From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, the Lincoln Lawyer is back with a case against an AI company whose product may have been responsible for the murder of a young girl.
Following his “resurrection walk” and need for a new direction, Mickey Haller turns to public interest litigation, filing a civil lawsuit against an artificial intelligence company whose chatbot told a sixteen-year-old boy that it was okay for him to kill his ex-girlfriend for her disloyalty.
Representing the victim’s family, Mickey’s case explores the mostly unregulated and exploding AI business and the lack of training guardrails. Along the way he joins up with a journalist named Jack McEvoy, who wants to be a fly on the wall during the trial in order to write a book about it. But Mickey puts him to work going through the mountain of printed discovery materials in the case. McEvoy’s digging ultimate delivers the key witness, a whistleblower who has been too afraid to speak up. The case is fraught with danger because billions are at stake.
It is said that machines became smarter than humans on the day in 1997 that IBM’s Deep Blue defeated chess master Garry Kasparov with a gambit called “the knight’s sacrifice.” Haller will take a similar gambit in court to defeat the mega forces of the AI industry lined up against him and his clients.
My Review:
Does it get much better than the Lincoln Lawyer? I love these books and devour any new installment that comes up in print, digital, or Netflix.
Even better, this one tackles AI, a current hot topic, a novel that grapples with so many moral questions over the legal. Haven’t we been talking about our children watching violent cartoons? Now with computer games the kids of eight years up are playing, do we have any clue what kind of intelligence they are dealing with?
AI generated by Gemini
What about the mind of a sixteen year old? Who has written the code for the chatbot he calls Wren? And who is to blame when that sixteen year old violently acts on a suggestion from Wren?
I love the character of Haller. He has left criminal law for civil. The narrative examines in detail the question: who is ultimately responsible for games coded with possible explosive code? We’ve all heard of GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out, “bad programming, programming contradictory to the purpose of the app?”
Lincoln Lawyer cover-US
That is the supposition of this extremely complex legal thriller. The storyline boils over with tension, almost from the beginning. All your favorite Haller characters are included, though I never warmed up to a new character who provided deep intel on AI while gathering journalistic juice. A layered plot from main to sub, each adding depth, creating a fully rounded story from professional to personal, those of his family and close associates.
I love the way the writer mentions or includes characters, including Harry Bosch, from his other series in his current narrative, consolidating the Haller world. In his world, he is up against a multi-billion dollar corporation, and he’ll have his work cut out for him.
Lincoln Lawyer cover-UK
He has his flaws but he brings an intelligence to the legal science of law that is downright compelling. He has wit, energy, and charisma you can’t beat. And, by the way, I enjoyed the author’s little humorous zinger by naming the judge in the case, Judge Ruhlin. RUHLIN? Funny, Mr. Connelly.
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.
PS: No AI was used in writing this review. (Or perhaps that’s obvious. )
Book Details:
Genre: Police Procedurals, Legal Thrillers, Murder Thrillers Publisher: Little, Brown and Company ISBN: 978-0316563840 ASIN: B0DZ24GYPN Print Length: 400 pages Publication Date: Source: Publisher and NetGalley
The Author:Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than forty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty-nine million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Waiting (2024), Resurrection Walk (2023), Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, “Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story’ and ‘Tales Of the American.’ He spends his time in California and Florida.
Well, I’m not sure how, but I seem to be caught up in Freida McFadden books, this time The Housemaid’s Secret, a Goodreads Choice Award Winner released February 20, 2023, and The Boyfriend a #1 Amazon Best Seller in Crime Thrillers released October 1, 2024. (Links on individual covers are to Amazon.)
Member of Goodreads since March 2012, McFadden is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and possessed cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe. [Goodreads] https://www.freidamcfadden.com/
Okay, wait a minute. Haven’t I read this before? Or certainly something very similar. But this one is definitely written in McFadden style.
Millie has definitely come up in the housecleaning world, securing employment for an uber rich couple in a penthouse apartment in the Upper West Side of New York. It’s a good trick if you can do it as you know in your heart that Millie has some secrets that must be kept mum for now.
Douglas is not too bad for a super rich guy, but wife Wendy keeps to herself and her room is off-limits. Douglas relays anything that Wendy needs or wants and except for a few meals, the sources for which are pretty darn exclusive, and odd bits of uh ohs, it’s not a bad gig.
Needless to say, whether or not she’s been told to leave Wendy alone to rest peacefully, she just can’t seem to do it, and it gradually flips the plot to one you no doubt saw coming. I only thought I did, but remember, this is a McFadden novel.
So yes, the twists will kick in. Maybe it’s a good thing that Millie has a hot Italian groundskeeper on the side with an even more super hot boyfriend, rich lawyer type guy that’s crazy about her. I don’t know what circles she was in when their paths crossed, but he’d love to have her move into his sweet apartment by Central Park and take good care of him.
Are you following along?
It’s that final twist that finally got me and I had to throw my hands up. Talk about not seeing that coming! Well, after that, you have to try another just to see if this one was a fluke, yes? So, I did.
Oh my goodness, the characters in this book! How many times did I want to slap the FMC, Sydney, up the side of her head? Is it possible to be that obtuse? Then the other POV in this one, Tom, reaches back to the birth of his problem with women. How could he be that fake with Sydney and she not see through that façade?
Tom, supreme creep that he is, really keeps the storyline moving, doesn’t he? Something fascinating about a truly sick and twisted individual that the reader has to keep reading to confirm just how nutsy he is. Not like his teen years were filled with academic accolades. He was head over heels in love with Daisy and his best friend’s name is Slug, if that gives you any clues. I must say, however, that Slug had such significant character development that little vignettes that included him were enough to turn your stomach.
Meanwhile, poor little Sydney plods along in her own little world, just adrift and off course. So frustrating to be forced along on some of her dumber decisions and then watch her crash and burn. Of course, that hasn’t taught her anything, so she gets to hit the repeat button.
Yeah, it’s twisty. And just crazy enough that it edged over The Housemaid’s Secret for me. Also, glad I listened to the audiobook and didn’t read it. Those voices gave it quite the spice.
Frieda McFadden fan? Then you may enjoy this one. I’m not sure—there appears to be quite the division of opinion, but you can’t fault it for being both engaging and entertaining.
Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to these audiobooks. Any opinion expressed here is my own.
Experience “one of the best adventure books ever written” (Wall Street Journal) in this New York Times bestseller: the harrowing tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole.
This is a new reading of the thrilling account of one of the most astonishing feats of exploration and human courage ever recorded.
In August of 1914, the British ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. In October 1915, still half a continent away from its intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice. For five months, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world.
Lansing describes how the men survived a 1,000-mile voyage in an open boat across the stormiest ocean on the globe and an overland trek through forbidding glaciers and mountains. The book recounts a harrowing adventure, but ultimately it is the nobility of these men and their indefatigable will that shines through.
My Review:
I always seem to be attracted to the old sailing ships and their stories, probably because of my grandfather’s stories, paintings, and poems. So of course I jumped on this as soon as I saw it. It didn’t disappoint.
There were a number of occasions on which I experienced deja vu. Well, not of mine, but that of another sailing story read and loved, The Wager by Davis Grann. Hard put to say which I loved the most—loved The Wager. And while there were striking similarities, each were very different stories, each told with heart-thumping descriptions landing you right in the middle of the men struggling to survive.
The story of the men of the British ship Endurance follows the historical chronicle of her as she set sail in August of 1914, more than one-and-a-half centuries after the story of The Wager, also a British vessel that left England in 1740.
The Endurance had a whole nother mission—that of an early attempt to cross the South Pole. But timing is everything and it definitely went wrong when the ship was trapped in ice, then crushed. How do men live on ice flows, much less survive a voyage of 1,000 miles in an open boat to habitation?
I would wager physically impossible, if not psychologically, except for one minor detail. The Captain. Ernest Shackleton.
Some credit must go to his men—there were no mutinies.
And no deaths. They all survived? Under those conditions for over a year? Yes.
The man was more than an optimist. He was a brilliant strategist and sailor, and he had good, smart men (27 of them) under his command. But no matter the worsening conditions, no matter the horrible mind-numbing weather enough to drive men mad, he continued with unflailing confidence. And his navigator—unbelievably guiding them to civilization with almost pin-point accuracy. Back then–
First to lose the ship, then to be divided into separate ice flows, through starvation, illnesses, blinding psychotic provoking weather patterns, sleep deprivation, and predators. Good grief, to survive one of these would be hero-inducing visions of invincibility. They fought it all together and won.
This tale of the odyssey was kept in journals by a number of the men and researched meticulously, bringing the story together. A Morgan Stanley video was released seven years ago on PBS called Dare to Survive: Shackleton’s Voyage of Endurance 2002. You might wish to watch.
There are a number of cringe-worthy chapters certainly more monumental than the chapter that describes their tearful decision to kill and eat their dogs, after them having been more than working companions. Yes, I know, I know.
They were starving.
Still, amazingly creative (aside from the dogs) in discovering ways and means for their survival and one you shouldn’t miss. I particularly recommend the audiobook beautifully performed by the narrator. Another instance of what the human body is capable of enduring.
Book Details:
Genre: Arctic & Antarctica History, Expeditions & Discoveries World History Publisher:Blackstone Audio, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-065-58792 ASIN: B0018DNFY6 Listening Length: 10 hrs 21 mins Narrator: Simon Prebble Publication Date: April 08, 2008 Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections) Title Links: Amazon-US Amazon-UK
The Author:Alfred Lansing (July 21, 1921 – 1975) was an American journalist and writer, best known for his book Endurance (1959), an account of Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic explorations. Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [Amazon\
Born in Chicago in Chicago, IL, in July, 1921, Lansing was an American journalist who wrote for Collier’s, among other magazines and was later an editor for Time, Inc. Books.
Alfred Lansing served in the US Navy from 1940-46. He received the Purple Heart for his wartime service.
Later he attended North Park College, 1946-48, Northwestern University, 1948-50.
Lansing became a member of the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England in 1957. [Goodreads]
To save a client accused of murder, defense attorney Keera Duggan must fight a complex web of corruption in a riveting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.
In a quiet South Seattle neighborhood, a suspected drug smuggler and his girlfriend are murdered in their home. When a young man named Michael Westbrook is accused of the brutal double homicide, his uncle JP Harrison turns to Keera Duggan to defend him. JP is Keera’s trusted investigator, and he desperately needs Keera to save his nephew against escalating odds.
The evidence is circumstantial—Michael worked with one of the victims, drugs were found in his possession, and he bolted from authorities. Ruthless star prosecutor Anh Tran has gotten convictions on much less. With the testimony of two prison informants, the case looks grave. But Keera never concedes defeat. To free her client, she must dig deep before Tran crushes both of them.
As the investigation gets more twisted with each new find, Keera is swept up in a mystery with far-reaching consequences. This case isn’t just murder. It’s looking like a conspiracy. And getting justice for Michael could be the most dangerous promise Keera has ever made.
My Review:
The CE doesn’t get to have all the fun! I got Book 3 of the Keera Duggan series, Her Cold Justice and Book 2, Beyond Reasonable Doubt. Between the two of us, however, we’ve read a number of Dugoni’s books, particularly Tracy Crosswhite, his last, A Dead Draw, early this year.
Keera was a chess champ as a girl, often played with her dad, who taught her the strategies of the board that could parallel her work as an attorney, facing off in high-stakes cases with equals in court room drama. She followed in her father’s legal footsteps, now often recognized as the daughter of the “Irish Brawler,” known for his unexpected and swift courtroom gotchas.
No question Michael Westbrook has all the circumstantial evidence stacked against him, made more credible by a few small omissions he failed to divulge until the twists caught up with him. Still, it appeared he was an innocent pawn in a game of power, broken justice, and weak kings.
You might guess that the plot gets complex, sussing out conspiracy, secrets, and an end game you might not have imagined. The plot is well paced.
No question I’m a fan of the author and feel all his books are great, with varying degrees of great, of course. I’ve come to love the Keera Duggan series, the characters relatable with complicated personal lives. This series hints at the possibility of a blooming relationship between Keera and Rossi, a good thing.
If this were read as a standalone, I’d wish for more character development of Keera, whereas we got a clear and definitive picture of Kim Tran, described beautifully down to the cold, impervious stare. There may have been a deeper dive into Keera and family in Book 1, but the CE caught that one, and I came into the series with Book 2.
As the book weaves its way through the twists and revelations, the storyline moves smoothly into the conclusion with, at this point, some predictability. Any reader who enjoys legal thrillers, though, will certainly appreciate the Dugoni writing style. It’s intelligently written, gripping, and entertaining.
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: Legal Thrillers, Murder Thrillers Publisher: Thomas & Mercer ISBN: 978-1662524646 ASIN: B0DFZ47Z2B Print Length: 380 pages Publication Date: January 27, 2026 Source: Publisher and NetGalley
The Author:Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 10 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, the Keera Duggan legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels including the literary novel, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – One of Newsweek Magazines Best Books of All Time and Suspense Magazine’s Book of the Year. Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award. He has also written critically acclaimed historical novels based on true events: The World Played Chess a coming of age story and the Vietnam War; Hold Strong an untold story of WWII; and A Killing on the Hill, about a 1933 killing and trial in Seattle. HIs nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. His novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and multiple awards for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.
Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than forty countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages.
Visit his website and follow him on Amazon, Goodreads, twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok and other social media sites.
It’s been awhile since I discussed bestseller lists. The last, “NYT Bestsellers and Bestselling Authors – Literary Genius or Luck?” concentrated more on how they actually got on that list. I’ll wager it was a great deal more complex than you’d ever imagined, especially given that the status on the list can be kept or lost week to week or even day to day.
I recently read and reviewed another (“instant #1) NYTimes bestseller that hit the Amazon Charts at #9 and was a Reese’s Book Club Pick. (Is it just me or does she pick some duds?) Obviously, I’m well out of the loop. I didn’t care for it. NYTimes bestseller doesn’t necessarily equate a good book. Well, then, who do you trust?
There is no one standard for judging bestsellers as each has a different method of counting sales, or in the instance of the NYTimes—curating the list(? It’s up to the editor).
So, I got to thinking about a few of the other reviews of that book. There were those who agreed with me. Then I got to thinking about the big publishers who print those lists. There used to be five considered to wield the most weight with their bestseller lists. Then The Wall Street Journal dropped out in November, 2023.
Probably the most prominent and the one I discussed previously at length is the New York Times bestsellers list. They’ve published that list since 1931. The NYTimes usually tracks book sales from various sources including national and independent bookstores that includes Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Both the NYTimes and USA Today look for sales totaling a minimum of 5,000 copies in a single week and is across diverse retailers AND multiple geographic locations. However, the list is a curated list (not necessarily a list of the top sellers) as the editors pick which of those bestselling books to include on the list. (They may include both wholesale and retail sales.) Their system of analyzing sales data is secret.
Does it seem like there are so many more NYTimes bestselling authors these days? Does every other book gain the title of bestseller? Maybe there are a greater number of new bestsellers along with the older ones.
For one thing, there are upwards of eleven categories now of bestsellers (with 20 or so titles per sublist). And two, publishers have cultivated gaming techniques meant to kick sales (engineered sales on launch week)—if even for one week—the title will stick.
Middle Grade Hardcover
Young Adult Hardcover
Picture Books
Good grief! Eleven categories, ten titles per list(?)—that’s a lot of books and authors. But wait, there seems to be a lot of difference between sources regarding the actual number of titles per list. Things are getting dizzying and perhaps well beyond the capacity of this blogger. Gees, I thought I had a simple question:
What are the chances of an author landing on the NYTimes bestsellers list? That seems to stump most web sources I viewed. Anywhere from 0.00208% (1 in 48,000) to 0.08%?
There are actually 150 bestselling books published on USATODAY.COM on Wednesdays and the top 50 books in print on Thursdays. USA Today publishes (according to AI Overview) a few key requirements: They typically produce a weekly list that ranks top-selling books across multiple sales platforms and sales must be from retailers in the US.
Minimum prices at $.99 or higher and reported from Monday to Sunday.
Other Considerations:
Tuesday releases
Book is available through various platforms; i.e., Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo…
Strong social media presence
Stacked promos
iBooks and Nook won’t report numbers until at least 500 US sales have been made in the week.
Publisher support, and strategic marketing campaigns (i.e., BookBub ads or Featured Deals) as well as pre-order period can increase the author’s chances.)
As noted above, they look for combined sales of 5-9,000 within a single week. (Sales in the US only.) That can fluctuate based on the number of new releases each week and KDP titles are not eligible.
Lends some legitimacy to adding the title on the book covers, huh? And yes, even if you’re only on the list for a week once, you can still claim that label for life. A more attainable goal, but still sadly at estimates of 0.1%
As with the first two lists, this trade publication gathers sales data from a range of retailers and must be able to track a high sales volume (5,000 to 10,000) across various reporting channels during the track week. However, they primarily focus on books from traditional publishers but will consider self-published authors via BookLife. (They rely heavily on data from NPD BookScan (previously Nielsen BookScan, then merged in 2023 and renamed Circana BookScan), which covers around 85% of US print book sales.) Again, sales would include online and physical stores.
Additional Considerations:
Publishers Weekly will accept requests for a book review consideration using their Galley Tracker platform. (As of March 24, 2025, PW charges $25 for every book submitted for consideration.)
They will want both a digital galley as well as two physical galleys for review.
Submission for the book to be reviewed should be provided well prior to the proposed publication date, preferably three to four months.
And they will look for both a strong media presence and marketing strategy.
No, no online guess was found for the percentage of chance to attain their bestseller list.
Amazon.com
Amazon, the dominant online retailer, creates its bestseller lists based on sales that are updated hourly. They have a weekly bestseller list they call Amazon Charts. (Of course, you’ll still see “bestseller” or “bestselling author”.) There are campaigns that can take advantage of adjustments to boost the book, albeit temporarily, for better rankings. Even the weight and price of a book can affect it’s position since Amazon favors hardcover books whereas The New York Times does better with mass market paperbacks.
Amazon tracks all types of books from print to digital and audio and the list is posted every Wednesday.
As with the first three noted above, most of the criteria remains the same with the exception that Amazon looks for thousands ofbook sales within a 24-hour period. You knew that though, huh. WHOA! That means, of course, that in some niche categories, the number of sales needed to reach #1 can be lower, depending on how you’ve chosen your category. I got a chuckle out of that one, as I’ve seen some new and wildly interesting category names recently. (Bangsian Fantasy, Cli-Fi, Epistolary—yeah, I think I’ve read one of those recently.)
And, always of interest, Amazon Charts also ranks books by the average number of daily Kindle readers and Audible listeners.
Not likely we’ll ever see a percentage of chance to land on their Charts lists. Still, AI Overview notes that an author’s chances of landing on their bestsellers lists at 1 in 100,000 depending on the category.
Since some lists are compiled using Bookscan (a reporting system from book retailers) and some don’t (i.e. Amazon), how can you get a true list of bestselling books? You definitely can’t gauge one you’ll like by their sales and I’m less inclined to believe a 5 star Amazon review over a 4 star Goodreads review.
Do you actually use one of those lists to track your reading requests or purchases? I don’t think I ever have, but I do lean very heavily on Goodreads; their Choice awards, recommendations, and new releases, not to mention all your own suggestions and reviews.
Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer. It’s what she prides herself on.
So when Ainsley realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.
The rules are simple:
They will each date someone new once a week.
They will never discuss what happens on the dates.
Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.
When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they’ve built?
Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if ’til death do us part may come sooner than they’d intended.
My Review:
Maybe I don’t get out that much and apparently not in the loop, didn’t realize “open marriages” were still a thing (just plain old affairs now?). Back in the Navy, they called them “key clubs,” something the CE and I never would have subscribed to. We’ve been married much longer than Peter and Ainsley and wouldn’t have given a key club any consideration even then.
In this case, it’s an online dating service, proposed by Ainsley (which also surprised me). She explained “the rules” she created to Peter and he agreed. She thought the whole thing would work to light a fire under their sadly fading excitement with each other. They have three children, for heaven’s sake, and they couldn’t work out a date night for the two of them? You’ve no doubt read something about this in the blurb. But aren’t rules meant to be broken?
My first experience with this author, so I wasn’t prepared for the lengths she’d go to for twists.
This book is short and fairly fast paced, so after an introduction to the main characters and the reason for their perceived predictament, the plot pace ramped up pretty quick. I must admit that I was caught off-guard more than once, hitting a new level of surprise.
How could this simple idea go so far off the rails? I did appreciate the character of Peter, not so much Ainsley. But then Peter gets caught up in Ainsley’s drama and things go a little nuts. Or a lot nuts. Just suspend belief. I was left with questions, no answers, and now I realize it was Book 1. Duh.
Definitely not a plot I’ve read very often and certainly not quite this wild. You can’t say the characters aren’t engaging, the idea entertaining, until it gets to the creepy point. Maybe I’m easily entertained, but it did keep me listening to two talented narrators. It’s one you might enjoy as well, although I’m vacillating on reading Book 2.
The Author:KIERSTEN MODGLIN is a #1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over two million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix’s Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine’s Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten’s readers across the world lovingly refer to her as “KMod.” A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK ∙ AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping novel from Emily Henry.
As featured in The New York Times ∙ Rolling Stone ∙ People ∙ Good Morning America ∙ NPR ∙ Vogue ∙ The Cut ∙ USA Today ∙ Cosmopolitan ∙ Harper’s Bazaar ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Glamour ∙ ELLE ∙ E! Online ∙ The New York Post ∙ Bustle ∙ Reader’s Digest ∙ BBC ∙ PopSugar ∙ SheReads ∙ Paste ∙ and more!
Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century.
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.
Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.
Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad . . . depending on who’s telling it.
My Review:
Why, oh why, do I get sucked in on what looks promising and a Reese’s Book Club pick to boot? I really need to research more before borrowing a book on a waiting list from the library.
So, did I learn nothing from Funny Story? Or in a hurry, remembered the author’s name and hopped on the list. And what happened with Funny Story? A Goodreads Choice Award winner for Readers’ Favorite Romance (2024). Yeah, I don’t do RomComs, but didn’t consider Great Big Beautiful Life one either. Surely, this one won’t follow the Funny Story path…please.
Great Big Beautiful Life-US cover
It’s an old trope, predictable. And slow burn? Oh, honey, the first part almost had me giving up waiting for something to spark. The second part went swiftly from hate to love and between the sheets before I could even check for bed bugs. As each got more graphic, I was forced to skip read.
The FMC is all sunshine, optimism, and a chronically happy girl while hiding an unhappy childhood and a critical mother. She’s a journalist. She coulda been a contender—or something–somewhere else.
The MMC is a grump (sound familiar?). I don’t care how gorgeous he is; I wouldn’t have gotten past the first crotchety word. If he’s a world-famous author, what is she doing there anyway?
The plot with the reclusive Margaret pitting them against each other is okay, except it starts back when her ancestors emerged from a communal cave. I guess you have to have something to throw in some interest, and I can’t fault the author for her prose, sense of humor, or clichés that run rampant.
“Because even the doorknobs here are buttered,”…
The description of the locale is interesting, always gives me pangs I no longer have access to a coast, left or right. The mansion, castle, grounds where Margaret lives are amazing and I wonder if her residuals really paid for all of that. Also I learned a new word:
Unicursal. One beginning, one end. Used in this context as a meandering pathway.
It doesn’t make sense that Hayden and Alice could have any chemistry between them. Is she really that desperate? As they continue their interviews, they manage an ah ha moment or two but still swear Margaret is hiding something. Does anyone care?
Lots of pillow talk heart-to-hearts with both divulging big secrets. There’s a kind of anti-climax that eventually turns into the last twist. (Thank heaven.) But still doesn’t make sense to me. It leaves me wanting to knock their heads together.
I did enjoy some of the writing style, but nix on the biographer study or romcom. Many thanks to my library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
The Author:Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Happy Place, Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.
Join a heart-racing road trip across 1970s America as two cousins make the heist of their lives and must avoid the cops and criminals hot on their tails.
It’s the summer of ’74…Richard Nixon has resigned from office, CB radios are the hot new thing, and in the great state of Texas two cousins hatch a plan to drive $1 million worth of stolen weed to Idaho, where some lunatic is gearing up to jump Snake River Canyon on a rocket-powered motorcycle. But with a vengeful sheriff on their tail and the revered and feared marijuana kingpin of Central Texas out to get his stash back, Chuck and Dean are in for the ride of their lives – if they can make it out alive…
Scott Von Doviak, longtime pop-culture journalist for The A.V. Club, Film Threat, The Hollywood Reporter, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, made a splash with his debut novel, CHARLESGATE CONFIDENTIAL, which Stephen King called “terrific” and “a fun machine…the white-knuckle kind.” With LOWDOWN ROAD, he cements his reputation for pedal-to-the-metal storytelling that also makes you think about just who we are and where our darker roads might lead us.
His Review:
The Snake River Canyon is about 450 feet from rim to river and straight down. Evel Knievel is going to jump it with his motorcycle. Bets are made around the country on how many pieces will be left after he falls. Bikers from around the country are converging on Twin Falls to watch the event. Three never-do-wells are speeding across country being tracked by a sheriff who wants to kill rather than apprehend them. They have a delivery to make to drug dealers who are working the event.
The sheriff is always a step behind the three as they speed towards Twin Falls. He will kill anyone who gets in his way and he particularly likes killing bikers. This story moves and has a number of interesting twists. Read and enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams
Many thanks to our local library 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: Heist Crime, Southern United States Fiction Publisher: Hard Case Crime ISBN-13: 978-1803364124 ASIN: B0BHY252BD Print Length: 296 pages Publication Date: July 11, 2023 Source: Library
The Author:Scott Von Doviak’s twenty-year pop culture writing career includes three books, a stint as a film critic for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and a decade as television reviewer for The Onion’s AV Club. His debut novel “Charlesgate Confidential” was called “terrific” by Stephen King and named one of the top ten crime novels of 2018 by Tom Nolan of the Wall Street Journal. His 70s-set thriller “Lowdown Road” will be released in July 2023 by Hard Case Crime. He lives in Austin, Texas.
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The Author: Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than forty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty-nine million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Waiting (2024), Resurrection Walk (2023), Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, “Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story’ and ‘Tales Of the American.’ He spends his time in California and Florida.
in Arctic & Antarctica History
The MMC is a grump (sound familiar?). I don’t care how gorgeous he is; I wouldn’t have gotten past the first crotchety word. If he’s a world-famous author, what is she doing there anyway?
The sheriff is always a step behind the three as they speed towards Twin Falls. He will kill anyone who gets in his way and he particularly likes killing bikers. This story moves and has a number of interesting twists. Read and enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams
Rosepoint Publishing 