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Book Review

Rumoured by Kelly and Kristina Mancaruso [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Rumoured

Author: Kelly and Kristina Mancaruso

Publisher: Head of Zeus — an Aries Book

Publish Date: October 7, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Rumoured by Kelly and Kristina Mancaruso

BOOK BLURB

Harlow Hayes: the innocent pop star – or a heartless murderer? It’s time to find out…

I’m a global sensation adored by millions, and my star only seems to keep rising.

My fans say I speak directly to them through my music, that I know who they are. How else could I write such visceral, personal lyrics? They love me, and I love them right back.

Then, at the height of my fame, I was arrested on suspicion of murder.

The world thinks they know who I am.

But they have no idea.


Rumoured by Kelly and Kristina Mancaruso

MY REVIEW

Rumoured is about a pop star accused of murder. It is told mostly from Naomi’s point of view. Naomi is a journalist for a celebrity magazine. Harlow is the accused popstar, and we do get her point of view later in the novel.

The pacing of Rumoured starts slow, but it ramps up later in the book. A suspenseful and twisted mystery of lies, secrets, obsession, and revenge.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: All This Could Be Yours

Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: September 9, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan

BOOK BLURB

Debut sensation Tessa Calloway is on a whirlwind book tour for her instant bestseller, All This Could Be Yours. In a different city every night, Tessa receives standing ovations from adoring fans while her husband Henry and their two children cheer her on from their brand-new dream house.

But there’s a chilling problem with Tessa’s triumphant book tour―she soon discovers she is being stalked by someone who’s obsessed not only with sabotaging her career, but also with destroying her perfect family back home.

Tessa fears the fallout from an impossible decision she once made―what felt like a genuine deal with the devil―appears to be coming due. And she’s realizing that every high-stakes bargain comes with a high-stakes price. If Tessa can’t untangle who’s threatening to expose her darkest secrets, she’ll lose her career, her family―and possibly her life.


All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan

MY REVIEW

Tessa is a debut author is on a book tour for her bestselling novel. During the tour, she realizes someone wants to sabotage her career, family, and life.

All This Could Be Yours is told from Tessa’s point of view. She goes on a book tour, leaving her husband and children at home in their new house. Everything seems to be going well for Tessa, until someone starts stalking her. She starts to worry that the current events are connected to something in her past.

All This Could Be Yours is a suspenseful mystery. This is a character driven novel that relies heavily on the inner dialogue of the main character.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Hank Phillippi Ryan:
  1. Trust Me
  2. The Murder List
  3. The First to Lie
  4. Her Perfect Life
  5. The House Guest
  6. One Wrong Word
  7. All This Could Be Yours
Book Review

Too Old for This by Samantha Downing [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: Too Old for This

Author: Samantha Downing

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: August 12, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

Too Old for This by Samantha Downing

BOOK BLURB

Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.

Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends.

When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.

But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…


Too Old for This by Samantha Downing

MY REVIEW

Lottie is a retired serial killer, enjoying her quiet life. When a journalist starts asking questions about her past, Lottie takes matters into her own hands.

Too Old for This is told from Lottie’s point of view. She is in her 70s and enjoying her unexciting, small town life. A journalist shows up and wants to do a story about a crime that Lottie was acquitted of years earlier. Lottie can’t have the past being brought up, so she resorts to her old ways.

With a witty and devious main character, Too Old for This is a delightfully fun read. Dark, clever, and addictive.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Samantha Downing:
  1. My Lovely Wife
  2. He Started It
  3. Sleeping Dogs Lie
  4. For Your Own Good
  5. A Twisted Love Story
  6. Too Old for This

Book Review

Knife in the Back by Karen Rose [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: Knife in the Back

Author: Karen Rose

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: August 12, 2025

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Series: New Orleans #4, Romantic Suspense #32

My Rating: 4/5

Knife in the Back by Karen Rose

BOOK BLURB

Officer Naomi Cranston was framed for stealing cocaine from the evidence locker and coerced—through threats to her young son—into not fighting the charges. After five years in prison, she has tried to put the ordeal behind her, but the crooks who framed her have returned, this time demanding she move drugs along with her flower shop’s deliveries. They threaten her son once again, but this time she’s not capitulating quietly. She hires Broussard Investigations to protect her and her son, to prove her innocence, and to put the real bad guys away.

As a former cop, Burke Broussard is well aware of the corruption in the New Orleans police department. He had always believed Naomi Cranston to be guilty and isn’t inclined to take her case. Until he sits down to listen to her side of things. Until he sees her tortured innocence written all over her beautiful face…

A relationship born amid an investigation is a fragile thing. Will it survive the danger and the threats? Will it survive the truth?


Knife in the Back by Karen Rose

MY REVIEW

Naomi was framed for stealing cocaine from an evidence locker. She served her time, and now she’s being threatened again. This time she’s not backing down, and she hires a private detective to prove her innocence.

Knife in the Back is the 4th book in the New Orleans series and the 32nd book in the Romantic Suspense series by Karen Rose. While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone novel.

This romantic suspense story is told through multiple points of view, including the villain’s. This makes for an interesting read. With grit and tension, Knife in the Back is a gripping mystery.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Karen Rose:
  1. Don’t Tell (Chicago #1)
  2. Have You Seen Her?
  3. I’m Watching You (Chicago #2)
  4. Nothing to Fear (Chicago #3)
  5. You Can’t Hide (Chicago #4)
  6. Count to Ten (Chicago #5)
  7. Die for Me (Daniel Vartanian #1)
  8. Scream for Me (Daniel Vartanian #2)
  9. Kill for Me (Daniel Vartanian #3)
  10. I Can See You (Minneapolis #1)
  11. Silent Scream (Minneapolis #2)
  12. You Belong to Me (Baltimore #1)
  13. No One Left to Tell (Baltimore #2)
  14. Did You Miss Me? (Baltimore #3)
  15. Watch Your Back (Baltimore #4)
  16. Closer Than You Think (Cincinnati #1)
  17. Alone in the Dark (Cincinnati #2)
  18. Every Dark Corner (Cincinnati #3)
  19. Monster in the Closet (Baltimore #5)
  20. Edge of Darkness (Cincinnati #4)
  21. Death Is Not Enough (Baltimore #6)
  22. Say You’re Sorry (Sacramento #1)
  23. Into the Dark (Cincinnati #5)
  24. Say No More (Sacramento #2)
  25. Say Goodbye (Sacramento #3)
  26. Quarter to Midnight (New Orleans #1)
  27. Cold Blooded Liar (San Diego #1)
  28. Beneath Dark Waters (New Orleans #2)
  29. Cheater (San Diego #2)
  30. Buried Too Deep (New Orleans #3)
  31. Dead Man’s List (San Diego #3)
  32. Knife in the Back (New Orleans #4)
Book Review

Where He Left Me by Nicole Baart [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: Where He Left Me

Author: Nicole Baart

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: November 4, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Where He Left Me by Nicole Baart

BOOK BLURB

Sadie Sheridan’s new husband Felix, a professor of planetary sciences, has vowed to never leave her. But when Felix doesn’t return from a work trip, Sadie is stranded at Hemlock House, the remote mountain homestead where her husband grew up. Doubt creeps into Sadie’s heart. Then panic. Where is he?

Scared and alone in a place that feels haunted, Sadie struggles to make sense of what her missing husband left behind. But when she catches strangers lurking around the property, Hemlock House instantly becomes both a sanctuary and a prison. Navigating threats from outside and in, Sadie is forced to confront shocking secrets that leave her questioning whether she really knows Felix at all. As a powerful storm bears down, she must decide: is she fighting only for her own survival now—or for the man who promised her the stars?


Where He Left Me by Nicole Baart

MY REVIEW

Sadie is waiting for her new husband, Felix, to return from a business trip to their remote cabin.

Where He Left Me is told from Sadie’s point of view using dual timelines, past and present. The past timeline is when Sadie and Felix met, and the present is her currently alone in their cabin. As she worries about her husband not returning when expected and an approaching storm, she discovers two strangers on her property.

Where He Left Me is haunting and emotional. An atmospheric and tense domestic thriller.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: The Killer Question

Author: Janice Hallett

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: September 23, 2025

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett

BOOK BLURB

Sue and Mal Eastwood run an isolated rural pub called The Case is Altered where a weekly trivia game has revived its flagging fortunes—that is, until a body is found in the nearby river. Soon after, a mysterious new team arrives and shakes up the diverse field of regulars by scoring top marks in every round…every week.

Meanwhile, Sue and Mal have a secret of their own. Before arriving here, they were caught up in a secret police operation which meant they had to leave town—and whatever happened back then seems to have finally caught up with them.

Five years later, the pub lies derelict, and their nephew Dominic is determined to make a documentary about their story. What happened at this unassuming pub? And can a single question really kill?


The Killer Question by Janice Hallett

MY REVIEW

Sue and Mal own a pub that hosts a weekly trivia night. Things are going well until a dead body is found nearby, and a new team shows up at trivia night.

The Killer Question has a lot of characters and a dual timeline. The mystery of the dead guy, the trivia nights, and what happened to Sue and Mal is pulled together nicely.

The Killer Question is an epistolary novel. I enjoy this format, and it works well for this novel. A clever and fun mystery.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: The Wasp Trap

Author: Mark Edwards

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: September 16, 2025

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards

BOOK BLURB

A dinner party in a beautiful Notting Hill townhouse turns into a sinister game as six old friends are forced to spill their darkest secrets…or else.

Six friends reunite in London to celebrate the life of their recently deceased ex-employer, a professor that brought them together in 1999 to help build a dating website based on psychological testing.

But what is meant to be a night of bittersweet nostalgia soon becomes a twisted and deadly game. The old friends are given an ultimatum: reveal their darkest secrets to the group or pick each other off one-by-one.

It soon becomes clear that their current predicament is related to their shared past. The love questionnaire they helped develop in 1999 for the dating site was also turned into a tool for weeding out psychopaths: The Wasp Trap. This experiment and the other tragic events of that summer long ago may help reveal the truth behind a killer hiding in plain sight.


The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards

MY REVIEW

Six old friends reunite at a dinner party. Twenty-five years earlier, they all worked with a professor on developing an online dating site based on psychological testing. The dinner party takes a drastic turn when they are locked inside and held at gunpoint until they reveal their darkest secrets.

The Wasp Trap is a locked room mystery told using multiple points of view. The friends worked together on a project that ended abruptly years earlier. They all have secrets, some darker than others. Throughout the evening, secrets from the past are revealed.

The Wasp Trap is a clever mystery. Dark and suspenseful.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: Dead of Summer

Author: Jessa Maxwell

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: July 22, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell

BOOK BLURB

Orla O’Connor hasn’t been to the isolated New England enclave of Hadley Island since she graduated from high school a decade ago. As a teenager, her best friend Alice disappeared from its shores without a trace—but with plenty of rumors.

Now, Orla returns to her family’s beachfront home to clean it out before her parents sell it. The island and her best friend’s house next door, abandoned after her family left in grief, are stirring up memories she would like to avoid. Then there are the locals, always gossiping and watching Orla’s every move. Worst of all, David, Orla’s childhood crush and son of a wealthy Manhattan family, is back for the summer with his new, impossibly pretty girlfriend, Faith.

Faith suspects that David is going to propose but as soon as she settles into his family’s sprawling Hadley Island estate, she feels out of place. She anticipated a luxurious summer of fun and romance, but David is never around—lured into business conversations with his entrepreneur father from dawn to dusk. With nothing else to do, Faith begins to investigate the island’s dark past, curious about what really happened to Alice all those years ago.

Meanwhile, local Henry hasn’t left his house since the young girl went missing, in an attempt to let the accusations against him die down. Except they never have. For years, Henry has had an endless supply of time to pursue his only hobby, watching the island from his telescope and recording the activities of its inhabitants. But Orla’s return has shaken him and lately he’s been seeing strange things: shadowy figures walking on the beach in the middle of the night and a light on in the upstairs window of the long-abandoned house of the missing girl.

When there’s another disappearance on the island, all three find themselves pulled into an eerie and twisty mystery that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.


Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell

MY REVIEW

Alice disappeared a decade earlier, but her disappearance is still felt on a small New England island.

Dead of Summer is told using multiple points of view – Orla, Faith, and Henry. Orla has returned to the island to clean out her parent’s home before selling it. She was best friend’s with Alice, the teen who disappeared. Faith is visiting the island with her boyfriend, David. David comes from a wealthy family, and was Orla’s crush from many summers ago. Henry is a local who hasn’t left his home since Alice disappeared. He watches the island and its inhabitants from his home.

Dead of Summer is a slow burning and atmospheric mystery. The characters are well developed, and the plot is clever.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: The Lake Escape

Author: Jamie Day

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: July 15, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day

BOOK BLURB

JULIA, DAVID, AND ERIKA grew up together spending summers at their idyllic Vermont lake homes for as long as they can remember. Now adults— with their own sullen teens, endless mortgages, and low-voltage sex lives— the three friends have amassed secrets over the years.

This summer, David is eager to show off his newly renovated home—which now blocks his friends’ cherished lake views—and his much-younger girlfriend. He also, unwittingly, brings a nanny with a hidden agenda. What could possibly go wrong?

When David’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes after a shouting match, Julia and Erika wonder just how well they know their lifelong friend. The lake harbors a harrowing past: two young women, with no known connection, vanished without a trace thirty years ago. Did the lake take another?

As a search is mounted, an intricate web of lies, deceits, and betrayals spanning generations starts to surface, and everyone finds themselves in danger of becoming the next victim. Of the lake, or something darker.


The Lake Escape by Jamie Day

MY REVIEW

Three childhood friends (Julia, David, and Erika) spent their summers together at a lake in Vermont. They return for a summer vacation together as adults, with adult problems – marriage, kids, jobs, etc.

The Lake House is told using dual points of view from Julia and Izzy. Julia is one of the friends returning for the summer. Izzy is the nanny of David, the friend whose girlfriend goes missing during their stay. She is not the first woman to go missing at this lake.

The Lake House is tense with drama and mystery. Secrets, lies, and resentments make for a gripping story.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

Sunburned by Katherine Wood [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: Sunburned

Author: Katherine Wood

Publisher: Bantam

Publish Date: July 1, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Sunburned by Katherine Wood

BOOK BLURB

When Audrey Collet’s ex Tyson calls, threatening to expose the skeletons in her closet unless she helps him figure out who is blackmailing him, she wants nothing more than to refuse. Though their relationship ended over a decade ago, the scars are deep. And since his tech company made him a billionaire, he’s become more than a little eccentric . . . and paranoid.

But a foot has washed ashore in the Everglades—that’s right, an actual human foot, encased in an Air Jordan—and Tyson is quick to remind Audrey that it’s one whose long-dead owner they both have a connection to. A connection that could prove problematic, if it got out.

Audrey reluctantly agrees to meet Tyson at his home on the swanky Caribbean island of St. Barth’s to help him figure out who in his entourage is extorting him and what they know about the secrets he and Audrey share. Once there, she realizes that each person staying at Tyson’s lavish estate has a reason to wish him harm. Could the culprit be the gorgeous Belgian wife whose wings he’s clipped? The celebrity business partner he’s essentially holding hostage? The older brother who’s always been in his shadow? Or the sexy French butler he seems to trust more than he should?

Audrey has only just scratched the surface of what’s going on behind closed doors when Tyson’s birthday dive turns deadly, and she realizes that one of the seven people trapped on his yacht with her is not just a blackmailer but a murderer. If Audrey can’t catch the killer in time, she might become the next victim.


Sunburned by Katherine Wood

MY REVIEW

Audrey is hired, more like demanded, by her ex-boyfriend Tyson to find out who is blackmailing him. Audrey and Tyson have a complicated past, and she reluctantly goes to his home in the Caribbean to find the blackmailer. Things get more dangerous when it turns into a murder mystery.

Sunburned is told from Audrey’s point of view, and uses past and present timelines. Audrey and the other characters are well-devleoped, with most being unreliable. The beautiful setting is a highlight, and the plot is tense.

Sunburned is a compelling thriller. Slow-burning and atmosperic.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: Matchmaking for Psychopaths

Author: Tasha Coryell

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: July 15, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell

BOOK BLURB

When Lexie’s fiancé runs off with her so-called best friend on her birthday, her carefully crafted fairy-tale life shatters. Having survived horrors in her past, she was determined to finally get her happily-ever-after—and she’s not giving up yet.

To distract herself, Lexie throws herself into her unusual job: matchmaking psychopaths (a specialty her clients are blissfully unaware of). But the loneliness is crushing. So when a gorgeous, overprotective new client named Aidan insists they’re soulmates, and another intriguing client, Rebecca, seems perfect to fill the best-friend-shaped hole in her life, Lexie can’t help but find the attention comforting—despite her own professional boundaries.

Then a human heart appears on Lexie’s doorstep. As more threatening packages arrive and her fiancé mysteriously disappears, she must confront a terrifying question: did she inadvertently match herself with a killer? Between Aidan’s claims that her fiancé will never return, Rebecca’s growing presence in her life, and her own dark past resurfacing, Lexie’s matchmaker instincts are being tested like never before.

Because someone is determined to ensure her story ends with a funeral.


Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell

MY REVIEW

Lexie is a matchmaker. Her specialty is matching psychopaths. When Lexie’s life gets turned upside down, she focuses on work and a new man.

Matchmaking for Psychopaths is a slow burning thriller with unique characters. Good for readers who enjoy dark humor in their mysteries.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: Making Friends Can Be Murder

Author: Kathleen West

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: June 10, 2025

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

BOOK BLURB

It feels like kismet when Sarah Jones, newly relocated to Minneapolis after abruptly calling off her engagement, gets invited to join a group of women who share her same (very common) name. For years Sarah has received all types of correspondence intended for different Sarah Joneses, but now it seems that this mistake has given her the opportunity for an instant community.

What starts as a low-stakes meet-up called “The Sarah Jones Project” soon turns sinister when another local Sarah Jones is found dead, under suspicious circumstances, at the base of the downtown Minneapolis bridge. After fielding numerous calls from concerned loved ones ruling out their Sarah as the victim, the surviving Sarahs decide to take matters into their own hands.

Aided by the dead woman’s nanny, a newly commissioned (and very handsome and eligible) FBI agent, and a cloistered nun with a complicated past, the motley crew of unlikely friends are determined to get to the bottom of the murder of one of their own.


Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

MY REVIEW

Sarah Jones is new in town, and she’s invited to join a group of other women named Sarah Jones. Then, a Sarah Jones is killed, and the other Sarah’s decide to find the killer.

Making Friends Can Be Murder is told through multiple points of view – Sarah Jones (30), an FBI agent, and through transcripts and text messages. A fun cast of characters and an entertaining mystery.

A delightful cozy mystery. Good for readers who enjoy light mysteries with humor and quirky characters.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.