#bookseries – Rosepoint Publishing

Mayhem in the Mountains by Jane Loeb Rubin #BookReview #historicalfiction

A Gilded City Series Book 4

Book Blurb:

1924 in the Catskills sizzled with chaos. The region’s turbulent history during that era could easily have erased any trace of the Borscht Belt’s grand hotels. Prohibition fueled bootleggers and whiskey stills—Dutch Schultz ran an underground distillery in nearby Ulster County. Meanwhile, the Ku Klux Klan stormed north after WWI, targeting new immigrants they viewed as threats to the American way of life. Amid the turmoil, the Isaacson family stood their ground, fiercely defending their land, livelihoods, and each other.

My Review:

As if WWI wasn’t hard enough, the 20s and 30s were fraught with poor laws, the American way of life was changing radically, prohibition fueled mobsters and bootleggers, and the return of soldiers were looking for a gentle return to society amid flooded employment.

Deep in the heart of the Catskill Mountains of New York, chaos reigned supreme and gave rise to the influx of the Ku Klux Klan looking to target the mass of immigrants fleeing massive destruction of Europe.

It was the Isaacson family who put down roots, determined to make a go of their little farm, defend the land, and watch each other’s backs. The Jews moved their chickens out of Harlem, but Papa managed to supplement their meager income with his side hussle—the best whiskey east of the Mississippi.

But, it would appear, he’s not the only one vying for that distinction. Still, when Dutch Schultz needs a way to hide and move his inventory, he’s discovered the perfect way to do so.

The Isaacson family has stayed tight and careful and it’s discovered that it’s the youngest, a girl, not the sons, who show the greatest propensity for carrying on the fine family recipe. She’s even discovered how to make it her own and has become quite popular among the population. Still, as careful as they are, the revenuers find their hidey-hole and a shoot out does not go well for Papa.

I loved the relationship between Ella and her Papa; there is genuine affection. The other children all have their separate interests, but it’s Ella who is the obvious heir apparent. Smart, brazen, she can work out transport details and negotiate well with Dutch. Each of the main characters gets their own chapters, so they are well developed and easy to engage.

There were several passages, however, that lagged the dynamic storytelling and slowed the tension building a bit. I suspected a fox in the hen house from the beginning, however, and the twist following a strong climax was not wholly unsuspected.

Yes, there is the romance circling the main plot, but then that is no mystery. The narrative turns atmospheric, highlights medical practices back then, and manages a strong and satisfying finish. If you enjoy historical fiction, or learning about the distillation of spirits, and the migration of the KKK north, this will be of interest.

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: Jewish Literature, Jewish Literature & Fiction, Women’s Crime Fiction
Publisher: Level Best Books – Historia
Publication Date: June 9, 2026 – Happy Release Day!

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: A cancer diagnosis unveiling a genetic defect, together with a lifelong fascination with the history of medicine, propelled Jane Loeb Rubin to put pen to paper. In 2009, Jane, then a healthcare executive, first poured her energy into raising research dollars for ovarian cancer while learning more about her familial roots. Her research led her to Mathilda (Tillie), her great-grandmother, who arrived in New York City in 1866 at sixteen, married a man twelve years her senior, and later died of ‘a woman’s disease.’ Then, the trail ran cold. With limited facts, she was determined to give Tillie an exciting fictional life of her own. Jane was left imagining Tillie’s life, her fight with terminal disease, and the circumstances surrounding her death.

Her research of the history of New York City, its ultra-conservative reproductive laws, and the state of medicine during that era has culminated in a suspenseful, fast-paced, award-winning three-book historical series. Her engaging characters are confronted with the shifting role of midwives, the dangers of pregnancy, the infamous Blackwell’s Workhouse, and the perilous road to financial success. In the Hands of Women, 5/23 (Level Best Books) and its prequel, Threadbare, 5/24 (Level Best Books), have been enjoyed by fans of historical fiction. Over There, the third in the trilogy (6/25 Level Best Books), will transport members of the Isaacson family into the hospitals of France in World War 1, challenging the family values they dearly cherish.

Jane’s other publications include an essay memoir, Almost a Princess, My Life as a Two-Time Cancer Survivor (2009 Next Generation – Finalist), and multiple magazine articles. She writes a monthly blog, Musings, reflecting on her post-healthcare career experiences and writing journey.

Jane lives with her husband, David, an attorney, in Northern New Jersey. Between them, they have five adult children and seven grandchildren.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Ironwood by Michael Connelly #AudiobookReview #crimethrillers

Amazon Charts #11 this week

Book 2 of 2: Catalina

Book Blurb:

Sworn to protect a scenic island meant to be far from the evils of the mainland, Detective Sergeant Stilwell can feel danger closing in.

Detective Sergeant Stilwell knows that his posting on Catalina Island is no paradise, but to most residents, it seems blissfully separated—by twenty-two miles of ocean—from the troubles of Los Angeles County. But now a threat is coming to his safe haven.

Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, Stilwell and his deputies watch a plane land in the middle of the night at the Airport in the Sky, a remote airstrip in the mountains. A duffel bag of drugs is dropped and the deputies move in, but things quickly go sideways. While Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man into the mountainside brush, shots are fired on the runway and the plane flies off.

An internal inquiry follows, putting Stilwell on the bench until he is cleared of responsibility for the disastrous operation. But he is determined to find out who brought deadly violence to his island, and begins his own secret investigation into the drug deal gone wrong.

While under orders to remain in the sheriff’s substation, he finds in the lost and found a valuable backpack that was never claimed. He traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. But then why was the pack only turned in two months back? Now thoroughly intrigued, he follows the mystery all the way to the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Renée Ballard.

Stilwell and Ballard work the case from both sides of the channel, and soon realize they are on the trail of a criminal who revels in taunting the authorities. Meanwhile, frustrated at being shut out of an investigation on his own island, Stilwell risks his already shaky standing in the department to pursue a case whose reach is wider than he ever imagined.

My Review:

Love this new extended enforcement family Connelly is creating with this new series! Starting with a strong and authentic protagonist, Detective Sergeant Stilwell, is hiding in plain sight on Catalina Island where he’s been sent by a disgruntled Captain. Would not have been his requested location, but he appears to be making the most of it quickly.

Stilwell has been exiled to the Avalon Island Lost and Found and finds treasure. That officer’s instinct kicks in when he discovers an item that can be traced to a missing person’s case. Oh, he loves the search and bites with the fury of a pit bull.

Connelly’s storylines, however, ramp into complexity when he finds other investigative possibilities.

Ironwood - UK cover — Ironwood – UK cover

His investigation leads him to a cooperative partnership with Detective Renee Ballard back in LAPD’s cold case unit. I love the character of Renee Ballard and applaud the collaboration that manages in a minor manner to include retired detective Harry Bosch. YES! We also love the Bosch series (also successful transition to TV). It’s like old home week and ties that community in a pleasing small world category of best practices of law enforcement—the trading of information for the collective success.

Love the pacing, no chance for middle downtime sag, the intelligence collective matches up clues, often citing and avoiding procedural constraints, necessary run-arounds.

The characters are real, Stilwell exudes dedication to his craft as do the others; their mutual goal always at the forefront, determined and gritty.

“From your gut to God’s ear.”

It’s smart, engaging crime fiction at its Connelly best. Catalina Island continues to lay that unique location solidly in the mind’s eye allowing that all the beauty might very well hide a darker, more sinister layer.

We greatly enjoyed Book 1, Nightshade, and this doesn’t disappoint—allowing my objection to the abrupt cliff-hanger. While Ironwood could be read as a standalone, you might wish to set your foundation for the series and then follow the progression of the character development. Either way, you’re in for a treat.

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: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Police Procedural Mysteries
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Narrator: Will Damron
Release Date: May 19, 2026

Title Links:

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

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.

One you don't want to miss!

Rosepoint Reviews – May Recap – It’s June – Let the Celebrations Begin!

Rosepoint Reviews-May Recap

May proved to be very busy and confirmed that once again, I’ve overwhelmed my schedule. June will be busy with both the CE’s and our son’s birthdays celebrations near the end of the month. We’ve tossed some ideas around and, like everyone, antsy to hit the road. This year with the country celebrating 250 years, there are a lot of stories about historic sights within the state. Do you do Airbnb?

The water garden in a 26" bowl.

My little water garden still looks anemic, waiting for the plants to fill in. Decided in order to kill any population of mosquito larvae, I needed mosquito fish and a couple snails, so that’s been added along with a solar fountain, and discovered something called Rosy Red Minnows (they aren’t goldfish). They are handling the less-than-desirable container conditions as well as temperature fluctuations.

It’s taken us awhile to get the front and back yards cleaned up—still burning twigs and small branches yesterday (low wind)—trying to keep up with the grass growing inches within a week. The critters discovered the seedlings and started trying to get to them. Lots of bunnies this time of year and they are all hungry. The construction in the neighborhood behind us has pushed the deer looking for greener pastures and better hiding places.

The CE and I read or listened to a total of twelve books in May. Our major source of books is the library (audiobooks and ebooks), although we obtain ARCs from NetGalley and author and publisher requests.) The links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase information.

Rosepoint Publishing - May Recap

eBooks

The Colonel’s Revenge by Jeffrey K Schmoll (CE review-5 stars)
If Walls Could Talk by Jean Grainger
The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer (CE review)
Christophber Hawkins and His Daring Escapes by Jeanne Brownlee Becijos (CE review -5 stars)

Audiobooks

Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
Trust No One by James Rollins
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (book club book)
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
The Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins
Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

Favorite Book of the Month

The CE is always generous with his stars and I had one five-star read in May. It was unique and fun. The favorite book for May:

Favorite for May – Mad Mable

My Reading Challenges page…I’ve not caught up. My Goodreads count will never be right now. The landing page shows 67 of a challenge of 175 with three books owing a review from May and five books behind schedule. Oops. Obviously, someone is having too much fun.

To all my dear readers and fellow bloggers, thank you so much for taking the time to check out my posts and leave your comments. Blog hopping is on my priority list.

If Walls Could Talk by Jean Grainger #BookReview #HistoricalIrishFiction #TuesdayBookBlog

The Dunmara Series – Book 1

in Historical British & Irish Literature

Book Blurb:

Dunmara, County Clare, Ireland

Orla can’t believe the bombshell her husband of thirty years has just dropped. The future she imagined is gone, and she’s forced to redefine her entire life while grappling with something from her past that doesn’t quite add up. An opportunity to attend a wellness retreat with her best friend at Dunmara House seems like exactly what she needs to find her way forward.

Connecticut, USA, 1969

Jeannie is part of the first ever intake of women to Yale University. Her father thinks it’s a waste of money, but Jeannie knows she has what it takes to be a novelist—she just needs a chance. While America is at war in Vietnam, and all over the country people are clashing, her life unexpectedly takes her to Ireland, where a course is set that will ripple through generations.

Standing since 1689, the stately Dunmara House in Ireland has seen life in all its guts and glory. Now, as two women’s lives become entwined across time, the old house slowly reveals its secrets.

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, and Diana Gabaldon, this evocative time-slip novel weaves past and present into an unforgettable story of love, secrets, and resilience that will stay with you long after the final page.

My Review:

One of the reasons I enjoy Ms Grainger’s novels so much is her obvious love of her country and its ancient history. I’m in awe that you could have a several-thousand-year-old ruin behind your home. There are descriptions of the ancient origins of decaying walls and Celtic traditions throughout.

Another reason would be the witticisms and sense of humor that grace the pages that lighten the load of even a solemn or sad occasion.

“A lack of organization on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.”

“…her face will take her further than her feet.”

“Oh, that guy, honest to God, if there was work in the bed, he’d sleep on the floor.”

This narrative follows several women and trades off chapters between them as they are developed. Orla, Jeannie, and Safira have vastly different life experiences and each harbors a secret which is dribbled out in tiny spoonfuls.

Jeannie wanted to be a writer but her college career was interrupted by an unexpected turn of events that ended with her family sending her to Dunmara House in Ireland and just like that becomes Margot. The time frame around Vietnam held a different moral compass back then.

Orla finds her life upended with the announcement of her husband’s leaving for younger pastures.

Safira, from Bali, is still baffled by many of the traditions of the Irish, but works her heart out over a goal she is secretly working for. It’s to the point where she begins the cleaning process. That, after cleaning at her day job.

There are several other close support characters, but the main character really is the Dunmara House. Once she has it cleaned and positioned for operation, she’ll need help. Not the oily antagonist who also envisions the property.

This book started out a bit slow for me and for some reason I had a bit of a problem really getting into it. The characters become interconnected in a positive way that will easily slide into Book 2, and I suspect there will be further development among the characters but felt moments of déjà vu with the plot. The names may have changed, but I think I recognize these ladies.

The author is quite the storyteller and can weave in elements of family drama, love and betrayal, but the descriptive scenes and that Irish sense of humor keep me coming back. A nice start to a new series.

Many thanks to the author 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: Historical British & Irish Literature, Historical Irish Fiction, Women’s Historical Fiction
Publication Date: April 22, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK

The Author: Jean Grainger is a USA Today bestselling author with over 100,000 5* reviews of historical and contemporary Irish fiction. She is acclaimed for her authentic portrayal of Irish life and history. Born in Cork, she draws from her experience as a history lecturer, teacher, and tour guide to craft characters that feel like friends, and sometimes foes. Grainger’s works span multiple series and standalone novels, covering significant periods in recent Irish history, but told from the perspective of families, the humans behind the headlines. Her stories often intertwine historical events with personal journeys, exploring themes of family, friendship, and human resilience. Grainger’s writing style, characterized by its warmth and authenticity, has earned her comparisons to renowned Irish authors like Maeve Binchy. Her dedication to research and character development has resulted in a loyal readership who feel deeply connected to her stories and characters.

The Colonel’s Revenge by Jeffrey K Schmoll – #BookReview #AdventureThriller #TuesdayBookBlog

A Mateus de Silva Adventure Book 2

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

The prison is sealed. The vault is wired. But history always collects.

On the scorched battlefields of 1980s Angola, Colonel Juan Mateus de Silva survives a brutal ambush that costs him everything. His men. His command. His closest friend. When his general abandons them to die, de Silva answers in blood. Marked for execution, he flees across the border into Namibia. He is not running from justice. He is hunting it.

With a South African deserter at his side, he disappears into the shadows of Cape Town. But betrayal follows.

Decades later in California, his grandson uncovers an impossible truth. The colonel is still alive, buried deep inside an illegal gold mine in South Africa. Getting him out will take a crew, a flawless plan, and absolute precision under fire. The trail leads back to Cape Town, where a fortified casino holds the key to finishing what was started years ago.

The Colonel’s Revenge is a high-stakes thriller of war, betrayal, and a heist built on debts that refuse to die.

His Review:

The Colonel had been a star in Castro’s Cuba. However, Castro sends him all over the world to influence third-world countries. He began to live an expansive life style with a woman in every country he operated in. Meanwhile, his wife back in Cuba was raising a son and daughter by herself and the Colonel was no longer welcome in his birth country.

South Africa is a very dangerous country. People from all over Africa and Europe go there for the gambling. There is no table limit, and Juan Mateus de Silva quickly learns that this is better than robbing banks. He and his companions began to develop strategies to relieve the gambling houses of their earnings. He is targeted for elimination. Instead of killing him, however, he spends nearly 40 years as a prisoner working in the gold mines. Any attempt to escape earns 40 lashes and Juan’s back is a scarred testimony to this result.

As time goes by, the son has a son who discovers his grandfather is not dead. And he begins a plan.

The fast-pacing of the storyline as well as the setting keeps the interest throughout. The characters consist of some scoundrels; the main character being well developed.

This story can be brutal in its descriptions and the cruelties that exist in South Africa. Once in the system, there is no escape. Gold and diamonds are not worth the reward meted out by the mine owners and controllers of the economy. 5 stars – CE Williams

This is Book 2 of the Mateus de Silva series but can be read as a standalone. Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Adventure
Publisher: Koehler Books
Publication Date: July 31, 2026
Source: Author request

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Jeffrey K Schmoll is the award-winning author of The Treasure of Tundavala Gap. He grew up among the tumbleweeds of Bakersfield, California, then spent years living and working on four continents and in seventeen homes with his wife and two children. From the rugged landscapes of Scotland to the vibrant cultures of Australia, Texas, and Louisiana, each place shaped him. None more than Angola, where his love for its people and landscape was born. Today he balances a deep faith, community service, competitive tennis, jewelry making, and epic adventure hikes that include summiting Mount Whitney and Half Dome each in a single day.

Man reading on his cell phone — Photo generated by Gemini

And Now, Back to You by B K Borison #BookReview #RomanticComedy #TuesdayBookBlog

Heartstrings Book 2

Best Romance

Book Blurb:

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.

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Workplace Romance eBooks, Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: February 24, 2026

Title Link(s):

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

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.

Older woman reading by candlelight on her cell phone

Midnight Patriots by Paul Levine – #BookReview #historicalthrillers #NetGalley

An Einstein-Chaplin Thriller

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

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.

C E Williams 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

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

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.

#SundayRead

Murder on the Marlow Belle: A Novel by Robert Thorogood #BookReview #cozymysteries

The Marlow Murder Club Book 4

Book Blurb:

**USA Today Bestseller**

The new cozy crime novel from the bestselling author of The Marlow Murder Club, now a major TV series on PBS Masterpiece!

Verity Beresford is worried about her husband. Oliver didn’t come home last night, so of course Verity goes straight to Judith Potts, Marlow’s resident amateur sleuth, for help. Oliver, founder of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, had rented The Marlow Belle, a private pleasure cruiser, to host an exclusive party for the society, but no one remembers seeing him disembark. And when Oliver’s body washes up on the Thames with two bullet holes in him, it’s time for the Marlow Murder Club to leap into action.

Oliver was, by all accounts, a rather complicated fellow, with a reputation for bullying children during nativity play rehearsals, and he wasn’t short of enemies. Judith, Suzie, and Becks are convinced they’ll find his killer in no time. But things are not as they seem in the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, and this case is not so clear-cut after all. The gang will need to keep their wits about them to solve this case… otherwise a killer will walk free.

My Review:

My introduction to the author and the series, this is a thoroughly complex cozy mystery of the locked room style.

A disparate group of sleuths, Judith Potts (a senior), Suzie Harris, and Becks Starling. Guess I came in too late in the series to find out why she is called Becks and it threw me off every time I read the name.

Anyway, by installment 4, certain things have been established—Judith is large and in charge.

Oliver Beresford has gone missing. His wife, aware of Judith’s rep, seeks her help in discovering where or what happened to old Oliver, though really she apparently is just as happy he’s missing and may he stay that way, thank you very much.

But he doesn’t. His body washes up on shore.

Oliver was a thorough narcissist and turns out—not that many are hungry for his return—including the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society who hosted a cruise on the Thames that included him and a Marlow original, now successful actress, Lizzie Jenkins.

Judith and her cronies seem to be grooming DI Tanika Malik as their police contact and, of course, also the department’s voice in trying to get the girls out of police business. Not that I don’t enjoy a few good mysteries that employ septuagenarian sleuths, but Judith tends to go a bit overboard in her zealous search for the truth. How hard can it be with only the few on board, each pointing a finger at the other and some with more motive.

It always astounds me that the protagonist, or one of the pack, can get someone to talk and glean more info than the police and that the person being questioned actually answers. But anyway—that’s how cozies are solved and it depends on the characters, the atmosphere, and the storyline how deeply engaged the reader becomes. The pace is the place where it all works—or doesn’t.

I felt the pacing a bit slow—I’m notoriously impatient—until about the last quarter or so when it picked up. Somehow, I couldn’t get the page into my imagination, and it slowed my enjoyment of the plot and the style of writing. Then, the denouement that Judith manages pushed disbelief. It just seemed like she’d have needed to read multiple minds to come up with that one.

This made it to Masterpiece Theatre in the States on PBS. And, thinking if I try another, it will be the audiobook version as I can imagine how that might have made it come alive. 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: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuths, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: September 16, 2025

Title Link(s):

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

Robert Thorogood - author — Robert Thorogood – author

The Author: I’m the author of THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB books, set in my hometown of Marlow in Buckinghamshire.

The first book in the series has been made into a TV show and can be watched in the UK on the Freeview channel U&Drama and in the USA on PBS/Masterpiece. A second TV series is coming out in 2025 and is based on Death Comes to Marlow, but also includes some brand new murders as well.

Before all of this, I created DEATH IN PARADISE for the BBC and have also written four standalone Richard Poole murder mystery novels. I’m really proud of them, and if you like Death in Paradise, I hope you’ll love the books as well.

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