Missing Molly

 

Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli
10/20/26 (originally 1/5/18); 336 pages
Poisoned Pen Press  

Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli is a highly recommended psychological thriller following a cold case where the answers are closer than they know. This is a re-release of the book originally published on 1/5/2018. 

Rachel Holloway returns from vacation to learn that the South Hackney Herald, the newspaper where she works, has 8 weeks to turn things around or they will have to close. Her boss, Chris Masterson has a plan coordinated with the new guy, Jacob, to do an investigative true-crime podcast looking into a cold case from 12 years early. They are going to find out what happened to twelve-year-old Molly Forster. Her father, mother, and sister Grace were brutally murdered, but Molly disappeared and was never seen or found again. Rachel's best friend, Vivian is thrilled with the idea. Rachel is not because she IS Molly Forester and she has spent years hiding from the killer. Three people know what happened and she is one of them.

This is certainly an entertaining thriller that will hold your complete attention. The fast-pace and short chapters work together to keep the narrative moving along. Because Rachel is Molly, readers are provided with inside information and details about her life, which is kept from her colleagues for the majority of the novel. She knows who did it and she also knows she is in danger if her identity is expose. Included in the novel are written scripts from the podcast. There are several times where the plot takes an unbelievable turn and/or you will have to set disbelief aside. The unbelievable plot points seem to multiple toward the end.   

Rachel/Molly is portrayed as a complex character with several major weaknesses. Other characters are also developed, although Rachel's best friend, Vivian, never really felt like a trustworthy friend to me. Because Rachel is involved with the podcast she also knows the direction of their research and can try to control what is happening without giving away her secret. This does bring several questions and doubts to mind and is not believable at all based on her role at the paper. In my final assessment, the novel is entertaining enough to overlook the flaws.

Missing Molly is a good choice for those who enjoy psychological thrillers and can set aside disbelief. 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.

The Hollow

 

The Hollow By Michael Connelly
10/27/26; 352 pages
Little, Brown and Company
Harry Bosch Series #26 

The Hollow By Michael Connelly is a very highly recommended investigative thriller. This can readily be enjoyed as a standalone despite the fact that it is the 26th novel featuring retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch.

Still recovering from knee replacement surgery 4 weeks earlier, Harry Bosch visits the grave of murder victim Jennifer Talbot whose case was never solved. He is leaving a vase of flowers on it when her ex-husband Gregory Talbot shows up. The two exchange words, Bosch leaves and Talbot takes the vase of flowers to give to his current wife, not knowing that the flowers were bugged and everything he says is being recorded by Renee Ballard and her team. They record him and his wife confessing to the murder. Now they need to file the charges.

When he returns home, defense attorney Mickey Haller is there to inform Bosch that the class action civil suit against MacLaren Children's Center, which was decades in the making, has been settled and he along with many others are entitled to an award for damages of $350,000. Over sixty years ago Bosch became a ward of the state and sent to the notorious MacLaren after his mother died. The news pulls Bosch back in time to 1963 when he first met his good friend Charlie Lamb "Chops" who was killed at MacLaren in 1965. At the time Chops death was barely investigated. Now Bosch wants to see the discovery papers from the class action suit and hopefully find clues about who killed Chops. He has his suspicions. Bosch's investigation leads him right into another, much larger, investigation involving the FBI.

It was a sheer pleasure to read this well-written, fast-paced, un-put-downable novel featuring compelling investigations covering decades. The writing is clear and concise while following the clues in the investigations and it will hold your complete attention. He manages to follow clues and piece together information that others have missed. The deep dive into events from the past, along with Bosch's memories, added a depth to the current discoveries. He doesn't want the payout, in fact he's going to donate it, what he wants is justice.

Bosch may be feeling his age now, but his mind is still as sharp as ever and he continues to put himself into harms way. Honestly, there were times when I wanted to caution him, "Be careful. You've just had a knee replacement and you are 75." I understand that he would ignore me and continue to do things his way. The final denouement, implemented in Bosch's immutable style, was absolutely perfectly.

The Hollow is an excellent choice for those who enjoy investigative thrillers and fans of Michael Connelly's novel. 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 Brightness

 

The Brightness by Chad Harbach
10/27/26; 672 pages
Little, Brown and Company 

The Brightness by Chad Harbach is a recommended literary character study following the friendship of two young women. This is a sequel to The Art of Fielding (2011).

At Westish College in a small Wisconsin town, Pella, 27 is a recent college grad, engaged to coach Mike, and helping her friend Owen pull off a destination wedding. Her best friend Irma, 21, has just returned for her senior year. Unknown to Pella, on the night Irma returns to campus, she has plans with her other friends Dahlia and Pammy to institute "The Project," a politically charged prank, at The Parties.

Featuring in-depth character development, the well-written narrative follows the lives and history of these individuals in great depth through five parts. You will generally wonder about what will ultimately happen to them, but in a removed way as it is very slow paced so it was a challenge at times to keep invested in the plot. I was also personally struggling to truly care about these young characters, who at times felt immature for their years. At almost 700 pages there were perhaps too many superfluous details included, certainly too much for me as the pacing became very slow. Admittedly I did not read The Art of Fielding so I had no real investment in continuing the earlier story.

I did think the opening prank was ill conceived and the logical repercussions were not thought out. This did establish a barrier to truly liking any of these young women who all seemed self-absorbed and immature, without logically thinking things through. The whole destination wedding plot was also off-putting for me. I'm becoming an old curmudgeon, but I loss interest and it became a challenge to finish. Perhaps a good edit could have tightened up the story or I'm just an outlier or not the intended audience, but this was just an okay novel. I do like the book cover, though.

The Brightness is recommended for those who enjoy very detailed writing, descriptive character development, and have read The Art of Fielding. 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.

Estate: Golden Rules

 

Estate: Golden Rules by J Andrew Shelley
10/13/26; 242 pages
TENZL 

Estate: Golden Rules by J Andrew Shelley is a very highly recommended, easily accessible guide to carefully planning for your death with the goal in mind of preventing more suffering, conflicts, or resentment among family members. An unplanned or ill-prepared estate can potentially leave your family with months or years of suffering, legal problems, and expenses. Conflicts between family members can emerge and turn into anger and resentment. One person is often bearing the load of hours of work.

This is not a long, detailed, complicated textbook that covers every single detail that could possibly occur. It is an informative overview of the best approach to take as YOU prepare for your death to benefit your family and avoid probate. It is easy to understand and plan to put the information into practice. There is an overview and brief summary of what the chapters cover, basically giving you a map of what you have to read and what you could skip. Personally, I'd recommend reading the whole guide and taking notes. You will find step-by-step guidance, tools to persuade loved ones to start planning now and AI prompts to speed it all up.

Chapter 1 Estate Map is a must read chapter. It is packed with information,  explains the realities, and generally maps out a course of action to undertake. 
Chapter 2  Why Plan Why Now - basically explains designating beneficiaries on accounts, etc. 
Chapter 3 Commitment - covers the difficulties with an unplanned large estate; encourages decluttering and giving things away.
Chapter 4 First Thing: Our Health - addresses the arrangements for medical authorizations and care.
Chapter 5 The Golden Rule of Life -  Do unto others as you would have done to yourself; applying the golden rule to subdue resentments
Chapter 6 The Golden Rules of Estates - Die owning nothing and have designated beneficiaries on everything
Chapter 7 Probate is described and explained with critical facts along with details on how to avoid
Chapter 8 Making it happen shows a detailed application of the Golden Rules and some complexity warnings
Chapter 9 Classic Estate Planning facts behind wills, trusts, deeds and more. Great lists of information and answers to common questions.
Appendix finishes the story of Rhea. If you must skip something, you can skip the story of Rhea.

Those who read Estate: To My Once Darling Child, the fictional, but true-to-life, well-written, and sometimes humorous novel with an underlying helpful message of what not to leave behind for your family to handle upon your death, will want to read this informative follow-up guide. Not to get too personal, but both of these books have hit way-too-close to home for me. Several years ago I had two family members die within two months of each other. There are still repercussions today from the conflicts, perceived slights, greed, anger, entitlement, and resentments swirling around one of the deaths, which was sudden and unexpected. The majority of this could have been avoided with plans in place. Now today, since reading Shelly's first book, I have been trying to encourage my elderly mother to please declutter and give it all away.

Estate: Golden Rules is an excellent resource for estate planning written with keeping the process simple and doing the paperwork now to avoid potential legal complications. Thanks to J Andrew Shelley and TENZL for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Her Last Kiss

 

Her Last Kiss by Lisa Regan
10/20/26; 374 pages
Bookouture
Detective Josie Quinn #25 

Her Last Kiss by Lisa Regan is another exceptional, very highly recommended crime thriller/procedural and is the 25th book in the Detective Josie Quinn series. As with the previous book in the series, Stolen Family, I again stayed up late to finish it because at a certain point in the gripping plot it becomes impossible to not continue reading as fast as you can while your heart is pounding. This time the investigation follows a serial killer. Although this is the 25th book in the series, Her Last Kiss can be read as a standalone novel.

Trinity, Josie's twin sister and a journalist, is set to interview Sylvia West who was the sole survivor of an encounter with “The Last Kiss” serial killer thirteen years. Only Sylvia is discovered murdered on her bed, strangled, with the trademark lipstick smear on her mouth left by The Last Kiss killer. The house has also been set on fire and Josie manages to witness the crime scene and get Trinity out safely. The serial killer has been on the loose for fifteen years in various locations across the state of Pennsylvania and now he is in Denton. Now the team is taking a deep dive looking into previous cases to try to uncover the killer's identity... and then another victim is found.

The writing is excellent. The lightning-fast pace is propelled forward by the complicated, compelling, and intriguing plot that will hold your complete attention throughout. The procedural part of the narrative is excellent with all the clues logically followed and leads investigated. The narrative includes chapters from the killers point-of-view as the investigation unfolds which serves to increase the tension. This is seriously a riveting, un-put-downable thriller and the danger keeps accelerating with each page right up to the seriously action-packed conclusion.

The focus is always on the tense investigation while the personal interaction between the characters continues to be realistic. All of the characters are portrayed as fully realized individuals with strengths and weaknesses. Josie's and Noah's personal life is going well. Their relationship with Wren, the teenager they are custodial parents too, hits some tough struggles, but is making progress. Expect an emotional scene involving the three. Detective Kyle Turner continues to be exasperating with bursts of extreme competence and insight.There is enough of the backstory covered within the plot that new readers can easily follow the characters, however knowing their history will make it a richer reading experience. 

Her Last Kiss is a exceptional crime thriller/procedural and is a perfect choice for everyone following the series. Now I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in the series! Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Chain Reaction

 

Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child
10/20/26; 416 pages
Ballantine
Jack Reacher Series #31 

Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child is a very highly recommended, high octane and un-put-downable thriller featuring former Army Major Jack Reacher. This is excellent addition to the long-running series. The threat this time involves a nefarious scheme involving cybercrime and AI data centers.

General Susan Turner, who is now leading an investigative group called CSA G-99, which she describes "like the army's own FBI," has tracked down Jack Reacher to ask for his help. She suspects a traitor in the organization and needs a trustworthy outsider to look into the killing of CID Special Agent John Bisley, 32. Bisley flew from DC to the Denver airport and then drove to Summertown, an area full of solar panels and 5 large data centers, where he checked in for 5 nights at the only hotel. He was then found dead, stabbed 8 times, behind a biker bar 40 miles to the west the same night. He left behind a wife and baby daughter. Bisley was investigating a phantom data center copying/stealing information from nearby legitimate data centers. Reacher accepts the challenge.

WOW! As one of the best Reacher novels I've read, this is timely investigation is action-packed, compelling, fast-paced, complex, and well-plotted. It held my complete attention right up to the excellent final denouement. Sure, some disbelief has to be set aside because Reacher is unstoppable, super-human, an eating machine, hyper-aware, and the bad guys always get their comeuppance. He is also intelligent, honorable, dependable, and analytical. In other words, he is a perfect hero for action junkies and this intricate plot provides plenty of action.

Even though this is the 31st novel in the series, there is enough background information provided that you can jump in and read this as a standalone novel. Personally, I skimmed the personal encounters between Turner and Reacher as I was reading for the action, investigation and reactions rather than their personal relationship. However, there are some touching and unexpected encounters between Reacher and a baby.

Chain Reaction is an excellent choice for those who enjoy action-packed thrillers and everyone following the Reacher series. Thanks to Ballantine for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Secret Garden Murders

 

The Secret Garden Murders by J. R. Ellis
10/20/26; 283 pages
Thomas & Mercer 

The Secret Garden Murders by J. R. Ellis is a highly recommended cozy mystery/procedural for the right reader featuring a locked garden rather than room. 

In the village of Bishop Hewick in North Yorkshire 70 year-old Clarissa Morden bought a ticket to visit the historic Bishop Hewick Hall run by a trust and managed by June Kendal, Clarissa is later found dead, strangled, and neatly laid out on a bench in a locked, walled kitchen garden that is off limits to the public. She is found by gardeners Richard Cooke and Jenny Brown. DCI Jim Oldroyd and his team are on the case. The biggest hurdle is how did the perpetrator enter and leave the walled garden. The door to it requires a key, yet the key is found in the lock on the garden side and the door was bolted from the inside and the walls are too high to climb. How did the killer leave? 

As the team is trying to figure this out, they soon discover something even more sinister from Clarissa's neighbor. Apparently the old woman was blackmailing people, multiple people, throughout the village. In her cottage they find detailed records she kept on everyone she was watching along with a secret notebook written in a code of her extortion victims. Now the team needs to try and break the code to find out who her victims were along with trying to figure out the walled garden conundrum. 

This is an even-paced mystery where the investigation proceeds at a thoughtful, reliably deliberate speed. There is some suspense along the way, especially when the body of a young woman who thought she had figured out who the killer was is found dead in the river. Clearly the village is full of more secrets than one would expect. The setting, in a small village and at Bishop Hewick Hall adds atmosphere and some tension as the potential suspect could be anywhere and the blackmail list gives even more people a motive to eliminate her.

Each chapter opens with the description, history and location of a famous garden in various estates, which was an interesting addition but added nothing to the plot. It will be interesting to those who enjoy traveling to visit famous gardens. Alas, that is not for everyone. The pace does proceed a bit too slowly at times and certain points within the narrative are repetitious. Even if the investigation felt plodding at times, the clues are logically followed up on, eventually, and the ending is satisfying. 3.5 rounded up when required.  

The Secret Garden Murders is a good choice for fans of cozy mysteries and large garden enthusiasts. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.