Reviews

Picking up a Carol Goodman novel, readers know they are about to join a strong female lead character as she is immersed in a dark and brooding landscape filled with smart literary allusions and traditional Gothic elements. This is an author who knows her brand and...

In January 2022, Juneau Black—the pen name used by collaborators Jocelyn Cole and Sharon Nagel—launched the Shady Hollow Mystery series. It’s the perfect blend of traditional police procedural, cozy mystery aesthetic, and anthropomorphic woodland creatures. For those...

In an inspired marketing strategy, Sarah Stewart Taylor has released “Mud Season,” a free short story prequel to her upcoming new series launch, Agony Hill. Designed to introduce readers to the setting, time period, and characters that will feature in Agony Hill, “Mud...

The Burning is the sixteenth novel in Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder Mystery series spotlighting the Amish communities in and around Painters Mill, Ohio. Fans of this beloved series have looked forward to each year’s new release for over a decade now and Castillo...

Liz Moore’s Long Bright River was a breakout success in 2020, garnering both critical acclaim and a loyal fan base for an author who had been plying her trade for thirteen years. It’s been a long four-year wait for a new novel, but with the release of The God of the...

Delia Pitts has been steadily building a career with a strong foundation of fans who eagerly await each new release from her. Fans of the six novels in The Ross Agency Mystery series know that Pitts is a writer skilled at both creating believable characters who win...

Wanda M. Morris burst onto the crime fiction scene with All Her Little Secrets, a contemporary-set legal thriller that grabbed readers and wouldn’t let go. In an unusual, yet inspired move, she followed that success with Anywhere You Run, a historical crime novel set...

Over time, Clea Simon has proven that she is a writer capable of success across many of the subgenres that fall under the crime fiction umbrella. She has written cozies with cats—both realistic and paranormal—as well as psychological suspense, often with a gritty...

Over the course of three novels, Alex Finlay has quickly established himself as the go-to author for propulsive and escapist summer reading thrillers. His 2024 release, If Something Happens to Me continues this tradition and capitalizes on his skill at writing twisty...

When John Copenhaver released his critically adored second novel, The Savage Kind, it was revealed to be the first part of a trilogy that would follow Judy Peabody Nightingale and Philippa Watson, tracking their friendship/relationship across a landscape of America’s...

Nadine Nettmann is a sommelier by training and a crime writer by passion. Inspired to blend her two interests, Nettmann’s first series was a cozy-esque trilogy featuring Katie Stillwell solving cases in and around wine country. Now, with her new novel—The Bootlegger’s...

The best way to describe Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is as a delightfully engaging mystery that provides countless laughs and unexpected detours. While this is a debut for the penname, the author behind the novel is a seasoned veteran...

The fusion when the correct author finds the perfect subject matter is much like an alchemical reaction—a bond that is immediately felt and virtually undeniable. If it happens with a debut novel, it’s almost like magic. Case in point, You Know What You Did by K. T....

There is some truth to the old adage that there is nothing new under the sun, however, this simplistic view tends to discount innovations that can serve to make something familiar feel fresh in execution. Take for example, the second thriller soon to be released by...

Writing in collaboration can be a challenging endeavor, but when done successfully, it can add a new level of excitement to the resulting work. There is power in two minds navigating the tangle of paths, working towards the common goal of satisfying the reader. With...

SJ Rozan has never been the type of writer who turns away from a challenge. Along with her excellent Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mysteries and a plethora of short stories—both of which have won her countless awards, nominations, and accolades—Rozan has written non-fiction...

When readers encounter the perfect match between book and author, they can immediately feel the palpable connection. Such is the case with Leslie Karst and her new series debut, Molten Death. This was a novel that Karst was destined to write, and all the pieces of her...

Roughly ten years ago, Mary Kubica burst onto the domestic suspense landscape with her debut novel, The Good Girl. Releasing almost a book a year since then, Kubica has established herself as one of the premier authors tackling the psychological suspense sub-genre....

If the name Dervla McTiernan is not familiar to you, hopefully that is all about to change. With the release of her fifth novel—the stand-alone, What Happened to Nina?—McTiernan should be on the threshold of breakthrough status. Many would agree that What Happened to...

The Busy Body is a traditional, play fair mystery from Kemper Donovan—host of the All About Agatha podcast. Given his knowledge of Agatha Christie, it’s little surprise that The Busy Body will appeal to fans of the Golden Age of crime fiction. The story is very...