⭐⭐⭐⭐ 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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Ancient Weapon, Modern Panic: Harvath Back on the Chessboard
⭐⭐⭐⭐ In Blowback (Scot Harvath #4), Brad Thor pulls his sidelined hero back into action after Harvath’s counterterrorism career goes down in flames—torched by political maneuvering and a senator with presidential ambitions. When a terrifying new threat emerges, the president quietly brings Harvath back inside, because when things get ugly, he’s still the guy you call. The central premise is classic Thor excess in the best and worst ways. An ancient weapon, discovered deep beneath an Alpine glacier, was once designed to wipe out the Roman Empire. Now a shadowy organization plans to use it to cripple the modern world. Harvath races across Europe to stop it, and the pace rarely lets […]
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A Brilliant and Explosive Finale to the William Warwick Series
Jeffrey Archer ends his William Warwick saga with End Game, a masterful thriller set amid the tension and spectacle of London’s 2012 Olympic Games. When Britain wins the bid to host, the celebration is cut short by an international conspiracy to launch a devastating attack that could throw the world into chaos. Commander William Warwick and his Scotland Yard team must outthink a network of ruthless operatives in a race against time—from London’s crowded streets to the shadowy halls of power—to stop the assassin before the Games begin. Archer is in top form here, blending political intrigue, espionage, and human drama with his signature precision. The pacing is relentless, the […]
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Krueger at His Best in Apostle’s Cove
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ rounded up to 5 After reading all twenty installments of the Cork O’Connor series, I can honestly say Apostle’s Cove might be my favorite yet. William Kent Krueger has once again struck that perfect balance between taut suspense and heartfelt storytelling. When Cork’s son reopens a decades-old case—one Cork himself helped close—it forces father and son to confront guilt, justice, and the murky space between right and wrong. Krueger’s signature blend of mystery, spirituality, and small-town Minnesota atmosphere shines here. The northwoods come alive with his evocative prose, and the characters—flawed, loyal, and deeply human—carry the emotional weight of the story. The dual timeline keeps the tension sharp, revealing secrets one […]
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Office Politics Turn Deadly in This Twisty Psychological Thriller
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Freida McFadden’s The Coworker takes a simple setup—a missing employee—and turns it into a devious psychological maze. Dawn Schiff is the office oddball: awkward, punctual to a fault, and obsessed with routines. When she suddenly vanishes, her bubbly coworker Natalie Farrell is the first to notice—and the first to realize something’s very wrong. As police and colleagues start digging, Natalie’s version of events begins to crack, and the truth becomes far murkier than anyone expected. McFadden keeps the tension high with alternating points of view and short, punchy chapters that make it nearly impossible to stop reading “just one more.” The twists land hard, especially the mid-book reveal that flips everything […]
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Secrets, Shadows, and a Vanished Girl in the Adirondacks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) The God of the Woods is an atmospheric and tragic mystery that transported me straight back to my own camp days in the 1970s—the bug spray, the creaky bunks, and the secrets whispered after dark. Liz Moore’s novel is a haunting literary mystery set in 1975, when thirteen-year-old Barbara Van Laar disappears from her family’s elite summer camp in the Adirondacks. It’s not the first tragedy to strike—the girl’s brother vanished years earlier—and soon the line between victim and culprit blurs in a web of privilege, power, and buried secrets. Moore captures the claustrophobic tension of a small town divided by class, where the wealthy Van Laars employ many locals who […]
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Sherlock Holmes Heads North in a Clever Farewell to Minnesota’s Favorite Sleuth
I hadn’t heard of Larry Millett’s Shadwell Rafferty series before this book—which is funny, considering I live in Minnesota. Rafferty’s Last Case: A Minnesota Mystery Featuring Sherlock Holmes is the ninth and final installment, and it’s a smart, nostalgic sendoff to a beloved local detective. The story kicks off with a shocker: St. Paul saloonkeeper and sleuth Shadwell Rafferty is found murdered just as he’s about to reveal a killer’s name. When word reaches Sherlock Holmes—who happens to be on a lecture tour in Chicago—he and Dr. Watson head north to investigate their friend’s death. Set in 1928, the novel captures the grit and glamour of old St. Paul, from its smoky speakeasies to […]
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A Killer Wedding Gets Lost in Its Own Drama
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Joan O’Leary’s A Killer Wedding serves up luxury, lies, and lethal secrets at an Irish castle where the elite gather for the society wedding of the year. Christine Russo, a reporter for Bespoke Weddings, thinks she’s landed the assignment of a lifetime covering the nuptials of the Ripton dynasty—until the family matriarch, Gloria Beaufort, turns up dead before the ceremony. Instead of calling the police, the Riptons make the mind-boggling choice to hide her death and let the wedding proceed. It’s a juicy premise, dripping with privilege and dysfunction, and O’Leary’s sharp humor pokes fun at influencer culture and the absurdity of the ultra-rich. But the book gets bogged down by too […]
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Finding Grace: The Haunting Echo of Choices Made
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5 stars) Loretta Rothschild’s debut, Finding Grace, starts with a shocking twist that pulled me right in. Honor Wharton, her husband Tom, and their daughter Chloe are living an enviable life until tragedy strikes. Tom, left shattered, makes a decision that changes everything, connecting his future with Grace Stone, a widow who bears an uncanny resemblance to his late wife. Narrated by Honor from a limbo state, the story tackles themes of motherhood, grief, and the haunting pull of secrets. The premise is powerful, but the pacing lags after the strong opening, and the romantic angle between Tom and Grace felt unsettling rather than moving. Honestly, I couldn’t stand […]
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