BOOK REVIEWS
The Caretaker (by Marcus Kliewer)
I loved Marcus Kliewer’s debut, so I went into The Caretaker with high expectations. A desperate young woman takes a three-day caretaking job on the Oregon Coast and finds herself bound by strange “Rites” meant to keep something terrible contained. The house tour is deliciously eerie, the audiobook is excellent, and the mental-health threads almost saved it for me. The ending did not.
Y is for Yesterday (by Sue Grafton)
I started Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series in 2017 after seeing her in conversation with John Grisham. A few months later, she was gone. This year I finally reached the last book she wrote, Y Is for Yesterday—and I didn’t care much for it. Too many threads, too few people to root for, and a sharp turn from the Kinsey novels I liked best. I finished it anyway. Here’s why.
Dear Debbie (by Freida McFadden)
I’m such a Freida McFadden fan. Her books reliably deliver the kind of twisty, bingeable entertainment I crave, and I only wish I could catch up on her new releases and dive into the…
Murder at the Breakers (by Alyssa Maxwell)
As a lifelong visitor to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, I’ve long been intrigued by the Vanderbilts. I love learning about that house and the family’s history, so when I saw…
Mad Mabel (by Sally Hepworth)
I've been wanting to read Sally Hepworth's suspenseful thrillers for a while. When Mad Mabel became available on Libby, I jumped on the opportunity to finally read one of her novels and…
The Summer Guests (by Tess Gerritsen)
I was truly sold on the Martini Club series when I “met” Tess Gerritsen during a Back Room author event. She was discussing The Summer Guests, the second book in the series, and I was…
The Shadows We Hide (by Allen Eskens)
I read Allen Eskens’ debut novel, The Life We Bury, back in 2018 and absolutely loved it. I didn’t expect it to become a series, but I’m thrilled it did—especially with more stories centered…
Remain (by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan)
I was drawn to Remain by the intriguing collaboration between Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan. I enjoyed The Notebook years ago and have a soft spot for the film adaptations of…
The Sublet (by Greer Hendricks)
I acquired the Kindle edition of Greer Hendricks' short story, The Sublet, through Amazon's First Reads program. The story revolves around Anne, a frazzled ghostwriter and aspiring novelist…
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