RANSOM

4 stars out of 5

As far as I know, I’ve read all 25 in this series that preceded this one, though I can’t be positive because I’ve only recorded the 13 most recent in my book blog. That track record does give some idea of how invested I am in the series; still another one is that the main man, now former Israeli intelligence officer and art restoration expert Gabriel Allon, has held the No. 1 spot on my list of Top 10 All-Time Favorite book heroes ever since I started it.

He’s still there for sure, but I do have to say this isn’t close to my favorite book in the series. Somehow, it just feels, well, lackluster; Gabriel just seems to want to be anywhere except in the middle of another mess that’s really not near or dear to his heart (though readers will find he’s still got enough energy to get in the occasional political jab we all know will be in the book somewhere).

Actually, I don’t blame him a bit; he is retired, after all – living with his beautiful wife Chiara and their twin son and daughter and working for Chiara’s very successful Venice-based art restoration company. And obviously, he’s getting a bit long in the tooth, shall we say, at least when it comes to getting involved with life-threatening activities that used to be his norm. And of course, there are those kids…

This time out, the family is enjoying summer holidays at their home in Cornwall, where Gabriel has just acquired a new sailboat and is about to begin restoring a painting by Bernardo Bellotto. All that is going along swimmingly until he’s asked for help by rich-as-sin businessman Edward Knight, whose wife Alice has gone missing since her recent annual getaway with some female friends on the Ibiza coast of Spain. He begs Gabriel to go to Ibiza, where Alice was last seen with her group of friends.

Reluctantly, Gabriel and Cornwall Police detective Timothy Peel head there to meet with local police, who take them to the place where Alice’s car was found at the bottom of a ravine. It’s a strange scene with no blood, so the suspicion is that she’s been kidnapped, but there’s been no ransom demand – until suddenly there is. Speaking with the kidnappers, Gabriel puts his best negotiating skills to the test, whittling the original amount down to something a low-end billionaire can afford.

And it’s here I’ll stop, except to say of course there’s many a slip – and a twist – between cup and lip. The rest of the book focuses on efforts to determine if Alice is really alive and, if so, get the money to the kidnappers and Alice back to her husband. There’s a bit of intrigue, a bit of suspense and a surprise or two, but I never worried that Gabriel might not make it home to his wife and kids as I’ve done in most of the other books (well, there was that one incident…) Still, it’s well-written and held my attention – it just isn’t at the top of my favorites of the series.

Ransom by Daniel Silva (Harper, July 2025); 416 pp.

THE CHASE

5 stars out of 5

I was a fan of legendary steeplechase jockey turned horse racing focused author Dick Francis for many, many years, and since his death, I’ve continued that enthusiasm for books written by his son Felix. This one, I’m happy to say, continues that tradition of excellence in fine fettle – another good one in the books, so to speak.

One thing, however, left me wondering if I’d missed something. The description on Goodreads, where I always post my reviews, says the book features investigator Sid Halley (e.g., “Sid Halley is back to investigate”) – a familiar character. But for the life of me, I don’t recall ever even reading his name on any of the pages here. Oh well, no matter. If I somehow skipped over those mentions, so be it – honestly, in the end I didn’t miss him a whit.

The story finds Westminster art gallery owner Fabian Tulley in a bit of a bind; he’s just sold a painting by Alfred Munnings, and now the police are at his door because he’s been accused of fraud; the buyer, it seems, claims the painting is a copy and insists Fabian was well aware of it. Problem is, Fabian is certain he sold an original, authentic work – but especially since the police have confiscated the painting, how on earth will he prove its provenance? And if he doesn’t, it’s likely his entire business – already in a somewhat difficult financial state – would cease to exist (in fact, several seem to have already flown the customer coop).

As if that weren’t enough, Fabian’s landlord has issued him an eviction notice, claiming he now needs the building for a different type of development. To help with that, Fabian “hires” a retired barrister who agrees to a big discount on a painting he wants in exchange for helping Fabian get to the truth behind his lease (not knowing, of course, exactly where that will lead).

The buyer of the suspected fake Munning is billionaire Jack Lofthouse from Yorkshire, who subsequently filed a lawsuit against Tulley. But the question is, why would he want to discredit Fabian? Getting to the truth requires Fabian and a couple of friends to venture to (surprise!) the racetrack at Cheltenham, where he’s also a frequent vendor. There, he encounters even more serious attacks – one that ends with the ruin of several of the paintings he was displaying for sale there, thus adding to his financial woes and hopes for the future.

Needless to say, either the fraud or the eviction could cost Fabian his livelihood at the very least – so he’s eager to get both issues resolved. The eviction is mostly up to his attorney, but unless he gets to the bottom of the fraud accusation and puts it to rest, he won’t be able to afford his lease anyway, making that issue moot. So off he goes to get to the bottom of things, with a little help from some friends and employees. Details, of course, I cannot reveal, but suffice it to say it’s nonstop action right up to the end (which I also won’t reveal). Getting there, though, is exciting and fun, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me in on the adventure by way of a pre-release copy. Another one well done!

The Chase by Felix Francis (Crooked Lane Books, September 2026); 304 pp.

TOM CLANCY PRESSURE DEPTH

5 stars out of 5

I suppose it sounds strange to give a book a 5-star rating when there were chunks of it I totally skimmed, but let me explain. Once when I visited a top-of-the-water submarine in downtown Cleveland and had the chance to venture down the tube that led to the guts of the beast, I took one look and ran the other way. Yep, I’m definitely on the claustrophobic side, so being seriously enclosed like that, even if it’s not under water, is pretty terrifying. Well, guess what this book is all about?

Mind you, I wasn’t too fearful that the hero of the story, Jack Ryan Jr., son of U.S. President Jack Ryan (he of The Hunt for Red October, an all-time favorite book), would meet a watery, highly pressurized demise. But over the series, I’ve come to know and love several of his friends and cohorts at Hendley Associates, where he fills roles on both the “legitimate” and clandestine sides of the company, so I was worried about them. And as can be deduced by my earlier comments, I can’t think of a worse way to go than on the sea floor mere feet from the Mariana Trench – the deepest oceanic trench on Earth.

This time out, Jack – whose fiancé and co-worker Lisanne Robertson are no longer an item – is planning a dive with co-worker Doug Park to inspect a sunken ship in the Philippine Sea near Guam thought to be carrying illicit and potentially dangerous cargo. Meantime, on another ship, captain Carla Bennett has spotted an object dangerously near the Mariana Trench that shouldn’t be there – it appears to be about the length of a submarine and has a corroded hull. More importantly, perhaps, is that it has a logo that looks suspiciously Russian. So what is it and how did it get where it is now? Further research finds it just may be one thought to have been surreptitiously placed by the Russians long ago for nefarious purposes. To get to the truth, Jack and his dive team will need to sink to all new levels. Problem is, someone else is determined to get there before they do and stop them from learning the truth.

For sure, it’s a mission fraught with danger - the details of which, of course, will be revealed as the story unfolds (I’m certainly not doing to be a wet blanket and spill the beans). I will say, though, that I learned way more than I ever wanted to about deep sea diving (a lot of it so technical it went way over my head, actually). And if I weren’t already certain I’d never want any part of deep sea diving, trust me, I’d be convinced after finishing the book. Parts, in fact, I had to skim over or else face having nightmares for weeks to come.

All that said, though, it’s a riveting, well-written story – and I’m already looking forward to the next adventure (though I’m hoping most of it will take place on dry land). Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

Tom Clancy Pressure Depth by Jack Stewart (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, September 2026); 416 pp.

NOT A WORD

4.5 stars out of 5

I’m a big fan of this author, loving every single book of his I’ve read so far. And with all its twists and turns, this one certainly didn’t disappoint.

It begins as Reece Chartwell comes to visit his parents, Brent and Catherine, in their home near Toronto. He’s greeted by a sight no son could ever envision, much less accept: His parents in bed, both shot to death - with blood everywhere. That’s not something a son ever gets over, even with help from his wife Diana and son Gage.

There’s a police investigation, of course, and the initial ruling is that it’s a murder-suicide; his father shot his mother, then himself. Except, that is, till Reece gets a text from his mother indicating she’s nowhere near dead, and further investigation finds that the woman with whom his father was in bed is a different woman – one unknown to Reece and his drug-addicted brother, Holden. Complicating matters even more is that while his mother agrees to meet with Reece, she doesn’t actually show up – and can’t be found anywhere. So did she walk in to find a strange woman in her husband’s bed and kill them both?

Such is the primary suspicion in the mind of detective Janice McCabe, who manages at least to find the name of the murdered woman. Everything else is a huge mystery that includes the possibility that one or both of the victims was the target of the real killer. But who might that be, and what was the motive?

Some evidence leads Reece to believe it might have something to do with the Big Pharma company for which his father worked – a company that could be hiding Big Secrets that someone still there doesn’t want to go public. But really – would anyone still there still be worried enough about something like that to commit murder?

Those questions, and many more, get answered as the story moves along, and of course you’ll get Not Another Word from me about all that. What I will say is that this is another winner in my book, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get a sneak peek by way of a pre-release copy. Go get one for yourself – you won’t be sorry.

Not a Word by Linwood Barclay (William Morrow, August 2026); 320 pp.

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.