Mrs. McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie #bookreview #series #readingchallenge

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: September 2, 2025 (first published 1952)   Summary: In Mrs. McGinty’s Dead, one of Agatha Christie’s most ingenious mysteries, the intrepid Hercule Poirot must look into the case of a brutally murdered landlady. Mrs. McGinty died from a brutal blow to the back of her head. Suspicion falls immediately on her shifty lodger, James Bentley, whose clothes reveal traces of…

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Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Scribner Books #partner, for the finished copy of Postmortem in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Scribner Books / Recorded Books Published: February 17, 2026 (first published 1990)   Summary: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell comes Postmortem, the groundbreaking thriller that introduced Dr. Kay Scarpetta and redefined the crime genre. A killer is stalking the streets of…

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Imposter by L.J. Ross #bookreview #series

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press, #partner, for the advanced copy of Imposter in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Published: February 3, 2026,   Summary: There’s a killer inside all of us… In the remote hills of western Ireland, fear spreads as the locals struggle to make sense of a killer who is seemingly one of their own… Dr. Alexander Gregory, a psychologist recovering from the collapse of a…

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Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger #bookreview #audiobook #series

I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Recorded Books Published: January 31, 2007   Summary: When a high school student’s body is found and her boyfriend goes missing, tough-as-nails former sheriff Cork O’Connor is forced into the center of an eerie mystery with a shocking twist in this “vivid and realistic” ( Booklist ), Anthony Award-winning novel from New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger. When the body of a…

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The Sleepwalker by Lars Kepler #bookreview #series #translatedbook

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: Zaffre Published: January 11, 2024   Summary: The tenth thrilling installment in Lars Kepler’s bestselling series— acclaimed for “smart psychological suspense,” “explosive conclusions,” and “gritty portrayals of human evil” (Booklist)—is tense and terrifying. An emergency call comes in the middle of the night. There is an ongoing burglary at a closed campsite in Bredäng, outside Stockholm. When the police respond to…

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The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie #bookreview #series #readingchallenge

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: December 3, 2024 (first published 1929)   Summary: A practical joke goes chillingly, murderously wrong in Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie’s classic detective story, The Seven Dials Mystery. Gerry Wade had proved himself to be a champion sleeper, so the other houseguests decided to play a practical joke on him. Eight alarm clocks were set to go off, one…

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Punished by Ann-Helen Laestadius #bookreview #series #translatedbook

Thank you Scribner Books #partner, for the advanced copy of Punished in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Scribner Books Published: February 4, 2025 (first published January 2023)   Summary: From the internationally bestselling author of the “extraordinary” (Fredrik Backman) novel Stolen comes a harrowing story—inspired by true events—of five Indigenous children forced to attend a government-run boarding school in 1950s Sweden, revealing the emotional scars they carry thirty years later. In…

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Inside Man by John McMahon #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of Inside Man in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio Published: January 13, 2026   Summary: In this sequel to McMahon’s electrifying series debut, Head Cases, Gardner Camden and the PAR team return to investigate potentially connected cases. FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles.…

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Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger #review #audiobook #series

I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Recorded Books Published: March 28, 2011   Summary: Winner of the prestigious Loft-McKnight Fiction Award and the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, William Kent Krueger has established himself as a startlingly original voice in thriller fiction. With Purgatory Ridge he cements his standing as a suspense writer of the highest caliber. Not far from the small town of Aurora (population 3,752) lies…

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Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie #bookreview #reread #series #readingchallenge

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: September 29, 2020 (first published 1937)   Summary: Beloved detective Hercule Poirot embarks on a journey to Egypt in one of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries, Death on the Nile. The tranquility of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish, and beautiful. A girl…

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Ralph’s Party by Lisa Jewell #bookreview #rerelease

Thank you Atria Books, #partner, for the finished copy of Ralph’s Party in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books Published: January 6, 2026 (reprint–originally released in 1999)   Summary: Discover the debut novel of the #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell in which the residents of an apartment building confront one another’s attractions, distrust, secrets, and lies. Perfect for fans of Dolly Alderton and Jojo Moyes. Meet the residents of 31…

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Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke #bookreview #bookseries

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Mulholland Books Published: August 25, 2020 (Paperback release)   Summary: In this “captivating” crime novel ( People ), Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on the hunt for a missing child — but it’s the boy’s family of white supremacists who are his real target. 9-year-old Levi King knew he should have left for home sooner; now he’s alone in the darkness of…

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Wildwood by Amy Pease #bookreview #bookseries

Thank you Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Wildwood in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books Published: January 6, 2026   Summary: From the acclaimed author of the “riveting debut” (People) Northwoods, a mother-son law enforcement team confront buried secrets in their small town as they work to expose a conspiracy that goes far beyond the tight-knit community. Deputy Sheriff Eli North has spent the last year…

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Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC of Sharp Force in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the print copy for my collection. Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Audio Published: October 7, 2025   Summary: A serial killer terrorizes Northern Virginia, his ability to come and go baffling those pursuing him with zero success. He disables the victims’ WIFI, attacking them in bed, the cause of death exsanguination…

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The Italian Secret by Tara Moss #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and Dutton #partner, for the finished copy of The Italian Secret in exchange for my honest review.  Publisher:  Dutton / Penguin Audio Published: December 2, 2025   Summary: #1 internationally bestselling author Tara Moss returns with an immersive post-war mystery as glamorous investigator Billie Walker follows a trail of secrets to Italy’s sun-drenched Neapolitan coast Naples, 1943. Deep within a secret network of underground…

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Return of the Spider by James Patterson #bookreview #series

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Published: November 17, 2025   Summary: Return of the Spider is the stunning companion novel to Along Came a Spider, the New York Times bestselling classic thriller from the world’s most popular storyteller. Enter the thrilling world of the #1 bestselling detective series that inspired the Prime Video show, Cross. Along Came a Spider introduced Detective Alex Cross to readers around the globe and…

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The Quiet Mother by Arnaldur Indridason #bookreview #series

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Quiet Mother in exchange for my honest review.  Publisher: Minotaur Books Published: December 9, 2025   Summary: A woman is found murdered in her home. On her desk is a note with a phone number and a Detective Konrad. Called in to investigate, Konrad realises he met the woman shortly before her death when she asked him for help…

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Mini Reviews – Two Cork O’Connor Books #bookreviews #audiobooks #series

I borrowed both audiobooks from the library.     I have long been a fan of William Kent Krueger’s stand-alones – This Tender Land and The River We Remember are two of my favorite books – but until now, I have not given his Cork O’Connor books a go. This is a series that he is still writing – at present, 20 books have been released and book 21 is…

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Death and Dinuguan by Mia P. Manansala #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC of Death and Dinuguan in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Penguin Audio Published: November 25, 2025   Summary: Love is in the air for the citizens of Shady Palms, but Cupid’s arrow isn’t the only thing striking the town—not with another killer on the loose. Things are looking up for the Brew-ha Cafe, and Lila Macapagal can’t think of anything that could break…

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Mini Reviews – Historical Fiction Edition #bookreview #historicalfiction #audiobooks

Thank you William Morrow, #partner for the finished copies of The World’s Fair Quilt and Where the Rivers Merge and MBC Books, #partner for the finished copy of The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, in exchange for my honest reviews. Thank you also to Libro.fm and PRH Audio for the gifted ALCs.     These are some historical fiction books I actually read over the summer and while I…

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Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Murder at Gulls Nest in exchange for my honest review.  I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster Audio Published: April 8, 2025   Summary: A cozy mystery series about a former nun who searches for answers in a small seaside town after her pen pal mysteriously disappears 1954: When her former novice’s dependable…

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Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Scribner Books #partner, for the finished copy of Evil Bones in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Scribner Books / Simon and Schuster Audio Published: November 18, 2025   Summary: #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a twisty, unputdownable thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who finds herself enmeshed in a series of grisly animal killings that turn into something…

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The Girl by the Bridge by Arnaldur Indridason #bookreview #series #backlistreview

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Girl by the Bridge in exchange for my honest review.  Publisher: Minotaur Books Published: May 2, 2023   Summary: When a young woman known for drug smuggling goes missing, her elderly grandparents have no choice but to call the retired Detective Konrád. Still looking for his own father’s murderer, Konrád agrees to investigate the case. But digging into the…

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In the Bones by Tessa Wegert #bookreview #series

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy of In the Bones in exchange for my honest opinion. Publisher: Severn House Published: November 4, 2025   Summary: The arrival of a celebrity athlete on a remote peninsula in New York’s Thousand Islands unearths dark and deadly buried secrets in this heart-pounding blend of suspense and mystery, the first in the new North Country series—Agatha Christie meets Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley…

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The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lillie #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and Berkley #partner,  for the finished copy of The Blood Thief in exchange for my honest review.  Publisher:  Berkley / Penguin Audio Published: October 28, 2025   Summary: When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town—a place with dark ties to an elite historical society—archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate…from bestselling author Vanessa Lillie. In the hours before dawn at a local…

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The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts #bookreview #series

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Seven Rings in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Published: November 18, 2025   Summary: The #1 New York Times-bestselling author concludes her compelling Lost Bride trilogy as two women—one dead, one alive—prepare for a terrifying final showdown… Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his…

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The Cross by Steve Cavanagh #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Libro.fm for the ALC of The Cross in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Originals Published: November 18, 2025   Summary: A race-against-time audio thriller from the author of the “unguessable and unputdownable” (Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Kill for Me, Kill for You. Cross-examination isn’t a war of words. It’s not a legal battle. It’s not about who shouts the hardest or loudest.…

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Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge #bookreview #audiobook #series

I borrowed this audiobook from the library. Publisher: Kensington Books / Highbridge Published: October 22, 2024   Summary: A witty and inventive treat for lovers of all things Christie, Downton Abbey, and Knives Out, set in London and the English countryside and starring Phyllida Bright, fictional housekeeper to the great dame of detective fiction herself. “Dame Agatha would be proud” (Publishers Weekly). Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is quite in her element at…

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Wings of Madness by R. John Dingle #bookreview #series

Thank you to the author for the advanced e-copy of Wings of Madness in exchange for my honest opinion. Publisher: Tule Publishing Published: November 12, 2025   Summary: Serial killers, like madness and gravity, just need a small push… The body of a third young woman is discovered in a field outside Pawtucket Falls in New England the day FBI agent and profiler Gus Wheeler and his partner arrive to investigate a…

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Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie #bookreview #bookseries #readingchallenge

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: August 30, 2011 (first published 1940)   Summary: In Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery Sad Cypress, a woman damned by overwhelming evidence stands accused of murdering her romantic rival, and only Hercule Poirot stands between her and the gallows. Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence…

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Gone in the Night by Joanna Schaffhausen #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Dead and Gone in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Dreamscape Media Published: August 12, 2025   Summary: Detective Annalisa Vega hasn’t forgiven her brother for his role in a murder, and he hasn’t forgiven her for turning him in, so she’s surprised when he asks her to visit him…

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The Sister’s Curse by Nicola Solvinic #bookreview #series

Thank you Berkley Pub, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Sister’s Curse in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Berkley Published: October 21, 2025   Summary: There’s something in the water in Bayern County… When mysterious drownings plague her small town, a detective haunted by her serial killer father must uncover whether revenge, ancient legends, or something darker lurks beneath the surface. Lieutenant Anna Koray thought she’d finally found solid ground…

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All the Way Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen #bookreview

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of All the Way Gone in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Dreamscape Media Published: August 13, 2024   Summary: The fourth installment in the beloved Detective Annalisa Vega series Is there such a thing as a good sociopath? Newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega is skeptical, but her first client,…

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The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia #bookreview #series

Thank you Atlantic Crime, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Whisper Place in exchange for my honest review.  Publisher: Atlantic Crime Published: September 16, 2025   Summary: The latest thriller in the USA Today bestselling Iowa Mysteries series starring Max Summerlin and Jonah Kendrick, an unlikely pair of private investigators who specialize in finding people who don’t want to be found. How do you find a woman who doesn’t…

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Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie #bookreview #bookseries #readingchallenge

Thank you William Morrow, #partner for the finished copy of Murder in the Vicarage in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: February 15, 2022 (first published 1930)   Summary: Now with a beautiful new series look, The Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie’s first mystery to feature the beloved investigator Miss Marple–as a dead body in a clergyman’s study proves to the indomitable sleuth that no place, holy or otherwise,…

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The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware #bookreview #series

Thank you Gallery Books/Scout Press, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Woman in Suite 11 in exchange for my honest review.  Publisher: Gallery Books/Scout Press Published: July 8, 2025   Summary: In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Women in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.…

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The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware #bookreview #audiobook #reread

I borrowed this audiobook from the library. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Published: July 19, 2016   Summary: From New York Times bestselling author of the “twisty-mystery” (Vulture) novel In a Dark, Dark Wood, comes The Woman in Cabin 10, an equally suspenseful and haunting novel from Ruth Ware—this time, set at sea. In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine,…

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The Making of Jackson Parrish by Liv Constantine #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC of The Making of Jackson Parrish in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Random House Audio Published: September 16, 2025   Summary: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Next Mrs. Parrish comes a gripping, original audiobook set in the intoxicating world of the Parrish universe— The Making of Jackson Parrish. Every villain has an origin story, and Jackson Parrish is no exception. A single scandalous…

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The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jonasson #bookreview #audiobook #translatedbook

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio Published: September 9, 2025   Summary: One winter evening bestselling crime author, Elín S. Jónsdóttir goes missing. There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective, Helgi, to crack the case before…

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Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Libro.fm / Highbride Audio for the ALC of Other People’s Houses in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the print copy for my collection. Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark / Highbridge Audio Published: September 16, 2025   Summary: New York Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh is back with another unputdownable installment in the DC Morgan series. You want what they have, but what price would you pay? The Hill is the kind…

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Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and @NovelSuspects & Grand Central Publishing, #partner, for the advanced copy of  Kiss Her Goodbye in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Audio Published: August 12, 2025   Summary: #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner returns with the 4th installment in her bestselling Frankie Elkin series, in which Frankie is called to Tucson, Arizona, to find a missing Afghan refugee, whose…

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The House of Cross by James Patterson #bookreview #series

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Published: November 25, 2024   Summary: There are no silent nights for Alex Cross, star of the Prime series, this Christmas. Someone is targeting Supreme Court justices, and Cross—and his family—are in the crosshairs too. It’s time to put the guns down, Detective Cross. Even if you knew the way out of this place, we would catch you.…

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Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson #bookreview #series

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Published: November 20, 2023   Summary: Detectives Cross and Sampson are tracking a serial killer who’s fatally ambushing young men in the “Dead Hours” murders. They don’t hear the machine gun fire. At first. “Drop whatever you’re doing, Dr. Cross, and head to Reagan Airport,” DC Metro Police dispatch says. “A plane just crashed and exploded on the…

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The Hunter’s Daughter by Nicola Solvinic #bookreview #backlistreview #series

Thank you Berkley Pub, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Hunter’s Daughter in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Berkley Published: May 14, 2024   Summary: A hypnotic, sinister debut mystery about a seemingly good cop who is secretly the daughter of a notorious serial killer. Anna Koray escaped her father’s darkness long ago. When she was a girl, her childhood memories were sealed away from her conscious mind by a…

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The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Serial Killer Guide to San Franciso in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio Published: September 24, 2024   Summary: In Michelle Chouinard’s clever mystery The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, the granddaughter of a serial killer shows readers another side of the beloved city. Welcome to San Francisco,…

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Hunter’s Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor #bookreview #series

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Hunter’s Heart Ridge in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books Published: August 5, 2025   Summary: In this sequel to Taylor’s lyrical series debut, Agony Hill, Detective Frank Warren and his formerly CIA-connected neighbor Alice Bellows return to investigate the death of a diplomat. It’s November of 1965 and the second weekend of Vermont’s regular deer season. Vermont State…

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We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter #bookreview #series

Thank you William Morrow, #partner for the advanced copy of We Are All Guilty Here in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: William Morrow Published: August 12, 2025   Summary: The first thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Girls and the Will Trent series. Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think. Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage…

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Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie #bookreview #series #readingchallenge

I purchased this book for my own collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: September 27, 2011 (first published 1936)   Summary: It is clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister is going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of “Lovely Louise,” wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr. Leidner. In a few days’ time Hercule Poirot is due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise…

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The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you LibroFm / Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Devil’s Advocate in exchange for my honest review.  Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: August 5, 2025   Summary: This high-octane legal thriller from the international bestselling author of Kill for Me, Kill for You will “make your palms sweat and your blood run cold” (The Times, London) as…

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Next of Kin by Samantha Jayne Allen #bookreview #series #backlistreview

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Next of Kin in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books Published: April 23, 2024   Summary: From the Tony Hillerman Prize-winning author of Pay Dirt Road comes Samantha Jayne Allen’s mesmerizing new novel set in a hardscrabble Texas town dealing with disaster. At a gathering for her cousin’s wedding party, newly-licensed PI Annie McIntyre gets asked an age-old question, the answer…

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