⭐⭐⭐⭐ Other People’s Houses turned out to be a great way to stumble into a series. This was my first time reading a DC Morgan novel, and I’m officially in—now I want to read the rest. Set in a glossy UK suburb where everyone appears successful, the story peels back the carefully curated lives of neighbors who are desperate to keep up appearances. When a wealthy couple is murdered in their pristine home, the investigation exposes tangled relationships, financial secrets, and resentments that have been quietly festering for years. Mackintosh does a nice job juggling multiple perspectives, keeping you guessing about who’s lying, who’s hiding something, and who’s capable of […]
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A Horrific Thriller That Goes Way Too Far
⭐⭐⭐ Pretty Girls is a book I finished out of stubbornness, not enjoyment. I like a solid thriller. I can handle dark subject matter. But this one pushed straight past dark into twisted, gory, gruesome, and deeply disturbing territory. The violence is graphic to an almost numbing degree, with explicit depictions of torture, sexual assault, and murder that felt excessive rather than necessary. Instead of heightening suspense, it often pulled me out of the story. That said, Slaughter can write. The novel is complex, the characters are well developed, and the emotional fallout within the family feels authentic. There’s a strong foundation here, even if it’s buried under layers of brutality. […]
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A Big-Hearted Story About Faith, Belonging, and Everyday Miracles
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I went into Life, and Death, and Giants not quite sure what to expect, and came out completely smitten. This is one of those books that doesn’t shout for attention. It just sits down beside you, tells its story, and somehow makes itself at home in your heart. Gabriel Fisher is born different—startlingly so—and the small town of Lakota, Wisconsin, has no idea what to make of him. After a devastating loss, he’s taken in by his devout Amish grandparents, who believe the safest path is a hidden one. But some things can’t stay tucked away forever, especially in a place where everyone knows everyone else. Ron Rindo writes about grief, […]
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A Brutally Honest Memoir That Hurts to Read
⭐⭐⭐⭐ In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy pulls zero punches. This is not a cozy celebrity memoir with amusing behind-the-scenes stories and a tidy redemption arc. It’s raw, uncomfortable, and often downright bleak. I went in expecting at least a few laughs, given the buzz and the cheeky title. Instead, I found myself wincing more than smiling. McCurdy details her childhood as a working actor with devastating clarity—from obsessive weigh-ins and “calorie restriction” to a level of parental control that’s hard to fathom. Her rise to fame on iCarly and later Sam & Cat doesn’t bring freedom, only deeper anxiety, addiction, and disordered eating. The material can be crass at times, and it’s definitely not […]
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Frankie Elkin Takes the Heat in Tucson
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lisa Gardner’s Kiss Her Goodbye takes Frankie Elkin to Tucson, Arizona, where the desert heat is matched only by the chaos surrounding a missing Afghan refugee. Sabera Ahmadi vanished three weeks ago, leaving behind her young daughter and a husband who seems oddly unbothered. When Frankie starts digging, the case quickly turns into a tangled web of murder, espionage, and family secrets. Gardner’s trademark pacing and grit are here in full force, and parts of the story are as sharp and entertaining as ever. But the book also has its share of head-scratchers. Frankie’s hallucinations were overdone and distracting, pulling me out of the action rather than deepening her character. The […]
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A Brisk, Banter-Filled Spy Romp Through Wartime Lisbon
Evelyne Redfern returns in Julia Kelly’s A Dark and Deadly Journey, a smart, stylish mystery set amid Lisbon’s glittering wartime underworld. Fresh off recovery from a gunshot wound, typist-turned-spy Evelyne is eager to rejoin Britain’s Special Investigations Unit. When a British informant vanishes in Portugal after hinting at intelligence that could alter the course of the war, Evelyne and her infuriatingly charming partner, David Poole, are sent to track him down. But before they even leave the airport, a fellow passenger turns up dead and Evelyne stumbles upon a diary linking the murder to their missing contact. Kelly layers her plot with hidden identities, stolen jewels, and coded messages while keeping the […]
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A Thrilling Ride with Fade In by Kyle Mills
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kyle Mills delivers high-octane action, global stakes, and a protagonist who’s as broken as he is dangerous. In Fade In, ex-Navy SEAL Salam “Fade” al-Fayed wakes from a coma to find himself recruited by a shadowy billionaire-run outfit and thrown into a race against a viral catastrophe that could wipe out civilization. The pace is relentless, the action cinematic, and the villainy chilling. Mills adds emotional depth too—Fade’s inner turmoil and his willingness to keep walking into danger make him a fascinating hero. The writing is taut, the plot twists sharp, and the moral gray zones deliciously murky. On the downside, some of the side characters could’ve used more flesh, […]
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A Love of Books Amid War and Ideology
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars) Madrid, 1934. Bárbara, a young German woman fleeing the rise of Nazism, opens a small bookstore in Spain—a sanctuary for dreamers as political tensions mount. When the Spanish Civil War erupts, her bookshop becomes a fragile refuge for hope and love, even as hatred threatens to consume the country. Her passion for literature and her relationship with a young Republican keep her fighting for a future built on words instead of war. Mario Escobar’s research is excellent, and I appreciated the Spanish Civil War setting—a refreshing departure from the many WWII novels I’ve read. The story’s message about the power of books and human resilience is uplifting. […]
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In The Unraveling of Julia Logic Takes a Holiday
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) I usually enjoy Lisa Scottoline’s work, but The Unraveling of Julia just wasn’t for me. Gothic literature and astrology aren’t my cup of tea, and this novel dives headfirst into both. The story follows Julia Pritzker, a grieving widow who inherits a mysterious Tuscan villa from a stranger. Once she arrives in Italy, strange things start happening—ghostly visions, eerie coincidences, and a possible family link to a Renaissance duchess obsessed with astrology. It sounds intriguing on paper, but the story quickly spirals into something so far-fetched I had trouble suspending disbelief. Scottoline does a lovely job painting the Tuscan landscape—you can almost feel the sun on the vineyards and […]
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Facing Humanity’s Darkest Chapters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Confronting Evil: Assessing the Worst of the Worst isn’t light reading—but it’s the kind that matters. The book explores the darkest corners of human history, from Genghis Khan and Caligula to Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Putin. Each chapter dives into how absolute power, greed, and twisted ideology turned ordinary men into monsters who shaped the world through fear and bloodshed. O’Reilly and Hammer don’t just recount these horrors—they challenge readers to see the moral lesson behind them. Evil has existed since Cain and Abel, but what allows it to flourish is when good people do nothing. That theme runs through the book like a live wire. It’s not just […]
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