THE LAST FERRY OUT

3.5 stars out of 5

I tried really hard to enjoy this book - and I admit there were times when it clicked and my "I'm Lovin' It" meter shot up. But in the end, a plot that seemed a little too contrived and rather unlikable characters led to my final verdict.

The story takes place on the remote Mexican island Isla Colel, which for all intents and purposes is a haven for misfits. The main characters, I suppose, include the hard-driving Abby, who seems to love Eszter (at least she's proposed marriage to her); Eszter, who seems to love Abby but has a love-hate relationship with her dictatorial father; Brady, an Australian who seems to fear his father but a guy everyone else seems to love; and Amari, who seems to be - well, I'm not exactly sure who that is except that she, like Eszter, is gay.

At issue is Eszter's untimely death as she's visiting the island on her own - a peaceful place she found and wanted to check out, or so she told Abby before she left. Her death was even more unexpected since it was a result of anaphylactic shock; with multiple life-threatening allergies, Eszter has an EpiPen with her at all times - except this once, when somehow she didn't. Devastated, Abby heads to the island (by way of a ferry) to learn what she can and, hopefully, walk in the same places and talk with the same people Eszter did during her final days.

As an island newbie, Abby doesn't know what to expect, but what she does get from the close-knit group of "expats" doesn't seem to do much besides confuse her even more - as does the presence of a now-closed but once-thriving resort with a mysterious past. Her behavior turns almost paranoid; who's telling the truth? Who's lying? Why? What secrets do the walls of the resort hold? Why didn't Eszter have her EpiPen near her when it counted most? As she tries to ferret out what really happened, Abby grieves for her forever-lost bride-to-be - well, except maybe when she gets the hots for another hot islander.

Of course, the plot follows Abby's quest to find out how Eszter died and prove whether or not their love was a one-sided affair. The answer is complex, often meandering, and when it comes it didn't shake up my world nearly as much as I'd hoped it would. Overall, though, it's quite readable - a good one to help pass the time on a lazy beach with the book in one hand and a margarita in the other, in fact. While it won't make my list of Top 10 all-time favorite books, I really did enjoy it, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz (Ballantine Books, May 2025); 308 pp.

SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS

4 stars out of 5

Okay, this one's pretty creepy. I'm not a huge fan of the paranormal just because I have to put my "scientific" brain on hold; on the other hand, I can't totally discount the possibilies. I guess what that means is I got quite a kick out of this book once I decided to just go with the flow.

It starts off innocently enough; after his grandmother dies, teenager Billy Hasler's best friend David Spivey inherits her Wood Island home off the coast of New Castle, New Hampshire (apparently granny wanted to bypass her daughter, David's mother). What a great place to hang out, the boys assert as they gather friends together for some pre-college partying.

But in books like this, nothing is as it seems. To be sure, the house isn't; and all too soon, it becomes evident that none of the people associated with the house aren't, either. There are quirky house "rules," appearances, disappearances and reappearances and tons of things that go bump in the night - all signaling a danger that no one understands nor want to believe.

But this story isn't mine to tell - it's for other readers to discover just as I did. And once I get my head back to some semblance of normal I'll thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get creeped out by way of a pre-release copy. If "yikes" is your style, don't hesitate to give it a go.

Something I Keep Upstairs by J.D. Barker (Hampton Creek Press/Simon & Schuster, May 2025); 492 pp.

YOU CAN TRUST ME

4 stars out of 5

"I couldn't put it down" and "It's a little too contrived" typically don't co-exist in the same book review, but I have to be honest: Both descriptors are appropriate based on my experience. The couldn't put it down part was almost hypnotic (although not totally accurate - I did take time off to cook dinner and go to bed). But the story, and out-of-the-ordinary characters, did grab me from the start and didn't let go.

Even the main characters' names avoid run-of-the-mill: Summer and Leo (both female), an unlikely pair of friends who have bonded together while trying to escape growing-up years that were unsettling at best. They live off the grid, technically homeless and nonexistent to the "normal" world, in mostly sunny California - living on their wits and expertise with a variety of activities generally frowned upon by society, like picking pockets. Summer, the older of the two, pretty much dominates their money-making activities, but Leo is eager to even the score. It'll happen, she claims, after she hooks up with a technology billionaire and he showers her with gifts she and Summer can offload for a boatload of cash to share. Early on, she's off to a great start, using her many charms to finagle an invitation to his private island for the weekend.

Except that it doesn't quite turn out that way. In fact, Leo - who typically would be in almost constant touch with Summer - fails to check in. Worried that something's seriously amiss, Summer finds a way to do some finagling of her own - an invitation to visit the island as the guest of one of the billionaire's technology buddies. Problem is, everyone on the island - including the billionaire - deny ever knowing or seeing Leo. So what's a best friend to do?

Find her, of course - but that brings all sorts of problems since security on the island, which includes a top-secret research laboratory, may be even higher tech than what's being developed there. Cell phones are verboten, drones and human watchdogs are over and around every tree and every single person on the island has pledged undying loyalty (in some cases, dying loyalty) to the billionaire host.

Needless to say, there's more going on here than meets the eye - and if prying eyes should happen to see too much, well, there are consequences. Is Leo even still alive? If she is, can Summer find her before that's no longer true? It's a thrilling chase to the end, with a question every step of the way as to which characters, if any, will cross the finish line alive. Even with a few "you've gotta be kidding me's" along the way, I certainly enjoyed the trip, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard (Bantam, June 2023); 304 pp.

DEVICE FREE WEEKEND

3.5 stars out of 5

If I've learned anything after reading several books in which a villain "captures" a character or group of characters and challenges them in some way to get out alive (think: escape rooms and elevators), it's that they grab you by the teeth from the git-go. But there's a catch: that kind of a start requires an in-your-face ending as well; when that doesn't happen - and for me it didn't here - a good bit of that early magic disappears.

Anyway, here's the deal: Ryan Cloverhill, a sort of blend between Elon Musk and Bill Gates with a touch of Larry Ellison, has invited six close friends from college to stay on his private island in the Puget Sound area. It's to be a great reunion with all expenses paid - but the guests must leave all their electronic devices at the door. With so much to see, do and talk about, no one seems to care about staying connected; until, that is, the second day of their somewhat mysterious adventure when Ryan has gone missing and they realize they're isolated from all other humankind.

Finally, Ryan touches base (by way of extremely high-tech equipment he's installed in the mansion in which they're all imprisoned) and hints at what's to come. At first, it all sounds like some kind of game (Clue, perhaps?); but it soon becomes clear something far more macabre is in the works. Collectively, Ryan informs them, they must make a decision that has no "good" outcome.

There's no shortage of action, some of it devastating, but as the story progressed it began to challenge believability. With the possible exception of one character, I never really warmed up to any of the college buddies - especially after details of their private lives began to be revealed. And besides wondering how in the world Ryan could possibly have pulled all this off, I kept hoping he'd somehow get bumped off and the story would end happily ever after.

Stuck in between is a ton of technology explanations, most above my intellectual pay grade. The actual ending, which did wrap things up somewhat neat and tidy, seemed more of a rationalization for the chaos Ryan's actions unleashed than any retribution he (IMHO) deserved. Despite all my misgivings, though, I'll say this is a well-written, well-thought-out book worth reading; if nothing else, it highlights the seedier side that technological advances can bring - and looking at those from both sides now really isn't a bad idea. Thanks go to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-release copy to read and review. Oh, and to the author: This former copy editor says you need that hyphen.

Device Free Weekend by Sean Doolittle (Grand Central Publishing, February 2023); 288 pp.

THE RISING TIDE

5 stars out of 5

Vera Stanhope isn't the most glamorous of police detectives anywhere, let alone in Northumberland, England, but she's a woman after my own heart. More than a little overweight and far from a fashion icon, her investigative skills are more than sufficient to lead a competent team of detectives as she deals with the toughest of cases. For the record, this is the 10th book in the series; I've read only one other as well as a couple of other books by this prolific, and very talented, author - and as the happy recipient of a pre-release copy of this one, I was looking forward to starting it.

As well I should have been; it certainly didn't disappoint. Holy Island has been the setting for every-five-year reunions of a tightly knit group of school friends who bonded some 50 years earlier on a sort of Outward Bound experience here organized by a former teacher. They come from varied backgrounds and professions - Annie, Daniel, Lou, Ken, Rich and Philip - and a couple have been married, divorced and married to another in the original group. They commune with nature, each other and try to avoid discussing the death that happened on their very first five-year-reunion many years earlier. One member, it seems, drove off in a huff and was caught in the incoming tide that makes the causeway to the island impassible during specified times. 

This year's meeting is much like all the others, with blustery Rick - who just lost his TV journalist job amid allegations of inappropriate behavior (how timely is that??) but is touting the book he plans to write. Annie's husband Ken is in the throes of dementia, and Annie - part owner of a deli on the mainland - oversees the food. All is well, in fact, until it isn't; Annie finds Rick in his room - the most pretentious and well-appointed one in the place, of course - quite dead.

Enter Vera and her team of investigators, Joe Ashworth and Holly Clarke, who conclude early on that the murderer - and yes, Rick's death was murder - most likely is a member of the reunion group. But who? And why? The rest of the book focuses on the deliciously involved backgrounds of and interactions among the characters and their significant others (both former and current). There's plenty of description of the island and its background as well, plus detailed outlines of the progress of Vera's investigation. The ending? Well, I wasn't terribly surprised at the identity of the murderer, but something else that happened blew my mind (and not in a good way).

If this is a series you're following, I think you'll like this entry; if not, it stands well on its own (but I always advise starting at the beginning if possible - these books really are worth it). As for me, I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for once again allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. 

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves (Minotaur Books, September 2022); 384 pp.

THE DISINVITED GUEST

4 stars out of 5

Set a decade or so after the 2020 pandemic, the scariest part of this book to me is that another go-round is not only possible, but probable. Would I pack up my family and go live on a deserted island until it all blows over again? It's doubtful, in large part because I, unlike Lucy Harper and her husband Reed, don't have access to family property nor money enough to keep us well fed for however long it took to ride out the storm. The Harpers, though, have no such problem - inviting a handful of their best friends (including Reed's not-so-sisterly sister Liz and her significant other, Niko) to tag along.

And therein lie at least seven problems - eight, if you count the bear of a guy who apparently lives on the island and serves as a sort of jack of all trades by keeping the machinery running and food in the pantry. That's because while on the surface they're all friends and lovers, nobody seems to really like each other very much (too much personal history, I guess, although I have to admit I didn't like any of them very much either). And speaking of history, the island itself has a sordid background, once serving as a drop-off point for typhus patients and Reed's family mansion a quarantine hospital a couple of hundred years ago. More recently came deaths with far more personal ties to Reed and Liz.

For the most part, while she's riding out the viral storm, Lucy plans to write a new book as a follow-up to her successful first one. She hopes to find a journal written by one of Reed's long-ago ancestors, thinking the content will kick the stops from under her writer's block. But maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what shouldn't happen; it could be that some of the dead would far prefer to remain that way.

And slowly, the whole group begins to feel the ill effects of togetherness plus something more sinister; important things go missing, tensions and suspicions among the residents grow to the breaking point and accidents turn deadly serious. Clearly, something other than a virus is on the loose and full of malicious intent. But especially when she has no idea who to trust (both among the living and the dead), can Lucy figure out what's going on before it's too late to save anyone?

While all that makes for exciting reading, the chapters that were pages from the centuries-old journal were a bit too long and boring. It was also a little hard for me to work up much empathy with or sympathy for characters who expressed virtually no reaction at the loss of their loved ones (but then, no one ever seemed to care much about any of the others anyway, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised). But despite that and my virtually nil belief in the supernatural, the story is a bit of a mind-bender and made for an enticing, enjoyable read that was hard to put down. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Disinvited Guest by Carol Goodman (William Morrow Paperbacks, July 2022); 333 pp.

HATCHET ISLAND

4 stars out of 5

This is a favorite series of mine, but I must say this latest entry - the 13th - isn't my favorite of the bunch. Still, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch retains his perch near the top of my favorite heroes list, even if the rest of the cast are for the most part rather unlikable characters.

This one begins as Mike and his significant other, Stacey Stevens, are kayaking to an island that's a sanctuary for endangered seabirds and the site of a research project in which Stacey was once involved as an intern. The project, the Maine Seabird Initiative, is headed by Dr. Maeve McLeary; Stacey's good friend, an intern there, tells Stacey that strange things are happening. Most curious of all, Maeve seems to be missing - and her unexplained disappearance follows on the heels of the death by suicide of a young male intern.

As they camp for the following night, Mike and Stacey are awakened by a gunshot; when they pull up stakes to get to the island, they find a total disaster. Of the three researchers on the island, two have been brutally murdered. The third - now a person of interest - either escaped being a victim or himself was the perpetrator. Several other law enforcement entities are called in to help, including the Marine Patrol and an officer who's got a violent streak. On a nearby island is a community that's dominated by a powerful but secretive photographer and a wife who will do anything to protect her husband. A third island, the rather inhospitable Hatchet Island, is the site of said photographer's "studio," which may hold a few secrets of its own.

The action starts at the beginning and doesn't let up till the end, with Mike and Stacey in the middle and, on occasion, threatened with extinction just like some of the seabirds (the details of which, of course, I won't reveal). In the overall scheme of things, the "big reveal" left me a little underwhelmed, but I will say getting there was a whole bunch of fun. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it - already looking forward to the next.

Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron (Minotaur Books, June 2022); 320 pp.

THE FAMILY PLOT

4 stars out of 5

Wow - what a twisted plot! It's also a little implausible, but so what? It's such an intriguing, engaging story that I just went with it - and happily stayed with it to the end.

The Lighthouse family, you see, isn't just your run-of-the-mill mom, dad and four kids. For starters, they live on a rather isolated island; beyond that, they're obsessed with murder. All four children, for instance, are named after people connected to prominent killings; for the main character, Dahlia, it was the Black Dahlia (she has a twin brother, Andy, and much older brother and sister Charlie and Tate, respectively). The names in and of themselves would give most people pause, but these parents took it seriously by home-schooling their kids and holding ceremonies to "honor" the deaths of much-publicized murdered namesakes.

As the story begins, the children have long since left the nest (Dahlia lives on the nearby mainland). Their father's recent death has brought three of them back home to visit their mother; only Andy is missing. Dahlia has been trying for years to locate him with no success. She's almost in shock, then, when Andy's body turns up in the burial spot intended for her late father - killed by a blow to his head with an axe he used as a kid on trees to take out his frustrations.

The family probably couldn't have chosen a more appropriate place to live; island itself is no stranger to death. Over two decades, seven women have been murdered, presumably by a serial killer who was never caught. For the most part, the rest of the islanders shun the family because of their strange behavior; only an aging caretaker shows up each day to help maintain the property.

Each of the family members tries to deal with the loss of their husband and father and Andy in different ways; for Tate, that means making bizarre drawings of murder scenes. For Charlie, it's trying to convert their childhood home into a museum that will be open to the public. For their mother, it means burying her head in the sand; for Dahlia, it's trying even harder to find out who killed her twin brother - and why.

Needless to say, there are revelations throughout until the end (some rather predictable, others not), when the truth finally emerges. Then comes the decision of which family secrets will be revealed and which will (hopefully) remain a closely guarded secret. Well done - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Family Plot by Megan Collins (Atria Books, August 2021); 320 pp.

LITTLE BOOKSHOP OF MURDER

3 stars out of 5

I started this book with very positive expectations, simply because I could so well relate to main character Summer Merriweather. She's a woman who, like me, hates romance novels, dislikes cozy mysteries, has a history of working in higher education and is terrified of eight-legged critters. Wow, I thought; any or all of these threads will make for an interesting plot.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda - but didn't; the best I can say now that I've finished is that it's 20% substance and 80% speculation. The only one of those threads that was fully developed is her hatred of romance novels - which ironically, strung out over many pages, ended up being a tribute to how great they really are. Then there's higher education, in which I spent several enjoyable years as a university administrator; turns out Summer hates her experience. And in her mind, it hates her despite the fact that she has a Ph.D. in Shakespearean literature (which she's fond of throwing in the faces of those around her every time something doesn't go her way). Cozy mysteries, too, somehow become more friend than foe. And my angst at almost every page that some kind of confrontation with those aforementioned creepy crawlers would happen? Well, let's just say I worried for nothing.

The substance comes when Summer's mother, free-wheeling Hildy, owner of Beach Reads bookstore, drops dead of an apparent heart attack and Summer returns to Brigid's Island for the funeral. She reluctantly comes from her self-imposed exile in England (she escaped there after a classroom video she thinks maligned her dignity went viral online; after all, she has a Ph.D., don't you know). Now that she's back on the beach where she grew up, readers learn she never liked it there, didn't get along with her late mother and hates her mother's bookstore because it stocks "trashy" beach novels and not a single work of what she and her Ph.D. consider serious literature. If that weren't enough, when she left home years earlier, she left a sour taste in the mouth of several island residents.

Summer hasn't seen her mother for ages, but she somehow concludes she couldn't possibly have had a heart attack (the argument seemingly being that she ate healthy foods and practiced Yoga and witchcraft). The rest of the book mostly centers on never-ending speculation: Is it really murder? Did he do it? Did she? Will I get my teaching job back? Should I call to find out? Do I really want it back? Did my mother really love me? Do her friends love me? Why don't people understand that my Ph.D. makes me smarter than everybody else on this godforsaken island?

Besides that, while I realize the copy I read is a pre-release version, courtesy of the publisher via NeGalley, the book could stand a bit more editing. Glitches like Summer's telling one character that she'd finished a novel only to tell another just a few pages later that no, she had not, really put a damper on any enjoyment I was feeling at the moment. And I'm still flummoxed as to how a bird described as very large could perch comfortably on a single human finger. Oh wait; maybe that's because I don't have a Ph.D.

I'm going to assume (yes, I know what happens when you do) that the author is trying to lay a ton of fodder for the next book - this is supposed to be the first of a series, I believe - as well as familiarize readers with characters and settings. As far as the settings go, she was successful; I loved the bookstore and life on the island and and would be very interested in reading about them again. The characters, not so much; most were rather nondescript, and the snobby Summer can take her precious Ph.D. to England. Or Canada. Or anywhere except the next book. As she speculates about herself somewhere in the pages, "Summer was aware she wasn't easily liked...but she wasn't completely unlikable, was she?"

You already know my answer to that question. Sorry, but for me this series ends here. I'm PhinishD. 

Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn (Crooked Lane Books, July 2020); no page length listed.