Demon Copperhead

Title: Demon Copperhead
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Published: October 18, 2022 by Harper
Format: Hardcover, 560 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb: Demon Copperhead is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia. It's the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.

My Opinion: I’ll be honest: This award-winning novel hooked me right from the start. Those early chapters had that crackling energy where you think this is going to be something special. And it is… at least at first. But somewhere around the middle, the momentum sagged. I kept reading, hoping it would snap back into place, but the story just stayed stuck in that same loop of redundant disappointment and sadness.

I switched to the audiobook since that helps when I get bogged down, and I did enjoy it a bit more. But eventually even that drifted into background noise, which is never a great sign. How many words do you need to read about a child in the foster care system, who keeps getting knocked down, again and again, till all that is left is lost dreams and death, while trying to grab on to any tiny glimmers of hope? And while that’s an important story, I didn’t need 540 pages of the same heartbreak to understand the point.

That said, I absolutely see why it won the Pulitzer Prize. At its heart, it is a coming‑of‑age documentary wrapped in fiction. An unflinching look at rural Southern life in the 1980s, where being born into a bad situation often means you’re stuck there, and where drugs marketed as “help” ended up devastating entire communities.

And here’s the thing: by the end, she pulled me back in. The final stretch has real emotional weight of sadness, yes, but also humor, resilience, hope, and the kind of community that keeps people afloat even when everything else is falling apart. It’s a tough book, a long book, and sometimes a frustrating book, but it’s also undeniably powerful.

If you want a raw, wide-ranging story that faces tough topics head-on, this book deserves its reputation, even if it can be a test of patience.

The Shadow Friends

Title: The Shadow Friends
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Published: August 25, 2026 by Thomas & Mercer
Format: Kindle, 293 Pages
Genre: Thriller
Series: The Martini Club #3

Blurb: When a renowned disease expert and Russian defector dies mysteriously during a global affairs conference in Purity, Maine, the tight-knit band of former spies in the Martini Club once again sees their quiet coastal retirement interrupted by international intrigue. And when a waitress at the conference hotel is found murdered, Ingrid Slocum sees chilling links to a disastrous mission that nearly killed her three decades ago.

Desperate to uncover the truth, Ingrid’s drawn back into the game by a magnetic ex-CIA colleague—and former lover—who was with her on the long-ago doomed mission. He convinces her to join him, and together they head to Amsterdam to track down her would-be killer.

Ingrid’s frantic husband Lloyd and Maggie Bird are close behind, but a clandestine network of assassins is intent on stopping them. Forced to question every allegiance, the Martini Club must rely on the skills they tried to leave behind. Because in this game of revenge and deception, the past never dies—it just hides in the shadows.

My Opinion: You know how some series become your version of comfort food? The Martini Club is one of those for me, an “oh good, a new one dropped” moments where you settle in, already knowing you’ll enjoy the ride. Part of the charm is the cast: older characters who’ve lived full, complicated lives, the kind where past choices don’t stay politely in the past but occasionally nip at their heels. I love that. Give me retirees with baggage over fresh faced agents any day.

This installment continues the series’ signature blend of spy tinged mischief and small town feels. It’s easy to read, easy to keep everyone straight, and absolutely does not require deep thinking; just a willingness to believe that a quiet Maine town has somehow become the unofficial retirement home for former CIA, intelligence analysts, and assorted shadow world professionals.

Now, I’ll admit: the conveniences are… noticeable. The “just the right person at just the right moment” thing pops up more than once, and not just in this book but across the series. Yet, that’s fiction, isn’t it? Authors get to tap the puzzle pieces into place, and we get to enjoy the finished picture without worrying too much about how we got there.

What keeps it fun is the vibe: a group of friends who want to garden, raise chickens, sip their weekly martinis, read a good book, and enjoy retirement. Yet somehow keep stumbling into danger, secrets, and excitement that no quiet town should reasonably produce. It’s escapist, a little silly, and thoroughly entertaining.

If you’re in the mood for a breezy spy flavored mystery with older protagonists and zero homework required, this series continues to deliver exactly that.

And Then There Were Bun

Title: And Then There Were Bun
Author: Vivien Chien
Published: August 25, 2026 by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, 320 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Noodle Shop Mystery #13

Blurb: With the help of Lana’s parents and close friends, Megan packs the family restaurant with a guest list that includes friends—both old and new—to help celebrate her best gal’s birthday. But when one of their guests brings an unsavory plus one that Lana just happened to date back in her college days, tensions build between her old beau and her current boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau.

After a heated exchange of words between the two men, the evening returns to the smooth and enjoyable party that Megan had originally hoped for. But relief is short lived when Lana’s ex is found in the dumpster outside of Asia Village.

As if the circumstances and tragedy taking place on Lana’s birthday aren’t enough, the gang gets an even bigger surprise when Adam is the main suspect under scrutiny. Not only are there several witnesses confirming the verbal confrontation between the two men earlier in the evening, but it’s also reported that Adam disappeared from the party for a considerable amount of time. And unfortunately for him, not even Lana can back up his whereabouts. With Adam in the hot seat, his own partner, Matthew Higgins, must investigate the crime alongside their boss—the Chief of Police, Tom Riceton, who wants speedy results to keep away the threat of Internal Affairs knocking on their door.

As Adam struggles with the dynamic shifts in his personal life, being on suspension and shut out from his resources at the police department, he must rely solely on his skills as a detective and the ingenuity of Lana’s amateur sleuthing capabilities to solve the case and clear his name definitively.

My Opinion: There’s just something about this series that keeps pulling me back in. At this point, I’ve been with Vivien Chien since book one, so yes, I fully admit I give her a little grace when a story wobbles. But this time? No wobble. This novel hit every single point I look for in a Noodle Shop mystery.

The characters felt like they were hitting their stride again. The snarky humor was back, a bit of history bubbled up, the agents of chaos, also known as the Mahjong Matrons, arrived right on cue, and all of Lana’s friends and family showed up for her, not just for her birthday, but before she had to send out a bat signal. That’s one of my favorite things about this series: Lana never really goes it alone; her circle is there for her no matter what.

From the start, it’s clear who will be set up for putting the body in the dumpster. But let’s be honest, Vivien Chien would never cancel a main character this way. So off we go, racing alongside Lana and her friends to figure out what really happened and how fast they can untangle the mess. And yes, there was a twist I absolutely didn’t see. I love when a cozy mystery manages to sneak one past me.

As for what’s next for Lana? Who knows. But if history is any indication, we can count on donuts, giggles, shenanigans, and at least one moment where Lana wonders how she got herself into this again.

The Whitechapel Full Moon Society

Title: The Whitechapel Full Moon Society
Author: Elizabeth DeLozier
Published: August 25, 2026 by Dutton
Format: Kindle, 368 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb: When Caroline Foster arrives at the Whitechapel Full Moon Society in search of her missing brother, she finds a dilapidated façade belying an interior as opulent as any exclusive gentlemen’s club. In exchange for room and board, Caroline is hired as the Full Moon’s maid, where she is given three orders: don’t ask personal questions, stay out of the iron-barred room on the second floor, and remain in her bedroom from sunup to sundown on the full moon.

But when it is revealed that the previous maid was murdered—an early victim of Jack the Ripper—and her brother has left behind no answers, only more questions, Caroline begins to suspect her hosts might be hiding something. As more bodies turn up with a connection to the Society, Caroline fears she may have unwittingly stumbled into a bedtime story, the kind with monsters and curses, family secrets and ancient lore.

Tantalizing and pulsing, Elizabeth DeLozier’s sophomore novel gives an exciting alternative look into the infamous Jack the Ripper story with a major, supernatural twist.

My Opinion: Is it possible to enjoy a book while still feeling like you’re wandering around in a fog, trying to grab hold of the threads the author keeps teasing you with? Absolutely, and this novel proves it. From the early chapters, Elizabeth DeLozier drops us straight into a world where Jack the Ripper is already lurking in the background, cemetery stones whisper their own stories, and a missing brother hovers like a shadow you can’t quite shake. And then there’s that boarding house, The Full Moon Society, where every room feels like it’s hiding a secret.

I kept thinking I was onto something. You know that feeling when you mentally congratulate yourself because you’re sure you’ve cracked the mystery? Yeah… that didn’t last. DeLozier has a talent for nudging you down one path, letting you feel confident for about five minutes, and then “poof,” she opens a new train of thought, and you’re somewhere else entirely. I made another assumption later on, and while it wasn’t completely wrong, it was only half right in that cat-and-mouse sort of way. While giving you clues, she’s generous with misdirection, and honestly, it was my favorite thing.

Halfway through, I found myself just as baffled as Caroline Foster, our main character, and I mean that in the best way. This is definitely a slow burn, but not the kind that drags. It’s the kind that builds curiosity until you’re leaning forward, with your mouth open without realizing it.

And then there’s the genre question. Is this historical fiction? Is it fantasy? Is it folklore? The answer seems to be: yes, all of the above. The folklore references were right there, and I still missed them. Good job, Elizabeth. Truly.

By the time I reached the last few chapters, I had fully prepared to give this a respectable 4 star rating. Solid, enjoyable, clever. But then the final stretch hit, and suddenly I was upgrading that rating without hesitation. The ending is twist upon twist, the kind that leaves you blinking at the page and thinking, “Wait… what?” It’s not where I thought the book was headed, and thank goodness for that. DeLozier lets out just enough information along the way to keep you hooked, but never enough to spoil the surprise.

A thoroughly engaging, twisty, genre blurring ride and one that earns every bit of its 5 stars.

Circe

Title: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Published: April 10, 2018 by Little, Brown and Company
Format: Paperback, 393 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb: In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.

My Opinion: This is one of those rare novels that pulls you in so completely you look up hours later, wondering how you got so swept away. I haven’t been this absorbed in a book in a very long time. Even without a deep background in mythology, I never felt out of my depth. Miller gives just enough context and character history to make the world come alive, but she never drags the story down with encyclopedic detail. It’s myth, yes, but myth told with a modern fictional pulse.

I found myself pausing every now and then to look up a name or a thread, not because the book was confusing, but because I wanted to know more. Those little detours didn’t interrupt the story at all; they made it even richer, like I was wandering through a forgotten maze of history and legend.

And Circe… she’s obviously the beating heart of this novel. A woman shaped by cruelty, isolation, and the whims of gods who treat suffering like sport, yet she refuses to be defined by any of it. You feel every moment with her; the sharp humor, the loneliness, and the flickers of love which feel both fragile and monumental. When she hurts, you hurt. When she laughs, you can’t help but smile. When she makes those impossible choices, you feel the breath catch in your own chest and turn the pages even faster.

Her strength isn’t loud or showy; it’s the kind that builds quietly, page by page, until you realize she’s become something extraordinary. A goddess, yes. A witch, yes. But, also, a woman who claws her way toward her own identity in a world determined to tell her who she should be even when she is letting go of the most important things in her life.

This is absolutely a keeper; the kind of book that earns its place on the shelf. And honestly, I can see a re‑read in the future, just to revisit a fiercely beautiful human journey of a woman who stands alone on her island and still manages to reshape her fate.

The Pumpkin Spice Café

Title: The Pumpkin Spice Café
Author: Laurie Gilmore
Published: August 30, 2023 by HarperCollins
Format: Kindle, 376 Pages
Genre: Romance
Series: Dream Harbor #1

Blurb: When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Cafe in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes.

My Opinion: I admit it, I fell for the hype. The cozy cute cover, the promise of small town charm, the whole “pumpkin spice season is here, come bask in the vibes” thing. I thought, sure, why not, let’s lean into the fall mood. Turns out my inner voice was right and I should’ve walked away from this one.

It starts with the usual setup: heroine returns to a small town, suddenly there are ghostly noises in the café, meets a hunky farmer who is conveniently pushed into staying close and help investigate. You know the drill. Except here, the drill feels more like a slow churn. Boring, boring, yada yada, nothing surprising, the same fill in the blank formatting.

There’s a “found family” of matchmakers tossed in, which could’ve been fun, but instead it just felt like another layer of fluff on top of a plot that wasn’t going anywhere.

Then, because the story is drifting along without anything new, the book suddenly swerves into pages upon pages of spice. It didn’t match the tone, the pacing, or the setup. It felt like a last ditch attempt to keep readers engaged, and instead it made the whole thing feel desperate. Sure, some readers look for that kind of shift, but for me it was out of place and didn’t fix the core issue: the book was simply too boring for words.

Pumpkin Spice Café promised cozy autumn magic, but all I got was a lukewarm cup of disappointment.

Ropes, Riddles, & Robberies

Title: Ropes, Riddles, & Robberies
Author: Tonya Kappes
Published: December 31, 2020 by Tonya Kappes Books
Format: Audio, Kindle 212 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Camper & Criminals #15

Blurb: Mae has been having memories about the house fire that killed her family, leaving her orphaned.

As a child she couldn't do much to prove the fire wasn't an accident, but as an adult and with a group of friends to help, Mae is on the case to put the clues of the past together to bring out the truth.

Their investigation heats up making this cold case come to a rolling boil!

My Opinion: This series is hitting just right for me lately. Every so often, you need to climb out of your own head and slip into a familiar, cozy world, and Normal, Kentucky is exactly that kind of place. Quirky? Absolutely. But it’s also a found family for Mae West, and honestly, sometimes that’s all any of us need.

Ropes, Riddles & Robberies brings Mae to a long‑awaited turning point. She’s carried the weight of her family’s tragic house fire for so many years that whole pieces of the memory have gone foggy. And now she’s finally ready to go back to the town she ran from, to face the terrifying question she’s never been able to shake: did she accidentally cause the fire that killed her parents and siblings?

Mae doesn’t go alone, of course. The Laundry Ladies and her adoptive mother are right there at her side, ready to help her face whatever truth comes out of the ashes. It’s messy, emotional, and exactly the kind of character‑driven arc that makes this series more than just a string of mysteries.

And speaking of mysteries, the investigation here kept me guessing. Hank got a little annoying, but the reveal wasn’t obvious, which is something I genuinely appreciate in amateur‑sleuth stories. If I can’t peg the culprit early on, it’s going to be a good adventure.

This whole series is made up of short, easy reads that feel like a warm return trip to a place you know well. More people should be adding these books to their TBR piles. It’s always fun to get back to ‘Normal’, even if it’s tucked away in Kentucky.

Ideal Life

Title: Ideal Life
Author: Evelyn Skye
Published: August 18, 2026 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Format: Kindle, 288 Pages
Genre: Time Travel

Blurb: What if you could rewind the last 24 hours and perfect your life?

Talia Morgan has built her dream: a neuroscience startup poised for a $100 million acquisition that will validate years of relentless work to make the world better through technology. But when a glitch in her app leads to catastrophe, everything she’s worked for crumbles in a single night.

Then Talia wakes up with a mysterious watch that lets her rewind the last twenty-four hours. Suddenly, she can prevent the glitch, ace that crucial meeting, and savor perfect Sunday afternoons with Sam, her brilliant best friend who’s quietly loved her for nearly two decades. The watch feels like the ultimate optimization tool, a way to debug her life until every moment is flawless.

But Talia’s addiction to rewriting her past comes at a devastating cost. Each rewind pulls her further from the people she loves most: Sam, who watches helplessly as she disappears into endless cycles of perfection; Libby, her globe-trotting sister who needs support that Talia is too distracted to give; and most dangerously, from her own true, authentic self.

When Talia discovers a conspiracy to turn her life’s work into a tool for mass manipulation, she faces an impossible choice: use the watch to cheat her way to stopping it, or accept that the messy, imperfect version of her life might be the only one worth living.

My Opinion: You know that moment when you finish a book, sit back, and think, Huh… I liked that way more than everyone else seems to? That was me with Idea Life. This is why I should never read reviews. While other readers were lukewarm, I’m over here nodding along, occasionally misty eyed, and fully invested.

The premise leans a little YA, sure, but the characters themselves are adults, which creates this interesting tonal blend. It might throw some readers off, but for me, it was unexpected but charming.

The plot jumps into the main action early, which is usually my jam, but here I found myself wishing for just a bit more build up, a little more grounding before the watch appears out of nowhere. And honestly, do we really know how it showed up? By the end, there are still questions lingering, the kind that make you tilt your head and go, “Wait… but what about…?” Not in a frustrating way, more in a hmm, I wish I could speak with the author.

There’s repetition, but the premise almost demands it, so even when it edges toward “okay, I get it,” it still makes sense for what the story is trying to do.

What kept me hooked were the little ticklers woven throughout, making you wonder who’s trustworthy, who’s hiding something, and how on earth these characters will navigate their way to a happily ever after. It’s a quick, easy read, but not a shallow one.

Part of why I picked this up at all was Evelyn Skye herself. I first found her through The Crown’s Game series, then fell head over heels for The Incredible Kindness of Paper, a book that left such a lasting impression that grabbing Idea Life felt like a no brainer. She even gives a nod to Paper here, but it made me smile remembering how much I liked that book.

And yes, I connected with her again. There might have been a tear or two. Definitely an exhale. And this is absolutely a book I’ll end up discussing with people in that “what if” kind of way that lingers long after you close the cover.

The Obelisk Gate

Title: The Obelisk Gate
Author: N.K. Jemisin
Published: August 18, 2016 by Orbit
Format: Paperback, 410 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Broken Earth #2

Blurb: Essun has found shelter, but not her missing daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request that would seal the fate of the Stillness forever.

My Opinion: There’s a lot I enjoyed in the second book of The Broken Earth trilogy. The atmosphere is heavy with the strange beauty of the Stillness, and the way Jemisin threads grief through every interaction. Yet, I was not as swept away as I was with The Fifth Season. The first book grabbed me and refused to let go; this one feels more like a slow, deliberate walk through a world I was already familiar with, and only a few jolts that reminded me of why I stayed.

Essun’s chapters still land for me. Her weariness, her prickly tenderness, the way she keeps trying even when she’s bone‑deep tired, is compelling. And Alabaster’s return added a welcome emotional weight. Their scenes have that tension I love with two people who’ve survived too much and are trying to shape the world with whatever pieces they have left.

But the pacing is different this time. The book spends a lot of time explaining the machinery behind the magic with the Obelisks, Guardians, ancient wrongs, and while it’s fascinating, it doesn’t have the same visceral punch as the first book’s structure and revelations. I never felt fully bored, but I did feel like I was mentally wandering while waiting for the story to ignite.

Nassun’s storyline is the part I wrestled with. It’s dark, unsettling, and intentionally uncomfortable, and while I appreciate what Jemisin is doing, I had a hard time connecting with it. It’s powerful, but not in the same way Essun’s journey is powerful. I know it is going to matter later, but for now, I was having a hard time.

By the end, the book finally tightens its grip. The emotional stakes sharpen, the world cracks open a little more, and I can feel the trilogy shifting toward something huge. It’s a middling second book, just not the lightning strike the first one was. Still, I’m invested, and I’m ready to see where this all leads, even if this installment didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Eggnog, Extortion, & Evergreens

Title: Eggnog, Extortion, & Evergreens
Author: Tonya Kappes
Published: November 19, 2020 by Tonya Kappes Books
Format: Kindle, 206 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Camper & Criminals #14

Blurb: Mae West is busy this Christmas season. She's running around Normal getting the town ready for the first Winter Festival, which she hopes will become an annual event for the tourist town.

The freshly fallen snow sure does make the Daniel Boone National Park beautiful and ready for Santa's arrival, but it also makes the curvy roads through the forest very slick. Unfortunately, Mae finds out just how slick the roads are after her car slides off the road and hits a tree, putting Mae into a deep coma.

Mae is one of the lucky patients who does wake up and happy to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.

One of the patients in the emergency room with Mae didn't die that night of natural causes, and Hank Sharp has himself a new homicide case on his hands.

Mae starts having memories about the fire that took her family and a memory of a murder plot that she thinks happened when she was in her coma. Only, she's having a hard time distinguishing between the two memories and the clues seem to have blurred lines. There's one thing she does know for sure, both incidents come with clues that neither were accidents.

Once again, Mae West with the help of the Laundry Club Ladies put on their ameatur sleuth cap to help solve the mystery of the murders before the killer sends her Christmas gift she can't return.

My Opinion: I’m really enjoying how this series fits into my reading rhythm. Mae West and her band of laundry ladies have become my go to palate cleanser when I want something I can slip in between other books. Normal, Kentucky is a familiar, cozy, and entertaining place where everyone already knows your name and your story.

This installment has that festive energy I hoped for in a holiday cozy, even though I was reading it during a summer heatwave. The characters feel settled in their roles, and there’s a nice spark to their interactions; enough to keep things lively without tipping into unnecessary chaos.

The mystery itself is fun, a little twisty, and just complicated enough to keep me interested without demanding full detective mode attention. That’s part of the charm of this series: I can enjoy the ride and appreciate the atmosphere without feeling that I had to work too hard to get to the end.

If the world feels a little too loud or too heavy, this series offers a soft landing where a cozy comfort read can go a long way.

The Midnight Library

Title: The Midnight Library
Author: Matt Haig
Published: September 29, 2020 by Viking
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
Genre: Time Travel
Series: The Midnight World #1

Blurb: When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?

My Opinion: If you’re someone who leans toward depression, or even dips into those darker corners now and then, this book might feel a little sharp at first. The opening chapters are rough, and they can absolutely start a mental spin if you’re not in the right headspace.

But once you settle in, something shifts. The chapters start to find their own rhythm, where you feel the book is gently pacing itself for you. And your mind begins to wander in that very human way: If it were possible… where would I go? Every one of us has regrets with paths taken, paths avoided, and choices we replay at 2 a.m. What Haig does so well is tap into that universal twinge and then asks, softly, “What if you could go back and see what might have been?”

About halfway through, the book drops the idea of “sliders”, people who feel familiar but not quite right, like a form of déjà vu. And of course, my brain went wandering again. What if those odd moments in life, the ones that make you pause, squint, and slightly tilt your head, are little cross currents of possibility brushing past?

This is one of those books that practically begs for a group discussion. Not a formal book club, but the kind where everyone sits around and starts confessing the moments they’d revisit if given the chance. The story lives in that space between where the might have beens briefly become real enough to touch. And talking about it with others, hearing where they would go, what regrets tug at them, feels like part of the experience.

It’s a thoughtful, wandering, slightly melancholy book, but also one that nudges you toward compassion for your own life. And maybe that’s the point.

A Trade of Blood

Title: A Trade of Blood
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Published: August 4, 2026 by Del Rey
Format: Kindle, 400 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Ana and Din Mysteries #3

Blurb: In the canton of Sapirdad, two of the Empire’s most powerful families are moments away from going to war with each other, their hundreds of retainers gathered with swords drawn. If blood is spilt, the whole of the empire may be plunged into starvation and chaos.

To de-escalate matters, someone must do the impossible: prove that one family’s eldest son is innocent of a gruesome and unforgivable murder, despite the incontrovertible evidence against him.

It is with this undertaking that the great detective Ana Dolabra is tasked, her assistant Din at her side—and the two find themselves racing with great speed and little dignity to the scene.

As ever, the impossible proves little obstacle for the deadly combination of Ana’s intellect and Din’s keen eye, and mere hours after riding into the dusty town, Ana glimpses the greater pattern behind the crime. A deeper, subtler web of death is being woven in plain sight, by a mastermind with an ancient magical technology at his disposal.

But even Ana's uncanny insight is of little use when each new suspect she uncovers ends up dead--with each new killing calculated to bring tensions between the two rival clans past the boiling point. And as Din pursues their adversary through the canton's wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses, he finds his loyalties divided in unexpected ways.

My Opinion: I love this series; the moment Ana shows up on the page, I’m basically done for. There’s something about her mix of sharp humor, stubbornness, and that “I know more than I’m telling you” vibe that pulls me in from the first chapters and keeps me locked in until the end. And Din is the perfect counterbalance. Their banter is so good that I was far too busy laughing and enjoying their dynamic to even attempt guessing the final twist. Mystery? What mystery? I was just along for the ride.

One thing I’ve always appreciated about these books is how Bennett sprinkles little hints about Ana’s background; those tiny easter eggs that make you lean in and wonder what she’s hiding. This time, though, the spotlight shifts. We get more of Din’s past, and it’s handled with that ideal balance of “here’s what you need to know” without wandering into filler territory. It’s backstory that actually *moves* the plot instead of pausing it, and I loved that. It feels like the series is slowly widening its lens, letting us understand these two not just as partners in chaos but as people with histories that matter.

And the genre blend? Still hitting the sweet spot. Murder mystery wrapped in a fantasy world with magic, danger, and a touch of absurdity. It’s like Bennett found the exact recipe for my ideal comfort read, that I didn’t know I had been looking for, and keeps perfecting it.

This is absolutely a series you need to read in order. Bennett loves to reference quieter moments from earlier books, the ones you didn’t realize were important until suddenly they are, and if you skip around, you’ll miss the satisfaction of those connected dots.

As for how long this series will run… well, that’s a mystery. Followers of the series have no confirmed idea of how many books Bennett has planned, but honestly? With fingers crossed and hopes high, we’ll take as many as he can muster. We’ll wait. And we’ll happily stay invested in Ana and Din’s twisty, banter-filled world for as long as he lets us.

Murder on Charity Lane

Title: Murder on Charity Lane
Author: Jo Nichols
Published: August 18, 2026 by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, 352 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Marigold Cottages Murders #2

Blurb: After the recent 'hubbub'—as Mrs. B describes the murders on the property—quiet descends upon the Marigold Cottages. Sophie is moving in with Nicholas, Anthony is smitten with Lily-Ann, and life is returning to normal.

But Mrs. B misses the hubbub.

That's why she invites her friend Elsa Moore to move into Sophie's now-vacant cottage: Elsa is a suspect in the death of her employer, who tumbled down the stairs of his mansion during a dinner party. His much-younger window claims she saw Elsa push Frank, but Mrs. B knows she's innocent.

Mrs. B rallies the residents to investigate the party-goers: an eccentric couple who owe Frank, a fundraiser who depends on his largesse, and an old friend obsessed with life-extension. But the tenants all come to the same conclusion: Elsa is guilty.

And as they investigate, someone is snooping around the Cottages, leaving windows unlocked and papers misplaced. Then there’s a second murder, and they discover that Mrs. B risked the Marigold Court for Elsa. With their tight-knit community on the line, they must prove her innocence.

My Opinion: Some series hook you with the mystery; this one hooks you with the people. ‘Murder on Charity Lane’ is another reminder that the Marigold Cottages aren’t just a setting; they’re a whole ecosystem of odd little ducks, all lovingly shepherded by the hysterically funny, fiercely caring Mrs. B. Honestly, the murder is almost background noise compared to the enjoyment of spending time with this ragtag found family.

This book leans hard into friendship, acceptance, and the kind of loyalty that makes you smile because… well, these folks are willing to do *whatever* is needed. And I do mean whatever. They don’t go looking for trouble (okay, maybe in book one they sort of did, but he deserved it), yet trouble keeps showing up on their doorstep like it knows that they can handle it.

The charm isn’t just in their antics; it’s in the chat messages. Those little exchanges are the heartbeat of the series. They’re where the humor sharpens, where the affection shows, where the group’s personality really pops.

Now, would I personally live in a cluster of tightly packed cottages in Santa Barbara? Probably not. I like my space. But the idea of having a ready‑made circle of oddballs who show up for you without hesitation? That’s the kind of fantasy we all indulge in from time to time. The Marigold crew may be unconventional, but they’re exactly the kind of people you’d want in your corner.

As for continuity, you really do need to start with ‘The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective’ to understand who’s who and why this group works the way it does. But once you’ve read book one, sliding into book two feels easy, like returning to a familiar chair.

Eat, Drink, and Get Buried

Title: Eat, Drink, and Get Buried
Author: Cleo Coyle
Published: September 22, 2026 by Berkley
Format: Kindle, 400 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Coffeehouse Mystery #22

Blurb: Years ago, when master roaster Clare Cosi was a newly divorced mom raising her daughter, Joy, Ava Welsh became Joy's best friend. Now the painfully shy girl next door has grown into a successful New York businesswoman, and Clare is delighted to be catering Ava's coffee-themed party, especially when her boyfriend, Ryan, confides his plan to propose that very night.

Then a scream shatters the celebration. A woman is thrown off the balcony to her death, and Ryan—who abruptly flees the party—is accused of murder. Clare vows to help Ava clear his name.

Her digging uncovers suspicious connections to a deadly event from which a teenaged Joy and Ava barely escaped with their lives. The stakes rise ever higher as a ruthless killer attempts to keep the ugly truth buried—even if it means sending Clare and her caffeinated crew six feet under.

My Opinion: Twenty-two books in, and I’m committed to seeing this series through, since at this point it’s less a reading habit and more a relationship. But even in a relationship, you can feel when the spark dims a little, and Eat, Drink, and Get Buried lands in that “we’re still together, but… hmm” category.

This installment moves slowly, padded with filler, repetition, and bits of history that took me out of the story. And the miscommunication trope? It’s everywhere. By the halfway mark, I started mentally ticking off which cozy mystery tropes Cleo Coyle might reach for next, only to realize the answer was: apparently all of them.

Normally, this series sends me straight to the coffee bar. I’ll be halfway through a chapter and suddenly craving a latte like my life depends on it. But this time? Nothing. Not even a whisper of “go make a cup.” That alone tells you something was missing.

The familiar cast felt oddly passive; they were all standing around waiting for someone else to tell them what to do to move the plot forward. By the end, I realized I’d lost interest, not dramatically, just quietly, the way you set a book down and forget where you left it. There was no spark, no pull, no caffeinated buzz. I’ll probably forget the plot by next month, and that’s saying something for a series I’ve stuck with this long.

And then there’s the ending, like this add-on, for instance. Instead of wrapping things up, the reader is given an epilogue, then the authors tack on a multiple-page cookbook. I’m not sure if it was meant for a select few or to inflate the page count, but goodness, that was a lot of pages most readers will flip past with a polite “no, thank you.”

Not a terrible entry, just a middling one, that was familiar enough to finish, but not enough to savor.

Gear, Grills, & Guns

Title: Gear, Grills, & Guns
Author: Tonya Kappes
Published: October 22, 2020 by Tonya Kappes Books
Format: Audio, Kindle 202 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Camper & Criminals #13

Blurb: Mae West is bound to prove she deserves the seat she was appointed to on the National Park Committee when she brings a big car show to Normal during the slower fall month. But, when Wendell Holliday's body is found dead in one of Happy Trails Campground bungalows and one of the rentable campers is burning to the ground, Mae along with the help of the Laundry Club Ladies once again put on their sleuthing caps to figure out who is trying to sabotage Mae and her new position on the committee.

My Opinion: This installment has an energy that the previous book in the series, ‘Kickbacks, Kayaks, and Kidnapping’, was missing. Here, the characters seemed less muted and more themselves.

The slightly longer length worked in its favor. It gave the story room to grow, let the characters engage, and build those little moments that linger with the reader. I listened while driving, which is always a gamble when it comes to moments the author hopes you will keep in your back pocket, so I half expected to miss something crucial. But even with a few “Wait, did they just say, oh well, too late” moments, I didn’t guess the culprit until much later than usual. Once the reveal landed, I had that familiar “Ahhh, okay, I should’ve seen that” feeling. The clues were there, but Tonya Kappes layered them in with enough distraction that the escapades stayed fun.

And speaking of rides, this series has been floating around TV‑adaptation rumors for ages. With everything going on in the world, a little cozy escapism feels like something we could all use more of. Honestly, I’d love to see Hallmark Media take on the small‑town quirks, southern humor, and the comforting rhythm of the mysteries.

Dreamland

Title: Dreamland
Author: Olivie Blake
Published: August 13, 2026 by Tor
Format: Kindle, 368 Pages
Genre: Gothic / Occult

Blurb: As summer heat lingers in Los Angeles, girls are found murdered, the winds are blowing a strange energy into the city and wildfire warnings are everywhere. Yet Anya Morris has other things on her mind. A TV pilot should have been her big Hollywood break. But she lost out and now she’s willing to risk it all.

Enter William de Witt, an aging movie star who offers an unusual opportunity. His son Jude’s rare heath condition forces him to live as a recluse - and in exchange for spending time with him, William will grant her access to Hollywood’s most powerful circles. Wealth, influence and access are all on offer within the de Witt family mansion. However, behind the gilded veneer lie decades of bloodstained secrets. As her duties draw her deeper into their world, she wonders if the villa is cursed or if Jude himself is touched by the occult? Yet there’s a dark magnetism to him that Anya can’t resist, despite all the warning signs. As the city’s body count continues to rise, something has to give. There’s smoke in the air, but who will strike that final, fatal match?

My Opinion: I expect Olivie Blake’s books to have a spark, mixing the cleverness of Gifted & Talented with the surprise of Girl Dinner. But reading Dreamland felt like watching a favorite writer take a big swing and miss.

The book is full of atmosphere, but after a while, it feels like that’s all it has. Blake tries to mix Hollywood gothic, big ambitions, family decay, and psychological drama all at once. You can tell what she was aiming for, which makes it even more frustrating than if the book had just been bad.

Characters blur, motivations wander, and the narrative keeps gesturing toward something that kept losing me. I kept waiting for the book to settle, to sharpen, to commit. It never did. It just went on and on about a wannabe actress, caught up in a moldering old Hollywood home filled with people who sold their souls to the devil, all the while she developed a passionate and quite graphic relationship with an epileptic meat sack housing a devil; the author’s description, not mine.

And that’s the disappointment: Blake is capable of so much more. Here, she reaches so far, the core slips away. The novel wants to draw you in, but you can see the effort behind the illusion, and once you see the effort, the magic evaporates.

In the end, Dreamland isn’t a failure so much as a book that is trying too hard. A book that wanted to be a story about bad choices, with horror and murder, but ended up feeling hollow. I closed it wishing Blake had trusted her strengths instead of chasing a grander, murkier vision that never quite came together.

Kickbacks, Kayaks, & Kidnapping

Title: Kickbacks, Kayaks, & Kidnapping
Author: Tonya Kappes
Published: August 29, 2020 by Tonya Kappes Books
Format: Audiobook, 198 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Camper & Criminals #12

Blurb: Deep in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest, Mae West has spent the last few years bringing the rundown Happy Trails Campground and the small southern and cozy town of Normal, Kentucky back to a thriving economic community.

Mae's efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Not only is Happy Trails Campground in the running to be named Campground Hospitality of the Daniel Boone National Park, but she landed the coveted Paddle Fest kayak competition that secures the winner a spot on the Olympic team.

When champion and Olympian kayaker Bryce Anderson turns over in his kayak dead...there's more than paddling going on and his death has been ruled a homicide. News of Bryce's death spreads fast and Happy Trails becomes the center of bad publicity.

My Opinion: Whenever I return to Tonya Kappas’s A Camper & Criminals Cozy series, I remember why it’s my go-to comfort listen. It’s not just background noise, but more like spending time with old friends. Once you know the characters, you can play the audiobook while cleaning or doing other things, and it still feels like you’re in a familiar world.

That’s why I come back to this series when I can’t get into other books. It works like a reading palate cleanser. I pick a title, listen to Johanna Parker’s relaxed southern accent, and soon I feel grounded and ready to try other genres again.

Now, this installment didn’t hit me quite the same way as earlier books. By the end, I realized the story had been meandering along with the characters sort of… wandering. Then suddenly, poof, everything wrapped up quickly, almost like the author glanced at the clock and said, “Alright, let’s tie this up and move on.”

One thing I’ve noticed, and appreciate, is that you don’t need to start at book one. Kappas sprinkles just enough backstory into each installment that you can jump in wherever you like without feeling lost. Maybe later books will shift that, but for now, it’s refreshingly low commitment.

As for the format, I’m sticking with audio. Some readers have pointed out issues with the self published print versions, and honestly, Parker’s narration smooths over any bumps. She keeps the tone light and friendly, even if I do have to nudge the speed up to compensate for her slow-as-molasses Southern cadence.

In the end, Kickbacks, Kayaks, and Kidnapping may not be the strongest entry, but it still delivers that familiar, cozy vibe I rely on this series for.

Backtrack

Title: Backtrack
Author: Marc Cameron
Published: July 28, 2026 by Kensington
Format: Kindle, 464 Pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Series: Arliss Cutter #8

Blurb: 1977. D Wayne Cutter is a former U.S. Army Green Beret, part-time horseshoer, and a full-time Texas deputy sheriff with a second grandchild on the way when a quiet Sunday morning ends in murder and a manhunt. The theft of five million dollars in diamonds from an armored truck leaves two guards dead, one outlaw tracked down and taken out by Cutter, and another, Ricky Lee Pink—two-hundred-forty pounds of teenage rage—sentenced to life. The diamonds were never recovered. And Pinky never forgot that heist gone violently wrong.

2026. Following in the righteous footsteps of his late grandfather, Deputy U.S. Marshal Arliss Cutter gets word that Pinky has been granted release. Nursing a grudge for decades, Pinky vows to avenge the murder of his criminal mentor and find the whereabouts of the stolen gems that he believes is a buried Cutter family secret. Boarding an Alaskan cruise ship, and joined by two miscreant cellmates and his penpal girlfriend, Pinky aims for Anchorge—home to his ultimate target: everyone Arliss holds near and dear. Arliss must move fast because Pinky has the edge. And he has the mind to make the last living Cutter pay.

My Opinion: It took me a minute to catch the meaning behind the title, but once that little lightbulb flicked on, I had to give Marc Cameron credit for the clever play on words and setting the tone for the direction with this installment. The problem is that once you move past that initial spark, the book starts feeling… stretched. Not in a “slow burn tension” way, but in a “wait, why is this 100 pages longer than the others?” way, and can we get to the point already.

About halfway through, the seams start to show. It reads like Cameron had two separate story ideas with Grumpy’s backstory on one side and Arliss’s ex wife on the other, and neither quite had the weight of a full novel. So, he stitched them together, hoping they’d harmonize. They don’t. Instead, you get a book that feels like it’s constantly shifting lanes, and you’re left wondering which plot you’re supposed to be emotionally invested in.

None of this is bad writing. Cameron still knows how to build a scene, and he still knows these characters. But the pieces don’t meld, and the pacing suffers for it. The heart of the series is usually Lola’s sharp, dry snark, and that doesn’t even show up until the last quarter. It’s like waiting for your favorite character to enter the room, only to realize they were sidelined for most of the story.

By the end, I found myself wanting this to be over and for the series to return to what it does best: Arliss and Lola working in rhythm, solving problems with grit and humor, without all the unnecessary detours. I am sure, somewhere along the way, Grumpy had a rule about that.

The Calamity Club

Title: The Calamity Club
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Published: May 5, 2026 by Spiegel & Grau
Format: Hardcover, Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb: In 1933 Oxford, Mississippi, Prohibition is on the wane, and the Great Depression is tightening its grip. Poor and rich folks alike have fallen on hard times, even as the old social order remains. For women on the margins, the options are few and the price of dignity and self-determination is unbearably high.

Eleven-year-old Meg, one of the unadoptable “big girls” at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed. Birdie, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford on a mission to ask her social-climbing sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. And Charlie is a woman with a past, running low on luck but driven by fire, fury, and grit. When their fates converge, they come up with an audacious plan to take back control of their lives. Together, they form an unlikely sisterhood—but in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife, women’s freedom is fragile, and making an enemy can have dire consequences, will the price they pay for their outrageous risk-taking be too high?

The Calamity Club will make you laugh, cry, and cheer—an epic testament to resilience, friendship, and the fierce, funny women who know that calamity can be the spark of new beginnings. This is Kathryn Stockett at her most confident, heartfelt, and hilarious—the triumphant return of one of the most beloved storytellers of our time.

My Opinion: I’ll admit it: I almost walked away from The Calamity Club. The opening chapters felt dull to me, somehow muted, and not one character reached out and grabbed my attention. I kept thinking, Well, this is a shame, because I wanted to love it like everyone else. But I gave it one more chance and switched to the audiobook, and that’s when everything changed. Narrators Jenna Lamia and January LaVoy didn’t just read the story; they lifted and empassioned it. Their performances cracked the book wide open, and suddenly I found myself leaning in, invested, and unexpectedly moved.

Kathryn Stockett packs this novel with everything: heartbreak, humor, honesty, resilience, and those tiny human truths that sneak up on you when you’re not looking. Each chapter adds another layer, another emotional turn, another moment where you think, Oh, these women [yes, I am considering an eleven-year-old a woman]… what will they get up to next? And when the middle starts to feel a little long, like maybe the story is taking a breather, Stockett tosses in a new twist, a fresh head tilt, and suddenly I was right back in it, fully attentive and smiling at the audacity in these pages.

This novel ended up being one of the longest books I’ve read this year, and still, I didn’t want it to end. I found myself lingering, hoping, imagining futures for each of these women. I choose to believe they all found their happily-ever-after because after everything they endured, I couldn’t bear to picture it any other way.

Boundary Waters

Title: Boundary Waters
Author: William Kent Krueger
Published: June 9, 2009 by Atria Books
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
Genre: Mystery
Series: Cork O'Connor #2

Blurb: Former small-town sheriff Cork O’Connor leads a desperate search-and-rescue mission into the unforgiving Minnesota wilderness in this “gritty, bloody adventure” ( Publishers Weekly ) from critically acclaimed author William Kent Krueger’s award-winning mystery series.

The Quetico-Superior Wilderness: more than two million acres of forest, white-water rapids, and uncharted islands on the Canadian/American border. Somewhere in the heart of this unforgiving territory, a young woman named Shiloh—a country-western singer at the height of her fame—has disappeared.

Her father arrives in Aurora, Minnesota, to hire Cork O’Connor to find his daughter. Cork joins a search party that includes an ex-con, two FBI agents, and a ten-year-old boy. Others are on Shiloh’s trail as well—men hired not just to find her, but to kill her.

As the expedition ventures deeper into the wilderness, strangers descend on Aurora, threatening to spill blood on the town’s snowy streets. Meanwhile, out on the Boundary Waters, winter falls hard. Cork’s team of searchers loses contact with civilization, and like the brutal winds of a Minnesota blizzard, death—violent and sudden—stalks them.

My Opinion: You know that feeling when you finally pull a long ignored book off your TBR shelf and think, Alright, today’s the day? That was my mindset going into this second Cork O’Connor novel. I read the first book so long ago that I forgot about Cork and felt it was time to check in with him again.

The experience ended up being kind of drab, more like a Sunday drive rather than the roller coaster I’d hoped for.

The opening is slow, to the point you begin to wonder if you made a wrong choice; then, eventually, the pieces begin to click into place, and suddenly you’re right there with Cork and Shiloh, moving through the wilderness and the tension and the secrets. For a while, it feels like the book is gearing up for something big. But instead of keeping the momentum, it settles back into that steady simmer. Not bad, just not the pace I was craving.

And because the book was published in 2009, it does show its age a bit. Not in a way that makes it unreadable, but you can feel the era in the dialogue, the pacing, and the way certain plot elements are handled.

One thing that stood out was the Native American storytelling woven throughout the narrative. Those moments felt alive and far more compelling, to the point that I found myself wishing the book leaned even harder into cultural richness.

By the end, the storyline had stretched itself thin. A few threads dangled without answers, and I wasn’t quite invested enough to chase them into future installments. Maybe they’re resolved later in the series, maybe not, but I’m not going along for the ride.

Still, I accomplished my goal: I read a book that had been sitting around for far too long. Sometimes that’s enough. Not every read has to be a revelation; some are simply a quiet checkmark on the list, a reminder that clearing the shelf can feel just as satisfying as discovering a new favorite.

If nothing else, Boundary Waters gave me a quiet few days, a bit of wilderness atmosphere, and a nudge to keep tackling those long waiting books. And for now, that’s good enough.

26 Beauties

Title: 26 Beauties
Author: James Patterson
Published: May 4, 2026 by Little, Brown and Company
Format: Hardcover, 341 Pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Series: Women's Murder Club #26

Blurb: SFPD’s Sergeant Lindsay Boxer's best friend, Claire Washburn, is named medical examiner of the year. But an uninvited guest crashes the Women’s Murder Club's party: a concerned father seeking investigative reporter Cindy Thomas’s help in locating his missing daughter. And she’s not the only one. Lindsay’s been investigating the deaths of a Jane Doe washed up on a nearby beach, and a young woman found in Golden Gate Park.

What if all these cases are connected?

My Opinion: I’ll admit, the first thing that caught my attention with 26 Beauties was the absence of Maxine Paetro’s name on the cover. After so many Patterson/Paetro pairings, seeing Patterson flying solo felt a little like walking into your living room and noticing someone moved the couch; familiar, but just off enough to make you pause.

Once I settled in, the usual cast was right where they always are: the Women’s Murder Club, their partners, their fellow officers. There’s a comfort in that continuity. The story itself is simple but flows well, helped along by Patterson’s trademark short chapters, the kind that trick you into saying “just one more” until suddenly you’ve read half the book.

This is one of those easy pick-up, put-down reads, unless you inhale it in an afternoon, which is entirely possible. It has that vacation-weekend energy: brisk, digestible, and not demanding too much emotional bandwidth.

What surprised me most was how much I ended up enjoying it. The last few installments had Lindsay Boxer drifting into the background of her own series, which always felt a bit wrong since she’s the heartbeat of these books. Here, she’s finally front and center again, and the story is stronger for it.

The courtroom subplot could’ve used a bit more weight, and Cindy Thomas’s storyline serves as a nice breather without overstaying its welcome. It’s just enough of a side thread to keep the pacing lively without pulling focus.

One thing worth noting: the subject matter is rough. Not graphic, but unmistakably dark beneath the surface. I was genuinely surprised the publisher didn’t include any content warnings, especially since the blurb keeps things vague. Readers will pick up on what’s happening, but a heads-up would’ve been considerate for those who would need it.

Overall, a better, more engaging entry than I expected, and a welcome return to form for Lindsay Boxer.

The Caretaker

Title: The Caretaker
Author: Marcus Kliewer
Published: April 21, 2026 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books/12:01 Books
Format: Hardcover, 295 Pages
Genre: Horror

Blurb: Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.

Besides, it’s only three days’ work…

Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.

What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

My Opinion: I went into The Caretaker fully prepared to say, “Nope, not for me.” Horror and I have an understanding: it stays over there, and I stay over here with my cozy mysteries and my sanity intact. And honestly, book recommendations rarely land for me. I’m never sure if it’s that people don’t quite know my reading quirks, or if they’re simply passing along what worked for them and hoping for the best. But every now and then, something slips past my defenses and pulls me in before I realize I’ve stopped breathing.

Well… this time, it worked.

I’m not usually a horror reader, but Marcus Kliewer had me from page one. My usual “let me give it a moment” turned into nine chapters plus the preface, which, by the way, is unsettling enough on its own to make you wonder if you should keep going or call for backup. The vibe is a little King, a little Koontz, and a dash of From (the TV show) sprinkled in for good measure. It’s that brand of horror where the world feels just familiar enough to lull you in, and then suddenly you’re staring at something so wrong your brain needs a minute to recalibrate.

This is absolutely a “read in big sweeping chunks” kind of book. If you stop, it takes a handful of pages to find your footing again, like trying to jump back onto a moving train. Make the commitment. Settle in. Accept that air is optional. And then join the ever growing “what the heck did I just read?” fandom. Also, side note, maybe don’t leave a depressed person in charge of saving the world. Just saying.

This was my first Kliewer novel, and to the folks who recommended it: dang, you did good. I may not sleep tonight, but I read the thing, and it’s going to stew in my head for a long while. I’ll be eyeing any future Kliewer books with a healthy dose of side eye, wondering if I’m about to be dragged into another creepy, terrifying ride where rabbits are omens and eye color determines who’s good and who’s very much not.

And honestly? I kind of hope I am.

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts

Title: The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts
Author: Robert Thorogood
Published: January 15, 2026 by HQ
Format: Kindle, 313 Pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Marlow Murder Club #5

Blurb: Someone is killing celebrities in Marlow! When footballer Gary Wise and thriller writer Tony Sexton are found dead, Judith, Suzie, and Becks (AKA The Marlow Murder Club) must untangle a web of blackmail and scandal to find the killer. But with their friend and police contact, DI Malik, suspended from duty, and Judith’s own past catching up with her, The Marlow Murder Club find themselves on their own for the first time ever.

With suspects piling up like tabloid headlines, and someone threatening to expose Judith’s secrets, the pressure is on for The Marlow Murder Club in more ways than one … Can they find the killer and help Judith in time, or will this be the end of The Marlow Murder Club?

My Opinion: You know that feeling when you finish a mystery and realize the author had been winking at you the whole time? The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts absolutely leans into that. The clues were sitting right there in plain sight, bold as can be, and yet Robert Thorogood manages to tuck them beneath layers of misdirection so neatly that when you do pause and think, “huh, that’s an interesting word choice,” you immediately talk yourself out of it. It’s the kind of sleight of hand that makes you feel both fooled and delighted.

And I’ll admit it: I enjoy the books far more than the television series, even though my brain refuses to let go of the actors’ faces. Every time Judith, Becks, or Suzie walks onto the page, the show’s cast strolls in right behind them.

This series has been one of those cozy mystery comfort reads I look forward to with each new installment. From the very beginning, Thorogood built a trio of women who are so wildly different, yet competent, at amateur sleuthing that you do occasionally wonder how they keep their day jobs. They’re forever traipsing across the countryside, poking into suspicious corners, and somehow still managing to show up for work. Eventually you just shrug, let realism take a little nap, and enjoy the ride. It’s part of the fun that the world bends a bit to let these women do what they do best.

There are genuinely funny moments in this book, but I felt a little shadow hanging over them because of the rumor that this might be the final book in the series. It’s hard not to read with that tiny ache in the background, wondering if this is the last time we’ll follow these women into danger, laughter, and tea fueled deduction.

Hot Girl Murder Club

Title: Hot Girl Murder Club
Author: Ashley Winstead
Published: July 14, 2026 by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, 336 Pages
Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb: Ten years ago, aspiring singer-actress Scout Sage lost the only thing that mattered: her sister, Georgia. Ever since Georgia’s mysterious death at a Hollywood party, Scout’s done her best to honor her memory, clawing her way through the industry and collecting a network of climbers along the way, fellow hot girls in stilettos with cutthroat ambition, a new Hollywood order.

But when a slew of targeted murders makes headlines across LA, all pointing to Scout as the killer, she turns overnight from a mid-tier pop star into the world’s most famous (alleged) murderer. Now everything she’s worked to build—including the justice she wants for Georgia—will fall apart unless Scout can prove she’s not guilty.

Meanwhile, the young and unusual detective assigned to her case, herself no stranger to tragedy, begins to unearth secrets not even Scout knows, let alone her millions of new fans. Particularly about the ways Georgia’s death connects to an even older pattern of crimes long hushed over in Hollywood—an old reign of terror that, if brought to light, could be the fuel that ignites a reckoning the world over.

My Opinion: From the very first pages, Hot Girl Murder Club grabbed me and said, “Settle in, we’re doing this.” And I did, though I’ll admit, those early chapters had me flipping back and forth, trying to keep track of who was connected to whom, and the reason for two timelines at once. There’s the present day, the past, and, just to keep things spicy, a PhD dissertation being defended at UCLA’s History Department running parallel to the whole thing. For a minute, I wondered if I was simply outnumbered by the cast list. But then something shifted. Either the book calmed down, or I leaned in harder, because suddenly the chaos made sense… right up until Winstead tossed in more characters and I was back to muttering, “Wait, who are you again?”

But here’s the thing: I loved it. I couldn’t put the book down. I kept sneaking pages whenever I could. Those little stolen moments throughout the day, until I could finally sit down at night and devour big, satisfying chunks. Winstead gives you the whole picture early on, or at least you think she does. You know the broad strokes of what happened. The hook isn’t what happened; it’s how they got there. And that “how” is addictive.

Then come the twists. One lands, and you think, “Ah, clever.” Then another. And then a couple more, each one nudging you upright, making you refocus, making you reconsider the entire architecture of the story. It’s that delicious “what if” territory; the kind that gets your mental gears whirring long after you’ve closed the book.

By the end, you’ll want notes. Lots of notes. Character webs, motivations, group dynamics, the whole messy tangle. And even then, you’ll spend days afterward trying to piece it all together again, replaying conversations, rethinking alliances, wondering how you missed certain tells. It’s the kind of book that lingers, not because it’s confusing, but because it’s alive in your head.

This was my second Ashley Winstead novel, the first being This Book Will Bury Me, and I dare say Hot Girl Murder Club puts the first to shame. Not because the earlier book wasn’t exceptional (it absolutely was), but because this one has that rare, days after resonance. It’s the feeling that tells you Winstead isn’t just good; she’s the kind of author who reminds psychological thriller lovers exactly why they adore this genre. The tension, the intellect, the emotional messiness, the narrative audacity- it’s all here, and it’s all done with skill and confidence.

River Deep

Title: River Deep
Author: Bryan Gruley
Published: July 7, 2026 by Severn House
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 444 Pages
Genre: Legal Thriller
Series: Bitterfrost #2

Blurb: Attorney Devyn Payne expects a quieter life when she returns to her hometown of Bitterfrost. Until the bodies of two eight-month-old boys are pulled from the icy depths of the local river. Was it a tragic accident or something more disturbing?

The twins’ distraught parents survived the car crash, but their mother, Catriona Dulaney, was driving. Now she’s charged with killing her babies, and her admission of guilt has leaked online. It should be the most straightforward case Devyn prosecutes all year. And yet, to her, it doesn’t add up.

With time dwindling ahead of the trial, Detective Garth Klimmek questioning Cat’s role in the tragedy, and a suspicious outsider loitering around town, this crime might just be the tip of an iceberg. Devyn’s put two Dulaneys behind bars before. This time, whose side will she take—and what will it cost?

My Opinion: River Deep is the second book in Brian Gruley’s Bitterfrost series, and let me say this upfront: you really do need to start with ‘Bitter Frost’. Gruley often references the first book, but never quite gives new readers enough to stand on. If you jump in here, you’ll feel like you arrived halfway through a conversation and everyone expects you to already know the gossip.

Now, what Gruley does deliver, and deliver well, is that unmistakable mid‑west noir atmosphere. I’m currently in the middle of a heatwave, yet somehow, I’m bundled up under a blanket because Gruley can make Michigan’s cold wind rattle straight through your bones. It’s a neat trick, and honestly, one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed his previous works.

But this one? This one tested my patience.

So many half‑answers, evasions, and characters who seem allergic to giving a straight response. Not miscommunication, it is avoidance. And while that can be delicious in a mystery, here it often felt like wading through fog that never quite lifts. Add in overly descriptive passages, repetitive reminders of things the reader already knows, sudden tangents, and the occasional “I just discovered my thesaurus” word dropped in out of nowhere, and the pacing becomes exhausting. I found myself muttering “get on with it already” more than once, which is never a great sign.

The plot itself has promise. From the earliest pages, you think you know what’s going on, but then you’re dragged through so many side jaunts and slow stretches that the momentum sputters. And just when things finally start to move, Gruley circles back to re‑explain what we’ve already been told. It’s the kind of structure that makes you understand why some readers skim everything but the dialogue. I refused to do that, mostly out of loyalty to the author, but I did wonder what went wrong here.

The good news: the last 80% picks up. A twist, well, more like a bullet, finally shakes the story awake, answers start landing, and the narrative tightens. But even with that improvement, it wasn’t quite enough to pull the book out of the “mediocre” pile for me.