Book Review: "Old Ham" by Seraphina Nova Glass

This was absolutely unhinged!! It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Seraphina Nova Glass’ books and I had forgotten how talented she is at creating memorable characters. And Junie is definitely memorable!

At first glance, Junie Oldham appears to be an eccentric middle-aged woman. She doesn’t pay much attention to her appearance, she knits hats and sweaters for cats and mice, her childhood home has turned into an hoarder’s nest, and she doesn’t quite pick up on social cues.

But Junie is far more complex than she appears. At an AA meeting (she doesn’t drink; she’s heard the meetings are great for making new friends), she sees Blake, her high school crush, who used to torment her along with his buddies, calling her “Old Ham” and “Hammy.”

Blake was part of a scheme that changed Junie’s life forever. While she’s excited to see him at the meeting, she’s crestfallen that he doesn’t remember her. But she’s willing to give him a second chance. She finagles her way into getting hired as his daughter’s math tutor, and Blake’s wife Dessa befriends her. But Junie starts making Blake uncomfortable and he demands that Dessa fire her. And that’s before he realizes who she is.

When Dessa finds out what her husband and his friends did to Junie back in high school, she’s horrified. Dessa has barely been holding it together since dealing with her own family tragedy, so she wants to make Junie her pet project. But no one has any idea how far Junie will go to get her revenge and what wreckage she’ll leave behind.

Junie is a fascinating and twisted character. You don’t know whether to pity her or fear her. Glass created so much tension and suspense, I found myself racing through the book to see how the story would get tied up. Wow!

Book Review: "Three Reasons for Revenge" by Dervla McTiernan

Wow, my heart is still racing a bit! This was a really twisty, compelling thriller that kept me guessing. I’ve been a fan of Dervla McTiernan for a few years now, and she definitely hit another home run with her newest book!

A young woman comes into a police station and requests to speak with Detective Sergeant Judith Lee. She tells the detective that she was sexually assaulted and wants the man to be held responsible. But when Judith reaches out to the young woman again, it appears she vanished into thin air—or at least wasn’t who she said she was.

At the same time, three people—a popular television host, a single father devoted to his young son, and a fashion designer—receive a package on their doorstep. Each box is beautifully wrapped and addressed to them, but the contents of each box serves a distinct purpose: to destroy the lives of the recipients.

While all signs point to a particular suspect, Judith quickly realizes there’s a much larger and more complicated plot afoot. She has to not only convince her boss to look in a different direction, but she also discovers she’s also a target. She needs to outsmart a person who will stop at nothing to hurt those she feels are deserving.

There’s so much more to this book but it’s always tough to summarize a plot when reviewing thrillers. I was on the edge of my seat through most of the book, and as it headed toward its conclusion, I was so tense!! I thought this was great, and look forward to McTiernan’s next book!

Book Review: "The French Illusion" by John Grisham

It’s crazy to think that I’ve been reading John Grisham’s books since the early 1990s! I like the way he has been dabbling in other genres beyond legal thrillers; it’s been fun watching him spread his wings even when a book doesn’t completely work for me. His new book proves twisty thrillers are in his wheelhouse as well!

Paul and Chelsea Tanner have a beautiful wedding and look forward to building a life together. They head to Paris for their honeymoon, a place Chelsea has been before but Paul never has.

They do lots of touristy things, and then one day they take a trip to Normandy to see the site of D-Day. For Paul, a veteran, this stop has real meaning. After lunch at a charming café, they plan to visit the D-Day Museum. They’re surprised that a different driver picks them up from lunch; he tells them their driver had a family emergency.

The next thing they know, they wake up and find they’ve been kidnapped. They’re being kept separately; Chelsea is being treated better than Paul. It turns out that this isn’t the first time a honeymooning couple in Paris has gotten kidnapped, and there are things linking the men in all of the couples. But who has them? And why?

As the stakes get higher, the U.S. government—along with the FBI, CIA, and French intelligence—seek answers. The CIA recruits a young lawyer to help with the rescue efforts, but it’s not without its risks. Will his decision to get involved be one he can see to fruition?

I enjoyed this story and liked the way Grisham unfurled the twists and hidden details. I thought the pacing was really slow for the majority of the book, though, until the last 20 percent or so, when the plot moved at absolute breakneck speed. I wish the pace was a bit more consistent, but I still was hooked.

Book Review: "When They Find Me" by Carter Wilson

When more than one Bookstagram friend tells you that this book is “a banger,” you know I had to request an ARC! And they were not wrong—this was fantastic! Thanks so much to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Expanse, Colorado is a tiny town of 313 people. It’s the perfect place for people who are hiding from someone or just want to live off the grid. This is where Annie and her daughter Coral have settled, and Annie has done everything she can to ensure that no one knows where they are.

A few years ago, Annie had to kill someone. She’s been looking over her shoulder ever since. She expects that someone will come looking for her one day and try to get revenge, so she’s determined to keep her and Coral safe.

One day, trouble comes calling in the form of an angry old man who calls himself Coyote, and his two adult children, Boone and Riven. They’ve come to Expanse to find the man Coyote insists destroyed his life and tried to break up his family. Riven is ready to kill this man and finally prove her worth to her father.

Annie isn’t expecting Coyote, Boone, and Riven to show up at her door, and she’s definitely not the person they’re expecting to find. But they get locked in a battle of wills, and both Annie and Coyote will do all they can to protect their children. When truths are uncovered, no one will be left the same.

Carter Wilson is an exceptionally talented thriller writer. This was definitely a book which kept me guessing. There was so much tension, so much simmering anger and violence just under the surface. I wanted to applaud when it was done.

The book will publish 11/10.

Book Review: "All Them Dogs" by Djamel White

I felt this book in my soul. Not that I identified with the characters or the violence, but Djamel White’s storytelling was so powerful it grabbed hold of me and didn’t let go.

“He was beautiful. There was no denying it. Nothing would change that. To see past it felt impossible. Hating something beautiful must make your insides shrivel. It made me ugly. It made me see that I’ve always been ugly.”

After he killed a rival gang member, Tony fled his home in Dublin and went to England. He longed for home, but needed to be sure the fury died down before it was safe to return. And when he returned five years later, he discovered one of his closest friends and mentors had been murdered and his other friend has abandoned the gangster life they lived.

Tony gets a job working as an enforcer for a local thug. He mostly picks up drugs and goes after people who owe money. He wants to be more powerful, but even though time has passed since he killed, he’s always looking over his shoulder. And having a very short fuse doesn’t help.

His job is to assist Flute, his boss’ right-hand man. Tony knew of Flute when they were growing up, but he is mystified by this quiet yet brutal giant. And when the two find themselves drawn together, it sets them on a dangerous path, as past and present crimes take their toll.

This is definitely not a book for everyone, and the Irish slang the characters use was tough to follow at first. But this story has so much heart, and even though you know tragedy is impending, I still found myself a bit hopeful. A surprising, beautiful read.

Book Review: "Plant Lady" by Minyoung Kang, translated by Shanna Tan

I really enjoyed this! It’s a little creepy, a little mysterious, and a bit thought-provoking. I’ll definitely be thinking about this for a while.

Yoohee was an office worker who decided to leave her job and open a plant shop. She found space in a neighborhood that didn’t appear to have much foot traffic, but it’s not long before the shop becomes popular, both with customers and on social media.

She cares tremendously about her plants, painstakingly caring for them and ensuring they get the climate and lighting they need to thrive. People visit because they know how much she knows plants, and that she carries many unusual varieties.

But those aren’t the only reasons customers flock to Plant Shop. Troubled women—those frightened or abused or mistreated by men—seek Yoohee’s counsel. She is all too willing to help free these women of the burdens that are causing their unhappiness, fear, even pain. She has tools at her disposal and she’s not afraid to use them.

Yoohee knows how these women feel. At one point, back in her hometown, she fell victim to a young man she believed to be kind and good. The pain of those days has haunted her, so she’s willing to do whatever it takes to help her customers. No one will miss them anyway, right? And if they do, would they ever suspect the owner of Plant Shop?

This isn’t quite a horror novel; it’s more dark literary fiction than anything else. But I was utterly captivated. I wondered if things would get creepier or if Yoohee would get her comeuppance. In the end, though, I cheered her heroism, even if it took a much more sinister tone.

Book Review: "The Lowe Job" by Grace Alexander

I thought this was absolutely great. Such gossipy, soapy fun, but with some serious themes thrown in. Grace Alexander hit her debut novel out of the park!⁣

⁣ “It started with a blow job. They had aspirations for it to become the most notorious blow job of all time. It was a lofty aim. They knew that realistically they were never going to beat that blow job—you know the one—but the least they could do is try.”⁣

⁣ Lili Lowe is a beautiful and intelligent young woman who wants a career in politics. Her intelligence is often discounted because of her looks, and she is valued by her boss, who is a member of Parliament. One day she is caught by the paparazzi giving her boss a blow job in his car. A scandal erupts that threatens to ruin her life, while her boss seems to escape reasonably unscathed.⁣

⁣ But Lili has a hidden asset: her mother, Lydia. Once a ruthless talent agent, Lydia has a plan to milk the scandal for all it’s worth. Her machinations lead to media opportunities, endorsement deals, and a reality show called The Lowe Job. Lili, Lydia, and her three other daughters become household names—whether they want to or not.⁣

The book follows the Lowe women through the ups and downs of post-scandal life, and also traces the past of each of them. Lili’s three sisters—ambitious Stevie, ethereal Iris, and distraught teenage Katie—each have their own reactions to their newfound fame, and each has their own issues to deal with.⁣

⁣ I really couldn’t get enough of this book. It definitely had some very pointed commentary about the double standard that exists between men and women when a sex scandal erupts. These are not totally likable characters, but I was hooked on their stories.

The book will publish 6/16.⁣

Book Review: "The Delivery" by Gregg Hurwitz

“What if you could have something that knows everything about you, everything you want, and could get it for you? While staying totally under your control?”

File this under “careful what you wish for, you just might get it!” This was a bit creepy and compelling, one of Amazon’s First Reads for June.

Rebecca and Mark have been trying to get out from under the grief following a miscarriage. But with pressure mounting from Mark’s boss and the needs of Maddy, their neurodivergent daughter, neither feels like they have a handle on their lives. So when they’re offered an opportunity to purchase a solution developed by a technology company, they take the leap.

Several months later, they take delivery of “Mr. Man,” an AI companion who looks surprisingly human. Mr. Man was grown from their family’s DNA, and he can anticipate their every need. At first, it’s a complete pleasure: laundry is done, dishes are washed, meals are prepared…

But then, as tragedies start occurring, they realize that Mr. Man not only fulfills requests, but he also takes care of things they’ve only talked about in passing. In some cases, they haven’t even clearly said anything, but it appears Mr. Man’s job is to protect them. No matter what.

Gregg Hurwitz is one of my favorite thriller writers, but I realized that I’ve only read his Orphan X series. So to experience his writing in a different genre was definitely a pleasure. I know sometimes I wish I had some help, but I’m good without an AI companion! (Trigger warning: animal cruelty but you can skim over it.)

This will publish 7/1/2026.

Book Review: "Marion" by Leah Rowan

“People do wild things when they think they’re going to lose the person they love most in the world.”

This book was so good! You’ve probably seen that I’m a fan of retellings or books that give a different slant (sometimes radically different) from the original. And while this is a retelling of Psycho, it’s so different that you can read this without having seen the movie and you won’t be at a disadvantage.

When Marion discovers that her older sister Lauren has been abused by her husband, she immediately goes into protective mode. Their mother had worked with abused women for years, and tried helping them escape their situations. But when Lauren downplays the abuse and goes home to her husband, Marion knows she needs to protect her.

She heads to Saratoga Springs with plans of getting Lauren out of her marriage. (Her plans are bolstered by the $100,000 dollars she took from work.) Yet on the way upstate, her bus breaks down in New Paltz fairly late at night. The only place in town with a vacancy is the Billings Motel, an outdated place run by a quiet, handsome man named Norman.

Norman is charming, and he even cooks Marion a meal. When she gets back to her room, she decides to take a shower…and then the curtain pulls back to reveal Norman…with a knife. Marion refuses to be the victim in this situation, and she fights back—hard. After stabbing him to death, she realizes she has to clean up her mess and get up to her sister’s. But that plan gets waylaid quite a bit.

There are lots of twists in this book that I didn’t see coming. Marion is a fascinating character—part vigilante and part victim. I wondered how things would get tied up and I was fairly satisfied with the ending. I can’t wait to see what Leah Rowan does next!!

Book Review: "Nerve Damage" by Annakeara Stinson

“Is it love if it does more harm than good in the end?”

Clarice and her boyfriend have had a rocky one-year relationship. There certainly have been good times but there have been a lot of fights as well. Clarice has broken up with P.T. more than a few times, but she’s always taken him back.

One night he admits that he cheated on her when he was angry at her. This was the last straw. She broke up with him and told him to never contact her again. But shortly thereafter, P.T. started bombarding her with texts from burner phones and emails from fake accounts. He apologized and begged her to take him back. When she refused, he started sending gifts, hanging outside her office with flowers, and showing up everywhere she went. She had no choice to get a restraining order, and then moved across the country to escape.

Three years later—the day the restraining order expired—Clarice swears she sees P.T. at a bar in Los Angeles, where she lives now. Her best friend thinks she must’ve hallucinated it; her therapist is worried about all the anger and anxiety she’s kept bottled up; her mother is planning her fourth wedding; and her father, from whom she’s been estranged, keeps calling.

She really doesn’t know what to do. If it really is P.T., should she ignore him? Confront him? Go back to court? As she gets more and more anxious, she decides to track him down. But her methods are a bit, well, stalkerish…

This was definitely a tension-filled book because I had no idea what was going to happen. The narrative shifts between different incidents in the past and the current time. Clarice is a fascinating, slightly unhinged character, and I could totally see her causing trouble.

Book Review: "Look What You Made Me Do" by John Lanchester

Jack and Kate have been together more than 30 years, since meeting in college. They both have the roles they usually play in life, Jack is a successful architect prone to pontificating, Kate has various charitable and community projects she works on.

Phoebe is a screenwriter who doesn’t care who likes her and who doesn’t, at least personally. She has a difficult, narcissistic mother and a handsome, somewhat flaky partner, Tony.

Phoebe finally hits it big with Cheating, a television series that seems to hold the whole country in its thrall. But when Kate sees it, she recognizes details of her life and her relationship with Jack mirrored back at her. Even pet names he used to call her are used in the series.

Kate is distraught. Was Jack cheating on her? Was he treating his lover the exact same way he treated Kate, using the same seduction techniques, everything? She’s determined to figure out the truth behind the creation of the series.

The book flashes back and forth, tracing Kate and Phoebe’s lives. We see the history of Kate and Jack’s relationship, and we see the issues Phoebe has dealt with all her life, particularly with her mother. And we’re captivated by how both women react to what’s in front of them.

This was definitely a slow burn, but I found the book to be a captivating story of love, betrayal, survival, and even a little bit of revenge. I really enjoyed the way things unfolded and the little twists John Lanchester threw in along the way.

Book Review: "Little Miss Petty" by Sally Kilpatrick

“…if there’s one life lesson that has been drilled into me, it’s that you’re never too young—or too old—to be petty.” (Truer words have never been spoken.)

Stella runs a private investigator business with her partner, Ken. One night she’s able to serve a very elusive man with divorce papers, and she’s ready to celebrate. She’s got champagne, lingerie—and there’s a woman in her bed. And on Stella’s side. Apparently Ken has found himself a younger girlfriend.

Breaking up with Ken means losing her home and her job, among other things. She starts to think that being 39 is just the top of a downhill slope, and there’s no hope for romance or happiness. But she’s also angry enough to warn a young woman about her date when she eavesdrops on his phone conversation.

From this encounter, Little Miss Petty is born. Stella will help women achieve karmic revenge on those who did them wrong. It’s fun to make men pay for their stupidity, cruelty, and/or infidelity. With her two new friends, Havisham and Salcedo, Stella sets up her business and immediately gets results.

When she’s hired to get revenge on a woman’s cheating husband, it seems like an easy job. The guy lives in her new apartment building. But when all of her acts of revenge don’t make him angry, she realizes that he’s not only handsome, but funny, smart, and interested in her. He offers pizza with benefits. It would be bad to take him up on this, right?

This was a lot of fun, but the book isn’t just petty revenge plots. There’s some timely social commentary about the double standards that exist between women and men, as well as some discussion about getting older, finding love on your own terms, and keeping your heart safe. I’d love another book with Stella and her crew!

Book Review: "A Good Person" by Kirsten King

“When I was ten years old, I nearly pushed a girl into a gorilla pen at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Massachusetts.”

That opening sentence certainly sets the tone for what a wild book this is. It may very well be the most stable statement that the main character, Lillian, makes in the entire book!

Lillian works for a marketing firm. Well, she does enough to get by, but she spends most of her days stalking her boyfriend Henry’s LinkedIn profile. She and Henry have been seeing each other for a few months now, and she’s been completely acquiescent to his every wish. But Henry hasn’t fully committed to her yet, although he’s certainly been signaling that he’s getting there.

Just when she’s expecting him to go from, “I have fun with you” to “I love you,” he tells her he wants to end things. She’s certainly not happy about that and demonstrates that in a few, umm, unique ways. Inspired by one of her clients, she decides to put a hex on Henry.

Imagine her surprise/horror when he is murdered the next day. Did she do that? She doesn’t think so, even if the more she learns about Henry the angrier with him she gets. And the more she starts to go off the rails, until even she’s not quite sure if she can pull herself together—if she doesn’t get arrested first.

Lillian is truly one of the most unhinged characters I’ve seen in a while. I couldn’t get enough of her, even as I cringed at some things she did. But she is 100 percent true to herself, despite her unpredictability. This was quite a ride!

Book Review: "The Safekeep" by Yael Van der Wouden

“She belonged to the house in the sense that she had nothing else, no other life than the house, but the house, by itself, did not belong to her.”

I’ve wanted to read this book since it was published in 2024. I could’ve sworn I bought it but never could seem to find it. Until I discovered the book on the floor of my car’s backseat—I guess it must’ve fallen out of a bookstore bag!

In the summer of 1961, in the sleepy Dutch province of Overijssel, people have finally moved beyond WWII. Isabel lives alone in her late mother’s country house, and serves as its caretaker, but it will eventually go to her older brother Louis when he decides he wants it.

Isabel is a woman who strictly adheres to routine and discipline. Appearances matter to her, and although she rarely sees anyone other than her timid young maid, she believes she is doing exactly what she is supposed to. But when Louis introduces his new girlfriend, Eva, to the family, Isabel takes an immediate and visceral dislike to the woman.

These feelings are exacerbated when Louis has to travel for business and he asks if Eva can stay with Isabel for a month. Eva tries to befriend Isabel, strikes up conversations, tries to help, but Isabel cannot spend an extra moment in her presence. Until one night, when Eva cuts through Isabel’s icy reserve and they begin a passionate relationship.

This is a gorgeously written book. None of the characters—especially Isabel—is particularly appealing but I couldn’t help but be drawn into this story. It’s beautiful, frustrating, emotional, and memorable, and you need to let it unfold for you. One of the most remarkable debut novels I’ve read in some time.

Book Review: "The First Time I Saw Him" by Laura Dave

This is exactly what a sequel should be! I loved The Last Time I Saw Him and while I never expected a sequel, I was definitely excited to get my hands on this. Laura Dave did not disappoint!

Five years ago, Hannah’s husband Owen disappeared. She and her teenage daughter Bailey were forced to uproot their lives and move to Southern California. While they didn’t necessarily have to look over their shoulder constantly, they always had a plan in place should things go wrong.

When Owen shows up at a design exhibition Hannah is attending, she’s happy to see him but cannot react. And then the next morning she gets a text telling her to get out of her house. It’s time for she and Bailey to go on the run.

They have to keep at least a few steps ahead of those who want to harm them. Hannah is most focused on ensuring Bailey’s safety. She knows the sacrifices that might need to be made but hopes that they can gain the upper hand.

The narrative shifts from present to various points in the past. But nothing is quite what it seems. Dave definitely keeps the twists coming and the tension constantly simmering.

I thought the pacing of the book was spot on. I also love the way the story was told, combining suspense with emotion and making me more and more curious about how things would come together in the end. I’ll be waiting for Dave’s next book for sure!

Book Review: "The Underdog" by Sagit Schwartz

WHOA. This was one wild ride! Thanks so much to the amazing Sagit Schwartz for sharing an ARC of her upcoming popcorn thriller with me!!

Liz dreams of being a filmmaker. A graduate of the American Film Institute, she showed early promise but never got the support she needed to get her movie idea off the ground. Swimming in debt thanks to student loans, she now works as a chaperone for the singing competition show, The Underdog.

Meanwhile, Norma has sacrificed everything for her daughter Cookie. But Cookie has repaid Norma by telling her she wants nothing to do with her. Cookie and her fiancé are starting their life together and expecting a baby, leaving Norma out in the cold.

Liz is assigned to pick up the show’s newest contestant, Jennifer. She is a patient at a psychiatric hospital who only communicates via singing, she doesn’t speak. Yet when Liz and “The Singing Patient” go to the airport to fly to LA, Jennifer escapes, and Liz is suspected of helping Jennifer in exchange for money.

Feeling abandoned by her daughter, Norma goes to LA to try and meet Svetlana, an orphan and contestant on The Underdog. She’s also determined to make Cookie regret banishing her from her life.

This book is a little like a roller coaster; once it starts picking up speed and the tension ratchets up, there’s no stopping it. I couldn’t wait to see how it all wrapped up…and maybe a sequel at some point?

The book will publish 10/14.

Book Review: "Sheepdogs" by Elliot Ackerman

What a fun, twisty romp of a book! (No, there are no actual sheepdogs in the book.) Thanks so much to Knopf and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Skwerl (not his real name) was a CIA operative until a raid in Afghanistan went wrong and he went rogue, sharing details about it with the media. Now he’s had to pay back the government for his loose lips, and is hoping for something more exciting to come along.

Cheese, an Afghani pilot once known for his flying prowess, escaped with his wife to Austin, where he works the late shift at an Esso gas station. When Skwerl approaches him with a million-dollar mission, Cheese can’t resist. They need to “repossess” (err, steal) a luxury jet from a deserted airfield in Kampala and “return” it to Marseille, and they’ll receive their $1 million commission.

Of course, nothing goes as they planned. They find themselves with an unstable handler, they don’t seem to get paid, and then their handler winds up dead. Who was behind this job? And why do they suddenly find themselves in danger?

Their taking the plane has set an elaborate scheme in motion that both men are unprepared for. They want to know who was behind the mission in the first place, and as each new wrinkle reveals itself, Skwerl desperately tries to turn the situation to their advantage. It’ll take the help of Skwerl’s girlfriend Sinéad, who is a very successful dominatrix, an old CIA buddy of Skwerl’s, and an Amish client of Sinéad’s.

This was an entertaining and really compelling departure from my usual reads. It got a little technical at times, but the characters cracked me up, even as the tension ratcheted up. Is a sequel on the horizon? I’m in if so!

Book Review: "The Medusa Protocol" by Rob Hart

This was excellent! Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous made my year-end best list last year. The idea of a support group for former paid assassins who no longer wanted to kill was such a fantastic one, and the book was action-packed, funny, thought-provoking, and a bit emotional.

I eagerly anticipated this, the second book in the series. We return to the NYC chapter of Assassins Anonymous, but one of their own, Astrid (formerly known as Azrael, the Angel of Death), has gone missing. While it seemed likely that she either went back to her old life or her past caught up with her, Mark, the leader of the group and Astrid’s sponsor, wants to believe she’s okay.

When a pizza is mysteriously delivered to the group, they believe it’s a sign, because only Astrid liked olives on pizza. But when all hell breaks loose after the delivery, Mark knows he has to find her—wherever she may be. But he’s determined not to kill anyone along the way.

Astrid wakes up in a secret prison, hostage to a maniacal doctor who has been hired to plumb her memories. She needs to figure out how to get free without killing anyone, but will that be possible? And can she come to terms with her guilt over her biggest mistake?

“You know that saying, blood is thicker than water? It’s a misinterpretation. The full saying is: ‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.’ It means the blood you choose is thicker than the blood you’re born with. The point is, family isn’t blood, it’s who you bleed for.”

Hart is such a fantastic storyteller. I love this series and hope there’s a third book in store. I’m always a sucker for chosen family stories; throw in some heart-pounding action and I’m sold.

Book Review: "Tell Me What You Did" by Carter Wilson

When you see that two of your friends said that this will be one of their favorite books of the year, you get it as soon as it is released. Now I can see what they mean!!

“See, that’s the thing about trauma. You never get to quit it. You never get to walk away from it and rediscover the innocence and joy you felt just before The Thing happened.”

Poe is the host of a popular true crime podcast, one in which people anonymously confess the crimes they’ve committed. She doesn’t guarantee that these “guests” won’t face arrest or prosecution, but the opportunity to unburden themselves to an unseen audience seems to outweigh any potential downsides.

Her most recent guest seems strangely familiar to her but she cannot seem to place him. Then he makes a shocking claim: he murdered Poe’s mother. Of course, Poe knows that can’t be true, because the man who murdered her mother is already dead. And because Poe killed him.

This man has information that only the real killer would know. Did Poe unknowingly kill an innocent man? And when the alleged murderer demands that Poe record his interview live—and she must confess to her own crime—she starts to wonder what is true and what is a lie.

I’ve said before that I think the whole podcast angle in thrillers has been played out, but it really worked here. This is a story of regret, revenge, fear, guilt, and courage under fire. Carter Wilson had me hooked from the first page and I completely devoured this book. I couldn’t wait to see how everything tied together.

Book Review: "Pony Confidential" by Christina Lynch

I was curious about this book but when a friend said it was her favorite book she read last month, I had to give it a try. Wow. Just wow.

Pony remembers the best part of his life, when he was owned by a girl named Penny, who vowed they’d always be together. But one day he was given away without a word from Penny and he never saw her again. He has thought about her every day since, his sadness turned to anger and acting out as he is passed from owner to owner. He vows revenge.

Penny is a teacher, raising a teenage daughter and experiencing marital problems. Her everyday life is shattered when she’s arrested for a murder that happened when she was 12. She is extradited across the country, back to upstate New York. As she waits for her trial and for someone to find out the truth of what happened all those years ago, she thinks about a time in her life when she was truly happy, her time with Pony.

When Pony, with the help of other animal friends he encounters, realizes that his anger toward Penny has been misplaced, he’s determined to find her. He begins a journey to where he last saw her, and in the process makes some interesting discoveries.

“Empathy is painful and inconvenient, but it also can bring us a much deeper joy than material things, even carrots.”

This book was incredible. There’s humor, sadness, love, mystery, and self-discovery. It’s part Toy Story, part The Incredible Journey, and yet immensely unique. I’ll be thinking about this for a long time.