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. 

The Secret Thread by Eve Chase

August 14, 2026

The Secret Thread by Eve Chase

Seeking answers about her family, a young woman takes a job as assistant to a very famous designer to write the catalog for an auction of the designer's collectibles.

This was a good story, well written and interesting, except for one thing that didn't make sense. I found it impossible to believe that in the 21st century, a very famous, very wealthy person would hire an assistant off the street and not do a background check. Her other assistant is constantly online and on his phone and HE doesn't do a background check. It would have made more sense if the "big reveal" was the designer saying yes, she knew all along who the young woman was and was waiting for her to tell her who she was and why she was there. Every place I worked at from the 1990s on routinely did background checks before hiring anyone.

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

Crocodilopolis by John Manuel Arias

August 9, 2026

Crocodilopolis by John Manuel Arias

Seth Oreamundo has hated his younger brother since he was born, first for taking his mother's ove and later for taking his career and home. Ten years after being exiled from his homeland, Seth devises what he considers to be just revenge for all that he has lost.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read this, but once I started, it sucked me in and I finished it in just a few days. This is one messed up family. Themes include revenge, toxic masculinity, corruption, mythology, brotherhood, rage, identity, and a family secret that is the root of all the evil in the family. The crocodiles in the river are the perfect metaphor for the Oreamundo family.

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

American crocodile - can grow up to 20 feet long - hideous

The Boleyn Secret by Alison Weir

July 30, 2026

The Boleyn Secret by Alison Weir

Twelve year old Katherine Carey is a companion and playmate to her toddler cousin Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and his second queen Anne Boleyn. To Kate's horror, she is summoned to the Tower of London to attend her aunt Anne at her trial and execution. Kate is convinced that her aunt was innocent and that Henry committed an atrocity. Later, Kate is called to court to serve as a maid-of-honor to Henry's fourth queen, Anne of Cleves. Throughout her life, Kate maintains her relationship with Elizabeth through Henry's reign, the turmoil following his death, and Elizabeth's eventual ascension to the throne.

Another well-researched book in the author's series on the women of the Tudor court, this one focusing on Katherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn and niece of Anne Boleyn. Many contemporaries as well as historians believed that Katherine was the daughter of Henry VIII, as Mary was carrying on an affair with Henry in the years before Katherine's birth - some note a resemblance to both Elizabeth I and Henry VIII but many of the portraits from the 16th century have a similarity. Based on the known portrait of her, Katherine was actually better looking than either of them. While Katherine is the main character, Elizabeth I is also a main player, as much of the story is about her relationship with her cousin Katherine. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys fiction about the Tudor court.

Portrait of Katherine Carey

The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta M0lnar

July 23, 2026

The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar

During his lifetime, Vincent Van Gogh struggled to earn a living as a painter while also battling mental illness. His brother Theo and sister-in-law Johanna supported him financially and emotionally, but eventually Vincent slipped deeper into mental illness and took his own life. Shortly after his death, his brother Theo was hospitalized for consumption and insanity, and died a short time later. Theo's widow was left with the task of selling Vincent's paintings and keeping his name alive, while also supporting herself and her young son.

I like historical fiction where I learn about unknown people or events. I knew Vincent Van Gogh's brother was married and had a child, and that Theo died not long after Vincent. Johanna Bonger, Theo's widow, believed in Vincent's genius and worked hard to promote his work, while also running a boarding house and raising her child. There is a dual timeline here and I enjoyed Johanna's story far more than Emsley's narrative. The dual timeline structure has been used a lot in fiction, especially the trope of an heir cleaning out an old house and finding a secret diary or letters as well as a priceless antique. I found myself skimming over Emsley's story which was predictable and not all that interesting, and I didn't care about any of the characters in those sections. On the other hand, Johanna was an amazing woman who worked to promote Vincent's work at a time where it was unheard of for women to act as an artistic representative.

Van Gogh's Sunflowers

The Devoted by Catherine Cho

July 12, 2026

The Devoted by Catherine Cho

Eunha is a Korean woman living in Hong Kong. Her father is a Dragon Head, the leader of one of the notorious Triad families that make up organized crime in the city. Although her grandmother tries to shield her from the Triads' influence, it's always there in the background. When her son is kidnapped, Eunha finds herself pulled into the Triads' sphere as she mistrusts everyone around her. Even marrying the love of her life comes at a cost.

An intense story that triggers a wide range of emotions from heartbreak to dread to anger to triumph. Told from Eunha's POV in two separate timelines, the story focuses on her growth and coming to terms with not being able to escape her past, that she has to seize control of her fate with both hands in order to secure the future that she wants for herself and her sons. Up until that point, she is more of a passive observer of life around her, reacting to the actions of the men in her life and doing as she is told. I would like to say that this is unique to her story but women all over the world living in patriarchal or male-dominated societies experience this. At times, I was as devastated as Eunha by the revelations about those she trusted and her realization that she couldn't trust anyone. Characters were well-developed and multi-layered. Themes include family, loyalty, forbidden love, betrayal, honor and revenge. If you're expecting Mafia violence a la The Godfather, this isn't that book.

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

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

December 8, 2025

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

In the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, a brief affair and a lapse in judgment changes the lives of several of the town's residents forever. 

This was just okay. I was interested enough in the characters to keep reading but didn't love it as much as other readers did. A novel with a lot of secrets and not a lot of joy.

Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

November 18, 2025

Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Evie Sage, assistant to the Villain, has been promoted to apprentice. She has her own little office and is the Villain's right-hand woman when it comes to things like magic and torture. But a prophecy is causing the kingdom to unravel and Evie has to figure out how to stop that from happening while falling head over heels for her boss.

The third book in the Assistant to the Villain romantasy series. Buckle up, buttercup, because everything gets turned upside down in this one, yet at times it felt like a bridge between books that are more relevant to the story. The ending provided a few answers (some of which I had guessed) but opened up more questions. There are some characters and locations introduced that really didn't advance the story and seemed unnecessary. There is a lot of conflict about parents here - parents who lied to their children, parents who cared only about their own interests, parents who abandoned their families. There is also a lot of romance among a lot of the characters - I mean, everyone is hooking up. Spoiler alert: Evie and Trystan finally find a convenient bed and get it over with. I guess there is going to be at least one more book. Kingsley is still my favorite character. Not the best book in the series, but the cover art is great. Recommended for fantasy/romance readers who like a slow burn romance spiced with humor.

The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver

November 12, 2025

The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver

Colter Shaw is a reward seeker; not exactly a private eye, not exactly a bounty hunter. He makes his living by finding missing persons and collecting the reward offered by family, friends, or employer. He was raised by survivalists and has expert tracking skills, home-schooled and taught to observe the world around him and calculate the probability of events. For example, if a young woman goes missing, he figures the odds of an accident, a voluntary disappearance, or if her boyfriend or another predator is involved, then searches for her based on those probabilities. But when a second person goes missing, Colter finds himself deep in the sometimes cutthroat billion dollar world of video gaming, and he starts to wonder if he is in the middle of some video game brought to life.

This is the first book in the series that has been adapted for the television show Tracker. Not surprisingly, the book is better than the TV show. I was captivated by Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series with its unique protagonist, and here he creates another unusual MC. The look into the multi-billion dollar gaming industry as well as fake news and political manipulation (think: Fox News) was fascinating, especially since almost everyone plays some kind of online game. There are enough hints about family secrets and about Colter's own secrets (like the source of his income which isn't from reward collecting at all, his family, and who are all of his well-connected mysterious friends) to hook the reader in for the next book. I believe there are four books in the series now. Recommended for readers who enjoy a thoughtful thriller.

A geek festival, also known as a gaming convention

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

October 22, 2025

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest Cunningham is reluctantly traveling to a remote mountain resort for a family reunion. He hasn't seen his family for three years, since he testified against his brother in court, sending him to prison for murder. So now they will be reunited for the first time and he's not looking forward to it. But then even before everyone arrives, a body is found in the snow, and Ernest realizes that the killer must be someone in his family.

It's the family reunion from hell. A dysfunctional family trapped at a snowed-in resort, each with their own backstory, a raging blizzard, the body of an unknown person in the snow. The mystery is complicated, and it makes the reader feel dumb that they can't figure any of it out until Ernest explains it all for you, which does spoil some of the enjoyment - after all, half the fun of reading a mystery is trying to figure out what happened and who is the villain. The narrator claims that he is not unreliable, but he is at times, although he defends himself by saying that what he says is what he believed at the time. This worked well as an audiobook. If you enjoyed the Knives Out miniseries, you will most likely enjoy this offbeat mystery.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

September 12, 2025

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

In 1942 Paris, Colette Marceau works with her mother Annabel to steal jewels from Nazis and Nazi sympathizers to help fund the efforts of the resistance to help Jews escape from Hitler. But the Germans catch up with them one night, and Colette and her parents are arrested. But her four year old sister is taken by an unknown man, and Colette never forgives herself for the child's disappearance since she promised her parents she would look out for her sister. Colette survives the war and emigrates to the United States, continuing to steal jewels to fund worthwhile causes. But then a bracelet that belonged to her mother's friend reappears after 75 years, and Colette becomes obsessed with finding the bracelet's owner, believing it will lead her to the truth about her missing sister.

This was a fast read, excellent for the end of summer. The combination of family secrets a with suspense and history kept me turning the pages. I loved the 89 year old protagonist. Themes include loss, grief, guilt, redemption, identity, revenge, and finding hope and love late in life. Possible triggers are racism, antisemitism, child abuse, crime, and violence. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction.

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

September 1, 2025

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

When their mother dies from cancer, three adult children reunite for her funeral. Their mother's lawyer has all the information on her last wishes, and the three siblings figure it won't take one to settle her estate. But while going through their mother's belongings, they find a VHS tape that shows their parents disposing of the body of a missing local girl, which reopens old mysteries and raises questions about who their parents really were.

Who would you kill or hide a murder for? That is the ultimate question here. This was a fast read for the Labor Day weekend, the last official weekend of summer. Is Daddy a serial killer? Where is Daddy, since we're talking about him? And why didn't Mom spend more time looking for him after he disappeared? The book is relatively short and it probably could have been even shorter if an editor had cut out some of the unnecessary scenes. BTW, Michael is an entitled asshole, not that either of the sisters is all that likeable. If you enjoy a family drama where you're not sure who (if anyone) is telling the truth, this will appeal to you.

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

July 10, 2025

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

Lila Pereira is an unconventional mother, focusing on her career as the executive editor of a major newspaper and leaving the raising of their daughters to her husband Joe and household help. But her youngest daughter Grace yearns for a regular mother who goes to PTA meetings, bakes cupcakes and takes her to soccer practice. After Lila's death, Grace receives a letter that Lila left her, telling her to go find out what really happened to Lila's mother, who disappeared when Lila was a toddler. Grace realizes how little she actually knows about her mother's family and wonders if you can ever know yourself if you don't know your past.

Part 1 is Lila and Joe's story, and I loved it. But the last 2/3 of the book is mostly about Grace, the youngest daughter, a real whiner and completely unlikeable, probably the least interesting character in the book. When I first started reading it, I thought it would appeal to readers who enjoyed Ann Patchett or Ann Napolitano, but the last two thirds morphed into something more like Sally Rooney, with a bunch of characters under 30 who are completely self-centered and unaware (putting your life on hold for five years to start a podcast???? Or "I can't ask her to marry me until she gives me the signal"???? What does that even mean????). It takes until around the 85% mark for the search for Lila's mother to begin, and then it is anti-climatic. Disappointing.

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

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

January 24, 2025

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Each summer for decades, Rachel and her family have been spending a week at the same vacation rental on Cape Cod. They do all the touristy things: swim in the ocean, picnic on the beach, eat at the town clam shack, shop for local seafood and sweets, visit the library book sale. But this year is different. Rachel is in the throes of menopause, her children are on the brink of real adulthood, and her parents are slowly slipping into old age. She feels as though she is balanced on the fulcrum of a seesaw, sandwiched between two generations that need her.

This is a book that addresses a topic that isn't often talked about, the generation that is sandwiched between their children and their aging parents, being pulled in both directions. I can understand the mixed reviews on the book; it's not for everyone. Not everyone will identify with the main characters or the storyline, and I agree with some reviewers that the main character Rachel (for some reason, the author makes a point of telling the reader that people call her Rocky, even though I think her husband is the only person who uses that nickname once in the book) is annoying. She was probably annoying before menopause (note: menopause isn't like that for everyone - a lot of us managed it with minimal discomfort and without ripping our clothes off in public or sharing with everyone - anyone who is suffering as bad as Rachel needs to see their doctor for some pharmaceutical assistance). Rachel is also not appreciative of what a lovely husband she has, instead she is furious with him because he can't read her mind (this irritated me, because it's one of those stereotypes about women that need to go away). But there is also a lot of humor, like when one of Rachel's friends says she saw an ad for a drug that will help a man last longer during sex, and the friend says who wants a guy to last longer, finish already, my library book isn't going to read itself. They do eat a lot of sandwiches, and who doesn't love a good sandwich! Themes are loss and change, and sensitive readers should be aware that there are discussions about miscarriage, abortion and sexuality. For readers who enjoy literary fiction.

A Cape Cod wharf

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

October 15, 2024

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

The Van Laar family own a large swath of land in the Adirondacks region of upstate New York, where they employ many of the local residents to run their exclusive summer camp. The camp is mainly for the children of their wealthy friends. But when their daughter Barbara goes missing from the camp, panic erupts immediately, because she isn't the first Van Laar child to go missing.

There were around 800 holds on this at the library, so I was skeptical about whether it would be worth the wait, but it totally was. I never went to summer camp, but if it was anything like this, I probably would have hated it. That said, this was a really enjoyable book as well as a quick read that kept me turning the pages. Good storytelling, interesting characters with many different viewpoints, and a dual timeline with two linked mysteries. The reader gets the backstory of many of the characters, which helps explain their actions and motivations. Many of the female characters could have been a little stronger, a little smarter, but they were a product of their upbringing and the time they lived in. The 1970s were a time when women were just starting to break out of the stereotypes of the 1950s and 1960s (aka the dark ages). Even when I graduated from high school in 1971, there were three acceptable career path for women who were college educated: teacher, nurse, or secretary, and those were only acceptable until you got married and had a family. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a good story.

Pan, the god of the woods, source of the word panic

Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin

October 13, 2024

Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin

Justine works as a nursing assistant at an assisted living facility in her small town. She loves her job, and her favorite resident is Helene, an elderly woman with dementia who rarely speaks. But when they are alone, Helene sometimes tells Justine about her life, and that she spends her days at the beach, waiting for her husband and daughter. Justine writes down the story for Helene's family, for when she is gone. Helene's family visits regularly but many of the residents wait in vain on Sundays for a family member or friend to visit - they are forgotten on Sunday. But lately, someone at the facility has been calling the residents' families, telling them that their loved one has passed away. But when the family arrives, they find their family member alive and happy to see them. 

I unexpectedly loved this character-driven story, with its parallel timelines and interwoven stories, and themes of family secrets and lost loves. Valerie Perrin is a celebrated French author whose novels have been translated into 30 languages, although this was the first time I read anything by her. Highly recommended for readers of literary fiction.

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

The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard by Michael Callahan

September 14, 2024

The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard by Michael Callahan

After being nominated for an Academy Award, starlet Mercy Welles suddenly vanished without a trace from Hollywood. Sixty years later, Kit O'Neil and her sister are cleaning out their late grandmother's house on Martha's Vineyard when Kit comes across photos of her grandmother that look suspiciously like the missing actress.

I didn't love this as much as many other readers have. I thought this was going to be a really good end-of-summer read, and I usually love books about old Hollywood, but something about this one didn't sit right with me. Maybe because it was written by a man, and he was fixated on what the women in the story look like, especially whether they are slim or frumpy or the kind of woman a man (like him) wouldn't look at twice. Also, there are a lot of familiar over-used tropes, like the struggling unknown actress who is suddenly nominated for an Oscar and catapulted to stardom, the wealthy dysfunctional family, the pile of family secrets in the attic that somehow no one else has discovered, among other things. The story is also overly long and the plot drags. Although billed as a mystery, there isn't much mystery and a lot more romance. Recommended for readers of romantic suspense.

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

Martha's Vineyard

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

August 26, 2024

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

On a summer night in 1994, two 10 year old boys camp out in a tent in one of their backyards, as they did every Friday night. One of the boys disappears in the night, never to be seen again. Thirty years later, the surviving boy, now a 40 year old man, reluctantly returns to his childhood home. Almost immediately, strange things begin happening that indicate that someone knows what happened to the missing boy.

The premise was interesting, which is why I picked up this book: people who grew up on the same cul-de-sac reuniting as adults to solve the mystery of what happened to one of their friends. But the text got repetitious quickly: the reader is reminded every other page that Billy was taken in the middle of the night, that he was obsessed with ghosts, there are repeated descriptions of Ethan's dream, the lights coming on and off in the neighborhood, descriptions of the ominous mansion just a mile from where they lived. Lots of family secrets, but I didn't really care because the characters were flat and two-dimensional, and it took forever to reveal the secrets. Not terrible but not great, either. I started skimming about halfway through. Fans of Freida McFadden will enjoy Sager's latest novel. I think I'm done with both of them.

Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins

August 2, 2024

Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins

One morning, 25 years ago, a girl set out to walk to school. Her younger sister soon followed. One arrived at school, the other didn't, never to be seen again. Her sister's disappearance shaped every aspect of Willa's life. But at a dinner at her best friend's house, Willa realizes that circumstances surrounding her sister's disappearance may not be as they appear.

We all have false memories, either things that didn't happen or memories that are a composite of a group of experiences, or even events where we couldn't possibly have been there (such as the child who is positive that they were at a particular family event, when actually the event occurred years before they were born but they heard about it so often, they are sure they have a memory of it). Recurrent themes here are breaking and mending, re-making something beautiful from the pieces of something else, whether it is a ceramic bowl, a family, or your own identity. While there is a mystery, it is secondary to the characters. I would call this novel psychological fiction or suspense, rather than a thriller. The villain really is the villain, but not in the way you expect. My only criticism is that the ending feels a little rushed. This would be a great vacation or beach read, but also a good book to cozy up with in the winter. It may take a couple of chapters to get into, but stay with it. Recommended for readers who psychological fiction where things are not at all what they appear, such as the books of Gillian Flynn or Freida McFadden.

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

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

January 17, 2024

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

While her family is picking berries on a farm, a Native American child goes missing. Her family searches for her desperately without success. In alternate chapters, one of the little girl's brothers and a child named Norma tell the story of a family dealing with incredible loss.

A slow moving character driven story that asks the question, how much are we shaped by our heritage and culture? I found the storyline to be predictable - by the end of the third chapter, I was pretty sure how the story would unwind. Sad, filled with various types of loss. This would be a good book club choice since there are many topics to discuss. Will appeal to readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult or are in the mood for a good cry.

Pickers on a blueberry farm