10.1.2026 - A Field Guide to Death and Deceit

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Michelle L. Cullen, the second in the Harry & Emma series.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Harry's long-ago girlfriend gets in touch after 50 years, begging him for his help, asking him to meet her at a farm on the outskirts of their town.  Emma, Harry's one-time caretaker and now partner, is suspicious and insists on joining him.  When they show up, Willow is nowhere to be found, but they discover the farm owner is dead.  When they return to Harry's home after being interviewed by the police, Willow is there with a story of a real estate scam involving the farm.  Harry decides to help her, even recruiting his brother and a neighbor in the investigation.  

I had to first go and read A Field Guide to Murder, and I recommend that one before this book so that you fully understand these two main characters.  I love books with smart, older characters who won't let a little physical ailment stop them from living their best life.  Harry and Emma such a good team and the investigation is taut and will leave you guessing.  Plus, there's a bit of humor and romance to keep things interesting.  I'm here anxiously awaiting the next book in this series!

10.1.2026 - The French Illusion

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a long-time favorite, John Grisham.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Paul and Chelsea have the perfect fairytale wedding, and then head to Paris for a dream honeymoon.  But the dream turns to a nightmare when they are kidnapped while on a day trip.  Who would kidnap them and why?  It turns out they aren't the first couple this has happened to.  The search for clues stretches across borders, with the FBI, CIA and French Intelligence trying to work out what's happening.

A departure from his normal legal thrillers, this book lends more to a spy/espionage thriller, with cat-and-mouse covert operations, and Grisham nails this genre as well.  Still here is the tense, gripping plot line leaving you glued to the pages, with characters you will relate to and feel for.   I especially liked both Stuart Nash, an attorney, and Rae Claire, a CIA officer, who get pulled in for a rescue effort.   I also felt for the parents in this book, giving up everything for their children.  A great new read from a wonderful author!

10.1.2026 - Unreliable Narrator

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Araminta Hall.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Hope arrives at the isolated Shadowlands estate, excited to spend her summer assisting the writer Ambrose "Rosie" Glencourt.  Hope is swept up into an unfamiliar world, captivated by their brilliance, especially Tom, who resides on the property.  Ten years later, she is living in self-imposed exile when she opens Rosie's new bestseller and discovers it's a retelling of her time at Shadowlands and all she swore to keep hidden.  

This was an intriguing story and was true to its title - you didn't know who or what to believe.  It's a story of obsession, revenge, and people who take advantage of others for their own gain.  I was kept interested throughout, feeling for Hope, and enjoyed the twisting plot.

9.30.2026 - The Radiance

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Summit Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this novel by Ayad Akhtar.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3 stars.

The synopsis...When a hit-and-run shatters more than his body, a writer is caught between revelation and madness as an uncanny pull toward a brilliant campus colleague ensnares him in a scandal that threatens to destroy them both. What begins as a provocative portrait of academic and cultural warfare deepens into erotic entanglement, the exposure of a family secret, and the mystery surrounding the narrator’s accident—both the violence and its aftermath.

This one is getting good reviews, but it's one that I felt I wasn't smart enough to understand from the beginning.  It's supposed to be auto fiction, but I don't know anything about the author so not sure how much is based in reality.  I just never connected to the story.  There is a lot going on but yet there's not a solid plot that I could follow.  I almost DNF'd it but I just can't do that so I soldiered on.  

9.27.2026 - Trad Wife

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Sarah Langan.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Nothing is going right for journalist Jenny Kaplan.  When she gets the opportunity to go behind the curtain of the wildly-successful Mia Wright, the perfect trad wife of Black Swan Farm, she jumps at it.  She just needs to live with Mia and her family on the farm for one week, then submit a story about what she experiences.  But things are very different behind the online videos.

I have loved both of Langan's previous books, and they are all different.  This one is a slow burn horror that sneaks up on you until you can't look away.  It's dark, suspenseful, scary, and best gone in to cold.  It's not your typical trad wife book and it will have you reading late into the night - with the lights on. 

9.26.2026 - This is What Happens When Women Read

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for gifting me a digital and audio ARC of this memoir by Julianna Glasse, with the author also narrating the audiobook.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars!

Julianna Glasse was an influential Christian pop star and author who sang at President Trump’s first national prayer breakfast, as well as an exemplary Christian wife of a professional baseball player.  But when she began reading and exploring other viewpoints, her own changed.  She eventually left her marriage and the church and began to educate herself and reach other women.

I have mixed feelings about this book.  The beginning was intriguing - raised in an evangelical household where men ruled, reading other books expanded her mind and changed her life.  But then we go on a somewhat confusing journey with her where she has an affair and later explores tantric sex (with plenty of descriptions).  I loved the title and the author did talk about books that were important to her conversion, but it just never quite hit the right note for me.  Glasse did a great job of narrating, definitely due to her musical background.  

9.26.2026 - Nightjars

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest horror novel by Michael Wehunt, with the audiobook brilliantly narrated by Matt Godfrey and Zura Johnson.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

On a first date, Luke Oshel's new crush never comes back from the restroom, but she leaves an old photograph under her napkin.  It's a photo of Luke as a child, a dead body in the shadows of his bedroom, and a masked man.  Luke has no memory of this event.  More photos appear with Luke posing with murder victims, and he falls back into paranoia.  But is it paranoia when all the evidence points to Luke?  

Oh my goodness - first, I would highly recommend listening to this one on audiobook.  The narration was great and the entire production extremely well done.  I would be engrossed in the story and then - boom - that haunting voice would be in my ears, scaring me half to death.  This is the perfect vampire story for heading into spooky reading season.  But it's more than that, and that's where this book shines.  There's such a strong emotional element here, with Luke's pregnant ex-wife and his daughter involved.   Full of dark family secrets, unreliable memories, creepy atmosphere, and vampires - definitely give this one a go!