Book Review: "The River Runs Black" by Tessa Wegert

Tessa Wegert has done it again!! This is her eighth book and I just love the characters and the community she’s created. She always delivers a twisty thriller with some emotional depth, and her books are always so satisfying!

New York State’s North Country, not far from the Canadian border, has been left reeling by the recent death of a high school senior due to a cocaine overdose. His parents say he had never taken drugs before; his friends will not divulge any information they might have about who supplied the cocaine.

When an enormous drug bust is made on a speedboat traveling from Canada to the North Country, the local investigators are excited by the record haul they recovered. But when they discover that the cocaine they seized doesn’t match the cocaine that killed the young man, they realize there must be a larger drug ring than they ever fathomed.

When an obviously high young woman is found wandering around downtown with barely any clothes on, the police try to help her. But she runs away from them, leaving them to wonder what she was running from and who was keeping her high. And when the teenage daughter of a local investigator goes missing, the stakes grow even more dangerous.

I love the dogged police work of Tim Wellington and Shana Merchant, and it was great to see their return as well as that of other characters, like Mac and Val. I’ve so enjoyed watching these characters develop and transform into something deeper. I felt as if there were hints about a 3rd book in this series—I sure do hope so!

Book Review: "Be Still My Unbeating Heart" by Josh Winning

What fun this was! I mean, I was already sold on the description: “A cozy vampire vacation mystery set in a seaside Italian village, featuring a reformed vampire, his magical talking cat, and a handsome, brooding detective.” But Josh Winning did such a great job with this book.

Bastian is a vampire. But a vegetarian one. Five years ago he cleaned up his act and kicked the whole feeding off humans thing.

Everybody needs a little time away, even the undead. So Bastian and his best friend, Whitby (the aforementioned talking cat), head to Vernazza, a beautiful Italian village. Bastian is hoping to enjoy the sunshine (as long as he has sunscreen), take in the sights, dance a little, and maybe find a handsome man to enjoy it all with.

However, on their first beach walk, Bastian stumbles over the body of a young woman. It looks like she’s been killed by a…vampire? Of course, the police find him near the body and immediately suspect Bastian of murder and take him into custody.

Bastian is put on house arrest, guarded by Nicole, a handsome police inspector, who initially seems immune to his charms. But Nico starts to fall for Bastian, and realizes, as more bodies appear, that someone else is responsible, and is framing vampires. Yet the police commissioner has summoned the Vampire Council, and that could wind up causing more harm than good.

I really enjoyed this book. Bastian and Whitby are the oddest of pairs and their banter is quite fun. And while the mystery is definitely twisty, there’s a lot of dialogue about accepting who you are and embracing your differences—which works for everyone, not just vampires. I’d love to see another book in this series!

Book Review: "One Good Eye" by Kevin Wade

Kevin Wade is a screenwriter and was showrunner for Blue Bloods. Given how much I loved that show, his first book, Johnny Careless, was a favorite of mine last year. Now, thanks to Celadon Books, I received an advance copy of his newest book, and it was just as great!

Jeep Mullane is the chief of police for four towns on Long Island’s Gold Coast. Following a hurricane, he gets called to the estate of his old friend Jenny, who was assaulted during a home invasion. But she’s not interested in filing a police report or finding out who hit her, despite Jeep’s encouragement to do so.

Jenny and Jeep have known each other since high school. Their relationship has always been complicated—part romantic, part platonic, part protective. Even when they’ve stopped speaking to one another, Jenny remains an enormous part of Jeep’s life. So of course he’s going to investigate who is behind Jenny’s assault.

What Jeep doesn’t count on is an immensely tangled web. There are definitely people he suspects but so much action and crime is swirling around him. From Jenny’s ex-husband to two local motorcycle gangs, federal agents and a police captain living under an assumed name, Jeep can’t quite figure out who was responsible and why. And of course, how much does he trust Jenny?

I thought this was excellent. Even though this is the second book featuring Jeep, you really could read it as a standalone. But Jeep is such a great character that you’ll want to read both!

Book Review: "Keep Them Close" by David Ellis

I’ve been patiently waiting until this book was released earlier in the week. Battling severe FOMO watching so many Bookstagram friends reading advance copies has been tough! But I’ve got to tell you, this was worth the wait. David Ellis is a freaking master of the twisty thriller!

Allison knew her husband Finley was cheating on her. His infidelity both saddened and enraged her, as she has loved him since they were young. But as tempted as she is to get revenge, she bides her time.

Allison’s brother Luke was destined to be a baseball star until an accident derailed his potential career. Now he’s a renowned coach with a talent for taking miserable teams and turning them into champions. And while Luke and Allison have always been close, their relationship has frayed quite a bit lately.

When Finley is murdered, of course Allison is immediately considered the prime suspect. She knew what he was up to and with whom, but she had her own plans. Can she count on her brother to help her, despite the distrust between them?

Ellis’ thrillers are always full of twists, which makes it hard to review one of his books. But once you pick this up, you won’t want to put it down until you’ve devoured every last word.

Book Review: "Ironwood" by Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly has written more than 40 books and I’ve been reading them since 1992, when his first book was published. He has created some prolific characters, which have spawned several series. Ironwood is the second book in a new series, and this one kicked ass.

Stilwell is a detective sergeant stationed on California’s Catalina Island. Those who get stationed there are usually paying for making someone higher-up angry, or for doing something illegal or inappropriate. Stilwell was sent to Catalina for similar reasons, but he’s grown to like that it’s separate from the chaos of Los Angeles.

One night, acting on a tip one of his deputies got from a confidential informant, Stilwell and two of his deputies are staking out the island’s airstrip. They’re waiting for a plane to land and drop off drugs. But when it does, the deputies close in on the plane, shots are fired, and the plane leaves.

The whole incident has tragic consequences. As the police investigate, Stilwell is relegated to the side. But he wants to know who was responsible and where everything went wrong, so he does some investigating on the side.

Meanwhile, when sorting through the list and found, he finds an expensive backpack that belonged to a woman who disappeared while hiking four years earlier. But the backpack was found only two months ago; why is that? Stilwell’s looking into this connects him to the cold case unit led by Detective Renée Ballard. And what this partnership uncovers is another tangled web he’ll have to deal with.

Connelly is so good at taking his time to lay out the details and then gradually ratchet up the tension. He always keeps me guessing one way or another. I hope there will be a third book in this series!!

Book Review: "Murder by Design" by Lee Goldberg

I previously worked for an organization that represented product designers and one that represented architecture students. So imagine my surprise when my May selection from Amazon First Reads was about how the design of our world makes it easier for murders to occur! (And the author credited books written by people I’ve known.)

Edison Bixby is an ex-police detective. He’s handsome, fabulously wealthy, and impeccably dressed—and he has no filter, as the result of a traumatic brain injury he sustained on the job. While the TBI causes him to speak his mind, it hasn’t halted his brilliance, and he now works as an insurance investigator.

Bixby is a firm believer that the design of the world around us enables people to kill. But before his next case, Wally Nash, an aspiring actor who truly believes in his craft, gets hired to be his assistant. It’s Wally’s job to apologize for Bixby’s rudeness and smooth things over for him. But Wally sees this as the ultimate acting job, at least until he lands his dream role.

From their very first case working together, Wally is dazzled by Bixby’s brilliance and his doggedness in solving crimes. He finds clues and motives where no one else can, and even the most outlandish-sounding theories come true. They often work at the behest of a police detective with whom Bixby has a “situationship,” although they often find themselves at odds with one another.

Their investigation of the death of a woman who fell down a flight of stairs at a shopping mall seems pretty cut and dried. But what looks like sheer negligence appears to be murder in Bixby’s eyes, and the deeper he digs, the more tangled the web he has stepped in gets.

I thought this was such a great book. Bixby is one of the most unique characters I’ve read about in a long while, and his banter with Wally is top-notch. I really wasn’t sure how everything would tie up, but I really loved this, and I’m so glad a second book is on the horizon.

The book will publish 6/1.

Book Review: "Woman Down" by Colleen Hoover

Petra Rose is a bestselling author with legions of fans, some of whom have even tattooed her words on their bodies. But when one of her books is significantly changed when it is adapted for film—and she appears to have endorsed the change—the internet turns on her. She is savagely criticized by fans and even those who can’t resist kicking a person when they’re down.

All the stress has given Petra a horrible case of writer’s block. She hates everything she tries to write and is so afraid of making another blunder, that she’s fallen way behind with her next novel. But she’s running out of money, so she has to pull herself together.

She rents a lakeside cabin as she usually does when writing. But the peace she hopes will lead to a burst of creativity doesn’t materialize. Then early one morning she wakes to see police cars outside her cabin and there’s a policeman at her door.

This policeman, Detective Nathaniel Saint, has a magnetism Petra is drawn to. He’s exactly the inspiration she needs for one of her main characters. When he leaves, the words seem to pour out of her, and she feels inspired and hopeful for the first time in a while. Under the guise of research for her novel, Petra invites Saint back to her cabin the next day.

But as their “research” gets more and more intense, the lines between reality and fiction start to blur. Is Saint the inspiration for Petra’s character, or is the character somehow shaping the way she sees and feels about Saint? She needs to set her boundaries before it might be too late.

I’m a huge CoHo fan. I was really excited to see her back for the first time in several years. This book is definitely spicy and twisty, but I thought it moved at a very slow pace for like 60 percent of the book. I hope this book signals a permanent return for Hoover, perhaps back to some of the romances I’ve loved the most.

Book Review: "Detour" by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

John Ward is a billionaire who is running as a third-party candidate for president. He’s funding a mission to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. The mission will lay the foundation for future settlements as the effects of climate change destroy Earth.

The crew of the mission is composed of three astronauts and three civilians. The astronauts are legendary and the hope is they will train the three civilians: Padma, the scientist whose research convinced Ward to form the mission; Stitch, a graffiti artist who won his seat in a lottery; and Ryan, a Washington, DC cop who helped foil an assassination attempt on Ward.

The mission will last two years. Ryan doesn’t want to leave his wife and kids for that long, but Ward promises him a $15 million paycheck which could change their lives. And although all six of the crew members are nervous about the mission, they move forward with it.

But when the ship starts circling Titan, things go wrong. The ship is rocked by multiple explosions which threaten their return home. Yet working together, they’re able to make it back to Earth and are hailed as heroes.

Upon their return, each person notices that their life isn’t quite what it was before the mission. They returned home to find things—and their loved ones—are strangely different, like they’re in the wrong multiverse. Ward has ordered that the crew members can’t talk to each other or the press. What happened on their mission? They’re not quite prepared for what comes next.

Science fiction isn’t my usual genre, but this sci-fi thriller was excellent. It’s the start of a series and I hope I don’t have to wait long for the next book!

Book Review: "The Sideways Life of Denny Voss" by Holly Kennedy

This was such a wonderfully special book with one of the most memorable narrators I’ve found in a long while. I’m so thankful to my dearest friend Amy for putting this book on my radar!!

“I guess that’s just how life works. Some days it’s like a fast-moving TV show and some days it’s not, and when things go sideways—like they usually do for me—you might find yourself going in a whole new direction, and when you’re doing life, going in that whole new direction, some things will change, but some things will stay a lot the same.”

Thirty-year-old Denny lives in Minnesota with his elderly mother and their deaf and blind dog George. While an issue at birth left him with some developmental challenges, he’s always felt loved, even when he hasn’t made the right choices.

Sometimes Denny has the best of intentions, but things tend to go awry. This has led to his arrest after kidnapping a neighbor’s ornery goose, and another time he unwittingly helped a bank robber. His challenges with finding the right words or expressing his emotions often get him into trouble.

But now, Denny is under arrest for the murder of a businessman in town who is running for mayor. And it certainly didn’t help that he was found with a sled full of guns, including the murder weapon. He swears he’s innocent, but can that be proven?

This book is full of humor, emotion, and charm, and it’s very heartwarming. Denny may cause chaos, but he also can be so empathetic and sweet. Check out the world from his perspective.

Book Review: "Too Old for This" by Samantha Downing

The rumors you may have heard are true: Samantha Downing has written another fantastic book. Thanks so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy!

“Some people probably think my method is crazy. I think it’s crazy there aren’t more people more like me.”

Lottie lives a quiet life in her small town. It’s mostly bingo at the church on Thursdays (her friends always judge what she brings for potluck and what she wears) and then Sunday services. Her adult son Archie is getting married again, and his much-younger bride wants Lottie’s approval.

Her peace and quiet is shattered with the arrival of Plum Dixon on her doorstep. You see, Plum, who is an investigative journalist, is researching for a docuseries about unsolved crimes. And she thinks Lottie would be a great subject, because years ago, in another town, under another name, Lottie was the prime suspect in a number of murders, but then she disappeared.

Of course, the last thing Lottie wants is for her past to be stirred up. So she has no choice than to, umm, redirect Plum. But for 75-year-old Lottie, disposing of evidence is a lot harder than when she was younger. And then someone comes along looking for Plum…

I’ve been a fan of Downing’s thrillers since her very first. But Lottie is a fantastically memorable character, and this book is deliciously twisty. It’s fun and a little gruesome.

Book Review: "He's To Die For" by Erin Dunn

I kept seeing ads for this book, so I knew I had to read it. It was so good! Thanks so much to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

At age 29, Rav is the youngest detective of NYPD’s Homicide Squad. He’s definitely not your typical New York cop, though; he’s the son of a British lord, a fan of sharply tailored and expensive suits, and he’s gay. He’s also a bit of a narcissist, although he has the skills to back up his ego.

When he gets assigned to be the lead detective on a murder case, he’s ready to shine. But while the murder of a record executive seems straightforward, it turns out to be anything but.

The record exec had a feud with a popular band over ownership of their master recordings, so it makes sense that the band members are prime suspects. But the last thing that Rav is expecting is to feel a connection with Jack, the band’s lead singer.

As Rav tries to make sense of newly discovered evidence and multiple suspects, he’s hoping to clear Jack’s name, since Jack is anything but the egotistical diva Rav was expecting. He’s not counting on becoming an object of fascination on social media—or putting his job and his reputation at risk. Is he falling for a killer?

I enjoyed this so much. Rav is a fantastic protagonist and the supporting characters were great, too. In addition to a twisty mystery, there’s some steam and some exploration of mental health issues. I’d love to see this become a series!

Book Review: "Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride" by Will Leitch

I’ll tell you, between this book and watching the last two episodes of Adolescence, I was a giant puddle of emotions! Thanks to Will Leitch for the complimentary advance copy of the book!

Lloyd, an Atlanta policeman, and the son of a policeman, gets the news no one wants: he is dying, and only has a few months to live. As he starts tying up loose ends in his life, he learns that even with 20 years in the police department, his benefits won’t be enough to support Bishop, his teenage son. Unless he dies in the line of duty…

With not much to lose but everything to gain for Bishop, Lloyd tries to find a way to get himself killed. But every time he throws himself into a dangerous situation, sure this will be the one to end his life, he fails. (Or does he?) To top it off, he’s getting a reputation for his heroics, through no fault (or effort) of his own.

“I bet old Major McNeil never kicked in a door and dared a guy to shoot him. (Did he?) I bet old Major McNeil never straight-up ramped his car over an embankment, falling seventy-five feet and crashing in the parking lot next to the Falcons bus, all in pursuit of a suspect.”

As Lloyd keeps trying to find ways to provide for his son once he’s gone, he also wants to be sure his son is prepared for adulthood. So Lloyd shares “The Ten Gentle Edicts of Lloyd McNeil,” offering advice, guidance, and love.

I love the way Leitch writes, balancing humor and emotion with rich storytelling. It’s such a wonderful book, about the love of a father for his son and the desire to leave the right legacy. I enjoyed this so much!

The book will publish 5/20/2025.

Book Review: "Heartwood" by Amity Gaige

“…hiking the Appalachian Trail isn’t a reasonable thing to do. Anyone who wants to walk two thousand miles in a row does it because they find beauty in the unreasonable.”

Valerie is nearing the end of her journey hiking the Appalachian Trail. But 200 miles from her final destination, she disappears in the woods of Maine. No clues can be found regarding her whereabouts or what might have happened.

Beverly is the Maine State Game Warden in charge of the search for Valerie. She feels confident that they’ll find her quickly, and hopes that she’s not been injured or harmed in any way. She knows that every day that passes lessens the chances that Valerie will be found, knowledge that takes its toll on Beverly and her team.

“I’ve heard it said that the sorrow of human life is that it ends. But I don’t think that’s the source of our sorrow. Everything ends, not just human lives. Days end. Species disappear. Planets die. No, the real sorrow of human life is that we feel. That’s our affliction. That’s why I wanted to walk for months on a trail through the woods.”

The narration shifts among Beverly, Valerie (including letters she wrote her mother while she was lost), and Lena, an elderly woman in a retirement community, who takes an interest in the search for Valerie. Along the way, we also get transcripts from interviews with the hiker who becomes close to Valerie and other people as well.

Amity Gaige’s writing is so evocative. I’ve never hiked anywhere, but reading this book, I felt as if I had. I could see the surroundings Valerie was in, feel the conditions. For a while, I felt that the portions of the story dealing with Lena robbed the narrative of its momentum, but everything ties together nicely.

Book Review: "The Perfect Couple" by Elin Hilderbrand

So last week I discovered that the Netflix show The Perfect Couple (which was so melodramatic and fun) was based on a book with the same name, by one of my favorite authors, Elin Hilderbrand. I’ve had the book on my shelf for a long while, so I decided to give it a read.

Most of the time, I read the book before I watch the adaptation, so doing the opposite gave me a different perspective. While I certainly saw the characters in my head as the actors who played them, fortunately there are some significant differences between the book and the show.

Summertime is glorious on Nantucket. It’s also wedding season, and the wedding of Celeste Otis and Benji Winbury promises to be the event everyone will be talking about. Famed mystery novelist Greer Winbury, Benji’s mother, has checked and rechecked every detail to ensure the wedding is perfect.

But as the day of the wedding dawns, tragedy strikes. Merritt, who is Celeste’s best friend and her maid of honor, is found floating in Nantucket Harbor. It doesn’t appear to have been an accidental drowning, which means someone involved in the wedding is responsible for Merritt’s death.

As the police chief investigates, he interviews the bride and the groom, as well as members of the family. He starts to discover that many people had secrets they wanted to keep hidden. But who was willing to kill to protect their secret?

I’m a big fan of Hilderbrand’s books, and this one was such a fun and addicting read. I love family drama and dysfunction, and I really like that she brought back characters from previous Nantucket books. I may be the last person to have read this, but if you haven't yet, it will definitely make a great beach book!

Book Review: "The Writer" by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

I’ve been on a real James Patterson kick lately and I’ve not been disappointed by anything of his I’ve read! His newest book, a collaboration with JD Barker, wowed me completely.

Declan Shaw, an NYPD detective, is summoned to an exclusive apartment building one night. A woman says she found her husband dead, their apartment broken into. She is in shock, covered in blood, but apparently unharmed.

The woman is Denise Morrow, a bestselling true crime writer. She’s explored some notorious cases, uncovering details and secrets long kept hidden. And she’s nearly done with her latest book, in which she accuses Declan of planting evidence in another case.

It looks like Denise might be guilty of murdering her husband and making it look like a home invasion. But she and her lawyer poke holes in the evidence the police have collected.

Every time the police think they have an ironclad case, something else arises. What really happened that night? And is Declan a corrupt cop who planted evidence, or is he being framed?

The twists came fast and furious in this book, and I could not put it down. I loved the way this unfolded and I wasn’t sure which characters to root for. This was a great collaboration!

Book Review: "And There He Kept Her" by Joshua Moehling

I’ve had this book on my list for a while and now I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to read it! This was an excellent start to the series, and I will definitely be diving back into books 2 and 3 soon.

After a personal tragedy, Ben takes a job as a sheriff’s deputy in Sandy Lake, Minnesota, where his family once had a summer cabin. Working and living in a small town is a little unsettling for Ben, as everyone has an opinion about his life, but he’s determined to do right by the town.

When two teenagers disappear late one night, Ben is determined to find them, especially given his connection to one of them. What is puzzling and disturbing is that both teens have left their phones behind, which either means they weren’t expecting to go missing or they didn’t want to be tracked. He’s not entirely surprised to learn that one of the teens was dealing drugs in his high school, but the more he investigates, the more tangled the web becomes.

Meanwhile, Emmett is an old man in failing health, but it doesn’t keep him from viciously defending his property. His house may be falling apart, but his basement has seen many horrors through the years, and he’s not sure if his latest captive is worth the trouble.

As Ben and his colleagues dig further into the disappearance of the teenagers, he’s reminded of an unsolved mystery in his own life. He also realizes that no matter how small the town is, there are lots of secrets hidden within it. Can they solve the mystery before more tragedy strikes?

I thought this was a terrific book. I was hooked on the story and loved the emotional depth that came along with it. Ben is such a fascinating, complex character, and I really hope the next two books in the series continue the exploration into his own issues and emotions.

Book Review: "Holmes is Missing" by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Having devoured the first book in this series, Holmes, Marple & Poe, you can bet I snapped up the second book as soon as it hit stores! This really is a great series and now we’ll see how long it takes for Book 3 to come out.

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple, and Auguste Poe are best friends and private investigators who have become the talk of NYC after their success solving a few cases. (It doesn’t make them popular with the police, however.)

The latest case they become involved in deals with the kidnapping of six babies from the nursery of a NYC hospital. The families want to hire the trio to find their babies, but they’re not at full strength, as Holmes has been away dealing with a personal issue. And even though he agrees to help with this case, he makes it very clear he wants out of the business afterward.

As they try and figure out what happened, they discover that the kidnappings are related to other cases, both in the U.S. and the U.K. But what ties all of these incidents together, and what’s the motive behind them? It seems like it’s only a matter of time before more children are kidnapped.

Meanwhile, Holmes encounters an amateur detective who tells of a fascinating set of cases. But it’s not long before he realizes that the cases are real, and there’s more danger afoot, which could land closer to home. And Poe has problems of his own, mainly dealing with Police Detective Helene Grey.

I love these characters and how well they play off one another. Marple, in particular, proves to be a total badass in this book. There’s pulse-pounding action and great banter, and I couldn’t put this down.

Book Review: "Holmes, Marple & Poe" by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Many thanks to my friend Mandy for putting this series on my radar. What a fantastic and fun book this was!

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple, and Auguste Poe are best friends and private investigators in New York City. Beyond the connection of their last names to famous people, their pasts are untraceable. Are these even their real names?

Whatever their background is, however, there’s no denying their investigative abilities. And when the trio is able to solve a missing person’s case before the police even have an inkling of what happened, their PI firm suddenly gets much busier.

NYPD Detective Helene Grey is both intrigued by the three investigators and irked that they always seem to be a step ahead of the police, and they’re not eager to share their findings. But even when she forbids them to get involved, they seem to find a toehold into a case, and information breaks their way. So she realizes it may be easier to join them, since she can’t beat them.

The trio finds itself in the middle of an assortment of cases—art fraud, kidnapping, the discovery of multiple skeletons beneath the city streets. They always try to have each other’s backs, but sometimes what faces each of them is more formidable.

I really thought this was a great book. It was full of twists and action and the characters are far more layered than I would have expected. The second book in the series just came out and you can bet I’ll be snapping that up!

Book Review: "The Silent Watcher" by Victor Methos

The Silent Watcher was a really good read and my first Victor Methos book. Part crime novel, part courtroom drama, and a well-written meditation on how help from others can make a difference in our lives, I couldn’t put this down.

A recent law school graduate, Piper decides to take a job as a guardian ad litem (GAL), to ensure the most vulnerable victims of crimes are represented in court. When she was a child, a GAL helped her, so she has always wanted to do the same for others.

She is brought in to work with Sophie, a teenage girl who survived a deadly attack which killed her mother and brother. Sophie is traumatized and although she caught glimpses of the killer, she has to work through her grief and shock first before the possibility she could help identify them.

Piper partners with Lazarus, a world-weary detective who is determined to catch the killer, and will leave no stone unturned. After some shrewd investigative work, Lazarus discovers there is much to fear about this murderer, and they will need to travel down some dark paths to find him.

When they find the predator, Piper needs to protect Sophie from being traumatized in court, and they all need to make sure the man never is free again. But Piper’s work with Lazarus and an enigmatic judge puts her in the crossfire. Can she protect herself and Sophie?

The story has some creepy possibilities, but they’re not fully realized, thankfully. I really liked the main characters and believe that there’s so much more depth to be covered, so I’m excited that there will be a second book in this series.

This book will publish 12/1.

Book Review: "Johnny Careless" by Kevin Wade

Many thanks to Celadon Books for the advance copy of this terrific crime novel! It definitely has a cinematic flair, which isn’t surprising, since the author is a screenwriter as well as showrunner for the television show Blue Bloods.

Gerald “Jeep” Mullane is the chief of police for several towns on Long Island’s North Shore. He’s living in his childhood home and still dealing with the class divide that exists between the mostly wealthy residents of the area and the “have-nots” like him.

One night, a body is found in the water near Bayville. It turns out it’s the body of Johnny Chambliss, Jeep’s best friend since childhood and the son of a prominent family. Johnny has always been one step away from trouble, so while his death might not be surprising, it hits Jeep hard and stirs up many forgotten memories.

Given his relationship to the deceased, Jeep can’t investigate Johnny’s death—at least directly. But he definitely gets the sense that Johnny’s death wasn’t the accident that everyone wants to label it. And as he deals with Johnny’s enigmatic and powerful parents, as well as his ex-wife, whom Jeep has known for years, he finds himself being simultaneously warned about and welcomed to keep digging into the truth.

While dealing peripherally with this investigation, Jeep is under political pressure to stop a massive auto theft ring targeting the wealthy residents of the cities he serves. As the two cases intertwine, he finds himself caught between anger, grief, and fear.

The narrative shifts between present and past, tracing Jeep and Johnny’s relationship and the changes it went through, as well as Jeep’s efforts to uncover the truth. This is gritty and emotional, and I hope we’ll see another book with Jeep in it.

The book will publish 1/28/2025.