#NYTimesbestsellingauthor – Rosepoint Publishing

Woman on Fire: A Novel by Lisa Barr #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday #WWIIHistoricalFiction

Book Blurb:

From the author of the award-winning Fugitive Colors and The Unbreakables, a gripping tale of a young, ambitious journalist embroiled in an international art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece—forcing the ultimate showdown between passion and possession, lovers and liars, history and truth.

After talking her way into a job with Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago, rising young journalist Jules Roth is given an unusual—and very secret—assignment. Dan needs her to locate a painting stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel’s most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan’s help to find it. But Jules doesn’t have much time; the famous designer is dying.

Meanwhile, in Europe, provocative and powerful Margaux de Laurent also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family’s millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. Yet the passionate and determined Jules has unexpected resources of her own, including Adam Baum, Ellis’s grandson. A recovering addict and brilliant artist in his own right, Adam was once in Margaux’s clutches. He knows how ruthless she is, and he’ll do anything to help Jules locate the painting before Margaux gets to it first.

A thrilling tale of secrets, love, and sacrifice that illuminates the destructive cruelty of war and greed and the triumphant power of beauty and love, Woman on Fire tells the story of a remarkable woman and an exquisite work of art that burns bright, moving through hands, hearts, and history.

My Review:

Much has been written and the subject of movies regarding the theft of the world’s masters by the Nazi’s during World War II. It is still the subject of mountains of conjecture, tales of confiscation, and missing pieces that may never be found.

Woman on Fire is the last painting that fictional Jewish artist Ernst Engel created before he is murdered by the Nazis during their purge of impressionist artists they labeled degenerate.

The protagonist, Jules Roth is a recent grad, a journalist who has set her sights on a job with Dan Mansfield of the Chicago Chronicle. Perfect timing, as he’s been asked to help him find a painting for his best friend, Ellis Baum, before he passes. It was his mother who was the subject of the painting and shot in front of Ellis.

While the book was heavily researched and a subject dear to the heart of the author, she layers the plot with intrigue, tension, and suspense. I should also mention she adds the requisite romance that once again I could have done without, as there was quite enough grist to sink teeth into regarding the massive theft of art without forming an alliance with Ellis’s grandson. (Gimme a break.)

There is an antagonist to Jules protagonist, Marqaux de Laurent. OMG, the mental picture of this woman! Margaux comes from money. Big money. And she feels she has the right of ownership to the painting, given her grandfather’s vast art collection that included this piece as well. Mad to open a new gallery, the painting will be her linch pin.

The big question here is, “If you steal something from someone who stole it from someone who stole it, is it stealing?”

I’d assume the original recipient of the painting would be the rightful owner, but amazing the arguments stemming from such a simple question.

Jules and Adam follow each clue in tracking the painting from France and Germany and beyond. The characters are well developed, the subject well described, and possibly raises more questions than answers.

Not a new plot, but possibly a unique take on the subject. If you enjoy tracking the lost treasures of WWII, this may very well interest you.

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 Stars

Book Details:

Genre: World War II & Holocaust Historical Fiction
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Narrator: Carlotta Brentan
Release Date: March 1, 2022

Title Links:

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

The Author: Lisa Barr is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of THE GODDESS OF WARSAW, WOMAN ON FIRE, THE UNBREAKABLES and the award-winning FUGITIVE COLORS. Lisa served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today’s Chicago Woman, managing editor of Moment magazine, and as an editor/reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Among the highlights of her career, Lisa covered the famous “handshake” between the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and President Bill Clinton at the White House. Lisa has been featured on Good Morning America and Today for her work as an author and journalist. Woman On Fire, The Unbreakables, and The Goddess of Warsaw have been optioned for film adaptation. Her new historical thriller The Shadow Artist publishes on March 9, 2027.

#ThrowbackThursday

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline #FeelGoodFiction #bookclub #TuesdayBookBlog

A Heartfelt Historical Novel Spanning Generations and Friendship

Nominee

The upper midwest experienced a bad T-storm that resulted in lots of tree loss, roads closed, and power outages, including our area residences and businesses. That included the YMCA where we missed having our regularly scheduled book club meeting last week. Rescheduled for this week, we had a smaller group than usual, but as always, a lively group.

This book club selection was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee as well as a #1 New York Times bestseller. The author has eight bestsellers, has been published in forty countries, and is a prestigious award winner. (Not all of the books we’ve read for book club have been out for more than ten years, but I’ve become aware that few were recently released. They’ve stood the test of time and prevail on the charts.)

My Thoughts

Molly Ayer is about to age out of the foster care system and good riddance! Busted again for a minor theft, she is given the option of community service and she chooses to help an elderly woman clean out her attic. The woman is ninety-one and doesn’t want to part with anything, but as they go through boxes and share stories, the more Molly realizes that despite being generations apart, they have very similar experiences.

Vivian Daly lives in Maine, an Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City. A young red-headed Irish girl back when that was not cool, she was deemed a difficult adoption prospect and sent with others on the orphan train out west where the train stopped for prospective parents. Granted, many had no intention of being parents; their objective was to obtain young, free labor services.

Molly is a Penobscot Indian, unwelcome and abandoned young, who has also been in and out of foster homes, a couple of which she had to flee. She’s developed attitude, hardened to life, cynical. Both of them have questions about their past and harbor secrets.

It’s an epic tale told in emotional description, a story sincere and genuine, and it plays out with unexpected revelation.

Many thanks to our local well-stocked library for providing me with the opportunity to read this novel. The thoughts expressed here are my own as well as my interpretation of the consensus of the book club participants.

Book Club Thoughts

The publisher provided the questions for discussion at the book club, and we tackled Orphan Train after a quick introduction to next month’s book and interesting information about that author.

Among questions for discussion were:

► Both characters experienced several name changes depending on who or where they were—contrasted—the group acknowledged both had similar experiences with either their names being changed for convenience and ease of clarity or of their own choice (the marriage of Vivian). The impact of those changes probably impacted Vivian more so at the beginning, but both names reflected their heritage, a larger degree of identity loss.

► Vivian’s ghosts were a recurring theme in her POV (told as first person, while Molly’s POV was third). As Vivian was portrayed as a 91-year-old with many years of experiences, much of the story regarded her childhood.

► Interesting that adoption included the promise to send the child to both school and the church of their choice—which didn’t happen for either child and included debate whether or not it was either child choice or whether or not they cared. Yes on the education.

****SPOILER***

► Was the reader surprised by Vivian giving up a baby when her own childhood was that of an orphan? YES! But discussion led to much observation between social services back then and now, which would have been handled much differently. Still, it was an unsettling twist.

Memorable Quote:

Sometimes you don’t look for perfect. Sometimes enough is the most you can hope for.”

The heritage of both children set off an extended discussion of the current strides in DNA and interest in ancestral history. That discussion could have continued much longer were we not required to vacate the room.

Book Club and my star ratings

Book Details:

Publisher: Mariner Books
Publication Date: April 2, 2013

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: A #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline is published in 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the NYT Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, LitHub, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, and Salon. Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, Kline is a graduate of Yale (B.A.), Cambridge (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (M.F.A.), where she was a Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing.

Kline lives in NYC and Southwest Harbor, Maine. She serves on the advisory boards of the Center for Fiction (NY), the Jesup Library (Bar Harbor, ME), the Montclair Literary Festival (NJ), the Kauai Writers Festival (HI), and Roots & Wings (NJ), and on the gala committees of Poets & Writers (NY), The Authors Guild (NY) and Friends of Acadia (ME). She is an Artist-Mentor for StudioDuke at Duke University and the BookEnds program at Stony Brook University.

The YMCA Book Club

It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica #AudiobookReview #crimethrillers #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND GOODREADS TOP THRILLER OF 2026!

A scream shatters the silence…
Courtney Gray’s peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage. Her niece Reese is missing. Her nephew Wyatt is asleep upstairs—unharmed.

A town full of secrets…
As police swarm the quiet resort, dark truths about Courtney’s family—and the town itself—begin to surface. Is Reese a victim… or the killer?

A truth no one saw coming…
With everyone hiding something, Courtney races to uncover the terrible mystery. But the closer she gets, the harder it is to know who—or what—to trust.

My Review:

Is this Mary Kubica trying too hard? Okay, well, when I read She’s Not Sorry in 2025, I said I’d try another, but the hook at the beginning didn’t live up to the level at the end.

Getting into the heart of the story where multiple twists started happening was a bit deja vue. The POVs suggested contradictions meant to lead to suspicious narrators.

While the plot kept my attention well enough, I kept thinking, wait—Courtney just lost her brother and sister-in-law (also her best friend) in a horrific murder scene. Her brother! I couldn’t get past that she didn’t react in a normal way that would or should have elicited. And a missing teenage niece, yes, bad enough. And the nephew slept through it? Really?

Can’t trust the narrators or apparently anyone else in this narrative. They are all highly suspicious, made to appear more so with unexpected actions or inappropriate dialogue. I didn’t trust Courtney either, for that matter.

I guess the plot moved fast enough to provoke mountains of skepticism, confusion, secrets, and too many twists for me. The main characters are well developed, to the point where they generate a healthy distrust of any motive. The lake and cabins, remote location, generate a creepy vibe and it’s all engaging and entertaining.

Then the last twist hits. Way OTT. At least for me. If you’re a fan of Kubica, then you may very well enjoy the tension-filled novel, at least until the end.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Fiction, Crime Thrillers, Domestic Thrillers
Publisher: Park Row Books
Narrators: Jennifer Jill Araya, Brittany Pressley, Gary Tiedemann
Release Date: February 3, 2026

Title Links:

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

The Author: Mary Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author of suspense thrillers including The Good Girl, The Other Mrs., and Local Woman Missing. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller” (Kirkus) and “a writer of vice-like control” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (L.A. Times). She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and children.

Visit Mary at http://www.marykubica.com/

Audiobooks

Still Alice by Lisa Genova #AudiobookReview #bookclub #TBT

Definitely a tough read for most, I think, especially difficult for anyone with either themselves or a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Written long enough ago that there have hopefully been gains in understanding and treating this patient, the book looks at the disease through the eyes of the victim.

My Thoughts

Alice Howland, a 50-year-old woman with a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University, is not exactly your average MC. Happily married to an equally brilliant, independent, and well-educated husband, they have three grown children when she begins to notice a change in her memory.

Following additional alarming shorts in her memory and a confusion not previously encountered, Alice sought help with what she could explain away as a possible menopausal effect. Perhaps hormone replacement therapy would help? But no, after all tests were in, the definitive diagnosis was early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

According to AI, dementia is an “umbrella term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, while Alzheimer’s is a specific disease.” And Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disease leading to severe cognitive decline whereas dementia exhibits varied symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and impaired reasoning.

“Attention, rehearsal, elaboration, or emotional significance was needed if perceived information was to be pushed beyond the recent memory space into longer-term storage, else it would be quickly and naturally discarded with the passage of time.”

“As her ability to track what was said in complex conversations with many participants declined, Alice’s sensitivity to what wasn’t said, to body language and unspoken feelings, had heightened.”

Of course, the book and explanations led to my own research into the specific gene associated with early onset Alzheimers, PS-1, whereas PS-2 can occur anywhere from 40-88 years of age.

And that’s probably what disturbed me most about the book. From the time Alice acknowledges she might be having a problem, the account launches into short bursts of months noted from September 2003 to the summer of 2005. Yeah, whoa, that’s fast! I couldn’t wrap my mind around that time frame.

Alice had to have hints of something major going on prior to her sudden loss of direction around Harvard University.

Alice had devised a simple test for herself when it could be determined she’d reach a line over which she did not wish to cross with the disease. Throughout the book, she administered the test to herself, gradually coming to the realization she could not answer even one of her five questions. Worse, consideration was not given to the actual act she was considering in that if she had reached her “butterfly” moment, could she still understand the instructions well enough to execute them?

If the book is not sufficient to answer your questions about the disease, it certainly does raise a number of them, which, in your own experience you’ll either research further or simply digest a new perspective.

I was able to secure both the ebook and the audiobook for this title at my local library and will mention that it’s possible the author should have found a professional narrator for her audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own as well as my interpretation of the consensus of the book club participants.

Book Club Thoughts

The publisher provides pointed questions for discussion at the book club, ably kept on topic by the facilitator.

A few of the items specifically examined were:

►What was the husband’s reaction to his wife’s diagnosis?

►What was the significance of her mother’s butterfly necklace?

►Is preserving the legacy of the person more important than the way she left it?

►What was the reaction of her husband to the failure of the trial med?

As always, a very lively discussion with all questions and many personally shared experiences of their own with loved ones. Certainly an extended dialogue on the experience of the inheritable gene. There was a wide range of reaction to the book, with a number disliking it as many as liking and, I believe, only two five-star votes.

Book Details:

Publisher: Pocket Books
Audiobook Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrator: Lisa Genova
Publication Date: January 21, 2009

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University.

Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa has captured a special place in contemporary fiction, writing stories that are equally inspired by neurological conditions and our shared human condition. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels STILL ALICE, LEFT NEGLECTED, LOVE ANTHONY, INSIDE THE O’BRIENS, and EVERY NOTE PLAYED.

Her first work of nonfiction, REMEMBER: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, published March 2021, became an instant New York Times bestseller.

STILL ALICE was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth and Hunter Parrish. Julianne Moore won the 2015 Best Actress Oscar for her role as Alice Howland. Film adaptations for INSIDE THE O’BRIENS, EVERY NOTE PLAYED, and LEFT NEGLECTED are in development.

STILL ALICE was adapted for the stage by Christine Mary Dunford and premiered at the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago in April 2013. It has since toured worldwide.

In 2015, Lisa was named one of the U.S. Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue. She has appeared on Live with Kelly &Ryan, the TODAY show, CNN, PBS Newshour, Dr. Oz, and NPR and has been featured in the PBS specials Build a Better Memory Through Science and Supercharge Your Brain, as well as the documentary films To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg.

Her first TED talk, “What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s” has been viewed over eight million times. Her most recent TED talk, “How Memory Works–and Why Forgetting is Totally OK” was the sixth most watched TED talk of 2021. A sought-after speaker/edutainer, she has headlined in speaker series alongside Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Gloria Steinem, Jay Leno, Malala Yousafzai, and Goldie Hawn.

She received The Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, for “distinguished storytelling that has enriched the public dialogue,” The Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, The Global Genes RARE Champions of Hope Award, and The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for “informing the public about treatment and ongoing research in medical illness.”

She has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bates College, The Alzheimer’s Association’s Rita Hayworth Award, The Huntington’s Disease Society of America Community Awareness Award, and the Grubby Award for literary excellence.

She serves on the Advisory Boards for The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, HFC (Hilarity for Charity), and Compassionate Care ALS.

The YMCA Bookclub

The Divorce by Freida McFadden #AudiobookReview #DomesticThriller

Amazon Charts #4 this week

Book Blurb:

What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family . . . Then—he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something. It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life. Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession—and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn’t it worth it?

My Review:

Okay, pop quiz! Where have I read this plot before?

Pretty much everywhere, and, I think, including another McFadden book, change the names and dates.

And, indeed, this one starts out as the very familiar MC being locked out of her own house. Only this one actually buys a really stupid plan by her husband to get her out of the house and into a nasty NY rat-infested tenement. You’d feel sorry for her if she just weren’t so dumb.

When she finally figures out that she has been truly locked out—from her gorgeous mansion, from her bank account or credit cards, she begins to plot revenge.

Nice she could stumble onto the sweet young thing that caught his attention. Not so nice that she found a truly caring and sympathetic attorney to handle her side. The little boy? Her son? EEK! Maybe that’s where the thriller part comes in, but no, she wouldn’t hurt him.

Would she?

Sometimes the outrageous twists can add up to fun, but when they snowball over each other becoming more preposterous, can you still continue?

The swing from sympathy for Naomi wanes pretty quickly when we get deeper into the support characters. The problem here is that none of the characters elicit a lot of engagement. No one seems to make a sound decision and it all leads to explosive repercussions.

The plot goes from disbelief to insanity. It appears she has hit the final straw when she can justify violent actions and loses that final thread of reality.

So, is it entertaining or fast-paced? As soon as you think you’ve solved one mystery, there’s another signature McFadden zinger…may not make sense…but definitely heads everything in another direction. Throw in some of that barbed, snarky dialogue, short chapters that keep you starting another, the slow descent to madness, and it’s a quick distraction from the heavy stuff.

The epilogue? No. Again, just no.

Is there a genre called psychotic?

Okay, I must admit to having enjoyed Dear Debbie, my last McFadden book, but as I mentioned then, her books are hit or miss for me. Guess which one this was.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Narrator: January LaVoy, Edoardo Ballerini, Marin Ireland
Release Date: May 26, 2026

Title Links:

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

The Author: #1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, USA Today, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author Freida McFadden is a physician who has penned multiple bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. Freida is the winner of the International Thriller Writer Award for Best Paperback Original, the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Thriller, and was honored as one of TIME 100’s most influential people in the world for 2026. Her novels have been translated into more than 45 languages.

Freida lives with her family and 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.

To hear Freida talk about herself more in the third person, check out her website freidamcfadden dot com.

Impossible to Pause

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 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!

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden #AudiobookReview #DomesticThrillers

in Domestic Thrillers

Book Blurb:

Sometimes, enough is enough . . .

Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction. Or at least, she did.

These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person.

She’s done being reasonable and practical. It’s time to take her own advice.

And now it’s time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.

My Review:

Sometimes, you just deserve something fun. I’ve read a number of McFadden books in the last few years. Admittedly some better than others. This one had my head swimming.

No way can my head swing that far out without needing a straight jacket. This protagonist is off her rocker. I stopped questioning what I was hearing and just listened for the pure joy of it. The narrators did a great job and I’m sure they enhanced the book somewhat but this plot was really going to keep my drop-jawed attention regardless.

Debbie can really think up some weird stuff. You’ve got to keep reading or listening just to see if she’s going to get away with it. But then it gets worse. She is seething with all the emotional baggage she’s been holding in and once the match is lit, she is ready to dispense with the rage and impotence. She will find a way to mete out some karma.

Oh, that delicious dark humor! It’s a great balance for the more serious scenes in the foreground. She is dealing with thieving neighbors and teenagers, one of whom has a despicable boyfriend, a husband doing mysterious things (an affair?), a lecherous boss who fired her over a questionable advice column she wrote, and a friend at the gym who is bizarrely interested in all things Debbie’s family.

And did I mention she is extraordinarily good at designing apps, one of which she’s installed on her family’s cell phones. There is just a heap of those little things careening out of Debbie’s psyche, including the one that happened while she was at MIT. That one was hard to overcome. Or did she?

It’s a bit insane. If you’ve read McFadden books before, you know the hit and miss, the characters that carve out a persona so real, you want to help, and the ones who don’t elicit more than a casual glance. This plot is fast. It’s almost criminally over the top—yeah—just enjoy that part. It’s engaging, entertaining, and a wild ride. The only part that let me down just a bit was the ending—the epilogue. Was that overkill? You be the judge.

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: Domestic Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Narrators: Julia Whelan, January LaVoy, Scott Brick
Release Date: January 27, 2026

Title Links:

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

To hear Freida talk about herself more in the third person, check out her website freidamcfadden dot com.

Have a great day!

Mad Mabel: A Novel by Sally Hepworth #AudiobookReview – Dark Humor Literature & Fiction

in Dark Humor Literature and Fiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Meet Mad Mabel.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She’s lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years–longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else’s business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.

When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie’s past start coming to light. Who was “Mad Mabel” fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose?

Told with Sally Hepworth’s twists, humor, charm, and heart, MAD MABEL is novel that weaves past and present together–through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

My Review:

Oh I have greatly enjoyed this author previously in deeply suspenseful literary novels, the last one being Darling Girls. The lady can write. This one doesn’t carry that tension-filled nail-biting thriller genre quite like that one, but nonetheless, was unique and quite entertaining.

Yes, once again, a protagonist near my age—I loved it! And of course I was listening to the audiobook and expected to hear that querulous voice so often attributed to an octogenarian, but, thank you, while just a little sharp, it merely reflects the woman’s no-nonsense personality. She’s had it tough and the book will explain why. But not right away.

I loved Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick. She’s a great main character and oozes personality. It’s one of those tough hide, soft heart things and it almost immediately bumps up against the latter when seven-year-old Persephone moves into the neighborhood with her single and struggling mother, Roxanne.

Persephone drove me nuts and for awhile, I had the same go away reaction to her as did Mabel. Long after I was ready to kick Persephone to the curb, Mabel was grudgingly beginning to hide obvious tender feelings for the poor thing, needy and lonely as she was.

In the meantime, Mabel discovered her neighbor in his little home…dead. This will not go well with her history and as there was a bit of antagonism between the two, it won’t take long for that bit to be discovered. Mabel’s background includes a murder conviction when she was fifteen. Even in her old Australian neighborhood, will she never be able to outrun that history?

The author does a fine job of weaving dual timelines with little twists that tease the imagination and beg the question—was Elsie the unfortunate child of deadly circumstances, bad timing, questionable coincidences and circumstantial evidence? Can anyone have this much bad luck? Is she, after all, innocent?

I enjoyed the sense of humor, the dialogue, and the build of empathy for Elsie…and the kid, as well as the contradictions in how her neighbors perceived her. No one believed this. She took in the victim’s dog? She didn’t like that dog. This is some great storytelling and the twists at the end truly caught me by surprise. Loved it. Yeah, I’ve got to recommend this one to my book club.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys a good satirical plot that will keep you flipping pages and forgetting the main character’s age. As my good motobuddy used to say, “age is just a number.”

Many thanks to Lynne at Fictionophile for her recommendation and to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Dark Humor Literature & Fiction, Domestic Thrillers, Dark Humor
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Hannah Fredericksen, Jenny Seedsman
Release Date: April 21, 2026

Title Links:

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

The Author: Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including The Good Sister and The Soulmate. Her latest novel, Darling Girls, was released in Australia in September 2023, and will be released in North America in April 2024.

Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her three children and one adorable dog. She has recently taken up ocean swimming (or to put it more accurately, ocean dipping).

5 stars