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 Twin Clause" by C.G. Macington

Earlier this year, I discovered C.G. Macington’s St. Jude’s Medical series. I fell in love with these books about two brothers and doctors who were raised in privilege (and tremendous dysfunction) and the men they fell in love with. The characters were flawed but beautiful people who dealt with crises both medical and emotional.

When I finished Book 3 in July, I thought the series was ending, so I was thrilled when I saw Book 4 was coming. Now that I read it on the day it was released, I was excited to see there will be a fifth book coming out at some point.

Dr. Preston York and his husband, Dr. Luke Silva, are both well-versed in their fields and exceptional in a crisis. But when it comes to planning their future, Preston pushes too hard and Luke goes silent. And in their tiny New York apartment, a little silence goes a long way.

When both of their mothers start pressuring them for grandchildren (each in different but complementary ways), they try to deflect the subject. Luke’s father left the family when he was young, while Preston was raised by warring factions who threw money at everything. Not the best role models, but the idea of fatherhood is both enticing and terrifying.

When Preston’s mother offers to pay a surrogate $1 million, Luke’s sister offers to carry the baby. And when they find more than they were bargaining for, the York and Silva families rally around Preston and Luke to support them. Fatherhood looks great on them.

While Macington brought some of his signature humor and steam to this book, it’s definitely a little more serious than the previous books. After the craziness of their love story and their wedding as well as all the York family madness, this book explored what it’s like to build a life together, and how you try not to let your past scare you from your future. Can’t wait for Book 5!

Book Review: "The Chain House" by J.H. Markert

Well, damn, this book was crazy good! All of the praise I’ve seen from Bookstagram friends was tremendously accurate. This was my first book by J.H. Markert, but I assure you, it won’t be my last!

Sal Batise, known as the Breaker of Chains, was an enigmatic cult leader who modeled himself after Charles Manson. After three of his followers went on a brutal murder spree, Sal was arrested and sentenced to death. But each time his execution neared, he was able to get a stay.

Now, it appears all of his last-ditch efforts have failed, and he’s scheduled to be executed in just a few days. He orchestrates a contest for him to grant a final interview; all of the major news networks and outlets enter. But Sal selects Sam Harper, a young filmmaker who has been working on a documentary about Sal.

Sam knows this interview will make or break his career. Right away, however, it appears Sal is in control. He announces that he has written a series of bestselling thrillers under the name Mallard Malone. He has allegedly hidden the last book with another murder victim’s body. He figures he’ll be able to wrangle another stay out of this information.

It’s up to the popular governor of Kentucky. When his wife is kidnapped, his first instinct is to grant the stay. Yet the ransom note he gets tells him the execution must go as planned or his wife will die. And nothing is quite what it seems.

This was such a tense thriller. It was a bit creepy and gory, but there were so many surprises that I couldn’t catch my breath at one point. There was a lot going on, and the book is narrated by several different characters, but I loved the way it all came together.

Book Review: "Canine Custody" by Gary Goldstein

Have you ever wondered what a pet was thinking when you spoke to it, or what they thought when something in your life changed or shifted? Gary Goldstein’s new book explores that idea and it’s definitely heartwarming. Thanks so much to Gary for the complimentary copy!

Layla and Franklin have been married for a while when Layla unexpectedly brings home a dog. Franklin never considered himself a dog person; in fact, he had a run-in with a dog when he was young. Needless to say, he’s surprised and a bit angry to find that Layla adopted a dog without discussing it with him, no matter how adorable Betty, a springer spaniel, is.

But while it’s not long before Franklin has become completely enamored with Betty, his and Layla’s marriage is definitely on the rocks. And when an incident with Layla’s water bottle leads to a fender bender with Betty in the car, it prompts her to ask for a divorce.

Once they move toward divorce, their relationship completely deteriorates. And while they would really like to keep lawyers out of the mix and try to work with a mediator, the one sticking point is Betty. They both want full custody of the dog, and neither is willing to compromise.

The story is narrated by Franklin, Layla, and Betty, so you see the same events through each of their eyes. Of course, Betty is mostly confused about why her parents don’t live together anymore and why she can’t spend time with both of them. But you also see how the friction manifests itself for all of them.

This is a fun book, but it’s also a weighty one emotionally. I’ll admit that Franklin and Layla aren’t very likable at times (Layla in particular), but Betty more than makes up for it!!

Book Review: "Three Days Grace" by Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato

I’ve had the good fortune over the last month or so to stumble upon some books I hadn’t heard of. Three Days Grace was another of those. This was a powerful, emotional read, sad but hopeful, and it will be a book that sticks in my mind for a long time.

“‘I think,’ he said, ‘that sometimes we learn how to love by recognizing what love isn’t. By seeing the darkness and choosing to live in the light instead.’”

The night before they’re supposed to fly to South Africa on vacation, Lynne and her wife Susan are expecting three guests to meet them at their hotel room in Paris. There’s Nick, Lynne’s son, who has had a strained relationship with his mother since he was a teenager; Laslo, an artist and friend of Susan’s; and Marc, Lynne’s closest friend and confidante.

The whole day, Lynne has seemed out of sorts. She picked several fights with Susan over trivial things and when the five of them go to dinner, her behavior is almost erratic. And then she discloses a piece of news that affects all of them, Nick most particularly. They suddenly must confront the truth about events of the past that they all knew about in their own way, but no one ever did anything about them.

This is a story of loss, grief, guilt, shame, pain, and how we can hide painful truths from ourselves. The book deals with sexual and physical abuse of children (although it’s only referred to without details), which might prove triggering. But this book is gorgeously written even through the sadness, anger, and pain.

“I told him that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop pretending. That loving yourself doesn’t mean you love other people less.”

Book Review: "The Social Circle" by Sophie Wan

“After all, if friendship is a plant that needs to be watered regularly, theirs should have withered to nothingness long ago. But maybe real friendship is not a plant. Maybe it’s a mountain. Sometimes difficult to ascend. But there, always, through the storms and the seasons.”

This was so good! I had been eyeing this book for a few months and I finally picked it up over the weekend. I love stories about friendships and how they go off course.

Ten years ago, Maggie met Adam, Charles, and Hari, shortly after she arrived as a transfer student at the University of California at Berkeley. Together, they create Circle, initially as an effort to help their fellow students navigate the school’s clubs, but it eventually becomes the first major social media platform.

As Circle grows in popularity, the friends have to balance the challenges of college and managing user demands and expectations. At the same time, the line between friendship and love gets blurry, which causes friction on the business side. And when it all falls apart, Maggie finds herself on the outside looking in.

Ten years later, as Circle gets ready to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Maggie receives a personal invitation to join the other three on a remote Norwegian island. She’s not sure if she can handle rehashing the history among them, but her new company could use the publicity. Will they be able to move past the issues that derailed their friendships, or will the hurt and anger win again?

I loved the fact that the book dwelled more on the relationships between the friends and how they handled the growing business than the platform itself. It made me a little nostalgic for a time in my life where things were simpler and you could just enjoy your friends without life getting in the way. This was really, really good!

Book Review: "Proof of Progress" by Elizabeth Castellano

Maria Astorini should look familiar to you. She’s been in the public eye for decades, first as the daughter of a famous mother, then as an actress, frequent talk show guest, author, and occasional object of scandal.

She recently landed a new role that has put attention on her again. But when a throwaway comment about a book she was contracted to write 37 years ago somehow gets back to her publisher, they finally start asking about it. They’d be more than happy for her to pay the advance back (but compound interest after 37 years is pretty staggering), or she can write the book.

She really doesn’t think the world needs another celebrity memoir, but she’s not paying the publisher back. So in order to provide proof of progress, she sends the publisher anecdotes of different times in her life.

Maria touches on her father’s sudden death when she was young, which was accompanied by a freak injury to her tongue (44 stitches needed). She talks about her on-again, off-again relationship with a college friend, who is both her closest confidante and her biggest nemesis. She discusses her marriages, her children, her relationship with her mother (who became a famous motivational speaker and author), her financial ruin, and her career.

I found this to be an amusing story but because it’s told in anecdotes, nothing felt complete. Maria is a mess, but she’s surprisingly loyal to her friends (to a point), and her life is never free of drama and challenging people. It was a fun, lightweight read.

Book Review: "The Bluff" by Wade Rouse

Ahh, nothing like a dysfunctional family Christmas!! This book is described as a blend of Succession and The Family Stone, and while there are elements of both, it’s definitely not that sad. I’d like to thank Wade Rouse and Thunder Road Books for the advance copy!

The Chapman family believes in traditions, especially around Christmas. The holiday is always spent at the family’s lakefront mansion on Mackinac Island, with the same food and celebrations year after year. And it’s just the Chapmans and their spouses—the family doesn’t “share” the holiday.

But this year, Kat, the wife of oldest son Chris, has organized Christmas—and she’s shaking everything up, much to the dismay and anger of her mother-in-law, Charli. Not only is the Christmas tree in a different place, but Kat has invited her parents to join them, and they’re not at the same level as the Chapmans.

So while Charli rages at everything Kat does, there’s plenty of other drama. Her two sons, Chris and Cormac, are trading barbs about Chris’ handling of the family business. Cormac’s wife, Brie, isn’t above a little scheming to get her and her husband a leg up. Kat’s son Chip is ultra-conservative and motivated solely by money, and her daughter, Leah, is all too willing to question the status quo. And Kat’s mother has some secrets of her own.

As if there wasn’t already enough tension, a big snowstorm is headed for Mackinac Island, and it will trap them together. Resentments, secrets, lies, and manipulations will fill the home as much as the smell of Christmas cookies does. Will the family be speaking by the time they thaw out?

Wade Rouse’s books always have so much heart. I was completely hooked on this family’s story, even though many of them weren’t particularly likable! There’s lots of emotional depth, bad behavior, and even some name-calling…we’ve probably all experienced a bit of this drama! It definitely put me in a holiday mood.

The book will publish 10/13.

Book Review: "Murder at the Movies" by Alicia Malone

“She said people think movies take you away from real life, but actually…they can help make sense of it.”

This was great fun! I’m a huge fan of old movies, so a murder mystery taking place in an old movie theater was right up my alley. And the author is a host on Turner Classic Movies, so she knows her stuff.

After blowing up her career as a Hollywood publicist, Audrey moves to Pine Island, off the coast of Maine. Her grandmother left her the owner of the Starlight Movie Palace, which has been in her family for decades. Pine Island is a tight-knit community that doesn’t love newcomers, so Audrey’s welcome is not enthusiastic.

She finds a note on her door telling her not to go through with it. She’s a little weirded out by that, but nothing is going to stop her from re-opening the theater. On the first night, she shows the Hitchcock classic Suspicion. And after the movie ends, she finds a dead body in the projection booth.

It turns out the victim was Liam Ross, a real estate developer who made more than his share of enemies. But while the police investigate his murder, the theater has to remain closed, so Audrey decides to do some freelance investigation to see what she can find out. Of course, getting her new neighbors to open up to her is easier said than done.

I loved all the movie trivia Audrey mentions in the book and the way she mentions a film actor or actress as she describes different people. The mystery itself was pretty compelling, and I liked how the plot tied itself up in the end. This is the start of a new series, and the second book comes out in June!

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: "Something Wicked" by Falon Ballard

Thanks so much to Falon Ballard for sending me an absolutely beautiful copy of her book! I saw a blurb that described this as a blend between Macbeth and Moulin Rouge!, so you know I had to dive in!

The Uprising led to the monarchs of all four of Avon’s provinces to step down. To find the united Avon’s first president, it has been decreed that the person who kills each of their province’s rulers will be a candidate in the election.

Callum, the son of King James of Scota, was raised to succeed his father on the throne. But even though he is level-headed and would make an excellent leader, he absolutely does not want to kill his father. However, this is what his father and other family members expect of him.

To help Callum deal with the guilt he will feel upon murdering his father, his sister enlists the help of Lady Caterine, a Gifted courtesan at Avon’s most exclusive sex club. Caterine has the ability to manipulate the emotions of anyone who has an orgasm in her presence, so Callum’s sister hopes Caterine can help him.

The last thing anyone is counting on is for Callum and Caterine to fall in love. Callum has never trusted the Gifted, yet he trusts her completely. But when other forces want to take control of the country, they must team up before both are betrayed. Can they be honest with one another and save the country? Do they both want to?

I’ve been a huge fan of Ballard’s rom-coms, so I was intrigued by her first foray into romantasy. This book has all the steam, plus intrigue, family drama, and even a little espionage. It was a fun read and I look forward to the next book in Ballard’s Idle Reputations series!

Book Review: "Fail Sons" by Adam Wilson

Scott and his younger brother Nick have to fly to Arizona to pick up their father’s body, which has been cryonically frozen since his death in the 1990s. The plan is to take him back to the cryo company’s headquarters and they will attempt to reanimate him in a few years.

So they’re driving across the country with their father’s body on dry ice in a trailer. They’re both obsessed with the app that tracks the body’s temperature, since if it thaws it will no longer be viable. Scott and Nick don’t get along well, and they couldn’t be more different. Scott is a lazy stoner whose wife is about to have their first baby; Nick is uptight but in excellent physical shape.

“I’m here because I’m going through what may, in fact, be a midlife crisis on the cusp of fatherhood, and though the nominal purpose of our journey is to transport our father’s frozen corpse across this fair nation under the delusion that he might rise again—like the South, like Christ on Easter, like Rocky after twelve rounds with the Russian—what I really want is a drunken send-off before my firstborn arrives, and I’m disappointed that you’re not the right companion for the job.”

Nick insists on wearing a KN95 mask, as it’s 2022 and he never contracted COVID during the pandemic. But of course, as they drive through red states, his mask immediately gets peoples’ hackles up.

Their road trip sees them interacting with hippies, visiting Nick’s old girlfriend, taking various drugs, and mostly avoiding talking about their father. Meanwhile, Scott is worried about his wife and dealing with back and prostate problems, but he views the trip as a bit of a last hurrah.

This was darkly funny and very thought-provoking. It certainly was an adventure I never imagined reading about! I found both of the brothers to be amusing, quirky characters in their own way, and I was really curious about what would happen to their father’s body.

Book Review: "A Marvelous Murder" by David S. Pederson

It’s 1939. Orland Orcott is a well-known director in Hollywood. (Well-known, but not well-liked.) He has a reputation as quite a womanizer, and he treats his actors with a tremendous amount of disrespect.

He throws a big party for his wife’s birthday at their Bel Air mansion. But tensions rise when his wife discovers that his latest mistress has been invited to the party. Shortly after a big blowout argument, Orland gets a phone call and retreats to his study. Not long after, he is found dead in his locked study.

The police are convinced that Orland’s death was a suicide. But Victor Marvel, one of the stars of Orland’s last film, is convinced it was murder. (He played an investigator in three films, so he knows his stuff.) He’s determined to figure out the truth behind Orland’s mysterious death.

There are a lot of people who might be suspects. There’s the director’s son, Tab, who was recently disowned because he is gay; Sheila, his former mistress, cast aside when he found a younger model; and notorious gossip columnist Agatha Mudd, who holds several grudges against him. Then there’s William Taylor, an aging actor who Orland bullied constantly, and William’s daughter, whose reputation the director has been happy to sully.

Aided by his boyfriend, up and coming actor Griffin Fenwick, and his costar and frequent date, Eve Spellman, Victor is one step ahead of the killer. And he’s determined to keep his and Griff’s relationship from the Hollywood rumor mills.

I loved the classic Hollywood setting and the way this book dealt with the issues of the day, like keeping queer actors in the closet and directors abusing their power. I just wished the actual mystery was a little more exciting. The pacing really dragged, and I wanted to start skimming pages.

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: "Driven" by Mason Coile

This was a very different book than I expected, and it sure did pack a punch! I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since I finished it.

“Hurt can’t be buried. It can be locked away for a time, or hidden, but eventually it rises to cause more pain.”

Jamie is being haunted. Seriously. Ever since his wife and daughter left him, every place he has lived has been occupied by creepy ghosts and disturbing noises. The ghosts infiltrate his dreams, follow him into the shower, take over his television, and keep forcing him to move to a smaller and smaller place in the hopes there won’t be room for them.

His ultimate solution is to find someone who will sell him their Lion—the world’s first completely safe, self-driving vehicle. He figures that he can eventually sleep in the car and it will keep the ghosts out. When he is able to buy one, he hopes this will free him of being haunted.

But he wakes up in the car to discover the hood is dented, the windshield is shattered, and—wait, that’s blood. It looks like the car ran over someone. But who? And when the car refuses to unlock its doors, Jamie isn’t sure what the car is planning next, or how much more complicit he’ll be in whatever it does.

While there are certainly elements of horror and gore present, what sets this book apart is its exploration of grief and despair. I wondered how far the car would go and how the book would resolve itself. And on a sad note, Mason Coile was the pen name for Andrew Pyper, a Canadian science fiction and horror writer who died in 2025.

Book Review: "This Book Made Me Think of You" by Libby Page

“The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever.”

This book has been sitting on my stack for a few months now and I’m so glad I finally read it! It’s a beautifully poignant and hopeful book, but it’s also a loving tribute to the power of books and bookstores. And I think so many of us can speak to that love, too!

The last thing Tilly is expecting is a phone call from a bookstore, telling her that her husband ordered her a book. Her husband, Joe, wasn’t much of a reader but he loved that Tilly was. But the thing is, Joe died six months ago.

When Tilly arrives at the bookstore, she learns that Joe arranged for her to receive a year of books—a new one every month. Tilly hasn’t read much since Joe got sick, and his loss is still too raw to really appreciate the gift at first. But judging from the books he picked out and the notes he wrote her, he knew her so well and knew the books would help.

Each book serves a different purpose—they teach, entertain, challenge, and help her to move on. She also begins to see the bookshop as an important piece of her life, not to mention Alfie, the kind owner of the bookshop. She’s also encouraged to help others move forward with their lives and deal with the challenges they face.

I thought this would be a difficult read emotionally, but while it’s sad at times, it’s really quite lovely. Tilly and Alfie are really wonderful characters, and I found the book so charming and heartwarming. This is definitely one I’ll keep thinking about!!

Book Review: "The Rally" by Carla Vass

I had so much fun reading this! I definitely wouldn’t mind being obscenely wealthy for a few weeks and getting to live a life like the characters in this book did! (I could do without the copious amounts of alcohol, but sign me up for the other stuff.)

Charlotte and her best friend Shane designed a dating app while in college. This app, called Flutter, became an overnight success, and suddenly Charlotte became one of the new stars of the tech world. But when the inevitable backlash toward a successful young woman became too much, she got sacrificed.

Much to her surprise, she gets ousted from the company and is being forced into signing an NDA and a non-compete agreement. While she will make a healthy amount of money, she won’t ever be able to design anything in the tech space ever again.

Feeling sabotaged, and with nothing to fill her time, Charlotte decides to join her best friend on the Rally. It’s an annual European road trip where the participants drive fancy classic cars. There’s plenty of exclusive parties, fancy food, gorgeous accommodations, and beautiful destinations. They’ll travel from Slovenia to Italy, Monaco, and France.

Charlotte tries to lose herself in the excitement of the Rally. It’s not long before the alcohol flows abundantly and a flirtation with one of the participants ignites. But try as she might, she can’t shake her grief and anger about being pushed out of her company. She wonders whether walking away is best for her future, or if she should try and fight.

I love rich people behaving badly, but rich people driving fancy cars to storybook locations? This was a really enjoyable book but it wasn’t all fun and games. There was definitely some social commentary about the double standards that exist in the business world. Definitely a terrific debut!