Top Ten Crime Novel from Booklist
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 06:55PM Joshua Corin's wonderful Nuclear Winter Wonderland was awarded as one of the TEN TOP CRIME debuts from American Library Association's Booklist 
From Booklist: Nuclear Winter Wonderland. By Joshua Corin. 2008. Kunati, paper, $15.95 (9781601641601). After his twin sister is kidnapped by a strange man with plans involving a nuclear device, Adam Weiss joins forces with a former Mob enforcer and a Croatian female clown (who only speaks Spanish) to track down the maniac. This richly comic thriller is surreal without being silly and wonderfully playful in its use of language. Nuclear Winter Wonderland also scored a rare STARRED REVIEW from the same venerable trade magazine."
Screenshot 
Darrin, John (author). May 2009. 416p. Kunati, hardcover, $24.95 (9781601641687). REVIEW. First published May 1, 2009 (Booklist). It was only a matter of time before someone took that next step in the digital world: murder, broadcast over the Internet for all the world to see. First a drug lord goes down, then a pedophile, then a mobster. The public is at once incensed and intrigued; the vigilante aspect-the victims are bad guys, after all-somehow makes the spectacle less appalling and adds to the sicko entertainment factor. When the killer announces that he will accept bids for the right to pull the cybertrigger for the next execution, the online world ponies up. The only ones who can stop the madness, apparently, are disgruntled FBI investigator Karen, freelance journalist Seth, and gifted but overlooked scientist Dr. Sicals. The unlikely trio joins forces to prevent further killings, and the pursuit keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The central question of whether killing one for the greater good of many should be tolerated is treated with a bit of a heavy hand, but the author's message doesn't distract overmuch from what is a satisfying debut thriller. — Mary Frances Wilkens BOOKLIST
LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU by Kathy-Diane Leveille 
Brannagh Maloney, a young woman who has fled her New Brunswick home for university and a new life, is hired as a cataloger on a naturalist expedition in northern Ontario. She has a lot to leave behind. Her childhood was marked by a series of family disappearances and two murders. In a far from normal home environment, her grandfather treated mental patients on the top floor of their house and there was a hint of madness in her own family. The delight and fulfilment she finds in her new wilderness life despite its physical challenges, falls apart when her lover Nikolai disappears. Has he abandoned her, or is his disappearance the result of foul play? Distraught, she reluctantly returns to St John for a reunion with three close women friends who pledged undying love and support for each other in childhood as the Tuatha-de-Danaans (the faeries of Ireland). However her return and the interaction with her friends revive the emotional trauma she had hoped to leave behind. Brannagh's current sense of abandonment by her lover makes her even more vulnerable to the unresolved mysteries surrounding the deaths of her parents and the nature of the family madness. The novel is more about the past than the present as it navigates back and forth through time. Brannagh is tempted to run away again as the reunion with her friends proves more challenging than comforting. She stays and answers concerning the past eventually emerge as she deals with the complex interrelationships between her friends and surviving family members Leveille's descriptive writing evokes the beauty of nature and she creates an interesting cast of characters. For example, Brannagh who is really quite a feisty woman is also an artist whose bird sketches are an important contribution to the naturalist survey. Annie, perhaps her closest friend, had been one of her grandfather's patients and herself becomes a doctor. On the other hand, the "shadows" really take over in this book. There are almost too many aspects of the story to follow, particularly when dealing with the past. And the last minute resolution of the present mystery seems almost too good to be true. It is the quality of the writing that makes the read worthwhile. SHADOWS is Leveille's first novel. As a well written but convoluted Gothic tale involving a complex list of characters, it is a very promising debut. Reviewed by Ann Pearson, April 2009 http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com
Five Stars on Aeclectic Tarot Review by Solandia 
The Touchstone Tarot is the second deck from Australian artist, Kat Black. She and Kunati, the publishers of the mass-market edition, have done the impossible and equalled – even surpassed – the high benchmark set by the Golden Tarot. This is a thoroughly people-focused deck - its apt catchphrase is ‘78 friends you hold in your hand’. Drawn from historical portraits and Baroque and Renaissance paintings and melded into tarot scenes, the people are individual, immediate, and subtly expressive, displaying a range of emotion and instantly recognisable feeling. The Devil is, well, devilishly seductive, inviting you to give in to temptation. The pain and dissatisfaction in the face of the Five of Cups is palpable. The Queen of Swords is perfect, a richly dressed, regal and intelligent woman, but she looks tough and unforgiving, even a little cold. I particularly like the High Priestess, who has an otherworldly look (pale skin, large light eyes, Mona Lisa smile), as though she is the physical bridge between the real and spiritual worlds. There is a such a mix of faces across the deck, all with their individual and appropriate characters - some even look just like people I know in real life. Some cards give an interesting spin on the typical symbolism. The Emperor looks competent, but a bit grim, as though responsibility lies heavily on his shoulders. The Ten of Wands is the opposite: she looks accepting of her burden and is apparently carrying it without difficulty. The woman in the Three of Swords (not a card that normally shows a person) looks shocked and dazed, like she’s just received terrible news but is it yet to sink in. The Page of Swords especially is unusual; he looks bored and uninspired rather than sharp and snappy (perhaps he’s just bored of being inside). Opening the shrink-wrap on the Touchstone Tarot set, there is a solid matte box that opens from the front like a book. Inside lies the companion book, and underneath are the gilt-edged cards. There are 80 cards included in the set: the 78 standard cards, the Happy Squirrel card, and the Touchstone Tarot artist card (not for reading). The gilt-edged cards are big, not quite 9cm by 13cm, much bigger than the cards in Kat’s original limited edition run of the Touchstone. These cards are also lighter and the colour slightly less saturated, which means it is easier to make out details in the shadows. More here...
"A grippingly original thriller" BOOKLIST 
Sleepers Awake. McNulty, Patrick (Author) May 2009. 272 p. Kunati, hardcover, $22.95. (9781601641663). "Adapted from his unfilmed screenplay, McNulty’s first novel takes on the familiar horror conventions of ghosts and demons and spins them into a grippingly original thriller. In the remote Alaskan village Danaid, an epic battle between the undead and an evil creature known as the Zijin is about to reach a climax. Bishop Kane is an undead bounty hunter, rescued from the grave decades ago by departed spirits called Wraiths. When the Ministry of Wraiths learns that the Zijin’s parasitic leader, the exotically beautiful Petra, is holed up in Danaid, Bishop hurries to the town fully armed. Yet Petra is not only Bishop’s longvanished daughter but the wife of Danaid’s sheriff, Sean Berlin. After Sean witnesses Bishop’s foiled attack on Petra, it will take many dead townspeople before Bishop can convince Sean to join forces with him. McNulty’s debut hits more than a few rough spots in keeping the story line afloat above nonstop flashing knives and claws, but readers who enjoy gore-laden horror will relish it."
