Barnes & Noble – Page 6 – Rosepoint Publishing

The River’s Daughter by Bridget Crocker #AudiobookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Best Biographies and Memoirs

Book Blurb:

A vivid and propulsive memoir about finding courage and meaning in a life outdoors, by a world-class whitewater rafting guide.

After Bridget Crocker’s parents’ volatile divorce, she moved with her mother from Southern California to Wyoming. Her life was idyllic, growing up in a trailer park on the banks of the Snake River with a stepfather she loved, a new baby brother, and the river as her companion—until her mother suddenly took up a radical new lifestyle, becoming someone Bridget barely recognized. The one constant in her life—the place Bridget felt whole and fully herself—was the river. When she discovered the world of whitewater rafting, she knew she’d found her calling.

On the river, Bridget learned to read the natural world around her and came to know the language of rivers. One of the few female guides on the Snake River, she then traveled to the Zambezi River in Africa, some of the most dangerous whitewater in the world, where she faced death and learned to conquer her fears—both on the water and off. The river taught her how to overcome years of betrayals and abuse, to trust herself, and, finally, how to help heal her family from generational cycles of trauma and poverty.

A beautifully rendered memoir of a woman coming into her own, The River’s Daughter opens us to the possibilities of transformation through nature.

My Review:

The Snake River. The CE knows it well, having grown up in Twin Falls, ID. When our kids were late teens, our daughter’s then-boyfriend persuaded us into taking a rafting trip on the American River (California). While I know our little ride (see photo) didn’t compare with what is described in this book, I only know I wasn’t into looking for greater class rapids than these, one of which almost pitched me out of the raft.

But it was fun and I’ll never forget it.

So there were several things that caught my attention about this book. And it didn’t disappoint.

The author describes her early life with first, an abusive father, then a mother tuning in, turning on, and then checking out. Too bad, as she had learned to love the step-father. It was a chance to ride some rapids that gave her a calling. She loved the river. It spoke and sang to her. It didn’t take long before she doubled down to learn how to guide, rather than just ride.

The revelation of her childhood is prefaced with trigger warnings of abuse and sexual assault. Parents who were themselves abused who knew no other way to parent. Bridget watches the metamorphosis of her mother into a flower child she didn’t know, couldn’t understand, and really didn’t want the responsibility of her daughter anymore.

Bridget’s choice of male companions reflects what might have become a generational cycle trying to repeat itself and usually ends in abandonment and the realization that what she had was not the love she’d hoped.

Still, that might also have been instrumental in her continued striving to become an independent world-class white water guide, and she conquers that goal when she finally writes of the rapids of Zambia’s Zambezi River. The writer waxed poetically, often confirming her love of the wild, with prose that delighted the mind’s eye, lent perfumed mist to the air, and authentic African sights and sounds.

Descriptions of treacherous waters, boulders and spray, and the peculiarities of eddies and precipitous drops were detailed with emotional clarity. OOH!! I loved those descriptions and the descriptions of her various guides on world-class rafting rivers.

Sorry, but I loved those sections. Not so much her attempts at reconciliation with both mother and father. Why? She has fully transformed herself. Won her struggle with the trauma…healed. She is awesome.

Ever thought you’d like to try out some white water? You might wish to check out this book first. I recommend it. And rafting? I figure you have to experience it at least once.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: North America Travel & Tourism, Adventure Travel
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau by Spotify Audiobooks
ASIN: B0DJHDN97L
Listening Length: 9 hrs 11 mins
Narrator: Bridget Crocker
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Bridget Crocker - author — Photo and bio courtesy Goodreads author profile.

The Author: Explorer. Storyteller. Guide.
A leading whitewater explorer and river guide, Bridget Crocker writes adventure memoir for life travelers forging new directions in their relationships and lives. Crocker’s writing transports readers to far-flung locations filled with flawed characters overcoming incredible adversity. A trauma survivor, Crocker explores themes of recovery and overcoming multi-generational cycles as well as sexism and racism in the outdoor industry. In her work as an author, speaker and leader of women’s empowerment river workshops, Crocker helps others strengthen their connection with the natural world and find the courage to navigate harrowing obstacles both on and off the river.

#Audiobooks

Only Way Out: A Novel by Tod Goldberg #BookReview #DarkHumor

Book Blurb:

A luckless thief’s wrong turn becomes a crooked cop’s fortune in a wild ride of a thriller by a New York Times bestselling author.

Failed lawyer Robert Green has such a good plan: Crack three hundred safe-deposit boxes and sail off to South America with his brilliant, morally flexible sister, Penny. If it weren’t for the damned freezing rain.

In the dying resort town of Granite Shores, cop Jack Biddle is self-appointed king—mostly of bad decisions. Between his family’s crumbling legacy, a wife who just joined the city council, and life-threatening gambling debts, Jack’s looking for a way out. Then he spots a van spinning off a mountain road into the valley below. In the wreckage, Jack finds a very dead Robert, millions in heisted loot…and opportunity.

All Jack has to do is clean up the mess, disappear Robert’s body, make off with the fortune, and not get caught. One hitch is Penny. Another is Mitch Diamond, a wild card ex-con who knows more about the missing fortune than he lets on. Jack, Penny, and Mitch each have an endgame. But there’s only one way out, and they’re crashing headlong toward it.

His Review:

Penny Green had always been the smartest person in any room. Her IQ being above 220 meant her mind captured anything she saw or read. She was required to work with a criminal element that held her on the threat of death. There seemed to be no way out.

Those hired to “Protect and Serve” were no help whatsoever. Work with them or expect a bullet in the back of the head. This was the path Penny seemed to be following. She had no alternative and no way out. The crime boss got immensely wealthy while she remained under his thumb, literally!

Jack Biddle has been the Chief of Police in Granite Shores for two decades. He knew where all of the bodies were hidden and how many of the citizens owed him special treatment. Near the end of the book, he finds himself on the wrong side of some very vindictive people. Granite Shores has been controlled by the criminal element for as long as anyone could remember. Mercy and compassion are not in the city father’s vocabulary.

This book highlights some of the cruel elements that run some of the coastal cities. Gritty, unlikable characters tends to the profane. 3.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Dark Humor, Heist Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN-13: 978-1662525636
ASIN: B0DWPF2ST2
Print Length: 367 pages
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Tod Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books of fiction, including The Low Desert: Gangster Stories, Gangsterland, a finalist for the Hammett Prize, Gangster Nation, The House of Secrets, which he co-authored with Brad Meltzer, and Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His essays, nonfiction, and criticism appear widely, including in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal, as well as Best American Essays, and have earned five Nevada Press Association Awards. He is also the cohost, along with Rider Strong and Julia Pistell, of the popular podcast Literary Disco. Goldberg is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside, where founded and directs the Low Residency MFA program in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @todgoldberg and on Facebook at facebook.com/todgoldberg or visit todgoldberg.com.

Have a great day!

Good Days Bad Days: A Novel by Emily Bleeker #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

A daughter reconnects with her estranged parents before it’s too late in an emotional novel about memories, secrets, and finding home by the bestselling author of When We Chased the Light.

Charlie McFadden was fifteen years old when CPS removed her from her hoarded home. Her mother, Betty, chose her worthless collectibles. Her father chose Betty. Neither chose Charlie.

Thirty-one years later, a mother herself and cohost of a popular reality show with her husband, Charlie is proud of what she accomplished without her parents—relative strangers she never saw again. Until the day Charlie’s father pleads with her to come home and to say goodbye to her mother, now confined to a memory care center. Betty has her good days, recognizing her daughter with familiar resentment. And her bad ones, lost in the past as a blissful young mother with a cherished newborn. Those days make Charlie feel loved.

For Charlie, each memory is a journey and a revelation. She sees a mother she never knew—bright and beautiful with so much promise. But hidden away is also a fiercely guarded secret. Shared, it could finally bring hope and healing to a broken family. If Betty can bear to remember it.

My Review:

Extreme cases of hoarding. Good grief. Something I’d never read about before nor took terribly seriously. It’s as insidious as alcoholism, slowly taking over the person and then that person’s close members to the point of their very class of living.

My mother lived through the depression. When I tried to help my sister with the storage shed behind their mobile home, I was confronted with a quarter of the shed stacked with toilet paper. Funny then, years later when Covid hit that mother was gone too late to see her stash come in handy. But she was not a hoarder. Not in this definition.

Charlie (Charlotte, Lottie) McFadden is a TV host ah la Joanna Gaines who, at a crisis in her own home, is called by her father that he needed help with their home. Her mother, Betty, is in memory care, had been a hoarder to the point that Charlie was removed from the home at age 15 to foster care. She never went back and estranged all this time, reluctant to go back now except for the predicament with her marriage. He will lose the home if it is not cleared and cleaned up.

The time line as remembered through her dad then switches back and forth between the present day and Betty’s history is becoming exposed with the extensive cleaning. Her dad has always supported Betty to the exclusion of Charlie, something she grew very bitter about.

And the “good” days? That’s according to the nurse handling Betty that day who sees the real Betty—the one who is angry, disagreeable, and recognizes Charlie with vehemence. Not at all the loving mother of “Laura,” who on “bad” days doesn’t recognize Charlie as Charlie but a soft spoken, kindly, and loving mother. It’s the disease, the dementia.

As Charlie hammers away at Betty on bad days, trying to get to the truth of her history, there are hints of a twist. Who is…was…Laura? What’s with her father? Why won’t he talk to Charlie, fill in all the blanks?

A powerful story that examines, dissects, and disseminates dementia, painting the character scary and beautiful at the same time; sympathetic, clueless, difficult. That the house and hoarding was chosen over Charlie, their daughter, is a mantra throughout the book. Themes of a fractured, enabled marriage, damaged family dynamics, secrets, and emotional dimensions.

The setting of Lake Geneva is lovely, bringing to mind our one trip there to explore and taste the food, drink in the scenery. A tourist destination.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Marriage & Divorce Fiction, 20^th Century Historical Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
ISBN: 978-1662531255
ASIN: B0DXG9J6ZT
Print Length: 379 pages
Publication Date: October 7, 2025
Source: Publisher and Netgalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Emily Bleeker is a former educator who discovered her passion for writing after introducing a writer’s workshop to her students. She soon found a whole world of characters and stories living inside of her mind. It took a battle with a rare form of cancer to give her the courage to share that amazing world with others. Emily lives in suburban Chicago with her family. Between writing and being a mom, she attempts to learn guitar, performs with the house team of a local improv troupe, dabbles in karaoke, and embraces her newfound addiction to running. Connect with her or request a Zoom visit with your book club at emilybleeker.com.

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Promise of Unbroken Straw by Ken Steele #BookReview #HistoricalWWIIFiction

Book Blurb:

1944, Oklahoma. With their family farm on the brink of ruin, Paul’s life takes an unexpected turn—but newfound fortune comes at an unimaginable cost.

In rural Oklahoma, 13-year-old Paul wrestles with more than the typical burdens of adolescence. With a struggling farm, Allied boots marching through Europe, and whispers surrounding his mother’s death, life feels anything but simple. But when an unexpected windfall saves them from poverty, Paul discovers that wealth brings complications he never imagined.

Paul’s rags-to-riches move to Tulsa thrusts him into a world of private schools and sprawling mansions, where he and his brother face bullies, a distant father’s impossible expectations, and the weight of devastating loss. Haunted by guilt and buried secrets, Paul’s journey spans decades as he searches for forgiveness and a way to bridge the chasm between himself and the father he never truly knew.
Award-winning and praised for its unforgettable characters, The Promise of Unbroken Straw is a journey of heartbreak, secrets, and redemption.

His Review:

The promise of free land sent many homesteaders to Oklahoma’s panhandle. Life there is very difficult but love and a strong will holds the families together. Tending animals, weeding, caring for the soil, and resting at night is their only reward for this lifestyle.

There are affluent families in Tulsa but the homestead is three plus hours away from the city. Then, the discovery of oil on their property alters the fortunes of the family. Moving into a fine house in the city changes the entire family’s future.

Rich youth take advantage of the situation, and the two sons are harassed and bullied at school. There is no respite from the bullies who push around the boys who have been taught not to respond. This story is tension-filled and very poignant and reminds me of my youth long ago. Read and enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical World War II & Holocaust Fiction, Historical World War II Fiction, World War II Historical Fiction
Publisher: Yorkshire Publishing
ASIN: B0D3QR6M1Q
Print Length: 374 pages
Publication Date: May 8, 2024
Source: Author and publisher

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ken Steele holds degrees in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University and MIT. The Promise of Unbroken Straw is Ken’s debut novel, a work of historical fiction. He resides in Colorado with his wife of 41 years where his days are filled with skiing, pickleball, golf, hiking, and all that the mountains can offer.

AI generated graphic courtesy Gemini Flash 2.5

Beartown by Fredrik Backman #AudiobookReview #bookclubs #TuesdayBookBlog

#1 Best Seller in Sports Fiction

My participation with The Y Book Club for July was Beartown by Backman. Yes, I listened to this audiobook back in 2022 before quickly discovering that it’s sports fiction, definitely not one of my usual genres. Reloading an ebook so I could refresh my memory of it for the club meeting, I discovered new depths to the narrative I’d missed in skimming the sports dialogue.

Book Blurb:

By the lake in Beartown is an old ice rink, and in that ice rink Kevin, Amat, Benji, and the rest of the town’s junior ice hockey team are about to compete in the national semi-finals—and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Under that heavy burden, the match becomes the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown.

This is a story about a town and a game, but even more about loyalty, commitment, and the responsibilities of friendship; the people we disappoint even though we love them; and the decisions we make every day that come to define us. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.

My Thoughts

Beartown was my first experience with a Backman novel and my problem was in having the patience sufficient to get through the heavily weighted ice hockey game descriptions; game strategy, players, coaches, parents, rivalry, and ethics to get to the crux of the novel.

Of course, I loved that it is located in a tiny community in a deeply forested area of Sweden. It is the crushing isolation and the economic loss killing the little town that seems to force the only claim to fame it possesses—a winning junior ice hockey team. Some of these kids are so good they are recruited to professional hockey. Too much weight on the shoulders of teenagers, however, builds the tension that eventually threatens to bury the last of their hopes.

The moderator led us into several spirited discussions and nuances I’d missed on my own. When I read it earlier, I thought it was an emotional look at parenting, teenage angst, friendships, and disloyalty. I could understand the decisions made while at the same time railed at the loss it reflected.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Club Thoughts

Spirited discussion on many of the book club’s point discussions. Most were shocked at the turn of events to the tragic circumstances about half-way into the book and then further shocked at the sharp division of opinion or sentiments about the incident. Of course, that was the driving emotion triggering frustration at the lack of options. Hidden behind the division of he said/she said was the obvious impact of how any remedy could possibly affect the entire future of the little town. No equitable solution in sight.

As possibly expected, the group hit the same wall as the author expected his readers would. Was there ever to be an equitable solution? Must it always be the sacrifice of one or a few for the good of the many?

Book Club book ratings vote

Book Details:

Genre: Sports Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 978-1501160783
ASIN: B01KG5GQDS
Print Length: 430 pages
Publication Date: April 25, 2017
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, The Winners, Anxious People and two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime, as well as one work of nonfiction, Things My Son Needs to Know About the World. His books are published in more than forty countries. His next novel, My Friends, will be published in May 2025. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter @BackmanLand or on Instagram @Backmansk.

Book Club meeting — AI generated graphic courtesy Gemini 2.5 Flash

Red Shadows at Saugatuck by Randy Overbeck #BookReview #ParanormalFantasy

The Haunted Shores Mysteries Series Book 4

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Darrell Henshaw hoped he was past it all. After all, no ghosts had visited him for years. Instead, he learns his five-year-old-son, Leo, has inherited his “gift.”
Now, they both can see ghosts.
Upon his parents’ insistence, Darrell drives his young family 800 miles to celebrate his aunt Gertrude’s 80th birthday. But, once they arrive in the resort town of Saugatuck, Michigan, their participation gets derailed by the spirit of a Native teen who went missing weeks earlier. When he and Leo inquire about the girl, the locals dismiss their concerns—”Those girls run away all the time.” Still, as questions pile up and threats grow, Darrell senses they may have stumbled onto something far worse and even more evil than one missing teen.
Can Darrell continue to pursue justice for the girl if it places his wife and son in danger?

His Review:

The main characters include a father who has just discovered on a trip to Michigan with his family that his five-year-old son apparently has the same “gift” he has with seeing ghosts. They are being summoned by the ghost of a Native teen but realizing that trying to help her plight may gravely endanger his own family. The writing is gripping, emotional, sensitive, and pocked with twists that’ll keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

Many young Native American women go missing each year. Many of the young women leave to gain a better quality of life. The belief is that they run away from home in their early teens and are never heard from again. The actual reason is much more sinister. The plight of Native Americans is the breaking of treaties by the government and displacement of the tribes into some of the poorest areas and non-arable soils in our country.

Randy Overbeck has written a very fine exposé on the actual reason that they seem to be missing. The resulting crimes are neither investigated nor prosecuted! C E Williams This story made me angry because of the lack of attention to this matter by any governmental group. Shame on our country for not protecting these people and prosecuting the criminals. Read the story and see if you don’t agree. 5 stars – CE Williams

[Note: We’ve both been given the opportunity to read installments in the Haunted Shores Mysteries series, including Blood on the Chesapeake and Crimson at Cape May. Read one and you’re hooked. This can be read as a standalone, but each is a treat and we can heartily recommend. V Williams]

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
ASIN: B0F89DGNMF
Print Length: 361 pages
Publication Date: July 23, 2025
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author, speaker and podcaster. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades and has mined that experience to create captivating fiction, authoring two series, the bestselling series, “The Haunted Shores Mysteries,” and the award-winning series, “Lessons in Peril.” His novels have won critical acclaim and garnered national awards including Mystery of the Year (ReaderViews) Best Book Award (Chanticleer Books and Reviews) and the Gold Award (Literary Titan) and amassed hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Dr. Overbeck also hosts the popular podcast, “Great Stories about Great Storytellers,” which reveals the unusual and sometimes strange backstories of famous authors, directors and poets and can be heard wherever listeners get their podcasts. He is a speaker in considerable demand, sharing his popular presentations about ghosts and the world of book publishing with hundreds of audiences all over the U.S.

As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.

When he’s not researching, writing, speaking or podcasting, Randy enjoys traveling with his wife Cathy and visiting both his far-flung family and the scenic locations around this country, often in search of inspiration for his next great story.

Have a good week!

A Body at the Book Fair by Ellie Alexander #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

A Secret Bookcase Mystery

Book Blurb:

In the gripping conclusion to The Secret Bookcase series, Annie Murray races to untangle the ultimate plot twist…

Life is good for Annie: she’s found healing at the Secret Bookcase, her beloved Agatha Christie-themed mystery bookstore in the cozy town of Redwood Grove, and is on the brink of launching her very own detective agency. But she’s still haunted by one unsolved case: the murder of her best friend Scarlet ten years ago.

When Annie heads to Santa Clara for their annual book fair, she’s looking forward to meeting fellow booklovers. And she’s also got a secret mission: she’ll be close to Silicon Summit Partners, the powerful investment firm she just knows had a hand in Scarlet’s death. But when an industry colleague is murdered at the book fair, Annie is first on the scene to investigate. The suspect list reads like a book lover’s who’s who: a celebrity author with a suspicious agenda, a rival with a grudge, and even a kindly grandmother pursuing her lifelong dream of owning a bookstore.

With her fellow bookseller and crime-fighting partner Fletcher playing Watson to her Holmes, can Annie catch the killer before they strike again? And will it distract her from her mission to finally bring her best friend Scarlet’s murderer to justice?

This fun-filled and clean cozy mystery will keep you guessing until the very end. Perfect for fans of Lauren Elliott, Merryn Allingham and M.C. Beaton, and book lovers everywhere.

My Review:

I’ve been a fan of this author for some time. She can weave a great cozy mystery at the same time as infusing the storyline with engaging atmospherics.

“A hint of a strong antiseptic cleaner hung in the air, mingled with the distinct scent of corruption.”

Annie Murray has been looking forward to this book fair for some time, not just because she’ll hook up with industry colleagues, but it will give her access to the Silicon Summit Partners, who Annie has long suspected was instrumental in the death of her best friend, Scarlet, who was soon to be her partner in their new detective agency, Novel Detectives.

It’s not like Annie hasn’t gained some experience in the latter and, fortunately, she has a close associate, Fletcher Hughes, who’ll have her back at the book fair and at the investment firm she’ll investigate while there.

While Annie is attending the book fair and learning about virtual reality reading, there is a suspicious death. The victim was pushing his virtual reality reading device heavily surrounded by contentious activity. Was it the motive for murder?

Perhaps the headset wasn’t fully ready for market? Annie is working, unofficially, with the slightly green detective on the case while she proceeds with plans to secure evidence from the investment firm.

It looks like Annie has a strong set of support characters for her work with her new agency as well as backup for her bookstore, the Secret Bookcase. This series culminated with the exposure of Scarlet’s killer, so while this might have been the final episode of this series, the spin-off, Novel Detectives is slated to start early in 2026. It’s looking to be a good one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Craft & Hobby Mysteries, Cozy Animal Mysteries, Amateur Sleuths
Publisher: Storm Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1805089919
ASIN: B0DVZDJ13Q
Print Length: 238 pages

Publication Date: June 16, 2025 Just Released!

Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: ELLIE ALEXANDER is a voracious storyteller, a lover of words and all things bookish. She believes that stories have the ability to transport and transform us. With over thirty published novels and counting, her goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding.

She loves inhabiting someone else’s skin through the pages of a book and is passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As a writing teacher and coach, she guides writers in crafting the story they’ve always wanted to tell while navigating the path to publication that’s right for them.

Find out more about Ellie, her books, and writing courses by visiting her online:

Website: https://www.elliealexander.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_alexander

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/elliealexanderauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elliealexanderauthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliealexanderauthor

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ellielovesbooks

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/elliealexanderauthor

Cozy Summer Reading — AI generated graphic courtesy Gemini Flash 2.5

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave: A Novel by Elle Cosimano #AudiobookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Best Books of the Year So Far 2025

Book Blurb:

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case—or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. After all, they’ve dealt with enough murders over the last four months to last a lifetime and they both would much rather share their beds with someone else.

When the focus of the investigation widens to include Finlay’s ex-husband, Steven, though, Finlay and Vero are left with little choice but to get closer to Mrs. Haggerty and uncover her secrets . . . before the police start digging up theirs. But who will solve the mystery first?

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

My Review:

It’s been a year since I read Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice and now here we are with Book 5 of the quirky, irreverent series featuring a writer (Finlay) who’s hit the wall and is usually frantically trying to stall her New Jersey(?) editor while she comes up with something. Her best friend, Vero, has a dubious background and often times comes up with slightly illegal solutions to Finlay’s current problems.

And Finlay seems to have them. Usually of her own making.

She has two little ones and miraculously manages all the mischief-making without involving the young and innocent.

Finlay and Vero (who was originally supposed to help her manage the babies, the house, and be a quasi-assistant), are of similar age and persuasion. They are young, smart, and independent. Their dialogue is fast, snarky, and very contemporary.

I was hooked by the first installment and read each one since. I found a few over the top for me but came back for more anyway. This one includes an old lady (good old Mrs. Haggerty—the neighbor—save me from the narrator’s switch in voice—so annoying).

The plot, however, is clever, twisty, and humorous and I found it fast and fun. Just the right amount of romance (Finlay has a hot cop boyfriend and Vero also a new love interest), sexual innuendo, and trash talk. For the most part, the narrator does a credible job with the switch in voices and situation. Gotta run to keep up!

Enjoy something modern, engaging, and entertaining? If you haven’t already, might try this one.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Humorous Fiction & Satire, Women Sleuth Mysteries, Humorous Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0D3622PF1
Listening Length: 9 hrs 11 mins
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Publication Date: March 4, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Elle Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Award winner, and an Edgar® Award nominee. Her acclaimed young adult novels include Nearly Gone, Holding Smoke, The Suffering Tree, and Seasons of the Storm. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a PEOPLE Magazine Pick and one of New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2021. In addition to writing novels for teens and adults, her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Time. Elle lives with her husband and two sons in Virginia. You can learn more about her at her website: http://www.ElleCosimano.com.