Strangers in Time

Strangers in Time David Baldacci
4/15/25; 448 pages
Grand Central Publishing

Strangers in Time David Baldacci is a descriptive, very highly recommended character driven historical fiction set in 1944 London during WWII.

Thirteen-year-old Charlie Matters lives with his grandmother, his only surviving relative. He's dropped out of school and spends his days using his wits to make money or steal what he can. When he notices through a window some biscuits on a plate and money in a cash drawer at a book store called The Book Keep, Charlie rushes in, steals the food and money, and runs. Later circumstances lead to him returning the money to the store owner, widower Ignatius Oliver.

Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to London after spending years in the countryside. When she arrives home the only person there is her nanny. She learns her mother has been hospitalized and her father is gone. She meets Charlie on the streets and asks him to help her find the building where her father is supposed to be working, but he's not there. Later, Molly meets Ignatius when looking for Charlie and as bombs wreak havoc on the city, the three forge a relationship.

The characters are richly drawn and depicted as fully realized, complicated individuals with flaws and strengths. The setting is also skillfully descriptive of place and time. All the characters are struggling with personal battles while a battle is literally going on around them, exposing everyone to potential death. The overwhelming sense of anxiety and the hustle for survival, as well as their tenacity, is clearly depicted in bomb-shattered London.

Strangers in Time moves at a fast pace and will hold your complete attention right to the end. The detailed, descriptive writing helps to vividly bring the characters and the setting to life. There are several plot twists, threats, mysteries, and surprises incorporated into the narrative along the way. Generally I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction, but this novel is excellent, compelling, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Readers who enjoy well-written historical fiction should definitely read Strangers in Time. 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.

Ruth Run

Ruth Run by Elizabeth Kaufman
4/15/25; 304 pages
Penguin 

Ruth Run by Elizabeth Kaufman is a highly recommended cross-country pursuit following a cybercriminal on the run and the government agency looking for her.

Ruth, 26, designed a hacked firewall microchip that is used in many banking systems that allows her to skim money from the banks. She has amassed more than $250 million when an alarm goes off one night alerting her that someone has accessed part of her system. She goes on the run with a bag full of cash as Mike along with others, all agents with an unnamed government agency, chase her.  Along the way she meets an eccentric cast of characters.

The narrative is presented from two points-of-view, Ruth and Mike. Ruth is an interesting character. Obviously she's intelligent, but she also grew up poor and will do whatever it takes to get by, including forgoing any gratification right now for future benefits. She is obsessed with good food and fantasizes about what she will be able to enjoy in the future. Never having money, not really knowing how much she would need, and now on the run, she reflects that perhaps she should have been satisfied with less money and left her life of crime earlier. 

Mike thinks he has a connection with Ruth. He has been stalking her for seven years, but there are others who are also obsessed with her. Her pursuers from the agency are all of dubious integrity.

Ruth Run moves at a fast-paced throughout. It is a compelling and sometimes humorous novel with an interesting plot. I was engrossed right to the end and cheering Ruth on as she eluded capture. The actual ending, however, was a problem for me. No spoilers, but it involves a bad choice that almost knocked two stars off my rating. 

Thanks to Penguin for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Enough Is Enuf

Enough Is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell by Gabe Henry
4/15/25; 304 pages
HarperCollins

Enough Is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell by Gabe Henry is a very highly recommended, brief and humorous account of the 500-year history of the various movements to simplify the spelling of English words.

"There's a reason spelling bees are only common in English speaking countries: English spelling is absurd." 
This is a sentiment I'm well acquainted with as someone who was out on the first round of my 6th grade spelling bee. I celebrated when spell check came into our lives. As Henry points out, there are two problems: English has 44 sounds but only 26 letters and every sound in English has 4 ways of spelling it. Anyone who has ever taught a child to read understands how complicated it is. A study showed that it takes children take 2-3 times longer to grasp English spelling.

Enough Is Enuf focuses on the linguistic history and other factors that have contributed to the complexity of spelling and those who promoted changing it. Over the years there have been numerous who attempted to simplify spelling including, in part, a 12th century monk named Ormin, John Cheke, Ben Franklin, Noah Webster (who smuggled in dozens of simplifications such as colour to color in his dictionary), Mark Twain, Melvill Dewey, Eliza Burnz, C. S. Lewis, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Darwin, Theodore Roosevelt, U2, Prince, and Def Leppard, and, currently, textspeak.

I was engrossed, informed, and entertained throughout this historical look at those who tried to reform the spelling of the English language. He honestly points out that one drawback to any simplify spelling movement is who really wants to learn how to read all over again? Included at the end is an abbreviated dictionary of simplified spelling based on Noah Webster's writing,  a section called "Muzik and Liriks," notes, and an index.

Enough Is Enuf is a well-written, well-researched, and entertaining history. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Coram House

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt
4/15/25; 320 pages
Atria Books 

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt is a highly recommended atmospheric mystery inspired by a true story.

Writer and recent widow Alex Kelley accepts the opportunity to be the ghost writer for a true crime story following unsolved mysteries at an abandoned orphanage in Vermont. The orphanage called Coram House is located on the shores of Lake Champlain. Years previously a settlement was made for the adult survivors for the abuse they received there. Now the detective who as in charge of the case wants to publish a book about it and he will pay Alex to write it.

Once Alex arrives in Vermont, she brings the many boxes of files, interviews, etc. about the case to her rented residence and she begins the discovery process. What captures her attention is the 1968 disappearance of nine-year-old Tommy. Some survivors say he ran away but it is also said that a nun drowned him. There are other conflicted accounts of abuse inflicted on the children. As Alex begins investigating and interviewing people,  she discovers a woman's body in the lake, and she know it was not an accident.

This is a slow-burning, atmospheric tale so don't expect heart-stopping action along the way. Along with being atmospheric, it is also a very descriptive novel. It will hold the attention of readers who enjoy procedurals and investigative novels where information is slowly and carefully exposed and revealed while connections are made.

Actually, my appreciation of the novel increased while reading. The final chapters and the surprising twist raised my rating. Early on, between the slow pace, constant bottles of wine being consumed, and the endless descriptions of the cold weather I wasn't feeling very interested. (It's Vermont in the winter, most readers will understand winter.)

None of the main characters are especially sympathetic or likeable. Alex's husband died recently, so there is some sympathy for her grief. She also has tenacity in following the trail of information she's on even when others are trying to discourage her focus on it. Included between chapters are transcripts of testimony from the adult survivors.

This is a debut mystery that shows some promise for future novels. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

What Remains of Teague House

What Remains of Teague House by Stacy Johns
4/8/25; 432 pages
Poisoned Pen Press

What Remains of Teague House by Stacy Johns is a recommended mystery and dysfunctional family drama.

When the Rawlins family matriarch Val unexpectedly passes, all three adult children, Jon, Sandra, and Rob, rush home. Val’s younger sister, Phil, has been caring for her sister for years and also lives at the house. When Sandra and Jon find a finger sticking out of the freshly disturbed ground at what was a pet cemetery on their land, the police are called. They discover five bodies. The most recent one was Gayle Bethested, a local teacher and mother. The other bodies appear to be older. Are the bodies connected to their father’s suicide years earlier or is something else going on?

The narrative introduces all the siblings and their complicated relationships in short chapters. Jon recently lost his wife and Sandra has been helping him care for his son. Robby's marriage is on shaky ground due to his serial philandering, including an affair with Gayle. The relationship between Val and Phyllis is also developed starting when they were teens in 1972 and follows them into Val's marriage. Added into the mix is private detective Maddie Reed, who believes her missing foster sister may be one of the victims.

They are all grieving the death of their mother but it becomes clear that she really was lost to them long before, even before their fathers death. Adding to the menacing tone of the narrative are the bodies found on the land, questions about who could be responsible, and murky memories from their childhood. There are plenty of dark secrets in the house, including secret hiding spots. And they all have their own secrets they are keeping hidden while trying to untangle who could be responsible for the bodies buried on their land. And why is Aunt Phil so anxious to leave on her cruise soon after the funeral?

The plot is very slow moving and flipping between the multiple points-of-view doesn't work well as the complications increase. At some point, I began to lose patience with the slow reveal of more and more intricate clues, switching between points-of-view, and little to tie everything together, especially when one early clue made it clear who they should be looking for. By the time the final denouement arrived, I just felt relieved a conclusion was reached. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Nothing Left to Lose

Nothing Left to Lose, or, How Not to Start a Commune by Jeff Richards
4/8/25; 272 pages
Circuit Breaker Books

Nothing Left to Lose, or, How Not to Start a Commune by Jeff Richards is a so-so memoir set in the midst of counterculture life in the 60's. As a young college men Jeff Richards and his friend Rick Sager decide to start a commune out in the Rocky Mountains. What follows is a whole series of adventures, communes, drugs, sex, and road trips as they wandering back and forth across the country.

This is Richard's story, but it is one that has been told before and presented better. While reading, the narrative felt unorganized, muddled, and disjointed. Yes, those feelings likely are a reflection of the times and the experiences, but once I finished reading Nothing Left to Lose I just felt sad.

This is recommended for readers who appreciate memoirs about the 60's counterculture. Thanks to Circuit Breaker Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Baker of Lost Memories

The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel
6/1/25; 317 pages
Little A

The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel is a recommended family drama/historical fiction.

Anya and Josef lost their first daughter, Ruby, but they survived the Holocaust before moving from Poland to America. There they had another daughter, Lena. While growing up, Lena always felt her parents distance from her but she had a best friend, Pearl, who tragically disappears from Lena’s life. The narrative goes on to follow Lena growing up, marrying, and owning a bakery in 1960's Brooklyn.

The quality of the writing is good and has a lot of potential as it deals with trauma and the effects of it on a family. The plot is interesting, mainly follows Lena's struggles with her marriage and her work at the bakery, but the pacing is uneven, verging on glacially slow at times. The narrative alternates between the point-of-view of Anya and Lena and provides insight into the distance between mother and daughter and the struggles in continuing their relationship. Most of the interpersonal problems, both with Lena's marriage and with her mother, could have been resolved with an open, honest discussion.

Honestly, I never felt emotionally invested in the characters or the novel, likely due to the uneven pacing. Introducing Pearl suddenly coming back into Lena's life was an unbelievable aspect to the plot. I deduced what was up right away, could not suspend disbelief, and rejected the premise. Perhaps people who relish all historical fiction novels will enjoy this more than I did.

Thanks to Little A for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

No More Tears

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris
4/8/25; 464 pages
Random House

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris is an excellent, very highly recommended, well researched and documented investigative exposé on the Johnson & Johnson corporation. Harris uncovers decades of deceitful practices including hiding, ignoring, or changing research, lying, and using their money and power to influence doctors and media. As Harris states, for all intents and purposes, J&J was a criminal enterprise that embraced a corporate pattern of greed and misconduct while hiding the truth from consumers.

It is pointed out that one consistent theme is how unsurprising so many findings were. This is something that many readers will take note of as we remember the decades long question about the safety of talc and recall when the dangers of Tylenol were brought to light. It was disturbing how long J&J dug in and didn't take the talc out of their baby powder. J&J always put their business interests first whenever it appeared they would be impacted by awareness and regulation of any of their products due to research and studies demonstrating negative consequences on public health.

The information is presented in 5 parts. Part I opens with the history of J&J, and continues with sections on Johnson's Baby Powder and Tylenol.  Part II Prescription Drugs, has sections on Procrit, Risperdal, Duragesic, and the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch. Part III Medical Devices contains sections on the Pinnacle Metal on Metal Hip implant and Prolift Vaginal Mesh. Part IV on Vaccination covers Covid. Following this are pages of notes which serve to thoroughly document all the information.

Harris ends with seven actions that should be taken. Briefly they are: 1. Doctors should be barred from taking money as gifts from drug companies. 2. States should stop certifying continuing medical education courses funded by drug and device companies. 3. The FDA needs to be funded by taxpayers, not the drug industry. 4. Companies and executives should be punished for lying under oath to the FDA and courts. 5. States should repeal laws that forbid personal injury suits or punitive damages against FDA approved products. 6. The American media organizations need to do some deep soul searching to figure out how they so thoroughly missed the monster in their midst. 7. There must be a wholesale reassessment of the very system where the conglomerate was allowed to thrive.

This is a must read exceptional analysis of well documented research which exposes information that everyone should know. Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

She's a Lamb!

She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock
4/8/25; 312 pages
ECW Press

She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock is a recommended novel, highly for the right reader. It takes a deep dive into the also spiraling mind of an aspiring actress.

Jessamyn St. Germain knows she is destined to be a star in the theater who is adored by fans. At age 26 she may just be an usher at one of Vancouver’s smallest regional theaters, but Jessamyn know she will get the part of Maria in the upcoming production of The Sound of Music. When she doesn't get a role and instead is offered the position of childminder for young actors playing the von Trapp children. Her vocal coach, Renee, reinforces Jessamyn's delusion that she was tasked with doing that so she can step in and take over the role when Samantha Nguyen, the actress playing Maria fails.

The biggest drawback to the narrative is Jessamyn, who is not simply an unlikable and unreliable character, she's an intensely unhinged woman who believes she is talented in her fantasied mind. Since the whole plot unfolds through her point-of-view it is exhausting to be immersed in her magical thinking, anger, self-aggrandizement, mental-health issues, and delusion. 

However, it will hold your attention, especially if you enjoy being inside the unraveling mind of a person. Sometimes the fantasy she is making up in her mind of her stellar abilities can actually be so absurd it is humorous (but usually it is disturbing). 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to ECW Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
4/8/25; 384 pages
William Morrow

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner is a very highly recommended family drama following three women: two sisters brief career in the world of pop music and the burgeoning talent of a daughter.

Sisters Zoe and Cassie Grossberg were born a year apart and are polar opposites. Zoe is pretty, popular, and wants to be a singer in a band. Cassie is a wildly talented musical prodigy who can sing, write songs, and play anything on the piano, but she is overweight and lacks confidence and self esteem. Cassie will sing with Zoe, however, so when she is talked into performing one night the two are discovered.

They form a group, The Griffin Sisters, and songwriter Russell D’Angelo, joins them. He and Cassie immediately connect when writing songs together. Zoe, who is used to be the sister everyone wants, sets her sights on Russell, in spite of his lack of interest in her. Her actions eventually lead the group breaking up, and, inadvertently, Russell's death. Cassie flees to Alaska and cuts off contact. Zoe has a baby, Cherry, and tries and fails to launch a solo career. She then marries and loses all aspirations for fame.

Cherry shows a real musical talent, but her mother discourages her from pursuing a career in music. At 18 she auditions, gets a spot on a talent search show, and leaves home without a word. This eventually leads her to trying to find her aunt Cassie for help and, in part, to learn the truth about what happened to the band years ago.

Chapters in the narrative follows Cassie, Zoe, and Cherry in the current day and also have chapters from two decades earlier when The Griffin Sisters began allowing you to get a good sense of their personalities and proclivities. The characters are all depicted as fully realized individuals with strengths, flaws, needs, and secrets.  We know their inner struggles, failings, and thoughts. They are not all likeable, but they are portrayed as realistic with their own challenges.

The writing is excellent and the pace is fast. Once I started reading this novel, I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I became invested in the plot and caught up with the drama and complexities of the interaction between both the sisters and also the issues between mother and daughter. Knowing their inner thoughts and secrets, even those that were unpleasant and cruel, gave depth to the characters and their motives and desires. It also makes it a nuanced, realistic family drama.

This is a novel about sisters, dreams, music, motherhood, young love, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to follow your dreams. Along with that is also a realistic delineation of the adage that all actions have consequences and those consequences must be faced. Finally, clearly there is a message about not judging people by their looks.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits is a great choice for those who enjoy family dramas and music. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Float Test

The Float Test by Lynn Steger Strong
4/8/25; 272 pages
HarperCollins

The Float Test by Lynn Steger Strong is a recommended literary family drama set in Florida.

The four Kenner family siblings come together after their mother dies. The oldest daughter Jenn, lives nearby and has a large family, Fred (Winnifred) is a writer who is unable to write, Jude is a former lawyer who has a teenage daughter and a grudge against Fred, and George is estranged from his wife and job. Jude is the omniscient narrator and describes everyone's experiences over two months during the summer in Florida.

First, the writing is quite descriptive and the potential for a great literary drama following a dysfunctional family is present. The descriptions of the hot, humid atmosphere in Florida is palpable. 

All of these siblings have a strained relationship with each other, including secrets and grudges they are holding. There are numerous interpersonal issues, backstories, subplots, secrets, anxieties, and actions going on throughout the novel. unfortunately, none of the characters are compelling. Fred is decidedly annoying and the story focuses on her the most.

Unfortunately all of the well-written various parts don't coalesce into that one whole, complete story. 2.5 - rounded up for the descriptive writing. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
3/25/25; 336 pages
Tor Publishing/Macmillian

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi is an absolutely stellar, very highly recommended science fiction satire. This will absolutely be on my list of the best books of the year.

The moon has turned into cheese. A new lunar cycle marks the moment when the moon was replaced with cheese, or an "organic matrix," as NASA prefers to put it. All the lunar rock samples on earth have also turned to cheese. One concern is that a mass of cheese sixteen hundred miles in diameter isn't likely to be stable. 

Now everyone around the world is confronting and struggling with the existential questions regarding all aspects of the moon turning to cheese. These discussions include average citizens, scientists, politicians, astronauts, authors, billionaires, filmmakers, philosophers, religious leaders, students, comedians, bankers, and more.

As expected, the writing is excellent. My appreciation of When the Moon Hits Your Eye only increased while reading. The premise is introduced and then chapters are various people reacting. It covers one lunar cycle. There are no main characters, however there are several recurring characters. The narrative can be extremely humorous but also serious and touching at times.

The plot unfolds through a collection of a wide variety of people reacting to an absolutely absurd occurrence that challenges everyone's fundamental understanding of the universe. It is a satirical book about a cross section of humanity faced with a large scale crisis and how they react. The crisis here is a moon made of cheese but comparisons could be made to the varied and numerous reactions to other world wide events.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a perfect choice for readers who can appreciate the surface level absurd situation and understand the deeper implications it induces. Thanks to Tor/Macmillian for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Devil's Kitchen

The Devil's Kitchen by Mark Thielman
4/1/25; 310 pages
Severn River
Johnson and Nance #1

The Devil's Kitchen by Mark Thielman is a recommended novel with a dual timeline which alternates between events from the French revolution and a current murder mystery in Yellowstone.

In Paris, France, 1794 during the French Revolution art student Aristede is protecting the Scepter of Dogobert, a relic of the French royalty. The goal is to smuggle it out of the country for safe keeping. In the present, a history professor is found dead at the base of Yellowstone Canyon. Seasonal park ranger and former homicide detective Clarence Johnson assists Special Agent Alison Nance with the investigation once it is determined they are dealing with a murderer.

Johnson and Nance worked well together and following the clues in the murder investigation is a compelling part of the narrative. There are keen insights into what may be the motive behind the murder as well as some humor along the way. Also included is a good dose of art history which neatly ties into the plot. I enjoyed this storyline. It would be entertaining to follow them, along with Johnson's dog, Tripod, in another investigation.

Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction but I have been known to appreciate it at times. In this case, the chapters set in the 1790's were less appealing than those set in the present. I just never cared that much, although I knew it would eventually tie into the present day investigation, so these chapters felt like they dragged on too long.

The Devil's Kitchen will appeal to readers who enjoy the French Revolution, art history, a treasure hunt, murder mysteries and police procedurals. Thanks to Severn River for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Last Session

The Last Session by Julia Bartz
4/1/25; 368 pages
Atria/Emily Bestler Books

The Last Session by Julia Bartz is a so-so locked-room thriller that starts out strong but quickly requires more setting disbelief aside than I'm willing to undertake.

Thea is a social worker who offers art therapy to patients in a New York psychiatric clinic. One day catatonic patient is admitted and Thea figures out that it’s Catherine O’Brien, star of Stargirl, a movie she obsessed over as a teen. When Catherine is signed out by two people pretending to be her parents, Thea decides to find out where she was taken. This leads her to a remote cult-like center in Southwestern New Mexico.

The opening scene will grab your attention. After that the tension is high throughout and the plot moves at a good pace but then it does the literary equivalent of jumping the shark - multiple times. 

It gets two stars because I read it. I shouldn't have. Thanks to Atria for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Family Recipe

The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh
4/1/25; 320 pages
Atria Books

The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh is a highly recommended family drama following a highly dysfunctional Vietnamese family in Texas.

Duc Tran, founder of the Vietnamese sandwich chain Duc’s Sandwiches, has decided to retire. His wife Evelyn left the family twenty years ago. His new wife Connie is off vacationing and Duc has traveled somewhere to hide. Duc has his best friend and lawyer, Huey Ngo, meet with five estranged adult children about their inheritance. What they are given is a challenge. His four daughters, Jane, Paulina, Bingo, and Georgina, must revitalize run-down shops in old-school Little Saigon locations across America: Houston, San Jose, New Orleans, and Philadelphia—within a year. But if the first-born (and only) son, Jude, gets married first, everything will go to him.

What follows are chapter from many different points-of-view, including Duc and Heuy's history, all the individual adult children, Evelyn, and Connie. Duc and Heuy's experiences cover their past history as Vietnamese immigrants who arrived after the war in Vietnam. The individual personalities and struggles of each character come to life in their chapters. Each different perspective is interesting in its own way, however some are more compelling than others.

Each daughter tackles the challenge of fixing up the sandwich shops they have been assigned in their own way. Georgia, the youngest daughter, finds more than a sandwich shop. She finds their missing mother living in New Orleans.

While the novel is enjoyable, because who doesn't occasionally appreciate a messy family drama, none of the characters are especially appealing or likable. It would be nice to have some character to support. This is also a very culturally specific novel as it follows the family history. It does explore finding your way through in life, inter-generational trauma, legacy, fatherly love, and how you fit in across the generations.

The Family Recipe is a good choice for readers who enjoy stories from everyone's point-of-view in a dysfunctional family from a specific cultural background. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

OverKill

OverKill by J. A. Jance
4/1/25; 336 pages
Gallery Books
Ali Reynolds #18

OverKill by J. A. Jance is a highly recommended investigative thriller which follows two cases. This is the eighteenth book in the Ali Reynolds series.

Chuck Brewster, the former business partner of Ali Reynolds’s husband B. Simpson, is found murdered the morning after they had his 60th birthday party. His second wife Clarice, woke up covered in his blood and came out of their bedroom holding a knife and screaming, startling housekeeper Donna Jean Plummer who took the knife from her and called 911. Clarice, who doesn't remember anything, is the obvious suspect and Donna Jean is also targeted by the police. Clarice tries to call B. for help, but talks to Ali instead. Ali, B.’s wife and partner in High Noon Enterprises, puts their A.I. Frigg on the case.

In a second case someone is stalking Camille Lee while she’s on the road for High Noon. Because she is hyper alert, she noticed the man and managed to covertly get a picture of him. Then she outsmarts the man who is following her, gets to a safe place and calls Ali who sends private security for Cami. Frigg identifies the suspect as Bulgarian trafficker Bogdan Petrov, but why he would be following Cami is unknown. Cami continues to have a security guard as she travels to London for a week of business meetings.

The main case is the murder of Chuck Brewster, however both cases are interesting, complex, methodically undertaken, and the pace is fast. I did guess who was responsible very early on but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the novel. Since this is the eighteenth novel in the series readers following the series know all the characters along with their backgrounds. OverKill can be read and appreciated as a standalone novel, you just won't have all the backstory.

The A.I. Frigg plays a major role and essentially becomes another character in the plot. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it certainly helps the narrative move quickly because answers to all questions are swiftly provided and the A.I. is always available. Frigg also seems to be able to get information that would not normally be available for public consumption and can quickly do tasks that would be time consuming to investigate.

J. A. Jance is a go-to author who can consistently write an entertaining investigative thriller. Thanks to Gallery Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Heartwood

Heartwood by Amity Gaige
4/1/25; 320 pages
Simon & Schuster

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is an atmospheric literary novel centered around a woman hiker who goes missing from the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Maine. The narrative unfolds through the point-of-view of three women. Although chapter headings inform you whose point-of-view follows, the voices of these three women are distinct and immediately recognizable while reading.

After hiking 1900 miles on the Appalachian Trail, Valerie Gillis, a 42 year-old nurse, fails to show up at a predetermined checkpoint in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness and is reported missing by her husband, Gregory Bouras. Lost, alone, and with only one boot, she spends her time writing letters to her mother. Her trail name is Sparrow and she met and spent much of her hike with Santo, an amiable heavyset Black hiker from the Bronx who had to leave before the stretch of trail through Maine.

Lt. Beverly Miller, Maine State Game Warden, is in charge of the search and rescue effort. She has led many successful searches, but she knows the statistic on timeliness and survival. When a massive, multiday effort turns up no sign of Valerie, Bev fears the worst but keeps up the effort to find her.

Lena Kucharski, 76, is a wheelchair bound resident of a Connecticut retirement community, who becomes an armchair detective when she learns of the search. Valerie reminds her of her estranged daughter. She's in contact online with a forager and survivalist who professes to know the search area. There are some additional points-of-view also included.

In the even paced narrative the tension increases as time passes because readers know what Valerie is experiencing and how dire her situation is. Once you learn how she went off trail, it is a game changer in the story. It is also clear how dedicated and determined Bev is while conducting the search and rescue efforts as well as how heavy the search weighs on her. Lena's role is interesting but it is not clear why it is included at first. Rest assured it all comes together at the final denouement.

Heartwood is mainly an introspective literary novel. The plot explores aging, mother-daughter relationships, tenacity, introspection, and solitude. Stress induced by the pandemic was also mentioned, which I can do without hearing. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

When We Were Real

When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory
4/1/25; 464 pages
Simon & Schuster/Saga Press

When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory is a highly recommended road trip novel melded with a science fiction tome and a buddy adventure. This is a highly entertaining, exciting, and frustrating read.

Seven years earlier came the Announcement which revealed our world is a digital simulation. After that, the Impossibles, the physics-defying glitches and geographic miracles started cropping up. The North American Impossibilities Tour through the Canterbury Trails Tour Company takes customers on a bus to sites caused by glitches in the code. The sites include in part a frozen tornado, anti-gravity geysers, a flock of sheep made of clouds, a tunnel that runs outside of time, a rectangular canyon where gravity reorients and Ghost City.

JP “The Engineer,” who has a brain tumor, and Dulin, “The Comic Book Writer,” have been the best friends for decades and sign up for the tour. Other participants who initially are introduced by nicknames, include: Janet and Patrice, “The Nuns,” Gregory "the Rabbi," Beth-Anne, “The Nurse,” Lisa Marie the pregnant "influencer," the proud grandmother, the reader, the Octos, the realist and son, the honeymooners, the tour guide, and the professor. 

A seating chart for the bus is included at the opening of the novel and readers will learn the names of the participants, with the exception of the Octos. It may be a bit confusing at first, but everyone is given a distinct voice and personality. It becomes clear that they all have their own motives for taking the tour. The narrative unfolds through the  point-of-view of multiple individual characters.

The premise that everyone is living in a simulation and they know it is intriguing and begs the questions who is in charge, can you change trajectories, and is it possible to delete things. Adding the glitches the Impossibles represent to the world makes it even more interesting. All the participants on the tour have their own reasons to take the tour and their discussions and experiences on the tour are in the forefront while they grapple with existential questions.

The action and personal journeys of each character expands beyond the road trip to confront even larger issues. This along with some of the discussions and actions along the way made this a frustrating novel. It is also, as I mentioned, highly entertaining.

When We Were Real is ultimately a literary novel that covers several different genres. This could provide lively discussions for a book club, assuming you could get it on the agenda. Thanks to Saga Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Death at Porthcurno Cove

Death at Porthcurno Cove by Sally Rigby
3/19/25; 240 pages
Storm Publishing
Cornwall Murder Mystery #5

Death at Porthcurno Cove by Sally Rigby is a highly recommended procedural and the fifth book in the enjoyable Cornwall Murder Mystery series.

DI Lauren Pengelly is walking her dogs on the beach early one morning when they discover two bodies lying on a blanket. Beside them is an empty Prosecco bottle, a ring box, and a note that says, "Sorry." It appears they were celebrating their engagement. Lauren calls in the medical examiner and her team, including her partner DS Matt Price, to start the investigation. The victims are quickly identified as university students Jasmine and Finley, both 21-years-old. Now the team must follow the evidence to determine if this is double suicide or something more nefarious.

This is a another great, well-written addition to the reliably entertaining Cornwall Murder Mystery series. The plot moves quickly and logically as clues are followed and new information is uncovered. There are several twists as the investigation proceeds and focuses on a close knit group of friends. The only drawback was I predicted the ending early on this time, but following the clues to the conclusion was still satisfying.

These characters in this series are well known to me and are all portrayed as fully realized individuals. I like the interaction between them. In the ending a minor story line in the narrative indicates more changes and challenges for them, especially Matt, in the future.

Death at Porthcurno Cove is a great choice for readers who enjoy procedurals. Thanks to Storm Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie
3/25/25; 368 pages
Penguin/Putnam

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie is a highly recommended, brutal, character-driven crime saga.

In the Little Canada area of Waterville, Maine, Babs Dionne, proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch, rules. She controls local politicians and law enforcement while overseeing the sale of illegal drugs in her small town with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a Marine vet struggling with addiction. When her youngest daughter, Sis, is missing and later found dead, Babs is out for revenge. Adding to the complications is the arrival in town of a mysterious malevolent enforcer known as The Man.

This is a gritty, riveting, harsh, gripping, darkly humorous, tension-packed, and violent family crime drama and mystery, which is also, ultimately, a tragedy. It is very much character-driven as it follows the life of one tough woman, the matriarch Babs Dionne, her family, and her criminal empire. The plot is cinematic in the presentation and includes a supernatural element. You can see this becoming a movie.

The characters are fully realized individuals with all their strengths, struggles, and numerous flaws clearly presented. Their are backstories from their lives included which helps flesh them out even more, creating some empathy with individuals who are clearly damaged.

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne will be appreciated by readers who enjoy brutal family crime sagas. Thanks to Penguin/Putnam for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Lethal Prey

Lethal Prey by John Sandford
3/25/25; 400 pages
Penguin Group/Putnam
Prey Series #35

Lethal Prey by John Sandford is a very highly recommended crime thriller/procedural. Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers work together to track down a ruthless killer who wants to keep the past buried. This can be read as a standalone novel.

A body of a woman brutally stabbed to death was found dumped in the woods along the edge of a park and was identified as Doris Grandfelt, an employee at an accounting firm. The perpetrator was never found. Now, twenty years later the victims twin sister Lara is determined to find Doris's killer. Having been diagnosed with breast cancer, Lara is facing her own mortality and wants justice for Doris. 

To accomplish her goal Lara provides the entire investigative file to every true-crime site in the world and offers a $5 million reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest. Dozens of true-crime bloggers show up looking for both new evidence and “clicks.”  U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport and state investigator Virgil Flowers are assigned the case and review anything that might be a new lead.

The novel opens with the murder so readers know exactly what happened, why, and who did it. When the body is found, we see the unproductive investigation that followed and Lara's increasing frustration at that time. Then the narrative jumps ahead twenty years and the investigation reopens when the true-crime bloggers descend upon the crime scene and the city looking for clues, and information to publish for their followers. 

What the social media true crime aficionados have is the numbers and enthusiasm to investigate. While they follow Lucas and Virgil, inserting themselves into the investigation, they also find the murder weapon. Conversely, they also publish on social media every step followed in the investigation, which allows the murderer to also follow it.

The characters have a good working relationship and the banter between the two is entertaining. Adding even more entertainment are the various social media true crime publishers interacting with them. The dialogue between characters is realistic. The killer is really a psychopath and readers will be following her actions too.

Lethal Prey is a well-written tension packed procedural/thriller full of twists and action. The pace is fast and the pages fly by. The ending was unsatisfying, but this is still an entertaining read. Thanks to Penguin/Putnam for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Nobody's Fool

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben
3/25/25; 352 pages
Grand Central
Sami Kierce #2

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben is an excellent, very highly recommended, twisty investigative thriller. You don't want to miss this one!

Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends when he meets Anna in a nightclub in Fuengirola. His friends move on but Sami stays on with Anna until one morning he wakes up, covered in blood with a knife in his hand, and the body of Anna beside him. He doesn’t know what happened. He screams and then he runs. 

Twenty-two years later Sami is a former NYPD cop now working as a PI for a law firm and teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. When Sami sees a woman peeking her head in the door, he can't believe his eyes. It is Anna. He chases her down the hall and manages to get a tracker into her coat pocket before she flees. How can it be possible that she is alive?

What follows is an un-put-downable, action-packed, masterful investigative thriller where events from Sami's past come to the forefront in the present. Sami is not only searching for answers about Anna, there are numerous other things going on all at the same time. The tension runs high, the twists and reveals are nonstop, and the action gallops throughout the unpredictable but extremely well-executed plot right to the stunning ending.

Sami is a fully realized character who is portrayed as a unique, intelligent individual with a keen mind and a sense of humor. He is happily married to Molly and they have a one-year-old son, Henry. The plot unfolds through Sami's point-of-view. This is the second Sami Kierce novel following Fool Me Once but it can easily be read as a standalone.

No spoilers included here - read Nobody's Fool and thank me later. Thanks to Grand Central for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

I Would Die for You

I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones
3/25/25; 320 pages
St. Martin's Press

I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones is a recommended domestic mystery that follows two sisters in dual timelines.

In 2011 Nicole Forbes lives with her husband Brad and eight-year-old daughter Hannah in Coronado, California. When a writer, Zoe, comes to her home asking about her involvement with the scandal surrounding the 80's band Secret Oktober. Nicole left Great Britain and never looked back in order to distant herself from the downfall of the band. She also never told Brad about that part of her past. Later that day her daughter Hannah is picked up from school by her aunt - but she doesn’t have an aunt. Nicole is frantic that there is a link between Zoe's appearance and Hannah's brief disappearance.  Now she may have to tell Brad her secret.

In London in 1986 sixteen-year-old Cassie is obsessed with Secret Oktober and lead singer Ben Edwards. She closely follows the movements of the band, trying to get Ben's attention and get into the backstage parties with her new friend and fellow groupie Amelia. What she doesn't know is that Ben heard her older sister Nicole singing an original song she wrote at a local bar one night and he can’t help but feel drawn to her.

The start of I Would Die for You was compelling and grabbed my complete attention.  I was anxiously waiting for the big secret(s) and what happened in the past The switch in the narrative between time periods and points-of-view worked well. It was looking like a winner but as the novel continued, my enjoyment lessened. You will have to set disbelief aside several times and the ending was a complete disappointment. 

The present day story became bothersome. It is uncertain why Nicole never shared more information about her past with Brad. Yeah, it's newsworthy and maybe scandalous, but she should have at least told him an edited version. For two people that are described as having a good relationship readers will be left wondering what exactly that is based on because the facts seem to belie their devotion to each other.

Following the band in the past and the obsession with them was entertaining but also had some disturbing elements to it. The characters were better developed in this time period and the infatuation beyond reason with the band members is clearly depicted.

This is a 3.5 rounded down based on the ending. 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.