Party of Liars

 

Author: Kelsey Cox

Narrators: full cast

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Year: 2025

Happy Tuesday bookish friends! What’s the last debut novel you’ve read? Last month I listened to the audiobook of Party of Liars, a debut novel by Kelsey Cox. It was really good! It’s a combination of psychological thriller and locked room mystery set around an over the top sweet 16 birthday party. 

Sophie’s dad has gone all out to make her sweet 16 birthday bash memorable. It’s a party nobody will forget when one of the partygoers falls to their death.

This is an entertaining and fun popcorn book. The sheer excess of the house and the party itself is off the charts. All the characters seem to be hiding something or lying about something. The pace is pretty steady and the story is told from multiple pov. There’s some good twists, a could have red herrings, and a nice redemption arc. The audiobooks’s full cast narration is terrific and they really brought the characters and story to life. This is a really solid debut and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next from the author. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

About the Author

Kelsey Cox received her MFA in fiction from Purdue University and works from home in the Texas Hill Country. You can often find her writing at Mammen Family Public Library, chasing around her two young daughters, or watching British mysteries with her mom and aunts. On nights when bedtime goes as planned, she enjoys curling up on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, and a book with complicated characters and a killer twist in her lap. Party of Liars is her debut novel.

Her Wicked Ways

 

Author: Chris C. Carter

Publication year: 2025

Happy Monday bookish friends! If  you’re in the mood for a dark psychological thriller then pick up  Her Wicked Ways by indie author Chris C. Carter. This is his debut novel which dropped earlier this month. 

There’s a lot going on in this story and I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I liked the main character Tessa. She’s going through some things including a missing husband and the loss of her nursing license. Added to that is her strong sense for justice and anger issues. Tessa can be messy, but she’s also caring and supportive.

I’m hosted Chris on an IG Live recently. I had so much fun talking to him about his book. You can watch our discussion on my Instagram page. Here’s the link: 

IG Live with indie author Chris C. Carter

#herwickedways #debutnovel #indieauthor #iglive 

About the Author

Chris C. Carter is a thriller writer and author of HER WICKED WAYS. Carter is a corporate communications, marketing, and government affairs professional who writes thriller novels part-time. He’s a former professional baseball player, having played for the Martinez Sturgeon of the Pecos League.

The Day I Lost You

 

Author: Ruth Mancini

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Publication date: December 2, 2025

Thank you Harper Perennial for the complementary arc of The Day I Lost Youby Ruth Mancini. It’s out Dec. 2. 

One child. Two mothers. And a past that won’t let them go.

Mancini serves up is a slow burning character driver domestic thriller. The pace of the story is steady and her plot really kept me guessing. I really couldn’t see where this one was going for most of the book. The way she laid out the plot was cunning and clever. I was questioning all the characters motives and perceptions. Just a heads up check out possible trigger warnings though. My only little quibble is the ending. It wrapped up a little too neatly for me, but I was satisfied with it. I thought it was a complex and intriguing story that kept me riveted from start to finish. Make sure you add this to your tbr list or preorder it now. You won’t want to miss it.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How was your weekend? We were supposed to head to the beach, but delayed our trip for a few days. We waited to see what the hurricane and tropical storm in the Atlantic were going to do. Didn’t want to get caught up in a rainy mess. 

5 Underrated Books

 

Here are five books I think haven’t gotten enough bookstagram love. Three are backlist titles and the last two published earlier this year. I guarantee they all feature interesting characters, are meticulously plotted, feature plenty of suspense, and twists you won’t see coming. All were 5⭐️ reads for me and I highly recommend all of them. 

The Killer Question

 

Author: Janice Hallett

Narrator: full cast

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Publication date: September 23, 2025

Such a clever story! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Simon Audio for the #gifted audiobook The Killer Question by Janice Hallett. 

Sue and Mal Eastwood run an out of the way pub where the weekly trivia game is the big draw. Then a body is found in a nearby river. If that’s not bad enough, a new unbeatable trivia team arrives and disrupts the pub’s friendly competition. As Sue and Mal, try to figure out if the new team is cheating, they’re also working to keep their own secrets under wraps. 

Clever story telling and excellent plotting makes this book standout. The story unfolds through emails, text messages, witness statements, and dialogue from police body camera footage. I loved how Hallett put it all together so seamlessly. There a large cast of often quirky characters, a dual timeline, and surprising twists. This cozy mystery certainly kept me on my toes. 

I absolutely loved the full cast narration. I think it would have been difficult to keep track of who was who without a full cast. Instead I got a very immersive listening experience. They truly brought all the characters and the story to life. Hallett is a new to me author and I’ll definitely be dipping into her backlist. The Killer Question is out now.

Happy Wednesday #bookish friends! What was your last 5⭐️ read? 

#bookreview #thekillerquestion #booklover #audiobooks #mysterybooks #cozymystery

Final Cut

 

Author: Olivia Worley

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: October 28, 2025

Happy Tuesday bookish pals! Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the DRC of Final Cut by Olivia Worley. It comes out October 28. 

Final Cut follows recent high school grad & aspiring actress Haze as she goes back to her small hometown of Pine Springs. She’s landed the lead role in a low budget horror movie shooting there. Haze hasn’t lived there since she was three years old - when the Pine Springs massacre occurred. Her father, a popular high school teacher, was convicted of murdering five students. Haze soon finds herself in a real life horror movie when strange things start happening and cast members begin to die. Here’s the summary from the publisher.

This was such a fun romp! It has all the slasher movie tropes - the final girl, a budding romance, a masked killer, creepy characters, and teens making tons of impulsive bad decisions. It also has enough twists and turns to go along with the mystery aspect of the plot to keep you guessing. The characters are typical of a teen slasher. There’s the determined final girl, the cute guy who might be hiding secrets of his own, the sassy sidekick, and the nerdy guy. The plot moves along at a quick pace and it’s got enough slasher scenes to keep any horror fan happy. This is an all round entertaining and engaging story that will hook you with the likable characters, creepy atmospheric setting, witty dialogue, and jump scares galore. The novel is aimed at teen readers, but older readers who love slashers will enjoy it too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you were cast in a slasher movie what character trope would you be? The final girl? The sassy sidekick? The slasher?

About the Author

Olivia Worley is an author born and raised in New Orleans. A graduate of Northwestern University, she now lives in New York City, where she spends her time writing thrillers, overanalyzing episodes of The Bachelor, and hoping someone will romanticize her for reading on the subway.

The Wasp Trap

 

Author: Mark Edwards

Narrators: John Hopkins and Anna Burnett

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Publication date: Sept. 16, 2025

🚨Out tomorrow!🚨

Happy Monday book friends! Thank you Simon audio for the ALC! Appreciate it. The Wasp Tarp by Mark Edwards is out tomorrow Sept. 16. This is one you’ll definitely want to pick up. 

A group of old friends gather for a posh dinner party that quickly goes horribly wrong. They’re held hostage and forced to reveal their darkest secrets or die. Here’s the summary from the publisher: 

Six friends reunite in London to celebrate the life of their recently deceased ex-employer, a professor that brought them together in 1999 to help build a dating website based on psychological testing.

But what is meant to be a night of bittersweet nostalgia soon becomes a twisted and deadly game. The old friends are given an ultimatum: reveal their darkest secrets to the group or pick each other off one-by-one.

It soon becomes clear that their current predicament is related to their shared past. The love questionnaire they helped develop in 1999 for the dating site was also turned into a tool for weeding out psychopaths: The Wasp Trap. This experiment and the other tragic events of that summer long ago may help reveal the truth behind a killer hiding in plain sight.

This story was chock full of secrets and lies - both from the past and the present. The hostage takers are looking for a very specific piece of information but won’t give any clues as to what it could possibly be. That only ramps up the suspense and endangers everyone. I really liked the locked room mystery of this. The group can’t flee and can’t call for help. Their only hope is that one of them offers up the information before they all die. The story’s dual timeline works really well revealing all the characters secrets and motivations. There were so many twists and turns that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The narration by John Hopkins and Anna Burnett is fantastic. Their performances really convey all the tension and terror. I’ll certainly be recommending this twisty thriller a lot this fall. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you reading, listening to, or watching this week? I finished a booked and an audiobook over the weekend. I have to decide what I’m reading next. 

About the Author

Mark Edwards is the bestselling author and coauthor of over twenty books, including those he has written with Louise Voss. His latest thriller is The Wasp Trap. Originally from Hastings in East Sussex, Mark now lives in Wolverhampton, UK, with his wife, their children, three cats, and a golden retriever. Find him at MarkEdwardsAuthor.com

The Break-In

 

Author: Katherine Faulkner 

Narrator: Shiromi Arserio

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio 

Year: 2025

Happy #thrillerthursday book peeps! Thank you Simon Audio for the #gifted audiobook The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner. It’s out now. 

Alice kills an intruder who breaks into her posh home during a play date with friends. The killing is ruled self defense, but Alice can’t get over the feeling there was more to it. Here’s the summary from the publisher. 

I thought this was going to be a run of the mill psychological thriller when I first started listening to this book. The first half was a little slow. Alice just kept making bad decision after bad decision, and I thought I had it all figured out. Boy was I wrong! I’m glad I kept with it because the second half of the book really picked up the pace and thew out twist after twist right to the very end. Kudos to Faulkner for delivering an explosive ending that I didn’t see coming. Shiromi Arserio gives a fantastic performance with the narration. I didn’t have any trouble keeping the cast of characters thanks to her work. Don’t miss out on this highly compelling and complex thriller. 

Who is your favorite author when it comes to twisting your mind with unexpected plot twists?

About the Author

Katherine Faulkner, an award-winning journalist, studied history at Cambridge. She has worked as an investigative reporter and an editor and was formerly the joint Head of News at The Times(London). She lives in London, where she grew up, with her husband and two daughters. She is the author of The Break-In, The Other Mothers,Greenwich Park.

The Orphanage by the Lake

 

Author: Daniel G. Miller

Narrator: Michelle H. Lee

Publisher: Sourcebooks Audio

Year: 2025

Happy Wednesday book pals! Thank you so much @sourcebooks.audio for the gifted audiobook of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙠𝙚 by Daniel G. Miller! It’s available now. 

Hazel is a young private investigator trying to keep her business going. A new client, Madeline, offers Hazel an amount of money that will help ease Hazel’s financial woes. Hazel’s tasked with finding Madeline’s goddaughter who’s disappeared from a girl’s home. As Hazel digs for answers, she begins to doubt the girl is just a runaway. Hazel uncovers something so much more insidious. Here’s the full summary from the publisher: 

Hazel wants a new life.

She's thirty years old, single, and her private investigation business is months away from folding.

Her luck takes a turn when Madeline Hemsley, a mysterious socialite, pays Hazel a visit with an offer too enticing to resist. An orphan girl has disappeared from a children's home—The Orphanage By The Lake, as the locals call it—and Madeline wants Hazel to find her.

At first glance, it appears to be a standard runaway case, but as Hazel plunges into the investigation, she finds signs of something more: unexplained blood stains, cryptic symbols, sinister figures shadowing her every move. The more she digs, the more she realizes that The Orphanage By The Lake holds terrifying secrets, and even worse…

…so does Madeline.

This was a mystery full of secrets, lies, and ulterior motives. At first Hazel doesn’t seem up to the task. I had the feeling Hazel wasn’t the world’s greatest investigator because she was late for appointments and missed phone calls. She also seemed a little immature. When she meets the police detective who originally investigated the missing girl, Hazel immediately thinks he’s asking her out on a date. Girl, just focus on your case. Hazel got a lot of help from her roommate Kenny. Kenny was a love sick puppy pining after Hazel and trying woo her by cooking delicious Korean food. Kenny turned out to be a  more than a great cook. He provided insight and help when Hazel needed it most. 

The mystery of the missing girl had many twists and red herrings, but I could see where it was going. I still enjoyed it and thought the ending was very satisfying. Hazel showed real strength and courage. For all Hazel’s faults, she showed dogged determination in finding out what happened to the missing girl. 

Narrator Michelle H. Lee did wonderful work bringing Hazel, Madeline, Kenny and the other characters to life. Her narration kept me on the edge of my seat. Pick up this audiobook if you’re looking for a gritty mystery with a diverse cast of characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What’s for dinner tonight? I need ideas! 

#theorphanagebythelake #mysterybooks #thrillerbook #crimefiction #audiobook 

About the Author

Daniel G. Miller is the USA Today bestselling author of the Orphanage By The Lake mystery-thriller series and the Tree of Knowledge adventure series. His books have been described as "irresistible" by thriller master James Patterson and as "a thrill ride with no seatbelt but what an incredible view," by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz. His novel, The Orphanage By The Lake, was selected as an Amazon Editor's Pick. When he’s not writing, he enjoys sipping sunset cocktails with his wife, watching NBA basketball, and singing off-key to his newborn son, not necessarily in that order. He currently lives in Delray Beach, Florida.

The Widow

 

Author: John Grisham

Publisher: Doubleday Books

Publication date: October 21, 2025

Happy Monday book friends! Thank you so much Doubleday Books for the e-arc of John Grisham’s upcoming release The Widow! It’s out Oct. 21. 

Simon Latch is a down on his luck, small town lawyer. He’s in debt, his marriage is on the brink of collapse, and he owes his bookie money. He needs a miracle. Then Eleanor Barnett walks into his office. She’s a wealthy elderly widow who needs a new will. She could be the solution to all Simon’s problems or the reason he loses everything. Here’s the full summary from the publisher: 

Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune, and no one knows about it.

Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder.

Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him, and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer….

This is Grisham’s first foray into a whodunnit, but there’s still enough courtroom theatrics to satisfy any legal thriller fan. Simon has to figure out who really killed Eleanor or else he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars. Grisham does a wonderful job making a morally gray character into a character you root for. Simon got greedy and crossed an ethical line when he wrote Eleanor’s will. But for all Simon’s faults, Grisham is able to make him a sympathetic and likable character. Eleanor is also a complex character and her own motives are shrouded in mystery. 

Grisham also serves up lots of twists and red herrings that kept me on my toes. The story moves along at a steady pace that builds tension as Simon goes on trial. Grisham delivers a great clash of legal eagles in the courtroom with a flamboyant defense attorney squaring off against a tough as nails prosecutor. This is an engrossing story that pulls you right in and keeps you guessing to the end. Preorder this one or put it on your tbr list now because you won’t want to miss it. 

How do you feel about morally gray main characters? Love them? Hate them? Do you have to like the main character of a book to enjoy it? 

#thewidow #johngrisham #crimefiction #thrillerbooks #mysterybooks #legalthriller 

About the Author

John Grisham is the author of more than fifty consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include Framed, Camino Ghosts and The Exchange: After the Firm.

Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.

When he’s not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.

John lives on a farm in central Virginia.