The Mother Upstairs

 

The Mother Upstairs by Becca Day
3/2/26; 272 pages
Bookouture 

The Mother Upstairs by Becca Day is a highly recommended psychological thriller which moves at a lightning fast pace. Take note that it should be titled The Mother-in-law Upstairs. In the opening before Mellie’s wedding to Henry her future mother-in-law, Pauline Winslow, confronts her saying, "I know your secret and I will not let you marry my son." After which the narrative jumps ahead two months and we learn that her mother-in-law had a stroke following this declaration.

Now Pauline is moving back home the home where Mellie and Henry currently live. She is purportedly completely incapacitated and requires for for everything, but Mellie has reason to believe Pauline is more capable than she's letting on. Mellie knows that Pauline will expose her secret, but Mellie is also looking into Pauline's secrets. While doing so, she discovers a secret of Henry's. 

This is an entertaining, fast-paced psychological popcorn thriller that will hold your complete attention throughout and is exactly what you are looking for from Becca Day. Set all your disbelief aside and go with the flow. There is no way to predict where the plot is heading. Secrets abound and seem to multiply everywhere. As the unsettling narrative unfolds readers will begin to learn about some of these secrets, which all lead up to the revelation of what was Mellie's huge secret and an absolutely over-the-top final scene. 

Mellie is a character that you will support and hope she comes out safe at the end. You know she had a tough childhood. As more and more secrets are exposed, her fear and anxiety is ever present and growing. It is clear that a threat is present and she must expose it. Pauline is the obvious antagonist, but she is bedridden, right? Or is she? And what's up with her loving husband Henry.

The Mother Upstairs is a good choice for those who enjoy fast-paced psychological thrillers. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.   

A Far-flung Life

 

A Far-flung Life by M. L. Stedman
3/3/26; 448 pages
Scribner 

A Far-flung Life by M. L. Stedman is a highly recommended epic family drama, character driven novel. It is a novel of family tragedies and secrets as it follows members of the MacBride family living on Meredith Downs, a vast sheep station that covers nearly a million acres and contains 20,000 sheep in the outback of Australia. 

In 1958  a truck accident results in the death of Phil MacBride and that of his eldest son. Younger son Matt, 17, survives, but suffers from a traumatic brain injury resulting in cognitive issues and memory loss. Matriarch of the family, Lorna MacBride, visits Matt at the hospital and eventually cares for him along with his older sister, Rosie, 20, while trying to keep the sheep station running. This is followed by a secret which eventually ends up resulting in Rosie's death, but  she leaves behind a son, Andy, who has a youthful optimism and a love for geology. During the Australian mining boom in 1969, geologist Bonnie Edquist and her team start exploring the Meredith Downs lands and she forms a connection with Andy and also Matt. 

This is an exceptionally well-written family saga that follows the repercussion of tragedies and secrets across decades while also addressing the self-sacrifices that families and people can make while dealing with the implications of their moral imperfections while protecting those they love. The writing is descriptive, capturing both the setting and the inner lives lives of these people. There are several incidents in the plot, that do, in fact, remind one of a Greek tragedy, that may bother some readers, although listing them would mean spoilers. 

The plot can be quit compelling, however, it is also overwhelmingly gloomy, depressing, overly long, and the pace can be glacially slow. While I wanted to know what happened to these characters, especially later in the novel when two new characters were added , I also founding my self wanting the narrative to reach a conclusion. Emotions run high throughout the novel.

The main characters are all developed as fully-realized individuals with obvious strengths and weaknesses. They will all come to life for you. Of the secondary characters, Roo shooter Pete Peachy, was also a well-developed character who added important depth to the plot. Other secondary characters were also well-written and added to the overall story arch.  This is a 3.5 rounded up.

A Far-flung Life is a great choice for those who enjoy long, epic family sagas full of secrets and emotion. Thanks to Scribner for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.    

Strangers in the Villa

 

Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding
3/3/26; 336 pages
Grand Central Publishing 

Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding is a highly recommended psychological thriller focusing on a couple who are trying to rebuild trust in their relationship when they befriend a couple of tourists.

Curtis, Sydney Lowe’s husband, has admitted to having an affair which sends them to couples counseling. The two decide to leave NYC and move to Spain to repair their marriage while while also renovating a remote hilltop villa in Spain’s Costa Brava. One day they have a young Australian couple, Bianca and Damian, show up at their door with car problems. Sydney, craving companionship, invites them inside and eventually encourages them to stay, saying they could help them work on the villa. Curtis isn't as thrilled with her decision. Soon it becomes clear that everyone has secrets and the Aussie's have their own agenda.

After I  the jumped the enormous hurdle of setting aside disbelief and accepted that anyone would be foolish and naive enough to invite strangers to stay in their home, and this took great effort, the novel quickly became tension packed and compelling. Everyone has some secret agenda going and clearly there is more to everyone's story than they are admitting. The setting serves to isolates all the characters while slowly releasing clues to increase the trepidation that something is very wrong and there are many secrets left unspoken. 

The well-written, fast-paced narrative follows the point-of-view of the various characters and also includes notes from the marriage counselor the Lowe's were seeing before they moved. Some of the secrets are slowly revealed, but they are not always what it is assumed. Sydney is obsessed with the woman Curtis said he was with for only one night. Curtis has a bigger concealed problem. Damien and Bianca have even more hidden objectives. Once everything begins to come out, the novel becomes un-put-downable. 

Strangers in the Villa is a good choice for those who enjoy destination psychological thrillers and can set disbelief aside. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.   

Missing Sister

 

Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson
3/3/26; 272 pages
William Morrow 

Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson is an exceptional, very highly recommended domestic thriller. This tension-packed, well-written Southern character-driven drama following the complex relationship between sisters, as well as revenge. Any novel by Joshilyn Jackson is a novel that should be read immediately. This is one of the best of 2026. 

Penny Albright is a rookie cop in Kennesaw, Georgia, whose deceased twin, Nix, is always on her mind. The two grew up with the close connection twins and sisters share. Second guessing actions she could have taken, Penny continues to feel guilty after Nix died from an overdose five years earlier.  So when she is called to her first first murder scene, Penny is shocked to realize she recognizes the victim, Danny Bowery. He is one of the three men who assaulted Nix, sending her into the downward spiral which ended in her death. 

When Penny is tasked with cordoning off the area, she smells something and goes off to investigate. In an alley she finds a woman, drenched in blood, vaping, with a bloody box cutter nearby.  She calls herself Thalia Grey and intimates that Bowery's death is related to something much larger. Something that involves sisters.  Something that is not done, that doesn't involve cops. Penny feels an inexplicable connection with Thalia, tells her to run and lets her go. She bags the box cutter and says nothing, later hiding it. Circumstances spiral out of control, leaving Penny willing to sacrifice her career to find out who Thalia really is and, perhaps, help her.

As expected, the writing is excellent, the pace is fast, and the tension rises with every page in this un-put-downable thriller following Penny investigating on her own. Penny also knows that Xav Castillo, another one of the three men involved in Nix’s death, has also been murdered recently and questions if his death is connected to Bowery's death. With Thalia's comment that it was about sisters on the forefront of her mind, Penny wonders if it is about revenge for Nix or a sister of Thalia. Complicating matters are family issues, with her niece Shadow, who has been suspended from school for hacking, and her wandering, influencer brother, Shadow’s father, Gand, arriving. 

Penny is a complex, fully-realized character with both strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I thought she was a great, well-developed character. Jackson captured the special connection that sisters, especially twins, can have, including the talking to/thinking about the missing sister after one passes away. Thalia along with the supporting characters also come to life under Jackson masterful writing. 

All of the twists and surprises in the plot are unpredictable while adding to the anxiety and fear over what could happen next. Perhaps some suspension of disbelief is required, but I willingly, easily did so as the tension increased along with the questions and danger. My complete attention was held right up to the surprising final denouement. I sincerely hope this is the start of a new series featuring Penny Albright.

Missing Sister is an excellent choice for everyone who enjoys character-driven domestic thrillers. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.  

One Beautiful Year of Normal

 

One Beautiful Year of Normal by Sandra K. Griffith
2/24/26; 312 pages
She Writes Press  

One Beautiful Year of Normal by Sandra K. Griffith is a highly recommended Southern domestic drama, with gothic and soap opera undertones, which focuses on character development while exploring family secrets.  

At age eight while living in NYC, August Caine's father was murdered and her French mother retreated into silence and depression. August was caring for her mother and their home until Helen showed up on August's eleventh birthday, getting her mother help and taking August to Savannah. August spent one wonderful year with her Aunt Helen and experienced a real childhood, safety, a social life, and bonding with an adult who cared for her. Then her mentally ill mother arrived, and snatched August away to France and keeping them constantly on the move so they couldn't be found.

Then August, at age thirty, receives a shocking phone call from a Savannah attorney informing her that her Aunt Helen has passed away - but August's mother said she died fifteen years earlier. August, who was living in Paris under a new name, returns to Savannah, Georgia for her aunt Helen's funeral and to settle the estate, which August inherits. Once there she realizes she needs to solve her father's murder, address the complex relationship with her mother, dig into her family history, and even reconnects with an old friend.

This is a well-written, descriptive and atmospheric, but slow-paced, character driven drama written from August’s first-person perspective as she explores her past while dealing with her current situation. Much of her life has been filled with deception, starting with her father's unsolved murder followed closely by her mother's illness and lies, resulting in much of the soul-searching narrative focused on an examination of her life. The plot is really an introspective deep dive into the psychological effects of the trauma and deceit in her life. This exploration makes since based on Griffith’s background in psychology.

The narrative was interesting and held my attention, however, the novel also requires a huge does of disbelief to be accepted. The obvious first doubt raised is that no one questioning/noticed much sooner August, at age eight after her father was murdered, taking care of her mother and moving through the city. This includes the police officer who eventually contacted Helen. The second, which gave the novel a soap opera feeling, was the depiction of everyone seemingly recipients of great generational wealth.  Finally, the end felt rushed, like an information dump. 

One Beautiful Year of Normal  is a great choice for those who enjoy Southern domestic dramas, and enjoy ghost stories. Thanks to She Writes Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Wolves Are Watching

 

The Wolves Are Watching by Victoria Houston
2/24/26; 240 pages
Crooked Lane Books
Lew Ferris Mystery #4 

The Wolves Are Watching by Victoria Houston is a highly recommended cozy mystery set in the Northern Wisconsin woods which follows a murder investigation, illegal betting, arms dealing, and some fly fishing. This is the fourth book in the Lew Ferris series following Wolf Hollow, Hidden in the Pines, and At the Edge of the Woods. It can be enjoyed as a standalone novel but reading the previous books in the series does provide more background information. 

Sheriff Lew Ferris, of McBride County and the Loon Lake area of northern Wisconsin, receives a call from the state patrol who think a couple of missing wolf watchers, the McKenzies, may be in her area. Lew quickly calls part time deputy Ray Pradt, an excellent tracker and fishing guide, to assist in the search. Ray agrees, but also brings to Lew's attention the information that a man is trying to blackmail one of the students he is coaching to throw the first round of a state high school fishing tournament. 

When assessing the situation, Ray is sure he knows the area where the missing wolf watchers would likely go. During the search he finds an old log cabin which has recently been fixed up and is now full of crates of high-powered weapons. Lew puts the cabin under surveillance hoping to catch the illegal gun runners and now has three cases to investigate.

This is another well-written, fast-paced, and fun addition to the ongoing mystery series. All the books include an investigation of possibly interlocking crimes, involve outdoor activity, and will include fly fishing at some point. The wolves in this outing are a distraction as the humans are much more dangerous predators. Dentist Doc Osborne, along with Dani and other known characters, are back and make an appearance during the investigations. 

The Wolves Are Watching is a great addition to the series where the books are entertaining, short, and can be quickly read as the mysteries are all straightforward, investigated logically, and not full of complications. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.  

Trust No One

 

Trust No One by James Rollins
2/24/26; 432 pages
HarperCollins 

Trust No One by James Rollins is a very highly recommended stand-alone thriller of international intrigue. It opens with a treacherous event which will immediately grab your attention and pull you into the story.

Sharyn Karr is an American student in a postgraduate program covering the history of witchcraft, folklore, and spiritualism at the University of Exeter in England. Shortly before his death when the two meet in the school's library, Professor Julian Wright entrusts her with a valuable and historically significant ancient book, the locked and encrypted journal from the Count of Saint-Germain, an 18th-century alchemist. He instructs her to never open it, keep it safe and, trust no one. He also gives her a number to contact if she needs help. Events quickly force Sharyn to confide in her two roommates along with Duncan Maxwell and his friend. 

The five university students are being chased by a lethal cabal and law enforcement while being blamed for murder. They flee, following instructions via their unknown contact, but are followed at their every move and pursued across England, France, and into the Italian Alps by their deadly pursuers. They learn from Malick Laurent, a guardian of the book who joins them in their flight, that Confrérie des Illuminés is the group after them.

As expected, this is an extremely well-written, fast-paced thriller that grabs your attention from the start and never lets it go. The plot is compelling and the menacing group hunting for the students as they are on the run keeps the tension very high throughout the novel. Their enemies always see just a few steps behind them. At the same time the group needs to solve the puzzles in the ancient text while always just a few paces ahead of death. Rollins does his usual mixing historical facts and places with fiction and includes a note afterword about what is real and what he took liberties with in the plot. The narrative also includes illustrations and maps.

The characters are all fully realized individuals and you will care about what happens to them. Sharyn has a very specific background and hidden skill set which brings a lot to bear on the plot. The rest of the characters also add their own special abilities that assist the group in their mission and hope for survival. I would personally follow another outing of this group should a series be a possibility. 

Trust No One is a perfect choice for everyone who enjoys a fast-paced well-written thriller.  Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.