Audiobook Review: The Last Hamilton by Jenn Bregman

The Last Hamilton
Author: Jenn Bregman
Narrator: Leanne Woodward
Publication: Dreamscape Media (February 11, 2025)
Length: 7 hours and 38 minutes

Description: After the last heir of Alexander Hamilton’s line is murdered, her heartbroken husband and best friend team up in this twisty thriller where a mysterious death uncovers not just an ancient secret society, but the treasures it holds—perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Sarah Penner.

The more they know, the more danger they’re in.

When Elizabeth Walker, the last heir of the Alexander Hamilton line, is tragically killed by a subway train in New York, foul play is immediately suspected. Elizabeth had been terrified, frantic, and manic during her last days, running mysterious errands, searching for a strange antique key, and sending cryptic messages to her best friend, Sarah Brockman.

The morning after Elizabeth’s death, a box of tattered documents lands on Sarah’s doorstep, confirming her suspicions about Elizabeth’s strange behavior and shocking death. She brings the box to Elizabeth’s grieving husband, Ralph. Working together, they are stunned to discover that Elizabeth was part of a secret society established by Hamilton himself to keep the United States just and free, its influence woven into every corner of the country’s history. As Sarah and Ralph race through the streets of New York to uncover the truth behind Elizabeth’s death, they must stop an ingenious and sinister plot before someone else catches up to them–and the secrets of Hamilton’s society are lost forever.

With fascinating details from the shadows of American history, The Last Hamilton is a sweeping and fast-paced thriller reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code.

My Thoughts: This recent release is a thriller filled with a 200-year conspiracy. When Alexander Hamilton died, his wife and children formed a secret society to further his goals of a just and free United States. His descendants continued the secret society and worked for the goals. 

Now, it is the present day, and the secret society has dwindled to only one woman, Elizabeth Hamilton Warren - the last Hamilton - at a time when the society is most needed. The United States is being threatened by a plot of the Russians and Chinese to destabilize the dollar by buying up all the world's gold and converting to a gold standard currency. They know, because they have recruited various financial leaders, that the US has a lot less gold than they say they have. 

Elizabeth has a plan but dies before she can execute it. She leaves her notes and her goals to her best friend Sarah Brockman and her husband Ralph Warren. Reeling with grief at Elizabeth's death, Sarah and Ralph band together to try to find out what Elizabeth knew and what she had planned to do about it. They have to scramble to figure out and stop the plans which are very near completion. 

We get Sarah's viewpoint, the viewpoint of one of Sarah's co-workers Pierce who is unknowingly working for the enemy, a Russian mobster, and Detective Schwartz who is investigating Elizabeth's death.

I listened to this one which really highlighted how implausible and over-the-top this story was. I almost strained my eyes from all the eye-rolling I did as I listened to the stilted dialog. If you can turn off any part of an analytical brain and just go for the adventure, this was an enjoyable romp. 

I bought this one from Chirp June 25, 2025, for $2.99. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Last Hamilton by Jenn Bregman

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

She knows it's there. She runs, skirting the barren bushes, weaving her way to the cellar door of The Grange. White and imposing, the colonnades rise in silent homage to the home's creator, Alexander Hamilton, a man of destiny who helped save a nation, but who, in the end, couldn't save himself.

Friday 56:

It was time. She tore a piece of paper from her notepad an wrote to Sarah. Her signature, a heartbreaking scribble at the end, fulfilling her destiny in the only way she knew how.

This week I am spotlighting The Last Hamilton by Jenn Bregman. I bought this audiobook when it was on sale at Chirp mainly because I had the review copy but didn't read it because it was missing the first three chapters. Here's the description from Amazon:

After the last heir of Alexander Hamilton’s line is murdered, her heartbroken husband and best friend team up in this twisty thriller where a mysterious death uncovers not just an ancient secret society, but the treasures it holds—perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Sarah Penner.

The more they know, the more danger they’re in.

    When Elizabeth Walker, the last heir of the Alexander Hamilton line, is tragically killed by a subway train in New York, foul play is immediately suspected. Elizabeth had been terrified, frantic, and manic during her last days, running mysterious errands, searching for a strange antique key, and sending cryptic messages to her best friend, Sarah Brockman.  

     The morning after Elizabeth’s death, a box of tattered documents lands on Sarah’s doorstep, confirming her suspicions about Elizabeth’s strange behavior and shocking death. She brings the box to Elizabeth’s grieving husband, Ralph. Working together, they are stunned to discover that Elizabeth was part of a secret society established by Hamilton himself to keep the United States just and free, its influence woven into every  corner of the country’s history. As Sarah and Ralph race through the streets of New York to uncover the truth behind Elizabeth’s death, they must stop an ingenious and sinister plot before someone else catches up to them–and the secrets of Hamilton’s society are lost forever. 

     With fascinating details from the shadows of American history, The Last Hamilton is a sweeping and fast-paced thriller reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code.

ARC Review: Murder by the Book by Amie Schaumberg

Murder by the Book
Author: Amie Schaumberg
Publication: Mira (August 19, 2025)

Description: Two dead students. A coded reference to Shakespeare. And the promise of darker things to come.

Near a small college campus, a student is found strangled in an abandoned barn on the outskirts of town. She's been posed to look like a painting of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet, the scene taunting the police with a message they don't understand. Detective Ian Carter is known as a straitlaced cop, but seeing the girl's body leaves him shaken and uncertain of where to turn—until a chance meeting with a charmingly awkward literature professor ends with her accidentally seeing, and solving, a clue left by the killer.

Professor Emma Reilly knows that the books she loves might hold the key to unraveling the killer's crimes now that a second murder has been discovered, with the victim posed as the Lady of Shalott this time. However, when the murderer strikes too close to home and kills a third student, one from Emma’s classes, she realizes that the safety of her insular life might be nothing more than an illusion. She must find the strength to confront a killer who is turning the stories she loves into lurid scenes of death.

Amie Schaumberg has crafted a smart, thrilling and utterly compelling mystery that will have you trying to figure out whodunit right up until the end.

My Thoughts: When a body is discovered in an abandoned barn near a small college campus in Oregon. Detective Ian Carter and his partner are assigned the case. Both can see that the body dump was staged but neither is sure what the staging implies. 

Luckily, Ian is scheduled to attend an exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite art where he meets literature professor Emma Reilly. The two enjoy the exhibit and each other enough to plan a date. The date which consists of dinner at Ian's house allows Emma to accidentally see the crime scene photos. She recognizes the staging as being Ophelia from Shakespeare. She provides a valuable clue and wants to help with the investigation, but Ian doesn't want to let her since he had a confidential informant die in an undercover operation he blames himself for. 

But Emma isn't able to just forget about the investigation. Her mind doesn't work that way. She reads like a very high-functioning person on the autism spectrum. She doesn't necessarily catch social clues, is very introverted, and puts on a personality in order to face her classes. 

Emma gathers herself a posse including Rory who is a former boyfriend turned department chair, Carolyn who is Rory's administrative assistant, Charlie who is an intern at the local newspaper and Carolyn's roommate, and Niall who teaches psychology at the college. Together they hash out the clues of the first death and the other two that quickly follow. While they are supposed to stay away from actual physical investigations, the do find themselves exploring the various crime scenes. 

The mystery was very literary in that there were lots of references to classical literature and classical art and various quotations from literature form some of the clues. But it was also a fast-packed thriller with lots of action and danger especially for Emma. 

I enjoyed this one.

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

Audiobook Review: The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Author: Laurie R. King
Narrator: Jennie Sterlin
Series: Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes (Book 1)
Publication: Macmillan Audio (January 10, 2014)
Length: 13 hours and 26 minutes

Description: An Agatha Award Best Novel Nominee Named One of the Century's Best 100 Mysteries by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association

In 1915, Sherlock Holmes is retired and quietly engaged in the study of honeybees in Sussex when a young woman literally stumbles onto him on the Sussex Downs. Fifteen years old, gawky, egotistical, and recently orphaned, the young Mary Russell displays an intellect to impress even Sherlock Holmes. Under his reluctant tutelage, this very modern, twentieth-century woman proves a deft protégée and a fitting partner for the Victorian detective. They are soon called to Wales to help Scotland Yard find the kidnapped daughter of an American senator, a case of international significance with clues that dip deep into Holmes's past. Full of brilliant deduction, disguises, and danger, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, the first book of the Mary Russell–Sherlock Holmes mysteries, is "remarkably beguiling" (The Boston Globe).

This program includes a Preface read by the author.

My Thoughts: This is the first book in what is currently a 19-book series. It introduces 15-year-old Mary Russell who becomes a protégée of a seemingly retired Sherlock Holmes. She literally stumbles over him while walking and reading. 

Mary is a wonderfully complex character. She's very bright and somewhat arrogant about it. She's an orphan under the care of a despised and uncaring aunt. She's determined to become a scholar at Oxford where she plans to study theology. She's almost crippled by grief at the deaths of her parents and brother in a car accident which gravely injured her but which she survived. 

Sherlock sees a mind he admires. He is determined to tutor her to become a detective. 

The story takes place over about four years. It is told in sections aligning to Mary's journey to become Sherlock's partner. From her earliest investigations into the theft of some hams to the kidnapping of an American Senator's daughter to a complex plot designed to bring Sherlock Holmes down hatched by an enemy out of Sherlock's past, Mary grows from apprentice to partner. 

The story is filled with rich, historical detail. 1915 was a sort of watershed year which changed society and attitudes. Mary is a modern young 20th-century woman. Holmes is a Victorian gentleman. The way they changed each other is a focus of the story even beyond the various mysteries.  

This audiobook was produced at the twentieth anniversary of the book's first publication and includes a preface read by the author. The rest of the story is ably read by Jenny Sterlin. I have read this book a number of times and found something new each time. 

I bought this one April 8, 2021. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective
Author: Jo Nichols
Publication: Minotaur (August 19, 2025)

Description: The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.

Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who’s hiding secrets.

The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he's innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form “The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective” to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit...until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page.

My Thoughts: This story told in multiple viewpoints takes place in some small bungalows in Santa Barbara. Mrs. B is the landlady. She has filled her cottages with broken people. Among them are a young playwright who is getting over being stalked, an agoraphobe, a queer sculptor raising her two kids, a perfectionist with an almost ex-husband, and a man who works in the City Planning department and has some secrets. 

When Mrs. B rents the last cottage to a man who has recently left prison and is a tattooed giant, the others wonder what she was thinking. But the story starts when they find a dead man in the bushes in their courtyard. 

The local police inspector thinks he has a slam-dunk: former con plus new body means he obviously murdered him. He isn't willing to entertain other options despite what the other residents tell him. The residents of Marigold Cottages form a text group and become closer to each other while trying to free their new friend. 

It even gets to the point where Mrs. B confesses to the murder in order to take the heat off her new tenant. But then Lily-Anne's ex tries to kill her and the body of a local developer who has been hounding Mrs. B. to sell her valuable property so that he can build apartments is found just feet away from the first body who also happens to be someone the developer brought in to help finance the deal. 

This was an intriguing and twisty mystery with nicely quirky characters. I liked seeing the story be gradually revealed through the various characters. 

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

Audiobook Review: Hades by Candice Fox

Hades
Author: Candice Fox
Narrator: Stephen Shanahan
Series: Archer & Bennett Thriller (Book 1)
Publication: Macmillan Audio (July 17, 2018)
Length: 8 hours and 8 minutes

Description: Candice Fox's Hades is the winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Novel.

Twenty years ago, two children were kidnapped and left for dead....

Homicide detective Frank Bennett has a new partner - dark, beautiful, coldly efficient Eden Archer. Frank doesn’t know what to make of her, or her brother Eric, who’s also on the police force. Their methods are... unusual. But when a graveyard full of large steel toolboxes filled with body parts is found at the bottom of Sydney harbor, unusual is the least of their worries.

For Eden and Eric, the case holds chilling links to a scarred childhood - and the murderer who raised them. For Frank, each clue brings him closer to something he’s not sure he wants to face. But true evil goes beyond the bloody handiwork of a serial killer - and no one is truly innocent....

My Thoughts: This was an extremely grim, dark thriller. It begins when some criminals bring two young children to a junkyard owned by a man known to be a problem solver. When Hades takes over, no bodies are ever found. But the two children aren't dead and Hades decides to raise them himself.

Twenty years later, Eden and Eric Archer are members of Sydney, Australia's Homicide Department. When Frank Bennett is assigned to the Homicide Department he is partnered with Eden. Their first case together involves a junkie who was rescued from the ocean and who has discovered a bunch of toolboxes filled with bodies. 

Their investigation leads to an off-the-books organ transplant scheme with a doctor who is willing to kill to get the body parts he needs. And, while Frank, Eden and Eric are trying to track down the killer, Frank learns more than he wants to know about his new partner and her brother. 

This was a story filled with morally grey characters. It is a story told with flashbacks to Eden and Eric's childhood with Hades. The mad doctor also has a point of view role. And Frank also has his point of view which seems to bind them all together. 

This is a series starter. It was engaging but now I have to go read something light and fluffy to get all of the grimness, evil people, and corrupt cops out of my brain. 

I bought this one August 12, 2021. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Story That Wouldn't Die by Christina Estes

The Story That Wouldn't Die 
Author: Christina Estes
Series: Jolene Garcia Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur (August 19, 2025)

Description: Emmy Award-winning reporter Christina Estes uses her twenty-year career for inspiration for her mysteries. In The Story That Wouldn’t Die, Jolene Garcia refuses to stop investigating, but someone is determined to kill the story—and maybe her.

Phoenix, Arizona TV reporter Jolene Garcia is fresh off winning her first Emmy and committed to covering stories that matter to her community. But Jolene’s managers want stories that grab immediate attention and generate clicks, not ones that take time to develop.

When a beloved small business owner dies in a car crash, Jolene isn’t convinced it was an accident. He’d been raising questions about who keeps getting lucrative deals at city hall—questions that powerful people don’t want answered. The deeper Jolene digs, the more suspicious things she uncovers.

Exposing greed, ambition, and deception could become the biggest story of Jolene’s career. Her bosses tell her to drop it. But there’s a story here, and Jolene’s going to find it.

My Thoughts: Phoenix, Arizona, television reporter has just won her first Emmy for reporting on the death of a local shock radio personality and is now feeling a little let down when she's assigned to check out cupcake bakeries to see if their products are really gluten-free. 

Jolene would rather be investigating the home invasion death of a lobbyist deep in the city's bid process. She's been told by a competitor that the bid system is rigged. When the competitor dies in a suspicious car accident, she feels that she's on the right track, but her boss is still fixated on cupcakes.

Her investigation has her getting threats and nearly being killed in a hit-and-run and there isn't a cupcake in sight. 

I liked Jolene's determination to find the answers both for seeing that the truth comes out and for her own career advancement. She is definitely single-minded and sometimes insensitive because of it. I liked that as readers we're finding out more about the past she's downplayed or concealed. 

This was an engaging contemporary mystery with intriguing characters. 

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (August 11, 2025)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

This was a very ordinary week. I spent it reading and listening. There were also baseball games to watch. 

Next week looks to be filled with reading review copies. My brother has a schedule this week that will have him working during dinner hours all week. I'm on my own for dinners and need to do some planning and cooking. 

Read Last Week

• If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia (Review, September 2) -- Nice romance. My review will be posted on August 27.
• Framed in Death by J. D. Robb (Review, September 2) -- Latest In Death is a police prodedural more than a mystery as Eve and company track down a serial killer. My review will be posted on August 28.
• River's End by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, mine since September 15, 2021) -- Romantic suspense standalone. My review will be posted on September 2.

• The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Kindle, mine since October 27, 2009) -- Historical romance set in 1820 England. My review will be posted on August 30.
• Payback in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread) -- In Death book 57
• The Deepest Cut by P. J. Tracy (Review, September 9) -- The Monkeewrench gang returns after a ten year absence. Nice to revisit the characters in this fast-paced thriller. My review will be posted on September 2.

• Random in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook reread) -- In Death book 58
• The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Audiobook, mine since December 19, 2024) -- YA mystery thriller with exceptional teens working for the FBI. My review will be posted on September 6.
• Taken in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook) -- In Death novella 37.5. A riff on Hansel and Gretel.

Currently

• Flash Point by Tracey Devlyn (Mine since July 24)
• All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Review, September 9)
• Balance of Trade by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (Audiobook Reread)

Next Week

• A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau (Review, September 16)
• The Princess and the P. I. by Nikki Payne (Review, September 16)
• Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh (Review, September 16)

• No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams (Review, September 16)
• The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi (Review, September 16)
• A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan (Mine since July 23)

Reviews Posted

• Picking Up the Pieces by J. R. Abbott (Review copy)
• A Silence in Belgrave Square by Jennifer Ashley (Review copy)
• Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver (Review copy)

• The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan (Review copy)
• Knife in the Back by Karen Rose (Review copy)
• Puma by Jorrie Spencer (Mine)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

Bought:

• The Price of Lemon Cake by Jennifer Ashley (Kindle)
• Mrs. Holloway's Christmas Pudding by Jennifer Ashley (Kindle)
• A Moveable Feast by Jennifer Ashley (Kindle)

• The Elusive Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Kindle)
• The Brazen Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Kindle)
• The Reckless Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Kindle)

• Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Kindle)
• The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Kindle)

• Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Kindle)
• All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Kindle)

• The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman (Kindle, Kindle Rewards)
• Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison (Kindle, BookBub, $1.99)
• Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Kindle, Kindle Rewards)

What was your week like?

Book Review: Puma by Jorie Spencer

Puma
Author: Jorrie Spencer
Publication: Samhain Publishing (August 1, 2009)

Description: Callie, a cat-shifter, is a loner by virtue of the puma that lives inside her. After a job gone bad, her very human need for contact sends her in search of the only family she has. Callie finds her foster sister in a disturbing living arrangement.

The truth is more dangerous than Callie imagines. And Dev's need to protect the vulnerable is as strong as Callie's own.

My Thoughts: This urban fantasy stars a cat-shifter named Callie. She's left her work tracking down rogue shifters and decides to try to find her foster sister.

When she locates Ruth she learns that she is under the control of a Minder. Callie had never heard of Minders, humans able to control people's behavior. 

Callie learns that her sister is under the control of a young Minder named Scott and in the care of Dev who is another of Scott's people. Scott has good intentions. He wants his people to be happy and healthy, but he's been influenced by the stronger members of his pod and goes about things the wrong way.

Dev has cared about Scott since he was his mentor in Big Brothers. But Scott's habit of "pushing" Dev has almost broken his mind. 

Callie, who hasn't spent much time as a human recently, is confused by the situation she encounters when she locates her foster sister Ruth. She only knows that she cares for her sister and Dev and wants to get them away from all Minders. 

She and Dev begin a relationship which helps Dev break out of Scott's control. But he still feels a need to protect Scott. Callie isn't sure if that is Dev's own feelings or something Scott imposed on him. And neither is Dev.

This was an interesting urban fantasy story with a woman who has a difficult relationship with her puma other self and who encounters a group she's never heard of but knows she doesn't like. 

I bought this one August 1, 2009. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Puma by Jorrie Spencer

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

The male had made his home in this canyon, where his tawny fur blended with the sand, where the night could freeze you and the day bring your blood to a boil. 

Friday 56:

He would miss her. Given they'd only known each other three days, the harsh regret was a little absurd, but it sat there, inside him, very real, very painful. She had opened up his past for him.

This week I dug deep into TBR mountain for Puma by Jorrie Spencer. I bought this one August 1, 2009. From the cover and description, I'm looking forward to an urban fantasy/paranormal romance which is a genre I used to read obsessively. Here's the description from Amazon:

Callie, a cat-shifter, is a loner by virtue of the puma that lives inside her. After a job gone bad, her very human need for contact sends her in search of the only family she has. Callie finds her foster sister in a disturbing living arrangement.

The truth is more dangerous than Callie imagines. And Dev's need to protect the vulnerable is as strong as Callie's own.

ARC Review: A Silence in Belgrade Square by Jennifer Ashley

A Silence in Belgrave Square
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: Below Stairs Mystery (Book 8)
Publication: Berkley (August 12, 2025)

Description: Valiant cook and amateur sleuth Kat Holloway must uncover the secrets of Victorian London’s most elite noblemen to save the man she loves, from the New York Times bestselling author of Speculations in Sin.

Kat Holloway knows that her beau and confidante Daniel McAdam has a talent for dangerous work as a Scotland Yard agent. At long last though, Daniel’s coldhearted boss has promised that after a final mission, his debt will be repaid, and he’ll finally be free. However, Daniel must risk his life one last time, masquerading as a secretary to an elderly viscount who could be the mastermind behind the recent plots against the Queen and her government.

Using her contacts throughout London, Kat discovers several of her friends and colleagues have been victims of vicious blackmail. They’ll do anything to protect their scandalous secrets, even conform to the blackmailer’s political agenda. If Kat and Daniel wish to save each other and the Crown, they must prove the blackmailer’s identity and evade those who will stop at nothing to eliminate them.

My Thoughts: In this eighth Below Stairs mystery, Cook Kat Holloway investigates the suspicious circumstances of the death of an elderly viscount Her beau Daniel has been sent into the viscount's home as a personal secretary at the orders of his boss who wants Daniel in dangerous situations and wants him dead. Monaghan has promised that this will be Daniel's last mission for him if he successfully resolves it. 

The viscount is suspected of being part of the Irish war for self-rule. The Fenians don't mind some terrorism in the form of bombs in various places if it will help their cause. Managhan wants Daniel to find some proof of the viscount's involvement. 

Meanwhile, Lady Cynthia brings Kat's attention to some blackmail letters that have been sent to various ladies with prominent husbands including Lady Cynthia's deceased sister and some of Lady Cynthia's friends. At first, the letters don't seem to have a connection with Daniel's investigation, but ties are found, and the danger ramps up. The second letters demand a payment of the woman using her influence to convince her influential husband or relative to the writer's viewpoint. 

Kat isn't going to let Daniel investigate alone despite his orders for her to keep out of it. In fact, none of Daniel's friends are going to let him investigate on his own. Among other things, Kat inserts a friend of hers as a maid in the house and Daniel's foster brother inserts a groom into service for a neighboring household. 

This story was an exciting entry into the series. I especially liked that Kat finally comes to realize what she really feels for Daniel. I also like the setting, and the pride Kat takes in her work as a cook. 

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

ARC Review: Knife in the Back by Karen Rose

Knife in the Back
Author: Karen Rose
Series: A New Orleans Novel (Book 4)
Publication: Berkley (August 12, 2025)

Description: From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose comes another "intense, complex, and unforgettable” novel.

Officer Naomi Cranston was framed for stealing cocaine from the evidence locker and coerced—through threats to her young son—into not fighting the charges. After five years in prison, she has tried to put the ordeal behind her, but the crooks who framed her have returned, this time demanding she move drugs along with her flower shop’s deliveries. They threaten her son once again, but this time she’s not capitulating quietly. She hires Broussard Investigations to protect her and her son, to prove her innocence, and to put the real bad guys away.

As a former cop, Burke Broussard is well aware of the corruption in the New Orleans police department. He had always believed Naomi Cranston to be guilty and isn’t inclined to take her case. Until he sits down to listen to her side of things. Until he sees her tortured innocence written all over her beautiful face…

A relationship born amid an investigation is a fragile thing. Will it survive the danger and the threats? Will it survive the truth?

My Thoughts: Former police officer Naomi Cranston spent five years in prison for a crime she didn't commit. She's been out for a year and is working in a flower shop when the cop who railroaded her and threatened her son comes to her demanding that she move drugs for him. 

At the urging of her boss at the flower shop, Naomi goes to Broussard Investigations to get some protection for the teenage son who is being threatened. Burke Broussard is also a former NOPD officer who left to start his own investigations agency. At first, he believes like the rest of the NOPD that Naomi is a dirty cop, but her story convinces him and has strong echoes of his own departure from the NOPD.

But the dirty cops aren't ready to give up on getting Naomi to do what they want. They attempt to kidnap her son and attempt to kidnap the children of the other investigators at Broussard Investigations. Everyone at the agency and especially Burke want to stop those who are threatening their children. 

While all this tension is going on, Burke and Naomi fall in love. Burke never thought he would since the loss of his fiancée in a plane crash years ago broke his heart so badly. And Naomi whose ex-husband testified against her in a testimony filled with lies doesn't have much faith in love or men. 

I enjoyed catching up with the many characters at Broussard Investigations introduced in the three earlier books. And I really enjoyed seeing Naomi come out of her shell and champion her own agency. The romance between Burke and Naomi was also heart-warming. 

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

ARC Review: The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

The Witch's Orchard
Author: Archer Sullivan
Publication: Minotaur (August 12, 2025)

Description: A ninth generation Appalachian herself, Archer Sullivan brings the mountains of North Carolina to life in The Witch’s Orchard, a wonderfully atmospheric novel that introduces private investigator Annie Gore.

Former Air Force Special Investigator Annie Gore joined the military right after high school to escape the fraught homelife of her childhood. Now, she’s getting by as a private investigator and her latest case takes her to an Appalachian holler not unlike the one where she grew up.

Ten years ago, three little girls went missing from their tiny mountain town. While one was returned, the others were never seen again. After all this time without answers, the brother of one of the girls wants to hire an outsider, and he wants Annie. While she may not be from his town, she gets mountain towns. Mountain people. Driving back into the hills for a case this old―it might be a fool’s errand. But Annie needs to put money in the bank and she can’t turn down a case. Not even one that dredges up her own painful past.

In the shadow of the Blue Ridge, Annie begins to track the truth, navigating a decade’s worth of secrets, folklore of witches and crows, and a whole town that prefers to forget. But while the case may have been buried, echoes of the past linger. And Annie’s arrival stirs someone into action.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed THE WITCH'S ORCHARD. Former Air Force Special Investigator Annie Gore became a private investigator after leaving the service. She is just holding on to that career. When a young man from rural North Carolina comes to her with a case, she wants to help him out (and get his fee so that she can get her watch out of hock.)

Returning to the sort of rural life she joined the Air Force to get out of brings up memories of her own past as she investigates the disappearance of three young girls from one small mountain town. Ten years earlier, three girls disappeared over the course of a couple of months. One, an autistic child, was returned after being gone a couple of weeks. The other two were never found. 

Annie describes her job as asking questions until she stirs things up. That's what she does as she reinterviews those who were around at the time of the disappearances. Circling through her investigation is an old mountain story about a witch and her apple garden. She asks most of the people she interviews to tell her their version of the story which helps Annie understand them.

This was an engaging story with a great main character. I liked the way Annie engaged with her suspects and ferreted out long buried secrets. 

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

ARC Review: Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver

Artificial Wisdom
Author: Thomas R. Weaver
Publication: Del Rey (April 5, 2024)

Description: In this propulsive near-future thriller, a journalist uncovers a plot that will upend the order of our world, involving a mysterious murder, a global political battle between a human politician and an AI, and the fight for survival in a climate-ravaged landscape.

In 2050, investigative journalist Marcus Tully is still grieving the loss of his wife and unborn child in the deadly heatwave that struck the Persian Gulf ten years ago.

Now, the world is both burning and drowning, and the decision has been taken to elect a global leader to steer humanity through the worsening climate apocalypse. The final two candidates are ex-US president Lockwood, and Solomon, an Artificial Intelligence.

As election day races closer, Tully begins to unravel a conspiracy that goes to the highest level. Then Solomon’s creator is murdered, and Tully is pulled in to find the culprit.

As the two investigations intertwine in ways he could never have imagined and the world hurtles ever closer to the brink, Tully must find the truth, convince the world to face it and make impossible choices to secure the future of the species.

But will humanity ultimately choose salvation over freedom, whatever the cost?

My Thoughts: This near future thriller takes place on an Earth in danger of failing its human occupants due to the near-fatal effects of climate change. Marcus Tully is an investigative journalist who is still mourning the death of his wife and unborn daughter ten years earlier in a heatwave that struck the Persian Gulf.

He is determined to find out what happened to her. He thinks he knows who to blame. He believes the President of the United States at the time ordered the use of an untested device to remove humidity from Houston and dump it over the ocean. Unfortunately, the humidity dumped on the Persian Gulf instead causing deadly conditions for 160 million people. 

Now, the same former President is running for Protector - an Earth-wide office to solve the climate crisis. His opponent is an AI named Solomon who was created by Dr. Martha Chandra. Not only does Marcus know Martha but her sister Livia works for him as a researcher. 

Invited to New Carthage, one of a small number of floating ecosystems, where Martha lives, Marcus and Livia go to see her both to find out about the upcoming election but also to see what she knows about Tully's wife's death. Shortly after they arrive, Martha is murdered leaving Livia as the heir to her sister's riches and Marcus at a near dead end to solving what happened to his wife. 

He also gets to know Solomon and supports his campaign to me the Earth's First Protector. But he questions whether or not he's making the right decision in a world were information can be so easily manipulated. 

This story was filled with moral dilemmas and advanced technology. I was intrigued by the possibilities of neural meetings and certainly by the creation of Solomon. This was one thought-provoking science fiction novel. 

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

ARC Review: Picking Up the Pieces by J. B. Abbott

Picking Up the Pieces
Author: J. B. Abbott
Publication: Crooked Lane (August 12, 2025)

Description: A dedicated group of jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts must put their problem-solving skills to the test when one of their own is murdered, for fans of Kate Young and Richard Osman.

After her mother’s passing, Katie Chambers returns to Cedar Bay, a serene enclave nestled in the southwest corner of Washington State’s Whidbey Island to support her newly widowed father, Jim Chambers. Stepping into her mother’s footsteps, Katie takes on the role of graphic designer at Cedar Bay Puzzles. With the help of her father, she resurrects her mom’s cherished initiative, the South Island Jigsaw crew, a group of puzzle enthusiasts who gather weekly at the library to test and tackle the latest Cedar Bay Puzzles creations. But when a member of their club is murdered and Jim is the last person to see her alive, resulting in his arrest, Katie and the rest of the gang must use all of their resources to obtain justice for both.

To prove her father’s innocence, Katie reaches out to Connor Crozier, a firefighter and her former flame who shattered her heart seven years ago. With problems piling up at work and a competitor outright accusing CBP of stealing his designs, it is up to Katie to puzzle out the mystery before it’s too late.

Perfect for fans of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers and The Marlow Murder Club, this charming and fun mystery will have readers puzzling over the mystery until the last page.

My Thoughts: Katie Chambers has returned home to Cedar Bay on Whidbey Island to support her father after her mother's death. Like her mother before her, she takes a job as a graphic designer at Cedar Bay Puzzles.

She becomes part of the South Island Jigsaw crew which is a dedicated group of jigsaw puzzle fans. The members include a high school student, a long-retired elementary school teacher, a retired defense attorney, a car salesman, and Elena Larrson, another employee from Cedar Bay Puzzles. They gather weekly to try out new puzzles and socialize. 

Things go awry when Elena Larrson is found murdered and Katie's father Jim is arrested for the crime. Katie pulls together the rest of the South Island Jigsaw crew to solve the murder and free her father. Things get difficult when it seems like Lieutenant Crozier of the local police is convinced that her father is guilty. She had a bad breakup with his son Connor before she went off to college in Colorado. Now Connor wants to be part of the investigation to prove her father innocent which brings up all sorts of mixed feelings in Katie.

The story was filled with red herrings and a wide variety of suspects. But the crew manages to use their puzzle-solving skills to find the killer.  

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

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (August 4, 2025)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

Despite the daily Air Quality Advisories, this was a good week. I went out to eat twice since I had two coupons to use at Texas Roadhouse. Otherwise, I did a lot of reading from my review stack. I also finished the 18+ hours of Angel-Seeker and threw in a 3+ hour In Death novella. 

I quietly celebrated my 75th birthday on Saturday. My brother did buy me a German Chocolate cake which we'll be eating for days. 

After I read the last 25% of my current review book, I will be able to finally read Framed in Death by J. D. Robb. I have been looking forward to that one for what feels like months. The previous book in the series come out in February. I've had this eARC for six weeks or so and have been chomping at the bit to read it but refraining until it's spot on the calendar arrived.

Even though I have 18 September releasing Review copies on my stack, I'll be able to fit in a couple of my own books this coming week. The review copies are bunched for later in September with 5 releasing September 16, 6 releasing on September 23, and two on September 30. I've been filling spots on my calendar with books I bought in 2025 rather than digging deep into TBR mountain.

I set up my September calendar and have been working on my draft posts as I listen to audiobooks or watch baseball. 

July Reading

I read 43 books in July. Twenty-two were mine and twenty-one were review copies. Nineteen of the ones that were mine were audiobooks including a number of the In Death novellas. I listened for about 145 hours in July. 

I added 44 books to my LibraryThing account including 22 Review copies and two audiobooks. One of the audiobooks was from Chirp. The other was an Audible Daily Deal. I bought a cookbook as my first hardcover of the year. I also won a Goodreads giveaway. Twenty of the new additions are still on the TBR pile.

My total collection has reached 8,079 items including 2669 marked TBR and 51 review copies still to be read. I have 785 books marked Read but Unowned which includes all the review books I've read since January 2020.

Here's my July State of the Stack post for more information about review books I've received and read. 

    
Read Last Week

• Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman (Review, August 26) -- Excellent mystery filled with Agatha Christie quotes and a very snarky main character. My review will be posted on August 19.
• A Lonesome Place for Murder by Nolan Chase (Review, August 26) -- The second Ethan Brand contemporary thriller. Great characters. My review will be posted on August 21.
• Death at an Irish Village by Ellie Brannigan (Review, August 26) -- Third Irish Castle mystery. Jam-packed plot, lots of needless repetition of plot points, a vast cast of characters, and a rushed ending. My review will be posted on August 20.

• Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander (Review, August 26) -- 21st in the Bakeshop Mystery series takes Jules, Carlos and Andy to a coffee plantation in Costa Rica where a three-day weekend learning about coffee turns into a murder investigation. My review will be posted on August 21.
• A Moment's Shadow by Anna Lee Huber (Review, August 26) -- Latest in the Verity Kent series takes place in Dublin 1920 where Verity and her husband are trying to track down some poison gas cylinders and solve a jewel robbery along the way. Lots of and lots of politics and a cliffhanger ending. My review will be posted on August 23.
• Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley (Review, September 2) -- YA/New Adult thriller packed with Ojibwe culture and the trials and tribulations of a young girl stuck in the foster care system. My review will be posted on August 26.

• Angel-Seeker by Sharon Shinn (Audiobook, mine since March 14, 2022) -- Finale of the Samaria fantasy series. Follows the lives of two young women looking for their place in the world. My review will be posted on August 28.
• Chaos in Death by J. D. Robb (Audiobook, mine since June 5) -- Novella in the In Death series.

Currently

• River's End by Nora Roberts (Audiobook, Mine since September 15, 2021)
• If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia (Review, September 2)

Next Week

• Framed in Death by J. D. Robb (Review, September 2)
• The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens (Mine since October 27, 2009)
• The Deepest Cut by P. J. Tracy (Review, September 9)

• All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Review, September 9)
• Flash Point by Tracey Devlyn (Mine since July 24)
• The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens (Audiobook, mine since July 27)

Reviews Posted

• Murder at Marble House by Alyssa Maxwell (Mine, audiobook)
• Who Let the Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt (Mine, audiobook)
• Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner (Mine, Audiobook)

• For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews (Review copy)
• The Locked Tomb Mystery by Elizabeth Peters (Mine)
• Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Tayler (Review copy)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:

• The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi (Review, September 16)
• Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict (Review, March 24, 2026)

Bought:

• Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin (BookBub, $1.99)

What was your week like?