5.26.2026 - Murder By Design

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing | Thomas & Mercer, and MB Communications for gifting me both a physical and digital ARC of the new book by Lee Goldberg, and the first in a new series.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He used to work for the LAPD, but since his injury, he works as a consultant as well as an insurance investigator.  Bixby solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible.   Wally is a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.  Their first case looks like an accident - a woman falls down the staircase at a mall - but Bixby is certain she was murdered by design.  He must now prove his theory.

This was so much fun!  If you, like me, enjoyed watching Elementary years ago and seeing the world differently through Sherlock Holmes' eyes, you'll absolutely love this one.  It feels like a class whodunit.  Bixby is not a very likable character, but Wally has enough personality that the two make a great team.  Their dialogue is so funny, but the true star in this book is how the mysteries are solved with just a different eye to the world.  Goldberg certainly did his homework, and even the author's note and acknowledgments were fascinating.  I can't wait for more in this series - soon please!

5.25.2026 - Take Me With You

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Steven Rowley.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars rounded up!

They have been together for 30 years when Jesse witnesses his husband, Norman, go out in the middle of the night into a strange beam of life and disappear.  Jesse knew their relationship had seemed lacking, but where did he go?  With Norman gone, Jesse struggles to figure out his new life.  Norman's sister, Lally, is equally confused as to Norman's whereabouts, going so far as to hire a PI to find him.  All eyes are on Jesse.

I'm a huge fan of Steven Rowley's books, and this one had his trademark sweetness, humor, and good messages.  The alien storyline was a bit weird and never quite finished to me, but otherwise, I liked the plot line of two married people who after time forget what drew them together in the first place.  It's a message to not take people for granted.  I may not have loved this one as much as his others, but I'll still be first in line to read whatever comes next!

5.25.2026 - Dolly All the Time

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Annabel Monaghan, just chosen as the June Good Morning America Book Club Selection.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Dolly Brick has had to be in charge since she was young and her mom left.  Now as an adult with a teenager of her own, she's trying her best to keep everything running smoothly, not only in her own life, but in her dad's and brother's lives back in Whitfield, Rhode Island.  She heads back to Whitfield for the summer to try to keep them from losing their family home.  When she comes across the eldest Whitfield son with a flat tire, it's in her nature to help.  Stewart later has a proposal for her that will enable her to keep the family going, but is it going to be more than she asked for?

I'm not always a huge romance or romcom fan, but I have loved Monaghan's past books and absolutely adored her latest. You can't help but fall in love with these characters, especially Dolly, but also her hilarious best friend, Naomi, and Stewart's sister, Busy.  It's so fun and empowering to watch these middle-aged (hardly but everything is relative!) women take charge of their own lives and support each other.  One of the best parts was Stewart's relationship with Dolly's son, Gus.  Don't miss this one - it's the perfect summer read!

5.24.2026 - Beneath a Broken Sky

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book in the wonderful Ben Packard series by Joshua Moehling.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

A tornado has just swept through small town Sandy Lake, Minnesota, leaving trees felled and homes destroyed.  Detective Ben Packard is called to investigate the death of a woman killed in her home.  The mother of a gay teenager and unpopular in town, there are plenty of suspects in her death.  Packard is gay and used to being judged for that, so this death hits close to home.  Before summer is out, someone else will die.

I love this series and getting to know Ben Packard more with each book, but I'm sure you could read this as a stand alone if you must.  It's a taut, tense mystery that left me questioning everyone until the reveal.  It's gritty, violent, and the summer storms and wildfires add another layer of stress.  Each chapter begins with an air quality report, which again emphasized the danger.  It's a wonderful police procedural, but where this book shines is with Ben's character.  He's morally driven, capable, but with heart and compassion.  I can't wait for more in this series!

5.23.2026 - The Children

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and HarperAudio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by Melissa Albert, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by the cast of Rebecca Lowman, Saskia Maarleveld, Kristen Sieh, Leslie Aleman and Iggy Costello.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Guinevere Sharpe has two childhoods.  In one, she lives in her family's isolated Vermont farmhouse; in the other, the pages of her mother's famous Ninth City books.  In reality, Guin's childhood isn't the magical one portrayed in the books.  She and her older brother grow up mostly feral, escaping into the woods, until the night it all goes up into flames, leaving Edith’s series unfinished and her children the sole survivors.  Now as an adult, Guin is estranged from her brother and capitalizing on her mother's name.  Then her brother announces an art installation titled Mother.  Guin must face the past she's been running from.

This is an immersive read, made more so if you choose to listen to the audiobook, with its full cast and original music.  There is a sinister, creepy feeling throughout the entire book, and it will take you back to your childhood.  If you were a reader then, it will invoke the magical worlds you lived in and experienced, only to have the tarnish of those books possibly worn off by adult realizations of the actual author's real selves.  This is an ode to generational inheritance, of memory, and all the stories and trauma passed down.  Fascinating!

5.22.2026 - Pollock's Last Lover

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Stephen P. Kiernan.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

In 2006, Sotheby’s sells a painting by Jackson Pollock for $140 million—the highest sum ever paid for a work of art. Two weeks later, an older woman named Ruth Kligman, in high heels and a dusty fascinator, contacts a smaller, less prominent auction house to announce that she was Pollock’s lover, and that he gave her his last painting. She declares that it was selfish to keep it in her apartment for fifty years, and that people should see this masterpiece in galleries and museums the world over. The bidding will start at $50 million.  Gwen is the associate at the firm assigned the task of verifying the painting.

This was a fascinating look into Pollock, his work, his lifestyle, even his death, but more so the women who circle him and both idolize him and struggle against him.  It's told through alternating time periods as we go back and imagine Ruth's life with Pollock as well as Pollock's wife, Lee. In 2006, we see Gwen's world as she's trying to make a name for herself and still stick to her principles.  I'm not much of an art person, but learning about Pollock was interesting.  I loved the look back into how smartphones were first viewed when they entered the scene, as Gwen was an early adopter.  There are some good thoughts even then about how we experience the world through a device.  

5.21.2026 - Last Seen

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Crime for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Lucy Clarke.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Seven years ago, two boys went missing at sea – and only one was brought to shore.  Sarah’s son, Jacob, survived, but on the anniversary of the accident and the loss of his best friend, Marley, he disappears without a trace. As new secrets begin to surface, The Sandbank hums with tension and unanswered questions. 

This is one of those books that's hard to review without giving anything away, but suffice it to say that the twists and turns and wonderful plot line speak for themselves.  The story is told from the viewpoints of both the moms - Sarah and Isla, the mother of Marley, who died.  As an aside - I had thoughts of A Christmas Carol going through my head with every mention of the two boys!  It's a taut mystery, because you can only imagine the terrible grief and fear these women are experiencing and the motherhood and friendship themes are impactful.  There are lots of secrets here and that ending caught me totally by surprise.  Another book to pack along for your vacation!