Published July 30, 2025 I read a LOT– with my go-to genre being what I call the LA/CA PI mystery/crime stuff: Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, Lee Goldberg, Sue Grafton, T.Jefferson Parker…you get the idea. I’ve been in a bit of a trough lately, challenged to find something that grabbed me, entertained me, and made me …
Publication Date September 23, 2025 Every few years, we get a new novel from Elizabeth George, and I am thrilled when I am lucky enough to receive an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. In 2022, we got Something to Hide with its (for me, at least) mind-blowing look at FGM (female genital …
Publication Date August 26, 2025 In 2021 and 2022 I read two books by Joe Hart that were solid four star reads: Or Else and Where They Lie. Then, in 2023, Never Come Back was a solid five stars, and I was eagerly awaiting more from Hart. Not sure if I missed something, but thanks …
Publication Date August 21, 2025 First thing I need to clarify is that I am currently dealing with two different forms of cancer, so perhaps I have good reason to focus thoughts on my health…but also I am someone whose history is sort of hypochondria UNTIL there is actually “something” to deal with, then I …
Publication Date July 8, 2025 I’m generally not a huge fan of horror, creepy stalkers, or books that prompt me to get up and check to be sure the doors are locked. I am, however, a fan of talk radio, true crime (especially podcasts), and the “plucky heroine” trope. So I was intrigued to get …
Publication Date July 15, 2025 In 2021, I read and reviewed Stacy Abrams’ novel While Justice Sleeps, and was introduced to Avery Keene, “…a brilliant young law clerk working for Justice Howard Wynn, a curmudgeon who is in failing health. Avery is doing her best to hold her life together, working long hours in a …
Publication Date July 8, 2025 I have mixed feelings about The Happiness Experiment by entrepreneur and philanthropist Carl Barney. After a near-death experience, he had the idea of gifting “Happiness Grants” (inheritances provided to the grantees while the grantor was still alive) to twenty friends. I loved the idea, and thought it might have been …
Publication Date July 8, 2025 I’m among the seemingly large number of people who find the whole topic of AI to be…what? Confusing? Frightening? Nonsensical? All of the above? For most of my life, I’ve turned to books to help me understand the world, so I was happy to have the opportunity to read and …
Publication Date January 6, 2026 Yes, I am a true crime junkie. As I noted in a recent review of Caitlin Rother’s Down to the Bone, I have been reading true crime for decades. When I worked in public libraries in the 1980s and 90s, my favorite section was always 364.1523…and although at times these …
Publication Date July 8, 2025 My first glance at the synopsis of Sarah MacLean’s These Summer Storms had me thinking “Aha! Elin Hildebrand or Nancy Thayer meet HBO’s Succession…There is the whole private island/Nantucket-ish vibe, the uber-wealthy patriarch pulling the strings of his heirs, and the combo of grief, love, and family plus romance. Sounds …
Publication Date June 25, 2025 Joseph and Summer McStay and their two young sons disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, in February 2010. Video footage of a family resembling the McStays crossing the border led sheriff’s deputies to initially conclude they had left voluntarily and gone to live in Mexico. I admit, I have …
Publication Date June 2, 2025 I was happy to have the opportunity to read The First Gentleman by James Patterson (really? When does he have time?) and Bill Clinton, thanks to Little, Brown and NetGalley. I admit I am a bit of a skeptic about James Patterson…sort of like he is the Thomas Kinkade of …
published May 20, 2025 I’m a big Michael Connelly fan, especially the Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller books, then more recently the stories of police officers Jenkins and Renee Ballard. So II was looking forward to reading Connelly’s newest mystery, and meeting new characters (truly, Connelly has a gift for making his characters REAL to …
Publication Date May 20, 2025 I’ve loved Chris Pavone since I read The Expats back in 2012.I loved it! It was an international thriller, telling the story of a couple who pick up and leave the US so the husband, Dexter, can take a lucrative job in Luxembourg. They jump at the chance to start …
Publication Date May 27, 2025 I thought I had read every book in the Tracy Crosswhie series, starting with My Sister’s Grave, back in 2014. Along the way, I’ve enjoyed following Tracy’s life both professionally with the Seattle PD as well as her personal life…so I found myself surprised and pleased to receive a copy …
Publication Date July 25, 2025 I’m sure I’ve liked everything I’ve read that Denise Mina has written, although off the top of my head I can’t name any titles…but I was happy to receive a copy of her latest, The Good Liar, from Little, Brown/Mulholland Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I …
Publication Date May 6, 2025 It seems weird to say this, but I am a fan of Isabel Allende, despite not being a fan of many of her books. I loved A Long Petal of the Sea, which was published in 2021, and hadn’t really read anything of hers since then, so I was happy …
Publication Date April 22, 2025 “The best way to get away with homicide is to have it ruled a suicide” Once again, it’s time for my CONFESSION: true crime is my biggest guilty pleasure…and this genre is definitely all over the place with some great work, and some real basura. You know, the “wow, that …
Publication Date August 3, 2025 As I freely admitted when I read and reviewed Laura Delano’s Unshrunk, “…I have had my share of interactions with mental health care, and that I honestly feel I’m here thanks in part to the wonders of pharmacology and skilled therapy…I also admit that I have close friends and family …
Publication Date July 1, 2025 Michael Robotham’s When You Are Mine (2021), featured Philomena (“Phil”) McCarthy, an officer with the Metropolitan Police in London. When I read and reviewed that terrific novel, I noted that the “… plot is strong, and I came away hoping for more stories about Phil, her family, and her career. …