When the Birds Don't Sing

 

When the Birds Don't Sing by Imran Mahmood
12/1/26; 496 pages
Ballantine 

When the Birds Don't Sing by Imran Mahmood is a highly recommended literary coming-of-age and revenge novel. The narrative follows a dual-timeline, starting in present day Yorkshire, England and flashing back in time starting to the 1980s in Montana, USA.

In the present day Yorkshire, England, the wife of Caleb Silver, a mycology professor, has passed away. Her death starts him on a quest to seek justice/revenge for the ones who wounded her in their past as he travels to bury her in Montana.

In 1980 Caleb is known as "Silver" to his best friend Honey Childs and their new best friend Malaika (Malia) Khan. The three meet when they are all in 6th grade. While Honey is out going and a force of nature, Silver is hesitant and guarded. Malai is very sensitive, feels everything deeply, and is said to have the power of being sad. When they are in middle school a bully steals Silver's lighter. A fire breaks out the same day and Silver saves Malai leaving both of them injured. Silver's lighter is later found leading to a court case. This incident is the impetus for Silver's quest for revenge years later. 

This is a beautifully written literary novel that uses the dual-timelines in the narrative exceptionally well. The headers on each chapter tell readers the year and location so there is no question about where and when as you bare reading, although actually this is also clear from the narrative. The focus is on deep psychological character development, but there is also action mixed into the story. It is an even-paced, sometimes very slow, plot, where secrets are kept and held, but the ending is worth the journey. 

Character development is a key component to this novel, and all of them are portrayed as fully-realized unique, flawed individuals with both strengths and weaknesses. They are all also carrying their own secrets and suspicions. We uniquely don't know who Silver married until late in the novel, which added an additional layer of mystery to the plot and the revenge plan. We know that events from the past deeply damaged her and Silver blames them for this.

There was one plot twist that was clear early on, so the reveal wasn't shocking later in the novel. At almost 500 pages, it could have been edited down a little as the middle did drag a bit for me. Finally, this may have been caught in the final published version, but fig, pomegranate, and olive trees are NOT grow outdoors in Montana as they will not survive the winter, so, perhaps a bit more research if you are setting a novel in an unfamiliar area, or make it clear that they are potted and will be hauled in and out each year. 

When the Birds Don't Sing is a wonderful choice for everyone who enjoys literary novels and coming-of-age stories mixed with a good revenge tale. Thanks to Ballantine for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Where There's Smoke

Where There's Smoke by Rachel Louise Adams
10/6/26; 320 pages
St. Martin's Press
Coldren County #2     

Where There's Smoke by Rachel Louise Adams is a highly recommended investigative thriller and is the second novel in the Coldren County series following No Rest for the Wicked (2025).

Dr. Dolores Diaz (Hawthorne) has divorced Max and moved to Circe, Wisconsin in Coldren County where she is working as a medical examiner. It is near Little Horton where her surviving family lives. Immediately upon her return from California, Sheriff Kreme calls her. A body has been found by the night time cleaning crew at Mercy's, which is what the locals call the local slaughterhouse, Marcy's Meats. The body is identified as owner Benedict Marcy II and it was murder, not accidental, based on the ligature marks on his wrists. 

FBI agents Paul Turner and his new partner Kate Butcher are assigned the case. Magnus Peterson, manager of Marcy's blames the protesting animal rights activists who made a performative slaughter video. The case is clearly more complicated than that simple when a local cop who was transporting evidence samples is killed and most of the evidence is missing. It will take the intelligence of Dolores, Paul, and Kate to collect enough evidence and follow the clues to discover what is really going on.

At the same time, Dolores is still receiving threatening Halloween cards based on an incident that happened when she was a teen in the area. She has brought the case to the attention of law enforcement which is why she is being threatened. This was likely started in the first book of the series, which I missed, but the general information is here. Her stepmother, Charlotte, is still scheming and threatening. Josie, her half sister does come to stay at Dolores's house to escape her mom. 

There are plenty of plot twists and, along with several very intuitive actions, the clues are logically followed up on in the investigation. At the opening of the novel is a long list of content warnings for things that could trigger readers. (Personally, just looking at the cover of the book should be warning enough.) After things get moving, the pace moves quickly, along with the twists and revelations. The ending is explosive, action-packed, and the plot twists unpredictable. 

Dolores is an interesting character who is clearly dealing with damage from her past while still doing exceptional work at her job. She is very intelligent and intuitive. Kate is a clever character and apparently had a backstory with Dolores that they are setting aside as adults. Paul is also intelligent and capable. It seems that these three characters will likely be back together working on another case.

Where There's Smoke is a great choice for everyone who read No Rest for the Wicked and can also be enjoyed by those who enjoy twisty investigative thrillers. 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.

Partita

 

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver
10/6/26; 352 pages
HarperCollins 

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver is very highly recommended literary fiction following the story of a woman's life. This is a stunningly beautifully written, heartbreaking novel and will definitely be on my list of the best novels of the year.

Livia Cable is now comfortably married to Charlie. They make modest livelihood in the farm country where they both grew up and she offers piano lessons to interested students. When Livia receives a phone call from an old lover it shakes her to her core. Decades ago, in 1989 when she was 20 years-old, in college, and on track to be a concert pianist, Sigurd knew her as Livia Bohusz. He discovered her again from her maiden name in her mother's published obituary. 

Sigurd will be in the area and wants to see Livia. She needs to think about it. This request brings up tumultuous memories from her past. The brief time when she knew him represents one of the best/worst times in her life, a time when Livia was traversing unknown territory and class barriers. She was a passionate and gifted pianist, a scholarships student, and estranged from her parents. 

The narrative alternates between the past and present as it follows Livia's life and also is a coming-of-age tale told from the distance time allows. The plot follows her childhood, passion for music, her mother's dismissive behavior, the death of her brother Cyrus (18) when she was 11, the devastation which followed her relationship with Sigurd, and her return to Tennessee and the life she has made there. As Livia considers whether she want to see Sigurd again or not, she is also trying to clean out her hoarder mother's house and surprises await her there too. 

The novel opens with a listening list and structures the novel with musical terms. The classical-music vocabulary is present throughout and will add depth for those well acquainted with it. As Kingsolver tells the reader early in the narrative,  A partita is a composition made of many parts with different paces and moods. All readers can appreciate the insight into the special world classical music inhabits. (Those of us with different background/education will understand the terms we know and take for granted aren't commonly used or understood by others.)

The class distinction evident between characters is sharply captured and handled with the wisdom and understanding time grants to all of us. Not all professors, as well as college kids, understand the working class or those doing shift work and they can sometimes judge them from that high lofty place and lack of true understanding. Running a dairy operation does require knowledge, skill, and dedication and true intelligence would allow one to comprehend this without  judgement. 

Livia is a survivor. She is a fully realized character with a rich history that helps comprise the adult woman she is when we meet her. Partita tells her story, all the bits and pieces that compose her personality. I'll admit there was a brief time in the novel when I was furious with her, but then forgave her while in tears while reading. Accompanying youth can be poor judgement. A life is never so simple that it can be reduced to a few facts. All the hurts, struggles, loves, losses, and experiences over a lifetime form the person you meet as an older adult.  

There were so many passages I highlighted while reading that hit close to home. Here are a few: "I heard a lot of news that year that began with, 'Don't take this the wrong way.'" Unspoken to her mother, "What is my offense? My music or me?" Her tall brother Cyrus being expected to play basketball, but he hated sports, "Everybody was judging the book by its cover, but nobody wanted to read the book." And, "You don't stop talking to people just because they're dead. When you miss them, you have things to say."  The ending was so perfect I was left in tears as there is genuine closure. 

Partita is a perfect choice for those who enjoy beautifully written literary novels. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Life Out of Order

 

Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger
10/6/26; 560 pages
Hanover Square Press 

Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger is a dystopian/speculative story where virtual reality and real life converge. It is not recommended. 

This is a purported sequel to The Time Traveler’s Wife (2003), which I loved, but actually it isn't a sequel. If you are looking for a continuation of the The Time Traveler’s Wife, this time following Alba, forget it because that is not what is here. What slops our direction is w-a-y too long, too political, too convoluted, too annoying, too pretentious, too self-righteous, too much. In order to finish, I ended up skimming through this nonsense looking for the connection I sought because I loved the Time Traveler's Wife when I read it over a decade ago. 

This one is a treatise on political propaganda that pretends to be a novel and is so bad it tempts me to lower my rating of The Time Traveler’s Wife. No thanks. Do not read this. Ever.

Close Range

 

Close Range by Paul Heatley
9/13/26; 289 pages
Inkubator Books
Tom Rollins #22

Close Range by Paul Heatley is a highly recommended thriller and the 22nd book in the Tom Rollins series. This time Tom encounters a corrupt police force  in Pennsylvania.

Tom Rollins is traveling while waiting for a call from Cindy Vaughn who is tracking down Blake Stavers, the man who killed Tom's Parents. When he is near the town of Furness, PA, he decides to pull over into a quiet spot and get a few hours of sleep. Deputies Holland and Becker out of Furness wake him up and rather than telling him to move on they decide to threaten him. Tom handles them in his own special manner, but is later stopped by Deputies Paver and Olivia Brown which leads to his stay in the jail. After the deputies continue to try to take him down, it suddenly occurs to Sheriff Watson that the local who runs the town could use a man with Tom's skills.

Sebastian Huskey along with his "aide" Charlie (Charlotte) Russell meet with Tom. Sebastian claims his nephew Jack is on meth, cooking it on the mountain somewhere, and he need someone who can track Jack down and bring him home so they can get treatment for him. Helping a young man who needs it is in Tom's wheelhouse so he agrees and heads up the mountain with Riley (Sebastian's son) and hired men Bobcat, Rayjohn, and Gil. However, once circumstances lead to Tom finding Jack without the others, Tom learns what is really going on, and it's time to take Sebastian and his men down. Deputy Olivia Brown is pulled in to assist.

As expected this is another fast-paced, action-packed thriller with clear distinctions between good/bad players in which Tom takes no prisoners and eliminates the bad guys. The setting, search on the mountain, along with an encounter with moonshiners helps add to the suspense and danger, which rises exponentially throughout. There are really no surprises in predicting that Sebastian is dirty, along with the police. The only real questions are when will Tom uncover what is really going on and how will he handle it. Olivia really added little to the plot and her role, other than their brief physical attraction, could have been filled with any honest character, although it does make Tom realize how important Cindy is to him.  Set disbelief aside and enjoy the non-stop, over-the-top action.

Close Range is a great choice for those who enjoy action-packed thrillers. As the 22nd book in the series, you might appreciate this latest outing more if you have read some of the previous books and are already acquainted with Tom and his background and very particular set of skills. However, I think new readers can enjoy this and then may want to look at some of Tom Rollins earlier adventures. Thanks to Inkubator for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The French Illusion

 

The French Illusion by John Grisham
9/29/26; 352 pages
Doubleday 

The French Illusion by John Grisham is a highly recommended thriller that begins with a kidnapping and ransom demand.

Paul and Chelsea Tanner are on their honeymoon in Paris and Chelsea is posting everything they see and do on social media. Neither of them realize that they have been under surveillance. Then the nefarious plan of the unknown perpetrators is set into motion. The two end up kidnapped, drugged, held in separate places and the ransom demands start. First Chelsea's parents, Dr. Lowell and Justine Clayburn, are contacted. They can tell no one, no law enforcement, if they want Chelsea to remain alive. 

The demand is a $2 million ransom. The Clayburns are able to meet this demand. Their son, Sam, has the foresight to get and set up burner phones for the families so they can communicate privately. Lowell travels to Paris for the exchange. Next Paul's parents Fritz and Linzy Tanner are hit with the same $2 million ransom and demands. They have to sacrifice almost everything to raise it. It is here that the story takes a dark and dangerous turn. It also marks the second part of the novel.

The first part of The French Illusion is excellent and held my complete attention. The second part lost some of the initial tension and marks a change in tone as it becomes a rescue mission involving FBI, CIA, and French Intelligence. It seems the kidnapping and ransom demands have occurred at least twice before. Now the plan is to recruit a young lawyer to be the bait in an elaborate rescue operation. 

This time the novel is not a legal thriller with a trial and a courtroom, although there are several lawyers. It should be noted that there are very graphic torture scenes described and a plethora of drugging characters. I felt the pace slowed down in the second part of the novel as more logistics are undertaken and discussed. The ending felt rushed. It also leaves Chelsea behind even though readers care about and sympathize with her character. There is a plot element that involves/is described as dental implants that is not realistic.

The French Illusion is a good choice for those who enjoy thrillers and fans of Grisham. Thanks to Doubleday for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Dying Light

 

The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves
9/29/26; 384 pages
St. Martin's
Two Rivers series/Detective Matthew Venn #4 

The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves is a recommended police procedural. This is the fourth book in the Two Rivers series featuring Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. It can be enjoyed as a standalone novel.

Friends Hannah Armstrong and Lottie Cauldwell, both 17, have finished their A levels and immediately drive to the Devon vacation home of Hannah's family, Tide House, near the small town of Millscombe. They'll spend a few days there during Millsfest, a music festival, before the family arrives. When Hannah's father MP Paul Armstrong along with her mother Cath and two little brothers arrive, Lottie is found dead in the pool and Hannah is missing. DS Jen Rafferty calls DI Matthew Venn and the search is on for Hannah as they start questioning locals. When Hannah's body is found, clearly murdered, the investigation expands.

The tension with some of the locals opens up the inquiry, especially when Lottie's social media videos mocking them as parochial slowly comes to light. There is also a previous event a couple years earlier with another student, Elizabeth, whose parents just happen to be in the area, evading questioning, while disappearing and reappearing frequently. There are several red herrings along the way and the final denouement is surprising, but a logical conclusion to the investigation. 

While well-written, the pacing is glacially slow at times in this investigation. I appreciate detailed investigations where clues are logically followed up on, and that is present, however, the pacing of the investigation was so slow and repetitive, tedious, and overly descriptive. Adding into the mix is Matthews relationship with husband Jonathan. Everything is fine, but there is focus this time on a personal issue that Jonathan is going through, which, while very surprising, detracts from the investigation, increases Matthew's anxiety, and is totally an unnecessary distraction. I'm an outlier on this one as other's enjoyed it much more. I just wish the main focus was the investigation and the pace picked up.

The Dying Light is a good choice for those already following the series. 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.