Review: Hot Girl Murder Club

 For a synopsis, please look at the book. This is just a review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan  Audio for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

 

"Hot Girl Murder Club" came "thisclose" to being too ambitious -- too many characters, too many plot lines, too many reasons or justifications for too many murders -- but then she brought it all together and I couldn't stop listening.

  I wasn't sure who the main character was supposed to be, especially in the beginning. The detectives? Scout? Isabelle? I liked most of the women in "the club," although I wish the characters had been fleshed out a little bit more. I don't know what more I wanted, just more. With that said, I liked Isabelle and thought she was well-written. My favorite character was Rosie, and I wish she had more of a role. I understand why she didn't, though. (I would definitely read a book on her back story or a book featuring a character like her.) 

Bottom line: Binge-worthy and I'd recommend it.

 

 

Book Review: A Brilliant Adaptation: How Dissociative Identity Disorder & the Power of the Therapeutic Bond Saved Me

 Fascinating. Best explanation & description I have ever read about how it feels to have many “states” and how she interacted with them and, later, how they integrated. Also, the best explanation I’ve heard — in layman’s terms — about why it’s now DID and not multiple personality disorder anymore.

I appreciate that she focused on how DID kept her as mentally healthy as possible and not how it made her feel like a freak or basket case. Too often people concentrate on the mental "illness" and not the strength it took for the person to survive the unimaginable abuse they endured through any means possible.

Some parts of the therapy sessions were a little confusing and hard to read, but I completely understand why she wrote it that way, and it does give a deeper insight into those sessions. 

Many thanks to Booktrovert (NetGalley) and Harbinger Publications for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Going Back to 'Back in My Day ...'

 

I decided I’m going back to how I used to choose books when I was 9-years-old. 

Pull one off the shelf at the library (or the Scholastic Book Fair), look at the cover, maybe a couple of pages on the inside. If it gives me good vibes I check it out (or buy it, or have a parent buy it). If I don’t feel anything, I put it back.

I have a vague recollection of knowing what a book review was in Scholastic News and book “information” in Highlights magazine, but I don’t remember putting much weight on either of those factors when choosing books. It wasn’t until 6th grade when Nancy Drew entered our atmosphere that word of mouth meant anything to me when choosing books. Even then, it was more of an image or status thing than a book quality thing. My mom bought me a couple of Nancy Drew books but all of the cheap, knock-off Robin Kane books. Know what? Robin Kane was much better. Sadly, the girls reading Robin Kane (I wasn’t the only one) were teased relentlessly. Sorry, but, “The quality of the writing is far superior in the Robin Kane books, so we’re getting the better deal in every way” just doesn’t cut it coming from an 11-year-old.

Nancy Drew to Freida McFadden is a long and odd jump, but here we go.

So many books and authors these days are over-hyped. I don’t even know how to define or describe over-hyped in a way that it would make sense in this context other than you hear so much about a book or an author that you feel as if you have no choice but to read the book because it’s the best thing that was ever written. But you started reading it and it’s just OK at best. Is that because your expectations were too high? Is it because the book really isn’t as good as people say it is? Is it good, but there’s something seriously wrong with you? Is it good, but just not your cup of tea? 

For example, if I hadn’t heard or read anything about Freida McFadden would I have picked up a few of her books just because the covers intrigued me? You bet. And I still would have stopped reading after I realized most of her plots are the same. The last book of hers I read, I figured out the ending on page 5. But people love her. In my opinion she’s over-hyped but, because people know I’m an avid, voracious reader I felt almost pressured into reading a few (OK. Seven.) of her books. 

But now? Well, Give me Karin Slaughter or any of the Lisas* any day. 

(I should point out that I’m not a book snob. James Patterson is one of my favorites and he churns ‘em out just as fast as Freida does. I only read two of the New York Times 100 Most Notable Books of the Year. Only 31 others are on my TBR list.)

I’m not just picking on Freida** because she’s an easy target. Some books that are supposedly the best ever written are big snoozefests as far as I’m concerned. 

One example: “Moby Dick.” I listened to it on audible and literally used it as a bedtime story. It would put me to sleep in less than five minutes. I don’t remember if I ever got through the whole thing. Frankly, I don’t care.

Definitely not a snoozefest, but also definitely not for me: If “Mrs. Dalloway” is the best thing Virginia Woolf ever wrote, I won’t be reading anything else of hers. That thing gave me such anxiety I returned it to the library (via Libby) after about ten pages and seriously considered taking a Xanax.

A more current book I DNF’d is “All the Colors of the Dark.” Someone told me it gets better after about 100 pages. Sorry, but if you can’t grab me in the first ten pages, I’m out.

Usually.

I will stick with an author I like, but that’s another story for another time.

The point is, although I love to give my opinion on books and I think every person who reads is entitled to give their opinion on books, I’m not going to listen to anyone’s opinion to choose the books I read anymore. 

I will read reviews and discussions and watch tik toks and reels afterward, though, because discussing a book with a like-minded reader is almost as fun as reading the book.

*Gardner, Jackson, Jewell, Scottoline, Unger

**I would like to clarify that I don't have anything against Freida McFadden. Actually, I've read more of her books than anyone else's this year. It's just that, after reading all those books, I've decided she's not my thing. Will I go back to her? Probably. Do I look down on people who like her? Abso-freakin'-lutely not! I don't care what anyone reads as long as they're reading. 

Book Review: The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

 This book started very slow for me and then when I saw that the next chapter would take an hour (I read it on a kindle) I almost DNF'd it because I don't like long chapters, and I wasn't sure how I felt about the
house. Saying anymore about that would be somewhat of a spoiler. However, I do like Kate Quinn, so I put it aside for a couple of weeks and went back to it when I felt more ready to concentrate on longer chapters.

I'm glad I did.

The book is filled with interesting characters, most of whom are given their own chapters, and interesting situations, some of which one normally does not think of when thinking of the 1950s. A few times, I did wonder what the point of the story was, and why these diverse characters are brought together, but the author ties it all up in a satisfying and beautiful way.

Book Review: The Faraway Inn by Sara Beth Durst

From Penguin Random House:

After a devastating heartbreak, a teen girl decides to spend her summer helping her eccentric great aunt manage her quaint Vermont inn—but the fixer-upper is hiding a magical secret—in this cozy and irresistable new YA fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop.

When sixteen-year-old Calisa arrives at her great-aunt’s B&B in rural Vermont for the summer, she’s shocked to find a rundown inn rather than the cozy bed-and-breakfast she was expecting. Grumpy and eccentric, Auntie Zee is determined to keep anyone from messing with her beloved inn . . . even though she clearly needs the help.

To convince her great-aunt to keep her around, Calisa sets to work fixing up the inn, enlisting extra help from the groundskeeper’s (handsome) son. But the longer she stays, the surer she is that there’s something strange about the B&B—and its guests. Something almost . . . otherworldly.

The inn is hiding a magical secret—but secrets are like doors. Once Calisa opens this one, she won’t be able to go back 

My Review:

(Note: You just read the book description. You don't need me to go over it again, right?)

I love the characters, and the story is addictive. I want to stay at the Faraway Inn, or at least work there. This book totally immersed me in the story and made me forget about what’s happening in the world, at least for a little while, and I sure do need that. 

Thanks to Booktrovert and Penguin Random House for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Faraway Inn is scheduled for publication on March 31, 2026. 

Book Review: Mad Honey

 After the shocking twist was revealed halfway through the book, I was sure I knew who Lily's real killer was. I was wrong, but it kept me guessing -- and kept me reading -- so that's a good thing.

I loved Lily but still not sure how I feel about her boyfriend Asher. I love Lily's mom, too, and have mixed feelings about Asher's mom.

Without giving away anything, I will say that if you think being "woke" is a bad thing, you will either hate this book or you'll learn something and be enlightened.

 

  From the book cover:

A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Review: Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Psychological thrillers are my favorite kind of book and -- WOW! -- this one really did it for me. I do have to wonder, though, how the author came up with such a sick, twisted villain. Jack Angel is right up there with the worst of the worst of all time.

One of the things that makes him so bad -- and I'm not giving anything away but outing him as the bad guy. I got a Sleeping With the Enemy vibe very early on. -- is that he's so charming. George Clooney-esque, even. (You'll get it when you read it.)

It's hard to write much about the plot without giving a lot away, but I will say I hope everyone loves Millie -- Jack's sister-in-law with Downs Syndrome -- as much as I do. And, I hope the books gives everyone a lot of issues to discuss at book clubs or with friends -- things like spousal abuse, disabilities, mental illness, and more.

I highly recommend this book!

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Review: Watching Edie

Watching Edie by Camilla Way
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What girl friends will do for -- and to -- each other is amazing. Camilla Way explores many aspects of female friendship as Edie and Heather tell their story from high school through their mid- to late thirties.

Edie tells the current story -- of her pregnancy by a married man; post partum depression; Heather showing up to help her; and more. Heather tells the story of their past and the circumstances leading up horrific event that kept them from speaking to each other and their family members for years.

Throughout Edie's telling of the story she references the horrific event, but never actually tells us what it is, or event gives a clue. I wondered what could be so awful to cause the damage and rifts it did. Once the secret was revealed, I got it, and understood why Way wrote it the way she did.

This is a gripping book that holds on 'til the very last sentence, which is surprising but very satisfying.

You can hear my conversation with Camilla Way at WESB.com/on-demand.



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Review: Killer Look

Killer Look by Linda Fairstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Linda Fairstein starts this book about three weeks after the last Alexandra Cooper books ends, which means Coop is still reeling from being kidnapped and ... Well, in case you didn't read the last one, I'll stop there. Anyway, she is suffering from PTSD and is also drinking more than her police detective/friend/boyfriend thinks is good for her. She's also on leave from the DA's office, which gives her too much time inside her own head.

But, thanks to an old high school friend who asks for a favor, she finds herself helping in the investigation of a high profile murder case involving a fashion industry icon.

One of the things I like about this book -- and all of Linda's books -- is the tour of New York City given by someone who's lived and worked there. She provides so much detail it's as close to being there as you're going to get.

This book will keep you guessing 'til the end -- And, oh, what an ending! I had 80 pages to go and still had no idea who the killer was. When I'm reading I like to guess, but I like it even more when I don't have a clue.

In a word, Killer Look is brilliant.

You can listen to my interview with Linda at WESB.com/on-demand.

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Review: All Dressed in White

All Dressed in White by Mary Higgins Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Adding new authors to my list of favorites is one of the exciting aspects of my life. More people on the list means more satisfying reads and less disappointment, especially if I’ve “discovered” an author who is a few books into a series because I have to catch up.

But sometimes I don’t want excitement. Sometimes I want to be in my most comfy pjs with my favorite tea and a warm blanket around my shoulders reading an author I know will deliver.

That’s Mary Higgins Clark. Reading her – after finding so many new people to read – is like coming home.

“All Dressed in White” is the second book in her “Under Suspicion” series written with Alafair Burke.

“Under Suspicion” is a TV show that’s something like a cross between “Unsolved Mysteries” and “Dateline.” Laurie Moran is the producer and, when the mother of the media-dubbed Runaway Bride shows up in her office, she’s intrigued but not quite sure the case fits their criteria. The show needs a crime to solve, not a search for a young woman with cold feet.

The mom eventually does convince Laurie that the case would be perfect for the show – after Laurie does a little sleuthing on her own.

During the filming of the show almost the entire wedding party – especially the almost-groom – and a photographer are considered suspects at one time or another. And for good reasons, not some contrived plot mover.

“I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough” has become such a cliché in book reviews but – I’m tellin’ ya! – the last hundred or so pages were enthralling and I couldn’t turn them fast enough.

After 40 years, Mary Higgins Clark has still got it.



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Pulitzer Prize Winner Speaks at Chautauqua

Pulitzer Prize winning author Anthony Doerr (All the Light We Cannot See)spoke today at Chautauqua Institution. He is a wonderful speaker and a gracious book-signer.

As for my review of the book ...

All books are meant to be read. Some are meant to be savored. "All the Light We Cannot See" is one of those rare books that I didn't want to rush through, although I loved the main characters and wanted to find out what happened to them. I wanted to enjoy every phrase, every metaphor, every brilliant description. This book is a masterpiece in the way it's written and researched, and also for putting the reader directly into the action, whether it be in occupied France, a German orphan's home, a museum in Paris or a training school for Hitler Youth.

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Book Review Finders Keepers by Stephen King

The last time a fan got so disturbingly attached to a favorite author was in Stephen King’s “Misery.” King has done it again – but in a different way – with “Finder’s Keepers.”

Morris Bellamy is obsessed with his favorite author, yes, but he’s even more obsessed with “Jimmy Gold,” the character the author created and, in Morris’ opinion, ruined in the last book in a trilogy. When Morris finds out where the author lives, he kills him and grabs the thousands of dollars he had hidden in his house – as well as dozens and dozens of notebooks in which he’s been doing his only writing since the last Jimmy Gold book.

Morris knows he can’t sell the notebooks – including a new Jimmy Gold story! – right away so, after a series of events that become extremely important later in the story, he buries the notebooks and money under a tree trunk near his childhood home. Shortly after that, he’s sent to prison for an unrelated crime.

Enter Pete Saubers, the boy who lives with his parents and little sister in Bellamy’s old house. He also finds the money and notebooks and does something rather altruistic with the money, although it helps him as well. But when the money runs out, he decides to try to sell the notebooks.

Shortly after that he crosses paths with Bellamy – who has been released from prison after 30-some years and is furious to discover the money and notebooks are gone.

The scenes where Bellamy is trying to find out who has the notebooks, and then when he does find out, are some of the most intense I’ve ever read – by King or anyone. It’s pulse-pounding action, for sure. The final Bellamy/Pete scene is one of the eeriest King has ever written.

Add to all of this Hodges, Holly and Jerome from “Mr. Mercedes, who have no idea what they’re getting into when Pete’s little sister asks for help because her brother is acting strange.

Hodges is also obsessed with “Mr. Mercedes” – aka Brady Hartsfield – who is catatonic in a nursing home after the incident when he tried to blow up a building holding a rock conert.

Or is he catatonic? Hodges doesn’t think so.

In short, another winner from Stephen King.

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Tiny Little Thing By Beatriz Williams

Imagine Jackie Kennedy before she married Jack. Pretty, sophisticated with her own interests and career goals. Then she gets caught up in the Kennedy mystique and gives up everything to live the Camelot dream. Add some dirty little secrets, a wild sister and a brief but intense affair with a cousin.

Sound like delicious fun?

You bet it is. Replace Jackie with Tiny Schuyler Hardcastle and you've got "Tiny Little Thing," the latest must-read-this-summer novel by Beatriz Williams. Not that this is a veiled biography of Jackie Kennedy. This just gives you an idea of the era, and the kind of people who are in the book.

Williams makes you root for Tiny as she comes into her own and realizes she may not want to be part of the Hardcastle dream after all. The chapters go back and forth from 1964 (pre-marriage) to "present day" 1966, when Tiny's husband Frank is running for Congress.

We were briefly introduced to Tiny in last summer's "The Secret Life of Violent Grant," which center on Tiny's sister Vivian. But you don't have to read that to follow this one (although I highly recommend TSLVG because it's so good).

I'm hoping Williams keeps the Schuyler Sisters alive with at least one more book. But, if we're lucky, she'll give us several more

You can hear my interview with Beatriz Williams here.

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Book Review All Good Deeds

I had a million-and-one things to do on Saturday, but I only got one done: Start Stacy Green’s “All Good Deeds.”

The story is nothing less than gripping. “Lucy Kendall” grabbed me on the first page and never let go. She still hasn’t because I’m so anxious to read the next two books in the series.

Lucy is a private investigator, and former Child Protective Services worker, who is frustrated because repeat child sex offenders keep getting out of jail. So, she decides to bring them to justice herself.

As she is about to exact her brand of justice on one of the slime balls, he disappears. But then self-proclaimed sociopath Chris Hale enters the picture, tells Lucy he admires her, and wants to learn from her.

The next day, a little girl goes missing and Lucy thinks one of her former clients – who, as a 10-year-old, got sent to jail for raping and murdering a young girl – is behind it. She enlists the help of the “sociopath” as the trail leads to intriguing and surprising destinations.

Add to the mix that the detective assigned to the missing girl case is the brother of Lucy’s former CPS client. She’s worried he is going to cover things up so his brother doesn’t get sent back to prison.

This is a page-turner if there ever was one. When you pick up “All Good Deeds,” make sure you don’t have anything else planned for the rest of the day.

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Book Review 2 a.m. at the Cat's Pajama's

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.

I did like two of the main characters -- 9-year-old Madeline, an aspiring jazz singer, and her teacher Sarina. One of the problems with the book is that there wasn't enough of them, and there was too much about the large cast of supporting characters, most of whom I could not have cared less about. Even Sarina, though, confused me a little. If a guy treated me the way Ben treated her at the prom, I wouldn't give him the time of day, let alone swoon over him 15 years later (or however long it was. I can't even remember.)

Sometimes the writing was beautiful and awe-inspiring. Other times, the odd turns of phrase and overuse of adjectives was just annoying.

All I will say for the ending is that it was unsatisfying and I don't think it did justice to any of the characters.

As I said, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I'm glad I read it but it won't be one I'll loo< at in a couple of years and say, "Oh, I loved that book."

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Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands By Chris Bohjalian

I don't think it would be possible for me to like this book more than I do.

A reactor at a nuclear power plant in Vermont has exploded, killing Bill and Mira Shepherd, leaving their teenage daughter Emily an orphan. What's worse is that the townspeople -- and eventually everyone else -- are blaming Bill for the catastrophe. It doesn't take long for Emily to decide she can't let people know who she is because she would be a pariah-by-association. She becomes a street kid, with everything you would imagine that entails.

At one point she meets a 9-year-old homeless boy and becomes somewhat of a surrogate mother to him.

The rest of the story deals with how Emily decides to get on with her life, and I don't want to give any of that away.

I should also add that this book is so compelling that I read it in one day.

You can listen to my talk with Chris Bohjalian here.

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The Fixer By Joseph Finder

When so many of today's thrillers follow somewhat of a formula it was so refreshing to read "The Fixer," which has a plot unlike anything that's been written for a very long time, if ever.

Let's just say it involves lots of money that appears mysteriously; a son who learns more than he thought he ever would about his father, who can't speak to him; and some extra-thuggy bad guys.

"The Fixer" is a page-turner if there ever was one.

You can listen to my interview with Joseph Finder here.

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Book Review Invisible by James Patterson & David Ellis

I literally got chills when the killer’s identity was revealed in this book. (And, I mean the literal meaning of literally.) I thought I had it figured out a few chapters before the big reveal but, oh no, was I ever wrong!

The premise of the book is that a criminal genius of a serial killer is murdering people and then setting fires that look accidental to cover up the killings. Because the arsons/murders are committed all over the country, in different jurisdictions, law enforcement doesn’t see a pattern. But when the twin sister of FBI research analyst Emmy Dockery dies in a fire Emmy thinks the circumstances surrounding the fatal blaze don’t add up and she launches her own investigation. She’s been suspended, so she’s on her own for a while on the investigation. Eventually, though, because of her persistence and a couple of other factors, the FBI devotes its full resources to catching the diabolical criminal.

The identity of the killer wasn’t the only “Oh my God” moment in the book, but I really can’t get into any of those moments without giving away too much of the story.

I can say, though, that the story is told not only from Emmy’s point of view but that of the serial killer as well, as the “subject” records everything concerning the crimes.

This is one of the most satisfying, thrilling, creepy and terrifying James Patterson books ever. “Invisible” was co-authored by David Ellis, and now I’m looking forward to reading his books.

5 of 5

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Book Review The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Any review I write for this delightful, insightful, poignant and oh-so-satisfying book will not do it justice. I love it so much that I might start carrying it around to show people and say, “This, my friend, is why I love books.”

Briefly, it’s about love, loving books and loving people who love books. It also has a couple of mysteries that we learn are actually tied together. It has two very different romances, a growing and ever-evolving relationship between an adopted daughter/father duo, a dastardly villain, a totally comedic interlude that turns out to be quite distressing, and so much more.

I’m not even going to try to introduce the characters to you because I could never do it as well as the author does. But I will say I love them all (except the dastardly villain) and they will be with me for a long time, if not forever.

Even before I finished the book (the last couple of dozen pages with tissue in hand and wiping tears from my eyes – both sad and happy tears) I knew it would go straight to the “favorites” section in my collection.

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Book Review: The Boy Who Drew Monsters

I’ll admit I was going to give this book a lower rating – until I got to the last few paragraphs. What a fantastic ending!

When I finished, I realized there was lots of foreshadowing in the book but, at least for me, it wasn’t enough to ruin the ending. It was just enough for me to say, “Ah! Now I get it!”

Anyway, the story is about Jack Peter, a 10-year-old boy with Asperger’s; his parents Tim and Holly Keenan; and his best friend Nick who, as the story progresses, wants less and less to do with Jack Peter.

One of Nick’s problems with Jack is that Jack is obsessed with drawing monsters, and Nick wants to move on to some other way to occupy their time, especially when he is spending a week at the Keenan’s house while his own parents are on a Caribbean cruise. During this time (and before it to some extent) strange things are happening: a “monster” is lurking around the house and when Tim goes to investigate he’s attacked; deformed “babies” are crawling and crying outside in the middle of the night; and salt water coming into Jack’s second floor bedroom and soaking the boys.

Holly, who is all about order and structure, gets more and more frustrated with all of the situations in her life and turns to a Catholic priest and his housekeeper for help. That’s when she learns about a long ago shipwreck off the Maine coast where they live, as well as ghosts that may be inhabiting the area.

Saying much more would give away some of the best parts, so I’ll stop now with the synopsis. But I will say I got this book through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review, and I’m so glad I did!

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