Book Review

Somebody Worth Killing by Jessica Payne [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Somebody Worth Killing

Author: Jessica Payne

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: June 16, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 4/5

Somebody Worth Killing by Jessica Payne

BOOK BLURB

Nadia Davis is living the dream as a successful working mom with a career she loves, two adorable little girls, and a devoted husband who has no idea that she’s secretly a hired assassin and psychopath who kills certified bad guys. So when Nadia finds out she’s been “mommy tracked” by her assassin’s agency and is no longer getting the bigger, more exciting jobs, she demands an important mark…somebody worth killing.

But it turns out that big kill is the last person she expects—her husband. How is the sweet, kind, teller-of-dad jokes she’s promised her life to an evil villain who needs exterminating? Has their whole life together been a lie? Now Nadia must choose between the two things she loves most in life, the career that keeps her sane or the family she thought she knew.


Somebody Worth Killing by Jessica Payne

MY REVIEW

Nadia is a wife, mother, and professional assassin. When she finds out she has been “mommy tracked” at work, she demands a bigger target for her next job. Unfortunately, her next target ends up being her husband.

Somebody Worth Killing is a fun thriller. Nadia is an intriguing character, facing challenges in her personal and work lives. Sure, she’s an assassin, but she has always requested the targets be truly bad people. When her latest assignment ends up being her husband, she can’t see how he could be a villain.

Somebody Worth Killing is a gripping read. Fans of anti-heroine thrillers will enjoy this one.

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

Book Review

Summer’s Never Over by Darby Bozeman [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Summer’s Never Over

Author: Darby Bozeman

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: June 9, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 3/5

Summer's Never Over by Darby Bozeman

BOOK BLURB

Five years ago, Greer left her family’s summer camp in the mountains of Georgia and vowed she’d never return. An idyllic season had turned into a nightmare after a mysterious Phantom began stalking the camp—and ended with Greer’s friend and fellow counselor dead. Losing Steph shattered everything, and Greer’s been fleeing from the grief ever since.

But then Greer’s mother dies, and Greer finds herself back at Dread’s Cove, surrounded by the people she was closest to that intense summer. Two ex-boyfriends—one a childhood sweetheart, the other the guy she’s never gotten over—and old friends. Including Margo, Steph’s best friend.

Greer and Margo didn’t leave things on the best of terms. But now, Margo needs her. Margo never believed that Steph’s death in that horrific fire was an accident—and she’s on the trail of an explosive secret Steph took to her grave.

Greer has to make a choice: keep the Cove’s secrets and her own, or finally face the truth about that summer.


Summer's Never Over by Darby Bozeman

MY REVIEW

A woman, Greer, returns to her family’s summer camp after five years away. The last summer she was there was tragic, there was a mysterious stalker and a friend died in a fire. Current day, her mother has passed away, and Greer returns to the camp she swore to never visit again.

Summer’s Never Over is an atmospheric thriller. The story has plenty of secrets and drama. The characters were mostly unlikable, and kind of annoying. The characters are in their mid-twenties, but this reads a lot like a YA thriller.

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

Book Review

Beach Thriller by Jamie Day [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Beach Thriller

Author: Jamie Day

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: June 9, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 3/5

Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

BOOK BLURB

Holly Sinclair, a struggling author, is dead broke. After being evicted from her New York apartment, she returns to her family’s dilapidated beach house in coastal New England with one urgent goal: write a book that sells. Fast.

Reinventing herself won’t be easy, but the old seaside town offers a few unexpected allies. Gail, a driven local Realtor, introduces her to a charming handyman who can help her get back on her feet. Serena, the town psychic, offers encouragement and an unsettling warning about danger ahead. And Jade, a teen runaway, is hiding out in Holly’s attic and desperately needs a safe place to land.

Holly takes Jade in, and soon the girl finds work with the powerful Carmichael family. Their dynasty has faded, but their connection to Holly’s past is darker than she wants to remember. Their secrets could put both women at risk.

Not everyone is glad to see Holly return. Someone in town is watching her every move. The Watcher knows something Holly doesn’t. The past may be a foggy echo, but it’s close enough to come rushing in with the tide.


Beach Thriller by Jamie Day

MY REVIEW

A woman returns to her family’s dilapidated beach house to write a book and find answers from the past.

Beach Thriller is a mystery that slowly reveals its secrets. The story is told through the alternating points of view of Holly, Jade, and The Watcher. Holly has returned home to write a book and investigate her sister’s death from years earlier. Jade is a runaway teen staying with Holly and working for a wealthy family in town. The Watcher is not happy with Holly’s return.

Beach Thriller has engaging characters and a tense plot. Recommended for readers who enjoy atmospheric thrillers.

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

Book Review

Marion by Leah Rowan [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Marion

Author: Leah Rowan

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: June 2, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 4/5

Marion by Leah Rowan

BOOK BLURB

Marion is in deep. She’s stolen money from the Manhattan ad agency where she works in a desperate bid to help her sister escape an abusive marriage, but the bus breaks down before she can make it to Saratoga Springs. It’s late at night, and the only place with vacancies is an old set of cabins on the outskirts of town. She pays for a room in cash, and ends up chatting with Norm, the young innkeeper who’s handsome, charming and a touch hung-up on his elderly mother. Back in her room, she steps into the shower, scrubbing off the late-summer heat, when the curtain is pulled back…

Norm Billings is there with a knife. He raises his arm to strike, but before he does, Marion knees him in the balls, grabs the knife, and stabs the life out of him. Now, she’s covered in blood, and she’s a woman on the run—not just a thief, but a killer, too. Where will she go? How will she save both herself and her sister? And what mysteries will she uncover as she does?


Marion by Leah Rowan

MY REVIEW

Marion stole money from her boss. She is headed to help her sister, when the only place with an available room is an old motel on the outskirts of town. She chats with the owner, Norm, and retires to her room. While in the shower, the shower curtain is pulled back and Norm is standing there with a knife. She fights back.

Marion is an intriguing take on Alfred Hitchock’s Psycho. If Marion fought back, what may have happened. Strong female characters and a gripping story.

Marion is a fast-paced and intense thriller. Fans of the Hitchcock film will likely enjoy this modern reimagining.

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

Book Review

Safari Murder Party by Rachel Moore [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Safari Murder Party

Author: Rachel Moore

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: May 19, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 3/5

Safari Murder Party by Rachel Moore

BOOK BLURB

Fletcher Spence is dying for a promotion. And her colleagues are more than happy to oblige.

After three years working seventy-hour weeks as assistant to the most terrifying CEO in the magazine world, Fletcher finally finagled a spot on Cartwright Media’s annual corporate retreat—a famously luxurious week on the Cartwrights’ private island, where promotions are handed out like party favors. And her plan to snag her dream job as a travel magazine photographer was going great…until her boss’s dramatic death reveals his last will and testament: Whoever survives the week will inherit the company.

So now she’s stuck on her billionaire boss’s safari park island, surrounded by wild animals and on the run from coworkers who’ve swapped coffee cups for machetes and briefcases for hunting rifles.

To Fletcher’s dismay, her only ally might be her boss’s insufferably gorgeous son, Waylon Cartwright. Despite their hostile history, Fletcher is at least 80 percent sure he won’t try to kill her this week. Plus, his experience on the island might come in handy while they fend off lions and tigers and…marketing executives? Oh my.

While Fletcher battles her own ambitions and her unexpected attraction to Waylon, her power-hungry, bloodthirsty colleagues will do anything to stop them from escaping with their lives. Everyone knows the media industry is cutthroat, but in this safari party, it’s never been more true.


Safari Murder Party by Rachel Moore

MY REVIEW

Fletcher wants a promotion. When her boss dies, her and her coworkers are stuck on his private island. During the reading of his will, it is stated that whoever survives the week on the island will inherit his company. Now, not only does Fletcher have to deal with the wildlife, but also the coworkers willing to kill to get ahead.

Safari Murder Party is a wild ride. Quirky characters and an intriguing setting. A bit of a locked room mystery and survival story. Also, an enemies to lovers romance.

Dark comedy, mystery, and romance combine for an entertaining read. Safari Murder Party is good for readers who enjoy a little crazy in their thrillers.

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

Book Review

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: The Anniversary

Author: Alex Finlay

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: May 12, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 4/5

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay

BOOK BLURB

On May 1, 1992, Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley hardly know each other.

Jules is high school queen bee in a small Midwestern town when she survives a brutal attack by the elusive May Day Killer—a predator who strikes every May 1st and then vanishes without a trace. Quinn, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, is arrested the same night after trying to break up a fight and nearly killing someone.

By morning, their lives are forever connected.

A year later, Jules is haunted by trauma and guilt, tormented by one question: Why was she spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to devastating news—the unsolved murder of his mother.

Over the next decade, their lives are revisited on a single day each year: May 1st.

As the years pass, secrets surface, lies unravel, and the paths of Jules and Quinn draw closer together. Two mysteries edge toward the truth—what really happened the night Jules was attacked, and who murdered Quinn’s mother? All the while, the May Day Killer is still out there.

And the clock is racing toward another anniversary.


The Anniversary by Alex Finlay

MY REVIEW

Every May 1, a serial killer targets small Midwest towns. On May 1, 1992, Jules survives the May Day Killer and Quinn accidently kills someone while breaking up a fight. A year later, Jules questions why she was spared and Quinn is released from juvenile detention and learns his mother has been killed. Over the next decade, the paths of Jules and Quinn intertwine as secrets are revealed.

The Anniversary is a gripping mystery. The story covers over a decade of time, but is written in a way that flows easily. Jules struggles with survivor’s guilt. Quinn struggles with putting the pieces of his life back together.

The Anniversary is dark and gritty. Recommended to fans of fast-paced thrillers.

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

Book Review

The Insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: The Insomniacs

Author: Allison Winn Scotch

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: April 14, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 3/5

The Insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch

BOOK BLURB

In the city that never sleeps, it’s not always easy to share what’s on your mind with the people who know you best. Huddled in an all-night diner over coffee and pancakes, a lonely middle-aged mom, an injured baseball pro, an elusive retiree, and a young waitress examine the thoughts that plague them in the middle of the night.

Empty-nester Sybil does what she does best: rolls up her sleeves and spearheads the efforts to turn this group of strangers into friends. Aimless after an injury threatens to ruin his career, Zeke finds genuine connection among the unlikely group. Tight-lipped Julian, who’s seemingly adrift in retirement and attempting to rebuild a relationship with his daughter, expands their circle when he takes their cagey diner waitress, Betty, under his wing. Betty, cautious about strangers and uncertain about strokes of good luck, entertains the trio in an attempt to resolve her own problems, which she keeps close to the vest.

Within a few restless months, the group of strangers have become a fragile family. And when one of them goes missing in the dead of night, they’re thrust into a propulsive mystery pulled straight from the true-crime podcasts Sybil obsesses over. Though ill-prepared and unequipped for the job, they begin to piece together the clues left behind. In chasing down answers, they uncover a reason for their friend’s disappearance, and are forced to wrestle with the question of how well you can really know anyone—and once you do, how much are you willing to risk to save them? And in doing so, save yourself?


The Insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch

MY REVIEW

A group of insomniacs meet at a diner and become friends. When one of the group goes missing, the others look for answers.

The Insomniacs is a found family story of interesting characters. With alternating points of view, the different characters are explored and each brings something new to the story. The mystery was woven in well.

The Insomniacs is a slow burning character driven mystery. Recommended for readers who enjoy amateur investigators and found families.

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

Book Review

She Fell Away by Lenore Nash [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: She Fell Away

Author: Lenore Nash

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Publish Date: March 10, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 3/5

She Fell Away by Lenore Nash

BOOK BLURB

Lake Harlowe may not appear to be your typical State Department diplomat. With the number of skeletons in her closet exceeding the tattoos on her skin, she moves to a new country every few years to keep one step ahead of her personal demons. After two grueling years working in Cambodia, Lake’s desperate for a break and a new posting to sleepy Wellington, New Zealand, seems like a dream come true.

That is, until eighteen-year-old singer-songwriter Bowie Bishop mysteriously vanishes shortly after American NFL player Bruce Walter is found dead in his hotel room. An exchange student from Las Vegas, Bowie was a world away from her possessive, washed-up stage mom who won’t stop calling until Lake finds her superstar daughter.

All at once, Lake finds herself ensnared in a network of deception involving Bowie’s high-profile host family, a shadowy music producer, a casino magnate, and the US ambassador—her boss. Obsessed with finding the truth, Lake soon realizes that to find the missing girl, she must confront her own dark past in this unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page.


She Fell Away by Lenore Nash

MY REVIEW

Lake is a State Department diplomat reccently posted to New Zealand. She is soon assigned a case involving a missing singer-songwriter, a dead NFL player, and a high-profile family.

She Fell Away is a gripping political thriller. An atmospheric setting with intriguing characters.

This is a debut novel, and the first in the Lake Harlowe series. I look forward to reading more from this author.

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

Book Review

When I Kill You by B.A. Paris [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: When I Kill You

Author: B.A. Paris

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: February 17, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 3/5

When I Kill You by B.A. Paris

BOOK BLURB

Who is watching Nell Masters?

Nell Masters is certain someone is following her. The hairs on the back of her neck rise when she travels to and from work, there are silent calls to her office, and a huge bouquet of flowers arrives without a card. And Nell has a reason to be looking over her shoulder, because she has a secret that she’s hiding from everyone in her life, including her new partner, Alex. But Alex also has secrets of his own.

Fourteen years earlier, when Nell went by the name Elle Nugent, she witnessed a student, Bryony Sanders, getting into a stranger’s car. When Bryony was found murdered, Elle became obsessed with finding the person responsible. She was convinced she knew who it was and her fixation with Brett Parker, the man she accused, led her down a dangerous path . . .

Now, Nell tries to convince herself that this unnerving feeling of being watched is all in her mind. Has someone from her past discovered her new identity? Has the stalker become the stalked? Or is there something even more deadly at play?


When I Kill You by B.A. Paris

MY REVIEW

Nell feels like someone is always watching her. She also has a secret from her past that she wants to keep hidden.

When I Kill You is fast-paced thriller. Nell was a witness to a crime years earlier, and she became obsessed with the suspect. It ended in tragedy, and now, she feels like someone associated with her past is stalking her.

Secrets and paranoia make for entertaining mystery.

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

Books by B.A. Paris:
  1. Behind Closed Doors
  2. The Breakdown
  3. Bring Me Back
  4. The Dilemma
  5. The Therapist
  6. The Prisoner
  7. The Mosquito
  8. The Guest
  9. When I Kill You
Book Review

A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M.K. Oliver [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage

Author: M.K. Oliver

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: February 17, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 3/5

A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage by MK Oliver

BOOK BLURB

Meet Lalla Rook. Lalla has a lot on her to-do list: help her husband make partner by flattering his masculinity, secure her dream home in Hampstead, get her daughter into private school, host her four-year-old’s birthday party, and remove the dead body from her living room.

Lalla can’t pretend she hasn’t missed the adrenaline rush that comes with transgressing. And, as a wife and mother, she’s already an expert multitasker. So disposing of a body, framing a friend, and being the world’s best homemaker should be easy to achieve.

It’s just that her husband seems distracted, her daughter faces an uncertain academic future, and then there is the unexpected intruder in her living room, a stranger she has stabbed seven times. Avoiding the law is the least of her worries—not when she has a past to keep hidden.


A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage by MK Oliver

MY REVIEW

A woman has a lot going on with managing her home, husband, and kids. Plus, she’s killed an intruder in her home, and has to handle all that.

A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage is satirical and wickedly funny. Lalla, the protagonist, is trying to keep everything together, but things get complicated when she fears her past may not stay hidden. Recommended for readers who enjoy dark and witty novels.

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

Book Review

Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh [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: Such a Perfect Family

Author: Nalini Singh

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: January 27, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: NA

My Rating: 3/5

Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh

BOOK BLURB

A woman buried.
A woman broken.
A woman crashed.
A woman burned.
And the man who knew them all.

Love at first sight, a whirlwind Vegas wedding, a fairy-tale romance.

For forty-three days, Tavish Advani has been the happiest man in the world—until his new life turns to ash, his wealthy in-laws’ house going up in a fiery explosion. His badly injured wife lies in a coma, her family all but annihilated.

Tavish thought he’d left the sins of his Los Angeles life behind, but it’s not so easy to leave behind an investigation into the deaths of several high-profile women—all of whom he’d professed to love. Tragedy and death follow him no matter where he goes . . . but this time, he knows he’s innocent.

Desperately trying to clear his name as the authorities zero in, Tavish begins his own investigation into the fire—and learns that his wife’s picture-perfect family may have been nothing but a meticulously constructed mirage. The truth is much darker than anything Tavish could’ve imagined. . . .


Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh

MY REVIEW

After a whirlwind romance, a man learns his new family is not as perfect as they seem. Although, he has his secrets too.

Such a Perfect Family is told from Tavish’s point of view. He comes home to find his wife stabbed and the house on fire. Not only was his wife in the house, but also his wife’s parents and her sister. Tavish is immediately a suspect, and he does have a questionable past.

Twists and turns, plus several questionable characters, kept this read interesting.

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

Book Review

The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: The Invisible Woman

Author: James Patterson and Susan DiLallo

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Publish Date: January 5, 2026

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: N/A

My Rating: 3/5

The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo

BOOK BLURB

No one sees her, but she sees everything. Elinor Gilbert was once a young woman with a thriving career at the FBI.

Now decades past solving crimes with the bureau, she is personally and professionally forgettable.

Which is exactly what her former FBI boss needs. He disguises Elinor as a middle-aged nanny, and casts her as an agent on the inside of his investigation into a New York art dealer suspected of ties to organized crime. But as Elinor pushes toward the truth, her superpower—anonymity—morphs into a fatal flaw.

The more the invisible woman integrates into her “host” family, the more dangerously memorable she becomes.


The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo

MY REVIEW

A retired FBI agent goes undercover as a nanny. She lost her job when she was made the scapegoat by her boss. Now, that boss is asking her to go undercover, and promising her pension and benefits reinstated if she does it.

The Invisble Woman is a light mystery. The retired agent, Elinor, has no experience working with kids. She accepts the job offer anyway, and now she’s dealing with a baby and a teenager. Plus, for her disguise, she has to wear a fat suit.

Fun characters and an entertaining story. The Invisible Woman is a fast-paced and humorous read.

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