BOOK REVIEWS
The List (by Gregg Hurwitz)
Joey Morales took center stage in this compact Orphan X short story. After witnessing a campus tragedy, she uncovered a toxic ranking of women and used her skills to confront the students behind it. Hurwitz wrote her with the respect, accuracy, and compassion that have defined his female characters throughout the series.
Last Seen (by J.T. Ellison)
Last Seen by J.T. Ellison is a twisty psychological thriller about family secrets, a small town hiding something dark, and one woman’s search for the truth about her mother.
The Witch (by Freida McFadden)
Freida McFadden trades twisty thrillers for gothic chills in The Witch, a haunted mansion story with dark family secrets and a 1692 witchcraft mystery. Perfect for spooky season.
Dead Med (by Freida McFadden)
A solid medical thriller about the competitive pressures of med school, where secrets and sabotage turn deadly. The multiple perspectives kept the story engaging, though the abrupt ending left more questions than answers.
For You and Only You (by Caroline Kepnes)
Joe Goldberg trades bookselling for writing and lands a spot in a Harvard fellowship, but old habits die hard. My review of For You and Only You, book four in Caroline Kepnes's You series.
The Janitor (by Don Winslow)
A review of The Janitor, Don Winslow's new Audible Original novella starring a morally challenged lawyer-turned-fixer. An entertaining, quick crime listen with echoes of City of Dreams—plus an unexpected bonus for Dodgers fans.
The Delivery (by Gregg Hurwitz)
I chose this novella through Amazon First Reads. A grieving couple and their neurodivergent daughter bring a humanoid AI, Mr. Man, into their home. At first he is a miracle. Then the neighborhood’s violent events start to look like wishes they never intended.
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.
Into the Fire (by Gregg Hurwitz)
Evan Smoak wants Into the Fire to be his last job. It isn’t. I listened on Audible—Scott Brick is Evan for me—and I came away more interested in the man than the mission. The ending shoved the next book up in my rotation.
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