HOPE RISES

5 stars out of 5

Any book series, I’ve long maintained, is best enjoyed from the beginning. No matter how well the author provides sufficient information from the previous book(s) to make the current one completely understandable, readers still stand to miss a lot of the backstory that makes the current book more enjoyable. This is a case in point, perhaps more so than others; yes, it stands alone well, but since I’d read its predecessor (Nash Falls) fairly recently, I’m sure I enjoyed it a bit more for having read it. That said, I loved this one and am looking forward to the next installment to see if a couple of things sort of left hanging here get picked up again.

For those who missed the first one, Walter Nash spent most of his adult years as a Clark Kent of the business world – happy with his job, his wife Judith and their daughter Maggie. Then one day the world as he knew it crashed right before his eyes – with not the least of the issues being his wife having an affair with his uber-wealthy boss, Rhett Temple. The end result was that Walter necessarily transformed himself into a Superman, with help from his friend Shock – perhaps the only man in the world he really trusts, becoming a lean, mean fighting machine totally unrecognizable to those he knew in the past. He adopts a new name as well – he’s now known as Dillon Hope.

And he’s laser-focused on a single task: taking out crime queen Victoria Steers, who took away his primary reason for living – and not far down his list is his former boss. But Victoria, too, has an axe to grind; it was Dillon who became an FBI informant against her and her very powerful crime organization. And, she’s no slouch in the fighting machine department; she’s an expert in several forms of lethal combat. Should the twain ever meet, it’s a toss-up as to who would emerge “Victori”ous.

And then it happens: Dillon is called to meet with Victoria’s emissary, who relays to him that the dragon lady, who has heard of his formidable skills, wants to meet up. Dillon agrees, knowing that his new physique and “look” makes him unrecognizable as the Walter Nash she’s so eager to kill. Happily for him, he’s right; turns out she suspects nothing and wants him to spring her mother, the formidable woman who built the criminal empire Victoria now runs, out of a high-security, secluded prison in Myanmar – a virtual impossibility, but Victoria claims she has a plan. If he fails, it’s almost certain he’ll die in the process. Even if he survives and accomplishes his assignment, though, given Victoria’s devious ways there’s no guarantee she’ll let him live to see another day.

But since his conversion to a whole new man, Dillon is used to uncertainty – so off he goes. And it’s here that I sign off as well – I can’t reveal more without spoiling the anticipation for other readers. I’ll just say it’s exciting and edge-of-seat action to the end and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to take it all in by way of a pre-release copy. Terrific series!

Hope Rises by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, February 2026); 432 pp.

UNTOUCHABLE

5 stars out of 5

With a handful of exceptions – like Ernest Hemingway’s “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” - I’ve just never been much enjoyed reading  anything shorter than a full-fledged book. But then along comes a long-time never-miss-a-book author with a series of novellas featuring Special Agent Constant Marlowe. I read the first but somehow missed the second; this time, a publisher’s rep emailed me the offer to read a re-release copy (thank you very much), so I couldn’t help but notice. Next up? Rushing to download it at NetGalley. And proceed polish it off in a couple of hours, give or take 20 minutes for lunch and running to the basement to grab another pack of TP when I discovered we were uncomfortably low in the upstairs bathroom.

Confession time: No, neither experience turned me into a short-story lover. But this one sure did turn me into a bone fide lover of this character – a special agent in the Illinois Department of Criminal Investigations who has the ability to “read” people and, if she doesn’t like the fine print, knock them silly with a perfectly aimed right to the solar plexus (oh, did I mention she’s a champion prizefighter)?

As this story begins, Constant is in Prescott, Illinois, to finish up a job when she spies a young woman who appears to be in distress. One jaw knocked out of alignment later, she learns the woman, Kathleen Delaine, has been harassed and bullied because she pushed for an investigation into an overload of traumatic brain injuries being experienced by the local university’s football team. A bad situation then took a turn for the worse when the host of a popular radio show put it on the air, ridiculing her for interfering in something women should not worry their pretty little heads about and not letting manly men be manly men (after all, football is a contact sport and getting banged up is a given, don’t you know}? From that point on, Kathleen’s life has been a living hell. That, in turn, angers Constant, who vows to help find the person who’s been sending her nasty messages. Meantime, she insists that Kathleen go stay with her father, an attorney who’s in the middle of a high-stakes medical malpractice trial.

Now for a “regular” length book, I’d keep going a bit. But in this case, there’s absolutely nothing more I can say that wouldn’t spoil the adventure for all the readers who come after me. Suffice it to say most things are more complicated than they seem on the surface, and this story’s no exception. Got a couple of hours to spare? Grab a copy. You won’t be disappointed.

Untouchable by Jeffery Deaver (Amazon Original Stories, February 2026); 137 pp.

CAT ON A HOT TIN WOOF

4 stars out of 5

I like Bernie Little. I love his dog Chet a lot. I’m way more fond of cats than dogs (sorry, Chet), and it’s a cat, after all, that gets this story rolling. But this particular adventure somehow needed another wheel or two to keep it on its usual entertaining fast track.

That doesn’t mean, however, that it moves along slowly; just like all the other books in this wonderful series (this is the 16th), it’s always a treat to get Chet’s take on the situation, and Chet isn’t known for dragging his feet (wagging his tail, maybe, but that means something entirely different). And when was the last time you got to see the world of a private detective through the eyes of a pooch who flunked out of K-9 school on the last day of training (blame that, too, on a cat)? No, it’s more that the plot itself was a bit less interesting to me than most of the others.

Here, Bernie’s Little Detective Agency has taken on the job, albeit reluctantly, of finding a missing cat. Miss Kitty, though, is no average feline; she’s a social media sensation, thanks to her owner, teenage Bitty. She lives with her mother Evelyn, and together they’re looking at raking in some serious and much-needed cash from sponsors. Up to now, Miss Kitty has had purrfect attendance in her media appearances, but suddenly she’s nowhere to be found. Bitty and her mom have been diligent in keeping doors and windows locked, so how on earth did she get out? More to the point, where did she go, and can Bernie and Chet find her so Bitty can sign a big contract worth even more money?

At the outset, there’s one primary suspect, but that turns out to be the wrong choice. So, Bernie and Chet take off once again to follow clues that lead to unexpected encounters with still another four-legged critter – one whose unfamiliar sniffs and snorts put Chet on high alert while Bernie focuses on following the evidence left by humans who might have a grudge against Miss Kitty or her owners.

It is, as always, a merry chase that leaves readers chuckling in spots as the irrepressible Chet shares his point of view as only he can. All in all, it’s another perplexing mystery solved in a very entertaining fashion with a bit of a bang-up ending. And once again, my thanks go to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get in on the action by way of a pre-release copy.

Cat on a Hot Tin Woof by Spencer Quinn (Minotaur Books, April 2026); 320 pp.

THE SURVIVOR

4 stars out of 5

There’s no shortage of action in this book nor curiosity on my part as to what would happen next, both of which normally would be more than enough to make me want to read it nonstop if daily life didn’t interfere. But when I had to put it down for, say, eating dinner or getting some semblance of a night’s sleep, that didn’t happen; it wasn’t till close to the end that I absolutely couldn’t wait to open my Kindle and read as fast as I can. I’m not sure why, but I suspect all the blood and guts kind of crossed the line of credibility in a few spots, plus most of the characters were people I’d  never even care to meet, much less interact with. Overall, though, I not only enjoyed the book, but I’m in hopes that a couple of the law enforcement officers who were the exception to my “so-so” character list end up with a series of their own.

As for this one, here’s the deal: Ben Cross had barely started his first day at what should have been a great job when he was unceremoniously marched out of the office and back onto the street – leaving him dazed and totally confused. But his day was about to get much, much worse. When he got on the subway, he got a text with a photo of another man on the train accompanied by a frightening warning that if Ben didn’t stop that man – a total stranger – from getting off the train, the man would die. Pretty much unbelievable, Ben thought, and besides, he had no idea who the man was or in which car he was traveling. Oh well, live and learn.

And boy did he learn - to pay attention to the next message, if there was one. That’s because guess what happened to the man when he exited the train? Yep, no kidding. Still in shock, Ben gets yet another message informing him that whoever is sending the messages has killed another person – and then still another when Ben is told to stop a second passenger from getting off and he fails. Slowly, Ben – and by now a couple of law enforcement agencies including Homeland Security – begin to realize Ben isn’t getting those texts randomly; for whatever reason, he’s been targeted.

And finding out why is the crux of the rest of the story; suffice it to say Ben himself is a person with a history he’d much prefer not to reveal (well, to readers maybe, but certainly not to the police). Still, most of that history was many years earlier; who on earth wants to dredge it up now and why? And more to the point, can he/she/they be identified and caught before many more innocent people (in fact, all the passengers remaining on the train) bite the smoke from a bomb?

Enter NYPD detective Kelly Hendricks, who’s been relegated to the transit authority beat in hopes she’ll just quit. Almost accidentally, she finds herself charged with getting on the train (mostly, I think, because all her police colleagues think she’s expendable), locating Ben and attempting to learn what’s happening from his perspective. And from that point on, my friends, everything gets a little fired up, but you’ll just have to read the rest of it for yourself. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me get a little fired up as well by way of a pre-release copy. And hey – don’t forget I’m hoping to see a book starring this new police team in another year or so!

The Survivor by Andrew Reid (Minotaur Books, March 2026); 336 pp

THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS

4 stars out of 5 

Almost always, I cringe when I start to read a book that flips back and forth in time; maybe it’s my advancing age, but it takes me half the book to figure out what’s happening when, leaving not enough time to get truly invested in the story. I’m not sure why it didn’t happen here, but I’ll chalk it up to a rather unique style of writing by the author; at no time did I feel lost. Yes, the story was a bit complicated (and “dark” would be an understatement; if you don’t care for blood and guts, very large white teeth and characters who have no concept of what it means to play nice, this isn’t the book for you).

Set in Australia, almost entirely in the fishing town of Kangaroo Bay, the book showcases native daughter Minnow Greenwood, who, under a pseudonym, became a popular TV news reporter in Melbourne. When one of her interviews turned nasty, she was disgraced – and returned to her hometown nearly broke and hoping a print journalist friend could help her find work. Both her parents have been missing for years; her father ran a fishing charter but took out his frustrations on his wife – who ran away several times over the years but always returned home – and their children, Minnow and her very protective brother Heath. In fact, her father has long been suspected of killing their mother, but nothing has ever been proved. Another Kangaroo Bay fishing expert, long-time friend Terry Hargrave, finally tired of their father’s abuse and killed him; but here, too, no body has ever turned up nor any evidence that he’s not among the living somewhere.

But these days, Kangaroo Bay has a bigger problem: infestation by Great White whales, a protected species that is perpetually ravenous. Usually, they don’t hover close to shorelines, but lately they seem to have taken a liking to this town – or more specifically, a couple of humans who went swimming in the bay but should have thought better of it. Not long after Minnow returns home, one of those sharks strikes again – while she’s there to watch the gruesome chowdown.

Long confused and concerned about what really happened to her parents, Minnow begins to share childhood information with her journalist friend, hoping he’ll catch a whiff of a big story. As they poke around and interact with people Minnow knew way back when, chapters flash back to her harrowing childhood and what was really going on that made her who she is today. But as their digging – both figuratively and literally – continues, it becomes clear that someone, or several someones, will do just about anything to keep them from getting too close to the truth.

It’s truly a harrowing tale, softened only because some of the characters truly deserve what they get. A twist near the end comes as a surprise, though in retrospect, it shouldn’t have been. Definitely worth reading (it's short enough to polish off in a day), and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to sink my teeth into it.

The Only One Who Knows by Lisa M. Matlin (Bantam, March 2026); 272 pp.

REVENGE PREY

5 stars out of 5

As a frequent reviewer of ARCs (advance review copies), I keep a running list of to-read books in order of release date so I don’t miss getting a review written and posted on time. On the rare occasions that I have a few extra days to “play with,” though, it’s a real treat because I can skip ahead a bit and read the one I truly want to read next. Well, such was the case with this one (as would be for anything written by this author, who’s been a favorite for, well, never mind how long). I know I’ll get familiar characters I’ve come to love, an intriguing plot that holds my attention from beginning to end and more than a few chortles – guffaws, even  – as I move through the pages.

As this one (the 36^th) begins, Russian spy Leonard Summers, his wife Martha and grown son Barnard (not their real names) are being transferred from a CIA safe house to a U.S. Marshals Service Witness Protection Program home near Minneapolis, with marshals Lucas Davenport and Shelby White to accompany them. Suddenly, shots go boom, and one of the transferees goes down. A subsequent chase ends up wounding at least two of the shooters, but they get away. Clearly security at one or both of the U.S. agencies has sprung a leak – and just as clearly, Lucas, Shelby and CIA rep John Sherwood are certain this won’t be the last time the family is attacked.

I’ll stop for a minute to say that one of the most entertaining parts of this story is the interaction between Lucas and John – an odd couple if there ever was one since cooperation isn’t exactly the order of the day between the two agencies. But these two get along famously, thanks in large part to the kind of warped sense of humor I love (and claim for myself). Lucas even invites him to his home for dinner, and Lucas’s surgeon wife, Weather, takes a liking to John as well (hopefully, this all bodes well for future books). Even Lucas’s adopted daughter Letty, who has a series by this author all her own, gets into the investigative act and develops a “connection” with John (also boding well for future books).

Needless to say, the suspicion that whoever’s out to get the defecting spy isn’t about to stop trying is spot on, so Lucas, John and an array of representatives from the Marshals, CIA and FBI, some of whom are familiar characters from previous books, get to play at playing nice (which in and of itself is a treat to read). The rest of the book deals with the art of the chase, with plenty of shoot-‘em-ups and the usual nonstop, edge-of-seat action. All told, another good one is now in the books – and I’m already looking forward to the next. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for another opportunity to meet up with one of my favorite characters by way of a pre-release copy.

Revenge Prey by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, April 2026); 400 pp.

THE CROSSROADS

4 stars out of 5

Every once in a while, IMHO, all long-running series need a creativity kick in the derriere. Even loyal fans (as I most certainly am of this series) get a little tired of the same place, same people chasing different bad guys and gals. In this one, the 26^th, Three Sleep County, Wisconsin, game warden Joe Pickett doesn’t get much page time except in flashbacks, nor does his off-the-grid “outlaw” buddy and falconer, Nate Romanowski – it’s Joe’s three daughters – Sheridan, April and Lucy - who take center stage.

Joe, you see, is being held elsewhere – a hospital in nearby Billings, Montana – and his family, including his wife Marybeth, don’t know whether he’ll live or die (or what his life will be like if he does make it). At the moment, he’s in an induced coma as a result of being shot through the windshield of his truck at the Antler Creek Junction – a (ahem!) crossroads where three roads split off, each leading to a large ranch owned by wealthy, powerful and very secretive people. Which of the three ranches he was planning to visit is unknown, as is the reason for his visit.

Leading the investigation is the new kid in town – Sheriff Steve Sondergard, who hasn’t even had time to organize his office. Steve has met and seems intrigued by Sheridan, who is heading up the bird abatement company owned by Romanowski while he remains off the grid with his young daughter Kestral. April works in Bozeman, Montana, at a private investigation agency, while Lucy attends the University of Wisconsin. When they get the news, April and Lucy waste no time returning home to help in any way they can.

That turns out to be running their own full-on investigation, with agreement – though grudgingly – from the sheriff. It doesn’t take long before Joe’s long-time friend Nate makes his presence known as well, offering a few suggestions and tidbits of advice. With almost nothing to go on – Joe’s phone and daily journal are nowhere to be found – the girls begin by making plans to independently interview each of the ranch owners; not an easy task since none are friends of Joe or any other law enforcement officials. Along the way, a couple of other dead bodies turn up that seem to be related to Joe’s shooting. Overarching the entire story, of course, is Joe’s condition; all that’s known till the end is that he’s in very capable hands at the hospital.

Also of course, any other details from me will not be forthcoming (especially the ending) so as not to spoil things for other readers, but I certainly enjoyed it myself and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. But while this one was highly entertaining, I’m ready for Joe to stand front and center in the next one. Pretty please?

The Crossroads by C.J. Box (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, February 2026); 352 pp.