ARC Review: Where There's Smoke by Rachel Louise Adams

Where There's Smoke
Author: Rachel Louise Adams
Series: Delores Hoffman Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 6, 2026)

Description: Following the USA Today bestselling series debut, No Rest for the Wicked, Rachel Louise Adams returns with Where There’s Smoke.

A lot has happened in Dolores Hawthorne’s life since the events of last Halloween. She’s divorced, traded being a forensic pathologist for a job as a medical examiner, and now lives in small-town Wisconsin, close―but not too close―to her family.

Dolores doesn’t have much in the way of work, but that all changes when a body is found at the local slaughterhouse. Benedict Marcy owned Marcy’s Meats, and is affectionately called Mr. Mercy across the region. This high-profile case quickly catches the attention of Dolores’s friends at the FBI.

From the very beginning, this case is full of contradictions and surprises, and the team quickly learns someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to stop them from finding out the truth behind Benedict Marcy’s murder.

My Thoughts: The second book starring Delores Hawthorne was a twisty thriller. Delores is now divorced. She's given up her job as a forensic pathologist in LA for a position as a medical examiner in her home county in Wisconsin. She's closer to her family and trying to build a relationship with the half-siblings she hardly knows. She's also dealing with the issue that caused her to leave home for LA nineteen years earlier which includes dealing with stalkerish behavior and her ambivalent feelings about the upcoming trial for her rape. 

Work is generally much slower than LA but a suspicious death at a local meat packing plant changes all that. Benedict Marcy, known as Mr. Mercy in the area for his philanthropy, has been found dead in one of the tanks used to prepare slaughtered hogs in his plant. Being immersed in boiling water doesn't make Delores's autopsy easy. Things go even more awry when the hundreds of samples on their way to Eau Claire are destroyed or contaminated when the cop driving them there is lured off the road and murdered before having his cruiser sent into a river. 

The FBI is called in. The team includes Paul who was part of the first book and his new partner Kate who also grew up in rural Wisconsin, knows Delores, and is just beginning her career with the FBI. Paul is determined to recruit Delores for the FBI and thinks flirting with her is the way to go. 

The events quicky escalate as Delores, Paul and Kate try to unravel all the twists and turns. There is the local prison who inmates are sent to the packing plant as employees and who have suffered a suspicious number of fatal accidents, none of which came to the attention of the medical examiner. There is also a new drug in the area which might be the cause of the murders. 

This was an engaging mystery with interesting characters and a nicely twisty plot. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Dying Light by Ann Cleaves

The Dying Light
Author: Ann Cleaves
Series: Detective Matthew Venn (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 29, 2026)

Description: DI Matthew Venn peels back layer upon layer to discover the dark secrets one family is keeping in this searing new novel, brimming with energy and taut with claustrophobic tension.

A scorching heatwave marks the start of the summer in Devon. Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death, when the body of a young woman, Lottie, is found in the swimming pool of a luxurious holiday home. The girl’s best friend, Hannah, whose family owns the house, is missing. The girls had arrived a few days earlier to celebrate the end of their school exams, quickly stirring unrest in the small community with incendiary social media videos mocking the place as parochial.

When further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community filled with secrets. The fact that Hannah’s father, Paul Armstrong, is a rising political star with powerful enemies draws intense media scrutiny to the case.

With the summer heat come holidaymakers, and it emerges that some of them may have stronger connections with the Armstrong family than first thought. Venn knows all too well that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silences that they keep.

Taut, atmospheric, and brimming with suspense, this searing new novel finds DI Matthew Venn caught between a powerful family’s secrets and a powder keg of local tensions.

My Thoughts: The fourth Matthew Venn mystery begins on a hot summer day when he's called to investigate a murder or perhaps an accidental drowning at the vacation home of a rising political figure. Lottie is dead and the politician's daughter Hannah is missing. The two seventeen-year-olds had come down ahead of Hannah's parents to celebrate the end of the school year. 

Lottie's body is discovered when the Armstrongs arrive to meet the girls. Hoping to be able to save her, they manage to really mess up the crime scene. A search begins for Hannah, and her dead body is also soon discovered. 

Now, Venn and his team have to discover what happened to Lottie and Hannah while facing pressure from Armstrong's political superiors. It also doesn't help that both Hannah and Lottie's families are keeping some sort of secret that may have something to do with the couple glamping at the farm next door.

The farm is the home of Hannah's boyfriend and also the site of a local music festival that Lottie had posted unkind videos of during the weekend. And the girls had had a run-in with the proprietors of the local gastropub who refused to serve alcohol to the underage girls. 

While Matthew is trying to unravel all the complicated relationships, he is also dealing with his husband Jonathan's up-coming visit with his birth mother. Matthew is trying to be supportive but his own insecurities about their relationship is leaving him with feelings of jealousy. 

I enjoyed this twisty mystery. I like Matthew's investigative style and the way he interacts with his subordinates Jen and Ross who are also intriguing characters. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Raging Storm by Ann Cleaves

The Raging Storm
Author: Ann Cleaves

Narrator: Jack Holden
Series: Detective Matthew Venn (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio(September 5, 2023)

Length: 9 hours and 47 minutes

Description Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—returns with The Raging Storm, the extraordinary third installment in the Matthew Venn series.

Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.

When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.

This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded.

As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.

My Thoughts: This story begins when Jem Rosco comes to town. He's a sailor, adventurer, and local legend but not universally loved. When his body is found in the sea Matthew Venn and his team come to this small town to investigate the crime. Greystone is a small insular town that Matthew had visited as a child. It is largely inhabited by members of the cult he left as a teen. 

Venn and his team need to deal with local secrets and superstitions to solve this case which puts him and his sergeant in the direct line of fire from the villains. There are numerous suspects who all have some connection to Jem and who might have wished him dead. 

This was another atmospheric mystery filled with intriguing characters. 

I bought this one May 28. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleaves

The Heron's Cry
Author: Ann Cleaves

Narrator: Jack Holden
Series: Detective Matthew Venn (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur (September 7, 2021)

Length: 10 hours and 16 minutes

Description: North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder--Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed with a shard of one of his glassblower daughter's broken vases.

Dr. Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim. He's a good man, a public servant, beloved by his daughter. Matthew is unnerved, though, to find that she is a close friend of Jonathan, his husband.

Then another body is found--killed in a similar way. Matthew soon finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home.

DI Matthew Venn returns in The Heron's Cry, in Ann Cleeves powerful next novel, proving once again that she is a master of her craft.

My Thoughts: The second Matthew Venn mystery begins with the death of a retired doctor now working as an investigator associated with National Health. Dr. Yeo is stabbed with a piece of glass from his daughter's studio at the art colony where his daughter lives. 

Dr. Yeo is connected to Venn's team in a couple of ways. Venn's sergeant Jen had met him at a party the night before he died. He wanted to speak with her about a problem he was having but she had had too much to drink to talk to him them. Also, Venn's husband Jonathan is a friend of the glassblowing daughter. 

As the team investigate to discover what Dr. Yeo had stumbled into, another resident of the art colony is also murdered in the same way and a third person associated with the art colony commits suicide. Suicide is the central theme around which this story revolves. Dr. Yeo was investigating the National Health's culpability in releasing a suicidal young man from hospital only to have him take his own life. They also discover a website which encourages people to commit suicide and wonder if their suicides are related. 

This was another engaging and twisty mystery. I liked learning more about Jen and more about some other members of Venn's team. I liked the way Matthew is rebuilding his relationship with his long-estranged mother. 

I bought this one May 28. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Those Who Are Gone by Laurie R. King

Those Who Are Gone
Author: Laurie R. King
Series: Raquel Laing (Book 2)
Publication: Bantam (September 8, 2026)

Description: Cold-case detective Raquel Laing faces new threats and long-buried secrets in this gripping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series.

SFPD Homicide Inspector Raquel Laing had what might politely be termed a “difficult childhood,” until she was taken in by a loving family at the age of nine. She still lives with her adoptive sister, Dee, an online investigator for organizations all over the world.

Trouble arrives with an all-too-common case for Inspector Laing: the homicide of a drug dealer in a deserted corner of San Francisco. But the everyday rapidly spirals into complications—just as a simple search into the family’s ancestry is throwing Dee into her own world of turmoil.

Raquel’s case blows up far too close to home, thanks in part to the illicit shortcuts she took in the investigation, and while her unique skills are too valuable for the SFPD to suspend her entirely, she is removed from Homicide and put onto the Cold Case Unit.

On the one hand, Cold Case lets her work with her friend and mentor, Al Hawkin. On the other, it leaves her free to look at some disturbing facts about her past—and at the devastating news that Dee has uncovered in her own search for the truth.

Cold cases heat up, the distant past intrudes, and two sisters begin to suspect that they are tied together in ways they never imagined—ways that threaten attention from a powerful and vicious international cartel.

Because the truth is, those who are gone . . . have never truly left.

My Thoughts: The second Raquel Liang mystery brings Raquel's work home. While recovering from being shot, Raquel is working on cold cases with her mentor Al. The case she is assigned is a drive-by shooting in 1997. The two men were associates of her father who was also murdered in 1997. She is also working on a current homicide. Gilbert Gallegos was gunned down in an abandoned parking lot, and a video has shown up on YouTube of the killing. 

Raquel is good at seeing connections, but maybe this time she's too good. She sees a connection between Gallegos death and the death of her father. Both were killed the same way. Both were involved in the drug trade. And the guns used in the shootings were used in a number of other murders of people associated with the drug trade. 

While Raquel is working on her two cases, her sister Dee is doing some research of her own. She's sent her DNA to one of those online sites and the results throw her. She learns that Emma and Tom Liang were not her birth parents, that she, like Raquel was adopted. This hits her hard and her first reaction is anger at the Liangs for never telling her about the adoption. She also learns that she might be related to Delores Ortega and have other Ortega relatives. She begins trying to track down Delores and other family members and runs into roadblocks after roadblocks. 

While Raquel is helping Dee, she sees another possible connection. Dee's past might be connected to her two cases. 

There is a hidden actor who is also a viewpoint character who is connected to it all. But can Raquel unravel it all in time to save lives? Raquel is an intriguing character. She's neurodivergent and some the skills she uses as a homicide detective are those she honed as a foster child in some really bad homes. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: The Long Call by Ann Cleaves

The Long Call
Author: Ann Cleaves

Narrator: Ben Aldridge
Series: Detective Matthew Venn (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 3, 2019); Macmillan Audio (April 8, 2021)

Length: 11 hours and 36 minutes

Description: In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his estranged father’s funeral takes place. On the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too.

Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.

The case calls Matthew back to the people and places of his past, as deadly secrets hidden at their hearts are revealed, and his new life is forced into a collision course with the world he thought he’d left behind.

My Thoughts: This story begins with Detective Matthew Venn standing outside the church where his father's funeral is being held. He's been estranged for years since he no longer believed in the evangelical faith of his family.

He's called to the beach nearby where a man has been found dead. He has no identification on him and only a tattoo of an albatross on his neck to possibly identify him. Venn and his team soon learn that the man was a former drifter with mental health challenges who is currently cooking at the Woodyard - a local community center and adult day care. 

Simon Walden had been living with Caroline Preece and Gaby Henry. Caroline is a social worker who has the Woodyard in her territory and Gaby is an artist in residence there. Matthew is thinking that he'll have to step aside from the case since his husband Jonathan is in charge of the Woodyard and there might be a conflict of interest. 

While they are busy investigating Simon's murder, a woman with Down's Syndrome who also spent time at the Woodyard goes missing. Venn and his team are searching everywhere for this missing vulnerable adult. Lucy has known Simon who had befriended her on her daily bus ride home. 

Venn soon comes to believe that there is something shady going on at the Woodyard. This feeling is confirmed when a second woman with Down's Syndrome is kidnapped from the center too. Venn and his team find himself investigating anyone connected with the center including the board of directors which includes the pastor from the church that threw him out as a teenager. 

I enjoyed this mystery and liked getting to know the various police officers who are part of Venn's team. His subordinate Jen was one of the viewpoint characters in the story as was the father of the kidnapped Lucy. 

Nice start to a series. 

I bought the Kindle copy May 28 and the audiobook July 21, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: For Services Rendered by Will Thomas

For Services Rendered
Author: Will Thomas
Series: Barker and Llewelen (Book 17)
Publication: Minotaur (August 18, 2026)

Description: In London, 1896, private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker's world is upturned when his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Nightwine, previously believed dead, turns up with evil on his mind, launching devastating and secretive attacks against not just Barker, but his network of friends and close associates.

In 1896, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, would be reformer and revolutionary, turns up in London, running away from China's Imperial Qing Secret Service, who has placed a substantial bounty on his head for his political activities. Captured by those agents, he's imprisoned in the Chinese Embassy until he can be smuggled back to China to face execution.

In the meantime, private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn receive the unbelievable news that Sebastian Nightwine is both alive and in London. Not just that, it seems he's taking action against Barker and his close associates. At the same time, they've been hired to find this missing Sun Yat-Sen. With elements of the Chinese secret service, elements of the British government, and Nightwine himself all working against them, Barker & Llewelyn are at risk of being cornered by the deadliest set enemies they've yet faced.

My Thoughts: The intrepid Victorian detective duo of Barker and Llewellyn are hired to locate Dr. Sun Yat-Sen who has gone missing on a visit to London. He is on the run from the Imperial Qing Secret Service accused of treason against the emperor. Meanwhile, Sebastian Nightwine, long thought dead, is back in London determined to get revenge on Barker and his close associates from his days in China.

Thomas Llewellyn is the narrator and Barker the lead and very enigmatic senior partner. Things get exciting when Barker's associates begin to be kidnapped leaving Barker to find them before they too are returned to China for the prices on their heads. 

I liked the sections narrated by Sun Yat-Sen who has been captured and held prisoner in the Chinese Embassy. I also enjoyed the references to many of the duo's earlier cases. The story had an excellent Victorian setting. 

Fans who have been following along will be excited to read this seventeenth adventure. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

A Trade of Blood
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Series: Ana and Din (Book 3)
Publication: Del Rey (August 4, 2026)

Description: Detective Ana Dolabra must prove a condemned man’s innocence and confront a terrifying magical technology in this fantasy-mystery from the bestselling author of The Tainted Cup, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards.

The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.

But if the great detective Ana Dolabra cannot save him from the noose, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, threatening to plunge the whole Empire into starvation and chaos.

As Ana investigates—her assistant Dinios Kol, as ever, acting as her eyes and ears—she fears her task is even more daunting than it seemed. For this murder is just the latest in a deeper, subtler web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.

With their customary skill, Ana and Din pursue their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses. Yet even they are not prepared to learn the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers.

My Thoughts: Ana and Din's next case takes them into the third ring to investigate a murder that could lead to a revolt. It's a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing. The only remaining heir to one of the great agricultural families is found running away from a room where the daughter of the other major family lies butchered. 

The boy says he doesn't remember what happened and Ana and Din believe him. As they investigate, they find that a number of other deaths in the boy's family were also suspicious. The more they look into things the more confusing things get for Din. It seems a common agricultural tool which compels cat-like creatures to harvest crops seems to have been adapted to make humans also compelled to do things - like commit murder.

This fantasy mystery is set in a well-developed fantasy world. I enjoyed both the mystery and the world it was set in. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy copy here.

Audiobook Review: Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt

Dachshund Through the Snow
Author: David Rosenfelt

Narrator: Grover Gardner
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 20)
Publication: Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio (October 1, 2019)

Length: 6 hours and 42 minutes

Description: This Christmas, lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, can't say no to helping young Danny and his dachshund, Murphy.

Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, have started a new Christmas tradition. Their local pet store has a Christmas tree, where instead of ornaments there are wishes from those in need. One poignant wish leads Andy to a child named Danny, whose selfless plea strikes a chord. Danny asked Santa for a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund, Murphy, and for the safe return of his missing father.

It turns out Danny’s father doesn't want to be found, he’s on the run after just being arrested for a murder that took place fourteen years ago – a murder that Danny’s mother swears he didn’t commit.

With his trademark humor and larger-than-life characters – including a police officer and his K-9 partner, Simon – Rosenfelt never fails to deliver as Andy and his eccentric crew dash to reunite a family in time for Christmas.

My Thoughts: Andy has two different cases in this holiday entry into the Andy Carpenter mystery series. First of all, Laurie's friend Corey Douglas is getting ready to retire after 25 years in the police department, but his K-9 Simon Garfunkel still has one year to go before he can be retired. Corey wants Andy to find a way to get Simon out of the police department since his efforts to go up the chain of command to get this done has failed. 

The second case is a lot more complicated. Laurie has picked up a wish from a local pet store from a boy named Danny who wants a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund Murphy, and for his father to come home.

Being an investigator, Laurie is willing to work on the toughest part of the wish and find out why Danny's father can't come home. It turns out that he has been arrested for a fourteen-year-old murder. Noah Trainor was dating Kristen McNeil at the time of her murder. They had a physical fight which left DNA evidence under her fingernails, but Noah claims she was alive when he last saw her. It wasn't until recently that Noah's DNA entered the system when a relative sent DNA to one of those websites to find out about their ancestry. 

Andy, Laurie and the rest of what will soon by the K-Team - Marcus and Corey - need to find out who really murdered Kristen or at least provide reasonable doubt that it wasn't Noah. Bodies start dropping all around them as they investigate the tech firm where Kristen worked then and where her former boyfriend still works. 

This was another engaging thriller with adorable dogs and yet another chance for David Rosenfelt to name drop one of his own books into the story. Andy's desire for retirement and general snarky attitude make this one fun. 

I bought the Kindle copy October 3, 2022, and the audiobook June 5, 2020. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt

Dog Eat Dog
Author: David Rosenfelt

Narrator: Grover Gardner
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 23)
Publication: Minotaur Books & Macmillan Audio (July 6, 2021)

Length: 6 hours and 30 minutes

Description: Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, work to free a man who risked it all to help a dog in need

Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, enjoy walking their dogs, Tara and Sebastian. By this point in their marriage, it’s routine. When out for one of their strolls, their simple ritual isn’t so simple anymore. Across the street, a man is mistreating his dog. Three things happen at once: Andy yells, Laurie runs to stop the abuse, and so does a closer passerby, who so thoroughly beats the owner that both are arrested when the cops arrive.

Andy scoops up the dog and takes him to the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that’s always been his true passion. Meanwhile, at the police station, the passerby is identified as Matthew Jantzen, and he’s wanted for murder. Andy and Laurie are struck by the fact that Jantzen, a man on the run, would nevertheless intervene to help a dog, and decide to find out more.

Dog Eat Dog, the twenty-second installment in the Andy Carpenter series, features the charming cast of characters - old and new - that David Rosenfelt is known for and the dogs that accompany them.

My Thoughts: Andy's next case comes to him when he and Laurie are out walking their dogs and see a man attack another who is abusing a dog. The man is Matthew Jantzen who is subsequently arrested for murder and extradited to Maine where he is accused of a home invasion murder of two people. 

Andy agrees to be with him when he makes his plea but then intends to find a local lawyer to defend him. The baffling piece of evidence in this case is that Matthew's DNA was found under the fingernails of the male victim. Matt insists that he didn't know either person. He had no idea how his blood could get under the man's nails. 

Andy's investigation uncovers a potential terrorist plot but doesn't give him a way to connect it to the murder investigation until a brainstorm in court provides the answer for him. 

This is the twenty-second in the Andy Carpenter series and is filled with the usual witty dialog and cute dogs. Andy is a snarky character that I would definitely want on my side if I were ever accused of murder. 

I bought the Kindle copy November 7, 2023, and the audiobook June 5, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Dead Men Don't Play Fetch by David Rosenfelt

Dead Men Don't Play Fetch
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 33)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 7, 2026)

Description: Bestselling author David Rosenfelt returns with Dead Men Don't Play Fetch as Andy Carpenter investigates a wealthy dog lover's unusual death.

It’s defense lawyer Andy Carpenter’s dream to retire. That goal is once again thwarted when he gets a call from Lou Campanelli, an old friend who he simply cannot refuse, asking for a favor. Lou runs a rehab center, and when one of his patients, a homeless veteran, is charged with first degree murder, he needs Andy's help. And of course, Andy will also be called on to care for the accused’s dog, but that’s okay: What's one more dog?

The man that Jason Maddox is accused of stabbing to death is none other than billionaire Paul Vincent, an eccentric businessman and inventor. Bickert dedicated a great portion of his life to philanthropy, with a soft spot for dog-related causes. This led him to befriend Jason, a physicist and war hero, whose life fell apart to the point where he ended up on the streets with his dog, just trying to survive.

But why would Jason possibly have wanted to kill him? Well, for one thing, he was to receive a fortune in Vincent's will. That, coupled with the fact that Jason was at the scene, his fingerprints were on the knife, and Vincent's wallet was in his jacket, made it a slam dunk arrest.

Once again, Andy is enmeshed in a puzzling, twisty case. But in order to reunite a man and his dog, Andy will have to untangle it all.

My Thoughts: Andy is actively pursuing retirement when he gets a call from old friend Ou Campanelli asking him to defend Jason Maddox who has been accused of murder. Maddox's life fell apart when his son died by shark attack, but he is starting over at Lou's rehab facility.

It looks like a slam dunk for the prosecution. Jason was found standing over Paul Vincent's body with his fingerprint on the knife, Vincent's blood on his hands and clothing, and Paul's wallet in Jason's jacket pocket. Jason claims innocence and Andy has to prove it. 

Vincent was an eccentric billionaire. He and Jason were friends, but Vincent also has a pile of enemies. He was known for suing people who he felt wronged him. He was also a philanthropist who left his billions to many charitable causes. Jason would benefit under the will by inheriting money and Vincent's unused patents which looks like a motive for him to have murdered Vincent.

As Andy and his team begin to look into Vincent's life, they discover that the company he bought himself out of is currently in financial need and taking money from drug overlords. That looks suspicious to Andy and so do the deaths of the company lawyer and another client of Lou's rehab facility. 

Andy is determined to get Jason off by establishing reasonable doubt which runs him afoul of one of those drug lords. One Andy has tangled with previously. 

This was another entertaining mystery. I really like Andy's personality and his relationships with his friends. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Storm Tide by Paul Doiron

Storm Tide
Author: Paul Doiron
Series: Mike Bowditch Mysteries (Book 16)
Publication: Minotaur Books (June 30, 2026)

Description: Game Warden Mike Bowditch investigates a series of brutal killings during a life-changing year in Storm Tide, the harrowing new thriller from Edgar Award-nominated author Paul Doiron.

When the magnificent home of entrepreneur Brian Malloy mysteriously goes up in flames, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch tries to pull Malloy’s burning body from the fire but is too late. Malloy was suspected of murdering his young, illegitimate son. Now it looks like someone else has delivered a verdict.

Miles away, on a lonely stretch of icy railroad track, the body of Axl Deming, once accused of a brutal rape, is found literally cut in half. Though the two murders seem unrelated, a cryptic text from an unknown number draws Bowditch to the scene―and hints at a chilling connection. He believes someone is orchestrating the executions of criminals who escaped justice, and for reasons he can’t explain, his own name is on the list, but the state police aren’t convinced. His search for the truth takes him through frozen harbors, trackless forests, and remote islands, far from rescue.

Meanwhile, Bowditch is facing a disciplinary hearing that could end his career. His wife Stacey, just weeks from giving birth, is being stalked by a stranger in a white van. And when he realizes someone has also been watching their home, the case turns increasingly personal.

To protect his family, Bowditch must work alone to uncover who’s behind the killings―and stop them before he becomes their next victim.

My Thoughts: The sixteenth book in the Mike Bowditch series spans an event-packed year. The year starts with Mike, currently under investigation, on probation, and busted back to patrol, being the first responder at a house fire. A baby is saved but the man and woman who owned the house die in the fire. Mike learns that they are the Malloys. Husband Brian was accused of the murder of his illegitimate son but not tried because the child hasn't been found. 

A neighbor, who was holding the baby girl when he arrived, claimed to have smelled the smoke and seen the light from the fire. Mike is curious about the fire but is being shut out because he's no longer an investigator. 

Mike and his wife Stacey are awaiting the birth of their first child which is almost keeping him busy enough. He is still curious about the cause of the fire even after the fire investigators claim the cause wasn't suspicious. Then Mike starts to get harassing and threatening phone calls and texts. And he and Stacey both feel like they are being stalked by someone with a white van. 

When another body is found, this one run over by a train, Mike begins to think that someone is out for vigilante justice. Convincing those investigating isn't going well for him especially since he's been suspended with pay for six months and the Ranger services seems to have forgotten about him. 

The story is packed with action. Mike seems to be in danger every other page. Interspersed with all the danger are lovely descriptions of Maine and its wildlife. I enjoyed this one for its action and for its setting. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Restless Bones by Gillian French

Restless Bones
Author: Gillian French
Series: A Shaw Connolly Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (June 16, 2026)

Description: Fingerprint analyst Shaw Connolly grapples with both a new case and the lingering presence of her sister's killer in Gillian French's second compelling Maine thriller.

When a missing woman’s body is discovered in a submerged car one year after her disappearance, Shaw Connolly is called to process the scene. She finds a single print belonging to a long-dead female ex-con; could it be the key to identifying the murderer? As usual, Shaw won't stop looking until she’s dredged up more than a few hidden crimes.

All the while, Shaw’s past won’t let her go. Just as the Connolly family begins to find some peace after the arrest of Shaw’s sister’s killer, Anders Jansen, Shaw receives a request from her state police contact. Anders, in prison awaiting trial, has claimed responsibility for the murders of two other young women whose cases have grown cold over the past decade. But he refuses to help the police unless Shaw agrees to act as a special consultant in the search.

Despite her misgivings―Anders’s love of malicious mind games is as toxic as ever―Shaw could never prolong another family’s suffering. Her agreement to assist jeopardizes not only the fragile healing of her own family’s wounds, but the rebuilding of her marriage and her relationship with her youngest son, who’s colliding with some hard truths of how cruel people can be. It seems, for Shaw, closure is a long way off . . . but danger may be closer than she thinks.

My Thoughts: The second Shaw Connelly mystery begins with her being called in to fingerprint a car that had been submerged. Along with the body of a long-missing woman, Shaw finds fingerprints for a woman who supposedly died before the car went into the water. 

Since Shaw has finally solved the mystery of her long-missing sister and is now dealing with the grief that goes with finally knowing the truth, she is the best one to help the new victim's parents deal with their loss. 

Shaw is also called in when the body of an elderly woman is discovered at her isolated home. She has been wrapped in her bed coverlet and left out in the yard. The first thing Shaw notices is that a spare room was apparently used and then thoroughly cleaned before the crime scene was discovered. She does find some partial prints, but most belong to that victim. Other prints seem to have been deliberately distorted in an attempt to foil identification. 

While she is busy with her day-to-day jobs, she is also dealing with an eleven-year-old son who is being bullied at school. Also, she is uncertain about her relationship with her husband who moved out because he could no longer take her obsession with finding her missing sister.

Shaw would like to be left in peace to deal with her grief, but the man who killed her sister and is sitting in prison wants to tell her about other women he's killed. Shaw hates the idea of spending any time with him, but she also can't stand the idea of not listening if it could help families know what happened to their missing. 

Shaw is a complex character. She's smart-mouthed and has a quick temper. She's dealing with grief as she best knows how and she's dealing with her relationships within her family also as she best knows how. 

I enjoyed getting to know Shaw. She was an intriguing person. I also liked the Maine setting.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg

Murder by Design
Author: Lee Goldberg
Series: Edison Bixby (Book 1)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (Book 1)

Description: In a world carefully constructed for murder, solving crimes takes a keen mind and eye in a witty, clever, and fresh reinvention of the whodunit by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the man-made world around us makes them possible. Enter Wally Nash: a struggling actor hired to keep Bixby from offending everyone he meets.

Their first case together looks like a simple accident. Caroline Crowley took a nasty fall down a staircase at a shopping mall in front of dozens of witnesses. Video clearly shows the deadly misstep. But Bixby is certain she was murdered by design, subtly manipulated into causing her own demise. The mall itself made the crime intentional, if not inevitable.

Now Bixby must prove his outrageous theory before a very cunning killer gets others on his hit list to murder themselves, too.

My Thoughts: MURDER BY DESIGN was an engaging mystery by Lee Goldberg that introduces a new sleuthing duo. Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and rude. This former police detective with an enviable solve rate suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was shot in the face by an assailant. His impulsive rudeness has caused him to lose his job with the police but primed the way for him to be an excellent insurance investigator. 

Wally Nash is a wanna-be actor who has thus far played a number of corpses and starred in a number of commercials for medical products. He's still waiting for his big break which he knows is just around the corner. He does temp work to make ends meet which they aren't currently doing. A short-term job as Bixby's minder seems ideal especially since it comes with free living quarters on Bixby's fanciful estate. 

Nash narrates this story and has a chance to play a number of different characters as he assists Bixby with solving a number of murders. The first has been declared an accident since a woman fell down a flight of stairs that she shouldn't be using at a mall. What first looks like an accident quickly becomes a murder investigation after Bixby looks at the scene. 

This first crime leads to a few more. All of which are determined to be murders by Bixby. All of which also occurred because of what Bixby sees as design flaws in the environment around the victims. Design of human spaces makes up a big part of this story and is the key to Bixby's deductions. 

This was an entertaining story. I enjoyed Nash's narration and self-delusion. The story was humorous and thought-provoking too. 

I received this one from Kindle First Reads. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Bark of Night by David Rosefelt

Bark of Night
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 19)
Publication: Minotaur (July 16, 2019)

Description The next novel in David Rosenfelt’s witty, heartfelt mystery series featuring lawyer Andy Carpenter and his faithful golden retriever, Tara.

When defense lawyer Andy Carpenter’s veterinarian asks to speak to him privately at the checkup of his golden retriever, Tara, the last thing Andy expects is Truman. Tiny, healthy, French bulldog Truman was dropped off days ago with instructions to be euthanized by a man everyone thought was his owner. But now the owner is nowhere to be found.

Andy is furious. Who would want to euthanize a perfectly healthy dog with no explanation? He is willing to whisk Truman away to the Tara Foundation, the dog-rescue organization which is Andy’s true passion. They will find a home for Truman. But that’s not all the vet tells Andy. Thanks to Truman’s chip, it’s discovered that the man wasn’t Truman’s owner at all . . . Truman's real owner has been murdered.

It’s now up to Andy – with help from his loyal sidekick Tara, Truman and the rest of the gang – to solve this case. In the latest in the popular Andy Carpenter mystery series, David Rosenfelt’s charmingly clever wit and love of dogs are back and better than ever.

My Thoughts: Andy Carpenter's next case comes to him via his veterinarian. The vet has had a man drop off a dog to be euthanized. Investigation shows that the dog wasn't his but rather belonged to a man who was recently murdered. Andy wants to find the man who dropped off the dog and finds himself involved in the murder investigation. 

Things get more complicated when the man who dropped off the dog is also murdered along with his wife. Then there are the suspicious deaths of homeless men from all over the country. Since the first murder victim was a documentary film maker, Andy and his team investigate to find out if his death was related to his career.

Andy's client appears to have been set up for the crime because he happened to be the victim's last interviewee regarding his current film project. Also, items from the scene including the murder weapon were found buried at his house. 

As usual for the Andy Carpenter mysteries, the story is told from multiple viewpoints. My favorite is always Andy's viewpoint since I enjoy his sarcastic voice and quick wit. 

I bought this one June 1, 2021. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Collared by David Rosenfelt

Collared
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 16)
Publication: Minotaur (July 18, 2017)

Description: Collared is the next novel in David Rosenfelt's witty, heartfelt mystery series sees attorney Andy Carpenter suddenly fostering a child and defending a close friend suspected of murder

Lawyer Andy Carpenter’s true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. All kinds of dogs make their way to the foundation, and it isn’t that surprising to find a dog abandoned at the shelter one morning, though it was accompanied by a mysterious anonymous note. But they are quite surprised when they scan the dog’s embedded chip, and discover that they know this dog. He is the “DNA dog.”

Two and a half years ago, Jill Hickman was a single mother of an adopted baby. Her baby and dog were kidnapped in broad daylight in Eastside Park, and they haven’t been seen since. A tip came in that ID’d a former boyfriend of Hickman’s, Keith Wachtel, as the kidnapper. A search of his house showed no sign of the child but did uncover more incriminating evidence, and the clincher that generated Wachtel’s arrest was some dog hair, notable since Wachtel did not have a dog. DNA tests showed conclusively that the hair belonged to Hickman’s dog. Wachtel was convicted of kidnapping, but the dog and baby were never found.

Now, with the reappearance of the dog, the case is brought back to light, and the search for the child renewed. Goaded by his wife’s desire to help a friend and fellow mother and Andy’s desire to make sure the real kidnapper is in jail, Andy and his team enter the case. But what they start to uncover is far more complicated and dangerous than they ever expected.

My Thoughts: Andy's next case begins when a dog is left tied to the front door of the dog rescue he runs with is friend Wilie. The dog is chipped and turns out the be named Cody and owned by Jill Hickman. The dog had disappeared a couple of years ago when Jill's adopted baby son was kidnapped from a local park. Neither the dog nor the baby had been seen since.

In a spectacular trial, Jill's ex-boyfriend Keith Wachtel was convicted of the crime. His chief accuser was the nanny who claimed to recognize him. There was also other evidence including dog hair and fibers. Keith had proclaimed his innocence. 

In order to help out Jill and try to find out what happened to her baby, Andy reluctantly becomes Keith's lawyer so that he can get the trial transcripts and the discovery documents. He also calls his team together to look into the case. They especially want to find the nanny who disappeared after the trial was over. They suspect she's the one who dropped off Cody at the foundation which raises all sorts of suspicions in Andy's mind. Of course, the $750,000 deposit in her bank account shortly after the conviction is suspicious too. 

Andy's investigations take him deep into Jill's company where Keith also worked until he was fired under suspicion of industrial espionage which he also denies. Andy has to look into where the financing came from for Jill to expand her operation and finds the funds came from a noted drug dealer giving him another suspect in the original kidnapping.

This was an engaging and entertaining episode in the Andy Carpenter series. I love Andy's snarky and sarcastic point of view. I also love seeing his relationship with his wife and recently adopted son. 

I bought this one September 29, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Edge by Dick Francis

The Edge
Author: Dick Francis
Publication: G. P. Putnam (August 2, 2005)

Description: To the Jockey Club, the racing world would be a better place without Julius Apollo Filmer. An expert in corruption with a devastating line in witness intimidation - and proving to be a slippery character to put behind bars. Baffled, they call in undercover security agent Tor Kelsey to keep an unflinching eye on Filmer and his associates. A mission that takes him from the finest of English racecourses to the wild Canadian interior - on a luxury transcontinental train journey to end them all. On board, a troupe of actors are playing out a murder mystery for the amusement of their diamond-studded passengers. Ideal cover for a secret investigator with secrets of his own. And better still for an ice-cool blackmailer for whom murder is just one of many options...

My Thoughts: Tor Kelsey works as an investigator for the Jockey Club. He was raised around horses, left England for about seven years, had his trust funds come due, and was looking for meaningful work. His former trustee introduced him to the head of the Investigations Department who offered him a job. He has been working more or less undercover for three years. 

Julius Apollo Filmer was one of the men he watched. He has found some way to blackmail owners into selling him or giving him their best horses. All of the owners are too frightened to tell the Jockey Club what he's been doing. Before a young groom could confess all, his body was found in a ditch. Filmer was brought to trial but was acquitted. 

Now, Filmer has decided to take part in a Canadian venture that puts a number of horses, owners, grooms, and racegoers on a train that will be traveling across Canada and stopping at various racetracks along the way. Tor has been given a place on the train to keep an eye on Filmer who doubtless has some dastardly plan in place though no one knows what it is. The train is also hosting a bunch of actors who are doing a murder mystery along the journey.

Tor assumes the role of one of the waiters on the train reasoning that no one will look past the uniform. Anonymity has been his friend in his new job, and he doesn't want to lose it. The only ones in country who know his secret identity are the young woman who is organizing the tour, and she only knows part of the truth, and the head of the Investigations department of the Canadian Jockey club. 

This was an engaging mystery filled with lots of action and adventure. Tor was a great character who job means that he is lonely most of the time. He's bright, he's dedicated, and he's very observant. 

I bought this one January 1, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Outfoxed by David Rosenfelt

Outfoxed
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 14)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 19, 2016)

Description: Defense lawyer Andy Carpenter spends as much time as he can working on his true passion, the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs. Lately, Andy has been especially involved in a county prison program where inmates help train dogs the Tara Foundation has rescued to make them more adoptable, benefiting both the dogs and the prisoners. One of the prisoners Andy has been working with is Brian Atkins, who has 18 months left on a 5-year term for fraud. Brian has been helping to train Boomer, an adorable fox terrier the Tara Foundation rescued from a neglectful owner. Brian and Boomer are clearly a terrific match. In fact, Andy hopes that Brian will adopt Boomer himself, once his sentence is up. But one day, Andy arrives at the prison to discover that Brian has used Boomer to make an ingenious escape, and man and dog are both in the wind. The next day, the man on whose testimony Brian was convicted is found murdered. Brian is caught and arrested for the crime, though he forcefully protests his innocence. Suddenly, Andy finds himself with a new client in Brian and a new dog in Boomer. And as he starts to dig deeper into the murder and the events leading up to it, Andy realizes he might be putting them all in far more danger than anyone had realized.

My Thoughts: The fourteenth book in the Andy Carpenter series has reluctant lawyer Andy handling the murder case of one the convicts who takes part in his dog training program at a local prison. Brian Atkins has only 18 months left in his term for fraud. He escapes from prison bringing Boomer with him and then is seen fleeing the home of his former partner who lies murdered inside along with the body of Brian's ex-wife. 

Brian feels guilty for not being able to save his ex-wife and is going to plead guilty even though he didn't commit the murders. Andy convinces him to plead innocent even though it will mean coming out of his self-imposed retirement. 

Andy's investigation into Brian's partner and ex-wife and the tech company they founded leads to crimes by local mobster Dominic Petrone. Everyone in law enforcement would like to get something on Petrone and put him away. Andy finds the way. The only problem is that nothing he finds will help in his current trial or help to prove Brian didn't kill his partner and ex-wife.

I enjoyed this story. Andy has a wonderful, snarky way of telling his own story. I like the variety of side characters including Andy's accountant who'd love to be a PI, his pessimistic partner Huck, and ever inscrutable Marcus. I also enjoy Andy's relationships with his wife Laurie and newly adopted son Ricky. 

I bought this one September 29, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Deadly Clue by Victoria Gilbert

A Deadly Clue
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Series: Hunter and Clewe Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (January 13, 2026)

Description: Hunter and Clewe are back in the third Hunter and Clewe mystery, from acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert, when a closed case is reopened after another member of a prominent family is murdered.

Cameron Clewe and Jane Hunter, lovers of all things bookish, are slowly cataloging Cam’s private collection of first edition books acquired from the deceased patriarch of the wealthy Stewart family. When Jane finds a note from Kimberly Stewart Ward, one of the daughters of the Stewart patriarch—who supposedly committed suicide—she discovers someone was actually targeting her with the intention of killing her.

Jane and Cam decide to look into the supposedly closed case, but their investigation becomes urgent when another member of the Stewart family is found dead from a drug overdose. The victim’s friends claim he’d been clean and sober for years and refuse to accept the cause of death.

Believing both cases to be connected, Jane and Cam are determined to solve them before any other direct heirs of the family are targeted.

My Thoughts: This case begins when Jane Hunter goes to the Stewart family home to pick up some books the man sold to Cameron. She went for ten books but came home with eleven. The extra book was a first edition but a marked up and battered copy. The only thing of interest was a note from Kimberley Stewart Ward - a daughter of the house - indicating that she felt she was in danger. Since Kimberley had died years earlier of an apparent suicide, Cam and Jane are puzzled and look to have discovered their next mystery.

The book must have been added to Jane's bag by a cousin of the family - a cousin who dies of a supposed drug overdose just days after Jane picks up the books. 

Deciding to look into the two overdoses, Jane and Cam discover a family used to covering up secrets. After all, there was that mysterious car accident years earlier which killed a woman and child. There are questions about who caused it and who was driving that were covered up at the time.

I enjoyed this mystery. I like the characters of Cam and Jane. Jane is a no-nonsense former librarian who at age 62 is willing to tell Cam when she sees something she doesn't like. Cam is a wealthy young man who suffers from anxiety and some assorted mental quirks. He seldom leaves home and uses Jane as he representative to the world. 

Fans of the series will want to read this one.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Shattered by Dick Francis

Shattered
Author: Dick Francis
Narrator: Fiacre Douglas
Publication: Brilliance Audio (August 21. 2008)
Length: 6 hours and 23 minutes

Description: When jockey Martin Stukely dies after a fall at Cheltenham, he accidentally embroils his friend Gerard Logan in a perilous search for a stolen videotape. Logan is a glassblower on the verge of widespread acclaim. Long accustomed to the frightful dangers inherent in molten glass and in maintaining a glassmaking furnace at never less than 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, Logan is suddenly faced with terrifying threats to his business, his courage, and his life.

Believing that the missing video holds the key to a priceless treasure, and wrongly convinced that Logan knows where to find it, criminal forces set out to press him for information he doesn't have. To survive, he realizes that he himself must sort out the truth. The final race to the tape throws more hazards in Logan's way than his dead jockey friend could ever have imagined.

Glass shatters. Logan doesn't...but it's a close-run thing.

My Thoughts: Glassblower Gerard Logan finds himself in the middle of a mystery when his friend jockey Martin Stukely dies at Cheltenham. Martin had given his friend Gerard a videotape to take care of since he had a nosy wife and four curious children. 

Unfortunately, Gerard loses the tape when his shop is entered, and the tape and his day's take is stolen. What makes it even more unfortunate is that those who want the tape don't believe that Gerard doesn't know where it is. 

Gerard has two problems. The first is identifying who wants the tape enough to hurt him and search his home for it. Second, he needs to know what is on the tape. Finding it would be good too. He gathers friends as he searches including a new girlfriend in the form of the police officer who first appears to document the shop break-in and thefts. 

As he searches, he comes ever closer to answering all of his questions. But someone has to die before all the answers are found. 

This was another excellent mystery by Dick Francis. As in many, he builds a strong, smart hero. This one also had all sorts of interesting facts about glassmaking. 

I bought this Chirp audiobook October 3, 2025. You can buy your copy here.