Melinda West and the Gremlin Queen (Monster Gunslingers Book 2)

Book by KC Grifant Reviewed by Pennell Paugh August 1, 2025 (San Diego) – KC Grifant, a resident of San Diego, has released a second in her Monster Gunslingers series. Sharpshooters Melinda and Vance come out of retirement to fight an unbeatable foe. Melinda uses her steady hand, cool head, and a no-nonsense attitude. Her […]
Something Wicked — Spirit Club Mysteries Book One

Book by M. Lee Buompensiero Reviewed by Pennell Paugh July 25, 2025 (San Diego) — San Diego author M. Lee Buompensiero has released her first novel in the Spirit Club Mystery series. Something Wicked features a reluctant heroine, Sophie Lawton, who not only sees and talks to ghosts, she also solves crimes with their help. […]
MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE: THE TRUE STORY OF THREE UNSOLVED MURDERS IN PROHIBITION-ERA SAN DIEGO

By Richard Carrico Reviewed by Pennell Paugh April 2, 2025 (San Diego) – San Diego denizen and resident Richard L. Carrico pieces fragments of evidence together for cold cases, while shedding light on a dark chapter in San Diego’s history. Monsters on the Loose tells the tragic, true stories of three females who were murdered […]
DARK SIDE: TRUE STORIES FROM A TEENAGE POT SMUGGLER

Memoir by Stu Stall Reviewed by Pennell Paugh April 1, 2025 (San Diego) — Stu Stall, a life-long resident of Coronado, has released a second memoir — Dark Side: True Stories from a Teenage Pot Smuggler. The book is filled with tales of adventure, danger and betrayal. Stall’s life in his twenties seemed carefree — […]
SUMERLAND: A HAUNTNG NOVEL SET IN SAN DIEGO

Novel by M. Lee Buompensiero Reviewed by Pennell Paugh March 6, 2025 (San Diego) — Long-time San Diego resident, M. Lee Buompensiero has released an award-winning novel, Sumerland. The story is full of romance, unusual hauntings, heart-warming dog crises and mishaps. Kate Post inherits the San Diego historical Liebersohn mansion after her mother, whom she […]
SOUNDS OF YESTERDAY: NOVEL CENTERS ON AUTISTIC MAN’S TROUBLED ROMANCE

By Jacob Hubbard Reviewed by Pennell Paugh February 24, 2025 (San Diego) – Long-time San Diego resident Jacob Hubbard has written a debut novel, Sounds of Yesterday, about a romantic relationship during COVID as experienced by an autistic man. For five years, Rob and Ana overcome career challenges, achieve emotional stability, and survive a global […]
CAITLIN ROTHER TO RELEASE UPDATED EDITION OF BODY PARTS FEB. 25

East County News Service January 21, 2025 (San Diego) – New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother, an investigative journalist and former San Diego Union-Tribune reporter, will release an updated edition of her true-crime book, Body Parts, on February 25. The book takes a deep psychological look at serial killer Wayne Adam Ford, a trucker […]
TOUCHING INFINITY: A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF A SUPERNOVA

Novel by Mark O’Bannon Reviewed by Pennell Paugh January 19, 2025 (San Diego)—San Diego resident Mark O’Bannon has released a new science fiction romance, Touching Infinity (Imperium Prequels). In a society where arranged marriages are considered more sensible and enduring, Alastronia DeTroyes, a young planetary scientist, is excited to find herself traveling into a […]
THE COLONIAL FARM: LA MESA AUTHOR’S LATEST BOOK FOCUSES ON PLIGHT OF KENYAN FARMWORKERS

Update: The author will have a book signing event at the San Carlos Library onApril 25 at 2:00 p.m. By Wanjirũ Warama Reviewed by Pennell Paugh January 1, 2025 (La Mesa) — Wanjiru Warama a resident of La Mesa, provides true stories of how her family and community lived in abject poverty on British colonial […]
PAPER TARGETS: ON FRIENDSHIP THAT TRANSCENDS TIME AND TRAUMA

Novel by Patricia Watts Reviewed by Pennell Paugh December 8, 2024 (San Diego) — San Diego author Patricia Watts writes in her novel Paper Targets about Roanne, who never got angry — until the night she killed her ex-husband and herself. Roanne and her best friend, Connie, went to high school together and became suburban […]