THE SHADOW FRIENDS

5 stars out of 5

This book brings together former CIA agents Maggie Bird, Ingrid  Slocum, Ben Diamond and Declan Rose – all over the age of 60 – who live in small-town Purity, Maine, in the shadows of their former lives. It’s the third in a series (of which I read and loved the second and vowed to not miss any more). New readers won’t have trouble following the story, but I always advise starting at the beginning with any series if possible (and this one’s definitely worth doing exactly that).

Although all the members of the so-called Martini Club are quite happy to be living their lives without worrying who’s just around the corner waiting to kill them, their past has a tendency to slip into the present when they least expect it. This time, Ingrid is the lead organizer at a local conference at which a speaker mentions a facility in Russia where live smallpox virus is stored; releasing it would result in a high mortality rate. Surprisingly, Rodrigo Estrada appears on the scene – a former agency cohort with whom Ingrid once had a “thing.” He and Ingrid stay for a few drinks after the conference to discuss old times and beg Ingrid to join forces with him in his private security company. She’s reluctant – in part knowing her husband Lloyd, a former agency analyst, would not be pleased to know her life would once again be in danger.

But when a server at the conference suddenly turns up dead, Ingrid – with input from former flame Rodrigo – realizes there’s a possible connection between the woman’s death and Ingrid’s nearly losing her own nearly 30 years ago. With that knowledge, and Ingrid’s desire to get to the truth, the thrill of the chase apparently overcomes Ingrid’s devotion to making Lloyd feel secure, and she suddenly disappears. Lloyd, of course, is shattered – never having fully believed a woman like Ingrid could possibly be attracted to a sort of computer nerd like him (and besides, she went off with the still-handsome hunk with whom she once was seriously connected.

Lloyd and Maggie are just as determined to do their best to keep Ingrid safe, so they start doing some serious digging of their own by putting their investigative skills to work once again. The details of from what happens from that point forward, of course, are not mine to reveal – but I assure you it’s quite an exciting, action-packed adventure filled with unexpected twists and an ending that suggests another installment will be forthcoming (soon, I hope)? Meantime, thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read the latest in this series by a long-favorite author. Well done!

The Shadow Friends by Tess Gerritsen (Thomas & Mercer, August 2026); 293 pp.

GOOD GIRLS DIE BORED

4 stars out of 5

Juno Hardwick is a difficult character to love (heck, make that a hard one to just like). She’s a hard-nosed military veteran who’s seen – and probably participated in – it all. Now, she’s working as a sort of bouncer in a Southern California bikini bar, often getting herself in trouble for bouncing the customers she’s charged with bouncing off the wall a little too hard. She’s trying to save up enough money to get out on her own, but that’s not likely to happen anytime soon. Meanwhile, she’s also the caretaker for her tech-savvy sister Cassie, whose bipolar disorder gives her far more bad days than good.

In the midst of a rather nasty encounter with a suspicious character, she runs into Min-jung Eckland, a good friend she met during their combat years. Min now operates her own boutique security firm with another of her friends, Gabe Haddad. But she’s in this bar, at this time, to hire Juno to help protect Maelle Ruiz, a so-called investigative journalist – and a person Juno detests based on past interactions. The woman will need protection, Min says, for a three-day convention-style event.

Security in a situation like that wouldn’t be easy under any circumstances, but the fact that Gabe and Min are fighting and the business is in danger of shutting down adds even more unwanted details to the job, at least as far as Juno is concerned. An even more unwelcome detail is that Juno also is expected to partner up with another security guard named Ethan, a guy with whom Juno once had a relationship that didn’t exactly end well.

The story follows the team’s efforts to protect a journalist who’s burned more than one bridge during her career – all the while dealing with security leaks that increasingly seem to be coming from inside their circle of co-workers, family and friends. No one, it seems, can be fully trusted, but who, really, is the culprit and what, exactly, is he or she trying to accomplish? More to the point, who are they really after? Clearly, Juno must find the answers to those questions soon – or she may not live to get them at all.

Overall, the story held my attention and captured my interest, though as I hinted early on, the main character – and for that matter, most of the others – aren’t very likable. It’s a good bet for a summer beach read (or maybe a winter-by-the-fireplace), and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get to know a new-to-me author.

Good Girls Die Bored by Elizabeth Little (Bantam, August 2026); 448 pp.

GOD’S COUNTRY

4.5 stars out of 5

While I’ve read only five books in this wonderful series (this is the 22^nd), they’re quite enough to make me a huge fan of the main character, Cork O’Connor of Tamarack County, Minnesota (and, of course, of the author). I’ve watched as Cork has lost one wife and has another wonderful one; his daughter, Jenny, and her husband, Daniel, have a son, nicknamed Waaboo. These and other familiar characters play minor roles in this book, though – it’s Cork himself who for the most part takes center stage from start to finish.

Some family members, including young Waaboo, are visionaries (some might say prophets); they “see” things others do not, often that foretell the future. As this one begins, in fact, Waaboo tells of a dream he had in which a wolf was eating his grandpa’s heart. Needless to say, he – and Cork – are a bit on edge as to the meaning of the dream.

Cork, a former policeman and now a private investigator and owner of burger joint Sam’s Place, is now 60 years old with a few indications that his heart may not be in peak condition. Still, he’s planning a trip to the Boundary Waters, an extremely remote area; it’s near Memorial Day, when Cork’s family gets together to visit the graves of relatives.

Early on, though Cork learns of potential trouble ahead; local guide Cordell Bishop was hired by “three city folks,” as his wife called them; they insisted on Cordell and no one else, making her suspicious of them all. As Cork and his crew canoe into the wilderness, they notice signs that Cordell and his party already have come through. The thing is, they left obvious signs – like trash – something a fierce defender of the wilderness like Cordell would never tolerate. Even more telling is what might be human blood. Cork’s wife Rainy insisted that he bring a SAT phone along – no service in the middle of nowhere, after all – and a call back to the police chief confirms that Cordell’s companions are, shall we say, less than honorable – perhaps even associated with a local murder a few years back.

Cork, needless to say, is concerned for his friend; but he’s even more concerned for the family he’s brought along. He plans to send his crew back, but first he’ll call all this in to the proper authorities. Except an “oops” moment happens, and communication is cut off. But Cork knows his guide friend is in deep trouble, so he vows to find them and insists the others return home.

From then on, it’s a dangerous game of hide-and-seek as Cork puts his considerable tracking skills to work in hopes will save his friend – all the while pondering the meaning of his grandson’s disturbing dream. It’s survival of the fittest at its best, and another solid entry into one of my all-time favorite series. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me in on the game by way of a pre-release copy.

God’s Country by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books, August 2026); 256 pp.

THE WOMEN IN WHITE

4 stars out of 5

I’ve enjoyed other books by this talented author, so I dived into this one with positive expectations. And in part, I suppose, because my undergrad degree is in psychology – a subject I can’t get enough of – it held my attention throughout just because it’s a central theme. It begins as Riley Bell, who is so poor she sleeps in her car, applies for the job as caretaker of 81-year-old Betty Sadler. Not only does Riley feel that somehow she’s being watched, she has to wonder why, after seeing a stack of applications from others she’s pretty sure are more qualified than she is, she’s immediately offered the job.

And on the surface, it looks relatively easy; though in a wheelchair, Betty is personable, mentally “with it” and, in fact, capable of taking care of most of what health-care pros call ADLs – activities of daily living. So why on earth does she need full-time care? But Riley clearly needs a place to stay, and the comfortable room Betty is offering is calling her name.

But Betty, Riley soon learns, is no shrinking violet. Her mind is sharp as a tack, even though she claims to have not been any further from her house than the front porch in decades – which, when Riley checks, her neighbors confirm. But why? She lost her husband, who worked in the secretive Duke University Parapsychology Lab as an assistant to the acclaimed Dr. Trimble, years earlier, so it’s likely she’s lonely. But they were hermits long before that; were they in hiding, and if so, from what, or who and why?

Riley learns Betty was one of four young girls who were part of a ground-breaking experiment in parapsychology at the Trimble Institute within the lab. Betty, it seems now wants to find the other “girls” and needs help from someone she can trust – and Riley, whom Betty believes has at least a touch of psychic ability – is the person she’s chosen to take on that job. Sounds like a relatively easy job, but the more Riley investigates, the more complex – and disturbing – are her discoveries. The truth, it seems, may not set anyone free.

The story moves back and forth in time to fill in the blanks on what really happened, but I can’t go into more detail without spoiling it for others. All told, it’s an engrossing story with a bit of a surprise ending – well worth reading. I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to do just that by way of a pre-release review copy.

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen (St. Martin’s Press, August 2026); 304 pp.

DECEPTIONS

5 stars out of 5

With full knowledge that I sound like a broken record, I’ll again say I’m SO not a fan of short stories and will pass on them every time. Except, that is, when they’re written by a long-time favorite author; when that happens, I cannot NOT read them – and such is the case here. It doesn’t hurt, of course, that at least a couple of the stories here feature characters from series that made the author a favorite of mine in the first place, like Lincoln Rhyme and "Tracker" Colter Shaw.

There’s no way to review each and every story without giving away too much, of course (although I’ll mention there’s an interesting “connection” with a twist at the end the last one), so I’ll just offer up brief descriptions, to-wit:

Forgotten: (Colter Shaw): The father of a teenage boy convicted of killing a drug dealer offers missing-persons-finder Colter Shaw $2,600 to find proof his son is innocent.

Hard to Get: Analyst Dr. Albert Lessing, an analyst for a clandestine CIA agency, is asked to infiltrate another country and get himself recruited as a U.S. spy (with no official protection from the United States).

The Writers’ Conference: Jim Handle, a detective in the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department, has been assigned to head up security at the local convention center – a place often considered a top terrorist target. This assignment sounds easy peasy – all the convention presenters and attendees are crime writers. Five of them are competing for the “Tombstone Award,” with the winner to be announced at a banquet. What could possibly go wrong?

An Acceptable Sacrifice: Trying to “take out” a bad guy who wants to “take out” a busload of tourists isn’t a bad thing. But what if the people planning to take him out have the wrong bad guy? This one’s a real zinger.

The Adventures of the Laughing Fisherman: Book character lover Paul Winslow is back with his former therapist because he’s lost his interest in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books. When the therapist suggests he put his powers of deduction to work in a real job, he decides he’ll try to deduce the identity of the “Upper East Side Slasher,” who’s killed at least three so far.

Where the Evidence Lies: Forensic analyst Lincoln Rhyme and his partner, Amelia Sachs, are in Miami for his forensic lecture when a plane crashes at Eastern Dade Airport there. A prominent businessman killed in the crash had some notable enemies, as did the pilot. Sabotage is suspected, but can Lincoln and Amelia prove it?

A Woman of Mystery: A killer is on a rampage, and he (or she) is now in Milan with his fifth victim lined up. All Detective Inspector Rinaldo Tosca knows at this point is that the “Sunday Killer” strikes on the last day of the week (or first, if you’re part of the roughly 55% of the world’s population that begin their week on Sunday, according to Timeandate.com). Tosca is at a loss for clues, until a woman comes to the office to say she has information – including the name of the next victim.

The Bookkeeper: Colter Shaw is trying to intercept a killer in the library of the New School for Social Thought in Greenwich Village when he finds a break-in, but no dead body – just a stolen laptop. The killer, Shaw says, is a hitman nicknamed “The Bookkeeper” paid to eliminate people who are opposed to democracy. Clues point in the direction of Russia, but real evidence is hard to pin down.

The Deadliest Sense: The final story returns to Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, who are trying to find a prolific killer who’s got an impeccable record for leaving no clues – no motive, no connections, no possible means of identification. As usual, Lincoln does what he does best – focus on the evidence. Even if they don’t solve this one, though, there’s another case on tap.

And that’s it. All very interesting, and I could have read the entire book in one day if life hadn’t intervened and I hadn’t answered a phone call from a friend I haven’t heard from in years. Anyway, it’s a fun read, and I heartily thank the publisher, by way of NetGalley, for allowing me to sample it in the form of a pre-release copy. Go read it for yourself – you won’t be sorry!

Deceptions by Jeffery Deaver (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, August 2026); 304 pp.

THE WEDDING WEEK

4.5 stars out of 5

I’ve been a reasonably prolific reviewer of pre-release books (ARCs) through NetGalley for some time now, and it’s always a thrill to have one of my requests approved by publishers. Even more thrilling is getting an email from a publishing house agent offering me a book without my having to ask for it. With one caveat: most of the time, those are written by authors I’ve never heard of. Sometimes, the description is enough for me to decline the offer; other times – as was the case with this one – the book sounds intriguing, but my concern that it might be a big waste of my time lingers.

Well, I’m delighted to report that it turned out to be a winner in my book, despite not being too sure when I started to read. Admittedly, I’m not at all familiar with much of anything related to South Asian or Middle Eastern culture except maybe some of the food (and even that when it’s been “Americanized”), so I sort of felt out of my element from the beginning. Names? Wrote ‘em down so I’d remember who’s who just because most of my friends have names like Jim or Mary, not Hena or Reza or Nasir. But curiosity I have plenty of; I love learning about other cultures and customs. It just takes a little longer to adjust to the unfamiliar. A for-instance? This story focuses on a “desi” wedding. Say what? As confirmed on more than one online source, a desi wedding is a traditional South Asian wedding (including Pakistani, as are the families here). Such events are elaborate, with dancing, singing, choreographed performances, henna paintings, cultural clothing and yes, vows, taking place over multiple days.

This story begins as Hena Mirza, who’s in California, gets a call from her younger sister Lulu, who’s 21 and getting married. The event will be held at Lulu’s luxurious resort in the Everglades – a place Hena left in a rush a few years back in the midst of a similar wedding of her own that went sideways before any vows were spoken. Her intended, Nasir, suddenly disappeared – never to be seen since. Worse, Hena became a suspect in that disappearance, with some relatives (especially on his side) believing she somehow did him in. And since Lulu is marrying Khaled, who is close friends with Nasir’s parents, who are among those believers  – and Nasir’s sister Irum is Lulu’s maid of honor - they’re all expected to be at the wedding as well.

It’s all sounds like a recipe for another disaster at best, so Hena isn’t expecting ooey-gooey wedding cake and roses and hesitates to go. But it’s her sister, after all, and their mother, Ammi, has Stage 4 lung cancer, so it may be the last time they will see her alive. Reluctantly, Hena agrees to give it a go.

Sure enough, she gets the expected responses from relatives on both sides, but for the most part she’s able to handle them. And when on the first day she meets handsome hunk and groomsman Reza, she begins to think she’ll make it through all eight days of elaborate, themed and highly choreographed celebrations.

Well, think again. At almost every turn, she encounters something unexpected – some that actually are life-threatening. As the story moves along, chapters flash to years-earlier experiences of various characters, all building up to the realization of what really happened to Hena’s fiancé and prompted her to flee the Sunshine State. Needless to say, I can’t relate any of that without spoiling things for other readers, but suffice it to say it’s an interesting journey with a few surprises at the end. All told, it’s an enjoyable adventure that’s a bit off the beaten path, and I’m appreciative of the offer of a pre-release copy to read and review (by way of NetGalley). Well done, definitely recommended.

The Wedding Week by Aishia Saeed (Bantam, July 2026); 352 pp.

DELUSIONAL

4 stars out of 5

I read most of the books in this series for quite some time (this is the 18^th), but somewhere around a decade ago I gave up. Truth? At that point, NYPD detective Michael Bennett was a widower with 10 adopted kids. He and his uber-competent nanny, Mary Catherine, were fighting the urge to get it on, hesitating mostly for religious (Catholic) reasons. And at that point not-so-religious me had enough of the “will they or won’t they” nonsense  got turned off.

Still, I loved the stories, so when I had the opportunity to request a pre-release copy from NetGalley, I went for it. And now that Michael and Mary Catherine are legally wed (and I assume blissfully so, since she’s pregnant with their first child), and from my perspective, all’s right with the world once again.

This one begins as Michael and his partner, Rob Trilling, are at the scene of a bombing. It’s the second such event recently – the other involving the death of a fellow police officer - so concern is high that a serial bomber may be on the loose similar to the real-life Ted Kacznski (a.k.a. Unibomber of the 1990s). The only real clues are that the bomber apparently had two missing fingers and the recent theft of explosives at a New Jersey arsenal.

As the investigation gets under way, partner Rob has to deal with a potentially serious family matter; his brother, who owns a car dealership in Bozeman, Montana, is facing threats because he refuses to sell the property to a developer who won’t take no for an answer. Michael tells Rob to go West; when that situation takes a turn for the worse, Michael heads that direction as well to lend a helping hand.

Essentially, the story moves between the two cases, with suspension building over which will result in the greatest tragedy. The Montana developer, it seems, will stop at nothing even murder - to get what he wants; the bomb crew, who will stop at nothing to make the world a better place (not even mass murder). Caught in between are two partners who are doing their best to make sure none of those murders actually happen – especially their own.

All told, it’s another riveting adventure and one that held my attention throughout. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get in on the action once again by way of a pre-release copy. Good job!

Patterson and James O. Born (Little, Brown & Co., August 2026); 368 pp.