Tag: mystery

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#BookReview: Broken Bayou by Jennifer Moorhead

Excellent Debut. This is one of those books I randomly picked up as an Amazon First Read… and then only read it over a year after its initial publication when I was getting ready to read its sequel as an Advance Review Copy.

Y’all… I missed out. This book is truly quite excellent, with a solid plot revolving around a broken woman from a small town having to go back to said town to hide from new problems… and ultimately have a reckoning with past ones too.

As someone from a “small” (yet thriving and growing) Southern town who has indeed seen many more rural towns actively dying off largely similarly to how the town in this book is portrayed, this absolutely strikes as a fictional book that is uncomfortably all too real.

The mysteries of both the past and the present work remarkably well as our lead character tries to reconcile her memories with what she actually sees in front of her today, and along the way we get some very dusty rooms in more ways than one.

Oh, and the murders themselves? I’ve seen more chilling in books… but this is certainly one I’d never seen used in any other book, and is pretty damn chilling itself.

Very much recommended.

This review of Broken Bayou by Jennifer Moorhead was originally written on September 30, 2025.

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#BookReview: Deep Blue Lies by Gregg Dunnett

Perfect Blend Of Travel And Psychological Thriller. Quite simply, this book is amazing. It stumbles out of the gate perhaps a step or two first establishing Ava – and this could well have been a *me* problem here – but once we get to Greece (where the vast majority of the book takes place), it really opens up and becomes exactly what I said in the title here: a perfect blend of travel and psychological thriller.

The Greek island setting is used superbly and makes you wish you could be there… and the vivid descriptions make you think you are. (Which is awesome as fall turns to winter and we all long for our next summery vacation. :D) This is one of those books where the setting really does come into its own and really helps accentuate the story, and that is always awesome to see.

And the story itself… wow. There’s a lot going on here, and yet Dunnett manages to make this tale as much about self discovery as in solving the mystery of what the hell is going on on this island… and that is exactly what makes the book work as well as it does. The mystery/ suspense elements here are great on their own, but it really is the self discovery aspects that *really* make them pop, and when combined with the strong setting really set this book apart.

This book is perfect for readers new to Dunnett… and at least a worthy disctraction for his fans who are almost foaming at the mouth with excitement waiting for his next Detective Erica Sands thriller due to how the previous book – the last book Dunnett released before this one – left off. And yes, you should absolutely join us in reading that series too so that you can be as vocal as we are in demanding the next book there. Because I’m living proof that peer pressure on authors eventually gets you what you want… but that’s a whole other story. 😉

Very much recommended.

This review of Deep Blue Lies by Gregg Dunnett was originally written on September 29, 2025.

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#BookReview: The Guest In Room 120 by Sara Ackerman

Intriguing ‘What If’? Particularly with the author’s note at the end, where Ackerman notes that her motivation for this book was to try to resolve the mystery behind Mrs. Stanford’s death, this book feels most like a phenomenal book most of y’all have never heard of – The Last At-Bat Of Shoeless Joe by Granville Wyche Burgess. The key difference being that Ackerman admits she created a character to blame the death on, while Burgess actively dug into the scandal and claims to have unearthed new real-world evidence that definitively exonerates Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Black Sox scandal.

This noted, for what this book actually is, it will absolutely put you back into Mrs. Stanford’s last days both in California and in Hawaii, where all of Ackerman’s books (at least every one I’ve ever read, including her January 2026 release The Shark House (review will be written shortly after I finish writing this one)) are set. The story is full of Ackerman’s usual attention to detail of the specific time period of Hawaiian history that her central mystery actually took place in, and really makes the reader long for the Hawaii of old rather than the hyper-touristy destination it can be at times and in places today. (Which is only going to get worse with Carnival Cruise Line resuming cruises from Los Angeles to the Hawaiian islands in the coming years.)

One of the more interesting things about this tale that I’ve never seen Ackerman do is the addition of the novelist character and the discussions on writing novels… which always seem like the author inserting meta-commentary about their own views and practices, even when they’re actively creating a character they actively oppose with every fiber of their being. (As Dale Brown once somewhat infamously did in Warrior Class with the introduction of President Thomas Nathaniel Thorn over 20 years ago now.)

Between the turn of the 20th century timeline and the 21st century timeline, there really are two compelling stories that do in fact eventually sync up to some degree… and the damn cat nearly steals every scene it is in. Seriously, this cat will make even dog lovers want to at least consider have a cat adopt them.

Overall truly a strong book of its type, one that will absolutely leave you questioning the official narrative of Mrs. Stanford’s death – even with the introduction of the fictionalized killer.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Guest In Room 120 by Sara Ackerman was originally written on September 23, 2025.

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#BookReview: Don’t Say A Word by Allison Brennan

Solid Second Stage. The easiest way to describe this series, for those who haven’t read the first book, is to imagine the TV show Blue Bloods… but instead the family is Hispanic and lives in Phoenix. If you’re even vaguely familiar with that show (and to be clear, I’ve never watched a single episode of it, just seen several ads and a few clips over the years), that gives you a reasonably solid idea of what to expect in general with this series.

In this installment in particular, we get what appears at first glance to be just an accidental overdose… except, well, it comes to the Angelharts’ attention and Margot in particular smells a rat.

Over the course of 400+ pages, Brennan never really lets the story drag at all. There is enough mystery and danger here to carry the tension, and enough familial interaction to give the tale depth, heart, and even a touch of humor at times.

This noted, the 21 Jump Street (both movie and, at least according to my understanding – the show came out when I was still a young kid – the show) parallels are so obvious here in this particular mystery that Brennan actively leans into them, openly having her characters talk about the show at a point or two.

Overall this really is a solid second outing for these characters, and it will be interesting to see what Brennan comes up with for them next.

Very much recommended.

This review of Don’t Say A Word by Allison Brennan was originally written on September 15, 2025.

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#BookReview: The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia

Solid Book Three Is So Different From Others In Series That It Can Serve As An Introduction. This book is very different than most third books in a series in that it is *so very different* from the first two that if two of the main characters didn’t also appear in the prior books, you would almost say these books weren’t in the same universe at all.

And yet, the book still absolutely works – and even works as a way of a more “real world” type introduction to these characters before you dive into the more paranormal-ish realism of the prior two books. Apparently several other Advance Review Copy readers didn’t realize this was Book 3 of the series – a series I’ve been reading since the beginning, though with on average 200 ish books read between reading installments of this series, even as I’ve read them all as Advance Review Copies myself – and they all claim that this book works well as a standalone, so there’s that perspective as well. 🙂

Overall, even with the toned down paranormal aspects here – and perhaps *because of* the toned-down paranormal aspects here, Mejia has crafted a particularly compelling missing person/ found family thriller that doesn’t bend your mind the way the prior two books do… but perhaps makes your pulse pound that much harder because of it. Particularly through one sequence late in the text, my own heart was racing enough that I actually glanced at my smart watch to make sure I was actually fine and didn’t need to call 911. Seriously.

In the end, truly a creative and compelling third book in the series that leaves open the possibility for more books without explicitly setting anything up, it will be interesting to see where Mejia chooses to go from here.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia was originally written on September 15, 2025.

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#BlogTour: A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a masterful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. For this blog tour, we’re looking at A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Masterful Thriller That Will Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat. McKinnon has become a true master of the kind of suspense/ thriller where you’re still on the edge of your seat and trying to figure out what comes next… when their suddenly is no more “next” to be had in the book.

Now, don’t get me wrong, she tells a complete story every time. She’s just also become a master of telling that story and then leaving *just* enough dangling *so* well that you want that story to continue, even though it has reached its final point for the story she was telling in this particular tale.

Arguably one “weakness” here – more something I’ve just never gotten into and don’t really understand the “appeal” of – is the podcast base of this tale. McKinnon uses it particularly well to tell her story, both in featuring actual podcasts within the tale and in using the relationships of the various personalities that create and work on and around podcasts to great effect.

For me though, the strength of this tale really is the relational. McKinnon creates here a woman with several crucial relationships… and one she isn’t aware of that is about to push her to her limits. Because the best relationship in this book isn’t the marriage or the friend or any of the other usual suspects.

It is the antagonist our leading lady finds out through this tale that she has. While our leading lady is no (Sherlock) Holmes or (Aloysious) Pendergast or (Charles) Xavier or even (Clarice) Starling, our antagonist here absolutely is one that fans of Moriarty or Diogenes or Lensherr or Lecter will absolutely love. Because yes, the antagonist McKinnon creates here *is* that good.

And yet… if our antagonist *is* that damn good and one way to measure someone is by the strength and ability of their enemies… doesn’t that mean that our leading lady actually *is* that damn good herself?

How about you read the book and write your own review on whatever platform you’re reading this review on and let us know. 🙂 Feel free to tag me in it, assuming that is possible on said platform.

Overall though, this book really is very well done, exactly as fans of McKinnon expect from her… and may even be her best yet.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon”

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#BlogTour: All The Ways You Save Me by Melissa Wiesner

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a strong, emotional romance that packs quite a punch. For this blog tour, we’re looking at All The Ways You Save Me by Melissa Wiesner.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph) and YouTube:

Strong Tale Packs A Punch – And Leaves Enough Left For An Exciting Followup. This is one of those books that packs *such* an emotional weight that I think the best comparison I can make goes back nearly a decade now – to Laurie Breton’s Coming Home, which I read circa 2017 or so and was the first book I ever used the term “tour de force” to describe.

This one doesn’t hit *quite* as hard as that one, but it’ll still land a few haymakers. Maybe Mike Tyson vs George Foreman when both were in their primes. In other words, “mere mortal”, prepare for an emotional beatdown with this book… in the best possible ways.

Seriously, this has “summer romance that can go so much further” written *all* over it, and thus its release window – just before Labor Day in the US, after at least some kids (including my nieces and nephew) have started back to school already but right there as college Fall Semester is starting up and summer is coming to a close – is damn near perfect for exactly this story. Even now literally 20 yrs post college and having been married for the vast majority of that time (18 yrs this Fall vs graduating 20 yrs ago this past May), I don’t know, for some reason this season of the year just evokes those kinds of emotions for me, and always has.

There isn’t really any comedy here, so the levity is more in the fact that we’re not in the middle of an emotional scene and are thus riding the swell to the next one (ha! a surfing metaphor, in a book that *does* include some surfing!). And yet the book works perfectly well *because* of this, rather than in spite of the lack of comedy. Not all tales need to be romcoms, and this one in particular is well served by keeping the comedy out. It allows the emotions to have the heft and also the breathing room they need to really work well.

Some may argue that in at least one somewhere between jalapeno and habanero scene that “they’re only 17!!!!”. A valid point, in that exact scene. But it also reflects *reality* going back essentially as long as humanity itself, and that scene helps give the overall tale the weight it needs for what happens later in the timeline. (I don’t remember where this exact scene is in the actual storytelling.) If you’re going to 1 or 2 star this book over that scene, it really says more about you than Wiesner, her storytelling abilities, or this tale in particular, and now that I’ve told you the scene is there, it really is on you, the reader of my review, to just avoid this book if that truly is a dealbreaker for you. I’ll tell you right now you’re depriving yourself of one of the more emotional romance tales I’ve read in my life – maybe even beating out Nicholas Sparks on the emotional side – but that is completely on you, and you do what you need to do. Just don’t be unfair to this book when I specifically made you aware of the existence of this issue here. 😀

Overall, again, truly one of the more emotional and thus stronger overall romances I’ve read in quite some time, and even though it leaves a few threads unanswered, it does so in ways that make it clear that they will be explored in Book 2… which I am very excited to get in my hands ASAP. Per Wiesner herself on social media gearing up for the release of this book, that one is titled All The Ways You Break Me and releases in February 2026 – roughly six months from now. I tell you now that unless Bookouture (the publisher) or Wiesner prevent me from doing so, I will be reviewing that book and on its blog tour as well. I *wish* it were already in my hands. And you’re very likely going to say that last sentence yourself if you read this book near release date, as hopefully you see this review in time to do. 🙂

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: All The Ways You Save Me by Melissa Wiesner”

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#BookReview: Fair Warning by John Sneeden

Fun, Light-Ish, Fast – A Solid Cozy Mystery. For me, the ideal cozy mystery is mostly fun, mostly light-ish, a fast read, and maybe a touch quirky. Solid friend dynamics are always a great thing too. Here, in Sneeden’s first cozy… that is pretty well exactly what we get. It is a murder mystery, so it isn’t *completely* light – someone was murdered, after all – but the overall story isn’t weighed down by the dark and depressing, instead giving over to more banter and quips between friends as they try to solve the mystery at hand together. Oh, and one of them just found that her cat can talk. Which as I’ve told my own cat is a billion dollar idea if he would just learn to speak English in addition to Cat, so hey, maybe Sneeden is about to make his character a sudden billionaire. 😉

At a touch under 200 pages, this is also a very fast read, perfect for those times when you don’t have much time to read but need a fun diversion. Maybe the kids are in the last days of summer break as this book releases (oh, they *are*, well… sounds like you need this book 😉 ). Maybe it is later in the year and you’re frazzled getting ready for the holidays and all the cooking and travelling and just need a few minutes. Maybe it is Every. Sunday. Morning. trying to get ready for church and the kids are a *nightmare* every freaking week and you just need a few minutes to yourself to lighten you mood so you can handle them more effectively. Maybe you’ve just had a break from a community you thought you could call your own and need a chance to decompress and heal a bit. Wherever life finds you, whenever you need a quick break for whatever reason… this book is perfect *right there*. (Also, for readers who track their reading and are behind in their goals… quick, easy read. :D)

Ultimately, I can’t stress enough just how much of a fun, easy read this is – and how perfect that is in at least certain situations. Absolutely a book to have on hand for when you may need something exactly like that.

Very much recommended.

This review of Fair Warning by John Sneeden was originally written on July 31, 2025.

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#BookReview: The Devil She Didn’t Know by Laura Drake

Excellent And Atypical Examination Of Serial Killers And Their Relationships. When I first met Drake, several years ago now, she was a cowboy romance author. Seriously, that was the first several books of hers I read, and they were all excellent. More recently, she started turning in a more women’s fiction direction, and here she proved that she really has a knack for making rooms quite dusty whenever she wants to execute on such a scene.

With this book, she pivots slightly to create a women’s fiction tale… centered on a serial killer, given the recent fad of books involving that topic. (Even as I’ve just in the last couple of days seen data that serial killer activity apparently peaked in the 1980s and has dramatically declined since then in the real world, fwiw.)

Here though, Drake does a truly excellent job taking a tack I’ve never seen before: What happens when you’ve been married to a guy for decades, borne his children, and *then* find out he not only *is* a serial killer, but that he has actively been killing people throughout your marriage? How does this affect you both in practical terms and mentally, relationally, and socially? How does it affect your kids, particularly your teenage son who is old enough to both be cognizant of what is going on and be affected in his own relationships and social structures?

Drake applies her usual skill and remarkable storytelling abilities to craft a truly intriguing and insightful look at just how someone could really work through exactly these things, and in making it all too real, allows the rest of us to safely examine one nightmare we hope we never have to actually live out.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Devil I Didn’t Know by Laura Drake was originally written on July 29, 2025.

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#BookReview: Perilous Tides by Elizabeth Goddard

Solid… Mystery/ Christian Fiction? Christian Fiction/ Mystery? This is one of those action/ mysteries where both the mystery and the action pick up almost from the first words… and then you’ll hear the characters involved in actively hiding (or hunting, as the case may be at times) also actively praying. It also picks up a bit after the events of Book 1 and actively continues some of the threads left dangling there, so if you’ve already read Book 1 (and you really should), you largely already know what to expect from Goddard’s style here.

On the mystery/ action side, this book was 100% spot on. Great use of the Pacific Northwest setting in all of its environments, including both on the water and in the forests. Solid pacing throughout, it is really going to make you feel like you’re reading a more explicitly Christian Matthew Reilly or early Jeremy Robinson book at times – the pacing can get *that* frenetic. But it isn’t sustained throughout the book, and thus isn’t *quite* as “balls to the wall” as those authors tend to do. Still, their fans would likely find quite a lot to like here, and particularly with Robinson’s early works being more overtly Christian themselves… yeah, a really good fit action wise there. 🙂

The Christian side is admittedly where some will absolutely *LOVE* that these facets are included, and others will at best roll their eyes or even actively defenestrate the book over. Hence emphasizing this side of the book in the review – if you truly detest all things Christian, know up front this is NOT the book for you, and that is *perfectly fine*. There are many other awesome books for you without this focus, please just let those who do want this to have it, and follow me wherever you’re reading this review and I guarantee you I’ll show you something more to your liking at some point. 🙂

Ultimately truly a strong sequel, and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series -= apparently currently scheduled for February 2026!

Very much recommended.

This review of Perilous Tides by Elizabeth Goddard was originally written on July 28, 2025.