Dark Ugly Places

 

Dark Ugly Places by Ashley Mansour. California: Moniker Press, 2026. 349 pages. **** Publication September 15, 2026.

Thirty-four-year-old Nicola Holiday is recovering emotionally and financially from a hit-and-run accident. Her husband is killed and her daughter severely injured. Nicola tries to recreate the accident in her mind to identify the car and the driver. She has a darkness within her inherited from her father and personified as "Martha." When Martha appears, Nicola is aware, however she is unable to stop her. Martha ingratiates herself into the household of the suspected driver. Martha is out to revenge the accident and to make those responsible  pay. 

I received a copy to review. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written psychological thriller. The suspected hit-and-run driver is so abusive that it's easy to cheer Martha on in enacting her revenge. I found it interesting that Emily, Nicola's fourteen-year-old daughter, realizes when her mother isn't herself. At times, I wasn't quite sure where the story was headed, however, Mansour wraps it up cohesively, she has a devious mind.  Character development and building suspense is her strength and you will be thinking about it long after you have read it.  

From Amazon

Ashley Mansour is a renowned book strategist, bestselling author, and the founder and CEO of LA Writing Coach and Brands Through Books.

With over a decade of experience across publishing, entertainment, and digital media, she has transformed from a struggling writer into a multiple bestselling author, a sought-after coach, and a successful business owner.

Her passion for storytelling and empowering others has led to the development of her proprietary book writing system, the TAP Method, which has helped hundreds of aspiring authors, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into impactful bestselling books. For more info https://ashleymansour.com

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The Mountains We Call Home

 

The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman's Legacy by Kim Michele Richardson. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2026. 367 pages. ****

Companion novel to the Bookwoman of TroublesomeCreek series, Cussy May Lovett and her husband Jackson are unfairly incarcerated for miscegenation, she is Blue and Jackson isn't. Life in the Kentucky prison isn't kind to women; forced sterilization if a woman is deemed an imbecile, removing her fetus even though abortion is a crime and assigning the death penalty when she may have been defending herself and her children from a brute of a husband. Cussy continues her calling as a Bookwoman by selecting and suggesting books for the inmates. Discovering that the some of the women cannot read or write, Cussy convinces the Warden to allow her to read aloud to the inmates. An extension of that activity is  to hold classes to teach the alphabet and writing. Reading letters from home to the women provides a connection that they desperately need. 

I highly recommend reading the first two books before this one even though it can be read as a standalone. Richardson is a master storyteller, describing the people and culture of rural Kentucky. Educating the reader on the necessity of traveling with The Negro Motorist Green Book, '52 edition when motoring outside their rural town. Well-researched, do not skim the added material including the Images, A Note from the Author, Recipe, and a Reading Group Guide.  I was immersed in the superstitions, accepted cultural norms and the extreme measures taken to discriminate against women and anyone different than themselves. Richardson shows us the horrors and hope, love prevails. Excellent for Book Clubs and a suggested companion book to How To Read A Book by Monica Wood.

From her website... 

A native-born Kentuckian, Kim Michele Richardson is the New York Times, L.A. Times, USA Today bestselling author who has written six novels, a memoir and most recently, two children’s picture books. Her novel The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is taught widely in high schools and college classrooms and has been adopted as a Common Read selection by states, cities, and colleges across the country and abroad, and was a Favorite Read by Dolly Parton in People’s Magazine. Kim Michele was inducted into the Kentucky Women’s Remembers Exhibit in 2025 by Gov. Andy Beshear for her contributions to Kentucky, and was awarded a Doctorate in Humanities from Eastern Kentucky University.She lives with her family in Kentucky and is the founder of Shy Rabbit, a writers residency, and a literacy initiative Courthouses Reading Across Kentucky & Beyond.  For more information, https://www.kimmichelerichardson.com 

Reviews

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek 

The Book Woman's Daughter

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