God's Country

 

God's Country by William Kent Krueger
8/18/26; 256 pages
Atria Books
Cork O'Connor #21

God's Country by William Kent Krueger is a highly recommended thriller and the 21st addition to the Cork O'Connor series. This can be read as a standalone novel, but would best be appreciated by those following the series.

Cork O’Connor, former police officer in Tamarack County, has his whole family coming to visit for Memorial day. Planned is a father and son canoeing/camping trip, including Cork's two grandsons, out on the Boundary Waters. It will be the first trip for Luke, 7, while Waaboo, almost 8, has went once before. Before the trip both Waaboo and Stephen had a vision about Cork that seemed ominous. As Cork picked up the canoe, he learned his friend and guide Cordell Bishop went out with a group of suspicious men. 

As the trip starts, Cork finds signs that make him become increasingly concerned for his friend. Then when the group finds trash, blood and rope marks on a tree, Cork sends the rest to return home as he sets off to rescue Cordell. Soon the words given to him when they went to talk to elder, grandfather Henry Mishomis, become clear. Henry told Cork, "Maybe you are the wolf," as he ends up dealing with a pair of dangerous criminals, the Kennedy brothers, who are looking for something valuable their father hid.

The pace is fast, assisted by short chapters and abbreviated page count. Once the action takes off, it escalates quickly, and violently. Because Cork knows the Boundary Waters and what he's doing, he is able to negotiate with the duo to some extent, but there are still shots fired, people wounded, and several deaths along the way to the expected violent conclusion. Having actually canoed in the Boundary Waters many years ago, it was easy to picture what was going on and understand the effort needed to traverse the area and any portages.

There isn't a great deal of character development or subtle insights into anyone, especially the antagonists, the Kennedy brothers. Since this is the 21st book in the series, however, those following it know the characters, especially Cork, and background information. Krueger does a good job introducing the whole family at the opening, but then this information dump doesn't really matter for the majority of the plot which focuses on the current precarious situation and Corks ability to manage it with finesse.  

God's Country is a good choice for those already following and enjoying the series. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Nearshore

 

Nearshore by Steve Hawk
8/18/26; 352 pages
Penguin 

Nearshore by Steve Hawk is a so-so literary novel about homegrown nuclear terrorism. 

It starts when a small homemade nuclear device is set off in West Virginia claiming two lives. Then the action flips to the west coast where lifeguard Jamie Palmer responds to a boating accident where the victim turns out to be his good friend Alex “Boneyard” Bonnard, a Stanford University professor, and surviving is Bonnard's teenage son, Luca. As godfather to Luca, Palmer steps in to care for him as a guardian. This is when he meets Chelsea Wu, a doctoral student, who confides to Palmer, along with Luca who also knew what was going on, that she and the professor uncovered a connection between the founder of a Silicon Valley megacorporation with the bomb. Then a second device is detonated in Nevada, claiming eight lives and...

This is a well-written literary thriller which starts out very strong, shows promise, and then inexplicably the choice is made to ascribe political elements to the billionaire megalomaniac antagonists and their conspiracy. Yet again I need to caution an author to keep their personal political/social views to themselves as it diminishes the novel. It is well documented where the current violence originates, so no obfuscation is needed. FYI, ask any coder, billionaire owners of tech companies are not the ones writing code. They profit off of profit, not anger. Hawk gets an extra star because he can write, but I wouldn't recommend this novel. Thanks to Penguin for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

That Night

 

That Night by Gillian McAllister
8/18/26; 400 pages (originally published 7/8/21)
William Morrow 

That Night by Gillian McAllister is a recommended character driven mystery, for the right reader. This is a re-release of the novel which was originally published on 7/8/21 in the UK. 

While on vacation in Italy, three siblings, Cathy, Joe, and Frannie Plant, cover-up a death. Frannie calls her siblings late one night, they come running, and find her by a body that she just hit with her car. They then work together to clean up the crime scene and bury the body. It turns out the man was an English expatriate, but also a police officer. He was carrying a warrant that may have been for Joe. The story follows the aftermath and their emotional turmoil.

Normally I have very much enjoyed everything I've read by McAllister and she is a reliable, go-to author. This earlier novel by her was an exception. Right from the start it felt like such a familiar trope: a close group of people, siblings in this case, cover up the murder of someone to protect a member of their group, and then everything escalates and the fallout begins. The story could have been told in half the pages. McAllister does increase the interest somewhat with the format of “Then” and “Now” chapters following two different timelines. "Then" chapters follow the death and aftermath, while the shorter "Now" chapters are leading up to a trial. 

None of these characters are likable or relatable in any way, but the strength in the novel is the character development. Joe is full of anger. Frannie is a spoiled brat. Cathy is the closest to a sympathetic character as she deals with loneliness, low self esteem and guilt. The character development is most certainly there but still... I'm just going to go on record that there has been no time in my life when I would have covered up a crime and buried a body for my siblings, no matter how much they cried or whined. I would have called the ambulance and police asap, and let what happens to happen. Actions have consequences.

McAllister gets points for adding complications to the narrative, a few disclosures, and for character development, raising my score to 3 stars. I am still very much looking forward to her future novels. That Night will be enjoyed by those who enjoy popcorn mysteries with a familiar plot. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The New Wife

 

The New Wife by Gemma Rogers
8/14/26; 280 pages
Boldwood Books 

The New Wife by Gemma Rogers is a highly recommended soapy domestic psychological thriller for the right reader. This one throws everything, including the soapy kitchen sink, into the opera. 

Lucy Davenport, 24, is a baker at “Crumbs Bakery" when she strikes up a relationship with a new customer named David Brightman, an orthodontist who is two decades older than her. What began as a friendly companionship soon grew into love and the two got married on a trip to the Maldives. After the marriage, David quickly turned into a controlling, abusive husband. Lucy feels stuck in the marriage, however, because her mother has stage-four Parkinson’s and requires full-time care. David is paying for her mother's stay at an excellent care home, Wyntham Manor.

When David doesn't come home for dinner, after giving her explicit instructions about the meal for the guests he is bringing, business partner Torsten and his wife Erika who are from Germany, she is unable to contact him. When she contacts his work place she learns that David was married before, told no one there about her, and that he died the day before from anaphylactic shock. No one contacted her because they didn't know about her. Now Lucy needs to collect the papers to prove they are married so she can handle the details. She in for a shock, however, as new details, secrets, people, opportunists, threats, and dangers emerge all seemingly targeting her.

This is a short, fast paced domestic psychological thriller with major soap opera sensibilities. Almost every plot point and twist you could think of happens to Lucy. I would list them but that would ruin the fun. Many of them felt familiar but they are used here to create the suspense, tension, and diversion this novel needed after a bit of a overly familiar opening.

Although several twists are predictable, I am glad I pushed on, kept reading, and did not set it aside. I almost went this direction when it was seemingly another woman in a bad marriage situation, especially when, very early in the plot, this was combined with Lucy unable to find her marriage certificate and she has no idea where it might be located. (She may be young, but, come on, she should have not only known where it was but I'm assuming in the UK she would have had to sign for a marriage license, file paperwork, and use it for updates to other personal information.) Thank goodness the narrative does get better and moves beyond this. 3.5 rounded up when needed.

Lucy can be an exasperating character, but she is tenacious as she attempts to uncover secrets and protect her mother. She has to endure numerous aggressive, manipulating, and potentially lethal actions against her.  The situation David's death puts her in is stressful, especially because his money pays for the excellent care her mother is receiving. 

The New Wife is a good choice for those who enjoy fast-paced domestic psychological thrillers with soap opera vibes. Thanks to Boldwood Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Under the Falls

 

Under the Falls by Richard Russo
8/11/26; 256 pages
Knopf

Under the Falls by Richard Russo is a highly recommended literary/crime drama that exposes resentment, betrayal, and secrets in a small town.

After growing up in a dysfunctional family, Tyler Sinclair left Stone Mountain at eighteen with his guitar and without a word to any of his friends, including his best friend Curt. He never looked back. Now he has success and fame as the front man of his band, Stone Mountain, and finds himself returning for a one-night-only benefit concert to the place he left behind eighteen years ago and vowed never to return to, Stone Mountain. The concert will benefit an old friend, Doc, who had an accident at the swimming hole that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair when he was twelve. When Tyler meets with Doc before the concert for an interview, he learns from Doc while driving to the local high school that some people in Stone Mountain Blame him for Doc's accident. 

When the news comes during the concert that Doc has unexpectedly died, all the resent for Tyler's fame and his never returning or sharing his wealth/fame with them breaks out in the crowd, resulting in a melee. He discovers that Curt is now Stone Mountain’s chief of police and married to Freddi, the girl they both liked. As Tyler and his crew is escaping town in a limousine, they are driven off the road, down the side of a mountain by someone, leaving only two very injured survivors, Tyler and Beth, singer and co-writer. Young police officer Deb is tasked with finding them and calling the ambulance, etc, which sets into motion the start of the crime drama.

This is a very short novel that displays some of Russo's gift in empathetic character development while including flawed individuals, male friendships, and small town issues before veering into a crime story. Russo himself understands a small town's resentment and expectations that a famous former resident should return to benefit them and their situation, despite how that former resident's experiences in the town. This is personally understandable in a roundabout way for me as my family moved a lot when I was a child and when someone in the small town where I attended high school proclaims "and you're from____" I always want to reply, "No, I'm not." 

In an afterword, Russo writes that the novel began as a TV script that didn’t survive the Writer’s Guild strike. As a fan of his writing, this explains some of what the novel is missing, including more of his wit and humor, the abbreviated character development, and better pacing and editing. It also explains the predictability of the plot. While we're confronting this flaw, actually, an astute editor should have also removed the three small, throwaway, dated political comments that serve no purpose in the plot and were all both pointless and unnecessary. Additionally Stone Mountain is a well known city in Georgia, so perhaps another name would have been better. Russo gets points for his body of work. 3.5 rounded up.

Under the Falls is a good choice for fans of Russo's oeuvre. Thanks to Knopf for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Secrets We Hide

 

The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter
8/11/26; 416 pages
William Morrow
North Falls #2 

The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter is an exceptional, very highly recommended investigative thriller/police procedural/family drama. Following We Are All Guilty Here (2025), I have been anxiously anticipating this second book in the series set in North Falls, Georgia. Yet again, Slaughter has reliably delivered one of the best novels I've read this year. 

Just six weeks after her father's death, Sheriff Emmy Clifton is leaving the graveside service of her mother, Myrna, with her sister Jude, retired FBI, and her son Cole, rookie officer. They are on their way to the lunch at cousin Taybee's home when the unmistakable sound of gun shots ring out by the house of Allison Vickery, a former police officer. What they find inside is Allison dead and Mandy, her sixteen-year-old daughter barely alive. From initial appearances it seems that Allison and Mandy were packing the car to leave. Were they fleeing from Allison's known abusive husband, Bill Garrison, or was something else going on in Allison's life? A neighbor saw Mandy talking to Wesley "Woody" Woodrow, part of the Rawley clan who are known for drugs, so was this related to them?

The writing is excellent, the pace is lightning-fast, the investigation is complex, and the tension is relentless in this outstanding procedural. The pages just flew by while reading. All the leads and clues are logically followed up on through a complicated maze of information, potential suspects, and connections are uncovered during the investigation. The insular small town setting provides clues from decades of secrets and hidden clout leveraged by a few. There are numerous discoveries which influence the detailed, gripping, suspenseful and unpredictable plot. The stress is palpable and increases throughout the narrative.

These are all believable, realistic, and fully realized characters with definite strengths and weaknesses. They are also deeply flawed individuals. The tenacity, intelligence and resilience of Emmy and Jude is on full display, as they investigate even while grieving, and, in Jude's case, keeping secrets. Along with the individual characters, the dynamics between family members and the community also play a role in the plot. The interaction between characters, especially Emmy and Jude, can be informative, tense and, for Emmy, combative. 

Slaughter always writes excellent novels and continues to be an automatic go-to author for me. I'm anxiously awaiting the next direction this series takes as I'm fully invested in these characters now. This may be a procedural and thriller, but it is also an intricate family drama that will still be evolving in future novels. This is novel is the real deal - fast-paced, believable plot, nothing formulaic, well written, interesting characters, and the potential for much more development in the future. 

The Secrets We Hide is an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys complex procedurals/investigative thrillers and is one of the best books I've read this year. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Tailor

 

The Tailor by Tim Sullivan
8/11/26; 368 pages
Grove/Atlantic
DS George Cross Mystery #8

The Tailor by Tim Sullivan is a very highly recommended procedural/mystery and the eighth book in the series featuring Detective Sergeant George Cross of the Bristol Major Crimes Unit. It is always a pleasure to follow Cross, who is on the autism spectrum, investigating anything while dealing with the various challenges of life. This is a welcomed addition to the series.

A man is found murdered in the toilet on a train at Bath Spa with his throat cut and a plastic bag over his head. The BTP, British Transport Police, are understaffed so they call in the major crimes unit to take the case. The man is identified as William (Billy) Titcomb, a tailor of bespoke (made to order) suits. He was headed to the airport, traveling to Dubai and then to China, but all his luggage, including a suitcase and two suit carriers, is missing. It quickly becomes clear that this was a planned murder, but who would want to kill a tailor? 

Detective Sergeant George Cross along with his new partner, DC Alice Mackenzie, begin to investigate. Cross, who struggles following social cues, uses his unique observational and intuitive skills to notice clues others can miss. They talk to the new widow, Min, who is Chinese and works for SJM Energy Solutions. Cross feels something is off. They begin looking into clients. As the investigation continues, it seems that something more is going on and the clues lead to connections with a local gangster, clients, another death, and two South Korean tourists who seem to start appearing.  

All of the novels in this series are compelling, well-written, fast-paced, complex procedurals which follow both the case at hand and Cross's personal life. This series sets itself apart with the uniqueness of the main character and the twisty, complicated, intuitive, and analytical investigations undertaken in the plot. The intelligent investigation logically and instinctively follows the clues making it another enjoyable procedural in the series. Although this can be enjoyed as a standalone novel, reading the previous books in the series and knowing all the characters and their backgrounds makes it a even greater pleasure to read.

In his personal life, Cross wrestles with accepting a new partner while dealing with issues involving his parents. He also becomes interested in a bespoke suit, which, knowing Cross, makes perfect sense considering the meticulousness attention to details involved in a handmade suit. At this point, all the characters in the series are fully realized individuals. This series depends on both the strong characterizations, along with the complicated, well reasoned plot, to propel the action forward. The unique main character also serves to set this series apart from others.

The Tailor is a wonderful choice for those who enjoy procedurals/mysteries and are also following the DS George Cross series. Thanks to Grove/Atlantic for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.