The Last Hitman

 

He’s a retired hitman. Biggest threat in his life now? Boredom.

Until the FBI shows up and changes everything.

In The Last Hitman by Robin Yocum, Angelo Cipriani is an aging mob enforcer looking back on a lifetime spent working for the Fortuna crime family. But the world he knew is fading fast. The old boss is gone, and the new leadership has no use for relics from the past. Angelo is quietly pushed into retirement.

Now his days are simple. He has lunch at the diner and does a little harmless flirting with the waitress. He tries not to think too much about the life he left behind.

Then an ambitious FBI agent shows up with a proposition.

Talk and avoid prison. Stay silent and risk becoming a loose end the new boss decides to eliminate.

Angelo knows exactly how this story usually ends. But one thing an old hitman still knows how to do is settle a score.

This is a character-driven novel, and that’s where it shines. Angelo is surprisingly sympathetic. He’s even honorable in his own way despite the violence in his past. Yocum’s writing is crisp, and very compelling. He keeps the story moving while letting Angelo’s voice carry the weight of the narrative.

It’s one of those books you stumble across unexpectedly. It’s a hidden gem that deserves a lot more attention.

The audiobook narrator, Justin Price, is outstanding. He captures Angelo at different stages of his life with subtle shifts in tone and emotion that make the story feel even more intimate.

This is a solid, well-crafted crime novel with heart and a memorable main character. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What are you currently reading?

#books #bookrecs #bookrecommendations#audiobook #bookstagram #fyp

thriller books | crime fiction | bookish | book lover 

About the Author

Robin Yocum is known for his fiction set in the Ohio River Valley. He has authored two non-fiction books and six novels. His most recent novel, The Sacrifice of Lester Yates, was released in April of 2021 by Arcade CrimeWise, and was a finalist for the 2021 Dashiell Hammett Award for outstanding crime writing. Favorite Sons was named the 2011 Book of the Year for Mystery/Suspense by USA Book News. A Brilliant Death was a Barnes & Noble No. 1 bestseller and a finalist for both the 2017 Edgar Award and the Silver Falchion Award for best adult mystery. He also is the host of the true-crime podcast, Dead Before Deadline, which features stories Yocum covered when he was a police and investigative reporter for the Columbus Dispatch. 

A Killer in the Family

 

Is Ali Azaam the most oblivious man in any room — or the most dangerous?

A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad drops us into the world of Abbas Khan, a wealthy New York real estate tycoon with the kind of power that feels like a gift until it feels like a trap. When easygoing Mumbai party boy Ali enters an arranged marriage with Abbas’s daughter Maryam, he’s already making questionable choices — including an affair with Maryam’s older sister Farhan, who warns him to stay far away from her father’s world. Ali doesn’t listen.

This is a slow-burning, atmospheric read where everyone is smiling while they sharpen their knives. I spent the entire book genuinely unsure whether Ali was a fool who kept falling upward or someone quietly playing everyone around him — and that ambiguity is what makes this one stick.

A great pick for fans of Succession and family drama with teeth. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to Henry Holt & Co for the gifted ARC. A Killer in the Family publishes April 7.

QOTD: Do you like knowing if a character is good or bad, or do you love the mystery?

 #thrillerbooks #familydrama #bookreview #arcreview #bookstagram

About the Author

Amin Ahmad was raised in India and came to the United States at the age of seventeen. He worked as an architect for many years before turning to writing. He teaches creative writing at Duke University and lives in Durham, North Carolina with his family and a very mischievous cat.

Book Mail Monday

 

Publishers have been too kind lately and my shelves are suffering (in the best way). Huge thank you to the teams behind these -so thrilled to have early copies!

📖 Ascendants by Don Schechter (out 3/24) — set in 2060, where a groundbreaking discovery about the afterlife divides society into two genetic classes.

📖 Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan (out 8/11) — PI Annie Gore returns to the Appalachian Mountains when a client suspects her estranged father, one of the last infamous snake-handling preachers, may not have died from a fatal bite at all.

📖 Little Wild by Laura Evans (out 6/23) — set in Suffolk in 1937, two young women plan to escape society and live as lovers in London — until they’re discovered and everything falls apart.

📖 Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak (out now!) — an Irish tragicomedy following Shibby across two defining life stages as she searches for belonging after her mother vanishes.

Thanks to Girl Friday Books, PR by the Book, Minotaur Books, and Henry Holt & Co for the gifted copies, and to author and Carrie Kabak for the gifted copy of Shibby Magee!

QOTD: which book would you read first? 

book mail | bookish | bookstagram | the retired librarian reads

#bookmail #arc #gifted #bookstagram #newbooks 

Harmless Women

 

Some thieves steal more than money. They steal identities, freedom, and second chances.

I picked up Harmless Women by Rebecca Sharpe with high hopes. It has multiple POVs, a morally gray FMC, a heist, a cross-country escape, and twists. On paper, this book had everything I love. The execution didn’t quite do it for me.

Avalon is a skilled thief. Prim is her mark. Their lives collide after Avalon steals Prim’s identity and drains her accounts. Then by a twist of fate, they’re suddenly on the run together. I was genuinely hooked. They form an unexpected bond as they run from the police. Their dynamic crackled with tension and the momentum of their escape. 

Then there’s Bianca, a grieving mother searching for her missing daughter. Her pain and loneliness are palpable and real. But for most of the book, her story exists in a completely separate orbit from Avalon and Prim’s. And those chapters kept pulling me out of the momentum. Her storyline doesn’t meaningfully connect to the main plot until the very end. It’s like two different books that only briefly touched.

Sharpe is clearly exploring something interesting here: survival, female friendship, moral ambiguity, and desperation. The bones are good. I just wish the structure had been tightened to let Avalon and Prim’s story shine the way it deserved.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC! Harmless Women publishes April 7th.

QOTD: Do you prefer books with multiple POVs or a single narrator?

About the Author

Rebecca Sharpe wanted to write novels from the moment she read her first Stephen King book, aged eight, and soon graduated onto the works of Susan Hill, Shirley Jackson and Wilkie Collins, with a healthy sprinkling of The Babysitters’ Club along the way. After reading her way through the entire classics section of the school library, she went on to study English Literature at university, which cemented her ambition to become an author.

Two Kinds of Stranger

 

What if your random act of kindness got you arrested for murder?

Defense attorney Eddie Flynn and his crew are back, and this time Cavanagh isn’t letting anyone catch their breath.

In Two Kinds of Stranger, a popular influencer, beloved for her random acts of kindness, helps a stranger and ends up caught in something deadly. She’s arrested for the murders of her husband and best friend, and she needs Eddie. Fast. 

Meanwhile, Eddie’s ex-wife and her husband are accused of killing a man who’d been stalking them. Two cases, running hot at the same time, with innocent lives on the line in both.

What makes this series so reliably fun is the team dynamic. Eddie is all fast talk and courtroom sleight of hand. Harry is the steady, unflappable voice of reason. And Kate faces a genuine moral and ethical dilemma that gives the story some real weight. The pacing is brisk. This one zips and like the rest of the series, it works perfectly as a standalone.

The audiobook is a treat. Narrator Adam Sims brings warmth and depth to Eddie’s fast-talking charm, never letting the former con man tip into caricature. He’s a big part of why this series works so well in audio form.

Entertaining, propulsive, and a whole lot of fun. A great popcorn thriller for fans of courtroom cat-and-mouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Simon Audio for the gifted early listen. Two Kinds of Strangeris out March 24.

QOTD: Would you help a stranger in need, no questions asked? Or are you more of a ‘mind your own business’ type? 

#TwoKindsOfStranger #SteveCavanagh #EddieFlynn #AudiobookReview #ThrillerReads

About the Author

Steve Cavanagh is the bestselling and award-winning author of several books, including the Eddie Flynn series and Kill for Me, Kill for You. A former lawyer, he was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he still lives. 

Fun City Heist

 

What if your last encore… was a crime? 

I’m a sucker for a good heist novel. And Fun City Heist by Michael Kardos really delivers.

Mo used to be the drummer in a high school rock band that kind of made it. When the band imploded, so did Mo’s momentum. Years later, he’s coasting. He’s renting beach chairs & umbrellas to tourists, while his drumsticks are long retired. It’s not a bad life. It’s just stalled.

Then his old bandmate Johnny blows back into town with devastating news. Johnny’s been diagnosed with ALS. He has one last wish—to reunite the band for a 4th of July show at Fun City, the boardwalk amusement park where it all began.

And Johnny has another idea. While the band plays their big comeback gig, they’ll rob the park.

What makes this story work isn’t just the caper (though the planning and execution are half the fun). It’s the heart underneath it. Mo’s evolving relationship with his teenage daughter Janice is a tender thread running through the book. As the heist plan ramps up, so does his chance to finally show up for her. That emotional undercurrent gives the story depth. 

I really enjoyed the offbeat humor and the brisk pacing. The nostalgia for teenage dreams and boardwalk summers is palpable, but it never gets too syrupy. The characters are a little flawed and messy, but I was  rooting for them all the way. Fun City Heist is a summer read with a rebellious streak.

Rock on. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what band or singer would you love to see in concert? 

#funcityheist #michaelkardos #heistnovel #crimefictionlover #summerreading

About the Author

Michael Kardos is the Pushcart Prize-winning author of four previous novels, including Fun City Heist andBluff, as well as the story collections Quick Change and One Last Good Time. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he co-directed the creative writing program at Mississippi State University for over a dozen years before moving with his family to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

February Wrap Up

 

I read 12 books in February — and two of them made me consider lowering my standards.

Kidding. (Mostly.)

Overall, this was a strong reading month. Nine solid four-star reads, one five-star knockout, and two that just… didn’t hit the way I hoped.

Let’s start with the standout:

⭐ Adrift — the only five-star of the month.

Claustrophobic, brutal, and completely absorbing. I was tense the entire time. This one earned its place at the top.

The steady four-star stack? They’re impressive and really good. It was mix of that kept me entertained and turning pages. No regrets there.

And then the two three-stars:

They weren’t bad. They just weren’t memorable.

One was heavier than I expected.

One had a premise I loved but didn’t fully deliver for me.

I’m a generous reader. If I’m not enjoying something, I usually stop reading. So if it made it to the finish line, there was something there.

Still… not every book can be the one that takes over your brain.

February stats:

📚 12 books

🎧 6 audiobooks

📱 5 ebooks

📖 1 print 

⭐ Average rating: 4 stars

Overall verdict? A good month, but I’m greedy. I always want more five-star magic.

QOTD:

Did you have a book this month that should have been amazing but just wasn’t?

#mysterybooks #thrillerreads

#audiobooklover #bookwrapup

#februaryreads