Doreen Sheridan

Washington, D.C., United States

Book Critic at The Frumious Consortium

Professional book critic, amateur cellist, full-time polymath. Occasional game designer, perpetual game enthusiast. Mom of 3. Arsenal till I die. S/H

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Articles

Bring Me The Head Of Susan Lomond by Connor B

1 week ago | thefrumiousconsortium.net | Doreen Sheridan

subtitled A High School Story. Ever since Susan Lomond beat Monroe Poole to the top of the Highwater High School Proficiency Listings, Monroe has been obsessed with taking her new rival down. It’s bad enough that Susan is the school’s star quarterback, someone so popular with her classmates that she’s just been elected prom queen too. How dare she take Monroe’s academic place, as well?
Book Review: Little Mysteries by Sara Gran

1 week ago | criminalelement.com | Doreen Sheridan

In her first collection of short stories, Sara Gran explores what detective stories mean and why we need them. Keep reading for Doreen's review. When something is described to me as a metaphysical mystery, I know I’m going to be either highly entertained by intelligent storytelling (as I was here) or incredibly bored by self-conscious navel-gazing (which I thankfully wasn’t).
A Perfect Day To Be Alone by Nanae Aoyama

2 weeks ago | thefrumiousconsortium.net | Doreen Sheridan

translated elegantly from the original Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood. Looking back from my grand old age of mumble mumble, I can safely say that the transitory years to adulthood, when you’re no longer a student but expected to be able to mostly fend for yourself and make good decisions are genuinely some of the roughest emotionally. This goes doubly so when you’re not super good at describing your motivations and desires, like Chizu, the narrator of this slender novel.
Book Review: Dead In The Frame by Stephen Spotswood

2 weeks ago | criminalelement.com | Doreen Sheridan

The previous book in the Pentecost and Parker series ended on a cliffhanger, with Will Parker coming back to 1948 New York City after a well-earned vacation, only to find her boss, celebrated private investigator Lillian Pentecost, being led away in handcuffs by the police. Lillian is being arrested for the murder of Jessup Quincannon, a man who, if he wasn’t quite her nemesis, certainly saw her as being his.
Cooking the Books: Bait And Swiss by Korina Moss

2 weeks ago | criminalelement.com | Doreen Sheridan

The last thing that cheesemonger Willa Bauer expects when she goes to the grand opening of Yarrow Glen, California’s new cake store is to run into her ex-fiance and ex-best friend. Pearce Brenner and Riley Stephens broke her heart a decade ago when the two fell in love while all three were working to open a chocolate store together.
The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen (EXCERPT)

2 weeks ago | thefrumiousconsortium.net | Doreen Sheridan

We have a fun excerpt for you this week, readers, as we dive into a comic take on your usual Scandinoir crime thriller. Translated from the Finnish by David Hackston, this darkly funny novel is the perfect balance of thrills, twists and laughter. Middle-aged Anni Korpinen is the top salesperson at Steam Devil. She’s worked there for over two decades and has successfully burnished her reputation with her customers.
Book Review: All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

2 weeks ago | criminalelement.com | Doreen Sheridan

In a not-too-distant future, yet another pandemic has sent the world into lockdown. But this deadly novel virus, with its 4% mortality rate, comes with a stunning twist. Those who survive emerge with a renewed lease on life, seeming almost enlightened as they shed their most negative feelings and embrace happiness instead. Teenaged Mariel Mudroch and her mother Gena are homeless when the virus known as Crown Royale first takes hold in America.
Three Thieves, Vol. 1: Tower of Treasure by Scott Chantler

2 weeks ago | thefrumiousconsortium.net | Doreen Sheridan

What a terrific way to kick off a Middle Grade fantasy adventure comic series!Dessa Redd is a circus acrobat whose two closest friends are likely her co-workers: the juggler (and thief) Topper and the one-headed giant and strongman Fisk. Their circus isn’t super successful, barely scraping by with enough for all the hands to eat. But they’re hoping their prospects will improve as they enter the town of Kingsbridge, the royal seat of Queen Magda of North Huntington.
Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud

2 weeks ago | thefrumiousconsortium.net | Doreen Sheridan

Winner of the Prix Goncourt, and translated from the original French by Cory Stockwell. There is an unusual form of French novel, of which this is a prime example, called the recit. It’s a sort of self-aware narrative, in which the narrator knows that they’re telling a story, with all the inherent discomfort of self-consciousness.
Cooking the Books: Fudge And Marriage by Nancy Coco

3 weeks ago | criminalelement.com | Doreen Sheridan

Candy maker and hotelier Allie McMurphy has fought for so long to prove to the other inhabitants of Mackinac Island that she’s truly one of them. With her upcoming wedding to local police officer Rex Manning, she’s hoping to finally cement her insider status by holding a potluck reception open to all the islanders – never mind the fact that the only voice stating that she doesn’t belong is the one inside her head.