Jack and Gabe are the best in the business at breaking into buildings and hacking security systems. As top penetration specialists, they get hired by high-profile companies to test their security vulnerabilities. But after a routine assignment goes terribly wrong, Jack returns home to a nightmare—someone brutally murdered Gabe, and the police suspect her of doing it. Determined to clear her name, Jack goes on the run to find the killer. She uncovers a connection between Gabe’s death and a dangerous zero-day exploit, a vulnerability in a popular app that could be worth millions to the wrong people. Jack must stay one step ahead of the authorities and the killers. […]
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High Hopes, Mixed Results: A Review of The Leftover Woman
I had high hopes for The Leftover Woman since I loved Jean Kwok’s Searching for Sylvie Lee, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story follows Jasmine Yang, who flees her controlling husband in rural China to New York City. She’s on a desperate mission to find her daughter, taken from her at birth. At the same time, we meet Rebecca Whitney, a high-powered publishing executive with an adopted Chinese daughter, Fiona. Jasmine’s character had depth, and her struggles felt real. Her journey from a small village to NYC, working as a nanny by day and a cocktail waitress by night, was enthralling. However, some of her decisions were […]
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A Lyrical Journey Through Love, Memory, and Family
Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake is a stunning read that earns all 5 stars. Set during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel follows Lara Nelson and her daughters—Emily, Maisie, and Nell—as they quarantine at their family orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, Lara recounts her time as a young actress in New Hampshire, focusing on her romance with Peter Duke, who later became a famous actor. The daughters are eager for details about Lara’s past, and each responds differently to her revelations and then reflects on her own life. Through these stories, Patchett explores themes of love, memory, and the choices that shape our lives. Her writing […]
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A Multigenerational Tapestry with Mixed Results
The Grandmother Begins the Story is a rich multigenerational novel that explores the lives and heritage of a Métis family. This unusual and almost weird novel is told by a chorus of funny, wise, confused, and struggling characters, including five generations of women in an indigenous Canadian family. Even bison, grasslands, dogs, and a car chime in to tell their stories. The characters include Mamé, who’s having trouble settling in the afterlife; her daughter Geneviève, who checks into rehab at age 81 after decades of alcoholism; Gen’s daughter Lucie, who is dying of cancer; and Carter, Geneviève’s great-granddaughter, who’s just discovering her Métis heritage after escaping an abusive adoptive mother. […]
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Finding His Voice in Grin and Bear It
Middle school can be a tough gig, especially when you’re as different as Simon. Erin Bow’s Simon (Sort of) Says dives headfirst into Simon’s world—a place where surviving a school shooting is just the tip of the iceberg. As Simon resettles into Grin and Bear It, Nebraska, where electronic devices are banned to keep the radio telescopes clear for aliens, he faces a whole new set of challenges with his selective mutism. Simon’s silent world is beautifully portrayed through his gestures, expressions, and a trusty notebook. But it’s his unexpected friendship with Agate and Kevin that slowly coaxes him out of his shell. Together, they navigate the treacherous waters of […]
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Disappointing Dive into Dark Themes
Karin Slaughter’s After That Night, the latest in the Will Trent series, left me cold. The novel dives into the lives of Sara Linton, Will Trent, and Faith Mitchell as they navigate a chilling web of privilege and abuse in Atlanta’s elite circles. Fifteen years after Sara’s own trauma, she witnesses the death of a young woman named Dani Cooper, whose brutal assault draws eerie parallels to Sara’s own and she must confront her demons once again. Despite the promising premise, I found myself unable to connect with the story. The narrative felt overly long and failed to maintain my interest beyond the halfway mark. While some may find the […]
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A Heart-Pounding Ride
Nick Petrie unleashes a gripping thriller featuring Peter Ash, a Marine veteran grappling with PTSD. When Peter’s friend Lewis calls for help on a bitterly cold Wisconsin winter night, Peter doesn’t hesitate—after all, Lewis has been his steadfast ally through thick and thin. Their mission to aid Teddy Wilson, a former associate with a brain injury, plunges them into a treacherous blizzard, only to discover a scene of violence and stolen incriminating notebooks that threaten to unravel their lives. Fans of the series already know Lewis as a leader of a clandestine group that takes down dangerous criminals. What Teddy has chronicled in his notebooks proves explosively dangerous, setting off […]
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Intrigue, Romance, and Redemption
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). This poignant biblical quote sets the stage for Colleen Coble and Rick Acker’s collaborative novel, What We Hide, a blend of suspense, romance, and spiritual depth. History professor Savannah Webster’s life shattered after losing her toddler and her marriage collapses. Amid her research on the Willard Treasure, pre-Columbian artifacts with a shadowy past at Tupelo Grove University, Savannah stumbles upon forged provenance letters, hinting at a sinister plot to steal from the collection. Matters worsen when her estranged husband, Hezekiah, reappears seeking reconciliation, only for Savannah to find herself embroiled in a murder investigation soon after rejecting […]
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Family Bonds and WWII Secrets
When conflict photographer Jackson Swann passes away, his three estranged daughters find themselves brought together at his vineyard for the reading of his will. JoAnne Ross’s novel, The Inheritance, explores the lives of Tess, a renowned writer and actress; Charlotte, a Southern socialite, trapped in an unhappy marriage; and Natalie, Jackson’s French daughter from a long-term affair, who grew up amidst the vineyard’s rich history. The sisters come together reluctantly and find themselves captivated by the enchanting legacy of their grandmother—a former WWII Resistance fighter in France—and her love for a wounded American soldier who influenced the fate of their family. For readers intrigued by wine culture and WWII history, […]
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A Mother’s Relentless Pursuit of Justice
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 The Necklace by Matt Witten is a riveting, page-turning thriller that centers on Susan Lentigo, a mother seeking justice for her seven-year-old daughter Amy, who was brutally raped and murdered two decades ago. The prime suspect, Ray Jansen, a drifter with a criminal record, confesses to the crime but recants before his trial. Nevertheless, the court finds him guilty and imposes the death penalty by lethal injection. On the eve of Jansen’s execution, Susan embarks on a road trip from her home in Lake Luzerne, New York, to North Dakota to witness the execution and find closure. During her journey, she discovers shocking new evidence […]
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