The Paris Detective by James Patterson

 

I never thought I'd say this about a James Patterson book, but this one was definitely unmemorable and boring. I struggled to finish it. Moving on...

Win or Die by Darren O'Sullivan

 This isn't a game you can log out of, and there is no pause button. 

Wow. Just… wow. This is one of those books that doesn’t politely leave your brain when you’re done. It moves in, rearranges the furniture, and lingers. I'm still trying to catch my breath. 

Cass’s brother Sam makes a series of truly terrible life choices (as brothers in thrillers are wont to do) and ends up owing a dangerous group of people a frightening amount of money. The kind of people who don’t send polite reminder emails. Sam gets beaten, handed a deadline, and suddenly Cass is staring down a problem with no good solutions.

So she joins an app. An app that dares people to do things for money. Silly things at first. Then riskier things. Streaking. Kissing a stranger. Swimming across rivers. Pushing boundaries for cash and clout. It’s clever, it’s terrifying, and it feels way too plausible for comfort. Because of course people would download it. And of course it would go viral. And mob mentality is a thing.

Then it gets worse.

The same people Sam owes decide Cass should be the target of a dare and put a price on her head. Literally. From that point on, the book turns into a brutal, high-stakes game of hide-and-seek where every decision feels like it could be the wrong one. The tension doesn’t let up. Not once.

This isn’t flashy thriller nonsense. It’s relentless, claustrophobic, and emotionally exhausting. Cass isn’t a superhero. She’s smart, desperate, scared, and determined, which somehow makes everything seem that much more real.

This is not a cozy read. This is a stay up all night and then stare at the wall after finishing kind of read. If you like thrillers that crawl under your skin and stay long after the last page, Win or Die delivers.

Just don’t expect it to be gentle.

Just a Little Bit Dangerous by Linda Castillo

 A reminder that sometimes ‘trying something different’ just makes you miss what an author does best.

I picked this up for one reason and one reason only: Linda Castillo. I love her Kate Burkholder series, so I figured, why not see what else she’s written?

Spoiler alert: I should have read the description first.

This one turned out to be a Harlequin Intrigue romance, and it follows the formula to the letter. Innocent, naïve woman lands in danger. Big, capable, handsome man swoops in. Sparks fly. Trouble happens. Love conquers all. The end. 

Nothing about it was bad, exactly, it just wasn’t for me. I kept waiting for the grit, tension, and depth I get from the Kate books, and instead got predictable romance beats and a happily-ever-after I could see coming from page ten.

Lesson learned. For Linda Castillo writing Kate Burkholder I’m all in. For Linda Castillo writing Harlequin romance not so much. I’ll happily stick to what she does best.

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (Reacher #13)

 This one rattled me. Not because it’s outrageous, but because it isn’t.

I just finished Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child, and honestly, Reacher never disappoints. This time Lee Child drops him into a subway car with a woman who checks every box for “suicide bomber”. Of course, she isn’t what she seems, and from there it feels like everyone Reacher crosses paths with is lying to him at least once. If not, more. 

That said, this one got under my skin a bit. The plot veers into territory that feels uncomfortably plausible, and I caught myself hoping, really hoping, that this story is pure fiction. I read thrillers for the adrenaline rush, not existential dread. Still, Reacher’s steady moral compass, sharp instincts, and refusal to be played kept me turning pages. As always, I’m glad he’s the one asking the questions… because he will get the answers.

Broometime Serenade by Barry Metcalf

 Not bad, but the audiobook format and naked witch chaos worked against it.

I listened to Broometime Serenade by Barry Metcalf, and overall… it was okay. The story had moments that worked, but as an audiobook, it wasn’t always easy to follow. More than once I found myself wondering who was talking. It definitely felt written with print in mind rather than audio.

There was also some unnecessary nakedness that added nothing to the story except mild confusion, along with the improbable shenanigans of a witch that required a fair amount of suspension of disbelief. Not impossible—just eyebrow-raising.

All in all, not a bad listen, but not one that fully clicked for me. This is probably a book I would’ve enjoyed more on the page than in my earbuds… and maybe with a little less naked witching involved.

Unlucky 13 by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

 Nothing kills a McNugget craving faster than a Patterson belly-bomber plot.

I just finished Unlucky 13 by James Patterson, and I may not sleep tonight. Every time I pick up a Women’s Murder Club book, I’m reminded that police don’t get the luxury of one case at a time, and this one throws Lindsay straight into the blender. She’s juggling three nightmares at once: Maggie Morales (serial killer Randy Fish’s girlfriend who’s got revenge on her crazy brain), Brady and Yuki’s cruise being hijacked by pirates, and the belly bomber plot, which honestly made me the most uncomfortable. Who really knows what goes into fast food? Certainly not me. Makes me rethink my occasional McNugget cravings.

I loved Lindsay here: Strong, steady, and putting her baby first every chance she gets. Cindy, on the other hand… let’s just say chasing down a serial killer solo isn’t exactly a Mensa-approved plan. Yuki showed real backbone taking out one of the hijackers, and while Claire didn’t get a huge role this time, she was key in pulling Lindsay into the belly bomber case.

All in all, this was a five-star installment for me, and now I’m looking forward #14.

Winter Cabin by Sam Baron

Caves, a cult, and a snowstorm. What could go wrong?

I’m a sucker for an isolated setting, so the cabin, a mountain, and a snowstorm sealed the deal for me. That trope can get old, but Baron somehow breathes fresh life into it. Maybe it’s the combination of creepy caves, creeping weather, and a cult that took it to a whole new level. 

The creepy cult vibe is what really hooked me. The tension builds slowly; no jump scares, no cheap tricks, just a steady drip of “oooooh, this can’t be good.” And when the Rangers get jumped by knife-wielding cult members I realized we weren’t dealing with your standard manipulative-but-mostly-harmless cult. These folks skipped straight past brainwashing and went right into “stab first, ask questions never.”

Ruth, our main character, is solid. Strong, capable, and exactly the kind of female lead I always root for. Everyone knows I love women who can stand their ground and still keep their wits about them. I was also absolutely convinced I knew who the villain was… until I didn’t. Baron made a fool out of me at least three times, which I grudgingly respect.

The cult dynamics were uncomfortably accurate: The isolation, the constant training, the mind control wrapped in myths and fear. Legends and religion often go hand in hand in my opinion, especially in groups where the leader’s word becomes gospel. Add hallucinogens to the mix, and suddenly people are ready to murder for a mountain. That was the part that chilled me the most—because it felt terrifyingly real. 

The snowstorm setup felt classic, but classic done well. The cave scenes were fantastic. Enough of a claustrophobic atmosphere to make me tense up but not so over the top that I rolled my eyes. The college girls caught up in the cult frustrated me (Ladies. You have brains. Use them.) but that frustration served the story.

The pacing was a nice mix. I could put the book down to refill my coffee, but the story kept pulling me right back, determined to solve the case and get that cult leader his well-earned comeuppance.

And the ending delivered. Justice served, cult broken, heroes safe… at least until the next book. Because yes, I’d absolutely read more with these characters. I think I missed the first one in the series, so I'll go backward before I go forward.

If you like thrillers with brainwashed zealots, icy isolation, and strong leads making smart choices under pressure, consider Winter Cabin is win.

Two Cold Killers by K. J. Kalis

 I knew who the villain was. I just needed Max to sober up long enough to catch him.

I’ll be honest: Two Cold Killers did not sweep me off my feet in chapter one. It took me half the book (almost) to get fully invested. Max, our resident ex-cop/alcoholic/self-pity expert, spends the early chapters doing emotional laps around the misery track. I get that he’s had a rough go at life, but his “woe is me” with the back of his hand to his forehead routine had me wanting to reach into the pages, slap the whiskey glass out of his hand, and tell him, “Dude. Consequences.”

But then Max started cleaning up his act. Literally. Dumping his whiskey down the drain, avoiding the bar, picking up the wreckage that was his house. And as he sobered up, his brain cells started firing again. Watching his detective instincts resurface was like finally seeing the headlights come on during a long, dark drive. Suddenly, the story had momentum.

I knew who the villain was, absolutely. But the “how” and the “why” kept me reading. I needed to know what connected a corrections officer, two drug dealers, and Max’s own mother. When his mom’s death was officially ruled a homicide, the pieces really started snapping together. Forensics is fascinating.

By the end, Max walks into an AA meeting and finally admits he has a problem. And look, I’m not saying I jumped up and cheered, but I may have nodded approvingly like a proud, slightly exhausted parent at a school assembly. It even made me think about picking up the next book in the series.

But.

Max must stay sober, and the self-pity has got to go. My patience has limits.

If you like character-driven mysteries where a protagonist has to scrape himself off the floor before solving anything, this might be your jam. Max is messy, frustrating, and occasionally infuriating, but once he stops spiraling, the story becomes an engaging ride. I’m cautiously curious to see where Kalis takes him next.

Now You See Her by Linda Howard

I came for the mystery, stayed for the chaos, and skipped the unnecessary nakedness.

I picked up Now You See Her because it was on Kindle Unlimited, I love a good mystery, and I’ve heard Linda Howard’s name tossed around enough times to be curious. I didn’t look too closely at the description, but the book cover with a lonely drop of blood sliding down it caught my eye. Absolutely macabre, but in the words of Popeye, “I yam what I yam.”

The opening hooked me right away. Sweeney sounded like someone I’d love to hang out with, the kind of chaotic friend who pulls you into questionable adventures but keeps you laughing the whole time. Her sudden psychic visions didn’t bother me either. I’ve never had one myself, but I’m open-minded enough to say, “Sure, why not?”

What I wasn’t expecting was a steamy romance. If I had known clothes were going to start flying, I might’ve politely left this one on the e-shelf. I remain firmly Team Murder-and-Mayhem, not Romance-and-Flowers. So yes, I did a little strategic page-skipping when the temperature rose. (Call me old-fashioned, but sex rarely adds to the story. It certainly didn’t here.) 

I did like Richard, though. He is exactly the sort of man fiction serves up because real life refuses to cooperate. Strong, steady, protective, the whole “dream hero” package.

The suspense worked for me. I kept guessing, never spotted the villain in advance. All I knew for sure was that there was more than one. It was a fun, twisty ride from start to finish.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy romantic suspense with the note that yes, this leans heavily into the romance part. I gave it four out of five stars because, for crying out loud, leave something to the imagination.

A Wanted Man by Lee Child (Reacher #17)

 Sometimes the real danger isn’t the road. It’s the people in the car.

Usually Reacher books are more action-packed, but I genuinely enjoyed this one. The novel opens with Reacher hitching a ride and ending up in a car with three strangers, and right from the start something felt off. No small talk, no casual chatter, not even a throwaway comment about the weather. Just three people who clearly weren’t who they were pretending to be. Reacher stayed true to form: Talk only when necessary and otherwise sit back and observe.

From the get-go, I was keeping my eye on the two men in the car. They were both too pushy for the situation. Reacher didn’t ask for aspirin… so why were they insisting Karen give him one? And later, when all the alphabet agencies got involved and Reacher was taken to some sort of holding center/safe house, I thought, "Oh, come ON!" Reacher can take care of himself, thank you very much.

The most satisfying part of the book was watching him peel back the layers to figure out what was really going on, who all the players were, and then, of course, mete out justice Reacher-style.

12th of Never by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Some tropes deserve retirement, like giving birth in a storm. Please let it rest.

I picked up 12th of Never because it was the next in the series and, honestly, I just enjoy reading Lindsay Boxer do her thing. But this time around, the thrill was… muted. Instead of diving into a juicy case, we opened with a triple-punch of familiar tropes: Lindsay gives birth at home in a storm (of course she does), the baby immediately gets sick (of course she does), and chaos descends upon brand-new motherhood (of course it does). Cue my eye roll so hard it nearly sprained my optic nerve.

And if that wasn’t enough predictable drama, Rich and Cindy are still working through the issues they started in 11th Hour. Spoiler: they’re not really “working through” anything. Cindy keeps putting her job first, Rich wants commitment, and I’m in the background asking, “Then why are you two still together?” Honestly, this relationship should’ve been wrapped up somewhere between books 11 and 12 so we didn’t have to sit through its inevitable decline.

But the cases themselves actually delivered.

Claire’s subplot had, and held, my attention. A dead body vanishes from her morgue. Not undead or mostly dead or kind of dead. Dead-dead. Since bodies rarely stroll out for fresh air unassisted, the whole situation had “inside job” written all over it. And because we know Claire treats her work like sacred ground, the culprit had to be someone with access. The creep factor was delightfully macabre.

Then we’ve got the professor with the visions. Crazy has nothing on him. His plotline was fine, but the disappearing corpse was what kept me flipping pages at Patterson-speed.

If I were in charge of editing, I’d toss the entire new-mom chaos arc, the storm birth, the immediate baby illness, and the Rich/Cindy relationship woes. None of those added tension; they just padded the story with predictable beats we’ve all seen before.

Still, I stuck with the book for one reason: It’s Patterson, and there’s going to be a 13. And you know I’ll be there, popcorn in hand, hoping the next one leaves the worn-out tropes at the door.

Lies Run Deep by Valerie Brandy

I’ll happily attend your wedding. I just won’t be in it. Blame this book. 

This being December (when my students are somehow even crazier than usual) I knew I wasn’t going to have much time to actually sit and read. Survival mode doesn’t leave room for page-turning. So I grabbed an audiobook on Chirp to keep me sane during my drives, hoping it would satisfy my craving for an escape from real life. This one delivered.

I just finished listening to Lies Run Deep by Valerie Brandy, and ... wow. If this book were a roller coaster, I’d be the person in the souvenir photo with my hair straight up and my soul leaving my body. There was so much I didn’t see coming.

The story is told through the alternating viewpoints of Zoe and Cassandra, which was absolutely the right choice. At first, I trusted Zoe more because she seemed like the saner of the two. Cassandra came across as someone who might label her food in a shared fridge with threats. But then I found myself trusting Cassandra too. I mean, who broadcasts their own chaotic lunacy unless they are truly, spectacularly chaotic? Someone over-the-top insane, that’s who. Yet she kept sounding believable. 

The dual perspectives added so much depth. There was just enough insight into both sides of the story without giving you the full picture, which meant I spent the entire listen convinced I had it all figured out. Yeah, I did not. Not even once. I was confidently wrong for hours at a time. The only two things I felt sure about were (1) Cassandra was absolutely unwell, and (2) Zoe and Mike genuinely loved each other.

The “whodunit” reveal was completely jaw-dropping. I had my suspicions locked on one person the whole way through and could not have been more wrong. 

My feelings about the characters shifted a lot as the story unfolded. Cassandra stayed unhinged, yes, but the more I learned, the more compassion I felt. She went from cringe-worthy with much shuddering and wincing to tragically needing empathy and understanding.  I loved Zoe from the start. I liked Mike and then respected his tenacity. Oliver, Alicia, Rick, and Jason I hated them with the fire of a thousand suns. Peak narcissists. Walking red flags. If they were on a wedding seating chart, I’d put theirs in the next county.

The theme that stood out the most for me was loyalty: Who has it, who doesn’t, and how far people will go when they feel betrayed. And that made the wedding setting diabolical. To go from bridal bliss to kidnapping to lights-out terror on an isolated island was enough to make me want the narrator to pick up the pace. And for this to happen on Zoe and Mike’s honeymoon was absolutely unconscionable. I want a safe, boring redo honeymoon for them.

I liked the ending. It wrapped up the story well but left things open for what’s next. I didn’t read the first book in the trilogy, but this one stands on its own just fine. Still…Logan is out there, and something needs to be done about him. I might pick up book three just to make sure he gets what’s coming to him. Hopefully what's coming to him is done Reacher-style.

And as for me? After reading this, I’ve decided one thing with absolute certainty: I’m never being in another wedding party ever again. I’ll send a gift. I’ll smile for pictures. I’ll eat cake. But bridesmaid? Maid of honor? Flower girl? Nope. Not happening. I’m not taking that risk. 

Throwing Shade by Deborah Wilde

 Throwing Shade and Missing the Mark! 

You know that moment when you realize you’d rather scrub grout or alphabetize your spice rack than pick up the book on your nightstand? Yeah. That was me with Throwing Shade by Deborah Wilde.

I kept trying to convince myself I was “just tired” or “not in the mood,” but the truth is simple: if I’m inventing chores to avoid a book, it’s time to call it. The premise had promise, but somewhere between the magic, the mayhem, and the witty banter, I just wandered off and didn’t come back.

Life’s too short (and my TBR is too tall) to force a book that isn’t grabbing me. So I’m tossing this one back on the shelf and moving on with zero guilt. Not every book is for every reader, and this one just wasn’t for me.

Onward!