Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Started: 12/30/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2023

Pages: 317

Genre: Romantasy

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

"So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, muddle Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

"But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart."

Opinion: Trying to branch out away from all the cozy mysteries that I've been reading and yeah, um, this isn't it.

Breakneck by Marc Cameron

Started: 12/25/2025

Finished: 12/29/2025

Year: 2023

Pages: 353

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Off the northeast coast of Russia, the captain and crew of a small crabbing vessel are brutally murdered by members of Bratva, the Russian mafia. The killers scuttle the vessel off the coast of Alaska and slip ashore.

"In Washington, DC, Supreme Court Justice Charlotte Townsend prepares for a trip to Alaska, unaware that a killer is waiting to take his revenge—by livestreaming her death to the world.

"In Anchorage, Alaska, Deputy US Marshals Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki are assigned to security detail. Lola is tasked with guarding Justice Townsend’s teenaged daughter while Cutter provides counter-surveillance. It’s a routine assignment until the mother and daughter decide to explore the Alaskan wilderness on the famous Glacier Discovery train. Hiding onboard are the Chechen terrorists, who launch a surprise attack. While they seize control of the engine, Cutter manages to escape with Justice Townsend by jumping off the moving train—and into the unforgiving wilderness."

Opinion: Lots of thrilling moments well described. 

Zenith Man by McCracken Poston Jr.

Started: 12/24/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2024

Pages: 291

Genre: true crime

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley’s house—and even more shockingly, she was the wife no one knew he had.

"McCracken Poston had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin Ridley was a local character who once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Though reclusive and an outsider, the “Zenith Man,” as Poston knew him, hardly seemed capable of murder.

"Alvin was a difficult client, storing evidence in a cockroach-infested suitcase, unwilling to reveal key facts to his defender. Gradually, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvin’s curious marriage and her cause of death—which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. Calling on medical experts, testimony from Alvin himself, and a wealth of surprising evidence gleaned from Alvin’s junk-strewn house, Poston presented a groundbreaking defense that allowed Alvin to return to his peculiar lifestyle, a free man.

"Years after his trial, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a revelation that sheds light on much of his lifelong personal battle—and shows how easily those who don’t fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood."

Opinion: How to make a legal case all about the lawyer instead of the client...at least this is how this book starts out and honestly, I don't care. I want to know about the client, the murder, the case, what the lawyer is going to do to help their client out. 

A Limited Edition Murder by Lauren Elliott

Started: 12/21/2025

Finished: 12/24/2025

Year: 2024

Pages: 316

Genre: mystery

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Although enjoying her extended stay working at Second Chance Books and Bindery in West Yorkshire, Addie still feels adrift--far from home, her friends, and her own beloved bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios. The engagement party of her dear friend, Tony, at Milton Manor promises to be a joyful distraction. But there's an ill wind blowing at the estate: When Tony presents his fiancâe with a special copy of Wuthering Heights as an engagement gift, the lord of the manor insists the book was stolenfrom his library . . . Things go from troubling to tragic when Addie takes her Yorkipoo, Pippi, out for a walk on the moors and stumbles across the body of a young woman. When the police suspect Tony of foul play, Addie vows to get to the bottom of what's going on. But it's a twisted, treacherous path to the truth and Addie will need to watch her every step "

Opinion: This was not a good continuation of the series. New country. No real development of Addie. A throw in of two of her friends that just seemed pointless. The mystery was good.

The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson

Started: 12/20/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2025

Pages: 315

Genre: historical fiction (WWII)

Grade: D

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Brimming with evocative writing and meticulous research, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson spins a web of secret aliases, sweeping romance, and great sacrifice. Inspired by real historical figures, this is the captivating story of two remarkable young women, their bravery and heartache, and a friendship that withstands the ravages of war.

"With World War Two raging across Europe, best friends Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan are enlisted by the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon—a sparkling city and hotbed of trouble, harboring exiled royalty, hunted refugees, and spies trading double-edged secrets in seductively dark corners. In official capacity, librarians Selene and Bea have been recruited to catalog the vast mountain of information gathered by the Allies, but by night, both women are undercover agents tasked with infiltrating the Axis spy network.

"Where Selene is confident and brash, Bea is bookish and careful. Selene longs to escape her family’s impossible expectations and embrace her independence, while all Bea wants is to heal from heartbreak and keep impulsive Selene out of trouble. But soon, both librarians are caught up in treacherous games of deception alongside two of Lisbon’s most notorious men—the outcast Portuguese baron, Luca Caldeira, and the lethal double-agent, Gable. As Selene charms her way through lavish ballrooms and fêtes with Luca, Bea is plunged into Gable’s shadowy underworld of informants. Victory depends upon the joint success of their missions, but when an unexpected betrayal throws a carefully spun web of lies into chaos, everything they’ve sacrificed is put at risk. As Selene and Bea are pushed to their breaking points can their friendship, and their hearts, survive the cost of war?"

Opinion: Eh...too many things going on. Characters are blah. 

Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson

Started: 12/17/2025

Finished: 12/19/2025

Year: 2024

Pages: 321

Genre: mystery

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she's left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstop, and restart her life, Madeline is faced with unexpected challenges. The gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze and a late night caller threatens to burn the whole store down if she doesn't leave immediately.

"But Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there's another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it's up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim."

Opinion: Not a great story. Some things did not flow. Hard to remember how old Madeline based on her how she acts. The mystery was decent.

Remain by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan

Started: 12/15/2025

Finished: 12/17/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 329

Genre: paranormal romance mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "When New York architect Tate Donovan arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home, he is hoping to make a fresh start. Recently discharged from an upscale psychiatric facility where he was treated for acute depression, he is still wrestling with the pain of losing his beloved sister. Sylvia’s deathbed revelation—that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world, a gift that runs in their family—sits uneasily with Tate, who struggles to believe in more than what reason can explain. But when he takes up residence at a historic bed-and-breakfast on the Cape, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Wren who will challenge every assumption he has about his logical and controlled world.

"Tate and Wren find themselves forging an immediate connection, one that neither has ever experienced before. But Tate gradually discovers that below the surface of Wren’s idyllic small-town life, hatred, jealousy, and greed are festering, threatening their fragile relationship just as it begins to blossom. Tate realizes that in order to free Wren from an increasingly desperate fate, he will need to unearth the truth about her past before time runs out . . . a quest that will make him doubt whether we can ever believe the stories we tell about ourselves, and the laws that govern our existence. Love—while transformative—can sometimes be frightening.

"A story about the power of transcendent emotion, Remain asks us all: Can love set us free not only from our greatest sorrows, but even from the boundaries of life and death?"

Opinion: A good mix of paranormal (ghost), romance and mystery. Not a tearjerker like other Sparks' books have been.

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Started: 11/11/2025

Finished: 12/15/2025

Year: 2021

Pages: 464

Genre: mystery

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: bookreads.com giveaway

Type: ARC paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "The Delaney family love one another dearly―it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .

"If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?

"This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.

"The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?

"The four Delaney children―Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke―were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.

"One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.

"Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure―but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light."

Opinion: I read this in between library books-that's why it took so long. It was a good mystery and the resolution fell flat....the ending made it worse. I'm hoping that considering that I read an ARC copy...that the ending was heavily edited.

A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouinard

Started: 12/10/2025

Finished: 12/14/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 322

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Capri Sanzio knows that when you give serial killer walking tours for a living, unexpected situations are more common than San Francisco's famous fog. So, when one of her guests claims to see a woman being attacked during a tour, Capri remains unphased. The police search the apartment in question and find no evidence of anything amiss, so they chalk it up to a false report from a true crime fanatic looking to be a part of a case. And Capri thinks they might be right, since lately her tours have been attracting even more obsessives than usual--as it turns out, finding the actual serial killer who committed the "Overkill Bill" murders didn't stop the constant questions about her grandfather's supposed crimes, it only intensified them.

"But Capri would never forgive herself if someone is in trouble and she walks away. Plus, something about the whole situation has every one of Capri's investigative journalist instincts going haywire--why would someone lie about seeing an attack? So Capri starts to dig, and when her questions lead to a body, she finds herself at the center of another murder investigation."

Opinion: Decent continuation of the series. Decent mystery. Not sure why/how Capri is able to be as involved with investigating as she is, especially with the police.

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

Started: 12/9/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2025

Pages: 544

Genre: fantasy romance

Grade: D

Reason for reading: library book, trying to expand my genre interest

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards—a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

"Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy’s enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape—for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

"In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

"Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world—and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?"

Opinion: The writing was fine. The tarot aspect was good. I think that it's the fact that it was young adult that made me put it down. If anyone has any fantasy recommendations, please feel free to comment. I don't like gods or royalty so I know that that leaves out a lot of fantasy books out there.

All That Remains by Patricia Cornwell

Started: 12/5/2025

Finished: 12/9/2025

Year: 1992

Pages: 373

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "In Richmond, Virginia, young lovers are dying. So far, four couples in the area have disappeared, only to be found months later as mutilated corpses. When the daughter of the president's newest drug czar vanishes along with her boyfriend, Dr. Kay Scarpetta knows time is short. Following a macabre trail of evidence that ties the present homicides to a grisly crime in the past, Kay must draw upon her own personal resources to track down a murderer who is as skilled at eliminating clues as Kay is at finding them..."

Opinion: Decent continuation of the series. Mystery was interesting from a scientific aspect.

Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden

Started: 12/4/2025

Finished: 12/4/2025

Year: 2021

Pages 274

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Quinn Alexander has committed an unthinkable crime.

"To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she's done.

"But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.

"Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn't the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick's ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.

"In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She'll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom."

Opinion: Psycho like but not psycho. Slightly predictable.

Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke

Started: 12/3/2025

Finished: 12/3/2025

Year: 2007

Pages: 148

Genre: cozy mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: continuing with series, library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "A collection of three holiday mysteries includes stories by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meyer, and features fourteen Christmas recipes"

Opinion: I only read the novella from Fluke and it's another body discovered by Hannah and where she helps solve the whodunit. Decent mystery-took a while to figure it out and why.

All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles

Started: 12/2/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2025

Pages: 331

Genre: mystery

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "When Zeb Wyckham is summoned to a wealthy relative's remote Gothic manor, he is horrified to find all the people he least wants to see in the world: his estranged brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover Gideon Grey. Things couldn't possibly get worse.

"Then the master of the house announces the true purpose of the gathering: he intends to leave the vast family fortune to whoever marries his young ward, setting off a violent scramble for her hand. Zeb wants no part of his greedy family―but when he tries to leave, the way is barred. The walls of Lackaday House are high, and the gates firmly locked. As the Dartmoor mists roll in, there's no way out. And something unnatural may be watching them from the house's shadowy depths…

"Fear and paranoia ramping ever-higher, Zeb has nowhere to turn but to the man who once held his heart. As the gaslight flickers and terror takes hold, can two warring lovers reunite, uncover the murderous mysteries of Lackaday House―and live to tell the tale?"

Opinion: Blah. None of the characters are interesting enough for me to continue. Everyone seems petty and only out for an inheritance.

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

Started: 11/30/2025

Finished: 12/2/2025

Year: 2017

Pages: 324

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path.

"But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened.

"Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?"

Opinion: Decent mystery mixed with a serial killer

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao

Started: 11/25/2025

Finished: DNF (had to return to library and I don't want to finish it)

Year: 2025

Pages: 309

Genre: mystery

Grade: D

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "The body in the closet was going to be a problem. Kathryn Hu knew it. Yes, Tucker Jones was a cheating scumbag, and yes, she’d agreed to meet Olivia and Elle—Tucker’s other girlfriends—to exact revenge for all he’d put them through… But then they found him. Dead.

"Do they look guilty? Yes.

"Do they feel guilty for having wished him dead just hours before? Maybe a little.

"But—solid motive and a crime scene covered in their DNA aside—they’re innocent. They swear.

"To clear their names, Kat, Olivia, and Elle team up to find the real killer. But as they go undercover and lie to everyone, including the hot detective working the case, they realize that every person in their ex's life had a reason to want him dead. Will they uncover the truth before they go down for a murder they didn't commit?"

Opinion: Amazon describes this as laugh out loud....nope...not in the least. You have 3 women old enough to NOT play the stupid disgusting pranks that were described-especially when one is a lawyer. Yes he was a cheating ahole but just move on. The murder mystery was ok.

The Academy by Elin Hlderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

Started: 11/24/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2025

Pages: 413

Genre: literature

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump – was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.

"But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn – and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin’s campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology – everyone has something to hide.

"As if high school wasn’t dramatic enough...As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever."

Opinion: The writing style was fine. Just didn't care about reading about teenagers in boarding school.

Cold Snap by Marc Cameron

Started: 11/17/2025

Finished: 11/23/2025

Year: 2022

Pages: 336

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: continuing with series, library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "After an early spring thaw on the Alaskan coast, Anchorage police discover a gruesome new piece of evidence in their search for a serial killer: a dismembered human foot.

"In Kincaid Park, a man is arrested for attacking a female jogger. Investigators believe they have finally captured the sadistic serial killer. But one deputy is sure they have the wrong man.

"In the remote northern town of Deadhorse, Alaska, Deputy US Marshal Arliss Cutter escorts three handcuffed prisoners onto a small bush plane on route to Anchorage. It’s a routine mission and a nonstop flight—or so he thinks. When the plane makes an unexpected landing in the middle of nowhere, all hell breaks loose.

"Back in Anchorage, deputy Lola Teariki has traced the dismembered foot to a missing girl—and the serial psychopath who slaughtered her. It’s one of the prisoners on Cutter’s flight . . ."

Opinion: Intense. Two cases that ended up being more related than initially thought. Very good continuation of series and ending leads to the next book.

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

Started: 11/14/2025

Finished: 11/17/2025

Year: 1995

Pages: 327

Genre: literature

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "The headlines are all the same: Beloved mother and wife Delia Grinstead was last seen strolling down the Delaware shore, wearing only a bathing suit and carrying a beach tote with five hundred dollars tucked inside. To the best of her family's knowledge, she has disappeared without a trace. But Delia didn't disappear. She ran.

"Exhausted with her routine and everyone else's plans for her, Delia needed an out, a chance to make a new life for herself and to become a different person. The new Delia can let go of all the hurt and resentment that left her stuck in her past. As she eagerly sheds the pieces of herself she no longer needs, Delia discovers feelings of passion and wonder she'd long since forgotten. The thrill of walking away from it all leads to a newfound sense of self and the feeling that she is, finally, the star of her own life story."

Opinion: Relateable but predictable. Wasn't horrible. Wasn't great. Average

Dedication to Murder by Lauren Elliott

Started: 11/13/2025

Finished: 11/14/2025

Year: 2023

Pages: 314

Genre: cozy mystery

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Wedding bells are about to ring again in Greyborne Harbor, and as Addie slips into her white dress her thoughts are focused on a bright future with Dr. Simon Emerson. But a discovery in her attic leads her to startling revelations about the past. As the owner of Beyond the Page Books and Curios and a lifelong bibliophile, Addie is delighted to find a rare collection of classic children’s books gathering dust in a secret room beneath the rafters, including a first edition of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. To her surprise, a handwritten inscription on the title page provides a clue to unraveling a complex mystery in Addie’s family . . .

"But that’s only the first surprise in a series of shocking twists that will turn Addie’s vision of where her life is going and where she’s come from upside down—including a suspicious death in the present that suggests foul play."

Opinion: Different than the other books in the series. Two pretty interesting mysteries that are tied together.

Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor

Started: 11/7/2025

Finished: 11/11/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 303

Genre: mystery

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "It's November of 1965 and the second weekend of Vermont's regular deer season when Vermont State Police detective Franklin Warren is called out to what looks like an accidental shooting at The Ridge Club, an exclusive men's hunting and fishing club for congressmen, diplomats, judges, and titans of industry: a former ambassador has been shot while out hunting. With the war in Vietnam picking up speed on the other side of the world, Warren quickly realizes that many of the club’s members are powerful men who may have ulterior motives and connections in high places.

"While Warren's suspicions about the club members build, his neighbor Alice Bellows is throwing a dinner party, preparing for Thanksgiving, and worrying about her pregnant friend and fellow widow, Sylvie Weber, whose due date is coming up. When Alice's old handler and friend, Arthur Crannock, unexpectedly shows up in Bethany, Alice begins to wonder whether his presence has anything to do with the death at the hunting club.

"As an early season snowstorm bears down on Bethany, knocking out power and phone lines and blocking the roads, Warren and his assistant, Trooper Pinky Goodrich, are trapped at the Ridge Club, likely along with a killer, and Alice, increasingly fearful that her past in the intelligence world is no longer in the past, will have to act fast to save Sylvie and her baby."

Opinion: Mystery was intriguing....side story did not need to be there-there is another way to get more of Alice and neighbors' stories-felt disjointed.

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke

Started: 11/5/2025

Finished: 11/7/2025

Year: 2024

Pages: 322

Genre: paranormal mystery

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): Ruby Young's new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost.

"Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she's kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there’s more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice.

"Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can't solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn't kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can't, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. As the roommates form an unlikely friendship and get closer to the truth about Jake's death, they also start to uncover other dangerous secrets."

Opinion: Interesting concept. Decent murder mystery. Some things didn't apply but might in the next book.

Sudden Prey by John Sandford

Started: 11/1/2025

Finished: 11/5/2025

Year: 1996

Pages: 374

Genre: thriller/mystery

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: TBR pile, continuing with series.

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "The crime spree should have ended when Lucas Davenport killed the female bank robber during the shoot-out. But it’s just beginning, because the woman’s husband isn’t about to let Lucas—or anyone he loves—escape retribution."

Opinion: Revenge doesn't always go the way that you want. Good thriller, fast paced.

The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

Started: 11/1/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 2024

Pages: 445

Genre: literature/fantasy

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "When a young man’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes, he is heartbroken – and determined to find the imaginary town where he suspects she has taken up residence. Thus begins a lifelong search that takes the man into middle age, to a job in a remote library with mysteries of its own, and on a journey between the real world and this otherworld: a shadowless city where unicorns roam and willow trees grow."

Opinion: Not sure if it was a lost in translation or what but I could not follow or be interested in this couple or what happened to them.

Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell

Started: 10/28/2025

Finished: 10/31/2025

Year: 1991

Pages: 403

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing the series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "A reclusive author, Beryl Madison finds no safe haven from months of menacing phone calls—or the tormented feeling that her every move is being watched. When the writer is found slain in her own home, Kay Scarpetta pieces together the intricate forensic evidence—while unwittingly edging closer to a killer waiting in the shadows."

Opinion: Everything comes full circle...interesting mystery.

Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima

Starting: 10/25/2025

Finished: 10/27/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 277

Genre: mystery

Grade: A

Reason for reading: TBR, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker are teaching Cole’s daughters how to snowshoe in a remote canyon when a shattering scream pierces the air. They know that somewhere ahead, someone has been injured or worse. Cole takes the girls while Mattie and Robo go deeper into the canyon to search for the source of the scream.

"From a distance, Mattie and Robo see a shadowy figure at the base of a cliff, but a rockslide buries the person under layers of stone and shale before they can provide help. Desperate to uncover the individual in case they’re still alive under the rock, their efforts are in vain. The victim is already dead. When they investigate the canyon rim from which the person fell, they discover evidence that indicates the fall was no accident. To make matters worse, the victim was one of Cole’s friends.

"The Timber Creek County investigative team springs into action, uncovering a trail of greed that leads to a killer who threatens Mattie’s cherished new family and tests her with the most difficult task she’s faced in her duty as a K-9 handler."

Opinion: Another great book in this series. Action starts immediately. Interesting twist. Can't wait to read the next one.

Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests by KJ Whittle

Started: 10/21/2025

Finished: 10/24/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 336

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Seven strangers meet for an anonymously hosted dinner party. As the evening winds down, seven cards appear, one in front of each of the guests. On the card is a number – the age at which they will die. Thinking it an elaborate prank, the guests disperse into the night, hoping to forget the morbid evening forever.

"Two weeks later, one of them is dead at exactly the age the card predicted.

"It must be a coincidence. But as more guests die, each one dead at the same age as their card, it soon becomes clear that something much more sinister is afoot. Now, it's up to the quickly dwindling group to figure out who (or what) was behind that fateful dinner party, before their numbers catch up with them.

"Told from the perspectives of each of the seven guests, Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests is a spellbinding and mysterious exploration of mortality, begging the question: how would you live your life if you knew your number was up?"

Opinion: Similar to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" book. Twisted ending. Good mystery.

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard

Started: 10/18/2025

Finished: 10/21/2025

Year: 2024

Pages: 323

Genre: mystery

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Welcome to San Francisco, a city with killer charm.

"The chill of a San Francisco summer can be deadly. No one knows this better than Capri Sanzio, who makes her living giving serial killer tours of the city. Capri has been interested in the topic since she was a kid, when she discovered she’s the granddaughter of serial killer William ‘Overkill Bill’ Sanzio. She’s always believed in his innocence, though she's never taken the leap to fully dive into the case.

"But now an Overkill Bill copycat has struck in San Francisco. And Capri’s former mother-in-law, Sylvia, just cut off Capri’s daughter’s tuition payments. Needing cash, Capri wonders if this is the time to exonerate her grandfather. The case is back in the news and the police will be looking to understand the past to catch a present-day killer. Capri could finally uncover the truth about Overkill Bill―documenting the process with a podcast and a book―and hopefully earn some money.

"Before Capri can get very far, the cops discover the copycat’s latest victim: Sylvia. Capri soon finds herself at the heart of the police’s investigation for an entirely different reason. She and her daughter are prime suspects."

Opinion: Wasn't what I thought it was going to be about based on the title. Decent mystery and I had not fully predicted the killer. I will be reading the next in the series.

A Whiff of Death by Issac Asimov

Started: 10/17/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 1958

Pages: 191

Genre: mystery

Grade: C

Reason for reading: TBR pile

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Everyone knew that Ralph Neufeld was a careful young chemist, especially his professor, Lou Brade. That's why Ralph's accidental demise due to a confusion of chemicals struck Brade, as well as the police, as highly unlikely.

"Someone on campus had, somehow, switched bottles on poor Neufeld, and the result was as deadly as had been planned. The trouble was all the right suspects were in the wrong places when it happened...all the wrong suspects had the right motives...and the one person most qualified to solve the crime was already being considered the killer!"

Opinion: Predicted the killer and was confirmed. Didn't realize that he wrote mysteries along with his science fiction.

Tilt by Emma Pattee

Started: 10/17/2025

Finished: 10/17/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 224

Genre: literature

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Last night, you and I were safe. Last night, in another universe, your father and I stood fighting in the kitchen.

"Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, there’s nothing to do but walk.

"Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. If she can just make it home, she’s determined to change her life."

Opinion: An interesting birth story. Considering that I live in the area where this book takes place, I could relate to it since we are all waiting for the Big One. Ending left something to be desired.

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Started: 10/15/2025

Finished: 10/17/2025

Year: 2007

Pages: 337

Genre: mystery

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "While getting ready to judge the baking contest at the local town fair, Hannah Swensen stumbles upon the dead body of a fellow judge, along with a smashed key lime pie."

Opinion: Took too long to get to the murder. Predictable killer but setting of a county fair was decent and relatable.

Unleashed by David Rosenfelt

Started: 10/12/2025

Finished: 10/15/2025

Year: 2013

Pages: 308

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: TBR pile, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Andy Carpenter's accountant, Sam Willis, is stunned to receive a phone call out of the blue from Barry Price, a high school friend he hasn't spoken to in years, pleading for help with something too frightening to discuss on the phone. Barry needs Sam's financial acumen and lawyer Andy Carpenter's legal expertise―and he needs them immediately. But when Sam almost runs over an injured dog lying in the road on the way to Barry's house, he can't drive off without waiting for help to arrive. By the time Sam makes it, Barry's already taken off on a private airplane headed who-knows-where.

Assuming their help is no longer needed, Sam and Andy turn their full attention to helping the dog Sam found recover from his injuries. Then they learn that Barry's plane has crashed, and they come to the terrifying realization that Sam was also supposed to have been killed on that plane. Barry was in far more serious trouble than either of them knew, and for Sam and Andy, the trouble is only beginning."

Opinion: Getting caught up in an international/domestic terrorism...Decent mystery.

The Night Stalker by Philip Carlo

Started: 10/8/2025

Finished: DNF

Year: 1996

Pages: 421

Genre: True crime

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Painstakingly researched over 3 years, based on nearly 100 hours of exclusive personal interviews with Ramirez on California's Death Row, The Night Stalker is the definitive account of America's most feared serial murderer, Richard Ramirez. You'll follow Ramirez on his odyssey into depravity and mind-numbing violence, from his earliest brushes with the law in El Paso, Texas to his deadliest stalking expeditions. You'll watch an unprecedented police manhunt gather force, driven by one implacable goal: to capture and bring to justice the monstrous Night Stalker. You'll triumph with the brave group of East Los Angeles civilians who, in a moment of unparalleled courage, finally brought his career of mayhem and murder to an end. And you'll be witness to one of the most sensational trials in California history, which resulted in no less than nineteen death sentences for Ramirez.

"A killer whose seductive, darkly brooding looks still draws women like moths to flame - from avowed Satanists who worship his perverted credo, to a legion of true crime groupies - including a juror who actually fell in love with the "Death Row Romeo" after helping to convict him - Richard Ramirez continues to fascinate and terrify to this day."

Opinion: I knew what had happened once he was arrested and that's when I stopped reading-I was more interested in why he became who he was-bad childhood/role models, etc. I had also recently watched a documentary about him and was also based partly on this book so I thought that I'd read it.

Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney

Started: 9/28/2025

Finished: 10/8/2025

Year: 2025

Pages: 277

Genre: mystery

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Genre: "Herbalist Nora Asquith is delighted to welcome Ravensea Castle’s first guests to the picturesque village of Monkwell, Yorkshire. After a thousand years of ownership, her family has decided to convert the castle into a bed and breakfast. But when Hilda Dibble, a self-appointed local luminary, is found dead in the knot garden the next morning, Nora’s business is not only at risk―she’s a prime suspect.

"Hilda had opposed the hotel plan every step of the way, and although she didn’t succeed in stopping the venture, her disagreements with Nora seem to only further her motive. One of Ravensea’s guests happens to be Detective Inspector Finlay Cole, who is new to the area and now finds himself with a murder case in his lap.

"Nora and her actress sister Tamsyn decide to investigate for themselves. They look into the entangled dealings of their newly arrived guests, while also getting hints from Sir Percival, one of the castle ghosts. As they learn, Sir Percival’s tragic death centuries ago sheds light on present-day crimes. Surely they can get to the bottom of this mystery while keeping their new business afloat . . ."

Opinion: A decent murder mystery-first in a new series. 

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker

Started: 9/9/2025

Finished: 9/28/2025

Year: 2021

Pages: 396

Genre: romance

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: Goodreads.com giveaway

Type: ARC paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Ready…

"Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere. When Sylvie's unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has used her fame to fulfill her dream of opening a bakery. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess.

"Set…

"Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple.

"Match…

"When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they fight to come out on top.

"The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection.

"In this royal battle, can there be room for two?"

Opinion: Predictable? Yes but done in a great way. A fun non smutty romance