756. LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam (12/6/25) Thriller
Leave the World Behind is a 2020 story about a white couple, Amanda and Clay, who rent a home on a remote area of Long Island for their vacation. A black couple, unbeknownst to the vacationers, come to the door knocking in the middle of the night claiming to be the owners of the house and want to stay in their house due to a massive blackout in the city. They are an older couple, Ruth and G.H., and are scared and desperate. Clay is unsure about their story and is unable to verify the claim of this couple disrupting their vacation with their TV, internet, and cell service down.
With elements of class and race relations and the horror of the unknown, this becomes the the tale of human nature gone awry. Panic, fear of the unknown expose dangling moral shortcomings reflecting our most vulnerable moments.
This book will keep you riveted as the couples become unnerved by what could be a national apocalyptic emergency.
4 Stars
751. THE HOUSEMAID’S WEDDING by Frieda McFadden (11/23/25)
Millie is finally marrying the one she loves, dear Enzo, and is excited that her estranged parents will be joining them for the Courthouse wedding. But before she leaves she receives a death-threatening message that someone wants to kill her for her part in interfering in helping in an abuse situation. She doesn’t want to ruin the day by telling Enzo, so she is on the lookout for the perp.
This is a VERY short story, a kind of fill-in to tie the stories 2 and 3 together. I think it could have been part of either book but it is what it is.
3 Stars
750. THE LIST by Steve Berry (11/23/25) Suspense
After a 10 year exile to care for his ailing mother, Brent Walker, a young attorney, goes home to work for a pulp and paper mill in Southern Georgia. At first he is delighted to be back home with a good job, but soon he realizes that the mill is cost-cutting by being self-insured for liability. Then he notices that the workers with health and injury incidents all seem to die from natural causes, not a liability.
The author, a lawyer himself, does a good job with setting this story in a company-type town, whose residents all depend upon the mill for work and just about everything in the town. He builds a strong case with moral complications of what the town would do without the mill. Also he builds a climax with murder, corporate over-reach and complexities of healthcare dilemmas, which are all timely.
4 Stars
749. THE HOUSEMAID’S SECRET by Frieda McFadden (11/20/25) Suspense
The Housemaid (# 742) was a 5 Star book rating from me for completely blind siding the ending. This sequel finds Millie, the housemaid dating a guy named Brock, a lawyer with a heart condition. Millie finds a new job with another wealthy family, Douglas and Wendy Garrick, who live in a New York Upper West Side penthouse. Douglas says his wife is ill and spends most of the day in her bedroom and not to disturb her. But Millie is concerned about Wendy’s well-being and she gets nosey.
At this point I felt like the book had too many plot similarities to Book # 1 and I started to get bored. Of course different people were weird and kept us guessing with twists and turns, but I didn’t find it quite as exciting as the first one. As a stand alone it would be good for most.
4 Stars
742. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden (11/8/25) Thriller
There are four books so far in this series: The Housemaid, The Housemaid’s Secret, the Housemaid’s Wedding, and The Housemaid is Watching. I plan to read them all in the correct order. First is the Housemaid, where we are introduced to Millie Calloway who is homeless and needs a job after serving a sentence in prison. Currently living in her car, she knows the challenges of finding a good job as a live-in Housemaid with her record which is easy to Google.
A rich suburban family offers her a job and she jumps at it. The wife, Nina, is a messy and disorganized person and Millie finds her throwing all kinds of important things out. She accuses Millie of throwing important papers away and rather than denying it, she apologizes in order to keep her job. The husband, a handsome man, realizes that his wife is problematic and tells Millie about her infertility problem and how she has “let herself go”. Andrew and Millie are attracted to each other leading to big issues.
This plot set-up did not prepare me for what came next. With shocking and surprising twists and turns this story went in a way I couldn’t have imagined. Just when you think you know what will come next, a big zig-zag disrupts everything. For those who love thrillers, no matter how scary it gets, this is a winner. Everything was juicily creepy and the characters were wretchingly horrible. Now on to The Housemaid’s Secret!
5 Stars
725. ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY by Stacy Willingham (9/18/25) Mystery
Margot meets Lucy and the end of her freshman year at college. Margot is shy, never an attention-getter and is surprised when Lucy asks her if she would like to room together. She didn’t think Lucy even knew who she was and Lucy was outgoing and a ringleader. Margot was flattered and was anxious to make a change since she had been in a funk after the death of her best friend right after high school graduation.
This is the setting of an out of control group of students who display the worst of college behavior. Heavy drinking leading to unsafe sex, endless poor moral decisions and fraternity brutality were the norm on weekends and soon one fraternity boy is brutally murdered and Lucy goes missing.
By the end of this story there was no one to rally around. Everyone’s behavior was cruel and rowdy and it was hard to find anyone with salvation. I did not believe there was any good in this evil portrayal of a very dark story of college behavior. It made me feel dirty.
3 Stars
724. SHE DIDN’T SEE IT COMING by Shari Lapena (9/15/25) Suspense
Bryden and Sam Frost have a wonderful and full life together. They both have great jobs, make great money, live in a luxury condo, and have an adorable 3-year-old daughter. They appear to be the perfect couple. One day Sam got a call from the day-care that Bryden didn’t pick up their daughter and that they tried to call her multiple times but she never answered the phone. Sam was upset with this because his wife is totally reliable and would never forget about their daughter. After many calls he picks up their daughter and brings her home. His wife’s car is parked in the garage and everything seems normal at the condo. Her purse, keys, laptop, and phone are undisturbed but Bryden is gone. He is upset but calls family and friends and then the police. Detective Jane Salter comes to the condo and questions family and friends who all agree that Sam and Bryden seem happy and don’t fight. All feel the marriage is strong. Salter starts her work by questioning the manager of the building and checks the few security cameras in operation. As the investigation continues the detective is able to sense when some are not telling the whole truth or lying and her investigative techniques are amazing to see.
This story is like peeling the skin off an onion. Just when I thought that something she uncovered really implicated someone, another clue would turn up changing the scenario. At times there were so many involved with motives and twists and turns and it was so cleverly done that it kept me in suspense until the final page. The audiobook was a twelve hour book and I listened all the way through till the end. I love Lapena’s writing style and her characters and look forward to another soon.
5 Stars
720. FORGET ME NOT by Stacy Willingham (9/9/25) Mystery
Claire Campbell’s 18 year-old, older sister disappeared leaving young Claire and her parents traumatized. A man was convicted of the crime when blood of her sister was found in his car, but Claire was not convinced that he did it. Her body was never found. Claire’s family broke apart and twenty-two years later she received a phone call from her father that she should come home because her mother needed help. She took a leave from her job in the city as an investigative journalist and went back to her small town where she was forced to re-face the situation of her sister’s disappearance. She took a job at a vineyard where her sister had worked before her disappearance and came across a hand written diary that had clues and details concerning her sister.
This turns into a complex tale, complete with name changes, identity mistakes that made it hard to follow. After going over several of the last chapters to try to figure out what was going on, I got it, but I hate to do that because it changes the pace of the story and shouldn’t be necessary for an experienced reader to have to do. I think it had more to do with the writing than me. I don’t mind twists and turns in a story but they should be apparent and make sense. It is too bad because the rest of the book would have been a solid 4 Star.
3 Stars
718. THE PERFECT DIVORCE by Jeneva Rose ( 9/3/25) Thriller
High powered attorney Sarah Morgan is going to divorce her second husband Bob, after he cheated on her. Bob begs for forgiveness, she threatens to take Summer, their daughter, away from him if he doesn’t accept her terms. While he is over for dinner one night to work out the details, they get into an argument while Sarah is cooking and Sarah reaches for a knife and cuts his palm. They see a news report on TV that the former sheriff, Ryan Stevens, was arrested on a DUI and had struck a woman. His DNA implicated him in the murder of Kelly Summers, the woman Kelly and Bob had murdered a decade ago. There is a lot more intrigue and evil acts committed by this couple and each is aware that the other could turn on the other.
Even though you know Sarah and Bob are evil and capable of anything, the book tends to focus on who will destroy the other first and who will survive the other. With twists and turns, this fast-paced story is filled with unique suspense. I should have read The Perfect Marriage first.
4 Stars
717. THE LAST VOICE YOU HEAR by Mick Herron (9/1/25 ) Suspense
717. This dark thriller in the Zoe Boehm series, Zoe, an Oxford private investigator, tells the grim story of racial violence, sexual predation, police misconduct, and other difficult subjects and is hard to read-and is meant to be. The mystery of this story is not hard to solve but is more about what Zoe can do about it. Te tension builds on and on until the reader is exhausted. Zoe is always in jeopardy and she knows she could get killed-but she trudges ahead.
Like I said, this is a tension-filled story that keeps you on edge, and the violence and danger is incredible. This would be a great story for those who love getting scared to death. That is not me and I was happy when it was over so I could relax.
3 Stars
712. THE BLOND IDENTITY by Ally Carter (8/22/25 ) Suspense
Part of the Blond series, (see #708 Fiction p.6: The Blond Who Came in from the Cold). An American woman with amnesia wakes up in Paris with no memory. She is the identical twin sister of spy operative, Alex, and the man she sees when she wakes up thinks she is Alex. He is also a spy who has tangled back and forth with Alex in the past. The twin finds herself fighting men who want to kill her and the guy who found her (she calls him ‘hot guy’) tells her to run-this begins a madcap spy story-sexy, funny, and wild. He is a secret agent and he tries to help her disappear. Did I tell you they are attracted to each other? They disguise themselves as lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon as they lie their way through Europe and try to find her sister Alex, in order to clear her name.
In this lightweight, ridiculous rom-com, the two romp in and out of danger and their relationship builds, which is easier to enjoy than the hostile and competitive one he had with Alex in the other book, which was annoying. Also, the author did not skip back and forth in time as much.
4 Stars
707, 708,709. WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB by James Patterson (8/12/25) Mystery
707. 1st TO DIE. Three brides and grooms are murdered on their wedding nights. It becomes apparent that the crimes are committed by a serial killer. Lindsay and her Murder club are put to the test in solving this heinous crime. Just when they think they have all the evidence to bring the perp to trial, Lindsay learns some things that make her open and shut case wobble a bit. There are major twists and turns in this first episode out of an eventual twelve, making me remember why I like James Patterson’s crime mysteries so much. This was a page turner-a one sitting book. And I loved that he has women fighting crime for a change.
5 Stars
708. 2nd CHANCE.
Lindsey, now promoted to Lieutenant, is still hurting from the loss of her partner and lover, is back on the job when a little girl and old woman, both black, are senselessly murdered. The Woman’s Murder Club knows they have another monster to deal with. Then they realize that the killer may be a an ex-cop. Although not as intriguing as “1st to Die”, it is exciting and fast-paced.
4 Stars
709. 3rd Degree.
Lindsey is out jogging on the Marina Green in San Francisco with her dog when an explosion happens across the street. Lindsey ties up the dog and rushes into the burning building. She hears a child’s cry and rescues a boy and others. The clues lead to political terrorism with an audio message from “August Spies” and the upcoming event of a worldwide economic summit taking place in days in SF with the world’s most powerful people in attendance. This episode also contains a shoot out which kills one of the women in the Murder Club. There seems someone important dying in each episode. This was good, not great.
3 Stars
704. NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly (8/4/25) Mystery
“Nightshade” is the introduction of a new detective for a new series. Los Angeles County Detective Stilwell was transferred to Catalina Island after a dispute with Detective Ahearn, who hates him, and got to stay on the mainland. Stilwell felt the demotion, like it was a vacation, until a body washed up in Avalon Harbor with a anchor tied to it. As Stilwell investigates he learns of another murder connected to the exclusive, reclusive, Black Marlin Club that may be connected. Stilwell’s dedication to justice irks Ahearn who puts roadblocks up rather than to collaborate.
Connelly’s introduction of a new, younger detective in the Catalina setting is bound to be popular, as are all of his series, which he can spit out easily.
3 Stars
700. DOGGED PURSUIT by David Rosenfelt (7/27/25) Mystery
This is #31 in the Andy Carpenter series, but is a prequel taking us back to the beginning of the series. Why? I don’t know, but it s handy for me in that this is my first story to read in this series. Andy began his career as a prosecutor, but after three years wanted a change because he felt the “little guy” didn’t have an even chance. So he decided to start from scratch and open an office as a defense attorney. First he had to have a companion, and he went to the shelter where he found a golden retriever named Tara. Tara had bonded with her kennel mate Sunny, and Frank decided to rescue both of them, but found out he would have to get temporary permission from the owner who had been arrested for the murder of his ex-boss and was awaiting arraignment and trial. When Frank went to get permission to care of his dog, Frank, the owner, asked Andy to be his attorney. Frank had his first client.
This is the beginning of a light and fun, who-done-it-courtroom-story. Don’t expect a thriller but a nice storyline with likable characters and great dialogue. One question. Why would they put a beagle on the cover?
3 Stars
697. THE LAKE ESCAPE by Jamie Day (7/22/25) Suspense
Izzy is a college student looking into a past crime involving her family. In order to go to the scene, the lake, she lies about being a nanny but gets the job taking care of David’s five year-old twins. David also brought along a much younger girlfriend. David and his friends Julia and Erika have been coming to the lake since children. Now adults they look forward to catching up with each other. Soon after arriving David and his girlfriend have a fight and she disappears. Julia and Erika and Izzy remember hearing about the two girls that went missing many years ago. As the police become involved they start a search party and suspicion and secrets unfold making tensions mount. Everyone feels in danger.
At the end, the story gets more complicated and I felt like I needed to take notes (I hate that) and I just didn’t want to have to figure it all out.
3 Stars
692. DON’T LET HIM IN by Lisa Jewell (7/14/25) Suspense
This book is every women’s nightmare. You think you have the perfect guy-almost too good to be true-and then you get suspicious. Is he hiding something? As three women delve deeper, their eyes and senses start to uncover something shocking.
Jewell explores manipulation, obsession, and deception lurking in seemingly normal lives. In other words, this could happen to anyone!
Through multiple perspectives she slowly unravels the truth, building the suspense. This gripping psychological thriller takes us to the dark side of human nature. If you can handle this type of book, where fiction looks so real-go for it. It is truly a hard to put down page turner.
4 Stars
687. DON’T OPEN YOUR EYES by Liv Constantine (7/1/25) Thriller
Annabelle has it all: a loving husband, two great daughters, and an all around great life. That is, until her dreams start taking over her life-dreams of hating her husband, and horrible dreams that seem to put her daughters’ lives at great risk. When some dreams come true she is terrified of the future.
Liv Constantine is a pen name for two sisters, Lynne and Valerie Constantine who co-authored this book and “The Mrs. Parrish” series among others. Like the others this thriller is fast paced, and unpredictable, this one with a surprise ending.
4 Stars
684. THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION By Ling Ling (6/26/25) Mystery
Enka meets Mathilde in art school and is drawn to her and her truly original art, and she tries to become close in an obsessive way. But Mathilde’s success draws her in another direction away from Enka who then becomes desperate about loosing this friendship. Enka comes across a new technology called SCAFFOLD that could allow Enka to inhabit Mathilde’s mind, access her memories and artistic inspirations, and deep seated trauma.
This thought-provoking, shocking idea of what a technology could do, although fiction, is so horrible, scary and haunting that I had a hard time enjoying this book. I felt uncomfortable with Enka’s weird obsessive nature and I really was glad to have it end. Other’s who like this dystopian futuristic genre might really like it.
3 Stars
683. THE MISSING HALF by Ashley Flowers (6/24/25) Mystery
Nicole’s sister Kasey went missing and two weeks before this Jenna’s sister went missing. After a while both cases went cold but the remaining sisters’ lives were forever changed, their hearts’ were broken and bereft without their missing halves. Jenna contacts Nic and makes an offer for them to work together to find out the truth about their sisters’ disappearances. As they delve deeper, they uncover dangerous revelations about their sisters’ lives.
This mystery explores trauma, long ago memories, and the ways people deceive themselves and others. This exciting mystery works well with two broken, grieving women working together for the same goal, unable to quit when they themselves could be in jeopardy, as these novice investigators risk all to solve this mystery. It is fast-moving, exciting, and has a big unexpected ending. I loved her writing and I want to read her first book, “All Good People Here”.
5 Stars
681. THE DARK MAESTRO by Brendon Slocumb (6/18/25) Mystery
Curtis, a young, black boy has a loving father who makes mistakes with dealing drugs and having women parade in and out. But one woman, Larisse, nurtures Curtis and encourages his love for the cello and for his super-hero comics. As Curtis becomes a child prodigy with the cello his father, Zippy, gets in trouble with an illegal organ transplant ring. Enter the FBI and for giving up evidence the family has to enter the witness protection program. Curtis and his dreams of becoming a famous cellist may be coming to an end.
Slocumb loves his music and his crime aspect and together they give his novels two worlds-at the top of the scale and at the bottom and how they are almost impossible to meld. I enjoy his writing and his stories are like none you have ever read. Be sure to also check out his first, “The Violin Conspiracy”.
4 Stars
677. THE TENANT by Freida McFadden (6/7/25) Thriller
Blake Porter was flying high in his job as a marketing executive until the ax came down and he lost his job. Now struggling to make the payments on his brownstone he decides to take in a tenant and discovers Whitney who seems perfect. But when she moves in strange things start happening: neighbors act strange; there is an awful odor in the house he can’t get rid of; and there are abnormal noises at night. Blake gets on well with Whitney until after allowing her to use his soap and eat his favorite cereal. He feels she went too far and now they are enemies. Things go very South when fruit flies envelope the house and he sees the rotting apples in the trash so he dumps them on her bed. He thinks she retaliated by killing his goldfish with bleach. Whitney denies it all and his girlfriend Krista hears his side of it and thinks she doesn’t know him at all and leaves him.
I won’t tell any more except you will never guess what’s next. Full of twists and turns, this is a home run!
4 Stars
667. THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING by Jason Kekulak (4/20/25) Thriller
Frank, estranged father of his daughter Maggie, is surprised when he hears from her after three years, that she wants him to come to her upcoming wedding. Frank arrives to find the wedding is at an exclusive estate of the father of the groom, a famous tech billionaire.
The groom, Aiden is withdrawn, elusive and unwelcoming. Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for her father. Locals don’t seem to like the family. It feels strange to Frank and he decides to try to find out about the family, and what is going on without making Maggie unhappy or mad at him.
This is a clever way the author uses to bring excitement, and to cleverly mount the suspense. It was a thriller!
4 Stars
606. THE PERFECT MARRIAGE by Jeneva Rose (11/27/24) Thriller
Sarah, a powerhouse attorney, and her husband Adam, a wanna-be author seem like the perfect couple. In addition to their Washington D.C. home they have a lake house in the country, which Adam goes to on his 10th anniversary with his mistress, waitress Kelly, who is married to a police officer, Scott. Kelly claims he is abusive to him. Kelly also accused her frst husband, Greg, of physical abuse to her and she stabbed him to death, was accused of murder, but got off on a technicality.
While at the lake house Kelly and Adam have sex and fall asleep. Adam wakes up when he hears a car door slam and he hurries back to Sarah in Washington.
The next day the cleaning lady finds Kelly’s body and Adam is charged with the murder. Adam pleads his innocence and Kelly agrees to defend him in the trial.
Although the scenerio seems more than unusual that the wife would take a case of her cheating husband’s murder of his mistress, this is written in the first person of Sarah and Adam’s voices, enabling the reader to hear more background and both sides of the story. It was captivating and held my interest.
4 Stars
612. ONE BY ONE by Freida McFadden (12/3/24) Thriller
Claire Matchett hopes a family week in the woods with her family will help repair the strain of her marriage. Together with two other couples, a week of hiking and friendship seem to be just the anecdote to their busy, stressful lives. Nature is always good-right? NOT!
First their mini-van breaks down on a lonely road. There is no cell reception and the group decides to walk to the hotel. But they get lost. One by one the members of their group get mysteriously struck down. Is it by an animal or a human?
This book is frightening and I should have expected this much anxiety as I usually do while reading McFadden. It was not her best but still good.
3 Stars
609. THE UNWEDDING by Allie Condie (11/29/24) Suspense
I thought this was fast-paced and exciting but a little contrived. But I admit I stayed with it and enjoyed it.
Recently divorced, Ellery Wainwright goes to a resort in Big Sur, California, the place she and her husband were supposed to be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. She invites her fellow teacher Abby to join her and the first night a couple encourages them to crash a welcome party of a wedding to be held on the property. On a group hike the next morning, Ellery meets Andy, a groomsman, and later the mother of the bride announced that the wedding had been cancelled. Andy reveals that the groom had disappeared. On Sunday morning Ellery discovers the groom dead in the pool. Also, a mudslide on highway 1 traps all the guests and employees from leaving. The next day the best man is found dead over a cliff. These deaths cause a panic, but some try to solve the crimes.
4 Stars
605. THE LAST MRS. PARRISH by Liv Constantine (11/22/24) Suspense
Amber Patterson wants a new, exciting life, a life with power and money. When she meets the beautiful Daphne Parrish and her real estate mogul husband, Jackson, she decides on a maticulous scheme to get what she wants. The caring and compassionate Daphne is unaware of the scheme and Amber becomes her closest confident, also endearing herself to the couple’s daughters and Jackson.
The book keeps you guessing when Amber’s past dark secrets appear. This is the first in a series of “Mrs. Parrish” thrillers.
4 Stars
604. THE SEQUEL by Jean Hanff Korelitz (11/19/24) Mystery
I strongly recommend you read the prequel to this book first, called “The Plot”. I reviewed this book in 2021 and the review can be found in Suspense and Mystery p.1, # 172 and was rated 5 Stars. The Plot revolved around Jacob Finch Bonner, a novelist teaching at a low prestige MFA program in Vermont. One of his students arrogantly thought he had the perfect plot for a novel. When this student suddenly died, Jacob used his plot as his own, and the book he wrote became a bestseller. But soon anonymous messages started calling out his theft.
In this book we no longer follow Jacob, but we focus on Anna, the widow who has written a best seller on her own and is busy promoting her own book. At a book signing she spots a post-it note in a book left to be signed that threatens her. Not willing to fold she goes on a quest to find out who is threatening her.
By shifting the focus to Anna, this sequel has a fresh newness while still doing a book within a book. Anna’s character knows no bounds and there is much to love and fear in her. The writing is well done but The Sequel is not quite as captivating as The Plot but helps to close the door to the story.
4 Stars
603. HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE by Jeneva Rose (10/13/24) Thriller
Three Estranged siblings reunite when their mother dies. Beth, the oldest never left home. Nichole, has been long estranged due to her ongoing battle with drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, has been living out of the state for seven years since his father left them.
While going through the belongings they come across family VHS tapes, one of which reveals a night in 1999 when their father is covered in blood and a person seems to have died, a dark secret their mother took to her grave.
Well told and suspenseful.
4 Stars
602. SIMPLY LIES by David Balducci (11/9/24) Suspense
Mickey Gibson, a single busy mom and a detective and Arlene Robinson posing as an employee of Pro Eye, a global investigation company go head to head as Robinson sets Mickey up as a prime murder suspect in an investigation. This becomes a battle of wits between the two women and becomes deadly.
Balducci again produces an exciting suspense thriller.
3 Stars
600. THE BOYFRIEND by Freida McFadden (11/4/24) Suspense
Sydney Shaw, who has a terrible experiences dating New York men to so far, is still looking. She’s skeptical from so many bad experiences of men lying on their dating profiles, men skipping out on the dinner bill, and other ugly habits like being momma’s boys or gold diggers. Finally she thinks she might have a winner when she is swept off her feet by a handsome doctor.
When the murder of a young woman reaches the headlines she begins to suspect her dream doctor. The murderer dates his victims before he kills them and Sydney can’t keep her fears in check. Is she going a little crazy with suspicion or not?
Again, McFadden hits a psychological thriller out of the ballpark by leading the reader down this rabbit hole with Sydney.
4 Stars
599. SOCIETY OF LIES by Lauren Ling Brown (11/1/24) Suspense
Maya is returning to Princeton for her 10-year reunion and her younger sister Naomi’s graduation. But Maya’s worst nightmare comes true when she learns of Naomi’s death which police called an accident. Maya suspects the Sterling Club, to which both she and Naomi had belonged, and the secret society within. Maya’s long kept secret may have been what got her sister killed.
This is a fast-paced ‘who done it’ that really got me hooked.
4 Stars
595. ALL THE COLORS OF DARK by Chris Whitaker (10/27/24) Thriller
A gifted author and narrator, Eduardo Ballerini, takes us into the heart of 1975, the Ozarks. Whitaker, who creates colorful characters, faced with adversity, and searching for hope, introduces us to Joseph “Patch” Macauley, a thirteen-year-old boy, with one eye, who dreams of being a pirate. He witnesses a girl being attacked, intervenes and becomes captured by the assailant. Imprisoned in a dark basement, he meets Grace, another captive. Meanwhile, Saint, Patch’s best friend, relentlessly searches for him and goes to all lengths to find him, bringing the thrill of the chase to the reader and revealing their pasts.
This multilayered book reveals so many depths into the human experience that I felt emotionally tied to these characters. The ending brings revelations that are shocking which force Patch and Saint to confront childhood trauma and loyalty.
5 Stars
591. THE FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston (10/18/24) Suspense
There are some books that don’t make sense from the get-go, even though they are supposed to be suspenseful and we are not supposed to be able to figure it out, this one just lacked the validity and seemed to contrive to confuse. Evie Porter is an identity given to her by her mysterous boss and is to go to a town to live in this identity. She had to memorize details about the town and her identity in order to pull it off and she was always needing to stay one step ahead of her past in order to maintain her future, which is very different from her past. Her boss, her job, her part she played are all jumbled up. Although I kept reading the book, I gave up trying to figure it all out and at the end I was not inthralled.
3 Stars
588. DARLING GIRLS by Sally Hepworth (10/24/25) Suspense
Three sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were rescued from their family tragedies by Miss Fairchild, a foster mother. They lived at her farm estate and were able to carry on in a completely new life. But real life is not always a fairytale and Miss Fairchild turned out to be unpredictable and a strict rule maker who wouldn’t budge. It got so bad the sisters decided to run away together but were in fear Miss Fairchild would find them. When a body is discovered under their childhood home, they become key witnesses and later prime suspects.
This is a well-written suspense story, full of suspense.
4 Stars
587. THE PERFECT SON by Frieda McFadden (10/15/25) Thriller
Jason and Erika Cass moved their family to Long Island for a better life. Liam, their 16 year-old son had displayed that he was different than other boys his age but, he was Erika’s favorite. A classmate, Olivia, went missing and Liam was one of the last to see her. When the police got involved, Erika believed in her son’s innocence despite his dark and disturbing personality.
This story is about what you would do if your child “might” be guilty of a crime. Would you protect him with an alibi or tell the truth? The author makes it easy for us to put ourselves in the most difficult decision of our lives; a profound moral dilemma when everything seems to go against his innocence. She made me feel emotionally involved in this scenario, which is the sign of a good book. I loved it!
5 Stars
586. ONE PERFECT COUPLE by Ruth Ware (10/11/24) Thriller
This is a high tension thriller which follows 5 excited couples who became reality show contestants and are brought to a remote paradise island in Indonesia. At first they are thrilled with the romantic huts, the warm blue water, and the white sand. The show is called “One Perfect Couple” and all enjoy the glamour and TV visibility. When the shady director and his crew leave the island and they realize they will be out of communication except for a small radio, they become alarmed. Things change quickly when a large storm sweeps through the island and the couples are stranded with little food and water, and the awareness that there is a killer among them.
Ware, a prolific writer has developed great characters, a scary plot and I it really kept me reading.
4 Stars
585. THE COWORKER by Freida McFadden (10/4/24) Thriller
Dawn and Natalie are coworkers at Vixed, a nutritional supplement company. Dawn is both the beautiful and star salesperson at Vixed. Natalie works in accounting and is a little strange. When Dawn fails to show up for work Natalie becomes concerned about this unusual behavior. When Dawn’s phone rings at the office, Natalie answers and a voice is asking for help. Soon the company realizes that something has happened to Dawn and Natalie becomes the prime suspect.
McFadden, known for her fast-paced, readable thrillers, does a good but not her best job in this book. Although there are twists and turns, as usual, there is less of a surprise to this book than expected, and the ending was dark.
3 Stars
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