Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Little Red Death

 

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A killer premise. A hot mess ending.


Little Red Death by Alexandra Benedict had an intriguing premises. A thriller writer gets kidnapped and told to write gruesome murders based on classic fairytales, murders her captor then acts out in real life. So much promise in the premise. Meanwhile DI Lyla Rondell is working the case, tying the killings to fairytales and connecting them to her best friend’s disappearance 25 years ago. Great setup. But the execution just did not hold up for me. 


I’ve read a lot of UK police procedurals and Lyla’s investigation felt off from the jump. She’s relentless, I’ll give her that, but she breaks chain of evidence, goes rogue constantly, and her boss talks and acts nothing like an actual supervising inspector would. It read amateurish in a genre that usually gets these details right. And then the back half. The murders keep escalating, the kidnapped writer is scrambling to save herself, and it all tips into pure absurdity. By the ending I wasn’t along for the ride anymore. I was just along for the wreck. If the goal was a meta, mind bending finale, then mission accomplished. But it cost the story my suspension of disbelief and, unfortunately, my enjoyment too. 


If you want a fast paced mashup of mystery, thriller, fairytale horror and existential chaos, this might be exactly your book. It just wasn’t mine. 


Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the gifted ARC. Little Red Death is out Sept. 8. 


You can preorder a copy of Little Read Death at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it. 


If you're interested in folktale-based thriller, read my review of The Hat Man by Greg Marchand.



About the Author

Alexandra Benedict is a bestselling, award-winning writer of short stories, novels and scripts. She she writes acclaimed short stories, high-concept novels and award-winning audio drama for Big Finish, Audible UK, Audible US and BBC Sounds among others. She won the Scribe Award for her Doctor Who radio drama, The Calendar Man, and was shortlisted for the eDunnit Novel Award for The Beauty of Murder and the BBC Audio Drama Podcast Award for Children of the Stones. Her Christmas mysteries, The Christmas Murder Game and Murder on the Christmas Express, were both bestsellers, and The Christmas Murder Game was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Follow Alexandra on Instagram or visit her website for more news and information about her books.

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Heart of Glass

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the early listen.


Twenty-five years ago, a man confessed to killing a teenage girl at an amusement park. Now he says she was never one of his victims.


Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier had me glued to earbuds for the entire audiobook. 


This is technically book two in the Wonderland series, but I never read book one, and I promise you it does NOT matter. Hillier gives you everything you need for context. This one stands on its own merits. 


Barb and Nicolette were best friends with a girl murdered by a serial killer at their local amusement park decades ago. Nicolette left town, married rich, and landed herself on a reality show. Barb stayed, became a reporter, and never really left that summer behind. 


Now the amusement park is reopening, a true crime documentary is about to drop, the killer just recanted his confession, and a new body washes up on shore. Barb is sure the body is somehow connected to reality tv personality who went missing years before. 


The timeline bounces between then and now and multiple points of view, and somehow it never once got confusing. That is a real writing feat. Both timelines are filled with twists and turns. Hillier deftly weaves the POVs and timeline threads together into an edge of your seat mystery that keeps you guessing. She keeps ramping up the tension until you are basically vibrating by the last hundred pages. The final twist at the end? Dang! 🀯


The full cast narration is excellent. This is an all star cast with Brittany Pressley, Eunice Wong, January LaVoy, Ferdelle Capistrano, and Chris Brinkley. They all give great performances and really make the listening experience pop. 


This is atmospheric, twisty, and so bingeable.  Heart of Glass is out August 25. Don't miss it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can preorder Heart of Glass at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might enjoy my review of Jennifer's book The Butcher.

About the Author

Jennifer Hillier is the author of the bestselling Little Secrets (finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Prize and Anthony Award), and Jar of Hearts (winner, ITW Thriller Award, and finalist for the Anthony and Macavity Awards). A Filipino-Canadian born and raised in Toronto, she spent several years in Seattle before returning home to Canada. Follow Jennifer on Instagram or visit her website for more news and information about her books.



Monday, August 10, 2026

One Good Eye

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen. 


One Good Eye is out tomorrow. This series deserves way more buzz than it’s getting. 


A hurricane hits Long Island’s Gold Coast, an old friend gets attacked in a home invasion, and she tells the police chief not to investigate. He does it anyway. 


One Good Eye is book two in Kevin Wade’s Jeep Mullane series, and while it works fine as a standalone, you’ll want to start with Johnny Careless once you meet this guy. Jeep is the local police chief on Long Island’s Gold Coast, born and raised there, and he knows the people and the secrets like the back of his hand. 


When his old friend Jenny Racine, now a rich and famous entrepreneur, is attacked at her estate during a hurricane, Jenny wants no part of an investigation. Jeep can’t help himself. He starts pulling at threads from their shared past, and none of them stay buried for long. 


What makes this book work is Jeep himself. He’s smart, kind, tenacious, and self-deprecatingly funny. The setting is atmospheric, the characters are complex, and the twists actually surprised me. 


John Pirhalla’s narration is excellent as always. He nails Jeep’s range, from the ache of remembering his father’s death to the flat, steely voice he uses when questioning suspects. 


If you’re looking for a well-plotted, quick-paced crime novel with a main character worth rooting for, add this one to your list. I’m already hoping for a third book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 


Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen. One Good Eye is out tomorrow. This series deserves way more buzz than it’s getting. 


A hurricane hits Long Island’s Gold Coast, an old friend gets attacked in a home invasion, and she tells the police chief not to investigate. He does it anyway. 


One Good Eye is book two in Kevin Wade’s Jeep Mullane series, and while it works fine as a standalone, you’ll want to start with Johnny Careless once you meet this guy. Jeep is the local police chief on Long Island’s Gold Coast, born and raised there, and he knows the people and the secrets like the back of his hand. 


When his old friend Jenny Racine, now a rich and famous entrepreneur, is attacked at her estate during a hurricane, Jenny wants no part of an investigation. Jeep can’t help himself. He starts pulling at threads from their shared past, and none of them stay buried for long. 


What makes this book work is Jeep himself. He’s smart, kind, tenacious, and self-deprecatingly funny. The setting is atmospheric, the characters are complex, and the twists actually surprised me. 


John Pirhalla’s narration is excellent as always. He nails Jeep’s range, from the ache of remembering his father’s death to the flat, steely voice he uses when questioning suspects. 


If you’re looking for a well-plotted, quick-paced crime novel with a main character worth rooting for, add this one to your list. I’m already hoping for a third book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 


This series deserves way more buzz than it’s getting. 


A hurricane hits Long Island’s Gold Coast, an old friend gets attacked in a home invasion, and she tells the police chief not to investigate. He does it anyway. 


One Good Eye is book two in Kevin Wade’s Jeep Mullane series, and while it works fine as a standalone, you’ll want to start with Johnny Careless once you meet this guy. Jeep is the local police chief on Long Island’s Gold Coast, born and raised there, and he knows the people and the secrets like the back of his hand. 


When his old friend Jenny Racine, now a rich and famous entrepreneur, is attacked at her estate during a hurricane, Jenny wants no part of an investigation. Jeep can’t help himself. He starts pulling at threads from their shared past, and none of them stay buried for long. 


What makes this book work is Jeep himself. He’s smart, kind, tenacious, and self-deprecatingly funny. The setting is atmospheric, the characters are complex, and the twists actually surprised me. 


John Pirhalla’s narration is excellent as always. He nails Jeep’s range, from the ache of remembering his father’s death to the flat, steely voice he uses when questioning suspects. 


If you’re looking for a well-plotted, quick-paced crime novel with a main character worth rooting for, add this one to your list. I’m already hoping for a third book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 


You can grab a copy of One Good Eye from Bookshop.org and help an independent bookstore while you're at it.


if you missed it, check out my review of Johnny Careless, the first book in the Jeep Mullane series.


About the Author

Kevin Wade is a playwright, screenwriter, and television writer and producer whose credits include the stage plays Key Exchange, Mr. & Mrs, and Cruise Control, and the screenplays for Working Girl (seven Academy Award nominations), True Colors, Mr. Baseball, Junior, Meet Joe Black, and Maid in Manhattan. For television, he created the ABC television drama Cashmere Mafia. In 2010 he joined the rookie CBS drama Blue Bloods as a writer, and since 2011 he has served as its showrunner, executive producer, and backseat driver. Wade was nominated for an Edgar Award for best episodic teleplay for the episode entitled “My Aim Is True.” Stay up to date with Kevin by following him on 

Friday, August 7, 2026

Last, Now, Next - audiobook edition

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

Last book, now reading, next up — audiobook edition

Thank you tagged publishers for the gifted audiobooks! 


Last: They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough — a family moves into a house their grandmother keeps saying a girl died in, and I still haven’t decided if her dementia is confusion or a warning. Saskia Maarleveld’s narration made the heat and dread in this one feel physical. Atmospheric and genuinely creepy.


Now: One of the Family by Mark Edwards — a boyfriend gets invited to his girlfriend’s family estate in Scotland for New Year’s and walks straight into rich people behaving very, very badly. This trope is my weakness and Edwards is not messing around.


Next: Them by W.H. Chizmar — post-apocalyptic survival horror, a lone man walking a ruined East Coast trying to hold onto his humanity. Not a light palate cleanser but I’m ready for it.


Thank you Simon Audio and Macmillian Audio for the gifted audiobooks!


Grab a copy of One of the Family or preorder They Say a Girl Died Here, or Them at Bookshop.org and help an independent bookstore while you're at it.


Check out my review of The Wasp Trap Mark Edwards.




Thursday, August 6, 2026

Death Meets Cute

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

She’s failing at evil in the most charming way possible. 


I read this one purely because it was nothing like what I usually pick up, and it turned out to be an incredibly fun surprise.


Iris Weyward wants to be a proper villain. The problem is her new bodyguard is a reanimated orc named Talon who’d rather bake cupcakes than terrify anyone. Iris spends this book trying to build her wicked reputation while accidentally helping her neighbors, falling for Talon, and working with her sisters to figure out why their magic keeps fading. She’s failing at evil in the most charming way possible. 


This was such a sweet, funny listen. Talon stole every scene he was in, and the slow burn between him and Iris had me smiling the whole way through. 


It’s got found family, a little mystery, and just enough of a hint of danger to keep things interesting without ever losing that cozy feeling. Samara MacLaren’s narration matches the tone perfectly, she gives Talon this warmth that makes him impossible not to love. 


If you’re in the mood for a witchy romance with heart and humor, this is a great pick. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Thank you to Sourcebooks Audio for the gifted listen. Death Meets Cute by J. Penner is out now.


Grab a copy of Death Meets Cute at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.


If you enjoyed this review and are interested in another romantasy, check out my review of Shield of Sparrows.


About the Author

J. Penner writes cozy fantasy books filled with magic. She lives in San Diego where she can be found with her cat on her lap and a pen in her hand. Follow her on Instagram or visit her website for more news and information about her books.


Wednesday, August 5, 2026

IG Live | a conversation with author Julie Carrick Dalton

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

If you weren’t able to catch us live earlier, here's the replay of my conversation with Julie Carrick Dalton. We dug into The Forest Becomes Her and talked about the Concord setting, the three women who end up fighting for one tree, and how she let the magic creep in so slowly you almost don’t clock it until it’s already got you. Julie also talked about her background as a beekeeper and organic farmer and how that shaped the way she writes about land and what we owe it.


If you loved this one as much as I did, or you’re still deciding whether to pick it up, the replay is a good place to start. You can grab a copy of The Forest Becomes Her at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it. You can check out my full book review here.


About the Author

As a journalist, Julie Carrick Dalton has published more than a thousand articles in The Boston Globe, BusinessWeek, The Hollywood Reporter, Orion Magazine, Electric Literature, and other publications. A former beekeeper and organic farmer, she is a frequent speaker on the topic of writing fiction in the age of climate crisis and is a member of the teaching faculty at Drexel University’s MFA Program. When she isn’t reading, writing, or teaching, you can probably find her skiing, swimming, kayaking, working in her garden, or trying to keep track of her four children and two dogs.


Follow Julie on Instagram and visit her website for news and information about her books.



Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Habits of the Sea

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It just helps keep this space going.

A man out of time. An island that shouldn’t exist. And a girl who spent decades trying to convince herself she imagined both.


Clay Lockhart is a fable. Except he’s real.


Ellie Mills has one brief encounter with Clay and his impossible island when she’s twelve years old. Then she spends years telling herself it never happened, that it was a dream, a story she made up. Her heart knows better. Decades later there’s another sighting of the mythical island, and Ellie realizes she has to find out the truth about the timeless man and the place that vanished.


This is a beautifully written novel about grief, healing, and love. It's atmospheric and lyric. It’s about choosing love and choosing your fate even when it seems impossible.


There’s also a warning tucked inside the fable and the love story, and it’s about caring for and respecting our world. As the decades pass, Ellie and Clay notice small changes in the seas. They don’t understand what those changes mean until danger arrives at their shore and they realize the world and the water they knew is already gone.


Carlotta Brentan’s narration is marvelous. It reminded me of Julia Whelan narrating The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and since that’s my favorite audiobook of all time, that’s about the highest compliment I have to give.


Perfect for readers who love literary fiction, slow burning character driven stories, and impossible love stories. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted listen. Habits of the Sea is out now. Grad a copy at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.


If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in Little Wild, another character driven love story with magical realism.


About the Author

Shea Ernshaw is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wicked Deep, Winterwood, A Wilderness of Stairs, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, and A History of Wild Places. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and repeatedly chosen as Indie Next Picks. She lives in a small mountain town in Oregon and is happiest when lost in a good book, lost in the woods, or writing her next novel. Follow Shea on Instagram or visit her webiste for more news and information about Shea and her books.