply satisfying and mind-altering experience.

For those who enjoy novels that unravel the very fabric of perception, The Memory Ward is an absolute must-read.

To be completely honest, I almost gave up on The Memory Ward. It didn't initially grab me, but I had seen so many postive reviews that I kept at it, and I'm so glad that I did. What a complete mind-twist this book is, and the ending still blew my mind. Do you have to be willing to suspend belief a little bit? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Life is pretty perfect in Bethlam, Nevada - no place you would rather live. The people are friendly and there is no crime to speak of. But postal worker Hank Davies has started to suspect something is off in this idyllic little town. And he’s certain of that when he realizes the letters he’s been delivering are just blank pages. When someone knocks on his window in the middle of the night, urging him to investigate his bedroom wall, he peels back the wallpaper to discover dozens of sheets of paper, full of a story that is either complete madness or unbelievable truth. As Hank tries to discern truth from fiction, he will have to peel back the layers of the carefully constructed life he has been living.

OMG..... my head is still reeling. This book was amazing. It definitely gave off hints of Stepford Wives. The town creeped me out before anything even started happening. I flew through this book. I could not put it down. I can not recommend this one enough. If you love horror or thrillers with a super creepy vibe to them, then this needs to be at the top of your TBR pile. You can thank me later!

The Memory Ward is the first book I have ever needed someone to discuss the ending because I was blown away. It's a speculative thriller that will pull you in and have you questioning reality. I talk about this book to others even if I read it back in January as an ARC. I stayed up until after midnight to finish because I couldn't wait to peel back the layers including that wallpaper. By the time you finish, you'll be questioning ethics and empathy for characters. Couldn't have been a better-timed publication for the future possibilities of science and technology.

Intriguing twisty story.

My suggestion--just go into this blind and don't try too hard to figure it all out. Just go with it.

Basic premise--Hank Davies is a mail carrier in the small picturesque town of Bethlam, Nevada. Everyone knows everyone else. He drops an envelope on the ground and it comes open. When he looks at the letter inside, he discovers that it is just a blank paper. He opens a couple more and finds out they are all blank. What is going on? A woman in the town tells him that there is definitely something wrong--she tells him to peel back his wallpaper and read what he finds. Those writings bring him chills.

I liked how this story twisted and turned in multiple ways. It uncovers things about memory, identity, and agency. How much do we really remember about our pasts? Are there things we wish we could forget?

This book is a bit like a nightmare, and then waking up from the nightmare to discover that real life just might be worse. Once everything about this novel slots into place the reader's mind will be reeling. I really enjoyed my reading experience, I didn't want to put the book down because I wanted to know what would happen.

This isn't going to be a book for everyone, but I really liked this unique concept and all of the wild turns the story took as it went along.

The Memory Ward 5⭐️
Brilliantly Bizarre.

There’s something calmly terrifying when every single resident of Bethlam smiles. Too much, too big, too long, too….suspiciously. The Memory Ward was packed full of creepy vibes and lots of questions. It was unique and kept my attention from beginning to end. I was fully immersed in this story’s world and transported to the town of Bethlam. The writing style allowed me to see, hear, and experience each description provided.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Mar 04 2025

What a great book this is. I enjoyed the pacing and characterization. It kept me turning the pages late into the night. I'll be reading more from this author.

Thank you for my gifted copy.
My full review will be shared to my Instagram account @coffee.break.book.reviews.

Things aren't quite right in Bethlam, Nevada. 
It’s a whiplash of a book. It captured me with the ‘so perfect, it must be sinister’ isolated community hook.

3-1 Update: TikTok post
The Memory Ward builds quietly, chipping away at perception and building its unsettling effects. It's a strange, disturbing book. Things get freaky.

The final 30% hits a tender-bits-to-the-wall intensity that kept me reading non-stop. The ending left me all the more unsettled, yet in a way that fit and satisfied.

This is a brilliantly sneaky book that pushes on many fears in a masterful way. The exploration of expected male roles and relationships was one of my favorite aspects of the book--that and the stark horror.

Jon Bassoff is an unusual talent. I’ll be looking for more of his work. I recommend The Memory Ward for seasoned readers of dark fiction who aren't upset by intense content. Thank you, Blackstone Publishing, for the eARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.

Thank you Netgalley & Blackstone Publishing Inc for an eARC ❤️


I'm not even kidding, Jon Bassoff's latest thriller has left me with a serious case of the heebie-jeebies. I'd been waiting for what felt like forever to dive into this book, and let me tell you, it was TOTALLY worth the wait... but also totally terrifying.
The story's about Hank Davies, a postal worker in this super creepy town called Bethlam, Nevada. I mean, the town itself seems normal enough, but trust me, nothing's as it seems. When Hank starts delivering blank sheets of paper to residents, he uncovers this sinister web of secrets and lies that'll make your skin crawl.
I'm talking seriously unsettling stuff here. Bassoff's writing is like a masterclass in building tension and creating an atmosphere of unease. Each chapter is like a slow-burning fire that'll keep you on edge, wondering what's going to happen next.
And the characters? Forget about it. They're all hiding secrets, and you'll be guessing until the very end who's behind the sinister forces at work in Bethlam.
What really got me, though, was how this book messed with my head. I mean, I thought I knew what was going on, but then Bassoff would throw in another twist that'd completely flip my theories on their head. 🤯😳

This was a total page turner with really interesting things to say about humanity. I loved the small town setting with an odd twist.

Are there some things it is better not to know?

In the small remote town of Bethlam, Nevada, living is simple and each day is very much like the next. Mail carrier Hank Davies lives in a small house there with his wife Iris pondering the sameness of his life when he trips over a branch on the sidewalk and a few letters slip out of his mail sack. That random mishap will set off a chain of events that will make him question the reality of his world. He was in an accident recently, and wants to chalk up the strange thoughts and dreams he's been having to the effects of that night. He has a good job, a loving wife, and everyone agrees that there is no better place to live than Bethlam...so why is he so uneasy? What would it mean if his memories aren't truly his memories at all?
Within the first few chapters of The Memory Ward it becomes clear that all is not what it seems in Bethlam, but the truth of what is going on remains a mystery for much of the book. What is true and what is a lie? Can you remember something or someone and have the memory not be real? Can any of us ever escape who we essentially are? With traces of The Truman Show and The Stepford Wives all through a Twilight Zone-like filter, this is a psychological thriller that pulls the reader down into Hank's mental rabbit hole. There is an eeriness in the tone of the story as well, as the image of the picture perfect town where everyone is safe and happy is overshadowed by the doubts that Hank begins to harbor. I found the plot fairly predictable despite the occasional twists, and apart from the main protagonist I didn't find much depth to the characters...overall I found it an okay read, but not particularly original. Based on other reviews I have read, some readers have found it unputdownable and a fantastic read, so take my opinion with that contrast in mind. It will likely appeal to readers of authors like Blake Crouch, Iain Reid and Gillian Flynn. My thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me early access to The Memory Ward in exchange for my review.