THE DELIVERY

5 stars out of 5

Leave it to the author of my favorite Orphan X series to put what two-thirds of the world is freaked out over into a thoroughly engaging story (a quick-to-read novella, actually). My overall reaction? Delicious!

The short length makes it hard to review without revealing too much, but the story focuses on Rebecca and Mark Higgins, who are trying their best to keep their heads above water (both mentally and financially) while caring for their special-needs daughter Maddy. Then Mark gets an offer they can’t refuse: access to their very own live-in “experience facilitator,” an artificial intelligence creation that will cater to their every need, no questions asked.

Admittedly, they’re skeptical, but the thought of easing their stress at no cost to them was just too appealing. When the box containing said “facilitator,” they put him in the nursery – now vacant following Becca’s recent miscarriage. When it emerges, it looks human (well, sort of); 7-year-old Maddy gets the naming honors, choosing “Mr. Man.” Immediately, he warms to his tasks – with Mark and Becca believing all the while that, as they were promised, they’ll always be in charge.

Things go rather well for a while, but suddenly, they don’t. And that’s where my review ends and my worst concern about the dangers that lurk amid the mushrooming use of AI (which I largely support, BTW) begin. Some of you oldies but still goodies are familiar with GIGO. If you aren’t, go look it up. Meantime, this is a truly engaging novella for which I thank the publisher, via NetGalley. Don’t miss this one!

The Delivery by Gregg Hurwitz (Thomas & Mercer, July 2026) 225 pp.

DEAD MEN DON’T PLAY FETCH

5 stars out of 5

This has been a go-to series for me for some time now – the stories are always well-written, entertaining and a bit lighthearted even though the legal situations can get pretty complex and the investigations downright dangerous. And this, the 33^rd installment, doesn’t disappoint.

Trying-to-retire defense attorney Andy Carpenter fights to say no when old friend Lou Campanelli, who runs a rehab center in Paterson, New Jersey, calls to ask a favor. That’s because Andy knows it’s likely to drag him back to a courtroom – and he’d much rather keep his eyes on the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue operation, and/or play with the three beloved pooches that share his home in addition to his wife Laurie Collins.

Alas, that’s not to be. Lou is insistent that Jason Maddox, who was at the shelter when he heard a noise outside, went out and found a man who had been murdered, didn’t do the dirty deed. Fairly strong evidence says otherwise, though, and Jason desperately needs a defense attorney. Reluctantly, Andy and his team, which includes Laurie as chief investigator, set out to at the very least convince the jury there’s reasonable doubt and get a not guilty verdict.

While his team does a whiz-bang job of investigating, Andy shines in the courtroom. This time, he’s up against old and extremely competent prosecutor Dylan Campbell, who, as usual, doesn’t make things easy for Andy. The details of both the investigation and the trial, of course, won’t be forthcoming in this review – no way I’ll take away the fun for other readers. I certainly will, however, recommend this book (and the entire series) highly and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to once again enjoy a pre-release copy. Loved it!

Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch by David Rosenfelt (Minotaur Books, July 2026); 288 pp.

BIRDS OF PREY

5 stars out of 5

I suspect the last time I read a short story I was still in high school. Now I’m an octogenarian who typically reads 100-plus books a year. Does that give you some idea how much I do not love to read short stories? I’m exaggerating a bit, of course, but you get the point.

Sometimes, though, you’ve just got to make an exception – and this wonderful collection of thriller stories, all with the theme of birds of prey, is one of those times. It began as a challenge from one of my favorite authors (Harlen Coben), who invited to other thriller writers to write them. I have no idea how many he pitched the idea to, but 11 agreed. Learning that proceeds from book sales benefits the International Thriller Writers group was an incentive for me to overlook length, as were the names of favorite writers who took up the challenge and the opportunity to sample works by other authors with whom I’m not very familiar or haven’t read at all.

Did I love every story? Some were stellar efforts and a couple were less than, shall we say, thrilling, but none was a complete turn-off. Now that I’ve finished, though, it’s impossible to review any of them; it’s tough to describe what happens in a short story without revealing way too much of the story. What I shall do, however, is list the authors and their bird of choice and leave it up to others to decide whether to snag the book for themselves. As a side personal note, if you ever see me listening to an audiobook you know I’m ready for the undertaker, but I think in this case it might be interesting since I believe the narrations are by the authors themselves (some, I’ve heard, complete with sound effects).

Whatever version you prefer though, I encourage you to give this one a go; it takes no time at all to read and is, pardon the expression, quite a hoot. Amid my thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me the pleasure of reading a pre-release copy, here’s the cast of characters and their birds:

Tess Gerretsen: Seagull

C.J. Box: Peregrine Falcon

Kathy Reichs: Owl

Ace Atkins: Buzzard

Heather Graham: California Condor

S.A. Cosby: Owl

Hank Phillippi Ryan: Falcon

Robert Dugoni: Falcon

Allison Brennan: Bald Eagle

Gregg Hurwitz: Vampire Finch

Kelley Armstrong: Northern Goshawk

Birds of Prey edited by Harlan Coben & C.J. Box (The Mysterious Press, June 2026); 320 pp.

STORM TIDE

5 stars out of 5

So far, I’ve read five books in this wonderful series – this is the 16^th – and I’m thrilled to get my eyes on it. Five books ago, it became an annual favorite - reminiscent of author C.J. Box’s also-wonderful Joe Pickett series. No surprise, then, when this one didn’t disappoint – like the others, it just made me want to read the next one even more.

The main character Mike Bowditch, a game warden in Maine (one of few states I’d consider moving to if I ever left my home in the Midwest), got into some trouble in the last book that resulted in a demotion from his relatively new job as a warden investigator – a hoped -for reinstatement is in the works. Now, he’s pounding the beat as a “regular” game warden, where ostensibly he can’t get himself in quite as much trouble. That’s fine with his wife, Stacey, an EMT who is getting close to delivering more than aid to injured people; she’s pregnant with their first child. The plan is for home delivery, at the nearby home of her parents (her father is a retired game warden and her mother a former nurse, plus they’ll have an experienced doula).

What’s that old saying, something like “the best-laid plans?” In this case, it’s more like which of those plans will go to you-know-where in a handbasket first. Since Stacey’s delivery is a few months away, in this case the issues start with Mike, who encounters a gruesome scene when a man and wife die in a horrific home fire. Standing nearby is a woman holding a baby, who claims the infant was handed to her by a strange man. While home fires aren’t necessarily arson, this one is suspect because most of the area residents believe the dead man murdered his own son even though he was never charged. Perhaps, then, someone was looking for his or own concept of justice.

Around the same time comes another tragedy: the body of Axl Deming, also suspected of a gruesome crime, is found, let’s say, not in one piece near a railroad track. Mike goes to that scene as well, where his suspicions that the two events are somehow connected take hold. And amid all this, he gets a call that suggests someone may be stalking him personally. But he’s on limited duty (though still being paid), so what can he do? But Mike is Mike, and loyal readers will know he’ll find some way to get to the truth.

The path, as usual, is fraught with danger not only to Mike, but to Stacey and others he loves including his scary wolf-dog, Shadow. But also as usual, it’s a well-written, entertaining journey – with a somewhat unexpected ending. I’m ready for the next installment already, as usual, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to tag along with Mike on this one by way of a pre-release copy.

Storm Tide by Paul Doiron (Minotaur Books, June 2026); 352 pp.

THE BUTLER

5 stars out of 5

I’ve read nothing to suggest this is the first book in a new series, but after reading it, I’ve got my fingers crossed. The ending, too, is suggestive of things that may come, so that gives me hope as well. The star of the show, a professional butler named Baxter, is an intriguing character I truly want to read more about.

Baxter, who uses no first name, had a quarter of a century’s highly successful experience in the industry, but his most recent gig ended in a bit of a disaster. He found work at an agency, and he’s just been hired to cater to guests at Villa Serenite in southern France, not far from the Cannes Film Festival. The host for the week is wealthy Alec Prescott, and guests include his current much-younger love interest Kaitlin as well as his ex-wife Sylvie (now that’s a recipe for disaster if ever I read one). Curiously, at least to Baxter, is that his employer, a Russian lady, asks him to see what he can find out about Alec’s finances – something foreign to him, a man who prides himself on never snooping while butlering (hmmm, is that a word)? But he’s curious; whatever is she hoping he’ll find?

Guests also include Alec’s grown son, Carter, and his current squeeze Jade. The son is, for the most part, being financially supported by his father – a rather tenuous situation given his father’s irascible temperament. Carter is accompanied by gorgeous young thing Jade, who he introduces to his father for the first time (or, as Baxter suspects, perhaps not).

Put all these and a couple of other guests with interesting backgrounds, and readers quickly suspect all will not exactly go well. And for sure they don’t – starting with bickering and nitpicking and ending with murder. Who gets bumped off, how, why and who did it I’ll of course not reveal, but suffice it to say it’s quite a romp to learn the answers. Amid all of it, Baxter manages to do his job in fine fettle with a smile and a “Certainly, Madam” coming from his lips. He’s a pro, no doubt about it, but he’s also pretty darned good at figuring out a mystery. It’s why I’m eager to see him again – and why I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to sample what I hope is the first installment by way of a pre-release copy. Loved it!

The Butler by Clare Mackintosh (Podium Publishing, June 2026); 201 pp.

THE FAMILY SECRET

5 stars out of 5

I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed several books in this series, but apparently I’ve missed a very important recent installment – I got the shock of my life when I learned in this, the 16th book, that Detective Lottie Parker of Ragmullin, Ireland, and her significant other, police partner and Detective Mark Boyd, have parted ways personally. No, no – that can’t be, I said to myself. But alas, it’s true – and I can't say I'm happy about it.

But life goes on for both, and somehow they’re still not only on speaking, but decent working terms now. That’s good, because their next case looks to be a doozy. The day after a backyard birthday party to honor their young daughter, parents Caroline and Cameron Healy and their daughter Freya are found dead in the house; at first blush, it appears the father killed his wife and daughter and then took his own life. Lottie and Boyd, though, are not so sure, especially given the clothing the female victims were wearing. They look into the somewhat off-kilter relationship between the Healys and neighbors Thomas and Sadie Clark (their daughter Lily is Freya’s best friend who nearly stayed the night but instead got dragged home by her parents).

That lead turns nearly impossible to follow up, though, when both Sadie and Lily go missing. Still other clues, like backyard party suppliers being asked to return to “check” the equipment, pop up, confusing the issue even more. Then, Lottie’s daughter Chloe, who’s in training to be a police garda like her mom and Boyd (for the record, the latter’s helping Chloe in that direction is the main reason Lottie and Boyd broke up), finds a clue from long ago that may just be what they need to solve the case. Getting that information to her mother, though, hits an unexpected and shocking roadblock that made my jaw drop (and no doubt will be visited again in the next book in the series. Especially in this case, I can hardly wait to see if a certain someone gets a well-deserved comeuppance. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to enjoy this one by way of a pre-release review copy. Good job once again!

The Family Secret by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, May 2026).

 

The Family Secret by Patricia Gibney (Bookouture, May 2026); ?? pp.

A RIVER RED WITH BLOOD

5 stars out of 5

There’s always a touch of the netherworld in this series, but this time, it’s more of a smack in the face. Who are Charlie Parker and his friends Louis and Angel? How are they able to see and speak with his dead daughter Jennifer, and what is she trying to tell them?

I won’t say I’m any closer to the answers to these questions after reading this, the 23^rd book in the series, but I sure did have a great time traveling through it. The story begins when Charlie, a private investigator, is asked by the attorney for Ward Vose, who’s in jail, to look into the death of Ward’s son Scott Theriault. The body of the young man, who’d been put by his parents in a school for incorrigible youth, was found near Maine’s Kennebec River. His death was determined to be an accident that happened when he ran away from the school (not for the first time). His father, though, is convinced the boy was murdered and wants Charlie to prove it. Concurrently, 19-year old Mallory Norton went missing – and by some accounts, she and Scott may have been an “item.”

A second storyline kicks in as a small group of grown men gather every three years to participate in what they call the Game – a sort of cat-and-mouse affair with serious consequences for person chosen to be the rodent. But the Game has strict rules, and it appears at least one member of the group has stepped out of line – a transgression that must be dealt with.

Of course, early on I suspected there may be some kind of connection between the young man and woman and the Game players, but if so, what is it? And over the course of the book, I learn whether or not that’s true. And no, I can’t share the details; that’s for other readers to learn just as I did. I will say it’s quite an adventure – one that, like previous books, ends with almost as many questions as answers. Overall, it’s another winner in my book – and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing another wild ride by way of a pre-release copy. Well done once again!

A River Red With Blood by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 2026); 416 pp.