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Book Review

The Other People by C.B. Everett [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: The Other People

Author: C.B. Everett

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: March 25, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 2/5

The Other People by C.B. Everett

BOOK BLURB

Ten strangers.

An old dark house.

A killer picking them off one by one.

And a missing girl who’s running out of time…

And then there was one.

Ten strangers wake up inside an old, locked house. They have no recollection of how they got there. In order to escape, they have to solve the disappearance of a young woman. But a killer also stalks the halls of the house and soon the body count starts to rise. Who are these strangers? Why were they chosen? Why would someone want to kill them? And who—or what—lurks in the cellar?

Forget what you think you know.

Because while you can trust yourself, can you really trust The Other People?


The Other People by C.B. Everett

MY REVIEW

Ten strangers are trapped in an old house, and a killer is picking them off one by one.

The Other People is told using the multiple points of view of the people in the house. It’s a locked room mystery with interesting characters and plenty of drama. I usually enjoy locked room mysteries, but this one fell flat for me.

Fans of locked room mysteries may enjoy this one. It’s a bit creepy and does have a good twist.

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

Book Review

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay [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: A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage

Author: Asia Mackay

Publisher: Bantam

Publish Date: January 14, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay

BOOK BLURB

I wasn’t smashing the patriarchy; I was killing it. Literally.

Hazel and Fox are an ordinary married couple with a baby. Except for one small thing: they’re murderers. Well, they used to be. They had it all. An enviable London lifestyle, five-star travels, and plenty of bad men to rid from the world. Then Hazel got pregnant.

Now, they’re just another mom-and-dad-and-baby. They gave up vigilante justice for life in the suburbs: arranged play dates instead of body disposals, diapers over daggers, mommy conversations instead of the sweet seduction right before a kill. Hazel finds her new life terribly dull. And the more she forces herself to play her monotonous, predictable role, the more she begins to feel that murderous itch again.

Meanwhile, Fox has really taken to being a father. Always the planner, he loves being five steps ahead of everyone and knowing exactly what’s coming around the bend. Plus, if anyone can understand Hazel needing one more kill, it’s Fox. But then Hazel kills someone without telling Fox. And when police show up at their door, Hazel realizes it will take everything she has to keep her family together.


A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay

MY REVIEW

Hazel and Fox are serial killers. Well, they were until they had a baby. Now, they are living dull lives in the suburbs. Hazel is bored. Fox is stressed. Hazel eventually kills someone, but thinks she can keep it from Fox.

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage uses dual points of view, so the reader gets Hazel and Fox’s viewpoints. Hazel misses their old lives, and wants more excitement. She’s an artist. She’s passionate and impulsive. Fox is a business man. He’s organized and the one responsible for planning their kills. When Hazel kills behind Fox’s back, she’s trying to keep that hidden, but Fox is hiding his own secrets. Oh, and Hazel’s new bestie is a police officer, which does complicate things a bit.

A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage is a fun and entertaining thriller. Dark humor, secrets, and serial killers.

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

Book Review

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins [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: Cross My Heart

Author: Megan Collins

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: January 14, 2025

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

BOOK BLURB

Rosie Lachlan wants nothing more than to find The One.

A year after she was dumped in her wedding dress, she’s working at her parents’ bridal salon, anxious for a happy ending that can’t come soon enough. After receiving a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie knows her health is precious and precarious. She suspects her heart donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, who she begins messaging via an anonymous service called DonorConnect, ostensibly to learn more about Daphne. But Rosie has a secret: She’s convinced that now that she has his wife’s heart, she and Morgan are meant to be together.

As she and Morgan correspond, the pretense of avoiding personal details soon disappears, even if Rosie’s keeping some cards close to her chest. But as she digs deeper into Morgan’s previous marriage, she discovers disturbing rumors about the man she’s falling for. Could Morgan have had something to do with his late wife’s death? And can Rosie’s heart sustain another break—or is she next?


Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

MY REVIEW

Rosie wants to find love, and thinks she may have found the right man. Rosie is a heart transplant patient, and starts emailing Morgan, the husband of the woman whose heart she received. She believes Morgan is the one for her, but she starts to hear some disturbing rumors as she learns more about him.

Cross My Heart is told primarily from Rosie’s point of view, but also includes email exchanges, phone messages, and book excerpts. Rosie is an intriguing, though sometimes frustrating character. Her “Rosie-colored glasses” viewpoint is somewhat unreliable. She is a romantic and has a positive outlook toward everything.

Cross My Heart is a well-crafted and suspenseful psychological thriller.

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

Books by Megan Collins:
  1. The Winter Sister
  2. Behind the Red Door
  3. The Family Plot
  4. Thicker Than Water
  5. Cross My Heart
Book Review

The Perfect Home by Daniel Kenitz [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: The Perfect Home

Author: Daniel Kenitz

Publisher: Scribner

Publish Date: January 7, 2025

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

The Perfect Home by Daniel Kenitz

BOOK BLURB

Dawn Decker is an American everywoman and the salt to her husband Wyatt’s sweet, media-friendly charm on their Tennessee-based home renovation reality TV show, The Perfect Home. While Dawn bristles at the trappings of their D-list celebrity status, Wyatt hungers for greater fame. The couple also faces infertility issues stemming from Wyatt’s low sperm count. He secretly orders experimental fertility drugs, and they conceive, but his personality takes a dark turn—he becomes moody, withdrawn, and even cruel.

When Dawn discovers his horrifying plot to manufacture a tragedy in order to skyrocket their celebrity status, she takes their infant twins and goes on the run. Wyatt appears on national television to turn the public against her, painting Dawn as an unstable kidnapper suffering from postpartum psychosis. His charm is so compelling that even Dawn’s closest friends doubt her. She will have to dig deep into the past—both hers and Wyatt’s—to find allies, protect her children, and beat this beloved all-American celebrity at his own game.


The Perfect Home by Daniel Kenitz

MY REVIEW

Dawn and Wyatt have a charming, perfect life. While they want to add a child to their lives, they are struggling with infertility issues. Wyatt starts taking fertility drugs, and they work… but his personality starts to change. After their twins are born, Dawn learns of Wyatt’s evil plan. Unfortunately, he has the more likable personality, and Dawn is portrayed as the unstable one.

The Perfect Home is told through Dawn and Wyatt’s points of view. They have a successful home renovation show, but Wyatt dreams of more fame. Dawn is content with the lives they have. Dawn is smart, but sometimes naive . Wyatt is not a good man, but he is very charming.

The Perfect Home is a twisty and wild thriller. An entertaining debut novel.

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

mystery genre bingo

2025 Mystery Genre Bingo

mystery genre bingo

Welcome to the 2025 Mystery Genre Bingo challenge!

This reading challenge focuses on mysteries. The idea is to create a bingo card with a variety of mystery subgenres and make as many “bingos” as you want. You can set a goal to get one bingo, completely fill in the bingo card, or something in between.

The 2025 Mystery Genre Bingo challenge has 25 prompts. This is a fun challenge for readers who enjoy reading a variety of mysteries.

My goal is to fill in a bingo card! Comment below with your challenge goals. Good luck and happy reading!


To make a bingo card, visit the Bingo Card Generator. Enter the following information:

  • Card Title: 2025 Mystery Genre Bingo
  • Word List: Amateur Sleuth, Caper, Cold Case, Cozy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Detective, Domestic Suspense, Financial Thriller, Golden Age Mystery, Historical Mystery, Hard Boiled, Legal Thriller, Locked Room Mystery, Medical Thriller, Middle Grade Mystery, Murder Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Noir, Paranormal Mystery, Police Procedural, Political Thriller, Private Investigator, Psychological Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Spy Thriller, Suspense, Techno Thriller, True Crime, Young Adult Mystery, Whodunit
  • Free Space: Yes
  • Free Space Text: Any Mystery
  • Free Space Description: “leave blank”
  • Free Space Placement: Center
  • Card Size: 5 x 5
  • Number of cards to create: 1
  • Click “Generate Bingo Cards”

My Bingo Card

mystery genre bingo card
Updated 2025 bingo card

Books Read in 2025 for the Mystery Genre Bingo Challenge:

  • Crime Fiction –
  • Young Adult Mystery – That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally
  • Middle Grade Mystery –
  • True Crime –
  • Caper –
  • Whodunit –
  • Police Procedural – The Killing Plains by Sherry Rankin
  • Amateur Sleuth –
  • Hard Boiled –
  • Psychological Thriller –
  • Political Thriller –
  • Historical Mystery – All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
  • Any Mystery – Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
  • Murder Mystery – Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
  • Suspense – The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
  • Locked Room Mystery –
  • Noir –
  • Financial Thriller –
  • Spy Thriller –
  • Cold Case – The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
  • Golden Age Mystery –
  • Techno Thriller – The Family Experiment by John Marrs
  • Private Investigator – We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
  • Medical Thriller –
  • Paranormal Mystery –
Book Review

Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy [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: Deadbeat

Author: Adam Hamdy

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: December 3, 2024

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy

BOOK BLURB

Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. Divorced, drunk, and severely damaged, Peyton is offered a life-changing sum of money to kill an evil man. But as he goes on a vigilante journey that leaves a trail of bodies across California, Peyton wonders about the identity of his anonymous patron. Soon, his questions become an obsession, and he embarks on a tense and potentially deadly investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed.


Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy

MY REVIEW

Peyton is on a downward spiral. An unknown benefactor bails him out of jail, then a large sum of money is offered to him if he kills a man. More money is offered if he keeps killing. Peyton wants to know who is behind these anonymous messages, so he starts investigating on his own.

Deadbeat is a slower paced thriller. Peyton admits to being a killer, and he’s also an unreliable and unlikable character. While the plot is intriguing, there was too much repetition to keep me interested in the story.

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

Book Review

Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi [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: Out in the Cold

Author: Steve Urszenyi

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: November 12, 2024

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: Special Agent Alexandra Martel #2

My Rating: 3/5

Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi

BOOK BLURB

While sailing across the Mediterranean, the megayacht Aurora is rocked with explosions, taken under siege by unknown assailants. On board are some of Europe’s wealthiest and most powerful political players, including the secretary general of Interpol, a high-ranking Finnish diplomat, and Special Agent Alex Martel—whose lethal sniper skills kick in to bring them safely to shore.

Someone is waging a ruthless campaign of attacks against Finland, one of NATO’s newest members, in an attempt to throw the Alliance into turmoil. Teaming back up with CIA agent Caleb, Alex is thrust into the middle of the fray, pursuing the villains from the waters off of Monaco to the Baltic Sea and home to American soil.

As the US is pulled deeper into the conflict, a global catastrophe seems inevitable. But who is really responsible for these escalating attacks on Finland? The Russians, or someone much closer to home? As new allies surface and old enemies reappear, Alex has no way of knowing who to trust—and she might only have one last shot to keep the world from going to war.


Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi

MY REVIEW

Out in the Cold is the second book in the Special Agent Alexandra Martel series. Alex is charming and lethal. She’s a skilled sniper, and currently working as a contractor with the CIA.

A series of destabilizing events have targeted Finland. Alex is thrown into the middle of the turmoil, and must help discover who is behind the attacks.

Out in the Cold is action packed. A fast-paced read recommended for fans of spy thrillers with female protagonists.

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

Books in the Special Agent Alexandra Martel series:
  1. Perfect Shot
  2. Out in the Cold
Book Review

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni [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: Beyond Reasonable Doubt

Author: Robert Dugoni

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publish Date: October 22, 2024

Genre: Legal Thriller

Series: Keera Duggan #2

My Rating: 4/5

Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni

BOOK BLURB

When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced wunderkind CEO of a controversial biotech company, is accused of murdering her former partner and lover, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend her. Keera is more than a master chess player who brings her intuitive moves into court—she’s Jenna’s childhood friend. But considering their history, Keera knows that where Jenna goes, trouble follows.

Five years earlier, Keera’s father successfully defended Jenna when she was tried for the killing of her company’s chief scientist who threatened to go public with allegations of corporate fraud. Keera knows Jenna too well. When she was a kid, Keera saw Jenna for what she was: a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath. Now, with only circumstantial evidence against Jenna, Keera is willing to bury any trepidation she might have to defend a woman she believes, this time, to be innocent.

As the investigation gets underway and disturbing questions arise, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears that this time she’s telling nothing but the truth. If this is all just another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free.


Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni

MY REVIEW

Keera Duggan is a defense attorney. Her latest case is defending a childhood friend accused of murder.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt is the second book in the Keera Duggan series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with the first book in the series.

Keera is intelligent and intuitive. She isn’t excited to be about her latest case, since she does not like the woman she is defending. While Keera believes her client to be a sociopath, she also believes that she is innocent of the murder she is being accused of. This makes for a clever and tense plot.

Beyond Reasonable Doubt is a fast-paced, dramatic, and intriguing legal thriller.

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

Books in the Keera Duggan series:
  1. Her Deadly Game
  2. Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Book Review

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara [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: A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer

Author: Maxie Dara

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: October 1, 2024

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Series: S.C.Y.T.H.E Mystery #1

My Rating: 4/5

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara

BOOK BLURB

Murder is not her department. 

It’s not like it used to be. Modern-day grim reapers wear business casual, not black cloaks, and they don’t carry scythes, they work for S. C. Y. T. H. E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences), where the Department of Natural Causes is the least exciting gig. And that’s how Kathy Valence likes it: boring and predictable. She has enough stress in her personal life; she’s mid-divorce, pregnant, and terrified she doesn’t have what it takes to be a good mom.

Then, she goes to pick up a new client and finds his soul is missing. When she finally tracks down Conner Ortiz, he angrily insists he was murdered, and he refuses to move on until Kathy finds out why and by whom.

Kathy has only forty-five days to solve the mystery before the boy’s soul is doomed to roam the earth as a ghost forever. To do that she’ll have to call on the help of her retired mentor, her almost ex-husband—and, inconveniently, Conner himself. This is the wildest case of her career . . . and one wrong move could cost Kathy her job, not to mention her life.


A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara

MY REVIEW

Kathy is a modern day grim reaper working for S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences). She works in natural causes, but runs into a problem when she goes to collect her latest soul. He claims he was murdered, and refuses to go with her until she finds who killed him.

Kathy is in her forties, in the middle of a divorce, and pregnant. She does not want to help solve a murder, but feels she must. For one, if she doesn’t collect her client’s soul in time, he is doomed to stay a ghost forever.

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer has a cast of quirky characters. The story is witty and lighthearted. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

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

Books in the S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery series:
  1. A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer
Book Review

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel [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 Hitchcock Hotel

Author: Stephanie Wrobel

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: September 24, 2024

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

BOOK BLURB

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows.

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, not after what happened.

But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.

After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.


The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

MY REVIEW

Old college friends are reunited at The Hitchcock Hotel. Alfred runs the hotel, and invites his old film club friends to celebrate the hotel’s one year anniversary. Once they’re all reunited, things take a dark turn, and someone ends up dead.

The Hitchcock Hotel is told using multiple points of view and timelines. The timelines are past and present, with one major event happening in college that changed their friendships. The characters are intriguing and the setting is unique.

Atmosphere and tension make The Hitchcock Hotel a compelling read. Recommended for fans of dark and twisty murder mysteries.

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

Books by Stephanie Wrobel:
  1. Darling Rose Gold
  2. This Might Hurt
  3. The Hitchcock Hotel
Book Review

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto [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: You Will Never Be Me

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: August 20, 2024

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto

BOOK BLURB

Influencer Meredith Lee didn’t teach Aspen Palmer how to blossom on social media just to be ditched as soon as Aspen became big. So can anyone really blame Mer for doing a little stalking? Nothing serious, more like Stalking Lite. Then, Mer gets lucky; she finds one of Aspen’s kids’ iPads and swipes it. Now, she has access to everything: the family calendar and Aspen’s social media accounts. Would anyone else be able to resist tweaking things a little here and there, showing up in Aspen’s place for meetings with potential sponsors? Mer’s only taking back what she deserves—what should have been hers
 
Meanwhile, Aspen doesn’t understand why her perfectly filtered life is falling apart. Sponsors are dropping her, fellow influencers are ghosting her, and even her own husband seems to find her repulsive. If she doesn’t find out who’s behind everything, she might just lose it all. What everyone seems to forget is that Aspen didn’t become one of TikTok’s biggest momfluencers by being naive. When Meredith suddenly goes missing, Aspen’s world is upended and mysterious threats begin to arrive—but she won’t let anything get in the way of her perfect life again.


You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto

MY REVIEW

Meredith and Aspen are social media influencers and former best friends. Aspen’s influencer career has taken off and Meredith envies her for it. Meredith gets the opportunity to improve her own social media accounts, and takes it, even if it hurts Aspen. Meanwhile, Aspen’s image starts to fall, and she’s not going to let her perfectly curated life go away so easily.

Meredith and Aspen are both unlikable characters. The story alternates between their two points of view, and it’s hard to choose which one to root for. The story is well-paced, and the influencer storyline is entertaining.

You Will Never Be Me is an intriguing and creepy psychological thriller.

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

Book Review

Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton [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: Talking to Strangers

Author: Fiona Barton

Publisher: Berkley Books

Publish Date: August 15, 2024

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Elise King #2

My Rating: 3/5

Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton

BOOK BLURB

When Karen Simmons is murdered on Valentine’s Day, Detective Elise King wonders if she was killed by a man she met online. Karen was all over the dating apps, leading some townspeople to blame her for her own death, while others band together to protest society’s violence against women. Into the divide comes Kiki Nunn, whose aggressive newsgathering once again antagonizes Elise. 

A single mother of a young daughter, Kiki is struggling to make a living in the diminished news landscape. Getting a scoop in the Simmons murder would do a lot for her career, and she’s willing to go up against not just Elise but the killer himself to do it.


Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton

MY REVIEW

Elise is a detective working the case of a murdered woman. A determined reporter is also wanting to find the killer.

Talking to Strangers is a slow burning mystery. Told with well-developed characters and a compelling atmosphere. This is a complex and clever murder mystery.

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

Books in the Elise King series:
  1. Local Gone Missing
  2. Talking to Strangers