4.1.2026 - The Other Couple

    

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas & Mercer for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Claire McGowan.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.stars!

Beth and Vince are on a trip as a last-ditch attempt to save their marriage.  But it's not going well.  There's a dead body on the beach and Vince is a suspect.  An influencer couple, Joel and Corrina, befriend them and then disappear.  Detective Alison Hegarty and her husband are on the same trip for their baby moon, and she can't help but get involved both in Spain and once they return to London, especially when she learns of a long-ago crime and a new suspicious fall.

I always like a good police procedural, and this one had a pregnant detective on holiday still solving crimes.  The story plays out from multiple POV and timelines, leaving the reader with many suspects and questions, and lots of twists and turns.  Alison was my favorite character and I would love to see this become a series!

4.1.2026 - The Keeper

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House | Viking Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful novel by Tana French.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

A young woman, Rachel Holohan, goes missing in small town Ardnakelty, Ireland.  She was about to be engaged to the son of the local big boss.  Retired Chicago Detective Cal Hooper lives here now and is just beginning to understand the tangles of family and land.  His fiancé, Lena, wants nothing to do with those tangles, but she's keeping her own secrets.  

This is the third and final book in the Cal Hooper series.  While they are all 5 star books in my opinion and are better off read together, you could certainly read this as a stand alone if you must.  Tana French is so fabulous at creating a world that you feel part of, feeling the weather, the atmosphere, the tension.  They are all long books - this one at over 500 pages - but you get so immersed that the time just passes as you read.  It's a slow, immersive read and worthy of the time spent.  I love the character development over this series, especially with Cal and Trey, and am feeling a bit sorry that I won't be able to see what happens to them from here.  Highly recommended series!

3.29.2026 - Read Between the Lies

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mindy's Book Studio for gifting me a digital ARC of this psychological thriller by Jesse Q. Sutanto.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

After years of rejection and slogging in a day job she doesn't really like, Fern's debut novel has just sold.  She joins an online community of other debut authors with a book coming out the same year.  But soon, she discovers that her high school nemesis, Haven, has landed a much bigger book deal and has joined the same online debut group.  The two also have a shared past involving their friend, Dani, reopening old wounds.

I enjoy books that give some glimpses into the book world.  In this book, it's a behind-the-scenes look into just how our favorite books become published, especially a debut.  This story plays out through Fern's point of view in present and past timelines, and the reader can see how her high school issues changed her.  She becomes obsessed with Haven once again when they are thrust into the same circles online as Covid forces everyone to stay home.  Neither Fern nor Haven are likable or trustworthy, so if you're like me, you'll be questioning whose narrative to believe.  Certainly bullying, and especially online bullying, is horrible, and this book shows how quickly someone can be canceled because of missteps large or small.  An intriguing story!

3.28.2026 - Upward Bound

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House | Hogarth for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Woody Brown.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Upward Bound is an adult day care center for adults with challenges.  From the viewpoint of 12 different people who interact with the facility in some way.  We mostly hear from Walter, a non-speaking autistic adult who is very intelligent and capable but needs assistance communicating.  Through family tragedies, he spends his days at Upward Bound while his mom works.  We get the viewpoints from other residents, staff, even the Target cashier where the group visits on Fridays.

I was so blown away by this book and won't forget it.  It should be mandatory reading by everyone but especially anyone interacting with neurodivergent or other challenged people.  It is a beautiful look into those in our society who have been overlooked and gives them a voice.  It's all done so sensitively, with humor and heart.  It's also a nod to the way there are not good options for many among us and what programs are available are underfunded and the carers aren't adequately compensated.  Much like sticking our elderly in nursing homes, we as a country need to do better to help those who need more assistance, in a way that values them as a unique person.  The author was the first nonspeaking person in history to graduate from UCLA; he then went on to receive a creative writing degree from Columbia.  I hope this is the first of many books from this author - bravo to all involved!  Very highly recommended.

3.27.2026 - The Survivor

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the US debut thriller by Andrew Reid.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Ben Cross was fired on his first day at his new job in NYC.  He thought his day couldn't get any worse.  But when he's on the subway, he starts receiving anonymous text messages from someone with proof that they've just killed someone, then kills another as proof that they aren't bluffing.  But Ben wasn't picked at random; he's got a past that he's been keeping secret.

This is pretty much non-stop action; be prepared for some gore as well.  Taking place mostly underground in the subway system allows for even more tension and fear.  I loved the character of Detective Kelly Hendricks - she's on punishment duty with the transit police for following her gut instinct; now that instinct may save the day.  There are themes of nature vs nature, past trauma, and those in charge with ulterior motives.  Told from multiple POV and past timelines, this book kept me at the edge of my seat.  Looking forward to more from this author!

3.26.2026 - Son of Nobody

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, WW Norton & Company, and Recorded Books Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the new novel by Yann Martel, author of the amazing Life of Pi.  The audiobook was perfectly narrated by Robin Wilcock and Aaron Willis.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Harlow Donne is a Canadian academic researcher working on his dissertation.  Leaving his wife and young daughter in Canada, he accepts a scholarship to work for an Oxford Don, deciphering Ancient Greek texts while also pursuing his own research into the history of Troy and the Trojan War.  In his research, he finds new and potentially groundbreaking information about Psoas, the son of nobody, but nobody cares, including his Oxford sponsor.  

This is not an easy read, but it is a worthy read with many layers.  I will admit that I know next to nothing about Greek mythology, but it was still fascinating.  We learn of Harlow's family life, his Oxford dealings, the work he's doing, and the story he builds from following Psoas' path.  Because of its unique format of presenting Harlow's family life, I found the audiobook with its dual narrators easy to immerse myself in.  It's a good book to listen to while you read.  It's heartbreaking in the comparison between what Donne gives up to dedicate his time to a project no one cares about.  

3.25.2026 - 51%

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Level Best Books and the author for gifting me a digital and physical copy of this wonderful book.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Imagine a not-so-distant future, where the government controls everything, even the people.  Need to get into high school or college?  Need to make sure your children have all the advantages possible?  One of the Big 6 Syndicates will give you money for a percentage.  But be careful, because if you get to where the syndicate controls 51% of you, they have control and chip you.  When a young immigrant woman, a 51%'r, is brutally murdered, NYPD, Inc. Detective Jude O'Keefe and his partner, Crime Marketing Consultant Haylee Navarro, catch the case.  They have to crowdfund enough money to investigate the case and Haylee knows this case won't bring in any money.  But Jude is determined to find the killer.  

This book is unlike anything I've read - and I've read a lot!  The premise is so scary because it's so real.  Who can afford to send their kid to college now?  We have to pay entrance fees to drive into some cities.  We're calling to defund the police.  One big medical bill can have us reeling.  AI has its fingers all over our lives and social media rules.  But what sets this book apart from other dystopian books is that it is not only a thriller, but it has plenty of humor, different speech jargon, science that feels real rather than made up, and characters you will love and root for.  Once I started reading it, it was tough to put down and I found myself thinking about it in between.  Even if this genre isn't something you would normally read, you must read 51%!