3.8.2025 - Name Not Taken

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little A and Brilliance Publishing for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by Madeleine Henry, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Natalie Naudus.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars rounded up!

Devon and Richard are engaged, but come from two very different backgrounds.  Devon's was traumatic, being raised by a single mother with mental health issues, while Richard comes from a very wealthy family.  But after dating and living together, she had still not met his family until now.  And it is not going well - the family seems to question everything Devon does and are making Richard question her as well.  Let the mind games begin.

While domestic suspense is usually one of my favorite genres, this one was just okay for me.  I felt bad for Devon and wished she could have stood up for herself better, plus there are so many unreliable narrators that you will be questioning everyone.  I switched to listening to the audiobook and enjoyed it, but was a tad confused with the ending.  I'm blaming it on maybe too much multitasking when listening.  This was also an Amazon Prime First Read selection so try it out for yourself!

3.8.2025 - Message Deleted

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest psychological thriller by KL Slater.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Saffy is trying to get her life back on track and is waiting to go in for a job interview when she receives a text message from her best friend, Leona.  The message says - Can't speak, don't text or call, please just come.  Then the message is deleted.  Saffy is afraid that Leona is in trouble from her husband, Ash, so she rushes out of the interview to check on her friend.  When she gets to their house, Leona says everything is fine and that she didn't send the message.  Then the police show up at Saffy's door because she was the last one to see the family before they all went missing.

As always with Slater's books, this is a twisty book, with short chapters from different POV and timelines, giving the reader lots of suspects and clues along the way.  I felt for Saffy, with all her fears making her overprotective and anxious; definitely not a reliable narrator.  I never guessed how it was all going to play out and thought the ending was perfect.

3.7.2025 - The Undoing of Violet Claybourne

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a digital ARC of the new novel by Emily Critchley.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

It's 1938 and Gillian Larkin is sent away to school while her dad is an expat in Egypt with his new wife and son.  She's used to being a loner but is befriended by her roommate, Violet Claybourne.  Gilly is thrilled when Violet invites her to spend Christmas with her family at Thornleigh Hall.  Gilly is dazzled by the family's wealth and glamour, and especially by Violet's older sisters.  But when there is a terrible accident on the grounds, Gilly's loyalty and conscience are put to the test.  

I was a big fan of the author's previous book, One Puzzling Afternoon, and was excited to read her latest.  This book has such a gothic, dark feel, full of unlikeable characters that drip with privilege and secrets, and who will do anything to protect themselves.  Told from Ginny's prospective, we feel her need to fit in at all costs and her resulting devastating decisions.  I felt for Violet and her undoings (OCDd behaviors).   It's a heartbreaking story, full of betrayal and gaslighting, but it will keep you turning the pages well into the night.  

3.5.2025 - Black Tunnel White Magic

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this fascinating true crime book by Rick Jackson and Matthew McGough.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

In June 1990, Ronald Baker, a straight-A UCLA student, was found repeatedly stabbed to death in a tunnel near Spahn Ranch, where Charles Manson and his followers once lived. Shortly thereafter, Detective Rick Jackson and his partner, Frank Garcia, were assigned the case. Was there an occult factor?  Their investigation soon focused on Baker's roommates, one Black and one white, and the investigators' dogged pursuit of truth and justice.

I thought this was a fascinating look back at LA in the 1990s, where race, police brutality, and satanism were the headline stories.  But it's also such a close introspection of police work at its finest, where finding the truth takes priority over everything else.  These detectives worked for years and even decades to get justice for families.  It's a look back at the effects of the Rodney King and OJ Simpson verdicts, and you'll recognize many names from that era.  Now that our movements and conversations are tracked by cellphones and cameras, this is true, gritty detective work when DNA was in its infancy.  The crime itself was horrifying and such a tragic loss of a young man, but kudos to Jackson and Garcia for their devotion.  

3.4.2025 - The Last Days of Kira Mullan

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins William Morrow for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by the husband and wife writing duo known as Nicci French, and the second in the Maud O'Connor series.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Nancy North is trying to get back to normal after suffering a psychotic break that blew up her life.  She and her partner, Felix, have moved into a new flat and are anxious for a fresh start.  She's doing everything right, but things still seem wrong.  She hears mysterious voices that triggered her first episode, but she tries to justify it as the sounds of a new flat.  But when the young woman in the downstairs flat is found dead, everyone says it's a suicide.  But Nancy feels differently, and no one will listen except for DI Maud O'Connor.

I love this series, but you don't need to read the first book to enjoy this one.  I enjoy how in both books, Maud doesn't make an important appearance until the story is well developed, but she is a great character.  This is part police procedural, but it's also a great story about mental health.  That aspect is done really well, and you can feel Nancy's frustration at being labeled, gaslit, and trapped.  It's a good mystery as Maud tries to figure out exactly what happened to Kira.  Told from both Nancy's and Maud's POV, this is the perfect combination of genres and I couldn't put it down.  Hope there are more books to come in this series!

3.2.2025 - Wild Dark Shore

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this wonderful book by Charlotte McConaghy, wonderfully narrated by the cast of Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveldm and Steve West.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 5 stars!

 

Dominic Salt and his three children (Raff, Fen, and Orly) are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica, and home to the world’s largest seed bank.  With sea levels rising, the Salts are the only inhabitants and are packing up the seeds before being transported away.  During a terrible storm, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, they all come back to life a bit.  Until secrets start showing their faces.

 

This is a wonderful atmospheric novel.  You can see the beauty of the landscape, the wildlife, but see the damage the world has done as well.  The Salt family is completely isolated, running out of food and time, with no way to communicate with the outside world.  When Rowen enters their tiny circle, she keeps the real reason she is there to herself, but the Salt family is full of secrets as well.  It was taut and tense, as the family fight the elements as well as their personal demons.  The audiobook was fabulous, with a full cast making the story even more immersive.

3.1.2025 - Killer Story

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this memoir/true crime story, written and narrated by Claire St. Amant.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Claire spent almost a decade in network television covering the biggest true crime stories for 48 Hours and 60 Minutes.  In this book, she details how she got there, the cases she covered, and the toll it took on her psyche.  

This was a fascinating look behind the curtain of all those true crime stories I have watched for decades.  Besides going over the cases, it was fascinating to see how these shows develop and get produced, and the race against the clock to beat the competition.  The story of how she almost got indicted for a felony was unbelievable as well.   I appreciated that the author narrated her story, feeling that it adds a more personal touch.  If you're a true crime junkie, this book is for you.