Lowdown by Anthony Schneider
Spanning three decades and two continents, Lowdown is a deeply human crime novel about love, loyalty and the long shadow of choice. Jimmy Piccini, a Brooklyn mob soldier who kept faith with the code of silence, is released from prison at age 58 after serving 25 years for a crime he didn’t directly commit. The world he returns to is unrecognizable — and haunted by the memory of Milena, the woman he loved and lost.
Told through interwoven timelines, the novel traces Jimmy’s rise in the Brooklyn mob and Milena’s escape to Sicily after her marriage to a volatile made man collapses under violence and betrayal. From gritty New York streets to sun-washed Mediterranean villages, Anthony Schneider crafts a character-driven story where violence gives way to introspection, and vengeance wrestles with forgiveness. Lowdown is a romantic literary thriller with a powerful emotional core and deftly layered themes of love and loss, reckoning and redemption.
Purchase at https://amzn.to/4pTMOf2.
Boys Will Be Men: 8 Lessons for the Lost American Male by Vince Benevento, LPC
There is an underrecognized crisis facing today’s young men — one marked by anxiety, isolation and a growing lack of purpose. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience working with men and young adults, author Vince Benevento, founder of Causeway Collaborative, has seen firsthand how traditional talk therapy often falls short — and has uncovered what actually helps young men move forward.
Through eight practical, hard-earned lessons, Benevento replaces abstraction with action, emphasizing structure, accountability, healthy risk-taking and the power of meaningful male relationships. Blending candid personal stories with real-world case examples, he offers a framework that helps young men build confidence, resilience and direction — brick by brick.
Written for parents, educators, mentors and these young men themselves, Boys Will Be Men is less about fixing what’s “wrong” and more about restoring what’s missing: purpose, connection and the tools to step fully into adulthood.
Purchase at https://amzn.to/49OxOZN.
DoubleHelix (Book One in the Helix Project) by J.L. Calder
In the shadows of power, survival is never guaranteed.
Washington, D.C., 1996. Mike Green has built a career writing about dead girls, but nothing prepares him for the file he uncovers at the National Archives: the murder of Delilah Grennan, a Soviet dissident with ties to the Russian underworld. What begins as research becomes obsession, as Delilah’s voice invades his thoughts, her enemies become his, and paranoia pulls him deeper into the dark machinery of power.
Drawn into a covert war between a global crime syndicate, intelligence agencies and a political dynasty that claims him as family, Mike learns too late that survival sometimes means being buried.
Winner of a 2026 Independent Press Award for Political Thriller and a 2026 Pencraft Award for Thriller Audiobook, DoubleHelix is a dark, razor-sharp political thriller blending psychological suspense, espionage intrigue and sarcastic wit — perfect for readers who crave character-driven conspiracies and morally treacherous power games.
Purchase at https://amzn.to/4q5LXrU.
AROC Adventures – ABCs of Safe Web Surfing: Essential Online Safety Tips for Your Child's First Device by C.D. Richardson
Help your child build healthy screen habits and explore the digital world with confidence.
AROC Adventures – ABCs of Safe Web Surfing is a vibrant, futuristic picture book that introduces young readers to technology with kindness, balance and responsibility. Through colorful A-to-Z lessons, each page highlights an essential skill — from screen-time balance and online manners to empathy, critical thinking and kid-friendly internet rules.
Guided by AROC, a friendly robot hero, children learn how to make smart choices online, avoid harmful behaviors and build strong character both on and off the screen. Ideal for families, teachers and early-learning classrooms, this engaging book offers a fun, age-appropriate introduction to digital literacy, cyber ethics and safe browsing. It also empowers caregivers and children to engage in a timely, much-needed conversation about smart and safe online habits.
Whether your child uses a tablet, computer or smartphone, this is an essential resource for guiding them through the early stages of exploring technology and developing responsible digital citizenship.
Purchase at https://amzn.to/4q8IV6b.
