Doreen Sheridan

Professional book critic, amateur cellist, full-time polymath. Occasional game designer, perpetual game enthusiast. Mom of 3. Arsenal till I die. I like a good story. My other mystery reviews can be found here: https://www.criminalelement.com/author/dvaleris/

Most commented posts

  1. Deathless (Leningrad Diptych #1) by Catherynne M. Valente — 12 comments
  2. A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1) by Arkady Martine — 10 comments
  3. Sweet Tea by Piper Huguley — 7 comments
  4. I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley — 6 comments
  5. Busting Vegas by Ben Mezrich — 5 comments

Author's posts

Poison Wood by Jennifer Moorhead (EXCERPT)

Hello, dear reader! We have a terrific spooky season excerpt for you today, with an atmospheric new thriller set in one of my own nightmare locations: boarding school. Jennifer Moorhead’s Poison Wood follows an ambitious journalist as she discovers that the secrets she thought long buried are cropping up in unexpectedly chilling ways. Crime reporter …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/28/poison-wood-by-jennifer-moorhead-excerpt/

Black History Is Your History by Taylor Cassidy

What I would give to have been as confident a teenager as Taylor Cassidy! As this book progresses, it becomes clear that good parenting played a huge role in raising such a well-adjusted, intellectually curious, boundlessly creative person who, in turn, wants to shine a bright, warm light for others to follow and be inspired …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/27/black-history-is-your-history-by-taylor-cassidy/

Tantalizing Tales — October 2025 — Part Four

Halloween is only a week away, dear readers! Let’s check out some of the books coming out mere days before the holiday, with plenty for readers who love spooky season, as well as for those whose interests veer off in other directions. Since I love witchy stuff year-round, I’m thrilled to start this column with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/24/tantalizing-tales-october-2025-part-four/

How To Fake A Haunting by Christa Carmen (Guest Post)

Hello, readers! We have a spooky season treat for you today, as Christa Carmen joins us to talk about her latest book, How To Fake A Haunting, and the Rhode Island legends that have inspired her writing. But first, a little bit about the novel. Lainey Taylor wants out of her marriage to her alcoholic, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/23/how-to-fake-a-haunting-by-christa-carmen-guest-post/

The Luna Sisters Battle For The Moon Blossom by Dan Yaccarino

OMG, Idk why I assumed this would be based on Asian mythology. That one’s on me, lol. The Luna sisters are actually extraterrestrial and live on the moon. The house they live in is perfectly divided between the Bright and Dark sides. Lucy stays on the Bright side, whereas Nera prefers to stick to the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/22/the-luna-sisters-battle-for-the-moon-blossom-by-dan-yaccarino/

Of Prophecies & Pomegranates by T. C. Kraven (EXCERPT)

Hello, dear readers! Today we have an exciting excerpt for you that reimagines Greek myth in unexpected but cathartic ways. In her debut traditionally published novel Of Prophecies & Pomegranates, T C Kraven reframes the passive myth of the Goddess of Spring into a story of female agency and transformation. This modern, feminist reimagining of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/21/of-prophecies-pomegranates-by-t-c-kraven-excerpt/

Universal Monsters: Frankenstein by Michael Walsh & Toni-Marie Griffin

Hunh, I think I would have liked this better if I’d known going into it that it was based on the classic movie and not the novel. I know, I know, the “Universal Monsters” bit should have given it away but the Universal bit is in relatively small text on the cover there. I guess …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/20/universal-monsters-frankenstein-by-michael-walsh-toni-marie-griffin/

Tantalizing Tales — October 2025 — Part Three

I can’t believe we’re already most of the way through October! Before we get into the really spooky part of the season tho, let’s take a look at several books publishing next week, that definitely lean harder into other genres than horror. First up is Peter James’ The Hawk Is Dead, a police procedural inspired …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/17/tantalizing-tales-october-2025-part-three/

Benny On The Case by Wesley King

I continue to stand by my claim that contemporary Middle Grade fiction is the most consistently affecting, life-affirming genre currently publishing, with this terrific mystery novel being only the latest excellent example. Benny has Mosaic Down’s Syndrome, which for him manifests in physical appearance, but not in any intellectual or health issues. For the longest …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/16/benny-on-the-case-by-wesley-king/

League Of The Lexicon: US Edition by Two Brothers Games

Word nerds, rejoice! If you ever wanted something like Trivial Pursuit, only dedicated to linguistics and requiring slightly less table space, then this is the game for you! Considering the amount of money I’ve thrown at tabletop games on Kickstarter, I’m genuinely baffled that I didn’t notice this when it first came out on the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/15/league-of-the-lexicon-us-edition-by-two-brothers-games/