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

Tectiv Vol 1: Noirtopia by Richard Ashley Hamilton & Marco Matrone

with Dave Sharpe on letters. What a clever post-apocalyptic spin on the noir genre! Bingo Finder is a scavenger in the utopian farm village of Ellay, venturing into the ruins of urban neighborhoods to find anything that might be worth bartering. On one trip with her best friend Fenn, she finds what, to her, is …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/18/tectiv-vol-1-noirtopia-by-richard-ashley-hamilton-marco-matrone/

Captains Wanted by Andres Schabelman

What an odd and interesting metaphysical novel! Told primarily in the second person, this tale of magical realism flits between fantasy, science fiction and the everyday as it explores what it means to truly be in charge of your own life. The “you” addressed in this novel is the frustrated, fake-it-till-you-make-it everyperson (tho tends to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/17/captains-wanted-by-andres-schabelman/

An Interview With Kyle Casey Chu, author of The Queen Bees Of Tybee County

In conjunction with the publication of the first book in Kyle Casey Chu’s debut middle-grade duology, The Queen Bees Of Tybee County, we have a fabulous interview to share with you, dear readers! Also known as the drag queen Panda Dulce, Ms Chu was unwittingly thrust into the global spotlight in 2022 when far-right extremists …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/15/an-interview-with-kyle-casey-chu-author-of-the-queen-bees-of-tybee-county/

All The Noise At Once by DeAndra Davis

Even if one of the supporting cast wasn’t named after an Arsenal Football Club legend, I would still rate this sensitive, witty and heartbreakingly realistic exploration of the effect of police brutality on a Black autistic teenager very highly. All Aiden Wright has ever wanted to do is play football on the same team with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/14/all-the-noise-at-once-by-deandra-davis/

Tantalizing Tales — April 2025 — Part Two

Hello, readers! Sorry everything’s been a bit chaotic this week. The funeral of my co-parent’s mom was yesterday and we’ve been doing a lot of family-wrangling, which has eaten up more of my time than anticipated. But at least there are books to escape to and relax in, including some of my most anticipated for …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/11/tantalizing-tales-april-2025-part-two/

Casey’s Cases, Vol 1: The Mysterious New Girl by Kay Healy

Oh my goodness, what a smart and funny way to start an advancing reader’s graphic novel series! It’s Casey’s eleventh birthday, and she’s thrilled to be able to open two of her presents before school, saving the rest for her birthday party later on. She’s especially thrilled to discover that she’s been gifted a magnifying …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/09/caseys-cases-vol-1-the-mysterious-new-girl-by-kay-healy/

Space Piracy by Marc Feldman & Hugh Taylor

subtitled: Preparing For A Criminal Crisis In Orbit. And this subtitle is very important, as while the authors acknowledge that piracy in space is not a serious problem yet, it certainly has the potential to be so in the not too distant future. With humanity’s increasing exploration of space beyond our atmosphere, it’s almost inevitable …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/08/space-piracy-by-marc-feldman-hugh-taylor/

Disney Classic Graphic Novel: Atlantis by Mike Mignola, Greg Ehrbar & Claudio Sciarrone

Lol, Live Action this, Disney. I actually haven’t seen the movie that this graphic novel is based on, tho I vaguely remember the criticism of it being generally positive. While the story was originally created by Mike Mignola (who also provides the cover art here,) this adaptation was written by Greg Ehrbar, with lead pencils …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/07/disney-classic-graphic-novel-atlantis-by-mike-mignola-greg-ehrbar-claudio-sciarrone/

Tantalizing Tales — April 2025 — Part One

Happy April, dear readers! It finally feels like spring in the northern hemisphere, and I’ve been taking the opportunity to bring books with me on my daily walks to enjoy the weather as much as I can. Here’s a small selection of upcoming titles that I have my eye on for further jaunts, starting with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/04/tantalizing-tales-april-2025-part-one/

Meant For More: Following Your Heart And Finding Your Purpose by Karen Olson (EXCERPT)

In an increasingly dark sociopolitical climate, it helps to know that there are people out there who genuinely care, who don’t think that empathy is a sin, and who understand that helping others in need isn’t a huge sacrifice but an everyday thing we can all incorporate into our lives. One such person is Karen …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/02/meant-for-more-following-your-heart-and-finding-your-purpose-by-karen-olson-excerpt/