All In

 

All In by David Baldacci
11/10/26; 448 pages
Grand Central Publishing
6:20 Man series #4 

All In by David Baldacci is an excellent, very highly recommended, action-packed thriller and the fourth novel in the 6:20 Man/Travis Devine series. 

Travis Devine, current Department of Homeland Security agent and former Army Ranger is called to investigate after investigative reporter Theresa Lee is shot and Five Eyes associate Bill Walker is kidnapped and later his body turns in the Sydney Harbor. Walker was married to Australian billionaire Charlotte Woolwine, although he had recently filed for divorce. The Woolwine family is a wealthy, powerful Australian dynasty with worldwide connections. The U.S. is involved because of Walker’s work with Five Eyes, the intelligence-gathering alliance of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 

Devine begins his investigation in NYC and then is sent to Australia, where he teams up with DS Anais Jones of the NSW Police Force. As Devine and Jones investigate, the danger is ever present and increases throughout the narrative. It becomes clear that Walker's death is tied to the Woolwine family, but the question is in what capacity. In the investigation they encounter rogue intelligence operations, Russian mobsters, compromised prisons, AI data centers, and a quiet campaign to redraw the global balance of power. Devine must use all his intelligence and special skills to survive this investigation.

All In is another compelling, well-written, fast-paced, well-plotted, riveting, action packed thriller in the 6:20 Man series that will hold your complete attention throughout. Even though it is part of a series it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The plot is intricate and complex, but it is so well written that the complications are easy to follow. You will find yourself racing through the pages to see what could possibly happen next, understanding that danger is around every corner. Quickly it becomes apparent that you can't trust anyone and everything may not be as it seems.

Devine and Jones are both strong characters and are portrayed as intelligent, fully realized individuals. You will be rooting for these two to uncover the truth and remain healthy and alive while doing so. There is a subplot following the hospitalization and failing health of Devine's father along with their complicated relationship. This adds another undercurrent of stress to an already challenging and dangerous situation.

All In is an excellent choice for everyone who enjoys high octane, action packed thrillers. 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.

Price of Silence

 

Price of Silence by Elise Hart Kipness
1/1/27; 317 pages
Thomas & Mercer
Sydney Price #1 

Price of Silence by Elise Hart Kipness is a highly recommended investigative domestic drama following a wealthy, influential media family.

Sydney Price is a reporter at WNEX in NYC. Even though she is part of the Glenmont Media family after her father married her stepmother, Judith Glenmont,  Sydney wants to make her own way on her own merit in the business. The plot opens strong with an explosion at the Glenmont Media Headquarters across the street from WNEX, Sydney immediately makes sure her family is okay, while colleagues are hoping she can uncover inside information. Veteran reporter Randy Fields uncovers intel that small pipe bombs were responsible and this delayed an important vote in the boardroom.  A huge storm moves in, and Sydney needs to go to a swanky engagement party for her stepbrother James and Dalia, where her ex, Oliver, is also attending. Randy suddenly, suspiciously, becomes violently ill, is hospitalized, and dies.

The narrative starts with a lot going on, including bombs, a storm, a plethora of secrets, intrigue, lies, and plenty of interpersonal and family drama. Since the author was a reporter, the newsroom scenes are realistically portrayed. Parts of the drama are predictable because there have been clues clearly shared in the narrative, which does lessen some of the big twists/reveals in the plot. There is, naturally, much attention of the ultra-wealthy Glenmont family and plenty of infighting. It's not always easy to feel a connection with an entitled wealthy family behaving badly. 

After a fast-paced start with an abundance of excitement and intrigue, the plot slowed down in the middle, but it does recover to a satisfying ending.  There is also a romance subplot that was annoying, unrealistic, and unnecessary as it distracted from the actual plot. Really, a conspiracy is being uncovered, family drama is escalating, there are ties to other powerful people, a co-worker dies suspiciously, a huge storm is causing havoc, you might be in danger personally, and you suddenly feel romantic? Yeah, not likely. 

Price of Silence is a good choice for those who enjoy following an investigation by a reporter and the ensuing drama in her very wealthy family. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGally. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Sensualist

 

The Sensualist by Gary Shteyngart
11/17/26; 304 pages
Random House 

The Sensualist by Gary Shteyngart is a highly recommended collection of personal essays. This is Shteyngart's first essay collection and everyone should find something to enjoy in these exceptionally well-written essays. All of them reaffirm his keen observational skills, complete honesty, and diverse interests.

The opening introduction is not to be missed, especially for the ode to the pleasure of eating garlic. The collection is presented in three parts: Pure Pleasure, The Happy Traveler, and How to Survive in Hell. Pure Pleasure is found in capybaras, collecting wristwatches, a martini tour, and 10 days of Oblomov. In the Happy Traveler Shteyngart travels across the USA on a Greyhound bus, to Bombay/Mumbai, ponders neighboring visitors in motels, visits Cuba, journeys to Beijing, China, and recounts adventures in Canada. In the final survivor section we endure through him his experiencing the miseries of a cruise ship, a very personal medical ordeal, watching Putin-sanctioned/Russian controlled state TV for a week, loving your parents in spite of their politics, and asking if your smart phone make you a dumber dad.

As with any collection not every essay will resonate with everyone. He is very open and honest sharing his personal medical ordeal, along with his other thoughts, which might be too much for some readers. Admittedly I found it humorous that he encourages readers to never strive to be richer than upper middle class, and then goes on to extol the pleasures of collecting wristwatches, getting a bespoke suit, and searching for the best martini. Perhaps upper middle class changes based on your location. All of his adventures are entertaining and interesting. Although I have never wanted to go on a cruise, he reaffirmed my decision. 

The Sensualist is an excellent choice for those who enjoy personal essays on a wide variety of topics. Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

No Such Thing as Monday

 

No Such Thing as Monday by Siân Hughes
11/10/26; 224 pages
Henry Holt & Company  

No Such Thing as Monday by Siân Hughes is a highly recommended literary domestic drama in which a woman looks back at her past

Stephanie (Steffie) Cartwright's father Stan has died which is the impetus for Steffie to find her long missing sister Caroline. The two grew up in the 1970s in working class Birmingham, UK, where Steffie was the favorite and Caroline experienced their father's cruel emotional and physical abuse, as did their submissive mother who died young. Caroline left home, disappeared, at 16. Stan was a bully, ran dog fights, and used others for his benefit. As Steffie looks back on her past, she clearly noted Stan's preferential treatment toward her in stark contrast with how he treated his wife and other daughter. As the story of Steffie's life is slowly revealed, it is clear she is her own worst enemy and feels guilty about her favored status by Stan.

This is a hard novel to read. Steffie is not a sympathetic character, but you will hope she gets to a good place. She is an irascible, complicated working class character who has had a hard life, made mistakes, and misjudged situations. She continually pays the price for her misdeeds while struggling to press on through the novel. In the narrative she looks back at her childhood memories and past while also struggling in the present. She also, always, wonders where is Caroline. All of her background and history has made Steffie the woman she is today, with all of her flaws, guilt, trauma, and determination. 

It is a beautifully written novel even with the subject matter. It is also a short novel, so it is a quick read. At the author's note at the end Hughes explains that the theme of laundry/cleaning which runs through the plot was inspired by a 14th-century poem known as Purity or Cleanness which is concerned with keeping up the laundry and the old, dirty, tattered clothes are a spiritual metaphor for washing your soul clean. The final denouement does bring some closure.

No Such Thing as Monday is a excellent choice for those who enjoy literary novels focused on domestic drama. Thanks to Henry Holt & Company  for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Everything Happens So Much

 

Everything Happens So Much by Andrew H. Murray
11/10/26; 336 pages
Little, Brown and Company 

Everything Happens So Much by Andrew H. Murray is a quirky, comedic science fiction adventure. It is highly recommended. Set expectations aside and meet Esme Good, who always has a look of constant, but slight panic, like she's forgot something. It is set in a different universe from you and me, it's basically the same but, as the narrator who breaks the fourth wall throughout the novel informs us, you'll notice the differences.

Esme works for the GMCL, General Municipal Complaint Line, where she takes calls and listens to complaints all day. Her supportive work friend, Talmeck, is nearby. She knows she is not living her best life ever. Her only escape, and one Esme has been exploiting for years, is Elsewhere, a drug that offers her 15 minutes out of her life and into an alternate version of herself. From these escapes she knows there are better versions of her out there. On the day she plans to quit, she ends up extending her work contract for decades. After this, on her break, she hides in the bathroom to take a dose of Elsewhere, which triggers cosmic chaos. Esme accidentally becomes the most important person in the universe. She is arrested, and eventually has a government agency called the Fabric of Reality Authority after her and her companions.

This is a creative, darkly hilarious, chaotic novel packed full of absurd, impossible situations, funny characters, and non-stop action, which does, indeed, result in everything happening so much. Included in the novel are footnotes and comments from the author, breaking the fourth wall and adding mirth and an additional reality. It can definitely be ridiculous and vexing at times, while simultaneously entertaining, delightful and wonderfully imaginative. It also tangentially explores the concept that a different life may not have made you happier. 

Esme is a messy character and won't be appealing to everyone. Her identity crisis and discontent with her life can be frustrating, especially after she becomes the most important person in the universe, along with all the chaos that entails. She does reach a place of acceptance and contentment as she understands that she does have a meaningful role to play in the life. This won't be a good fit for everyone, but those who can set any preconceived expectations aside and appreciate the journey will probably also enjoy the novel.

Everything Happens So Much is a wonderful choice for everyone who can appreciate a fanciful, quirky science fiction adventure. Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Taken Ones

 

The Taken Ones by J. A. Jance
11/10/26; 368 pages 
William Morrow
J. P. Beaumont #27 

The Taken Ones by J. A. Jance is a highly recommended investigative mystery. This is the 27th book in the series featuring the former police chief, now private investigator J. P. Beaumont.

Regina (Gina) Holt leaves Anchorage Alaska for an internship. She calls her grandmother Louise Holt to let her and her grandfather Art know she arrived in Seattle and then she disappears. When the police don't initially take it seriously, Art talks to mechanic Twinkle Winkleman, who has done investigative work in the past and is immediately concerned that something is wrong. She reaches out to her old friend private investigator J. P. Beaumont (Beau). Both Twinkle and Beau begin to look into the disappearance and it becomes clear that there has been a series of promising young college women who have disappeared.

The narrative opens with Gina's disappearance. This is followed by grandson Kyle Cartwright's plans for the large family party celebrating Beau's second wife, Melissa (Mel) Soames retirement as chief of police in Bellingham, WA. Every relative who’s been invited to her surprise party and their family connection is listed. This whole chapter can be skimmed because these people do not have anything to do with the story. Those following the series will know these characters. Those reading this as a standalone will potentially be overwhelmed with all the extraneous names and information.

As the actual plot unfolds, the narrative switches between the investigations conducted by both Beau and Twinkle, and the point-of-view of Gina who has been kidnapped and is being moved across the country, restrained and blindfolded. Gina remembers her great-grandfather Lars Larson who survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in WWII, and is determined to follow his fortitude to survive. These alternates viewpoints work quite well as Gina's situation is terrifying and the stress and tension surrounding the search for her increases. 

Admittedly, you do have to set some disbelief aside and ignore a few factual errors. This is easily done if you just focus on the mystery, including the investigation, the information uncovered, the search, and the nefarious reason for the young women being kidnapped. The pace moves quickly and there is a satisfying final denouement. 

The Taken Ones is a great choice for those who enjoy mysteries and especially for everyone following the J. P. Beaumont series. 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 Cold Read

 

The Cold Read by Tara Laskowski
11/10/26; 368 pages
Park Row Books  

The Cold Read by Tara Laskowski is a highly recommended popcorn thriller. This locked-room mystery is set at an old ski lodge and features the cast of actors who have returned to film the sequel to a horror movie set there a decade ago.

Izzy Bingham, the podcaster of Horrified Fans, has been asked by director Esme Duncan to be at the Frostmourne Lodge and ready to announce at midnight on January 10th the sequel to one of the scariest horror movies of the 21st century, No One Can Hear You Scream. It is noted not only for the horror but also for the disappearance of one of the cast members, Theo Cloutier, who's body was never found. The stars of the film are returning, including the scream queen Cassidy White, model and actress Ruby Morales, action heart throb Jake Abbot, smoldering Ben Hartman, and the lumberjack himself David Belfardy. Esme has bought the lodge for this purpose, while David is financing the sequel. 

When they are filming the announcement at midnight online with horror fans across the country watching, something happens and the feed is cut. Izzy comes on again briefly and then a voice is heard saying, "Shut it down, now." The Horrified.com forum goes crazy with comments from the participants speculating what has happened at the lodge. Those at the lodge also don't know what is going on. It appears they may be in a real horror novel and someone came for revenge, but who?

This is truly a well-written popcorn thriller for horror movie fans. The action starts quickly with the threatening weather as well as between the characters with all the secrets they have and the history between them, especially with the unsolved, presumed death of Theo the last time they filmed together. None of these characters are particularly likable or trustworthy and with all the bad memories of the first film it is a wonder they'd return for a second, but they all have their reasons. Esme causes turmoil briefly at the beginning and then disappears before the midnight announcement. 

The chapters in the narrative alternate between the point-of-view of several characters. It also includes several Interstitial chapters which include some of the online comments from the Horrified Fans forum. Making this a locked-room mystery, where they are stuck at the lodge due to the frigid, snowy weather, helps keep the characters on edge with the tension and suspicion high. The question is always there, is it one of them or an outside force?

The Cold Read is a great choice for those who enjoy horror movies and popcorn thrillers. 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.