ARC Review: Deadly Does It by Abbi Waxman

Deadly Does It
Author: Abbi Waxman
Series: A Mason & Mann Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Berkley (July 21, 2026)

Description: When Natasha Mason’s AA sponsor is in deadly danger, she turns to the cranky yet brilliant Julia Mann for help, in this exciting new mystery novel from the USA Today bestselling author of One Death at a Time.

Mason, a Gen Z adrenaline junkie, and Mann, an ex-con, ex-actress, and lawyer turned sleuth, have already solved one murder together. United by their commitment to sarcasm and general disappointment with the human race, they now face a second crime that’s way too close to home. Alexa Rousso keeps having accidents, and no one but her thinks it’s a coincidence. Could her checkered past be coming back to get her? Mason and Mann’s investigation takes them to the Bay Area, to the Central Coast, and – of course – to the hippest spots in Los Angeles. Will the Berkeley boho vibe convert Mann from vintage couture? Will the wine snobs of Ojai drive Mason to drink (or to vinicide, which isn’t even a thing)? More importantly, will they solve the mystery before the murderer’s sights settle on the detectives themselves, or will this new challenge also be their last?

My Thoughts: The second Mason and Mann mystery begins when Mason's AA sponsor Alexa had problems. The event she's organized is sabotaged when the extremely large vegetables used as decor fall from the ceiling causing chaos. Then she mentions that she has been receiving threatening letters.

Juliet Mann, ex-alcoholic, ex-con, ex-movie star turned lawyer, agrees to take Alexa's case and try to find out where the harassment is coming from. Mason, also an ex-addict and Gen Z adrenaline junkie, is Mann's assistant who has a special interest in this case.

As Mann and Mason try to unravel Alexa's past to discover what secrets she might have and not remember or not say, they travel to Northern California which is also Mason's home turf. She needs to see her parents since her father has had a recent heart attack and is being harassed at work in the hopes that he will resign his teaching position. 

Problems with her sponsor and problems with her family add a lot of stress to Mason's investigation. Luckily, she has the help of Juliet Mann and her eccentric cast of associates as they unravel old secrets and new ones too.

I enjoyed the large cast of interesting characters. I like the relationships between them all. The mystery was also satisfyingly complex. 

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

ARC Review: The Midnight Taxi by Yoshi Gunasekera

The Midnight Taxi
Author: Yoshi Gunasekera
Publication: Berkley (February 10, 2026)

Description: When the last fare of the night turns up dead in her backseat, a Sri Lankan American taxi driver works off the clock to clear her name in this mystery novel by debut author Yosha Gunasekera.

Siriwathi Perera doesn’t quite know where she’s going in life. She never expected to be a taxicab driver in New York City, struggling to make ends meet and still living with her parents at twenty-eight. The true-crime podcasts that keep Siri company as she drives don’t do much to make up for the legal career she imagined for herself, or the brother she’s grieving.

When public defender Amaya Fernando gets into her cab, they make a quick connection through their shared Sri Lankan roots. Siri, whose social circle is limited to her grade-school best friend, Alex, thinks things might finally be looking up with this new potential friendship. But she’s suddenly dropped into her own true crime when she discovers her next passenger murdered in the backseat, and she has to call Amaya sooner than she’d expected.

Pinned as the obvious and only suspect, and desperate to clear her name, Siri chases down leads across the boroughs of New York City with Amaya’s help. But with her court date looming, they have just five days to find out who really killed the midnight passenger—or Siri’s life will be over before she can even truly live it.

My Thoughts: Siriwathi Perera is a cab driver in New York City. While she knows the city well, she doesn't know where she is going in her life. She's twenty-eight, lives at home with her parents, and is grieving the death of her older brother and the death of her dreams of law school. 

When one of her fares winds up dead with a knife in his heart when she goes to drop him off at the airport, her life changes dramatically. Luckily, one of her earlier fares is a public defender and fellow Sri Lankan. She's the one Siri calls when she discovers the body.

Siri listens to true crime while driving but never expected to see the justice system from the inside. She's bailed out by her best friend from her days at an exclusive private school. Now she and her attorney have just six days before the grand jury meets to find out who murdered the man in the cab's backseat.

I enjoyed the setting of this one. I liked Siri who is still trying to find herself and build a life after her beloved brother's death. She's smart and observant and very determined to stay out of jail. I liked the glimpse into Sri Lankan culture and also the glimpse into life in New York City. 

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