The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

August 3, 2025

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter, working with the rich and famous to craft memoirs that can be marketed as being written by the famous subject. But she is blackballed and her career has tanked after being sued for publicly slandering a fellow ghostwriter. About to lose her home to pay the settlement and legal fees, she is desperate for work and agrees to take on the memoir of a famous horror writer who was accused of murdering his two siblings. Now, 50 years later, he claims he is ready to reveal what really happened. The only problem is, the writer is Olivia's father who she has been estranged from for two decades.

Slow moving. It takes Olivia a looooong time to get to the heart of her father's manuscript. Ultimately unsatisfying, as there is no real resolution to the mystery. A cast of unreliable narrators and unlikeable characters. It does have a cool cover graphic.

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

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

July 21, 2025

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

After breaking up with her partner Andreas, editor Susan Ryeland returns to London to take up her career as a freelance editor. She is hired by a small publisher, and to her dismay, she is asked to edit the newest Atticus Pund mystery, a continuation of the late author's mystery series by a younger somewhat unstable writer. Susan hates the series but she needs the job, so she agrees to work with the author, hoping she isn't going to be putting her life in danger. Again.

The third and possibly the last book in this series. This one was long, over 500 pages, and some of the descriptions could have been eliminated or shortened. I clocked Elaine a lot sooner than Susan did. Or maybe I'm just suspicious by nature. It will help if you've read the two previous books before taking up this one, since there are references to characters and the solution to the mystery in the first book.

Crouch End, London, where a lot of the action in the novel takes place

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl

June 30, 2025

The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl

Eden Bennett is the producer of Garden State Goddesses, a reality show based around a group of rich women who spend all their time sniping at each other, when they’re not treating everyone else like crap. 

Another mystery based on reality TV, this one on a franchise like the Real Housewives. Usually I enjoy books that are campy and have quirky characters, and this sounded like it would be a fun read. But it was a real slog and I skimmed most of the book. I’m not a fan of reality TV, and I don’t watch the Real Housewives but I know the basic formula. Nothing really happened for the first 2/3 of the book, then finally one of the characters got murdered. Can’t get those hours back. Not recommended.

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

The Real Housewives of New Jersey, who aren't anymore housewives than I am

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

June 17, 2025

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Evie Sage needs to find a job to help support her family right away. Desperate, when the local evil overlord (conveniently if not very creatively known as The Villain) offers her a job as his personal assistant, she agrees to work for him. She is amazed at how fast she grows accustomed to severed heads hanging from the ceiling and stray fingers on the floor. But someone is trying to kill the Villain, and by extension, Evie and the other people who work for him. 

The first book in a trilogy, a romantasy filled with mystery, humor, and a hot male protagonist (and who doesn't love a hot male protagonist?). Like The Office in a fantasy setting. After a while, I did want to yell at Evie and Trystan to find a bed and get on with it already. Perfect for a hot summer afternoon or vacation reading - strictly entertainment, it's not going to strain your mind. Cliffhanger ending, so be warned that you may have to continue on with the series.

The modern fantasy office

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

May 22, 2025

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Patch McCauley (whose real name is Joseph) is a 13 year old living in a small Missouri town with his mother Ivy. His best friend is Saint, who live with her grandmother Norma, a bus driver in the town. Patch has only one eye and has always been obsessed by pirates since he wears an eye patch over his missing eye. Nothing much happens in their town until one morning on his way to school, Patch sees a man attempting to abduct his schoolmate Misty. Misty gets away but all the police can find of Patch is his missing eye patch and a lot of blood.

Disappointing. It took me forever to slog through this. This is another of those love it or hate it books. I heard that it meandered around a lot and that it was more literary fiction than mystery, which is fine with me if I know what to expect. I loved the first hundred or so pages, thought the characters were great, but it lost me when the two kids were locked in the basement. The center section of the book just drags, and it's way too long. I skimmed the last 2/3 of the book and then read the ending. Didn't miss much. I came to hate most of the characters, too. It's like the author had ideas for a couple of different storylines and decided to just jumble them together. An editor should have cut out a couple of hundred pages and made it a better book. Reminded me of Demon Copperhead, which everyone else loved and I didn't. I should know by now that whenever a book is selected by a celebrity or TV book club, I'm probably going to hate it. But at least those book clubs get people who otherwise never read a book, to pick one up. Can't get those hours back.

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

May 8, 2025

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

Almost 25 years after graduating, Bodie Kane (successful podcaster and some-time college professor) returns to the Granby School in New Hampshire where she spent four fairly awful high school years, to teach a seminar on podcasting. One of the things that made her time there so bad was when her roommate Thalia was found dead in the school swimming pool. A culprit was quickly arrested and convicted, receiving a sentence of life in prison, but one of Bodie's student isn't so sure and decides to do her podcast project about the crime, which dredges up all sorts of memories for Bodie.

It took me a while to get through this, I kept picking it up and then putting it down to read something else that was more interesting, so the story and the characters obviously weren't pulling me in. A literary fiction cold-case mystery, combining themes of murder, sexual predation/Me Too, the popularity of true crime podcasts, and the effect of social media on all of it. Many of these themes have been worked over at length already, and in books that did a better job of exploring them. The writing and the language are really good but the story drags, and then there is no real resolution, too much is left hanging. Made me remember how awful high school was at times. I don't recommend it unless you are a die-hard fan of the author. I think I may be finished with Makkai.

Boarding school in winter

Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

May 2, 2025

Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

Five contestants are invited to participate in a reality TV show with the chance to win $10 million. None of them know how or why they were chosen. All of the contestants as well as the program host have secrets, and when faced with strategic challenges and isolation, facades start to crack apart. They soon realize that someone brought them together for revenge and the stakes are life or death.

Revenge by way of reality TV show. A twisty suspense novel that is also a locked-room mystery centered around the current popularity of reality "must-see" TV shows, like a combination of Survivor and Squid Game, with notes of Agatha Christie. It's a fast fun read, with a cast of unlikeable characters, unreliable narrators, and a gorgeous but creepy gothic setting. It also offers a commentary on the voyeuristic aspects of social media and how far some people are willing to go for wealth, fame, and influence. A good choice for vacation or beach reading.

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

A creepy gothic mansion, not exactly a place where I'd like to spend two weeks

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

February 9, 2025

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

Dorothy Gentleman, detective on the Fairweather, an interstellar cruise ship, wakes up in a body that doesn't belong to her. Normally finding oneself in a new body isn't that unusual on the ship, since that is one of the services offered: eternal reincarnations, at least until they reach their final destiny. But Dorothy's mind was supposed to be resting for a few years in the ship's library between incarnations, and she certainly didn't ask to be transferred into THIS body. The ship's AI appears to be on a drunken bender, so it's up to Dorothy to figure out on her own what is going on.

First book in a new noir sci-fi mystery series, although some readers feel it has a cozy setting, on an interstellar cruise ship on a millennia-long voyage to a new destination after leaving Old Earth. All of the passengers live out their lives, die, and are brought back to life in a new body. The science makes sense, like a magnetic storm erasing some of the files where a person's permanent memories are kept. Who doesn't love a cocktail drinking auntie who solves mysteries? Fun setting, fun characters, fun premise. There is even some P. G. Wodehouse-esque humor, with Dorothy's nephew having a boyfriend who strongly reminded me of Jeeves. Recommended for readers who enjoy Becky Chambers' quirky novels.

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

Now THIS looks like a fun cruise ship!

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

February 1, 2025

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Charlotte Cross is an assistant curator for the Egyptian Art department at the Metropolitan Museum. For 15 years, she has spent her days cleaning up after the head curator, heading off problems that he regularly creates (and enjoys doing). Now she believes she has discovered information that overturns his work. But getting the necessary proof requires her to return to Egypt, where she suffered a tragedy 40 years earlier.

Although I have enjoyed several of the author's other books (The Dollhouse, The Address), I didn't care for this one as much. Too much drama, everything like an overwrought soap opera. A lot of the things that happened were completely outlandish (like a waitress with no experience landing a job as assistant to a major designer for the social event of the year). I know I'm in the minority here, since so many readers have given it rave reviews. I hope Fiona Davis' next book is better.

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

An example of an ancient Eqyptian collar piece like the one featured in the book

The Second Murderer by Denise Mina

January 31, 2025

The Second Murderer by Denise Mina

While ruminating on a recent case that seems too neat, private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by a nasty millionaire to find (or maybe not find) his missing daughter.

So 1930s! So noir! So fun! This has all the hallmarks of traditional noir: a hard boiled detective who lives by his own code of honor, perpetually short of cash and down on his luck, a job he knows he shouldn't take, women that he should walk away from (or better yet, run), the gritty underbelly of the big city, plenty of wisecracks and slang. But most notably, without the misogyny found in noir mysteries of the Golden Age, probably because the author is female. Who doesn't love a good noir story? Even Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: the Next Generation fantasized about being a noir private eye. Scott Brick narrates the audiobook - I could listen to him read the phone book. Recommended for fans of noir mysteries.

The noir detective at his gritty best

Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham

December 2, 2024

Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham

Four school friends from wealthy families met at an exclusive French boarding school in Vietnam. Three are Vietnamese, one is French. When they were in school, they snuck out one night to visit a fortune teller who predicted that one of them would end up dead at a young age. As adults, they live aimless dissipated lives of wealth and privilege. Then the fortune teller's prediction comes true, and one is found dead - is one of the others the killer?

Full cast audio recording told from several POVs. Although it is a mystery on the surface, the story is more about the racial and class tension that existed in the 1920s in Vietnam (aka French Indochina, aka Ah Nam). I knew very little about this time and place in history, so I learned something, which is one of the reasons that I read historical fiction. Strong contrasts between the lives of employers and servants, rich and poor, French and Vietnamese. There are many trigger subjects, including drugs, alcoholism, sexual abuse, murder (a lot of murders), violence against women, addiction, and hopelessness and depression. Sensitive readers should be aware that the story is quite intense at times. Recommended for readers who want to learn about lesser known history, especially the dark side of history.

A mansion in Saigon from the 1920s

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

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.

Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde

June 29, 2024

Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde

Following the death of a prominent Orange, Eddie Russet and his lover Jane Brunswick are about to go on trial. Since Eddie tested at 87% red, he has been forced into an arranged marriage with the awful Violet DeMauve, whose family wants to strengthen their color line with his strong red genes. Even though he is married to Violet, Eddie has no intention of giving up Jane. The village is competing in the upcoming Jollity Fair, with Jane being one of the star athletes, provided she is not found guilty during the trial. But Eddie and Jane are more interested in finding out the truth about their world, as well as following clues about what Eddie's mother was up to, and what really happened to her.

Return with me to Chromatacia where your existence is controlled by your limited color vision in the long-awaited sequel to Shades of Grey. Really delightful, clever and creative world building. Life is ruled by the color-tocracy with all of its bizarre rules (residents cannot wear gloves no matter what their job is or how cold it is, spoons cannot be manufactured, linoleum is the major produce even though no one wants it, etc.) which begins to make sense as our star-crossed lovers Eddie and Jane go digging for answers. The ways in which the villagers subvert the rules and the rulers is very entertaining. Read the first book before this one - it will make a lot more sense. Recommended for fantasy readers, especially those who enjoy world building.

The color spectrum

Middletide by Sarah Crouch

May 15, 2024

Middletide by Sarah Crouch

Early one morning, two fishermen find the body of Dr. Erin Landry hanging from a tree near their favorite fishing spot, an apparent suicide. But the sheriff isn't so sure - something about the scene isn't right. As he investigates the death, someone points in the direction of Elijah Leith, a town resident who wrote a mystery novel over a decade earlier, describing the exact scene of the doctor's death.

This is a debut novel, with multiple timelines that switch frequently. The plot is very slow-moving, crawling for about 75% of the book, with a lot of narrative about eating, nature, and homesteading/living off the land, as well as Elijah's sorry love life. For some reason, the author decided to make up a fictional Native American tribe, which added to the confusion. The characters are all blah, except for the victim. Not recommended unless you enjoy a little bit of mystery mixed with what is mostly high school style romance. Hopefully the author will do better on her next outing.

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

Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt

May 14, 2024

Dog Day Afternoon by David Rosenfelt

Lawyer Any Carpenter and his ex-cop wife Laurie Collins return with a new case. This time, Andy is defending a man wrongly accused of a mass shooting at a law firm. The more they dig, the more irregularities they uncover.

The latest entry in a very enjoyable mystery series does not disappoint. The mystery here involves the Dark Web, a complex conspiracy, and a mass shooting, all of which could be taken from a daily newscast. I love Andy's snarky sense of humor, the quirky supporting characters, and there are dogs - what more do you need?

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

Paterson, New Jersey

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton

April 9, 2024

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton

After the sudden death of her parents, Carmen Acosta travels from Cuba to Miami to stay with her sister and brother-in-law, Carolina and Asher Wyatt. They own a grand house on Biscayne Bay, originally built right after World War I for Anna and Robert Barnes, a wealthy New York couple. The house is beautiful but creepy, like the peacocks that roam the property and scream at odd times. Her sister is oddly absent when Carmen arrives, and Carmen quickly senses that all is not right with her sister's marriage. She also comes to realize that whatever is troubling Carolina has something to do with the history of the house.

Atmospheric, reminiscent of classic gothic tales like Rebecca or Wuthering Heights, with all the traditional gothic elements: a big isolated house, creepy grounds, characters who pop up out of no where, an innocent young heroine, an aloof older man. I loved a good gothic when I was in high school - Victoria Holt was a fave! Will also appeal to fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia in addition to readers of gothic fiction.

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

Biscayne Bay

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

April 4, 2024

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

The last 122 people on earth live in a village on an island at the end of the world - everyone else has been consumed by a mysterious fog. Technology is gone, the last of it buried somewhere beneath the island. All of the residents work for the greater good, managed by Abi, an artificial intelligence. No one lives beyond the age of 60 - when a villager dies, another appears to take their place. The deadly fog remains at bay, but they all fear that someday, the fog will consume them too. Equilibrium is maintained until a resident is murdered, and the fog suddenly begins to creep closer.

Stuart Turton writes mysteries that are anything but ordinary. I refer to them as "thinking person mysteries," with stories that are complex and original. Like the author's previous books, this one is edgy and a blend of dystopia, sci fi, and mystery. It's a "locked room" mystery, where a group of people are isolated from the outside, and one of them must be the murderer, but it seems to be impossible that any of them did it. Hints of the television series LOST and also The Prisoner. I could have used a map of the island since it was sometimes difficult to picture where the characters were at times in relation to the village and the bay. Not for someone looking for a traditional mystery, but will appeal to readers who like fiction that is "out there."

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

A foggy island at the end of the world

The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

March 10, 2024

The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

Lt. Dave Robicheaux has a lot of demons chasing him: his wife Nicole left him for a wealthy oilman, he is a recovering alcoholic, his memories of Vietnam, his troubles with the police brass, his Catholic upbringing, his partner Clete who has his own marital and alcohol troubles plus a hair trigger temper and involvement in some not quite legal dealings. When Robicheaux becomes involved with the murder case of a young prostitute, he unexpectedly finds himself involved with drugs, South American drug lords, and arms smugglers, yet he persists according to his own code of honor. At the same time, he realizes that he has reached a crossroads in his life.

After reading Burke's outstanding historical novel Flags on the Bayou, I realized that I had never read any of his Dave Robicheaux series. Robicheaux is a flawed yet honorable hero. The writing is gritty and violent, with lush descriptions of New Orleans (especially the food). There are some disturbing racial epithets that were unfortunately common during the 1980s. The plot is somewhat dated but the character study of Dave is outstanding and sets up the rest of the series. The audio version is really good. Recommended for fans of hard-boiled mysteries or noir fiction.

New Orleans' French Quarter