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The Antiquarian
David Edgar Grinnell’s The Antiquarian is a gothic horror novel wrapped in layers of historical research, romance, and creeping dread. Told through the diary entries of Nicholas Ainsworth, a young archaeology student in 1930s England, the book follows his descent from academic ambition into eerie obsession as he investigates deviant burials and unexplained phenomena tied to folklore, vampires, ghosts, and haunted ruins. Set largely in London and Romania, the story blends scholarly curiosity with gothic thrills, all anchored by Nicholas’s emotional entanglements with two women, one from his past, and one disturbingly present.
This book proved far more emotionally immersive than I initially anticipated. The writing is intimate and affecting, owing much to its diary format, which lends a raw, unfiltered quality to the narrator’s voice. Nicholas begins as an idealistic and somewhat innocent student, eager about etiquette, fashion, and academic pursuits, but gradually unravels as his fascination with vampire folklore deepens into an obsessive search for meaning. The tonal shift is subtle yet deliberate. One moment he’s trading quips with his flamboyant uncle over proper dinner attire, and the next he’s recounting a dream of dancing with Irene, his lost love, in a scene that blurs romance and death. The recollections of Whitby Abbey, particularly the rain-soaked farewell, are profoundly melancholic, evocative, atmospheric, and genuinely moving.
The romantic subplot unfolded in a way I did not expect. Sasha, a reserved and enigmatic Russian student, emerges not merely as a romantic figure but as a survivor of profound trauma. Her fixation on deviant burials is not presented as an eccentricity, but rather as a means of processing her past and reclaiming agency. One particularly affecting moment occurs as she and Nicholas conduct research in a dim, sweltering archive. Their quiet rapport, marked by hesitant humor and growing trust, offers a rare glimpse of tenderness amidst the surrounding gloom. Yet, this intimacy is complicated. Nicholas remains burdened by the unresolved sorrow of his first love, Irene, whose memory casts a long, spectral shadow over his developing feelings. The interplay of romance, grief, and an ever-present sense of the uncanny maintains a charged and uneasy tension throughout the narrative.
What stands out most in The Antiquarian is its masterful use of setting and atmosphere. Grinnell evokes a distinctly Jamesian sense of antiquarian horror, complete with shadowed libraries, decaying records, forgotten castles, and legends murmured more than told. One particularly memorable scene involves Sasha reciting reports of vampire burials while Nicholas, initially skeptical, finds himself gradually and unwillingly drawn into the enigma. The narrative expertly sustains an air of uncertainty, never confirming whether the forces at work are spectral, vampiric, or psychological. This refusal to offer a clear resolution enhances the novel’s gothic sensibility. The ambiguity is deliberate, and it lingers long after the final entry is read.
I would recommend The Antiquarian to readers who appreciate historical horror that is both intellectually rich and emotionally resonant. Those drawn to the works of M.R. James, The Historian, or similar narratives where scholarly protagonists confront ancient terrors armed only with their wits and fragile resolve will find much to admire here. The novel is haunting, atmospheric, and surprisingly moving. It stirred a blend of nostalgia, unease, and quiet sorrow, an emotional complexity that elevates it well beyond conventional genre fare. For those seeking a gothic tale that engages both the heart and the mind, this is a compelling and rewarding choice.
Pages: 424 | ISBN : 1959860232
Diamonds in Auschwitz
Diamonds in Auschwitz by Meg Hamand is a gut-wrenching novel set during World War II, centered on Rachael, a Jewish woman struggling to survive the brutal realities of Auschwitz, and Samual, a man trying to build a future in a Prague crumbling under Nazi occupation. Their stories orbit a ring, an engagement ring found buried in the mud, a small glittering symbol of hope, memory, and devastating loss. Through vivid, often painful prose, Hamand paints a picture of resilience, shattered dreams, and the stubborn pulse of humanity in the darkest places.
The writing in this book just grabbed me by the heart right from the first page. Hamand’s descriptions of Rachael clawing through mud, finding what she thinks is just a rock, only to later discover it’s a diamond ring, hit me like a punch to the chest. It’s not just the horror of her surroundings; it’s the tiny spark of something beautiful refusing to be snuffed out. Hamand’s style is sharp but full of heart. No flowery nonsense, no wasted words. I found myself rereading sentences like, “Grief had replaced the marrow of her bones,” because they felt true. You can almost feel the mud in your hands, the cold in your bones, the ache that never quite goes away.
One aspect that particularly struck me was Hamand’s ability to use small, carefully chosen details to convey a much larger emotional impact. Like when Rachael keeps the ring dirty on purpose, leaving a bit of mud on it because it reminds her of her daughter Catarina’s brown eyes. That killed me. It’s such a small thing, but it shows how survival isn’t always about food and shelter; it’s about finding reasons to still feel something when everything around you tells you not to. Samual’s chapters brought a different kind of heartbreak. Watching him risk everything to buy that ring for Hanna, then seeing the city he loved crumble into silence and hatred, felt like watching someone lose their home inch by inch, day by day. I was rooting for him, even knowing full well how history tends to end for characters like him.
There were moments when the book was honestly hard to read. Not because the writing dragged, but because Hamand doesn’t flinch away from showing what Auschwitz really was: a machine for killing hope just as much as it killed people. Scenes like Rachael debating whether to throw herself into the electrified fence, or the eerie way she describes the fog she imagines to block out her surroundings, hit me harder than any graphic violence could have. This book hurts, but it’s the kind of hurt that feels important. Like you’re being trusted to sit with someone else’s pain instead of being shielded from it.
Diamonds in Auschwitz isn’t just a story about survival; it’s a story about memory. About the tiny, stubborn things people hold onto when everything else has been taken from them. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves deeply emotional historical fiction, or who wants a story that punches you in the gut but leaves you grateful for having felt it. Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale or Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See will feel right at home, though “home” might not be the right word when you’re sobbing into a crumpled tissue at midnight.
Pages: 340 | ASIN : B0DXH3GMWW
Strength and Fortitude
Tapestry blends historical fiction with memoir, wrapping readers in vivid, often haunting vignettes of women’s lives shaped by hardship, resilience, and a relentless fight for identity and survival. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration was from learning my suspicions of my DNA were true, it was the answer I needed to research. As I child, I heard many whispers of my ancestors, it has stayed with me for all of my adult life, however, once the proof of my inquiries was confirmed, I felt it was time to write about the strength and fortitude that my female ancestors lived with.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Yes, I had no idea that my Aunt Marg was treated with such disdain by the women in my family and that the ‘nasty operation’ I was informed about, would now be termed as medical abuse. I was also surprised at how the Patriarchal legal system termed it as a necessary determent to solve a psychological illness.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The themes came naturally. Each century I wrote about lived very differently from the world we know today. So each century was explored for the differences in the ways women were accepted into society.
I find a problem in well-written books; in that I always want there to be another book to continue the story. Is there a second book planned?
Most definitely the next one is called The Weavers. A story about how we as women keep our tribal stories together. A more modern-day look at the telling of stories in all genres.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
The journey begins with a mystical exorcism, where soft candlelight dances with shadows, illuminating the ghosts of the past. The narrator calls upon the whispers of her maternal ancestry, inviting them to “come sit with me.” Through this intimate connection, she delves into the lives of the women who came before her-women who stood against the injustices of their time.
These brave souls challenged societal norms, battling the rigid confines of religion, the cruelty of bullying, and the pervasive sexism that marked their world. Many were wrongfully accused of witchcraft, faced the sting of racism, and suffered under the harsh grip of patriarchal oppression. But their struggles did not end there-they also confronted the condescending snobbery and judgment of a matriarchal society that refused to understand their defiance.
Tapestry is a profound exploration of the fortitude and strength of these women, who fought battles on every front yet never lost their spirit. Their stories, once whispered through generations, are now immortalized in this book-a testament to their enduring courage, wisdom, and resilience. Rich in historical detail and deeply personal in its reflections, Tapestry invites readers to connect with the powerful legacies of women who defied the odds and carved their place in history.
Weaving together the past and present, this book is a celebration of female strength, a poignant reminder of the injustice they faced, and an inspiring tribute to their unyielding will. Tapestry: The Book of Lost Worlds will leave readers moved, inspired, and empowered by the incredible stories of women who dared to challenge the world around them.
A Certain Man
Linda Dindzans’ A Certain Man is a strikingly heartfelt and vividly imagined piece of biblical fiction. It follows Mara, a Samaritan woman navigating the brutal constraints of her culture, her faith, and her heart during the time of Christ. Told through lush, poetic prose and an unflinching lens, the novel begins with a young love interrupted by betrayal and spirals into a gripping journey of survival, soul-searching, and transformation. With its backdrop of Roman-occupied Judea and familiar Gospel moments reimagined, the story weaves spiritual truths with deeply personal struggles, culminating in a powerful retelling of the woman at the well.
What stood out most to me was Dindzans’ writing. Her style is rich but never overdone, lyrical without losing clarity. She manages to make the ancient world feel immediate. There’s real grit in her characters, especially Mara, who is no porcelain saint. She’s bruised, desperate, fierce—and incredibly human. I felt every injustice, every small joy, every beat of her aching heart. The dialogue is often simple, but it hums with tension and longing. The scenes of violence, particularly those involving Mara’s forced betrothal, are hard to read but so crucial. They ring too true. You don’t just observe Mara’s suffering—you feel pulled under with her.
It’s the ideas that linger. The novel tackles faith, consent, justice, and freedom in a world built to deny those very things to women like Mara. And yet, there’s hope threaded through it all, not in neat resolutions, but in the idea of redemption. The figure of Yeshua appears in glimpses, each one filled with quiet power and startling gentleness. Dindzans doesn’t preach. Instead, she lays bare the deep hunger for mercy and lets the possibility of grace rise naturally. I was especially moved by how she links trauma with spiritual healing, not with platitudes, but through real, painful growth.
A Certain Man is for anyone who loves powerful women, deep questions, and stories that reach beyond their setting to hit something true. It’s especially for readers of biblical fiction who want more than sanitized retellings—this one is raw, brave, and beautifully unsettling. I’d hand it to fans of Francine Rivers or Mesu Andrews, or anyone longing for a story where faith doesn’t erase suffering, but shines all the brighter through it.
Pages: 415 | ASIN: B0D98K4BPT
Johnny’s War – Volume Two – Storm Clouds Over Africa
Johnny’s War – Volume 2 picks up where the first left off, following the ever-changing and ever-challenging journey of Johnny Pink, a young RAF officer during World War II. The book dives deep into his evolving experience, from the highs of promotion and love to the brutal lows of combat and loss. We follow Johnny as he boards a Sunderland flying boat bound for North Africa, reconnects with old friends, and gradually descends into the heart of war’s emotional chaos. It’s not just a tale of battles and bombers, though. It’s a story about growing up too fast, about finding courage in the unlikeliest places, and about the lasting scars—visible or not—that war carves into people.
Reading this was like being dropped straight into the 1940s, with all its smoke, salt, fear, and tea. The writing is unapologetically immersive. That first vivid attack on the Sunderland—my stomach actually turned. What caught me most, though, were the quiet in-between moments: Johnny’s chats with his mates, his unspoken grief, his longing for home. The author doesn’t just want us to know the facts of war. They want us to feel it. The fear, the camaraderie, the occasional absurdity of army life—it all came through loud and clear.
At times, the pacing slowed with heavy detail, especially in technical sections, but then it would slam you with a gut-punch of emotion or action that left you breathless. And I felt Johnny’s emotional shifts, while often believable, occasionally moved too quickly without enough inner reflection. But those are small things. What really stayed with me was how the war slowly changed him, not in a dramatic, movie-style way, but in that creeping, quiet erosion of innocence. It’s those little truths, told plainly, that make this book more than just historical fiction. It becomes personal.
Johnny’s War – Volume 2 is not just for military history buffs or fans of wartime dramas. It’s for anyone who wants to understand the human side of war—what it costs, how it twists people, and how, sometimes, even in the darkest places, you find light. I’d recommend this book to readers who love character-driven narratives, rich historical detail, and emotional truth. It’s not a page-turner in the thriller sense, but it sticks to your bones.
Pages: 325 | ASIN : B0F9X715VC
Honesty in Writing
Ciao, Amore, Ciao follows a jaded journalist whose career is fading fast, who discovers an old WWII photo in his dying father’s home, and after posting it online, he begins to uncover long-buried secrets and a dark legacy that needs to remain hidden. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration was both cathartic—I began the novel a week after my dad passed away, and I hardly even recall writing the first draft—and to tell the story of my family, a family of no ones, and the story of boys whose sacrifices were conveniently forgotten by the very people who sent them to their deaths. I guess you could say the inspiration was personal: a personal account to try and make sense of what happened—to me, to my uncle (who was one of the tens of thousands who vanished into the Russian steppes in 1943), and my dad, who spent a life living with the wounds of that tragedy.
Some events in the book bear chilling similarities to real-life events. Did you take any inspiration from real life when developing this book?
A lot of the novel is based on “true events”, including many of the scenes with the narrator watching his dad’s slow passing. The war scenes, too, were taken from hundreds of sources and a decade’s worth of research. I tried to meld all those soldiers’ recollections into the novel so that the novel remains true to what those boys suffered in Stalingrad. I think that’s what resonates in the novel, the “truth” of it. When you read those scenes, it’s sobering to remember that hardly any of it came from imagination. They’re just a retelling of stories told by survivors, and diaries and letters from those who, like my uncle, never came home. Not even their bodies, they just vanished into the ice. The tragedy was both what happened to them during those horror-filled days of their retreat, and what happened to the survivors because it was over a decade before any of their recollections were allowed to be published. Not until the mid-’50s did Italy begin to understand the true depth of the disaster. By then, of course, Italy was already in a hurry to move on to a new future, and that entire history was conveniently forgotten by everyone except those who were there, and those families who had to find a way to deal with that unspeakable heartbreak.
What was one of the hardest parts of Ciao, Amore, Ciao for you to write?
Writing about my family and my dad was difficult because the novel could only work if I wrote honestly. And honesty in writing is the most difficult thing of all because there’s no hiding once you choose to go on that path. Reliving the moment when I saw my dad, the night he left, and I had come to the hospital alone to see him there in his bed—that was hard. I edit a lot, that’s part of my process, but for that scene, I wrote it once and never went back to it again. Sometimes, a first take is all it takes, and editing that scene would have been to try and polish a raw emotion. That’s never a good idea because instinct is to try and change things, to make the “hero” a better man or whatever.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
My next novel is Book 2 in Alex Lago’s series, set in South Africa. The “hero” this time around is the legendary South African golfer, Bobby Locke. I know, golf, right? But Locke is a perfect metaphor for the true hero of the book, Johannesburg, in all its tragic, violent colour. Similarly to both my previous novels—Ciao, Amore, Ciao, and Tracks: Racing the Sun—it’s a dual-timeline historical fiction/mystery/autofiction. Yes, maybe one day I’ll find an actual genre! But probably not. My novels are about emotion, and this new one tells the story of a man who spent his life running from them. And what that cost his family was unimaginable. I expect it to be published in 2026, the manuscript is virtually complete.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
In the winter of 1942, an Italian army of young men vanishes in the icefields of the Eastern Front. In the summer of 1945, a massacre in Schio, northeastern Italy, where families grieve the dead, makes international headlines.
In present-day Veneto, an ordinary man is about to stumble onto a horrifying secret.
Alex Lago is a jaded journalist whose career is fading as fast as his marriage. When he discovers an aged World War II photo in his dying father’s home, and innocently posts it to a Facebook group, he gets an urgent message: Take it down. NOW.
Alex finds himself digging into a past that needs to stay hidden. What he’s about to uncover is a secret that can topple a political dynasty buried under seventy years of rubble. Suddenly entangled in a deadly legacy, he encounters the one person who can offer him redemption, for an unimaginable price.
Told from three alternating points of view, Martini’s World War II tale of intrigue, war, and heartbreak pulls the Iron Curtain back to reveal a country nursing its wounds after horrific defeat, an army of boys forever frozen at the gates of Stalingrad, British spies scheming to reshape Italy’s future, and the stinging unsolved murder of a partisan hero.
Ciao, Amore, Ciao is a gripping story of the most heroic, untold battle of the Second World War, and a brilliantly woven novel that brings the deceits of the past and the reckoning of the present together.
Lesser-Known Story
Operation Nightfall: The Web of Spies follows two women, a former SOE operative and an MI6 agent, who secretly enter Poland to meet with a sleeper agent and anti-communist insurgents, not realizing their mission has been compromised by a mole deep inside British intelligence. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The story takes place against the backdrop of the Cold War and was inspired by three historical events – the Polish anti-communist insurgency, a covert British intelligence operation to roll back communism in Poland and throughout the Baltic to the borders of the USSR, and the Cambridge spy ring. I wanted to create a story that highlighted this lesser-known story of the Cold War era.
Most people do not realize that when WWII ended in Europe in May 1945, fighting continued in Poland for another 8 years. Poles continued to fight for their independence from the Soviet-backed, communist government until the anti-communist insurgency was finally crushed in 1953.
The insurgency received covert assistance from the British, who infiltrated agents, fighters, arms, and money into Poland and throughout the Baltic. Unfortunately, the British operation was undermined from the start. The Soviets were tipped off to the British plans, most likely by Kim Philby and Donald Maclean, two members of the notorious Cambridge Five. Over the life of Operation Jungle, the British infiltrated nearly 250 agents into the region. Every agent was either killed, captured, or turned.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
Many of the characters in my book are based on people who actually lived. The character Luba Haas is one of my favorite characters and I based her on a woman who was arguably Great Britain’s greatest spy during WWII, Krystyna Skarbek, or Christine Granville as she was known in the UK. She was a heroic character, and her real-life exploits are legendary. But the character that was the most challenging to write for was the main antagonist, Lt. Colonel Yuri Sokolov. This character was also based on a real person, a man by the name of Vasili Blokhin, who was Stalin’s handpicked executioner. Blokhin is said to have executed more than 10,000 prisoners by his own hand, including around 7,000 at the Katyn Massacre in 1940. He’s even listed in the Guinness World Records with the ignominious title of “most prolific executioner.” It would have been easy to fall back onto stereotypes when writing him. Blokhin was an alcoholic and mentally unstable. But we actually learn about what made him the man he would become. It doesn’t excuse his actions – both Blokhin and Sokolov are incredibly cruel characters, but they are also complex characters with deep emotional scars. Showing the human side of a murderous psychopath was challenging.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
I’d love to take full credit for that, but I have to say that my editor, a remarkable woman named Caroljean Gavin really helped me maintain the intensity and keep the book flowing. Her developmental edits really helped me sustain that page-turning tension throughout the book. She helped me find a way to keep the reader engaged by creating scenes that made them always want more at the end of each chapter.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’m continuing with the Cold War theme with another lesser-known story of the era. I am currently working on a book that has a working title, The Missiles of Vogelsang. It is a novel, and it is based upon what I call the world’s first missile crisis. In 1959, three years before the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviets deployed nuclear missiles to East Germany. These were the same missiles they attempted to place in Cuba three years later. I’m in the early stages of writing but I hope to publish sometime in 2026.
Author Links: Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Website | Amazon
Inspired by the true events of Poland’s anti-communist insurgency, the Cambridge Five spy scandal, and a covert MI6 operation which attempted to rollback communism to the borders of the USSR, Operation Nightfall: The Web of Spies sheds light on a lesser-known story of the Cold War and immerses readers into the shadowy world of counterintelligence and spy versus spy operations.
Flush Royale
1862, Switzerland. The steamship Hirondelle sinks in Lac Leman, claiming the lives of most of its passengers. Louis Von Büren, the aide to one of the most prominent figures of the Greek Philhellenic community in Geneva, is traveling with the Hirondelle on that fateful night. He is on a mission that could forever change the fate of Greece’s first Royal Monarchy.
Coming up on the anniversary of Hirondelle’s sinking, marine investigator Nick Diamantis is paired up with a Swiss maritime archaeologist. Their goal is to uncover any secrets this shipwreck could hide. What seems like a routine dive will end up taking Nick and his team on a globetrotting adventure through Europe, where he will be pitted against his biggest challenge yet. Soon, Nick will find himself wrapped up in a treacherous hunt as he races to find some long-lost Greek riches before they fall into the wrong hands.
“Flush Royale” is an action-adventure novel with glitzy action, high stakes, twists around every corner, and grandiose villains. Buckle up for a rollicking ride that will let you travel through the scenic vistas around Geneva, explore the picturesque canals of Venice, and take a plunge into the crystal-clear waters of Greece.
LITERARY TITAN 