Monday, March 31, 2025

Love Before Covid by Greg Scorzo #dark #drama #thriller #giveaway #rabtbooktours @gregscorzo @RABTBookTours



Dark / Drama / Thriller

Date Published: July 28, 2023

Publisher: Troubadour Books


 

“Love before Covid - A raw, philosophical dive into love’s messy reality—unflinching, dark, and unapologetically human. Unlike typical romance novels, LOVE BEFORE COVID is a dialogue-driven exploration of human flaws and ideologies, blending fiction with metaphysical inquiry. It’s not about comfort; it’s about confrontation and insight.”

 

Laced with dark humour, it is best described as traumatic (sur)realism. Love Before Covid takes the reader on a journey through the mind of Joe Pastorius - jazz fan, poet, and victim of horrendous sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother.

The real-time dialogues between the characters that emerge from Joe’s unconscious come via arguably corrupted memories and dystopian dreams. They tell us more about Joe than he could ever know, and perhaps more about our world than you could ever imagine.

Dialogues entail an exploration of clashing perspectives and opinions, that cause reflection. Today though, our world has been infiltrated by online dialogues that tend to feel like wild unfiltered streams of human thought, raw, chaotic and often polarising and devoid of much reflection. Arguably that attitude, and lack of reflection is mirrored by the characters you will encounter. The reflection comes from the reader as the situations unfold. Your moral boundaries will without doubt be pushed to the limit.

You will meet an altruist who can’t stand up for himself, a charming but violent public intellectual, a beautiful dancer who hates fat people, a flirty and gregarious bartender who will do anything to get pregnant, a traumatised art historian who never wants to be a mother, a successful intellectual Mexican writer who is secretly disapproving of her childhood friend’s career as a pornstar, the teenage genius son of that pornstar who has sexual fantasises about his mother, a woman who is pressured into cutting off her penis and a successful therapist who has a habit of ruining people’s lives.

And yes, before you ask, some of the characters in this book eventually catch Covid 19. However, there is always hope. For Joe Pastorious, that comes in the form of the psychopath named Janet Waverley.

 

About the Author

During the pandemic Dr Greg Scorzo completed his first novel ‘LOVE BEFORE COVID’ as well as producing an innovative radio play based on 6 chapters from that book, also called – LOVE BEFORE COVID. available on our YouTube Channel.  and via Audioboom with links to all major podcast platforms.

Greg says, “I was interested in the challenge of writing a novel that was formally experimental, while still being easy for a mass audience to read and understand. I love the idea of a piece of philosophy that is simultaneously a work of fiction, and a philosophical thought experiment which can function like a great, twisty roller coaster of a story that asks the reader many questions. Unlike traditional philosophy and many fashionable works of literature, this book purposefully asks questions without giving answers, encouraging readers to think (and emote) for themselves.”

Since gaining his PhD in Philosophy in 2011, Greg Scorzo has aimed to find creative and original ways to take philosophical thinking outside of academia. By using modern accessible philosophical dialogue inpublic talks, podcasts and his novel Love Before Covid, Greg explores clashing perspectives and opinions that cause reflection. Based in Leicester, he was a founding member of Culture on the Offensive and runs the podcast The ‘Art of Thinking’.

Dialogues entail an exploration of clashing perspectives and opinions that cause reflection. Statements and declarations can close minds.

The ‘Art of Thinking’ with Greg Scorzo podcast is available on YouTube where he does friendly philosophical interrogation of ideas  with many interesting thinkers. Also available via Audioboom linking to all major podcast platforms.

His extended essays on Arts and Culture as well as Cultural Issues are available on this platform www.gregscorzo.com

He has a passion and extensive knowledge of film and music.

From 2017 – 2020 Greg Scorzo was active in running over 60 engaging voluntary community sessions, centred around ‘The Art of Thinking’  The focussed on  universal philosophical themes, arts and culture and cultural issues. The ethos behind these events was to encourage the use of EMPATHY, CLARITY and COURAGE in ensuing dialogues with the audience. These were organised by COTO.

He also took up invitations to partner and run sessions at other events, including the Battle of Ideas Festival at the Barbican London, the Philosophy Now conference, Leicester Comedy Festival and  DeMontfort University’s Cultural Exchanges festival. He is always interested to partner up with other like minded people.

 

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Steven F. Seagull & The Missing Chips by Kitty May Gruchelska #giveaway #childrensbook #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

Children's Book

Date Published: 06-13-2024

Publisher: Magnetic Lion Productions


 

The chipocalypse is the greatest mystery to hit the seaside town of Fry Cove. Join Steven F Seagull on the adventure of a lifetime in this Pencraft Best Book engaging read about courage, friendship and teamwork, which reviewers hail as ‘an unexpected delight.’

Who stole the chips? Was it the Deny the Fry colony, who want all seagulls to quit eating chips? Or was it the seagull mafia boss, Stefano Giacomo, who has concocted a dastardly plot to convert all seagulls to pizza and pasta? As part of the newly formed CIA (Chips Investigation Agency), our reluctant hero, along with Charlie, Steven Colton, the karate chopping Bart, and Steven Rhys pit their wits to solve the mystery.

Whether you’re a fan of whimsical tales or simply in need of a feel-good read, this Readers' Favourite 5 Star ‘war of the best carbohydrates’ book is sure to leave you smiling.

 

Excerpt

Nervous, I flew alongside my dad, wondering what to expect. Fry Cove looked so peaceful and calm from the air, hiding the chip chaos. Dad took me to a rooftop on the edge of Fry Cove, where we found a hole and squeezed inside the lair of his ex-crime fighting friend.

It was dark inside, except for the light coming through the hole. A seagull emerged from a shadowy corner, smoke surrounding him in a cloudy haze.

“Who goes there?” he grumbled.

My dad held up his wings like he was surrendering.

“It’s okay, it’s me, Steven Petronius.”

A bedraggled seagull hopped forward, a twig drooping from the corner of his beak.

“Hmph, long time no see,” he said. “How long was it since we were both in the seagull police force?”

They slapped each other on the back, and began chuckling.

“This is Steven Sherlock,” my dad said. “He’s a very old friend.”

Both of them tipped their heads back and cackled, “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!”

“Remember the time we busted that American fries racket?” Steven Sherlock said.

“Oh yeah,” Dad said. “Our finest hour.” He beckoned to me. “This is my son, Steven Fitzgerald.”

The ex-detective’s eyes scanned me.

“A fine boy,” he commented. “What can I do for you? Is it anything to do with the chipocalypse?”

“Still as sharp as ever!” my dad said. “My boy just joined the newly formed CIA, or Chips Investigation Agency. Its mission is to solve the mystery of our missing chips, and restore order in Fry Cove.”

I gulped, my mind racing at the thought of the responsibility I had accepted.

“That’s brave of you,” said Steven Sherlock. “Pull this off, and you’ll be the hero of Fry Cove.”

I hung my head low, knowing I was far from heroic.

“Unfortunately, Steven Zeus put the Artful Dodger in charge of the CIA,” Dad said, shaking his head.

“That fool,” Steven Sherlock scoffed. “So, it means you need all the help you can get.”

He finished his twig, and stubbed it out on the floor.

My dad asked, “Have you got any old tools of the trade to get my boy started?”

Steven Sherlock lifted a wing tip in a lightbulb moment.

“I have something that could help.”

He waddled to the side of the room, which received light from the hole. Pulling out a drawer, he dipped in, lifting something out. It was shiny, but dusty. He dropped it on the floor with a clunk.

“You’ll find this useful when looking for clues,” he said. “It’s my old spy glass.”

He demonstrated by picking it up with one foot, peering through it.

“You can see many things not visible to the seagull eye. It makes tiny things bigger.”

“That’s…great,” I said, not sure how it would help.

“Hmmm,” Dad said. “What else do you have in your arsenal?”

Steven Sherlock rubbed his wings together with glee.

“Glad you asked! I have the full Chip Stealing Investigation tools here!”

He used his beak to pull a cord. A series of drawers and cupboards popped out, revealing a full range of crime fighting equipment.  There was so much technology, it made my mind boggle.

“Here, we have a sophisticated tool for analysing wing tip prints.”

I stared at the equipment wide-eyed.

“While over here,” he added, “I have some special cement for making casts of footprints, chalk for drawing around dead gulls, and a poop splatter examination kit. It can also analyse ketchup, mayonnaise, and even barbeque sauce smears.”

“It’s so…hi-tech,” I said.

“You’re in the best of wings,” Dad said. Turning to Steven Sherlock, he added, “Where do you suggest my boy starts?”

He pulled the cord again, and the equipment rolled back into its secret location.

“Go to the places of previous chip sightings, and use the spy glass to find clues. Take samples of any ketchup smears or small items that you think are suspicious, then bring them back to me in these little bags.”

He passed me some empty chip bags.

“Okay,” I said, my voice quite shaky.

“You can do this,” Dad said. “I believe in you.”

It was time to show Fry Cove my capabilities, but could I live up to my dad’s expectations?


 

About the Author

Kitty May Gruchelska loves creating fantastical worlds for her readers, full of diverse and quirky characters. In a past life, she was probably a cat because she likes tuna, dislikes water, and frequently knocks things over, but luckily, she has nine lives. Kitty May teaches in a magical desert kingdom full of sunshine, camels, and rice dishes. She loves travelling, which also inspires her to write.

 

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Forever by Gina Detwiler #yafantasy #yachristian #youngadult #fantasy #newbooks #releaseday #rabtbooktours @GinaDetwiler @RABTBookTours

 

YA Christian Fantasy

Date Published: April 1, 2025

 


The End Times have arrived…

Grace Fortune leads the rebellion against the United Earth, devastated by the belief that her husband, Jared Lorn, has joined the dark side as the son of the ruthless Supreme Lord Grigori Zazel.

But Jared, now known as the gladiator and demigod Baldyr, is locked in a desperate battle with his fallen angel father. His father's plan? To annihilate not just Israel but the entire world.

As the apocalypse looms, will Grace and Jared find a way to reunite before the world is destroyed? Can they survive the coming devastation? And what happens when a new, even more terrifying enemy emerges—one who will exploit their love and humanity to bring about their downfall?

All these questions and more will be answered in the thrilling conclusion of The Forlorn series.


About the Author

Gina Detwiler is the author of the award-winning YA Supernatural series Forlorn and is co-author with Priscilla Shirer of the bestselling middle-grade fantasy series, The Prince Warriors. Her non-fiction books include The Ultimate Bible Character Guide and The Ultimate Bible Character Devotional.

 

She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, her dog, several imaginary friends, and all of the characters from her books, even the dead ones. She is also the author of three beautiful daughters, for whom she shares credit with her husband, Steve.

 

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Proud Outcast by W. Michael Farmer #giveaway #bookreview #biographicalfiction #western #nativeamerican #literature #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours


Days of War, Days of Peace, Volume 2

 

Native American Literature, Biographical Fiction, Western

Date Published: 01-21-2025

Publisher: Hat Creek


 

Defying betrayal and hardship, Chato fights to save his family and his people's rightful place in the West.

As the Apache Wars roar toward their conclusion in the summer of 1886, renowned Apache army scout and leader Chato joins a delegation of scouts to Washington, D.C., to meet President Grover Cleveland. Their mission? To plead their case for the Chiricahua scouts to remain at Fort Apache and cultivate their lands in peace.

For his unwavering loyalty and service, Chato is awarded a silver medal from Cleveland, along with the implied promise that the scouts can stay where they are. However, after Geronimo's surrender, Chato and his fellow scouts are instead transported to the harsh confines of Fort Marion, Florida, as prisoners of war. They, and the Chiricahua people as a whole, will be deprived of their freedom and their way of life for the next three decades.



Review

W. Michael Farmer creates a biographical read featuring suspense and excitement that surpasses even the skill of the most imaginative fiction writer.

Farmer brings the tribulations in this sweeping, majestic narrative.

It was filled with tension and honest reflection, as well as missteps and disappointments, all of which add a rich realism to this sumptuous historical read.


About the Author

W. Michael Farmer combines ten-plus years of research into nineteenth-century Apache history and culture with Southwest-living experience to fill his stories with a genuine sense of time and place. A retired Ph.D. physicist, his scientific research has included measurement of atmospheric aerosols with laser-based instruments, and he has published a two-volume reference book on atmospheric effects on remote sensing. He has also written short stories for anthologies and award-winning essays. His first novel, Hombrecito’s War, won a Western Writers of America Spur Finalist Award for Best First Novel in 2006 and was a New Mexico Book Award Finalist for Historical Fiction in 2007. His other novels include: Hombrecito’s Search; Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright: The Betrayals of Pancho Villa; and Conspiracy: The Trial of Oliver Lee and James Gililland. His Killer of Witches, The Life and Times of Yellow Boy, Mescalero Apache, Book 1 won a Will Rogers Medallion Award and was a New Mexico–Arizona Book Awards Finalist in 2106. Mariana’s Knight, The Revenge of Henry Fountain won the 2017 New Mexico–Arizona Book Award for Historical Fiction and Blood of the Devil, The Life and Times of Yellow Boy, Mescalero Apache, Book 2 was a finalist.

These two novels have also won 2018 Silver Medallion Will Rogers Awards. Apacheria, True Stories of Apache Culture, 1860-1920 won the 2018 New Mexico–Arizona Book Award for History-Other (Other than New Mexico or Arizona), Best New Mexico Book in 2018, a gold medallion in the 2019 Will Rogers Awards for History-Young Folks, and named one of the twenty best books on the southwest by the Pima County (Phoenix and surrounding area) Library System. In 2019 Knight’s Odyssey and Knight of the Tiger won gold medallions in the Will Rogers Medallion Awards, and Knight of the Tiger won the 2019 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for Fiction-Adventure NM.

The author is continuing work on two histories and two novels to be released in 2019 through 2021 about the captivity and wars of Geronimo. Geronimo: Prisoner of Lies, Twenty-Three Years as a Prisoner of War is a history of what happened to Geronimo after he surrendered in 1886 and was published in October 2019. The Odyssey of Geronimo, a novel about his years in captivity, will be published in May 2020. The history of Geronimo’s last ten years of war and peace before his surrender, An Apache Iliad, and the companion novel, The Iliad of Geronimo, A Song of Blood and Fire are expected to be published in 2021.


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The Victorian Locket by Elefair King #cozymystery #mystery #newbooks #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

 

A Galveston Historical Mystery

 

Cozy Mystery

 

Sarah Anne Law, affectionately known to family and friends as Sam, was playing the stalking game with her cat when she inadvertently discovered a secret compartment in her haunted Victorian home. Not only did Sam find a hidden treasure, but she also realized that their playful game aroused a long-dormant spirit. Perhaps the newly awakened spirit and one of the more disturbing hauntings in her beautiful home were connected. Did a murder occur? As Sam followed clues to unravel the 125-year-old mysteries, she unveiled the true horrors of Galveston’s deadly and gruesome past.

 

About the Author

Elefair King, a native Texan, grew up in Houston. Retired, she now lives in The Woodlands, Texas. Married for 40 years, she has one son who lives nearby. Driven by her compassion to serve others, she founded several non-profit organizations as well as served on committees and boards of many local and regional charities. Elefair loves history, especially about her beloved Texas. She frequently stops along its country roads to read historical markers when seeking new adventures.

 

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Friday, March 28, 2025

The Dan Alsop Series by SJ Slagle #newbooks #releaseday #murdermystery #mystery #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 


Book 1, The Dan Alsop Series


Murder Mystery

Date Published: March 28, 2025


 

A cowboy lies dead on the trail, shot through the heart with no one around. Detective Dan Alsop must find his killer through a maze of squabbling relatives, disgruntled friends and Hollywood mobsters. Was it a single event or will the killer strike again?


Book 2, The Dan Alsop Series


Murder Mystery

Date Published: March 28, 2025


 

His mentor lies dead at his feet. Detective Dan Alsop is stretched thin with only the notion of an ancient casino robbery to guide him. His search for the elusive killer takes him to cemeteries and silver mines until he strikes again.


About the Author

 SJ SLAGLE started her career as a language arts teacher. When she began writing, her initial interest was children’s stories, but then she moved on to Western Romance, Mysteries and Historical Fiction. She has published over 30 novels and her website is www.sjslagle.com.

SJ has written several Western Romance series including the THESE NEVADA BOYS, RANCHER, and THE WESTERNERS, as well as Mystery series: FLOYD SISTERS MYSTERIES and SHERLOCK AND ME. All her books are distributed in digital, paper and audiobook formats.

Her first historical fiction novel, LONDON SPIES, was awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion in 2018. She was given the Silver Award with the International Independent Film Awards for her screenplay called REDEMPTION. She conducts writing/publishing symposiums in her local area.

S.J. Slagle lives and works in Reno, Nevada.

 

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Grit & Grace by Deborah Rudell #giveaway #bookreview #memoir #nonfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

 

The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul


Memoir

Date Published: February 27th, 2025

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

 

 

Deborah Rudell’s world unravels when the leaders of her spiritual commune are exposed, arrested, and imprisoned for bioterrorism and attempted murder. Crushed and adrift, she moves her family off the commune to create a sense of normalcy. But when her husband seeks an opportunity to dismantle and rebuild a derelict fifty-foot schooner, Deborah uproots their children once again and joins him in Kauai. For the next five years, she dedicates her life to restoring a boat.

Pouring herself into the work at hand can only distract her so much as disillusionment about the cult’s lies and manipulation slowly rises to the surface. While she grapples with emotional turmoil and contemplates a new life path, Deborah sets out to accomplish something she never thought possible: sailing across the Pacific to the Olympic Peninsula. Will the dangers that come with navigating the ocean be too much to bear, or will she find resolution and fortitude in the turbulent adventure?


Grit & Grace: The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul is one woman’s account of conquering overwhelming challenges with tenacity and ingenuity and ultimately discovering her inner strength.



Review

Deborah Rudell serves up generous portions of her wise, compassionate take on life and her experiences.

Raised in a life that is unknown to most, she gives us insight into her early life, having your sense of being shattered, and ultimately finding herself.

This was just expertly done, the writing is personal, humorous, and thought-provoking.


About the Author

A college professor in San Diego, California, Deborah Rudell participates in her city’s vibrant writing community. She is a graduate of Hay House Writer’s Workshop and the Certificate in Memoir Writing program at San Diego Writers, Ink. Her work has been published in the International Memoir Writers Association’s anthology, Shaking the Tree: I Didn't See That One Coming.

Deborah lives with her black cat in a tiny house built in 1906 by a retired sea captain, who carved a sailing ship into the front door. This is her first book.


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Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Innatraea - Novella One: Small Footsteps by E.R. Zaugg #fantasy #rabtbooktours @Kurokojin @RABTBookTours

 

Small Footsteps


Fantasy

Date Published: January 16, 2025

 

 

Magic is in her blood...

The destiny of Innatraea is in her hands…

 

Can she rise to power, or will the forces against her prevail?

 

"Every legend begins with the small footsteps of ordinary Innatraeans." -Tavid the Traveler

 

Rosalie Sharone, one of the strongest magic wielders ever born, has been waiting and training for this moment all her life. Orphaned as a baby, the child prodigy was raised in the small farm town of Aliselle Falls, away from suspecting eyes. Now she is a young woman ready to fulfill her destiny by traveling across Innatraea to become an initiate of The Weavers, an ancient and powerful order on the island kingdom of Sceotan. In doing so, she must leave her adoptive mother, her first love, and her friends behind. Yet emotional trials are not the only challenge awaiting Rosalie and those closest to her. Weavers especially attract danger, and Rosalie will face her share as she makes her way to her destiny. This is only the beginning of her story however. Once on Sceotan, her magic and intellect along with The Weavers’ influence across all of Innatraea will either make her the most powerful woman in history or completely destroy her.

 

Power, sacrifice, and destiny collide—get your copy today and dare to walk the path with Rosalie as she begins the journey to her ultimate fate.


__________________



Innatraea Novella Two: Am'ayim

Coming July 26, 2025


"Ele o aiga uma e toto. O nisi e fananau mai i Di Asin.

Not all families a blood. Som a dem born inna Di Saalt.

 

Not all families are blood. Some of them are born in the Salt."

-Am'ayim Saying


Rosalie has finally left the dangers of Aedonia behind in her quest to reach Sceotan and the Weavers. She now embarks upon another leg of that long journey aboard an Am'ayim vessel known as Di Ariela. Here, she will meet new friends amongst the ship's crew and face new threats and challenges, all while still grappling with the loss of her mother and parting ways with her childhood friends. Rosalie must now find the strength to go on alone and become the woman she's meant to be. But the twisting tides of destiny and fate are tricky and may yet claim them all or unite them as her journey across Innatraea continues. Destiny is no easy thing, though; fate may have more in store for her than she ever imagined.


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About the Author

E.R. Zaugg has published several articles on being the parent of a vulnerable child, won poetry contests, and been an avid reader and world traveler for decades. His work is inspired by seeing the world and encountering different religions, spiritual beliefs, and cultures in both literature and actual journeys. These experiences have led to a body of deeply poetic work that explores what it means to be human. The Innatraea novella series highlights the value of vulnerable cultures, children, and strong women, with the goal of imparting to its readers a greater understanding and love of humanity.

 

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Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Lessen the Stressin' by Dr. Steven German #nonfiction #selfhelp #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours


Strategies for Becoming Smarter in Managing Stress


Nonfiction / Self-Help

Date Published: February 12, 2025

 

 

A Practical Guide for Learning Ways to Better Manage Stress


How do you experience more joy each day and remain productive and focused on what is most important to you despite sometimes being surrounded by the dark clouds of stress circling overhead or looming on the horizon? Lessen the Stressin’ effectively answers this challenging question by providing a comprehensive review of practical strategies and information essential to managing stress. Conceived and written with the goal of offering an enlightening training opportunity, this book also includes self-assessments and anecdotes to enhance learning. In addition, there are chapters focused on ways for handling stress generated in three areas often found to be particularly problematic – conflict, change, and communication, including digital communication. Dr. German’s insights and thorough coverage of easy to implement strategies help contribute to the optimistic feeling that with some effort, it is possible to successfully manage stress in an increasingly complex world.


About the Author

Dr. Steven German is a licensed psychologist and nationally certified counselor who has sought throughout his professional career to help others deal with the potentially negative impact of stress. This goal has been achieved while serving as a guidance counselor, school psychologist, and special education director in the public schools, as a trainer and consultant in the outplacement field, as a psychologist with the Medical Service Corps of the U.S. Army Reserves, and in his private practice of almost three decades. In addition to his published works, he has delivered training for organizations on topics related to stress. In his spare time, Dr. German enjoys hiking, traveling, singing, working on small building projects, and spending quality time with family and friends.

  

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Übermensch by D.L. Scarpe #historical #fiction #bookreview #rabtbooktours @dl_scarpe @RABTBookTours



Historical Fiction

Published: 1/15/2025

 

 

A murdered boy. Tortoiseshell eyeglasses. A letter written by a young man to another that reads like a lover's spat. One portable Underwood typewriter. Two confessions.

Will Babe and Manny live or die?

 

It's the early 1920s and arrogant teenagers Noah "Babe" Lieberman and Roman "Manny" Loewe have it all: money, brains, freedom. They reside in the same affluent Chicago neighborhood, come from successful, respectable families, and enjoy privileged lives. Both are intelligent prodigies who graduated high school early. But Roman, an extrovert, is handsome and popular whereas Noah is average-looking and spends most of his time with birds and books. After meeting, they embark on a wild journey of vandalism, burglary, and arson. Their personal relationship escalates, and their criminal acts morph into more sinister behavior as the two flout the laws of the "common" man and live their version of the Übermensch, or "superman" as defined by Friedrich Nietzsche.

One hundred years ago, the world was stunned to learn that Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two wealthy, brilliant university students, had confessed to kidnapping and murdering fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks. Why did Leopold and Loeb do it? For "pure love of excitement, or the imaginary love of thrills, doing something different," they said.

 

D.L. Scarpe's Übermensch fictionalizes the Leopold and Loeb case, focusing on the reason why the gifted teenagers' lives took such an unexpected turn, destroyed three families, and captivated the country in what was dubbed at the time as the "crime of the century."




Review

Übermensch comes complete with a vivid setting and well-drawn characters.

I enjoyed this so much. Once you start, you can't put the book down.

A fascinating historical read.


About the Author

D.L. Scarpe has always had stories rattling around inside her head, locked up tight, only set free on those endless childhood nights spent swapping tales with her best friend. The story-weaving continued into adulthood–her little secret. However, raising a family; managing a household; building retaining walls, patios, or fire pits from stones (rock “jigsaw puzzles”); refinishing oak floors and furniture; or helping her husband on a roof–although she tried to pay attention when on a roof–kept her too busy for that other side of her to come out. So, it remained a secret.

But kids grow up and bodies get too tired for physical labor, and now it’s time to pursue her own passions and dreams. Working on her bucket list, she picked three things that make her happy, and she’s pursuing them all with no apologies:

Writing.

Shoes.

Tattoos.

 

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