Publication Date May 6, 2025 I started listening to the Crime Junkie podcast waaaay back in 2017 (true crime has been my friend for years – when I worked in a public library, I could frequently be found in the 364.1523 section. I have mostly enjoyed it (due to Ashley more than Brit, TBH) except …
Publication Date March 25, 2025 Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben Over the past several years, I have read and reviewed several Harlan Coben books, and with the exception of Win, all were four or five stars (although it may have been that Covid screwed up my ability to enjoy my usually reliable authors’ releases). Hmmm. …
Publication Date May 20, 2025 Here I go again, with my secret pleasure reading: true crime. Rich Cohen, a well-known author and journalist (columnist for The Wall Street Journal, contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone) has written the amazing story of Jennifer Dulos, a wealthy Connecticut woman who dropped her kids off at …
Publication Date January 14, 2025 When I reviewed James Grippando’s Twenty (in 2020), I noted that I couldn’t recall reading any of James Grippando’s books. And when reading about that title, Jack Swyteck wasn’t a guy I felt like I knew (despite that one being #17 in Grippando’s Jack Swyteck series). Jack Swyteck, the protagonist …
Subtitle: The Fight Against Book Banning in America Publication Date: August 27, 2024 I’m a retired librarian, one of thousands. And also a STRONG opponent of book banning and censorship, among other current threats to liberty and democracy these days. As a librarian, I dealt with my share of challenges, complaints, etc, but I never …
Publication Date July 16, 2024 “Things Don’t Break On Their Own” by Sarah Easter Collins is one twisty, well-written, character-driven thriller! There are many characters and various timeframes, so it seemed like actual work for me to keep everyone straight at first. But trust me, this one is worth the effort! The three main characters …
Publication Date July 30, 2024 Shari Lapena has been called “the queen of the one-sit read,” and that was EXACTLY the kind of book I was needing to take my mind off the news! Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley, I received a copy of her latest, “What Have You Done?” in exchange for …
Publication Date May 7, 2024 Some days, I wonder if maybe being retired and slowing things down in my life has affected my taste in reading. I used to like digging in to “literary novels,” but these days I find what my friend calls “one night stands” (mysteries and thrillers you can binge in a …
Publication Date July 30, 2024 I loved “Something In The Water” by Catherine Steadman, but found her next two that I read, “Mr. Nobody” and “The Disappearing Act,” to be less than I had hoped. Nonetheless, I was happy to receive a copy of her latest, “Look In The Mirror” from Random Mouse/Ballantine and NetGalley …
Publication Date June 11, 2024 Elin Hilderbrand is well-known for being the “queen of beach reads.” About three years back, I read and reviewed her novel Golden Girl, and…was NOT impressed, in fact it was one of my very rare DNFs. But her string of books with titles like Summer of ‘69, 28 Summers, Trouble in …
Published 2020, 2024 Earlier this year, I read and reviewed Freida McFadden’s book The Teacher, and noted that “I enjoy psychological thrillers, but had not previously read anything by Freida McFadden… I loved this book, and stayed up for HOURS to finish it. It is just good entertainment. Five stars.” So I was excited when, thanks …
Publication Date March 19, 2024 Although I recognize some of the titles attributed to Steve Cavanagh (Thirteen, The Defense), I can’t recall reading any…but when I read that Kill For Me, Kill For You would be great for fans of Silent Patient or Gone Girl, I thought I’d give it a try (loved Gone Girl, …
Publication Date March 24, 2024 Last year, I read and reviewed Chris Bohjalian’s The Lioness, and gave it four stars. In 2021, reviewing Hour of The Witch, I wrote “I admit it: I have been a big fan of Chris Bohjalian, ever since I read Midwives several years ago. I consider Mr. Bohjalian one of …
Publication Date May 28, 2024 I’m a big fan of well-done true crime. I also read WAY too much not-so-well-done true crime, and I occasionally get very curious about stories where someone just VANISHES off the face of the earth. (Bryce Laspisa or Patti Adkins come to mind). I had heard of the disappearance of …
Publication Date May 21, 2024 Some time ago, I read James Comey’s novel Central Park West, I found it to be “a fast-paced plot including lots of juicy tales of corruption, and terrific legal storytelling. There are also a couple of unexpected twists, and an ending I didn’t see coming…Four stars, almost five.” The protagonist, …
Publication Date January 23, 2024 Over the past several years, I have enjoyed several books by Australian author Jane Harper, and she has become one of my favorite authors. The Dry, Force of Nature, and The Lost Man (all of which featured Federal Investigator Aaron Falk) were all five-star reads…and while I admit to being “an easy grader,” …
Publication Date July 9, 2024 I live in a beach town, and every year there are a few books that I see LOTS of people reading as they relax on the beach. Well, good luck this coming summer relaxing while reading Kimberley McCreight’s Like Mother, Like Daughter! I remember in May of 2020, it was …
A young woman named Lucca Marino works for a mysterious boss known only as Mr. Smith. Her job responsibilities are a bit murky at first, but clearly she is a con artist who is given a phony identity and the name of a mark…so now she is Evie Porter. Her mark is Ryan Sumner. As …
Publication Date September 12, 2023 I had not previously read anything by Kia Abdullah, but “legal thriller” is possibly my favorite genre, so I was happy to receive a copy of Perfectly Nice Neighbors from Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. The publisher’s blurb didn’t tell me much, other than …
Publication Date October 17, 2023 In 2021, I wrote a five-star review for Karin Slaughter’s standalone novel False Witness, featuring Harleigh (“Leigh”) Collier. So I was excited to receive a copy of Slaughter’s After That Night, which is #11 in the Will Trent series. But then I remembered The Last Widow from 2019, which was #9 …