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.

MURDER BY DESIGN

5 stars out of 5

Now that I’ve chuckled my way through this book, I’m really hoping it’s the first of a series. Both characters – former LAPD detective Edison Bixby turned insurance fraud investigator and his sidekick and story narrator Wally Nash – are nothing short of a hoot. UPDATE: Just as I was starting to write this review, my hopes were confirmed by way of a Facebook post by the author saying he’s in Singapore researching the next book. Hallelujah!

Bixby, you see, was a top-notch detective, at least until he got shot in the face. While it didn’t kill him, it did kill his ability to control what comes out of his mouth; and his often rude utterings don’t tend to sit well with other people around him. He’s managed to turn his experiences into a big payday and is a multi-millionaire and really doesn’t need to work, but he’s so good at being a detective that he willingly works for the insurance company. Still, that unruly mouth needs tempering; so it is that he needs an “assistant” to smooth things over when he crosses the verbal line of social acceptability (which is rather often).

Such assistants have come and gone, but the most recent is Wally Nash, a character actor wannabe who’s looking for that big break while landing a few similar jobs in B-level (or lower) commercials. Nash isn’t quite sure how or if he’ll be able to handle Bixby’s quirkiness, but he’s willing to try – and as narrator of this story, he lays out all his experiences for readers in often hilarious detail.

The duo start with a couple “warm-up” cases in which Nash marvels at Bixby’s amazing ability to solve cases in a short time by seeing details others miss – thus solidifying his belief that he’s the right person to partner with Bixby (well, that and a few perks offered by filthy-rich Bixby). That leads to one of their biggest cases; determining whether a woman’s death in an under-construction shopping mall was an accident or something more sinister. Bixby, you see, is a proponent of the theory that architectural design is, well, kind of alive; done wrong (or correctly, depending on who did the designing and why) can be a killer. Whoa – was that what happened here?

How all that turns out is a journey filled with chuckles, at least for me (yes, I’ve got a rather quirky sense of humor) – and both Bixby and Nash complement each other perfectly in that department. This also is where I call it quits for this review – the details are not for me to reveal. All I’ll do is repeat what I said at the beginning: when the next book in this series is available, I’ll try my darndest to be the first one in line. Oh, and I’ll say a ton of thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me a few hours of delight by way of a pre-release copy.

Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg (Thomas & Mercer, June 2026); 239 pp.

WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SKY

4 stars out of 5

I enjoyed this book – no doubt about it – but my feelings are mixed. The writing is almost exquisite – no doubt about that, either – but I spent way too much time, well, yawning. Simply put, no matter how important descriptions of scenery and events are to the story – and they certainly are – I’m used to mysteries and thrillers with nonstop action, and that doesn’t happen here.

As a child, Abby was found running from her farmhouse on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – a home consumed by flames. She’s picked up by a couple who know her, and she’s sent to live with relatives because her mother perished in the fire. All Abby can remember is that when she was found, she had a book of matches in her hand with a few missing.

Haunted by that memory and desperately seeking the truth (especially about that book of matches), Abby returns to her roots a decade later, in part to put her keen interest in the great outdoors to use helping her uncle, who has a grant to map and study trees and forests in a nearby area. Shortly after she returns, her best friend Brew invites her to a party and she meets an intriguing girl named Seda, whose behavior seems to range from confused to mental illness. Abby makes it her life’s work to protect Seda, keeping her fed and housed in an abandoned cabin, well away from all her friends and worrying when she disappears from time to time – and their encounters are written about in great detail.

As a reader, I, too, wondered about those matches and who really set the fire. I also wondered why, given Seda’s behavior, Abby would even want to be around her (I’d have given her the boot at her first transgression). The rest of the story leads up to learning the truth about both, mostly filled with descriptions of scenery, events and memories from an angst-filled Abby. As I said earlier, the writing is wonderful, the story itself seems to go nowhere fast, though resolution to the matches issue and Seda’s strangeness are a bit of a surprise (one totally satisfying and the other crossing a bit over the line of credibility). But overall, I must say that while it’s not an edge-of-seat chiller thriller (perhaps best read by a cozy fire with a glass of wine nearby), I definitely recommend the book and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy.

Where the Water Meets the Sky by Diane Les Becquets (Simon & Schuster, May 2026); 320 pp.

TOM CLANCY RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

5 stars out of 5

Ever since The Hunt for Red October, I’ve been a fan of Tom Clancy books. Honestly, a couple of installments into the series, it became a bit of a chore to wade through Stephen King-length novels, so I skipped a few. Then when Clancy died in 2013, I was hesitant to try a “substitute” author just because, well, it wasn’t the original guy.

In more recent years – prompted, I admit, by shorter book lengths – I returned to the series and, happily, fell in love all over again. And as expected, this one did not disappoint – starting with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who was killed in a plane crash in Turkey under suspicious circumstances. He was returning home from a conference with a few other passengers, but it turns out one of them was a spy who’d become a U.S. asset and was being extracted by the CIA.

U.S. President Jack Ryan mourns the death of his good friend, but he’s also determined to find out what really happened and why. His daughter Katie, an accomplished Navy lieutenant commander, gets the call to head to Turkey and take a look. As she and her team begin to investigate, they learn something quite strange: although the plane’s manifest lists 16 passengers, only 15 bodies have been found. So what in the world happened to the other one?

As usual, there’s a secondary plot – this one involving a former Russian bigwig close to the Russian president who for all intents and purposes has retired. Problem is, what he’s doing now somehow seems to be more of a threat to the free world than what he did for his old boss. But what is it, exactly, and is the guy really retired or working clandestinely with his former boss?

As things progress, the action gets hot and heavy, involving the usual cast of characters that readers have come to know and love; heck, even Katie’s brother Kyle, a top programmer at a secret U.S. agency, is called in to contribute his special expertise. And for those who might be wary of being confused, the author serves up the background required to ensure that the story stands alone.

It’s no spoiler to say the super-capable Ryan family and the loyal government officers save the day in the end – with no shortage of pats on the back all-around (well, maybe not for public consumption). The devil, of course, is in the details, which other readers will just have to learn for themselves. It short, it’s another edge-of-your-seat adventure, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for sharing it with me by way of a pre-release copy. Excellent!

Tom Clancy Rules of Engagement by Ward Larsen (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, May 2026); 448 pp.

IRONWOOD

5 stars out of 5

I first met Detective Sergeant Stilwell – first name not revealed – in “Ironwood,” the first of what is now a series of two books. Despite my misgivings about that lack of name (hmmm, what is he hiding?), I took a liking to him; so when I got the chance to read the follow-up, courtesy of a pre-release review copy from NetGalley, I didn’t hesitate. That proved to be a sound decision, and now I’m looking forward to reading the next installment.

“Stil,” as he’s known, lives and works on Catalina Island; banished there by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after irritating the powers-that-be to the point that they sent him to a place where all the department “misfits” go. Most of the time, that keeps Stil out of their hair, other times, like now, the two locations get a bit tangled up. As the story begins, Stil and his troops are watching a suspicious plane land on a remote island airstrip. As a duffel bag of drugs is dropped as expected and Stil’s team advances, but then everything falls apart. The drop-off guy runs and disappears into the mountains, shots are fired from somewhere and someone catches a deadly bullet.

Despite being told by his superiors he’s off the case, Stil keeps up the investigation without their knowledge. As he digs around in his own turf, he finds a backpack still in evidence that hasn’t been claimed. Curious, he learns it belongs to a woman who went missing on the island four years ago while hiking. Not surprising in and of itself, but the backpack was recovered just two months earlier. More curiosity leads him off the island to the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and (surprise!) a character familiar from another series by this author, Detective Rene Ballard. Turns out they’re something of a match made in heaven; it’s a team I hope we’ll see again soon.

The rest of the book focuses on that investigation, but Stil being Stil, he can’t back off that runway shooting case despite warnings from his superiors. Both cases get resolved, but it is the latter that brings serious ramifications for Stil and hints at the direction of the next book in the series. Can we see it soon, please? Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to immerse myself in another enjoyable mystery by way of a pre-release copy. Another one well done!

Ironwood by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Co., May 2026); 336 pp.

THE ANNIVERSARY

5 stars out of 5

At its heart, this book has a familiar theme: two young people from entirely different lifestyles – one from the “wrong side of the tracks” and the other the quintessential prom queen. Though their lives took very different paths, both are searching for answers. Quinn Riley is trying to find out who murdered his mother years earlier. Jules Delaney is trying to learn the identity of the community’s “May Day” serial killer (so dubbed because he does his dirty deeds on May 1) and why he captured her long ago but ultimately let her live. Their stories parallel each other, complete with flashbacks, until (as readers will suspect) they come together and the two learn they have much more in common than they ever thought.

On that date back in 1992 when both were in high school Quinn’s attempt to break up a fight went awry, resulting in his being arrested and sent to prison. That same night, Jules’ situation took an awful turn as well when she was attacked by the person she assumed was the May Day killer. She was physically assaulted and released, but her attacker warned her not to speak of the incident if she wanted to keep her family safe – even though she never saw the man’s face. The two knew each other, but their lives didn’t often intersect because they came from such different backgrounds.

Years later, Quinn is released from jail hoping to dig up evidence about his mother’s unexplained death years ago, but with few other options for survival, heads for the Army recruiting office. After that, he returns home to become a private investigator – still with an eye on finding who killed his mother. Jules, meanwhile, has been sashaying her way up the runway to become a top model – one still haunted by the awful memories of that May 1 encounter. Finally, an FBI agent finds Jules and convinces her to open up about what happened to her; to her surprise, other survivors have been found as well.

The story follows a decade in their lives as both try to grapple with the awful events of their younger years, with chapters revealing how the past impacts the present, the progress of their investigations and, ultimately, how each is resolved. Overall, it’s quite an adventure – one that certainly kept me turning pages as fast as I could all the way to the end. Definitely worth reading, as are all the books I’ve read by this talented author, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. Well done!

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay (Minotaur Books, May 2026); 336 pp.

JUDGE STONE

5 stars out of 5

Within minutes of starting to read this book, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep going. Within a few minutes more, though, I knew I wouldn’t want to stop till I got to the end.

Let me explain. This story takes place in the Deep South – super small town Union Springs, Alabama, in fact. Mary Stone, a Black judge – elected by voters – presides over the local county court, and there’s a trial with more than a hint of To Kill a Mockingbird flavor. Bottom line, then, is that it’s almost a given that the defendant won’t be the only victim in this case. Add the fact that it relates to a woman’s right to control her own body (Alabama, the story notes, has the “toughest abortion law in the country”), and I know from the outset that my own emotions will run strong.

No time is wasted triggering them as 13-year-old Nova Jones is brought to the local doctor’s office during off hours by her school nurse. The girl is pregnant, in pain and showing other symptoms of severe distress that could threaten her life. She begs both women to not tell her mother, who would be, let’s say, less than sympathetic. The doctor, Bria Gaines, sees no other choice than to perform a medical abortion – but given the legal consequences, no one is supposed to know about it.

But luck isn’t in Nova or Bria’s corner; soon thereafter, the first-year teenager develops serious complications from the procedure – not uncommon in girls that young – sending her to the hospital, where doctors learn she’d had an abortion and are obligated to pass that information on to the proper authorities.

Well, surprise – the case lands in front of Judge Stone, who’s got a reputation for following the law, fairness and not putting up with BS from attorneys on either side. For reasons readers will learn, though, this trial will test those qualities to their limits (and then some) as well as turn the whole town on its head and put lives at stake. In short, it’s a don’t-miss story, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy. Outstanding!

Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson (Little, Brown and Co., March 2026); 425 pp.

RED VERDICT

4 stars out of 5

Ever since I started my working life 60-plus years ago as a legal secretary (for a whopping $250 a month), I’ve had a keen interest in the law. Never wanted to be a lawyer, mind you – it was the research side that called out to me. That career never happened, but even after many years as a print journalist, legal matters (and of course, books that included courtroom strategies), have remained a priority. What I’m saying is that it’s really hard for me to get bogged down in trial goings-on, but I felt that way a couple of times in this story (apparently the judge in the depicted trial did as well, admonishing attorneys for both sides to get a move on more than once). Mind you, that didn’t much dampen my personal enthusiasm for the book – I’m simply pointing out that this series entry is a bit more technical than its predecessors.

This is the fourth book featuring Nora Carleton, assistant district attorney for the Southern District of New York; I’ve now read – and recommended – all three. Every one has been an interesting, intriguing story (and, of course, scratched my legal itch).

As it opens, a frequent diner at a New York restaurant is fatally stricken during his meal. An astute hospital doctor suspects he was done in by a hard-to-detect nerve agent popular with Russian assassins. Not long after, other diners succumb to the same thing; quick action saves their lives and confirms the suspicion that the original victim had, in fact, been targeted. Nora and her long-time FBI Special Agent Benny Dugan (the latter married to Nora’s mother) begin an investigation, only to learn somebody messed up big-time; the dead guy isn’t the one they were supposed to eliminate.

Still more investigation points to someone close to the victim as being the intended target, and meetings with other agencies that have enough acronyms to make your head swim determine that the real target – and perhaps the victim himself – are Russian spies and that something went wrong. That, in turn, prompts visits to a private residence in Las Vegas reminiscent of a Jeffrey Epstein getaway (complete with young victims and links to at least one highly placed Washington, D.C., government official – who, understandably, will do what he can to make sure the public doesn’t start demanding to see files).

Finally, there’s that detailed trial – interesting in and of itself. But that’s not all Nora has on her plate; In the midst of everything job-related, she must deal with her beloved daughter, Sophie, who lives with her father during the week and is going through some issues of her own. None of the details are mine to share, of course, but I can say there’s never a dull moment (well, except when the trial attorneys get a little carried away). Everything gets resolved at the end, though, making for an entertaining and fast-paced adventure. My thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get my latest legal “fix” by way of a pre-release copy. Well done once again!

Red Verdict by James Comey (The Mysterious Press, May 2026); 352 pp.

ROBERT B. PARKER’S BOOKED

5 stars out of 5

Sunny Randall has been around the block more than a few times – this is the 13^th in the series (the third, I believe, by this author) – and I’ve read most of them. For sure this one is on my list of favorites.The plot involves books and murder, so for an avid reader of murder mysteries like me, what’s not to like?

Sunny, a private detective based in Boston, has a lot on her plate right now. For openers, she’s re-engaged to be re-married to her ex, Richie Burke, the son of long-time and mostly likable mobster Dominick Burke. Richie lives and works in New Jersey, though, not that far from Boston but far from Sunny’s favorite place to be. So, she’s dragging her feet a bit on planning wedding details. She’s also a long-time friend of wildly popular author Melanie Joan Hall, who has a new book coming out in a few months (her memoir, a bit off her usual genre).

Problem is, a top online book reviewer/influencer who’s identity remains secret just gave Melanie’s book one star (out of a high of 5), and Melanie is devastated. In a drunken state after she saw it, she fired off a truly nasty response – which, along with the lousy review, went viral. Distraught over her fans turning on her and worried that her publisher will dump her, Melanie wants to set things straight. So, she contacts her friend Sunny with a plea for help; find out who the reviewer, code name Book Babe, really is so she can deliver an in-person apology.

With help from her competent assistant Blake James and best friend Spike, Sunny manages to uncover Book Babe’s identity – and in the process learns there’s more to her relationship with Melanie than Melanie revealed. No surprise, then, when Book Babe turns up dead, Melanie turns into a prime suspect.

Now, Sunny has an even bigger task at hand: finding evidence that proves Melanie didn’t do more than just kindle a grudge against the reviewer. The situation becomes so tense that Sunny is forced to hire hot-shot attorney Rita Fiore, who coincidentally is currently dating former Sunny love interest Jesse Stone, the Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief who happens to have a book series all his own.

For the rest of the details, how the investigation works its way to the truth and how it all ends, you’ll have to read it for yourself – I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else. It’s well worth the effort, IMHO, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get in on the action by way of a pre-release copy.

Robert B. Parker’s Booked by Alison Gaylin (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, May 2026); 320 pp.

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.

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.