A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE

4 stars out of 5

Gritty, brutal and not for the squeamish or those opposed to “street” language, this book was more than a little challenging just because of the writing style – which is close to magnificent, by the way, but certainly not something that speedy readers like me can fly though; the sentences need to be savored. At first, I was a bit put off by chapters shifting from one character’s perspective to another – usually indicative of a slogfest that can be confusing to wade through – but there aren’t that many to deal with here and it’s always clear which one is taking center stage.

The characters themselves aren’t all that likable, but that doesn’t make them uninteresting. Each has a backstory with some kind of “secret” – but it’s pretty clear from the start that eventually their lives will intersect. Put another way, it’s a familiar formula but with very different circumstances and outcomes that make for a unique story.

The stars of the show include Jake Deal, who earns somewhat of a living as a night owl and podcaster who follows police activities and other tips to get to – and publicize - the most horrific crime scenes he can find; Douglas Gibson, a defense attorney for the less-than-well-heeled who (perhaps mistakenly) takes on a wealthy Hollywood mogul accused of pedophilia (think: Harvey Weinstein meets Jeffrey Epstein) and Kara Delgado, whom I’d describe as an event planner for, shall I say, a Dark Web-style crowd (think: Ghislaine Maxwell). Fun people? I guess it depends on which side of the aisle you’re sitting on.

Anyway, Kara’s friend Phoebe has gone missing, possibly a victim of the so-called LA Ripper serial killer who’s been around long enough that there are public tours of homes at which his victims once lived. Because of his talent for finding “dirt” that others miss (but mostly because he can use the money), Jake accepts an anonymous offer to gather secrets of well-known people who, supposedly, will be blackmailed if anything substantial turns up.

The book follows these characters’ efforts to, in large part, learn what happened to Phoebe and figure out the LA Killer’s identity and who may be next on his list. As their individual worlds connect, what actually happened, and who made it happen, is revealed. I, of course, can offer no such revelations without giving away any of those aforementioned secrets and spoiling the surprises for other readers. What I can say is that I enjoyed it thoroughly, highly recommend it to other mystery fans and heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy. Outstanding!

A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper (Little, Brown and Co., April 2026); 384 pp.

PARADOX

4 stars out of 5

I’m enjoying this series, of which this is the second, because it’s a bit off center, if you will – the stories cross over the line of believability a titch but do not destroy it, because there’s research (as well as plenty of general public speculation) that lends credibility. The first book, “Extinction,” focused on reconstituting long-gone Neanderthal parts that became alive through genetic manipulation, understandably were wild and nearly destroyed main characters Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frankie Cash and Colorado Sheriff James Colcord.

This one is more reminiscent of a Dan Brown novel, starting with the theft of a fragment of a part of the biblical John the Baptist’s head, which has been locked in a case at the Irish Pallottine Fathers of the Basilica for safekeeping. Needless to say, it’s priceless relic, and it’s caused consternation all the way up to the Pope, who resides not far away, and one of the Brothers is charged with finding and returning it to its rightful place.

Meantime, over in America, Cash gets a call from Colcord telling her there’s been a murder in Flat Tops Wilderness – near where those aforementioned Neanderthals escaped from a laboratory into the wilderness. For now, they seem to be on the lam, so for now, at least, Colcord doesn’t consider them to be the culprits. The victim is William Grooms, an illegal squatter. The murder itself, though, suggests some sort of ritual that may be related to Catholicism (I’d mention some of them, but they’re pretty gruesome and besides, that would spoil the impact for other readers).

Back in Rome, the person who ripped off John the Baptist’s body part is identified – an exobiologist from San Francisco. One of the Brothers is sent to find him and retrieve the relic on personal order of the Pope.

If all this sounds strange, it is; but most readers will conclude early on that the two cases are somehow related. And of course, the “somehow” is for Cash and Colcord to discover and pass on to readers – I’m out of that equation because I won’t spoil the story for others. Suffice it to say things get even stranger as the investigation – and search for poor St. John’s head fragment – starts to pick up steam.

Definitely worth reading, and don’t miss the section at the end where the author explains some of the research from which the story was born. As for me, I’m looking forward to the next one – and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to spend time with this one by way of a pre-release copy. Quite engaging!

Paradox by Douglas Preston and Aletheia Preston (Forge Books, April 2026); 352 pp. 

THANK YOU, TEACHERS

5 stars out of 5

The subtitle of this book is “True Stories from America’s Teachers, Our Last Line of Defense and Our First Line of Hope.” Basically, this book is a compilation of real-life observations (both positive and negative) from those on the front lines of our country’s classrooms – and they can be quite eye-opening. Well, for me, not really. There wasn’t a single word from any of the contributors here that I haven’t heard – way more than once – from my late husband (33 years a high school English teacher), our daughter (33-plus years a middle-school language arts teacher now retired) or our granddaughter, a middle-school language arts teacher, who, half a dozen years into the experience, now counts herself among the teachers with dry feet.

That is, with one notable exception – the elementary school teacher who, with her students, watched out her classroom windows in horror with her as flames shot up and ashes fell all over the school yard when airplanes hit the Twin Towers just blocks away. Still, the fallout of that event for other teachers has been echoed in our house, which is smack dab in the middle of Midwest America, and was voiced by another teacher here: “When a tragedy occurs [Sandy Hook Elementary, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School], my first thought is always, “That could be my school.”

In short, this is a book that needs to be read, even by those who already know our country’s educational system is in deep doodoo (or more to the point, the future of our children is). After all, gone are the days when elementary teachers almost all were females who had white hair and wore orthopedic oxfords like mine did; gone, too, are the students who cowered at the thought of being sent to the principal’s office (more likely, they now just call Mom, who races to the school to tell the principal not to mess with her perfectly behaved kid). But there’s a positive side here as well; what comes through loud and clear is that today’s teachers really love to teach – and maybe more important, they love their students, want them to learn and are extremely proud of them when they do. They just need the chance to be able to do it.

Here are just a few snippets that got my attention:

“I don’t believe kids nowadays have the expectation that their actions have repercussions. It’s a whole new system.”

“There are no ‘bad’ students – just students who need to learn differently.”

“My first month of teaching [each year] is so difficult I cry nearly every single day.”

“The hardest part of the job is dealing with children’s home lives, which so often affect their behavior.”

And last but hardly least, from a 25-year military veteran turned teacher: “Teaching is the hardest thing I’ve done that doesn’t involve live ammunition.”

All rightee then. Required reading, IMHO, by anyone who wants to know what’s really going on in schools today. I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me tune in by way of a pre-release copy.

Thank You, Teachers by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann (Little, Brown and Co., April 2026); 304 pp.

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.