Small Press Bookwatch, April 2016
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf:
“A riveting read from first page to last, Candyland is replete with unexpected twists and surprising turns. Clearly author Vicki Salloum is an exceptionally gifted novelist and one that will leave her readers looking eagerly toward her new effort. Candyland is very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections . . .
Archived on Midwest Book Review website http://www.midwestbookreview.com
Antigravity: April 2016
“As thrillers go, Candyland is a standout mainly for its main character, one Lazara Maria Soto, a teenager
who aspires to pull herself out of the orbit of her drug making and dealing family any way she can, as
long as it’s legal . . . It is that student-mentor relationship between the teenager and the lawyer that
keeps readers turning pages, possibly laying a foundation for a series of Soto-Hutchins novels. Though it
could use some polish here and there, Candyland is an intriguing, if raw, gem . . . “
-Leigh Checkman
Link to entire review on Antigravity:
http://www.antigravitymagazine.com/2016/04/reviews-april-2016
Judy Alter
“Vicki Salloum has written a psychological suspense thriller outside the box. Candyland focuses on a seventeen-year-old girl from a drug-related brutal family and her attempt to do one honorable thing, save one life her family has ruined. Paired with her is a boozy, overweight, middle-aged lawyer at the low point of his career, facing a case more important than any he had at the height of success. Their lives intertwine in unexpected ways, and the suspense is high as this novel winds slowly toward an inevitable confrontation. Noir at its darkest, set against the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.”
-Judy Alter, Author of Desperate For Death and The Perfect Coed
Scott Phillips
“Candyland echoes the great noir writers of the twentieth century, with a great feel for the wounded city of New Orleans and a cast of vividly drawn characters. Vicki Salloum has written a first-rate crime novel, and I look forward to whatever she writes next.”
-Scott Phillips, Author of Rake and The Ice Harvest
Mike Roche
“I thoroughly enjoyed Candyland. Like a well-blended gumbo, Vicki Salloum captures the essence and spirit of New Orleans with vivid characters and a suspenseful plot full of surprises.”
-Mike Roche, Author of Coins of Death and The Blue Monster