Still continuing with wet and wild weather, currently in a cool to cold pattern. We always get this setback going into Spring, but it’s annoying when you want to start the gardens. As if I didn’t already have enough, I’ve started a small water garden—really just a 26” bowl—should be deeper but couldn’t find one. At 26” though, I should be able to have a couple water lilies and an iris or two along with the free floaters. Preparing the water takes more time than expected. Once again, a big learning curve! I mentioned last month we were taking down the old tree in front of the kitchen window. This will fill in that void. (Too cold for the plants.)
Still going to our YMCA three times a week for exercise and to mark our insurance calendar. The Y continues to invent activities for us seniors—gotta keep us busy, I guess, but the cooking class was fun and now supplies me with fresh veggies once a month for several months, Bingo, a painting class for the CE, and my book club, of course. Hard to get our reading done, though, there are many opportunities for listening!
The CE andI read or listened to a total of fourteen books in April. As always, the major source of our books is the library (audiobooks and ebooks). (We still obtain ARCs from NetGalley (though not as often) and author and publisher requests.) The links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase information.
Both the CE and I each had one five-star read in April, but I happen to know he felt a bit of slowing in the middle of his book. Therefore, the favorite book for April and my only five-star review is:
My Reading Challenges page…I keep hoping to catch up. My Goodreads count is still off, and the landing page shows 53 of a challenge of 175 with one book owing a review from April and four books behind schedule. Oops.
To all my dear readers and fellow bloggers, thank you so much for taking the time to check out my posts and reviews. I’m trying to up my bloghopping and hope to see yours soon.
2022 Goodreads Choice Awards, Winner
2022 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, Long-listed
2022 Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, Long-listed
2022 Chapters Indigo Best of the Year, Long-listed
Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.
Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.
Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.
Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.
My Review:
Ah, gee, this is one of those books that start out whiz-bang and then halfway to two-thirds in goes off the rail.
Mallory isn’t long out of rehab when she lands a nanny job for a five-year-old. For her a dream job; her own little space, freedom, and she bonds with the boy, Teddy, no prob.
The parents were extremely specific on rules, and they had rules for everything, but it worked until Teddy started drawing details of a murder well beyond the ability of his years.
Gleaning the house history from new friends in the area, she begins to put together a lot of pieces that spell a story that’s hard to believe. When she broaches the subject to the parents, they dispute everything, deny everything, and intentionally misdirect her.
Hidden Pictures – UK cover
Mallory isn’t stupid (or maybe she is?), but there are so many problems with the idea that a nanny wouldn’t know the child better than she did to be surprised by the big twist. And the parents are further out than I thought—though something was off from the beginning—but Mallory was luxuriating in her circumstances and didn’t really think about the big picture for a while.
It just starts getting nutsy after that. Twists. Twists that add confusion. Twists that are just added to add twists(?).
It’s a fast-paced narrative, but after a while with one outrageous scene heaped on the last, it just gets too far over the top; only so much suspending of disbelief. Also, not a fan of a long-winded denouement.
This one starts out as a mild thriller then dissolves into a wild babblethon. If you enjoy reading this author and a suspense that goes awry, you may find this one compelling. I just couldn’t get past a few of the suppositions.
Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
Rosepoint Publishing:Three Stars
Book Details:
Genre: Paranormal Suspense, Murder Thrillers, Horror Literature & Fiction Publisher: Macmillan Audio Narrator: Suzy Jackson Release Date: May 10, 2022
The Author: Jason Rekulak is the author of HIDDEN PICTURES (winner of a Goodreads Choice Award), THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS (an Edgar Award finalist) and THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING (winner of the ITW Award for Best Thriller). His new suspense novel LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN pounces into bookstores on October 13, 2026. His novels have been translated into 40+ languages. He lives with his family in Philadelphia.
Two competing meteorologists are forced to find common ground in this opposites attract, When Harry Met Sally inspired romance, from #1 New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison.
Jackson Clark and Delilah Stewart have had their fair share of run-ins over the years, often ending in disaster. While Jackson thrives on routine and organization from the comfort of his radio booth, Delilah loves the spontaneity and adventure out in the field. When they’re partnered against their will to cover a historic snowstorm, they find themselves scrambling to figure out how to work together.
Eager to be taken seriously as a journalist, Delilah offers Jackson a deal: If he can help her ace this assignment, she’ll help him rediscover his long-lost fun side. With unexplored chemistry burning beneath their clashes, the unlikely partnership quickly tumbles into an easy and surprising friendship.
But when other feelings start to enter the equation, can Jackson and Delilah withstand the storm? Or does what happens in the mountains stay in the mountains?
My Review:
So what about “Heartstrings Book 2” didn’t I understand? Guess it was the possibility of reading about meteorologists that got my interest but this turns out much more romance than meterology.
Delilah Stewart is the candy chomping, sunshine grin and bear it girl to the opposing Jackson Clark, who is a quiet, orderly do it by the book guy who prefers to hide in his radio booth male counterpart. I think we are hitting on most of the tropes I’ve whined about before.
Delilah is a meteorologist who wants to be taken as a serious journalist but keeps getting dressed in ridiculous costumes and situations by the Keith, her manager, who sends her out on remote assignments.
Jackson is a serious student of the science and enjoys his little anonymous cubby while he’s controlling every aspect of the two sisters he rescued from his errant mother. The sisters prove both an interesting and sweet support to his story. He takes his work as seriously as the care of his sisters and is crushed when he learns he must cooperate with the TV station across the street in their idea to join Delilah, their popular personality, to report on a monster snow storm set to hit their area.
Okay, enter tropes. Sorry, I couldn’t invest in Delilah, only a modicum with Jackson given his circumstances, but as strong as he was with his sisters seemed like such a wussy with Delilah. The weather reports? I’d have fired both of them. Much more romance here than any kind of weather reporting.
And the ending? Couldn’t buy it. Shouldn’t have tried to read it—romance is just not my thing—whether or not it gets a bit graphic.
(Oh, and right after this book I started another—and the main character’s name is Jackson! What are the odds? Apparently pretty good since I’ve had that happen before even when the names are unusual.)
Many thanks to our local library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
The Author: NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author B.K. Borison writes cozy, contemporary romances featuring emotionally vulnerable characters and swoon-worthy settings. When she’s not daydreaming about fictional characters doing fictional things, she’s at home with her family, more than likely buying books she doesn’t have room for.
While war raged in Europe, the battle for America’s soul was already underway.
Blending fact and fiction, MIDNIGHT PATRIOTS follows real-life friends Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin as they confront powerful enemies threatening America.
It’s 1940. Europe is in flames. Germany occupies much of the continent, and the Blitz rains terror on London. Fritz Duquesne, a German spy straight from the history books, plots to kidnap Einstein and steal America’s nuclear secrets. Enraged by Chaplin’s mockery in The Great Dictator, Adolf Hitler dispatches an SS assassin to silence the man who ridiculed him. The story features Charles Lindbergh, Lena Horne, and J. Robert Oppenheimer—along with a beautiful German spy on a mission of her own. As Nazi agents and FBI operatives close in, all roads lead Einstein and Chaplin to a deadly showdown aboard the Santa Fe Super Chief as it races from Chicago to Los Angeles.
His Review:
Pre WW II the United States was in a turmoil. Lend Lease was providing England with tons of equipment and munitions to thwart the threat that Adolph Hitler posed. His desire to control the entire planet and develop a “thousand year reich” crippled the entire planet. People were being conscripted and killed by the millions while the philosophy in America was “let Europe fight its’ own battles.
Einstein had become a citizen 6 years earlier and loved his new country. Chaplin stirred the pot with a parody of Hitler as the little dictator. Hitler was sending hit squads to kill Chaplin and kidnap Einstein to bring him back to Germany and force him to work on their nuclear bomb. Meanwhile, some of their best agents are dying unexpectedly as they try to achieve Hitler’s goals of snuffing out and kidnapping these two miscreants.
Dr. Oppenheimer is working with the United States to help us win the nuclear arms race. Einstein resists any involvement in this madness and is a real skirt chaser. Between he and Chaplin they chase skirts all over the country. Their exploits are legendary! This book is fun to read and casts a whole new light on the nuclear arms race and the participants.
Edgar Hoover is portrayed as a megalomaniac who is very distrustful of President Roosevelt and sends death squads to eliminate Chaplin and grab Einstein. The F.B.I. meanwhile is tasked with protecting Einstein while trying to kill Chaplin.
I found the characters unbelievable in the way they might actually have been as opposed to the way we’ve always thought of them. Surprise, surprise! Fun characters in a way you’ve never envisioned them with a satisfying conclusion. 5 stars – CE Williams
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
Book Details:
Genre: Political Thrillers & Suspense, Historical Thrillers, Political Thrillers Publisher: Herald Square Publication Date: June 16, 2026 Source: Publisher and NetGalley
The Author: Paul Levine is the Amazon Number One bestselling author of the “Jake Lassiter” and “Solomon vs. Lord” legal thriller series, and new in 2025, the “Einstein-Chaplin Thrillers.” His novels have sold millions of copies, won the John D. MacDonald Fiction Award, and been nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller Writers, Shamus, and Thurber prizes.
MIDNIGHT BURNING
[Best Thrillers Book Review Names MIDNIGHT BURNING “Best Historical Thriller of 2025″]
The Genius and the Tramp fight fascists in 1930s Hollywood. Clouds of war gather over Europe, and American fascists are on the march. While the FBI obsesses over suspected communists, Nazi agents plot an insurrection on U.S. soil. When the world’s two most famous men—Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin—uncover the plot, they fight back with only their wits, raw courage, and the fierce resolve of Georgia Ann Robinson, the LAPD’s first Black female officer.
The book draws from real history: Einstein and Chaplin were close friends; Robinson was a trailblazer with the LAPD; and “Operation Hollywood”—a Nazi plan to assassinate Chaplin and others—was chillingly real. Historical figures like Charles Lindbergh, Joseph and Magda Goebbels, William Randolph Hearst, and Woody Guthrie appear in the novel.
MIDNIGHT PATRIOTS is the second novel in the Einstein-Chaplin Series. The first entry, MIDNIGHT BURNING, was named “Historical Thriller of the Year” by Best Thrillers Book Review and one of the “Favorite Books of 2025” by Bookreporter. The books stand alone and may be read in any order.
Levine also wrote 20 episodes of CBS’s JAG and co-created the Supreme Court drama FIRST MONDAY, starring James Garner and Joe Mantegna. A former trial lawyer, he’s a graduate of Penn State and the University of Miami School of Law. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.
Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie NYPD cops, are neighbors in the suburbs. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.
In Mary Beth Keane’s extraordinary novel, a lifelong friendship and love blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next thirty years. Heartbreaking and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes is a gorgeous and generous portrait of the daily intimacies of marriage and the power of forgiveness.
My Review:
Oh, look! It’s me swimming upstream again!
This is an intergenerational story that is told from multiple POVs. It starts out well with a hook regarding the two children that will grow into adulthood and through their children as well in a span of thirty years.
Peter and Kate are drawn to each other for some unfathomable reason after Peter moves nearby with his family. While Kate’s mother is happy and excited to welcome Peter’s mother to the neighborhood, Peter’s mother wants none of it and refuses attempts at being friendly neighbors. Both fathers are officers in the local police department.
Peter’s mother has taken a strong disliking toward Kate when the kids become teenagers and what starts as a small altercation escalates into a horrific tragedy for both families.
It’s a tragedy that will mark all members of both families the rest of their lives. After that whole scene is over, the rest of the story mumbles on until the reader is hoping for something…anything…just not more tragedy. But that’s what you get.
This reminded me of the years, generations ago, when the two in a totally miserable marriage but stayed together “for the children.”
That only served to make the children as miserable as the adults and colored the children’s relationships for the rest of their lives. And so it does here. The two cops were both Irish, initially bonded over that background, and along with that culture the alcohol associations.
I thought the pace to be agonizingly slow and felt most sorry for Kate. I couldn’t invest in either of the fathers, Peter’s mother was just dreadful, and I felt would never again be ready to be unleashed on society. Peter was so damaged, I just didn’t want to hear it. Somewhere in the middle, the plot broad jumped the timeline, which distracted the storyline forcing the reader to play catch up.
Sorry, but I just found it depressing and kept thinking about the kids—digesting this dysfunction until you can believe that if that’s what they learned, they’ll pass it on to the next generation. UGH.
It’s dark, full of flawed characters that even the ending only seemed to make worse. There were questions unanswered and nothing resolved. I breathed a sigh of relief when the end was declared.
This book was rather controversial with readers on both sides but Amazon awarded an Editors’ pick for Best Books of 2019. So you can decide whether this family life fiction is for you or not. I can’t recommend.
Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
Rosepoint Publishing:Two point Three Stars
Book Details:
Genre: Coming of Age Fiction, Family Life Fiction Publisher:Simon & Schuster Audio Narrator: Molly Pope Release Date: May 28, 2019
The Author:Mary Beth Keane is the author of five novels, including Ask Again, Yes, which was a New York Times Best Seller, The Tonight Show Summer Reads pick, and has been translated into twenty-two languages. Keane was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in the Creative Arts, and has received citations from the National Book Foundation, PEN, and the Hemingway Society. Her new novel, Whale Harbor, is forthcoming from Scribner Books on September 29, 2026.
Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.
In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.
Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.
My Review:
Oh, the whispers! Did Shakespeare really write his volume of works? A controversy long ballied back and forth. Forced to read Shakespeare in high school, of course, the introduction to the master and most definitely the reason I failed to seek out further works.
In this overly long narrative (much like Shakespeare’s works), there is a split timeline, a device I usually enjoy. Emilia Bassano is a talented writer in the sixteenth century, although in a severely female-restricted era struggles to get her works noticed. Actually, I thought it unusual a woman back then was taught to read or write, but failing to find any success, compels Shakespeare to publish her works under his name.
The author has obviously researched the subject well and sets forth some very compelling arguments, positing Shakespeare as a publisher of various authors while using his name and position. The writers of the pieces, usually so thrilled to see their works in the public are happy to pay Shakespeare just to have it published.
Gees! She had me convinced her theories made a lot of sense!
Come Melina Green, a playwright who has just written a piece regarding her Elizabethan ancestor, Emilia, and we are thrust into contemporary times and still very much a male-dominated industry not wholly unlike that of Emilia’s.
By Any Other Name – UK cover
Not sure why, but I seem to find the story of the ancestor more persuasive than the descendant. Shakespeare is very well developed as a character. He oozes a superior male attitude, demonstrates the good old boy posture with his male buddies, and knows how to make money. You get to know Shakespeare and turns out he is a man like many others except he was credited with writing upwards of forty plays.
For me, the Melina chapters tended to slow the pace and let’s face it, this is a very long book. I felt Emilia was fleshed more fully, a real woman back then with a mind of her own and backbone to push her agenda. It was fun that Melina’s roommate, Andre, submitted her work, and he also proved an interesting, well-developed character.
Certainly enough food for thought, grist for the mill and all that. I enjoyed the concept and thought in a debate, the author could well hold her own. Readers who enjoy split timelines and well-researched literary fiction would find this an engaging read—or listen. Just look at the list of narrators! They definitely help to keep your attention. Now, if it just wasn’t quite so long.
Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
The Author:Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.
Follow Jodi Picoult on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter: @jodipicoult
By the YouTube sensation with three million followers, the inspiring account of a young woman who, in a moment of personal crisis, embarked on an epic, transcontinental motorcycle ride—and along the way found a new sense of purpose.
Noraly Schoenmaker was a thirtysomething geologist living in the Netherlands when she learned that her live-in partner had been having an affair. In desperate need of a new beginning, she decided to quit her job and jet off to India. But her plans were dashed when she fell quickly and helplessly in love: with a motorcycle. Behind the handlebars of a Royal Enfield, a short tour of the Himalayas quickly morphed into an epic 20,000-mile journey. She would cover remote and utterly unfamiliar territory, break down on impossibly steep mountains, and push too many miles down empty roads. But through her travels, she discovered the true beauty and simplicity of the world’s open spaces, the kindness of its people, and a newfound, unshakable belief in her capabilities.
Free Ride is a “no-frill, from-the-heart” (BBC) story of self-discovery and renewal that is filled with unforgettable figures and hilarious disasters, showing what happens when you open your heart and let the world in.
Free Ride banner courtesy Amazon book page.
My Review:
One of my bookblogger buddies recommended this book to me and so glad she did. Not like I didn’t have riding buddies in my women’s riding groups that pulled some amazing miles, but granted, though many of them enjoyed off-road bikes, I wasn’t one of them. I was definitely more the cruiser type, not the Road King level cruiser, but my BMW caught many an eye.
Having gotten separated from my riding buddy as we were approaching Death Valley (she stopped for breakfast and I thought we were going straight through), I seldom rode alone. When I stopped at Furnace Creek to ask about her, was asked if I was riding alone, and if I had plenty of water. I told him, yes, for the bike. I didn’t plan to stop.
This woman rider was riding an off-road bike—400 lbs fully loaded…and single cylinder (Royal Enfield. I forget which model and I’ve also forgotten whether it was air/oil cooled rather than liquid cooled—might have been important considering where she was riding).
Not like she hadn’t ridden before, just that she wasn’t used to riding off paved roads.
Discovering her partner had been cheating on her for some time, she decided the best way to get over it was to get a bike and ride. Not the first time that’s happened, just a little extreme in this case.
Based out of the Netherlands, she had designs on riding to India. But that ride quickly gave her the taste for more…the Himalayas and frigid temps, wide open spaces and deserts, roads barely more than goat paths.
Taking off with as little prep or knowledge as she had, she did give some thought to getting some lessons on the way, which helped as there was almost no obstacle she didn’t encounter, including engine problems, flat tires, quest for gas, food, and shelter. For the most part, she found only men willing to help (not menace), and appeared to navigate customs, language, and clothing fairly well.
I enjoyed the tidbits of history, their food, culture, and language as well as her personal history, but the latter of which temporarily interrupted the pace of her narrative. She usually held a positive outlook, and when confronted with situations that appeared hopeless with the equipment or a remote location, kept her wits about her, puzzling out solutions.
Having worked as a geologist in remote areas, she was not unfamiliar with periods of total isolation. Her experiences with extreme weather and the people she met along the way served to forge a new reality in her and she came to revel in her strengths and the ability to overcome critical conditions and decision-making.
“Only motorcyclists can truly understand the appeal of a ridiculously loud exhaust.”
I would think anyone who has ever ridden would enjoy her book and marvel at the accomplishments made by a solo female rider in unfamiliar territory. It’s a fascinating chronicle and confirms what we always said, “It’s not the destination—it’s the ride!”
Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
The Author: Noraly Schoenmaker is the creator of Itchy Boots, a YouTube channel with three million loyal subscribers. A motorcycling obsessive, her journeys have taken her the length of the American continent, from Argentina to Alaska; from the northernmost point of Europe to the southernmost point of Africa; and to some of the least traveled regions of the globe. Trained as a biologist and geologist, she is based in the Netherlands. [Amazon]
Noraly Schoenmaker, known as Itchy Boots, is a Dutch adventurer and popular content creator on YouTube, renowned for her thrilling motorcycle journeys around the world. She initially worked as a geologist in gold exploration but later decided to leave her job to follow her passion for travel and adventure.
She launched her YouTube channel in 2018, documenting her adventures across various continents, including Asia, Africa, and South America, in a simple and engaging style. Noraly shares her daily experiences on the road, including the challenges she faces on rough terrains and in harsh weather conditions, making her content both realistic and inspiring.
Noraly has gained widespread fame for her courage and love of exploring the world, inspiring her followers to pursue their dreams and embrace new experiences. The Itchy Boots channel has become a favorite destination for adventure and travel enthusiasts, showcasing how passion can transform lives. [Goodreads]
Here’s your chance at a Twofer! I offer a short review of two gripping audiobooks on one page; short, sweet, and spooky. You like spooky? Good! You’ll get it with either of these audiobooks, same author (Taylor Adams) made more fun with the narrators. (Links on individual covers are to Amazon.)
Oh, and if you like a little twist at the end that you didn’t see coming, have I got a book for you!
Hang on to your hats because this one will have you caving (yes, caving!) with Tess and her BFF Allie. Allie is a successful travel influencer, having literally done some amazing globe-trotting jaunts to capture her followers.
Tess is claustrophobic and a debt-ridden legal assistant. Hassled by a stranger prior to entering the cave—unfortunately the type you descend into the depths rather than walk through an enclosed space—they realize the guy has followed them.
It isn’t long before the cave diminishes into a body-squeezing tube of blackness. GEES! If you’ve ever had a problem with tight spaces, this vividly descriptive, fast-moving plot will have your heart pounding and sweating bullets.
The deeper Tess goes, however, she realizes maybe the stranger isn’t the whole problem. Where is Allie? Tess leans heavily on bits and pieces of survival strategy she learned largely from Allie and her explorations. But who is Allie really and what is this whole adventure about anyway? Can Tess find her way out of the cave?
Well, as they say, “you’ll let out the breath you realize you were holding.” Maybe. But you’ll love it. So, something new and different. This gets intense! Lower your lights, the volume, and wrap that blankee around yourself. It gets cold in those caves!
Suspense fans? Thriller fans? It doesn’t get much more thrillerish than this. Released this year, it’s in your library. No excuses. Totally recommended.
Well, this one will give us reviewers a few thoughts to ponder! A new tweak right out of the hook, an author who really, really, didn’t like the review Emma wrote. What else has she got to do? She’s house sitting in a house remotely located on the coast. (AH, cue the wind…)
Her neighbor recommended this book and Emma discovers it’s a solid DNF, but plods on through and actually leaves a one-star caustic review. (Yeah, no. I could have told her that.) Surprisingly, the author writes back and asks her to take it back off Amazon. She won’t do it.
Then he gets nasty. She digs in her heels.
Then he becomes threatening. She realizes it might have been an oops, but too late now.
So Emma didn’t take this house sitting job out there by herself, thank heaven. She has Laika, her dog. Loved the dog. Emma is busy trying to heal a broken heart, walking on the beach (highly overrated in the winter), drinking, and chatting with her neighbor via a whiteboard. Clever! And maybe someone should know about the crazy author who is stalking her? You might be able to predict the storm that has the rain and wind banging the doors and windows of this place, right? EEK!
Yes, I see it–Adams is a master at writing suspense, thrillers, builds in the tension, sprinkles it with a little humor, adds a spritz or two of disbelief, and develops some wildly wacky characters. He has a strong and compelling writing style, unique plots with race car pace.
I had a good time reading the reviews for this book. I’m aware this is not a debut novel. It’s funny to read, however, the reviewers who reviewed this one mentioning a one-star review they’d left before that were now nervous, or not, regarding Adams sudden appearance at their door.
Now THAT’S funny! Obviously, those previous reviews gave him the plot for this one. This standalone was interesting—somewhat scattered—somewhat over-the-top, with perhaps one too many twists? Obviously, I’d say the author has grown in his style, dialed back some previous overdoing, and found a happy compromise with his twists. If I were going to recommend a Taylor Adams book, though, it’d be the one above, and heartily at that.
The Author: Taylor Adams is the author of several acclaimed thrillers including NO EXIT and THE LAST WORD. His newest novel, HER LAST BREATH, released February 2026 to starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, BookPage, and Library Journal. His works have been featured as Book of the Month Main Selections and Amazon Editor’s Picks. NO EXIT has been published in 32 languages and was adapted as a Hulu Original film directed by Damien Power (Killing Ground), produced by PGA-winner Scott Frank (Logan), and starring Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms), Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick), and Dennis Haysbert (Breakthrough).
His novels have been praised by critics at The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, and by bestselling authors including Joe Hill, Riley Sager, A.J. Finn, Michael Koryta, and Karen Dionne. “Taylor Adams is a master of suspense,” said Michael Koryta. “I’m already impatient to see what he does next.” Publishers Weekly wrote in their starred review: “Adams is a writer to watch.”
Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Winner for Readers’ Favorite Horror (2022)
I found the characters unbelievable in the way they might actually have been as opposed to the way we’ve always thought of them. Surprise, surprise! Fun characters in a way you’ve never envisioned them with a satisfying conclusion. 5 stars – CE Williams
Rosepoint Publishing 