The Queen

 

Title: The Queen

Author: Nick Cutter

Narrators: Ariel Blake, Zac Aleman, Corey Brill, Pete Simonelli

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook. I appreciate it! 

Margaret’s best friend Charity has been missing for over a month and everyone thinks she’s dead. Then Margaret finds a new phone on her doorstep that has a text from Charity. This sends Margaret on a desperate search for Charity. But Charity has an unimaginable secret. It’s a secret that’s the brainchild of a massively wealthy tech tycoon. It’s a secret that pushes the boundaries of science. It’s a secret that ends in bloodshed. 

I thought this was a straight up thriller, but it’s not. What it is, is totally bonkers. And I mean that in the best way. Think Kafka’s The Metamorphosis but on steroids and mixed with The Island of Dr. Moreau. If you want some sci fi mixed with a smidge of horror and a generous amount of ick, this is for you. The less you know going into this one, the better. 

Author Nick Cutter keeps the pace moving and his prose is vivid and detailed. I swear one particular chapter (a flashback early on in the book) will live rent free in my head for a very long time. Ariel Blake and Corey Brill do an excellent job with the narration. This is a really an engrossing mix of thriller, sic fi and horror that kept me on the edge of my seat. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: Do you prefer reading horror with a supernatural twist, or do you like it grounded in reality?

I think horror grounded in reality is more scary than a supernatural twist. Humans have far too great a capacity for evil. 

#thequeen #nickcutter #simonaudio #audiobook #audiobookreview #horrorfiction #scifi #thrillerfiction #audiobookstsgram

The Reluctant Sheriff

 

Author: Chris Offutt 

Publisher: Grove Atlantic Press 

Release date: March 25, 2025

Thank you Grove Atlantic and NetGalkey for the e-arc. Much appreciated! 

Former Army CID investigator Mick Hardin’s retirement plan was to head to a small village in Corsica to find some peace and quiet. Instead he’s stuck in Kentucky. His sister Linda, the local sheriff, was wounded in the line of duty. Now Mick is holding down the fort as interim sheriff. He’s got his hands full investigating the murder of a bar owner. Mick’s investigation takes a personal turn when his ex-wife’s new husband becomes a suspect. Then two more bodies turn up. 

Author Chris Offut delivers another atmospheric and riveting police procedural. Mick is a great and complex character. He’d love nothing more to live in a cabin in the woods in his native Kentucky, but he has a restless spirit. He’s lonely after the his divorce, but he doesn’t really know how to connect with people. The only thing he knows, and what he’s good at is solving murders. 

The Reluctant Sheriff, out March 25th, is the fourth book of the series and I’ve loved them all. This book can be read as a stand alone. There’s enough information about Mick’s previous exploits to get you up to speed. If you’re looking for interesting characters, sharp writing, and a mystery with as many twists and turns a country road, then dive into the world of Mick Hardin. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What’s trope in police procedurals that you love? Or one that you think is overused?

I think a massively overused trope is the seemly super intelligent, all knowing, always one step ahead of the police serial killer. Sometimes these villains are just too over the top for me. 

#thereluctantsheriff #chrisoffutt #mickhsrdinseries #groveatlantic #netgalley #policeprocedural #thrillerfiction #crimefiction #mysteryfiction #kentuckyfiction #bookstagram

Whiteout

 

Author: R S. Burnett

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release date: February 11, 2025

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the e-arc. Appreciate it! 

When Rachael’s mentor asks her to join an urgent research trip to Antarctica, she jumps at the chance. Rachael is a glaciologist who put her career and research on hold when she and her husband started their family. Rachael is stationed alone at a remote outpost during the dark and unforgiving Antarctic winter. Her research may be the only thing to prevent oil companies from drilling in Antarctica and save the earth from climate change destruction. As the brutal polar winter rages on and her supplies run low, Rachel begins to think all is lost. The only communication she’s had has been a radio transmission saying a nuclear war has broken out. As Rachel worries about her husband and young daughter, she realizes she could be the last person left alive. Rachael soon discovers the most hostile environment in the world isn’t the only thing trying to kill her. 

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I loved the location. I liked that Rachael is a scientist committed to her field of study. Her struggle with being a stay home mom really added some dynamic her character. If you’re looking for a survival thriller featuring a strong female main character, this one is a good choice. The pace moves along quickly, and I loved the descriptions of the harsh yet beautiful landscape of Antarctica. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whiteout by R.S. Burnett comes out February 11th. 

QOTD: Would you rather face a blizzard in the middle of nowhere or a freezing night alone in a dark, icy cave? Why?

I’d rather spend a night in a cave. At least in the cave, I have a little bit of shelter and I’m sort of out of the elements. 

#whiteout #rsburnett #crookedlanebooks #netgalley #bookreview #publishingsoon #antarctica #thrillerfiction #survivalfiction #bookstagram #debutnovel #debutnovelist

Beartooth

 

Author: Callan Wink

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau

Release date: February 11, 2025

📖𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄📖

Thank you @spiegelandgrau and @netgalley for the e-arc. 

Two brothers, Thad and Hazan, live a hardscrabble life in the mountains on the edge of Yellowstone. Their lives are being crushed by medical debt after their father’s illness and a tax lien. Now they’re in danger of losing the home that’s been in their family for three generations. Desperate for money, they agree to a proposition from a sketchy outsider. The brothers agree to the heist of natural resources from inside Yellowstone. Predatory animals, the weather, and the harsh, but beautiful, terrain are more threatening than getting caught by federal authorities. Can the brothers escape with their lives and save their home? 

This is a gripping story of survival, revenge, and family. The book pulled me right in and I flew through it. I loved the setting and the brothers’ dynamic. I love a good heist novel and this one did not disappoint. I thought this was a really unique take on the traditional heist story. 

I definitely recommend this one for fans of the tv show Yellowstone, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone in the mood for a fast paced adventure story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bearthooth comes out February 11. Add it to your 2025 tbr list. 

QOTD: if you could choose one survival skill to master for an adventure, what would it be and why?

I think I’d have to go with the ability to track and hunt so I wouldn’t starve. 

#beartooth  #callanwink #spiegelandgrau grau #netgalley #publishingsoon #adventurefiction #survivalfiction #crimefiction #heistnovel #familydrama #brothers #yellowstone #bookstagram

I Was a Teenage Slasher

 

Author: Stephen Graham Jones 

Narrator: Michael Crouch

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio 

Year: 2024

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧

Thank you @simon.audio for the #gifted audiobook! 

I know spooky season is over and I’m way late with this review. But I also know A LOT of you like to keep the spirit of spooky season going all year ‘round. This book’s for you! 

Tolly Driver is a regular 17 year old kid in Texas in the late 1980s. He’s kind of a slacker, but otherwise an average guy- until a drunken prank at a party goes horribly wrong. Then Tolly’s decent into becoming a murderer begins. 

The story plays with all the slasher movie tropes and it’s so much fun. The story is told from Tolly’s point of view and author Stephen Graham Jones strikes the right balance of the reader really liking Tolly and being horrified by the things he does. Michael Crouch’s narration is pitch perfect providing pathos and humor. 

I don’t read much horror, but I really enjoyed this one. Even though Tolly’s the villain, I loved his character and his voice. Tolly is horrified at what he’s becoming, powerless to stop it, and then finally embraces it. Through it all, Tolly never loses his humanity. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you haven’t read this one yet, get to it! 

QOTD: what’s for dinner tonight? I need inspiration! 

#iwasateenageslasher #stepwhengrahamjones #simonaudio #michaelcrouch #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobooksofinstagram #horror #slasher #horrorfiction #bookstagram

The Last King of California

 

Author: Jordan Harper

Narrator: Stephen Graybill

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Year: 2024

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Luke Crosswhite returns to his family homestead in the desert of Southern California. As a young boy, Luke watched his father beat a man to death. Now Luke has returned to his roots after living away from the violence and crime that surrounds his family. Is this Luke’s destiny? Was he born to take over the reigns of the small criminal gang that his father helped found and still runs from his jail cell? As Luke begins establishing his place within the family, a lager and more violet gang makes a move to take over. As the danger and violence escalates, can

Luke and his family survive? 

This is a really engrossing novel of a young man searching for his place in the world- even if that world is filled with blood and crime. Author Jordan Harper’s story of found family is both poetic and brittle at the story’s desert setting. Sparse, yet powerful noir. This is old school crime fiction at its best. Narrator Stephen Graybill does an excellent job bringing the story to life. He conveys Luke’s emotional unrest at returning home and also the danger that awaits him. This is first-rate storytelling and shouldn’t be missed. Available today. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

QOTD: have you started decorating for Christmas? 

I haven’t. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving. 

#thelastkingofcalifornia #jordanharper #hachetteaudio #netgalley #stephengreybill #audiobook #publicationday #audiobookreview #crimefiction #noir #thrillerfiction #californiafiction

The Night We Lost Him

 

Author: Laura Dave

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2024

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧

Thank you Simon Audio for the #gifted audiobook. Appreciate it! 

When Liam Noone, the wealthy founder of a luxury boutique hotel empire, is found dead on the beach below his cliff-side cottage, the police rule it accidental. Nora doesn’t believe it. She teams up with her brother to find out what happened to her father and better understand the man he was. 

The story unfolds between the present with Nora searching for answers and the past with Liam falling in love with Cory and building his business. This is billed as an “epic love story wrapped in a riveting mystery.” I didn’t think the love story was that epic. Over the 50 years of their relationship, Liam and Cory marry other people, but it’s never the right time to marry each other. But It was never explained why they couldn’t be together. Cory just gave vague excuses why she couldn’t marry Liam. They could never find the right time to commit to their relationship over five decades? 

I found the mystery of Liam’s death to be a little slow and predictable. Instead of a mystery, this is more a character study of one woman’s journey to better understand her distant father and come to terms with his passing. 

I loved Dave’s previous book, The Last Thing He Told Me. Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. I think readers looking for a family drama will find this book compelling. My favorite part of this audiobook was Julian Whelan’s narration. She’s the G.O.A.T of narrators and makes every story better. 

QOTD: what are you reading this weekend? I’m reading the arc We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin. I have to find an audiobook to listen to. 

#thenightwelosthim #lauradave #simonaudio #familydrama #mysteryfiction #thrillerfiction #audiobooks #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #bookstagram

Safecracker

 

Author: Jesse DeRoy

Publisher: Union Square & Co

Year: 2024

Thank you @unionsqandco and @netgalley for the digital review copy! Appreciate it! 

“Duke” Ducaine was raised to be a thief. He was the best safecracker in the business until it all went wrong. Now his dad, who taught him everything, is in jail and his sister is in a coma after a job went bad. Duke’s been on the straight and narrow since then. He’s eking out a living as a locksmith, but he has debts to pay. His bookie is threatening to break his thumbs if Duke doesn’t come up with some cash fast. When Duke is approached by some sketchy feds looking for help breaking into an unbreakable safe and promising a big payday, he knows he shouldn’t take their offer. But the challenge and the money are too hard to resist. Duke might be opening a Pandora’s box of danger. 

I love a good heist novel and this is a good one. Duke is a likable character. He’s a good guy who just happens to be a thief. Duke’s life has gone off the rails since the bad job that left his sister in a coma and he’s racked with guilt about that. 

Kudos to author Jesse DeRoy on this first rate debut novel. The pace of story is pretty quick and it had a lot of twists and turns. There were flashbacks to Duke’s childhood and the job that went horribly wrong. The chapters helped round out Duke’s character and motivations. This is a good choice for readers looking for a crime caper novel featuring a smart and complex main character. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the first book in a series and I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment. Safecracker publishes tomorrow. Don’t miss this one! 

QOTD: what are you reading this week? 

I’m listening to Stanley Tucci’s What I Ate in a Year. Good stuff! 

#safecracker #jessederoy #debutnovel #2024debut #unionsquareandcompany #netgalley #crimefiction #heistnovel #musteryfiction #thrillerfiction #bookstagram