October 15, 2025 - fundinmentalfundinmental

MY REVIEW

The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens sounded like Tom and Alice bit off more than they could chew. I felt like very bad things were headed their way, I wasn’t sure what twisty turns they would have to travel and whether or not they would come out of the experience whole.

Alice and Tom have hit a rough patch in their marriage and Alice has a lot of baggage she struggles to get past, as she tries to navigate her way back to Tom. She felt Tom was making a mistake when he offered Ocean and Blue a ride to the next town. She should have paid attention to her instincts. I felt a sense of anticipation, an eerie feeling that there was a shit load of bad that was going to come down on them.

Up in the front, Alice spun the radio dial. Jenny’s thoughts flipped into new fears. She hadn’t thought about the radio. Would they be on the news?

Wondering who Jenny is? Think about it. Who names their children Ocean and Blue? It had me wondering what they did. What are they running from?

Tom…well, he spends most of the trip in serious straits. As they move from town to town, things only become worse, more frightening for Alice. How many bodies will drop? How can anything end well for Ocean and Blue? I felt empathy for Blue, but…

The ending, I thought something like that would come about, but I wasn’t sure how we would get there. I loved it. And when the facts for their life on the run are fully explained, well, I didn’t see that coming. I was surprised, but it also made perfect sense. A cornered animal will be forced to defend itself.

I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

On the remote Canadian highways in 1976, Tom and Alice set out to heal their fractured marriage.
An RV, a new beginning, and the hope of recovery after a devastating tragedy.
Then they meet two young hitchhikers,
Ocean and Blue—a seemingly innocent couple who aren’t who they seem. . . .
They are Jenny and Simon.
And they have left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them.
Now Tom and Alice are trapped—prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn.
But as the tension builds and the lines blur,
the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie?

A chilling, twist-laden ride to the final page—THE HITCHHIKERS is a master class in suspense and shock.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 7, 2025 by St Martin’s Press

ABOUT CHEVY STEVENS

CHEVY STEVENS lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and daughter. When she’s not working on her next book, she’s spending time with her family and their two dogs. Chevy’s debut novel, STILL MISSING, was a New York Times bestseller and won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel. Her books, including THOSE GIRLS which Stephen King called “incredibly scary” have been published in more than thirty countries. Her seventh novel, DARK ROADS, is now available. Please visit her at www.ChevyStevens.com.

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MAYHEM ON MULBERRY

by Vincent deFilippo

October 12 – November 21, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

CHINESE GANGS CLASH WITH THE OLD-SCHOOL ITALIAN “FAMILIES.” It’s 1990 in New York City. The AIDS pandemic is raging, murder is at an all-time high, an arsonist burns 87 people to death in a Bronx social club, and garbage and graffiti overwhelm the city. Though a sense of lawlessness pervade the city, being a gangster just isn’t the same anymore. In fact, it may be the twilight of the Italian mob: Under pressure from the feds and their loss of new recruits, the real menace facing them is the other ethnic gangs that are encroaching on their territory—in particular the Chinese.

BOOK ONE: RISE OF THE EAST

What if the only way to protect the one you love is to destroy everything you’ve ever known?

New York City, 1990-a city teetering on the brink of chaos. The AIDS pandemic is ravaging communities, crime is at an all-time high, and the streets pulse with the tension of gang warfare. The once-dominant Italian mafia, now in its twilight, faces a new threat: the rise of ruthless ethnic gangs determined to carve up their territory.

Enzo DeCarlo, heir to a fading mob empire, is caught between two worlds. His father, the old-school Don Vincenzo, clings to the traditions of the past while the DeCarlo family crumbles under pressure from the feds and encroaching Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean gangs. Enzo’s loyalty to his family has always been unwavering-until he meets the captivating Jen Mo Li, a woman with secrets as dangerous as her beauty.

Jen, the daughter of a powerful Chinese crime family, is no stranger to the brutal world of organized crime. Overlooked and undervalued by her own family, she fights to prove herself in a male-dominated world, growing colder and more ruthless with each passing day. But when her brother is murdered, and the blame falls on Enzo, Jen’s desire for revenge spirals into something far more deadly-especially as her heart betrays her by falling for the enemy.

With tensions between their families at a boiling point and betrayal lurking at every turn, Enzo and Jen’s forbidden love becomes a ticking time bomb. When Jen takes control of the notorious Black Dragon gang, the violence escalates to all-out war in Chinatown, with blood flowing in the streets and power shifting hands. But Jen’s bold moves come at a terrible cost, and when a tragic mistake links her to a human trafficking operation, she finds herself hunted by both the law and her enemies.

As their worlds spiral out of control, Enzo and Jen are forced to make impossible choices. Can Enzo defy his father and the mafia’s brutal code to save Jen and their child? And can Jen survive long enough to claim her throne in the criminal underworld-or will the betrayals she’s suffered drive her to a darker fate?

In this explosive tale of love, betrayal, and survival, nothing is certain, and no one is safe. Dive into the pulse-pounding world of gangland New York, where power, loyalty, and love collide. Will Enzo and Jen escape the deadly shadows of their families-or be consumed by them?

The streets are unforgiving. Are you ready to find out who survives?

Praise for Mayhem on Mulberry: Book One: Rise of the East:

“Mayhem on Mulberry is a fast-paced page-turner that readers will not soon forget, and that will appeal to fans of hard-boiled stories and more grounded crime novels alike.”
~ Jo Niederhoff, San Francisco Book Review

Mayhem on Mulberry: Book Two: Fall of an Empire

BOOK 2: FALL OF AN EMPIRE

How far would you go to destroy the ones who wronged you?

In Mayhem on Mulberry: Book Two, the ruthless battle between the Chinese mob and the Italian Mafia rages on—but this time, vengeance runs deeper than blood. It’s 2020, and Jen Mo Li, presumed dead for decades, is very much alive. Back in New York under an assumed identity, Jen has one goal—to annihilate the DeCarlo family. She’s spent years plotting her revenge, using her beautiful daughter, Julia, as the perfect weapon to tear them apart from the inside.

Nicky DeCarlo, son of Enzo, is determined to break free from the fading mob legacy and start fresh. But when Julia, under Jen’s manipulation, seduces him and lures him into a dangerous heist, Nicky’s dreams of escape turn into a nightmare. Unbeknownst to him, Julia is not just an enemy—she’s his sister.

As the Chinese mob tightens its grip on New York, the Italians plan one last high-stakes score, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown. Betrayal, forbidden love, and shocking family secrets collide in a deadly game where no one is safe, and loyalty could prove fatal.

Will Nicky uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or will Jen’s plan for vengeance destroy everything he holds dear?

Dive into this pulse-pounding sequel that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Get your copy today and find out who survives the mayhem!

Praise for Book Two: Fall of an Empire:

“Vincent deFilippo masterfully weaves a tale of power, betrayal, and survival, where every choice cuts deep. With characters who are fierce, flawed, and navigating a world where morality collides with necessity, this isn’t just a story; it’s a riveting, adrenaline rush.”
~ Kathryn Dare, San Francisco Book Review

Book Details:

Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Crime, Action
Published by: ViennaRose Publishing
Series: Mayhem on Mulberry

Author Bio:

Dr. Vincent DeFilippo, an international financier and former CEO of a private equity fund in Hong Kong, where he aided numerous executives and businesses in raising billions of dollars in capital.

Currently residing in New York, he is a Professor at Monroe College, where he mentors and teaches young people to achieve their goals. Driven by his passion for writing and storytelling, he captivates readers with his fiction works and provides practical business and financial advice through his non-fiction books.

Catch Up With Vincent deFilippo:

VincentdeFilippo.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub
Instagram – @vincedefilippoauthor
LinkedIn – Vince Defilippo
X – @DefilippoAuthor
Facebook – @vincedefilippoauthor

Tour Participants:

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