All Her Beautiful Deaths by A. Rushby

September 1, 2026

All Her Beautiful Deaths by A. Rushby

After being thrown out of her sister's home, Minnie Price takes a job as a housemaid for a pair of wealthy eccentric twins. Edmund is fascinated by medicine, while his twin sister Edith is obsessed with photography. Over one hundred years later, in 21st century Australia, an artist comes into possession of an album of Victorian death photographs that the head of a charitable trusts wants to stop her from using. 

A gothic mystery with dual timelines - it was hard to decide who to trust in both storylines. The Victorians were fascinated by death and not only took death photos and made death masks, but also had jewelry made from the hair of a dead loved one. I was more interested in the 19th century story than the modern storyline. Interesting characters and a steady narrative kept me reading. Will appeal to readers of historical or gothic fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

An example of Victorian death photography - this is one of the less macabre photos that I found

The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross

August 31, 2026

The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross

Bob Howard is a low-level operative for the Laundry, a super-secret government agency that deals with supernatural entities. He is a hum-drum office drone until he applies for a transfer to active service. Forgetting that the first rule of the Laundry is "never volunteer for active duty."

Explanations of a lot of magic plus a lot of science. Not really for me. I did enjoy Bob's humor and his relationships with his roommates and Mo. Readers who enjoy Matt Dinniman or Ben Aaronovitch will most likely enjoy the Laundry Files.

Whistler by Ann Patchett

August 25, 2026

Whistler by Ann Patchett

When Daphne Fuller and her husband decide to spend a morning at the art museum, they unexpectedly run into Eddie, Daphne's former stepfather who she hasn't seen in decades. Seeing him triggers a flood of memory for Daphne, including why her mother divorced him so suddenly following a car accident. Daphne remembers that while they were trapped in the car waiting for emergency services to rescue them, to distract her, Eddie told her the story of a book proposal that he had received, about a horse named Whistler.

Ann Patchett hits it out of the park. Again. The Dutch House is still my favorite Patchett novel, but this is a great read.

One of the Family by Mark Edwards

August 22, 2026

One of the Family by Mark Edwards

When a man is invited to spend New Year's Eve (Hogmanay if you're Scottish) with his wealthy girlfriend's family at their resort home in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands, he gets a lot more than a winter vacation among the rich and fabulous.'

I finished this late one evening when there was nothing worth watching on television (like most nights) and the next morning, I had to sit down and think through the ending. At first, I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. The plot is clever and convoluted, with several deaths and a number of twists that connect actions from almost two decades earlier to what is going on in the present. Horrible family, not even morally ambiguous, just reprehensible - the only likable family member is the dog Watson, and he isn't in it enough. I have been told that the plot is similar to the HBO show Succession which I haven't seen, so can't confirm or deny - maybe I will subscribe to HBO over the winter and watch it.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review. 

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

August 21, 2026

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

When an inter-galactic conglomerate takes over Earth and all its resources (organic, inorganic, biological, mineral, living, dead), the only chance the remaining people have of surviving is entering a series of tunnels that have appeared below Earth's surface. When Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Donut descend to one of these tunnels, Carl learns that they are actually part of a televised video game that is being broadcast to over six billion worlds, and their survival depends on how entertaining the viewers find them and how many followers they can accumulate.

Ludicrous in the best possible way. I enjoyed the snarky humor between Carl and Donut, also Carl's sense of responsibility toward Donut and others that they meet in the tunnels, as they work to survive together in an unknown environment. If you enjoy role playing games, adventure video games, or reality TV shows with ridiculous premises like Naked & Afraid or Survivor, you will most likely enjoy the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

When Mikan Road Was Ours by D. K. Furitani

August 19, 2026

When Mikan Road Was Ours by D. K. Furitani

When his great-uncle dies, a reclusive Japanese-American teacher finds he has inherited a baseball glove and a piece of the family's farm in Japan, but more importantly, his great-uncle's memoirs. He begins to read, learning more about his father's estranged family than his late father ever said about them.

I know you're not supposed to criticize books by non-white authors, especially if they are writing about heritage or how bad their race was treated by white people. But this book seemed disjointed and heavy handed. I understand that the author was trying to educate us, but there is too much over-explaining in some sections. The memoir sections were the most interesting part, but then they just stop, like the author didn't know where to go with them. Rather than the letters and computer notes and poetry, I would have found it more engaging if Ben's memoirs had continued and filled in more of the family history. I was about ready to hit the unnamed narrator with a stick when his dog kept getting out of the yard and he wasn't doing anything to keep his dog safe. Being apathetic or lethargic is one thing, but not when you are responsible for another creature's life.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

World War II Japanese internment camp in California

The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

August 16, 2026

The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Ulises Linares (possibly not his real name) is a handsome con man who preys on lonely older women, cheating them out of their life savings. As his next mark, he identifies a woman names Perla who lives in a small town near Veracruz and runs a boardinghouse. But when he arrives at her guesthouse, the woman's niece Inez immediately spots the con game. But rather than expose Ulises as a crook, she wants in on his plan.

Noir fiction set in mid-20th century Mexico. All three of the main characters are morally ambiguous and unlikeable (actually all of the characters are except for the dog) but still fascinating, and I kept reading because I wanted to know how they got that way and what happens to them, which is the mark of a good novel. The plot drags a bit in the middle and the romance isn't much of a romance. Also, no elements of horror that Moreno-Garcia is known for, but still a story that draws you in.

Mountains around Veracruz