Rage

Title: Rage
Author: Linda Castillo
Published: July 8, 2025, by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 304 Pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Kate Burkholder #17

Blurb: Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Painters Mill, and a macabre discovery by three Amish children brings the quiet to a grinding halt. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Eicher, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. What twisted individual murdered him in such a sadistic way?

The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Eicher’s best friend. What could these two young Amish men have done to deserve such violent ends?

With a heat wave bearing down, Kate learns quickly that, for reasons she doesn’t understand, no one is willing to talk about what happened to the men. Just as she begins to fear the case may be hopeless, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory characters―individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market.

To solve the case, Kate must delve into the most sordid corners of her community, but when she gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will the secrets simmering beneath the surface of Painters Mill take another life before she can expose the truth? Or will Kate be the final victim?

My Opinion: Seventeen books in, and Linda Castillo still knows how to hook a reader from page one. Rage opens with a chilling discovery: the dismembered body of a young Amish man, scattered in eleven pieces. It’s a gruesome scene, so much so that even Kate Burkholder, who’s seen her share of horror, struggles to keep her composure. The brutality is front and center, setting the tone for a case that spirals into darker territory.

The victim’s past is murky. Was it a rumspringa gone wrong? A lawsuit turned deadly? Or maybe the woman his mother warned him about? Castillo lays out the possibilities with just enough ambiguity to keep you guessing. And when the victim’s best friend turns up, things get even messier. What did these boys stumble into?

Kate, Tomasetti, and the Painter’s Mill PD are pulled in every direction, chasing leads that seem to multiply faster than they can pin them down. The first third of the book is especially strong; you’re right there with Kate, sorting through the chaos, trying to make sense of the senseless.

But here’s where things start to wobble. Rage is a linear, plot-driven novel, focused on a single chain of events. For readers who crave layered subplots or emotional depth, this one might feel a bit thin. There’s room, at just over 300 pages, to explore more, but the story sticks to its straight path. And while the title nods to an Amish rage, it doesn’t quite resonate with the actual plot.

The resolution? Not exactly shocking. The clues are there, and the reveal makes sense, but it’s overshadowed by the repeated physical trauma Kate endures. Beaten, drugged, kidnapped—again. It’s starting to feel less like gritty realism and more like a pattern that undermines her intelligence and resilience. Is Castillo trying to retire her superhero, or just testing how much punishment Kate, or the reader, can take?

And where was the twist? This series has always delivered a final jolt, something unexpected that lingers. Rage doesn’t land that punch.

I’ll always pick up a Burkholder novel. The series has earned that loyalty. But would I hand this one to a new reader? Probably not. If you’re just starting out, go back to the earlier books; those had more narrative meat and emotional complexity. Rage feels like it’s running out of steam.

Still, for longtime fans, there’s comfort in the familiar rhythm. Just don’t expect this installment to leave a lasting mark.

The Blue Horse

Title: The Blue Horse
Author: Bruce Borgos
Published: July 8, 2025, by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 368 Pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Porter Beck #3

Blurb: A helicopter driving a controversial round-up of wild horses suddenly crashes and the pilot is found to have been shot. Then the person coordinating the round-up for the Bureau of Land Management is savagely murdered, buried up to her neck and then trampled to death by the very same wild horses. And there's no lack of suspects—with the wild horse advocacy group having sworn to protect the horse At Any Cost! Now the state and federal agencies are showing up looking for answers or at least a scapegoat.

Sheriff Porter Beck has had better days.

Porter Beck's new girlfriend, Detective Charlie Blue Horse, arrives to help with the investigation, which leads them to Canadian Lithium mining operation near the round-up area that sets off Beck's mental alarm bells. Brinley, Beck's sister, is leading a group of troubled kids in a wilderness program, when one of them, Rafa, bolts one night. When Brinley catches up to him, they're just outside the mine—in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

With his personal life in turmoil, too many suspects and too many secrets, the feds pushing for a quick resolution, and his impetuous (if skilled) sister in the mix, one wrong step could be deadly for Porter Beck.

My Opinion: If you’re drawn to characters like Walt Longmire or Arliss Cutter -- men who lead with grit, humor, and a stubborn sense of justice -- Porter Beck belongs on your shelf. Bruce Borgos may not have the same name recognition as Johnson or Cameron, but he’s writing at their level, and The Blue Horse proves it.

Beck’s inherited eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa, means he’s fine in daylight but nearly blind at night. And since trouble tends to come after dark, he’s forced to rely on instinct, experience, and a sharp tongue to survive. Some of the book’s best moments -- funny, tense, and deeply human -- come when Beck is bluffing through danger he can’t fully see.

The story opens with the rounding up, or gathering, of wild horses, and those scenes are emotionally raw. If you’re sensitive to animal distress, brace yourself; the brutality doesn’t stop there. It shifts toward people, and Borgos doesn’t pull punches. The violence is never gratuitous, but it hits hard.

Set in 2020, COVID isn’t just a timestamp; it’s a living part of the story. It shapes the characters’ isolation, urgency, and choices. Multiple storylines unfold, each compelling on its own, but they’re destined to collide. And when they do, the tension spikes.

By the final 20%, you’re not just reading, you’re racing. Borgos tightens the screws, tugs at your heart, and leaves you breathless. That last stretch is what turns this from a solid four-star read into a five-star gut punch.

Three books in, and these characters feel like family. Beck isn’t just a hero, he’s a man you root for, worry about, and want to follow into the dark.

All the Words We Know

Title: All the Words We Know
Author: Bruce Nash
Published: July 1, 2025, by Atria Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 240 Pages
Genre: Labeled as a Mystery, but it's actually Women's Fiction, Aging
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Blurb: Rose may be in her eighties and suffering from dementia, but she’s not done with life just yet. Alternately sharp as a tack and spectacularly forgetful, she spends her days roaming the corridors of her assisted living facility, musing on the staff and residents, and enduring visits form her emotionally distant children and granddaughters. But when her friend is found dead after an apparent fall from a window, Rose embarks on an eccentric and determined investigation to discover the truth and uncover all manner of secrets…even some from her own past.

My Opinion: After reading the mixed reviews, I’m glad I gave All the Words We Know a full chance. It’s not a book that will resonate with everyone, and that’s precisely what makes it worth reading. Though it’s technically labeled detective fiction, that feels like a misdirection. The mystery here isn’t about solving a crime, it’s about unraveling a life. Women’s fiction or literary fiction centered on aging would be a far more fitting genre tag.

The story is told through Rose, a narrator whose unreliability is both intentional and heartbreaking. She’s in the early to middle stages of dementia, and we know that from the start. But what we don’t know, and what Bruce Nash keeps us questioning, is how much Rose truly remembers, how much she’s been told to forget, and whether she’s confusing the two. Or maybe she’s not confused at all. Maybe she’s playing everyone. That ambiguity is what drives the novel, and it keeps you turning pages with a mix of dread and hope.

The unfolding leans heavily on homophones, which makes the written word essential. I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook version since so much of the nuance would be lost without seeing the language on the page. Nash uses repetition not as a flaw but as a feature. It mirrors the looping patterns of Rose’s mind, and while it can be disorienting, it’s also deeply immersive. You’re not just reading about dementia, you’re experiencing it from the inside.

Rose herself is a marvel. At times, she says things that sound racist, and it’s uncomfortable. But it’s also complicated. Is this her true nature surfacing without the usual filters? Or is it a symptom of her condition, a breakdown in the brain-to-mouth barrier? Either way, you learn to love her. She’s sharp in ways that sneak up on you. She might fumble for everyday words, but then she’ll drop the Latin name of a bird or a plant with effortless precision. You start to suspect she was once a teacher, a botanist, maybe an ornithologist. She’s not just a woman losing her memory; she’s a woman whose mind still holds treasures, even if she can’t always access them.

The setting, a care home, adds another layer of tension. Familiarity is a commodity, and what Rose can afford shapes what she’s allowed to remember. Her son’s evasiveness, her children’s skepticism, and the institutional haze all raise the question: who gets to decide what’s real? And who benefits from that decision?

This book is funny in the way that only truth can be. It’s heartbreaking in the way that only love can be. It’s terrifying in the way that only memory loss can be. And it’s weepy in the way that only a garden, real or imagined, can make you feel. By the end, I couldn’t swear to Rose’s name, even she says it’s unimportant, but good enough. And if the garden she sits in is only in her mind, then for every day she has left, I say let her have it. Let her have all the words she knows.

Vows of Murder

Title: Vows of Murder
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: February 4, 2025, by Kensington
Format: Kindle, 208 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: A Tourist Trap Mystery #17

Blurb: Jill’s wedding to police chief Greg King is just days away, at a historic Spanish mission with a courtyard full of olive trees. But the folks in South Cove are more intrigued by what kind of ceremonies might be going on behind the walls of New Hope, the walled property where charismatic Kane Matthews and his followers reside. Jill isn’t fond of the man, but his followers seem nice, and they buy a lot of books.

After a distraught woman stops by at Coffee, Books, and More with a picture of her daughter, who she believes needs rescuing from the suspected cult—and then Matthews’s body is found, at Jill’s wedding venue of all places—Jill makes a commitment to solve the case. With Greg’s mother as a houseguest, she must play hostess to her future in-law while pursuing a murderous outlaw.

My Opinion: Seventeen books in, and South Cove still reminds me of Cambria, with its breezy beach-town vibe and charming streets lined with shops, and if I didn’t love Cambria as much as I do, I might’ve stepped off this ride a few books ago. The subtle nods to Hearst Castle and the wildlife that once roamed its grounds aren’t just clever Easter eggs as to where Cahoon gets her inspiration; they anchor the story in a place that feels familiar and comforting. It is that sense of place which keeps me coming back, even when the series starts to drift.

Jill and Greg are finally getting married. The ceremony has been postponed so many times that readers might be forgiven for wondering if it’ll ever happen. Greg’s sudden moodiness and flashbacks to his previous marriage cast a shadow over what should be a celebratory lead-up.

Meanwhile, a new cult has settled into town, and with it comes a desperate mother searching for her missing daughter, presumed to be under the cult’s control. Jill’s instincts start to tingle, but she’s determined to stay focused on her wedding. Of course, longtime readers know that Jill doesn’t exactly do “stay focused.” Her sleuthing side inevitably takes over, even with vows looming and danger in the shadows.

The mystery setup has potential, but the execution feels scattered. The identity of the eventual murder victim is telegraphed early, and while the journey to the reveal offers a few twists, it’s more of a meander than a sprint. There’s even a ghost haunting the wedding venue which adds a quirky distraction, though it never quite lands.

Unfortunately, continuity issues abound. This wasn’t an ARC, so I was surprised by the number of inconsistencies that slipped through. The book leans heavily into food and wedding chatter, sidelining the bookshop and, oddly enough, the murder itself. Jill “blacks out” during the ceremony, so readers don’t even get the payoff of the wedding they’ve been waiting for. And as the story progresses, it feels like Cahoon loses grip on both the mystery and the emotional arc. The pacing stumbles, the tone shifts, and the narrative starts to feel like a rather than a cohesive whole.

The ending rushes through the resolution, with more attention paid to restaurant menus than motive. If this is meant to be a cozy mystery, the balance is off; readers need more sleuthing and less small talk about French fries.

That said, Cahoon still delivers a few genuinely funny lines, and the book is an easy, breezy read. But it’s time to ask whether this series still has fresh ground to cover. Either tighten the focus or consider giving Jill and Greg a well-earned retirement. Because while Cambria might be timeless, even the most charming coastal town can’t carry a story that’s lost its spark.

Death at a Highland Wedding

Title: Death at a Highland Wedding
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Published: May 20, 2025, by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 336 Pages
Genre: Time Travel
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Rip Through Time Novel #4

Blurb: After slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has embraced her new life in Victorian Scotland as housemaid Catriona Mitchel. Although it isn’t what she expected, she's developed real, meaningful relationships with the people around her and has come to love her role as assistant to undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie.

Mallory, Gray, and McCreadie are on their way to the Scottish Highlands for McCreadie's younger sister's wedding. The McCreadies and the groom’s family, the Cranstons, have a complicated history which has made the weekend quite uncomfortable. But the Cranston estate is beautiful so Gray and Mallory decide to escape the stifling company and set off to explore the castle and surrounding wilderness. They discover that the groom, Archie Cranston, a slightly pompous and prickly man, has set up deadly traps in the woods for the endangered Scottish wildcats, and they soon come across a cat who's been caught and severely injured. Oddly, Mallory notices the cat's injuries don't match up with the intricacies of the trap. These strange irregularities, combined with the secretive and erratic behavior of the groom, put Mallory and Duncan on edge. And then when one of the guests is murdered, they must work fast to uncover the murderer before another life is lost.

My Opinion: Kelley Armstrong has long been one of my go-to authors thanks to her ability to shift between the mystery, fantasy, and horror genres. She doesn’t just dabble in these genres; she takes her readers on journeys through grit and grace.

Though I am a fan of this author, Death at a Highland Wedding tested my patience a bit more than usual. Let’s be honest: I’m a dead body in the first chapter kind of reader. I like my corpses early and my tension immediate. This one took nearly 75 pages to get to the “good part”, if a dead body can be called that, which made the pacing feel more like a slow waltz than a brisk reel. Once the mystery finally unfurled, the plot twisted in classic Armstrong fashion, though I’ll admit I occasionally lost track of who was connected to whom. That’s probably more of a “me” issue than a flaw in the writing, but if you’re juggling multiple characters and relationships, a cheat sheet wouldn’t hurt.

Armstrong doesn’t shy away from darker themes, and this installment includes moments of cruelty toward both animals and women that may be difficult for some readers. She handles these scenes with care and sensitivity, yet the emotional weight is still there.

Now, let’s talk characters. Fiona absolutely stole the show for me. She’s bold, brutally honest, and loyal to a fault. Her constant needling of Hugh adds a layer of tension and humor that keeps the story grounded even when the mystery veers into murky territory. And then there’s Mallory and Duncan, still caught in their slow-burn dance. But this time, there’s a shift, a quiet urgency that suggests choices are looming, not just about their relationship, but about what “home” really means.

The ending? It’s a soft landing. Not a dramatic cliffhanger, but a gentle exhale that leaves longtime readers of the series with a sense of satisfaction and maybe a little hope.

If you’re already invested in Armstrong’s world, this one’s worth the read; just know you’ll need a bit of patience before the plot hits its stride.

The Ghostwriter

Title: The Ghostwriter
Author: Julie Clark
Published: June 3, 2025 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Format: Hardcover, 368
Genre: Thriller

Blurb: June, 1975.

The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets.

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she's offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book. What she doesn't know, though, is that this project is another one of his lies. Because it's not another horror novel he wants her to write.

After fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975.

My Opinion: I’m still not sure why this book resonated with so many readers. The Ghostwriter promises a haunting family mystery and emotional reckoning, but delivers it in a fragmented, often confusing package. The narrative jumps between timelines and perspectives with little warning, leaving me constantly flipping back to figure out who was speaking and whose trauma we were unpacking.

The word “mother” is tossed around like a plot device, but rarely clarified; sometimes it’s Vincent’s, sometimes Olivia’s, and sometimes I wasn’t sure the author even knew. The structure feels intentionally vague, perhaps to mirror dementia and buried memories, but it ends up muddying the emotional impact rather than deepening it.

There’s a story here, somewhere beneath the scattered chapters and cryptic dialogue, but it’s buried under stylistic choices that prioritize atmosphere over coherence. By the time the big reveal lands, I was too disengaged to care. The emotional payoff felt diluted, and the characters never quite came alive for me.

If you enjoy decoding a novel like it’s a puzzle missing half the pieces, this might be your thing. But for me, it was more ghost than substance.

Wild Dark Shore

Title: Wild Dark Shore
Author: Charlotte McConaghy
Published: March 4, 2025 by Flatiron Books
Format: Hardcover, 300 Pages
Genre: Thriller

Blurb: A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.

Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again.

But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late―and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.

A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

My Opinion: I’ll be honest, this book didn’t sweep me away at first. For the first two-thirds, I found myself drifting. Not bored, exactly, but questioning whether the journey was worth it. Charlotte McConaghy has managed to combine literary fiction, thriller, and a TED Talk on climate change, all in one.

The final hundred pages hit with the force of a wave. Suddenly, the characters weren’t just names on a page. They were flesh and soul. Rowan, Dominic, Fen, Raff, and Orly each carry their own burdens, and each one cracked me open in a different way. But it is Orly, who carries the book with his innocence, that will break your heart and stay with you for a long time.

Shearwater, the wild coastal setting, isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a living, breathing force. It mirrors the characters’ pain and resilience, shaping them as much as they shape each other, with its sacred, brutal, and heartbreaking beauty.

At its heart, this is a story about family, not the glossy kind, but the raw, fractured, deeply human kind. It’s about how we break, how we lose our way, and how, if we’re lucky, we find our way back through grief, courage, and the quiet faith that healing is possible.

I picked up Wild Dark Shore because of the buzz. I nearly put it down more than once. But I’m glad I didn’t. It took me somewhere unexpected and gave me truths I didn’t know I needed. It reminded me that sometimes, the most powerful stories are the ones that sneak up on you and then refuse to let go.