I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits by Josh Kendall

There was a reed. There were hyenas. There was blood on a tray table. There was also me, completely lost.

I really wanted to like I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits. The premise sounded intriguing, and the synopsis promised an atmospheric, intricate thriller. Unfortunately, this was one of those books where I kept waiting for everything to click into place. It never did.

Lachlan Smith is a former soldier who served in Afghanistan. Things went badly, and his lover and trainer, Helen, was killed. Still grieving her loss, Smith is sent to Ethiopia to protect a wealthy family engaged in criminal activities. From there, the story eventually takes him into a world involving an Ethiopian man, a reed, hyenas, and a whole lot of mystery. And this is where I got completely lost.

Actually, I was lost from the start.

Smith's relationship with Helen and his grief over her death are woven throughout the novel, but I never really understood what she had been training him for or how all the pieces of that history connected to what was happening in Ethiopia. There were also recurring references to blood on the tray table during his flight. I kept waiting for that detail to become meaningful, but by the end, I still wasn't sure what I was supposed to take from it.

I also couldn't connect with any of the characters. I didn't particularly love or care about any of them, and that made it even harder for me to stay emotionally invested in the story. I wanted to understand Smith and what was driving him, especially given everything he had experienced, but I never felt like I really got there.

The one thing I can say in the book's favor is that it is atmospheric. I can see why the synopsis describes it as intricate, and I can see how readers who enjoy literary thrillers filled with ambiguity, symbolism, and unanswered questions might appreciate what Josh Kendall is doing here. There is clearly a lot going on beneath the surface.

Unfortunately, I spent most of my time trying to figure out what was happening on the surface.

Instead of feeling suspense or excitement, I felt confused. Then I felt frustrated because I was still confused. I kept thinking, Okay, surely this is where it all comes together. And it never did. The atmosphere that may work beautifully for some readers left me feeling like I was wandering around in the dark without a flashlight.

I finished the book because quitting felt like losing. That's pretty much my definition of a two-star read: I finished it, but only because I had already invested the time and wasn't ready to admit defeat. I kept hoping the final pieces would fall into place and that I would finally understand what I had been reading. They didn't.

This may simply be a case of the book not being the right fit for me. If you enjoy atmospheric, complex thrillers where you are expected to piece together symbolism and meaning and sit comfortably with ambiguity, I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits may work much better for you than it did for me. If you're looking for a thriller that keeps you turning pages because you need to know what happens next, however, this one may be a tougher sell.

Content warnings include war violence and death, along with some disturbing material involving hyenas.

For me, I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits was ultimately more confusing than thrilling. And that's not something I say often about a book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 

Thoughts and Prayers by Robert Miner

How else could the story end but with a bullet? 

Wow. This is one of those books that is going to stay with me for a long time.

I received an advance copy of Thoughts and Prayers from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. This is Robert Miner's debut novel, but you would never know it from the writing. In my opinion, he writes with the confidence and skill of someone who has been doing this for years. The subject is one that Americans have very strong opinions about: our obsession with guns.

On one side is Monica, a billionaire who buys a gun manufacturer, takes care of the employees, and then shuts the company down. Bye-bye. On the other is Brittany, the ruthless owner of a gun manufacturing company who is determined to become president of the United States and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Caught between them is Clyde, whose middle-school daughter was murdered in a school shooting with a gun manufactured by Brittany's company.

What makes this story so compelling is that these aren't just fictional issues. We all have opinions about guns, gun ownership, gun violence, and what should be done about them. Miner takes those very real divisions and brings them to a head through three very different characters.

I liked Monica. She isn't perfect, and she makes mistakes, but she's trying to use her considerable power and resources to make a difference. I also felt tremendously sorry for Clyde. As a parent, there is something almost unbearable about the idea of losing your child, and Miner doesn't shy away from that grief.

Brittany, on the other hand, was a character I loved to hate. She seemed to have very little empathy for anyone who stood between her and her goal, and her hunger for power was deeply disturbing. Patrick didn't fare much better with me. He was less frightening than Brittany and more frustrating. He knew he didn't agree with what she was doing, but continually went along with it anyway.

The characters are exceptionally well written. Miner doesn't give us easy heroes or villains, and he doesn't provide a neat solution to the problem. Instead, he explores what happens when everyone is convinced they are right and nobody is willing to compromise. And perhaps that's the point. How do we solve a problem when we're unwilling to listen to anyone on the other side?

Even the title is perfect. Thoughts and prayers has become a familiar response after someone is killed by gun violence. But what good are thoughts and prayers if nothing changes afterward? The title carries a lot of weight by the time you reach the end of the book.

I also appreciated the pacing. The chapters are relatively short, the story moves quickly, and although the narrative shifts between several points of view, there aren't so many characters that it becomes confusing.

My only real criticism is that Monica's sexual relationship with her attorney didn't feel necessary to the story. Their lifelong friendship already established how close they were, and I didn't think the relationship added much beyond that.

This is a difficult subject, and Thoughts and Prayers doesn't pretend there are easy answers. Instead, Robert Miner forces us to look at the issue from multiple perspectives and think about what our inability, or even our unwillingness, to compromise is costing us.

I loved this book. More importantly, I'm still thinking about it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to seeing more by Robert Miner in the future! 

 

Clear Water by Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes

I kept reading because I needed answers. I just wish the book had answered more of its own questions. 

Every now and then I come across a book with a premise so good that I don't even bother reading the rest of the synopsis. Clear Water by Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes was one of those books.

It's winter in Brewer, Wisconsin. Barefoot teenage girls dressed in white begin appearing out of nowhere before disappearing back into the woods. At the same time, the town is struggling with an opioid epidemic, and an alarming number of young women are either missing or dying from overdoses. Throw in multiple timelines, family secrets, and a touch of folklore, and I was all in.

The mystery was easily the book's greatest strength. I wasn't emotionally attached to most of the characters, but I absolutely wanted answers. Who were these girls? Why were they appearing? What happened to all the missing girls? And why did it seem like no one was making much progress finding whoever was responsible?

The Wisconsin winter provided an eerie backdrop, and the opioid epidemic gave the story emotional weight. This wasn't just a mystery for mystery's sake. Families were grieving, lives were being destroyed, and every new disappearance raised the stakes. I also enjoyed Inger, whose quirky personality and fierce loyalty made her one of the more memorable characters.

Unfortunately, the execution never quite matched the promise of the premise.

Several storylines felt like they were introduced only to fade into the background. Alma's cousin seemed to drift into the story, play a small role, and then drift right back out again without significantly changing anything. Likewise, themes such as racism and one character's sexuality are introduced but never become meaningfully connected to the central mystery. Instead of enriching the story, those threads left me wondering why they were there in the first place.

My biggest struggle, though, was with the supernatural elements. I'm perfectly happy to suspend disbelief, but I like the rules of a story's world to stay consistent. Some of the girls appear to be spirits, another is described as a mythical creature, and yet at least one is physically examined at a hospital. That left me asking practical questions about where she had been living, how she survived a Wisconsin winter, and why she refused to speak. Those questions never received satisfying answers, and by the end I felt more frustrated than intrigued.

In the end, Clear Water landed squarely in my 3-star category: a decent read that kept me curious, but not one I'll be recommending widely. The premise was fantastic, the atmosphere was wonderfully eerie, and the mystery kept me turning the pages. I just wish the story had stayed more focused and tied up more of the questions it asked along the way.

If you enjoy slow-burning, atmospheric mysteries with supernatural elements and don't mind a little ambiguity, this may be worth picking up. If you're expecting a tightly plotted thriller where every clue pays off, you may want to adjust your expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead

 What happens when the people who should protect women ... don't?

"They walk in stilettos. They run on revenge." Who can resist a tagline like that? I entered the giveaway from Minotaur Books on Goodreads as soon as I saw it. Then I actually won! Thank you Minotaur Books for the advance copy! Winning the giveaway was exciting, but reading the book was even better.

Scout Sage has spent the last ten years living in the shadow of her sister Georgia's murder. Everyone believed the case was solved when a socially awkward young man named Alden, who had been infatuated with Georgia, died by suicide. Meanwhile, Detective Grey Holloway is investigating a present-day murder that appears to have ties to Scout, all while quietly carrying the unresolved disappearance of her own sister twelve years earlier. And absolutely everybody has secrets. As the story moves between past and present, those secrets begin to surface, rumors swirl about the mysterious Hot Girl Murder Club, and seemingly unrelated investigations slowly begin to intersect.

The premise immediately hooked me, but what stayed with me long after I finished the book was the question at its heart:

What happens when the people who should protect women...don't?

Not every predator gets arrested. Not every victim is believed. Not every woman has the resources to escape. Hot Girl Murder Club explores those uncomfortable truths with empathy and intensity. The women connected to the Hot Girl Murder Club refuse to let other women remain isolated when they're at their most vulnerable, and I found that idea incredibly powerful. The club represents the support system we all wish existed for women with nowhere else to turn.

The mystery itself unfolds differently than many thrillers I've read. Rather than scattering obvious clues and daring the reader to solve the crime, Ashley Winstead allows the truth to emerge naturally as buried secrets come to light. When the revelations finally arrived, everything fit together in a way that was so satisfying.

Grey Holloway ended up being my favorite character. Beneath her determination as a detective is someone desperately searching for answers about her own sister, and that personal stake made me care deeply about her journey. By the end of the novel, the emotional threads came together just as satisfyingly as the mystery itself, with just enough justice outside the system to leave me smiling.

My one criticism involves the timeline. The novel frequently shifts between the past and present, and while the large cast of characters never confused me, I found myself flipping back repeatedly to figure out where I was in the timeline. I couldn't keep track of both the large cast and the timeline at the same time.

Even so, this was a compelling, emotionally satisfying thriller with memorable characters and something meaningful to say about justice, friendship, and women looking out for one another. It's the kind of story that entertains while also leaving you thinking about its bigger questions long after you've turned the final page.

If you're looking for a thriller that's equal parts Hollywood mystery, emotional suspense, and social commentary, with a cast of women who refuse to let each other fight alone, Hot Girl Murder Club is well worth picking up.

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley and Agatha Christie

Lucy Foley didn't just bring back Miss Marple. She brought back the little girl who stayed up past her bedtime to read her.

When I was about eight or nine years old, I discovered Agatha Christie. Technically, I was probably too young to be reading her books, but the librarian never stopped me, and my curiosity was stronger than any suggested reading level. Sometimes I needed the dictionary, but that never bothered me. Looking up a word was a small price to pay for another chapter. I remember hiding under the blankets with a flashlight, determined to solve the mystery before Miss Marple did.

Reading Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel took me right back to those moments.

Set in an isolated luxury hotel high in the Alps, the story gathers together a fascinating cast of guests, each carrying secrets of their own. When murder shatters the elegant atmosphere, Miss Marple quietly begins untangling a web of lies, motives, and hidden connections. The snowbound setting creates the perfect locked-room mystery, with no easy escape and suspicion falling on everyone.

Lucy Foley had the unenviable task of writing an authorized Miss Marple novel, and I think she succeeded beautifully. It's been decades since I last read an Agatha Christie novel, but Miss Marple immediately felt familiar. She sounded exactly as I remembered: observant, quietly clever, and always ready with one of her thoughtful comparisons to village life. I'll admit I smiled when I realized I was reacting exactly as I did as a child: "Okay, Grandma Marple. Can we get back to the murder, please?" Some things never change!

The Grand Alpine Hotel becomes a character in its own right. Its cold, isolated location adds a wonderful sense of atmosphere, making every hallway, conversation, and snow-covered path feel just a little more suspicious. The setting perfectly captures the classic Christie style.

Among the cast, Diana Glass was my favorite. She is intelligent, capable, adventurous, and refreshingly willing to push against the expectations placed on women of the era. More than once I found myself thinking, I never would have survived that time period! She was easy to root for and added an energy that balanced Miss Marple's quieter approach.

The mystery itself is exactly what I hope for in a classic whodunit. The clues are there if you're paying attention, but I still failed to put them together correctly. The ending surprised me while feeling completely earned, which is always the sign of a well-crafted mystery.

Readers expecting one of Lucy Foley's fast-paced contemporary thrillers should know this moves at the deliberate pace of a traditional Agatha Christie novel. Personally, I found that part of its charm. This wasn't trying to modernize Miss Marple or reinvent her. Instead, it felt like stepping back in time and spending an afternoon with an old friend.

Content warnings include murder, discussions of past trauma, and period-appropriate attitudes toward women. There is no graphic violence, explicit language, or sexual content.

More than anything, I appreciated how respectfully Lucy Foley honored Agatha Christie's legacy. Never once did I find myself comparing the two authors. Instead, I simply enjoyed being back in Miss Marple's world, feeling for a little while like the determined little girl reading long past her bedtime. I think longtime Christie fans and cozy mystery readers will especially appreciate this thoughtful return to one of mystery's most beloved detectives.

I give this a solid four stars. I didn't lose sleep, but I didn't lose interest either.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, HarperCollins, Lucy Foley, and the Agatha Christie Estate for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Everything She Didn't Say by Jane Casey

Even the mind games have mind games. 

Jane Casey had me from the very first page. A woman, badly injured and lying at the edge of a cliff, is unceremoniously shoved over the edge. We were already at the races before I knew we had left the house.

Ruth's life is already unraveling when she agrees to impersonate her roommate, Maura, during a Zoom interview for a job on the Irish coast. It seems like a harmless favor that quickly spirals into something much darker. Ruth is later found covered in blood and hospitalized, unable to explain what happened. Maura has vanished, a body washes ashore that isn't hers, and Detectives Farrell and Ben must untangle a web of lies, mistaken identities, and buried secrets where nothing is quite what it seems. Even the mind games have mind games. It's brilliant.

The story cleverly plays with first impressions. Ruth is an easy character to root for despite making some questionable decisions. Maura remains fascinating even when she's off the page, her presence lingering over every chapter. I also loved the investigative team. Farrell initially comes across as somewhat aloof, while Ben seems almost too trusting. Without giving anything away, those first impressions become part of the puzzle, and Ben ended up being one of my favorite characters.

The pacing is relentless. The alternating interviews and police investigation constantly reveal just enough information to keep the suspense building without ever feeling repetitive. The clues are there all along, hiding in plain sight. And that ending... wow. It's the kind of ending that leaves you staring into space as all the pieces finally click into place.

If I had one minor observation, it's that readers looking for nonstop action might not realize just how much of the suspense comes from uncovering layers of deception and watching the investigation unfold. For me, that's exactly what made it impossible to put down.

Content warnings include murder, violence, blood, psychological manipulation, identity deception, grief, and trauma.

This book was a five-star read with clever plotting, memorable characters, fair-play clues, and an ending that made me immediately want to go back and see everything I missed. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, Everything She Didn't Say belongs at the very top of your reading list.

The Whisper by Chelsea Iversen

"Rule 1: When the trees whisper, listen."

"Rule 1: When the trees whisper, listen." That one line from the synopsis was all it took to convince me to request this book. A murder mystery with witchcraft and whispering trees? Count me in.

Fifteen years after the death of their childhood friend Quinn was ruled an accident, Elena, Joey, and Sophie return to the small town they left behind after Joey claims she knows what really happened. Raised together in the practice of witchcraft by two of their mothers and guided by The Book of Aspens and its Rules, the four girls once shared an unbreakable bond. Now they're forced to confront old secrets, lingering guilt, and the truth about Quinn's death.

What I enjoyed most about The Whisper was its atmosphere. The ancient aspens weren't just part of the setting. They became a character in their own right, creating an eerie, almost magical presence that lingered throughout the story. The supernatural elements blended naturally with the mystery instead of overshadowing it, making this feel like more than a traditional murder investigation.

The multiple points of view also worked well for me. Each chapter is told from one of the four women's perspectives, complete with their own assumptions, blind spots, and mistakes, gradually revealing pieces of both the past and the present. The short chapters kept the pages turning, and I found myself constantly wanting to know what each character would reveal next.

Although Sophie ended up being my favorite character because of her empathy and steady, calming presence, the real strength of the novel is the friendship between the women. Their shared history, grief, loyalty, and complicated relationships gave the mystery emotional weight that made me care about the outcome beyond simply discovering what happened.

My only criticism is that there were a few stretches where the emotional introspection slowed the momentum more than I would have preferred. I occasionally found myself wanting the characters to spend a little less time processing their feelings and a little more time unraveling the mystery. Thankfully, those slower moments never outweighed the compelling premise, the wonderfully atmospheric setting, or the emotional payoff.

The ending was satisfying both emotionally and as a mystery. The friends finally found the answers and the healing they had been searching for, making the journey feel worthwhile.

If you enjoy supernatural suspense, atmospheric mysteries, folklore, and stories about lifelong friendships tested by tragedy and secrets, I think you'll find a lot to like here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Rules of Frost by Brendan Duffy

"The Shining" meets "Jumanji". I've seen these movies before.

Rules of Frost immediately hooked me with its premise: A nearly deserted boarding school over winter break, a blizzard cutting everyone off from the outside world, and a mysterious game that quickly turns dangerous. It has all the ingredients for an atmospheric survival horror story, and the isolated setting is one of the book's strongest assets.

The game itself was also an interesting concept. Watching the remaining students become increasingly invested in completing its quests, even when common sense should have told them to stop, felt believable. As a teacher, I could easily imagine kids getting caught up in the excitement and peer pressure, which added an extra layer of tension.

Unfortunately, the story never fully came together for me. Much of it felt derivative, relying on familiar horror conventions rather than offering a fresh take on them. The isolated campus, relentless snowstorm, dwindling resources, and looming danger created a creepy atmosphere, but they also reminded me of stories that have explored similar ideas with greater originality. Because the plot followed such familiar beats, very little surprised me along the way.

I also struggled to connect with the characters. Although each of the remaining students and teachers had distinct personalities and backstories, I never became emotionally invested in their fates. That lack of connection made it difficult for the suspense to have the impact I was hoping for. Instead of sitting on the edge of my seat, I found myself emotionally detached and waiting for the story to deliver the kind of twist that would make everything click.

To the author's credit, I did not correctly predict the identity of the true villain. However, the reveal felt more surprising than earned, and the final resolution required more suspension of disbelief than I could give, leaving me disappointed by the ending.

Readers who enjoy atmospheric boarding school horror, survival stories, and isolated winter settings may have a better experience than I did. Content warnings include violence, death, child endangerment, psychological horror, and scenes of peril in extreme winter conditions.

While the premise and setting held plenty of promise, the familiar story beats, lack of emotional connection to the characters, and an ending that didn't work for me ultimately made this a two-star read. 

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Don't Answer the Door by Nicci French (Maud O'Connor #4)

 It's never who you most expect. Never.

I had never read anything by Nicci French before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Five hours later, I had finished Don't Answer the Door and was left wondering why I'd waited so long to pick up one of their books. (Fun fact: Nicci French is actually a husband and wife team of authors.) 

The story begins with the shocking murder of Amy Barton. We appear to have an obvious suspect - the husband, of course. While the local investigators are ready to wrap things up neatly, Detective Maud O'Connor is sent from London to observe the investigation. After all, having an all male investigative team isn't a good look for the murder of a woman. So everyone expects DI O'Connor, as the token female, to sign off on the existing theory and head home. Instead, she does what every good detective should do: She starts asking questions.

Maud quickly became my favorite character. She's intelligent, tenacious, and quietly confident, refusing to be intimidated or dismissed in an environment where she's clearly expected to stay in her lane. I always enjoy a strong female protagonist who earns respect through competence rather than theatrics, and Maud does exactly that.

What impressed me most, though, was the way Nicci French handled the story itself. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the novel shifted in a direction I never anticipated. Every time I felt confident about where things were headed, the authors subtly pulled the rug out from under me. Nothing felt forced or unfair; it simply reminded me that I wasn't nearly as clever as I thought I was.

I appreciated that the suspense never relied on graphic violence or cheap shock value. Instead, it came from the investigation, the characters, and the growing need to see justice served. I became completely invested in discovering not only what had happened, but whether the truth would ever come to light.

The title couldn't be more fitting, and the ending absolutely sticks the landing. Every thread is tied together in a satisfying way, and I closed the book with complete satisfaction.

If you're looking for a compelling crime novel with memorable characters, a smart investigation, and twists that genuinely surprised an experienced thriller reader, Don't Answer the Door is an easy recommendation. It earned every one of its five stars, and it certainly won't be my last Nicci French novel.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Scream City by Hannah Morrisey

"Imagine the scuttlebutt."

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance copy of Scream City in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine living your entire life in the shadow of a serial killer's legacy ... especially when that serial killer was your grandfather. That's the burden Alice carries as she runs a quirky bookstore housed in what was once his piano shop. Meanwhile, retired detective Rex is trying to rebuild his life after an unimaginable family tragedy. When women begin turning up dead in murders that echo the crimes of decades past, Alice and Rex find themselves searching for the truth while their beloved Cream City neighborhood fights to survive against an aggressive developer.

This is an atmospheric, character-driven crime novel with several twists that genuinely caught me by surprise. I thought I had things figured out more than once, only to discover I was completely wrong. The mystery is well constructed, and I enjoyed trying to untangle who was behind the copycat murders and why. Was someone trying to drive down property values? Seeking revenge? Chasing money? The possibilities kept changing as the story unfolded.

The characters were the heart of the novel for me. I felt especially sorry for Alice, whose entire identity has been shaped by crimes she had absolutely nothing to do with. Watching her navigate the assumptions people make about her because of her family history was heartbreaking and frustrating. At the same time, she has an endearing eccentricity, punctuating her conversations with the phrase, "Imagine the scuttlebutt," whenever she and Rex begin piecing together another possibility. It's a small character detail, but one that made her feel distinct and memorable. Rex was equally compelling. The tragedy involving his son is almost unimaginable, and I admired his determination to keep moving forward despite carrying that burden every day. I also loved the slow-building chemistry between Alice and Rex. It's clear the connection has been there for a long time, and I found myself rooting for them to finally make it work.

The reason this settled at four stars instead of five is that it never quite felt like a thriller to me. I was invested in the mystery and the characters, but I never experienced that overwhelming urgency to keep reading "just one more chapter." The pacing is more deliberate, allowing the atmosphere and relationships to take center stage rather than nonstop suspense.

Content warnings should include violence against women, serial murder, discussions of past murders, grief, trauma, and death of a child.

If you enjoy character-driven mysteries, police procedurals, and crime fiction with memorable protagonists, emotional depth, and surprising twists, Scream City is well worth picking up. Readers looking for relentless, edge-of-your-seat thriller pacing may find it slower than expected, but mystery fans will find plenty to enjoy.

Strange Bedfellows by Amanda Mortlock

 A girl who is also a cat, witches, familiars, missing memories, and murder. I'm in!

Strange Bedfellows was unlike anything I've read before, and that's saying something. I usually spend my reading time chasing murderers, serial killers, and psychological twists, so a story about familiars, witches, magical bonds, and a woman who is also a cat was well outside my comfort zone. I approached it with an open mind, and surprisingly, it worked!

Cleo is both herself and Cat, her feline counterpart, and the relationship between the two creates a fascinating mystery from the very beginning. When she finds her witch, Wes, under unusual circumstances, she becomes entangled in a world of magic, missing memories, hidden truths, and dangers that stretch back into the past. As Cleo struggles to understand who she is and what has been forgotten, the story builds a steady sense of urgency that kept me turning pages.

What I enjoyed most was the suspense. Beneath the fantasy and romance elements is a genuine mystery. I needed to know what had happened, why memories were missing, and how the past was influencing the present. That mystery kept me invested even when I was navigating unfamiliar fantasy concepts.

The characters were engaging, especially Cleo. Sometimes I didn't like her very much, but watching her piece together her identity and place in this magical world gave the story its emotional core. I also enjoyed the dynamics between the familiars and witches, particularly the unique relationships that developed throughout the story.

My biggest challenge was the worldbuilding. As someone who doesn't read much fantasy, I occasionally felt as though I had been dropped into the deep end without a life jacket. Terms, magical concepts, and lore were sometimes introduced with little explanation, leaving me feeling like I was trying to follow a gourmet recipe with only basic cooking skills. Fantasy readers will likely have no trouble with this, but I occasionally wished for a bit more guidance.

The romance wasn't always my favorite aspect of the story and had me rolling my eyes more than once, but it never overshadowed the stronger elements. The mystery, suspense, and originality kept me engaged from beginning to end.

If you enjoy fantasy romance with unusual magical systems, mysterious pasts, magical familiars, witches, and a healthy dose of suspense, I would absolutely recommend Strange Bedfellows. While it pushed me outside my usual reading preferences, it also reminded me how enjoyable it can be to explore something completely different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Girl Number 8 by Janice Okoh

What happens when a missing-persons case is tangled up with politics, superstition, and secrets?

Freida is Girl Number 8, the eighth young girl to disappear from one of four villages. Detective Sola Adeyemi is investigating a troubling pattern: every four years, shortly before an election, four children vanish. The timing feels too deliberate to be coincidence, and as Sola digs deeper, the possibility of ritual killings and political corruption becomes impossible to ignore.

One of the things I appreciated most about this novel was how completely it immersed me in a setting that felt unfamiliar. This is the first book I've read set in Nigeria, and the setting wasn't just a backdrop. It was essential to the story. The dialogue reflects local speech patterns, which took me a chapter or two to adjust to, but once I did, I could practically hear the characters speaking. It added authenticity and helped bring the world to life.

I also found the social commentary fascinating. The casual acceptance of corruption among some of the police and political figures was eye-opening, as were the community beliefs surrounding Freida's green eyes. Seeing a child viewed with suspicion because of a genetic trait was both heartbreaking and thought-provoking. The book explores how fear, superstition, power, and tradition can shape people's lives in ways that are often unfair and devastating.

Detective Sola Adeyemi was my favorite character. She's determined, intelligent, and committed to finding the truth even when the obstacles seem overwhelming. I enjoyed following her investigation and watching her piece together the mystery.

The plot kept me engaged throughout, and I was invested in discovering what had happened to the missing girls. While the pacing occasionally slowed as the story explored broader social issues, those same elements are what made the novel stand out from many crime thrillers I've read recently. This isn't just a mystery; it's a story that raises questions about justice, power, and the stories communities tell themselves.

Content warnings should include violence against women and children, murder, ritual practices, child disappearances, and corruption.

Overall, Girl Number 8 is a compelling and thought-provoking crime novel that offers both an intriguing mystery and a vivid sense of place. It's the kind of book that lingers in your mind after you've finished the final page, and I suspect I'll be thinking about it for quite some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Lightning Girl by Sam Ripley

What if the friend you spent decades mourning wasn't who you thought she was?

When Sarah returns to her hometown after her father's death, she finds herself drawn back into the mystery that has haunted her since childhood: the death of her best friend, Gen. Officially, Gen died after falling from a cliff years ago. Sarah has never fully accepted that explanation, and as she settles her father's estate, old memories and old questions begin resurfacing. The deeper she digs, the less certain she becomes about what really happened.

This was a solid four-star read for me. The biggest strength of the novel is the mystery itself. For most of the book, I genuinely had no idea what happened to Gen. Was she murdered? If so, by whom? A suspected serial killer? The groundskeeper? Someone else entirely? It kept me guessing.

I also appreciated how unsettled the book made me feel. Not frightened exactly, but disconcerted. That's a quality I enjoy in a thriller. Sarah starts out as a narrator I trusted completely, but as the story unfolds, I found myself questioning her perceptions and interpretations of events. The uncertainty added another layer to the mystery and kept me engaged.

Sarah was my favorite character. Even during the moments when I thought she might be a few fries short of a Happy Meal, I still liked her and wanted answers right alongside her. Her grief over both her father and Gen felt genuine, and her determination to uncover the truth kept the story moving.

The supernatural elements worked better for me than I expected. Personally, I'm not fully convinced that talking to dead people is a thing, and there were moments that earned a little eye roll from me. On the other hand, the ambiguity surrounding those experiences added to the novel's uneasy atmosphere. Whether the explanations were supernatural, psychological, or something in between, they helped create a constant feeling that something wasn't quite right.

The pacing is steady, with enough twists and revelations to keep the pages turning. While this wasn't one of those books that kept me awake far past bedtime, it was consistently entertaining and rarely made me roll my eyes ... a compliment thriller readers will understand.

Readers who enjoy mystery thrillers with psychological suspense, unreliable narrators, and a touch of supernatural ambiguity will likely find a lot to enjoy here.

Content warnings: murder, violence against women, grief, death of a parent, and discussions of a possible serial killer.

Overall, The Lightning Girl delivers a compelling mystery, memorable twists, and an unsettling atmosphere that kept me guessing until the end. I am already recommending it to my friends. A special thank you to Atria for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

You Girls Play Nice by KD Aldyn

I didn't clean the house today. And who needs food?

I received an ARC of You Girls Play Nice by KD Aldyn from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

This book consumed my entire day. I don't remember if I ate. Who needs food when there is rage, revenge, female friendship, and a murder trial that goes spectacularly wrong?

The story opens at the end of a sexual assault and murder trial. Rebel, Jackie, Sue, and Willow sit through every day of the proceedings, desperate for justice for their murdered friend. Instead, the accused, Daniel, walks free after being found not guilty on all charges. The women try to move on, but grief, anger, and unanswered questions have a way of festering. Years later, the friends begin discussing hypothetical ways they would kill Daniel if they ever chose revenge. Hypothetically, of course. Because nothing says “healthy closure” quite like plotting imaginary murder over drinks.

This book does not waste time easing readers into the story. It drops you directly into the emotional wreckage and lets the tension build from there. The pacing was excellent, and I flew through this book in a single sitting because I needed to know where it was heading.

What really made the story work for me was the friendship between the four women. They each felt distinct and believable instead of blending together. Rebel absolutely lived up to her name, Jackie was quietly intellectual, Willow brought warmth and optimism even while doubting herself, and Sue grounded the group. Their friendships felt layered and authentic, especially the smaller bonds within the larger group dynamic. These women loved each other, protected each other, frustrated each other, and carried their grief differently.

The revenge discussions were some of the strongest scenes in the book because they felt disturbingly understandable. The women are not presented as cartoon vigilantes. They are grieving women failed by the justice system, trying to cope with unbearable anger. The moral grayness of those conversations kept pulling me deeper into the story because part of me understood exactly why they were having them.

I also appreciated how emotionally tense the story felt throughout. This was not simply a mystery about solving a murder. It explored the aftermath of trauma, the damage left behind by violence against women, and what happens when justice and legality are not the same thing.

The reveal genuinely surprised me. Looking back, the clues were there, but I completely underestimated one character because I assumed they were only a minor player in the story. My only small critique is that I would have liked a little more development surrounding the larger villain operating behind the scenes and covering for Daniel. That said, it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book at all.

This was an easy five-star read for me. Readers who enjoy darker psychological thrillers and morally messy stories will probably love this, especially fans of Karin Slaughter. Content warnings should include violence against women, sexual assault, murder, grief, and trauma.

Murder, She Wrote: A Killing in Real Estate by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

Cabot Cove still feels like home...cozy, charming, and statistically overflowing with murder.

I just finished reading Murder, She Wrote: A Killing in Real Estate by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran. Reading this book felt like I was climbing into a time machine.

I remember watching Murder, She Wrote in the 90s and never missed an episode if I could help it, even going so far as to set my VCR to watch it later. Reading this brought all of that rushing back immediately. I could practically hear Angela Lansbury’s voice in my head while reading. Jessica Fletcher still feels exactly like herself all these years later: sensible shoes, bicycle rides to clear her mind, quiet intelligence, and a knack for finding murder wherever she goes.

This mystery takes place in Cabot Cove, where tensions are rising over a developer hoping to build a four-star hotel in the area. Naturally, not everyone wants the beautiful small-town landscape turned into a tourist destination. At the same time, the town is searching for a new mayor who will protect Cabot Cove from overdevelopment. When murder enters the picture, Jessica starts untangling the secrets and motives hiding beneath the town’s polite surface.

What I enjoyed most was the atmosphere and nostalgia. Cabot Cove still feels cozy and familiar, almost like visiting an old friend. The town itself remains one of the strongest “characters” in the series. I also appreciated that Jessica has not been dramatically modernized or changed into someone unrecognizable after 62 books. She is still calm, observant, compassionate, and quietly sharp.

The mystery itself was solid and entertaining, although this was not one of those books that kept me awake all night because I absolutely had to know what happened next. Instead, it felt comfortable and reliable. The pacing was steady, the small-town politics added an interesting layer to the plot, and the story captured the same cozy charm that made the television series so beloved.

As for content warnings, this is a cozy mystery, so readers should expect murder and investigation themes, but nothing felt overly graphic or disturbing.

Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars. If you love cozy mysteries, small-town settings, or grew up watching Jessica Fletcher solve crimes from her little corner of Maine, this is a very enjoyable nostalgic read. Even though this is the 62nd book in the series, it works perfectly well as a standalone cozy mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Hysteria by LJ Ross (Alexander Gregory #2)

Beautiful people, fake identities, psychological trauma, and murder? Paris Fashion Week has really escalated.

Hysteria was a five-star read for me. I picked it up intending to read a few chapters and ended up devouring the entire thing in one sitting. This is absolutely a psychological thriller, and an exceptionally well-done one at that.

Dr. Alexander Gregory is called to Paris during Fashion Week after the attempted murder of a model whose identity appears to have been fabricated only weeks earlier. Then another model turns up dead, and suddenly the glamorous world of high fashion starts feeling less like luxury and more like a pressure cooker waiting to explode. Beneath the beauty and wealth is rot, secrets, manipulation, and people who are very much not what they seem.

What I loved most about this book was the characterization, especially Gregory himself. He is brilliant and respected in his field, but still deeply human. He makes mistakes. He struggles. His night terrors and mental health challenges felt believable and respectfully handled rather than exaggerated for drama. In fact, I think those struggles are what make him so good at understanding other people. He recognizes suffering because he lives with it himself, and that gave the story emotional weight beyond the murder investigation.

The pacing hooked me immediately and never let go. Every time I thought I understood who I could trust, the author quietly removed the entire floor from under me. I genuinely did not see the reveal coming. Even more impressive, the twist felt earned rather than random. 

I also really appreciated the humor. It was dry, sarcastic, and occasionally dark in exactly the right way. In a story dealing with murder, trauma, and psychological strain, those moments kept the book from ever feeling emotionally heavy in a tedious way.

Honestly I can’t think of a single critique. I didn’t even roll my eyes once while reading, which thriller readers know is practically a miracle. The plot stayed believable, the tension stayed high, and the characters remained compelling throughout. I even liked the villain…until the ending made me rethink everything.

Content warnings for murder, abuse, and mental health struggles.

I would highly recommend this to fans of psychological thrillers, especially readers who enjoy damaged but believable investigators, morally complicated characters, and mysteries where appearances are constantly deceiving.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

When They Find Me by Carter Wilson

Survival thriller with predators, trauma, and enough tension to ruin your blood pressure.

When They Find Me is one of those books that takes a little patience in the beginning, but once the pieces start falling into place, it becomes genuinely unsettling, and I enjoyed that.

The story follows Annie, a woman hiding in a small town with her daughter, Coral, while another timeline follows Riven, a young girl being raised by her father, Coyote, and his son Boone in an isolated and deeply disturbing “pack” mentality. Those two timelines will collide, but initially I struggled a bit because we are dropped directly into survival mode without much context. I knew Annie was terrified and hiding, and I knew Riven was being prepared to kill someone, but I didn’t yet understand why. That confusion made it harder for me to connect immediately.

Once Part 2 started revealing the backstory, though, everything started falling into place for me. I finally understood exactly what Annie and Coral were running from. When the timelines collided and Coyote, Boone, and Riven invaded the safety of Annie’s isolated home during a snowstorm, I was genuinely nervous for them.

Coyote was probably the most memorable character for me because he felt terrifyingly believable. His obsession with turning his children into “pack animals” instead of fully human individuals created this constant sense of dread throughout the novel. You cannot reason with someone like that, and the book understands this. Boone felt more like an extension of Coyote’s violence, while Riven became increasingly interesting as the story unfolded. She starts as someone completely controlled by fear and manipulation, but little cracks begin forming as she starts questioning her role in her father’s world.

The book explores a lot of heavy themes: survival versus truly living, predatory behavior, male dominance and control over women, trauma, consequences, and mental illness. I appreciated that the psychological elements added to the danger rather than feeling exaggerated just for shock value. Unfortunately, people like Coyote exist, and that realism made the story even more disturbing.

That said, the slow and somewhat confusing beginning kept this from being a full five-star read for me. I understand why the author structured it this way, but it took me a while to feel grounded in the story. Once I was invested, though, I flew through the rest of the book.

Overall, I’m giving When They Find Me 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy dark psychological thrillers, character-driven suspense, survival stories, and small-town thrillers with heavy emotional tension.

Content warnings for violence, predatory behavior, psychological trauma, manipulation, mental illness themes, and threats against women and children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Missing Molly by Natalie Barelli

A thriller without urgency is just people making questionable decisions for 300 pages.

I really wanted to enjoy Missing Molly because the premise had all the ingredients for a tense, fast-paced thriller: a missing girl living under a new identity, a murdered family, the wrong man imprisoned for the crime, and the terrifying possibility that the real killer has resurfaced years later. Unfortunately, while the setup was compelling, the execution never fully pulled me in.

Rachel Holloway, who is revealed to be the missing Molly Forster, was difficult for me to connect with as a protagonist. Many of her choices felt unrealistic and frustrating rather than suspenseful. At one point, knowing the real killer may have returned, she still invites him into her home around her boyfriend and young child. Instead of increasing the tension, moments like this pulled me out of the story because her actions often did not feel emotionally believable.

I also struggled with the pacing. For a thriller, the story lacked the urgency and suspense I was expecting. I kept waiting for the tension to build, but I never felt that “just one more chapter” momentum that usually keeps me glued to a thriller late into the night. Ironically, I found myself more interested in what happened during the years Molly spent in hiding than in the present-day storyline itself.

The psychiatric hospital subplot also felt more like a convenient way to create conflict than a natural progression of the story. Combined with Rachel’s increasingly erratic behavior and an unsupportive relationship with her boyfriend, it became difficult to emotionally invest in the characters or their choices.

That said, I can still appreciate the potential behind the concept, and I think readers who enjoy slower-paced domestic suspense with unreliable or emotionally unstable narrators may connect with this more than I did. Unfortunately, I never felt fully engaged, surprised, or emotionally invested in the outcome.

Overall, this one landed at 2 stars for me. I finished it mostly out of determination rather than genuine suspense, which is never quite what I hope for in a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dark Country by Adam Plantingo (Kurt Argento #3)

Nothing good ever comes from minding your own business in a thriller novel.

I started reading Dark Country this morning, picked it up again this evening, and suddenly it was somehow nighttime and I had somehow read the entire thing. Apparently laundry, responsibilities, and basic time awareness no longer exist once Kurt Argento enters the picture.

Kurt is hiding out from his past, working as a groundskeeper at a small-town church under a fake name and trying very hard to stay invisible. Naturally, that plan explodes the moment a teenage boy comes tearing across church property with two goons chasing him. From there, the story turns into a relentless cross-country pursuit as Kurt tries to keep the boy alive long enough to figure out why anyone would want him dead in the first place.

And that question absolutely drives this book: Why this kid?

The urgency in this story was palpable. Every chapter pushed me into “just one more chapter” territory until I finally gave up pretending I was going to stop reading. I was completely invested in the boy’s safety and welfare. At seventeen, he has already survived more trauma than most adults, having grown up in war-torn Syria, and now he is being hunted by absolute psychopaths. The emotional weight of that really landed for me.

The kid himself was written extremely well. He was smart, capable, morally grounded, and believable. His background as a track star came in very handy during the chase scenes, and I appreciated that he felt like an actual teenager instead of a plot device.

Kurt was easily my favorite part of the book. Any man willing to take a bullet for a kid he barely knows is going to earn points with me immediately. He reminded me a bit of Jack Reacher and John Puller, men who do the right thing even when it would be much easier, and much safer, not to. I also loved his dry humor, which balanced out some of the darker moments perfectly.

These villains are horrifying. They are truly some of the most disturbing psychopaths I have read in a thriller in a long time. Skinning people is apparently one of their hobbies, which puts them firmly in the category of People I Don't Want to Meet Ever. There are several scenes involving violence, torture, and graphic deaths, so readers should definitely keep the content warnings in mind.

The reveal behind why the boy was being hunted completely floored me. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say this book did absolutely nothing to improve my trust in unscheduled medical procedures.

My one small critique involved Visser, the lawyer. He was deeply unlikeable in exactly the way he was supposed to be: greedy, narcissistic, and awful. I wasn’t sure we needed to know that he hated the butler, an educated Black man. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed how that particular subplot paid off in the end.

Overall, this was an easy five stars for me. The pacing was relentless, the stakes felt real, the emotional investment was strong, and the central mystery kept me hooked from beginning to end. I would absolutely recommend this to fans of Lee Child, David Baldacci, and James Patterson, especially readers who enjoy lone-wolf protectors, fast-moving action, and thrillers built around one irresistible question:

Why are they after this kid?

A special thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.