Jackson Kuhl

"The Island of Small Misfortunes" presents Sequoia Owens's summer 1898 visit to his grandfather's home on Todeket Island, a private island among Connecticut's Thimbles. This island, usually a summer retreat, has become his aunt's permanent residence following her son's death. Sequoia's arrival on a stormy night is timely, as he may be able to prevent another tragedy. He then tries to connect with his distant family, exploring the island's history, its peculiar home, and local ghost stories. show more Amidst family tensions, Sequoia attends a séance led by his aunt, hoping to contact his cousin. When the séance takes an unexpected turn, Sequoia must piece together the island's secrets and his family's past to save himself.

This historic, gothic mystery immediately captivated me with its atmospheric and lyrical writing. Todeket and its inhabitants are enshrouded in mystery. The stories surrounding the island's origins and Sequoia's family are intriguing, blurring the line between fact and fiction. The characters are complex and deceptive, making it hard to discern who to trust. As each character’s story intertwines with Todeket’s legends and the ghost, I was drawn into the island’s intricate puzzles. Sequoia discovers that Todeket itself is a puzzle, and he is a missing piece. Overall, "The Island of Small Misfortunes" is a multi-layered, fast-paced, analytical mystery that gradually unfolds, leading to a surprising conclusion.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. show less

The Island of Misfortune by Jackson Kuhl

An intriguing sounding story that I tried to read but found my device unable to navigate…or perhaps my glasses not able to magnify the type of sufficiently to make reading easy and enjoyable. The story parts that I sampled from beginning, middle, and end were well written, engaging, and made me WANT to read the story but my eyes told me that they were not up to it…sadly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for the ARC This is my show more honest review (based in a limited sampling.

4 Stars show less

REVIEWED: Samuel Smedley, Connecticut Privateer
WRITTEN BY: Jackson Kuhl
PUBLISHED: June, 2011

This book is the carefully-researched account of true-life American Revolutionary war hero, Samuel Smedley, who captained the waters off the Atlantic coast terrorizing British merchants and war vessels alike. Author, Jackson Kuhl, is commended for presenting factual data for this chapter of history in a prose that is easy to read and relate. Smedley faced more than his share of devastating trials, yet show more persevered from each and continued service for the political cause that he so fervently believed in. Filled with adventure, compassion, and intrigue, this book reads almost as an epic action-romance, rather than the real life struggles of a single man. At just a bit over 100 pages, it's enough to satisfy the interest of any history buff without suffocating the reader in exhausting detail. Highly recommended for content and style.

Five out of Five stars show less