Long Shadows by David Baldacci (Amos Decker #7)

I had theories. Decker had theories. Only one of us should be solving murders.

As usual, David Baldacci’s audiobook refused to stay in the car. Kudos to Hachette Audio for keeping it entertaining and enjoyable!

Long Shadows brings Amos Decker back for another complicated investigation, and at this point, I really like this guy. The more time I spend with Decker, the more human he becomes. He’s still blunt, socially awkward, and capable of seeing connections nobody else sees, but he has changed considerably from the man we first met in Memory Man. There’s more humanity underneath all that Decker-ness now, and I’ve really enjoyed watching his character develop.

This time, Decker also has a new partner: Frederica “Freddie” White. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about somebody replacing Alex Jamison, but I needn’t have worried. White is terrific. She’s smart, capable, and takes absolutely no crap from Decker. Better yet, she isn’t Jamison 2.0. She has her own personality and her own way of dealing with him, and watching the two of them figure each other out was one of my favorite parts of the book. Especially since she has two black belts and threatened to take him out if he didn’t behave.

I like her already.

The story begins with a suicide and quickly moves to the murders of a federal judge and her bodyguard, killed in the same house at nearly the same time. Naturally, things aren’t quite as straightforward as they appear.

Decker has a theory. I had a response to his theory.

Oh please ... What are the chances?

Apparently, the chances were pretty darn good.

That’s Baldacci, though. He takes something that sounds just improbable enough to make me skeptical and then starts fitting the pieces together. Meanwhile, what initially looks like one investigation becomes something much bigger and considerably more complicated.

And I never figured it out.

He’s gooood.

That’s probably why this audiobook escaped the car. Again. I would finish my drive, turn off the engine, go inside ... and turn the audiobook right back on. Baldacci kept me curious about how the murders fit together, whether Decker’s seemingly unlikely theory was actually right, and just how many more secrets were waiting underneath the ones we already knew about.

Five stars from me. Long Shadows gave me a complicated mystery I couldn’t solve, continued the wonderful evolution of Amos Decker, and introduced a new partner I’m already looking forward to spending more time with.

Apparently, my car no longer has exclusive listening rights to David Baldacci.

The Icehouse by J.J. Richards (DCI Walker #1)

 Murder and Mayhem in Lancashire

There is nothing quite like a murder investigation that suddenly gets personal.

The Icehouse by J.J. Richards follows DCI Walker as he investigates a series of murders around Lancashire. The killer has a distinctive signature, and unfortunately for Walker, it looks a lot like the one left behind when his sister was murdered years earlier. Her case was never solved, so the similarities bring the past crashing straight into his current investigation.

This was a good, solid police thriller that kept me interested from beginning to end. Walker's personal connection to the case added an extra layer of tension without taking over the investigation, and I definitely wanted to know whether the new murders would finally lead to answers about his sister.

I listened to this one, and while it didn't completely refuse to stay in the car, it occasionally escaped the car, which is always a very good sign.

Four stars. A strong, engaging mystery with enough personal stakes to keep me listening and enough unanswered questions to make me curious about DCI Walker's next case.

Walk the Wire by David Baldacci (Amos Decker #6)

Come for the murder. Stay for the toxic waste, terrorism, and  government secrets. I mean, why not?

This is yet another David Baldacci audiobook that refused to stay in the car. At this point, I should probably stop pretending these are strictly for my commute. I'm not kidding anyone but myself.

Walk the Wire is the sixth book in Baldacci’s Amos Decker series, and the more time I spend with Amos Decker and Alex Jamison, the more I like them. Especially Amos. His character development throughout this series has been fantastic. The man we met in Memory Man is still very much there: brilliant, blunt, socially awkward, and equipped with a brain that works unlike anyone else’s. With every book, though, he becomes just a little more human.

This time, Decker and Jamison are sent to investigate the murder of a young woman in a small North Dakota town. On the surface, it looks like a fairly straightforward murder investigation.

Oh, bless your heart, you sweet summer child. Have you not met David Baldacci?

Because before long, we've got secrets, more murder, toxic waste, terrorism, government interests, and enough people hiding things to make you wonder whether anyone in town has ever told the truth about anything.

This is one of the things Baldacci does so well. He starts with a crime that seems relatively contained, then begins pulling threads. Every person seems to know something they're not saying, and the only thing that is obvious is that nothing is obvious.

The narration made this another easy audiobook to get lost in. Or, in my case, one that was supposed to live in the car and mysteriously followed me into the house. Funny how that keeps happening with Baldacci and Hachette Audio.

Five out of five stars. No hesitation.

If you've been reading the Amos Decker series from the beginning, Walk the Wire gives you everything you've come to expect: a complicated investigation, twists piled on top of twists, plenty of danger, and Amos using that extraordinary brain of his to notice the things everyone else misses. But it also gives us another chapter in Amos's slow, fascinating evolution.

And apparently all it takes to help Amos Decker become more human is a little friendship, a lot of murder, some toxic waste, and the occasional terrorist threat.

No judgment here, Amos. You do you! I'm just going to stand back and watch the magic happen.

Ward D by Freida McFadden

The scariest thing in Ward D was how badly I wanted Amy to stop whining.

I usually have a pretty good track record with Freida McFadden, but Ward D is the first of her books that just didn't work for me. Which is particularly disappointing because the premise is fantastic.

Amy is a medical student assigned to spend a night shift in Ward D, the locked psychiatric unit of a hospital. As if that isn't uncomfortable enough, her ex-boyfriend Cameron, another medical student, is working the same shift. The hospital's internet system is down for maintenance, there's no cell reception, and then one of the patients urinates on an electrical connection, causing a temporary power outage that resets the codes on the locked doors, including the seclusion rooms.

Oh, and Amy's childhood best friend Jade is a patient on the ward. Jade believes Amy wronged her years ago, and she's been holding one heck of a grudge.

On the surface, this had everything I should have loved. Locked ward. No communication with the outside world. Power problems. Doors that may or may not stay locked. Someone inside who has a very personal reason to hate Amy. Then people started disappearing.

Unfortunately, the tension never matched the premise.

My biggest problem was Amy herself. For heaven's sake, this woman was whiny. She repeatedly complains that Cameron dumped her for a test, conveniently glossing over the fact that the "test" was his board exam and he wanted to devote his time to studying for it. I also spent a good portion of the book wanting to shake her. She was in Ward D to observe and learn. Why she couldn't keep her head down and do what she was asked to do was beyond me.

The psychiatric ward itself should have been wonderfully creepy, but it never quite got there. The patients were mostly quirky rather than frightening. There's SpiderDan, who believes he's Spider-Man and eventually creates a web out of dental floss. Mary spends her time knitting a seemingly never-ending scarf. Miguel believes he's the son of God. Jade was really the only patient who felt genuinely dangerous because she was absolutely convinced Amy had wronged her, and nothing was going to change her mind.

Then there were the coincidences. The internet is down. There's no cell reception. An electrical problem causes a power outage. The door codes reset. And apparently this locked psychiatric ward in a hospital doesn't have an adequate backup plan for any of this.

OSHA would have had a field day.

There are twists toward the end, and I didn't see all of them coming. Unfortunately, by that point I wasn't invested enough for them to have much impact. The tension was so lacking that I seriously considered DNFing the book halfway through. Then the truth comes out rather quickly, everything gets wrapped up, and...that's that.

The audiobook narration was good, but even a strong narrator couldn't make Amy less irritating or manufacture the suspense I kept waiting for.

Ward D had a five-star premise trapped inside a two-star thriller. I wanted claustrophobic. I wanted creepy. I wanted to be checking the locks on my doors while I listened.

Instead, I mostly wanted Amy to stop whining and follow instructions.

The Pilot's Daughter by Audrey Cole

When the pilots die after a hijacking, the only person left with flying experience is the woman who's terrified of flying.

The Pilot's Daughter grabbed me with its premise. I needed something for my commute, and it fit the bill perfectly.

Cora is traveling to Samoa to honor the work of her late husband, a pilot who was killed in a helicopter crash. Since his death, she's developed a fear of flying. Unfortunately for her, this particular flight is hijacked.

As if that isn't bad enough, Cora and the homicide detective sitting beside her, Kyle, manage to stop the hijackers, but not before both the pilot and co-pilot are killed. Suddenly, the passengers' survival depends on the one person who never wanted to be on a plane again.

That's an excellent setup, and Audrey Cole keeps the tension high from beginning to end. Between the hijacking, the aircraft riddled with bullet holes, and the race to get everyone safely on the ground, there wasn't much downtime. It made for a very entertaining audiobook.

My biggest complaint was Cora herself. I completely understood her fear. Losing her husband in an aviation accident gives her every reason to panic. But there were several moments when her  crying, pleading, and insisting she couldn't do anything without Kyle became frustrating. I wanted her to get a backbone, for heaven's sake. Fear is believable; helplessness gets old fast.

Kyle was a solid counterpart. As a homicide detective, he brought a calm, steady presence that balanced Cora's panic, and the romantic element didn't overshadow the life-or-death situation unfolding around them.

Overall, this was an entertaining romantic suspense novel with a unique premise, plenty of action, and enough tension to keep me invested. While Cora occasionally tested my patience, the story itself kept me listening all the way to the end.

Redemption by David Baldacci (Amos Decker #5)

Note to self: Never start a David Baldacci audiobook unless your schedule is completely clear.

Some audiobooks are content to keep me company on my commute. Others apparently decide I have no plans for the rest of my day. Redemption by David Baldacci firmly belongs in the second category. I fully intended to listen only while driving and/or walking, but before long I found myself listening while making dinner, doing chores, and any old mindless task that allowed me to follow the story.

This is the fifth book in the Amos Decker series, and somehow Baldacci keeps making both the mysteries and the characters better. Amos is still brilliant, with his perfect memory and uncanny ability to spot details everyone else misses. But what I enjoyed most in this installment had nothing to do with solving crimes. It was watching Amos continue to become more human.

His brain injury changed every aspect of his life, including making physical contact with other people practically unbearable. In Redemption, he realizes he can finally tolerate someone touching him and even accept a hug. It sounds like such a small thing, but after following his journey through the series, it felt like a huge moment.

The mystery begins when Amos returns to his hometown in Ohio to visit the graves of his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law. While there, he's confronted by a man Amos convicted of murder years ago. The man insists he was innocent all along, but before Amos can learn the truth, he's murdered. As more bodies begin piling up, Amos is forced to revisit the very first homicide investigation of his career and ask a question no detective ever wants to face: Did I convict the wrong person?

The investigation is clever, full of twists, and kept me guessing until the end. Baldacci does an excellent job of building suspense without relying on cheap tricks or impossible coincidences.

As much as I enjoyed the mystery, it is Amos himself who keeps me invested. He's no longer just the fascinating detective with a remarkable brain. He's learning how to reconnect with people and carry the weight of his past without letting it define his future. That growth has become just as compelling as the investigations.

Five books in, the Amos Decker series continues to impress me. If you're looking for a smart crime thriller with an unforgettable lead character, this series absolutely deserves a place on your reading list. I am already downloading #6.

The Fallen by David Baldacci (Amos Decker #4)

Never invite Amos Decker on vacation unless your town is overdue for a homicide investigation. 

Amos Decker just can't catch a break.

The Fallen, the fourth book in the Amos Decker series, sends Amos and his FBI partner, Alex Jamison, to visit Alex's sister for what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation and her niece's sixth birthday. Instead, they arrive in Baronville, Pennsylvania, where six murders remain unsolved, drugs are tearing through the community, and nearly everyone seems to have a grudge against the last surviving member of the town's founding family. So much for rest and relaxation.

One of my favorite things about this series is watching Amos continue to grow. He's becoming more than just his abilities. His relationships are evolving, he's learning to connect with people, and he's beginning to feel a little less like a machine and a little more human. In this installment, he connects with Alex's niece, although the idea initially terrifies him.

The mystery itself kept me guessing. Baldacci layers multiple storylines together without making them confusing. The small-town setting adds another layer of tension because everyone knows everyone else, everyone has history, and nobody seems eager to tell the whole truth. In fact, some of them don't tell the truth at all. 

If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller with an unforgettable detective, The Fallen delivers. I'll be looking into the next installment just as soon as I finish writing this review. This was another easy five-star read. Apparently, vacations are simply Amos Decker's way of finding his next homicide investigation.

The Fix by David Baldacci (Amos Decker #3)

 Another audiobook that wouldn't stay in the car.

Some audiobooks are great for the commute. Others refuse to stay in the car. The Fix by David Baldacci is definitely one of those. I started listening while running errands, continued on my daily walk, and finally finished it while sitting in my living room staring into space because there was no way I was stopping before the end.

This is the third book in the Amos Decker series, and I can honestly say I love this character more with every installment.

The story begins with what appears to be a senseless murder-suicide. A defense contractor walks up to a substitute teacher outside a federal building, shoots her, and then turns the gun on himself. Amos Decker and his team are called in to investigate, and it quickly becomes obvious that nothing about the case is as straightforward as it first appears. Every answer uncovers another question, and every lead seems to point in a different direction. Even the small things are important. Like... why the federal building?

I really like how Baldacci is developing Amos Decker's character. When we first met Amos in Memory Man, he was defined almost entirely by his extraordinary abilities. His perfect memory and synesthesia made him a brilliant investigator, but they also isolated him from everyone around him. As the series has progressed, Baldacci has allowed him to slowly reclaim parts of his life. He's still socially awkward. He still notices everything. He still says exactly what's on his mind whether people want to hear it or not. But now he has something he didn't have before: people.

His partnership with Alex Jamison has become one of my favorite parts of the series. She gets frustrated by his habits and bluntness, which is so real life it makes me laugh, but she understands him better than almost anyone else. Their friendship feels genuine because neither one of them is trying to change the other. They simply have each other's backs.

I was also happy to see Melvin Mars make another appearance. I really enjoyed his character in The Last Mile, so seeing him become part of Decker's inner circle was a pleasant surprise. Too many thriller series introduce memorable characters only to forget they ever existed. Baldacci does the opposite, and it makes the world feel much more connected.

Of course, the mystery itself delivers exactly what I've come to expect from this series. Nothing is straightforward, even when it seems it should be. I was completely immersed in the story, and the pacing made it incredibly difficult (read: impossible) to press pause.

Apparently, I've developed a new five-star test. If an audiobook escapes the car, steals my daily walk, and ends with me staring into space in my living room because I have to know how it ends... it's earned every one of those stars.

The Last Mile by David Baldacci (Amos Decker #2)

Another "commute only" audiobook that absolutely refused to stay in the car.

One thing is becoming painfully obvious: David Baldacci clearly has no respect for my "commute only" audiobook rule.

The Last Mile was supposed to keep me company on my various commutes. Instead, I found myself sitting in the garage because I needed to know what happened next. And then I just kept it playing on my phone in the house. The couch is more comfortable than the driver's seat. But I digress...

Amos Decker continues to be one of the most interesting detectives I've read in a long time. His perfect memory and synesthesia could have easily turned him into a gimmick, but Baldacci makes those traits feel like just one part of who he is. I also enjoyed seeing Decker make some personal changes. What starts as reluctant dietary changes and exercise slowly becomes a genuine effort to take better care of himself, adding another layer to a character who already stands out.

The mystery begins with a man on death row whose execution is stopped at the last possible moment after someone else confesses to the murders. That premise alone was enough to hook me. As Decker digs deeper (sometimes with the help of the FBI, and sometimes not), it becomes clear that almost everyone involved is hiding something. Secrets pile on top of secrets, and the investigation eventually reaches people in positions of power who believe the rules simply don't apply to them.

I love this series so far because the mysteries are very complex. They're layered conspiracies where every answer seems to uncover another question or reveal enough to make you suspect you're looking for yet another secret. Just when I thought I had things figured out, Baldacci replaced the flooring. While I was standing on it.

If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller with an unforgettable detective, this series continues to deliver. Just don't make the mistake I keep making and tell yourself you'll only listen during your commute. Chances are you'll be finding excuses to stay in the car a little longer. Or just get the hard copy and stay on your couch.

Memory Man by David Baldacci (Amos Decker #1)

The best protagonists aren't the ones with extraordinary abilities. They're the ones who have to pay for them.

I picked up Memory Man as a commute audiobook, fully expecting to listen to it only in my car. I should know better. We're talking about David Baldacci, after all. The production company he uses for his audiobooks is fantastic. Kudos to narrators Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy. This isn't the first time I've listened to them, and it certainly won't be the last. I didn't wait for my next commute to finish this book, and I have already purchased the next two books in this series.

Amos Decker isn't your typical thriller hero. A former detective, he has hyperthymesia, a condition that allows him to remember virtually every detail of his life. At first, it sounds like the perfect skill for solving crimes. But Baldacci wisely doesn't treat it as a superpower. Instead, he shows it for what it really is. As Adrian Monk would say, it's a blessing and a curse.

Most of us heal because memories soften with time. The sharp edges dull. We forget little details, and sometimes that's a gift. Amos Decker doesn't have that luxury. Every tragedy, every mistake, every painful memory remains as vivid as the day it happened. That includes every single little detail of the day he found his family murdered. His greatest strength is also the thing that keeps him from moving forward.

That alone would have made for an interesting character, but Baldacci wraps him in an investigation that kept me guessing until the very end. The clues are all there from the beginning, but Baldacci has a gift for steering readers toward the wrong conclusions. I found myself making the wrong assumptions exactly as he intended.

Decker is socially awkward, grieving, stubborn, physically imposing, and emotionally scarred. He's competent, but deeply flawed. Those are the protagonists I connect with most because they feel like real people rather than action heroes. Decker doesn't breeze through impossible situations because he's invincible. He succeeds despite carrying burdens most of us couldn't imagine.

Memory Man is more than a cleverly plotted thriller. It's an exploration of memory, grief, and the cost of never being able to forget. The mystery may be solved by the final chapter, but Amos Decker's journey feels like it's only beginning. I'm looking forward to following him wherever Baldacci takes him next.

One Last Secret by Blake Pierce (The Governess #5)

A woman whose employment history includes five murder houses should probably come with a warning label.

One Last Secret, the fifth book in Blake Pierce's The Governess series, continues to prove why these books are perfect commute audiobooks. They're entertaining, fast-paced, and this one was just twisty enough to make me sit in the driveway after getting home because I needed to hear the end.

Mary has definitely grown on me over the course of the series. She still has a remarkable talent for finding employment in homes where murder has happened or is about to happen. At this point, five out of her last six jobs have involved homicide. That's not bad luck; that's practically a supernatural gift.

What I appreciated most about this installment was that the mystery surrounding Annie, Mary's sister who disappeared thirty years ago, finally received a satisfying resolution. That thread has been hanging over the series from the beginning, and I was pleased with how it was handled.

I also enjoyed the hopeful ending. Without spoiling anything, the book leaves the door open for Mary to have her own happily-ever-after, and after everything she's endured, I find myself rooting for her. I'm going to have to download the next few in the series. 

These books aren't deep literary masterpieces, but they don't pretend to be. They're quick, engaging mysteries with a likable heroine who somehow manages to stumble into danger with astonishing regularity. And when a book keeps me sitting in the car to finish the last chapter, that's always a good sign.

One Last Goodbye by Blake Pierce (The Governess #4)

Mary's greatest mystery isn't the murder. It's her ongoing war with common sense.

I just finished listening to One Last Goodbye by Blake Pierce, and I have reached an interesting point with this series. I keep coming back. Not because I'm captivated. Not because I'm sitting in my driveway listening to "just one more chapter" before going inside. And certainly not because I'm losing sleep wondering who the killer is. I keep coming back because the books are mildly entertaining. They make my commute more enjoyable. Sometimes that's enough.

This time, Mary finds herself working for a wealthy family in Switzerland. She has also hired a private investigator back in Boston to continue searching for information about her sister, a storyline that has been simmering in the background throughout the series. Before long, the investigator is digging into Mary's new employers as well.

At first, there doesn't seem to be much to find. Naturally, that doesn't last. Within the first few weeks, the head of the household is murdered, and Mary once again decides it is her personal responsibility to bring the killer to justice.

We hear that phrase a lot.

At this point, the formula is pretty well established. Mary accepts a governess position. She discovers secrets. Somebody dies. Mary ignores all reasonable boundaries and proceeds to investigate. Eventually, she brings the killer to justice.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

The thing that continues to frustrate me is Mary's complete lack of common sense. She is obviously intelligent. She notices details. She connects clues. She solves mysteries. Yet she repeatedly makes decisions that leave me staring at my earbuds wondering what on earth she was thinking.

I've finally decided that Mary's greatest mystery isn't the murder. It's her ongoing war with common sense.

That said, I don't dislike these books. If I did, I would have abandoned the series several installments ago. The chapters are short, the pacing is brisk, and the stories move along quickly enough to keep me listening. They're easy audiobooks and make excellent commuting companions. 

What they are not, at least for me, is compelling. When I arrive at my destination, I hit pause and move on with my day. I don't find myself thinking about the characters later. I don't rush back to continue the story. I enjoy the ride while it lasts and then happily step off.

For that reason, I'm settling on three stars for One Last Goodbye. It entertained me for a few hours, advanced the ongoing storyline about Mary's sister, and delivered another serviceable mystery. It just never rose above that level.

And yet, despite all my complaints, I suspect I'll be picking up the next book. Because apparently Mary's ongoing war with common sense is difficult to quit.

One Last Breath by Blake Pierce (The Governess #3)

Will Mary survive Mary's decision-making?

Three books into the Governess series, I've come to accept a few things. First, Mary is going to involve herself in situations that are absolutely none of her business, much like every single one of my 7th graders. Second, she will continue making choices that would have most sensible people backing slowly toward the nearest exit. Her curiosity consistently outruns her common sense. Third, somehow she keeps surviving.

This time, Mary finds herself entangled with a wealthy family in Savannah. Naturally, there is a murder. Actually, there are two murders, one recent and one that happened more than fifty years ago. Because why solve one mystery when you can solve two?

The family itself is a collection of colorful characters. There's a grandmother struggling with dementia and a mother who spends her time talking to her geraniums. To be fair, if I lived in that house, I might start talking to plants too.

One thing I appreciated in this installment is that Mary seems to have learned at least one lesson. Fence climbing appears to be firmly in her past. After a couple of unfortunate encounters with gravity, she has apparently decided that scaling obstacles is best left to younger people. Character growth!

Even more impressive, Mary finally remembers that emergency services exist. This may be the biggest development in the series so far. There were moments when I wanted to cheer and say, "Yes, Mary! Let trained professionals handle it!" Of course, that doesn't stop her from conducting her own investigation, because then we wouldn't have much of a story.

As a mystery, One Last Breath kept me engaged throughout my commute. The plot moves along at a good pace, and there were enough twists and family secrets to hold my attention. That said, it never quite reached the point where I couldn't wait to get back to it. This series continues to occupy that sweet spot of being entertaining without becoming all-consuming.

At this point, I've realized that the real attraction of these books isn't necessarily the mystery itself. It's Mary. She's stubborn, curious, and possessed of an almost supernatural ability to insert herself into dangerous situations. Watching her navigate eccentric families, old secrets, and murder investigations is consistently enjoyable, even when I find myself shaking my head (repeatedly) at her decisions.

Overall, I'd give One Last Breath three stars. It's a solid audiobook, an easy listen, and perfect commuting material. It held my attention, made the drive go by faster, and never once tempted me to sit in the parking lot after arriving somewhere just to hear one more chapter.

And honestly, that's not a bad thing. After all, the goal is to get home safely. Mary can handle the danger for both of us.

One Last Smile by Blake Pierce (The Governess #2)

 She is still charging in where angels fear to plonk their holy feet.

There must be something in the water around Mary because wherever this woman goes, trouble follows close behind. In One Last Smile by Blake Pierce, Mary has once again landed herself in a wealthy household. This time, she's supposed to be tutoring Lucas, helping him prepare for admission to a prestigious university. Sounds simple enough ... flashcards, essays, standardized tests, and perhaps the occasional reminder to put down the phone and study ... Naturally, that is not what happens.

Instead, Mary learns about a young woman connected to the family who disappeared and was never found. Most people would file that information under "interesting but none of my business" and continue helping Lucas with his studies. Mary is not most people. Despite repeatedly reminding herself that she is not a detective, Mary once again launches herself into an investigation with all the caution of a squirrel crossing a six-lane highway. 

To be fair, the mystery itself kept me listening. This was actually a great commute audiobook. The pacing moves along nicely, and the story gives you enough breadcrumbs to keep you interested during a drive to work without demanding your complete attention. I never found myself desperate to get back to it, but I also never dreaded pressing play.

The biggest hurdle for me was Mary herself. She has a remarkable talent for inserting herself into increasingly questionable situations while fully acknowledging that she has neither the training nor the authority to be doing any of it. Every time she thought, "I'm not a detective," I found myself agreeing enthusiastically.

The book isn't bad. In fact, it's entertaining enough that I happily listened through to the end. The mystery was interesting, the narration was easy to follow, and I wanted to know what had happened to the missing young woman. But there were enough eye-roll-inducing moments that I can't place it high on my recommendation list.

In the end, I'd call this a solid three-star audiobook. If you're looking for something engaging to fill your commute, it does the job. If you're looking for a psychological thriller that will keep you awake at night thinking about it, this probably isn't the one.

Just be prepared for Mary to charge directly into situations where angels fear to plonk their holy feet.

One Last Lie by Blake Pierce (The Governess #1)

Nothing says ‘psychological thriller’ like a governess repeatedly ignoring every survival instinct available to her.

“Psychological thriller” is becoming one of those labels that can mean absolutely anything at this point. Sometimes it means a dark, twisty descent into manipulation and paranoia. Sometimes it means a woman making catastrophically bad decisions in a large house while ignoring every survival instinct God intended her to have. One Last Lie falls somewhere in the middle.

The premise honestly hooked me right away. Mary is hired as the governess for three children after their father dies, and she quickly becomes convinced that his death was not natural. Wealthy household, dead patriarch, suspicious atmosphere, secrets everywhere... Excellent! Sign me up!

This book had all the ingredients for one of those deliciously tense gothic-style mysteries where everyone is hiding something and somebody is definitely lurking dramatically in a hallway at midnight. The problem is that Mary is not a detective. Mary is a governess.

This woman spends the entire book plunking her holy little feet where angels fear to tread. She snoops, eavesdrops, and wanders into situations that would make any rational person immediately fake a headache and leave town.

To be fair, the mystery itself was entertaining enough to keep me listening. I did want to know what happened, and the atmosphere carried the story along reasonably well. But the reveal did not surprise me at all. I had things figured out long before the dramatic conclusion arrived, which took some of the tension out of the experience.

And unfortunately, the audiobook narration did not help matters.

There were repeated phrases and sentences scattered throughout the recording, and once I noticed it, I could not stop noticing it. Every repetition felt like the audiobook briefly skipped sideways in time. Instead of building suspense, it kept interrupting the flow of the story like a verbal speed bump. Nothing destroys thriller momentum quite like: “She walked quietly down the hallway… She walked quietly down the hallway…”

Overall, I landed at three stars. Not terrible. Just one of those books where the premise was stronger than the execution. Still, I will give the book credit for one thing: It fully committed to the timeless thriller tradition of “determined woman repeatedly investigates dangerous people alone for absolutely no reason whatsoever.”

Without Remorse by Ava Strong (Dakota Steele #2)

Hey, maybe stop sprinting alone toward violent suspects with zero backup and the survival instincts of a raccoon in a parking lot.

I just finished listening to Without Remorse by Ava Strong, and I have officially downgraded this one from “solid commute entertainment” to “why is nobody in this department filing paperwork about her behavior?”

This became what I call a commute-only audiobook. You know the type...interesting enough to keep playing during traffic, but not compelling enough to make you sit in the driveway for ten extra minutes pretending you “just need to hear one more chapter.”

The story itself was decent. A lunatic is turning women into metal sculptures. Horrifying premise. It moved quickly, the mystery kept me mildly interested, and there was enough action to hold my attention during the drive. Unfortunately, the main character spent the entire book making decisions that felt less like trained-investigator behavior and more like a raccoon frantically sprinting toward danger because it saw something shiny.

Every single time she got a lead, she immediately charged after it without waiting for backup. Every. Single. Time. And not once did a supervisor step in and say: “Ma’am, please stop running directly toward homicidal suspects by yourself like you’re trying to win a Darwin Award.”

Even her partner just allowed this behavior. No pushback. No consequences. No, “Hey, maybe we should use literally any tactical planning whatsoever.” The entire investigative team started feeling imaginary after a while.

The real problem is that once a thriller loses procedural credibility, it starts losing tension too. Instead of thinking: “Oh no, how will she survive this?” you start thinking: “Okay, what convenient miracle is about to save her now?” And this book loved convenient miracles.

At one point, our plot-armored heroine goes up against the gigantic villain described as basically seven feet tall and four hundred pounds of pure nightmare fuel. But don’t worry. She escapes because she bites him.

Ummm... No.

I can absolutely suspend disbelief for a thriller. I read thrillers constantly. But there’s a difference between exciting and unconvincing. If your main character survives solely because the plot wraps them in bubble wrap every chapter, eventually the danger stops feeling dangerous.

So where did I land? Probably a 3-star read on my snarky rating scale.

It wasn’t terrible. I wasn’t bored. It kept me reasonably entertained during my commute. But it also made me roll my eyes often enough that I probably burned calories.

No Man's Land by David Baldacci (John Puller #4)

 Officially, Puller was told not to investigate. Unofficially? ‘Try not to get murdered.’

I finished listening to No Man’s Land by David Baldacci this morning, and this one was five stars all the way.

My Steven, who actually retired from the military and therefore insists on things like “accuracy” and “realistic procedures,” insisted portions of this book were not how any of this would work in real life. Meanwhile, I was over here happily singing, “That's why it's fiction, Steven! ” Because John Puller charging headfirst into danger while everyone around him delivers vague warnings and unofficial orders is exactly what I signed up for.

At the beginning, Puller learns that his father, a respected military figure, may have been involved in the disappearance of Puller’s mother thirty years earlier. Officially, he’s told not to investigate. Unofficially, it feels a lot more like, “Definitely don’t investigate this… but maybe take some leave, quietly poke around, and try not to get murdered.” My kind of logic. And the deeper Puller digs, the messier everything becomes.

That was my favorite thing about this book: Every assumption gets ripped apart. The person everyone believed was evil incarnate ... not so much. The serial killer story everyone accepted for decades ... also ... not so much. The seemingly shallow woman who appears to have ulterior motives ... not so much. Turns out there’s a lot more going on there too.

Nobody is exactly who they first appear to be, and Baldacci keeps shifting the reader’s perspective just enough to make you question every conclusion right alongside Puller. What starts as a cold-case family mystery slowly turns into a tangled web of military secrets, corruption, buried trauma, and people who have spent decades protecting dangerous lies.

And somehow, despite all that complexity, it never became hard to follow. The tension just kept building layer by layer until suddenly I was completely invested in uncovering what really happened to Puller’s mother. And listening to an audiobook while I wasn't in the car.

Paul Rogers was another standout character for me. Fresh out of prison and absolutely uninterested in behaving like a properly grateful parolee, he brought this unpredictable energy to every scene he was in. I never fully trusted him, but I never fully disliked him either, which made him far more interesting than a standard troubled ex-con character. 

Also, a well-deserved shout-out to the audiobook production team because they absolutely nailed this. The dual narration was excellent, and the occasional sound effects added tension without turning the whole thing into an overdramatic radio play. At this point, I’ve come to expect top-tier audiobook production from Baldacci adaptations, and once again they delivered.

This book reminded me why the John Puller series works so well. There’s action, there are conspiracies. There are moments where real military professionals probably clutch their temples in despair. But underneath all of that is a genuinely compelling emotional story about family, loyalty, memory, and the danger of believing easy narratives.

Also, apparently if John Puller followed actual military procedure, this book would’ve been four hundred pages of paperwork and denied requests, so I think fiction made the correct choice here.

The Forgotten by David Baldacci (John Puller #2)

 I planned a casual listen. Baldacci planned a hostage situation.

I picked up The Forgotten by David Baldacci as my latest “commute listen,” fully expecting it to live its entire life in my car speakers like most audiobooks do. You know the type ... perfectly enjoyable, but once you turn off the ignition, so does your interest. That did not happen here.

This is the second book in the John Puller series, and somewhere along the way, Baldacci pulled a fast one on me. I started out invested in the case; it’s twisty and tense. But without making a big show of it, he quietly built a character I trusted, like Jack Reacher, but still in the service.

John Puller is that guy. The steady, grounded, morally solid kind of character you want on your side when things go sideways. What really worked for me is that his decisions aren’t always about what’s legal. They’re about what’s right. And when those two things don’t line up? Puller makes the call anyway. No drama, no speeches, just…does the job.

And then Baldacci layered in the twist. I had a pretty good handle on most of the villains (which always makes me feel slightly smug), but the involvement of dirty cops I did not see coming. That shift raises the stakes in a way that hits harder, because now it’s not just about stopping bad people; it’s about figuring out who you can even trust. 

Now let’s talk audiobook, because this one deserves it.

There are two narrators (one male, one female) and it makes a huge difference. No confusion, no “who is this again?” moments. Add in some subtle background effects, and suddenly you’re not just listening, you’re right there in the tension with them. It’s immersive, which is exactly how I like it. I didn’t stop even when I got home.

I kept listening. Through dinner. Through the evening while I decided to repot some plants. Through that little voice that said, “You could finish this tomorrow like a reasonable person.” I ignored that voice completely and listened to the last three hours straight through. That almost never happens for me.

So yes, this is a five-star novel. Not just because the story is strong (it is), or because the twist landed (it did), or even because Puller is now firmly in my “favorite characters” category (he is). It’s five stars because it broke out of its designated “commute only” box and took over my evening. And I’m not even mad about it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve already borrowed book three… and I’m suddenly hoping for traffic.

Fake It to the Limit by Mary Frame (Castle Cove #1)

Nothing says ‘life choices’ quite like accidentally becoming the town psychic.

I picked up Fake It to the Limit by Mary Frame fully expecting something light and cute and that’s exactly what I got. Four stars on my slightly snarky rating system: it made me laugh more than it made me roll my eyes, which is always a win.

Charlotte is temporarily house-sitting for a real psychic who’s conveniently out of the country… and somehow ends up pretending to be that psychic. As one does. What starts as a small, harmless-ish lie quickly snowballs into a full-blown situation, complete with clients, expectations, and the looming, inevitable disaster of the actual psychic returning home.

Because that is going to happen. And I, for one, am very interested in how Charlotte plans to survive it.

What really made this book work for me wasn’t just the premise (which is already pretty fun), but the relationships Charlotte starts building. She finds herself with people she genuinely cares about and who care about her, which raises the stakes in a way that sneaks up on you. It’s not just about keeping up a lie anymore; it’s about what happens when that lie collides with real connections.

Tone-wise, this sits firmly in the “easy, cozy, and mildly chaotic” category. It’s the kind of story that doesn’t demand your full emotional bandwidth but still keeps you entertained the whole way through. I listened to it while baking brownies and chocolate chip cookies for my students, which feels like exactly the right vibe for this book: comforting, a little indulgent, and just plain enjoyable.

Now, will I be immediately dropping $24 on the next books in the trilogy? No. I’m curious, not reckless. This is a “let me check the library app first” situation. But I do want to know what happens next, which says a lot.

Overall, this was a cute, funny start to the Castle Cove mystery trilogy, with just enough chaos to keep things interesting. And when that real psychic comes back? Oh, it’s going to be a mess. A very entertaining mess.

Zero Day by David Baldacci (John Puller #1)

Stand-out audio turned this into a full-time commitment.

This was supposed to be my “drive to work” audiobook. You know, a little something to make traffic slightly less soul-crushing. Instead, I found myself lying in bed, eyes wide open at 10:30 PM thinking, well I can’t just stop here. Oops.

Zero Day by David Baldacci isn’t one of those books that grabs you by the throat in chapter one. It’s more of a slow, steady tightening of the screws. At first, I was like, okay, I’m in, this is fine. And then we hit this moment where John Puller calls Samantha Cole at zero-dark-thirty and she asks him if he has a death wish. That was it. It made me laugh and I was fully invested. From there, it’s less about a shocking twist and more about the journey, which worked really well here.

John Puller is exactly my kind of character: Strong, lone wolf, definitely has a past, and runs on a strict moral code… until that code conflicts with reality. His whole “I follow orders… unless those orders are wrong” thing adds a layer of tension that keeps everything interesting, and the military angle brings in that extra dose of secrecy that I love. Samantha Cole was just as strong in her own way. She’s competent, grounded, and fiercely protective of her town. She holds her own, and more importantly, she feels real. Their dynamic develops naturally over time, which made their partnership one of my favorite parts of the book. And then there’s Bobby Puller… sitting in jail for treason with barely any explanation. If anyone reading this knows Mr. Baldacci, please tell him I’m going to need more details in future books.

The setting does a lot of heavy lifting too. A small town of about 6,000 people, the kind of place where everyone should matter, which makes it hit even harder when those lives start getting treated like collateral damage. That thread added a layer of moral weight that elevated this beyond just another crime thriller. It’s not just about solving a case, it’s about who gets protected and who gets sacrificed.

And then there’s the audio, which honestly pushed this into five-star territory for me. Dual narrators (male and female, thank you), no awkward voice gymnastics, subtle sound effects, and background music that actually fits. Nothing felt overdone. It all sounded like what I was already imagining in my head, which is rare. The story absolutely stands on its own - I would have enjoyed this in paperback - but the audio elevated it. I’m not even sure I would have devoured it this fast without that added layer. It’s just a really solid thriller with great characters, a strong atmosphere, and a story that builds in a way that keeps you listening just a little longer every time.

If you’re into military thrillers, crime thrillers, or anything by James Patterson, this is absolutely worth your time. And the fact that I already bought book two? Yep. That tells you everything you need to know.