1.30.2025 - Hold Strong

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing Amazon Publishing, for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by one of my all time favorite authors, Robert Dugoni, co-written with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Sam Carlson works as a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, dreaming of a future with his girlfriend, college-bound Sarah Haber.  When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines, eventually to be captured as a POW.  Meanwhile, Sarah is recruited to Washington DC to be a code breaker.  She intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, prompting an unimaginable decision by the government.  

This is an amazing book, based on an extraordinary true story, that will have you both questioning humanity and glorifying it.  The courage of men in unimaginable situations shows just how strong the human spirit can be.  I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so thoroughly documented the facts behind the story, in an almost page-by-page note section at the end.  Do not miss the Afterword either,  This book is heartbreaking, inspirational, and definitely taught me about yet another war atrocity, the hell ships, and those poor souls who inhabited them.  In addition, the role of women in code breaking was fascinating.  I am grateful to these authors for shining light into dark spaces of our history in the hopes that it is never repeated.  Do not miss this book - very highly recommended!

1.30.2025 - Just One Taste

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Lizzy Dent.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Food critic Olive Stone and her chef father have been estranged.  So she was shocked to discover that he willed her his beloved restaurant.  His dying wish was for Olive and Leo, the sous-chef at the restaurant, complete his cookbook.  But Olive is determined to sell the restaurant as much as Leo is determined to convince her not to.  They do agree to work on the cookbook, and begin a 4-week food tour in Italy.

I always enjoy Lizzy Dent's books and how wonderfully she writes about food along with romance!  And this book will certainly have you salivating for real Italian food.  But it goes deeper - Olive has to come to a better understanding of her relationship with her father and how her feelings have shaped her life and personality.  A book that will have you dreaming of travel, food, and love!

1.29.2025 - Dead Money

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Ballantine Bantam for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful debut thriller by Jakob Kerr.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Mackenzie Clyde is a lawyer who works for Silicon Valley's most ruthless venture capitalist as an unofficial problem solver.  But when the CEO of tech's hottest startup is murdered and Mackenzie's boss has a fortune at stake, she is sent in to resolve things quickly.  With the police out of their depth, the FBI is called in to investigate with Mackenzie assisting.  She's not a detective and is used to being underestimated, but Mackenzie is determined. 

Wow - I was shocked to learn that this is a debut novel, because even at over 400 pages, it kept me glued.  Told in the present during the investigation along with many flashbacks, you can't help but root for Mackenzie.  Raised by a single mom who worked long hours, Mackenzie is used to being overlooked and having to prove herself.  With an insider's look into the tech world with so much money involved, the plot was so well crafted and kept me guessing with its twists and turns.  If you are intrigued with the tech world or just love a great thriller, this is the book for you.  Do I dare hope for a sequel?

1.27.2025 - Good Dirt

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for gifting me a digital ARC of the sophomore book by Charmaine Wilkerson, the author of Black Cake.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Ebby's life changed forever when a gunshot after a home invasion killed her older brother, Baz.  Old Mo, a beloved, centuries-old jar was also destroyed that day.  The crime was never solved, and Ebby had to live with in the public eye, as their family were one of the few Black families in their well-to-do New England town.  When Ebby's wedding falls apart, she was thrust back in the spotlight.  She flees to France, but her past caught up with her there.  But her time there provided time for her to explore just how important Old Mo was to their family and their history.

I was a huge fan of Black Cake and absolutely loved this book as well.  Wilkerson's writing is so beautiful and brought all the characters to life.  Told in different timelines and from different perspectives as the reader learns the heartbreaking yet hopeful story of the enslaved men who created the jar, and how these stories were passed down through generations.  We watch as the current generation struggles with classism, racism, and generational and current trauma, yet it's such an engrossing story of the spirit triumphing over that trauma.  Very highly recommended!

1.25.2025

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful series debut by John McMahon, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Will Damron.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 5 stars!

The Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit of the FBI is a team of five brilliant but misfit agents tasked with solving cold cases.  Gardner Camden may have social issues, but he’s got an amazing analytical brain that excels in puzzles and codes.  Work is a priority for him, along with visits to his young daughter and elderly mother.  When a serial killer from one of Gardner’s solved cases, who has been presumed dead for over a decade, is found murdered, the hunt begins to find the killer who is murdering serial killers.  Gardner and his team track him across the country, hoping they can solve the riddles before it’s too late.

This was such a fabulous book and audiobook!  Think Slow Horses (which I also love), a group of intelligence agents who all made mistakes, but come together as a strong team.  It also reminded me a bit of Mind Hunters, and I loved the peek into the mind of a serial killer and those who hunt for them.  But the characters were where this book really shines – I loved all of them, but especially Gardner.  They felt real, I felt for them, and I can’t wait for more books featuring this team.  Highly recommended!  

1.24.2025 - Final Victim

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book in the Detective Megan Carpenter series by Gregg Olsen.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Detective Carpenter is called to the scene of the brutal death of a detective from another jurisdiction, with the body lying across two county lines.  Then just a day later, a retired detective is found dead in his home.  Megan is sure that there is a link between the deaths.  She works with her partner, Ronnie, to investigate and Megan finds herself in the middle of a deadly plot.  They find even more linked murders and Megan must face some hard truths about her past before they blow up her life.

I'm a big fan of this series and while I would encourage starting at the beginning, Olsen gives plenty of details to understand the important parts of Megan's history.  I love the relationship between Megan and Ronnie as Megan has slowly allowed herself to get close to people.  This is a great police procedural and I'm anxiously awaiting the next book to find out what happens after that ending!

1.23.2025 - I'll Come to You

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books Media for gifting me an audio ARC of this wonderful novel by Rebecca Kauffman, perfectly narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

A story of family, set in 1995, all touched by the impending arrival of a baby.  We get glimpses into each of the family members' lives, thoughts, fears, joys.  

I absolutely loved listening to this book.  Beginning in January and going through the end of 1995, told in the POV of many different family members, we are privy to their emotions about all the happenings in the family and extended family.  A couple struggling with infertility, an older couple divorced and struggling, an older son who defaults to lying rather than facing his emotions, an older couple facing a health crisis.  The writing was just beautiful and pulled me into caring about this family.  I appreciated that it was set in 1995, before cellphones were in everyone's pockets, so that communication required more effort.  These characters felt real and relatable and I cared about them and their stories.  Highly recommended!