ARC Review: The Pumpkin Vice Cafe by Ellie Alexander

The Pumpkin Vice Cafe
Author: Ellie Alexander
Series: Bakeshop Mysteries (Book 24)
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 29, 2026)

Description: Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!

As autumn settles over the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, ushering in cool, crisp breezes and a stunning show of color, everyone at Torte is keeping warm by whipping up a bevy of fall treats and spicy lattes. Jules is nearing her due date, and the whole town is abuzz―placing bets on when the twins will make their grand debut. Helen and the team are working on a secret surprise baby shower, complete with cupcakes, cookies, and a feast fit for royalty, or maybe just a mother-to-be.

Meanwhile, Lance and Arlo are busy planning their nuptials in what is sure to be as close to a royal wedding as Ashland has ever seen. But when the high-end wedding planner they hired is found dead in the frigid waters of Ashland Creek, what looks like a tragic accident, a slip on an icy bridge, quickly reveals itself as something much more sinister. Jules knows at once―this was no mishap. A killer is loose in Ashland, and they may be ready to strike again.

My Thoughts: Jules is in the last days of her pregnancy with twins and helping her friend Lance plan his wedding. When his new wedding planner is found dead - by Jules, she adds a murder investigation to her to-do list. 

She soon learns that Tippy had a number of enemies. She owed money all over the place and the vendors are angry enough to kill. Tippy is also getting ready to sue one of her clients who hasn't paid her for her daughter's lavish wedding. Then there is her assistant who hasn't been paid in months. The list of suspects is large and many of them are eager to be hired to work on Lance's wedding. 

The story is filled with wonderful descriptions of Ashland, Oregon, and wonderful foods all prepared by Jules' bakery/cafe Torte. The descriptions were so good that they made me hungry. The final copy of the book will include recipes.

Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy the latest in the Bakeshop Mysteries.  

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

Audiobook Review: Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich

Dirty Thirty
Author: Janet Evanovich

Narrator: Lorelei King
Series: Stephanie Plum (Book 30)
Publication: Atria Books (October 31, 2023)

Length: 8 hours and 15 minutes

Description: Janet Evanovich, the “most popular mystery writer alive” (The New York Times), is in top form as she sends Stephanie Plum on the trail of a stolen stash of dirty diamonds in this instant #1 New York Times bestseller.

Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered an assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds from his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day.

With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there.

To complicate matters, her best friend is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions.

As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too in this “uproarious, crazy, laugh-a-minute caper” (Booklist, starred review).

My Thoughts: Stephanie Plum's 30th adventure has her babysitting her boyfriend Morelli's large orange dog while he is away in Miami on police business. Bob will eat anything including Stephanie's couch if she doesn't keep him with her all the time. So Bob comes along as Stephanie attempts to locate bond jumpers who were both involved in a robbery of a jewelry store.

She encounters the first when he attempts to commit suicide by jumping from a four-story building. Save from death by a convenient awning, she thinks he is secure in the hospital until she can bring him in to renew his bail. But he disappears one day despite a broken leg and broken ribs. 

The second fugitive is known to Stephanie. She went to school with Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy) and knows he'll do anything for a dare. She's hired by the jewelry store owner to find him because the owner is sure that he walked away with a tray of diamonds at the time of the robbery. 

Meanwhile, Lula is sure that she is being stalked by Grendel, a mythical monster from a video game. She sees him in her apartment and notices that some of her extensive and eclectic wardrobe has gone missing. 

As the two find and lose their targets numerous times, Stephanie does capture others who have missed their court dates but her two main skips continue to elude her. With Morelli out of town, she is depending on Ranger to help her with her skips. And when her apartment is firebombed shortly after Lula's apartment is firebombed, she finds herself moving in with Ranger despite her commitment to Morelli. 

Stephanie is torn between the two men in her life. She loves them both. She might be ready for marriage, maybe, but she isn't sure either of her men are. Until, that is, that both of them propose to her. Now, what's a girl to do?

I bought this one for $2.99 on July 20, 2026, and added the audiobook August 11. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Murder on the Sacred River by Tasha Alexander

Murder on the Sacred River
Author: Tasha Alexander
Series: Lady Emily Mysteries (Book 20)
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 22, 2026)

Description: In this next enthralling mystery in Tasha Alexander’s bestselling series, Lady Emily chases down a killer in India along the misty banks of the sacred river Narmada.

1908: Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves, along with an eccentric group of English tourists, are vacationing in India at Ahilya Fort, the old home to the Maharaja’s family, when a man is found shot along the Narmada River. Emily and Colin jump into action, but their suspect list is large, including a wonderful spinster and her not-so-wonderful companion; a local doctor; a widow who lives nearby; an English explorer; and an Englishman who now runs a tea plantation near Darjeeling.

1740: Fifteen-year-old Ahilyabai has been married to the son of Malharrao Holkar, the Lord of the Malwa territory, for seven years. Now the time has finally come to produce an heir. But though Ahilya’s in-laws have shown her nothing but kindness, her notoriously-drunken husband remains a mystery to her, having rarely spoken to Ahilya since their wedding as children. Faced with this tortured and distant man, Ahilya’s sense of loyalty is tested as she attempts to balance fulfilling her duty with forging her own destiny. Her decisions will have ripple effects across time―including Lady Emily’s investigation almost two hundred years later.

Lady Emily’s case takes a dramatic turn when a shocking new person arrives at the fort―and when the killer strikes again shortly afterwards, she and Colin must race to uncover the villain’s identity before it’s too late.

My Thoughts: Lady Amelia and her husband Colin Hargreaves are vacationing in India after Colin does a little something for the king. They find themselves invited to Ahilya's Fort on the banks of the Narmada River along with an assortment of other English travelers.

When the body of an Englishman is found in a boat with a gunshot wound to his head, their vacation becomes an investigation because the local police are more than willing to hand the case off to them. Once the man's identity becomes known after an initial misidentification, Amelia and Colin discover that many of their fellow travelers might have had reason to kill him. 

The eccentric lady and her bad-tempered companion, the visiting historian, a man named Mr. Ralston, a local doctor, and a local widowed lady are all suspects in this one. 

Woven into the mystery plot are flashbacks to 1740 and the woman for whom the fort is named. She was married at eight to the future maharajah and educated to be a helpmeet to him. The flashbacks tell of her life from childhood to old age. She did a lot of good as ruler after the deaths of her husband and in-laws and has become a figure of importance in the region. Rumor has it she left a treasure behind her which excites current (1908) day fortune hunters. 

This was an entertaining historical detail filled with wonderful scenes of India at the time period. Amelia greatly enjoys the food and drink and the culture while still investigating and solving the mystery. 

I did rather miss that their boys were left home in England but enjoyed Henry's letters pleading for an elephant.

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

ARC Review: A Deadly Entanglement by Cathy Pegau

A Deadly Entanglement
Author: Cathy Pegau
Series: Harriman & Mancini Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 15, 2026)

Description: In A Deadly Entanglement, two queer women in turn-of-the-century New York must work together to uncover the rotten truth.

The truth isn’t always easy…

Margot Baxter Harriman has just survived her deadliest scandal as President of B&H Foods, and now there’s nowhere to go but up. Which is why she’s organizing a fundraiser for the crowded, overworked city charity hospital, where she hopes to do good and give back–until a body falls past a second-floor window.

The nurse’s death is quickly ruled a suicide, but fellow nurse CeeCee Foxmoor, Margot’s friend and the live-in partner of investigator Rett Mancini, isn’t so sure: this isn’t the hospital's first suspicious death. CeeCee’s concerns draw both Margot and Rett into an undercover scheme to untangle the threads behind the deaths everyone else is ready to overlook.

Then another death catches their attention: Margot's old classmate checked into the Caspian, a luxury clinic catering to the New York elite, but never checked out. And the circumstances surrounding her death feel eerily familiar...

As both the secrets and bodies pile up, Rett and Margot realize that while money can buy anything, behind ward doors, everyone pays a price. This time, their search for the truth might cost the people they love.

Cathy Pegau’s A Deadly Entanglement is the captivating follow-up to A Murderous Business, where two women’s determination challenges the cost of greed–and the price of failure.

My Thoughts: Margot Baxter Harriman is meeting with the head doctor at the City Charity Hospital to plan the next major fundraising gala when she sees a body go by the window. The first conclusion is that the nurse committed suicide.

CeeCee Foxmoor is also a nurse at the CCH and she's sure that her friend didn't kill herself. She is just the next in line in a series of suspicious deaths. CeeCee is living with Rett Mancini who is a private detective. Rett, CeeCee, and Margot met in the first book in the series and became friends. In fact, Margot is a silent partner in Rett's detective agency. 

Rett goes undercover to try to find out what is going on at CCH. Meanwhile, Margot has questions of her own when a school friend of hers dies unexpectedly at the Caspian which is a hospital for New York City's Elite. She decides to go undercover herself to see if she can learn anything. 

The first thing she and Rett learn is that two of the doctors are associated with both hospitals. The charming Doctor Ewan Beales convinces Margot that she has a condition that can only be treated on an inpatient basis and has a wonderful new green pill named Tranquility for her to try. 

Rett and Margot's investigations overlap when they discover that each centers around the little green pills. There's money to be made by looking the other way and, if people die, it really is just an accident or so the villains say. 

I liked the NYC setting and the time period. I liked that the main characters were lesbians trying to deal with a society where that fact needs to be hidden. I like the relationship between CeeCee and Rett and have hopes for the relationship between Margot and Shiloh. 

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

ARC Review: The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle

The Mystic and the Missing Girl
Author: Vikki VanSickle
Publication: Minotaur (September 8, 2026)

Description: Small town secrets, a reluctant psychic, and a cold case that could expose them all.

Drew Benson can read tarot cards and get impressions from objects―she just never expected to use her gifts to investigate an infamous cold case.

Drew Benson has a secret. She gets visions, something she hasn’t tapped into since she was a teenager, when her late aunt, a TV psychic known as Hannah Mystic, became the scapegoat in the unsolved disappearance of a local teenager. Twenty years later, Drew is happy to ignore her gift, focusing instead on keeping the metaphysical shop she inherited from Hannah afloat, wrangling her sole, astrology-obsessed employee, and dodging local rake Foster Banks in her picturesque lakeside hometown.

But when Drew's arch-nemesis from high school, now a big city reporter, decides to investigate the cold case from all those years ago, it’s Drew’s ability that could finally make a break in the decades old mystery. With bills piling up, a disapproving mother laying on the guilt, and a local vandal who wants Drew and her witchy store gone, Drew has a lot to lose. But what she stands to gain―finding out what happened to the missing teen, clearing her aunt’s name, and a second chance at belonging―could change everything.

In The Mystic and the Missing Girl, Vikki VanSickle seamlessly draws readers into an utterly charming world in this unputdownable, small town mystery.

My Thoughts: Drew Benson came home to Stanfield when she inherited her aunt's metaphysical shop and the apartment above it. Her aunt was Hannah Mystic, TV psychic, was a scapegoat in the disappearance of Ginny Evans, high school senior, twenty years earlier. Her psychic talents provided clues but didn't manage to find Ginny. 

It is the twentieth anniversary of Ginny's death, and someone is targeting Drew's new store with graffiti. Drew is on a shoestring budget already since the notoriety of the store seems to have died with her Aunt Hannah. She's worried about keeping the doors open and her one employee employed. 

When an old high school nemesis now turned reporter walks in the door and asks to see her aunt's journals, Drew finds herself involved in a new investigation into what happened to Ginny Evans all those years ago. She also finds herself using the psychic powers she set aside after seeing how her aunt was treated during the first investigation.

This was an excellent and engaging story. I liked the way Drew settles back into her hometown and makes a place of her own design there. I thought the mystery was well done. I liked the variety of characters in the story. 

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

ARC Review: Fury in Death by J. D. Robb

Fury in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 63)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (September 8, 2026)

Description: In the new crime thriller from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author, Lt. Eve Dallas journeys into the darkness where murder is born…

NYSPD lieutenant Eve Dallas never knows what to expect when she gets word of a body. It could be an elderly man who made the mistake of climbing a ladder in slippery footwear. And the next call could be a wealthy biotech executive beaten to death in his home office―but what was Larry Chu’s mistake?

The victim’s corpse is so mangled and damaged it’s hard to believe a lone, unarmed assailant could have managed it. The killer was clearly unnaturally strong―and smart enough to find a way into Chu’s highly secure building. Most of all, whoever did this was very, very angry.

The excessive violence leads Dallas to conclude that this was a deeply personal act, born of a rage that she can’t excuse but can understand thanks to her own traumatic past. And though the motive seems rooted in heated emotion rather than cold hard cash, she can’t ignore the suspicious bank account in the Cayman Islands, or the shadowy, profit-hungry company Chu worked for. The mystery only grows when it turns out Chu isn’t the only victim―and Dallas will need to tear through one layer of secrecy after another to reveal what lies behind this explosion of fury...

My Thoughts: Eve's next case begins with a biotech executive beaten to death in his locked home office. Larry Chu worked for Banner-Wyst, a company that competes with Roarke. Eve has to find out who wanted Chu dead in such a brutal way. The killer found his way into a locked room, beat his victim with excessive violence, and then disappeared without a trace. 

The prologue gives the reader a villain and a reason. Revenge for the murder of his wife, his son, and his unborn daughter has activated Steve Redman's fury. But Eve and her team don't know about Steve. 

Before her investigation goes too far, there is a second and third brutal murder with the same MO. And Eve is learning that Banner-Wyst is not the humanitarian company that its PR claims. It soon becomes apparent that Steve Redman is the murderer they are looking for. After the explosion that killed his family and 200 other apartment residents, he went catatonic and was hospitalized for a number of years until six years earlier when he walked out of the treatment center and disappeared. 

This episode is a case where the villain is a much more sympathetic character than the murder victims. Eve wants to find justice for all of the victims from Steve to the Banner-Wyst executives he has murdered. 

I love the relationship between Eve and Roarke. There are lots of tender moments in this one. I also enjoy watching the secondary characters in this series as they grow and change. Trueheart has grown from a green rookie to a man who can hold his own and has a few snarky lines of his own. 

The outside event around the murder investigation in this one is the big housewarming party for Peabody, McNab, Mavis and Leonardo with the gathering of Peabody and McNabb's families and all of their other friends. And Mavis decides that her housewarming party is a great time to give birth.

This was another excellent episode in a long-running series that just keeps getting better and better. 

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

ARC Review: Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima

Fighting Edge
Author: Margaret Mizushima
Series: Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries (Book 11)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (September 8, 2026)

Description: Major crimes intersect in this nail-biting installment of the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries by award-winning author Margaret Mizushima.

A routine welfare check becomes a nightmare when Deputy Mattie Walker finds a young mother dead and a hysterical toddler, possibly the only witness to a brutal crime. Before the investigative team can start piecing together what happened, Mattie discovers another criminal act in Timber Creek.

During a traffic stop for speeding, Mattie observes a nervous driver and a teenage passenger frozen with fear. A quick sweep of the car with her K-9 partner, Robo, reveals a dangerous mix of drugs and suspected human trafficking, providing Mattie with grounds to arrest the driver. After she places the teenager in protective custody, the sheriff’s department hands the case over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

As the team gathers evidence and information, Mattie’s husband, veterinarian Cole Walker, notices suspicious activity during ambulatory calls at dog kennels, indicating yet a third crime lurking in the shadows. What begins as isolated incidents quickly reveals a chilling truth: Organized crime has infiltrated their rural mountain community.

Every clue leads to more questions, and each answer brings them closer to greater danger. Do Mattie and her law enforcement partners have what it takes to shut down this criminal ring before it claims more victims? And could its next victim be someone Mattie loves?

My Thoughts: Deputy Mattie Walker and her dog Robo are called to do a welfare check and find a young mother dead on her couch with her two-year-old Emma crying in her crib. With drug paraphernalia left in the house the cause of death looks clear but still suspicious. And it seems Emma saw her mother's death but can't speak clearly enough to tell the police what happened. 

Meanwhile, veterinarian Cole Walker is seeing a new patient at his clinic. He's doing a pre-purchase check of a rottweiler that Bret Beaty is interested in purchasing for breeding. He and his family are still getting over an attack in which he and his teenage daughter were held at gunpoint in his clinic.

Then Mattie makes a routine traffic stop and encounters what looks like a trafficking situation to her. Robo uncovers a cache of drugs in the car's spare tire which gives her a reason to arrest the driver and retain the scared teen who is with him. 

The young mother had been a victim of trafficking until she managed to escape and start a new life in Colorado. Now, it looks like her past has caught up with her and trafficking is finding its way to small town Colorado.

This was another exciting episode in the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries. I love the relationship between Mattie and her K-9 Robo. I also like her growing closeness with her new husband Cole and Cole's two daughters. 

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

Audiobook Review: You Can Tell Me by Melinda Leigh

You Can Tell Me
Author: Melinda Leigh

Narrator: Mandy Figueroa
Series: Olivia Cruz (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (May 12, 2026)
Length: 10 hours and 52 minutes

Description: Crime writer Olivia Cruz is drawn into the dark secrets of a missing friend in a terrifying novel of suspense by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

On the three-year anniversary of true crime writer Olivia Cruz’s horrific kidnapping, she’s scheduled to walk her podcaster friend Zoe March through the crime scene, but Zoe fails to show. Olivia knows Zoe would never stand her up—not today.

Zoe’s husband, who claims she never came home the night before, has reported her missing. But marital conflicts make the police suspect she has left him. Olivia thinks otherwise. The police aren’t looking for Zoe, so Olivia begins her own investigation. Retracing her friend’s last steps, she finds Zoe’s phone and a text with one chilling word: Run.

It soon becomes apparent that Zoe has been keeping secrets, and with her true crime podcast, there’s no telling what she has unearthed. To find her, Olivia must dig into her friend’s past. Did Zoe vanish to escape a killer, and is Olivia walking into a deadly trap?

My Thoughts: Olivia Cruz is finally ready to talk about the horrific kidnapping that changed her life three years earlier. She is scheduled to meet with her friend and podcaster Zoe to walk her through what happened. However, when she arrives at the site, Zoe is not there. 

Olivia meets with Zoe's husband who is very concerned and she meets with Zoe's podcast producer who is not. With the police not considering Zoe missing since a woman has a right to leave her husband and life, Olivia with her boyfriend Lincoln Sharpe and her niece Nikki begin their own investigation. 

It soon becomes apparent to Olivia that she really doesn't know very much about her friend's past or her secrets. Her husband Dylan Sanders is also keeping secrets including that his marriage with Zoe is having major problems. 

Each secret they uncover puts them all in more danger in this exciting thriller. I really enjoyed the tension in this one. I liked learning more about characters who have appeared as side characters in earlier books by the author. Knowing about those characters isn't necessary. The book stands alone perfectly well. 

I bought this one May 20. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Night Candy by Max Tomlinson

Night Candy
Author: Max Tomlinson

Narrator: Terry Dien
Series: Colleen Hayes (Book 5)
Publication: Oceanview Publishing (July 25, 2023)

Length: 10 hours and 47 minutes

Description: 1970s San Francisco: the sights, the sounds, the serial killers

As the '70s draw to a close in San Francisco, things do not bode well for the city—or for ex-con PI Colleen Hayes, whose daughter Pam, in a tragic turn of events, has lost her baby. Pam leaves San Francisco, and Colleen, who moved there to reunite with her, starts to wonder what she's doing in the Bay Area.

Meanwhile, a serial killer given the name "Night Candy" is targeting sex workers, both male and female. The situation doesn't improve when Colleen's friend and ally—SFPD Inspector Owens—is arrested for the murder of his ex-wife, who was found burned in a fire the same night the pair had tried to rekindle their love. Could Owens have really done what they say? Even Colleen has her doubts.

But there are people depending on her: Owens, who needs help finding his ex-wife's real killer, and a trio of sex workers Colleen keeps her eye on—especially with Night Candy on the loose. Then, one of the three girls is next to disappear. If anything is to test Colleen's resolve, December 1979 seems to be it.

My Thoughts: When Colleen's police officer friend Inspector Owens is accused of murdering his ex-wife and the man in charge of the investigation is Owen's mortal enemy, she finds herself very involved in proving that her friend is not guilty of murder. Meanwhile, Colleen is worried about some working girls because the serial killer known as Night Candy is still targeting sex workers. 

Colleen is also still grieving the loss of a potential grandchild and the disappearance again of her daughter Pamela. She has to finally reconcile herself to the fact that she and her daughter will not develop the close relationship she wants. 

The story was filled with period details for 1979 including the fashions and songs on the radio. I enjoyed this engaging story which is filled with twists, turns, and plots. 

I bought this one April 27. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine by Janet Evanovich

Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine
Author: Janet Evanovich

Series: Stephanie Plum (Book 29)
Publication: Atria Books (November 1, 2022)

Description: Stephanie Plum breaks the rules, flirts with disaster, and shows who’s boss in this whip-smart and fast-paced thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling “crown princess of detective fiction” (BookPage) Janet Evanovich.

Monday mornings aren’t supposed to be fun, but they should be predictable. However, on this particular Monday, Stephanie Plum knows that something is amiss when she turns up for work at Vinnie’s Bail Bonds to find that longtime office manager Connie Rosolli, who is as reliable as the tides in Atlantic City, hasn’t shown up.

Stephanie’s worst fears are confirmed when she gets a call from Connie’s abductor. He says he will only release her in exchange for a mysterious coin that a recently murdered man left as collateral for his bail. Unfortunately, this coin, which should be in the office—just like Connie—is nowhere to be found.

The quest to discover the coin, learn its value, and save Connie will require the help of Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur, her best pal Lula, her boyfriend Morelli, and hunky security expert Ranger. As they get closer to unraveling the reasons behind Connie’s kidnapping, Connie’s captor grows more threatening and soon Stephanie has no choice but to throw caution to the wind, follow her instincts, and go rogue.

Full of surprises, thrills, and humor, Going Rogue reveals a new side of Stephanie Plum, and shows Janet Evanovich at her scorching, riotous best.

My Thoughts: Connie the long-time office manager for Vinnie's Bail Bonds goes missing in this latest Stephanie Plum adventure. She has been kidnapped by people who want the commemorative coin Vinnie took as collateral for the bail of a man who apparently committed suicide by shooting himself twelve times. 

The main problem is that the coin is no longer in the room where physical collateral is usually kept. Stephanie's first task is to track down the missing coin which leads her to a man determined to make his career panhandling with a little pickpocketing thrown in. The panhandler is named Carpenter Beedle, and he has failed to appear for his court date. That makes him first on Stephanie's to-do list. 

Carpenter did have the coin, after picking Vinnie's pocket, but he sold it to Benji at the comic book store, who then sold it to collector Melvin Sparks who has it along with five other identical commemorative coins but doesn't want to sell any of them. 

Luckily, Stephanie has the help of her friends Lula, Morelli, and Ranger along with the questionable assistance of her Grandma Mazur, because this case keeps adding complications. One such complication is needing to bring in Bella Morelli, her boyfriend Joe Morelli's grandmother, because she missed her court date for her arson trial. Everyone is afraid of Bella who is known for cursing anyone who crosses her in any way. Stephanie doesn't believe in the curses but she's wary of Bella anyway.

Stephanie and her colleagues are at their wacky bests in this episode which, naturally, includes wrecking yet another car and spending $450 on a Whatever - a car made of parts found in a junkyard - until that one is also bombed by one of the guys she's returned to jail after skipping their court date. 

While Stephanie still can't decide between the two men in her life, she has come to realize that not only does she like tracking down people who skip their court dates, but that she's actually pretty good at it. This was another funny episode in a long-running series. 

I bought this one for $2.99 on June 1, 2023. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Bad Scene by Max Tomlinson

Bad Scene
Author: Max Tomlinson

Narrator: Margy Stein
Series: Colleen Hayes (Book 3)
Publication: Oceanview Publishing (November 22, 2021)

Length: 9 hours and 12 minutes

Description: 1978 San Francisco - a cult leader in Ecuador - one woman’s struggle to reconnect with her lost daughter before it is too late.

When PI and ex-con, Colleen Hayes, learns that a local neo-Nazi group is talking about shooting the mayor, she thinks it’s just another rumor - until her source, a humble street newspaper vendor, winds up in SF General, beaten to a pulp.

To add to her grief, she discovers that her runaway daughter, Pamela, might have joined a shadowy religious group, building a church in South America near a volcano that is about to erupt. Death is the path to perfection according to the charismatic young preacher - and the date is fast approaching.

Colleen is desperate to find a way to stop her daughter from making the ultimate mistake before she - along with hundreds of others - lose their lives.

My Thoughts: Colleen Hayes, ex-con and current PI, is looking for her daughter Pamela in 1978 San Francisco. She and her daughter have had a bad relationship ever since Colleen killed her ex-husband who was abusing Pamela and spent nine years in prison. 

Pamela is the sort of young woman who falls for every sort of cult that is available to her. After leaving a cult most known for dealing drugs, she has fallen into a suicide cult heading for a Jonestown-like solution. 

While Colleen is searching for Pamela, she uncovers a plot to kill the mayor which she is eager to pass on to the cops who don't seem to do anything about it. Colleen's investigations also take her into neo-Nazi territory where she attends a rally with a member of a biker gang who might have information about Pamela's whereabouts. 

A trip to Ecuador to rescue her daughter from her latest folly is also a part of this story. She finds a pregnant Pamela and brings her back to San Francisco where they can work on their relationship if Colleen can keep them both alive. 

I enjoyed this mystery both for its strong main character and for the setting. San Francisco in the 1970s is set out in great detail for the reader. 

I bought the Kindle copy July 26, 2022, and the audiobook odd-on July 3, 2026. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Death on the Books by Victoria Gilbert

Death on the Books
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Series: Blue Ridge Library Mysteries (Book 10)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (August 4, 2026)

Description: A sleuthing library director is on the case when a patron drops dead in the tenth installment of Victoria Gilbert’s critically acclaimed Blue Ridge Library mysteries.

When a stranger falls over dead in the Taylorsford Public Library, clutching a crumpled piece of paper inscribed only with the words hen and sapphire, Library Director Amy Muir must once again investigate. She soon learns that the man is the personal assistant to Warren Sanderson, an art collector and dealer who just so happens to be visiting Kurt Kendrick, the godfather of Amy’s twins.

When the autopsy reveals that the library patron was poisoned, suspicion falls on those who knew him—mainly Sanderson, his granddaughter Heather, and Kurt. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Amy digs into the contentious relationships between Kurt and the Sandersons. But as it turns out, suspects abound, and when Amy’s best friend’s boyfriend is implicated, the case becomes even more complicated.

Amy’s research ties the dead man’s note to a lost treasure of the Romanov empire. Then another person falls victim. With the bodies piling up, Amy knows better than anyone that killers often keep killing until they’re caught, and she’ll stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this tangled mystery.

My Thoughts: Amy's next case comes to her when a man wanders into the Taylorsford Public Library one evening and dies right in front of her. She soon learns that he was an assistant to Warren Sanderson who is an art collector and dealer who is visiting Amy's friend Kurt Kendrick. Amy notices a rather cryptic note that the man dropped. 

Amy wants to stay out of the murder investigation. She is perfectly content to just do a little research for the sheriff. But things don't work out quite the way Amy would wish. The note leads to a missing Faberge egg and a clue to the egg's whereabouts might be hidden in one of her aunt's deceased husband's paintings which Sanderson would really like to buy. 

That's just one of the twists in this 10th Blue Ridge Library Mystery. I enjoyed catching up with Amy and her growing family in this one. Many characters from earlier books in the series also have large roles to play in this one. 

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

ARC Review: Death at King's Cross by Rosanne Limoncelli

Death at King's Cross
Author: Rosanne Limoncelli
Series: A Four Queens of Crime Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (July 21, 2026)

Description: DCI Lilian Wyles is confronted by a troubling case, one that only the four queens of crime can help solve—even amidst the ongoing war efforts.

Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh are back in the follow-up novel to The Four Queens of Crime.

1941, London. When DCI Lilian Wyles finds a young woman murdered at King's Cross Station, she needs the help of someone she can trust, but Richard Davidson, her former Scotland Yard partner, has joined MI5 and is busy tracking black market routes outside of London, so for now, she is on her own.

After having met the four queens of crime during a murder investigation two years earlier, DCI Wyles has kept in touch. But Agatha, Dorothy, Margery, and Ngaio are all involved in the war effort and have problems of their own.

Agatha is volunteering at the University Hospital Pharmacy, where a dangerous anesthetic has been stolen. Dorothy has heard unsettling information from her connections at the BBC regarding members of the Royal Navy. Margery, who has been in the countryside helping families escape the city from the bombing, is worried about one of her charges whose older sister has gone missing. And Ngaio, who has relocated to New Zealand and is volunteering as an ambulance driver, has begun gathering secret intelligence from wounded soldiers and sailors that may put her in danger.

When the four queens contact DCI Wyles for help, the information they share makes the final pieces of the puzzle fall into place. DCI Wyles once again finds herself collaborating with her old partners in crime to solve the mystery and close the case in this thrilling sequel, perfect for fans of Nicola Upson and Anna Lee Huber.

My Thoughts: The second Queens of Crime mystery begins with the discovery of a body at King's Cross Station. The young woman in barefoot and wearing only a silk slip and a man's overcoat. DCI Lilian Wiles arrives on the scene only moments after the unidentified woman's death. 

Though quickly identified, the investigation into the woman's death is quickly snatched out of Scotland Yard and into the auspices of MI5. Lilian is curious and somewhat upset by this change of jurisdiction especially when she sees the woman as part of an investigation she's already conducting into the disappearances of a number of young women. 

Meanwhile, the other four queens of crime are each doing their parts in the war effort. Agatha Christie is volunteering in a hospital pharmacy where she is noticing the some chloralhydrate is going missing. Dorothy Sayers is working for the BBC where she runs into a blackmail plot determined to undercut the country's war efforts. Margery Allingham is safe in the country where she is hosting a young woman evacuated from London. The young woman's sister has gone missing, but a note filled with Cockney rhyming slang has reached her indicating that her sister is in danger and in need of rescue. Ngaio Marsh is back home in Christchurch, New Zealand, driving an ambulance, visiting evacuated soldiers, and directing a play whose actors are young university students and writing long letters to Richard Davidson who has moved from Scotland Yard to MI5.

Each of the queens of crime has clues that all lead to the same mystery. It isn't until Lilian puts all the clues together that they understand what is going on. They rescue the young women and foil a plot against England's best good.

This was an enjoyable mystery. I liked the World War II setting. I liked the insights into the lives of four very famous mystery authors. 

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

ARC Review: Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils
Author: Sandra Jackson-Opoku
Series: Savvy Summers (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 21, 2026)

Description: The next delectable mystery featuring quick-witted, unforgettable Savvy Summers, owner of a soul food café in Chicago.

Savvy has her work cut out when an old friend hires her to cater a company luncheon at a nearby office building on Chicago's South Side. Stepping out of her traditional soul food comfort zone, Savvy whips together a menu of Creole classics, with her own spin, of course―mini po’boys with assorted fillings, sunburst salad, and bread pudding using Great Aunt Essie’s famous buttermilk biscuits.

But when someone is found dead in the company’s conference room, Savvy’s culinary creations are suddenly in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. While the focus should be on their delicious flavors and inventive techniques, Savvy’s beloved café instead becomes the center of a murder investigation once again.

Caught within a messy web of gossip, miscommunication, and fraught coworker relationships, Savvy will have to settle the confusion to clear her name. Somebody’s hiding something, and with the help of her trusty assistant manager, Penny Lopés, Savvy sets out uncover exactly who is to blame. With familiar faces turning up the heat on her investigation and her café still in hot water, will Savvy be able to save her reputation before it’s too late?

My Thoughts: The second Savvy Summers mystery, set on the South Side of Chicago, has the chef expanding her repertoire into Cajun food and catering an event for an old acquaintance. When one of the attendees is killed by poison in one of Savvy's po-boys, Savvy is on the case. 

Savvy is helped by her first ex-husband Fanon who is a Chicago police officer. She's also helped by the unhoused man who wanders the neighborhood with his canine companion Sergeant Stubby. 

Savvy is also dealing with the closing of her restaurant because of a construction project in the neighborhood. Even though her new restaurant will be a flagship part of the new development, it is hard for her to leave the memories built there since she opened.

This was an entertaining cozy mystery filled with mostly likeable characters. I enjoyed the Chicago setting. 

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

ARC Review: The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon

The Cloak and Dagger Club
Author: Jackie McMahon
Series: A Cloak and Dagger Club Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley (July 14, 2026)

Description: Inspired by Agatha Christie's real-life Detection Club, a murder among a group of golden age mystery writers meets a second chance romance in this debut novel from author Jackie McMahon.

London, 1930. Lucy Hubbard is on the cusp of achieving her dreams. With her first mystery novel debuting with strong sales and glowing reviews, she's been invited by Horace Hazelmoor, the king of crime fiction, to join his elite group of writers—the Cloak and Dagger Club.

Thrilled at the opportunity, Lucy finds herself swept up into Horace's glamorous world at the Ritz hotel. She's even willing to put up with the inconvenient presence of her former fiancé, Frank Murray, the club's rising star who is on track to eclipse Horace as Britain's most popular crime writer.

But when Horace is found with a knife in his back, Frank is the police's prime suspect. Despite their complicated history, Lucy knows he's not capable of murder. With suspects galore and the danger rising, these two mystery writers must race to solve the crime—and fight their lingering feelings for each other—before the murderer strikes again.

My Thoughts: Lucy Hubbard who has recently published her first mystery to great acclaim is invited by best-selling author Horace Hazelmoor to join the prestigious Cloak and Dagger Club. She's intrigued but rather reluctant because her former fiancé Frank Murray is also a member. 

The first meeting doesn't go well because Hazelmoor is illuminated as a drunk and as a man who is mercurial. He is also eager for any opportunity to prove his superiority in writing despite the fact that his last mystery didn't do well. Blows are exchanged and he's escorted to his suite where he is discovered dead 36 hours later. 

When Frank becomes the prime suspect, Lucy is determined to discover who really killed Horace Hazelmoor. She needs to uncover the secrets of the other members of the club if she wants to clear Frank's name. And all the other members do have their secrets.

Frank and Lucy's romance is rekindled but they need to battle both external enemies and themselves before they find their way to a happy ending. 

I enjoyed this historical mystery and the intriguing cast of characters who inhabit it. I enjoyed the period details.

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

ARC Review: A Bitter Cut by Anna Lee Huber

A Bitter Cut
Author: Anna Lee Huber
Series: A Lady Darby Mystery (Book 14)
Publication: Berkley (June 23, 2026)

Description: Lady Kiera Darby plans to spend the summer reconnecting with friends and family in anticipation of the betrothal of her beloved brother. But when a future in-law is implicated in a murder, the party takes a deadly turn. . . 

July 1833. Lady Darby and her dashing husband, Sebastian Gage, are settling into their newly renovated home at Bevington Park in Warkwickshire with their young daughter. With the breach between them and Sebastian’s father recently healed, they've agreed to help host a country house party for friends and family to share in their joy. Kiera is also anxious to help promote a match between her brother, Trevor, and the woman he’s fallen in love with, inviting her family to join them. However, Kiera swiftly discovers that the would-be bride’s family is not without their detractions. Her brother is unpleasant. Her mother is abrasive. And her father—the prosperous industrialist Jeremiah Birnam—is brusque, discourteous, and, at times, downright rude.

So when Mr. Birnam’s secretary is found murdered with Birnam standing over her body, many are content to allow him to take the blame. But neither Kiera nor Sebastian believes he did it, and in spite of his bluster and boorish behavior, they can’t let an innocent man be hung for another’s crime. Unfortunately, Birnam had his fair share of enemies at the house party, and any one of them might have struck out at his secretary in order to get to him. It's up to Kiera and Sebastian to uncover the truth and salvage Birnam’s reputation. As the couple slowly inches their way closer to the truth and threats emerge against their loved ones, Kiera begins to fear that the price of solving the crime may mean sacrificing her brother’s future happiness.

My Thoughts: It's 1833. Keira and Gage have recently reconciled with Gage's father and have renovated the dower house on his estate for their country home. They are hosting a house party. Keira has invited the family of the young woman her brother Trevor is courting. Except for the young lady Trevor is courting, the family has a number of problems. The brother is unpleasant. The mother rude and abrasive and the father - industrialist Jermiah Birnam is discourteous and downright rude. 

Mr. Birnam has also brought his secretary who is, most unusually, a young woman. Keira fears that she might be a mistress snuck into the company when Birnam demands that she be invited to dine with the company. The dinner is already difficult for Keira to manage since Birnam is determined to convince Lord Gage's political guests against supporting a bill which would allow inspectors into mills and factories. 

When the young secretary is found murdered with Oil of Vitriol, Keira and Gage have a murder to solve before the rest of the large house party assembles. However, they are getting no cooperation from the Birnams who should know the young woman the best. 

I enjoyed this historical mystery. It is the 14th book in the series. I like seeing how Keira has grown to accept her differences with the love and support of her husband and family. I like the way Keira and Gage work together along with their personal attendants and Lord Gage to solve the crime. I also like the setting and time period of the mystery. 

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

Audiobook Review: Death of an Irish Mummy by Catie Murphy

Death of an Irish Mummy
Author: Catie Murphy
Narrator: Ruth Urquhart
Series: Dublin Driver Mysteries (Book 3)
Publication: Tantor Media (August 17, 2021)
Length: 7 hours and 3 minutes

Description: Squiring a self-proclaimed heiress around Dublin has got limo driver Megan Malone's Irish up until she finds the woman dead....

American-born Cherise Williams believes herself to be heir to an old Irish earldom, and she's come to Dublin to claim her heritage. Under the circumstances, Megan's boss Olga at Leprechaun Limos has no qualms about overcharging the brash Texas transplant for their services. Megan chauffeurs Cherise to the ancient St. Michan's Church, where the woman intends to get a wee little DNA sample from the mummified earls - much to the horror of the priest.

But before she can desecrate the dead, Cherise Williams is murdered - just as her three daughters arrive to also claim their birthright. With rumors of famine-era treasure on the lands owned by the old Williams family and the promise of riches for the heirs, greed seems a likely motive. But when Olga surprisingly becomes the Garda's prime suspect, Megan attempts to steer the investigation away from her boss and solve the murder with the help of the dashing Detective Bourke. With a killer who's not wrapped too tight, she'll need to proceed with caution - or she could go from driving a limo to riding in a hearse....

My Thoughts: The third Dublin Driver mystery has Megan Malone driving a self-proclaimed heiress to an earldom named Cherise Williams around Ireland as she tries to get a DNA sample from the deceased earl to prove her right to the inheritance. When Megan finds her client dead, her boss Orla's first thought is to fire Megan and kick her out of her apartment. 

Orla had been content to overcharge the brash Texan but doesn't want the bad publicity Megan's finding of her third corpse will bring to Leprechaun Limos. When the deceased's three bickering daughters arrive from Texas and demand Megan as a chauffeur, Orla has to retreat from her position at least temporarily.

Megan and the three Williams girls are determined to fulfill their mother's last wishes. Someone killed Cherise apparently to keep her from inheriting what looks like an empty title. They all want to know why and who.

I enjoyed this mystery. I like Megan who's an ex-pat from Texas making a new life for herself after twenty years in the military. She's settling into Ireland and happy in her job except when bodies keep turning up. 

I bought this one April 8. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: Stolen in Death by J. D. Robb

Stolen in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Narrator: Susan Ericksen
Series: In Death (Book 62)
Publication: Macmillan Audio (February 3, 2026)
Length: 13 hours and 9 minutes

Description: A violent death and a vault of stolen treasures has Eve Dallas struggling to solve crimes old and new in the next thriller in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series.

"Narrator Susan Ericksen masterfully conveys Eve’s emotions...And Ericksen’s adept handling of the cast of characters, including Dallas’ partner, Peabody; her commander, Whitney; and the victim’s family demonstrates her skill. A compelling performance." — Kirkus (Earphones Award Winner)

A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead—while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry, and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband, Roarke—who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief—recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing.

Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father—and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house, and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.

By all accounts, Nathan Barrister was a good man, a generous employer, a devoted husband and father. As for his father—he clearly had secrets. Now it’s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed—and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.

My Thoughts: Eve and Roarke are called from a gala to the scene of the murder of multibillionaire Nathan Barrister. He was struck on the head by a large piece of amethyst. However, the big surprise is the open vault next to him. The vault, concealed by Nathan's father, contains a huge number of stolen paintings, jewelry and other treasures. One of the most valuable pieces of the collection is missing. The Royal Suite contains five pieces with lots and lots of emeralds. It was also stolen by Roarke from the Tate Gallery in London when he was nineteen which makes the case very personal for Eve.

While a lot of the focus is on the treasures in the vault and the missing Royal Suite, Eve is most concerned with the murder. At first glance, it looks like the murder happened during the course of the robbery. But there are questions raised in Eve's mind about the timing. She needs to find out how someone knew about the hidden vault when Nathan, his wife, his college-aged daughters, and his sister did not know it existed until it was recovered during some remodeling.

Nathan's father was a known womanizer who was also beginning to suffer from memory issues in her very old age. He could have let the location of the vault slip to one of his many women. In fact, there is a blonde who is a possibility if anyone can track her down. 

Eve has to balance her investigation with her need to protect Roarke from Interpol which has long looked at Roarke as a suspect any time something of great value goes missing. Roarke is certain that he has covered his past crimes completely and isn't worried. Eve is. When an old enemy of Roarke and Eve's turns out to be involved in the theft and murder, Eve is even more concerned about Roarke's reputation. 

This was an excellent episode in this long-running series. I like the way Roarke has become such a valuable resource not only to Eve but to the NYPSD as a whole. I also like the growing and deepening love between Eve and Roarke. 

I bought this one February 13. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Botanist's Guide to Tradition and Treachery by Kate Khavari

A Botanist's Guide to Tradition and Treachery
Author: Kate Khavari
Series: Saffron Everleigh Mysteries (Book 5)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (June 9, 2026)

Description: Brilliant botanist Saffron Everleigh has set sail on her first research expedition, but it's disrupted by accusations of murder when one of her fellow scientists is murdered in this daring fifth installment.

Saffron Everleigh is newly engaged and full of optimism as she sets off on the adventure of a lifetime for any scientist: a research expedition. She sails to newly formed Turkey with her fiancé, Alexander Ashton, and a bevy of fellow researchers under the watchful and reformed eye of Dr. Henry. With only two other women on board, Saffron soon finds she is right back in the same infuriatingly misogynistic environment that marked the earliest days of her career. Only this time, Saffron is determined to show everyone, including Alexander, that she can handle the trials of an expedition.

And trials she has in spades. Before the expedition team has even arrived, Saffron has managed to find an enemy in historian Joseph Clark, who frequently torments the assistant that Saffron has taken under her wing, Martin Neill. But when Martin unexpectedly dies, Saffron is targeted as the main suspect.

Falling ruins, venomous snakes, and mysteriously blocked passages are the least of Saffron’s worries. With unexpected help from a familiar face, Alexander and Saffron have to work fast to prove not only that Saffron is innocent but that they both have nothing to do with a larger conspiracy at play among the expedition crew.

My Thoughts: The fifth Saffron Everleigh historical mystery sees Saffron on her first scientific expedition. She is traveling to the newly formed Turkey to explore Smyrna. Her fiancé Alexander Ashton is along on the expedition which is led by Dr. Henry. Unfortunately, Dr. Joseph Clark is also along on the expedition and is the one Saffron is supposed to work with most closely. 

Clark has taken an inexplicable dislike to Saffron and is playing dangerous pranks on her including a venomous snake, locking her in an underground room, dosing her with sleeping powders, and toppling a loose stone on her. Dr. Henry and even Alexander are inclined to see these things as pranks often done to those new on expeditions though Alexander believes Clark is going much too far. 

Saffron is determined to take care of herself despite these "pranks" and doesn't want to look weak by depending on her fiancé who has assigned her a "helper" named Martin Neill who is a young biologist. When Neill takes ill and dies, Saffron becomes an immediate suspect in his death because of rumors Clark has started about their supposed relationship. 

Arrested by the Turkish police, Saffron needs to depend on Alexander and a mysterious character from earlier in the series to unravel what is happening and to clear her name. Saffron soon finds herself in the middle of antiquities smuggling and old secrets. 

This was another engaging historical mystery about an interesting main character trying to make a place for herself in a man's world. 

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

Audiobook Review: Apprentice in Death by J. D. Robb

Apprentice in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Narrator: Susan Ericksen
Series: In Death (Book 43)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (September 6, 2016)
Length: 13 hours and 6 minutes

Description: Lieutenant Eve Dallas returns in a fast-paced new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb.

Nature versus nurture...

The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. Within seconds, three people were dead at Central Park's ice skating rink. The victims: a talented young skater, a doctor, and a teacher. As random as random can be.

Eve Dallas has seen a lot of killers during her time with the NYPSD, but never one like this. After reviewing security videos, it becomes clear that the victims were killed by a sniper firing a tactical laser rifle, who could have been miles away when the trigger was pulled. And though the locations where the shooter could have set up seem endless, the list of people with that particular skill set is finite: police, military, professional killer.

Eve's husband, Roarke, has unlimited resources - and genius - at his disposal. And when his computer program leads Eve to the location of the sniper, she learns a shocking fact: There were two - one older, one younger. Someone is being trained by an expert in the science of killing, and they have an agenda. Central Park was just a warm-up. And as another sniper attack shakes the city to its core, Eve realizes that though we're all shaped by the people around us, there are those who are just born evil...

My Thoughts: Eve's 43rd case begins with a shooting at Central Park's ice-skating rink. Three people are dead - a young woman practicing for an ice-skating troupe, an obstetrician skating for exercise, and a man celebrating his anniversary with his wife by recreating their first date. 

At first there seems to be no connection between the victims and no reason to target any of them individually. They were shot with a high-powered sniper rifle from far away. Fearing a LDSK - long distance serial killer, Eve digs deeper into the lives of the victims while Roarke designs a computer program to track the path of the laser beams and find the killer's nest. 

A very observant hotel desk clerk manages to describe the two suspects when the hotel room used for the shooting is found making Eve one step closer to finding the killers. It's a pair of shooters. One is older the other younger who seems to be related to the older. 

Before they can be identified, there is another shooting. This time it is Times Square that is the target area and five are killed including a young police officer. Eve manages to find a connection and identify the killers - a father-daughter team. 

The father was a former police tactical officer who left the force after his second wife died in a car-pedestrian accident. He's made a target list including anyone he can even loosely connect to the accident in his search for revenge. The list includes the obstetrician she was scheduled to see, the police officer first on the scene, and many more. 

But identifying the perpetrators doesn't mean catching them. The older sacrifices himself to let his daughter get away. But the daughter wants to complete her father's agenda and then start on her own beginning with her stepfather, mother, and stepbrother. 

Her next hit is outside of Madison Square Garden where she kills the lawyer who would take her father's case and seventeen other people. Eve and Roarke are even more anxious at this shooting since Mavis and Leonardo were there so was Sommerset who was using the tickets Roarke already had for the event. 

Besides the police procedural aspects of the story, the story was also concerned with fathers and children and nature versus nurture as Eve reflects on her father and Roarke on Sommerset. And circling everything is Bella's upcoming first birthday party. Bella is a prime example of a child being raised by excellent, nurturing parents. 

This is one of my favorites in this long-running series. The writing style resonates with me. The characters are engaging and, after 42 books, feel like real people with ethics, values, and love. 

I bought this one as a Kindle book in 2022 and an audiobook in 2023. You can buy your copy here.