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.

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.

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.

Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich

July 27, 2025

Julie Tudor is Not a Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich

Julie Tudor is 49 years old and has found the love of her life in Sean, her 25 year old coworker at the large financial services company where they both work. But he doesn't know that. All he knows is that she makes him uncomfortable. Julie knows that she and Sean are star-crossed, meant to be together until a young woman named Xanthe starts work at the company and throws a wrench into Julie's plans. But Julie isn't about to settle for anyone coming between her and Sean, so she decides it's time to take decisive action.

Oh, Julie, you are definitely a psychopath. Julie has a flirtatious relationship with reality at the best of times. Her unique world view and interior monologue kept me turning the pages - I felt like my mouth was hanging open in disbelief half the time. I admit I felt sorry for Julie when her coworkers were making fun of her and she didn't realize it, while at the same time cringing at some of the things she did. It's a fast read that is perfect for vacation or beach reading, dark, disturbing, creepy and funny all at the same time. If there is a more unreliable narrator out there, I don't know who it is. There are hints of animal cruelty, so sensitive readers should be warned. I could see this becoming a miniseries on Netflix. Love the cover art!

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

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

January 5, 2025

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

Grady Green is at the top of his writing career, with his latest book climbing The New York Times bestseller list. The his wife Abby, an investigative journalist, goes missing while driving home, and his life goes to hell. He has no idea what happened to her: no goodbye letter, no suicide note, no ransom note, no body. After a year of drifting and not writing a word, his agent offers him the use of a cottage in the Hebrides off the coast of Scotland. He and his dog Colombo make the long drive north from London, and once he arrives, he begins to see Abby everywhere.

The good news: Colombo the black Lab is safe all the way through the book. I have enough people who call me while reading a book, asking if the dog is okay at the end, because otherwise they won't be finishing the book, that I know to include this right away. Feeney's trademark suspense featuring the ever-popular unreliable narrator. It's a slow plot for almost 2/3 of the book. The twist and the island's backstory start at this point. The real twist is at the 90% mark. This is the third Alice Feeney book I've read and I always figure out at least part of the "twist" well before we get there - with Daisy Darker, I think I figured it out by page 20. The only reason I keep reading is to see if I'm right or to fill in the gaps. Maybe I read too much. I think I'm done with Feeney. Readers who enjoy Freida McFadden will enjoy Alice Feeney's style as well.

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

Outer Hebrides village

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

January 6, 2024

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Lucy and Savannah were best friends, until the night that Savvy is murdered, and Lucy is found wandering the streets covered in Savvy's blood. Because of a severe head injury, Lucy has no memory of what happened, so her friends and family immediately suspect that Lucy killed Savvy. She relocates to Los Angeles and starts a new life, until a popular podcast called "Listen for the Lie" announces that their next season will investigate Savvy's murder.

So many lies here. There is a lot going on: we have an unreliable narrator who has no recollection of events due to a head injury; the small town of Plumpton, TX, is a twisty little place, with everyone focused on projecting the image that life is perfect, when in reality, everyone is having an affair with everyone else; a couple of men that everyone loves are actually very violent and abuse their partners regularly. I hated Lucy's parents for automatically believing the story that Lucy's lying husband was telling - they also did not see that Lucy received proper care for her injuries (my mother would have been the same way, more concerned what the neighbors and the people at church would think, and telling me not to make a fuss). As one of the characters notes, people always prefer to believe a man's version of events. Grrrrrrrrr. This is a good mystery with well-developed characters - not sure it was necessary to toss in all the adultery and domestic abuse.

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

A small town in Texas - don't be fooled by the polite, perfect surface appearance

The Coworker by Freida McFadden

November 7, 2023

Dawn Schiff and Natalie Farrell both work for Vixed, a nutritional supplement company. Natalie is their top sales associate, while Dawn works as an accountant. Dawn is a bit eccentric, adhering to a very strict schedule, eating monochromatic meals, and obsessing over turtles, but an excellent employee. When she doesn't show up for work one day and doesn't call in, Natalie is concerned, particularly since Dawn scheduled two meetings and didn't show up for either one. She stops at Dawn's house to do a wellness check and is even more concerned when she finds a huge blood stain on the floor. 

Remember that saying about revenge being a dish best served cold? Keep that in mind when reading this novel. Dawn is definitely on the spectrum, possibly has Asperger's. Fast paced psychological fiction with good plot twists and no one is who they seem. Should appeal to readers who enjoyed Gone Girl, The Maid's Diary, and the fiction of Rachel Hawkins and Lucy Foley.

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

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

October 23, 2023

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

When she was a toddler, Ruby McTavish went missing from a family picnic in the mountains near their North Carolina home. Missing for almost a year, there was always speculation whether the child who was returned to the family was really Ruby. Almost 70 years later, Ruby's adopted son gets an email telling him that it's time for a reckoning and he needs to come home.

Psychological suspense with multiple plot twists. Just when you think you know what's going on, there is a twist in the story. Also, all of the narrators are unreliable! I like this novel much more than the author's previous book The Villa. If you liked The Maid's Diary with its twisty plot, multiple narrators, and dual timeline, you'll enjoy Hawkins' upcoming book.

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

North Carolina mountains

The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

August 30, 2023

The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

Vancouver BC, Halloween night, 2019. A couple engaged in an illicit affair park in a secluded spot near the river to have sex, but they are interrupted when two other cars pull into the area. Two people get out of the cars and haul something out of the backseat of one car and throw it in the river. Then they push one of the cars into the river, get back in the second car, and drive away. Near midnight in a wealthy Vancouver neighborhood, an elderly woman calls 911 to say she heard a woman screaming in the house next door. When police arrive, the house looks like a bloodbath but there are a lot of unknowns: who is the victim? where are the homeowners? is the maid seen earlier in the day involved? who were the couple seen visiting around dinner time? was it accident, suicide, or murder?

Very good psychological fiction with an unreliable narrator and plenty of unlikeable characters. Kit Darling is a maid with a snooping problem that is going to land her in trouble one day, serious trouble. There are some really unexpected twists. You think you have the story figured out, but then something else happens to make you wonder what is really going on. Highly recommended if you want a story that will mess with your mind.

Vancouver BC

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop

May 17, 2023

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop

Before starting college, Rachel and her best friend Caroline spent a summer traveling in Europe, ending up working at a dive bar at an upscale resort on a Greek island. Eighteen years later, she returns with her husband to find the place greatly changed, now a tourist destination rather than an exclusive resort. But when she runs into a woman she worked with, memories that Rachel would rather forget begin to surface.

Similar to My Dark Vanessa, with teenaged girls being abused by older manipulative men. I thought this would be a good summer read, but it's not - rather than being fun and suspenseful, it's depressing and there were no surprises. I didn't feel a connection to the characters or particularly care what happened to them. Rachel in particular is completely brainwashed. It felt like the author was trying to cash in on the current Me Too movement. I did a lot of skimming, especially in the second half of the book. Disappointing.

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

Greek islands

48 Clues Into the Disappearance of My Sister by Joyce Carol Oates

April 20, 2023

48 Clues Into the Disappearance of My Sister by Joyce Carol Oates

Marguerite Fulmer, known to her sister as M, leaves for work one morning and vanishes. Her family, co-workers, former boyfriends, and the police are baffled. M's sister Georgene (G or Gigi) begin collecting clues that the police have missed, dismissed, or ignored. Or that G has hidden from them.

Psychological fiction with a truly unreliable narrator and not a single likable character, except maybe Lena the housekeeper. JCO is a master of this type of ambiguous story. It's not going to appeal to everyone - you have to enjoy having your mind messed with.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

November 28, 2022

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Emily Sheridan and Chess Chandler have been friends since elementary school. Both are writers: Emily writes cozy mysteries and Chess writes self-help books. Following a bad period in Emily's life, Chess suggests they spend the summer at a villa in Italy where both can work on their writing. At first, the house seems like the perfect place to spend the summer. But when Emily learns that a murder occurred at the villa 50 years earlier, she begins to dig deeper into the story.

There are two timelines here, set 50 years apart, that mirror each other to a certain extent. I figured out the plot about one third of the way into the story. But there were some unexpected twists as well as two different endings, and the reader is left wondering about the truth. Quite a few of the characters are unlikeable, so it didn't bother me when they died or got killed. This is enjoyable escape fiction, well-written, that is perfect for vacation, and readers of psychological or suspense fiction will be drawn into the story.

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

Orvieto, Italy, the setting for The Villa

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

March 4, 2022

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Adam Wright is a producer of a successful string of suspense dramas. He suffers from a condition called face blindness, where he is unable to recognize anyone's face, not even his own wife. They have been married for ten years. Every year on their anniversary, they give each other traditional gifts associated with the year of marriage: paper for the first year, cotton for the second year, leather for the third year, etc. Every year on their anniversary, Adam's wife writes him a letter that she refuses to let him see.

After ten years of marriage, things aren't so hot anymore. When they win a getaway weekend to a remote cabin in Scotland (which neither of them remember entering), the Wrights jump at the opportunity to put some life back in their marriage. But one of them has other plans and arranged for them to "win" the getaway, and not just to spend a romantic weekend with their partner. Plus there is a snowstorm heading their way, and there is someone else on the property spying on them. Sounds perfect, doesn't it?

Ah, the weekend getaway to an isolated location - when will people every learn? Add in three unreliable narrators, ten years of marriage, and ten years of secrets. There is a good twist in the middle that I didn't see coming. Fans of psychological fiction will enjoy.

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

One by One by Ruth Ware

November 9, 2021

One by One by Ruth Ware

A corporate retreat goes horribly wrong when a mixed group of co-workers and stockholders find themselves stranded at a luxurious mountain chalet after an avalanche. Normally, it wouldn't be too awful to be stuck at a luxury resort, but the power goes out, the heat goes off, and the food supply is dwindling. Most of the participants already hate each other, and the news that a corporate takeover is in the works doesn't help their feelings for each other. One by one, the group members are being killed off.

I find Ruth Ware's books to be hit or miss - sometimes they're great, and other times they suck. This is not her best. It's yet another riff on Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," except the characters are stuck on a mountain rather than an island. It's also too long - don't publishing houses have editors any more? I know she's a high grossing author but someone should have helped her whack out 50-100 pages of drivel. I also didn't care about any of the characters - most of them are whiny and entitled, and the others are totally weak.

Ruth Ware has a new book that just came out. I'm going to give her one more try. If the next book sucks as bad as this one, I'm done with her and we'll be breaking up.

Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin

August 6, 2021

Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin

Like so many other young adults before her, college student Pru Steiner planned to take New York City by storm. But instead, she fell in love with one of her professors, a brilliant Shakespearean scholar, and married him. Pru has big plans for their future, but 30 years later, it's obvious that there is something seriously wrong with her husband. He falls asleep reading the newspaper, forgets things, and is unable to teach his classes. A visit to the doctor brings a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimers.

Told through different points of view, it's the story of a marriage, a family, and the heartbreak of Alzheimers.

Morningside Heights has gotten loads of positive reviews on many different sites. but this was a really depressing book that made me feel really sad. I didn't like the characters so it was hard to empathize with them. I struggled to finish, and ended up skimming the last third of the book. Other than Pru's daughter going off to medical school, NOTHING good happens to these people.

This is not Fredrik Backman who takes everyday life and ordinary people and transforms it into something extraordinarily special. I don't recommend this unless you're in a really black mood and want to read about people with very crappy lives.

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

March 7, 2020

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

For 18 years, Rose Gold Watts believed that she was seriously ill, until an internet search made her suspicious that her that her mother was poisoning and starving her to gain attention.  She testified against her mother in court, and “Poisonous Patty” Watts went to prison for five years.  Patty is about to be released and with nowhere to go, asks Rose Gold if she can stay with her.  Rose Gold reluctantly agrees, since she now has a child of her own and fears what Patty might do to him.  Patty always gets revenge on those who wronged her, but Rose Gold is no longer a helpless child and has her own brand of revenge in mind.  As the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold.

What a great piece of psychological fiction!  The story alternates between Patty and Rose Gold in the present, and Rose Gold in the past.  Both Patty and Rose Gold have had years to think about revenge, and the pacing of the story really ratchets up the tension as the reader watches Patty and Rose Gold circle around each other like a pair of jungle cats.  They have a lot more in common than they think:  neither one is likable; both are highly manipulative; both women are unreliable narrators telling their own version of the truth.  Fascinating yet disturbing and twisted, this is definitely like a train wreck:  you just can’t look away.  Once you start this book, it’s really hard to put it down.

Loved the cover art!  The plot for Darling Rose Gold sounds a lot like the story of Dee Dee Blanchard and her daughter Gypsy Rose.  Hulu recently did an original series called The Act which was based on Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose.

I have a compressed vertebrae in my back so I have been having a lot of doctors’ appointments and tests over the last ten days.  Somewhere along the way, I lost my print ARC of Darling Rose Gold.  This irritated me almost as much as all the poking and prodding.  Fortunately, NetGalley was gracious enough to provide me with an e-ARC so that I could finish the book and write a review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.

Sarah Jane by James Sallis

October 3, 2019

Sarah Jane by James Sallis

Sarah Jane Pullman (which may or may not be her name) was born in the area where Tennessee meets Alabama.  Her mother flitted in and out of her children’s lives, and although her father was hardworking, he couldn’t make a success of anything.  From an early age, Sarah roams from place to place, stopping when she runs out of money or meets someone interesting or just gets worn out, always hiding her secret history.  The chaos of her early life teaches her to travel light with regard to possessions and people.  Along the way, she serves in the army in a combat unit, earns a college degree, and becomes first a fry cook, then a baker, then a chef.  After her police officer boyfriend is killed in the line of duty, Sarah finds herself drawn to police work and becomes a deputy sheriff.  She is doing a good job, too, until the sheriff goes missing and she finds herself promoted to acting sheriff to investigate his disappearance.  But the deeper Sarah gets into the investigation, the more she realizes that the sheriff had secrets of his own that caught up with him, just as her own secrets find her.

Although we are aware that Sarah is telling her story selectively, deliberately omitting certain details, the reader is well into the novel before realizing exactly how unreliable a narrator Sarah is.  She chooses not to define many of her relationships and misadventures, even her relationship with Sid, one of the men who stays in her life longer than most men do.  Sarah is a true noir character, always short of money, taking whatever job comes along, choosing the wrong kind of man, and living according to her own code of ethics.

James Sallis writes wonderful, spare prose and does not waste words, the kind of writing that makes you stop and go back to re-read a loaded sentence.  Many thanks to the publisher, Soho Crime, and editor Juliet Graemes for providing me with a pre-publication ARC.

Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman

August 22, 2019

Tell Me Everything by Cambria Brockman

Hawthorne College is a small liberal arts college in Maine, known as a mini-Ivy, catering to students from wealthy families who can't get into real Ivy League colleges due to poor grades or lack of connections.  Six students meet during freshman orientation and quickly become a tight group:

• Malin is a pre-law major from a wealthy Texas family, who tends to be a loner but tries hard to make friends and fit in;
• John is the athletic golden boy, wealthy, popular and sought after, who wants to major in finance and partying, studying as little as possible;
• Ruby is attending Hawthorne on a soccer scholarship and plans to study art history - she is the prettiest and most popular girl in the group;
• Max is John's cousin, handsome and intense, who suffers from panic attacks even though he comes from a wealthy loving family - he plans to study pre-med and become a surgeon;
• Gemma is from London and mixed race, the daughter of an American woman and a Pakistani diplomat, a theater major since she has a natural flair for drama - she is very insecure and infatuated with John, even though John and Ruby become a couple almost immediately; and
• Khaled, aka the prince, from extremely wealthy Abu Dhabi royalty, also planning on majoring in pre-med - he uses his wealth to draw the others close to him.

The six of them live together in a house that Khaled owns near the campus and are inseparable until their senior year, when cracks begin to appear.  By the annual Senior Day celebrations, they are slowly falling apart.  Secrets that have been carefully hidden come to light, threatening their futures and their friendships.

This was great summer reading, character driven but with a fast moving story line and good writing.  Will appeal to readers who enjoyed The Secret History by Donna Tartt or One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

July 19, 2019

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Roger Ackroyd was a well-liked philanthropic businessman who lived in the village of King’s Abbott.  After dining with friends and family including his secretary and the local doctor, Ackroyd is found stabbed to death in his locked study.  Servants and household members overheard conversations held in the study throughout the evening, including someone asking for money and Ackroyd's refusal.  Ackroyd’s adopted son Ralph is suspected of the murder, until Hercule Poirot is enlisted to investigate.

Along with And Then There Were None, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is considered to be Christie’s best mystery, with an intricate plot and unexpected twist at the end.

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

June 23, 2019

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepsworth

Just about everybody in this mystery has at least one thing they’re hiding, and you really can't believe anything that they say (the ever-popular unreliable narrator).  Lucy Goodwin has been married to Oliver Goodwin for about ten years.  She never really hit it off with her mother-in-law, Diana (although she did hit Diana once!), and everyone in the family knows it.  Otherwise, Diana is universally loved and admired, so when she is found dead under suspicious circumstances, the spotlight immediately finds Lucy.

Interesting characters and a fast-moving plot kept me turning the pages on this one.  It was a refreshing change from all of the "Girl" and "Perfect" books that have been published recently (Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, Good Girl, Perfect Nanny, Perfect Wife, Perfect Mother, etc.).  I highly recommend it for vacation or the beach, or just on the patio with a glass of wine.