Good Intentions

 

Good Intentions by Marisa Walz
2/3/26; 336 pages
St. Martin's Press 

Good Intentions by Marisa Walz is a highly recommended psychological suspense novel. This slow-burning debut explores grief and obsession.

Cady has a luxury event-planning business and has been married to the man she's loved since she was seventeen. When her identical twin sister Dana suddenly dies after a car accident, Cady's life falls into a downward spiral. While deep in her grief she focuses on and becomes obsessed with Morgan, a grieving mother she briefly met in the emergency room who lost her twelve year-old son in a bicycle accident on the same day. Cady begins to stalk Morgan and deceptively inserts herself into Morgan's life. Cady's grief and obsession quickly threatens her marriage and business.

While this is a well-written novel the plot does proceed very slowly and the initial complete submersion into Cady's grief and constant internal dialogue to Dana can be overwhelming. This does allow the tension to slowly build along with trepidation over what will happen next. For anyone who has grieved the loss of a close sibling, at first Cady's grief is understandable, but quickly turns to something darker and disturbing as she obsesses over Morgan and helping her deal with her grief too. 

It is abundantly apparent that Cady is an unreliable, flawed narrator and that something unspoken is going on. The plot depends upon Cady's obsessive thoughts, which are unsettling, distorted, and untrustworthy, to create tension. Spending so much time in her mind is uncomfortable. The atmosphere becomes oppressive as the dread over what may happen next increases. The final chapter was shocking.

Good Intentions is a good choice for readers who appreciate psychological suspense novels with an unreliable narrator dealing with grief and obsession. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

We Were Never Friends

 

We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda
2/3/26; 288 pages
Poison Pen Press 

We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda is a recommended locked room thriller full of soap opera/popcorn thriller energy focused on the reunion of Theta Gamma Mu sorority sisters. 

Beth Harrison and her daughter are traveling to the luxurious renovated Palm Springs vacation home of Beth's sorority sister Roxy Callahan Gentry and her husband Ryan to celebrate the engagement of their son Zach to Beth's daughter Celeste. Also invited for the weekend are Jamie Vale, a double legacy pledge, now cardiologist and her husband Greer, and showing up uninvited is wealthy sister Amelia Dell with new boyfriend Brett. Amelia and Roxy are frenemies so a clash between queen bees is expected. Attending in spirit  is Sunny Spencer, best friend of Beth and beloved sorority sister who died their senior year.

Beth is very trepidatious about attending the orchestrated event planned solely by Roxy, and most certainly meant to affirm her reign as the queen. The first thing she notices, along with the other sisters, is how much the renovated estate resembles the resort where Sunny died twenty-five years ago. Once everyone arrives it quickly becomes clear that more is going on behind the scenes than just the engagement party and tensions along with secrets are clamoring to be released. 

I'll be the first to admit that this medley of pretentious people behaving badly is entertaining and totally held my attention. It is certainly written to be a fast-paced diverting soap opera/popcorn thriller full of people who really don't like or trust each other at all. It is full of secrets, bad behavior, tension, and a ghost or two from the past. Initially, I was surprised that only two Theta Gamma Mu sorority sisters were invited as Amelia invited herself. If it was a celebration of sorority sisters gathering for the engagement party of the children of two members, wouldn't there be a few more invited, even if they were just fodder for disasters?  

The characters are all caricatures of different types of people rather than individually developed characters. Obviously, we are supposed to support and like Beth and her daughter Celeste. Everyone else is suspect for some manner of bad behavior. We Were Never Friends was certainly written specifically for the over-the-top soap opera drama it amply provides. Thanks to Poison Pen Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

It's Not Her

 

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica
2/3/26; 352 pages
Park Row Books  

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica is a very highly recommended murder mystery/thriller. Don't miss this un-put-downable twisty thriller.

Courtney and Elliot Gray with their daughter Cass, 10, are staying in a lakeside cabin at a Wisconsin resort. Staying in a cabin up the hill are her brother Nolan and his wife and her best friend Emily, along with their children Reese, 17, Wyatt, 14, and Mae, 10. After Cass and Mae have a fun sleepover in the Gray's cabin, Mae heads up the hill the next morning. Courtney and Cass hear her scream and she runs back to Courtney. Courtney investigates and finds both Emily and Nolan murdered. The police are contacted and find the bodies along with Wyatt sleeping upstairs in the cabin. Reese is missing. This begins the investigation into who murdered Emily and Nolan and the search for Reese.

This fast-paced, well-written murder mystery will grab your attention immediately with Mae's scream and hold it throughout right to the twisty ending. The narrative is told in chapters from the point-of view of Courtney and Reese. Reese's viewpoint starts in the past, from the beginning of the vacation leading up to the murder and her disappearance, while Courtney's is present day, from the murder and through the investigation. 

Reese is a teenage girl who does not want to go on a vacation with her family. She is a fully realized character and we quickly learn her strengths and weaknesses. Reese also provides plenty of insight into her family. We know, through her, that Emily and Nolan are constantly fighting. We know Wyatt has gambling/betting problems. Reese's narrative provides plenty of character background and clues. Courtney is also a well-developed character and we can see her struggling and searching for clues concerning both the murders and Reese's disappearance.

Kubica does an exceptional job giving readers several suspects and casting doubt over almost everyone. The exceptional writing, isolated setting, unpredictability, twists, locked-room setting, overwhelming sense of foreboding, along with the mystery made this an engrossing thriller you will want to read. Thanks to Park Row Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Flack

 

The Flack by Brad Parks
2/3/26; 384 pages
Oceanview Publishing 

The Flack by Brad Parks is a very highly recommended thriller/suspense novel following a reporter turned corporate PR representative.

Curt Hinton and Angel Reddish have been best friends since college, so when Angel encourages Curt to leave his job as reporter at a dying newspaper and apply for the job as head of corporate communications at Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company, where Angel is chief operations officer, Curt applies. With Angel's backing, he gets the very lucrative job and he and his pregnant wife Page move to a company-supplied dream house. When he arrives at Balco headquarters for his first day he discovers Angel was killed in a carjacking.

Curt with his new team is now responsible for writing the various press releases about Angel's death. When he talks to the Oakland PD he discovers Angel's death was a murder disguised to look like a carjacking, which leaves him reeling as Angel was not only his best friend, but a gregarious man that everyone liked. As he begins to integrate into the Balco corporate leadership handling the various crises, he begins to recognize that there is more going on behind the scenes than he realizes and he may be in danger.

This is an intriguing, well-written thriller that will pull you into the plot immediately. The opening scene is Angel's last minutes where, as dying, he tries to text Curt "Don’t take the job. Just run." but the text does not get sent. While you may have to set some disbelief aside, many of the plot points seem based on headlines you could encounter today, including corporate corruption and coverups. On the job Curt has to handle a variety of problems, including the threat of unionization and a scandalous video. There are other things as well.

Curt is a realistic, well-developed, intelligent character with both strengths and weaknesses. As head of communications, his background as a reporter becomes very useful, sometimes in unexpected ways. Curt seemingly makes some enemies along the way. There are antagonists embedded in the corporation or it's allies that are incredibly evil and predatory.

The Flack is a great choice for those who enjoy thrillers that read like a movie. Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Wolf Hour

 

Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbø, Robert Ferguson (Translator)
2/3/26; 400 pages
Knopf Doubleday

Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbø is a very highly recommended crime novel set in Minneapolis Minnesota during two time periods. Robert Ferguson is the translator of the English edition I read 

In 2016 Minneapolis police detective Bob Oz gets the call and meets his partner Kay Myers at the scenes of the attempted murder of a gun dealer. He determines the gunman is a sniper and his main suspect is Tomás Gomez, a former hit man who also has a tragic personal story.  Soon the investigation turns into the hunt for a serial killer but Oz is suspended as he deals with anger issues and trauma. His potential witnesses included Mike Lunde, a taxidermist, who Oz befriends.

In 2022 Norwegian crime novelist Holger Ruch travels to Minneapolis to research for his new true crime book. He is researching the Gomez case, and wants to get into the mind of a policeman of Norwegian descent, Oz. He is looking into all the places Oz went while investigating.

Nordic noir writer Nesbø has given us another extremely well-written, atmospheric, intelligent crime novel which encompasses both a psychological thriller and character study. Telling the story through the two timelines works well. The main timeline in 2016 is where most of the novel is set as the 2022 present day true crime writer looks back and relates the events that occurred then from the viewpoint of the narrator. The plot is engaging and compelling as a flawed man looks into the mind of a serial killer and actually finds similarities to his own life. 

Bob Oz is an antihero and deeply flawed. He has anger management issues, drinks too much, is lonely, has been sleeping with many women, and is suffering from a great trauma. He also has a strong sense of justice, even to the point of bending the rules. He gets suspended, but, nevertheless, he continues to work the case. The killer is intelligent and also suffering from loneliness and trauma. Bob's ex-wife Alice, a psychologist, tells him, “Trauma arises when you lose someone you thought you would be spending the rest of your life with.”and "The trauma is the wound. But the loneliness that comes with it locks you to your trauma.”

The plot is full of twists and there are some real surprises along the way. A minor note that Nesbø does judge American culture and politics in the plot, which Americans can easily ignore as he is Norwegian. He excels at portraying moody, lonely, and flawed, but intelligent characters in psychological thrillers so the cultural/political opinions are minor annoyances.

Wolf Hour is an excellent choice for those who enjoy Nordic Noir. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Books of 2025

Books of 2025 

297 books read this year. The complete list by month follows the top picks. This year I have the Top twelve fiction, and the honorable mention top 17 on my list of the best of the best books of 2025. The date is the day my review was published. 

(All of the best books of the year earned my top rating. If you look at my year of reading many other books also earned a 'very highly recommended' rating. The stars after the books on these mentioned best books are additional stars I gave them after reading specifically for my end of the year list.)

Best Books 2025

Top 12:
My Friends by Fredrik Backman, 4/22/25 ****** literary
Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree, 1/1/25 ***** historical fiction
When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén, 7/21/25 ***** literary
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter 7/31/25 **** procedural
Peace Like a River by Scott Gould, 8/15/25 **** literary
The Elements by John Boyne, 8/29/25 **** literary
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi, 3/15/25 **** sci fi
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly 10/10/25 ***** legal thriller
After That, the Dark by Andrew Klavan 10/12/25 ***** mystery
Frank and Red by Matt Coyne, 11/6/25 **** domestic drama
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler, 11/13/25 **** character study
Head Cases by John McMahon, 12/4/25 **** procedural (Inside Man on 2026 list)

Honorable mention, 17 books
End of August by Paige Dinneny, 1/13/25 *** literary coming-of-age
Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger, 1/23/25 *** mystery
Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow, 1/29/25 *** tech drama
Battle Mountain by C. J. Box, 2/3/25 *** thriller
The Last Days of Kira Mullan by Nicci French, 2/8/25, *** suspense
The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff, 2/11/25 *** suspense/sci-fi
Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh, 2/18/25 *** legal thriller
The Writer by James Patterson and J. D. Barker, 2/20/25 *** procedural
The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen, 2/22/25 *** mystery
Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben, 3/2/25 *** thriller
The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner, 3/18/25 *** family drama
Strangers in Time David Baldacci, 3/30/25 *** historical fiction
Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell, 6/9/25 *** suspense
Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox, 6/13/25 *** thriller
Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner, 7/29/25 *** mystery
The Widow by John Grisham, 10/6/25 *** legal drama
Impostor Syndrome by Andrew Mayne, 10/8/25 *** thriller

Vlautin novels, all excellent: 
Northline by Willy Vlautin, 11/6/25 **** domestic drama
Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin, 11/7/25 **** drama
Don't Skip Out on Me by Willy Vlautin 11/8/25 *** drama
The Horse by Willy Vlautin, 11/9/25 *** character study
The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin, 11/10/25 *** character study
The Free by Willy Vlautin, 11/12/25 **** character study

Nonfiction
1. No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris  *****
2. Enough Is Enuf by Gabe Henry, 3/27/25 ****
3.Turning to Birds by Lili Taylor, 4/14/25 **
4. The Kingdom of Cain by Andrew Klavan ***
5. False Claims by Lisa Pratta ***
6. The Beast in the Clouds by Nathalia Holt  **
7. The Photographs: Iconic Images from National Geographic ****
8.The Traveler's Atlas of the World by National Geographic ***

Short Stories
1. North of Ordinary by John Rolfe Gardiner 1/10/25 ***
2. Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron 4/29/25 **
3. Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg 8/8/25 ****
4. The Answer Is No: A Short Story by Fredrik Backman, 11/5/25 **** 

Books 2025 

January
1. Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree, 555 pages, 1/1/25, very highly recommended, ***** historical fiction
2. The Vanishing Point: Stories by Paul Theroux, 336 pages, 1/2/25, highly recommended, short stories
3.The Mailman by Andrew Welsh-Huggins, 360 pages, 1/3/25, very highly recommended, ** thriller
4. Hope by Andrew Ridker, 433 pages, 1/4/25, recommended
5. Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton, 352 pages, 1/5/25, recommended
6. The Train from Platform 2 by Stephanie Steel, 320 pages, 1/6/25, highly recommended
7. Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade, 240 pages, 1/7/25, highly recommended
8. Amorphous Breaking the Mold by Steven Burgess, 338 pages, 1/8/25, recommended
9. Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman, 288 pages, 1/9/25, very highly recommended * procedural
10. North of Ordinary by John Rolfe Gardiner, 224 pages, 1/10/25, very highly recommended *** short stories
11. This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer, 304 pages, 1/11/25, highly recommended
12. End of August by Paige Dinneny, 320 pages, 1/13/25, very highly recommended *** literary
13. Tell Me You Trust Me by Elle Owens, 300 pages, 1/14/25, highly recommended
14. Blood Ties by Jo Nesbo, 384 pages, 1/16/25, very highly recommended * crime novel
15. Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker, 240 pages, 1/17/25, highly recommended
16. Once You Were Mine by Elizabeth Langston, 363 pages, 1/19/25, highly recommended
17. Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass, 304 pages, 1/20/25, recommended
18. The Unforgetting by Bonnie Traymore, 288 pages, 1/21/25, highly recommended
19. Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger, 384 pages, 1/23/25, very highly recommended *** mystery
20. Falls to Pieces by Douglas Corleone, 285 pages, 1/24/25, recommended
21. Every Precious and Fragile Thing by Barbara Davis, 431 pages, 1/26/25, highly recommended
22. Justice Bites by James Chandler and Laura Snider, 314 pages, 1/27/25, highly recommended
23. Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow, 400 pages, 1/29/25, very highly recommended *** tech drama
24. The Garden by Nick Newman, 320 pages, 1/30/25, highly recommended
25. You'll Find Out by Lisa Jackson, 512 pages, 1/31/25, recommended



February
26. Not Who We Expected by Lisa Black, 320 pages, 2/1/25, very highly recommended ** thriller
27. Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister, 336 pages, 2/2/25, very highly recommended ** thriller
28. Battle Mountain by C. J. Box, 368 pages, 2/3/25, very highly recommended *** thriller
29. Tilt by Emma Pattee, 240 pages, 2/4/25, highly recommended
30. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, 320 pages, 2/6/25, very highly recommended * domestic suspense
31. The Last Days of Kira Mullan by Nicci French, 464 pages, 2/8/25, very highly recommended, *** suspense
32. Message Deleted by K. L. Slater, 418 pages, 2/10/25, very highly recommended * thriller
33. The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff, 292 pages, 2/11/25, very highly recommended *** suspense/sci-fi
34. Red Dog Farm by Nathaniel Ian Miller, 272 pages, 2/13/25, highly recommended
35. If It Isn't One Thing... by Steven F. Havill, 224 pages, 2/14/25, highly recommended
36. Ward D by Freida McFadden, 320 pages, 2/15/25, very highly recommended ** thriller
37. The Californians by Brian Castleberry. 384 pages, 2/17/25, recommended
38. Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh, 416 pages, 2/18/25, very highly recommended *** thriller
39. You Deserve to Know by Aggie Blum Thompson, 336 pages, 2/19/25, highly recommended
40. The Writer by James Patterson and J. D. Barker, 400 pages, 2/20/25, very highly recommended *** procedural
41. Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch, 320 pages, 2/21/25, so-so
42. The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen, 363 pages, 2/22/25, very highly recommended *** mystery
43. Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington, 320 pages, 2/23/25, highly recommended
44. The Fisherman's Gift by Julia R Kelly, 368 pages, 2/24/25, highly recommended
45. The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry, 352 pages, 2/25/25, highly recommended
46. The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue, 288 pages, 2/26/25, highly recommended
47. The Ten Worst People in New York by Matt Plass, 320 pages, 2/27/25, recommended
48. Saltwater by Katy Hays, 336 pages, 2/27/25, highly recommended
49. The Fourth Girl by Wendy Corsi Staub, 396 pages, 2/28/25, highly recommended

March
50. I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones, 320 pages, 3/1/25, recommended
51. Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben, 352 pages, 3/2/25, very highly recommended *** thriller
52. Lethal Prey by John Sandford, 400 pages, 3/3/25, very highly recommended * thriller
53. The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie, 368 pages, 3/5/25, highly recommended
54. Death at Porthcurno Cove by Sally Rigby, 240 pages, 3/6/25, highly recommended
55. When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory, 464 pages, 3/8/25, highly recommended
56. Heartwood by Amity Gaige, 320 pages, 3/9/25, highly recommended
57. OverKill by J. A. Jance, 336 pages, 3/10/25, highly recommended
58. The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh, 320 pages, 3/12/25, highly recommended
59. The Last Session by Julia Bartz, 368 pages, 3/13/25, so-so
60. The Devil's Kitchen by Mark Thielman, 310 pages, 3/14/25, recommended
61. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi, 336 pages, 3/15/25, very highly recommended **** sci fi
62. The Float Test by Lynn Steger Strong, 272 pages, 3/16/25, recommended
63. The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner. 384 pages, 3/18/25, very highly recommended *** family drama
64. She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock, 312 pages, 3/19/25, highly recommended
65. No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris, 464 pages, 3/21/25, very highly recommended ***** nonfiction
66. The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel, 317 pages, 3/22/25, recommended
67. Nothing Left to Lose, or, How Not to Start a Commune by Jeff Richards, 272 pages, 3/24/25, so-so
68.What Remains of Teague House by Stacy Johns, 432 pages, 3/24/25, recommended
69. Coram House by Bailey Seybolt, 320 pages, 3/26/25, highly recommended
70. Enough Is Enuf by Gabe Henry, 304 pages, 3/27/25, very highly recommended, **** nonfiction
71. Ruth Run by Elizabeth Kaufman, 304 pages, 3/28/25, highly recommended
72. Strangers in Time David Baldacci, 448 pages, 3/30/25, very highly recommended, *** historical fiction


April
73. The Bookseller by Tim Sullivan, 368 pages, 4/1/25, highly recommended
74. Blood on the Vine by J. T. Falco, 320 pages, 4/3/25, highly recommended
75. 1960s Nostalgia Activity Book for Seniors by Purple Moon Publishing, 128 pages, 4/3/25, highly recommended
76. Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg 300 pages, 4/4/25, very highly recommended * procedural
77. Welcome to West Street by Nicole Trope, 304 pages, 4/6/25, highly recommended
78. The Dark Edge by Nick Louth, 334 pages, 4/7/25, highly recommended
79. The Murder Machine by Heather Graham, 304 pages, 4/8/25, recommended
80. Play, Rewind by John Vurro, 338 pages, 4/10/25, highly recommended
81. If Two Are Dead by Rick Mofina, 416 pages, 4/10/25, very highly recommended * thriller
82. Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro, 304 pages, 4/11/25, recommended
83. Cold Burn by A. J. Landau, 336 pages, 4/12/25, highly recommended
84. Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang, 320 pages, 4/13/25, highly recommended
85. Turning to Birds by Lili Taylor, 208 pages, 4/14/25, very highly recommended ** nonfiction
86. The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb, 480 pages, 4/15/25, recommended
87. Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay, 320 pages, 4/17/25, highly recommended
88. South of Nowhere by Jeffery Deaver, 416 pages, 4/18/25, highly recommended
89. The Names by Florence Knapp, 336 pages, 4/19/25, very highly recommended * literary drama
90. The Kingdom of Cain by Andrew Klavan, 272 pages, 4/20/25, very highly recommended *** nonfiction
91. My Friends by Fredrik Backman, 448 pages, 4/22/25, very highly recommended ****** literary
92. The Language of the Birds by K.A. Merson, 368 pages, 4/23/25, highly recommended
93. Smoke and Embers by John Lawton, 416 pages, 4/24/25, highly recommended
94. Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe, 352 pages, 4/25/25, very highly recommended * historical
95. Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson, 256 pages, 4/26/25, very highly recommended *** humor
96. Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen, 368 pages, 4/28/25, very highly recommended * mystery
97. Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron, 368 pages, 4/29/25, very highly recommended ** short stories


May
98. The Missing Ones by Anita Waller, 282 pages, 5/1/25, very highly recommended * thriller
99. The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve, 336 pages, 5/1/25, very highly recommended *** mystery/sci-fi
100. Making a Killing by Cara Hunter, 368 pages, 5/2/25, highly recommended
101. Nightshade by Michael Connelly, 352 pages, 5/4/25, very highly recommended ** procedural
102. The Doorman by Chris Pavone, 400 pages, 5/6/25, recommended
103. The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton, 304 pages, 5/7/25, highly recommended
104. The Compound by Aisling Rawle, 304 pages, 5/8/25, highly recommended
105. A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni, 395 pages, 5/9/25, highly recommended
106. False Claims by Lisa Pratta, 288 pages, 5/10/25, very highly recommended *** nonfiction
107. Don't Forget Me, Little Bessie by James Lee Burke, 368 pages, 5/12/25, very highly recommended **** historical fiction
108. The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark, 368 pages, 5/14/25, very highly recommended ** mystery
109. Badlands by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, 368 pages, 5/15/25, very highly recommended *** thriller
110. Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh, 384 pages, 5/17/25 (re-release), very highly recommended **** legal thriller
111. Death at Fakenham Races by Ross Greenwood, 485 pages, 5/18/25, highly recommended
112. Karen: A Brother Remembers by Kelsey Grammer, 456 pages, 5/19/25, so-so
113. Believe Me Now by S. M. Govett, 320 pages, 5/19/25, recommended
114. Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson, 288 pages, 5/20/25, highly recommended
115. Jill Is Not Happy by Kaira Rouda, 256 pages, 5/25/25, highly recommended
116. Plays Well with Others by Lauren Myracle, 288 pages, 5/25/25, very highly recommended * domestic thriller
117. Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall, 352 pages, 5/25/25, highly recommended
118. Deep Water by Paul Heatley, 306 pages, 5/26/25, highly recommended
119. Question of Guilt by Sally Rigby, 246 pages, 5/27/25, recommended
120. Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross, 352 pages, 5/29/25, recommended
121. Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman, 272 pages, 5/30/25, recommended


June
122. You Don't Know Me by Theo Baxter, 320 pages, 6/1/25, recommended
123. The Black Highway by Simon Toyne, 368 pages, 6/3/25, highly recommended
124. The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood, 320 pages, 6/4/25, recommended
125. What We Leave Behind by Sue Halpern, 352 pages, 6/5/25, highly recommended
126. The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy, 416 pages, 6/7/25, very highly recommended ** comedy
127. I'll Be Right Here by Amy Bloom, 272 pages, 6/8/25, so-so
128. Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell, 368 pages, 6/9/25, very highly recommended psychological *** suspense
129. The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce, 336 pages, 6/11/25, very highly recommended ** suspense
130. Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox, 336 pages, 6/13/25, very highly recommended *** thriller
131. The White Crow by Michael Robotham, 368 pages, 6/13/25, highly recommended
132. The Beast in the Clouds by Nathalia Holt, 288 pages, 6/14/25, very highly recommended. ** nonfiction
133. A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan, 320 pages, 6/15/25, very highly recommended * family drama
134. The Red Queen by Martha Grimes, 256 pages, 6/16/25, recommended
135. The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart, 320 pages, 6/18/25, very highly recommended ** thriller
136. Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith, 320 pages, 6/19/25, recommended
137. It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson, 592 pages, 6/21/25, highly recommended
138. Them Bones by David Housewright, 320 pages, 6/22/25, highly recommended
139. Fast Boys and Pretty Girls by Lo Patrick, 336 pages, 6/24/25, very highly recommended, ** literary
140. Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart, 256 pages, 6/25/25, highly recommended
141. The Obsessions of Harvey Usher by David Putnam, 315 pages, 6/26/25, recommended
142. The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos, 368 pages, 6/27/25, highly recommended
143. The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware, 400 pages, 6/28/25, highly recommended
144. Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon, 320 pages, 6/29/25, very highly recommended ** mystery
145. Until Alison by Kate Russo, 304 pages, 6/30/25, recommended


July
146. Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs, 400 pages, 7/2/25, highly recommended
147. The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline, 400 pages, 7/4/25, highly recommended
148. Culpability by Bruce Holsinger, 380 pages, 7/6/25, highly recommended
149. The Confessions by Paul Bradley Carr, 336 pages, 7/7/25, highly recommended
150. The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O'Connor, 368 pages, 7/8/25, highly recommended
151. Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell, 288 pages, 7/9/25, highly recommended
152. The List by Steve Berry, 384 pages, 7/11/25, very highly recommended * thriller
153. The Writers' Retreat by Samantha Vïrant, 294 pages, 7/11/25, recommended
154. Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi, 320 pages, 7/12/25, recommended
155. Guess Again by Charlie Donlea, 352 pages, 7/13/25, very highly recommended * thriller
156. You Belong Here by Megan Miranda, 352 pages, 7/15/25, very highly recommended * mystery
157. The Therapist by Nicole Trope, 272 pages, 7/16/25, highly recommended
158. The Cleaner by Mary Watson, 400 pages, 7/17/25, recommended
159. The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas, 384 pages, 7/18/25, highly recommended
160. The Cover Girl by Amy Rossi, 336 pages, 7/20/25, highly recommended
161. When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén, 320 pages, 7/21/25, very highly recommended ***** literary
162. The Understudy by Morgan Richter, 336 pages, 7/21/25, recommended
163. My Father's House by Ulf Kvensler, 368 pages, 7/23/25, highly recommended
164. The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen, 320 pages, 7/25/25, highly recommended
165. Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein, 368 pages, 7/25/25, recommended
166. The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown, 352 pages, 7/27/25, highly recommended
167. The Frequency of Living Things by Nick Fuller Googins, 336 pages, 7/28/25, recommended
168. Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner, 416 pages, 7/29/25, very highly recommended *** mystery
169. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter, 448 pages, 7/31/25, very highly recommended **** procedural


August
170. Rope by Tim Queeney, 336 pages, 8/1/25, very highly recommended ** nonfiction
171. Gone in the Night by Joanna Schaffhausen, 320 pages, 8/3/25, very highly recommended * mystery
172. The Stranger Inside by Amanda Cassidy, 308 pages, 8/4/25, highly recommended
173. One Dark Night by Hannah Richell, 384 pages, 8/6/25, highly recommended
174. Joy Moody Is Out of Time by Kerryn Mayne, 352 pages, 8/7/25, very highly recommended ** mystery
175. Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg, 288 pages, 8/8/25, very highly recommended **** short stories
176. Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox, 336 pages, 8/9/25, very highly recommended ** Christian fiction
177. The Graveyard Girls by Rita Herron, 444 pages, 8/11/25, highly recommended
178. Estate: To my once darling child by J. Andrew Shelley, 256 pages, 8/13/25, highly recommended
179. The Real Jaws by Rachel Lee Perez, 224 pages, 8/13/25, highly recommended, nonfiction
180. Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham, 336 pages, 8/14/25, very highly recommended ** mystery
181. Peace Like a River by Scott Gould, 226 pages, 8/15/25, very highly recommended, **** literary
182. The Martians by David Baron, 336 pages, 8/16/25, highly recommended, nonfiction
183. The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner, 400 pages, 8/17/25, highly recommended
184. Three Girls Gone by Carolyn Arnold, 343 pages, 8/18/25, very highly recommended, ** procedural
185. The Burial Place by Stig Abell, 368 pages, 8/20/25, recommended
186. The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson, 317 pages, 8/20/25, highly recommended
187. Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods! by Richard Wolinsky, 264 pages, 8/21/25, highly recommended
188. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, 464 pages, 8/23/25, highly recommended
189. At Last by Marisa Silver, 288 pages, 8/24/25, recommended
190. Fallout by Logan Ryles, 334 pages, 8/25/25, highly recommended
191. The Couple's Secret by Lisa Regan, 370 pages, 8/26/25, very highly recommended * procedural
192. The Deepest Cut by P. J. Tracy, 320 pages, 8/27/25, highly recommended
193. The Elements by John Boyne, 496 pages, 8/29/25, very highly recommended **** literary
194. A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon, 400 pages, 8/30/25, very highly recommended * thriller
195. Crime Writer by Vinnie Hansen, 303 pages, 8/31/25, recommended


September
196. The Good Neighbour by Alison James, 321 pages, 9/1/25, highly recommended
197. The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia, 320 pages, 9/2/25, highly recommended
198. The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards, 336 pages, 9/4/25, very highly recommended * thriller
199. Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh, 368 pages, 9/5/25. very highly recommended * procedural
200. The Wives of Hawthorne Lane by Stephanie DeCarolis, 368 pages, 9/6/25, highly recommended
201. Don't Say a Word by Allison Brennan, 416 pages, 9.8/25, very highly recommended * procedural
202. Deadly Mistake by Rob Sinclair, 354 pages, 9/9/25, highly recommended
203. The Killer Question by Janice Hallett, 448 pages. 9/12/25, highly recommended
204. The Secret at Number 7 by Becca Day, 304 pages, 9/12/25, highly recommended
205. Black Notice by Joy Ellis, 467 pages, 9/14/25, highly recommended
206. In Her Shadow by Theo Baxter, 289 pages, 9/15/25, highly recommended
207. The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves, 384 pages, 9/18/25, highly recommended
208. The Girl from Devil's Lake by J. A. Jance, 336 pages, 9/19/25, very highly recommended * procedural
209. Killer Tracks by Mary Keliikoa, 319 pages, 9/20/25, highly recommended
210. Every Bend in the River by Emerson Ford, 324 pages, 9/21/25, very highly recommended * historical fiction
211. The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens, 384 pages, 9/23/25, very highly recommended ** thriller
212. Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell, 400 pages, 9/24/25, very highly recommended * thriller
213. Mrs Pargeter's Past by Simon Brett, 192 pages, 9/25/25, highly recommended
214. Last Night at the Disco by Lisa Borders, 256 pages, 9/27/25, recommended
215. Killer Flock by Shannon Baker, 283 pages, 9/27/25, highly recommended
216. Keep This for Me by Jennifer Fawcett, 352 pages, 9/28/25, highly recommended
217. The Stranger in Room Six by Jane Corry, 448 pages, 9/29/25, recommended
218. Fallen Star by Lee Goldberg, 301 pages, 9/30/25, very highly recommended ** procedural


October
219. The Lines by Matt Brolly, 347 pages, 10/2/25, highly recommended
220. Murder on the River by Janice Frost, 268 pages, 10/2/25, highly recommended
221. What Have You Done? by Nicole Trope, 278 pages, 10/3/25, highly recommended
222. Two Truths One Lie by Alex Sinclair, 308 pages, 10/4/25, recommended
223. Long Way Down by Lisa Kusel, 320 pages, 10/5/25, highly recommended
224. The Widow by John Grisham, 416 pages, 10/6/25, very highly recommended *** legal drama
225. Impostor Syndrome by Andrew Mayne, 288 pages, 10/8/25, very highly recommended *** thriller
226. It's Me or Her by Victoria Jenkins, 291 pages, 10/9/25, highly recommended
227. The Surgeon by John Nicholl, 266 pages, 10/9/25, highly recommended
228. The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly, 400 pages, 10/10/25, very highly recommended ***** legal thriller
229. After That, the Dark by Andrew Klavan, 336 pages, 10/12/25, very highly recommended ***** mystery
230. Poison Wood by Jennifer Moorhead, 351 pages, 10/12/25, very highly recommended ** mystery
231. My Husband Next Door by K L Slater, 376 pages, 10/13/25, highly recommended
232. Queen Esther by John Irving, 432 pages, 10/14/25, recommended
233. Where He Left Me by Nicole Baart, 336 pages, 10/15/25, very highly recommended * thriller
234. In the Bones by Tessa Wegert, 288 pages, 10/16/25, very highly recommended * mystery
235. The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf, 320 pages, 10/18/25, highly recommended
236. The Book Club Killer by Ross Greenwood, 384 pages, 10/19/25, highly recommended
237. The Photographs: Iconic Images from National Geographic, 464 pages, 10/20/25, very highly recommended **** nonfiction
238. The Marazion Murders by Sally Rigby, 269 pages, 10/21/25, highly recommended
239. I Took Her First by Samantha Hayes, 360 pages, 10/22/25, highly recommended
240. Wild Instinct by T. Jefferson Parker, 336 pages, 10/23/25, recommended
241. Daughters by Corinne Demas, 283 pages, 10/24/25, recommended
242. Nash Falls by David Baldacci, 448 pages, 10/25/25, very highly recommended ** thriller
243. The King's Ransom by Janet Evanovich, 352 pages, 10/26/25, highly recommended
244. The Traveler's Atlas of the World by National Geographic, 560 pages, 10/27/25, very highly recommended *** nonfiction
245. The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex, 368 pages, 10/28/25, so-so
246. Made You Look by Tanya Grant, 368 pages, 10/28/25, recommended
247. Broken Bones by John Carson, 328 pages, 10/28/25, highly recommended
248. Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs, 288 pages, 10/30/25, highly recommended


November
249. The Deep End by Nick Louth, 324 pages, 11/1/25, highly recommended
250. Unmarried by Emily Shiner, 310 pages, 11/1/25, recommended
251. The Imaginary Friend by Michelle Dunne, 344 pages, 11/2/25, recommended
252. The Answer Is No: A Short Story by Fredrik Backman, 68 pages, 11/5/25 **** short story
253. Frank and Red by Matt Coyne, 448 pages, 11/6/25, very highly recommended **** domestic drama
254. Northline by Willy Vlautin, 224 pages, 11/6/25, very highly recommended **** domestic drama
255. Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin, 304 pages, 11/7/25, very highly recommended **** drama
256. Don't Skip Out on Me by Willy Vlautin, 304 pages 11/8/25, very highly recommended *** drama
257. The Horse by Willy Vlautin, 208 pages, 11/9/25, very highly recommended *** character study
258. The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin, 206 pages, 11/10/25, very highly recommended *** character study
259. The Free by Willy Vlautin, 320 pages, 11/12/25, very highly recommended **** character study
260. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler, 11/13/256, very highly recommended **** character study
261. Silent Bones by Val McDermid, 432 pages, 11/14/25, recommended
262. Savage Game by JT Sawyer, 314 pages, 11/14/25, very highly recommended ** action
263. A Weekend on Allyson Island by Susannah B. Lewis, 288 pages, 11/16/25, recommended
264. A Grave Deception by Connie Berry, 336 pages, 11/16/25, very highly recommended ** cozy mystery
265. Secrets You Can't Keep by Debra Webb, 319 pages, 11/17/25, highly recommended
266. Burning State by Rob Sinclair, 384 pages, 11/19/25, recommended
267. The Quiet Mother by Arnaldur Indridason, 352 pages, 11/19/25, recommended
268. The Girl from Nowhere by Michele Dominguez Greene, 242 pages, 11/20/25, recommended
269. Their Deadly Truth by Carla Kovach, 322 pages, 11/21/25, highly recommended
270. Running Blind by Paul Heatley, 303 pages, 11/22/25, very highly recommended * thriller
271. Fatal Invitation by S F Baumgartner, 339 pages, 11/23/25, highly recommended
272. The Storm by Rachel Hawkins, 288 pages, 11/24/25, highly recommended
273. The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave, 288 pages, 11/25/25, recommended
274.The Castaways by Lucy Clarke, 400 pages, 11/26/25, highly recommended
275. The Viper by Brad Meltzer, 400 pages, 11/29/25, very highly recommended ** thriller
276. Illusion of Truth by James L'Etoile, 430 pages, 11/29/25, very highly recommended * procedural


December
277. One Sun Only: Stories by Camille Bordas, 304 pages, 12/1/25, highly recommended
278. The Briars by Sarah Crouch, 320 pages, 12/2/25, highly recommended
279. Head Cases by John McMahon, 352 pages, 12/4/25, very highly recommended **** procedural
280. Inside Man by John McMahon, 400 pages, 12/6/25, very highly recommended **** procedural
281. Murder Your Darlings by Jenna Blum, 368 pages, 12/7/25, recommended
282. The Old Fire by Elisa Shua Dusapin, 192 pages, 12/8/25, recommended
283. The Swamps by Seraphina Nova Glass, 200 pages, 12/11/25, highly recommended
284. Detour by Jeff Rake, Rob Hart, 320 pages, 12/11/25, highly recommended
285. No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah, 416 pages, 12/12/25, recommended
286. All the Little Houses by May Cobb, 480 pages, 12/14/25, very highly recommended ** domestic drama
287. The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski, 288 pages, 12/15/25, recommended
288. Such Sheltered Lives by Alyssa Sheinmel, 288 pages, 12/16/25, recommended
289. The Method by Matthew Quirk, 416 pages, 12/19/25, highly recommended
290. Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston, 352 pages, 12/22/25, highly recommended
291. A Hole in The Sky by Peter F. Hamilton, 400 pages, 12/24/25, very highly recommended * sci fi
292. Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni, 380 pages, 12/25/25, very highly recommended * legal thriller
293. Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, 384 pages, 12/27/25, very highly recommended * thriller
294. Make It Out Alive by Allison Brennan, 400 pages, 12/27/25, very highly recommended ** thriller
295. Paper Cut by Rachel Taff, 304 pages, 12/28/25, highly recommended
296. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden, 336 pages, 12/29/25, very highly recommended *** domestic thriller
297. Blade by Wendy Walker, 303 pages, 12/30/25, recommended

Blade

 

Blade by Wendy Walker
2/1/26; 303 pages
Thomas & Mercer 

Blade by Wendy Walker is a recommended, highly for YA readers, psychological thriller following young elite figure skaters at a training facility.

Ana Robbins is currently a successful defense attorney who specializes in defending traumatized minors. Fourteen years ago, when she was thirteen, she was a student under Coach Dawn Sumner at The Palace, a figure skating training facility in Colorado. Ana was one of the "orphans," skaters who lived in the dorms away from parents. She left after a tragic event. Now Ana is returning the defend Grace Montgomery, a young skater at The Palace who has been accused of the murder of one of the coaches.

While well-written, the pace was very slow and it really felt like a YA or maybe a new adult novel. There are moments and scenes that are presented with great clarity of purpose but for most of the narrative I really struggled to stay focused and involved with the plot. The majority of the novel tells the story of Ana's time at The Palace years earlier rather than focusing on the present charges against Grace, but the secrets and issues are ones Ana should have faced earlier.

The past, however, may hold clues for and connections to the current situation. Also included in the narrative are excerpts from the testimony of witnesses in the court case. Several elements were very predictable and others stretched believability. There are some twists along the way and expect adults behaving badly. I've enjoyed many other books by Walker much more and look forward to her next novel. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.