Off the Reservation

 

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 Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

 

Off the Reservation was my first Stephen Graham Jones book. It's the sequel to Only the Good Indians, but there's enough background woven in that I never felt lost jumping in here.

Nathan Yellow Tail and his best friend Sebby rob an isolated cabin owned by a "weekend Indian" on the reservation. While fleeing, they crash, and Sebby ends up in a coma, kept alive by machines. Nathan barely survives, but his life is out of balance. Nurse Seine offers him a way to set things right and pull Sebby back from the brink. All he has to do is join her on a road trip to return the bones of a young Blackfeet boy who died after being taken to the infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Along for the ride are Christian, a young man who doesn't speak, and Mooch, a grieving mother who lost her husband and sons. Nurse Seine and Mooch each have their own hidden reasons for going.

This was the weirdest road trip ever, and I had no idea where it was headed. I knew I was getting horror. I didn't expect possession. When they dug up the boy's bones at Carlisle, they dug up something else too.

But the real horror here is the oppression inflicted on tribal peoples, and the racism and injustice Native Americans still face today.

🎧 The full cast narration was exceptional. Every narrator gave a fantastic performance and made it easy to keep the characters straight.

It's atmospheric and character-driven, with dark humor running all the way through. A few spots dragged for me, but overall I really enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

About the Author

Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians, My Heart Is a Chainsaw, and I Was a Teenage Slasher. He has been an NEA fellowship recipient and a recipient of several awards including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from American Library Association. He is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder. Follow Stephen on Instagram and visit his website for more news and information about his books.

The Last to Drown

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kris | Your Retired Librarian Friend (@theretiredlibrarian)

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. 

Noelle Ihli knows how to write an edge of your thriller. The Last to Drown is a banger and so bingeable.

Narrator Vivienne Leheny does a fantastic job with the fast paced action and all the emotions. 

Grab this one if you love propulsive action, cat and mouse thrillers, isolated locations, and strong women. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wear your life vest and jump right into it! 

Grab a copy of The Last to Drown at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

About the Author

Noelle W. Ihli is a thriller-suspense author. She lives in Idaho with her husband, two sons, and two cats. When she’s not plotting her next thriller, she’s scaring herself with true-crime documentaries or going for a trail ride in the foothills. Follow Noelle on Instagram and visit her website for more news and information about her books.

The Three Graces of Pearl Street

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kris | Your Retired Librarian Friend (@theretiredlibrarian)

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 Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook! 

The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins

✅ three generations of women

✅ debut novel

✅ layered and emotionally rich

✅ phenomenal audiobook

✅ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

About the Author

Elizabeth Wellington Rollins is a writer and award-winning copywriter. She grew up outside New York City and graduated from Davidson College. Her work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, The Week, Travel + Leisure, and Vogue. She lives in Vermont with her family. Follow Elizabeth on Instagram and visit her webiste for more news and information. 

She Dies in the End

 

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 Kathleen Carter Communications and Amazon Publishing for the gifted ARC, and to Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted early listen.

In She Dies in the End by Elle Marr, Penny Lin matches donated bodies with the labs that need them, and she treats the dead with respect. When her ex turns a body into a party spectacle, her furious rant goes viral. Then he turns up dead in her morgue, and Penny is suspect number one. A truly original premise, steady tension, and lots of twists. Mirai's audio narration is fantastic. I started out reading the ARC and switched to the audiobook for the majority of the book.

If you love mysteries with a premise you've never seen before, add this one to your list.

Out October 20. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

About the Author

Elle Marr is the author of seven thrillers centering AAPI characters. Her debut THE MISSING SISTER was published in April 2020, and her latest release, THE LIE SHE WEARS was published on November 18, 2025. Her work has been featured in PopSugar, Woman’s World Magazine, Goodreads, Audible, and TV affiliates for CBS, ABC, FOX, and NBC. Follow Elle on Instagram and visit her website for more news about her books.

The French Illusion

 

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.

Many thanks for the free book, Penguin Random House Audio! John Grisham wrote a spy thriller, and I'm here for it. 

The French Illusion is a high stakes game of cat and mouse that plays out on an international stage.

American honeymooners Chelsea and Paul are kidnapped in Paris, the ransom is paid, but only the wife comes home. And this is not the first time it's happened. 

A young CIA analyst comes up with a daring plan to find Paul and apprehended the kidnappers. She recruits a young lawyer from the Justice Department to pose as bait for the kidnappers. It's a daring plan that could have deadly consequences. 

This is a fast, tense, revenge story with a counterterrorism twist underneath. The ending a felt a little rushed to me and wrapped up a little too tidy. But ultimately was satisfying. 

Michael Beck's narration is fantastic. He's a perfect fit for mix of political intrigue and action. He also does a great job juggling accents and numerous characters. 

This is a great choice for a reader looking for the tension filled espionage mixed with adrenaline filled action. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you liked this review, you might be interested in my review of Gisham's The Widow.

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.

Follow John on Instagram and visit his website for more news and information about his books.

Look What the Cat Dragged In

 

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.

Pub Day Review 🐈‍⬛

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen!

Some pet owners joke they have the cat from hell. Penny's new houseguest actually is one. 😈🐈‍⬛

Penny is heartbroken when her cat Popcorn runs away. Popcorn wasn't just a pet. She was the inspiration for Penny's book series. So when her boyfriend asks her to cat-sit for one of his very wealthy clients, she reluctantly says yes. Godfrey takes to Penny right away, but strange things start happening, and Penny realizes this is no ordinary cat. Godfrey is a demon. Literally.

Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak looks like a cozy, but there's plenty of blood and gore for horror fans. It's a perfect spooky season read. The audiobook is a romp, and Stephanie Németh-Parker's narration is a big part of why. She voices every character beautifully and really brings out Penny's emotions.

Pick this one up if you want campy horror and don't mind some blood with your cat hair. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grab a copy at Bookshop,org and hekp an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of Dive Bar at the End of the Road.

About the Author

Jason Rekulak lives in Philadelphia with his wife and family. His novels include Hidden Pictures (winner of a Goodreads Choice Award), The Last One at the Wedding (winner of the ITW Award for Best Standalone Thriller), and The Impossible Fortress (an Edgar Award finalist). Follow Jason on Instagram and visit his website for more news and information about his books.

Last, Now, Next

 

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: The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins
Three generations of women, and I was invested in every one of them. Fair warning: the ending made me ugly cry. Not a single dignified tear, a full ugly cry. Keep tissues close.

NOW: Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones
The multi-cast narration is a treat. Having a different voice for each character keeps me locked in, and the story has me hooked on where it's going. I'm on the road today, so this one is riding shotgun.

NEXT: The Last to Drown by Noelle W. Ihli
Nothing complicated about this pick. I'm a Noelle Ihli fan, and that's all the reason I need.

Grab a copy of any of these from my affiliate store at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you liked this post, check my previous last, now, next post.

The Amateur

 

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 golf novel, but make it a 1970s family drama. ⛳📚

The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian starts with a practice shot gone horribly wrong and follows a teenage golf star as her life comes apart. Mira is a mess, and I rooted for her anyway (while also wanting to send her to her room).

🎧 Melora Hardin's narration is the way to go.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grab a copy of The Amateur from Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of The Sins of Summer Daughters by Lo Patrick. 

About the Author

Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-six books, including his most recent The Amateur, as well as The Jackal’s Mistress, The Lioness, Hour of the Witch, Midwives, and The Flight Attendant, which was made into an Emmy-winning HBO Max limited series starring Kaley Cuoco. His other books include The Red Lotus, The Guest Room; Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands; The Sandcastle Girls; Skeletons at the Feast; and The Double Bind. His novels Secrets of Eden, Midwives, and Past the Bleachers were made into movies, and his work has been translated into more than thirty- five languages. Follow Chris on Instagram and visit his website for more news and information about his books.

Dive Bar at the End of the Road

 

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.

Check out my full review of Dive Bar at the End of the Road by Kelley Armstrong on Instagram!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook!

This is a perfect read for a dark and stormy night. 

A car crash on an empty road. A dive bar where nobody is who they seem. And something deadly waiting in the woods.

Kelley Armstrong's Dive Bar at the End of the Road is fast, tense, and gory supernatural horror. I couldn't stop listening. Narrators Helen Laser, Shane Ghostkeeper, and Sean Patrick Hopkins brought their A-games.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Dive Bar at the End of the Road is out now.

Grab a copy at Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of Trad Wife by Sarah Langan.

About the Author

Kelley Armstrong is the author of over 50 novels in mystery, fantasy and horror. She believes experience is the best teacher, though she’s been told this shouldn’t apply to writing her murder scenes. Follow Kelley on Instagram and visit her website for more news and information about her books.

Bad Words

 

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 gifted early listen!

Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson is a smart, layered romance full of emotional depth and characters I rooted for the whole way.

Parker Navarro's much-hyped debut novel tanks after a scathing review from critic Selina Chan. Four years later, his second book is his shot at redemption and maybe his last chance to keep his writing career alive. Selina can't pass up the chance to review it, and she writes another blistering takedown. When a video of Parker confronting her goes viral, their feud lights up the publishing world and the internet. But somewhere in all that noise, Parker and Selina start actually talking to each other.

This is a romance with grown-up stakes. Yes, there's plenty of witty banter and the inevitable third-act breakup, but Robinson layers so much underneath it. I loved the unvarnished look behind the scenes of publishing. Selina writes for a venerable magazine that's barely hanging on, and the pressure to write for clicks instead of thoughtful criticism is real.

 I also loved how seriously Selina takes her job. She approaches every review with care and real respect for the craft.

Robinson also digs into the pressure on young people to choose a "safe" career over the one they're passionate about. And I loved how Parker's roommate looks out for his mental health and how his family rallies around him.

Narrators Katharine Chin and Major Curda are excellent. They give the banter real pop, bring the heat to the romance, and handle the emotional moments with sensitivity.

Parker and Selina don't get a meet-cute. Their relationship grows as they dig deep and figure out who they are, separately and together. It's thoughtful, beautifully crafted, and the character development is excellent.

If you love a romance that makes you think as much as it makes you swoon, put this one at the top of your TBR. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bad Words publishes October 6.

You can preorder Bad Words from Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

if you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of The Odds of You by Kate Dramis.

About the Author

Rioghnach Robinson grew up in North Carolina, studied economics at Kenyon College, and now lives in New York City. Her books for young readers, including Lambda Award winner Come Home to My Heart, are published under the pen name Riley Redgate. Bad Words is her first adult novel. Follow Rioghnach on Instagram and visit her website for more news and information about her books.

The Barman of the Ritz

 

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 Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook. 

The Barman of the Ritz by Philippe Collin is based on the fascinating life of Frank Meier, a celebrated barman known for inventing popular cocktails and being the consummate professional. In 1936 he wrote The Artistry of Mixing Drinks, and original copies are so rare they now sell for thousands of dollars.

Meier grew up in poverty but ended up rubbing elbows with the rich and famous: authors, playwrights, actors, politicians, and titans of business.

When the Nazis occupy Paris, the grand Ritz Hotel stays open, and its little bar becomes their favorite spot. Night after night, Meier keeps shaking cocktails for German officers while hiding the fact that he's Jewish.

Collin does a remarkable job contrasting the cruelty of the Occupation with the nightly festivities at the bar. You really get a sense of time and place, with socialites, artists, philosophers, moguls, and Nazi officers all passing through. Simon Paisley Day brings real gravitas to the narration, capturing both Meier's pride in his work and his terror that his secret will come out.

What I liked most is that Meier wasn't part of the Resistance. This is the story of an ordinary man trying to survive an extraordinarily dark and dangerous time. A great pick for historical fiction readers looking for something a little different. Out now! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Grab a copy from Bookshop.org and help an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon. 

About the Author

Philippe Collin has been a producer at France Inter for the past twenty years and holds a master’s degree in contemporary history. Since 2021, he has produced a series of historical podcasts that have been downloaded by more than forty million listeners. The Barman of the Ritz is his first novel. Follow Philippe on Instagram.