★ ★ ★ ½ Alka Joshi’s Six Days in Bombay kicks off with a bang—a famous painter dies under suspicious circumstances, and Sona, a young Anglo-Indian nurse, is suddenly the prime suspect. What follows is a globe-trotting journey from Bombay to Europe as Sona tries to clear her name and untangle the truth about Mira Novak, the enigmatic artist who changed her life in just six days. The setup is rich, and the premise has real intrigue. Joshi brings exotic locations to life with her usual flair. But where The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur gripped me from the start, this one took a while to warm up. The first third drags, bogged […]
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She Writes About Killers. Now She Might Be One
Talk about twists and turns—The Writer is a wild ride from page one. It checked all my boxes: tense, gripping, fast-paced, and flat-out fun for anyone who loves thrillers. The plot is a maze. Just when you think you’ve cracked it—boom—another twist hits. Patterson’s name is everywhere, and let’s be honest—some are hits, some are misses. But teaming up with J.D. Barker? Total win. The story opens with a bloody crime scene, a true-crime author covered in blood, and one big question: did she do it? NYPD Detective Declan Shaw thinks it’s an open-and-shut case. The deeper he digs, the murkier it gets. The pacing is classic Patterson—short chapters, punchy […]
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Slow Start, Steamy Distractions, and a Solid Twist in Blood Moon
3.5 stars Sandra Brown delivers another suspenseful thriller in Blood Moon, in which a troubled detective and a determined TV producer race against time to prevent another disappearance. Detective John Bowie, teetering on the edge of professional disaster, teams up with Beth Collins, a true crime producer convinced that a series of teenage girls vanishing under a blood moon isn’t a coincidence. With only four days until the next blood moon, they dig into a case riddled with corruption, danger, and an undeniable attractio The plot had promise, with an intricate mystery and a solid twist at the end. However, the book struggled to keep my attention. The pacing was sluggish […]
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Golden Age Crime Queens Unite to Solve a Murder Mystery
Marie Benedict’s The Queens of Crime brings together five legendary female mystery writers—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy—as they set out to solve a real-life murder. Set in 1930s London and France, the novel follows this fictionalized version of the Detection Club as they investigate the death of May Daniels, a young nurse whose body turns up months after she vanished. What begins as an effort to prove themselves equal to their male counterparts turns into a dangerous pursuit when Sayers herself becomes a target. The historical setting is richly drawn, and Benedict’s research shines through, especially in her portrayal of these literary […]
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A Twisty Literary Thriller with a Haunting Premise
In this gripping debut, a small town is rocked by the suspicious death of Dr. Erin Landry, with all clues pointing to reclusive failed writer Elijah Leith. As the town turns against him, Elijah must prove his innocence before it’s too late. Elijah returns to his childhood home in Point Orchards, Washington, after his writing career collapses, only to find himself at the center of a murder investigation. When Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on his property, the police suspect suicide—until eerie similarities to Elijah’s own novel emerge. As the investigation deepens, secrets unravel, forcing Elijah to confront past betrayals and an unexpected enemy intent on framing […]
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The Grey Wolf: A Disappointing Chapter in the Gamache Saga
Louise Penny’s The Grey Wolf is the 19th installment in her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. While Penny’s skill in crafting atmospheric settings and delving into moral complexities is evident, this novel fails to live up to the standards of her earlier work. The story kicks off with Gamache enjoying a quiet morning in Three Pines, only to have it interrupted by a series of strange events—a cryptic note, a break-in, and a trail of clues tied to a plot to poison Québec’s water supply. The stakes are high, taking Gamache and his team from Three Pines to monasteries, the Vatican, and beyond. While this epic scope adds intrigue, it […]
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Holmes is Missing: A Modern Spin on a Classic Kidnapping Mystery
James Patterson and Brian Sitts team up again to deliver an intense and twisty mystery in Holmes Is Missing. This installment follows the elite detective trio of Holmes, Marple, and Poe—except this time, Holmes has vanished, leaving his partners to tackle one of their toughest cases yet: the abduction of six newborns from a private New York hospital. Marple’s sharp instincts and Poe’s grit shine as they unravel secrets that span continents. Along the way, they uncover startling truths about the case—and about Holmes himself. Patterson and Sitts balance fast-paced action with character depth, giving readers a closer look at the trio’s complex pasts. The case is intense and chilling, […]
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Secrets, Subplots, and Strange Skies: Cornwell’s Latest Scarpetta Mystery
3.5 stars for the eBook, 5 stars for the narration. Identity Unknown takes Dr. Kay Scarpetta into two chilling cases: the suspicious death of 7-year-old Luna Briley and the bizarre murder of Nobel-winning physicist Sal Giordano, who was once Scarpetta’s lover. The story begins with intrigue, from a tragic child abuse case to a haunting murder scene in an abandoned theme park, complete with crop circles and eerie clues. The forensic details are sharp, but the novel feels overloaded. With countless subplots and references to past events, I struggled to keep track. This isn’t a standalone—new readers will probably feel left out. The UFO angle was weird, though it ironically […]
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High-Octane Action with Layers of Secrets
Break Every Rule packs a punch from page one. Tommy Miller hides in Florida, hoping his old life remains buried. That hope vanishes when kidnappers snatch his wife, Teresa, and infant daughter, Rosalita. Tommy taps his old skills as a soldier and member of a secret group called the Outsiders. Violence waits at every turn. He learns Teresa carries secrets of her own, tied to the murder of a British Royal tangled in a sex ring. Detective Lindy Jax investigates the abduction and suspects Tommy holds back key details. She has her own reasons: years ago she lost her brother without a trace. Brian Freeman, known for continuing Robert Ludlum’s […]
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Power, Corruption, and Suspense: A Review of Thriller Absolute Power
I always enjoy Baldacci’s thrillers, so I went back and read one I missed from 1996. Some may find it far-fetched, but with today’s politics, who knows? Absolute Power grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go. It’s gritty, clever, and full of twists that make you question everyone’s motives. The story begins with Luther Whitney, a career thief, witnessing a crime while robbing a billionaire’s mansion. But this isn’t a typical break-in gone wrong—it’s a murder that implicates none other than the President of the United States. Luther is a flawed but fascinating protagonist. Despite his criminal past, he’s a man trying to do the right thing in […]
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