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Welcome to The Retired Librarian!

Hi, I’m Kris, a retired high school librarian who never actually stopped recommending books. I spent decades putting the right book in the right hands, and it turns out retirement doesn’t cure that particular obsession.

Here you’ll find honest reviews with no hype and no fluff. I read across genres but my heart belongs to mysteries, thrillers, and a really great audiobook. If a book isn’t working for me, I’ll tell you that too — life’s too short for books you’re not loving.

A few good places to start:

• Mad Mabel — Sally Hepworth at her absolute best

• The Caretaker — a 5-star read I'm still thinking about

• 5 Mysteries That Take Place in 24 Hours or Less — perfect if you want something gripping and fast

• March Reading Wrap-Up — 16 books, 7 five-star reads

Want more? Come find me on Instagram at @theretiredlibrarian where I post daily book content.

Happy reading! 📚

IG Live | A Conversation with Michael Kardos

 

IG Live | A Conversation with Michael Kardos

A few weeks ago I sat down on Instagram Live with author Michael Kardos to talk about his delightful crime novel Fun City Heist and it was every bit as fun as the book itself.

Here’s the setup: Mo used to be the drummer in a band that almost made it. Now he’s renting beach chairs to tourists and trying not to think too hard about the life he didn’t have. Then his old bandmate Johnny shows up with two things — a terminal ALS diagnosis and one last wild idea. Reunite the band for a 4th of July show at the boardwalk amusement park where it all began. And while they’re at it? Rob the place.

It’s a heist novel with real heart. What makes it work isn’t just the caper.  It’s Mo’s relationship with his teenage daughter running underneath everything. I gave it 4 stars and had a blast reading it. Full review here.

Watch my conversation with Michael on Instagram — catch the replay here.

IG Live | A Conversation with Robin Yocum

 

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down on Instagram Live with author Robin Yocum to talk about his thriller The Last Hitman — and it was a great conversation.

Here’s the quick version of the book: Angelo Cipriani is an aging mob enforcer who’s been quietly pushed out by new leadership. His days are simple now: lunch at the diner, a little harmless flirting with the waitress. Then the FBI shows up with a proposition that changes everything. Talk and stay out of prison. Stay silent and risk becoming a loose end.

It’s a character-driven crime novel with a surprisingly sympathetic main character and some of the crispest writing I’ve come across in a while. A hidden gem that deserves a lot more attention. I gave it 4 stars. You can read my full review here.

Watch the replay on Instagram —

 catch it here.

IG Live | A Conversation with Mark Murphy

 

IG Live | A Conversation with Mark Murphy

Back in February I had the pleasure of sitting down on Instagram Live with author Mark Murphy to talk about his thriller Rose Dhu — and it was a great conversation.

If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the quick version: a beloved Savannah surgeon vanishes into thin air, and detectives Frank Winger and Pepper Stephens are left untangling a web of wealthy suspects, dark secrets, and moral compromise. Think high-society corruption with a genuinely satisfying ending.

I gave it 4 stars and loved how Murphy built the investigation without resorting to cheap tricks. It’s just solid, intelligent storytelling. You can read my full review here: Rose Dhu review

Watch the replay on Instagram — catch it here: IG Live | A Conversation with author Mark Murphy

Caller Unknown

 

This book had me gripped — right up until the ending asked me to believe a little too much.

Gillian McAllister’s Caller Unknown opens with a premise that hooks you immediately: a mother’s daughter is kidnapped, and the terror that follows is visceral and real. McAllister absolutely nails Simone’s panic and desperation. That part worked.

What also worked was the relationship between Simone and Lucy. Simone is smart and capable — even when I didn’t agree with her choices. She has strong convictions about motherhood, including one I pushed back on a little myself. But she’s a compelling character and I was rooting for her the whole way.

Where the book lost me was the ending. The resolution hinged on a sequence of events that required me to suspend a lot of disbelief. I’m talking serious luck, not convincing plot. No spoilers, but let’s just say the characters’ survival depends on circumstances that felt more miraculous than realistic. My inner high school English teacher kept whispering deus ex machina.

McAllister’s fans will enjoy this one. She knows how to move a plot and pile on the emotions. I just needed the payoff to live up to what came before it. If you’re looking for a fast, propulsive thriller for a beach or pool read, this delivers. Just don’t look too closely at the seams. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC. Caller Unknownpublishes May 5.

If you enjoyed this review, you might like Forget You Saw Her by Noelle W. Ihli. 

About the Author

Gillian McAllister is the New York Timesbestselling author of Reese's Book Club Pick Wrong Place Wrong Time, Famous Last Words, Just Another Missing Person, Everything but the Truth, The Choice, The Good Sister, The Evidence Against You, How to Disappear, and the Richard & Judy Book Club pick That Night. She graduated with an English degree before working as a lawyer. She lives in Birmingham, England, where she now writes full-time. She is also the creator and co-host of the popular Honest Authorspodcast. 

Mad Mabel

 

This grumpy old woman broke my heart.

Elsie Fitzpatrick wants nothing to do with her neighbors. Turns out, she’d do anything for them.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth is one of those books that sneaks up on you. Elsie Fitzpatrick is 81, cantankerous, and completely misunderstood by everyone on her street. She comes across as the neighbor nobody wants — sharp-tongued, closed off, impossible to read. But she’s also quietly looking out for the people around her even while a shadow of suspicion hangs over her head.

Two relationships are at the heart of this story. The first is with a lonely little girl named Persephone who moves in across the street and refuses to take no for an answer. You can feel exactly why Elsie can’t quite turn her away. The second is with her own past, because young Mabel was that lonely little girl once. And the past timeline shows you the painful, overlooked childhood that shaped everything about who Elsie became.

The whole truth only comes out when a team of podcasters finally convinces Elsie to tell her side of the story. What her neighbors — and we — learn about her childhood changes everything. That’s where Hepworth really lands the emotional punch.

The dual narrator setup in the audio is perfect for this one. Hannah Fredericksen and Jenny Seedsman voice young Mabel and older Elsie. The distinction between them makes the timelines effortless to follow. Rare that the production adds that much to the experience.

I highly recommended this to anyone who loves character-driven fiction, family drama, or women’s fiction with real emotional weight. ⚠️Check trigger warnings before you start.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen. Mad Mabel is out April 21. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you liked this, you might also enjoy my review of Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak. 

About the Author

Sally Hepworth is the New York Timesbestselling author of nine novels, including The Good Sister and The Soulmate. Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty languages. Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her family and one adorable dog.

The Great Houses of Pill Hill

 

The premise sounded irresistible. The execution? Not so much.

The Great Houses of Pill Hill had everything going for it on paper: an interior designer who builds miniature crime scene dioramas, a murder, and a house full of secrets. Cookie, the main character, even has two dogs, which honestly got her further with me than anything else in this book.

But here’s where it went sideways for me: the dioramas. The dioramas were whole reason I picked this up. They barely factor into the story. There’s a Lizzie Borden diorama scene that could have been genuinely thrilling, and then it just fizzles. The murder mystery gets buried under a tangle of subplots that pull focus in every direction. The characters felt flat. The dialogue is written without quotation marks (which made it nearly impossible to separate Cookie’s inner thoughts from actual conversation), and by the end I’d lost the thread completely. I don’t know if the no quotation marks was just an ARC thing or if it’s the author’s style. 

I wanted quirky and clever. Instead I got overwhelmed and a little bored.

If you love literary, character-driven fiction and aren’t too hung up on a tight plot, you might find more to love here than I did. But if you’re coming for the mystery and the miniatures, this one might leave you wanting. 

Thank you Soho Crime for the gifted ARC. The Great Houses of Pill Hill publishes May 5.