⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5 stars) Antihero was my first introduction to Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series, and boy, have I been missing out! A friend recommended it, so I jumped at the chance to snag a complimentary copy from NetGalley. I’m glad I took his advice! Evan Smoak is a former government assassin who now uses his considerable talents to help people in desperate situations. His latest mission involves a young woman who has been kidnapped and assaulted. Evan is determined to bring her attackers to justice, but she has one condition: No killing. Easier said than done for a man who has spent much of his life eliminating bad guys! Hurwitz […]
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Plenty of Twists—But the Verdict Is Mixed: A Review of False Witness
⭐⭐⭐ Phillip Margolin has long been a reliable name in legal thrillers, so I picked up False Witness expecting a tight courtroom drama with plenty of twists. The ingredients are all there—murder, secrets, and the kind of high-stakes legal maneuvering that usually keeps readers flipping pages late into the night. The story centers on defense attorney Amanda Jaffe, who takes on the case of a young man accused of murdering a police officer. As the investigation unfolds, the case becomes tangled with past crimes, hidden identities, and a web of deception that stretches further than anyone first suspects. Margolin clearly knows the legal world inside and out, and the courtroom scenes feel […]
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A Literary Treasure Hunt: A Review of The Lost Story of Even Fuentes
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Chanel Cleeton swings big with The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes, and for the most part, it works. This globe-trotting novel moves from Havana to London, Edinburgh, Boston, and Key West, weaving together three timelines and three women connected by a single, dangerous book. It’s an ambitious, intriguing premise—and one I enjoyed far more than Next Year in Havana. The strongest thread, for me, was Pilar’s story in 1960s Cuba. Her quiet courage as a librarian risking everything to protect forbidden books adds real emotional weight. Margo’s present-day hunt for the last surviving copy brings a sense of urgency—especially after an early murder raises the stakes—but the suspense never fully delivers […]
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The Gourmet Bookworm’s 5-Star Reads of 2025
I read a record-breaking 206 books in 2025. Two hundred and six. Even I had to sit down when I counted them up. Relatively few books earn top marks from me. I’m selective; in fact, my average rating is 3.77. If a book made this list, it did more than entertain—it lingered, stirred something, or flat-out impressed me. This year delivered—historical fiction, thrillers, literary standouts, faith-centered reads, and stories that stayed with me. I even ventured into a couple of memoirs, which isn’t typical for me. Growth! Below are my five-star reads of 2025, listed alphabetically. Across the Ages — Gabrielle Meyer Genre: Historical Fiction | Time-Slip | Christian Romance […]
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Small-Town Secrets, Big-Time Twists—Slaughter Dials It Back (Just Enough)
In We Are All Guilty Here, Karin Slaughter kicks off her new North Falls series with a story that’s intense, twisty, and—dare I say—slightly less disturbing than some of her recent work. Either she’s easing up… or I’m getting used to it. (Also, I still can’t get over that’s her real name.) Set in a seemingly tight-knit Georgia town, the novel opens with the disappearance of two teenage girls during a Fourth of July celebration—an event that fractures the illusion that everyone knows everyone. Officer Emmy Clifton takes the case personally, and what unfolds is a layered mystery spanning years, riddled with secrets, guilt, and long-simmering resentments. What worked for […]
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Justice, Redemption, and a Race to Save What Matters Most
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Saving Emma is a first-rate legal thriller that delivers both pulse-pounding suspense and a strong emotional punch—classic Allen Eskens. Boady Sanden, a law professor and former Innocence Project attorney, takes on what seems like a long-shot case: Elijah Matthews, a man confined to a psychiatric hospital after being convicted of murdering a megachurch pastor. Elijah claims innocence—and insists he’s a prophet. But as Boady digs in, he uncovers unsettling connections to a tragedy much closer to home: the death of his best friend, Ben, in Boady’s own house. At the same time, Ben’s teenage daughter, Emma—whom Boady and his wife have raised as their own—is slipping away, manipulated by […]
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Plenty of Twists—But the Verdict Is Mixed
⭐⭐⭐ Phillip Margolin has long been a reliable name in legal thrillers, so I picked up False Witness expecting a tight courtroom drama with plenty of twists. The ingredients are all there—murder, secrets, and the kind of high-stakes legal maneuvering that usually keeps readers flipping pages late into the night. The story centers on defense attorney Amanda Jaffe, who takes on the case of a young man accused of murdering a police officer. As the investigation unfolds, the case becomes tangled with past crimes, hidden identities, and a web of deception that stretches further than anyone first suspects. Margolin clearly knows the legal world inside and out, and the courtroom scenes feel […]
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Scandal, Satin, and a Side of Suspense
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I’ll be honest—His Delightful Lady Delia (American Royalty #3) by Grace Hitchcock isn’t typically the kind of book I grab off the stack. Gilded Age romance with plenty of emotion? Not my usual lane. And yet… I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. After years as her temperamental mother’s understudy, Delia Vittoria finally steps into the spotlight when her diva mother loses her voice for good. Delia now stands center stage at the Academy of Music, which is locked in a fierce opera war with the flashy new Metropolitan Opera House. To save the Academy—and prove herself—she agrees to a risky scheme. Enter Kit Quincy, who is trying […]
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Seven Days to Live. One Killer to Catch. Holly Jackson Nails Her Adult Debut.
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4½ stars) Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Readers’ Favorite Mystery & Thriller (2025) Holly Jackson makes a seamless leap from YA powerhouse to adult thriller with Not Quite Dead Yet, and wow — what a hook. Thirty-six hours after a brutal Halloween attack, Jet Mason wakes in a Vermont hospital to devastating news: a bone fragment is pressing against a vital artery, and within a week she’ll suffer a fatal hemorrhage. Surgery offers only a slim chance. So Jet makes a choice that sets this story on fire — she’ll spend her last seven days finding her killer. Jet, the sharp-tongued, restless daughter of one of Woodstock’s wealthiest families, has […]
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Chasing Ghosts of the Third Reich: A Review of The Odessa File
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I’ve wanted to read The Odessa File for years and finally got around to it. I’m glad I did. In this gripping Cold War thriller, Frederick Forsyth follows journalist Peter Miller as he uncovers evidence of ODESSA, a clandestine network protecting former SS officers. What starts as a personal investigation soon becomes a dangerous descent into a web of power, loyalty, and buried atrocities. The novel is full of facts interwoven into the story, giving it a documentary feel without losing narrative drive. Forsyth’s background as a foreign correspondent shows in the meticulous detail and procedural authenticity. The moral weight of postwar Germany hangs over every chapter, adding depth to the suspense. At […]
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